George Bruno with the 21 report. We're at the 21 convention the final event of the decade and I'm talking to Jack Donovan welcome How'd it go today? Great. I was I was actually really pleased with felt like it was my game. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. Yeah, I was happy with it What was the What were your bullet points? What did you want to get across to the men this time? Um Well, I was gonna just talk about the way men in my speech, but I actually ended up talking about a lot about Carl Young yeah, who's been getting actually very popular in the men's fear in a certain way and And actually always has been since the 90s the first kind of yep Poetic mythopoetic man's move in and so forth And it was interesting because I've always liked young myself and then I went to talk to read his red book this summer and actually found a lot about it that I didn't like and I think young actually has a lot of feminine influence in his writing that I think Maybe needs to be highlighted more. Yeah, you know a lot of things about the mythopoetic man's movement the early stuff were actually very feminine and and so I think the things I was really talking about was the You know in the first part of the red book he talks about A his soul being a woman Like getting in touch with the soul's woman and I went back and researched a lot of things about That idea like where did he get that from? Yeah, and he traced it up from You know the medieval mind. Yeah, and so forth. Yeah, and I think that's an idea this this idea that only women Can lead us to our better selves Has become a theme in in western society and I don't think it was always that way I think it maybe in the middle ages I think is when it did get picked up kind of the glorification of the virgin mother And then only a woman can lead us to to our best selves And I think that's leads a lot a lot of men astray because they're looking for this woman to make them better And they should actually be looking at their men to show them how to be better Yeah, you know the heroes and mentors and and the fathers and so forth. Yeah So that that was a big theme and then the other theme he in the red book.  And it seems he was making the argument that you had to kill this thing that you have to imitate To be fully individuated and I think that's almost a you know, kind of a juvenile or sophomoric way to look at You know self transformation because you This idea that you know, I'm never gonna have to copy it I'm gonna be so good that I don't have to copy anybody. Well, I don't know any men that good That they don't they don't have someone that they're gonna model You're always looking for new models. I mean as you get better in life and you know, you've Well, I've gotten as much as I need from that guy. I need to look for another guy to model after and I think that's The idea that you have to Have this idea that's This ideal that's better than you and will always be better than you and is unreachable Has become kind of a trope of modern feminism that you have to that's bad to have this thing that you can never become and And I don't think men usually look at that way Well, I have this north star this thing that I'm never going to reach But I'm still going to head in that direction And it's okay if I'm never the best You know, you can still do powerlifting without setting the world record Right And it's you're still going to get a lot out of it and maybe I never have to be that guy I certainly never going to be that guy. I don't want to be that guy I don't want to put in The work to be that guy because I have other things I want to do But I can still get a lot about from watching those guys at the top of that And the same with anything when I was talking to your brother actually who reads about martial arts And I'm like, I'm not I'm not going to be a pro MMA fighter But I can certainly learn a lot from those guys Sure And and the idea that these guys should be Kind of taken off their pedestals So that we don't feel bad is just a very childish way to look at the world. It is yeah a friend of mine is a Arguably One of the most well known NFL coaches and I said, what advice do you have for men? He's in his 80s now and he said to me Young men need to find men they can emulate And boy that struck me because that's harder to do You actually have to weed through a lot of men to find men you can emulate There's not a lot of men that I I would want to emulate Yeah Well, and the other thing is a I think a mistake is that everyone's looking for someone famous Yeah, that's I mean people always ask me well, who are your heroes and they want me to Identify someone well known Yeah, that they can and I'm not going to say the rock or something Yeah, because that that's what they want is some kind of famous person Yeah, and doc doing a lot of times it's it's especially For average men it should probably be people that are in your life Yeah That you know like men that are better at something because you then you can actually see how they do what they do Versus, you know this idea of what this guy is doing. He might be doing something totally different Yeah But uh, you know, he's just kind of what they're selling that he does is one thing But uh, you know, it's someone that you can actually be around and get some advice from or just watch how they behave And a lot of times that's how you learn someone like watch what they're doing How they're watch how they're interacting with people and that's You know, you can take cues from that I see uh jocco on uh Twitter always taking a picture of his watch at 4 30 a.m Getting it. That's all he says.  He's got the podcast But not a lot of people are going to be jocco. It's just not going to happen No, a lot of guys can't even get up at 4 30. Yeah. Yeah And that's the end of it. I mean, that's that's that's that's his transitional career Yes, you know, they're they're gonna have the background of what he did before right that got him to that space Right, that's what that he's been doing and you know, and everybody always says someone had a great quote about one of the guys from the conference had a great quote about uh The jocco watch thing because I already heard that once today You know, well, you know, if you cut this end off a sleeping bag and then sew it to the other end You used to have the same sleeping bag like, you know, is he going to bed at seven o'clock? Yeah, right like, you know, like maybe you get up at 10 But then you go to bed at two in the morning, but you're still getting the same amount of day, right, you know So it's it's definitely It depends on your life and what you need to do. I mean not everybody has to do that. So Yeah, different Different advice is different for different guys and and I always say I've said a lot for the past couple years different advice Different voices for different years There's Kind of a finite amount of good advice in the world. It seems like yeah, and uh, but there's a lot of guys who need to hear it from Someone who they connect with yeah And you know, he's going to be the guy that someone connects with they need to hear it from him Yeah, but uh, you know guys who were into you know, like heavy metal music might need to hear it from a guy Who looks like that or you know that you know, it's the same advice in many cases, you know You know like concentrate on the things near to be close to you instead of things far away I mean, it's it's basic self-help advice that just everybody needs to hear but they need to hear it from the right guy Yeah, you know, I like I never related to athletes very well. I I just You know, there's a special dinner and the and the guest speaker is you know, multi trophy winner award winner of this You know, whatever game or this series And it just never appealed to me and then there's the Navy seal guys that are getting a lot of mileage these days. Yeah past five years a lot of navy seal stuff going on military stuff and But not a lot of people are emulating the more intellectual and philosophical types You know, there's a lot of uh, they're equating greatness with physical greatness, which that's part of it You do have to take care of yourself but um, you know, there's guys here that that are never going to be jaco or uh, you know Who's the guy that killed bin Laden? He's traveling the country. You know, I forget what his name is Wrote a wrote a book on it. Whatever. Um, that's not average. Joe is not going to he can't emulate that Right. He just can't so you have to find a realistic Person. Well, I mean they the the thing is that what those guys bring to the table You know, is this stuff that I wrote about the way meant what they bring to the table is that We live in this protected society Where men don't have to do the job they've always done at that perimeter and they've had to go out and Face death. Yeah, and they don't Men don't have that experience that they're looking to get something from the guy who's had that experience Right, and so he carries that weight and you know, I'm never going to have that experience Probably unless the world falls apart, right, uh, so we uh, we can gain something from that guy who said that Especially like in the way that he has to deal with other men on a team, you know When things really matter They have a different set of values that you know, there is a very old set of values And so you can get a lot from those guys and the same thing with like mma fighters and and guys who have had to go out and Take a lot of abuse and and so forth and face their fear in a certain way And you can get a lot of those guys, but I think yeah, you can you can have like a pantheon you can have a A selection Of heroes you don't have to like just try to be jocco But yeah, there also can be I mean there's a problem obviously with the intellectual world That you know you have to look to old philosophers the the new You know the new uh The academic world unfortunately is what it is. Yeah, it's uh pretty much the The establishment at this point it's the establishment and it's it's always been establishment, but uh, It's you know, very feminist and you know, very feminized kind of communist really environment And everything is justified according to those principles. Right and uh, so you don't you know, I think People aren't looking at men who want to be better at being men Aren't really looking to those guys But then you have a few stands all you have your jordan peterson's and so forth They'd have that background and are making that alive. So I mean, I know a lot of guys actually Worship jordan peterson. I get all the time. Have you heard jordan peterson? Yes? I know who he is.    Yeah, and he's good at it, right and um, You know, he's not getting up at 430 and deadlifting 700 pounds, right, you know, he's He's his mind is deadlifting 700 pounds. Absolutely. Although like I would always say that I think there's a balance I think that you know, and actually a lot of those. That's why they're good to emulate a lot of the uh, you know Special forces guys are cure one guys or whatever that I've hung out with. They're actually really smart guys And they're really well read and they're actually really interested in information.  What can I take away from this because that's how they look at the world? Yes, and uh So I think that yeah, there's definitely a place for that, but I and they're very well balanced You know, they they are the killers who actually also read philosophy. Yeah, and uh, And I think that that's kind of the goal. I mean, that's where I think men should be it mean to be balanced in that way to have Yes, I'm not the strongest guy in the world, but I can be stronger But yeah, it would also be good for me to maybe read some Marcus really is you know, I can I can do both of those things And you know, America has America has this jock nerd kind of fascination especially like I was you around the 80s. I grew up in the 80s.  Yeah, and it's it's very It's very counterproductive because the best guys are both You know, the best guys are really jocks and nerds. So yeah, I'm always a little bit It rubs me the wrong way when we divide people into You know, two or three groups red pill blue pill beta alpha jock nerd And I'm finding that a lot of the alpha and beta and blue pill and red pill stuff is just kind of like a different version of jock nerd Yeah, I mean the alpha side that bugs me that the whole alpha category because alpha is a role Yeah, and I don't like to use it for that reason because you know, in a certain room You know, we could be a room with a handful of guys and I'm the alpha today And then you go to room with you know, like we had the MMA fighter downstairs and somebody's like, well, I'm not the alpha in that room And so that changes constantly and based on the the requirements of the situation and whatever So, I mean, it's it's more of a role. Obviously what they're really saying is more masculine. Yeah They what they really are selling when they're selling alpha is they're selling be more masculine Rather than be more alpha because that means that you're at the top of the heap all the time, which is never true Right. No one gets to be that forever, you know, so I think that Yeah, that that's a Simple it's it's a marketing category. Yeah, I think in many cases I think I read there was this German author who mentioned me one time or someone said that he mentioned me There's a German guy who's a German rapper and he came out with a book like Dossist alpha And he is a rapper and he's selling this alpha thing to German people and whatever It becomes kind of it becomes a character, right, you know Is it going to go away? Is it a fad? What do you think? This whole alpha beta thing is it it's hot right now Yeah, I mean, I I hope You know, that's what we're doing is that men never want to stop paying more masculine. Yeah, right Uh, I just think the alpha is an easy way. It's a shorthand for talking about that and uh It's I don't know that it's going away. I would say that it's level one I would say that it's like that's when you're a young kid and you want to Figure you're figuring things out. You you make a shorthand of it and you talk about it in that way But as you grow as an adult male, there's a little more depth. Yeah there and then you understand it better And what's going on and you're not trying to be alpha. Yeah, because it's silly.  Yeah. Yeah, not at all. Yeah I was a fan of the walking dead and uh When sh tf happens All the people that you think would be leaders aren't Right, you know in kind of like that post apocalyptic world which I you know being a sci-fi fan and kind of a prepper myself You know The prepper nerd that can start a fire the the guy that can start a fire with no matches Right is an alpha amongst people that oh my god. We have no matches. Yeah, or he's just high value Yeah, I mean it's just high value in certain skills And that that's the thing too. Yeah, depending on the situation different skills are valued Yeah, you know, like I mean we're at a conference and like The best speakers are valued, but it's not necessarily that that skill doesn't really matter in other situations Yeah, right. It's just a skill that someone hadn't developed. I mean, I'm good at adobe lightroom But but you know, that's not really useful skill in survival scenario, right? Uh, so it's uh, it just depends It depends on but I think One thing that does always matter and that people discount, you know, because they think the alpha stuff is being able to punch people and and use firearms and that's all good but There's the social aspect And leaders have a lot of people skills and charisma and a lot of times that's the guy He might actually be the smallest guy in the room And you know, he's not feminine But he might not he's not the scariest guy in the room. Those are not always the leaders or kings or whatever It's the guy who has the people skills to Figure out what everyone needs is everyone getting what they're needing This is everybody You know that the leadership skills are a little bit different from what people think of as alpha, right, you know Do you think the 21 convention has made a shift? Do you have you noticed a kind of a change? In the organization In the direction that we're going in have you noticed anything in the past few years? Well, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely It's definitely shifting towards more of a kind of family oriented thing and and More positive Yeah, I mean it was always positive and that's why I originally accepted the invitation to speak at 21 because I I wanted to do something that was more positive and was more focused on helping men be better and I've definitely noticed that it's You know as as bleak as the world is in many ways You know things have never been perfect And so I think there's definitely been a focus of of sending men In a direction of like well, here's how to take modernity And here's how to still try and craft The life that most men want Out of that, you know the light that most men will probably want a family And because that's you know 90 of dudes, that's what they're going to want. Yeah And and so how to how to create that situation and how to still have kids and be fulfilled in that way and And you know, that's great. I mean, it's not going to work for everybody. It's not going to be the right thing for everybody but it is It's good to to keep that option open and and and also what's interesting about 21 is that they have People coming at that from different angles and different You know worldviews Because you know, there's you know, what works in one paradigm won't work another. I mean we talk with tanner all the time like if you're you know You know as a Mormon you have a setup that actually makes that facilitates that world Whereas like a guy who's not in that world We'll have a whole different set of challenges to deal with and so you have different speakers addressing it from different areas And I think that's really important as well Yeah, like when Mormons get together like a bunch of guys sit around a table and they're introducing themselves And you know the guy with the most kids is like he's the alpha of the group. They're like, whoa, you got nine kids And they're all high-fiving each other. It's like I hope someday to have nine kids Yeah, the average guy is like nine kids. Yeah. Yeah, they'll know. Yeah, but yeah, it's interesting different different scenarios Have different leaders different types of leaders. Yeah, and that's and that's respected in his world Yeah, no, absolutely. And and so it's yeah, you have to have That's why it's good to have just a different selection of these different guys who can address Different challenges. Yeah Well, we had sock on this morning. We had you on yesterday. We've got Tanner on right now. I mean All representing different things. Yeah, and just very interesting. What what a nice I don't want to say potpourri, but Honest to god, what what a nice skill word Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think of like a basket of Stuff on a toilet A nice mix we'll just yeah a nice mix But there is a good mix of men here. Yeah a good mix of men I mean, we do have the navy seals here. We do have the Peyote mushroom guy here. We've got you know, we've got we've got a guy teaching you how to change a diaper here Yeah, I mean, there's so much going on at the 21 convention and it's not a It's not a how to get laid weekend Anymore, right, right, right. Yeah And everyone's evolving. I've noticed although that you know, that's why we say that as far as You know, it's good to move past that and understand there are other aspects of manhood, but that is an evergreen Audience like because every year there's new 18 year olds who need to go ahead and know how to get laid That's not that's not something though. It's ever going to go away. They're going to need that too. Well, there were three workshops yesterday. One was Steve the dean williams probably, you know doing his thing. Yep. It's it's you know, how to game You know, whatever and yeah, yeah goldman talking about camera game and then I was going to do something about pipe smoking and and the entire crowd of men Filled up steve's room and goldman's room and no one came to my room So we're gonna we're gonna do it at a later time outside or whatever and then as a joke. I'm gonna say Uh, you know come to my workshop How to pick up women while smoking a pipe, right? Let's just add that to it. Maybe that'll get sure Maybe that'll get a few people in there but Um, I'm finding that the evergreen. What do you think are the evergreen topics?  Sure.   So they want to become more like that. So I think physical fitness is always going to be a a component of that uh social dominance I think is also, uh, obviously a huge component of how to And that's the chat. I mean, I'd actually like to see more of that. Uh, yeah how to present yourself and actually how to, uh Negotiate situations with groups of men Yeah, uh, because that's a lot of guys actually don't have that experience right, uh guys who grow up with brothers are better at it Yeah, uh, and then uh, but guys who grow without any brothers. Yeah, a lot of times they don't Have a lot of experience interacting with groups of men and how to become How to move forward in that kind of group I think is actually really an interesting topic and I think you have to have guys who have a lot of experience in that Talk about something like that. And then obviously, you know from their Leadership is also a really good thing and a lot of people give leadership lectures But they're really aimed towards corporate audiences and right how to lead in a middle management environment Or be an entrepreneur or so and now that's good But uh, just a general leadership is that's a I mean, I had to do some leadership stuff and that's I've never done this before like how do you lead men? How do you get them on your team and how do you you know Yeah, inspire them And that that's another aspect of masculinity that uh, you know is always gonna be there. Yeah Excellent. Well, this was a good talk the phrase that stands out Already this morning killers that read philosophy I love that. Yeah talk with jack donovan. Thank you. All right. Thank you What was your experience so far with the 21 convention? Oh, I was dead. I was dead professional all across the board really good energy with a lot of people and uh, I just like because it's very positive positive direction this uh, George, this is this has been a first class event. It's fantastic You guys were in a really tight ship. I've been to a lot of conventions over the course of my business career And I can tell when things are well run and when things aren't and this is a very well run operation I was very impressed. It's pretty incredible to see where anthony's brought it Especially from last year which is my first year here and to see the the upgrades he's made. It's been incredible I've got my notebook and with every speaker. I've written down about two or three lines Under each of the speakers of just just the key prime stuff that I got that's good. That's great. It's very surreal man I'm really enjoying it. I'm happy to live in such an era Where is such a thing like this is possible? I have never seen a group of guys like this a group of 200 men were focused Squared away and working on their values just never met a bigger group of wonderful guys It's kind of neat because I've been to a fair amount of conventions in my day But you never see one where the guy's like uh here you can just see ed ladamore talking to tanner about boxing Yeah, you just sit down and then you tell your boxing experiences. Everybody's kind of pinging off each other It's yeah, it has been fantastic And it's been four days of guys all on the same page working in the same direction fascinating meaning some of the people Hearing their stories. Yep. You got people traveling from other parts of the world to come here just to see yeah some of the speakers That's amazing. The thing is impressed me. Everybody here is very serious. Yeah, they're taking it. You know close to their heart What a great convention. Thanks, George


Good afternoon, everyone, and I'm very pleased to welcome you to this timely IIA discussion. My name is Barry Colfer and I'm the Director of Research here at the IIA. We're delighted to be joined today by Anu Bradford, Henry L. Moses Professor of Law and International Organizations at Columbia Law School, who's been generous enough to take time out of a busy schedule to speak with us. We host this meeting whilst being highly conscious of the rapidly deteriorating situation in Ukraine and in some ways, I wonder if we should be talking about anything other than this situation to our East. It's not for today, but we recognize this situation and we think of those who are suffering. Today Professor Bradford will speak to us for about 20 minutes and then we'll go to questions and answers with you, our audience. You will be able to join the discussion using the Q&A function on Zoom, which you should see on your screen. Please feel free to send questions in throughout the session as they occur to you and we'll come to them once Professor Bradford has finished her presentation. A reminder that today's presentation and Q&A are both on the record. Please also feel free to join the discussion on Twitter using the handle at IIA. So to introduce our speaker, Anu Bradford's research focuses on international trade law, European Union law and comparative and international competition law. Anu holds an SJD and LLM from Harvard Law School and the law degree from the University of Helsinki. Prior to her academic career, she practiced competition and EU law in Brussels and was an advisor at the Finnish Parliament and at the European Parliament. Professor Bradford is the author of The Brussels Effect, Have the European Union Rules the World and is currently working on her forthcoming book entitled The Battle for the Soul of the Global Internet. We're really delighted that you can be with us today, Professor Bradford, and the floor is yours. Thank you so much, Barry, and good afternoon, everyone. I am delighted to share this conversation with you and let me also add my own thoughts for reason and peace to prevail. I'm extremely concerned about the events unfolding. I'm watching them from the United States, none of us are insulated from them. So let me just recognize that and it is part of when we discuss, we're talking about one element of power today, but power comes in many forms and I did not think that we would need to be focusing as much on military power as we need to be focusing on today. But I do want to talk about a different type of power today, which is regulatory power. Let me first mention maybe why I wrote the book called The Brussels Effect, How the European Union Rules the World. And it was really my response to this conversation that was increasingly negative about the Europe's role in the world. The idea that the European Union is inevitably a declining power, a past power that has little ability to shape the affairs of the world today, because that is not the kind of European Union that I encounter daily in my research and teaching. So let me give you a few examples of where we see the European Union exercising a tremendous global influence. So if we start from here in the United States, where I'm looking at the world today and we go to Silicon Valley, West Coast of the United States and think some of the most powerful companies that are headquartered in Europe, most of them in Dublin, but that really originate from Silicon Valley and operate across the world. If you look at the privacy policies of companies such as Google or Apple or Facebook or Microsoft, they are following the European General Data Protection Regulation, the GDPR, not only when they are dealing with data users in data subjects in Europe, but across the world. And if we stay within the technology industry and think about, for instance, the hate speech or the kind of speech content that these platforms are taking down from the platforms, they are not looking at the First Amendment of US Constitution, but they are looking at European definition of hate speech. And by day, we are talking about Facebook. So Meta these days, we're talking about YouTube, we're talking about Twitter. So American companies, again, getting their cues from the European regulators. And this is not just the question of American companies or the technology industry. We also see the European law shape, how timber is harvested in Indonesia. What kind of pesticides are used by farmers in Africa? What kind of facilities, Chinese dairy factories install in those factories? What kind of chemicals Japanese toy manufacturers use when manufacturing toys? So these are really examples of the European regulations shaping what we are producing and what we are consuming. So these are examples of a phenomenon that I have called the Brussels effect. And by the Brussels effect, I refer to the European Union's unilateral ability to regulate the global marketplace. So the EU is one of the largest and wealthiest consumer markets in the world. And there are very few global companies that can afford not to trade in the EU. So these companies need to comply with European regulations as the price for accessing the 450 million also relatively wealthy consumers. That's not surprising. Where it gets interesting that often these companies conclude that it is in their interest to extend the European regulations across the global production and they global services and they global conduct because they want to avoid the cost of complying with multiple different regulatory regimes in different places. So all the EU needs to do is regulate the single market. It is then the global companies and they market incentives that transplant the European regulations across the world.  It is a certain kind of power. And part of the book that I wrote that the conversation was really to invite a discussion of different forms of power so that we cannot make a blanket assessment that the European Union is weak in some areas. European Union is weak today when dealing with Ukraine. European Union is operating on the territory where it is substantially weaker than when it operates in the territory where it has the power and it can rely on the markets to actually externalize that power. So that kind of power also matters. It does affect us every day, everywhere in the world. It affects the food we eat, the air we breathe and the products we produce and consume. And to me, that is also influence and relevance. And that is one form of important power. So let me maybe now ask the question, why do we talk about the Brussels effect and not Washington effect or Beijing effect? Because European Union is certainly not the only large market in the world. So why do we then see Europe have this power? Because ultimately any large economy could potentially have this power. If you are Costa Rica and you decide to now be very stringent regulator of the environment, the companies can just decide not to trade in Costa Rica, but it's much harder to decide not to trade in European Union. But China is big, the US is big. So why no Beijing effect and why no Washington effect? So what I argue in the book that it's not enough to have the large market, that is the necessary precondition, but that alone is not enough. You also need to have the regulatory institutions that allow you to unleash the power of the market and convert it into tangible regulatory influence. So yes, you have large markets, but for instance, in China, you do not yet have the sophistication, the expertise of the bureaucracy of Brussels that is able to generate the kind of rules and apply them even across your borders, the way that European Union is able to do across the many different domains. China is in the process of building that capacity, but it still has a way to go. The US, on the other hand, there is plenty of regulatory capacity for residing in Washington, DC. What is missing is the political will to deploy it. So since about 1990s, the US has, whether you have a Democrat or a Republican running the White House, you have had a general hesitation to intervene in the markets. There has been a trend towards deregulation across the board. Americans like markets more. There's been much more skepticism of the government to intervene. So while the US has been stepping back, it has been seeding the market for the Europeans to then enter and take that role of the global regulator. So the Americans have not wanted to regulate. So the political will has not been there. Let me offer a caveat, though. So when we, for instance, talk about technology, the conversation is shifting and there is now an increasing recognition where Americans are re-evaluating the kind of techno-libertarian foundations of the American regulatory state. And there's certainly a different tone in the Congress debating whether we actually would need to rewrite our anti-trust laws with President Biden nominating the kind of enforcers to its administration that are now willing to try the boundaries of existing anti-trust law. There's a debate whether, finally, the US should no longer be an outlier and establish and adopt a federal privacy law, whether there should be rewriting the so-called Section 230 of Communications Business Act that would start exercising more discipline over the platforms when it comes to content moderation that takes place on those platforms. So there's a different conversation about regulation, at least in the domain of technology today in the US, but it's a different question whether that would actually translate into the kind of political will that will be shown as actual concrete legislations. So let's go back to you need to have the large market, you need to have the regulatory capacity, and you need to have the political will to deploy that capacity. And currently, across the board, European Union has been the only power that meets those criteria. So let me now say a few words on whether this is a good thing or bad thing. So my main argument in the book is that the Brussels effect exists. I explain how it happens, how pervasive it is, and I leave it for the reader to decide whether this is something we should be celebrating or whether it is a matter of concern. And I don't think there's a uniform answer to that. But let me let me run by you three common criticisms that have been leveled against the Brussels effect. So one is this idea that regulation is costly and it also deters innovation. We hear that over and over again from the companies. And here I would pause and take this criticism seriously because it may indeed be that some regulations are costly and they do dampen innovation. I remember when I was working on the book, I was talking to one tech executive and I asked him, what is the difference when you deal with European and American regulators? And he told me that, well, what Europeans want, they want us to satisfy the consumer need and what Americans want. They want us to change the world or allow the world to be changed. And if every tech company innovated towards satisfying the existing consumer need as opposed to changing the world. Yes, some of the most disruptive innovations that can be beneficial to the humanity would never take place. So I do take it seriously. At the same time, I'm not willing to say that regulation every time leads to a lack of innovation. We have a lot of energy efficient technologies, for instance, that are good for the environment, but that also end up creating more efficient products that can be also lower cost products. There's a wonderful book by a French economist, Thomas Tillipon, who teaches at NYU here in New York, called The Great Reversal, how America gave up on free markets. And he shows how the lack of antitrust, the lack of competition regulation in the US has led to excessively concentrated markets to high profits for the companies and high prices for consumers. Whereas in Europe, there is more regulation. So there is more competition. That's why I pay a fraction for my flight ticket from Brussels to Madrid, compared to when I fly from New York to Chicago. That's why my cell phone bills are so much less in Europe than they are in America, because there's more competition in Europe, because there is more regulation. So this relationship between regulation and innovation and efficiency is somewhat more nuanced than often thought about. So let me now address the second criticism that often you hear level against the Brussels effect. And that is this idea that this is just a manifestation of European envy driven protectionism. Look who the Europe is going after in all these tech cases. It's always the American companies. Ten billion in fines against Google. Right now, there's a case open against Apple, against Amazon, against Meta and against Google. So it is really always the American companies. And Europe is just not able to generate its own tech company. So it's trying to level the playing field and bring down the ones who can actually invest.  They're not being really a competitor to social media websites. If you think about, for instance, Google, which was the company that first brought the complain against Google? It was an American company. It was Microsoft. If you think about another case that has been recently in headlines, the Intel case, who was the big winner when there was a fine against Intel? It was another American company, AMD. So when I was speaking to the US ambassador under President Obama, he said he never lobbied in these competition cases because they were American companies on both sides of the dispute. So often it's the US companies fighting their civil war in the European territory because Washington DC has not been willing to extend anti-trust remedies to them. So it's not that clear that there would have been protectionist impulse behind these regulations. But again, I want to add the kind of caveat that I added when I mentioned how the conversation about regulation is shifting in the US. Conversation is shifting in Europe and around the world about regulation and the general political environment is now much more hospitable to protectionism. So there are voices growing in Europe who are upset that the regulation has not been protectionist enough and calling for more industrial policy driven merger control, for instance. This was a big concern when the Europeans blocked the notified acquisition attempt between Siemens and Alstern and basically suggesting that this was Europe's opportunity to build a European champion that could compete against the Chinese counterparts. Well, Commissioner Festarker basically said that look, we are here to protect consumers. This is not good for the consumers. We are not here to conduct industrial policy. French and Germans were not impressed and they issued this manifesto calling for more political veto and more industrial policy considerations into the competition policy. And there's a broader conversation now about strategic autonomy, digital sovereignty, technological sovereignty. There are pressures towards leveraging the Brussels Effect as a tool for protectionism. But let me tell you one thing. Brussels Effect can be effective in exporting regulations that are benign, but it can also work as a tool for exporting protectionism. Should the EU turn its regulation as an instrument of protectionism, I can tell you that also would be spreading across the world. There will be then Brazilian agency copying from the EU's playbook when European companies are trying to acquire local companies and say, look, that's what you are doing as well. It's national champions. We do not let this merger proceed. So the EU would need to be careful at what that it may get more than it actually bargained for. Let me now address the last criticism that you often hear. And that is more of a political criticism. This idea that the Brussels Effect is a manifestation of European regulatory imperialism. We are writing the rules for the world and making the rest of the world to basically accept the trade-offs that European consumers are making when it comes to regulation. And again, I wouldn't dismiss this concern out of hand because the truth is that we do have African farmers refraining from using GMOs, even if they probably would need some of them, those GMOs to feed their growing populations. We have a lot more environmentally friendly products and a lot more privacy for American consumers, probably even more than they at least directly ask for. So the question is whether we are overriding the preferences of democratic governments in other places who no longer can draft the rules that serve the will of very old populations. So here I would have two responses that the European Union can extend. So one is that European Union is only regulating its single market, which it has the sovereign right and even the sovereign obligation to do. It is not European decision if Facebook decides to extend European privacy protections to other side of the world as well, because it is more beneficial and efficient for them to have uniform regulations. So ultimately, that's different from regulatory imperialism. There's also another argument, which I think is more controversial, but it's also very interesting, which is that there are many in the US who say that the current state of regulation doesn't actually reflect our democratic preferences. If you look at the leeway that the corporations have through lobbying influencing regulation, this is not how little privacy our consumers want. Our internet users, if you look at them, they want more privacy. We just have not been able to generate regulations. So the European regulations are offsetting some of the deficiencies in the current American democratic processes. So I'm going to turn it to the Q&A, but let me just make two comments on the future of the Brussels effect. So one is that we should probably talk about whether this will last a long time, even if I convince you that European Union right now has this power. Will Beijing effect be there 10 years from now? So I'm happy to take that up in the Q&A as well. In the book, I argue that the GDP per capita is a better predictor of the country's willingness and ability to regulate than the GDP as such. There's going to be a long while before the Chinese GDP per capita. The wealth is at the level that there's demand and actual willingness to regulate at that same level. And that means that the European regulatory power will likely its own regulatory, its own economic power as such. The second is that I would mention this is Ireland. So I think we do think about Brexit a lot. And so I let me end with the remark about Brexit and how that intersects with the Brussels effect. So there was some argument that Brexit would undermine the Brussels effect. And I understand the argument because we just lost a big chunk of the market share. And the market size is an important first condition for the regulatory power that the EU can exercise. We also, I would argue, lost a lot of good regulatory capacity. I think the British were pretty good. They were very good civil servants. They were good judges. I wanted them to be part of those conversations and they are gone. So the EU lost some market share. It lost market power and it lost some regulatory capacity. What probably it didn't lose was the idea that the UK wasn't always willing to support stringent regulations and that voice is now gone. What it means for the proponents of Brexit, though, is that it doesn't mean that the UK will no longer need to be chained to the regulations coming from Brussels. It means that there's probably more stringent regulations being drafted in Brussels because the UK's pro market voice is not there to shape them. There's more space for French and German preferences to prevail. Yes, the UK has chosen to be a rule taker and not a rule maker because the UK will continue to feel the effects of regulation. The EU continues to be the most important market, the export market for the UK. It's the number one destination for most critical UK industries, whether we talk about financial services, whether we talk about pharmaceuticals, chemicals, aerospace. And if you think about being a UK car manufacturer, do you want to prepare your cars so that you can sell them in the UK or in the market that is six times the size of your domestic market? You do need the European market. And the question is, do you really want to set up a second production line to produce different variants for your domestic market? So it leaves me to conclude that when it comes to Brexit, Brexit doesn't really undermine the Brussels effect. It's the Brussels effect that does undermine Brexit. And ultimately, the promise of regulatory sovereignty is much curtailed because of the dynamics underlying the Brussels effect. So let me maybe end it there because I'm eager to hear from the audience and build on any questions that I mentioned or failed to mention and hear from you next.


Hi, it's Bridget. Welcome to Above Life Channel. The purpose here is to inspire your spirit and to fill you with hope. Today, we're going to be talking with Robert Kennedy in the afterlife. Now, Bobby Kennedy is someone that I have known as far as history goes, and I have been drawn to the Kennedy family as I've shared in previous videos where I've channeled Jack Kennedy, former president of the United States, his first wife, a Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy, and also their son, John Kennedy, Jr. So I have done some other channeling with those folks, if you want to check that out, go ahead and check out the playlist for the Kennedys. So Robert Kennedy. Now, I have, I know a little bit about him because I know he served as the attorney general underneath his brother, the president back in the 60s. I know he was an advocate for civil rights. He was also unfortunately, his life was cut short through assassination, much like his brother. And while he was running for president, and I know he died in San Francisco, in a hotel in 2000 or in June of the year that he was running for president. So I remember that, like I know that. And a long time ago, you guys, when I was in like fifth grade, I was super fascinated with the Kennedys. So I read like a book, PT 109 by JFK. And there was like a mini series on television. Again, I was in fifth grade. That was a long time ago. And I watched Robert Kennedy and his times is what it was called about Bobby Kennedy. So that's what I know about the Kennedys. Okay, so let's have a chat with Robert Kennedy from the afterlife. And Bobby Kennedy is probably one of the best looking Kennedys, I'm going to say that. And it's okay for me to say that. Yeah, right? Oh, yes, it is. He very and very smart. Bobby, you feel really young to me though, although you're very like, articulate, I feel like there's a lot of literature around you. I don't know if you wrote a lot. I mean, I know you have a law background, obviously. But I feel like a literature, like, I don't know if you appreciated literature and really enjoyed literature. But I see that. And I feel like you could have been more of an English major than a law student. And that if you hadn't perhaps gone into public service as a, you know, as a lawyer and working for your brother, perhaps you would have been an excellent journalist, or in mass communications and such media. Couldn't you guys see that? Yeah, I could see that put that in the comments. If you could see that, Bobby Kennedy as a journalist, I could totally see that. All right, so I want to ask you some specific things. I have a beautiful connection with Marilyn Monroe in the afterlife. And I'm curious about your connection to her. And I don't want it gossip. That's not really my interest. That's not my genre. That's not what I do on an above life channel. But I'm curious about the relationship that you had with her, because when I've talked with Marilyn, I felt like there is definitely sparks there between the two of you. And so, and I know that you knew each other. So I want to talk about that. Can we talk about that? Is it okay to begin with that? And he says, I'd like to talk about the status of the country. Okay, so Bobby, here's the deal. Like I don't want to be political. And yet it's kind of hard not to be nowadays, right? And he says, it's not political to talk about humanitarian issues, to talk about humanity, people being people. It's interesting. It's an interesting thing. He says it's a funny thing how outrage calls people forward into their true, to reveal their true selves, outrage brings forward a level of authenticity that other times, the peaceful times do not present. There's a part of you as an individual that comes through when you are really pushed against the wall, when there is no other choice but to stand up in order to claim your freedom. And that's what America's about. It's based upon these principles, not just of democracy, but the basic principle of freedom, which is a value that all humans have. In some way, there is a desire for freedom. And in other parts of the country and other parts of the world, there are those who experience very little of what freedom is. And here in the United States, for most of you, there is so much freedom that you do, it is true, you do take it for granted. And I can clearly see that. I can clearly see that. And I'm asking you, do you believe that? Do you believe that you take your freedoms for granted? Do you? This is why history comes back, to show us in our ugliest of moments, the sacrifice that we have made to get to the point that we're at, sometimes serves as a very painful reminder, a sharp slap in the face with a cold hand to create the opportunity for more momentum, for a new beginning, a starting fresh moment that doesn't always come from those times when there is comfort, but it comes when there is discontent and this ordinate amount of an imbalance or an equity of power or the perception of that power, when there is abuse, when there are, when there is turbulence beyond unrest, but something that hits at the core of our values as a nation. And when that happens, the heart of our country is at stake. We bleed together and we are being asked in many ways to step forward into these challenges and there are, there is darkness here and at times you may feel alone and the suffering feels too great and too much to bear to feel so we look away from what we are being forced to see. And if you held up a mirror to that, what would be reflected back at you? Would it be darkness in your eyes? Or would you be light? Would you be the light that shines the way for others out of this state of suffering and into a harmonious recreation of what true freedom deserves? That is the fabric of your society. That is what has been created for you, not just as a safety net, but as a foundation to build upon each generation adding, adding and building, creating a new life through the struggles. We will gain clarity and become closer as a nation. I asked for a break, you guys, and stop the thought process because channeling can come through the clarsentient empathic channel and I can feel the truth in what he speaks and I recognize he's right, it's not political, it's patriotic. But it's also about a belief in ourselves, in our desire to wanting to live our lives on purpose, with purpose, to be purposeful and recognizing that we can't do that solo. We're not alone, we're in family groups, we're in businesses, we are in community organizations, we are part of schools, we are part of our communities, we are part of a nation and a global community. And there are expectations and consequences to the extension of what we believe in value and our choice of our behaviors and our actions and I can clearly sense, sense is the right word, I can clearly see the messaging here. Thank you for that, I did not anticipate that at all, those are the best channels at all. Okay, so let's talk about Marilyn Monroe, can we do that? Is that like appropriate now even after he gave this like really cool speech kind of thing? Can we talk about that? He says you can ask me what you'd like to ask me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to answer you. I know, I know I'm not a reporter either, I'm not like that. But I am curious because like I said, I'm very connected to Marilyn Monroe and her energy and she was just brought back up to me recently just in the last week and so I wanted to connect with you about that because there's some, there's quite a bit of, you know, there's conspiracy theories around everything, around your death, around your brother's death, around the relationship with Marilyn Monroe, around your nephew's death, JFK Jr. and that kind of a thing. So there's all that, you know, but I'm interested in the understanding of the relationships and the connections. So Hollywood and government so connected? Oh, sure, sure. He says, oh sure, yes, oh sure, sure. It's and he's showing me it's a balance of power. So like attracts like is what he's showing me, like the power in Hollywood, the power in politics that would make sense that they would be connected or there would be there would be opportunity because he says there's a tremendous amount of pressure when you're a public figure, not just upon you as a person, but your whole family gets brought into this fishbowl and the people who understand that the most and who have more discretion about that would be in the importance in keeping relationships within confidence are others who are in the public eye, you know, public figures. So it would make sense that Hollywood actors and actresses and well-known people would commingle with politicians and with members of government who have leadership roles, who have a high high levels of leadership roles and clearance as well. So there has to be an understanding for both both parties involved. When it comes to Mizman Rowe, I did have a he's saying connection to her. I can see a lot of stuff. Remember you guys, I'm clairvoyant, so that's that's being able to see and I can see him with her talking to her and they look like it looks like they're having breakfast together someplace beautiful and it's overlooking like hillside and the ocean and I can see them having breakfast together so I'm super kind of confused a little bit confused about this so okay so Bobby and may I call you is that okay if I call you Bobby and I'll call you Robert it sounds better right okay. I feel like I know you but I don't really know you so I kind of understand that there is speculation that your brother Jack and Marilyn had a relationship intimate personal relationship romantic relationship and then I'm unclear though about you and her like I think there maybe have been some talks or rumblings about you two connected romantically physically but I'm not 100% sure can you speak on that is that okay to speak on it feels like he's trying to really not he doesn't want to betray his wife by making things really public I can feel that there's kind of this like there's a little bit of a barrier there you guys but I don't think he's gonna be an open book and share stuff but I'm gonna look and share with you what I see because I want to know and understand this from Marilyn's perspective as well right because she and I we've talked about some of this stuff and she made me feel like she genuinely cared for you and that you really helped her kind of get over her relationship with her with your brother is that true and he says I don't know that I can be credited with that but in some respects yes I definitely am he's saying I definitely supported her I was a support for her a comfort to her he's saying a support and a comfort to her and we did we did spend time together yes and he says it's hard not to be enamored by her she has such a way there's such an energy about her such a passion and a and a commitment to it's almost like a relentless need for success that is it it's infectious her being around her and to see her in such a state where she's really just a woman with a broken heart because she loves so freely she Marilyn one thing I would share about Marilyn is that she loves so freely and publicly sharing that we're friends it would be more official to say that we were acquaintances but privately yes this woman had a tremendous capacity for love and she felt very misled by my brother and I would assume or presume other men in her life as well and simply just wanting to be to be with someone who understood family and who she could share that depth of her love with and all parts of who she is where she didn't have to tone down any one part of her is something that I think that was nearly impossible for miss Monroe to have in her life as for me I am very aware of the position that life put me in and I am I am responsible and accountable for my actions with regard to my relationship with her and the go between in many cases between her and my brother I think initially her initial love was my brother and he broke her heart and just simply seeing such a strong woman in such a vulnerable state was something I could not just turn my back on and would reassure her of her incredible power over men power over just about anyone her charm and her wit and she was so pleasant to be around she made you feel like you were the only person in the room and that you were the only thing that could make her she made you feel as though when you were speaking with her that you were the reason why she was so happy or you were the reason why her energy why what you were feeling was such a rush was because of you and that she was simply sharing that back to you like a mirror like a reflective kind of an exchange and so he's making me feel like she had a way of making people feel really special like they were the most important thing ever and that when she had kind of falling out with Jack or when things weren't going well with Jack that she and she felt really vulnerable and she shared that with him and that he was the like a comfort to her and it kind of feels like a friendship but not intended to be that way it like feels like he was just supposed to be the go between and the buffer but then between Jack and Marilyn but then something changed where and it wasn't just physical you know animalistic attraction it wasn't that there was definitely a like a friendship like in he's sharing that I didn't feel sorry for her I saw the strength and the sensitivity of her and I thought I felt like what an amazing woman this is what an incredible woman this is but there was no place for her he says but there was no place for her in politics in in conventional public service there would not have been a at that time at that time there was not there was that was a boundary to be crossed it was not something that would have been widely accepted it would not have been popular to do that especially when a man has a family and children and has a duty to country and to family you simply can't follow the whims of your heart to the fullest extent you cannot be more committed to anyone else when you've already have commitments that are substantial in place that makes sense I mean that makes sense doesn't it to you guys that makes sense Robert thank you for sharing that I appreciate it I appreciate it all right wow oh my goodness okay you guys so I think this is good for our first conversation with Robert Kennedy RFK Bobby Kennedy in the afterlife now as I said here at above life channel we have playlist go ahead and check that out to see interviews after life conversations with other of the members of the Kennedy family as well and if you have other comments or questions things you'd like me to ask Robert Kennedy in the future go ahead and put that in the comments below this is Bridget as always I hope that we've helped to inspire your spirit and filled you up with hope remember this is your life now right this is your life so live it just live it thanks for watching


Item Number SCP-857 Object Class Safe Special Containment Procedures The area designated SCP-857 is to be surrounded by electrified fences measuring 2 meters in height. Any civilians attempting to enter SCP-857 are to be brought into custody and interrogated. After interrogation, intruders are to be dosed with a Class A amnestic. No specimens of SCP-857-1 are to be allowed to leave SCP-857. Description SCP-857 is a section of the Amazon rainforest measuring 1 square kilometer. Plants native to the region grow normally in this area, but animal life appear to instinctively avoid it. This SCP-857 is populated entirely by what appears to be human organs and body parts capable of ambulation and basic thought. The source of these specimens are currently unknown, and they will hear after be referred to as SCP-857-1. Specimens of SCP-857-1 are non-hostile towards humans and very wildly inform and function. See specimen log 857. These mobile body parts appear to have been crudely altered to allow for movement and consumption of food. For example, most specimens do not possess an actual working mouth, but a large artificial orifice in the flesh that superficially resembles a mouth. The method by which specimens of SCP-857-1 digest food is currently unknown. Although SCP-857-1 are naturally incapable of reproduction, no decrease in the number of observed specimens has been noted. Exploration is currently underway in an effort to discover the source of SCP-857-1. Specimen log 857. Designation SCP-857-1A. Other information, each specimen of SCP-857-1A is composed primarily from a human head. Unnatural bone growths have given SCP-857-1A two rudimentary arms and six legs. SCP-857-1A moves in a manner similar to that of a crab. SCP-857-1A specimens are scavengers and have been observed consuming carrion left by predators. Designation SCP-857-1B. Further information, each specimen of SCP-857-1B is composed of one human vein. SCP-857-1B specimens move in a manner similar to that of worms. SCP-857-1B specimens are herbivores and have been observed eating plants fallen onto the forest floor. Designation SCP-857-1C. Further information, each specimen of SCP-857-1C is composed of human brain tissue. SCP-857-1C specimens move similarly to slugs and leave a slimy trail behind them. SCP-857-1C instances have been observed to consume SCP-857-1B specimens. Designation SCP-857-1D. Further information, each specimen of SCP-857-1D is composed primarily of a lower intestine. SCP-857-1D specimens are aquatic and reside in the river that runs through SCP-857. SCP-857-1D specimens have been observed to consume underwater plants. Designation SCP-857-1E. Further information, each specimen of SCP-857-1E is composed of a human spine. SCP-857-1E moves in the manner of a centipede using irregular bone growths. SCP-857-1E specimens are predators and have been observed hunting and consuming specimens of SCP-857-1A. Designation SCP-857-1F. Further information, each specimen of SCP-857-1F is composed from a human heart. SCP-857-1F is immobile. SCP-857-1F is parasitic and has been observed to latch onto specimens of SCP-857-1C, sucking their blood in the manner of a leech. Designation SCP-857-1G. Further information, each specimen of SCP-857-1G is composed primarily from a patch of human skin, with two unnatural bone growths enforcing a general shape. Specimens move by gliding from tree to tree. SCP-857-1G are predators and will hunt SCP-857-1C and SCP-857-1A in large swarms. Designation SCP-857-1H. Further information, each specimen of SCP-857-1H is composed primarily from a human rib cage. Specimens move in a manner similar to spiders and reside in the treetops. Specimens of SCP-857-1H are predatory, often leaping on and consuming passing SCP-857-1C. Designation SCP-857-1I. Further information, each specimen of SCP-857-1I is composed primarily from a human head. SCP-857-1I are identical to SCP-857-1A with the exception of more pronounced arms and the presence of opposable thumbs. SCP-857-1I specimens are fairly intelligent and reside in simple tribal structures. Lesson complete. If you missed the previous orientation, go watch SCP-856, Leopodimus, right now. Or for the complete course, watch this playlist.


Hello and welcome to this special program to commemorate the birthday of the 36th President of the United States Lyndon Baines Johnson. My name is Mark Lawrence, and I'm the director of the LBJ Library and Museum here in Austin, Texas It's my great pleasure to be the host for today's Remembrance ceremonies Over the years President Johnson's family friends and admirers have gathered in two different locations on or close to his birthday on August 27th To celebrate his remarkable life with brief ceremonies culminating in the laying of wreaths One such ceremony has taken place over the years at the Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Grove Just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC The second ceremony has been held at President Johnson's graveside at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewell, Texas about 40 miles outside Austin Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic neither of these events can be held in the usual way It's simply impossible to invite people to gather in either location But the silver lining on this situation is that we can proceed in this virtual format Which enables us to invite everyone to watch both wreath laying ceremonies, even though they're taking place 1500 miles apart In just a few moments. We'll see the ceremonies from the LBJ Grove where Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson's elder daughter Linda Johnson Rob will place a wreath at the monument At the end of our program will take you to the LBJ Ranch where President and Mrs. Johnson's younger daughter Lucy Baines Johnson will lay the wreath at her father's grave We'll also hear today a few brief remarks about Lyndon Johnson's life and legacy Including reflections by two outstanding undergraduate students at the University of Texas at Austin Both of these students took part recently in a class entitled the Johnson years Which I co-taught with Mark up to Grove the president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation Mark and I thought there could be no better tribute to President Johnson Than to hear from young people who have delved into the history of the 1960s And who have been inspired by President Johnson's leadership to consider careers in public service To begin our program today, I'd like to pass the baton to my friend Christopher Bjornsson at the LBJ Grove Along the banks of the Potomac Chris is a lawyer in Washington who has long been active in the Texas state society an Organization that was founded back in 1904 to build community among Texans living in the nation's capital Chris has coordinated the wreath laying at the Grove for several years And I want to thank him for all the work he has done to assure that this tradition would continue in 2020 Chris over to you Good afternoon on behalf of the Texas State Society Welcome to our annual celebration of President Lyndon Johnson's birthday President Johnson, of course, is president United States. He was also president of the Texas State Society two times Typically we hold this event on the closest Saturday to his birthday But this year things are a little bit different as dr. Lawrence indicated so we're doing this virtually and fortunately We're able to do this in partnership with the LBJ library and the LBJ Ranch this year Typically what we do here is we have a speaker and dr. Lawrence and the two students from the University of Texas will be our Keynote speaker this year and we have a wreath laying ceremony that we're going to have shortly We're honored to have dr. Amy Butler from National City Christian Church and Linda Johnson Rob daughter of president Johnson here with us today I'm going to ask dr. Butler to provide an invocation She's a senior pastor at National City Christian Church, which is where president and mrs. Johnson attended services when they lived in Washington, DC dr. Butler What an honor to be here, and I bring greetings on behalf of National City Christian Church Shall we pray? Gracious and loving God as Your people today, we acknowledge you the spirit that animates our lives and calls us to live in this world embracing our better angels caring for our neighbors and Working with every resource we have to create a human community and an earth in which we live That reflects your highest hopes for us all In this moment as we consider the value and choice of good leadership We ask that we would have the courage to follow the good examples set for us Thank you for the gift of memory and all the possibilities that it offers us as we face an uncertain future We invite you to be with us today as we remember in the name of the God who calls us to good and faithful work and Service in the world we pray Amen, I would like to thank the park service for letting us do this every year. They are wonderful They bring out chairs. They help us. They let us be here and So it's a great pleasure even though we're all isolated and we're doing everything remotely It's wonderful that we are able to to gather to remember daddy's birthday nobody loved birthdays more than my father and We could miss another holiday at the ranch, but we could never miss Not being there on August 27th, and he celebrated a birthday and it was wonderful Wonderful, and it's such a pleasure to have this sponsored every year by the Texas State Society it's a non-partisan group made up of Texans and I know daddy would be so pleased to Know that they still remember him and actually he was very proud of being the president of the Texas State Society, and I will never forget the year he got Jean Autry to come and I have an autographed Picture that I hang on my wall now of Jean Autry It was wonderful to be so Surrounded by somebody famous and we are triply honored three times honored by having a Amy here Reverend Amy from the first city Christian Because my father got such Such joy from going there, and it sustained in in times that were not unlike these times very stressful and Time when we have to call everybody together in this country to work to make it a better place and they give out food To the homeless and to those who need just a little bit more the working poor and That would be something that daddy would also be so pleased that that's continuing So I thank you for watching. I thank you for recognizing daddy and all the things he tried to do together with you and I hope that we have a happy birthday celebration Here and in Austin and at the ranch today. Thank you. Thank you Amy and Linda I'd like to ask both of you now to Lay the wreath On behalf of the Texas State Society I'd like to thank the National Park Service National City Christian Church Brad castles Kathy LaCheris and Linda Robb for their help with the ceremony today. Thank you very much. Happy birthday President Johnson back to you and in Austin mark Thank You Linda Chris and all those who participated in those moving ceremonies Now I'd like to introduce two Extraordinary students at the University of Texas at Austin who have recently studied the LBJ presidency First we'll hear from on a good carry a senior from Dallas who is majoring in government and was recently elected student body president Next we'll hear from Ali Zaidi who is a senior from Missouri City, Texas He's majoring in government and Middle Eastern studies And he's also a Thomas Jefferson scholar pursuing a certificate in Cortex and ideas Hello, it is an honor to speak to you all virtually for President Johnson's birthday celebration Although it has been 51 years since Johnson's presidency his progressive impact has stood the test of time on American society LBJ's legacy is remarkable ranging from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the war on poverty to many more accomplishments He was a man who got things done When thinking about how President Johnson inspires me a number of things come to mind Johnson led this nation forward through some of our most decisive moments of progress But it's important to note that even then there were many who were against his progress President Johnson went against the grain He did things that were unpopular at the time for the greater good of the nation In my opinion Sacrificing one short-term reputation for the long-term Well-being of our country is the ultimate mark of a true patriot and that is what President Johnson is This year we are approaching the 55th anniversary of the immigration act My classmate Ali and I would like to underscore the great legacy of this act Of President Johnson's many accomplishments This one is most meaningful to my family and I because it changed the trajectory of our lives forever My grandparents Vasudev and Vatsalagabur came to the United States from India in 1968 with my mother when she was just a mere three years old They settled down in the bustling New York City where my grandmother taught classical Indian music to other immigrant families And my grandfather established himself as a pediatrician From there they laid the foundation for my family in america the land of opportunity Life was not easy, but my grandparents worked hard and humbly in their new country Later on my dad moved from India and married my mom having me and my four siblings My mom is a dentist and my dad is a physician My parents have worked so hard to give us the opportunities and education that they and my grandparents didn't have Raising us to be grateful for our dual identity Honestly, this all traces back to the opportunity that we had to come to this country over 50 years ago because of the immigration bill The beautiful thing about the united states is whether your family has lived in this country for hundreds of years Or just five years. We all equally make up this beautiful conglomerate of an american society In 1965 lbj was able to recognize the value of every sort of immigrant and the diverse nation We live in today is proof of that As we think about lbj's legacy of leadership today I think it's important now more than ever that we reflect on his life as something to keep putting into action This is especially imperative regarding his strides and civil rights as we continue to refuse to settle when it comes to the fight for equality I'd like to end with an lbj quote from his inaugural address that feels very relevant to present day We are one nation and one people Our fate as a nation and our future as a people rest not upon one citizen, but upon all citizens This is the majesty and the meaning of this moment Happy birthday president johnson and as our gift to you We longhorns texans and americans vow to rise up and demand equality as you did Thank you On october 3rd 1965 president johnson signed into law the immigration nationality act At the feet of lady liberty lbj proclaimed Our beautiful america was built by a nation of strangers From a hundred different places or more they have poured forth into an empty land Joining and blending in one mighty and irresistible time Nearly 20 years after the signing of that bill with empty pockets, but filled with dreams as big as america herself My father left karachi pakistan for houston texas to chase the american dream The the simple fact is that without that signature Without that bill and many others like it without lbj My story isn't possible That is the legacy of lbj with the stroke of his pen signing bill after bill He wrote the first chapter of an entire generation of americans Because in every sense we are today living in london johnson's america one that he forged through brute force as part of an unrelenting pursuit of progress One of my favorite sites in the lbj library is the large red panel that displays the full breath of the great society On it lists the many and i mean many great pieces of the great society that lbj passed and Every time i look at that panel i stand there and wonder how one man could accomplish so much You see lbj had this drive this unrelenting determination to right the wrongs that had persisted for far too long So that when we say life liberty the pursuit of happiness for all That isn't just some platitude that it's a reality For him from katula to washington and back. This was his life's work and he never Ever relented But like all of us lbj was human. He was an imperfect man who nonetheless built a more perfect union It's one of the many reasons you can't help but become enthralled by lbj Because in many ways he's this tragic Shakespearean figure that dedicated every fiber of his being to the unrelenting pursuit of progress His life teaches us that meaningful progress demands personal sacrifice and that the greater the progress the greater the sacrifice And at a time when our leaders seem unable to make the personal and political sacrifices necessary to Move the nation forward lbj stands as this incredible figure that gave everything for the causes of civil rights and economic justice Knowing full well the personal and political consequences We live in a time of great national crisis when government is seemingly paralyzed and Unfit to the grand task before us if lbj teaches us anything It's that government can be a place where we come together to solve our greatest challenge Is that government can be a great vehicle for our highest aspirations? It is a tool to be wielded He made government work because to liberals and conservatives to democrats and republicans alike. He said come Let us reason together because if he could make even an inch of progress That would mean that america was an inch closer to being a more perfect union I'm part of an actress generation that is intent on solving the systemic inequities present in our nation In that effort, there is no better guy than lbj who brought the full force of government to bear on every instance of racial and economic injustice He was a progressive in every sense of the word and medicaid medicare head star civil rights He made progress on every front That's his legacy And now 50 years later. It's incumbent upon us my generation To carry that spirit forward into the 21st century. Thank you and hook em horns I'd like to conclude our program with a video that was recorded early this morning President johnson's 112th birthday Let's join lucy baines johnson at the family burial plot at the lbj ranch Thanks so much to lucy for keeping this tradition going and for inviting us all to join her today marks 112th anniversary of the day linden baines johnson discovered america in a small country home Just behind me here in the linden baines johnson historical park About a block down the way is a one-room school house My father first attended and where he began to recognize that education could be His passport out of poverty Many years later as a young student at what is now known as texas state university linden johnson recognized that the money was not enough And so he took a job in katula texas at what was then a latino school Teaching poor children who had never known some of the luxuries that he had It was there that he first recognized What real poverty is and there that he began his life's commitment To civil rights and to social justice and to education Today the park Has been led by its national director david vella a graduate Of project head start one of those great educational programs passed during my father's generation And indeed the ford foundation Is headed by darin walker another graduate of head start But the what i'd like to share with you today Is a head start success story from a young girl from apalachia Candace called it is indeed the best birthday present my father could ever receive Dear lucy I hope this letter finds you well It has done my heart good to see the researching of people Acknowledging the good your father did for people born with uphill challenges through no fault of their own I watched john lewis's funeral and heard your father being credited for his role in not only civil rights legislation But head start I read your august 6 usa today letter and cried For me it has always been So very personal You wrote those words, but your words are my story too My father was the abusive alcoholic moonshiner Your father was the president Our american lives are connected Because of head start I retired from being a principal At the end of february Being an educator has always been So very personal to me Reminding teachers that kids like me Could make it and leading schools that help kids believe in a future better than they're present I will continue to pay forward the gift head start gave me As long as i have breath This morning I listened to darren walker give praise the legacy of linden johnson's head start And the role that it played in his life I wish today leaders could see the returns on the financial investment of head start rival any market gains ever made Your father was wise enough to understand the moral obligation of investing in people As well as the common sense financial rewards I don't remember when I first heard it Is better to invest in children than to pay the price For repairing adults But the thought has stuck with me throughout my life I'm now on a mission to live a life based on lessons and experiences Learned in the first half I will be forever grateful for the role president johnson played In the success story of my life, which I pray Has led to success stories for many others I will forever cherish the time I sat eating a meal beside your mother I will be forever inspired by your words and time Shared with your family when I was just a beginning principal I would tell the stories you told me to friends and and shared them in speeches with others Thank your family for being the spirit passionate and kind people that you are sincerely Candice the stories Candice call And david veller And darin walker Are the success stories? of head start one a latino boy another young black man from north texas of a third an appalachian girl All three beneficiaries Of the greatest investment that any of us can make in our children It was linden johnson's dream To help them make the success stories that they have This letter is indeed the best birthday present he could ever have


Hi, big man. How are you doing? You all right? How are you?  How's life under the new manager? Six goals already. Looks like you're enjoying it. Yeah, I am. Obviously, we haven't had the best of starts, though, so that side's obviously something that we still need to work on. I feel like, especially in the last few games, we're starting to get somewhere. It's never easy having a new manager come in and adapting straight away, so we've needed that little bit of time. But I think, especially the last game, we started to see what we can do and hopefully we can build on that. I want to rewind it back because I want to learn more about you and you've represented a couple of the biggest clubs in the country in Chelsea and Liverpool, but sort of came at the wrong time for you, didn't you? You were behind some big hitters there, weren't you? Some apprenticeship. You must have picked up some amazing tips. Yeah, I think that's the main thing, really. I think I'm especially at that age. It's never going to be easy. Obviously, when I was at Chelsea, I was there from knee height. So working on the way up, getting to the first team in Chelsea, especially back then, was pretty much impossible to break into. So I had to take a different route. Obviously, I went to Liverpool and that front three were crazy. Crazy, honestly. Because it's really raining a little bit. Probably one of the best-free, front-free world footballers. Well, it's iconic, isn't it?  Yeah, and I did. So, yeah, but to learn from it was amazing. And yeah, like I said, it probably came a little bit too soon for me, but I'm forever thankful for my time there. I learnt so much and I obviously came here and I think I've picked it up. Yeah, I came down here. 20 million pound move. It was a club record for you at the time, one day ahead of you, how? Was that a big decision to leave Liverpool and come to Bournemouth? Yeah, I think so. But I think the most important thing to do is play. Obviously, when I was at Liverpool, I wasn't playing. Week in, week out, starting week in, week out. So that's just something I wanted to do. And I had that opportunity to come on Bournemouth and fight for that. So when we got really good to the championship, obviously, it wasn't great. But I saw it as opportunity as well. I think it was kind of like a blessing in disguise really to go down there. Now we can look back now. Yeah, say that now. But yeah, to go there and play every game and score the goals I did definitely helped me in my career. And obviously getting promoted back, especially with Bournemouth was amazing. And yeah, I think that definitely helped me to have those goals behind me. Definitely helped me when I came back to the Premier League. So we got promoted back to the Premier League. You've got six last season. You've already equaled that. You've got six this season. I mean, in those numbers, you must be really happy, especially already emulating last season's tally. Yeah, for sure. I just wanted to build on last season. I think that's why I said at the start of the season. But sort of like when I was in the Champions League, I had that first season and the second season, I kicked on a lot. I want to sort of do that again this year. Like you said, I started well, I got my tally from last year already, so that's a positive. It's going to get smashed out of the water again. Yeah, let's hope so. Yeah, still many games to go, so just keep ticking them off. So Anki's in here and touches it over the line. Things are going well at the moment. But it's not been easy, has it? You've come through a lot of adversity and criticism in your time as a professional footballer.  So yeah, sometimes it's been difficult, but that's part of football. You've got to sort of like block that out and keep going. I've been there, man.   Was that always the way, just to keep moving, keep striving forward, regardless of the outside noise? Yeah, I think the thing with football is it changes so quickly.  So I think that's sort of always in your mind. You just know, like, the next game you could score a hat-trick and then the world just changes. So I think that's important in football, never to get too down or get too high, because everything can change. That's a really good attitude to have, especially as a young man, because it took me quite a while to get to that point. But recently you signed new for your deal down here on the South Coast. You must be quite happy down here. Yeah, you could say that. No, like I said, I'm happy, probably playing my best football, getting a lot of game time. So I think that's the main thing, really, and I feel loved and appreciated here as well. And do you feel now that, obviously, a really good start to the season? Do you feel now that you've found your feet in the Premier League? Because there's a big difference, isn't there, between the Championship and the Premier League, the VAR and things, and the way, I suppose, teams are more organised. You get less chances. So it's much tougher, isn't it? Yeah, I think probably the last thing you said is the chances. Obviously, when we was in the Championship, we were one of the best teams in the league. Every game, we knew that we was going to get chances and stuff. So the Premier League, every game is tough. And obviously, probably not one of the best teams in the Premier League. So the chances come a lot fewer. So you need to take them when they come. And I think that's the most important, probably the biggest difference that you need to be on it, because, you know, you might get one chance at a game, and that's to be an end, really, to get the ball. Right, well, we've come down here for a master class. We're going to look at some of your goals, and we're just going to run through them, yeah? Right, done. We've got a few of your finishes for us to look through here first. This one's going to hurt me. I'm not going to lie. We're going to go to the Amix this season, where you get what is a fortunate goal? How it comes about? Yeah, to be fair, the position, I mean, the way it falls to me is fortunate, but I think this is the sort of stuff that we work on a lot. The manager loves us pressing hard up the pitch, and this was sort of the game plan. You can see we sort of let the keeper just have the ball go kind of man-to-man. And yeah, the opportunity came for a right to press, and I timed it perfectly, and I was just in the right place at the right time, and yeah, it was a cool finish. To the untrained eye, this looks easy, but I think, as that ball's just there, you've maybe got less than a second, and you already know what you're doing, don't you? Yeah, I think that's the main thing. You need to make that decision so fast that I'm going to shoot. It looks easy, but it's not, especially taking a touch and straight onto my weak foot to kind of lift it as well. Right, next up, we've got Newcastle against your old manager. Talking about this. Yeah, this one, to be fair, I was just on my toes. I think it's always important, especially when we're moving forward, because, you know, the defenders are not going to be running back towards their goal, so I was sort of just trying to stay on my toes, and I was a bit lucky that the tackle fell into my path, but I was the quickest to react. No, I'm not having that. It's not lucky, because you're alive, you've got to be alive. Defenders aren't lucky, they'd be standing looking at the ball, flat footed, you're on your toes, and alert, and that is what ultimately gets you the goal, isn't it? Yeah, for sure. Nice score against your manager. Not bad, not bad. Nice score against anyone, isn't it? I really like this one. You haven't got any other options with them, Wolves at home. I actually like that finishing now, I scored quite a few of those now, so yeah, I think... He must be nice to play with, Phil Billings. Yeah, we have a great connection, me and him. I think it stems back from the championship, we was always scoring or assisting each other, so yeah, I think we have a great relationship, and I work on that finish quite a lot. I like it, I feel comfortable with it, so when the ball doesn't come in straight away, and I am sort of like kind of going in front of it, and if it comes behind me then, that's the sort of finish that I'll try. And just try and use the pace that's already on the ball, redirect it. I like this goal, I like this goal a lot. Everyone expects you to hit with your left foot here, chopping, what I want to ask you about this goal, is that as you front-bend me up here, as you're cutting on your right foot, are you deliberately cutting, hitting back through his legs? Through his legs, yeah. I think that kills the keeper, because ultimately they're hoping to defend the block, so they can sort of like save their near post. So if it goes through the legs, then it's a higher chance of it going in. It's just hoping that they missed the block really, which happened here, and yeah, it was a great finish. Is this something that you practise in training? Yeah, I think obviously in training, you get chances all the time, so you always try new different finishes. Are you calling defenders here? You mean it easier? No, I'm not saying that. No, like you said, I think I'm in training, you always get in these positions, so you see what works and what doesn't work. Right, last one we've got for you, Spurs away. Delicate, I'll call it. It was a great game as well for us to come back and win. You're involved in the build-up there. What I will say is that ball falls very kindly at a beautiful pace into your path, doesn't it? Straight into my stride, yeah. So now you've got the ball coming from your left-hand side. You've also got a crazy Romero one from your right-hand side, who's going to take everything and you've got the goalkeeper. So you've got that vision, that sort of periphery to be aware that Romero's going to come in. He's going to ground, so therefore you've got to just dink it over and make it look super easy. Yeah, about staying cool in that moment. Like you said, there's so many bodies coming in, so just do that little depth dink. That is beautiful, isn't it? That was nice. Well, thank you very much, Dom, for running through this with me. It's been good fun, man. I see you. Keep up the good work, yeah? We'll do. All the best, big man. See you soon.


you can't starve the cancer by starving yourself. Instead what you do is you find the molecules that are part of the internal digestive system of the cancer cell that make it vulnerable to particular nutrients and you block that internal digestive system without causing your whole body to starve and there's a line or a window.  They're amino acids, they're kinds of sugars but it's not like you know you can save yourself. I'm not going to eat any protein and my cancer's going to go away. It's not going to happen. You have to find as I said the internal metabolism of the cancer and we have target those and make sure that that doesn't affect the rest of the body but slows down the growth of the cancer cell.