Podcasts about Central United States

Prairies are an ecosystem that historically spanned the center of this continent from the Rocky Mountains to east of the Mississippi and from Texas north to Saskatchewan. Although less than 5% of that prairie remains today, it is critical habitat for a number of invertebrates. Prairies are incredibly diverse and hold many exciting stories.To help us explore prairies and their critters is prairie ecologist Chris Helzer. Chris works for the Nature Conservancy as the Director of Science and Stewardship in Nebraska, where, among other things, he supervises TNC's work on the Platte River Prairies and the Niobrara Valley Preserve. Chris also works to raise awareness about the value of prairies and prairie conservation through his photography, writing, and presentations. Chris is the author of The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States and Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter.---Photo: Justin Meissen/Flickr-CCThank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910 – May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut "Champion" Barrow (March 24, 1909 – May 23, 1934) were American outlaws who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, committing a series of criminal acts such as bank robberies, kidnappings, and murders between 1932 and 1934. The couple were known for their bank robberies and multiple murders, although they preferred to rob small stores or rural gas stations. Their exploits captured the attention of the American press and its readership during what is occasionally referred to as the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934. They were ambushed by police and shot dead in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. They are believed to have murdered at least nine police officers and four civilians.[1][2]

The first day of former President Jimmy Carter's state funeral began Saturday morning. People lined the streets of the late president's hometown to bid a final farewell to the 39th president of the United States.President Joe Biden awarded the nation's highest civilian honor to 19 people. Among the recipients were billionaire investor George Soros, former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton, and soccer star Lionel Messi.A major winter storm is forecast to impact the Central United States and move east. It's poised to unleash heavy snow, treacherous ice, and severe thunderstorms starting Saturday and continuing into Monday. An estimated 62 million people across at least a dozen states could be affected.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! We're back with our 2024 entomology gift giving ideas episode. This year we decided to talk books!Books recommended:My First 100 Bug Words by Chris Ferrie and Lindsay Dale-ScottA Sting in the Tale by Dave CoulsonInsects of North America by John C. Abbott & Kendra AbbottCommon Insects of Texas and Surrounding States by John C. Abbott & Kendra AbbottThe Goddard Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance by Gail Miriam Moraru & Jerome Goddard IIEssential Entomology by George C. McGavin, Leonidas-Romanos Davranoglou, et al.Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects (7th edition) by by Norman Johnson and Charles TriplehornFireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada by Lynn Frierson FaustThe Bees in Your Backyard by Joseph S. Wilson & Olivia Messinger CarrilAmazing Arachnids by Jillian CowlesWasps of North America by Heather HolmSix-legged Sex: The Erotic Lives of Bugs by James K. WangbergStocking Stuffers – any laminated pamphlets from Quick Reference PublishingBonus Non-Fiction book: Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel JoyceLogo by Natalie Cervang in the Tale, Dave CoulsontesMusic by Owen DesBles

Escaping Apostate Church Judgments (audio) David Eells 11/13/24 Escaping Judgment by Clean Works Anonymous. - 08/06/2007 (David's notes in red) I was in the second floor (the soul area) of a fairly huge house, which housed UBM ministry. I saw many different races, from different nations. We were all viewing through the glass window what was going on outside. (I.e., What was happening to the world and worldly church.) We were all not afraid. I saw a white tornado, which was like a very straight line with lightning emanating from it. It looked very fierce and the winds were extremely violent. Yet, we were all praising God. I was not too bothered about the tornado and went to the kitchen. I started washing my cup with a white cloth lying on the sink. My cup was not dirty to the naked eye but being meticulous, I took that cloth to clean it under running water. Next, I started to wash that cloth with a brush having golden bristles, in case the particles of dirt on my cup went on that small cloth. Interestingly, I did not know that David wanted that cloth. But he kept coming to the sink because he wanted that cloth but he was so humble and too polite to ask for it back from me. After I had finished scrubbing and washing that cloth, he came and collected that cloth back from me with a smile and started using it. I think the white tornado is the power of God going forth to straighten, cleanse and judge the church, which is not yet abiding in Him, for which we are celebrating. Nah.1:2 Jehovah is a jealous God and avengeth; Jehovah avengeth and is full of wrath; Jehovah taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth [wrath] for his enemies. 3 Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means clear [the guilty]: Jehovah hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. God controls the tornado, and His wrath is against the fleshly man who is ruling over His people. Only if our cup is clean are we delivered from this need for cleansing and judgment on ourselves. The cup that we drink from represents what we reap from God's hand through the world. A clean cup represents receiving righteousness and blessing from God without judgment. Babylon, as a type of the U.S. in Jer.25, brings the cup of wrath to the nations around God's people. Jer.25:15 For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto me: take this cup of the wine of wrath at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. 16 And they shall drink, and reel to and fro, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. In A.A. Allen's vision God quoted from verses 27-29 to tell of the cup of wrath he would present to worldly U.S., typed as Babylon, and then the world. Allen saw a sword in the cup. Jer.25:27 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink ye, and be drunken, and spew, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. 28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thy hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Ye shall surely drink. 29 For, lo, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith Jehovah of hosts. Notice that the apostate people of God and their leadership, will receive the cup of judgment before the U.S. and the world are conquered by it. The water is the Word, but it is not as powerful to clean the cup through which we partake of without the work of clean hands, which the white cloth represents. Gal.6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. What is in the cup is what we reap and partake of. Jas.1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. The gold-bristled brush may represent the valuable desire and work of holiness in our heart to clean up the work of our hands that we might escape the judgments to come.   Billions Swallowed By Death Anonymous - 12/15/2010 (David's notes in red) In October 2008, in the middle of the afternoon, I began having a horrible headache. It got so bad that I decided to lay down and spend time with the Lord and pray until it was gone. As soon as I laid down and closed my eyes, I had this vision: I was high above looking down onto this scene: A gigantic swirling black hole. It was violently swirling in a clockwise motion. There were millions upon millions of little, tiny ant-like objects all around it. They surrounded the hole 360 degrees -- not one little area was vacant. The Lord brought me closer so I could see it all clearly. My heart was so grieved when I saw what was happening. The little ant-like objects were people. People of all sizes, shapes and nationalities. Men, women and children. They were in the fetal position, being sucked into the giant swirling black hole. I opened my eyes and said, “Oh, Lord. What is this all about?” I just wanted to lay down and get rid of this headache. So, I closed my eyes again and saw the exact same vision. I got up, came into the den, headache forgotten. I sat looking out the window, seeking the Father. After a while, I asked, “Father, what is this all about?” I heard, “My people perish for lack of knowledge”. Hos.4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee ... This sent me to Isaiah 5:13-14. Now this really left me frozen in my chair. Isa.5:13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity for lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst. 14 Therefore Sheol hath enlarged her mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth among them descend into it. In the vision, the gigantic black hole was like an enlarged mouth swallowing people up! That's what left me frozen! It scared me. My heart was breaking for the people. I prayed and have grieved and prayed off and on over the years since this vision. I thought I was to send this about a year ago, but the Father shut it down. I have been feeling an urgency for about two weeks now to send this vision and today I am feeling that I must. Please help me to understand it entirely. If it is for such a time as this, praise the Lord! I believe the Lord was showing me the church today and the condition it's in. People being sucked, silently, with no screaming or yelling. Not even the slightest attempt to try to hold on somehow to keep from being sucked directly into hell. It's all pomp and programs and entertainment and watered-down scriptures to tickle their ears and glaze their eyes over. The people have been numbed and blinded by the leaders from the pulpit. What I don't understand is this: Why children? I thought children were not held accountable. Just as we enter the kingdom of God on Earth, we enter Sheol here. It is the place of the dead. Those who give themselves over to fleshly pleasure are dead while they live. 1Ti.5:6 But she that giveth herself to pleasure is dead while she liveth. From birth, man is beginning to be swallowed up by the curse of death. Psa.58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. The children escape it when they die in innocence but if they continue to mature they will be completely swallowed up. The only cure is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to tell them.   Prophetic Visions of Judgment A Prophetic Vision Given to Nita Johnson - January 27, 1989 [editor's notes in brackets] (David's notes in red)     I was awakened in the middle of the night. The Lord said to me, “Why do you think I gave you that vision of the United States?” I replied, “I don't know, Lord, why did you?” He then responded, “A surrogate mother won't work. Sarah could not be one to Ishmael. It's not My way”. As I was pondering what that could possibly mean, He followed with, “Only what is born of faith can work”. While the Lord gave birth to America's liberty and planted in her bosom a hope, He promised to be her protective covering if she would meet His conditions. He did not give birth to this sinful and rebellious nation. Although He has given birth to His church, a nation within a nation, He did not give birth to this antagonistic entity we call ‘America'. It was the blood, sweat and tears of man that gave it birth. Humanists swam in the womb with this nation and humanists have helped give it birth. They have nurtured it, coddled it and flaunted it as the son of their pride. On the other hand, it was the church who fought for the right of motherhood. She fought for the right to set up the rules and even discipline the spoiled child when it was bad. But she, alas, has only been “the surrogate mother for a rebellious Ishmael”. It was Sarah who wisely declared at last, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son!” However, while this is true, Abraham suffered over releasing Ishmael and sending him away. Even so, our Eternal Father suffers over the future of the people of America. He must cast away the rebellious but He does it with great pain. What America as a nation doesn't understand is that we have been reaping the benefits of the church's inheritance for over two hundred years. While the church has not been the model bride any more than Sarah had been a perfect wife, we the church are, nonetheless, God's bride and the spiritual nation of Israel. (By position the church is the bride but we must be made so by manifestation of Jesus in us. Those who manifest Zion will have its benefits. “Christ in you the hope of glory”.) So while the Lord loves His “spiritual Israel” (the church) and although He must even chastise His elect, He will cast out the irreverent Ishmael (Those in America who hate and persecute their brother.) Though God loves man, He hates sin and will cast out from the inheritance those that choose to serve sin. For these it might be said; He has little regard. May we also remember it was not God who first rejected America. Although He has stretched His arms out to us, we are the ones who have refused Him. So, fear not Church, that which is born of Earth will stand. God has in His judgment remembered mercy. What I'm about to share is the way in which God is going to, in effect, cast out this rebellious America He calls Ishmael. (He is casting them out now.) The process will begin while the church is still here. In fact, it has already begun and will continue until all is fully executed; I want to add one more thing before I share the vision the Bible tells us: And if you say in your [minds and] hearts, How shall we know which words the Lord has not spoken? When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or prove true, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deu 18:21-22) So we are to judge the word which is spoken in the Lord's name by waiting to see if it comes to pass. If it does, we need to believe it and respond to God's warnings through it. (One caveat is that Jonah and Amos spoke words that did not come because the people repented and in the second because God had mercy.) The Vision: On January 27, 1989, I had been in a spirit of prayer all night and was finally just starting to dose off to sleep. Suddenly, I was fully awakened by a vision of a map of the United States. It was not a vision in my head but was what some call an open vision out in front of me. The map was in a silvery light and was completely sectioned off into states. just as suddenly as it had appeared, I heard a voice, as robust as the sound of many waters yet with great intensity, begin to give directions. Starting with the West Coast, the voice would speak and that same silvery light would shoot down from the direction of heaven like a laser beam onto the map. The light would follow the path directed by the voice and then effects would follow as I will explain. First, the voice cried out – “The West Coast, California, Oregon and Washington, starting from the southernmost tip all the way up to Seattle, will suffer natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, fire, and enemy attack.” The line shot up the map taking most of California and leaving only a small section that bordered on Arizona and Nevada. It went up through Oregon taking about half of that state and then on up through Washington, taking about one-third of that state, then out toward the ocean through Seattle. The minute the line touched Seattle, everything west of the line disappeared. The voice then cried out, “Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois will suffer natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes and tornadoes, and enemy attack.” Immediately, this line started at about where Lansing, Michigan, is and fanned down in what became two lines going south first. Then one line swung back up easterly through Ohio, going out over the Great Lake Erie through Cleveland. The other line swung down through Indiana and then headed back up northwesterly and went out into Great Lake Michigan up by the way of the northeast corner of Illinois and out through Chicago. When it was done, it looked like two ‘U's, side by side. This affected areas all through the region, for instance, as far east as Detroit and easterly in Michigan to the Great Lake itself on the west. The whole southern part of the glove experienced cataclysmic results. Next, the voice called out, “Most of Louisiana and all of Texas will suffer natural disasters, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and enemy attack.” The line shot up through New Orleans east of Baton Rouge, up through Shreveport in a kind of wiggly way then cut off all of Texas. Texas disappeared. Louisiana experienced devastation but didn't disappear. I was ready for this to end, yet the Lord continued. “New York down through Pennsylvania, the Virginias, the eastern art of Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida will suffer natural disasters of every kind, hurricanes, flooding, earthquakes, etc. and enemy attack.” Then everything that was east of the line disappeared. The Lord continued, “The Grand Canyon will suffer natural disasters.” The line seemed to start at the bottom of the Grand Canyon heading northerly straight up to Montana through Yellowstone. This was also accompanied by cataclysmic disasters like floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, and fires. This affected a substantial area, including Arizona, Utah, western parts of Wyoming, the eastern tip of Idaho and southwestern part of Montana. The regions did not disappear, but experienced utter catastrophe. Then Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, West Tennessee, Kentucky, and on it went. There were severe heat waves, hailstorms, energy blackouts, severe snow and ice storms as well as extreme arctic cold spells to the loss of many lives. I saw it so often occur in some of the least likely areas. Famines, pestilence, plagues, and more. Nevada and Utah were all but destroyed through natural disasters of every kind and ultimately enemy attack. They did, however, remain on the map (Please note that I am not declaring that the states that disappeared fell off into the sea. I don't know why they disappeared, only that they did. Consequently, I am merely relating what I saw and not trying to interpret.) [Uninhabitable, or inhabited by invaders] (We have seen these very judgments come to pass in the recent years and more so currently so they may go to the end.) I was so dumbstruck that I felt numb, even bruised. It was hard for me to pull it all together in my mind. I just sat there in shock. Finally, I realized if I didn't write it down, I'd lose a lot of it as there was so much detail. So I wrote down what I could remember. Some states, such as New Mexico, were lost from my memory. I couldn't remember what happened to them, so I didn't record it. I distinctly remember, however, that the only part of the US that was not devastated was the Central United States, a region basically west of the Missouri River, as I have indicated on the map. I also realized that many of the things that would begin happening immediately would be of an unusual nature, such as natural disasters that would seem improbable or even impossible, at least for that particular geographical area. (The DS has been causing much of the “natural disasters” by manipulating the weather and fault lines.) I was instructed that this sequence of events would start immediately, picking up momentum with time until eventually the succession would be happening with gunshot rapidity, until all fulfilled. It's important to understand that the natural disasters did not specifically follow “the lines”, but the lines seemed to indicate the borders of the severely affected areas. The only one exception was the line that went up through the Grand Canyon north to Montana. In that case, the line seemed to symbolize the central core of action with a radiating aftermath both to the east and west. I saw natural disasters in Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands followed by warheads. (Nuclear war has been determined.) Finally, I saw a severe diminishing of our nation's military. Officers, and enlisted men, as well as the closing of many critical bases were part of the scenario. Our ability to defend ourselves was critically reduced, to a point of near ineffectiveness. (The Military cut down was not incorporated in this vision, but was seen many years ago.) (The DS has in fact reduced the military (and law enforcement by their defunding the police) through the Obama/Biden administrations through the vax and other divisive ways. The beast in mid-trib could do more.) These disasters have already begun, just as He said they would. Since that vision, there have been two earthquakes in California, terrible fires, hurricanes on the East Coast and Gulf Coast that did what all the meteorologists said could never happen. Flooding for the first time in history was recorded in a community in northern Ohio resulting in unusual deaths. There have been earthquakes near the Madrid fault line, and East Coast, floods and terrible disasters all over from tornados. Those are just a few instances, but hopefully, they're enough to drive the point home. These things are neither freak accidents, as some would have you believe, nor are they just satanic humor on mankind. Church, please realize that the Lord commanded everything that I saw hit the map. He also told me it was part of the sequential calamities which are warnings ultimately leading to full judgment assigned to this country. They are like blinking red lights along the path of judgment. Go back! Stop! Repent! The end is at hand! Will you hear? Will you pray? How in His great mercy would He gladly stop or minimize catastrophe for His praying church!   End Time Vision Daisy Osborn I lay sleepless and horrified, greatly vexed in the Spirit. The Lord visited and showed me things that will shortly come to pass. The JUDGMENT and WRATH of God will soon bring disaster and havoc to the world we live in. The DIE is CAST. God's clock is set. TIME is running out. 'In a VISION' I saw: the face of the earth and the changing of the shape of America. It was drastically altered and reduced in size through terrible disasters. Hunger and suffering were everywhere. The devastation caused by volcanic eruptions and fires were widespread and horrifying during this terrible holocaust. I saw Christians clustering together from all walks of life and many church affiliations. They did not care about their sectarian doctrines. The tie that bound them in their desperate hour, was their common faith in Christ. They clung together as though their survival depended upon each other. After these terrifying cataclysmic events which the Lord showed me, all the evils of sectarianism and apostasy vanished among the Christians desperate struggle to draw strength from one another. Those who had been lukewarm, cast aside besetting sins, and sought identity with the true believers. Cigarettes, pills, social drinkers, marital cheaters; were repented of and amends were made. A new sense of values gripped the conscience of Believers. The new morality standard and modern license for laxity was like a remorseful hangover. Most of the Christians in the “visitation” were amazed that WE “were experiencing” and WE were witnessing His WRATH and JUDGMENT!!! Many social Christians were ill-prepared. Their frivolous, unwatchful, imprudent lives had GAMBLED on Mercy & Grace, which they had thought required no reckoning---EVER!!! (Yes, many believe they will just fly away and not go through any tribulation.) I saw hordes (believers) lost among the religious and Christ Jesus rejecters. As I looked, I saw where mountains were flattened. Believers were FLEEING to the desert to take shelter in caves & rocks. The DESOLATION was so terrible that it seemed NO ONE would be spared. (Luke 21:34-36 (KJV) Matthew 24:20-22) All but a few were full of remorse. Lamentations could be heard everywhere. It was heartening to observe that during the FEARSOME DISASTERS-----UNSHAKABLE FAITH held like an ANCHOR among the Christians. They knew they would SOON see the SON coming in the clouds of heaven and with Power & Glory! (Daisy Osborn (now with the Lord) was the wife of Healing evangelist T.L. Osborn)   Judgment Begins at God's House B.A. - 06/11/2012 (David's note in red) I dreamed I was in my kitchen, preparing the evening meal (feasting on the Word of God as the days are growing darker), when I saw lightning streak across the sky and there was a clap of thunder so loud that it shook the entire house. (This was the Lord's voice sounding an alarm to His saints; get prepared, the storm is at hand. Psa.97:4 His lightnings lightened the world; The earth saw; and trembled. 114:7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob.) I went to the kitchen window and looked out and saw a large, dark storm cloud coming toward my house. As I stood looking at this cloud, I saw it start to form an unusual shape; it looked like a giant rolling pin. (A rolling pin is used to roll out and flatten out dough. I took this to mean judgment from the Lord and the dough represents the [leavened], apostate people of God getting ready to be judged (thrown in the oven) for their unrepentant sin.) 1Pe.4:17 For the time is come for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if it begin first at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God? Amo.3:2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities. 2Th.1:8 rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus. As I was meditating on this cloud, I heard a voice that appeared to be coming from over my head say, “Don't go out of the house until the storm is over”. (The house here is Jesus in Whom we must abide by repentance and faith in His blood, which is our covering and our new life. This will be the Passover judgment which, according to type, comes before the wilderness tribulation.) Exo.12:22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For Jehovah will pass through to smite the Egyptians (Those in the land who are not Christ-like); and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, Jehovah will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. Isa.26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. And Heb.11:28 By faith he kept the Passover (Eating only Jesus, the unleavened bread of the Word.), and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them. You could tell this was no ordinary thunderstorm; this was a storm of “thunder judgment” (God has spoken it; He will bring it to pass.) Isa.46:11 calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country; yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it. I immediately went into my prayer closet and began to pray for all of my family (UBM) and all of God's people (Church) in the path of this storm. (We see now that this Passover judgment will affect the lost and all of God's people. I suspect this will come on the head of the beast, the U.S., but will secondarily affect the world through loss of influence, trade and economy.) I knew this storm was going to destroy houses in my neighborhood. Many of God's people have not heeded His warnings. They mock the dreams and visions He has given to His people to warn them and to prepare them ahead of this storm. Their blood is on their own hands! Eze.3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. 18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand ... 20 Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thy hand. (The wicked leadership that does not hear and give the warnings will be held guilty of the blood of the saints. The faithful who have given the warning and been persecuted for it will be spared. Also, I believe this could mean that quakes and terrible side-effects, economic loss, etc., will judge the wicked who are gathered against the righteous. Remember, at the end of the Passover there was judgment at the Red Sea just before the wilderness tribulation.) After the storm was over, I decided to go outside and take a look at the damage. Sure enough, as I went up and down my street, many houses were completely destroyed; I couldn't even see where their foundations had been. (This represents reprobation.) Psa.11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do? All evidence of those houses ever being there was completely gone. Jud.12 These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. (Although “shepherds” in this text has no numeric pattern, they are certainly included with the rest of the “hidden” fakes among us who “feed themselves” and must be separated through reprobation.) This is the reward of the wicked who would not repent. They were searched out by the Lord and spiritually destroyed. This will also be the portion of the factious who have ignored and scoffed at the Lord's messengers and refuse to repent. Some houses were badly damaged, but with a little elbow grease (the Lord's works) they could be completely restored. (Some of the factious people [and other sinners] will repent; they will come to recognize the mighty arm of the Lord in this storm and turn back to Him.) Rev.2:5 Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. (We have received dreams of individuals repenting because of judgment.) When I got back to my house (God's house), a man with his entire family was sitting on my front porch. The father stood up when he saw me and came up to me and asked if he and his family could stay with me, as their home had been damaged by the storm and wasn't safe. (Their house had not been built upon “the Rock”, Jesus). Mat.7:24 Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock, 25 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. (This represents a group of people who will repent through this chastening.) They noticed that my house had not been damaged by the storm. Heb.12:27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. Not so much as a shingle had been disturbed on my house. They knew there had to be something special about my house. (She was representing the Bride.) It was the only house in the neighborhood that had no damage whatsoever. (Abiding in the secret place of the Most High, where are found all the promises of safety and provision. Psa.121:7 Jehovah will keep thee from all evil; He will keep thy soul.) The true people of God will be easy to recognize by people who are truly seeking after the truth. You won't see any evidence of the curse on them. Mat.7:20 Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Mat.5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. ... 16 Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. I knew the Lord had specifically sent this family to me to care for them, as they were survivors of the storm. Praise the Lord! (The Lord is restoring His family and the firstfruits will play a large role in this restoration process.) My heart felt such compassion for this family. I eagerly invited them into my home and gave them food and some fresh, clean water. After they had all eaten, I drew each of them a bath and gave them all clean clothes, and prepared a place for them to sleep. (This represents giving them the cure: the food, water and washing of the Word and the clothes of obedience to it and the rest of faith in God.)   Printer-friendly version     © 2017 UBM | Unleavened Bread Ministries. All rights reserved.    [ Fair Use Notice ]

During the Live Stream, Matt Frost, Creator of Rocky Mountain Race Week, stated that “Since it is our 10th Year Anniversary….why don't we do the biggest drag and drive in the history of drag and drive?!” Tracks are spread out from Kansas City, MO to Ennis, TX with two tracks in Oklahoma! Racers and participants can expect more than 1400 miles of street driving in your hot rod, classic car, modern muscle, pickup or whatever you want to bring (like Pat Cook's 49cc Grom)! A mix of 2 lane blacktop and highway will make up the route as drivers leave Tulsa, OK towards Kansas City, MO, then head west to Oklahoma City, OK before turning South to Ennis, TX and finally driving north back to Tulsa Raceway Park for a huge party and Heads-Up Shootout! The event will essentially be two events happening simultaneously. Group A Racers will have full track access from 7am until 2pm. Group B Racers will race from 3-10pm. Groups are separated by event. Group A focused toward the Rocky Mountain Race Week (1.0) followers and Group B will cater to Race Week (2.0) followers.  Event dates are as follows: Saturday May 31 - Tulsa Raceway Park, Tulsa, OK Day Zero Tech, Drivers Meeting, Test and tune for both Groups Sunday June 1  Day One Tulsa Raceway Park Group A / Rocky Mountain Race Week   Starts at 7am to 2pm  Group B Race Week  From 3pm to 10 pm  Monday June 2nd  Flying H, Odessa, MO Group A / Rocky Mountain Race Week   Starts at 7am to 2pm  Group B Race Week  From 3pm to 10 pm  Tuesday June 3rd  Drive day  Wednesday June 4th  Thunder Valley Raceway, Noble, OK Group A / Rocky Mountain Race Week   Starts at 7am to 2pm  Group B Race Week  From 3pm to 10 pm  Thursday  June 5th  Texas Motorplex, Ennis, TX Group A / Rocky Mountain Race Week   Starts at 7am to 2pm  Group B Race Week  From 3pm to 10 pm  Friday June 6th Tulsa Raceway Park, Tulsa, OK  Party, Awards, Food, Band  5pm to 10 pm  Open to the Public Saturday  June 7th  Tulsa Raceway Park Heads-Up Shootout Style Drag Race with all Cars  Top 64 Cars racing Heads-Up for more than $25,000! 400 Car Bracket Race potential Entry will be $525 for this event with Registration taking place on January 10 & 11 for the A Group (Rocky Mountain Race Week Returning Racers) and January 17 & 18 for the B Group (Race Week Returning Racers).  “Racers will cover more than 1300 miles during this event! With 2-3 Route stops per day, this event will change people's lives as they drive cool cars through small towns, eating at local restaurants, shopping at local stores, sharing pictures and videos across social media in one of the most prolific events to happen in the Central United States in recent years!” - Mike Narx

AP correspondent Donna Warder reports on a heat wave that's affecting some parts of the country.

Lessons from the Prairie Episode IntroductionIn today's episode, Lessons From the Prairie, we chat with Chris Helzer about invasive species, what makes a landscape ecologically resilient, and why we don't have to recreate the past for the present to be meaningful. Host Stephanie BarelmanStephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.Guest Chris HelzerChris Helzer is Director of Science and Stewardship for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska, where he conducts research and supervises the Conservancy's preserve stewardship program. He also helps develop and test prairie management and restoration strategies. Chris is also dedicated to raising awareness about the value of prairies through his photography, writing and presentations. He is the author of The Prairie Ecologist blog, and two books: The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States and Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter. He is also a frequent contributor to NEBRASKAland magazine and other publications. Episode SponsorsToday's episode is sponsored by Lauritzen Gardens:laurtizengardens.orgToday's episode is also sponsored by Lucky Toad Restorative Gardens:https://www.luckytoadgardens.com/Listen, rate, and subscribe!Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/Find us on FacebookVisit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fmGive us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraskaSupport My Work via PatreonThe Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.Episode ContentI gleaned talking points from Chris's blog, The Prairie Ecologist, which you can and should read here! Insects and invertebrates are very important to ecosystem function: help soil fertility, insect biomass, ant engineers, species balance (predators and prey,) seed dispersal, bird food, pollination. A prairie is only as good as its ecological resilience: Habitat size/ connectivity to other habitats and biodiversity is important. A landscape needs to be malleable and able to deal with changes because nature isn't static. A large diverse community is best able to adapt to changes.Management can be...

Central United States braces for cold weather, World Health Officials say low COVID vaccine rates are putting a strain on healthcare systems, and an e-commerce news site gets a big pay day from eBay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to part three of our series with renowned photographer Richard Sharum.As someone deeply rooted in the study of history, especially the tumultuous Civil War era, Richard showcases an intense drive to understand the divisions that plague modern America. He discusses his transformative journey to unravel the mystery of the Central United States, an area often dismissively labeled "flyover country." This stretch of land, primarily covering states like Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, has, for many, become a blind spot—overshadowed politically, socially, and culturally.Motivated by global perceptions, historical events, and, notably, the shocking Capitol storming on January 6th, Richard embarked on a mission to capture the heart and soul of these regions, free from the constraints of political bias. His project, "Spina Americana" (Latin for "American Spine"), sees him traverse a 100-mile wide corridor stretching from the US-Mexico border to the US-Canadian border. Through his lens, Richard hopes to offer a fresh perspective, allowing the world to see the people of this region as they genuinely are—diverse, complex, and unequivocally American.Join us in this compelling episode as Richard shares anecdotes from his travels, his approach to spontaneous photography, and his undying passion for discovering the hidden depths of his homeland. Whether you're a photography enthusiast, a history buff, or someone seeking to understand the multifaceted narrative of America, this episode promises enlightening insights and thought-provoking conversations.See more of Richard's work at https://richardsharum.comFollow Richard on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/richard_sharum Get full access to Foto at fotoapp.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of Doing Well: The Wellbeing Science Insights Podcast, host Lu Ngo is joined by special guest Courtney Wennerstrom, Ph.D., ABD. A passionate animal welfare professional, writer, and content creator, Courtney shares her insights on the fascinating topic of Strengthening the Human-Animal Bond for Your Mental Health and Animal Welfare. Drawing on her experience working with hundreds of shelters and rescues across the Central United States on their lifesaving return-to-home initiatives, Courtney explains the biological and psychological bases behind the human-animal bond. She also offers practical tips and practices for strengthening the bond between humans and animals, which can have a profound positive impact on both mental health and animal welfare. As the writer, producer, and host of the PETestal podcast, Courtney brings a wealth of expertise and perspective to the conversation. She has also served as a Community Organizer for the Humane Society of the United States Pets for Life Program and has written extensively on animal health, behavior, and nutrition. Join Lu and Courtney as they delve into the fascinating world of the human-animal bond, exploring the many ways in which our relationships with animals can enhance our well-being and deepen our appreciation for the world around us. With insightful, informed, and engaging discussion, this episode is not to be missed. Connect with Courtney's social media on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-wennerstrom/ Produced by the Wellbeing Science Labs, a division of LMSL, the Life Management Science Labs.  Explore LMSL at https://lifemanagementsciencelabs.com/ and visit http://we.lmsl.net/ for additional information about Wellbeing Science Labs. Follow us on social media to stay updated: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wellbeingsciencelabs  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wellbeing.science.labs/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellbeing.science.labs/  LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/showcase/wellbeing-science-labs  Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeScienceLabs  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wellbeing.science.labs   Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/wellbeingsciencelabs/  You can also subscribe and listen to our podcasts on your preferred podcasting platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/doing-well-the-wellbeing-science-insights-podcast/id1648515329  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/63Gni7VN4Ca6IicSuttwQL  Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7cd001d1-b7ba-4b22-a0f3-17c1a9c6e818/doing-well-the-wellbeing-science-insights-podcast  iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/338-doing-well-the-wellbeing-s-102890038/  Podbean: https://wellbeingscienceinsights.podbean.com/  PlayerFM: https://player.fm/series/3402363  Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/doing-well-the-wellbeing-scien-4914859  Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL3dlbGxiZWluZ3NjaWVuY2VpbnNpZ2h0cy9mZWVkLnhtbA 

Our Wierd Relationship with InsectsEpisode IntroductionIn today's episode, we chat with Chris Helzer, director of science for the Nature Conservancy about our misconceptions surrounding bugs, some fascinating examples of bees, beetles, et al., and why we should merge beauty and utility in our gardens. Host Stephanie BarelmanStephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a freelance garden designer under the moniker Victory Cottage Gardens, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast. Guest Chris HelzerChris Helzer is Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska, where he conducts research and evaluates prairie management and restoration work. He is also dedicated to raising awareness about the value of prairies through his photography, writing and presentations. Chris is author of The Prairie Ecologist blog, and two books: The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States and Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter. He is also a frequent contributor to NEBRASKAland magazine and other publications. Chris and his family live in Aurora, Nebraska.Listen, rate, and subscribe!Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/Find us on FacebookVisit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fmGive us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraskaSupport My Work via Patreon The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.Episode ContentChris' photography -Check it out here: https://prairieecologist.com/Land ManagementWe need to be responsible stewards. Every landscape needs management to be its most efficient, especially since us humans have introduced invasive species to habitats. Land management people use tools like fire and methods to remove these invasive species to keep the land healthy.Bug TerrorOnly a few species round here are truly dangerous- think brown recluse, ticks, or disease carrying mosquitos. But Chris is really trying to let you know- they aren't out to get you. It's not all about you. I'm looking at you, Babs.Should sci-fi writers keep depicting aliens as insect-like?When we learn more about insects and we learn to tolerate them better, they stop being alien and they start being fascinating.Is it a bad characterization to label insects as either beneficial or pests?Yes! This is not only lazy but giving very incomplete info. Are we strictly divided into pools of bad and good people? No, of course not!Bugs are bugs. They are diverse and they provide diverse functions. Ignorance is why people want to file things into black and white categories. Don't be ignorant, Babs, it's not a good look for...

