This week, Dave and Gav talk with Derek ‘DC’ Crager, the CEO of Practical AI.

Derek is at the forefront of building what he describes as ‘human-first’ AI and makes the pitch that AI has to be tailored to human needs. We talk about the uses and misuses of AI technology, where it could make a real difference in people’s lives, and not only for improving productivity.

If you’re curious about future technology and the impact on life as we know it, don’t miss this episode.

For more information about Derek’s company Practical AI, and Pocket Mentor click below. https://www.practicalai.app/

Derek also provided the first chapter of his book, “Human First AI,” available below.

https://www.humanfirstai.net/

The small bot in the corner is from freepik.com, can be found here, and was created by upklyak

On this episode, we brought back Stuart Bolus from last season to talk about the state of African democracy. You’ll learn what it looks like, why it is fragile, and how it differs from country to country, along with local insight (including how illiterates can legitimately vote and how they work as elected officials—yes, that’s not a typo!)

Shoot us a message, leave us a comment, or send us your favorite emoji if you enjoyed the ep! We love hearing from our On the Fringe community.

Thanks as always for checking us out On the Fringe!

All the best,

Dave and Gavin

The colorful flag map of Africa in the corner of our podcast art is from Wikimedia and was made by WwJLaik and can be found here:

For this bonus episode, Gav and Dave talk about a real interesting response to a recent Gallup poll in which 40% of American women between the ages of 15-44 declared their interest in leaving the United States permanently. If this doesn’t cause you some concern, you might be looking at a different number.

Share below or shoot us an email about what you think means and if we’re off base here. We’d love to hear your opinions.

As always, thanks for listening and joining us On the Fringe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dave and Gav

This week Gav and Dave return to one of the first stories we covered here on On the Fringe, the story of Alice Guo, one-time mayor of Bamban in the northern Philippines, erstwhile inmate in the Filipino prison system.

We dive into the bare bones of who she is, how she wound up as mayor, and why she just got sentenced to life in prison, along with diving into how this informs larger narratives playing out in Southeast Asia.

For very SERIOUS allegations that She and Alice worked for the MSS:She Zhejiang disclosed during an interview to al jazeera in 2024 that he worked for the MSS.

We can’t confirm if what She said is true true or not—pun intended.

Thanks for listening and leave us a comment, like, or share the word. We appreciate it!

All the best from On the Fringe,

Dave and Gav

After you’ve listened, here’s that episode about Alice.

This week, Gav and Dave talk about a major issue facing Japan, rampaging bears.

Wild bears are causing whole areas of Japan to be declared no-go zones for civilians, and even the Japanese Self-Defense Forces are being called into assist in keeping people and bears at a safe distance.

We’re diving into why exactly this is becoming an issue and why Japan’s ongoing struggle with a rapidly aging and decreasing population is playing a key role in this whole issue.

As always, thanks for bearing with us! Reach out to [email protected] with any comments and we’ll get back to you.

**Also, I said Akita and Iwate are “provinces.” They are prefectures (県）すみません！**

All the best,

Dave and Gav

Timestamps:

Intro — 0:22

Part 1:

The Thai King in China — 0:50

How China can likely snuff out the fighting between Thailand and Cambodia — 05:05

Part 2:

Al-Sharaa in Washington — 06:40

Hey all!

This week, the Thai King visited Xi Jinping in Beijing, and Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the President of Syria, visited the White House. In BOTH meetings, the media is not including key details that you have to recognize to understand what is really happening.

We dipped our toes into what we think is going on behind the scenes. Listen in and find out what you are missing.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to like, comment, share, or reach out at [email protected]

We appreciate it and couldn’t keep growing without you!

All the best from us on On the Fringe,

Dave + Gav

Two shadowy Russians flew to the United Arab Emirates to free Horatiu Potra, a Romanian security expert and ex-French Foreign Legionnaire, out of a Dubai jail after he was arrested in September. Rather than fly to Russia—as he almost did—Potra has decided to go back to Romania to face trial along with former Romanian Presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, who was charged with attempting to stage a coup in the country.

Listen as we dive into why he would go back and what this means for the European Union and the ongoing war in Ukraine, which we don’t see ending anytime soon.

We love to hear from our audience and the On the Fringe community! If you enjoyed the episode, send us a message, drop a comment, or give us a rating!

Thanks and take care!

Dave and Gav

Shoot us a message at [email protected]—No tin foil hat required!

This Substack is reader and listener-supported. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Hey all! This week, we are taking you back to West Africa and building on our last episode about a growing jihadist influence in this corner of the world.

Bamako is a city running out of time. With little fuel, the city is entering an existential crisis as neighboring countries and major powers realize the ruling military junta’s days may be numbered, as does Gavin.

Whatever comes after though will likely be worse as this region continues to spiral. For more on what is happening in this part of the world, don’t miss a few of our other episodes.

Last week, we covered the kidnapping of a Christian missionary and pilot in neighboring Niger—in broad daylight. This will give you insight into what is going on on the ground, along with our quick episode about this neighboring country you don’t want to visit right now.

As always, thanks for listening! Take care and stay safe!

Dave and Gavin

Thanks for listening to On the Fringe! Feel free to share the podcast

This Substack is listener-supported. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. We really appreciate it!

Our map can be found here, courtesy of julesdhl on Reddit. Thank you, Stuart!

We’ve got a short, spontaneous (and timely!) bonus episode!

This time, Gav and Dave yak and spitball about a map comparing different foreign ministry’s threat assessments of Burkina Faso, a small but critically important country in West Africa. They all bear bad news, but they’re all just a little bit different.

We talk about what this means, and what it portends for the country of upright men.

To hear more about Burkina Faso, check out this episode: The Man of the Hour in West Africa, featuring Stuart.

If you like this style of episode, let us know! shoot us an email at [email protected]

Thanks as always for listening,

Dave and Gav

On this episode, Gavin takes a stroll down memory lane and talks in depth about Niger, a key country in the Sahel region of West Africa. Since October 21, Niger has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Just 100 yards from the Presidential Palace in Niamey, the country’s capital, Kevin Rideout, an American missionary and bush pilot was kidnapped by jihadist terrorists and is currently being held for ransom.

Our hearts, thoughts, and sincerest prayers go out to Kevin Rideout, his family, and his congregation.

What does this event mean for the country and the United States (and Americans in Niger) at a critical time for the country. Listen in and find out.

If you enjoyed the episode, please don’t forget to like, comment, or subscribe to On the Fringe. We sincerely appreciate it!

The flag of Niger was created by verdy_p and can be found here: