Podcasts about american west

Historian Sarah Vowell revisits how the Hawaiian Islands became an American territory in the 19th century, then journalist David Wolman tells us how three cowboys from Hawaii's Big Island redefined the American West when they competed at the world's greatest rodeo championship. And writer Michael Scott Moore explores how surfing spread from Polynesia to the rest of the world. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

This past December brought record-high amounts of snow to the Sierra Nevada, California's main mountain range. The state, of course, has suffered for years from bad, bad drought, so we should all be happy that the dry days are over with all this snow, right? In fact, those who monitor such things are saying we should be saving water more than ever. Because there's a real possibility that one day, blizzards in the West might be gone. Today, our Masters of Disasters reconvene to talk about this possible future. More reading: A ‘no snow' California could come sooner than you think California is suddenly snow-capped and very wet. But how long will the water rush last? Editorial: Welcome the bout of winter storms, just don't call them drought busters

Welcome to The Apple Seed! Some time filled with stories for you and your family. Since 2013 we've been bringing you tall tales, personal tales, fairy tales, historical tales and more. All kinds of tales, from all kinds of tellers. Today we're talking about horses! Horses have been a key player in history, in western migration, in poetry, and in storytelling. Songs, short stories, novels and poems have centered around the ‘Cowboy' and their horse for a long time. Many folktales and songs have been connected to life through the vision of a horse. There is always something new to be learned- whether it's through hearing about one's connection to their horse, some of the tales behind the hope that horses carry on their backs, or just a funny tale involving the majestic beasts. So let us all sit down together and learn something new, feel the wind on our face, and imagine the freedom that horses and the love of land and animals can bring. On today's episode, enjoy the following: "“The Squire's Bride” by Ed Stivender from Classics Revisited (1:52) “The Iron Horse” by The Three D's from Heritage: Songs and Stories from the Mormon Epoch (8:25) “The Blind Harper” by Paddy Tutty from The Roving Jewel (11:58) “Dream Mine” by Paul Bliss from Pure Bliss (18:00) “Anthem” by Jerry Brooks from Shoulder to Shoulder (21:35) “Bill Greenfield and the Mosquitoes” by Joseph Bruchac from Adirondack Tall Tales, Volume One: The Bill Greenfield Stories (28:40) “Going to Granny's” by Liz Weir from Boom Chicka Boom (37:42) “Hooves, Hide and Mane” by Sam Payne and Ryan Shupe from The Saga of the Sanpitch (42:32) “Grandpa Al and Max” by Glenda Bonin from Family Gazette (45:55) “Hooves of the Horses” by Cowboy Poetry from A Western Jubilee: Songs and Stories of the American West (52:46)

Few people are aware that John Moses Browning--a tall, modest man born in 1855 and raised as a Mormon in the American West-- invented the mechanism used in virtually all modern pistols, created the most popular hunting rifles and shotguns, and conceived the machine guns introduced in World War I and which dominated air and land battles in World War II. Yet few in America knew his name until he was into his sixties.Now, author Nathan Gorenstein brings firearms inventor John Moses Browning to vivid life in this riveting and revealing biography. Embodying the tradition of self-made, self-educated geniuses (like Lincoln and Edison), Browning was able to think in three dimensions (he never used blueprints) and his gifted mind produced everything from the famous Winchester "30-30" hunting rifle to the awesomely effective machine guns used by every American aircraft and infantry unit in World War II. The British credited Browning's guns with helping to win the Battle of Britain.His inventions illustrate both the good and bad of weapons.Sweeping, lively, and brilliantly told, this fascinating book introduces a little-known American legend whose impact on history ranks with that of the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford.HOST:  Rob MellonFEATURED BREW:  Hop Gun IPA, The Funky Buddha Brewery, Oakland Park, FloridaBOOK:  The Guns of John Moses Browning: The Remarkable Story of the Inventor Whose Firearms Changed the Worldhttps://www.amazon.com/Guns-John-Moses-Browning-Remarkable/dp/1982129212/ref=sr_1_1?crid=N7U6KEH3A7FH&keywords=gorenstein&qid=1642394882&sprefix=gorenstein%2Caps%2C823&sr=8-1MUSIC:  Bones Forkhttps://bonesfork.com/

Join us for this epic series on the Wild West as it occurred to Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday, and all the myths and legends in between!Sources:Boessenecker, John. Ride the Devil's Herd: Wyatt Earp's Epic Battle against the West's Biggest Outlaw Gang. Hanover Square Press, 2021. Clavin, Thomas, and Ellen J. Lehman. Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West. St Martin's Paperbacks, 2019. Gwynne, Samuel C. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History. Scribner, 2011. Roberts, Gary L. The Life and Legend of Doc Holliday. Wiley, 2006. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

HEADLINESCOMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE69% of CRE brokers earned more in 2021Results also indicate that 66% of brokers have completed more transactions in 2021 than in 2020.US rent hikes: not a concern for most tenantsIt's good news for tenants who already signed a lease or never left in the first place. Real estate market predicted to remain strongPeople are still wanting to buy, especially in suburbs, according to an analyst.RENT & MULTIFAMILY HOUSING12% of First-Time Homebuyers Used CryptoIt is up from 8.8% the preceding quarter. Build-to-rent investments to grow over the next decadeOwn-to-rent conversions of SFRs will remain solid in the next ten years.Multifamily outperformers in 2022Freddie Mac indicates that secondary and tertiary markets in the American West and Florida will be the best cities for potential annualized growth in multifamily investment gross income.ECONOMY & JOB MARKETHousehold income can't keep pace with cost of livingThe average US household debt is now at $155,622Mortgage delinquency rate falls to pre-pandemic levelsThis indicates improving economic security and the benefits of disciplined underwriting practices over the past decadeSmall business boom a result of the pandemicAlmost 5 million new business applications were recorded from January to November of last year.Economist: Full return to office is next to impossibleA full return to office plan isn't going to happen anymore given the current conditions in the economy according to a Stanford University professor.

For an event hosted by the Rural Radio Collective Megan Torgerson sits down with Ed Roberson, the founder and producer of the acclaimed podcast Mountain & Prairie, to hear what he's learned over the past six years producing intelligent and thoughtful conversations that illuminate the unfolding Zeitgeist of the modern American West.

The Context of White Supremacy welcomes Dr. Kevin Waite. A political historian of the 19th-century United States with a focus on slavery, imperialism, and the American West, Dr. Waite is an Assistant Professor of Modern American History at the Durham University in England. He's current working on project to share the history of Biddy Mason, a black female slave who helped build Los Angeles. Dr. Waite is also a member of Mayor Eric Garcetti's Steering Committee for the creation of memorial to recognize the non-white victims of the 1871 Los Angeles Chinese Massacre. Dr. Waite's work, including his historical work, West of Slavery, may be a part of the research being used by a California state task force to determine if Reparations are owed to black people. We'll see if Dr. Waite thinks will happen, and if this may be widespread - black people being compensated and repaired for centuries of White Terrorism. #Reparations INVEST in The COWS – http://paypal.me/TheCOWS Cash App: https://cash.app/$TheCOWS CALL IN NUMBER: 720.716.7300 CODE: 564943#

The Texas Rangers came to life in 1823, when Texas was still part of Mexico. Nearly 200 years later, the Rangers are still going--one of the most famous of all law enforcement agencies. In Cult of Glory, Doug J. Swanson has written a sweeping account of the Rangers that chronicles their epic, daring escapades while showing how the white and propertied power structures of Texas used them as enforcers, protectors and officially sanctioned killers.Cult of Glory begins with the Rangers' emergence as conquerors of the wild and violent Texas frontier. They fought the fierce Comanches, chased outlaws, and served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican War. As Texas developed, the Rangers were called upon to catch rustlers, tame oil boomtowns, and patrol the perilous Texas-Mexico border. In the 1930s they began their transformation into a professionally trained police force.Countless movies, television shows, and pulp novels have celebrated the Rangers as Wild West supermen. In many cases, they deserve their plaudits. But often the truth has been obliterated. Swanson demonstrates how the Rangers and their supporters have operated a propaganda machine that turned agency disasters and misdeeds into fables of triumph, transformed murderous rampages--including the killing of scores of Mexican civilians--into valorous feats, and elevated scoundrels to sainthood. Cult of Glory sets the record straight.Beginning with the Texas Indian wars, Cult of Glory embraces the great, majestic arc of Lone Star history. It tells of border battles, range disputes, gunslingers, massacres, slavery, political intrigue, race riots, labor strife, and the dangerous lure of celebrity. And it reveals how legends of the American West--the real and the false--are truly made.HOST:  Rob MellonFEATURED BREW:  Man of Law American IPA, Southern Pines Brewing Company, Southern Pines, North CarolinaBOOK:  Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangershttps://www.amazon.com/Cult-Glory-Brutal-History-Rangers/dp/1101979879/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ELY0KSAJ5DP3&keywords=cult+of+glory+texas+rangers&qid=1641796663&sprefix=%2Caps%2C282&sr=8-1MUSIC:  Bones Forkhttps://bonesfork.com/

In a screenplay that feels built for the Coen Brothers, but somehow also the furthest from their usual style we get one of the best westerns of the decade! Comedy, interesting and likeable characters, and a beautiful look of the American West presented to us through the lens of Roger Deakins makes this an instant classic. And look, I didn't mention the world building in the episode. But the world building in this is subtle but amazing! Talk to me about it on Twitter or something! But only if you think you have grit! Up Next: Winter's Bone (2010) directed by Debra Granik Special thanks to Sean C. for being generous supporter of Once Upon a Time at the Oscars! You can find more info on the show as well as the full film list and watch order on our website: www.outaopodcast.com Or use our Letterboxd list! Support for Once Upon a Time at the Oscars is provided by our Patreon backers. For as little as $2 a month you can help support our show as well as receive fun benefits, including the chance to vote for what film you think deserves to win Best Picture every year! Subscribe to the show – Apple, Google, Spotify, Feed (Copy the url into the podcast app of your choice) If you like the show, please consider leaving a rating or review on iTunes or your podcast player of choice! Help us reach more listeners! You can stay up to date with the show by following us at: facebook.com/outaopodcast twitter.com/outaopodcast instagram.com/onceuponatimeattheoscars Once Upon a Time at the Oscars is the weekly podcast where we take on the gauntlet of watching every single film that was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards! Starting with the films of 1927, Kyle and Marilee break down these movies every week. Each episode is part review, part trivia, and part critique. This podcast is intended for anybody that loves movies. We have zero background in the film industry, we're just a film-loving couple that thought it'd be fun to go on this odyssey together, with all of you! Let us know what you thought of the film! You can send your thoughts and we'll read them on an upcoming ceremony episode: outaopodcast@gmail.com Thanks for tuning in! See you at the movies, Kyle and Marilee

This latest podcast is with Wyoming historian and professional rock climber Sam Lightner Jr. What an interesting path and journey his life choices have taken him on. His life choices took him on adventures to discover history in other parts of the world, learning about people, culture and their mountains. Sam is our historian for our new podcast from Wyoming Humanities – (shhhhhh….I can't tell you the name yet until we launch later this month). Sam was raised in Jackson, Wyoming. At different times he has been fortunate enough to also live in southern Thailand, Banff, Alberta, and Moab, Utah, but Wyoming has always been "home." Traveling and living  in such diverse places has helped Sam greatly as a writer. Not only has it provided a plethora of settings to build stories upon, but also given insight into diverse people and cultures.  But in the meantime check out Sam's new book, Wyoming: A History of the American West. And I'll keep you posted on the release!

        Have you ever fantasized about the American West? I have, as have millions from all over the world. So many that there is now a genre of literature, "The American West." So I was thrilled to discover an organization of "Women Writing the West (WWW)," which is female authors (and some male) whose characters, stories and settings reflect the distinct cultures, geography and history of this important and distinct part of the United States.  Betsy Randolph is a widely-read, mystery author, including her noted Cat Carlyle Mysteries, the president of Women Writing the West and one of the first female officers in both the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Capital Patrol promoted to leadership roles. She joins me to talk about writing, growing up as a "tom-boy" and her reaction to the arrest of the parents of the suspect in the latest school shooting that occurred in my community of Oxford, Michigan. 

We are back for a new year of amazing stories and I can't wait for all the conversations taking place this year on Open Space Radio! To kick off 2022, I'm thrilled to welcome someone who is making some big waves in the outdoor recreation industry. Dani Reyes-Acosta is a mountain athlete and storyteller rewriting the narrative of who plays outside and how we build community with others on this planet. Originally from Southern California, she has traveled through Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Andorra, Canada and the U.S. building her mountain craft since 2014, when she graduated from corporate life with a one-way ticket to South America. A splitboarder, rock climber, mountain runner, and waterwoman, she has been featured in the Washington Post, She Explores, Women on the Road, the Los Angeles Times and regional publications throughout the American West. Currently partnered with Protect Our Winters, Salomon, Suunto, Trail Butter, Anon Optics and Athletic Brewing, her mission is to inspire individual action and collective communion through self-care and self-determination found in the outdoors. She also works very closely with Latino Outdoors, whose vision is a world where all Latino communities enjoy nature as a safe, inclusive and welcoming place – a world where the outdoors is a place to share and celebrate stories, knowledge and culture, while growing leadership and an active community of Latino outdoor users, mentors and stewards. Dani's goal as a mountain athlete is to find the limits of her possible, searching for high peaks and ski lines that tell the story of Mother Earth's most impacted places. Tune in to the episode below to learn more about Dani, how her love for the outdoors began, and the mission she is on as an athlete and storyteller exploring the human experience. You'll also learn: How has access to the outdoors has personally played a role in Dani's life. Why human-centered design is so critical when thinking of public spaces. The importance of being a responsible steward of the land and how local park and recreation professionals can provide educational opportunities around environmental stewardship. How park and recreation professionals can support both tourism and their local community members in their parks and programs. How we can use our power to create space for those who have historically been underrepresented or left out of outdoor recreation conversations. What Dani's most proud of thus far in her work, and much more! Related Links: Follow Dani on Instagram Connect with Dani on LinkedIn Dani's website Protect Our Winters Latino Outdoors

Lifelong petty thieves Carl Taylor and Sherman McCrary, facing heat in their hometown of Athens, Texas, gather their family and take to the highways in search of criminal opportunities in the American West. In Utah, Carl and Sherman's small-time cons suddenly escalate when they rob and kidnap 17-year-old Sheri Martin from a Winchell's Donut Shop, killing her in the Nevada desert. The men's bloodthirst is awakened.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

COVID Road Trip: An RV Adventure Kindle Edition https://www.amazon.com/COVID-Road-Trip-RV-Adventure-ebook/dp/B098LX79QN One man was tired of stay at home orders and government regulation of every aspect of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. He bought a small RV, a teardrop travel trailer, and started exploring the American West. This is the story of his travels in search of freedom and adventure on the open road with his dog Avery. Linus Wilson takes the reader to the American West and Southwest including Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and Colorado. He hikes to the top of Half-Dome, El Capitan, and the 14er Quandary Peak. He visits the North and South Rims of the Grand Canyon, The Petrified Forest, Death Valley, Yosemite, Sequoia and King's Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands Islands in the Sky, and Bryce Canyon National Parks. He gets lost hiking Peekaboo Canyon and Spooky Gulch in the Grand Escalante National Monument. He was attacked by bees and longhorn sheep in the 120F degree Valley of Fire State Park outside Las Vegas. He gives his tips and tricks on managing and backing a small travel trailer. Linus and his wife bought a NuCamp T@B (Tab) 320s 15-foot travel trailer as their first RV. He gives readers the secrets of boondocking on Bureau of Land Management sites and at Cracker Barrel. He also writes about the free or discounted RV overnight stay programs Passport America and Harvest Hosts. A bonus chapter is written by the award-winning fiction author Sophie Violette Wilson. Captain Linus Wilson is the author of the travel narratives SLOW BOAT TO THE BAHAMAS, HOW TO SAIL AROUND THE WORLD PART-TIME, and SLOW BOAT TO CUBA. He has also edited the annotated editions of SAILING TO TREASURE ISLAND by Captain J.C. Voss and SAILING THE OGRE by Mabel Stock. Captain Linus Wilson is the author of How to Sail Around the World Part-Time which is available in eBook and softcover on Amazon and in audiobook for all patrons of Slow Boat Sailing at www.patreon.com/slowboatsailing On the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast Linus Wilson has interviewed the crew of Sailing SV Delos, WhiteSpotPirates (Untie the Lines), Chase the Story Sailing, Gone with the Wynns, MJ Sailing, Sailing Doodles, SV Prism, Sailing Zatara, Adventures of an Old Seadog and many others. Get Linus Wilson's bestselling sailing books: Slow Boat to the Bahamas at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018OUI1Q2 on Audible at https://www.audible.com/pd/B07N7QFNJR/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-141382&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_141382_rh_us Slow Boat to Cuba https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MFFX9AG https://gumroad.com/l/cubabook and How to Sail Around the World-Part Time https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B0OFYNW https://gumroad.com/l/sailing have been #1 sailing ebook bestsellers on Amazon. You can get the full audiobook of Sailing to Treasure Island by Captain John C. Voss. at http://www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com Support the videos at www.Patreon.com/slowboatsailing Associate Producers Ben Dahle and Rick Moore (SSL). Sign up for our free newsletter for access to free books and other promotions at http://www.slowboatsailing.com Copyright Linus Wilson, Oxriver Publishing, Vermilion Advisory Services, LLC, 2021

After a rare pandemic-related dip in 2020, global carbon emissions bounced back with a vengeance. Climate disasters seemed relentless over the summer, from flooding in Western Europe and China to wildfires in Siberia and the American West. And although world leaders made some headway at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, their new emission-reduction commitments aren't nearly enough to get the world back on track.

It's Wild West Wednesday! As the podcast is on hiatus until the end of the year (new episodes start January 3, 2022, we are featuring a repeat performance of  our Six-Gun Justice Conversation segment in which Rich chats with  Chris Enss about her book, IRON WOMEN: The Ladies Who Helped Build the Railroad, the Unlikely Friendship of Isabella Bird and Rocky Mountain Jim, as well as the Western Writers of America's Packing the West program.Chris Enss is a scriptwriter and comedienne who has written for television, film, and performed on cruise ships and on stage. She has worked with award-winning musicians, writers, directors, producers, and as a screenwriter for Tricor Entertainment, but her passion is for telling the stories of the men and women who shaped the history and mythology of the American West. Chris is the current president of the Western Writers of America. Support the show (https://tinyurl.com/sgjpdonate)

What's up to my marvelous meercats and surly sawfish!Welcome back to the BNP and thank you for joining! I appreciate you! To my patrons, y'all are the creatine in my nootropic pre-workout supplement, you keep more oxygen in my muscles, and my b and for that I am thankful. So. It's the last week of 2021, and things are hectic for everyone, including me. This episode is a bit on the short side, but it has a lot of heart. You get your zany audio tidbits, don't you worry. The topic? It's roadside attractions, a great American tradition. We love our kitschy highway diversions, don't we folks? I know I do. I've always enjoyed roadside attractions, and it's one piece of Americana I actually appreciate. So this episode, the last episode of 2021, is an homage to the uniquely American tradition of ridiculous roadside phenomena like giant elephants, dinosaurs, alligators and cadillacs sticking out of sand. Thank you for listening and supporting the BNP!  Spread the word and tell a friend! Help expand our tribe of philosopher-barbarians by rating, reviewing and subscribing to the BNP on whatever podcast platforms you use to listen.Check me out on Instagram @barbarian_noeticsBuy me a coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/noeticsHelp keep me on the air and affording groceries by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/noetics. Act now to secure your monthly truckload of pygmy goats!* Limited pygmy goat truckloads available!  Until next year my beautiful barbarians:Be good to yourselves,kind to the Earth, and excellent to one another. One Love, Conan TRACKLIST FOR THIS EPISODE Dykotomi - Corvid CrunkSasha Marie Radio #54Chill Study Beats #4 (Lo Fi Mix)All 9 Solfeggio Frequencies Meditation MixAlicia Azurdia - Mi Canto A GuatemalaMon Laferte, Alejandro Fernández - Que Se Sepa Nuestro AmorVärttinä (Finnish Folk Band)Megan Thee Stallion - Southside ForeverLINKShttps://lithub.com/the-wild-weird-world-of-american-roadside-attractions/*nope. no actual goats. impressionistic quantum goats only.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/noetics)

SEASON 1 RE-RELEASE: TALL TALE (1995) In this week's episode from the vault, Chris, Brian, and Brandon go on an incredible journey with the public domain Avengers: Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Catherine O'Hara. Overcome your fear of jumping on things, hop in the cryin' boat, and drift off to the American West, 1905, where sometime the hero ends up being you! (And yes, this was episode 13 of Season 1, not 14. Please send all your angry emails to Chris.) Starring: Patrick Swayze, Oliver Platt, Roger Aaron Brown, Nick Stahl, Scott Glenn, Stephen Lang, Jared Harris, Catherine O'Hara Directed by Jeremiah Chechik FOLLOW US:Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/trashwatch)Instagram (@trashwatchpodcast)Twitter (@trashwatchcast)Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/trashwatchpodcast/)Email (trashwatchpodcast@gmail.com)Listen to Brian's music at (https://www.brianhorne.com)

In this episode, we take a look at how AI turns your sharing into business growth. Grant Okay, welcome, everybody to another episode of ClickAI radio. So I'm very excited to have here with me today ShareThis business development leader. I think it got that right. Michael Gorman, business development leader. But before I go any further, Michael, would you introduce yourself? Michael You bet. Grant. Yeah, it's great to be here. Like you said, I oversee business development, but also product and marketing at ShareThis. I've been I've been with ShareThis for a couple of years. In that role. I have a background in data, really, data and analytics has been my passion. Also media and marketing sort of themes. I've worked for big data companies like Axiom, I've worked for an email marketing leader, digital impact, they got bought by Axiom. That's how I got there. And I've also worked for big consulting firms. And for ESPN back in the earlier days of my career. Grant Oh, wow. Could you maybe give us a play by play? I bet you could write ESPN. Interesting. Wow. Michaels It was a fun period. I was like years eight through 11 of the history of of ESPN, which, so is a fun time to be there. Grant How fun. All right. And he did some some consulting roles as well. So data and analytics, huh? Yeah. Right. All throughout all throughout the career. So what led you into this work was ShareThis what was it was the journey there? Michael Well, one thing is that, that I've worked with our CO CEO on the past, at axiom, so we knew each other, but ShareThis is a really, really special data asset. In a lot of ways, and within the world of the of the advertising that I've worked in for quite a few years. It's it was well known. So when I had an opportunity to do a little consulting for them, I jumped into it. And that led to the to the role. It's a Yeah, sure this is, you know, it's Well, shall I tell you a bit about the company? Or is that? Grant Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, tell me a little bit about how it got started. And its purpose and sort of the vision of it. Michael You know, well, like a lot of companies, it started with one purpose and, and things evolved a little bit over time, it, it started off in the early days of social networks, when Facebook was still a new idea and mind MySpace was, was beginning to slow down, it was with the idea of making it easy for any website to make to make it easy for their users to share content to all the social networks that they might have an interest in. And so a developer with a simple, taking, you know, taking a piece of code and pasting it on their website that they could then have sharing. We and so it was one of two or three tools that really started in those early days and became a leader in the space. We actually have a how to still maintain a trademark on that little little V on the site there. Yeah, I mean, that's what you're known for. Yeah. So it's a sign if that's there, it's a sign that sharing is you know, sharing tools are present. It's essentially the balance value for the for the publisher for the owner of the site who doesn't have to does no work to have sharing available will get some analytics as a result, sharing is valuable because it makes it attracts more people to the site new users more more content. And, and so it's it's grown up naturally. And we're, you know, so really well established. But a number of business models were tried over the years, but but about five years ago, we started focusing, moving towards being 100% about our data, is that really as a special asset, we have around 3 million publishers using us sort of our live arm 3 million now, that's been pretty stable, you know, half to three quarters and in the rest of the world, a quarter in the United States, a little biased towards English language, but we have every language in the world represented among the users on the sites. And, and so that data and and we'll talk more about this when we get into things like, you know, the the technology in the AI. Yeah, but we're really just, you know, it's like a window into what, what people are what's on people's minds? What are they looking for? What are they searching about online, and we can, you know, discern trends and also, you know, make sure that advertising is more relevant for for users. Grant So I have a question for you on that. So you've, of course, are familiar with the terminology of neuromarketing, right. And, you know, as a way of sort of tracking, how are people interacting with a site, right, and where do they go? And where do they point and click and, you know, there's organizations that look at, you know, extracting what the user is doing on the site, this feels like this starts to come into that world right that day. I mean, I don't know that it's tracking every single movement, but it's tracking, obviously, the event of I want to share something. Any thoughts on that? Michael Yeah, that's really interesting. I mean, there's a lot of different ways to make inferences about about people, we tend to focus a bit more on the on the broad, the broader picture, that the thing that's that, I mean, there's, like you say, so many choices. But the thing about online content is, it's very rich. So when a person visits a site, there's a lot of things there, there's a lot of things on the page they're looking at. And so what we've really focused on is using the page as a source of clues about what a person is interested in, we also might look at the link in and out of the page, and get a clue from, say, a search term as well, that's a that's useful, and clearly when someone shares, you know, content that's that that sort of zoned in on exactly what they care about on the page. But we've opted more for the broad picture of focusing, you know, taking all that richness and attributing some probability of interest that for you, for user to the things that are on the page. And that way we can we have just such a broad, you know, broad palette to work with. And I think also from the point of view of, of, you know, user consent and user experience, it means that what we're actually collecting is is relatively light, it's just that this user was on this page at this time. And any inference we make is not based on what he or she did, or how are their eye movement, there's no no personal collection, we just have the that event, and we get all the all the power. Grant So it's when they were there. Is it anything about how they got there? Or where are they left? Michael Yeah, exactly. We do. We do use the inbound links and outbound links when we can get them. And that sometimes, as I said, yields a search term, those can that was sort of part of the of the link the part of the information that what came with the user, you know, the referring search term or so that so there's some some useful data there as well. Grant Yeah. So so when you collect this, and then that's got to be a massive repository, I think I saw somewhere else and I'm looking at, was it three terabytes of raw data and 100 million keywords in 200 languages a day? Is that right? Michael It sounds roughly right. I haven't counted it lately. But, yeah, you're right. But But yeah, we we see about half a billion, you know, unique, what we call events, something, you know, something happened at a point in time, visits a share per day. Grant This is a grounds for, you know, a playing field for AI, right, just you have so much data. So tell me what it is you learn from it with the AI, right? What kinds of problems are you looking to solve? As you and I know, when we pursue AI, we, it would tend to be better served if we're going after a particular question or thought in mind. Now, obviously, we get surprised with AHA insights from Ai. But going intentionally after something makes a lot of sense. Can you give a scenario the kinds of things that you're looking for? Michael Well, the I would say that the theme that has worked for us so far, is to try to do is to focus on being the able to represent and reflect human interest, what are people interested in? And yeah, and so. So we, we use, and I guess where the AI comes in is that we use the latest techniques of language analysis and language modeling. So we capture all of the linguistic content on the page and then we represent it in a number of ways. What are all the prominent keywords? What are the what are the entities that are you know more that are Unusual, you know, a brand name, a celebrity name, a business name? What are the what is this page about the concept? Or what are? What are some of the concepts that accurately describe what this page is about. And then we have some standard categorization techniques are basically a taxonomy of topic interest topics that we we screen for, you know, and and it's not, it's not a yes, one of the nice things about this is it's not a, a, it's not a, it, we don't have to decide one thing, you know, we were able to say, all of the prominent keywords, and all of the interesting entities and several concepts and all the categories that this page is about. So it could be a page, it's about, you know, mountain climbing and and what shall we say? And Utah, and the, or the American West and, and road vehicles? And, you know, and beverages, you know, skiing or whatever? Right, right. Exactly. Grant Yeah, so some form of an ontology there, right, that allows you to sort of connect these together? Michael Yeah, we used a number of techniques that you said, One is, we built a custom ontology, using relative and you know, we're, we're not a huge company. So we, we try to wherever we can do something open source or free as the entry point we do that. And so we, we use some Wikipedia, it's slash DBPedia is a source for us. And, as is some Google free offerings that help us sort of the provide the raw material for building our customer ontology. We've also take great advantage of some of the latest open source language modeling tools. One is when it goes by the name of the Google released one, I forget what the what the acronym stands for, but one that's called Bert, and then more recently, one that's called Muse. Yeah, we use muse. Okay, that, that allows us to represent anything, either a word or a sentence, or the whole page as a as a set as a vector of 500 numbers. And if two pages have the same values for those 500 vectors, then they are about the same thing. Yeah, you got you have some affinity there right now, even though in practice, they might be in different languages use totally different, you know, different sets of words, but they're still about the same thing. That's, that's, that's really, for us that technology has been a real breakthrough. Because it's we've been sometimes keywords and can be very, you know, they can be false positives or No, yeah, negative. Grant I mean, there, yeah, there's nothing that governs some, you know, webpage designer to, you know, say, hey, are they using the actual right keywords? Right? Michael Yes, or even? Or even? How do you a lot of words have multiple meanings? How do you disambiguate to get the right one? Yeah. So this this, embedding technology, this Muse model helps us do that. And then Facebook is given we use a tool, they think it's called Facebook. Ai similarity search. Yeah. And both of these are open source tools, y'all you have to put in the effort and have the knowledgeable people to master their use. And that allows us because great, it's great that you've now got all these numbers you can compare, but that's a lot of numbers. That's you half a billion a day, you know, and we have we see 600 million unique pages every month. So so how do I great, I want to rank the 600 million pages to see which ones are most about skiing in Utah. Yeah, that's, you know, how do I do that quickly, and then and affordably? So fate, the Facebook tool helps us a lot with that. Grant So let me ask you a question that So so far, you've been talking about leveraging AI technologies to help you get your arms around that sheer volume of data on a daily basis and to try to extract some meaning and semantics and understanding from it. That's a good point that's on the side of ShareThis and the benefits to ShareThis. What about it from pivoted to the other side? What does it mean to it is, you know, I talk a lot with small medium organizations, how does that benefit them? What takeaways or values come over to help them through something like that? Michael Well, what the I mean, the industry that we started with, is was is advertising and programmatic online advertising as a place where we make our solution available. And so we were at this point, probably the leading source of the ability to target ads based on interest. So if if A small business were doing online display advertising and they went to Google's, if they use Google's platform or trade desk, or any of the major platforms, and they searched on, I want to find people interested in skiing in Utah, our data would be one of their choices to find that. And so it's designed to provide a broad set of individuals who in the last 30 days have shown some interest in that topic. And it could be, you know, it might be at the level of skiing, and they might, then they might, but but the nice thing about it is that we we've, I mean, it's hard, this is harder for the stats, that's what's available for the smaller business. That's, it's, it's right off the shelf, you can, you can use $1 worth or $10 worth or $100 worth if it works for you. But then on the big company side, we use some of those tools I talked about for is, well, what if, what if we don't actually have ski in Utah, we just have skiing, right? Well, we well, for an advertiser can can say, well, I need to skiing in Utah. In fact, I need to, you know, skiing in snow. But what is the alter? You know, we can create a segment using keywords and, and topics that is just about that is exactly what they need. Grant So if I were to look at maybe an advertising opportunity, leveraging, you know, this great insight that you have, does it allow me to target specific demographics, specific locations or locales? So like, you know, you're able to? Michael Absolutely, it's pretty much anything you could, I mean, because every kind of website needs sharing, we have our, our customer base, our base of publishers use our tool is pretty representative of the internet as a whole. And so if your interest is travel, we've got sites that are about, you know, traveling Las Vegas, traveling to Europe traveling to do outdoor activities, if you're interested in financial products, we can we can find things, you know, content that relates to whatever be at a mortgage or or FinTech to know. And we we represent those in about 1500 standard audiences that we distribute every day. And every day, the nice thing about our data, compared to a lot of datasets is we refresh it every day. Yeah, Michael I mean, it's every second, right? I mean, yeah, it could be, you know, people talk about real time, and we were always looking for people who've got a real time use case. But yeah, at this point, the the most frequently we refresh for a client, the customer is up by a by his hourly. Grant Oh, it's hourly, okay, that's, that's still really up to date. Yeah. I mean, if you had hourly insights on what the what's in the mind of people are the consumers that's really fresh data? Michael Yeah, yes. Yeah. Yeah, one of the areas that we that we are moving towards is trying to go beyond advertising and inform other activities like demand forecasting, you know, how much should we order for a store in a given location? Well, our data about how much interest is being shown on the products of that store, and in that store, in that area, we can sort that way, and provide that as an input. Grant That makes that makes a lot of sense. You know, there's, there's some retail organizations I've worked with with AI. And obviously, it always comes back to or not always, but most of it comes back to the supply chain, right, getting further and further left in terms of their their demand forecasting. And if they were able to understand you know, where that interest lies, it does almost gets to, oh, I know, this is a stretch in terms of language, but it's kind of a sentiment analysis, a play on that. Right. It's the ability Yeah, the ability to say I understand what the sentiment is in terms of where their interests are. And if I understood what that was, in terms of particular set of products or other things I'm offering, and I could get that further into my, into my supply chain, that would be really valuable to Yeah, Michael I mean, it's nice that you mentioned that we do we do actually score the sentiment of the content on the page. So we're sentiment is useful, either to only talk to the people who are in favor or opposed or the middle, we can we can build an audience that or provide that as a data element as well. Grant Yes. See, that's that's powerful to understand the the sentiment of the page itself, even how people are talking about it, or what they're doing, have you ever ran into the ability to use it in terms of IP tracking, right. So in other words, if there is an organization that had a certain set of IP and, and and really, yeah, they felt like oh, my IP, I've lost control my intellectual property, it's showing up in other places. Michael Oh, that's interesting. You know, I was thinking of I was thinking of the I the the IP address the Internet Protocol address. Yeah. Should have been more clear. Yeah, I'd love to answer that question. But that wasn't what you were asking. Well, yeah, answer. Oh, we'll start with intellectual property. Yeah. One sec. Regarding intellectual property? You know, we have it. Let me think about that. Let me give you the scenario. I had, one of the things I've thought about that we haven't taken on it, you know, is that is, is using using intellectual property as a data set? Yeah. If if we were to, to read to do the same kind of analysis I talked about earlier on trademarks. Yeah, it could mean be the means for discovering which, what sites were about branded products by seeing the correspondence between the trademark and the, because that's always you run into difficult How do you tell something's a brand? When is Jaguar a brand? You know? Exactly. Grant Yeah. Yeah, it's a fascinating problem. I had a company reach out to me and say, Hey, can you develop something in this area, and we did some work on that. I called it smart catch, but they were looking to protect their IP, their intellectual property, which was, we've got this corpus of information. And, and we've got others that are, you know, getting access to it and are promoting it, you know, elsewhere out into the, you know, online universe there, or metaverse. And, and I want to be able to discover, you know, when it's opportunistic, and you can use, you know, SERP and other technologies to try to find some of that stuff and do lots of scraping. But that's got its own challenges in terms of a solution. And where you've got this opportunity to listen. Right, right, to observe what people are sharing and to the to compare that against a corpus of protected material, right? Michael Kind of an intro you're giving, you're giving me a product idea. Seriously, one of the things that we've done this year, is to create what we what we call, you know, similarity scoring. So similarity, and that's gonna cause Yeah, you can literally give someone who was curious about the dispersing dispersion of intellectual property, give us a domain. Yep. And, or a, you know, the piece of content that describe their, their stuff, and we would rank our sites for which ones had it most. Right. And, you know, whatever the top 100, you know, and you know. Grant What I found interesting on that, when I built the initial piece on that was that I found that, in some of the discovery, in some cases, what I found was a foe. And in other cases, it was a friend. Exactly right. That, you know, okay, just because I found it doesn't mean it's an enemy. But, but it might be, and so you want to then notify them? Is this? Is this someone that's an ally or not? Anyway, interesting thought? Michael Because I think I think that sometimes there is a, you know, I don't know, there's a presumption that fraud detection or a bad actor detection is, is, you know, worth more, etc. But I do find that in a lot of cases, the pro cases are actually, you know, sometimes you just by suppressing something, you do more yourself more harm than good. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right. That's another I wanted to touch on the other meaning of it. Yeah. Yeah. Now IP address. Yeah, yeah. So So an IP address is one of the four or five things that we capture for each case. And there's a lot that you can tell from an IP address, like, it can be translated into a location of origin, we approximate we resolve that to within half a mile. So that it's still relatively privacy compliant, and you know, not too revealing, but it certainly helps understand, you organize the data by where it's coming from example. And so the one use that is, has been an important one for us is business to business. So we, we have a number of the major companies that are in the business to business world license our data as one source where they're able to see people from a from an intellect Internet Protocol address that is owned by or been associated with a particular company. Oh, and then see what sites that that IP address is showing interest in? Oh, it just can be. Yeah, so it can be a signal that oh, it seems like you know, Chevron is interested in a new CRM system because they're you know, there's there's a big spike in that kind of traffic Awesome. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. Talk about so almost like a lead management. Yeah, solution for sure. That's, that's powerful. Yeah, to do that. that. Oh, there. Yeah. And that's yeah. And IP in general, I think the location implications are a really well, it's how I can, how we can do that demand forecasting I mentioned earlier, it's about looking at the origin of the data. Grant So some of the AI solutions that I've built take into consider location. So So in other words, okay, but in what I've been doing is more around, oh, some transaction occurred? Where was that transaction initiated? From? Oh, this, you know, here's the IP address. Okay, I know that where they are on the planet. Now, tell me what the context of what's taking place in you know, at that location? What is what's the weather like, right, what are other events that are taking place in that location? And then then use an AI to help draw inferences on, you know, to what degree are those factors affecting it? It sounds like you might be doing some similar things with that Michael I well, I think we could be a great contributor to any solution that was along those lines. I was adding that dimension of what are people looking at? What are people interacting? What topics? Are people in this location more engaged by then people in general, fascinating those comparisons? Grant Yeah, it's fascinating is okay. Very good. All right. So let me ask you on. Okay, so we've gone from the the big corpus of what you're collecting on a daily basis, or hourly, actually, hour by hour. And then we talked about the impact to, you know, maybe businesses organizations, when when is there a particular case or outcome that you feel like you could talk about some specific example where some organization used the advertising from that? What you did, and it had this sort of impact or effect on them? Do you have any sort of case study like that? Well, it's, Michael I guess that some of the ones that are coming to mind, I think, I mean, there's some of it's very straightforward. Yeah. An advertiser, like Western Union, is looking for people who want to make payments, you know, at a distance, I mean, wire wire transfers and payments, and we offer people showing interest in wire transfer, so that the simple act of being able to get your message in front of people who have recently shown interest in it is the is the, you know, it just doesn't need no explanation. We've taken that though, one of the things we did this year that I'm proud of is we were inspired by some of the events of last summer, to get more try to take a more active role and figure out what our data was good for. Beyond commercially, and, and we ended up creating a data for good part new part of our taxonomy, we call data for good. And so people interested in social justice loving people entered interested in veterans issues people wanted in. And so and those those segments, you know, have gotten are getting a growing amount of usage by advertisers who either, you know, wanting to demonstrate their commitment to the court to a cause, like, or to find or teachers or to, you know, communicate, right people who have concerns of that kind. So that's been one. Yeah. Another kind of it's, it's not in the mainstream of what we do. But we've, I think this data could be really great as a as a resource for educational institutions. So we've actually a major business school has has is testing I've taken a take taken a subsidiary six months of our data, and they're looking at using it in a project that they have to investigate unemployment. So fascinating. How could you How could you see earlier unemployment trends in a in a location or region that could help the for the process of forecasting the unemployment rate, and it sort of feed into it? Because I've, what I've, I think that lots of people govern organizations included, are somewhat frustrated by the fact that, you know, traditional means of forecasting that were invented before there were personal computers or barely work computers. Take a long time, you get to find out that 40 days after the month, what happened in the month, I love both data can be used to generate that much more quickly. Grant Yeah, Michael, that's I love how you're bringing that up. It seems like it has both the opportunities for not only the capitalistic aspects, but the altruistic aspects of this, the values and benefits that can help society and be pulled out of that. I think that's awesome. So all right. I've thrown a lot of questions at you. So let me ask you this, if you will. To direct direct my listeners to where to go to learn more, where would you send them? Michael Well, I would, I would love them to visit our site, because and in particular to, you know, to ShareThis.com, look, look at our news and our, our blogs, we we basically we publish both as you know, as a demonstration of our the value of our data. And and it's just a general service, we publish a lot of educational and informative information about trends in the economy, and, and public interest generally about how to do marketing well about trends in data. So so we we, we try to be a resource for people and I love I'd love people to visit that content, sometimes. Some of the best stuff is is not on on the nightly news. It's like putting some of it out. I could also you know, I can give you some examples. It would be fun. I go right ahead. Knowing that knowing this audience I we are getting a sense of who maybe was listening is interested in the show, I asked our team to identify some current trends. Yeah, I guess as we come to the end of 2021. Yeah. And so so we put these together. So what one is that, that, that while the world isn't, we're seeing the trend of the gradual resumption of events in person events, even though COVID continues to cycle up and down against the backdrop of COVID. So as of August, for example, 77% of advertised events were in person events, there was a period where, you know, year and a half ago, there was there, they basically no almost having anything, it was just shut down. It was virtual or nothing. That's interesting. So as we adapt, we are adapting. And so as you as you think about should I make plans for a virtual vet, should I invest in advertise? Should I invest in participating in virtual event? Yep, don't count them out. Even if you're nervous, you know, they, they're coming back steadily. Another thing, pattern we observed in finance, that again, you know, COVID is inevitably one of the backdrops to what any of us are thinking about, but people are continuing to be engaged with saving money. So, it so as you think about what, oh, you know, what is what's going on in the in the economy? As the, as virus uptake increases, as one of the things to extract is, is increased saving? And so if that's a, again, depending on your business, how that factors in if savings is your business? Yeah. When your could be good, good to you. If if, and then let's see, what's another one? Let's see. You know, we've heard a lot about supply chain issues. And you know, what, but what, if your retailer what a consumers most worried about? When and so the top concern is shortages and out of stock, and 51% a second costs, inflation and rising prices at 28%. And then staffing issues like worker shortages and strikes, 14, and last last of all shipping delays. So it's thinking about communication strategies, what's on people's minds that might make them not come to the store? That sort of thing? So I'm not surprised. Yeah, yeah. So and we're, we're putting out new new stuff of this kind every, every month in the blog. And and I firstly, look, I think we did we have Superbowl trends out, as of yesterday, I think. Grant So it's already started to build right. That's right. That's, that's amazing. So So you gather it on an hourly basis, and then you do the AI on it Michael Truthfully, truthfully, Grant, it's being gathered continuously. Okay, that's, that's what I thought, yeah, I thought we built we build it as it happens, okay. We literally, you know, record a record for each thing. That's, that's, that's filled out all the way with all the data that will that will need eventually. And then once an hour, we some or as we frequently as our we'll sum it up into a distribution and push it to someone but the most people get their get their data delivered overnight. Amazing. It's picking it up on their AWS bucket. Like Well, this is Grant Fascinating. Any final comments as we wrap up here? Michael Well, you know, I guess that I hope I've given you a sense of the I mean, AI is critical to our business. We are you know, we When we started on this track, we were about a 50 person company, we're approaching 100 person company. And so you don't have to be, you know, IBM to use AI AI to build a great business. So it's a combination of finding the right tools and a core of of talent, the right kind of talented people, and you can and and then, frankly, sustained effort over a period of years and you can build a business that is really hard to replicate, without without it, so very hard. Right. That's, that's my thought. That's, that's Grant Wonderful. Well, Michael, thank you so much for taking your time today. I appreciate you sharing your insights and guidance with us today, everyone. Thanks for joining another episode of ClickAI Radio and until next time, go get some ShareThis.com. Thank you for joining Grant on ClickAI Radio. Don't forget to subscribe and leave feedback. And remember to download your free ebook, visit ClickAIRadio.com now.  

In this episode, we take a look at how AI turns your sharing into business growth. Grant Okay, welcome, everybody to another episode of ClickAI radio. So I'm very excited to have here with me today ShareThis business development leader. I think it got that right. Michael Gorman, business development leader. But before I go any further, Michael, would you introduce yourself? Michael You bet. Grant. Yeah, it's great to be here. Like you said, I oversee business development, but also product and marketing at ShareThis. I've been I've been with ShareThis for a couple of years. In that role. I have a background in data, really, data and analytics has been my passion. Also media and marketing sort of themes. I've worked for big data companies like Axiom, I've worked for an email marketing leader, digital impact, they got bought by Axiom. That's how I got there. And I've also worked for big consulting firms. And for ESPN back in the earlier days of my career. Grant Oh, wow. Could you maybe give us a play by play? I bet you could write ESPN. Interesting. Wow. Michaels It was a fun period. I was like years eight through 11 of the history of of ESPN, which, so is a fun time to be there. Grant How fun. All right. And he did some some consulting roles as well. So data and analytics, huh? Yeah. Right. All throughout all throughout the career. So what led you into this work was ShareThis what was it was the journey there? Michael Well, one thing is that, that I've worked with our CO CEO on the past, at axiom, so we knew each other, but ShareThis is a really, really special data asset. In a lot of ways, and within the world of the of the advertising that I've worked in for quite a few years. It's it was well known. So when I had an opportunity to do a little consulting for them, I jumped into it. And that led to the to the role. It's a Yeah, sure this is, you know, it's Well, shall I tell you a bit about the company? Or is that? Grant Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, tell me a little bit about how it got started. And its purpose and sort of the vision of it. Michael You know, well, like a lot of companies, it started with one purpose and, and things evolved a little bit over time, it, it started off in the early days of social networks, when Facebook was still a new idea and mind MySpace was, was beginning to slow down, it was with the idea of making it easy for any website to make to make it easy for their users to share content to all the social networks that they might have an interest in. And so a developer with a simple, taking, you know, taking a piece of code and pasting it on their website that they could then have sharing. We and so it was one of two or three tools that really started in those early days and became a leader in the space. We actually have a how to still maintain a trademark on that little little V on the site there. Yeah, I mean, that's what you're known for. Yeah. So it's a sign if that's there, it's a sign that sharing is you know, sharing tools are present. It's essentially the balance value for the for the publisher for the owner of the site who doesn't have to does no work to have sharing available will get some analytics as a result, sharing is valuable because it makes it attracts more people to the site new users more more content. And, and so it's it's grown up naturally. And we're, you know, so really well established. But a number of business models were tried over the years, but but about five years ago, we started focusing, moving towards being 100% about our data, is that really as a special asset, we have around 3 million publishers using us sort of our live arm 3 million now, that's been pretty stable, you know, half to three quarters and in the rest of the world, a quarter in the United States, a little biased towards English language, but we have every language in the world represented among the users on the sites. And, and so that data and and we'll talk more about this when we get into things like, you know, the the technology in the AI. Yeah, but we're really just, you know, it's like a window into what, what people are what's on people's minds? What are they looking for? What are they searching about online, and we can, you know, discern trends and also, you know, make sure that advertising is more relevant for for users. Grant So I have a question for you on that. So you've, of course, are familiar with the terminology of neuromarketing, right. And, you know, as a way of sort of tracking, how are people interacting with a site, right, and where do they go? And where do they point and click and, you know, there's organizations that look at, you know, extracting what the user is doing on the site, this feels like this starts to come into that world right that day. I mean, I don't know that it's tracking every single movement, but it's tracking, obviously, the event of I want to share something. Any thoughts on that? Michael Yeah, that's really interesting. I mean, there's a lot of different ways to make inferences about about people, we tend to focus a bit more on the on the broad, the broader picture, that the thing that's that, I mean, there's, like you say, so many choices. But the thing about online content is, it's very rich. So when a person visits a site, there's a lot of things there, there's a lot of things on the page they're looking at. And so what we've really focused on is using the page as a source of clues about what a person is interested in, we also might look at the link in and out of the page, and get a clue from, say, a search term as well, that's a that's useful, and clearly when someone shares, you know, content that's that that sort of zoned in on exactly what they care about on the page. But we've opted more for the broad picture of focusing, you know, taking all that richness and attributing some probability of interest that for you, for user to the things that are on the page. And that way we can we have just such a broad, you know, broad palette to work with. And I think also from the point of view of, of, you know, user consent and user experience, it means that what we're actually collecting is is relatively light, it's just that this user was on this page at this time. And any inference we make is not based on what he or she did, or how are their eye movement, there's no no personal collection, we just have the that event, and we get all the all the power. Grant So it's when they were there. Is it anything about how they got there? Or where are they left? Michael Yeah, exactly. We do. We do use the inbound links and outbound links when we can get them. And that sometimes, as I said, yields a search term, those can that was sort of part of the of the link the part of the information that what came with the user, you know, the referring search term or so that so there's some some useful data there as well. Grant Yeah. So so when you collect this, and then that's got to be a massive repository, I think I saw somewhere else and I'm looking at, was it three terabytes of raw data and 100 million keywords in 200 languages a day? Is that right? Michael It sounds roughly right. I haven't counted it lately. But, yeah, you're right. But But yeah, we we see about half a billion, you know, unique, what we call events, something, you know, something happened at a point in time, visits a share per day. Grant This is a grounds for, you know, a playing field for AI, right, just you have so much data. So tell me what it is you learn from it with the AI, right? What kinds of problems are you looking to solve? As you and I know, when we pursue AI, we, it would tend to be better served if we're going after a particular question or thought in mind. Now, obviously, we get surprised with AHA insights from Ai. But going intentionally after something makes a lot of sense. Can you give a scenario the kinds of things that you're looking for? Michael Well, the I would say that the theme that has worked for us so far, is to try to do is to focus on being the able to represent and reflect human interest, what are people interested in? And yeah, and so. So we, we use, and I guess where the AI comes in is that we use the latest techniques of language analysis and language modeling. So we capture all of the linguistic content on the page and then we represent it in a number of ways. What are all the prominent keywords? What are the what are the entities that are you know more that are Unusual, you know, a brand name, a celebrity name, a business name? What are the what is this page about the concept? Or what are? What are some of the concepts that accurately describe what this page is about. And then we have some standard categorization techniques are basically a taxonomy of topic interest topics that we we screen for, you know, and and it's not, it's not a yes, one of the nice things about this is it's not a, a, it's not a, it, we don't have to decide one thing, you know, we were able to say, all of the prominent keywords, and all of the interesting entities and several concepts and all the categories that this page is about. So it could be a page, it's about, you know, mountain climbing and and what shall we say? And Utah, and the, or the American West and, and road vehicles? And, you know, and beverages, you know, skiing or whatever? Right, right. Exactly. Grant Yeah, so some form of an ontology there, right, that allows you to sort of connect these together? Michael Yeah, we used a number of techniques that you said, One is, we built a custom ontology, using relative and you know, we're, we're not a huge company. So we, we try to wherever we can do something open source or free as the entry point we do that. And so we, we use some Wikipedia, it's slash DBPedia is a source for us. And, as is some Google free offerings that help us sort of the provide the raw material for building our customer ontology. We've also take great advantage of some of the latest open source language modeling tools. One is when it goes by the name of the Google released one, I forget what the what the acronym stands for, but one that's called Bert, and then more recently, one that's called Muse. Yeah, we use muse. Okay, that, that allows us to represent anything, either a word or a sentence, or the whole page as a as a set as a vector of 500 numbers. And if two pages have the same values for those 500 vectors, then they are about the same thing. Yeah, you got you have some affinity there right now, even though in practice, they might be in different languages use totally different, you know, different sets of words, but they're still about the same thing. That's, that's, that's really, for us that technology has been a real breakthrough. Because it's we've been sometimes keywords and can be very, you know, they can be false positives or No, yeah, negative. Grant I mean, there, yeah, there's nothing that governs some, you know, webpage designer to, you know, say, hey, are they using the actual right keywords? Right? Michael Yes, or even? Or even? How do you a lot of words have multiple meanings? How do you disambiguate to get the right one? Yeah. So this this, embedding technology, this Muse model helps us do that. And then Facebook is given we use a tool, they think it's called Facebook. Ai similarity search. Yeah. And both of these are open source tools, y'all you have to put in the effort and have the knowledgeable people to master their use. And that allows us because great, it's great that you've now got all these numbers you can compare, but that's a lot of numbers. That's you half a billion a day, you know, and we have we see 600 million unique pages every month. So so how do I great, I want to rank the 600 million pages to see which ones are most about skiing in Utah. Yeah, that's, you know, how do I do that quickly, and then and affordably? So fate, the Facebook tool helps us a lot with that. Grant So let me ask you a question that So so far, you've been talking about leveraging AI technologies to help you get your arms around that sheer volume of data on a daily basis and to try to extract some meaning and semantics and understanding from it. That's a good point that's on the side of ShareThis and the benefits to ShareThis. What about it from pivoted to the other side? What does it mean to it is, you know, I talk a lot with small medium organizations, how does that benefit them? What takeaways or values come over to help them through something like that? Michael Well, what the I mean, the industry that we started with, is was is advertising and programmatic online advertising as a place where we make our solution available. And so we were at this point, probably the leading source of the ability to target ads based on interest. So if if A small business were doing online display advertising and they went to Google's, if they use Google's platform or trade desk, or any of the major platforms, and they searched on, I want to find people interested in skiing in Utah, our data would be one of their choices to find that. And so it's designed to provide a broad set of individuals who in the last 30 days have shown some interest in that topic. And it could be, you know, it might be at the level of skiing, and they might, then they might, but but the nice thing about it is that we we've, I mean, it's hard, this is harder for the stats, that's what's available for the smaller business. That's, it's, it's right off the shelf, you can, you can use $1 worth or $10 worth or $100 worth if it works for you. But then on the big company side, we use some of those tools I talked about for is, well, what if, what if we don't actually have ski in Utah, we just have skiing, right? Well, we well, for an advertiser can can say, well, I need to skiing in Utah. In fact, I need to, you know, skiing in snow. But what is the alter? You know, we can create a segment using keywords and, and topics that is just about that is exactly what they need. Grant So if I were to look at maybe an advertising opportunity, leveraging, you know, this great insight that you have, does it allow me to target specific demographics, specific locations or locales? So like, you know, you're able to? Michael Absolutely, it's pretty much anything you could, I mean, because every kind of website needs sharing, we have our, our customer base, our base of publishers use our tool is pretty representative of the internet as a whole. And so if your interest is travel, we've got sites that are about, you know, traveling Las Vegas, traveling to Europe traveling to do outdoor activities, if you're interested in financial products, we can we can find things, you know, content that relates to whatever be at a mortgage or or FinTech to know. And we we represent those in about 1500 standard audiences that we distribute every day. And every day, the nice thing about our data, compared to a lot of datasets is we refresh it every day. Yeah, Michael I mean, it's every second, right? I mean, yeah, it could be, you know, people talk about real time, and we were always looking for people who've got a real time use case. But yeah, at this point, the the most frequently we refresh for a client, the customer is up by a by his hourly. Grant Oh, it's hourly, okay, that's, that's still really up to date. Yeah. I mean, if you had hourly insights on what the what's in the mind of people are the consumers that's really fresh data? Michael Yeah, yes. Yeah. Yeah, one of the areas that we that we are moving towards is trying to go beyond advertising and inform other activities like demand forecasting, you know, how much should we order for a store in a given location? Well, our data about how much interest is being shown on the products of that store, and in that store, in that area, we can sort that way, and provide that as an input. Grant That makes that makes a lot of sense. You know, there's, there's some retail organizations I've worked with with AI. And obviously, it always comes back to or not always, but most of it comes back to the supply chain, right, getting further and further left in terms of their their demand forecasting. And if they were able to understand you know, where that interest lies, it does almost gets to, oh, I know, this is a stretch in terms of language, but it's kind of a sentiment analysis, a play on that. Right. It's the ability Yeah, the ability to say I understand what the sentiment is in terms of where their interests are. And if I understood what that was, in terms of particular set of products or other things I'm offering, and I could get that further into my, into my supply chain, that would be really valuable to Yeah, Michael I mean, it's nice that you mentioned that we do we do actually score the sentiment of the content on the page. So we're sentiment is useful, either to only talk to the people who are in favor or opposed or the middle, we can we can build an audience that or provide that as a data element as well. Grant Yes. See, that's that's powerful to understand the the sentiment of the page itself, even how people are talking about it, or what they're doing, have you ever ran into the ability to use it in terms of IP tracking, right. So in other words, if there is an organization that had a certain set of IP and, and and really, yeah, they felt like oh, my IP, I've lost control my intellectual property, it's showing up in other places. Michael Oh, that's interesting. You know, I was thinking of I was thinking of the I the the IP address the Internet Protocol address. Yeah. Should have been more clear. Yeah, I'd love to answer that question. But that wasn't what you were asking. Well, yeah, answer. Oh, we'll start with intellectual property. Yeah. One sec. Regarding intellectual property? You know, we have it. Let me think about that. Let me give you the scenario. I had, one of the things I've thought about that we haven't taken on it, you know, is that is, is using using intellectual property as a data set? Yeah. If if we were to, to read to do the same kind of analysis I talked about earlier on trademarks. Yeah, it could mean be the means for discovering which, what sites were about branded products by seeing the correspondence between the trademark and the, because that's always you run into difficult How do you tell something's a brand? When is Jaguar a brand? You know? Exactly. Grant Yeah. Yeah, it's a fascinating problem. I had a company reach out to me and say, Hey, can you develop something in this area, and we did some work on that. I called it smart catch, but they were looking to protect their IP, their intellectual property, which was, we've got this corpus of information. And, and we've got others that are, you know, getting access to it and are promoting it, you know, elsewhere out into the, you know, online universe there, or metaverse. And, and I want to be able to discover, you know, when it's opportunistic, and you can use, you know, SERP and other technologies to try to find some of that stuff and do lots of scraping. But that's got its own challenges in terms of a solution. And where you've got this opportunity to listen. Right, right, to observe what people are sharing and to the to compare that against a corpus of protected material, right? Michael Kind of an intro you're giving, you're giving me a product idea. Seriously, one of the things that we've done this year, is to create what we what we call, you know, similarity scoring. So similarity, and that's gonna cause Yeah, you can literally give someone who was curious about the dispersing dispersion of intellectual property, give us a domain. Yep. And, or a, you know, the piece of content that describe their, their stuff, and we would rank our sites for which ones had it most. Right. And, you know, whatever the top 100, you know, and you know. Grant What I found interesting on that, when I built the initial piece on that was that I found that, in some of the discovery, in some cases, what I found was a foe. And in other cases, it was a friend. Exactly right. That, you know, okay, just because I found it doesn't mean it's an enemy. But, but it might be, and so you want to then notify them? Is this? Is this someone that's an ally or not? Anyway, interesting thought? Michael Because I think I think that sometimes there is a, you know, I don't know, there's a presumption that fraud detection or a bad actor detection is, is, you know, worth more, etc. But I do find that in a lot of cases, the pro cases are actually, you know, sometimes you just by suppressing something, you do more yourself more harm than good. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Right. That's another I wanted to touch on the other meaning of it. Yeah. Yeah. Now IP address. Yeah, yeah. So So an IP address is one of the four or five things that we capture for each case. And there's a lot that you can tell from an IP address, like, it can be translated into a location of origin, we approximate we resolve that to within half a mile. So that it's still relatively privacy compliant, and you know, not too revealing, but it certainly helps understand, you organize the data by where it's coming from example. And so the one use that is, has been an important one for us is business to business. So we, we have a number of the major companies that are in the business to business world license our data as one source where they're able to see people from a from an intellect Internet Protocol address that is owned by or been associated with a particular company. Oh, and then see what sites that that IP address is showing interest in? Oh, it just can be. Yeah, so it can be a signal that oh, it seems like you know, Chevron is interested in a new CRM system because they're you know, there's there's a big spike in that kind of traffic Awesome. Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. Talk about so almost like a lead management. Yeah, solution for sure. That's, that's powerful. Yeah, to do that. that. Oh, there. Yeah. And that's yeah. And IP in general, I think the location implications are a really well, it's how I can, how we can do that demand forecasting I mentioned earlier, it's about looking at the origin of the data. Grant So some of the AI solutions that I've built take into consider location. So So in other words, okay, but in what I've been doing is more around, oh, some transaction occurred? Where was that transaction initiated? From? Oh, this, you know, here's the IP address. Okay, I know that where they are on the planet. Now, tell me what the context of what's taking place in you know, at that location? What is what's the weather like, right, what are other events that are taking place in that location? And then then use an AI to help draw inferences on, you know, to what degree are those factors affecting it? It sounds like you might be doing some similar things with that Michael I well, I think we could be a great contributor to any solution that was along those lines. I was adding that dimension of what are people looking at? What are people interacting? What topics? Are people in this location more engaged by then people in general, fascinating those comparisons? Grant Yeah, it's fascinating is okay. Very good. All right. So let me ask you on. Okay, so we've gone from the the big corpus of what you're collecting on a daily basis, or hourly, actually, hour by hour. And then we talked about the impact to, you know, maybe businesses organizations, when when is there a particular case or outcome that you feel like you could talk about some specific example where some organization used the advertising from that? What you did, and it had this sort of impact or effect on them? Do you have any sort of case study like that? Well, it's, Michael I guess that some of the ones that are coming to mind, I think, I mean, there's some of it's very straightforward. Yeah. An advertiser, like Western Union, is looking for people who want to make payments, you know, at a distance, I mean, wire wire transfers and payments, and we offer people showing interest in wire transfer, so that the simple act of being able to get your message in front of people who have recently shown interest in it is the is the, you know, it just doesn't need no explanation. We've taken that though, one of the things we did this year that I'm proud of is we were inspired by some of the events of last summer, to get more try to take a more active role and figure out what our data was good for. Beyond commercially, and, and we ended up creating a data for good part new part of our taxonomy, we call data for good. And so people interested in social justice loving people entered interested in veterans issues people wanted in. And so and those those segments, you know, have gotten are getting a growing amount of usage by advertisers who either, you know, wanting to demonstrate their commitment to the court to a cause, like, or to find or teachers or to, you know, communicate, right people who have concerns of that kind. So that's been one. Yeah. Another kind of it's, it's not in the mainstream of what we do. But we've, I think this data could be really great as a as a resource for educational institutions. So we've actually a major business school has has is testing I've taken a take taken a subsidiary six months of our data, and they're looking at using it in a project that they have to investigate unemployment. So fascinating. How could you How could you see earlier unemployment trends in a in a location or region that could help the for the process of forecasting the unemployment rate, and it sort of feed into it? Because I've, what I've, I think that lots of people govern organizations included, are somewhat frustrated by the fact that, you know, traditional means of forecasting that were invented before there were personal computers or barely work computers. Take a long time, you get to find out that 40 days after the month, what happened in the month, I love both data can be used to generate that much more quickly. Grant Yeah, Michael, that's I love how you're bringing that up. It seems like it has both the opportunities for not only the capitalistic aspects, but the altruistic aspects of this, the values and benefits that can help society and be pulled out of that. I think that's awesome. So all right. I've thrown a lot of questions at you. So let me ask you this, if you will. To direct direct my listeners to where to go to learn more, where would you send them? Michael Well, I would, I would love them to visit our site, because and in particular to, you know, to ShareThis.com, look, look at our news and our, our blogs, we we basically we publish both as you know, as a demonstration of our the value of our data. And and it's just a general service, we publish a lot of educational and informative information about trends in the economy, and, and public interest generally about how to do marketing well about trends in data. So so we we, we try to be a resource for people and I love I'd love people to visit that content, sometimes. Some of the best stuff is is not on on the nightly news. It's like putting some of it out. I could also you know, I can give you some examples. It would be fun. I go right ahead. Knowing that knowing this audience I we are getting a sense of who maybe was listening is interested in the show, I asked our team to identify some current trends. Yeah, I guess as we come to the end of 2021. Yeah. And so so we put these together. So what one is that, that, that while the world isn't, we're seeing the trend of the gradual resumption of events in person events, even though COVID continues to cycle up and down against the backdrop of COVID. So as of August, for example, 77% of advertised events were in person events, there was a period where, you know, year and a half ago, there was there, they basically no almost having anything, it was just shut down. It was virtual or nothing. That's interesting. So as we adapt, we are adapting. And so as you as you think about should I make plans for a virtual vet, should I invest in advertise? Should I invest in participating in virtual event? Yep, don't count them out. Even if you're nervous, you know, they, they're coming back steadily. Another thing, pattern we observed in finance, that again, you know, COVID is inevitably one of the backdrops to what any of us are thinking about, but people are continuing to be engaged with saving money. So, it so as you think about what, oh, you know, what is what's going on in the in the economy? As the, as virus uptake increases, as one of the things to extract is, is increased saving? And so if that's a, again, depending on your business, how that factors in if savings is your business? Yeah. When your could be good, good to you. If if, and then let's see, what's another one? Let's see. You know, we've heard a lot about supply chain issues. And you know, what, but what, if your retailer what a consumers most worried about? When and so the top concern is shortages and out of stock, and 51% a second costs, inflation and rising prices at 28%. And then staffing issues like worker shortages and strikes, 14, and last last of all shipping delays. So it's thinking about communication strategies, what's on people's minds that might make them not come to the store? That sort of thing? So I'm not surprised. Yeah, yeah. So and we're, we're putting out new new stuff of this kind every, every month in the blog. And and I firstly, look, I think we did we have Superbowl trends out, as of yesterday, I think. Grant So it's already started to build right. That's right. That's, that's amazing. So So you gather it on an hourly basis, and then you do the AI on it Michael Truthfully, truthfully, Grant, it's being gathered continuously. Okay, that's, that's what I thought, yeah, I thought we built we build it as it happens, okay. We literally, you know, record a record for each thing. That's, that's, that's filled out all the way with all the data that will that will need eventually. And then once an hour, we some or as we frequently as our we'll sum it up into a distribution and push it to someone but the most people get their get their data delivered overnight. Amazing. It's picking it up on their AWS bucket. Like Well, this is Grant Fascinating. Any final comments as we wrap up here? Michael Well, you know, I guess that I hope I've given you a sense of the I mean, AI is critical to our business. We are you know, we When we started on this track, we were about a 50 person company, we're approaching 100 person company. And so you don't have to be, you know, IBM to use AI AI to build a great business. So it's a combination of finding the right tools and a core of of talent, the right kind of talented people, and you can and and then, frankly, sustained effort over a period of years and you can build a business that is really hard to replicate, without without it, so very hard. Right. That's, that's my thought. That's, that's Grant Wonderful. Well, Michael, thank you so much for taking your time today. I appreciate you sharing your insights and guidance with us today, everyone. Thanks for joining another episode of ClickAI Radio and until next time, go get some ShareThis.com. Thank you for joining Grant on ClickAI Radio. Don't forget to subscribe and leave feedback. And remember to download your free ebook, visit ClickAIRadio.com now.  

"These pioneers are akin to the Bitcoiners who showed up post-Mt. Gox, through to the Class of 2020. These are the individuals who saw the promise and opportunity of Bitcoin and seized it, despite the dangers that mainstream society warned us of. In the same way that the Oregon Trail was fraught with perils, so too is the journey from precoiner to Bitcoin maximalism. A greenhorn in digital assets has to navigate the treacherous landscape of cryptocurrency information available online, fending off scammers like Indian braves seeking scalps, and finding the right passage through the Rocky Mountains of shitcoinery. Breaking an axle is akin to losing funds in an exchange hack, dysentery like mismanaging keys, tempting shortcuts through the mountains like leverage trading on BitMex. The journey to the promised land of financial security and a brighter future is full of dangers, but the promise of a better life beckons the adventurous and bold.” - Croesus How the frontier and America's manifest destiny can illuminate where we are in the process of reaching a Bitcoin standard, and the incredible work and possibilities yet to come. A wonderful piece from returning author Croesus, and on the always fascinating Citadel21 publication. One not to be missed. Link to the original article and tons of great accompanying material and imagery: https://www.citadel21.com/bitcoin-and-the-american-west For the best products and services to get you started in Bitcoin, our sponsors are literally a handful of those that I use most in this space: • Get Bitcoin rewards on literally everything you buy with the Fold Card (20% discount code BITCOINAUDIBLE) • Buy Bitcoin automatically and painlessly with SwanBitcoin • Keep your Bitcoin keys safe on the secure, open source BitBox02 (5% discount code GUY) • Get tickets to the biggest & most exciting Bitcoin conference in the world! Bitcoin 2022 (10% discount code GUYSWANN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Big Trees, Big Benefits When you think about big trees, likely what comes to mind are some of the Earth's biggest trees, like giant sequoias or redwoods, which can grow to roughly 25 stories tall. But big trees are actually an essential part of every forest ecosystem. Big trees capture a disproportionate share of carbon, provide important animal habitats, propel new tree growth and provide much needed shade. The largest one percent of trees or those which measure roughly 2 feet or larger in diameter are considered the big trees of any forest. Jim Lutz, an associate professor of forest ecology at Utah State University in Logan, Utah joins guest host John Dankosky to explore the wonderful world of big trees. Lutz is also the principal investigator for three forest dynamics plots in the American West through the Smithsonian network. How To Create Your Own Holiday Scent Memories What smells do you associate with the winter holiday season? Maybe it's woodsmoke, cinnamon, or the ubiquitous scent of pine. Whatever fragrances you find festive, chances are good they're strongly tied to memories of holidays past. Science educator Jennifer Powers returns to explain this enduring connection between scent and memory in the brain. She walks guest host John Dankosky through how to capture custom combinations of memorable holiday scents in your home this season.  

