The rise of Ezra Collective reflects the power of young musicians who believed in creating a modern sound from the heart of London’s vibrant music community. The group formed from friendships built at Tomorrow’s Warriors, the celebrated youth music program that prepared many major figures in the United Kingdom’s contemporary jazz movement. Drummer Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and saxophonist James Mollison developed a chemistry that connected immediately on stage and in the studio. They began performing throughout London, shaping a style that effortlessly brought together jazz, Afrobeat, reggae, and hip hop with The post Complete List Of Ezra Collective Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

By the author of The Flat Broke Cookbook and The Ultimate Guide to Frugal Living Have your kids hit you with their 3-page Christmas wish list? Has your significant other begun dropping hints? Have the party invitations and family event plans begun to trickle in? Are you already wondering how on earth to deal with managing holiday expectations? And if so, are you facing the holidays with dread or excitement? Sometimes I want to punch the composer of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” right in the throat. The media, Hallmark, advertisers, and Hollywood have set us all up to try and meet outrageous expectations of magic and delight, unless, of course, you don’t mind being thought of as a horrible parent/spouse/friend/co-worker/human. For the love of all things sprinkled with glitter and topped with a bow, give yourself permission to take it down a notch (or three) this year. With a long weekend coming up for most people, consider using Thanksgiving with extended family or the off time to discuss expectations for this year’s festivities. Here’s why you may want to lighten your holiday load a little. 2025 is shaping up to be a holiday season like many Americans have never experienced. First, there are the overall financial problems sweeping the country. The cost of living just keeps going up. Groceries require a second mortgage. The poverty trap is working overtime as more and more people slip through the cracks of their comfortable middle-class lifestyle into an entirely different situation.  Jobs have been lost, emergency funds have been drained, and prices have skyrocketed. Making ends meet is not like it used to be, even six years ago. To prevent disappointment, consider managing holiday expectations. Nobody wants to get up on Christmas morning and see their children’s faces fall when the space underneath the tree is a bit more barren than usual. Nobody wants to see their kids tearing through packages searching for that one special item they really, truly wanted, only to be disappointed when it isn’t there. We don’t want to let down the people we love by not attending a shindig that will cost us hundreds of dollars in gifts for everyone, nor do we want to look like Scrooges at workplace gift exchanges. But unless you want to put the whole holiday on plastic and pay it off at 27% interest for the next year (don’t do that), you are going to have to think about managing the holiday expectations of those around you. It’s a lot better to sit down as a family and discuss how you’d like to approach the extravaganza and the gift-giving frenzy when fewer emotions are in play than to just fail to meet expectations. This is particularly true if you usually go over the top on holidays. The difference, in that case, will be even more dramatic and shocking. Steps to managing holiday expectations So how do you go about managing holiday expectations? Here are a few tips. Make sure your family understands the financial situation. It isn’t really fair if you haven’t told your children that financial issues are afoot to expect them to understand when Christmas is dialed back a few notches. Here’s an article on discussing financial problems with kids. Be very clear. Whomever you need to speak with about expectations, make certain that you are clear and succinct. This is no time for vagueness. Say to your kid who wants a new iPad, “I’m sorry, but we simply aren’t spending that kind of money this year.” In fact, for almost 20 years, I’ve told my kids exactly how much I’m spending on them each Christmas so they could make their wish lists accordingly. (This is something I wrote about in my book, Have Yourself a Thrifty Little Christmas.) If you say, “I’m spending $100 on each of you” to your immediate family members and they still ask for thousand-dollar items, refer them back to your conversation and let them know they will absolutely not see that item under the tree. Talk to extended family members about making some adjustments. Depending on your family, this could be a difficult conversation. But I’d rather discuss it with them than avoid getting together. You might say something along the lines of, “Hey, you know that Hubby lost his job this year, so things are tight for our family. Would you guys be interested in drawing names or doing Secret Santas or something this year instead?” Your success depends upon your particular family, but you may discover that other family members are super-relieved that somebody else brought up the elephant in the room. Just say no. There is no rule saying you must attend every party, potluck, workplace gift exchange, and cookie exchange to which you are invited. Maybe dial back on some of that stuff this year and make your holiday not only thriftier but also less hectic. Don’t feel obligated. Just because someone else buys you a gift, it doesn’t mean you need to buy them one. This is especially true if you’ve talked with them before about skipping the gift exchange this year. It’s hard not to feel guilty, but you are under no obligation to reciprocate. If you feel you absolutely must give a gift to every person who buys one for you, consider handmade items, homemade cookies, childcare coupons, or something small. Remember: YOU ARE NOT SANTA CLAUS. You do not have a factory full of elf-slaves making the gifts out of materials you magically sourced for free and are delivering to every person in the whole world in one night. Don’t set yourself up to feel like a failure. Focus on traditions and activities. It might seem like dialing back Christmas is kind of mean, but providing your kids with a realistic view of the world is far better than any gift they’ll ever find under the tree. When they are making their own money, they’ll understand that they don’t have to figure out how to make each Christmas bigger and better than the last, When every day is a trip to Disney World, how are you going to be satisfied with climbing a tree and finding animals in the clouds that float overhead? Here are some suggestions from my Christmas book about how to make the transition to a simpler holiday: Focus on activities and traditions instead of gifts For younger children, read books like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods or The Boxcar Children. Lower your own expectations. I hate to break it to you, but if you, as the mom or dad, expect a new car with a big red bow in the driveway, or a $500 tool set, or a diamond ring, or…..well, you get the picture. Lead by example. Promote a handmade Christmas. One very “broke” year, we made all of our gifts except for one per person. We made our decorations too, from things found in nature and recycled items around the house Help someone with less than you have. If yours is a religious family, focus on the “reason for the season.” (Hint – that wasn’t a wide-screen TV hovering over the stable!) If you’re interested in picking up my Kindle book, Have Yourself a Thrifty Little Christmas and a Debt-Free New Year, it’s free to read if you have Kindle Unlimited and the best $5.99 you can spend if you don’t. You can still make the holidays fun, magical, and joyful as long as you set the right tone from the beginning. How are you managing holiday expectations this year? Will this Christmas be different for your family? Are you planning to spend less than usual by necessity or by choice? How are you setting appropriate expectations so that nobody is disappointed? Do you have a money-saving holiday idea or tradition that others might find inspiring? Share your thoughts about managing holiday expectations in the comments. About Daisy Daisy Luther is a coffee-swigging author and blogger who’s traded her air miles for a screen porch, having embraced a more homebody lifestyle after a serious injury. She’s the heart and mind behind The Organic Prepper, a top-tier website where she shares what she’s learned about preparedness, self-reliance, and the pursuit of liberty. With 17 books under her belt, Daisy’s insights on living frugally, surviving tough times, finding some happiness in the most difficult situations, and embracing independence have touched many lives. Her work doesn’t just stay on her site; it’s shared far and wide across alternative media, making her a familiar voice in the community. Known for her adventurous spirit, she’s lived in five different countries and raised two wonderful daughters as a single mom.  Daisy is the best-selling author of 5 traditionally published books, 12 self-published books, and runs a small digital publishing company with PDF guides, printables, and courses at SelfRelianceand Survival.com You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and X. The post A Guide to Managing Holiday Expectations appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

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Conservative CNN contributor Scott Jennings stars in viral clips for the verbal battles he has on NewsNight with Abby Phillip. How does he prepare for TV combat? He explains his CNN battles and discusses his new book on Trump, A Revolution of Common Sense: How Donald Trump Stormed Washington and Fought for Western Civilization. We gave Jennings a Bulldog Award winner for Outstanding Achievement Behind Enemy Lines. MRC president David Bozell joined me to interview the man. Scott says he didn't know Trump well until February, when he began interviewing him for this book. He told us that behind the scenes that Trump is quite funny and asks a lot of questions and listens a lot, which isn't the cartoon you see on TV. While some people were suggesting Jennings for Press Secretary before the new term began, Scott had warm words for how Trump's communications professionals were doing.  David asked Scott about his process of preparing for what we often call the "Thunderdome" on the Abby Phillip show. When does he know what topics are going to be discussed? When does he know which other guests are going to appear? Two of Scott's favorite liberal opponents are Van Jones and Obama's old campaign manager David Axelrod. One of his web sites for show prep is...NewsBusters.  Plus, what everyone wants to know: How do you keep your composure when the lefties throw the worst arguments, and attack your character, like suggesting you're a racist? Scott says that by now, his opponents are looking for a fight to "own" him on the set. Most of us really enjoy when he just makes that smiling "can you believe this guy?" face while he's being lectured.  Then, since Scott's worked in Republican circles for 25 years, we asked him for his advice for what Republicans need to do to win the midterm elections next year.  I had to ask what he thought of Abby Phillip going on Joy Reid's show and saying she has to learn all about conspiracy theories so she knows what to expect from the conservatives. This is rich, considering the CNN set always has a conspiracy theory for Trump, from Russian collusion to Epstein collusion.  If the liberals are going to mount a conspiracy theory, let’s start with this one. If the Ellisons buy CNN, Scott Jennings can be the Bari Weiss, the Editor In Chief. See Brian Stelter run for the hills!  Enjoy the podcast below, or the audio is here. 

Ask any homesteader why they keep showing up to the hard work, and you will hear the same quiet truth. The chores feed the body, and they also shape the soul. Feeding animals at dawn. Weeding in the heat. Gathering eggs. Standing over a canner as jars seal one by one. These small, steady tasks […]

The search for truth has always required something very much in short supply these days: honesty. Not performative questions, not scripted outrage, not whatever happens to be trending on TikTok, but real curiosity.Some issues, often focused on foreign aid, AIPAC, or Israel, have become hotbeds of debate and disagreement. Before we jump into those debates, however, we must return to a simpler, more important issue: honest questioning. Without it, nothing in these debates matters. Ask questions because you want the truth, not because you want a target.The phrase “just asking questions” has re-entered the zeitgeist, and that’s fine. We should always question power. But too many of those questions feel preloaded with someone else’s answer. If the goal is truth, then the questions should come from a sincere desire to understand, not from a hunt for a villain. Honest desire for truth is the only foundation that can support a real conversation about these issues. Truth-seeking is real workRight now, plenty of people are not seeking the truth at all. They are repeating something they heard from a politician on cable news or from a stranger on TikTok who has never opened a history book. That is not a search for answers. That is simply outsourcing your own thought. If you want the truth, you need to work for it. You cannot treat the world like a Marvel movie where the good guy appears in a cape and the villain hisses on command. Real life does not give you a neat script with the moral wrapped up in two hours. But that is how people are approaching politics now. They want the oppressed and the oppressor, the heroic underdog and the cartoon villain. They embrace this fantastical framing because it is easier than wrestling with reality. This framing took root in the 1960s when the left rebuilt its worldview around colonizers and the colonized. Overnight, Zionism was recast as imperialism. Suddenly, every conflict had to fit the same script. Today’s young activists are just recycling the same narrative with updated graphics. Everything becomes a morality play. No nuance, no context, just the comforting clarity of heroes and villains.Bad-faith questionsThis same mindset is fueling the sudden obsession with Israel, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in particular. You hear it from members of Congress and activists alike: AIPAC pulls the strings, AIPAC controls the government, AIPAC should register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The questions are dramatic, but are they being asked in good faith? FARA is clear. The standard is whether an individual or group acts under the direction or control of a foreign government. AIPAC simply does not qualify. Here is a detail conveniently left out of these arguments: Dozens of domestic organizations — Armenian, Cuban, Irish, Turkish — lobby Congress on behalf of other countries. None of them registers under FARA because — like AIPAC — they are independent, domestic organizations. If someone has a sincere problem with the structure of foreign lobbying, fair enough. Let us have that conversation. But singling out AIPAC alone is not a search for truth. It is bias dressed up as bravery.RELATED: Antifa burns, the media spin, and truth takes the hits Photo by Philip Pacheco/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesIf someone wants to question foreign aid to Israel, fine. Let’s have that debate. But let’s ask the right questions. The issue is not the size of the package but whether the aid advances our interests. What does the United States gain? Does the investment strengthen our position in the region? How does it compare to what we give other nations? And do we examine those countries with the same intensity?The real targetThese questions reflect good-faith scrutiny. But narrowing the entire argument to one country or one dollar amount misses the larger problem. If someone objects to the way America handles foreign aid, the target is not Israel. The target is the system itself — an entrenched bureaucracy, poor transparency, and decades-old commitments that have never been re-examined. Those problems run through programs around the world.If you want answers, you need to broaden the lens. You have to be willing to put aside the movie script and confront reality. You have to hold yourself to a simple rule: Ask questions because you want the truth, not because you want a target.That is the only way this country ever gets clarity on foreign aid, influence, alliances, and our place in the world. Questioning is not just allowed. It is essential. But only if it is honest.Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's FREE email newsletter with his latest insights, top stories, show prep, and more delivered to your inbox.

Hypocrisy Level: Expert – Maddow Went from Smearing Cheney as Evil to Sitting Pretty at His Funeral