Urgent Futures with Jesse Damiani

Hosted by Jesse Damiani

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106

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the Urgent Futures Podcast, the show that finds signal in the noise. Each episode, I sit down with leading thinkers for dialogues that clarify the chaos, from culture to the cosmos. www.realitystudies.co

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August 13, 20261 hr 5 min

AI’s Climate Footprint: New Report Argues We’ve Been Dramatically Underestimating the Energy & Emissions Toll - Erald Kolasi | Rapid Response #31

AI's actual energy & emissions footprint is a fiercely debated subject. Today's guest, Erald Kolasi, led a report that I coauthored that proposes new estimates...which are much worse than has been previously reported. Listen on...Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).Back in January I hosted Erald on Urgent Futures for the first time, and he offered a lucid, powerful argument for decarbonization, including actual proposals for how we get there, even in the face of the immense obstacles in the way.Later this spring, he reached out to me about a piece he’d been researching, generously inviting me to join him as a co-author. The fruits of that work now live in our recent report, “The Global Energy and Emissions Footprint of AI Diffusion.”It’s the first—to our knowledge!—comprehensive lifecycle analysis of the AI industry’s climate footprint, focusing on energy and emissions but also getting into water, downstream consumption, and rebound effects. It’s a beast of a report so it’d be foolish to try to recap it all here, but the headline numbers are that we estimate the AI industry is producing 1.1% of all global energy demand & 1.2% of GHG emissions in 2026.We break down how we got there and explain our methodology in this conversation, so I hope it makes for an accessible invitation into the report.BIO: Erald Kolasi is a writer and independent researcher focusing on the nexus between energy, technology, economics, complex systems, and ecological dynamics. His first book, The Physics of Capitalism, came out from the Monthly Review Press in February 2025. He received his PhD in Physics from George Mason University in 2016.CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

July 1, 20261 hr 40 min

The Future of Free Speech & Censorship - Karen Attiah | Rapid Response #30

In September, then-Washington Post Global Opinions Editor Karen Attiah was fired from the Washington Post for expressing her opinions about gun violence. What has happened since is the real story.Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).BIO: Karen Attiah is an award-winning journalist, columnist, and global thought leader whose work explores the intersections of race, culture, gender, and international affairs. She was born and raised in DeSoto, Texas, and began her journey in media and advocacy at 19 through an internship at the Dallas Public Defender’s Office. A formative summer in Spain studying Spanish ignited her lifelong commitment to international storytelling and human rights.A former Fulbright Scholar to Ghana, Karen has reported from across the globe—including Nigeria, Germany, Curaçao, and beyond. Her reporting and commentary have appeared in Voice of America, Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Haitian Times, and other international outlets. She is also a frequent contributor to broadcast media, with appearances on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, and CBC.In 2016, Karen became the founding editor of The Washington Post’s Global Opinions section, where she commissioned commentary from some of the world’s most influential thinkers and dissidents. She became a staff columnist in 2021. Her writing—widely recognized for its clarity, courage, and impact—focuses on global justice, human rights, and the Black diaspora.Karen’s work has earned her numerous accolades, including the 2019 George Polk Special Award, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Freedom Writer Award, the National Association of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year Award, and recognition in Essence’s “Woke 100” and The Root 100. Washingtonian magazine named her a “Star to Watch” in 2021.She is the author of the forthcoming book Say Your Word, Then Leave, about the life and assassination of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, whom she worked with closely during the last year of his life.In addition to her work as a writer and commentator, Karen is an amateur Muay Thai fighter and boxing enthusiast, having trained and competed both in the U.S. and abroad. She was the 2021 U.S. Muay Thai Open Silver Medalist in the 125-132 pound division.CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

June 25, 20261 hr 33 min

On 'Withnessing': Storytelling, Spirituality, & Healing Toward Freedom - Maytha Alhassen | Rapid Response #29