Humans have long tried to mitigate their own destructive impact on the planet through conservation efforts. Often, those efforts are attached to one iconic species or another — the majestic bald eagle, cuddly cute baby seal, or awe-inspiring blue whale. But is this about them, or is it about us? On this episode, we take a closer look at conservation, and dig into the human motivations and emotions behind it. We hear stories about a near-extinct fish called the delta smelt — and whether it's actually worth saving; how a weird-looking bird has sparked a battle over land in the American West; and how plucky raccoons carve out their own existence in cities. Also heard on this week’s episode: Out in sagebrush country — a remote area of the American West — a strange and beautiful bird called the greater sage grouse has sparked a war over land. Reporter Ashley Ahearn explains why the grouse's fight for survival has put it in direct conflict with humans, and how — and whether — compromise is possible. This story is excerpted from the podcast “Grouse.” We talk with science journalist Michelle Nijhuis about what drives the conservation movement and the hard questions that not enough people are asking. Her book is called “Beloved Beasts.” What can bird songs teach us about the origins of human language? Plenty, according to Erich Jarvis, a neuroscientist and molecular biologist who explores the neurobiology of vocal communication. We find out more in this preview of our new podcast extra series — subscribe to The Pulse to hear the whole interview and others like it.

Date: 08.02.2021 (Season 3, Episode 9, 01:03:32 min.) To read the complete Utah Dept. of Culture & Community Engagement show notes for this episode (including topics in time, photos and recommended readings) click here.  Interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece? Click here for more episodes.Podcast Content:In this episode of Speak Your Piece, historian Michael W. Homer speaks of the deeply influential published accounts about Utah by European travelers during the 19th and early 20th centuries who largely visited Utah while “on the way to somewhere else.” Many European travelers had personal encounters with the famous 2nd Mormon prophet, and with numerous others, inside and outside the faith. While these accounts have been documented and found in Europe, their influence was and is vast, not just in Europe, but around the world, inspiring other works of opinion and fiction, including movies, plays and television programs, even to the present.With the increased literacy levels, and advances in printing technology, information hungry Europeans “ate up” periodicals, novels, guide books and travel accounts, especially about North America. European travelers sojourned to the USA, and marveled at such popular landscapes as Niagara Falls, the Hudson River, Shenandoah Valley, the Appalachian Mountains and Great Lakes. The appeal of the Western Frontier was equally as strong, first into the Transappalachian West, and thereafter towards the Transpacific world of California at mid-century. Frequently the Mormons were a topic of interest, as they moved from New England to the interior West, eventually locating in, as Brigham Young described in 1854, as the “natural great central depot...” and the “natural diverging point or crossing place” for the West (letter, BY to Thomas Kane, 01.31.1854).Michael Homer's publication, On the Way to Somewhere Else: European Sojourners in the Mormon West, 1834 - 1930 is a collection of first person printed primary sources, some never published before, offering fascinating new evidence of European perspectives on Mormonism and the American West. This engaging conversation between Michael Homer and Brad Westwood, will help modern Utahns understand how deeply entrenched perspectives and biases continue to influence contemporary views of Utah.Bio: Michael W. Homer is a Salt Lake City attorney, longtime past chair of the Utah Board of State History, Honorary Italian Vice Consul and board chair and member for the University of Utah's Willard Marriott Library. Mr. Homer is a well known proponent of Utah history, an avid collector of Mormon historical materials, and among other publications, the author of Joseph's Temples: The Dynamic Relationship between Freemasonry and MormonismDo you have a question or comment, or a proposed guest for “Speak Your Piece?” Write us at “ask a historian” – askahistorian@utah.gov

In recent years, rock-star bassist Jeff Ament has dedicated himself to developing world-class skateboarding parks in the rural American West, particularly in his home state of Montana. For him, the point isn't just to create concrete playgrounds so kids have somewhere to rip: he wants to give young people in small towns similar to the one he grew up in a place to gather and build community. This is desperately needed. America's youth are facing a mental health crisis that was in the making long before the pandemic caused depression and anxiety to spike. What kids in small towns could use now more than ever is real-life human connection—and as Ament tells it, this happens best in a space that they can call their own. This episode is brought to you by Hydro Flask, a company that believes every adventure starts with two simple words: let's go! Shop Hydro Flask products for yourself or the outdoor lovers on your holiday list this season at hydroflask.com.

In this episode, Matt and Gabor point out that it's not necessarily the scenery you are surrounded by, but the way you see, that inspires how you paint the world around you. About the Artist: Matt Smith earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from Arizona State University. Somewhat frustrated with the abstract focus of the program at ASU he began looking to outside sources for inspiration and guidance. These sources included fellow artists, fine galleries and museums. This is where his "real" education began. These days, Matt can often be found painting en Plein air from southern Arizona to the Canadian Rockies, from the California coast to the Rocky Mountains. "I appreciate traditional landscape painting and I am inspired by the pristine landscapes of the American West. I enjoy working in areas where one can travel for miles without seeing the influence of man. When I paint, I feel I've hit the mark when I've captured a balance between mood, look and feel. If you are interested in more free content make sure to visit our blog at https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog For more from Matt Smith see https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/matt-smith-online-workshop Instagram https://www.instagram.com/taaonline/ Facebook https://business.facebook.com/TucsonArtAcademyOnline

2021 has been a bad year for disasters: Drought. Oil spills. Bomb cyclones. Wildfires. Delta. Omicron. Yet if you're reading this, you've survived.Our Masters of Disasters — L.A. Times reporters Ron Lin, Alex Wigglesworth and Rosanna Xia — reflect on the year and offer a bit of hope on apocalyptic issues such as the coronavirus, the environment and wildfires.More reading:The American West went through climate hell in 2021. But there's still hopeMore than 400 toxic sites in California are at risk of flooding from sea level riseNewsletter: We write about environmental calamity. Here's what gives us hope

Yale professor Justin Farrell's most recent book, Billionaire Wilderness, offers a revealing look at the intersection of wealth, philanthropy, and conservation.Full show notes at www.northstarunplugged.com

Happy Day, Friend! On this week's podcast episode, I'm talking about self-reliance, retreat, and inner power. My special guest this week is nature writer, David Gessner. How has the tragic experience of COVID-19 changed the way we live—and the way we want to live—for those of us lucky enough to have made it through? When the pandemic struck, acclaimed nature writer David Gessner turned to Henry David Thoreau, the original social distancer, for insights and a wide-ranging conversation across the centuries. The resulting book, QUIET DESPERATION, SAVAGE DELIGHT: Sheltering with Thoreau in the Age of Crisis , is a lyric yet urgent meditation on life and this earth which includes lessons about rediscovering our own backyards, self-reliance, and rewilding—the last especially poignant after a year of environmental healing. David Gessner is the author of Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt's American Wilderness and the New York Times–bestselling All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner and the American West. Chair of the Creative Writing Department at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and founder and editor-in-chief of Ecotone, Gessner lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, with his wife, the novelist Nina de Gramont, and their daughter, Hadley.David and I talk about: ~ his journey into becoming a nature writer; ~ his new book, Quiet Desperation, Savage Delight: Sheltering with Thoreau in the Age of Crisis; ~ COVID-19, self-reliance, and the environment; ~ the concept of re-wilding; ~ the healing power of nature and finding solace in your own “back yard oasis”; and ~ so much more! It was such an insightful conversation. I hope you gain a ton of value from it. If you loved this episode, please share with a friend or family member that could gain value from it too. Make sure to get a copy of David's book and give one to the nature lovers in your life! Connect with David Gessner

In this episode, I had the pleasure to hold space and have a discussion with Rich Curtis, who is a speaker, an author, and a coach.   We discussed his story, what he went through, how he put himself in a mental prison (my words) on how he saw his story with his mom, and then realized the power he was giving it to change his story which changed the way he looked at things.   We dive into how humans are “meaning” making machines to where when we don't have the whole story, the mind will fill in the gaps which create a story.   Dive into this episode and be ready to gain back your power to realize how powerful you are with your stories, how you see things, and how you can transform them.   Enjoy the show!   Who is Rich Curtis? Rich Curtis is, and always has been, a guide. He spent over a decade as a raft and mountain guide on the rivers and mountains of the American West and as a real estate entrepreneur. Now he spends his time guiding people through life's inflection points as a best selling author, story expert and success coach. Rich guides, coaches, writes and speaks to help entrepreneurs, CEOs, adventurers and go getters rewrite their stories, get unstuck and live their dreams.   As a passionate student of the power of story, neuroscience, positive psychology and behavioral psychology, Rich believes in a world where people are invested in the process of being better tomorrow than they are today. His life's work, including his book, Change Your Story Change Your Life, have been about helping people get there. Outside of work Rich is a dedicated father of two, husband, traveler and outdoor adventurer.   How to Connect with Rich? Website: http://www.richcurtis.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichCurtisGuide His Book: https://amzn.to/31P9iJ1 ---------------------------------- Connect with Dr. Vic... Website: www.EmpowerYourReality.com Facebook: www.Facebook.com/drvicmanzo Instagram: www.Instagram.com/drvicmanzo LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/drmanzo   Check out my books: https://amzn.to/3gzr9XT   About Dr. Vic... I'm Dr. Vic Manzo Jr., a Pediatric/Family Wellness Chiropractor, Business/Self-Mastery Coach, Influential Author, Inspirational Speaker, and the host and creator of The Mindful Experiment Podcast and The Mindful Chiropractor Podcast. I teach entrepreneurs and Chiropractors how to DOUBLE their profits while working less and leading a SOUL-FILLED Life... Check out my socials and if interesting in free 30-minute discovery call on what's possible, --->  www.CallWithDrVic.com  

Sofía Villalpando returns to the show! She was on episode 114 of the show. We talked Biology, Ecosystems, and Science Communication. Late this summer she was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the Jackson Wild Summit. It looked like she had a ton of fun working with other people in wildlife, conservation, and science communication. I wanted to hear all about it! So she's back and shares her experience with us! So excited to share this with you. Let's venture (in our minds) to the American West! You can follow Sofía on all the social medias: TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. She's @sofiabiologista on Instagram.

In our continuing series on journalistic challenges in a digital environment saturated with disinformation, we profile The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel's Dan West, the paper's newly-minted editorial page editor.  In addition to exploring Dan's past history in the industry, we examine the important role of the paper's dedicated Opinion section in a media climate where the line between reporting facts and expressing opinion has become increasingly blurred.

We are running out of WATER! In today's book club discussion, we talked about a book called "Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water" by Marc Reisner. Water issue relates to real estate development, infrastructure, urban planning, architecture and landscaping design, economic development, and politics. All of these topics and stakeholders heavily tie to commercial real estate. So even though this book talks about water issue and dam development in west part of the United States, we think it's very important to talk about it in our book club. We hope you will like today's episode!  Subscribe to our email newsletter: https://cre-media.com/subscribe Social Media LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/cre-media Instagram: https://instagram/cre_mediagroup YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxhFD4yDokHv6u3UxhjYtGA Please contact us here: https://www.cre-media.com/contact Disclaimer: This commercial real estate podcast is intended for commercial real estate professionals, institutions, and investors only. The views expressed in this show are for informational, entertainment, and educational purposes only, and do not imply suitability. Views and opinions expressed are those of the presenters only and do not reflect the views of their employers, institutions, and associations. The information is not intended as investment advice, is not a recommendation about investing, and the presenters and their companies are not acting as your fiduciary.

Date: 08.09.2021 (Season 3, Episode 10, 54:13 min.) To read the complete Utah Dept. of Culture & Community Engagement show notes for this episode (including topics in time, photos and recommended readings) click here.  Interested in other episodes of Speak Your Piece? Click here for more episodes.National History Day, along with Utah's affiliate program, Utah History Day, offers a year-long academic extra-curricular program which focuses on historical research, interpretation and creative expression for students between the 4th and 12th-grades. Students may produce websites, exhibits, theatrical pieces, research papers, and short documentaries. Public school students Camellia and Acacia Yuan from Logan, Utah, have participated in National History Day for a number of years; and have been fortunate enough to win at both state competitions and at the national level, the latter in College Park, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.Along with Dr. Wendy Rex Atzet (Statewide Coordinator and Public History Manager, Utah Division of State History), the Yuan sisters describe the topics and arguments for three of their National History Day submissions, along with their research process (including digital resources and conducting hands on research with one-of-a-kind manuscript source materials housed in local academic libraries), visiting local museums, performing taped interviews, and the travel they pursued during their research quests. This interview is an excellent introduction for teachers, parents and students who are considering getting involved in the National History Day program.Bio: Dr. Wendy Rex-Atzet is the State Coordinator for National History Day in Utah; a Utah Division of State history statewide program. Wendy has more than ten years of experience managing the National History Day program at the state level in Colorado and in Utah. Wendy is passionate about helping young people connect with history through hands-on, relevant learning experiences. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she specialized in cultural and environmental history of the American West. She holds an M.A in history from San Diego State University, and a B.A in communications from the University of Utah. Bio: Camellia "Camie" Yuan will be an upcoming senior at Logan High School, Logan Utah. National History Day(NHD) has played a huge role in her life since 7th grade. Besides learning about history, she also does debate, serves as the Service VP in Logan High's Student Government, founded Asian Student Association and S2S (Student to Student) Non-profit and is an Ambassador for 4H National and Utah Center for Legal Inclusion. In her near future, she would like to help speak up for underrepresented individuals.Bio: Acacia Yuan is a 7th grader at Thomas Edison Charter School, Nibley Utah. She loves history, math, zoology, tennis, singing and figure skating because they are fun! She served in the Student Lighthouse and Ambassadors team to organize school events. Being an animal rights fighter, she is motivated to open a shelter for all stray animals as her lifeDo you have a question or comment, or a proposed guest for “Speak Your Piece?” Write us at “ask a historian” – askahistorian@utah.gov

Ken Elliott is a conservative Christian business owner who believes that climate change is the biggest threat to life on God's green Earth, and he intends to do something about it. According to Elliott, plain old greed and media-driven political divisiveness are responsible for the environmental crisis and our inability to do anything about it. But he's optimistic that there are good people — smart people — on both sides of the political spectrum who can look past politics to save the world. He's put his money where his mouth is by founding IND HEMP, a Montana-based hemp fiber and oil seed company that's working with farmers in the American West to develop the  processing infrastructure, build the supply chain, and expand the markets for industrial hemp. Elliott believes in the carbon sequestering potential of industrial hemp but knows that nothing is possible without our American farmers. In this in-depth podcast interview he talks about his work with oil companies to clean up Superfund sites, which led him to consider hemp for soil remediation and ultimately to starting IND HEMP. This conversation covers farming, science, politics, regenerative ag, morality, religion, and how maybe Al Gore was the wrong person to be the messenger on climate. IND HEMP is a sponsor of Lancaster Farming's Industrial Hemp Podcast.

Once a year, I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It's a cathartic annual ritual for me. What is it about this novel that has such an impact on my soul and those of other readers? Who is the man who wrote it, and what was he trying to do with this story of a father and son struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic landscape?For answers to these questions, I decided to talk to a foremost expert on McCarthy's work, as well as the literature of the American West in general. His name is Steven Frye and he's a professor of English, a novelist in his own right, and the author and editor of several books about the reclusive, philosophical author, including Understanding Cormac McCarthy. We begin our conversation with some background on McCarthy and a discussion of his distinctive style and themes, and why he avoids the limelight and prefers to hang out with scientists over fellow artists. We then dive into The Road, and Steve unpacks what inspired it, as well as the authors and books that influenced it. We then dig into the big themes of The Road, and how it can be read as a biblical allegory that wrestles with the existence of God. We delve into the tension which exists between the father and son in the book, and what it means to "carry the fire." We end our conversation with why reading The Road makes you feel both depressed and hopeful at the same time.A spoiler alert here: If you haven't read The Road yet, we do reveal some of the plot points in this discussion. Also, why haven't you read The Road yet?Resources Related to the PodcastOther books by Steven Frye, including his novel Dogwood CrossingMcCarthy's books mentioned in the show:The RoadAll the Pretty HorsesBlood MeridianThe Orchard KeeperNo Country for Old MenThe Sunset LimitedThe film adaptation of The RoadThe Santa Fe InstituteBrothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky"Cat in the Rain" — short story by Ernest Hemingway"Indian Camp" — short story by Ernest HemingwayAoM Podcast #635: The Existentialist's Survival GuideAoM Article: Carry the FireAoM Article: Books So Good I've Read Them 2X (Or More!)Connect With Steven FryeSteve's website

Joining Rich for this Six-Gun Justice Conversations segment—which is especially designed with holiday gift giving in mind—is the editor of True West magazine, Stuart Rosebrook. A son of the American West, Stuart grew up in North Hollywood, California, but spent most of the summers of his youth at the Orme's Quarter Circle V-Bar Ranch Camp in northern Arizona. He has been a featured writer for Arizona Highways, Ranch and Reata, American Cowboy, and Camera & Darkroom. He was also a commentator for the John Wayne 100th Birthday DVD Edition of True Grit. Most recently, he assisted his late father, Jeb Rosebrook, publish his memoir, Junior Bonner: The Making of a Classic with Sam Peckinpah and Steve McQueen in the Summer of 1971.Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=kRf2_NuEPxu37b9-4FZKmX0UAJ4ZdKVRhAgUrm-4gBj-CkNHowjeqW7Q4bYKdoyNoNgGhKTBK-OpQSh_)

Wild Bill finishes his service with the Union army in the Civil War and then ends up in Springfield, Missouri. A new friendship turns sour and leads to the first recorded quick-draw gunfight in the American West. Hickok's legend as a frontiersman and a shootist grows when he travels the West as an army scout and survives several encounters with Cheyenne war parties. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join For more details, visit our website www.blackbarrelmedia.com and check out our social media pages. We're @OldWestPodcast on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This show is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please visit AirwaveMedia.com to check out other great podcasts like Ben Franklin's World, Once Upon A Crime, and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on Colorado Edition, we explore the history of Sundown Towns across the Mountain West, and learn how racism and discrimination in the past still impacts residents of color who live there today.

A vast and desolate region, the Texas-New Mexico borderlands have long been an ideal setting for intrigue and illegal dealings--never more so than in the lawless early days of cattle trafficking and trade among the Plains tribes and Comancheros. This book takes us to the borderlands in the 1860s and 1870s for an in-depth look at Union-Confederate skullduggery amid the infamous Comanche-Comanchero trade in stolen Texas livestock. In 1862, the Confederates abandoned New Mexico Territory and Texas west of the Pecos River, fully expecting to return someday. Meanwhile, administered by Union troops under martial law, the region became a hotbed of Rebel exiles and spies, who gathered intelligence, disrupted federal supply lines, and plotted to retake the Southwest. Using a treasure trove of previously unexplored documents, authors James Bailey Blackshear and Glen Sample Ely trace the complicated network of relationships that drew both Texas cattlemen and Comancheros into these borderlands, revealing the urban elite who were heavily involved in both the legal and illegal transactions that fueled the region's economy. James Bailey Blackshear and Glen Sample Ely's Confederates and Comancheros: Skullduggery and Double-Dealing in the Texas-New Mexico Borderlands (U Oklahoma Press, 2021) deftly weaves a complex tale of Texan overreach and New Mexican resistance, explores cattle drives and cattle rustling, and details shady government contracts and bloody frontier justice. Peopled with Rebels and bluecoats, Comanches and Comancheros, Texas cattlemen and New Mexican merchants, opportunistic Indian agents and Anglo arms dealers, this book illustrates how central these contested borderlands were to the history of the American West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

A vast and desolate region, the Texas-New Mexico borderlands have long been an ideal setting for intrigue and illegal dealings--never more so than in the lawless early days of cattle trafficking and trade among the Plains tribes and Comancheros. This book takes us to the borderlands in the 1860s and 1870s for an in-depth look at Union-Confederate skullduggery amid the infamous Comanche-Comanchero trade in stolen Texas livestock. In 1862, the Confederates abandoned New Mexico Territory and Texas west of the Pecos River, fully expecting to return someday. Meanwhile, administered by Union troops under martial law, the region became a hotbed of Rebel exiles and spies, who gathered intelligence, disrupted federal supply lines, and plotted to retake the Southwest. Using a treasure trove of previously unexplored documents, authors James Bailey Blackshear and Glen Sample Ely trace the complicated network of relationships that drew both Texas cattlemen and Comancheros into these borderlands, revealing the urban elite who were heavily involved in both the legal and illegal transactions that fueled the region's economy. James Bailey Blackshear and Glen Sample Ely's Confederates and Comancheros: Skullduggery and Double-Dealing in the Texas-New Mexico Borderlands (U Oklahoma Press, 2021) deftly weaves a complex tale of Texan overreach and New Mexican resistance, explores cattle drives and cattle rustling, and details shady government contracts and bloody frontier justice. Peopled with Rebels and bluecoats, Comanches and Comancheros, Texas cattlemen and New Mexican merchants, opportunistic Indian agents and Anglo arms dealers, this book illustrates how central these contested borderlands were to the history of the American West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latin-american-studies

A vast and desolate region, the Texas-New Mexico borderlands have long been an ideal setting for intrigue and illegal dealings--never more so than in the lawless early days of cattle trafficking and trade among the Plains tribes and Comancheros. This book takes us to the borderlands in the 1860s and 1870s for an in-depth look at Union-Confederate skullduggery amid the infamous Comanche-Comanchero trade in stolen Texas livestock. In 1862, the Confederates abandoned New Mexico Territory and Texas west of the Pecos River, fully expecting to return someday. Meanwhile, administered by Union troops under martial law, the region became a hotbed of Rebel exiles and spies, who gathered intelligence, disrupted federal supply lines, and plotted to retake the Southwest. Using a treasure trove of previously unexplored documents, authors James Bailey Blackshear and Glen Sample Ely trace the complicated network of relationships that drew both Texas cattlemen and Comancheros into these borderlands, revealing the urban elite who were heavily involved in both the legal and illegal transactions that fueled the region's economy. James Bailey Blackshear and Glen Sample Ely's Confederates and Comancheros: Skullduggery and Double-Dealing in the Texas-New Mexico Borderlands (U Oklahoma Press, 2021) deftly weaves a complex tale of Texan overreach and New Mexican resistance, explores cattle drives and cattle rustling, and details shady government contracts and bloody frontier justice. Peopled with Rebels and bluecoats, Comanches and Comancheros, Texas cattlemen and New Mexican merchants, opportunistic Indian agents and Anglo arms dealers, this book illustrates how central these contested borderlands were to the history of the American West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Elliott Woods is a Montana-based veteran and multimedia journalist who has reported for publications including Outside, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and many more. His most recent project is a podcast called THIRD SQUAD, which tells the powerful story of "one journalist, 12 Marines and two decades of war." Back in 2011, Elliott was an embedded journalist with a group of Marines who were positioned deep in one of Afghanistan's most dangerous regions. Nearly a decade later, Elliott embarked on a cross-country road trip to reunite with the surviving members of the team and discuss how that violent deployment impacted their lives. Third Squad tells the stories of these Marines, offering raw insights into the impact of war on individual soldiers, both on the battlefield and back at home. - Elliott was born and raised on the east coast, and as a kid, he never had strong ambitions to join the military. However, after an unsuccessful stint in college left him lacking purpose and low on options, he decided to join the National Guard. Elliott was eventually deployed to Iraq, where he served for a year as an Army combat engineer. When Elliott had finished serving and returned to college at the University of Virginia, he approached his education with a new focus and purpose, and it was there that he discovered writing and journalism. As a journalist, Elliott has traveled everywhere from war-torn regions of the globe to well-known conflicts in the American West-- from the Gaza Strip to the front lines of the Keystone XL Pipeline protests. Whether reporting on public lands, outdoor adventure, or war, Elliott brings focus and intensity to all of his projects. - Elliott and I met years ago, so it was great to reconnect and have an in-depth conversation about his life and career. We started out by discussing his upbringing in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and how he developed a love of the outdoors at an early age. We discuss his education, his failed first attempt at college, and his path to the military. We discuss his time in Iraq, his career as a journalist, and the origins of the Third Squad podcast. We talk about the current state of journalism, and Elliott discusses why he feels the need to cover stories that involve dangerous people and places. We talk about hero culture, the importance of having a purpose, how the natural world has been a healing force in his life, and Elliott offers up some excellent book recommendations. - I encourage all of you to check out Third Squad, as well as Elliott's 2016 TED Talk that I reference in the conversation. There are links to everything in the episode notes. Thanks to Elliott for all of his hard work and for joining me for such an important conversation. Enjoy! --- Elliott Woods Third Squad Episode Notes & Links: https://mountainandprairie.com/elliott-woods/ --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 4:00 – Elliott's childhood and how he got into the military 12:00 – Elliott discusses what it was like having joined the military weeks before 9/11/2001 15:00 – Elliott talks about reintegrating to normal life as a student after his deployment in Iraq 22:30 – Elliott discusses the importance of having a mission in his life 29:00 – Elliott talks about why he disagrees with “hero culture” in the US 34:30 – Elliott talks about his mentality when writing about powerful or dangerous people 43:00 – Elliott talks about “solution journalism” and the need to highlight problems in journalism 53:45 – Elliott discusses the impact Montana and nature has had on him 58:15 – Elliott's book recommendations 1:04:00 – Elliott's parting words of wisdom --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Support Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Let's wander through the wonders of nature, as conservationist John Muir guides us through the wild spaces of the American West and the flower-filled tundra of Alaska. Honestly, friends, this one is just lovely. Support us here: Patreon: www.patreon.com/boringbookspod Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/d5kcMsW Read "Our National Parks” at Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60929 Music: "Watching Whales on the Moon" by Lee Rosevere, licensed under CC BY https://leerosevere.bandcamp.com If you'd like to suggest a copyright-free reading for soft-spoken relaxation to help you overcome insomnia, anxiety and other sleep issues, connect on our website, boringbookspod.com.

Sayre and Preston are joined today by author Peter Cozzens to talk about his most recent book, "Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers Who Defied a Nation". Peter Cozzens is the international-award winning author or editor of seventeen books on the American Civil War and the American West. Cozzens retired after a thirty-year career as a Foreign Service Officer, U. S. Department of State. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, he served as a captain in the U. S. Army. Cozzens's most recent book, Tecumseh and the Prophet, published by Alfred A. Knopf in October 2020, was awarded the Western Writers of America Spur Award and was a finalist for the George Washington Prize. It has also been published in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy. His book The Earth Is Weeping: The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West was published by Alfred A. Knopf in October 2016. It received the 2017 Gilder Lehrman Prize for the best work in Military History published in the English language, the Caroline Bancroft Prize in Western History, and--in translation--the 2018 HisLibris Award (Spain) for the best non-fiction work of history. The Earth is Weeping was chosen by Smithsonian Magazine as one of the top ten history books of 2016. It also made several other best books of the year lists, including Amazon, the San Francisco Chronicle, the London Times, and Newsday. The Earth is Weeping was also published in Italian, Spanish, United Kingdom, and Dutch editions. All of Cozzens' books have been selections of the Book of the Month Club, History Book Club, and/or the Military Book Club. Cozzens' This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga and The Shipwreck of Their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga were both Main Selections of the History Book Club and were chosen by Civil War Magazine as two of the 100 greatest works ever written on the conflict. In 2002 Cozzens received the American Foreign Service Association's highest award, given annually to one Foreign Service Officer for exemplary moral courage, integrity, and creative dissent. He has also received an Alumni Achievement Award from his alma mater Knox College, from which he graduated summa cum laude. Peter Cozzens: https://www.petercozzens.net

Best known for his David Robicheaux series of novels, James Lee Burke is a New York Times best selling author many times over, who has been awarded two Edgar Awards for best novel, as well as the Grand Master Master Award, by the Mystery Writers of America. His novels have been translated into almost every language in the world and his stories of the Deep South and American West make him on the essential American novelist of the last half century. His newest book came out this fall and its called ANOTHER KIND OF EDEN. It's described as a captivating tale of justice, love, brutality, and mysticism set in the turbulent 1960s. And for my money, it's well worth a read this fall. It's rollicking and weird in exactly the right sort of ways, while also featuring the precise prose that led to one publication calling him “America's best novelist.” Burke joined the show recently to discuss the books that inspire him, his favorite of his own books, the life of the writer, and much more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A bitter fight over fish is playing out in the American West. Sockeye salmon make one of the great migrations in the world, swimming 900 miles from the Pacific Ocean to 6,500 feet up in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains, where they spawn and die - but that journey may not happen much longer. In addition to the gauntlet of predators the fish face, from orcas on the west coast to eagles in the mountains, they are running into a man-made obstacle: dams. Most scientists agree the dams need to go for the fish to live, but the dams provide clean energy and an inexpensive way for farmers to get their crops to international markets. Heath Druzin investigates how a bitter fight is underway in the American West pitting Native American tribes, fisherman and conservationists against grain growers and power producers. Meanwhile, time is running out for the iconic species. Presented by Heath Druzin Produced by Richard Fenton-Smith Editor, Bridget Harney

Heather Hansman is a Seattle-based writer and editor, as well as the author of the excellent new book "Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns, and the Future of Chasing Snow." Longtime listeners will remember Heather's first appearance on the podcast, when we discussed her book "Downriver," one of my favorite books about the complicated subject of water in the West. Heather has an uncanny ability to distill complex, sometimes-messy topics into fun-to-read narratives that are equally educational and entertaining. And she's done it once again with "Powder Days"-- it's a thoughtful and thorough examination of ski culture, the ski industry, and the myriad of challenges that can accompany life in ski communities. - Heather was born and raised on the east coast, but headed West immediately after college, where she spent many winters living and working in ski towns throughout the Rocky Mountains. She eventually left the ski bum lifestyle behind to pursue a career in journalism but has remained closely connected to skiing and the ski culture for all of her adult life. Given her professional success as a journalist and her personal love of skiing, Heather is uniquely qualified to offer this nuanced, in-depth look at skiing and its impact on the culture, economy, and environment of mountain towns throughout the United States. - Heather and I connected a few days before "Powder Days'" publication date to talk about the book and the many important topics that it addresses. We start out discussing why she chose to write a book about the ski industry, and how the many issues and challenges facing ski communities are representative of broader issues facing the American West. We discuss the history of skiing in the United States and how the industry has grown and transformed over the past 70+ years. We discuss income inequality in ski towns, as well as the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse problems that often plague these communities. We discuss the psychological profiles of sensation-seeking skiers, the big business of skiing and ski resorts, equity in outdoor recreation, climate change's effect on skiing, and much more. - Whether you're a skier or not, I highly recommend you check out "Powder Days." It's a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the economic and social forces shaping the modern-day American West. And for more information on Heather, you can check out our first episode-- there's a link in the episode notes. - Big thanks to Heather for writing yet another wonderful book, and thanks to all of you for listening.  Enjoy! --- Heather Hansman "Powder Days" by Heather Hansman Heather's first M&P episode Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/heather-hansman-2/ --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 4:30 - Why Heather chose to write a book about skiing 8:00 - "Ski bum" defined 12:00 - Heather's time as a ski bum and when she decided to leave that world 15:00 - The psychological profile of obsessed skiers 18:00 - The appeal of seeking adventure in the mountains 19:40 - History of the ski industry in the US 23:00 - Changes in the business of skiing 27:00 - Extreme economic inequality in ski towns 30:30 - What is the future of economic sustainability in ski towns 33:30 -Gini coefficient and more on inequality 38:20 - Climate change and the ski industry 41:30 - Predicting the future of skiing related to climate 43:00 - Feeling that came with revisiting the ski world 45:00 - The need for ski bums to engage in the community 48:30 - Booze and mental health in mountain communities 51:20 - Goals and reasons for writing this book 55:00 - Heather's current projects 56:00 - Good books --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Support Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts