Absurdity with Ryan Becker
159 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 53 ratingsExploring the absurd in faith, culture, and society, seeking to navigate what it means to be a Christian.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
A144 WE'RE BACK!
November 16, 2020 15:00 - 46 minutesOur apologies everyone! Because of some health issues, Ryan was forced to put a halt to all completely nonessential content creation he was involved in for the last couple months. While things aren't perfect, we believe we have figured out a way forward. This week, Ryan will be sharing more on what happened over the last two months, where things are now, and then he will tell you about the new direction the show is heading in. We think you'll like the changes that are coming! Become an Absurd...
A143 Overdose Awareness
August 31, 2020 14:00 - 1 hourBoth Tony and Ryan have both felt the impact of drug addiction and overdoses in their lives through friends they have lost, so one this episode, as it is International Overdose Awareness Day, join them both for a conversation that will dispel many of the myths behind addictions and show you how you can become a better support for loved ones struggling with addictions. Links: https://www.overdoseday.com/downloadable-resources/#fact (this is for helpful resources on overdose recognition https:/...
A142 Church Discipline
August 17, 2020 04:00 - 1 hourTony and Ryan explore the entire idea of Discipline within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. What is the proper approach to discipline, has the current model been effective, and how do we make improvements if we need any? Ryan's Youtube: https://bit.ly/2XQrnAq Check out our Sponsors for this episode: https://swau.edu/apn Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: ...
A141 Navigating Accountability
July 20, 2020 16:00 - 1 hourWith recent events in the gaming community, the Adventist community, and the entertainment industry highlighting the need for responsible accountability. Tony and Ryan give some recent examples of accountability and talk about what makes effective accountability and how we can use it in our relationships as well as in the public sphere. Ryan's Youtube: https://bit.ly/2XQrnAq Check out our Sponsors for this episode: https://danemarsolutions.com, https://swau.edu/apn Absurdity is a proud member...
A140 Effective Tragedy Response
July 06, 2020 04:00 - 1 hour(NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to the incident of a retired SAU professor posting a problematic, racist, and conspiracy-driven post on his social media and Southern's response to that. The next episode will address that more directly. Tony and Ryan jump into what makes a good "statement" when organizations respond to tragedies or controversies. They dive into what should follow those statements and what real progress looks like as a result. Ryan's Youtube: https://bit.ly/2XQrnAq Che...
A139 About Ravi Zacharias...
June 29, 2020 04:00 - 1 hourThe passing of Ravi Zacharias, a celebrated Christian apologist, speaker, and author, has raised an important question about how Christians are often willing to excuse bad behavior because of likability. Tony and Ryan Jump into this discussion head first, not wanting to disrespect Ravi unnecessarily, in order to address some very real concerns about how we treat celebrities in Christianity. Ryan's Youtube: https://bit.ly/2XQrnAq Check out our Sponsors for this episode: https://danemarsolution...
A138 First Amendment Law with Josef Ghosn
June 18, 2020 13:06 - 1 hourThis week Ryan brings on Josef Ghosn, a First Amendment lawyer in NYC who Ryan happened to grow up alongside! They talk all things First Amendment law, social media, and what things Americans should really be concerned about regarding free speech. Ryan's Youtube: https://bit.ly/2XQrnAq Check out our Sponsors for this episode: https://danemarsolutions.com https://swau.edu/apn Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdi...
A137 Racism and Individual Exceptionalism
June 01, 2020 16:00 - 1 hourTony and Ryan dive into the Amy Cooper situation and the George Floyd case from last week. How does individual exceptionalism and moral superiority perpetuate not just racism, but hatred of all types? What can you do about it? Ryan's Youtube: https://bit.ly/2XQrnAq Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: www.theabsurdity.org/gear Music and editing by Kendall Fo...
A136.5 Plans for Absurdity
May 31, 2020 18:52 - 23 minutesTony and Ryan open up about what led to the decision to take a break and they give you the scoop on what the future of Absurdity will look like. Ryan's Youtube: https://bit.ly/2XQrnAq Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: www.theabsurdity.org/gear Music and editing by Kendall Foote. To contact him about your own production, you can email him at kfoote1221@gma...
A136 Re: Ahmaud Arbery
May 18, 2020 21:33 - 1 hourRyan and Tony return from the break for one special episode regarding the tragedy of Ahmaud Arbery's fatal shooting and what the battle against racism looks like for those who have the opportunity to make a positive difference and impact the lives of those around us. Click here to purchase the Podcasting 101 Webinar! Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: www....
A135 What Will the New Church Be?
April 20, 2020 17:55 - 1 hourMatt and Ryan talk a little about burnout and Ryan announces some important changes for Absurdity, and then they discuss some terrible experiences people have had with church and what they hope for the church moving forward. https://www.theabsurdity.org/survey Here is the Reddit post we talked about today! Click here to purchase the Podcasting 101 Webinar! Check out Matt's projects here: Adventist History Podcast and Peoria Adventists on YouTube Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podca...
A134 Adapting Church Life
April 06, 2020 19:11 - 1 hourWith everything going on disrupting the normal flow of church life, Matt and Ryan discuss the different ways churches have been adapting, which ones they prefer or dislike, and what this all means for the church after this is all behind us. Click here to register for the Podcasting 101 Webinar! Check out Matt's projects here: Adventist History Podcast and Peoria Adventists on YouTube Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.t...
A133 The Uncounted Cost
March 31, 2020 13:23 - 1 hourThis wave of social distancing and quarantine in response to COVID-19 will have some unintended consequences and side-effects. That doesn't make it a bad thing, but it does mean we need to be aware of the risks we take by voluntary or compulsory isolation. Matt and Ryan discuss these consequences and wrestle with what we can do to deal with them. Check out Matt's projects here: Adventist History Podcast and Peoria Adventists on YouTube Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network...
A132 What Should the Church Be Doing Right Now?
March 23, 2020 21:45 - 1 hourCoronavirus is dangerous, meetings are cancelled, so what can and should the church be doing right now? Matthew Lucio of the Adventist History Podcast and the Peoria Adventists YouTube channel joins Ryan as the new cohost! They talk various ways churches have responded to the Coronavirus crisis, both good and bad, and they discuss ways churches can capitalize on this moment to do some powerful good in their communities and for their people. Check out Matt's projects here: Adventist History Po...
A131 Privilege and the Coronavirus
March 16, 2020 22:21 - 36 minutesToday is a throwback episode as Ryan flies solo once again! Tony is taking a break for a bit, so Ryan takes the helm. What do privilege and the coronavirus have to do with each other? What does this mean for us, and how can we utilize this moment to be better educated, not just about health precautions, but about social responsibility as a whole? Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of g...
A130 Faith Can Be Beautiful
March 11, 2020 22:49 - 1 hourHenry Johnson saves the day! Originally, we weren't going to have an episode this week because of difficult schedules last week between Tony and myself, but Henry swooped in this week and we were able to put something together for you! Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: www.theabsurdity.org/gear Music and editing by Kendall Foote. To contact him about your...
A129 Black History Month
March 03, 2020 09:39 - 1 hourYes, we know we are late, but it doesn't make the subject matter any less important! Don't let Ryan's poor scheduling and calendar awareness keep you from an important conversation on racism and how we can keep improving in how we treat one another. Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: www.theabsurdity.org/gear Music and editing by Kendall Foote. To contact ...
A128 Anti-Immigration Attitudes and Missionary Work
February 25, 2020 03:20 - 1 hourWhat do Christians with anti-immigration mindsets and beliefs have to do with missionary work? A surprising amount, to be honest. Tony and Ryan talk this week about how Western missionary culture actually perpetuates anti-immigration attitudes and beliefs and what that means for the rest of us. Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: www.theabsurdity.org/gear M...
A127 Does Servant Leadership Matter?
February 17, 2020 17:00 - 1 hourRyan and Tony talk about Servant Leadership and what its role in current society is. Given the recent behavior of Trump and other leaders, what is servant leadership and why does it matter? It turns out, it matters a lot. Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: www.theabsurdity.org/gear Music and editing by Kendall Foote. To contact him about your own productio...
A126 Sexism, Immorality, and a Superb Owl
February 10, 2020 17:00 - 1 hourTony and Ryan talk the Super Bowl, immorality, and why the half time show wasn't as problematic and immoral as people are making it out to be. Maybe, just maybe, there are worse things around sporting events like the Super Bowl that we should be paying attention to. Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: www.theabsurdity.org/gear Music and editing by Kendall F...
A125 Conflict Resolution - Fight with Honor
February 03, 2020 17:00 - 1 hourWhat a weird 3-parter this has been! But, we've talked apologies and forgiveness, so now it's time to talk about the conflicts themselves and why resolution is so important. We talk myths and misunderstandings, abuses in conflict resolution, and more! Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recommend: www.theabsurdity.org/gear Music and editing by Kendall Foote. To contac...
A124 Making Forgiveness Count
January 27, 2020 17:00 - 1 hourLast week, we talked apologies. This week, we talk about the counterpart of apologies: Forgiveness. What does it look like to actually forgive someone? Do you have to forgive someone when you accept their apology? What if you can't bring yourself to forgive someone? Absurdity is a proud member of the Absurd Podcast Network: www.absurdnetwork.com Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For a list of gear we use and recomm...
A123 Making Apologies Count
January 20, 2020 17:00 - 1 hourOne of the most tragic things in conflict is when someone uses an apology to manipulate or cause further pain to the person they have already offended. Tony and Ryan jump into what makes inappropriate apologies, well, inappropriate. What does it look like to apologize well? How can you, if you are a victim of an offense, respond to apologies and is it the same as forgiveness? Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org; To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate For...
A122 Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Positivity
January 13, 2020 17:00 - 1 hourMaybe you grew up like we did, and maybe your family or people in your church struggled with movies and books like Harry Potter, Star Wars, and other "secular" media. We wonder if that's really the best practice. What is the value of those stories compared to some of the stories in Scripture? How does a Christian culture that insists on the Bible as the sole source of "narrative" instead of other media actually impact the lives of growing children, curious teenagers, and mature adults. What r...
A121 Embracing the Tension
January 06, 2020 17:00 - 1 hourBryant Rodriguez, a campus pastor at Crosswalk Chattanooga and social media guru at McKee Foods, joins Ryan to talk about living in the tension between where you are and where you want to be. They dive into the confusion and the pain that causes as well as what both Ryan and Bryant did to embrace the tension they experienced. Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org; www.awakennc.com To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate Music and editing by Kendall Foote. T...
A120 A Clash of Politics and Religion
December 30, 2019 17:00 - 1 hourFor our last episode of 2019, Ryan and Tony dive into the wonderful mess that is the overlap of politics and religion! Recently, ChristianityToday has started a bit of a controversy with it's stance on President Trump's impeachment and how he has harmed the reputation of Christianity. So, where do Christians speak up and where does Absurdity find itself in all of this? To submit a podcast idea for the Absurd Podcast Network, click here. Links in order of mention: https://www.christianitytoday...
A119 Shining a Light on Sexual Assault
December 23, 2019 21:07 - 1 hourTwo weeks ago, Shantel Smith shared a status on her Facebook detailing unwanted sexual advances as well as verbal assault and a physical altercation with a soon-to-be pastor. This status encouraged over 100 women to come forward to her sharing their similar stories. Tony and Ryan process that and talk about what small things and big things we can do to work toward putting an end to situations like these. Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org; www.awakennc.com To suppor...
A118 Solving Nobody's Problems
December 17, 2019 17:00 - 1 hourWhen was the last time a sermon on prophecy fixed someone's overdue bills or helped solve someone's medical crisis? This episode, Tony and Ryan deal with one big issue: churches are often focused on solving problems that are disconnect from the social and socioeconomic realities their members experience. It's not that there is no place for sermons that are largely disconnected from someone's immediate situation, but how can churches shift their emphasis to be a more positively significant pre...
A117 LGBTQ+ People in the Church with Nicole Hwang
December 09, 2019 17:00 - 1 hourNicole is a second-year med student currently attending school in California. Born and raised in a very conservative home and church, she never expected to be who she is today. Now, she embraces herself and all that has come with it. Nicole and Ryan explore her journey of accepting herself, reconciling her faith with her identity, and why she remains a dedicated Christian despite the obstacles in her path. Disclaimer: Opinions expressed on this episode do not represent any other organizations...
A117 LGBTQ+ and Identity with Nicole Hwang
December 09, 2019 17:00 - 1 hourNicole is a second-year med student currently attending school in California. Born and raised in a very conservative home and church, she never expected to be who she is today. Now, she embraces herself and all that has come with it. Nicole and Ryan explore her journey of accepting herself, reconciling her faith with her identity, and why she remains a dedicated Christian despite the obstacles in her path. Disclaimer: Opinions expressed on this episode do not represent any other organizations...
A116 Loving an Addict
December 02, 2019 23:22 - 1 hourTony and Ryan dive into the realities and difficulties of loving someone wrestling with addiction, even if that person won't accept help or admit there is a problem. We recognize there is so much more that can be said about this topic. We also want to reiterate that Tony and Ryan are not experts of medical professionals, so this episode should not take the place of professional opinions from those properly trained in medical care and mental health. It's Ryan's first episode after his tonsille...
A115 Sustainable Creativity in the Church with Kevin Christenson
November 25, 2019 16:00 - 1 hourThis week, Kevin Christenson joins Ryan to talk about creative projects and how the church could look to invest for a more direct return on that investment in young adults, their passion projects, and more. They talk about this mainly through the lens of filmmaking and producing, but they also look at some practical ways leaders at all levels of the church can do to not just invest in creatives around them, but also to do that in a way that is sustainable and empowering. You can catch the vid...
A114 Modesty Culture Part 2: Story Time
November 18, 2019 16:02 - 1 hourA listener called in recently wanting to share her stories of experiencing some of the negative parts of body shaming and modesty culture, but she didn't feel comfortable being on the podcast. Tony and Ryan do our best to retell her stories and provide our reactions along the way while protecting her anonymity. These stories help add weight and perspective to some of the very things we discussed the first time we dove into this topic for A98. We hope you enjoy this episode and are compelled t...
A113 Good Grief! (and Loss)
November 11, 2019 16:00 - 1 hourWe can't believe we've gone this long without actually talking about this subject, but there's no time like the present. Tony and Ryan dive into grief and loss as Ryan returns from his grandfather's funeral. What is grief and how does it work? How can churches and individuals handle grief and loss in their communities better? These are the questions we try to answer, and more. Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate Mus...
A112 Anti-racism Made Practical with Andre Henry
November 04, 2019 16:00 - 1 hourRemember our Relevant episode, 107? Well, we are back to tackle the next level of that conversation with Andre Henry, the former Managing Editor at Relevant Magazine who wrote the Medium article exposing the toxic culture at Relevant. Andre talks with Ryan about how traditionally white institutions can pragmatically take action to value people of color and their voices and what true antiracism really looks like in normal, everyday life. Resources: Equal Justice Initiative A Google Search for...
A111 Part 2: So What Now? with Matthew Lucio
October 28, 2019 16:01 - 1 hourMatthew Lucio, host of Adventist History Podcast and the upcoming Adventists are Weird podcast, sits down with Ryan to talk Annual Council and the practical steps Adventists from all walks of life can engage with the system in order to create the changes they want to see. Check out the Adventist History Podcast here! Find Matt on Twitter: @LordLucio7 Music and editing by Kendall Foote. To contact him about your own production, you can email him at [email protected] Twitter: @ryan180becker...
A111 Part 2 So What Now? with Matthew Lucio
October 28, 2019 16:00 - 168 MBMatthew Lucio, host of Adventist History Podcast and the upcoming Adventists are Weird podcast, sits down with Ryan to talk Annual Council and the practical steps Adventists from all walks of life can engage with the system in order to create the changes they want to see. Check out the Adventist History Podcast here! Find Matt on Twitter: @LordLucio7 To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate Music and editing by Kendall Foote. To contact him about your own production, you can e...
A111 Part 1: 2019 Annual Council Reactions
October 28, 2019 16:00 - 1 hourThis week we have a two-parter! For part 1, Tony and Ryan recap Annual Council and give their reactions and analysis of the major conversations and votes that took place. We talk Gossip Juice, the abortion statement, the discipline votes, and more. Disclaimer: this is an Adventist-centric episode. Here are the links for this episode: For a brief overview of Annual Council votes: https://thescratchnews.com/briefs/2019/10/11/e0bso4ienygnjcg5qi1k1y7pgzffi0-3b5ms Here are the tweets we reference:...
A110 Hong Kong and the Privilege of Optional Protest
October 21, 2019 16:00 - 1 hourWe catch you up to speed on the Hong Kong protests, just how serious the situation there is, and how that compares to our experience as Americans regarding protests and rallies that happen around the country. When protesting seems optional to us, how should we respond to those for whom protesting is necessary? And don't worry, our SDA Annual Council reactions are coming next week! Links: About the Hong Kong Protests Elderly Helping Protesters To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donat...
A109 SNL, Cancel Culture, and the Harmless Torturer
October 14, 2019 16:00 - 1 hourIn this episode, we talk about Shane Gillis' recent hiring and immediate firing from SNL. Does a like or a retweet on Twitter pose an actual danger in the real world? Links: Shane Gillis Shane's Racist Comments The Case of the Harmless Torturer To support the podcast financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate Music and editing by Kendall Foote. To contact him about your own production, you can email him at [email protected] Twitter: @ryan180becker, @tony_anobile Email: [email protected]...
A108 Shining a Light on Spiritual Abuse with Aaron Mumu
October 07, 2019 16:00 - 1 hourAaron Mumu joins Ryan for a conversation on the more secretive realities of outreach schools like SOULS-West, sharing from his personal experience with a school similar to it, SOULS-Northwest. They discuss the good and bad that exists within the culture as well as how they think it could be made better. We also want to thank Sasha Mejia for being courageous in sharing her story and experience so transparently so that a bright light could be shown on such an important topic. Here is a link to ...
A107 Invited, but not Welcomed
September 30, 2019 16:00 - 1 hourWe jump into the recent viral news regarding the internal culture at RELEVANT Magazine and the toxic behavior and racist attitudes that have existed within it that were perpetuated by the founder and CEO, Cameron Strang. We discuss Former editors' Andre Henry and Rebecca Marie Jo's articles exposing the culture, the backlash that resulted, and how this entire situation impacts Absurdity. We get incredibly personal with you and we explore what RELEVANT's situation means for us going forward. W...
A106 #OUMeToo
September 23, 2019 16:00 - 1 hourTony and Ryan address the recent sexual assault controversy at Oakwood University, address their own personal feelings about the topic, and also discuss their own failures and inappropriate behavior. We are also donating 25% of all proceeds given to Absurdity through October 31 to the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence. endsexualviolence.org and the Info Brochure. Episode Links: https://www.al.com/news/2019/09/students-alumni-share-stories-of-sexual-assault-at-oakwood-university-school-...
A105 When is a Public Apology Good Enough?
September 21, 2019 23:49 - 1 hourWhen is a public apology good enough, and how do we begin to identify and fix blind spots in our beliefs? With the Mississippi wedding venue news that's been circulating on social media, we had the perfect opportunity to deep dive into both of these issues. We also share our opinions and discuss how Christians can do better. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/03/us/mississippi-interracial-couple-wedding.html Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org To support financially: ww...
A104 Faith Comes with Accountability
September 09, 2019 17:00 - 1 hourThis week we dive into two surprisingly related topics we've encountered a lot recently: The differences of God between the Old and New Testaments and the movement of "Jesus>Religion." Rather than specifically provide an answer for these things, we address the motivations behind asking the questions and people's hesitancy to either accept answers that don't point in the trajectory they are comfortable with. Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org To support financially: w...
A103 The Mass Shootings Conversation
September 02, 2019 17:49 - 1 hourTony and Ryan jump right into the conversation mass shootings after the tragic shootings in Dayton and El Paso. They discuss the conversation itself, how it's happening, and how that is both good and bad. They also try to provide some suggestions for how we can improve our approach to these conversations and actually make headway on these important issues. Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org Music by Justin Janetzko Twitter: @ryan180becker, @tony_anobile Email: ryan18...
A102 When Leaders Leave Faith
August 26, 2019 17:00 - 1 hourThis week we dive into Josh Harris and Marty Sampson announcing their departure from Christianity as well as John Cooper's (Skillet) response. We dive into the specific claims and arguments made, their validity, and how we personally feel in the whole matter. https://www.gofundme.com/f/orlando039s-reconstruction-fund https://www.gofundme.com/f/felipe039s-reconstruction-budget Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org Music by Justin Janetzko Twitter: @ryan180becker, @ton...
A101 Rediscovering Faith with Matt Mendez
August 19, 2019 21:00 - 1 hourToday, Matt Mendez, Ryan's childhood friend, joins Ryan to talk about his journey with faith. They dive into childhood, what leaving faith was like, and now his recent return to faith. It's a story that's still being written, and we are privileged to hear the conversation and perspective as the story is unfolding in real-time. Check out our sponsors for this episode: www.thehaystack.org Music by Justin Janetzko Twitter: @ryan180becker, @tony_anobile Email: [email protected] Facebook: ...
A100 Regional Conference Reality with Evan Willis
August 12, 2019 01:45 - 1 hourWE MADE IT TO 100! We thought about doing something different for this episode, but we wanted to give you the content that brought us here and that you listen for. We've brought on Evan Willis, a regional conference pastor in Charlotte, NC, to school us on the history of regional conferences and to discuss the value of them in 2019 Adventism as well as historical Adventism. Absurdity is just getting started, so thank you for being on the ride with us! Reach out to Evan Willis on Twitter Music...
A99 Church Actions vs. Church Values
August 05, 2019 17:00 - 1 hourWe are one away from episode 100! This week, we dive into what the Church says it values vs. what the Church's actions indicate it values. Do these two things line up? If they don't, how do we change that, and if they do, how do we keep it that way? Music by Justin Janetzko Twitter: @ryan180becker, @tony_anobile Email: [email protected] Facebook: facebook.com/Absurditypodcast Website: www.theabsurdity.org To support financially: www.theabsurdity.org/donate Learn more about your ad choi...