I love when a conversation on Urgent Futures feels truly hybrid—that my guest has an irrepressibly curious mind and expansive practice. This is one such conversation. Dr. Alhassen weaves together her committed practices as a writer, historian, activist, academic, and somatic teacher (among others…see her bio). To try to sum this up in a pithy context paragraph would be a fool’s errand, so please just enjoy the conversation.Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).BIO: Dr. Maytha Alhassen is a writer, producer, journalist, professor, and Pop Culture Collaborative Senior Fellow, authoring the Haqq and Hollywood: Illuminating 100 Years of Muslim Tropes and How to Transform Them (2018) report. She has appeared as a co-host on The Young Turks’ main hour, as well as a guest co-host and digital producer on Al Jazeera English’s The Stream. Alhassen is the co-executive producer, writer, and social impact advisor for Hulu’s award-winning series Ramy; a lecturer in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford; a 2021–2024 Harvard Religion and Public Life Fellow in Art + Pop Culture; Executive Producer of the docuseries American Muslims: A History Revealed; a Pillars Muslim Narrative Change Fellow; a USC 2022–23 Civic Media Fellow; host of the educational web series Key Terms (part of the Office Hours series); co-host of Amazon Music and SALT Audio’s meditation podcast Become; and a former TED Resident (2017).In 2012, Alhassen co-edited the collection Demanding Dignity: Young Voices from the Front Lines of the Arab Revolutions. She has also written for CNN, Boston Review, HuffPost, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Baffler, Mic, and CounterPunch. Alhassen has appeared on CNN, HuffPost Live, Fusion Network, and WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show. From 2019 to 2020, Alhassen served as Visiting Assistant Professor of Peace and International Studies at Chapman University and as an Associate Professor teaching graduate courses in social justice and community organizing at Prescott College. As a social justice organizer, she helped launch abolitionist organizations and collectives including the Social Justice Institute at Occidental College, the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, Believers Bail Out, and Arabs for Black Lives.Alhassen received her Ph.D. and M.A. in American Studies and Ethnicity from USC, a B.A. in Political Science and Arabic and Islamic Studies from UCLA in 2004, and an M.A. in Anthropology from Columbia University in 2008. While at Columbia, she conducted research for the university’s Malcolm X Project and facilitated arts-based workshops with incarcerated youth at Rikers Island through the Blackout Arts Collective. Alhassen has decades of experience in education, arts-based social justice organizing, media and journalism, global travel, healing practices—including yoga, Reiki, doula work, and meditation—and poetry writing and performance.CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

June 16, 20261 hr 4 min

The Geopolitical Crisis Hasn’t Even Started Yet - Adames Global (Juanita Adames & Michelle Sucameli) | Rapid Response #28

What does Strait of Hormuz Crisis fallout mean for you? What does the Donroe Doctrine means for the emerging world order? American soft power on the decline & more from former USAID Project Directors, Adames Global.Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).BIO:Juanita M. Adames, Chief Strategy Officer at Adames Global, writes and works on one question: what does it actually take to make change stick?Over 15+ years, she’s led humanitarian and development programs across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia - directing multi-country portfolios exceeding $75M, building public-private partnerships from the ground up, and operating in some of the world’s most unforgiving environments. Post-conflict Uganda and DRC. Fragile states like El Salvador, Kenya, and Myanmar. Places where the systems are broken and the stakes are real.Michelle Adames-Sucameli, Chief Executive Officer of Adames Global, leads the firm’s work at the intersection of strategy, systems transformation, and global impact, helping individuals and organizations navigate complexity, scale responsibly, and build institutions designed to endure.With more than 15 years of experience across international development, strategic partnerships, communications, and operations, Michelle has led high-impact initiatives spanning government, nonprofit, and private sector environments across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Her work has focused on translating ambitious ideas into executable strategy for media and business partners, building cross-sector coalitions, and strengthening organizations operating in politically, socially, and operationally complex environments.(Read their longer bios at the full episode page here)CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

June 4, 20261 hr 8 min

How to Live Fully in the Face of Collapse - Sarah Wilson | Rapid Response #27

A lot of writing about collapse ends up feeling abstract—like the authors are writing from a remove about an alien species. But today's guest, Sarah Wilson, has written a collapse book that does something incredibly rare. Listen on to find out, and of course:Grab your copy of I Eat The Stars now!Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).BIO: Sarah Wilson is a multi-New York Times and Amazon best-selling author, podcaster, social philosopher, international keynote speaker, philanthropist and climate change advisor.Sarah is known globally for founding the I Quit Sugar movement – a digital wellness program with 13 award-winning books that sell in 52 countries – which saw millions around the world transform their health. In 2022 Sarah sold the business and gave everything to charity.Sarah is an experienced journalist and broadcaster. She was previously the editor of Cosmopolitan Australia at age 29; host of MasterChef Australia; was a News Corp journalist and columnist; and has hosted ABC’s Compass, Ten’s The Project and has been a regular panelist and news commentator on Australian, UK and US screens for two decades.Her New York Times bestseller First, We Make the Beast Beautiful is described by bestselling author (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k) Mark Manson as, “The best book on living with anxiety that I’ve ever read,” and was featured as the book of the year on NBC’s Today Show. It’s published in 27 countries. Sarah’s book, This One Wild & Precious Life, won the 2021 US Gold Nautilus Prize.Sarah is the host of the thought-leading podcast Wild with Sarah Wilson and writes the popular Substack newsletter This is Precious, which has an engaged community of 60,000 subscribers.Most recently, she serialized her book I Eat The Stars on Substack – an exploration of system collapse and how we navigate it, which was acquired by Penguin US and will be released globally across May and June.CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

May 28, 20261 hr 9 min

Decoding Systems of Power & Meaning: Military AI, Epstein, Necropolitics...& Backrooms - Cy Canterel | Rapid Response #26

I was lucky to meet today's guest, Cy Canterel, a few years ago during the downslope of hype around NFTs and web3—a moment we actually dive into during the episode—fully aware of the ways many people will hear those terms an instantly tune out. My hope here isn’t to valorize the aforementioned (though we do discuss how there were seeds of something meaningful that were drowned out by all the grift and greed); I bring it up because it highlights the intellectual curiosity and expansiveness that threads all of Cy’s work across tech, art, culture, power, and philosophy. More than most people I’ve met, Cy trusts her intuition to lead her to new ways of thinking and perceiving, and her intense research practice then creates the scaffolding and texture to give her ideas weight.Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).All of which is why it’s especially fun for me that Cy has emerged as a leading media theorist and communicator on Substack, with a particular eye toward decoding systems of power and meaning. As you can gather from the title, that includes a whole lot of contemporary concerns as well as more evergreen ones. When I say this conversation is free-wheeling, I mean it; but I’ll let you experience it for yourself.BIO: Cy Canterel, in her own words: Artist. Feral scholar. Raised by computers. Ex-tech (infrastructure, IoT, AI/ML). Alumna: Institute for the Future of the Book. Fmr. visiting scholar @NYU. Decoding systems of power and meaning. Big time crayon fan.CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

May 20, 20261 hr 24 min

Apocalypse Early Warning System? Track the Oligarchs. Creative Tech as Crisis Intervention - Kyle McDonald | Rapid Response #25

How can art—especially new media art—be used to intervene in polycrisis? Across projects like Apocalypse Early Warning System, ICEspy, & more, artist Kyle McDonald charts a path.Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).BIO: Kyle McDonald is an artist working with code. He crafts interactive installations, sneaky interventions, playful websites, workshops, andtoolkits for other artists working with code. Exploring possibilities of new technologies: to understand how they affect society, to misuse them, and build alternative futures; aiming to share a laugh, spark curiosity, create confusion, and share spaces with magical vibes. Working with machine learning, computer vision, social and surveillance tech spanning commercial and arts spaces. Previously adjunct professor at NYU’s ITP, member of F.A.T. Lab, community manager for openFrameworks, and artist in residence at STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at CMU, and YCAM in Japan. Work commissioned and shown around the world, including: the V&A, NTT ICC, Ars Electronica, Sonar, Todays Art, and Eyebeam.CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

May 13, 20261 hr 36 min

How Storytelling & Comedy Expose Corruption & Depict Climate Collapse - Adam McKay | #73

From comedies like Anchorman and Step Brothers to The Big Short, Vice, and 2C—a forthcoming film about climate apocalypse—Adam McKay's evolution as a storyteller and public figure epitomizes the journey we will need many other creative folks to undertake if we're going to survive what's coming. We get into all of it (including teasers about forthcoming projects).Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).BIO: Adam McKay is an Academy Award-winning writer, director, and producer whose work spans comedy, film, television, documentaries, and podcasting. He won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Big Short and earned additional Academy Award nominations for Vice and Netflix’s global hit Don’t Look Up. His producing credits also include The Menu, Booksmart, Hustlers, The Chair Company, and HBO’s acclaimed series Succession, for which he directed the pilot and won a Directors Guild Award.Before becoming one of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers, McKay made his name in the comedy world as a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade. In 1995, McKay and Will Ferrell happened to start on the same day at Saturday Night Live, where he became Head Writer. McKay and Ferrell’s time at SNL led to collaborations that established their unique absurdist style on Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) followed by Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Step Brothers (2008), The Other Guys (2010) and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013).Beyond film and television, McKay is also an active producer of documentaries and podcasts focused on politics, culture, sports, and social issues. In 2023, he founded Yellow Dot Studios, a nonprofit media organization dedicated to combating climate misinformation through comedy and storytelling.In 2016, McKay joined the Creative Council of Represent Us, the largest grassroots anti-corruption campaign in the US to pass laws that stop political bribery, end secret money and give voters a stronger voice. He is passionate about the climate crisis and is affiliated with numerous climate organizations, including the Climate Emergency Fund to whom he donated $4M in 2022. In addition to aiding the movement General Strike for Resignations (GS4R), a group that helps finance strike-support platforms across labor unions, climate organizations and social justice groups, McKay supports DSA LA, Homeless Health Care LA and Amnesty International.CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

May 12, 202651 min

From Palantir Employee to Digital Rights Advocacy: Starting a People’s Movement Against AI Risks - Juan Sebastián Pinto | Rapid Response #24

By now, the company Palantir has probably entered your field of view—but many still don’t quite get the scope and scale of what they’re building and why. Juan, today's guest, formerly worked at Palantir and other AI companies, and has now emerged as leading advocate for a people’s movement to regulate AI and promote liberatory futures. So listen/watch on to understand into the invisible dangers of Palantir’s tools and what we can do to keep them (and other harmful aspects of AI rollout) in check.Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).BIO: Juan Sebastián Pinto is a designer and writer currently working at the intersection of civil rights and technology. His writing appears in The Guardian, Forbes, Dwell Magazine, and Substack. His work and advocacy has been featured in WIRED, NPR, The Washington Post, Democracy Now!, and the BBC.In the past Juan led content/creative for various leading AI startups and worked and collaborated with many architecture firms as a strategist, writer, and graphic designer. He completed his BA and MA in English at the University of Pennsylvania.Juan also runs Ziggurat on Substack—be sure to subscribe!CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

May 6, 20261 hr 27 min

The Most Consequential Story in Earth's History - Peter Brannen | #72

If you spend enough time learning about climate change, you come to regard the molecule carbon dioxide—abbreivated to CO2—with fear and frustration. After all, the long accumulation of CO2 is behind roughly 75% of Earth’s warming. Leaving aside the fact that we’re the species that put all that CO2 in the air, we’re also not viewing the bigger picture. That bigger picture is the subject of today's guest's modestly titled new book, The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything. Read on...Support the show by checking out: ProtonVPN (gold-standard VPN—fast and safe. Click the link to get 55% off VPN Plus: $4.49/mo). ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email).The book amply earns the big claim of the title, helping readers like me understand that the carbon cycle is one of the most miraculous things on Earth—and also one of the most consequential.Buy The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything here.Don’t get the wrong idea: Story of CO2 is not a starry eyed greenwashing affair. If anything, the book is asking us to approach the subject with humility. The carbon cycle may be miraculous, and a driving part of why life emerged on Earth, but that doesn’t mean it’s unchangeable. In continuing to burn fossil fuels, we’re tampering with that system, and at an alarming rate. Insofar as we’re already witnessing some of the consequences, we also have no way of knowing the full regimen of changes that might be occurring across the Earth system. To that, Peter employs some of the same time travel he used in The Ends of the World—which we discussed in an earlier episode—taking us on a journey through deep time to understand how the story of CO2 really did become the story of everything—at least as we understand it on our one precious planet.BIO: Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Scientific American, and The Guardian among other publications. He is the author of The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything and The Ends of the World. Peter was a 2023 visiting scholar at the Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, and is an affiliate at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He was formerly a 2018 Scripps Fellow at CU-Boulder, a 2015 journalist-in-residence at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center at Duke University, and a 2011 Ocean Science Journalism Fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, MA. His essays have been featured in the Best American Science and Nature Writing series and in The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg. Peter is particularly interested in geology, ocean science, deep time, the carbon cycle and the Boston Celtics. Peter splits time between Cambridge, MA and Damariscotta, ME and is a placental mammal.CREDITS: This podcast is produced & edited by Adam Labrie & me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also edited the video version, which is available on YouTube.Find more episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures. Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

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