I start in the name of Allah, the Beneficent and the Merciful. I seek salvation from shaitan the accursed. Dearest brothers and sisters from all across the world. May peace, blessings and protection of Allah be with you at all times. I would like to welcome you again to another episode of the Ramadan show, exclusively here on Imam Hussain's channel. Today we'll be covering more facets about this holy month, so that this show can be your one-stop shop for the month of Ramadan. I would like to once again ask you humbly to send in your videos, your pictures from wherever you are in the world, so we can air that on our show. We can show the variety and the ways in which people prepare for this holy month. I would also like to invite you to join me in the programme and the ways in which people prepare for this holy month. I would also like to ask you to join us on social media using the hashtag IHTVRamadan on Twitter. On Facebook you can join us on Instagram and on YouTube and shout out this episode will be uploaded tomorrow. Finally I would like to start this episode with a saying from the Holy Prophet peace and blessings be upon him. Where he says, human beings are like minds of gold and silver. This means that human beings have a lot of potential. If you think of a mind, a mind which has not been cultivated yet, the ore hasn't been taken out yet. A mind is just a mind until all the materials are taken out. In the same way in this holy month we can turn those minds into real gold and silver and try and achieve our potential. Insha'Allah we pray over these coming nights that we can do that. For today's episode, insha'Allah we will be talking about one particular type of a'amal, something that we should all try to be striving for during these sacred nights and that is repentance. Imam Ja'far al-Sadik has said, there is no man who Allah did not forgive who had felt ashamed of his misdeed. Whenever a man feels ashamed of his fault and then begs the pardon from Allah SWT, he forgives all of his sins. Repenting over one's sins with heartfelt remorse is called Tawba. A man should understand that Allah SWT would be displeased with him if he commits a sin and he should not forget that his Lord is able to see whatever he does. You see, Allah SWT, because of the love he has for us is willing to accept our repentance but as long as we do it sincerely, as long as we do it from the heart, Allah SWT has given us guidance on how to repent through the Holy Qur'an and through the guidance and the teachings of the Ahlul Bayt, alayhim as-salam. So let's talk a little bit about repentance. We will cover what sort of repentance is, what the perfect repentance is, what is true Tawba, what are the merits of Tawba and finally, why not doing Tawba can lead to a black heart? In a narration, it is said that Amir al-Mu'minin was once told or someone said to him, Astaghfirullah, I seek forgiveness from God. Amir al-Mu'minin said to him, may your mother mourn for you. Do you know what Istaghfar is? Verily, Istaghfar is a degree of the people of high station and it is a word that means six things. Number one is remorse over the past. Number two, a resolution never to return to it again. Number three, to return to others their formerly usurped rights. Number four, that you fulfill every duty that you neglected in order to satisfy your obligation in respect to it. Number five, that you attend to the flesh of your body that has grown on unlawful nourishment so that it melts away as a result of grief and mourning and your skin adheres to your bones after which new flesh grows in its place. And number six, that you make your body taste the pain of obedience in the same way it has earlier tasted the pleasure of sin. When you have done these things, then say Astaghfirullah. Allah, my Majestic has talked about repentance and true Tawba and how we can achieve it, how we go about doing it. He's highlighted three facets and inshallah if we try and stick to those, we can be successful. He says number one is to repent purely and piously.   You've disobeyed him. Number two, do Tawba in such a way that it may serve as a lesson to other people. A person should repent with such sincerity and such persistence that just by observing the repentance other sinners may be inclined towards doing Tawba as well. In this way, it becomes a means for guidance or a means for guidance. Number three, he should self-criticize thoroughly and honestly. His worship should be so intense that the radiance of faith removes the darkness of sins. He must be so involved with performing good deeds that the bad deeds are compensated for. So we've talked about what true Tawba is and how we can do it. Now let's talk about the merits of Tawba. The merits of Tawba come in ten. Number one, it makes a man believe in God. Number two, bad deeds are turned into good deeds. Number three, the angels also pray for the person that repents. Number four, the repentant will go to paradise. Number five, Tawba gives happiness in life. Number six, the prayers are accepted by that person that does Tawba. Number seven, Tawba brings good tidings from Allah SWT. Number eight, any number of sins will be pardoned through the action of Tawba. Number nine, breaking of Tawba does not nullify repentance. Number ten, the door of Tawba is open forever. So let's talk about repentance. Repent as soon as you sin, Allah SWT says, and spend out of what we've given you before your death comes so that you should say, my Lord, why did I not respite me? Why did I not respite me to a nearer term so that I should have given arms and have been of the doors of good deeds? Allah does not respite a soul when its appointed term has come and Allah is aware of what you do. In this explanation of the verse, it is said, man at the time of death tells the angel of death, please give me just one more day's respite so that I may repent for my sins and be prepared for the journey to the hereafter. The angel of death says, the days of your life are now over. The person says, just give me one hour's respite. The angel replies, your moments of life are over. The door of Tawba is now closed. So having talked about Tawba, we come to what happens to someone who doesn't repent, whose sins are so bad that now they are immune to repentance. Their hearts become so hard that they do not feel the need to repent anymore. This is called a black heart. When a person does not do Tawba, the heart becomes so polluted that the shame that sin brings isn't there anymore. They become desensitized to that and the dirt accumulates and accumulates and it becomes a vicious circle. Darkening of the heart leads to more darkening and thus it's a downward spiral. The stage comes with the hearts totally black and cannot be cleansed anymore. Imam Muhammad Bakr, alaihi salam, says, for human hearts nothing is more harmful than sin. When the mirror of the heart becomes black because of sins, the blackness covers the entire soul, then man tumbles down from his original position and gets separated from the truth. Now that we've talked about Tawba, what it is, what happens if you don't do Tawba and if sins accumulate, we know that Tawba is one of the most important elements of achieving spirituality, of achieving nearness to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And that's why in these very special nights in this holy month of Ramadan the halls of mercy are wide open. It is important to take advantage of that and to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for nearness to him. And by doing that, you are actually softening your heart, becoming more open to asking for forgiveness. Insha'Allah when you do that, you become not only a better person, but as we've said, you become a guidance for other people and improve society at large. Insha'Allah let's all pray that in these following nights Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala listens to our repentance and is able to cry and ask him for forgiveness. And when we do that, we will see elevation within our own status. Insha'Allah in this world and in the hereafter. It has been reported on the authority of Imam Ali ibn Musa ar-Rava, a.s. who said, if one asks, why is it that the fasts were made obligatory, exclusively in the month of Ramadan and not in other months, it would be said, that this is because the month of Ramadan is the month in which Allah, as Zawajal, had revealed the Holy Quran. During this segment of the show, insha'Allah we go through many communities from around the world and we try and see how their preparation differs from one place to another, how their preparation for Iftar, for example, differs from east to west, how countries around the world prepare their day-to-day lives for the month of Ramadan. Today we go to Ottawa, which is in Canada, specifically to one of the Iraqi communities there. However, there's many, many communities and it's a very multicultural and multi-dimensional society. Ottawa lies within Canada. Canada is a very vast country, so that's why we're covering this specifically as one area. In Ottawa, as there are many different types of communities, you have your Indo-Pakistani community, Iraqi community, Lebanese community, Iranian community, for example. During the nights of Ramadan, they go to their own Hussainias and because of the time that Iftar falls, because of the long hours of the day and the fact that Iftar is quite late at night, they try to hold the Majlis before the Salat time. So they have the Majlis and then Salat and then Iftar afterwards. As they see, this is a sensible way to allow as many children and young people to come to the mosque as possible and also those people that work, because after all, in Canada, because it's a non-Muslim country, the working hours don't change very much, so people try to get to sleep early, if possible, so that they're ready for work the next day. Also in Canada, what they do is, during big nights, like the nights of Eid or during the day of Eid, communities invite one another to their place or to their Hussainias so they can celebrate as one large community. Because in the city, the Hussainias are quite small in terms of population, when they come together and celebrate together, it makes the event even more special. Insha'Allah, I humbly request you to please send in your videos to the channel. Insha'Allah, we can see how people from all over the world prepare for this holy month, how they change their day-to-day lives in terms of work, in terms of Iftar, and only we get your videos and your pictures, your blogs, we can also air those on our TV station for the rest of the world to benefit from it. It's amazing to see how so many different communities from over the world have slightly different lifestyles in order to accommodate for that month, but the goal is always one, and the goal is always to achieve nearness to Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Dearest Imam Hussein TV viewers, Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh. Welcome to Imam Hussein TV 3. I congratulate you and the Islamic Ummah on the holy month of Ramadan. Today, we are in another corner of the holy city of Karbala to show you the atmosphere of the holy month of Ramadan in the holy city of Karbala. So stay tuned with us. Dearest Imam Hussein TV viewers, I have one of the store owners here in the holy city of Karbala. Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh. May Allah bless you. We would like to know if you would like to know about the atmosphere of Ramadan in the holy city of Karbala. Welcome. My name is Al-Azhaq Mehdi Al-Shami. I am from the Karbala family. Actually, we were not living in the area of Al-Mukhain. Now, we are living in Karbala. From that time until now, it is a place of worship. Praise be to Allah. It is a place of worship and tradition. And especially the holy month. We are gathered in the family. Before the normal days, we were not gathered in the middle of the night. It is the month of Ramadan. It is the month of Karim. It is the month that we gather in Al-Fatour. Praise be to Allah. May Allah bless the servants of Karbala and the people who come to Karbala. May Allah bless you. I asked brother Ala about the atmosphere of the holy city of Karbala here and during the month of Ramadan. He is saying that since our childhood. Until now, we have tried to keep our traditions during the normal days of the year. Usually, the families are busy doing their work. But on the holy month of Ramadan, the family get together and reunited, especially during the time of Iftar and Suhoor. Tell us what you would like to say to the viewers about the holy month of Ramadan? Actually, this is the month of Karim. The most important thing is the mercy and the mercy. We always face Allah SWT. We pray for our Muslim Ummah and for the Iraqi people. We say that Allah is showing us in this holy month, that Allah SWT is answering our prayers. He is showing us these things, these things that we pray for. I asked brother about what his supplications are during the holy month of Ramadan. He is saying that and he is asking you to pray for the Islamic Ummah and especially Iraq. And as you know, the status of Iraq is very harsh nowadays. And he is asking you and he is praying for the reunion of the Iraqi society, insha'Allah. For today's episode, as we talk about medical tips and health advice, insha'Allah I want to talk about a condition which affects many people in our communities. It affects the young, it can affect the old. It's a condition which is very prevalent in society as well. So insha'Allah, over the course of this segment, I want to talk about asthma. I'll talk about what asthma is. I'm sure many of you at home have heard of it. But don't appreciate the causes of it. How you can stop it from happening if you do have the condition. And thirdly, if you do have the condition, how you can effectively take your medication to control the condition. Asthma is essentially an obstructive condition of the lungs. So what happens is that for whatever reason, some people have allergies which cause it. Allergies to dust mites or allergies to specific foods or they may be exacerbated by certain medications or even some people when they get stressed out, they get asthma attacks. And what happens is that the lining of the lungs has a specific type of cell which is called a mass cell which releases a chemical called histamine. Over time, what happens is that this actually makes the airway smaller and as it makes the airway smaller, it takes more pressure to push through the airway. And that's why typically with someone with asthma who's having an asthma attack, they will say they're getting wheezy because what happens is they're pushing air out against a restricted or an obstructed airway. And that's why it makes that wheezing sound. For people who suffer from asthma, it is very important that they stay away from the precipitants. So some people may find that precipitants are allergies. So things like cat fur or dog fur or pollen or dust mites, people find that many allergens can cause asthma. For people who are not sure if they have asthma or not, a good idea would be to keep a chart. So typically with asthma, you have fluctuations through the day. So if you're getting breathless every day, keep a chart and just keep a diary of when you're feeling breathless at what specific times of the day. And go and see your doctor. The doctor will give you something called a peak flow meter. A peak flow meter is something we use to assess severity of asthma because our lungs are designed in a very specific way and people of a specific height, of a specific gender, of a specific age are able to breathe out a specific amount or a specific volume of air per second. And that's what we use in order to measure how bad someone's asthma is or even if they have asthma. What we do then is give them a peak flow meter and asthma to keep a diary in the morning and in the evening. And because of your hormones that are released at different times of the day, your ability to blow out your air changes through the day as your airway circumference changes as well due to the hormones that are running through your body. However, a more sophisticated way of measuring if someone's got asthma or not is something called spirometry, which is breathing exercising or breathing tests. And we give them something called salbutamol which I'll talk about in a bit. It's a medication that we use which treats asthma. And what we do is we get them to breathe out first normally and then after that we do breathing tests after giving them salbutamol and see if that inhaler makes any difference to their breathing. And specific boundaries have been found by leading studies that show that if there's a fluctuation between the two readings of a specific percentage then the person can be diagnosed with asthma. Now, if you have asthma what's the best way to treat it, number one? And number two, if it's not being treated what else can you do? So the first thing I want to do is talk about some of the medications. So you have salbutamol which is your main sort of treatment. We call it the one that you take as and when you need it. What it does is it provides it's a beta agonist it acts on the beta receptors in the lungs which are actually work on adrenaline or your sympathetic nervous system which I've talked about in the previous episodes. And what happens is when that happens it eases the airway and it allows the smooth muscle in the airway to relax and therefore expanding the airway and thus reducing the risk or reducing the exacerbation. Another medication is called iprotropium which is again works in a similar way but this one works in a muscarinic receptor. Muscarinic receptors are different to the beta receptors and they work in the opposite way. So one is an agonist which is the salbutamol and the antagonist which works against the muscarinic receptors is the iprotropium. And after that for people who have prolonged problems with asthma we give them steroid inhalers and what steroid inhalers do when I mentioned before that the specific antibodies which are found in the linings of the lungs which is an immunoglobulin, IgE these steroid inhalers actually stop the inflammation that is caused and essentially it is the inflammation that develops over many many days or weeks or months that actually causes problems with the lungs so if you can stop the inflammation from happening you can stop recurrent exacerbations and also with people who have really bad asthma if you have asthma that's prolonged and it causes severe breathing issues it can also cause long-term damage to the lungs themselves so the steroid inhaler actually helps with that. Now studies have shown that there is actually a new type of inhaler that's come in called simbicort that's the trade name but what it is it's a mixture of a steroid inhaler and a beta agonist together and at the moment we're giving these to young people and what we do is we ask them to take it regularly the steroid inhaler you take it regularly and the salbutamol you take it as and when you need it however with this inhaler you take it regularly as well as taking it as and when you need it and as a result it's found to actually work very well so often we give this to people who have just recently been diagnosed with asthma who are not already being treated with medication finally if nothing is working by the stage where asthma has become so difficult to treat where no inhalers work we do try other medications which I won't really go into because therefore specialist use only and if it gets so bad then people really should be referred on to a lung specialist who can actually help them to find the right medication to control their symptoms my advice to anyone who does suffer from asthma is firstly think of sensible things try and keep away from precipitants things that will make your asthma worse so dust try and avoid smoking try and avoid staying away try and avoid being in the presence of things like fur dust mites if that's possible there's other things that set off the asthma such as stress try and stay away from stress inshallah I've talked about that before so try and use that advice to try and help you my next piece of advice is stay compliant with your medication take your medications regularly if you're supposed to take a specific inhaler in the morning and in the evening take it at those times if your asthma is getting worse see a doctor so you can increase and step up your medication afterwards inshallah what I will do is go on to talk about other conditions from tomorrow onwards but what I suggest you do if your medication is not working or if you feel that your asthma is getting worse is go and see your doctor immediately because what they can do is they can step up your medication or they can increase the dose of the medication and try on something else to see if it makes any difference finally, last but not least what I would advise you to do is see your doctor regularly they can measure your peak flow the thing I was talking about before to see if your condition is getting worse without you realizing the other thing is if you're finding that you're getting more weasier you're finding it difficult to play sports explain that to your doctor during your reviews GPs or doctors will usually call their patients back about once every six months or once every year for a regular checkup to see how the asthma is going make sure you attend those checkups to see if you need to step up your medication however, if you don't think that this is helping then ask your GP to try and send you to a specialist if you're finding that your asthma is so brittle that you're getting recurrent exacerbations I hope that this information has been useful to you like I've said before this is a very common condition not only in our community but in society in general I'm hoping that by listening to this information and by processing it and applying it to your lives you can lead more healthy lifestyles and inshallah during this month of Ramadan as well as we're all fasting obviously it can become more stressful on our bodies and that can manifest itself in other ways like having worsening of your medical condition so inshallah if you stick to the sensible advice that I've given you you won't suffer and inshallah it will help you to become stronger physically and also spiritually Prophet Muhammad and the Ahlul Bayt exemplified the highest virtues of humanity including living lives in restraint among the poorest and tending to their needs in spite of their poverty it was through this remarkable conduct that they were able to change the hearts of the people around them back then unfortunately even we when we do charitable acts some people may speak ill of us we do not see the benefit of it however the following story illustrates that sometimes our charity may have a bigger impact than we can actually imagine one day Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam gave 300 dinars to Imam Ali so Imam Ali decided to give all these 300 dinars to the poor as after night prayer so after he left the mosque he seen a woman and gave 100 dinars the next day he heard the people of Medina talking and saying that Imam Ali has given money to a corrupt woman he was saddened by this and decided that the next day he will give another 100 dinars to another person when the next day came Ali ibn Abi Talib after leaving the mosque he gave 100 dinars to another person a man the next day he actually heard the people talking of Medina talking that Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib gave money to a thief and he was also saddened by this so Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib recommitted himself to give the rest of the 100 dinars to another person that he saw after night prayer and after coming out of the mosque he seen another man where he gave the 100 dinars to the next day the people of Medina were also complaining saying that Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib gave 100 dinars to a wealthy man Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib was heartbroken by this and wanted to see Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa alaihi wa sallam Prophet Muhammad told Ali rest assured the angel jibrail has told me all about this and Allah the Almighty accepted your acts of charity after you gave 100 dinars to that corrupt woman he repented to Allah swt and used that money for marriage however the thief when you gave 100 dinars to the thief he also repented to Allah swt and used that money towards opening an honest business the third person that you gave the rich person you gave money to he himself has not given charity for many many years and after you gave 100 dinars he went off saying to himself how could I be so stingy where Ali ibn Abi Talib has nothing for himself he gave me 100 dinars and as a rich person I haven't even given the poor rate in many years so he figured out how much he owes for the poor rate and separated it and gave it to charity respected viewers brothers and sisters I would like to leave you with this quote from Nahjul Balaghah by Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib who says don't feel ashamed if the amount of charity is small because to refuse the needy act of greater shame in this episode I want to dedicate the poem to Abul Fadil there is a poem that was written by my dear friend Nouri Sardar which is titled if Abba sends back your wish it's a very deep poem that we recited in his cd and it's essentially highlighting the characteristics of Abul Fadil it's a challenge to say if Abul Fadil ever rejects your wish then the poet will close his pen forever inshallah I want to present it to you and I want you to think of Abul Fadil as I'm reciting let the soother of death soothe your wrath let the soother of death trust mine it can trust its words to you please his eyes wander if Abba sends back your wish I'll close my pen forever if Abba sends back your wish I'll close my pen forever go towards his blessed door knock on it as a bear if Abba sends back your wish I'll close my pen forever if you're by the grave his lovers crack a scarf and throw top of his grave you'll see, give your hands away you'll see, give your hands away don't stay in your fear speak to Hussain's flag bear if Abba sends back your wish I'll close my pen forever tell him Abba sent those children the soldiers who argued who would fight by Qasim I'll close my pen forever if Abba sends back your wish I'll close my pen forever I'll close my pen forever This is because the month of Ramadan is the month in which Allah as the wajal had revealed the Holy Quran of another show I would like to leave you with a final thought a little message to ponder over and inshallah as you ponder over and reflect on it it will help you to try and understand your place in this world and that final thought is that as servants of the Ahlul Bayt never be ashamed of what you do whether you're a reciter or you are someone that helps other people in the mosque whether you do something like serve the tea or the food serving the Ahlul Bayt is the ultimate goal and what you do to try and achieve that doesn't matter I would like to once again ask you to send in your videos I would like to ask you to join us on social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube finally I would ask you to humbly pray for us and inshallah the most important thing of all pray for the reappearance of the 12th Imam alayhi salam and with these final words I bid you farewell wa salamu alaykum jami'an wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh


What do you think? I was really so interested and very motivated by so many of the comments. Really a lot of very thought provoking ideas, no lack of things to work on for sure. I kind of like this idea of the ICT and the fiber optics in the river. And then the marketing of products from way inside. I thought, is that the amazon.com coming into the Amazon or something? Yeah, I agree. I think that a lot of the ideas... I really saw several of the speakers touch on the importance of the local to regional issues. And in particular, some of these ideas of empowering the forest people and the value chains that I think are critical to the success of a lot of these interventions. I want to pick up on this thing of fragmentation. I think it came from several of you, but I think Dan particularly brought it up towards the end. And I picked up a number of other things that I would like to connect to this fragmentation of agendas. As I also said in my opening, why don't the forest declaration and the agriculture declaration fit together? And then three things I picked up from the discussion today was that first the need of a common language. And a common language of what we mean by success. And that needs to be a common language that not only teenagers and politicians understand, but even economists understand. That's the trick. I think we can get there and I think that will help us pull in more finance to the actions. The second one is that we need to have the courage to bridge the agendas, these fragmented agendas. And I think as researchers we can have that courage provided that those that fund us have the same courage. So this is the research agenda coming up and we have the courage, do the donors have the courage we'll seek. And the third thing is that I think in this bridging the agendas, a key is really to embrace the diversity of solutions. It's very easy to argue for, actually deforestation is the case, it's one similar solution everywhere. It's a good one, I agree to that. But we have to embrace the diversity of solutions. If we're truly going for a bottom-up approach then we will have to accept that the solutions look different in different places. And I think that would be another trick to convince the policymakers and the heads of state, etc. So those were three things I picked up on the fragmentation issue. Okay, I think that actually sets up very nicely some of the final remarks that I wanted to make. And in respect to, I think some of the research opportunities that definitely exist between the Earth Institute and CIFOR, for example. And I'm going to pick, there are so many, but I'm going to pick the particular comments that were made by both Cheryl and Dan that I think are related. So Cheryl advocates that we really need better planning tools and decision tools so that agriculture can benefit the forests. And in Dan's words, the need for bottom-up, regionally attuned solution to address a lot of these problems. I think those things are related and I think that they also go to, again, this issue of working at a local to regional level. And in the interest of research and collaborative research, so starting with the research piece itself, the data is certainly critical. And we heard a lot about that. Having the data, having access to the data, but the data is only part of it. We need to turn that into knowledge and all of our little research communities has their own data and their own knowledge. So we need to bring that all together, the agronomic, the climate, the social, the economic, remote sensing. All of these things need to come together by working together. And so I think that there's a lot of research in just how those communities work together, how we put our information together that actually becomes then knowledge and something that can start to build and inform decision systems and planning tools and things like that. But in order to do that, then the second critical piece, I think, and many of you touched on this also, is partnership. So we have this research partnership, the future up here, and it is more than just Earth Institute and C4. It's really the partnership with those local communities and with the national agencies and with really the global community that wants to succeed in this problem. So that's what I sort of distilled out of all of this great dialogue from your distinguished speakers. Thank you. Yeah, I just have one short thing to add, and that's that in the past couple of days we've heard from very high levels a lot of talk about taking the forests out of the value chain. I'm beginning to think that that's actually completely wrong. What we want to do is the absolute opposite. That is, we want to include the value of forests and the forests into the value chain. And I think that there is an interesting twist that we should be working on a bit. So I'd like also to thank you. Thanks to all the speakers. Thank you to the audience who have also provided questions to the panel. And I think we, from my part, from C4's part, thanks again to Columbia, thanks to everyone who have made this possible. And I think we're ready for some refreshments outside eventually. Yes, thank you very much Peter. Thank you C4, the Earth Institute. And again, thank you very much to the speakers.


From Hollywood, California, the Lux Radio Theatre presents Marlena Dietrich and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the Song of Songs with Lionel Atwell. Lux presents Hollywood. We want to thank all of you for your loyalty to our product, Lux Plates. The loyalty which makes this program possible. The lights of our marquee place forth tonight with the names of Marlena Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Lionel Atwell, and Pedro Decordable. And as guests, Walt Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse and the Silly Symphonies. Louis Silvers conducts our orchestra and our entire production is under the direction of Hollywood's master showman. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Cecil B. DeMille. Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. The taxi cab drivers of New York are known as the most efficient, London's the most patient, and those of Paris the most impetuous and chivalrous in the world. The Parisian cavies first proved themselves during the World War when they loaded their whimsical chariots with troops and raced them to the front in defense of their city. Several weeks ago, they proved their gallantry for the second time. It was while Marlena Dietrich was in Paris. Mr. Dietrich, of course, used cabs many times, but without exception, every driver refused to accept a fare or a tip. No amount of persuasion from the embarrassed Marlena did the slightest good. The drivers met her proffered Franks with Gallic gallantry, smiled faintly, bowed deeply, and asked of their only reward permission to shake her hand. Each of them volunteered his services for the remainder of the day, and Marlena was unable to convince them that they had families to support and that the landlord isn't paid with handshakes. Mr. Dietrich also visited London. While there, she saw the play French Without Tears, and liked it so well that she asked Paramount to buy it. The result? She starts work on the picture next month. Marlena expects to visit London again next summer, but then her passport will read Marlena Dietrich, citizen of the United States. Tonight, Mr. Dietrich re-enacts one of her most memorable screen characterizations, the role of Lily in The Song of Songs. Solomon gave us the title, Herman Suderman wrote the book, Edward Sheldon the play, and Paramount produced the picture. Opposite Mr. Dietrich has Richard Waldo, his Douglas Fairbanks Jr., whom I'm proud to have known since his knickerbucker days, when he and one of my daughters did their algebra problems on the floor of my home. It's hard to believe that this young man has been in pictures 15 years. Well-named the international ambassador from Hollywood, Douglas made several films in England and has also taken an active part in producing pictures. His last visit abroad was after he made The Prisoner of Zender, but he was promptly summoned home to star with Ginger Rogers in Having Wonderful Time. He leaped across the 7,000 miles in about six days, including a few hours stop in New York to see the stage play. His next star film co-stars him with Irene Dunne and is tentatively called Joy of Loving. From the film cast of The Song of Songs is Lionel Atwill as Baron van Meersbach. This splendid character actor, most recently seen in The Great Garrick and Lancer Spy, has been host these past few days to his brother-in-law, James Cromwell, husband of the former Doris Duke. Pedro de Cordoba will be heard as the art dealer. And now, the Lux Radio Theatre delivers its Christmas present to the radio listeners of America. We raise the curtain on The Song of Songs, starring Marlene Dietrich and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. with Lionel Atwill. Orient Express, furl into Constantinople, threads its way across the hills of Central Europe. In a third-class compartment, a young girl in peasant dress sits stiffly on the edge of her seat. She's been that way from early morning until night, her meager possessions in a bundle on her lap. In her eyes, an expression of mingled fear and expectation. The conductor opens the compartment door. Good evening, froline. Good evening. Well, we're almost there now. A few more minutes. You will let me know when we come to Vienna. You know it. Vienna never sleeps. Is this your first visit? Yes, I'm going to my aunt. You will like it in Vienna, froline. Thank you. It frightens me a little. Ah, you get used to it. Tickets, tickets. The bundle, froline. Carry your bundle, froline. Carry your bundle, froline, froline. Order. Carriage, froline. Carriage, carriage here. Carriage, froline. Carriage, carriage. Carriage, froline. Any place in Vienna. Right here, froline. I'll take your bundle. Thank you. Where to, froline? This address, please. It's written on the card. I don't know where it is. Oh, I'll find it. Don't worry about that, froline. It's a bookshop. A bookshop. We'll be there in no time. Get in, froline. Get in, please. Get in. The froline. The bookshop, eh? Yes. How much, please? 10 shillings, froline. 10 shillings. Here. Thank you, froline. What is it? Good evening, tantra asmusen. Oh, so you're Lily. Come in. Did you have to arrive in the middle of the night? It was the only train I could get, tantra asmusen.  Of course. Let me look at you. I'd forgotten people wore clothes like that. They're all I have. Well, come on. You'll find this room in here behind the shop. I've got it fixed for you. Go on. Go on. Thank you. What have you got in that bundle? Just, just a few things. Open it up. It's just a comb and my brush. What's this? A Bible? It was my father's. Is that all your scamper for father left you? A Bible. He wasn't a scamper. He was a good man. I don't know what he was good for.  At least he taught you to read. That's something. You may be some use about the shop after all. Father was a good man. Every night these last few years since he got sick, he used to make me read to him from this. The Lamentations of Job, no doubt. No. The Song of Solomon. He loved it best. The Song of Songs. It's beautiful. Beautiful? He was a good man. All right, all right.  I'm not hungry, thanks. Then you might as well go to bed. In the morning I'll start teaching you about the books. I lock up tonight, but after this you do it. Yes, Tante. Now? Get to bed. And don't keep the lamp on all night reading your Song of Songs. I don't have to read it anymore. I know it by heart. Good night. Good night, Tante. Don't my bed I sought him, O my soul loveth. I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now and go about the city in the streets. And in the broad ways I will seek him, O my soul loveth. I will seek him, O my soul loveth. There's two shillings to buy or one penny a day for renting. I'll rent it, please. Yes, Farholden. You can charge it, I suppose. Yes, Farholden. Good day. Good day. Good morning, sir. You're looking for a book? Huh? I said you're looking for a book. That's what people usually come in a bookshop for. I'm sorry. I thought perhaps I could help you. Well, you can't. No one can. I'm lost.  Lost in a sea of... Oh, hello. Hello. Who are you? I work here. I'm Mrs. Vasmussen's niece. I don't believe it. What? An old witch like Vasmussen couldn't have a niece like you. Who are you? I'm Mrs. Vasmussen's niece. Well, you ought to know. How long have you been here? Just a little while. What kind of book are you looking for, please? Look. Oh, what have you got unsculpturing? There's some on the shelf over here. Oh, I've got those. Read them all cover to cover. Nothing in them. Then I don't know. What I need is something inspirational. Inspirational? Yes, you know, something that'll make you work when you don't want to. I'm afraid I can't help you. No? Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that.  That's right. Richard Waldo. New York, Paris and Vienna. How did you know? I've heard some of the people talk of you. People that come in the shop. Oh, yes? What did they say? Well, they said that. Never mind, never mind. I don't want to hear it. Did you ever model? Model? For an artist, for a sculptor. Oh, no. Well, you ought to. You're beautiful. Please, I... Don't be so modest.   There's a difference. Who is there? How would you like to model for me? Oh, but I couldn't. Don't be silly. Let me see your profile. But you don't know... Perfect. You'd be a wonderful model. But my aunt... No, no. Your aunt's too fat. Now look, you come to my studio at seven o'clock. It's just across the street, third floor on your right. I think you must be crazy. Sure. That's why I'm a sculptor. I'll be expecting you then. I can't come. I... Good morning. Oh, uh, good morning. You're looking for a book, Mr. Waldo? Oh, yes, yes. I found one. Yeah. You'll send that over to my studio, please. Of course. Thank you. Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. What book is that? What? That book he bought. Let me see it. Hmm. Embroidery and needle point for beginners. You... you told me to come. Yes, come in. I've been expecting you. I, um... I brought your book. Oh, that. Thank you. Sit down. No, I can't stay. Tanda Rasmussen doesn't know I'm here. What's the matter? You're not afraid of her? Yes. So am I. Is this where you work? Yes. It's messy, but it's home. Look, I made some sketches of you already. Like to see them? Sketches of me? Yes, from memory. I've got a figure to do. These are studies for it. They're not very good. Oh, I think they're beautiful. But they're not like me. You... you don't think so? Oh, this one is like... like someone in the Bible. What's that? Let me see. You know the girl in the Song of Songs. The way I see her. Young, very fair. She has never loved. But she knows that one day she will. And that's what she waits for. A straight, a head high, listening, waiting. Don't move. What? Don't move. But I don't know what... Put your arms down, close to your sides.  That's it. The Song of Songs. It's perfect. Please, if you don't mind. It's just what I've been looking for. Get up on that platform over there. But I can't. What's your name? My name is Lily. Then don't argue, Lily. Now, take the same pose. Come on. We'll make a sketch first. A little? All right. You can rest now. Thank you. I'll get it. Next the clay and then the marble. And then a Song out of marble. A Song of Songs. Who is it? Am I welcome? Oh, come in. I was passing and saw your light. I thought I could see how you were getting along with my statue. Well, I made a sketch of it. Like it? Very good. You see what I'm getting at? I think so. Very interesting. Aren't you going to introduce me? Oh, sorry. Baron von Merzbach. Lily. How do you do? How do you do? So you are Richard's inspiration, huh? These artists are privileged people. I think I'd better go now. Oh, please. Don't want to wear my account. You see, I'm not altogether an intruder. The statue our young friend is to make of you will belong to me. It's late. I really have to go. Good night. Good night. Tomorrow evening? I, uh, I try. A lovely girl. Where did you find her? Oh, I ran across her. Oh, she's not a professional model? No, no. She works in the bookshop across the way. Well, uh, she interests me. Oh, yes? But of course, Richard, if there's any reason why I shouldn't... None at all. She's nothing to me. Oh, that's fine. That's fine. Because she interests me very much. And that's just a frame for the clay model. I see. I see. Now, don't move, Lily. It's very rough yet, but in a few weeks it'll... Cut the marble soon. Eyes open, Lily. Please. Charmy. Charmy. Excuse me, man. Oh, uh, am I on your way? I'm sorry. Lovely. Lovely. Lovely. The marble is superb. And when do you suppose it will be finished? Oh, I don't know by New Year's perhaps. Sooner if it let us alone, Baron. Oh, my friend, you're annoyed with me. Go very well. I'll not come again. I will keep out of your way, hm? Lily, where in heaven's name have you been? I know that I'm late third time this week. Richard, so many people in the shop all day, all evening. What's that got to do with me? A Christmas Eve is the same as any other for an artist? I'm sorry, Richard. What have you got there? Flowers. I can see that. What are they for? I don't know. Where'd you get them? A man. What man, the Baron? No, I didn't know him. I met him downstairs in the street. You mean to say you accepted flowers from a stranger in the street? He was very handsome. What's that to do with it? Nothing. Perfect stranger, and you accept? It's indecent. Jealous? No, I'm not jealous. Throw those flowers away. I won't. Throw them away, do you hear? Give them to me. No, let me go. Come on, give them to me. Oh, you're hurting me. No. Oh, Lily, I didn't mean it. Look, you've crushed the flowers. And I bought them for you. Please forgive me. Why? Because I love you, Lily. Because I love you, darling. Richard, did you just find that out? I don't know. I should have known always. I have known. On the first night I came here, I saw things then for the first time. The gold in the sunlight, the deep brown of the earth, the whiteness of the snow, so beautiful. I won't have you squandering your love that way. What about me? When I put my hands on the earth, it's you I'm touching.  You are in everything I think and feel and do, and will be till I die. You feel that way? You shouldn't, Lily. Shouldn't? Why? Don't love too much, ever. We weren't made to love that much. You don't want me to love you? Yes, I do. I do, Lily. Then that's my way, the way of the girl you have carved from the cold stone. But her heart is not cold. And she says, set me as a seal upon thine arm, as a seal upon thine heart, for love is strong as death. And Richard, here, fill up your glass. I said no. Go on with what you were saying, then. Well, you don't seem anxious to hear it. I am. I said my interest in Lily was not frivolous. In fact, I may say my interest is far less frivolous than your own. What do you mean? You've been in love before, Richard. And why not? Your young, good-looking, talented. But where are they now, these women? In love with someone else, I hope, and very happy. You hope? But you don't know. You don't care, really. I don't want that to happen to Lily. What makes you think it will? Nothing. But it has happened before. It may happen again. And I want her. You want her? Give her to me, Richard. I need her, and you don't. I could make her happy, and you won't. I'm rich. I can give her anything, anything. I can educate her, refine her. I could make her the balloness von Besbach.  Doesn't this sound as if I were? What do you want me to do? Step aside, Richard. Go away for a while. Give me a chance to see her. What can you give her? A little happiness, perhaps? But for how long? You can't marry her, Richard. And you can't drag her down as a poverty. And sooner or later, you'd have to choose between her and your career. Which will win? Which?   Think of her, well, Richard. Let me alone. Come in, Lily. Where's Richard? What has happened here? Where is he? The statues. Lily. Where's Richard? Where is he? He's gone. Gone? Gone where? Away. To Italy, I think. He asked me to see you and explain. Italy? When is he coming back? Not for a long time. Perhaps never. I don't believe it. I don't believe it. Don't take it too hardly, Lily. He isn't worth it. No man is. When? When did he go? This afternoon, early. He told me yesterday he thought you would be best for you and for him. Yesterday? Then he knew. He knew and he didn't tell me. He hadn't the heart, Lily. That's why I'm here. Lily. Lily, don't cry. Don't you see it had to end this way sooner or later. He never really loves you. And I do. Let me take care of you, Lily. Go away, please. Go away. While I live, you'll have everything you need, everything you want. After my death and it may not be so long, you'll have the estate. Is it because of him? Are you going to let him spoil your life? He didn't let you disturb his. He didn't consider you his equal. Well, I do. Come with me and I'll make you his equal. I'll clothe you and teach you. I'll make a great lady out of you. I'll make you my wife. My wife, Lily. And when you meet him again, you'll be the baroness from that park. The baroness, Lily. And he'll be nobody, obscure, penniless, living in gallets. You can buy a statue from him, perhaps, for charity's sake. Is it worth it, Lily, for his lives? We were alive. All of them. Then let me help you, Lily. Make him pay for them. Oh, be sweet, Lily. Really sweet. We'll take a brief information now and then return to Marlin, Edith, Douglas Fairbanks, Junior, and Lionel Atwell in act two of our play. In this intermission time, let's step on radio's magic carpet and fly to a home in Eastern town where everything is in a state of tense excitement. Marjorie, the older daughter of the house, a college freshman, has just come home for Christmas. The family are gathered round the fire eager for all of the news of college. Gosh, it's nice to be home. But you're happy at college, dear. Oh, I love it, mother. Of course, they work at home. Oh, we don't want to hear about work, Mar. My daughter, dear. Oh, please, mother, I want to know about the parties and the games and what the girls wear. Oh, hold on, sis. One question at a time. Well, about clothes. We just live in sweaters. And we usually wear them over silk blouses, just as I am now. That sweater still looks very nice, dear. Just as pretty and soft as when we bought it last year. I guess the credit goes to Lux. I washed it oodles of time just the way you told me to. Well, there's nothing like Lux's flakes, dear. I'm glad you remembered that. Oh, Lux is the college girl's pal, mother, nearly all the girls Lux stocking, dundies, and sweaters. He doesn't shrink wool, thank goodness. I simply despise shrunken sweaters as socks. It's a good thing to remember that Lux won't shrink woolens, won't fade colors. It's safe for anything that's safe in water alone. And now our producer, Mr. DeMille. We continue with the Song of Song, starring Marlena Dietrich and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., with Lionel Atwell. A year has passed, a long dull year filled with bitterness and disillusionment. As the Baroness von Merzbach, Lily lives only for the time when she will see Richard again, to humble him with a difference in their rank. The Baron, failing in help, has grown jealous of his young wife. In the library of their country house, he stands by the window looking out. Suddenly he turns and addresses the housekeeper savagely. Where is she? Where is she? I've told you. For the fourth time, she's gone riding. Doesn't she know we're having guests? I told her that. Riding. Her own suggestion that she learn, along with her French and her music and her singing, you suggested that she... I didn't intend her to be out every day. No? Then perhaps you shouldn't have provided so. Handsome, a master. What? He is handsome, your riding master. And young. Be quiet. Please remember you are my housekeeper. Nothing more. When I want your opinion, I'll ask. I've been your housekeeper for 10 years. It's only recently that I've been reminded of it. That's enough. When she comes in, I want to see her.  I understand. Oh, oh! Shall we rest a while, Baroness? I think so. Oh, let me help you down. There we are. Thank you. It is very beautiful here. Yes. I come here often by myself. Why have you never brought me? Well, it's rather silly. This place is a sort of retreat for me. A sacred resting ground. Whenever things look hopeless and black, I come here to be alone. Are things so hopeless now? Yes, Baroness. They have been for a long time. How long? Since I first came here. Since I first met you. I'm sorry you said that. I think tomorrow I shall ride alone.  Or because you're afraid? I'm not afraid. I've watched you in that house. Your soul is dying there. I've watched you with me. I've seen you smile. It meant nothing. It did to me. Lily, I love you. Let go of my hand, please. No, no, you've got to listen to me. You've got to. That was not meant to hurt you. Only to prove to you that our rides together have been only that. We will not ride tomorrow. So you've decided to come back? Miss Vogue said you wish to see me. Where have you been? I've been riding. Alone, I suppose. No. Hereafter, I will be. Isn't it a bit soon? I'll learn quickly.  Yes, I will. We're having guests for dinner. Or I should say, guest. Our friend Richard is coming. What?  He's coming here tonight? Yes. And you must look your prettiest, my dear. I want to see you together. You and your old friend, the starving artist and the baroness von Meckbark. Sit down, Richard.  Nasty weather. Yes. Cigarette? No, thank you. Lily will be down in a moment. Oh, you'll be surprised at the change in her. She's a woman, Richard. Matured. Beautiful.  About a business matter. Yes, yes. I've been thinking, Richard, that statue. What was it? The song of songs. Where is it? I never finished it. What? I was almost done. I never finished it. I see. Of course, I know you paid for it. I'll do something else for you. Or I'll pay you the money back. I can get it somehow. No, no, no. Forget it, my friend. Forget it. And you've already paid me back, you know. I have the original. Lily, come in, my dear. Good evening. Good evening, Richard. What, Lily? No kiss for me this evening? Of course. It was nice that you got some, Richard. You're always glad to welcome old friends. Thank you. Dinner served your excellency. Ah, dinner. Take the balloness, Richard.  The young before the old. And he said, he never finished it. Never finished the statue after spending months of work on it. There's an artist for you. We'll drink to him. More wine, Lily. I've had enough, thank you. I see you think that I've had enough also. But tonight, I go the limit. We will win. Isn't she lovely, Richard? Isn't she everything I said? And you must hear her sing, my boy. You're singing for Richard? Won't you, my dear? And French? She speaks French. And rides? Yes, like a real lady, Richard. A real lady. A real lady. A real lady. Like a real lady, Richard. A real Baroness. Excuse me. And just to seek, I owe all my happiness to you. You exaggerate Baroness. Not at all, not at all, not at all. You didn't know that, did you, my dear? When I told Richard how I felt about you, he... Go on. Why did you stop? Because it seemed to me that Richard kicked me under the table. He must have had a reason. Oh, he's just modest. Likes to pretend he's a cynic. Doesn't want his good deeds, no. I'm modest enough to wish we'd talk about someone else. No. I like to hear about good deeds. What did he do? Well, he stepped aside when I wanted you. Did he? With rare friendship, he gave you to me. Our touching. One of the most beautiful gestures I have ever encountered. Beautiful. Yes, I can just see the scene. You two bartering as to which one should have me. Lily. And he gave me to you. Lily, don't. As if I weren't a human being, but something to be passed on from one pair of hands to another. No, you don't understand. You'll forgive me, please. I forgot for a moment that I was a Baroness. The Baroness has no emotions. Excuse me. Lily. Come back. Listen, Lily. Fool you. Why did you tell her that? Do her good. Do her good. Well, I'm going to tell her the truth. All of it. Lily. Lily, where are you? Lily. I beg your pardon, son. The Baroness has gone out. Which way? Along the garden about, sir. To the lodge. I'm rather worried. Lily. Lily, where are you? Lily, wait. Wait. Where are you going? Let me alone. You can't go running around in the dark. Listen to me. I've had enough for one night. You haven't heard anything. You're coming away from here.  You think I would go with you now? You've got to. You can't stay here any longer. I won't let you stay. I can see what it's doing to you. Lily. Let me go. I thought I wanted to see you again. I don't. I thought it would give me strength to see you crawl before me. Well, it doesn't. You're not even that much good to me. Lily, don't.  I want to help you. Help me? That's what he said. He wanted to help me, too. Well, I don't need your help. I have everything I want. Except love, and you can't live without love. I have that, too. What? Yes, I have that, too. There's a boy here. A boy who loves me. I'm going to him now. You're lying. Am I? Do you see that light between the trees? He lives there, in the lodge. I'm going to him now. Lily, don't. Have I hurt you, Richard? Is there an ache in your throat? Do your eyes sting like fire? Mine did. I love you, Lily. Richard, don't love too much. We weren't made to love that much. Goodbye. Lily. Lily! Baroness.  Baroness, why did you come here? I could have come to the house if you... No, no, I just want to stay here for a moment. What this afternoon you said? This has nothing to do with this afternoon. I don't understand. There's nothing for you to understand. I want to stay here. That's all. I'm sorry. You may sit down. What, do you think it's quite safe? If anyone saw you come here, Baroness... Someone did see me. What? I meant him to see me. He'll be gone soon, and then I'll leave. I'll never get back if this storm breaks again. That struck close. Did you feel it? I thought I heard... Stay where you are, please. Look, that light. It's fire. It struck out there on the porch. The whole place will be blazing in a minute. Come on. We can't get out that way. It's a furnace. The whole front of the lodge. Come on, the back way, quickly. Baroness, don't stand there. Baroness! Bring her over here. Is she still unconscious? Lay her down on the ground. She's not burned. It's just smoke. I tried to get her out, but she wouldn't come. I had to carry her. Have you sent for a doctor? She's all right now. She's opening her eyes. Get out of the way! Out of my way! There's smoke. There's smoke. The Baroness is... Is she all right? Yes, I think so. And get back to the house.  I'll take care of her myself. Baroness. Baroness, look at me. Are you all right now? Yes. And try to stand up. Quickly. You've got to leave here.  Leave.  The Baron, he knows you're in the lodge. He's coming down here now.   Can you walk? Yes. We'll go by the back gate. Hold on to my arm. Take the road to the town. There's a train at midnight. We'll have to hurry. Here. Here's money. Don't miss that train. Do you hear? Do you hear? I hear. Go on. The gate's open. I'll send your things after you.  Where will you be? Where will you be? I don't know. I don't know. For station identification, this is the Columbia Broadcasting System. In a moment, Marlene E. Dietrich and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. with Lionel Atwell return to the stage for Act 3 of the Song of Songs. In this brief intermission, we bring you special Christmas news. A new way to make your Christmas tree more glittering, more exciting. Decorate it with real-looking snow. You can make it easily with luxe flakes and apply it in no time. Here's how you do it. Pour a box of luxe flakes into a big bowl or dishpan and add lukewarm water. You don't need much water, only about two scant cups to a big box of luxe. Then beat up with an egg beater.  Then right away, take handfuls of this whipped-up mixture and spread with your fingers along the branches of your Christmas tree. While it's still moist, and if you want an even more glittering effect, sprinkle the tree with that shiny artificial Christmas snow you get in the stores. You'll have the loveliest effect imaginable. Your tree seems covered with glistening, soft, freshly fallen snow. This new way of decorating your Christmas tree is practical, too. It clings to the pine needles and keeps them from drying and falling off so soon. Try this easy inexpensive tree decoration. White trees are smarter than ever this year. Remember, luxe flakes, a little water, about two scant cups of water to a big box of luxe, and beat it with an egg beater. Remember to have a large box of luxe flakes on hand so you'll have plenty of snow. Back now to Mr. DeMille, our stars and play. Marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Lionel Atwell resume the song of songs. More months have passed, and Lily has vanished, lost in the maze of the city. In Richard's studio, the statue of the song of song stands completed, gleaming with a ghostly radiance. Richard, looking tired and worn, exhibits some of his work to Adila. Here's one that's dubbed here. You can have it for 10 shillings. 10 shillings? That is very cheap. I need the money. Unfortunately, I have no need for the statue. Oh, there's a mate that goes with it. All the holidays coming on you... Your holidays are not important in my shop. My clients are... What's this? What? This life-size marble. Is it yours? Yes. The song of songs. Very beautiful. How much do you want? For that? It's not for sale. Oh, come on though. You don't have to deal that way with me. I'll give you a fair price. I'll give you a thousand shillings. No. More, perhaps. I said no. Whom did you make it for? The Baron von Mirzbach. The Baron von... Didn't he die recently? I thought I read in the paper that he... You might have, but the statue is not for sale. Very well. I know better than to argue with an artist. But if you should ever change your mind, Waldo, I'd like the first bid. What about the other things? Frankly, they're not very good. Not for my purposes, anyway. I've got to sell something. You can name your own price. I've got to have money. There's nothing I want, Waldo, except... No. Well... Good night, Waldo. Good night. Good morning. Something for the holidays? Perhaps. Oh. It's you again. Good morning, Mrs. Rasmussen. Have you any word yet? No, I haven't. I should think you'd be tired of asking. You'll let me know, won't you? Oh, I'll let you know. I don't want to run my hands again.  She'd be on velvet now if she'd had any sense. What with him dying? But did she think of me? Did she think once of her old aunt? Oh, off she went. Where? I've looked every place. I've never, ever, never even heard of her. Have you tried the gutter? She may be there. If she is, I'd put her there. And I'll bring her back. Don't you like it? People come here to spend. Then I'll get out. Where's Mrs. Waldo? Hello, Antoni. Excuse me, will you? No, no, no. Sit down, Waldo. Sit down here. I can't now. I've got to get... Oh, of course it matters. The girl over there, at that table. Oh, that's Lily. She sings here. Tell her I want to see her, will you? Right away, outside. Oh, sure, sure. Hey, Lily. Lily. Lily. What do you want? I'm too glad to see me. That's how you come in. What do you want? I've been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing in this place? I've had to work. You could have come to me. You know that. Why didn't you? Why didn't I? You ask me that? Excuse me, I must get back. You're not going back in there. You're coming with me now. Am I? Lily, what's happened to you? You're changed. You're hard. You're bitter. I wouldn't be a good model now. The freshness is gone. Did you expect anything else? Why have you been looking for me? Why did you come here? Did you expect to find me as I used to be? Lily, we can't talk here. Please come with me. Very well. Why not? It's the same place, you see. I've changed things around a little, but some of the pieces are gone. Not many, I'm afraid. Sit down. You haven't done so well either. Have you, Richard? No, Lily. You said you'd never finish the statue. I did later. No office? No office. It's my best work too.  Why did you bring me here? To talk about her? And about ourselves. I brought you here because I thought when you saw this room again, you'd remember another Christmas. Centuries ago, Lily, you bought flowers for me. Do you remember? I have no flowers now. I brought you here because I thought you might love me again as you once did. I never did. That isn't true. I never did. There was a young girl once, centuries ago, who came up those stairs as I did tonight. She loved you. With all her soul, she loved you. I'm not that girl.  In my heart, least of all, shall I tell you something? Sometimes that young girl comes to me at night. She used to go to you. She whispers those words to me. The words you loved to hear. I sought him. whom I so loved. I sought him, but I found him not. I called him, but he gave me no answer. Lily. The watchman that went about the city found me. They smote me. They wounded me. They took away my veil for me. Lily, Lily, don't. We will love you. I do love you.  You love a cop. I'm dead. What right is she to live? Let's touch you there.  Lily, don't touch it.  Never. Don't just see, darling. We can start again. You've destroyed her and we can start again. She should have died. Because we profaned her. And now we'll make another. You and I. Another song of songs. More beautiful than the last. Because our love is still there. It is there, Lily. We've kept it alive under everything. Richard. What was it in a song? What was it, Lily? Set me as a seal upon thine heart. A seal upon thine arm. Love is strong. Marlena Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Lionel Atwell will be heard again before we say good night. Hollywood, land of perpetual sunshine, December roses, and rising temperatures is going to have a snow-white Christmas. Yes, it's true. But before I completely confound our Chamber of Commerce, let me explain myself. Tomorrow night in the Carthy Circle Theatre, scene of epic Hollywood premieres, another chapter in motion picture history will be written when Walt Disney presents the first full-length animated film ever made, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. For giving us Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and the silly symphonies, the world owes Walt a great debt. He was the first to make animated cartoons in sound and then in color. And with Snow White, he pioneers once again in a picture that took three years to make and involved more than two million individual drawings. Walt is standing beside me now. I should say he's quaking beside me now. He's nervous, trembling, and out of breath. Book up, Mr. Disney. What's wrong? Oh, nothing, nothing much. Except I've been running around in circles so long it's getting to be a habit. Carthy Circle? Well, that's just one of them. I think I've got stage fright. You've got premier fright, which is much worse. You ought to know you've produced an open more than 200 pictures. And I'm just as scared the 200th time as I was the first. But I hear Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has the screen's greatest innovation in years. Well, your own first full-length picture, The Squaw Man, was considered quite a departure. After all, people'd only seen two realers up to then. So I can forgive your condition tonight, even though you look as though you've done all the work yourself. Oh, far from it. If I had tried to make this picture by myself, working eight hours a day and going to a sanitarium for two weeks each summer, it would have taken me 250 years. You figure that wasn't quite fast enough. Anyway, lots of luck. Pardon me, do you say lots of lucks? I said luck. But the name Snow White suggests Lux Flakes. So that Lux Flakes may be played some part in your production. Well, I'm grateful to Lux Flakes. They made Snow White a household word to women who watched their own fine things, long before I ever thought of putting her on the screen. I also understand that Lux Flakes play a big part in cutting down Hollywood's wardrobe bill, which reminds me how costly a young lady Snow White was to close. We figure her costumes cost about $100,000. From just a minute, Walt. How do you figure that when all our costumes were made with paint and brush? But it's true, even though she wears only two dresses and both of them are drawings. You take the salary, the artists and the animators, and there are hundreds of them. The cost of the paints, colors, photography and technique color, and little Snow White's two dresses add up to $100,000. The cost of our entire picture is almost as much as your own new film, The Buccaneer. And yet you didn't have to pay the salary of a single star. We who produce pictures with human beings figure their salaries alone consume 25% of our budgets. So with a million and a half dollars invested, I can understand in more ways than one. Why, you may be nervous. I guess it wouldn't be normal. I weren't nervous. But Snow White is a goal we've been aiming at for 10 years. There won't be any Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck to attract the people. They'll all be brand new characters. I suppose after Snow White is successfully launched, you'll sit back and take it easy for a while. Are you going to stop work after The Buccaneer? I haven't begun to work yet. Well, we won't stop either. It's just the beginning for us. We're going to make more feature-length animated productions and try to make use of all that we've learned in the three years required to produce Snow White. We don't think we know so much even now and we're using all the outside advice we can get. What sort of outside advice? Well, there's Sidney Franklin, for example, the man who directed Good Earth. He seems to think our cartoon medium is important and he's offered to work with us in directing Bambi, the famous story The Little Deer. We've also started work on Pinocchio. What's going to happen to Mickey and Minnie and Donald Duck? They'll continue to be just as important as they've ever been. We wouldn't dream of anything else. But we're growing, Mr. DeMille, in experimenting. Leopold Stokowski, the famous conductor, is going to work with us on an idea of combining fine music with animated cartoons. He wants to make great symphonies popular with people all over the world. After that, we're, gosh, look at the clock. I've got to start running again. Good night. I wish you the greatest success of your career, Walt. Good night. Now, in this season of Christmas Stars, we bring you one of Hollywood's brightest, Marlena Dietrich. Thank you, Mr. DeMille. There's one thing I really want to say to everyone. A happy Christmas to you all. Good night. Good night, Marlena. And now we'll have a gentleman report. Mr. Fairbanks, Mr. Adwell. Thanks, CB. You know, Lionel, Mr. DeMille here means a lot more to me than almost anyone else in Hollywood. Really? You've been for years, helped me, advised me. I really think a great deal of Mr. DeMille. Sure, we all do. That's very kind, gentlemen, but after all, Doug, I don't think this is the time to... No, I want everyone to know what I think of you. For example, you like boats. You like to get away on the water, peace, quiet, time to think things out. Any man who likes boats as much as you is bound to be a big man. You are not leading up to borrowing my boat by any chance, are you? Well, I thought if you weren't doing anything... Yes, and how are you, Lionel? Fine, CB, thanks, fine. But speaking of hobbies, my stamp collection is really the... Of course, I have a boat of my own, but it's in England, on the Thames. And if you're ever over there, I want you to feel that my boat is yours. Now, just take it any time and keep it as long as you want. But, Doug, I haven't the slightest idea of going to England. Well, that's all right. I just want you to know that it's there when you do go. I think that's very generous. And now, as man to man, I'm planning a little fishing trip. Do you think you could... No. No? No. I haven't forgotten the last time I loaned my boat to you and Bob Montgomery and Lawrence Olivier.  The next time I took it out, it smelled like a hot Friday on the waterfront. I needed a surgical mask to walk up the gang plank. Oh, that. Well, Lionel, about your stamp collection. Oh, then you did loan, Doug, your boat, Mr. DeMille. I certainly did, once. What else happened? Lionel, what were you going to say about your stamp collection? Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. I have a block of 1855 Mexicans. Well, why don't I think of it? Do you have a yacht? Yes, yes. But about those stamps, I've never seen anything like... Mr. DeMille, don't you think that Lionel is a great actor? I mean, his performance tonight, the work he does on the screen. Why, if I just had one-tenth of the stamp... Yes, Doug. Yes, Lionel. My boat's in dry dock for the winter. In dry dock? Yes, in Baltimore. Oh. Oh, Miss Dietrich. Yes, Miss Dietrich's a great artist, too, but she doesn't have a boat. You know, I'm afraid, Doug, the only boat you're going to get is the next one you take to England. When will that be? Well, there you've got me. It'll probably be next summer. I think I'll get back then. I'll be pretty busy here for a while, but someday I hope to have things worked out, so I'll be able to make two or three films here a year and one abroad. And if I can sandwich in an appearance in the Lux Radio Theater every now and then, why, I may even forgive C.B. for not letting me take his boat this time. But, um, well, we'll see. Good night, C.B., and what I said about my boat still goes. Thank you, C.B. Good night, shipmates. Good night. This piece is currently on the scene. The silver's appeared to courtesy of 20th Century Park Studios, where he was in charge of music for love and hisses. Now, an important announcement for Mr. DeMille. Next Monday night, the Lux Radio Theater closes its book of 1937 presentations. To mark the occasion, we bring you a radio adaptation of that remarkable and highly successful motion picture produced by Samuel Goldwin, The Loved Enemy, the romantic, thrilling drama of a young Irish patriot and a beautiful English girl torn between their love of country and their love for each other, our stars, Brianna Hearn of the original cast and one of the screen's most beautiful actresses, Madeleine Carroll. Our sponsors, the makers of Lux Flakes, join me in inviting you to be with us again next Monday night when the Lux Radio Theater presents Madeleine Carroll and Brianna Hearn in Beloved Enemy.  We learn to care most for those we serve most. And since my main endeavor each week is assembling and staging the Lux Radio Theater production for you, I look upon you all as close friends and attentive neighbors who make it a joy for me to come on this stage every week and say greetings from Hollywood. I hope you'll have all the joys and blessings of the Christmas season. The cast and staff of the Lux Radio Theater and our sponsors, the makers of Lux Flakes and Lux Toilet Soap, join me in these greetings. This is Cecil B. DeMille, saying good night to you from Hollywood. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.


Hello and welcome to NewsClick. Today we have with us Professor David Reich who has worked on whole human genome sequencing. His work is well known. We are going to discuss the methodological issues. What does the whole human genome sequencing, which is what you and your group has been one of the pioneers, how has it helped the study of ancient migrations? Well, if you can obtain whole genome sequences of similar quality to people living today from ancient bones and from ancient teeth from known archaeological contexts where you know the types of pots people made, you know the types of buildings they were living in, archaeologists have studied the similarities or differences amongst cultures. You can then ask the question, were the people who lived in these sites related to people who lived in other sites that may or may not have similarities to them into people living today. So we can ask the question how do people, ancient people relate to each other and to people living to get today and we can ask the question, is the connection in material culture due to movement of people or is it just due to sharing of ideas and that's what it makes it possible to answer. So a lot of the fertile crescent agriculture seems to have been both movement of people but also movement of ideas? I think so. I think that it's certainly in the case of the development of agriculture, it's clear that multiple groups that were quite different from each other spread. So for example, some of the first farming starts in Anatolia and present-day Turkey and the people there genetically are quite different from the people in Western Iran who are in turn quite different from people in the Levant, present-day Jordan and Israel and yet all of those groups seem to have expanded along with the spread of farming and domestication has potentially occurred in multiple places there. So it doesn't seem to be a single group developing agriculture but instead a kind of multi-ethnic world where agriculture is developing and there's spread of people and there's also spread of ideas and technology that's independent of the spread of people or that's beyond the spread of people. Some of the spread of the agricultural products in that seeds and so on seem to have taken place without migration of people at least in large numbers. So you would see that this is more technologies being and knowledge being transferred rather than in this particular case. I think you see both things occurring. You see both things occurring. So for example, the place where we know this best is in Europe and the Near East but especially in Europe where we have lots and lots of whole genome sequences now from before and after the transition to agriculture and from before and after the transition, other transitions that happen later and we can see that the arrival of agricultural lifestyle coincides with an arrival of new people. It's a one-to-one mapping. It's a perfect mapping initially in many places and so whether that might not, this new way of life is coming with new people. So this is the expansion that takes place from Anatolia to Europe. That's right. So it comes in from Anatolia, agriculture spreads from Anatolia or maybe from Cyprus or it's not totally clear where but genetically the data from early farmers from Anatolia from eight and a half and nine thousand years ago is extremely similar to early farmers from Europe from a little bit later and it's consistent with the idea that that's the source population. And in Levant as well as Anatolia as well as Iran, Zagros Mountains, this you see the spread of agriculture but not really the spread of populations in the same way. No, you do see that also. So after the initial period of the development of agriculture you see all of these groups mix into each other. So for example in Iran you actually see a lot of Anatolian ancestry and in Anatolia you see a lot of Iranian ancestry and in Levant you see a lot of Anatolian and Iranian ancestry. So you see all of these groups mixing into each other in different proportions in different places but it's not one group pushing out the others it's rather multiple groups mixing with each other interacting with each other in ways that enrichly you know interact with the archaeological knowledge and so it's allowing us to quantify the process those processes. So this is the agriculture part we're not discussing South Asia because your papers are under review and they have not been yet published so there's a I believe an embargo talking to the press on that. So let's focus more on the European publications or European migrations that took place from Asia. The second migration which is also that you have worked on is the in the European speakers or horse shall we say riding people coming into Europe. So what would that where would that location be roughly in your according to your studies? Right so one of the things that we and others have documented with ancient DNA beginning in 2015 is that after this mass movement of people into Europe from the Near East via Anatolia probably after 9000 years ago there's another large-scale movement into Central and Western Europe that comes from a different source population that is we think is very likely to be or maybe the sources the this particular archaeologically defined group of people that's often called Yamnaya that lived in the steppes north of the Black and Caspian seas. It's not clear that they were riding horses there's a debate about whether they rode horses at all and for example but they certainly used domesticated horses very intensively for at least for pulling things and maybe for milking things and maybe for eating until chariots and not definitely not yet that's that's much later. So the first chariots are also from from the steppe but they're a thousand years later and so and the these people expand to the to the west and to the east and leave a very profound demographic impact on Europe. So these are the two major demographic impacts of the European stock as it were one is from the Anatolian agrarian people and the other is the steppe's people may or may not be horse riding but associated with horses. It's not even yes or associated horses is just not clear to what extent horses are important in their expansion or not but and then the third component of ancestry in Europe is the indigenous components the hunter-gather component that mixes in a substantial way with these other three but Europeans today are for the most part a mixture of these three source populations first farmers from Anatolia probably local indigenous hunter-gatherers and steppe storilists who come in after five thousand years ago and it's a mixtures of those three sources and different combinations that contribute most to the variation in ancestry in Europe today. So the Demic expansion theory or model that was proposed by different historians and also demography demographers and so on so that seems to hold good for agriculture but if you come to the steppe's population and language then the European speak Indo-European speakers are probably associated not with agricultural expansion but with the steppe's people. I think it's highly likely that Indo-European languages track at least some extent with the expansion present day spoken Indo-European languages that's tracked to some extent with Yamnaya steppe pastoralist ancestry and the reason is is that the spoken languages its source Yamnaya ancestry is a kind of tracer dye for the for for for Indo-European languages and so Indo-European languages are not spoken very much in the Middle East and the Near East and there there's very little steppe ancestry and we see it spreading into Europe at a time that well after the spread of agriculture making a massive impact it's hard to imagine that that spread was not accompanied by language transition and other lines of evidence also make the steppe a plausible source for the spread of Indo-European languages. There are Indo-European languages that are attested in the texts Tokarian and Hittite and in particular it's quite possible that Hittite which is ancient language of Turkey and other early Anatolian languages don't have Yamnaya ancestry so this is not a statement about the ultimate homeland of Indo-European languages but rather late proto-Indo-European the languages that are spoken today. Okay thank you very much Professor Reich to be with us thank you and we hope that you have a nice visit stay and discussions in Jaipur. Thank you thank you for your thank you for your interest in my work thank you for coming to talk with me.


This is Witchspace news for Friday the 20th of October 2023, I'm CMDR Buur. In Elite Dangerous News this week, a quick guide to everything you need to know about update 17 and we look at what FDev's latest announcement might mean for Elite Dangerous. If you enjoy our videos please do hit the like button and if you haven't already be sure to subscribe and ding the bell so you don't miss any of our Elite Dangerous content. If you'd like to help directly support the burpee you can also join our Patreon, links to that and everything else are below. Update 17 landed in the game this week and following the shockwave of the Thargoid Spire sites we're still frankly wrestling to take it all in. The update shows the next and we're assuming final phase of the Thargoid Matrix sites introduced in update 16 that we now know were, as was suspected, growing. The sites, a complete list of which you'll find in the description below, are now known as Thargoid Spire sites and if you've not yet visited and explored them then here's a useful rundown of everything we've learnt so far. The spires are huge, up to 6km tall. Your ship can land on the unfolded petal portions towards the tops of the spires. Get down quickly and once you're landed you can get your SRV out and dismiss your ship to keep it safe the Thargoids will ignore your SRV when it's on the Spire platforms. Get out of your SRV, we'd highly recommend an Artemis suit at this point and you'll be equally safe to explore the area and look at what's happening on the ground a few kilometers below you. There is exobiode data to be gathered at the tower platforms using the genetic sampler that comes with your Artemis suit. On the spire structure itself you'll find 4 nerve clusters, these can be shocked using your energy transfer tools discharge mode. When you do this they will turn orange for a short time, get all 4 turned orange and a hybrid compound bin will open up and dispense a new on foot gatherable material called spire refinery compound. Professor Palin appears to have a secret community goal running at the moment to gather this and other materials. Sell this refinery compound specifically to the barkeep at Baird Gateway in the arc system to contribute. At the structures around the base of the spires there are two other caustic materials that can be gathered in an SRV's cargo scoop. Shock 2 nerve clusters in those structures to make one of the available materials highlight in red and then shoot that material to make it scoopable. You'll also find another material hanging from the ceiling that is easily released just with shooting. Frontier recently improved cargo limpets to allow them to better scoop items from the ground and now we know why. These materials are called semi-refined spire material and impure spire material and selling either of them to able laboratory in the arc system will prompt a message from Professor Palin. The spire sites have constant visitations from Orthrus interceptors. The Orthrus are easily killed with enhanced AX missiles which you can buy from the rescue mega ships dotted around the bubble. Attack them from the side to avoid their caustic trails, be ready with a shutdown field neutraliser in case they pulse and you'll receive 40 million credits for each kill. It's a completely non-technical fight and it's even easier in a wing of 2-4 players. The new Banshee Thargoid Drones patrol the sites along with Revenant Class Drones. The Banshees will fire surface to air projectiles that release a localized version of the Thargoid pulse that is seen on the approach to Thargoid Titans. As with the larger Titan versions this more localized weapon can also be nullified using a well-timed release from a Thargoid pulse neutraliser. The spire sites can absolutely be tackled on your own, they're huge fun and profitable. They are glorious however if tackled in a wing. Frontier Development became the latest company to throw their hat into the ring for one of the more unpleasant games industry trends at the moment that have forced employee redundancy. When cuts in the games industry have hit companies like Activision Bioware, CD Project, Epic and EA to name but a few. The redundancies at F-Dev were announced in a trading update to the city earlier this week and come as part of an organisational review that the company promises will see them refocusing their efforts toward their core strengths. That refocus in their words follows a period of disappointing financial performance and more challenging industry conditions. The overall disappointing financial performance from the last few years absolutely encompasses the lower than expected sales following the poor reception of Odyssey which was largely driven by the underdeveloped state of the expansion at launch as well as the closure of the company's indie title publishing venture Frontier Foundry. More recently the F1 manager games haven't sold in the numbers the company had expected. There's also been a general drop in game purchasing numbers by the consumers understandably in the post-COVID era and that was particularly evident with poorer than expected sales last Christmas that's the more challenging industry conditions part of the announcement. Frontier has taken on a huge amount of staff in the last few years, they reported in June 2022 that they had taken on over 270 new employees in that financial year a record for the company at the time bringing their total staff number to 790 people. A further 248 people joined the company in this year alone, swelling their numbers to just over 900 meaning the company had nearly doubled in size in 2 years by anyone's metrics that's some pretty significant growth. We don't know precisely where the staffing cuts will come from, Rene and I follow just about anyone we can find from Frontier on social media regardless of the titles they work on and the reports we've seen from those folks would seem to indicate so far at least that the threat of redundancy is predominantly hitting folks in marketing, community management, game capture and IT development. That is of course not a scientific assessment just what we're able to see publicly from our limited perspective here. Our take away from that particular nugget is that thus far at least we're not seeing the devs we follow reporting their position either way. What this cost cutting means for Elite Dangerous currently nobody knows, Frontier have said they will give an update on the organisational review in January of 2024 alongside their half year results. These normally land around the second week in January and it's at this point we will get an insight on how the future looks for Frontier and in turn Elite Dangerous. Here at the pit we don't think it likely that Elite Dangerous is going to have its servers just switched off any time soon but there is of course a bigger question over any future development to the game when cost reductions need to be made. We do think there is perhaps a chance that any future development of the game will slow down until Frontier reaches a better financial position but live service games depend on the strength of a what's coming next culture with a constant stream of new things to see, explore and experience. Frontier is now refocusing their priorities and strategy and looking at what made them a success in the past and Elite Dangerous was of course one of those pillars for success. Perhaps once they've gotten through this period there is the opportunity to look at the game that Frontier was very much built upon together with its hugely devoted player base and look to better explore some of its more untapped potential. Time will of course tell. The predicament that Frontier finds itself in right now is not just about Elite Dangerous but rather the company as a whole and the direction it takes from here on. Warhammer Age of Sigmar is obviously an extremely important title for Frontier developments and that title launches in just under a month from now. It goes without saying that FDF need that game to do well and find its audience. There is really only one word in this whole report that honestly matters right now however and that word is people. Amongst all the industry noise that this current situation causes it's easy to overlook that ultimately the true impact here is on real people with real lives and real concerns about their future. And I would say to those folks that you are very much in our thoughts. Will you be tackling Aspire Sight? If you do will you be going in a wing? And are you participating in Palin's secret community goal? Let us know in the comments below. That's it for now. Thanks very much for watching. We'll be back later this week with more videos. Until then, 07 Commanders, follow the Greens on the way out and do keep clear of the toast rack. We very much look forward to seeing you next time.