Swimmer Riley Gaines was attacked by transgender activists for speaking out about women's sports. And while Republicans advocate for wide bans on transgender athletes, the White House and the Supreme Court are pushing back. Democrats are responding to the expulsion of two Tennessee lawmakers with allegations of racism and threats to democracy. China retaliated against the United States Friday as Democrats and Republicans show united strength while visiting Taiwan. We hear from businessman Patrick Byrne who shares his thoughts on how modern-day American politics may be viewed through the lens of the Chinese Communist Party. Documents about secret information related to the war in Ukraine were leaked online. U.S. officials say the documents are real, but the total number of deaths is altered. As much of the Central United States recovers from destruction and deaths caused by tornadoes, NTD hears from a resident who's coping with the aftermath. She tells us how her community is coming together to recover. ⭕️ Watch in-depth videos based on Truth & Tradition at Epoch TV

Reactions are pouring in after the criminal charges against former President Donald Trump were revealed. On April 5, Mexico's President Andres Manuel López Obrador said the charges are being used for “political purposes.” In America, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are chiming in as well. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials are watching Russia and China for signs of interference in U.S. politics. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California, in a rejection of saber-rattling by the Chinese communist regime. Retired Marine Col. Grant Newsham tells NTD's Stefania Cox the meeting symbolically strengthens the United States' support for the island. But, he says, signs of U.S. reticence in its support are also showing through. Tornadoes continue to batter much of the Central United States. At least five people were killed in Missouri when a tornado touched down in Bollinger County. A North Carolina state representative is switching to the Republican Party, after serving about 10 years as a Democratic lawmaker. Her move gives Republicans veto-proof control in her state. ⭕️ Watch in-depth videos based on Truth & Tradition at Epoch TV

Our guests this week are Cara Keating, Chief Customer Officer, Frito Lay-North America and Chad Matthews, Chief Commercial Officer, Pepsico Beverages-North America. In a fast-paced conversation recorded live at the National Association of Convenience Stores' annual conference in Las Vegas. we dig into what makes Pepsico unique on both the food and beverage side before delving into how customer-centric innovation is brought to life using tools like Pepviz. We also learn how the convenience channel is evolving, how the lines are blurring, and how Pepsi thinks about its own direct-to-consumer efforts. We also discover how both Cara and Chad's groups work with their retail partners to drive collaborative value, before wrapping up with a discussion of Pepsi's social impact efforts.But first we dissect the week's most important retail news, kicking off with Lowe's decision to "pull a Target" and bail on the Canadian market. Then we move on to some big picture news, including the National Retail Federation's holiday forecast and profit warnings from brands like Canada Goose and Under Armour. We also revisit the "wobbly unicorn corner," unpacking what to make of dismal quarterly earnings reports from Peloton and Wayfair, before sharing some uncharacteristically good news as AdoreMe gets scooped up by Victoria's Secret for a cool $400 million. We close with news from Steve's field trip to JC Penney's new inclusive beauty concept. About CaraCara Keating, an 18-year PepsiCo veteran, is the Chief Customer Officer for Frito Lay North America. Since joining PepsiCo in 2004, Cara's ability to consistently deliver results has led to progressively senior roles in general management, customer development and field leadership across Canada.Cara began her PepsiCo career in the Western Canada market with Frito Lay Canada (FLC). She then moved to Toronto with PepsiCo Foods Canada (PFC) in 2010 for sales roles with both FLC and Quaker responsibilities including leading the national convenience & gas business, large grocery customers, and foodservice sales. In 2014, Cara was promoted to Senior Director of Sales Strategy, Planning, and Insights. After her promotion to Ontario Area Vice President in 2015, Cara led the team to back-to-back Pingel Award wins in 2015 and 2016 for the top-performing FLC region. In 2016, Cara was promoted to Vice President Customer Development, where she led PFC's national sales team to deliver against PepsiCo's promise of providing world-class service to our customers and innovative programs to our consumers. Most recently, Cara was President of PFC, a role she held for three years. In this role Cara navigated the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to many other transformational changes, all while delivering sustained growth for the company and its customers.Cara is a talented people leader and passionate supporter of PepsiCo's Diversity, Engagement & Inclusion agenda. As a former lead and recent executive sponsor for the Women's Inclusion Network (WIN), her efforts to expand WIN across PepsiCo Canada were recognized with the prestigious PepsiCo Global Harvey Russell award for her contributions to diversity and women's development across PepsiCo.Cara has also helped to position PepsiCo Canada as an industry leader in advancing women through her involvement on the Board of Directors for the annual Forward Together women's development conference. In recognition of these efforts, Cara was honoured with a 2017 Star Women in Grocery award from Canadian Grocer Magazine.Cara is also very active in the food industry and sits on the Board of Directors for the Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP), the FHCP Industry Affairs Management Committee, the Golden Pencil Committee and was a former Advisory Council Member to the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG).Prior to PepsiCo, Cara worked at Procter & Gamble for four years in Account Management. Cara holds a Bachelor's degree in Business from the University of Saskatchewan. She is an avid traveler and enjoys experiencing new destinations, cuisines and adventures with her husband, Eddie.About ChadChad Matthews is Chief Commercial Officer of PepsiCo Beverages North America. He assumed this role February 2022 and is a 24-year veteran of PepsiCo with strong leadership across the company's North America food and beverage businesses.In his current role leading the commercial function, Chad is responsible for enterprise customer development, commercialization, revenue growth management, our allied partner development, national go-to-market, and industry relations.Previously, Chad served as Senior Vice President and General Manager leading overall business and performance management for PepsiCo's beverage business in 13 states across the Central United States.Since joining PepsiCo in 1998, Chad has held several leadership roles, including Senior Vice President of Frito Lay's national accounts, Vice President of Frito-Lay's commercial organization and Vice President of Frito Lay North America's Mountain Region.Chad has deep experience and a proven track record of delivering strong business and people results, holding numerous roles across sales, operations, commercial, customer marketing, transformation, and go-to-market.About UsSteve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his       website.    The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book  Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at  Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a      Forbes senior contributor and on       Twitter and       LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel      here.Michael LeBlanc  is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada's top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  ,      The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and now in its second season, Conversations with CommerceNext!  You can learn more about Michael   here  or on     LinkedIn. Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

During the summer of 2021, much of Europe experienced a “wind drought” – wind speeds in many places were about 15% below average.  In the UK in particular, winds were unusually calm and wind energy production was dramatically reduced. Globally, wind speeds have been dropping by about 2.3% per decade since the 1970s.  In 2019, […]

For this episode, Securing Security, The Gateway is happy to have Gregg Yurchak, a long-time member in the world of cybersecurity. Initially involved with security for every flavor of Unix available in the 1990s, he then transitioned to the vendor world and has spent the last few decades in cybersecurity services at Symantec, McAfee, and now BlackBerry. Gregg is an established speaker at technology conferences, and currently manages strategic, product, and managed services at BlackBerry for the Central United States and Latin America. You can follow Gregg's thoughts on Ransomware 3.0, Identity being the new perimeter, and other current security topics on his TikTok channel – Cybersecurity in 60 Seconds (@cybersecsec) – where his officemate/pet pig also makes an occasional appearance.

Summer brings with it butterflies, lightning bugs, caterpillars, hummingbirds, fawns, baby birds, and so much more. It can be a really fun time to just get outside and observe all of the fascinating plants and animals around us. There are also plenty of things that we can be doing at this time of year to help make our yards more attractive to pollinators and wildlife. My husband, Anthony Trimboli, joins us again for this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast. Anthony has been on the podcast a few times, so you may remember that, like me, he is a wildlife biologist and educator. He also frequently helps me with my nursery and habitat consulting. This is an episode that I have really been looking forward to sharing with you because we have an exciting announcement to share. We now have a Backyard Ecology YouTube channel! Anthony is taking the lead on it and in this podcast episode, we share some of our plans for the new YouTube channel. In addition to talking about the new YouTube channel, we share some of the many things that you can be doing or observing in your yards at this time of year. Links YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRQSzkcCJzYK6cBVm66drQA Spring Hole Trail Cam - 18 Species Critter Parade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAvdIlynBFU Other Backyard Ecology Resources Attracting Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds to Your Yard: https://www.backyardecology.net/attracting-ruby-throated-hummingbirds-to-your-yard/ Trail cameras: A fun way to watch wildlife in your yard: https://www.backyardecology.net/trail-cameras-a-fun-way-to-watch-wildlife-in-your-yard/ Attract Butterflies with Overripe Fruit and Melon Rinds: https://www.backyardecology.net/attract-butterflies-with-overripe-fruit-and-melon-rinds/ Lightning bugs and Fireflies: A conversation with Lynn Faust, Part 1: https://www.backyardecology.net/lightning-bugs-and-fireflies-a-conversation-with-lynn-faust-part-1/ Lightning bugs and Fireflies – A conversation with Lynn Faust, Part 2: https://www.backyardecology.net/lightning-bugs-and-fireflies-a-conversation-with-lynn-faust-part-2/ Make a Bee Waterer: https://www.backyardecology.net/make-a-bee-waterer/ Create Mudding Spots for Butterflies: https://www.backyardecology.net/create-mudding-spots-for-butterflies/ Other Resources: Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada by Lynn Faust *: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0820348724/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0820348724&linkCode=as2&tag=backyardecolo-20&linkId=67cfaa76687d86421a5e0ca6d4c54ad8 Website: https://backyardecology.net Blog: https://www.backyardecology.net/blog/ Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/backyardecology Subscribe to Backyard Ecology emails: https://www.backyardecology.net/subscribe/ My email: shannon@backyardecology.net Episode image: White-tail deer and her fawn Photo credit: USFWS, Midwest Region, public domain

1. Grain and Soybean Futures Little Changed Overnight; 2. Soybean and Wheat Inspections Rise Week-to-Week; 3. Freeze, Red-Flag Warnings Issued For Parts of Central United States

1. Grain and Soybean Futures Little Changed Overnight; 2. Soybean and Wheat Inspections Rise Week-to-Week; 3. Freeze, Red-Flag Warnings Issued For Parts of Central United States

The Bonnie and Clyde gang rode roughshod over the Central United States during the Depression in the 1930s until Texas Ranger Frank Hamer came out of retirement and ended their deadly robbery spree in an ambush. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker aka Bonnie and Clyde It's one of many cases that contributes to the worldwide reputation of the Texas Rangers. In order to get a concise and accurate account of its history, Riggs went to the Official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum In Waco, Texas The museum attracts 100-thousand people a year from around the globe to see its exhibit artifacts, artwork, and archives. Here's my interview with its Director, Byron Johnson. FOLLOW the True Crime Reporter® Podcast  SIGN UP FOR my True Crime Newsletter THANK YOU FOR THE FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON APPLE Please leave one – it really helps. TELL ME about a STORY OR SUBJECT  that you want to hear more about

The Bonnie and Clyde gang rode roughshod over the Central United States during the Depression in the 1930s until Texas Ranger Frank Hamer came out of retirement and ended their deadly robbery spree in an ambush. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker aka Bonnie and Clyde It's one of many cases that contributes to the worldwide reputation of the Texas Rangers. On March 1st of 2022, Texas kicked off plans to commemorate The Texas Ranger Bicentennial in 2023. Robert Riggs and Bill Johnston, the cohosts of True Crime Reporter™, are members of the Host Committee along with President George W. Bush and former Texas Governor Rick Perry. In order to get a concise and accurate account of its history, Riggs went to the Official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum In Waco, Texas The museum attracts 100-thousand people a year from around the globe to see its exhibit artifacts, artwork, and archives. In this edition of True Crime Reporter™ Texas Ranger Files, here's Riggs' interview with its Director Byron Johnson. True Crime Reporter™ is a @2022 copyrighted and trade-marked production by True Crime Reporter, LLC, in Dallas, Texas.

The Bonnie and Clyde gang rode roughshod over the Central United States during the Depression in the 1930s until Texas Ranger Frank Hamer came out of retirement and ended their deadly robbery spree in an ambush. It's one of many cases that contributes to the worldwide reputation of the Texas Rangers. On March 1st of 2022, Texas kicked off plans to commemorate The Texas Ranger Bicentennial in 2023. Robert Riggs and Bill Johnston, the cohosts of True Crime Reporter™, are members of the Host Committee along with President George W. Bush and former Texas Governor Rick Perry. In order to get a concise and accurate account of its history, Riggs went to the Official Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum attracts 100-thousand people a year from around the globe to see its exhibit artifacts, artwork, and archives. In this edition of True Crime Reporter™ Texas Ranger Files, here's Riggs' interview with its Director Byron Johnson. Note: You can read more about the history of the legendary Texas Rangers and see vintage photos on our blog at True Crime Reporter™. For official historical information visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum online or in-person at the museum in Waco, Texas.  Please join us in supporting the 2023 Texas Ranger Bicentennial. We want to become your favorite true crime podcast. Please leave a review wherever you listen. Join our true crime community and follow us here.  True Crime Reporter™ is a @2022 copyrighted and trade-marked production by True Crime Reporter, LLC, in Dallas, Texas.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

February 6, 2010 marked the culmination of a coast to coast storm that brought parts of the Central United States snow and ice and snarled traffic and caused flight delays for the days leading up to the 6th. As the storm approached the East Coast on the afternoon of February 5, 2010 snow started to fall along the I-95 corridor in the Mid-Atlantic region. Already warned of the impending storm airlines had cancelled hundreds of flights and moved planes out of the snowfall zone. The storm intensified aided by a strengthening pocket of arctic cold settling in over New England. The result was a bomb cyclone – so called because of extreme strengthening, not unlike an explosion or bomb going off. By the time the snow was done flying on the afternoon of February 6, 28.5” of snow had fallen in Philadelphia making it the 2nd greatest snowfall in that city's history. Baltimore totaled 24.8” an all-time record and in the nation's capital 32.4” of measured smashing the old the record for the heaviest single season fall by almost 10”. Airports, roads and schools were closed for a week and as crews battled bitterly cold temps and strong winds in the aftermath of what would be termed the Blizzard of 2010. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ashley discusses the story of Bonnie and Clyde the infamous criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, known for their bank robberies, although they preferred to rob small stores or rural funeral homes. While Sara discusses the tragic story of Kendrick Johnson who was an African American teenager discovered inside a vertical rolled-up mat in the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia where he was a student.

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, known for their bank robberies, although they preferred to rob small stores or rural funeral homes. Their exploits captured the attention of the American press and its readership during what is occasionally referred to as the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934. 

Jackson grew up in Colorado and played his rugby at Metropolitan State University of Denver, where he received degrees in marketing, public relations and physical education. Daryl played club rugby with Queen City in Denver and later transitioned into a coach and teacher. A sports education trainer dedicated to educating children and adults about the benefits of physical exercise and promoting optimum growth and personal development. Experienced coach and trainer with 10 years coaching and 2 years teaching experience with expertise in educating children about the benefits of physical fitness and wellbeing, designing after-school programs for children, coordinating youth programs, designing and implementing wellbeing programs for parents and children and managing sports club administration. Achievements include getting buy-in from teachers to incorporate wellbeing programs into the educational curriculum, implementing individual performance metrics for children, making a significant positive contribution towards the academic and social performance of children. Formerly a sales and marketing professional with 20 years' experience in client management, generated sales and marketing opportunities, achieved sales targets and solved customers high-value problems. Especially recognized for sales leadership skills, gained the trust of customers, being attentive to customer service needs and effectively solved customer problems. Communicated and influenced effectively with all management and professional levels. CLUB SPORTS MANAGEMENT- Managed Queen City rugby club- Managed club finances- Selected player personnel- Recruited coaches and players- Created referee schedules- Coordinated game events, selecting venues and fixtures- Designed fund-raising and marketing collateral programs -SCHOOL SPORTS MANAGEMENT-TEACHING-COACHING EXPERIENCEUSA Rugby's High Performance Pathways have today announced the 26 members of its Eagle Eye Scout Network. The network is made up of regional coordinators and zone representatives who attend events in their region to identify top high school (under-18) talent in the men's and women's game.Eagle Eye Scout Network (EESN) spans the East, West and Central United States.  Each region is led by two regional coordinators with support from another six zone representatives. Scouts collect and submit reports on players they see while working hand-in-hand with the local community to review player recommendations.

It's lucky number 13. Sandra discusses the legend of Black Annis from England. She is also known as Black Agnes or Black Anna. She is described as looking like a blue-faced hag or witch with claws. This folklore character is said to reside in a cave in the countryside of Leicestershire. In a similar fashion to the witch from Hansel and Gretel, Black Annis would target unsuspecting children. This story was often used by parents as a kind of cautionary tale to prevent children from wandering off. Then Danielle covers the legend of Bonnie & Clyde. A criminal couple from the 1930s who committed robberies throughout the Central United States. Though they murdered police officers and civilians, the couple had painted an image of romance and adventure. They have remained a household name to this day in part because of Bonnie's poetry and photography she captured while the couple was on the run from the authorities. Sandra's Sources: https://doompatrol.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Annis https://redwitchesjourney.com/2019/04/26/lore-of-black-annis/ Danielle's Sources: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/bonnie-parker?li_source=LI&li_medium=bio-mid-article&li_pl=208&li_tr=bio-mid-article https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/clyde-barrow https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/bonnie-and-clyde https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/bonnieclyde/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/oywiththeterroralready/support

Lynn Faust joins this edition of Creature Comforts to talks about the fire flies appearing this late spring. As the author of “Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada” Lynn really knows how to pick these bio-luminescent creatures out of the nights sky. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's been a semi active week on the plains and up the east coast for severe weather but some are beginning to question if the Central United States will have a decent "chase season" or an active severe spring season. In the Eastern Pacific ocean, we have our first named tropical system that is coming a few days before that season officially kicks off. Tropical Storm Andres is moving the NW and will begin to die off as it makes its way west. The Atlantic season starts June 1st. NOAA released its updated climate snapshots for the last 30 years. Most of the US saw an increase in temperature and the average decade over decade total increased .13 degrees Fahrenheit, while the century average was up around 1 degree Fahrenheit. We celebrate Bonnie's 30 and 1 birthday and wish a Happy Mothers Day to all Mom's out there!

My guest in this episode is Chris Helzer. When I started this podcast nearly a year ago, Chris was on my short list of people I wanted to interview, so I'm very happy that the day has come.Chris is The Nature Conservancy's Director of Science in Nebraska, where his main role is to evaluate, capture, and share lessons from the Conservancy's land management and restoration work. Chris is also the creator of the popular blog called The Prairie Ecologist, where he combines his knowledge and insights with his photography to raise awareness about the value of prairies and prairie conservation. Chris is also the author of two books –  “The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States” and “Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter”.You can also find Chris' photography of prairies and their inhabitants in a variety of publications, including NEBRASKAland magazine and Wildflower magazine. You can also find Chris on Instagram @prairieecologist.In this episode we discuss what a prairie is, and dispel common myths about prairies. We get a quick lesson on ecological succession, and how drought and fire play important roles in sustaining prairies. Chris also describes the framework that is used when making land management decisions.We also discuss how Chris combines his scientific background with his photographic and storytelling skills to create a very successful outreach portfolio through his blog and instagram.Chris is a highly skilled environmental educator, so I took the opportunity to ask him about his approach of “meeting people where they are at” to connect with people at any interest level. We also dove into how he's used photography and his “One Square Meter” book and project to demonstrate the beauty and biodiversity of the prairie, enabling him to connect with many more people.Links To Items DiscussedMichael Forsberg - award winning photographer famous for his work in the Great Plains, among many topics. Chris mentions Michael's photography and story telling as influential on his own work. The Nature Conservancy, and in Nebraska specifically. Chris oversees the Hubbard Fellowship program. A Field Guide to Roadside Wildflowers at Full Speed - A humorous field guide of blurry photos - check it out! Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter - Chris wrote this book about discoveries he found in a square meter of prairie. The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States - by Chris Helzer. This is Chris' highly regarded book that is recommended for any prairie enthusiast. Meeting People Where They Are - Chris created this video describing this important concept that those performing environmental outreach should consider University of Nebraska State Museum - Morrill Hall - where Chris will have an exhibit in the fall of 2021. Chinook Winds - downsloping winds originating along the rocky mountains, and extending over the great plains. These winds cause adiabatic warming and dramatically reduce humidity, and are occasionally associated with wildfire spread. 

On todays episode of Gin and Sin (or rather Sunday's episode), Emily brings us the infamous case of Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were an American criminal couple who travelled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, known for their bank robberies, although they preferred to rob small stores or rural gas stations. But do you know the real story? This is part one of a two part special....

Christopher Cook serves as a lieutenant overseeing the media relations and strategic communications for the Arlington, Texas Police Department. He leads a team focused on internal and external communication initiatives, proactive citizen engagement through digital social media, and strategic public relations. Lt. Cook oversees both sworn and civilian staff which manage all media inquiries, respond to major incidents, and produce digital media and publications to reach the population who live, work and visit the 48th largest city in the United States.Lt. Cook was elected in 2019 and serves as the current Vice President of the National Information Officers Association (NIOA), the largest group of communication professionals in the world. He is scheduled to be sworn in as President of the NIOA in August 2021. He also chairs the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) – Public Information Officers Committee representing 78 of the largest police departments in the United States and Canada, since 2018. Lt. Cook is a Regional Vice Chair representing the Central United States consisting of Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) – Public Information Officers Section and previously served as the Chair for that Section from 2015-2018. He also is an active member of the North Texas PIO Group which provides regular assistance and training to law enforcement agencies in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth region. Lt. Cook testified before the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice-Community Trust and Respect for Law Enforcement panel in 2020. He also provided testimony to the IACP Police Professional Standards Ethics and Image Committee on the state of policing related to the value that public information officers provide to communities in the midst of calls for police reform and defunding media teams. Lt. Cook provides regular instructional courses in the public information profession to a variety of agencies and organizations. Speaking and executive training engagements include the IACP, NIOA, MCCA, FBI, Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, Texas Crime Prevention Association, Institute for Law Enforcement Administration, Caruth Police Institute, Government Social Media Conference, the Social Media Internet Law Enforcement Conference, and numerous other law enforcement centric organizations.Lt. Cook began his career in law enforcement in 1995 and graduated at the top of his class. He has worked in jail operations, patrol, traffic enforcement, commercial vehicle enforcement, high-intensity drug trafficking operations, and fatality crash investigations. Lt. Cook has a decade of experience in media relations, strategic communication, and public outreach efforts based upon his appointment to lead the Media Office in 2011. He has served as a lead public information planner and PIO for several large-scale events including the MLB World Series in 2011 and 2020, NFL Super Bowl in 2011, College Football Playoff National Championship in 2015, and the National Finals Rodeo in 2020. Lt. Cook holds a Master of Arts in Criminology & Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice at Tarleton State University.Christopher Cook – Lieutenant –Arlington Police Department Work - 817.459.5333 Work E-Mail -  Personal  E-Mail  TwitterSupport the show (https://t.co/GOmAg9X6e8?amp=1)

Bonnie and Clyde were a notorious American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their sensational and murderous bank robberies and hold-ups of small stores and rural gas stations, captured the attention and then the ire of Americans across the country. #WikiSleep #WikiSleepPodcast #BonnieAndClyde #sleepstories

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow - were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, known for their bank robberies, although they preferred to rob small stores or rural gas stations. Their exploits captured the attention of the American press and its readership during what is occasionally referred to as the «public enemy era» between 1931 and 1934. They are believe to have murdered at least nine police officers and four civilians. They were killed in May 1934 during an ambush by police near Gibsland, Louisiana. The press's portrayal of Bonnie and Clyde was sometimes at odds with the reality of their life on the road, especially for Parker. She was present at 100 or more felonies during the two years that she was Barrow's companion, although she was not the cigar-smoking, machine gun-wielding killer depicted in newspapers, newsreels, and pulp detective magazines of the day. Nonetheless, numerous police accounts detail her attempts to murder police officers. A photo of Parker posing with a cigar came from an undeveloped roll of film that police found at an abandoned hideout, and the snapshot was published nationwide. Parker did smoke cigarettes, although she never smoked cigars. According to historian Jeff Guinn, the photos found at the hideout resulted in Parker's glamorization and the creation of myths about the gang. The 1967 film «Bonnie and Clyde», directed by Arthur Penn and starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the title roles, revived interest in the criminals and glamorized them with a romantic aura. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/biography/message

This week's episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast is the conclusion of our conversation with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada. In this episode, we continue to just geek out about lightning bugs. Once again, this is a very informal conversation that includes stories and more educational content. If you haven't listened to the previous episode, then I encourage you to go back and listen to Episode 15, which is part 1 of this conversation. We ended the previous episode talking about the larvae of the Pyractomena or Spring Tree Top Flasher fireflies and how they are so special because they pupate on the sides of trees where we can see them. And they do this in the late winter / very early spring, basically the late Feb. or early March timeframe in Kentucky and Tennessee. We jump right back into that conversation with Lynn describing some of Pyractomena's mating behaviors and why they might choose to come out so early. Much of the story of lightning bugs and fireflies revolves around the theme of just paying attention, making observations, sharing what you see, and asking questions. People doing those things have led to the discovery of new species like the synchronized fireflies of the Smokies and the Low Country Ghost. Other people have been able to help better document the range of a given species like the Pink Flashers. Those activities have also led to recognizing previously overlooked behaviors like the fireflies nectaring on milkweeds. There's so much out there to learn and discover if we're willing to open our eyes and pay attention. Lightning bugs, like many other insects, also face some threats. The main threats to lightning bugs are light pollution, pesticides in the soil, soil compaction, and habitat loss. Lynn talks about these threats and realistic ways that we can make our yards more firefly friendly. She takes a very balanced approach that basically boils down to being aware of how your actions might affect lightning bugs or other organisms and then making the best choices for you and your situation. I, for one, appreciate that balance. Lynn also shares some tips for observing lightning bugs. Again, if you missed the first part of this conversation, then I encourage you to go back to episode 15 and listen to it. In that episode, Lynn shared the story of how she went from just watching the lightning bugs to becoming “The Lightning Bug Lady.” We also talked about some of the different species found in the eastern U.S., how to identify firefly species, and the general life history of fireflies. I hope you enjoy both these episodes. Links: Lynn's book and papers Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada * Lowcountry Ghosts 2020 , Phausis sp. firefly Milkweed Fireflies: The Occurrence and Behaviors of 5 Adult North American Fireflies, Lucidota atra, Photinus pyralis, Photinus cookii, Pyropyga minuta and Photuris sp. on milkweed Asclepias syriaca Other scientific papers by Lynn Backyard Ecology's website Lightning bugs and Fireflies – A conversation with Lynn Faust, Part 1 Milkweeds in Urban and Suburban Monarch Waystations with Dr. Adam Baker Land Snails and Their Amazing Diversity Sign up for free Backyard Ecology emails My email: shannon@backyardecology.net Episode image: Firefly on butterfly milkweed Photo credit: baloonimals, cc-0

For many of us in the eastern U.S., warm spring and summer nights are characterized by the methodical flashing of fireflies and lightning bugs. Fireflies and lightning bugs are exactly the same thing. I grew up calling them “lightning bugs,” but somewhere along the line picked up the term “firefly.” Now I use both terms interchangeably. It doesn't matter what you call them, these flashing insects have the ability to bring out the child in all of us. In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we talk with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada. She is also sometimes called “The Lightning Bug Lady,” and with good reason as you'll quickly learn when you listen to this episode. Our conversation is very informal and includes lots of stories mixed in with more educational discussions. This episode is a little different than previous episodes because it is the first in a two-part series. Lynn is so knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and has so many great stories that I couldn't fit everything into one episode. So, we'll start our conversation in this episode, and then conclude our conversation in the next episode. Often, we tend to think of lightning bugs as all being the same, but they aren't. In the eastern U.S., we are very rich in lightning bug species and we're still identifying new species. One of the things that I love about lightning bugs is that we can enjoy them on so many different levels. We can sit on our porches or in our lawn chairs and just appreciate their beauty. We can run around in our bare feet and catch them. We can learn the different flash patterns and begin identifying the species that we are seeing. Or anything in between. In this episode, Lynn shares the story of how she went from just watching the lightning bugs to becoming “The Lightning Bug Lady.” We also talk about some of the different species found in the eastern U.S., how to identify firefly species, and the general life history of fireflies. In the next episode, we'll continue our life history discussion. We'll also talk about some exciting recent discoveries, threats to fireflies, ways we can make our yards more lightning bug friendly, and tips for observing fireflies. I hope you enjoy both these episodes. Links: Lynn's book and papers Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada * Lowcountry Ghosts 2020 , Phausis sp. firefly Milkweed Fireflies: The Occurrence and Behaviors of 5 Adult North American Fireflies, Lucidota atra, Photinus pyralis, Photinus cookii, Pyropyga minuta and Photuris sp. on milkweed Asclepias syriaca Other scientific papers by Lynn Backyard Ecology's website Lightning bugs and Fireflies – A conversation with Lynn Faust, Part 2 Milkweeds in Urban and Suburban Monarch Waystations with Dr. Adam Baker Land Snails and Their Amazing Diversity Sign up for free Backyard Ecology emails My email: shannon@backyardecology.net Episode image: Firefly (Photinus pyralis) Photo credit: Katja Schulz, cc-by 2.0

Around 4.4 million Texans are without power and 7 states declared states of emergency including Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Texas because of the winter storm that has been ravaging much of the United States. Approximately half of the US population is under some sort of winter advisory. The storm is expected to continue to sweep up through much of the Central and Eastern United States and eventually reach its final destination of Eastern Canada and New England. As a result of this strain on American infrastructure, many COVID-19 Vaccine shipments were delayed with Texas and Florida being the states that were most affected by this. Appointments for vaccination were also delayed or cancelled in areas such as Austin and Houston. President Joe Biden tweeted that these delays caused by the disruptive weather would not stop him from reaching his goal of administering 100 million vaccines within his first 100 days of being in office. With 52 million people already vaccinated and 2 months left before the 100-day deadline, President Biden remains confident that he will not only maintain his timeline but surpass it.

February 6, 2010 marked the culmination of a coast to coast storm that brought parts of the Central United States snow and ice and snarled traffic and caused flight delays for the days leading up to the 6th. As the storm approached the East Coast on the afternoon of February 5, 2010 snow started to fall along the I-95 corridor in the Mid-Atlantic region. Already warned of the impending storm airlines had cancelled hundreds of flights and moved planes out of the snowfall zone. The storm intensified aided by a strengthening pocket of artic cold settling in over New England. The result was a bomb cyclone – so called because of extreme strengthening, not unlike an explosion or bomb going off. By the time the snow was done flying on the afternoon of February 6, 28.5” of snow had fallen in Philadelphia making it the 2nd greatest snowfall in that city’s history. Baltimore totaled 24.8” an all-time record and in the nation’s capital 32.4” of measured smashing the old the record for the heaviest single season fall by almost 10”. Airports, roads and schools were closed for a week and as crews battled bitterly cold temps and strong winds in the aftermath of what would be termed the Blizzard of 2010. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode, we sit down with Jason Janning, general manager for the Central United States and member of the Hilti North America Executive Management Team. We covered a lot of ground in this conversation, from jobsite technology to building a better future for neighbors in need.

Wade Brown While there are plenty of opportunities to be angry, we don't want to be angry. We don't. Joshua was a beautiful, beautiful young man. And Joshua is not suicide. Joshua is a 14-year-old who did an adult thing in a moment of weakness and we'll never know why. He's a kid that did an adult thing. He's not suicide. And so, you know, it's important for us to demonstrate to our kids. And I try to do it at work as well. We choose love and grace. We do.   INTRO   This is the second Handle with Care episode where a father talks about the death of his teen by suicide.  If you didn’t get a chance to listen the first conversation, I would encourage you, after listening to this episode, to also listen to our last episode where Jason Seiden talks about his daughter Elle.   My guest today is Wade Brown.  His full name is Edmund Wade Brown the 4th.  His parents were convinced that he was going to be a girl and went to the hospital expecting a Jennifer.  When a little boy arrived, they waited two days before naming him after his father.    Wade is the Vice President of Field Operations for GE, covering the Central United States.    Wade Brown So diagnostic imaging, patient care you've covered has put ventilators and anesthesia machines on the front page. Well. And so, so all of the products that G.E. Healthcare makes and sells into our health care customers, my team supports.   Wade manages a large team and they have been especially busy and vital in the fight against COVID-19.    Wade Brown I've always compared it to my big family. I've led large teams for the better part of 20 years now and there's so many similarities to that.   - Liesel Mertes I could I can only read them. I only have four children, which is more than many, but less than you. And it is like it's like field marshalling. Sometimes it's just the logistics. I totalizing, let alone everybody's like emotional moment and the particular care that they need. And so, I hear you. But I'm sure that I only hear part of what you're lived experience has been like.   - Wade Brown It's I always liken it to controlled chaos. You know, there's somebody ready to break loose at any given moment, and I've got it.   You heard the reference above to a large family.  Wade is the father of nine children.    - Wade Brown So, I have book-end girls. I have.   - Wade Brown Jordan is is 30 and Josephine is nine. And so, seven boys in the middle. And so, we had Jordan and then and then Jacob. They came very quickly in our marriage. And and then Jonathan, our third child. So, we were boom, boom, boom. You know, still, you know, young, married, three kids and the J. Alliteration kicked in. So, we were Jordan and Jonathan. And then. And then, when Cynthia became pregnant for the fourth time, Jared was an eight.   - Wade Brown So we. So we stayed on the J's. And so my kids are infamously known as the J kids.   And Wade is joining us today to talk about his son, Joshua, who took his own life a year and a half ago at the age of 14.  Wade shares about the ripple effects of the loss, how his community came around him, and how he carries Joshua into his life in 2020.    - Wade Brown I've I've got on my board here at home from Ernest, Ernest Hemingway. Right. Hard clear about what hurts. And so listen to these discussions. And I've been on stage in front of hundreds of people multiple times. I've been on Zoom call, you know, Skype and Zoom calls with literally thousands of people. So. It's good to talk about it. It's a story that needs to be shared and talked about. It's just a mission that I'll have the rest of my life in this club area.   - Wade Brown Well, and, you know, kind of the heart of the centerpiece for our chat today is it's Joshua. And so, you know, we've got, you know, Joshua 1:9, you know, be strong and courageous as big as has been and will forever be, you know, an important passage for us and the people around us. And I've even got a I've got an adult kid now that's wearing it on his chest.   For those of you that are not familiar with Joshua 1:9, it is a verse from the Bible where God tells His people to be strong and courageous as they prepare to face a host of challenges and conflict moving into a new land.    Wade also loves the rainbow as a symbol of promise and a reminder to talk to kids about the impact of suicide.  So much so that his wife has banned him.    - Wade Brown I've been banned from Etsy, actually severe. I had to get permission before I can go on Etsy because I just I, I just couldn't get enough stained glass in. We've just got some beautiful stained glass pieces here. And one of them actually commissioned a lady in St. Louis. She's a retired mathematical engineer, just a brilliant, lovely person. And we connected through Etsy and then and they kind of became friends. And so she made a custom piece that I have here at my and my home office.   - Wade Brown And it's just magnificent. It's beautiful. I could I could send you a picture after work.   - Liesel Mertes I would love to see that work. I imagine or touched on this more in our conversation. But. You know, when you have a child die, there's such a profound absence, you know, that there's a there's a spiritual, emotional absence, but there's this very physical void. And to be able to have things in our physical realm that are are literally touchstones, whether that's, you know, something something to be able to look at or touch.   - Liesel Mertes It's is it's I find it to me.   - Liesel Mertes And for many, that physical grounding in the reality of life, they haven't just vanished and become this ethereal, like nothingness like this. There's a person who had weight and space in our family. And so I I hear how that's important. And I'm sure I'm sure the artisans of Etsy are missing you. I have my own rabbit holes with stuff like that.   It is a tumultuous time to be a small business owner or entrepreneur.  The market is full of uncertainty and it feels like the rules of engagement are constantly changing.  One constant is the need for talented people.  And one of the best ways to attract and recruit talent is through an attractive benefits package.  FullStack PEO is here to help.  Let the talented crew at FullStack navigate the complex world of employee benefits so that you can focus on surviving and thriving during COVID-19.   The uncertainty of our current moment is also causing so much stress and overwhelm for your people.  Compassion fatigue is gnawing at the edges, there are health concerns and the stress of young children at home.  Handle with Care Consulting is here to equip your people to give and receive care when it matters most.  Our customized consulting packages empower your team with actionable strategies to bring put empathy to work.    MUSICAL TRANSITION   As Wade and I began our conversation, he reflected on how the loss and tragedy of Joshua has uniquely equipped him to lead his team during the COVID crisis.     - Wade Brown And this has been part of my journey the last year and a half of my life. Liesel is is there for for me personally and with my team that's been with me through the Joshua experience.   - Wade Brown It almost served as a bit of a preparatory experience because the connections that we have, the culture that that I've talked about it and written about it, the culture, family, the culture of caring is real in my space. And and so when COVID turned on and we had to go to, you know, to our daily stand up call first thing every morning, you know, with 100 people on the phone trying to take on the spot decisions because there were so many unknowns.   - Wade Brown I think we were better able to administer our way, especially through those early days where there was so much trepidation because of the connections across our team and my connection personally with the people that I get the privilege leading because of the Joshua experience. Now, would we have done well, having not had that? I'm sure we would have. But it was a it was unique for us there like that. We didn't have to. We have to warm up for it.   - Wade Brown We were already warm, like we were more ready to go. And there was a higher level of trust because of that, because it's not just what I found. The backside of the you know, the health care phenomenon isn't just that you have to go into those places. It's dead. You have to go home and be around your family. So that's actually where most of the fear and concern came from. And so, you know, for us to be able to have, you know, I believe I believe a higher level of trust and caring for each other helped helped us do better and be better and be quicker in our response.   - Wade Brown I believe that. And I've seen other teams perform through this. And so I would say that we we stack pretty well.   - Wade Brown And you know, just how we how we moved through an incredibly an incredibly volatile and it's still volatile still. But, you know, ninety hundred days ago, there were infinitely more questions than there were answers.   - Liesel Mertes Right. Well, and what would I hear in that? And I want to dig more in a bit into the specificity of it. But the sense that, you know, through your own disruptive life event you had you had led with the particular vulnerability of. Needing care and receiving care from your team and that that lived experience. I mean, there can still be in organizations are given teams or with particular managers.   - Liesel Mertes This sense of a very clear distinction like this is your work life. And this is your home life. And the two do not intersect like you. You just manage your stuff and then you show up and perform.   - Liesel Mertes And the realization for your team and for you of, you know, I'm a holistic person and I'm bringing this really hard thing to work. And I I need and appreciate your support. And I want to give that to you. If you're going through something hard, it seems like it. It set the stage for being able to receive the current context in like a healthier much more giving way.   - Wade Brown Yeah, for sure. There's no doubt about it. I had I listened into your last posted podcast with Fred Brown and.   As a sidenote, the interview with Fred Brown is tremendous.  Fred talks about the challenge of carrying grief and loss as a Black man and CEO.  If you haven’t had a chance to listen, make it the next in your queue.   - Wade Brown Yes. And I heard him mention about, you know, for years being being the caregiver, not the receiver of care and raising, of course, that that that's me for sure. I mean, I'm a I'm a I'm a dad of a big family love. That's my greatest achievement. And it always will be. I've led big teams for two decades and I've been a people leader for most of the 32 years I've been in my career. I'm I'm a coach.   - Wade Brown I'm a caregiver. I don't receive care. And you know it. There were a couple of things that happened through the grieving experience with Joshua that just had a 100 percent transference into into my workspace. And a couple of those things were profound. And one of them was my first opportunity. This was May of last year. So this was within four months of Joshua's death. I had the opportunity go on stage and address the extended services leadership team for each four GE health care here in the United States and Canada.   - Wade Brown So that's, that's my extended work family. So that was five hundred plus people. And and I did that early on in the two and half days we were there. So the two days that followed Liesel were just were transformative for me. And that what I discovered, what came back to me in the 48 hours that after I walked off stage until it was time to get everybody to leave and go home, I had four dozen, you know, up close, some between 40 and 50 people.   - Wade Brown I wasn't counting. I just know that it was four dozen ish. People pulled me aside and tell me their very personal stories. And it wasn't ready for it. Quite frankly, it overwhelming. I found myself back in my room crying a couple of times and calling calling Cynthia going, oh, my gosh, my God. I didn't realize what was what I was what was going to come back to me when I did this. Getting on stage was hard enough.   - Wade Brown But then the stories that came back to me were were deep. They were profound. They were heartbreaking. And. But what I learned from that and what I've talked about is everybody has their Joshua. And I think there were people want to talk and they want to share and they want to feel supported and they want to give support. Just just an incredible experience.   - Wade Brown And with respect to receiving care, it really wasn't until late last year. It was in the fall for sure, before November ish. My family had engaged with Riley Hope and Healing for counseling and support. Are you familiar with Riley?   - Liesel Mertes Yes.   - Wade Brown And so so Mike, Cynthia and the younger kids were in that, and it was with success. And I had just never been inclined to seek that kind of help or support. And so I did. And it was an and it was also with the encouragement of cup of a couple of people that are closest to me at work because they could see it, they could feel for me just the ups and downs.   - Wade Brown And because I had for the you know, for the seven, eight, nine months prior I had carried my family, I had carried my community, the homeschool kids that I had mentioned before, like, we have a tremendous a very large circle of friends and and support.   - Wade Brown And so I was doing all the talking and I was trying to provide that that comfort and their therapeutic support for everyone around me, but none for myself. No, it was incredible. Just that it was it it still to this day, I mean, I have a whiteboard and a notebook, you know, just full of notes and thoughts and and and so where I'm going with that ultimately is what I've tried to do then, especially through COVID. But it started late last year and it's and then I continued it into the new year. And then, of course, COVID gave it a whole kind of change.   - Wade Brown The color of the mosaic is weave. I and my team host mental health, stress, anxiety. We do awareness calls. We bring guest speakers on. And the first thing we did when COVID four started was about managing stress and anxiety at home. It wasn't about were. It was about your personal space. And we had a wonderful doctor come on in. And what happened on the other side of that, Liesel, was was amazing because the distribution list on the Skype broadcast, it went out to, I think, about six hundred people. Then we expanded up to about 850 people. And then when we got the count afterwards, we had like twenty five hundred people on it now.   - Wade Brown But there is a multiplier that comes of that, because I got numerous notes from people that were on that listen to the broadcast and participated in the Q&A that they didn't do it just themselves because everybody's working from home.   - Wade Brown They had brought their high school kids, their college kids, their their partners or spouses. There were families listening to this. So you know that now you're like four to five thousand people. And so but that's it's important for us to put it out there and and have those expressions.   - Wade Brown Everybody has their Joshua. And I think that that's not the case. I think is I don't think it's genuine. I think it's naive. And I actually think it's a bit dangerous for the health of the organization because you're just ignoring your comment before we're all holistic people.   - Wade Brown You can't you can't cleanly segregate work from your home life. You can't. And so and so why would you why would you try and I think in you know, early in my career, I wouldn't have been so open to that.   - Wade Brown But certainly the last 15 years and now with with what's happened with Joshua, I'm all in. I just don't want a complete belief system that has matured and expanded because of this.   - Liesel Mertes Well, and man, absolutely. I resonate with that deeply as it relates to my work of building the capacity for support within teams. And just the like you said, there's there's a cost to ignoring it.   - Liesel Mertes There is is not a zero sum game. There's a cost to the stability of your people. You know, there's only there's only so long that you can hold it all together before it starts coming out in your ability to play well with others or complete tasks or in your physical health. You know that the ties to, you know, unreconciled stress and how it can come out in the winds, the body keeps the score.   - Wade Brown  Yeah, really true.   - Liesel Mertes I, I want to I want to back up just a little bit because, you know, even the statement everyone has their Joshua, tell me a little bit about Joshua. Where does he fall in your birth order? And we'll go from there.   - Wade Brown Yeah, sure. Well, he was just a beautiful young man. So he's number seven. He's my my sixth son. My seventh. My seventh child. And just a beautiful, beautiful young man. If you saw his image on unlink and it just, you know, platinum blond hair, blue eyes, six foot two at 14 years old. So a couple of my kids have been early bloomers. Joshua certainly was more than those, you know, six to at 14 and just absolutely strong as a horse.   - Wade Brown And any head that his hair, when he teased it up, was six five maybe.   - Wade Brown That boy loved his hair.   - Wade Brown But he just just a fantastic kid. We saw I mean, he was in two different youth groups, played on two different basketball teams. Was just, you know, we never know. No trouble at all.   - Wade Brown And, you know, with a family my size and having been a dad for 30 years, I've had a lot of, you know, a lot of conversations with teenagers and in college age kids. And, gosh, even after college, it's still got stuff to talk about. And Joshua just was we just not it wasn't it wasn't like that with him.   - Wade Brown He was just just so good and pure. A great friend. And because of because of his his size at a young age was always girls following him because he was just, you know, bigger, stronger than the other kids that were in his class.   - Wade Brown And so just a beautiful, beautiful young man and. Yeah. Yeah.   - Liesel Mertes I love that. Right. Tell me a little bit about the events that led to his death.   - Wade Brown Yeah. So we were so so with respect to, you know, him taking his life, committing suicide, were there were there was nothing. We had no indicators. It done his homework and clean the kitchen. Cynthia was at a book club meeting with some of her other friends. And so he was here with my two younger kids. He had done his homework, cleaned the kitchen, made sure the kids were safe, and then came down into my office and wrote us a note on my whiteboard.   - Wade Brown And then and then he he took his life.   - Wade Brown So I was in Chicago on one business, on the perfect I'm a road warrior. I've traveled most of my 32 years. My family's very accustomed to that. And so I was we were finished with our meeting. We'd gotten back to the hotel after dinner and there were three or four of us sitting, having a glass of wine and and just just talking. And we were just hanging out a bit before before going back to our rooms.   - Wade Brown And I got the 911 text message from from Cynthia. And so I called. She told me the news. I had gone into a back hallway to talk to her. And I came back out and told my colleagues that I had to go. And, of course, they could tell that something was wrong. So I share with them what had happened. And, of course, we all embraced. Cried a bit, and then, of course, they wanted to drive me back to Indianapolis like, no.   - Wade Brown I got this. And so I drove back to Indy, got home in the middle of the night. You know, of course, all my mom was here and all of the, you know, the the emergency response, the first responders, all of that was was done. Joshua wasn't here any longer. And so it was, you know, just sitting here with my, you know, my family just trying to understand, you know, what had happened.   - Wade Brown And and, you know, so it's it's really it's difficult to explain, you know, really. But what I would you know what I've I've tried to the word that just I think. Describes best. What that felt like, it was just the suddenness. It was it just in a in an instant. In an instant. You know, you go from a book, you go to a before and after, like there's a whole line, a line that strong there and it's still in it.   - Wade Brown It's still there. And it's never going to go away. And so it's not moving on from it. It's it's moving on with it, as has has been infamously said. And I I believe that.   - Wade Brown And so, you know, the the if so, then there's and it's kind of the multiple frontiers that you have to manage. It's of course I have a job, I have a team. I support account of me. What's going to happen there?   - Wade Brown I've got a family that I've got. I've got to get through this. What's going to happen there? We've got a community. You know, Josh was was was very well known and and and very much loved by a lot of people. And so, you know, how do you kind of how do you patch that together and and push through? So, you know, it was it's. The suddenness and grief is a nasty announced, a nasty monster.   - Wade Brown You know, it doesn't. It doesn't no place. It certainly has a purpose.   - Liesel Mertes You talk about the unpredictability of grief. Which absolutely I am. I find that so so you're wearing multiple different hats. Your your hat as a spouse, as, you know, a manager, also as a parent. I'm struck that there's something pretty profound about walking with your children through their own grief and their different responses. What was that asking of you? Even even in how it set you up for in November, realizing, oh, I also need counselling?   - Wade Brown Well, it's I think, you know, one of the things that we tried to recognize Cynthia and I get when you're just you're. In the immediacy of the moment is the grief is different for everyone. And and we we wanted to be very, very careful with our kids not to try to superimpose what we were feeling on them and and vice versa. And so especially in the you know, the I would say through much of last year. So it's not it's not the same today.   - Wade Brown Much more so, you know, in that and in our first year, so to speak, because you have so many firsts. You know, Joe Joshua's birthday, you know, those those things you have you kind of kind of step through. We've tried we've tried to with our kids like it's it's OK, it's OK to talk. It's OK to express the Riley open healing counselling and and therapy, especially for my two younger kids, has been extraordinary.   - Wade Brown I will always be indebted to those folks. But really, it's that it's OK to talk about especially having so many boys in my family, not necessarily a boy versus girl thing, because my daughter, my oldest daughter is much like me. She's she tends to be, you know, keep, you know, keep those things inside a bit like I do. So what I tried to do for my family, demonstrably up to and including, you know, seeking some some help myself late last year was to was to put reflections out there and to be vulnerable and to talk about it and to cry.   - Wade Brown And so that they would feel that it was that it was OK. And I've done the same thing at work, too, with respect to grief. And so, you know, we talk about the interlaces between work and home have taken that same approach with the folks that are my immediate senior staff and the people that I'm closest to and that it's OK to talk about it. It's OK to cry. It's OK to recognize when it's there, when it's got you how to see it, and then kind of how to work your way through that grief.   - Wade Brown So there's a bit of a long answer, I hope. I hope that helps that we still we still ongoing with my kids, you know. I guess it's not with the same frequency through much of 2019, but, you know, daily reflections, daily reminders of hope and of grace and of love, so that we just felt that it was very important for my kids to see from me. And Cynthia would agree as well that while there are plenty of opportunities to be angry, we don't want to be angry.   - Wade Brown We don't. Joshua was a beautiful, beautiful young man. And Joshua is not suicide. Joshua is a 14 year old who did an adult thing in a moment of weakness and we'll never know why. He's a kid that did an adult thing. He's not suicide. And so, you know, it's important for us to demonstrate to our kids. And I try to do it at work as well. We choose love and grace. We do. And and to the greatest extent that we can model that and encourage others to see and feel the same thing.   - Wade Brown I think that's a that's a purpose and a mission that I'll have. For the rest of my life, I've got I've got another expression here on my whiteboard and I'm sure this one and messages through the COVID period at work just because of the high level of stress and anxiety. And it says if you're going through hell, keep going. When you're reduced to nothing but soul, you radiate an extraordinary power. And that power is called grace. So let it shine.   - Wade Brown And and I believe that. I believe that. So that was long answer to your question. So there you go. This is that you could talk about for a very long time because you're not a single way to express it.   - Wade Brown You know, it's it's because it it it's it changes over time. And the intensity is never the same. You know, grief is a grief is an incredible an incredible experience. I don't know how else to say.   - Liesel Mertes I am. I love that quote on the whiteboard. I can imagine some people as they think about their own journey with grief. I'm thinking, man, I. I feel completely reduced. And what was revealed was not Grace. It was some pretty ugly stuff. Did you feel. Have you felt those moments as well? I'm utterly reduced and I'm not finding myself as a graceful person right now?   - Wade Brown For sure. Hundred percent. Absolutely. Absolutely. And in my I mentioned Tina before, she's she's incredible. And she has been she's been a life partner for. For Cynthia and I. She she watches me like a hawk. And she can tell if I need a break. If I'm if I am. And distant as she's she's dialed in and she's tuned in to me for sure. And she'll tell Cynthia that those two probably talked to each other more than they talk to me.   - Wade Brown So and I'm lucky and fortunate and blessed to have that.   - Liesel Mertes Tell me tell me a little bit more about that, because it touches on these very important aspects, I think, of self-awareness and self care that in good times can be less on the forefront. What are some of the things that are signposts or signals to you of like, oh, oh, man, I'm struggling, I'm on the brink of being overwhelmed? What are some of the things that give either Tina or you pause?   - Wade Brown Well, you know, Liesel, I have I've said it before.   - Wade Brown I have that I just have the distinct privilege of leading women and men that do extraordinary things within within our health care industry. And my job. Is to make sure that they can do that safely, that they can do that to the best of their ability so that they are productive for themselves, for our company and for the customers that we support. And so I take very, very seriously the fact that the things that I do and say have a direct effect on others and their ability to be happy in their career and take and to provide for their families and actually meditate and pray on that.   - Wade Brown It would not be truthful to say every day. But darn near every day of my life. It's part of my my spiritual journey.   - Wade Brown And I take it very, very seriously.   - Wade Brown And so I do a lot of one on ones. I have a big team and a big kind of stakeholder network that I have to stay in touch with. So I like last week, for example, coming back from our vacation in Charleston. Now, I probably I I had three dozen one on one calls. And so when I on the phone with a director or a senior director or a supervisor or could be a customer, but it's usually, gee folks, I have to be my best.   - Wade Brown They're there. It's almost like an athlete on the field. You know, it's like you. They deserve my very best. And so what I've learned to recognize is that when it's not there, it's just not there. And and so what Tina and I talk about and what she helps me keep a pulse on is if I'm just down and I'm not going to be able to give that that next person my best, it's better to pause. It's better to just wait.   - Wade Brown And the folks around me know that. And they're comfortable with it. Know, no, there's not been any repercussions from that whatsoever. In fact, I think there's it's been the opposite.   - Wade Brown It's just that ability to say, you know what, I'm not OK today and I need to I need to do something different or I need to take a break or I need to get out of my home office, especially during this COVID stuff.   - Wade Brown So that's you know, that's probably the the best kind of example I can share is I can I've I've just I can recognize when those feelings are there. And through counselling have also come to understand that you can't just shove them aside because they don't go away. And they're not like fine wine that you get, they will get better.   - Liesel Mertes So they don't get better with age.   - Wade Brown They don't age well.   - Liesel Mertes Well, I'm struck that it's a choice towards brave vulnerability and being able to ask for that space. I'm struck that, especially for classically high performers, that that can be wrapped up in some feelings of self judgement or shame of like I shouldn't need to ask for this. I'm used to being able to perform easily and consistently. Did you encounter some of those initial feelings of shame or I should just be able to push through this? And if you did, how did you work through some of those feelings?   - Wade Brown We thought so, yes. And it still happens today. I mean, it's not something that you just turn off. It's just something that you kind of experientially you learn to recognize and work through. And and.   - Wade Brown Again, through, you know, the chats that I've had with Elizabeth, it that really hope and healing, it's important to, it's important to do that and and allow it to have its moments so that you can address it and not try to just stick it in your back pocket. But shame, I don't know that shame might be a bit of a strong way to to say it. But I as I said before, I take I take my job very, very seriously, as we all do.   - Wade Brown And that doesn't necessarily make me special or unique.   - Wade Brown But I know the things that I do and say have a direct effect on others. And so I and I want to give them my best. And if I can't do it in that moment, it's OK to wait for a moment when I can.   - Wade Brown So but I still it still comes up for sure. Like even, you know, you know, going through second quarter clothes and what is arguably the most difficult financial operational quarter I've ever had to lead a team through, you know, did trying to get to the finish line and, you know. You're like, OK. I have no choice. I have to push through because now people are depending on this financially. Right. And so you have to muscle your way through some of those things.   - Wade Brown It's not an absolute either or if they're right.   - Wade Brown Like they're still going to be those moments. You know what? Yeah. Just gotta go. Just get to bed. Just go. But that's not all the time by any means.   - Wade Brown And and I'm also a year and a half removed from Joshua's death. So it's not it's not like it's not like it was, you know, a year ago this time it's you know, it's it's changed. It's adapted. It's evolving. So and so by and so is my support network.   - Liesel Mertes You know, frankly, you've you've touched on some of the things that are at work, whether that was resonance with people that came up to you after speaking or the support that Tina and your mom provided over the phone. What were other things that were especially meaningful to you in the aftermath of Joshua's death that you said, well, this like this meant something deeply to me. I'm so glad that people moved towards me in this way.   - Wade Brown Yeah, that's so. This is an easy one. And it was Joshua's visitation and his funeral. And we had we estimated between nine hundred and a thousand people. Wow. Came for Joshua's visitation.   - Wade Brown And so we were at the church. And of course, there's lots of people there. And it's it's a significant emotional event. And I knew I was going to have some visitors from from GE and from Roche because Roche is local. And, of course, you know, I've got the folks that I work with actually as well. What I wasn't expecting or prepared for was that it would be like a hundred from all over. I mean, people flew in from all over the United States to be there with.   - Wade Brown With me and my family, and when I'm in this greeting line, you know, it's, again, this sudden it's like a week before that. None of this existed. And so now you're thrust into this and you're at the church and it's it's your choice and it's for your son. It's for your child.   The company headquarters are in Milwaukee and a group of his colleagues chartered a bus to come down to the funeral.  And they arrived wearing team fleeces that Wade had passed out earlier at the team retreat.  This visual display of solidarity was incredibly powerful.    - Wade Brown Oh they were filing in through the door in those blue pullovers and it was, it was surreal. I, I, I've never, I've never felt moved that way. Really in my life. And it was it was extraordinary. And then soon after I started recognizing Roche faces as well from my team that I led while I was at Roche Diagnostics. Obviously, some from here from Indianapolis, but also people that had traveled in from from all over the country.   - Wade Brown And it was incredible, really. It was incredible. And then the next day at his funeral. Not all, but many of those same faces were still there, especially from, you know, from my GE crew. And so just to see them when I was giving Joshua's eulogy served as an incredible source of strength. It didn't make me sad. It actually it actually was fortifying, if I could say it.   - Wade Brown And it helped me deliver a really, really difficult message. And which. And the promise for Joshua that pulled forward that we pulled forward from that eulogy. My team has helped. Kerry,   - Wade Brown The second one, there's a bit of a long answer to your question, the second one we so already touched on before and there's been lots of private moments. There's there's there there's too many. And there's been so many private moments. Just calls, text messages. I get I get pictures of rainbows every day of my life from all over the world, literally.   - Wade Brown And it's because of the promise for Joshua. But the when I spoke on stage last May. 2019. And what happened in the two days that followed. Liesel, as I shared before, I, I just never experienced anything like that in my life in it and it's in it. It had two clear sides to it. It was the one side just being oh my gosh, that was hard. And I wasn't, I wasn't ready. I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared for what came to me in a couple of days, even beyond that, beyond just those two days.   - Wade Brown But certainly in those 48 hours, because you're held hostage at a meeting resort, you know, you're you're in a hostage situation.   - Liesel Mertes So you may see. But still a hostage situation.   - Wade Brown It you're right. So you're on a compound, you know, with with 500 plus people. So there's no place to hide. But the but the just this real at the other side of it was just this realization that and everybody's got it. And people want to talk about it. And to the extent that we can foster an environment where people can do that and feel comfortable. I think it's additive to, you know, to everything that we do.   - Wade Brown And we represent, you know, as a team and as a company and and as friends. Frankly, I work with people that I would do anything for. And I would have I would have held that belief before the Joshua experience. But certainly now I've just the personal and public, private and public support that I've received from people that I work with. And this has been has been extraordinary.   - Liesel Mertes I am. I always like to ask as well, because we learn both from people's positive experiences but also from the negative ones. Lots of times when people are people get uncomfortable as a default, sometimes with other people's pain, and they find themselves saying or doing things that kind of missed the mark. As you think back on a town like a lot of positive experiences, what are those that you would say, oh, man, like this? This was just bad. I would I would counsel people. Don't ever do this. This really missed the mark with me.   - Wade Brown I up I got some of those. I call it. I'm sorry. That used to be well but it's but it's just part of the journey.   - Wade Brown I mean, really. And and so it's not all rainbows and butterflies. There's there's also been some in, you know, some intensely inappropriate moments. And so I've I've definitely had a couple of those. I think. You know, soon after Joshua died, this was within. In fact, it was live. I did a I did it. I took my team into the woods again. So you'll see a trend here. Liesel, I like to I like to do meetings that are different.   - Wade Brown And so I love getting off the grid because then you can just be you can be yourself better. We had done that. My my boss, Rob, had actually encouraged me to cancel the meeting and just can just wait. I strongly disagreed. I needed to be with my people. And so Joshua died January 30th. And so this was in in late March. So this was just a couple months later. And and I needed to see my people.   - Wade Brown I needed to be able to tell them, one, that I was OK. And two, that I loved them for everything that they had done for Cynthia and myself and our kids. But that first night, there were a handful of us that were having an evening libation. And somebody looked at me and said, "Wow, was Joshua bipolar?" And I, I, I was it took my breath away. It just the timing. It was just it was it was it was.   - Wade Brown Wow. I can't believe you just asked me that question about my about my dead child. And that one sticks with me. And so I that, as you can tell, that when it came came out pretty quickly. Yeah. There's a there's a I call it fresh eyes.   - Wade Brown So when you get when you see them   - Liesel Mertes Just for a second, because I think it's I want to unpack that because I think it's a there's perhaps something profound that did that didn't feel particularly hurtful because it felt detached or because it felt judgmental or not hitting you? Like as you think about why that comment hit you the way it did. Like what? What is at the root of some of how I just felt so jarring?   - Wade Brown I think that the words you use judgmental is probably appropriate.   - Wade Brown It just it felt like we had we had and we still to this day, we do. That's not what we believe to be the case. Joshua, there were no no expressions or symptoms or manifestations of a mental the mental health issue or issues. And certainly had had we had never sought any counseling or help for any symptoms with Joshua because there weren't any. And so but it wasn't just that that I was asked that question. It was inter-group price.   - Wade Brown And it was just inappropriate. And I. And it it it lacked empathy. Yeah. It just it was completely void of any empathy. And just a lack of self-awareness. And it hurt.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah. Yes. Thank you. Thank you for unpacking that more. I hear a certain speculative nature to it. Just maybe somebody their own curiosity more than attention to you or certainly attention to the wider group setting as being particularly wounding.   - Wade Brown Yeah. Especially, you know, 60 ish days afterwards. And just just shouldn't have done it.   - Wade Brown There is there's an expression that Cynthia and I use and it's I deemed it fresh eyes. And what I mean by that is when you encounter somebody who doesn't know their eyes. And so there's a there's a a paradigm shift that happens once you share that that's, you know, that that that's happened in your life, that you've got a child. It's. That's especially teenager has committed suicide. 14 year old. There's a paradigm shift that happens in that moment. And you can see there the expression in their eyes change. And so I. I look for that. And when I see it, I try. What I've learned is because I don't think in. Nobody has poor intentions. They just don't know how to react because it's they're hit with that moment of suddenness as well. It's a sad story.   - Wade Brown It's shocking. And so I try to, you know, immediately provide some reassurance, you know, that it's OK. It's OK to talk about it. Just to to help. You know, help settle them down, because it can be very. It can be very unsettling. Right?   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, it will. And I. I hear in that it's it is a particular it is a particular burden. That can happen in its own way, because if you're a perceptive person, you know that it throws the listener. And then especially in those early days, it can be its own burden of having to shepherd their response, like, oh, now I've got to like, strangely kind of care for you and let you know that I am okay enough, then it's OK here. And it's it's particular nuanced. What can often happen in social dynamics.   - Wade Brown Well, it is. And it kind of goes back to your your question before about like so what's what's not being good or being uncomfortable. Well that's, that's, that's into this part of the equation because you beat it.   - Wade Brown So I of course, I always feel compelled to reassure them that, you know, it's OK to talk about what we're doing, OK? And if they if they give some offer of condolences or say they're sorry, then of course, acknowledge that and thank them. Thank them for that. What what can sometimes follow, though, is it it's not quite as as biting as you know, was Joshua bipolar. But then there's this assumption. That because we've experienced this, that now I have this definitive tie to mental health.   - Wade Brown I'm not sure that I do or I don't.   - Wade Brown And so because I've been asked to speak specifically about mental health in my research. And so my response is, well, I'm not sure you like what. And under what context and what what would you like me to talk about? Because I am not a therapist. I'm not a psychologist. I'm not here to diagnose anybody. I'm just a witness for something that happened in my life that I think provides just innumerable teachable moments.   - Wade Brown And I love my son in the best way that I can honor my son and carry him forward is to share the story in such a way that it helps others. It's not that it's not to get pity. It's not to get sympathy. It's because if you hear my story and then you have a conversation with a teenager that helped you avoid what I've gone through, then that's a victory.   - Liesel Mertes If you were speaking to a listener who is walking with someone who has recently had a child commit suicide, what particular words would you offer them as to how to come alongside that person?   - Wade Brown Well. That's a tough one we saw and I've actually. You know, fortunately, unfortunately, I've had those experiences, teenage suicide is is not a one off event.   - Wade Brown Yeah, it's. It's you said it's a it's a terrible travesty within within our world today and in in our culture and not unique to the U.S. But certainly that's what we feel here. And I I get to have these conversations. And so, you know, I, I try to. Hit and it's. I've had it with a couple of people that I work with, actually. And then, of course, you know, there's been some community touches there, but it's really it's it's.   - Wade Brown I wouldn't expect anybody to try to, you know, really fully understand or or try to heal me. It's really just to be supportive and to listen and and that it's OK to talk about and that, you know, there's nothing. There's there's a suicide, you know, just has this this, you know, this nasty kind of. Or about it that it's that it's not supposed to be talked about, that it's it's a private thing. I'm struggling for the right word.   - Wade Brown It's like a.. What would you call. It's like the. It's like it's taboo or anything. Yeah. Like you're not supposed to talk about it, it's like this secret thing and it it only happens in the most tragic of situations and. And how did you not know what happened? Oh, it was going to happen. Did you see signs? I mean, I ask myself that every single day of my life and I will the rest my life.   - Wade Brown But it doesn't have to be that way that it's OK to talk about it and it's OK to hold someone's hand and let them cry and to empathize with them and where they are and be there to support them.   - Wade Brown Yeah, I guess I want to answer more specifically for so I guess maybe I'm just struggling to come up.   - Liesel Mertes That's a good answer. I appreciate those insights.   - Wade Brown It's hard. I mean, it real, it's it's one of the it's I had a quote, a colleague that passed away last week from a long, long battle with pancreatic cancer. And I've known I knew Jeff for. Going back to my first time at GE., so more than 20 years and the guy guy's a warrior. But. In an ad in that not that this doesn't make it. I'm not trying to minimize it at all.   - Wade Brown But that's not what I'm doing. But it was. Gonna happen soon. Is it like that? It's that, right? It's just the suddenness of it. It's so different. It's even something I've talked about this like even if if you know someone who's lost a loved one in a car crash, it again, the suddenness. But it was an accident. It was a it's just it's just different. So I try to just. There's a.   - Wade Brown There's just a notion around suicide or or knowing someone that took their own life. I feel it's it's just it just need to be there. There's there was another notion that I wanted to share to. And if I can't, maybe. Now does it. Yeah.   - Wade Brown  It kind of goes back to the things that I've learned and what's kind of the on the good side of the ledger and the difficult side of the ledger. But what I've recognized is it's not really it's not really a difficulty.   - Wade Brown It's just a recognition that people are different. And their response and their approach to me is going to be different depending on who they are. And Liz, share this with me at Riley. And it's, there are sprinter's and there's marathoners. The sprinters are going to be there in moments and they're gonna love you and they're going to support you and they're going to embrace you and they will do anything for you. But then they move on. Right. But they'll come back.   - Wade Brown It's not that they're disingenuous. It's just their approach is, hey, I got you. I've got you right now. I'm talking to you right now. And I take care of you right now. But then the next day they're off. Then they're right. The marathoners like Tina, my my admin partner, she's a marathoner. She's with me every single day. Same level of intensity. And neither one is right or wrong. They're just different.   - Wade Brown And so I've offered that as well as I've had conversations where someone someone's at a loss in their family, especially with suicide, is that there's going to be people around you that are going to be there for you in the moment. But then they move on and then there's going to be people who are just going to be checking on you every single day. And neither one is right or wrong. They're just they're just different. So don't I would because what happened with me, the sprinter's, so to speak, to people who would check in, I like, wow, was that genuine or not?   - Wade Brown Right now they don't want to talk about it.   - Wade Brown They want to talk about work. They want to talk about you want to talk about football. I get what I've got confused by that. But at a more clear with experience that there is a distinct difference there. And neither one is is right or wrong. They're both they're both good, well intentioned. They're just different.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah. They definitely both hear that and have experienced that and can even think in my own experience as like the person on the giving end, like, oh, I was a sprinter there and I was a marathoner there.   And it's it's a it's a good lens to be able to look through. Yeah.   - Liesel Mertes You mentioned at the top of our conversation that the verse in Joshua one nine and Be Strong and Courageous was an anchoring sentiment for you.   - Liesel Mertes Tell me how you are, how that is continuing to influence you here in July of 2020?   - Wade Brown Well, as I've said and I've written grief Ben's time. It's like it doesn't no time. It doesn't no place. And so we're we're gonna forever be on a grief journey. And so in those moments where you need for me, if I just need a booster shot, it's a go-to. It's my son's name. It's yeah. It's it. It's an incredible verse in and of itself and the depth and the meaning and the context. And so it's a it's a go-to, Liesel.   - Wade Brown And it's that way for all of my family. I even have it in my phone a little. Auto type I put in JVB, Joshua Thomas Brown and Joshua, one nine with the Rainbow spits out, you know. So I use that. I use that. I use that frequently. And we have it, you know, obviously. Well, you wouldn't know. You haven't been here, but it's visible in our house in a in a multiple a multitude of ways.   - Wade Brown And yet it's a go to. It's a safe it's a safe place for my family.   - Wade Brown And in some of the people that I work with as well. Yeah.   - Liesel Mertes Thank you for sharing that. Is there anything that it feels important to add that I have not asked you that you would like to? Reflect on.   - Wade Brown Yeah. So I would I would love to. Just ask those that that listen and yourself to make that promise for Joshua. You know what I've. What I've learned and continue to learn. Is, you know, these. Teenage suicide is is real and and but I've also understand that it's difficult to talk about.   - Wade Brown And so but I also know that it's necessary. And so I would my ask is, you know, for for anyone that is listening in to make sure that you're talking to the kids in your life and it doesn't just have to be your own children. We're, we're parents, we're teachers. we're coaches, we're neighbors, we're parishioners, we're all of these things around kids. And I think in and in today's world with COVID and now with and all of the things that we're seeing, you know, through the news and social media around the country, kids, it's so easy for kids to end up feeling alone and isolated and trying to find happiness in a screen, whether it's their phone or or otherwise.   - Wade Brown And parents just yet, adults need to make sure that they're engaging with kids. And while it's difficult, it's necessary to talk about suicide and talk about hurting yourself. And so that that would be an ask. I would have. Liesel, is that is that folks make that promise do. And it's not a one and done. It's not. And if you see a rainbow no matter where. No. No matter how you use that as a reminder to have that had that conversation.   - Wade Brown Make that promise for Joshua. I have I have accumulated very specific examples of those conversations having taken place where interventions occur. And so I just been prevented. Now, it doesn't mean that it's prevented forever. But in that moment, a suicide was was prevented. And it's because of job, because of Joshua's promise and telling kids it's okay to say something. If it's a friend, if it's a neighbor, if it's a classmate and something's wrong. It just takes three words, you know.   - Wade Brown Dad. Something wrong, Mom? Something wrong? Yeah. Because I would rather lose a friend.   - Wade Brown In the short term, then to lose a friend forever, and so that would be at least I just   - Wade Brown I think it's you know, there's so much pressure on kids today. They've been taken out of schools and put at home. They, you know, for the longest time, couldn't even go see their friends, kids coming home from college campuses. It's not just teenagers. I mean, young adults as well, unemployment. And then, of course, all the things that we see in the news with the riots and in protest.   - Wade Brown It weighs on kids in an extraordinary way. And we just can't be dismissive of it. The fact that sometimes those thoughts come in there and they have to be talked about.   - Liesel Mertes Right. Thank you. That's a good and important word. I appreciate that.   - Wade Brown Yeah, for sure.   MUSICAL TRANSITION   Here are three take-aways from my conversation with Wade Showing up matters.Go to the funeral, send the text, make the call.  Even if you don’t fully know what to do or say, your support matters.  And this is a sort of point 1b guidance.  When you show up, especially in the aftermath of someone committing suicide, try to be aware of appropriate boundaries on how and what you ask about.  Wade spoke to the pain of having someone pry into whether or not Joshua is bipolar.  And here is a bit of guidance.  Before asking a question, take a moment to interrogate yourself.  Are you asking about of your own curiosity or because you are actually trying to support the other person?  You might have noticed in this episode that I did not ask about the details of how Joshua committed suicide.  This was purposeful.  If someone is not offering those details, I choose not to root around for specifics.  Knowing the details of death does not have a material impact on how I can come alongside someone.  More than anything, it serves my own curiosity and could feel prying and invasive to the person I am in conversation with.  Take a moment to pause and reflect on why you are asking the question you are asking as you relate to a parent who has lost a child.  And if you blunder your way into a mistake, go back and apologize.  When it comes to comfort, Wade offered a metaphor that was powerful and nuanced.He talked about how there are marathoners and sprinters in the world of the grieving:  there are people that will be able to come alongside you with great intensity and then seem to fade away and there are those that are there for the long-haul.  It is with great maturity that Wade talks about how one is not better than the other and that recognizing people’s different capacities allowed him to not just feel confused by those that seemed to be present than then fade away.  Cultures of support are essential to helping your team thrive.Wade noted several times that everyone has their Joshua:  everyone has a pain that they carry into their workplace.  Through his loss, Wade began to cultivate a purposeful openness and culture of support in his team at GE…and he attributes this openness to significantly contributing to his team’s ability to weather the challenges of COVID-19.    OUTRO Resources for talking with your teen about suicide: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychoanalysis-unplugged/201807/speaking-your-teen-about-suicide   General information on teen suicide: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/teen-suicide/art-20044308

Courtney is a former English Professor, with a background in 18th-century literature, which includes some of the strangest and most perplexing fiction ever written. She loved her life as a scholar–especially working with students and still writes and geeks out over authors like Jane Austen, Charlotte Dacre, Ann Radcliffe, and the Marquis de Sade. Courtney is also a lifelong animal advocate and made helping animals her "naughty side project" during her dissertation. While teaching at Indiana University, Bloomington, she co-founded the first successful animal welfare organization on the campus. Since leaving academia, she has volunteered and worked in local and national animal welfare organizations, served as a Community Organizer for Pets for Life, and now the Regional Manager for the Central United States at Michelson Found Animals–a non-profit with a free microchip Registry dedicated to getting pets home, where they belong. Her goal is to channel her imaginative and analytical thinking skills into making the world a kinder, more beautiful place for animals.

This week I had a timely conversation with a new guest, Chris Anast, CFA, and Senior Vice President, Senior Retirement Strategist with the Retirement Strategy Group at American Funds, part of Capital Group. We focus mostly on the paper he authored with DCIIA about the "Five Practical Barriers to Better Retirement Outcomes.” Interestingly, this was released shortly after the world was turned on its ear with the COVID pandemic. While I wont’ steal his thunder on the five practical barriers, I will say we thoroughly vet if their findings are still relevant today. Towards the end, we take a little tangent and think about other barriers employees face on their journey to retirement and how employers can help. You can find a copy of the report and more information on this episode at 401kfridays.com/barriers   Before we get started, thank you to all of our loyal listeners. I hope the content has helped you navigate this crazy time in the markets and economy. As a reminder, please share the podcast or any takeaways you have with friends, colleagues or anyone you feel could benefit. They can find us by searching 401(k) Fridays on their favorite podcast app, or by going to the website at 401kfridays.com.  Guest Bio Chris Anast, CFA, is a Senior Vice President, Senior Retirement Strategist with the Retirement Strategy Group at American Funds, part of Capital Group. Chris has 20 years of institutional investment experience and joined Capital Group in 2017. Prior to joining Capital, Chris was a Director, Chicago Investment Practice Leader, and a Senior Investment Consultant at Willis Towers Watson. His primary responsibilities at Willis Towers Watson included leading the investment consulting practice for the Central United States, participating on strategic leadership roles for the global business, and lead investment consultant on Fortune 500 companies for defined benefit and defined contribution plans on both and advisory and delegated/OCIO basis. Chris was also one of the founding members of the Mesirow Financial Investment Strategies defined contribution practice offering 3(21) and 3(38) fiduciary services. He has been a regular contributor to DCIIA Plan Design and Administration Committee including a primary author of the DCIIA white paper, “Defined Contribution Plan Success Factors”. Chris has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Florida. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute of Chicago and participates in other organizations such as EBRI, PSCA, and WISER. 401(k) Fridays Podcast Overview Struggling with a fiduciary issue, looking for strategies to improve employee retirement outcomes or curious about the impact of current events on your retirement plan? We've had conversations with retirement industry leaders to address these and other relevant topics! You can easily explore over 175 prior on-demand audio interviews here. Don't forget to subscribe as we release a new episode each Friday!

 Unlock the countless opportunities for your business publishing on LinkedIn Learn how to craft a customer-focused Linkedin brand Discover how to use Linkedin to become the go-to person in your industry by writing articles Resources/Links: Sign up to Tracy's List to Get LinkedIn Updates, Tips, and Special Offers, and She Will Give You a Copy of Her Best Selling Book and Her Coveted 23 Point Profile Checklist: Visit http://linkedintopublishing.com/ Summary Are you getting enough business from LinkedIn? What if you could improve your chances of getting LinkedIn to feature your article and the possibility of it going viral? It's time to put your marketing efforts on auto-pilot and profit from your article. Tracy Enos is a LinkedIn Business Development Expert and B2B Lead Generation Consultant. In 2015, Tracy sustained 3rd-degree burns and 5 surgeries in 9 mos. LinkedIn saved her life and career. Today she has others generate millions in revenue, media attention, and speaking gigs with her consulting services. In this episode, Tracy talks about the foundation of a solid client-focused LinkedIn brand, how to use LinkedIn to generate leads, to brand, and to become the go-to person in your industry by writing articles. Check out these episode highlights: 01:14 – Tracy's ideal client: "I've worked with many industries over the course of the last eight years, but I do have some favorites. I do love anybody in sales and marketing that's business to business. Definitely small and medium-sized business owners, experts, and consultants such as myself." 01:34 – Problem Tracy helps solve: "People don't understand how their personal profile is tied to their activities, as well as, you know, I help them create revenue-producing tasks, daily task." 02:19 – Typical symptoms that clients do before reaching out to Tracy: "One of them isoverwhelm." 03:16 – What are some of the common mistakes that folks make before finding Tracy and her solution?: "First, the biggest mistake is treating their profile like it's their resume." 04:12 – Tracy's Valuable Free Action(VFA): "You need to sit down and define who that prospect is. And you have to sit down and define not just the demographics but the psychographics. What really drives them? What are their desires? What are their fears? What are the pain points and what are the solutions that can help them down the line." 06:26 – Tracy's Valuable Free Resource (VFR): Sign up to Tracy's List to Get LinkedIn Updates, Tips, and Special Offers, and She Will Give You a Copy of Her Best Selling Book and Her Coveted 23 Point Profile Checklist: Visit http://linkedintopublishing.com/ 07:07 – Q: Why do I love LinkedIn so much? A: Passion. It saved my career. I'm a single mom. It just started my career and it saved my career. That's why I love it so much. Tweetable Takeaways from this Episode: “You've got to get in the mind of your prospect. And what kind of results they want to find.'” -@tracyenosClick To Tweet Transcript (Note, this was transcribed using a transcription software and may not reflect the exact words used in the podcast) Tom Poland: 0:09 Greetings everyone, and a very warm welcome to another edition of Marketing The Invisible. My name is Tom Poland, joined today by Tracy Enos. Tracy, good day, very warm welcome. Where are you hanging out? Tracy Enos: 0:19 Hey, good to be here, Tom. I'm hanging out here in the lovely Central United States, Kansas City. Tom Poland: 0:25 Right. A little further North in Central America but pretty much, terminology wise, very close. Tom Poland: 0:32 Folks, for those of you who don't know Tracy, in 2015, she suffered a third-degree burns and five surgeries in under nine months. She says LinkedIn saved her life and career. Today she is resurrected like a phoenix from the...

This episode brought to you by "Remarkably Remote" a new daily microcast from the experts at GoToMeeting. All about making work from home work for you. Add to your Flash Briefing on Alexa or subscribe on your favorite podcasting app. Listen at GoToMeeting.com/tips Episode 302: More severe thunderstorms, including the likelihood of tornadoes, are anticipated for the southern and central United States this week as 2020 continues on a trend to be among the top years for tornadoes. During Tuesday, thunderstorms will extend along an approximate 1,100-mile swath from northern Illinois to central Texas and includes the full spectrum of severe weather ranging from large hail and flash flooding to damaging wind gusts and tornadoes. AccuWeather's Bernie Rayno (@AccuRayno on Twitter) has all the details on the weekend's edition of the "Weather Insider" Podcast!

What happens when you do a 7 Day Spring Cleanse of Fruits and Greens… in the (still) cold climate of Central United States… and then power drive down to Florida into the Sunshine and Fresh Air….. On this episode Gabriele talks about her surprising (yet totally predictable) results from her 7 day Spring Cleanse of Fruits and Greens. Here are some of the cool things to listen for in this episode: Why she didn’t originally want to make an episode to talk about it. What basic principle of Health that was re-enforced by the way this cleanse (and post-cleanse) unfolded. And hear a short story from her past during a trip in Latin America and another story of babies and diaper rashes So listen here to find out what is more important than WHAT YOU EAT that makes a significant difference when you are healing your body and your skin. Get the 3 Secrets to Heal Eczema Here To leave a voice message to Gabriele with a question or a topic you would like her to cover in a future episode, do it here. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gabriele56/message

February 6, 2010 marked the culmination of a coast to coast storm that brought parts of the Central United States snow and ice and snarled traffic and caused flight delays for the days leading up to the 6th. By the time the snow was done flying on the afternoon of February 6, 28.5” of snow had fallen in Philadelphia making it the 2nd greatest snowfall in that city’s history. Baltimore totaled 24.8” an all-time record and in the nation’s capital 32.4” of measured smashing the old the record for the heaviest single season fall by almost 10”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We, Mark and Valerie Danzy, are a couple of ministers from the Central United States. We are people who believe wholeheartedly in the word of God but are not always traditional. Join us weekly to hear our thoughts on life, love, and God. Find our group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/491564254974217/ See our website! http://marvalministries.weebly.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/kaystephan/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kaystephan/support

Tips on how to sell to buyers in the new economy with Todd Hockenberry Buyers have changed. The way you sell in the new economy has to change. It really affects everything. It's not just about marketing anymore. It's about how you really run your entire business. It starts with the mindset of leadership understanding how they connect with and create value for a customer, and then how they build a relationship moving forward. They created a lot more connections and ways for their customers and contacts to understand what they were doing and how they could help them. So instead of having guys on airplanes all the time knocking on doors trying to sell things, they had people available 24/7 that could answer questions, support their customers, and be the kind of partner they were looking for. Your tactics should be determined by your customers and by your target audience. I think most marketing people would understand what a persona is. It's kind of a fictionalized representation of your ideal customer. How can we make our business so attractive in every way that not only do we attract the best customers, we attract the best employees, we attract the best partners, the best suppliers, the best collaborative companies, right? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BUYERS HAVE CHANGED. HAS THE WAY YOU SELL CHANGED? [just click to tweet] BUYERS HAVE CHANGED. HAS THE WAY YOU SELL CHANGED? Buyers have changed. The way you sell in the new economy has to change. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Doug: Well welcome back listeners to another episode of Real Marketing Real Fast. Today, our guest is going to share with us why the keys to business growth and selling in the new economy is a change of mindset and not a new set of marketing tactics. So today's guest is Todd Hockenberry. He is the owner, the founder of Top Line Results, which is a global leader in educating and helping B2B businesses adapt to internet driven changes in buying behavior. So translated, how are your customers or your potential customers buying online? Todd is the co-author of Inbound Marketing Organization, which is a book on how to build and strengthen your company's future using inbound principles, and it's scheduled for release this April, so the book is probably already out. And it was published by John Wiley and Sons. Doug: In his book, Todd shows leaders how to build their community, their company's future around inbound marketing principles, strengthen the structural foundations that are necessary to deal with the changes in buyer behavior. Todd helps business owners like you and I understand that mission matters, culture is destiny and that the way that the prospects and their customers want you to market to them, sell to them, and service them is changing, and most importantly, what you should do about it. So I would like to welcome Todd to the Real Marketing Real Fast podcast today. Hey, well Todd, I'm super excited to have you on the podcast today, so welcome. Todd H.: Thanks for having me, Doug. I'm very excited to be here and talk to you today as well. Doug: Well, it's interesting to see that you're working in a very similar space and you're working the B2B leaders and helping them to drive sales and work in the marketing field. It's an area that I absolutely love. So why don't you share with our listeners just a little bit of background on yourself and how you kind of got to this space in your life. Todd H.: Yeah, I started out in the factories of Central United States in the flyover territory in the automotive industry and kind of cut my chops working for industrial and manufacturing companies. And about 10 years ago in the middle of the Great Recession, I found myself looking for a job, and I said, "I'm never going to have another job again." So that's when I started Top Line Results with my wife. And what we did was, we started out with the premise that companies were going abo...

A bomb cyclone storm has caused power outages and disrupted travel in the Central United States. Get details as Matt Hammill from Quad Cities Today at KWQC joined AM Quad Cities.

Excitement surrounds the release of Revenge Unleashed, the sequel to Enemy in the Heartland by author Stephen Schwertley. Revenge Unleashed is quickly being called a frightening success. As a compelling real-life story behind the book, Steve started to write books as a challenge to himself while recovering from a stroke. Writing novels helped him to heal from his stroke-related complications.  "These ideas had been in my head since suffering my stroke in July 2013. After Enemy in the Heartland, my readers demanded a sequel." so stated Steve, author of both classic action thrillers. "After the first book, I decided to challenge myself. Could I write a sequel that could outshine Enemy in the Heartland? Now that both novels are receiving 5-star reviews. Steve wrote the sequel with one thing in mind -- to give the readers of' Enemy in the Heartland' the same adrenalin rush in Revenge Unleashed. The plot, "Hatred runs deep when your friends are killed, even if you are a terrorist!" An attack on the central United States killed thousands of Americans but also cost the lives of most of the fanatics. Not satisfied with the damage already done, the surviving extremists vow revenge. Their target: The man who played a key role in bringing their compatriots to justice: the President of the United States. Standing in the way is a super-secret international counter-terrorism group." Contact Steve by email: sschwertley@aol.com or on his website: www.StephenSchwertleyauthor.com Also on Stitcher at: http://j.mp/1Ur4Ser

Today I had an interesting conversation with Jack Jones. This is Jack’s second time on the show and I loved our discussion. It is a gem of learning and is packed with information that you can use right away. Jack was one of the first CISOs in the United States and he is the inventor of the FAIR model for analyzing Information Security Risk. Jack’s bio is extensive and here is a short list of his accomplishments. Jack Jones has worked in technology for over 30 years, and information security and risk management for 25 years. He has over nine years of experience as a CISO with three different companies, including five years at a Fortune 100 financial services company. He received the ISSA Excellence in the Field of Security Practices award at the 2006 RSA Conference. In 2007, he was selected as a finalist for the Information Security Executive of the Year, Central United States, and in 2012 was honored with the CSO Compass award for leadership in risk management. Jones is also the author and creator of the Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR) framework. Currently, Jones serves on the ISC2 Ethics Committee, and is the Executive Vice President, Research and Development of Risk Lens, Inc. Suffice it to say that Jack is a rock star in the Information Security and IT risk community! 6 Key Points: Why top 10 lists for IT Security are useless] How to add probability and possibility of events happening into your risk models How to present data that your board of directors will love How to develop range into your communication How to apply critical thinking, logic and Socratic methods to your analysis How to apply rigor in developing a defensible argument Sponsored By: This episode is sponsored by the CIO Security Scoreboard, a powerful tool that helps you communicate the status of your IT Security program visually in just a few minutes. Time Stamped Show Notes: FAIR is a framework of critical thinking and model or codification of risk and how risk works. Provides reference for thing through complex risk problem problems, risk assumptions and enabling risk discussions [04:53] Servicing assumption enabling debate like dialogue in this discussion [05:15] Jack Jones one of the first CISOs. CISO late 1980s. How to present risk? Technique with FAIR possibility vs probability what is it? Eg. McAfee virus impacting company and disrupting operations. Genesis was a 2003 XP system that contractor required them to have on their network. Sophisticated tools. Blindsided for a few days - because an admin was using a personal machine for surfing, so how would somebody apply FAIR. Knew administrator issues. How do you apply FAIR analysis to this? [08:49] In organization that knows it has control deficiencies. In doing risk analysis of landscape and threat landscape we face are the scenarios that could be painful. Develop straightforward taxonomy and availability high level. From confidentiality perspective what are assets would be exposed from and integrity perspective. [10:00] Deeper level of granularity - step-by-step process develop Taxonomy of events that represents loss. Then analyze likelihood of loss [10:39] If organization done that and they might have, when there is significant impact even if the likelihood is low - controls you want to be able to fast detection and recovery. If down for three days, then recovery rate not what is should be. Organization - in a rigorous fashion - lay out the risk landscape which on the surface they understand exist but don't know where it's relative to the other things in their landscape. Way they triage their world and identify set of conditions - work to be done and could have prioritized it more effectively [12:20] Concept of probability vs possibility linked to Russian Roulette. Organizations fall into the trap of possibility and not probability considerations. If we Focus solely on events are conceivably possible and hugely painful - an asteroid strike would come up and what we would do for an asteroid strike. There has to be a probability element - you can't just solely focus on possibility. Possibility of bad events 100-percent but probability might be lower. Crucial in order to prioritize. [14:38] If there was a risk with old systems because of the admin issue it would have and fitted access to work things out how would you reverse engineer that situation [15:09] In that instance - high probability of encountering malware - the only question from a probability perspective is what are odds of encountering malware that their preventative measures aren’t going to handle. Most security professionals would say that that could happen with the regularity so probability is higher. From a threat perspective zero Day stuff happens with some regularity – and we would be able to come up with likelihood estimate. One of the factors that place into the likelihood is the administrative privilege exposure. What it does is it allows the malware to have greater control and broader Impact than otherwise [17:35] Patching situation would be factors in the evaluation as well but they might have - fragile state wholly dependent on that malware situation due to administrative situation and patching situation. They just fragile to the single control element. Within FAIR there is probability and impact and also2 states: 1) fragile depending on single control in an active threat landscape and the other is 2) unstable where an asset you want to protect that exists in a not very active landscape but you don't have any preventative or resistance control. databases - evaluating scenario rogue database administrators. Nothing to stop it. So when you identify unstable conditions you look at how you would resolve and detect a situation because you have no resistant option. [19:36] In evaluating Probability and Impact and two qualifiers fragile and unstable [20:01] How do you estimate likelihood of happening. All kinds of downsides to scales. Doesn’t allow you to effectively articulate best case, worst case, & most likely case - range of outcomes. From a probability perspective not a lot of work to look at industry data relevant to Technologies in this particular organization. Two ends of the spectrum. Do you see the trends what's more or fewer? Using the data set the minimum at 5 that are relevant to technology concerned about Maximum 15 or perhaps 15 or 20 – per year. Depending on quality of data - make the Range wider or narrower. Faithfully representing your range of uncertainty is critical. Put a discrete number. I don't want number I want a range. Two dimensions. The width of the range. And the most likely value how flat or sharply peaked to B. Perk distribution. Expressing range of uncertainty. [24:09] Interesting in profession when you try to quantify something precision take the distance second to accuracy. When I give you a range that incorporates the actual outcomes in my Range – then my range is accurate and you increase probability of accuracy with wider ranges – but diminished returns [26:25] The useful degree of precision with a confidence level you can stand behind – Process of Calibration, How to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard a book that covers this beautifully [26:44] Utility for decision-making vs estimatingconcept, in expression ranges - when presenting risk to use decision makers trying to influence decision to make buying decisions. Calibration piece helps the decision maker make this decision [28:59] Blog series written about this - look at ordinal scales organizations rely on. HIGH MEDIUM LOW. They will identify top ten risks they are identified 10 things in the landscape that they would place into a high risk bucket. Top 3 - how do you differentiate in that bucket when choosing why things don't go into the bucket people. Can't identify why things don't go into that bucket they don't think things through with sufficient [30:25] Not very effective if you use quantitative measures quantitative measures allows you to distribute one above another I would focus on the thing that I have less certainty on. The lack of certainty is risk factor that needs to be dealt with [31:50] Telescopic piece and level of sophistication is not sufficiently advanced to explain to business decision maker to explain why they can't spend money in that area so will spend money in this area. How can someone reconcile real security and audit findings – which are at odds [33:46] Key component is applying real rigor to developing scenarios when encryption at rest is relevant. Encrypt your hard drive - very useful. But a lot of scenarios where the data can be compromised and encryption increases risk. Define set of scenarios where data is at risk in that subset where is encryption adds value and where not. Then evaluating impact. Then have means for comparing solutions. [36:35] Playing at the scenarios is sufficient for people to realize which options are better. [37:05] Set of control opportunities that cost a fraction and show through analysis how it reduces risk more than encryption. [37:38] Some IT professionals feels that (engagement) implies combat. They feel they are protecting an organization so we are asking a government entity auditor but what about educating people to prevent risk. [38:55] People are hesitant to go toe-to-toe against a regulator auditor –operating from intuition. They haven't applied rigorous approach to developing argument - sometimes intuition is wrong and then you realize there right. That's ok. But very often intuition is right. Need framework (like FAIR) for critical thinking through complex problems and developing argument and rationale and surface assumptions making estimates - put before the auditors, if you go through the process to the authoritative figure have you has not applied any rigor to it [40:35] Critical thinking, the Socratic method, logical way of thinking. Interesting to back-up intuition with a rigorous reproach to have a defensible argument [41:21] Save looking at problems and potential Solutions and more rigorous critical-thinking-like fashion is hugely valuable. Just having the framework for discussing and debating things – hugely valuable. [42:27] Another component is normalizing terminology. [43:02] FAIR model - really valuable. Every organization’s risk summary includes top 10 risks and that includes cybercriminals, social engineering, change management, mobile media and cloud computing. And if you look at those - cybercriminal threat community and cloud computing – technology, change management is a control element. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Those are not loss scenarios. FAIR Institute Blog that discusses this. How organizations are identifying and managing top 10 risks and it's a huge problem. We cannot expect to mature if we can't get a fundamental nomenclature correct [45:53] What are the easy steps that someone can transform the top 10 list lost scenarios change the top 10 list? [46:21] Create 2 lists of the top loss scenarios - taxonomy is a list of outcomes. Taxonomy is a categorization. Categorize loss events to a level of abstraction that’s balanced. Balance to be struck. easy to recognize with that balance lies as you go through the process. Qualitatively or quantitatively then do a probability & impact around those and that will tell you which off top 5 or 10. [48:02] Other list - control deficiencies. Risk assessment is controlled assessment. How to prioritize what contributes most of this risk. That identifies top control positions. Cant mix together. Simple way - get handle on risk landscape and determine focus. Look at list of top 10 deficiencies - map them to which scenarios highly relevant less likely relevant - these three or four need to be hitting these hard. We can say over time this will reduce or change this list scenario. [49.24] Recognizing you have to have two lists - top 10 less list is worse than useless you can't compare because it's misinformation in the worst way [49:47] Recommend Measuring and Managing Information Risk: A FAIR Approach co-authored with Dr. Jack Freund. FAIR Institute where to get education at the ecosystem of people in organization to Leverage framework. Universities taking part. Institute, free copy of book but different membership levels soft launch in December formal launch in February [52:10] The org (owns IP for Unix) has resources for FAIR and certification for practitioners. Risk Lens blog resources case studies and the book [52:22] Risk lens does fair Consulting and Open Group is organization but only intellectual property and they adopted her Institute have found her [53:06]  How to get in touch with Jack: Twitter LinkedIn Risk Lens Profile RSA Conference Profile InfoSec 2016 Conference Profile Key Resources: Bill’s first interview with Jack Measuring and Managing Information Risk: A FAIR Approach co-authored with Dr. Jack Freund FAIR Institute How to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard Risk Lens Opengroup.org FAIR Institute Blog Jack Freund LI profile Credits: Outro music provided by Ben’s Sound    

In this episode... What about public safety, where do we draw the line on open research? Self-regulation? Disclosure? What are our options… What makes a researcher? We discuss “Chilling security research” A quick dive into bug bounty programs; do they help? Ethics vs. moral compass …we discuss Hacker movies, and what they’re doing for our profession Guests Keren Elezari ( @K3r3n3 ) - brings years of experience in the international cyber security industry to the stage. Since 2000, Keren has worked with leading Israeli security firms, government organizations, Global Big 4 and Fortune 500 companies. Keren holds a CISSP security certification, a BA in History and Philosophy of Science and is currently a senior research fellow with the prestigious Security & Technology workshop at Tel Aviv University. In 2012, Keren held the position of Security Teaching Fellow with Singularity University, a private think tank, founded by Dr. Ray Kurzweil and sponsored by Google & NASA amongst others. Since 2013, Keren covers emerging security technologies and trends as a security industry analyst with GIGAOM research, a leading independent media hub. In 2014, Keren became the first Israeli woman to be invited to speak at the prestigious international annual TED conference. Keren’s TED talk has been viewed by 1.2 million people, translated to more than 20 languages and selected for TED’s list of ‘Most Powerful Ideas in 2014’ and for Inc.com’s list of ‘Top TED Talks of 2014’. Kellman Meghu ( @kellman ) - heads up a team of Security Architects for CheckPoint Software Technologies Inc., the worldwide leader in securing the Internet. His background includes almost 20 years of experience deploying application protection and network-based security. Since 1996 Mr. Meghu has been involved with consultation on various network security strategies to protect ISP's in Southern Ontario as well as security audits and security infrastructure deployments for various Commercial and Governmental entities across Canada and the Central United States. Kellman has delivered security talks in private corporate focused events, at school internet safety classes for students and teachers, as well as public events such as, SecureWorld Seattle, The Check Point Experience, Bsides St. Johns, Bsides San Francisco, Bsides Iowa, Bsides Detroit, Secure360, Trilateral Conference, and Sector lunch keynote for 2014. Kellman has contributed to live TV interviews in the Toronto area with CP24, CityNews, and CHCH TV, as well as radio station interviews and news articles across Canada and the US. Mark Nunnikhoven ( @marknca ) - focuses on helping organizations as they move from the data centre to hybrid environments to working fully in the cloud. Bringing over 15 years of practical experience to the table, he is regularly sought after to speak on cloud computing, usable security systems, and modernizing security practices.

Brian and Craig talk about Flight 370, Oprah rules the Central United States, their heartless government cuts, and the economy of sports.

James Hochman, Real Estate Partner, Coman & Anderson P.C. The NAR Commercial Intelligence Briefing Podcast continues with a conversation with James Hochman, Real Estate Partner with Coman & Anderson P.C. Jim is one of  NAR Commercial's Signature Series speakers for 2012. He offers several seminars in the Signature Series dealing with the kinds of legal agreements that are pivotal to commercial real estate transactions, including lease agreements, purchase and sale agreements, and exclusive listing agreements. He also conducts workshops on how to avoid litigation, broker lien rights, license portability issues for interstate commercial real estate transactions, and effective negotiation skills for brokers. Biography As Coman & Anderson's Real Estate Partner since July 2005, Jim Hochman represents many commercial real estate brokerage firms, receivers, landlords, tenants, and real estate investors by assisting in commercial and residential real estate transactions. Prior to joining Coman & Anderson, Jim was Senior VP & Senior Counsel for CB Richard Ellis for 22 years, representing CBRE in all aspects of real estate services for 20 states in the Central United States. Jim is a speaker on real estate broker-related issues for real estate organizations across the nation and in Canada. He also teaches for SIOR nationally and Lewis University. He co-akuthored and sponsored the Illinois Commercial Real Estate Broker Lien Act, and several subsequent states' broker lien acts. He is the architect of license portability statutes for several states. In 2004, Jim was honored by SIOR with its Inaugural Champion of Industry Award and is now a General Associate member of SIOR. Jim graduated from Brown University and has earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Boston Unversity School of Law. He retired as Commander in the United States Naval Reserve in 1992, after 22 years of service. His final assignment was Special Counsel to the U.S. Commander in Chief, Pacific Forces.  Subscribe to the RSS feed for these podcasts. Subscribe to the NAR Commercial Intelligence Briefing Podcasts in iTunes.   As Coman & Anderson's Real Estate Partner since July 2005, Jim Hochman represents many commercial real estate brokerage firms, receivers, landlords, tenants, and real estate investors by assisting in commercial and residential real estate transactions. Prior to joining Coman & Anderson, Jim was Senior VP & Senior Counsel for CB Richard Ellis for 22 years, representing CBRE in all aspects of real estate services for 20 states in the Central United States. Jim is a speaker on real estate broker-related issues for real estate organizations across the nation and in Canada. He also teaches for SIOR nationally and Lewis University. He co-akuthored and sponsored the Illinois Commercial Real Estate Broker Lien Act, and several subsequent states' broker lien acts. He is the architect of license portability statutes for several states. In 2004, Jim was honored by SIOR with its Inaugural Champion of Industry Award and is now a General Associate member of SIOR. Jim graduated from Brown University and has earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Boston Unversity School of Law. He retired as Commander in the United States Naval Reserve in 1992, after 22 years of service. His final assignment was Special Counsel to the U.S. Commander in Chief, Pacific Forces.

Synopsis I caught up with my friend Kellman Meghu at BSides Detroit as the conference was coming to a close and we finally got to sit down and have a fun conversation about chaos, and what sorts of things enterprises can realistically do to increase security today.  We both work for vendors so we talked about "shiny blinky boxes", when things fail, and the notion of resiliency.  Fun conversation ensues ... with a random sprinkling of security buzzwords. Kellman's famous quote is from this episode is "I can hand you this tool, and that doesn't suddenly make you any more secure than if you hand me a hammer I suddenly become a carpenter."  Wise words to live by folks, wise words indeed.  Spend a few minutes with Kellman and I, and see why he's one of my favorite people to interview. Guests Kellman Meghu - Kellman Meghu is Head of Security Engineering (Canada and Central US) for Check Point Software Technologies Inc., the worldwide leader in securing the Internet. His background includes over 15 years of experience deploying application protection and network-based security. Since 1996 Mr. Meghu has been involved with consultation on various network security strategies to protect ISP's in Southern Ontario as well as security audits and security infrastructure deployments for various Commercial and Governmental entities across Canada and the Central United States.  You can find him on Twitter and LinkedIn ... I highly recommend a conversation, he's a very smart guy. Links

"Migration Fellowship - South-Central United States" - Irving, TX (Sept. 2009)

With few exceptions, executive management doesn't care about security. They care about risk. In this session, Jack will discuss the differences and share his experiences in taking the information security program at a Fortune 100 financial services company from a security focus to one of risk management. This presentation will cover why the change took place, how it took place (what worked and what didn't), and the practical benefits that resulted. About the speaker: Jack Jones has been employed in technology for the past twenty-five years, and has specialized in information security and risk management for eighteen years. During this time, he's worked in the military, government intelligence, consulting, as well as the financial and insurance industries. Jack spent over five years as CISO for a Fortune 100 financial services company where his work was recognized at the 2006 RSA Conference with ISSA's Excellence in the Field of Security Practices award. In 2007 he was selected as a finalist for the Information Security Executive of the Year, Central United States. As a member of an international ISACA task force, Jack is helping to develop global standards for IT risk management in the enterprise. He also regularly speaks at national conferences and has developed and published an innovative risk analysis framework known as Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR).