Podcasts about Deepwater Horizon

DAMION1In our 'That's cute, Sam, because I don't want my son to grow up in a world where college dropouts slowly replace human brain function with profit-driven AI' headline of the week. Sam Altman doesn't want his son to grow up with an AI best friend In our 'In other news, Ikea will call its forthcoming store in Boston simply 'Ikea,' sources say' headline of the week. ESPN will call its forthcoming flagship streaming app simply 'ESPN,' sources say In our 'Ex-CBS Director O.J. Simpson not named director after found not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and because he's dead' headline of the week. Ex-Tyson Foods CFO John Tyson named director after misdemeanoursIn our 'In her acceptance speech, Ms. Boswell said, "I won't sleep until your toilets are 45% less smelly and disgusting, on a year-over-year basis starting in 3Q 2026."' headline of the week. Clorox Announces Election of Gina Boswell to its Board of DirectorsIn our 'The fourth director was referred to as "a bloated idiot who doesn't know the difference between a case of synthetic hydraulic fluids and a Diet Pepsi.' headline of the week. Shareholder advisory firm backs 3 of Elliott's 4 Phillips 66 director nominees In our 'Sir Andrew Witty listed the top three 'personal reasons' in no particular order: "Fuck. This. Place." ' headline of the week. UnitedHealth CEO steps down for ‘personal reasons'MATT1In our 'Universally reviled man pays self' headline of the week. UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty was 2024's highest-paid payer CEO. Here's a look at what other execs earnedIn our 'Universally reviled man takes a vacation' headline of the week. UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty steps down, company suspends annual forecastIn our 'Universally reviled man replaced by universally reviled man who replaced different universally reviled man he replaced' headline of the week. UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty steps down, replaced by Stephen HemsleyIn our 'Andrew Witty says try cod liver oil and vitamin A' headline of the week. Listeria outbreak sickens at least 10 in California and Nevada and the FDA is investigating Fresh & Ready FoodsIn our 'This week on "Audit Material Weakness: the Game", who will be the material weakness? The ex-prosecutor "financial expert", the ex-interior secretary who wrote "You Report to Me: Accountability for the Failing Administrative State", or the ex-trade representative?' headline of the week. Trump Media said it had ‘material weakness' in internal controlsIn our 'Anti-woke investors furious at SEC they don't get the chance to vote 1% in favor of a resolution to stop gays from eating sushi, the wokest way to make fish, which is eroding American freedom' headline of the week. Kroger Investor Loses New Bid to Put Plan Before ShareholdersIn our 'After soliciting bids from Punxsutawney Phil, the transformer named Scavenger, and Mark Wahlberg from Deepwater Horizon, the Trump Administration finally found a genius to dig a hole' headline of the week. Elon Musk's Boring Company Is in Talks With Government Over Amtrak ProjectIn our 'When asked, the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee handed citizens a set of "giant wipers" donated by Tesla for their tears' headline of the week. Community Complains of Choking Fumes From Elon Musk's AI FortressIn our 'It's true, we found a self-important liar who likes hallucinogens so we don't need to hire anyone under 35 with an education anymore' headline of the week. AI may cut the need for younger staff, CEOs say: ‘With the commoditization of intelligence, it's not about having the smartest people anymore'In our 'It's true, we found a self-important liar who states everything like it's a fact so we don't need to hire anyone over the age of 55 anymore' headline of the week. The vast majority of CEOs are fearful of losing their jobs due to AI, survey revealsDAMION2End with a game: I'll give you the headline first and you pick the best joke:McDonald's announces plans to hire 375,000 workers with Trump Labor secretaryTraining to Include How to Scream Internally Without Moving Your Face and Why Clocking Out is WokeNew Employees to Be Paid in Nuggets and WIll Receive Free Uniform, A Copy of “Atlas Shrugged” (Annotated by J.D. Vance while wearing a Ronald McDonald costume) and a Mandatory McRib Tramp StampBecause Nothing Says “Labor Rights” Like a Side of DeregulationBoy Accidentally Orders 70,000 Lollipops on Amazon. Panic Ensues.Amazon's spokesperson said, "While we understand that 70,000 lollipops may exceed the average household's needs, our algorithm determined that American children are fat and stupid."Mark Zuckerberg said, "Problems like this will disappear with Meta-branded AI children."Amazon Algorithm Now Recommends a Kohler Tall Single Flush 2-Piece Elongated Toilet with 1.28 GPF in White and a Dentist Named Dave

DAMION1Kohl's CEO Fired for Funneling Business to Romantic Partner 10Kohl's boss Ashley Buchanan tried to funnel business to a romantic partner and lost his job. It wasn't the first time their personal and professional lives had crossed.Kohl's fired Buchanan on Thursday after it discovered he had instructed the retailer to enter into a “highly unusual” business deal involving a woman with whom he has a romantic relationship, according to people familiar with the situation. The pair currently live together in an upscale golf community in the suburbs of Dallas.Buchanan met the woman, Chandra Holt, when they were both working at Walmart several years ago, the people said. His divorce proceedings show the two had a romantic relationship while he was the CEO of Michaels. The arts-and-crafts chain also tried to hire Holt during his tenure.A Kohl's board investigation by outside lawyers found that Buchanan violated the company's code of conduct in two instances with a vendor with whom he had a personal relationship and whom it didn't name, according to a regulatory filing. The filing said he directed the retailer to conduct business with a vendor founded by this person “on highly unusual terms,” and he caused the company to enter into a multimillion-dollar consulting agreement, where that person was part of the consulting team.On Thursday, Kohl's appointed Chairman Michael Bender as its interim CEO. He becomes the fourth CEO in three years at the department-store chain, which has been struggling with slumping sales.Nominating Committee:John E. Schlifske* (2011; 6%)Michael J. Bender (2019; 18%)Robbin Mitchell (2021; 7%)Adrianne Shapira (2016; 6%)Even CEOs sometimes get the 'you're fired' treatment 11Great, nobody understands corporate governanceMeta exec apologizes to conservative activist Robby StarbuckJoel Kaplan, Meta's chief global affairs officer, has issued a public apology to conservative influencer Robby Starbuck after Starbuck filed a lawsuit alleging that Meta's artificial intelligence chatbot produced responses containing false and defamatory information about him. “Robby — I watched your video — this is unacceptable. This is clearly not how our AI should operate,” Kaplan wrote on X, which is one of Meta's competitors. He referred to a 20-minute video in which Starbuck laid out his claims, including that Meta's AI falsely associated him with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the QAnon conspiracy theory.“We're sorry for the results it shared about you and that the fix we put in place didn't address the underlying problem,” Kaplan continued. “I'm working now with our product team to understand how this happened and explore potential solutions.”Bob Monks, fierce champion of shareholders against what he saw as boardroom failings 0An American pioneer of investor activism and better corporate governance.Monks emerged as a doughty champion of shareholders against what he saw as increasingly self-serving and complacent boardroom behaviourIn 1985 he founded Institutional Shareholder Services, which advises funds that own shares in multiple companies how best to exercise their voting power. He also helped create Lens, an activist investment fund, and GMI Ratings, a scrutineer of corporate behaviour which claimed to have downgraded BP before the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the insurance giant AIG before the 2008 financial crisis and News Corp before the phone-hacking scandal.His most celebrated campaign, in 1991, was an attempt to become a director of the underperforming retail and financial conglomerate Sears Roebuck, for which he ran a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal depicting the existing Sears board as “non-performing assets”. Though his candidacy was rejected, many of his proposals for rationalisation were adopted, and he was able to declare: “Sears has been changed.”This low-profile CEO is the highest-paid in America with a $101 million paycheck that beat out Starbucks, Microsoft, and Apple chiefs 10Jim Anderson, a low-profile executive of Pennsylvania-based Coherent, which produces equipment for networks and lasersHere's what the dopey reporting missed:An originally announced golden hello equity award of $48M that magically morphed into $91M come proxy time.48% NO on Say on PayToo large Pay Committee: 6 members, led by Shaker Sadasivam, who was NOT up reelection this year. Also includes Mike Dreyer (22% NO), former COO of Silicon Valley BankEuronext rebrands ESG in drive to help European defence firms 10In a statement renaming ESG - the acronym given to Environmental, Social and Governance-driven investing - as Energy, Security and Geostrategy, Euronext's CEO and Chairman Stephane Boujnah said it was responding to a "new geopolitical order"."European aerospace and defence companies have expressed the urgent need to invest heavily in their innovation and production capacities to guarantee Europe's strategic autonomy for the next decade," Euronext said in the statement.Among the measures, Euronext said it would revisit the methodologies for ESG indexes to limit the exclusions currently placed on defence companies.OpenAI, facing pressure, announces its nonprofit will stay in control after allOpenAI announced a smaller-scale change to its famously complex structure. Remember that it was founded as a nonprofit. But in 2019, it set up a for-profit subsidiary to start raising money from investors to finance its eye-wateringly expensive A.I. research. Then last year, the company moved to turn itself into a for-profit entity in which the nonprofit held a stake but didn't have control.Now, OpenAI plans to turn its for-profit subsidiary into a public benefit corporation, which would still be controlled by the nonprofit, though the size of its stake remains undetermined. (Got all that?) Sam Altman, its C.E.O., said yesterday that the revised plan still gives his start-up “a more understandable structure to do the things that a company like us has to do.”The AI Industry Has a Huge Problem: the Smarter Its AI Gets, the More It's HallucinatingZuckerberg Says in Response to Loneliness Epidemic, He Will Create Most of Your Friends Using Artificial IntelligenceIn an interview with podcaster Dwarkesh Patel this week, Zuckerberg asserted that more people should be connecting with chatbots on a social level — because, in a striking line of argumentation, they don't have enough real-life friends.When asked if AI chatbots can help fight the loneliness epidemic, the billionaire painted a dystopian vision of a future in which we spend more time talking to AIs than flesh-and-blood humans."There's the stat that I always think is crazy, the average American, I think, has fewer than three friends," Zuckerberg told Patel. "And the average person has demand for meaningfully more, I think it's like 15 friends or something, right?""The average person wants more connectivity, connection, than they have," he concluded, hinting at the possibility that the discrepancy could be filled with virtual friends.Tesla Is Extremely Upset About Reporting That Its Board Has Been Looking Into Replacing Elon MuskLeading Independent Proxy Advisory Firm ISS Recommends Harley-Davidson Shareholders Vote "FOR ALL" of Harley-Davidson's Highly Qualified Director Nominees 10Targeted DirectorsCEO/Chair Zeitz (2007, 30%): who has already stepped down as CEOLead Director Norman Thomas Linebarger (2008, 13%): who is not independentSara Levinson (1996, 20%): the longest-tenured director Matt: HARD HITTING ANALYSIS“[I]t appears that his time in the role has been more positive than negative, which makes it hard to argue that his vote on a successor is worthless.”"[T]here are compelling reasons to believe that as a group [the targeted directors] still have a perspective that can be valuable.”"[I]t appears that the board initiated the [CEO search] process promptly…”, Target CEO's pay slashed by a whopping 45% after his disastrous mishandling of DEI 5Patrick Kennedy of The Minnesota Star Tribune used Total Realized Pay: down from $18.1M last year mostly because of a reduction in vested stock, $5.6M down from $13.6M. Total summary is up: $19.2M to $20.4M. Pay ratio is up: 719:1 to 753:1Matt: What?MATT1Berkshire Hathaway: Board Unanimously Appoints Greg Abel as Firm's Next Chief Executive 1000Rate the goodness of the succession planning processTrump announced Alcatraz reopening just hours after ‘Escape from Alcatraz' aired on a South Florida PBS station 15Rate the goodness of funding PBS, which probably gave Trump the idea to reopen AlcatrazGoldman Sachs Removes Mentions of ‘Black' From Flagship Diversity Pledge 0‘Black in Business,' one program in the effort, is now about staying ‘in the black,' in reference to profits—not raceRate the goodness of Goldman Sachs finally returning to a focus on profit, not black peopleAnthropic CEO Admits We Have No Idea How AI Works"When a generative AI system does something, like summarize a financial document, we have no idea, at a specific or precise level, why it makes the choices it does — why it chooses certain words over others, or why it occasionally makes a mistake despite usually being accurate,"Meta exec apologizes to conservative activist Robby Starbuck -4,000,000“Robby — I watched your video — this is unacceptable. This is clearly not how our AI should operate.”

This episode we talk shop. Pope movies, Attack of the Clones, The Guardian, Shane Gillis, Deepwater Horizon, Pickle Balls, Transgenderism, and no sportsLearn more about the details of film making from the directors, producers and writers at Minne Movies. We discuss set design, costumes, lighting, screenplays, acting, timing, composition, and much more. Reach out to us!Find Podcast: The Motion Picture on X: https://x.com/podthemotionpicFind Podcast: The Motion Picture on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcasttmp/Find Ruby Wild Media on X: https://x.com/rubywildmediaFind Ruby Wild Media on Substack https://substack.com/@rubywildmedia

* We're still learning about all the different impacts from the Deepwater Horizon disaster even though it was 15 years ago. We'll talk with Brian Roberts from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium about the research and the effects we've seen on land, plants, and animals * We talked to Sidney Torres last week...now we'll talk to Troy Henry about the French Quarter sanitation saga and get his side of the story.

* Will the Saints draft a quarterback early? * Jazz Fest is here! What to expect the first weekend * What have we learned about the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon disaster? * French Quarter sanitation saga: Troy Henry defends himself, blasts others * How do people get their news nowadays? * Will the Saints take someone in the trenches in the first round?

We're still learning about all the different impacts from the Deepwater Horizon disaster even though it was 15 years ago. We talk with Brian Roberts from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium about the research and the effects we've seen on land, plants, and animals

April 20th marked the fifteenth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the largest oil spill in U.S. history, which killed 11 workers and spilled 134 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. For those who rely on fishing and related industries off the Gulf Coast, as well as for those who were involved in the recovery and cleanup efforts, real relief is still yet to come. The AP reports that “all but a handful of roughly 4,800 lawsuits seeking compensation for health problems linked to the spill have been dismissed and only one has been settled,” noting that in 2012 BP paid $67 million - about $1,300 each for nearly 80% of those seeking compensation. BP has since been forced to pay billions of dollars in fines.Meanwhile, the Trump administration plans to extend fossil fuel drilling and fracking even more than the Biden administration did. The nearly $1-trillion Pentagon budget is also a hotbed of climate- and life-destroying wastes of money, as the US prepares for great-power conflict with China.This episode was recorded on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22nd, and we get into the lasting legacy of the Deepwater Horizon spill and much more.Support the show

20.4.2010: Im Golf von Mexiko explodiert die BP-Ölplattform Deepwater Horizon. 87 Tage strömt das Öl unkontrolliert ins Meer. Eine gigantische Katastrophe - und heute? Von Stephan Beuting.

Jewish feast of First Fruits found in the 23rd chapter of Leviticus is fulfilled with a tomb that is the scene of the Greatest Escape ever. A dead Jew, Yeshua, buried and sealed in a tomb, rises from the dead and walks out, lives with his mates for another 6 weeks, and then ascends in a cloud right before their eyes. Amazing story. And an amazing consequence in your life, if you believe it.Historical markers of the week includes Lithuania and Britain, Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico and Columbine tragedy.Support the showThanks for listening. Please share the pod with your mates, and feel free to comment right here! Write to Bob on his email -- bobmendo@AOL.comLink to https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078996765315 on Facebook. Bobs Your Uncle features the opinions of Bob Mendelsohn and any of his guests.To financially support the podcast, go to the Patreon site and choose Gold, Silver or Bronze levels. Thanks for that! https://www.patreon.com/BobsYourUncle To read Bob's 1999 autobiography, click this link https://bit.ly/StoryBob To see photos of any of Bob's guests, they are all on an album on his Flickr site click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobmendo/albums/72177720296857670

Remembering the human toll of Texas City and Deepwater Horizon and applying those lessons learned can prevent similar tragedies. In this episode, Trish and Traci discuss two major BP incidents: the 2005 Texas City Refinery explosion that killed 15 workers when an overfilled tower created a geyser of hot raffinate that ignited, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that killed 11 workers and caused the largest U.S. marine oil spill when cement failed to properly seal a well. Key factors included faulty equipment, misleading indicators, inappropriate safety messaging and failure to learn from near-misses. These tragedies led to industry-wide improvements, including standardized process safety metrics, occupied building risk assessments, and better hazard management.

Send us a textThe rise of long-form interviews has created a new challenge for executives trying to balance authenticity with strategic messaging. Communications expert Janie Jordan joins us to unpack why these seemingly relaxed conversations can actually be the most difficult media format to navigate successfully.We also examine the rapid evolution of crisis communications through recent airline incidents, exploring how companies like American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have established new standards with CEO video responses issued within hours of an incident. But how 'out front' should your CEO be in a crisis? Our host, Tom Mueller, was a PIO for bp during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response, and relates his experience with CEO Tony Hayward during that incident. It's a reminder of how even well-intentioned executives can mishandle their communication role.Listen now to gain valuable insights on preparing executives for both planned long-form interviews and unexpected crisis situations in today's unforgiving media landscape. You can reach Janie Jordan at https://www.janejordan.com.au/We'd love to hear from you. Email the show at Tom@leadinginacrisis.com.

As a native New Orleanian, Mitch Landrieu knows a thing or two about crisis and recovery. He served as the lieutenant governor of Louisiana through Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 and the compounding effects of subsequent storms including Ike and Gustav. In 2010, he was sworn in as mayor of New Orleans—just one month after the Deepwater Horizon explosion undermined the region's efforts to recover from five years of depopulation and economic decline.  Mayor Landrieu's experience working for the efficient restoration of New Orleans's critical infrastructure later led the Biden Administration to appoint him as an advisor on the national implementation of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Otherwise known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), this bill has been the largest long-term investment in U.S. infrastructure since the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1965. It has prioritized and funded an array of essential, future-oriented projects throughout the country.  The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina demonstrated how the increasing scale of environmental disasters will expose vulnerabilities in the nation's aging infrastructure. Local leaders are thus seeking strategies that balance the needs of growth and economic development with the proactive management of current and future risks.  The work that Mayor Landrieu, city staff, and community partners undertook to steer New Orleans's recovery process away from bankruptcy and toward revived communities and a more secure built environment has provided a case study for policymakers and resilience groups around the world.  In part one of this two-part episode, Mayor Landrieu talks with Ten Across founder Duke Reiter about the personal and professional experiences that have influenced his views on equity and resilience and shaped some of the bold positions he's taken in governing. Part two will delve further into his views and outlook on contemporary governance.  We've taken a new approach with this episode, take a listen and let us know what you think by leaving a review on your preferred podcast platform.   Related articles and resources:  “Want to Understand the Future of U.S. Climate Resilience? Look to the Gulf Coast” (Ten Across Conversations podcast, Dec. 2024)  “Sunk Costs, Sunken City: The Story of New Orleans with Richard Campanella” (Ten Across Conversations podcast, June 2023)  “DOGE says it's now saved $65B in federal funds, but that's still impossible to verify” (ABC News, Feb. 26, 2025)  “Veteran crisis hotline may be impacted by federal layoffs” (ABC 15, Feb. 24, 2025) “Angry Over Confederate Flag, Mayor Plans March” (New York Times, March 2000)  “What is in the just-passed House Republican budget bill? What to know” (USA Today, Feb. 26, 2025)

Episode Notes S6E4 -- Join us as we dive into the mind of legendary actor James DuMont. He'll tell us tales from Deepwater Horizon to American Sports Story and much much more.. Noted for his finely crafted and nuanced performances, actor James DuMont is one of the busiest actors in both film and television. DuMont just wrapped his 74th & 75th Feature Film, Amazon's Candy Cane Lane with Eddie Murphy & Unit 234, opposite Don Johnson. James plays "Chad" on HBO's The Righteous Gemstones opposite creator & star, Danny McBride, which is going into its 4th Season in 2024. His 70th performance on television was CBS' FBI. CHECK OUT Ben & Jeff's newest animation and past LIVE episodes at https://redcoraluniverse.com/the-misadventures-of-tobi-duke1 https://redcoraluniverse.com/en/ HELPFUL LINKS: VETERANS: https://www.va.gov/.../mental-health/suicide-prevention/ https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ https://homebase.org/programs/get-care/ ADDICTION: https://lp.recoverycentersofamerica.com/.../continuum-of.../ https://www.refreshrecoverycenters.com/reclaim-your-life.../ https://drughelpline.org/ Due you know someone that has lost their lives due to addiction? Or even someone that has made a full recovery? Reach out to Johnny Whitaker so they can help to celebrate the lives lost/ lives recovered at overdoseawareness0831@gmail.com NEWS FLASH: You can now purchase Toking with the Dead full novel here https://a.co/d/7uypgZo https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../toking.../1143414656... OR Show your support by purchasing FB stars. Send stars to the stars fb.com/stars Follow our guest https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003069/ https://www.instagram.com/jamesdumont/?hl=en https://twitter.com/jameskdumont?lang=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-dumont-8ab93b3 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067672895074... Toking with the Dead: https://www.stilltoking.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TokingwiththeDead?tn=-]C-R https://www.instagram.com/stilltokingwith/?hl=en https://twitter.com/thetoking?lang=en https://pinecast.com/feed/still-toking-with Check out Toking with the Dead Episode 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awhL5FyW_j4 Check out Toking with the Dead Episode 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaUai58ua6o Buy awesome Merchandise! https://www.stilltoking.com/toking-with-the-dead-train https://teespring.com/stores/still-toking-with Our booking agent: https://www.facebook.com/AmyMakepeace https://www.facebook.com/groups/3770117099673924 Sponsorship Opportunities: https://www.stilltoking.com/become-a-sponsor or email us at bartlett52108@gmail.com thetokingdead@gmail.com ————————————— Follow Still Toking With and their friends! https://smartpa.ge/5zv1 https://thedorkeningpodcastnetwork.com/ ————————————— Produced by Leo Pond and The Dorkening Podcast Network https://TheDorkening.com Facebook.com/TheDorkening Youtube.com/TheDorkening Twitter.com/TheDorkening MORE ABOUT THE GUEST: James is best known for Focus Features' Dallas Buyers Club opposite Oscar winner, Jared Leto where he played his father. Mr. DuMont has amassed a glowing array of memorable characters in both film & television such as Track Suit Charle in the Netflix feature Spenser Confidential which was watched by over 75 Million households & is James' 3rd collaboration is both Director, Peter Berg & Mark Wahlberg having worked with them on CBS Films' Patriots Day and Lionsgates' Deepwater Horizon. Sheriff Charnitski in the Apple TV Series Black Bird & Recurring as Randy Finch in the Showtime series City On A Hill. James has added to his growing gallery of historical characters on film most recently with Senator McClellan on Apple TV's The Banker starring Samuel L. Jackson & Anthony Mackie, J. Parnell Thomas in Trumbo opposite Oscar nominee, Bryan Cranston & Sherman Adams opposite the late Oscar winner, Robin Williams' in Lee Daniels' The Butler. Recent Mini Series work include the 2022 Golden Globe winner Amazons' The Underground Railroad from Oscar winning director, Barry Jenkins. Mr. DuMont has had recurring role on NBC's Law & Order: True Crime: The Menendez Murders & the F/X series American Horror Story-Freak Show & Coven & the Lifetime/History Channels' Bonnie and Clyde. His most recent guest star roles on television include CBS' Magnum PI & The Good Fight, NBC's Timeless, Netflix cult hit Stranger Things, Fox series 24: Legacy and CBS' CSI: New Orleans. James' recent film work includes Disney+'s Safety, Sony Classic Pictures Hank Williams bio-pic I Saw The Light & Universals' blockbuster Jurassic World & James Brown bio-pic Get On Up, TriStar Pictures' When The Game Stands Tall & indie features The Hammer, Landline & Catch Hell starring Ryan Phillippe, which is also his directorial debut. See less Find out more at https://still-toking-with.pinecast.co Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/still-toking-with/d5bd9522-d9bb-45e5-9930-427ec97b2fe5

On today's episode of The Executive Appeal Podcast join Alex D. Tremble (CEO of GPS Leadership Solutions & #KeynoteSpeaker) and Kevin M. Sligh Sr, MBA (Founder and CEO of Promethean Global Consulting Group) as they share expert insights on navigating high-stakes interviews, building leadership presence, and positioning yourself for top-tier opportunities. Whether you're aiming for the C-suite or a senior government role, these proven strategies will help you stand out. GUEST BIOKevin Sligh supports clients working in disaster/crisis management and the energy sector, particularly within the offshore renewable and conventional energy space, including leading efforts in diversity, equity, Inclusion, and accessibility at all levels. Prior to starting his consultancy (Promethean Global Consulting Group), Mr. Sligh served as a Biden-Harris political appointee as the Director of the Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement, leading its offshore wind market businesses. Previously, he served in numerous career roles as the Deputy Regional Administrator for FEMA Region 5 and, subsequently, as Deputy of the Coast Guard's Office of Marine Environmental Response at Coast Guard Headquarters. He also served as the Director for Response policy in 2017 for the White House National Security Council. His responsibilities included shaping the nation's response and recovery efforts to Hurricanes HARVEY, IRMA, and MARIA by leading the Executive Office of the President's headquarters-level response. During his 2-year assignment as the FEMA Region 5 Acting Regional Administrator, he was instrumental in providing over 6 billion dollars in Stafford Act funding to disaster survivors. In addition, he has also deployed multiple times to Hurricanes KATRINA, RITA, and GUSTAV in various senior leadership roles. Last, he served 13 years between the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard within the enlisted corps. During his last 10 years on active duty, he served as a commissioned officer, where he deployed multiple times in support of the Coast Guard's response to the DEEPWATER HORIZON tragedy in 2010. At the height of the response, he led over 40,000 responders.

I explore the truth behind the famous 10,000-hour rule, popularized by Malcolm Gladwell. Today, Prof Alex Edmans uncovers why the rule persists despite its flaws and dives into the psychological biases that make misinformation so believable. You'll learn: Why the 10,000-hour rule isn't as universal as it seems (feat. insights from Alex Edmans). How confirmation bias shapes beliefs—from the Atkins diet to Deepwater Horizon.  The dangers of narrative fallacy in explaining success (feat. 1975 Barry Staw study). Real-world examples of misinformation, from Belle Gibson's cancer cure claims to Volkswagen's diesel scandal. A simple mental trick to fight confirmation bias and save yourself from misleading ideas. ---- Download the Reading List: https://nudge.kit.com/readinglist Sign up to my newsletter: https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew-22213187/ Watch Nudge on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nudgepodcast/ Alex's book May Contain Lies: https://maycontainlies.com/ ---- Sources:  Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. Little, Brown, and Company. Edmans, A. (2024). May contain lies: How stories, statistics, and studies exploit our biases—and what we can do about it. University of California Press. Kaplan, Jonas T., Sarah I. Gimbel and Sam Harris (2016): ‘Neural correlates of maintaining one's political beliefs in the face of counterevidence', Scientific Reports 6, 39589. Wong, Nathan Colin (2015): ‘The 10,000-hour rule', Canadian Urological Journal 9, 299. Staw, Barry M. (1975): ‘Attribution of the “causes” of performance: a general alternative interpretation of cross-sectional research on organizations', Organizational Behavior and Human Performance 13, 414–32.

Known for directing big hits like "Deepwater Horizon" and "Friday Night Lights," Peter Berg is known for intense and gritty stories. His latest is a Netflix limited series, "American Primeval," set in the American West in 1857. Berg speaks with Alison about the collision of religion, homesteading, greed and violence depicted in the series.

In this episode, we sit down with RADM Meredith Austin, USCG (Ret.), to explore her distinguished career in emergency management and her pivotal roles in some of the most challenging disasters, including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response. We discuss the vital contributions of the U.S. Coast Guard Strike Teams and the lessons learned from coordinating large-scale, multi-agency operations. Tune in for a deep dive into crisis leadership and the evolution of disaster response.

In this episode of the show our trip through the professional collaborations of Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg continues with a conversation about Deepwater Horizon. Over the course of our chat you will hear us talk about the many problems getting this movie off the ground, the place of a disaster movie genre in the modern landscape of entertainment and the problem of sensitivity when depicting recent events. We also talk about Berg's attempt at workplace realism, Wahlberg's swagger, John Malkovich's sweat stains and how important it is to give a big blockbuster a beating heart. Tune in and enjoy! Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy Burrows Intro: Infraction - Cassette Outro: Infraction - Daydream Head over to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠uncutgemspodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to find all of our archival episodes and more! Follow us on Twitter (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@UncutGemsPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠), IG (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@UncutGemsPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)

Peter Berg is an American director, producer, and writer. He began his career as an actor, before transitioning to directing with his feature debut "Very Bad Things" (1998) and has since helmed notable films including "Friday Night Lights" (2004), "Hancock" (2008), "Lone Survivor" (2013), "Deepwater Horizon" (2016), and "Patriots Day" (2016). His episodic television work spans many critically acclaimed series like "Friday Night Lights" and “Ballers”. Berg has also tackled complex and dark subjects like the Sackler family's big pharma influence through “Painkiller” and the complex realities of settling the American West in his upcoming series “American Primeval”. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: https://helixsleep.com/srs https://amac.us/srs https://patriotmobile.com/srs https://rocketmoney.com/srs https://shopify.com/srs https://meetfabric.com/shawn Peter Berg Links: Website - https://www.film44.com/ IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000916/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pberg44/ American Primeval - https://www.netflix.com/title/81457507 Please leave us a review on Apple & Spotify Podcasts. Vigilance Elite/Shawn Ryan Links: Website | Patreon | TikTok | Instagram | Download Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Peter Berg is a celebrated director, producer, writer, and actor known for his compelling storytelling in projects like Friday Night Lights, The Kingdom, Lone Survivor, Patriots Day, Deepwater Horizon, and Mile 22. His work spans critically acclaimed films, Emmy-nominated television, and memorable acting roles in features and shows including Chicago Hope and Ballers. Berg's latest endeavor, the Netflix limited series American Primeval, premiering January 9, 2025, delves into the brutal realities of 1857 America, where survival is the only law in a land ruled by fear and conflict. To learn more about Peter Berg, follow him on Instagram @pberg44  SPONSORS CRY HAVOC – A Tom Reece Thriller https://www.officialjackcarr.com/books/cry-havoc/ Bravo Company Manufacturing: https://bravocompanyusa.com/ and on Instagram @BravoCompanyUSA BCM Jack Carr MOD 4 pistol grip. Get yours here-https://bravocompanyusa.com/bcm-jack-carr-mod-4-pistol-grip-black/ SIG Sauer P226: https://www.sigsauer.com/firearms/pistols/p226.html and on Instagram @sigsauerinc  STACCATO: https://staccato2011.com/ and on Instagram @staccato2011 Jack Carr Gear: Explore the gear here - https://jackcarr.co/gear 

This Day in Legal History: Charles I Placed on TrialOn January 6, 1649, the English Parliament took a momentous step by voting to place King Charles I on trial for high treason. This decision came in the wake of the English Civil War, a prolonged conflict between Royalists, loyal to the king, and Parliamentarians seeking to limit monarchical power. Leading up to the trial, the New Model Army, under Oliver Cromwell, orchestrated "Pride's Purge," expelling Members of Parliament likely to oppose the trial. The remaining assembly, known as the Rump Parliament, convened and authorized the creation of the High Court of Justice, an unprecedented legal body tasked with trying a sitting monarch.The trial marked a dramatic shift in the balance of power, challenging the divine right of kings—a cornerstone of monarchical rule. Charles I was accused of subverting the laws of England and waging war against his own people, charges that he denied, arguing that no court held legitimate authority to judge a king. Despite his defense, the court convicted Charles on January 27, 1649, sentencing him to death. His execution on January 30 sent shockwaves throughout Europe, signaling the emergence of parliamentary sovereignty and temporarily abolishing the monarchy in favor of the Commonwealth under Cromwell.This legal milestone not only altered the trajectory of English governance but also set a precedent for holding leaders accountable to the rule of law. The Supreme Court is expected to play a critical role in assessing the legality of anticipated Trump administration policies, particularly in immigration and administrative law. Immigration policies, such as ending birthright citizenship and mass deportations, are likely to be challenged in court, with outcomes depending on their framing, especially if tied to national security concerns, which the Court tends to view more favorably than economic justifications. The Court's recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which limited agency power by ending Chevron deference, may have far-reaching implications for both the Biden and Trump administrations. While reducing agencies' regulatory authority aligns with Trump's deregulatory goals, it also empowers blue states and civil rights groups to challenge his policies under stricter judicial scrutiny.Challenges to agency head tenure protections and interpretations of outdated laws could also come before the Court. Trump's potential push to dismantle longstanding precedents like Humphrey's Executor v. United States could make federal agencies more directly accountable to the presidency, further politicizing their functions. Critics note that these shifts in judicial doctrine cut both ways, curbing regulatory power broadly regardless of the administration in power. This duality underscores a tension between conservative goals of limiting administrative overreach and the desire to expedite executive policy-making.Trump Likely to Test Supreme Court on Agency Powers, ImmigrationPresident Joe Biden has permanently barred offshore oil and gas drilling across over 625 million acres of US coastal waters, including the East and West Coasts, parts of the Gulf of Mexico, and sections of the Northern Bering Sea. Citing environmental risks and minimal energy gains, Biden stated the move balances conservation and energy security, ensuring that protecting coastlines and maintaining low energy prices are not mutually exclusive. The decision does not affect existing offshore leases or ongoing drilling in Alaska's Cook Inlet and the central and western Gulf of Mexico, which account for a significant portion of US energy production.Biden's action builds on temporary protections enacted by former President Trump for Florida's Gulf Coast and southeastern waters but makes them indefinite. While praised by environmental advocates and coastal communities, the oil industry criticized the move, arguing that it restricts domestic energy potential and undermines national security. Some politicians from both parties have supported these protections, emphasizing the risks demonstrated by disasters like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.Although Biden's decision relies on a federal law provision that may be difficult to reverse, legal challenges could arise if a future administration attempts to undo the protections. The debate underscores tensions between environmental stewardship and energy independence.Biden Bars Offshore Oil Drilling in US Atlantic and PacificBiden to ban offshore oil, gas drilling in vast areas ahead of Trump term | ReutersThe U.S. Department of Justice has urged the Supreme Court to deny President-elect Donald Trump's request to delay a law requiring TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. assets by January 19 or face a nationwide ban. Trump argued for more time after his inauguration to seek a political resolution, while the DOJ countered that ByteDance has not demonstrated it is likely to succeed on the merits of its case. The government emphasized the national security risks of TikTok's data collection on 170 million American users, framing it as a tool for potential espionage.TikTok, however, has requested the Court block the law on First Amendment grounds, claiming it is being unfairly targeted for its content rather than its data practices, especially given Congress's lack of action against other Chinese-owned apps like Shein and Temu. If the law takes effect, new downloads of TikTok will be prohibited, and existing services will degrade over time as companies are barred from providing support. The Biden administration could extend the compliance deadline by 90 days if ByteDance shows significant progress toward divestment. This marks a shift in Trump's stance from 2020, when he sought to ban TikTok over similar concerns. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on January 10.Justice Dept. urges Supreme Court to reject Trump request to delay TikTok ban law | ReutersDisney, Fox, and Warner Bros Discovery are appealing a court ruling that blocked the launch of their joint streaming service, Venu Sports, arguing it unfairly restricts competition and consumer choice. The district court previously halted Venu's debut after rival FuboTV sued, claiming the service violated antitrust laws by bundling sports content in a way that would harm competition and raise prices. The district court sided with Fubo, finding that the bundling practices could foreclose other sports-focused services and granted an injunction against Venu's launch.The media companies argue that the ruling denies consumers a lower-cost streaming option aimed at price-sensitive sports fans and protects Fubo from competition. They assert that Venu would increase consumer choice and lower prices. However, the Justice Department and several states have supported the injunction, stating that Venu's creation would consolidate market power among the companies—who control over half of U.S. sports rights—and hinder the emergence of competing sports-only platforms like Fubo.At the heart of the dispute is whether the bundling practices by Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros unfairly disadvantage distributors by tying access to desirable sports content with less popular programming. The appeals court will now decide if the injunction stands.Disney, Fox and Warner Bros to ask court to lift ban on launch of Venu Sports service | Reuters This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Inside The War Between Jay-Z & Attorney Accusing Him Of Rape, Tony Buzbee  The High-Stakes Legal Battle: Tony Buzbee vs. Music Moguls It began with allegations that were shocking even in an era saturated with sensational headlines. Sean “Diddy” Combs, already imprisoned under federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, one of the most influential figures in music, now find themselves at the center of child rape accusations. The man leading the charge? Tony Buzbee, a Texas trial lawyer with a reputation as polarizing as it is formidable. Buzbee's Legal Offensive Buzbee's involvement has turned this case into a legal maelstrom, one that has captivated both the public and the media. Known for his unrelenting pursuit of justice, Buzbee has accused not just the music moguls but also Jay-Z's entertainment company, Roc Nation, of conspiring to sabotage his credibility. He alleges that Roc Nation paid some of his former clients to file lawsuits against him, a claim he asserts is backed by evidence. The accusations against Jay-Z and Diddy, first filed in October, are staggering in their implications. An unnamed woman claims that the two men sexually assaulted her in 2000 when she was only 13 years old. Jay-Z has publicly denied the allegations, calling them baseless and accusing Buzbee of opportunism. Carter's legal team, led by Alex Spiro, has alleged that Buzbee is pressuring potential clients to make false claims. Buzbee, in turn, has dismissed these allegations as an attempt to distract from the severity of the rape accusations. Mounting Legal Challenges for Diddy Diddy's existing legal troubles add another layer of complexity. The federal charges against him involve over 200 accusers—men and women—represented by Buzbee. These allegations, ranging from sexual abuse to human trafficking, have already tarnished Diddy's once-glittering reputation. Buzbee's pursuit of justice in this case has been marked by public appeals to potential victims, with hotlines and press conferences designed to bring more accusers forward. Tony Buzbee's Controversial Career For Buzbee, this case is the latest chapter in a career defined by high-profile legal battles. From his humble beginnings as the son of a butcher and a cafeteria worker in small-town Texas to his rise as a trial lawyer, Buzbee has built a reputation as both a champion for the underdog and a lightning rod for controversy. His career milestones include winning $75 million against Transocean Ltd., securing billions from BP after the Deepwater Horizon spill, and representing victims in the Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy. Yet, Buzbee's history is not without blemish. Recent lawsuits from former clients allege unethical behavior and fraud, claims that Buzbee vehemently denies. One particularly damaging accusation came from a former female client who alleged assault and malpractice during her divorce proceedings. While Buzbee has dismissed the claims as fabricated, their timing has fueled speculation about whether they're part of a broader effort to undermine him. Jay-Z's Counteroffensive Jay-Z's counteroffensive against Buzbee has been equally dramatic. In addition to his public denouncements, Carter has filed his own lawsuit, accusing Buzbee of extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The case's stakes have grown exponentially, with each side accusing the other of deceit and coercion. Jay-Z's team has alleged that Buzbee added his name to the original lawsuit only after Carter refused to settle, a claim Buzbee denies. A Larger-Than-Life Figure Adding to the already convoluted landscape is Buzbee's controversial past outside the courtroom. The attorney, who famously once parked a Sherman tank outside his Houston mansion, has long been a larger-than-life figure. He has represented an array of high-profile clients and made waves in the legal community with his blunt approach and unrelenting tactics. Despite his successes, he has faced criticism for what some see as self-promotion and ostentation. One of Buzbee's most notable cases involved the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, where he represented over 10,000 clients impacted by the environmental disaster. The settlements from that case were in the billions, solidifying his reputation as a powerhouse in class-action litigation. However, critics argue that his aggressive style often borders on the excessive, with detractors labeling him a “showman” more interested in personal fame than justice. Public Reactions and Media Scrutiny Beyond his professional life, Buzbee's personal controversies have added fuel to the fire. In one particularly infamous incident, a woman on a date with him allegedly caused damage to artwork in his home, including two Andy Warhol paintings. The case, while ultimately dismissed, added to the narrative of Buzbee as a magnet for drama. Meanwhile, the media frenzy surrounding the case has cast a spotlight on Jay-Z's carefully curated public image. Known as a self-made billionaire who rose from Brooklyn's Marcy Projects, Carter has built an empire spanning music, fashion, and business. His defenders argue that the allegations are an affront to his legacy, while critics contend that no amount of success should exempt him from scrutiny. Diddy's situation is arguably more precarious. The sheer volume of accusations against him, coupled with his ongoing federal charges, has led to widespread speculation about his future. While he has categorically denied all allegations, the cases have already caused significant damage to his reputation and brand. Companies and collaborators have distanced themselves, leaving his once-thriving empire in jeopardy. The High Stakes for All Involved As the legal proceedings continue, the stakes for all parties involved remain high. For Buzbee, this case represents both an opportunity and a risk. A victory could further cement his status as one of the nation's top trial lawyers, while a loss or misstep could tarnish his career. For Jay-Z and Diddy, the allegations threaten not only their personal reputations but also the legacies they have spent decades building. The public's fascination with the case shows no signs of waning. Social media is awash with debates, with supporters and detractors of all sides voicing their opinions. The court of public opinion, however, is far from unanimous. Some view the case as a critical reckoning for powerful figures, while others see it as a legal circus driven by greed and opportunism. Ultimately, this case is about more than just the high-profile names involved. At its heart are the voices of alleged victims, whose pursuit of justice has been overshadowed by the spectacle of the legal battle. As new revelations continue to emerge, the question remains: will justice prevail, or will the truth be lost amid the noise? What lies ahead is uncertain, but one thing is clear: this case will leave an indelible mark on all involved. The coming months are likely to bring much-needed clarity to this tangled web of allegations and counterclaims. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com 

Inside The War Between Jay-Z & Attorney Accusing Him Of Rape, Tony Buzbee  The High-Stakes Legal Battle: Tony Buzbee vs. Music Moguls It began with allegations that were shocking even in an era saturated with sensational headlines. Sean “Diddy” Combs, already imprisoned under federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, one of the most influential figures in music, now find themselves at the center of child rape accusations. The man leading the charge? Tony Buzbee, a Texas trial lawyer with a reputation as polarizing as it is formidable. Buzbee's Legal Offensive Buzbee's involvement has turned this case into a legal maelstrom, one that has captivated both the public and the media. Known for his unrelenting pursuit of justice, Buzbee has accused not just the music moguls but also Jay-Z's entertainment company, Roc Nation, of conspiring to sabotage his credibility. He alleges that Roc Nation paid some of his former clients to file lawsuits against him, a claim he asserts is backed by evidence. The accusations against Jay-Z and Diddy, first filed in October, are staggering in their implications. An unnamed woman claims that the two men sexually assaulted her in 2000 when she was only 13 years old. Jay-Z has publicly denied the allegations, calling them baseless and accusing Buzbee of opportunism. Carter's legal team, led by Alex Spiro, has alleged that Buzbee is pressuring potential clients to make false claims. Buzbee, in turn, has dismissed these allegations as an attempt to distract from the severity of the rape accusations. Mounting Legal Challenges for Diddy Diddy's existing legal troubles add another layer of complexity. The federal charges against him involve over 200 accusers—men and women—represented by Buzbee. These allegations, ranging from sexual abuse to human trafficking, have already tarnished Diddy's once-glittering reputation. Buzbee's pursuit of justice in this case has been marked by public appeals to potential victims, with hotlines and press conferences designed to bring more accusers forward. Tony Buzbee's Controversial Career For Buzbee, this case is the latest chapter in a career defined by high-profile legal battles. From his humble beginnings as the son of a butcher and a cafeteria worker in small-town Texas to his rise as a trial lawyer, Buzbee has built a reputation as both a champion for the underdog and a lightning rod for controversy. His career milestones include winning $75 million against Transocean Ltd., securing billions from BP after the Deepwater Horizon spill, and representing victims in the Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy. Yet, Buzbee's history is not without blemish. Recent lawsuits from former clients allege unethical behavior and fraud, claims that Buzbee vehemently denies. One particularly damaging accusation came from a former female client who alleged assault and malpractice during her divorce proceedings. While Buzbee has dismissed the claims as fabricated, their timing has fueled speculation about whether they're part of a broader effort to undermine him. Jay-Z's Counteroffensive Jay-Z's counteroffensive against Buzbee has been equally dramatic. In addition to his public denouncements, Carter has filed his own lawsuit, accusing Buzbee of extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The case's stakes have grown exponentially, with each side accusing the other of deceit and coercion. Jay-Z's team has alleged that Buzbee added his name to the original lawsuit only after Carter refused to settle, a claim Buzbee denies. A Larger-Than-Life Figure Adding to the already convoluted landscape is Buzbee's controversial past outside the courtroom. The attorney, who famously once parked a Sherman tank outside his Houston mansion, has long been a larger-than-life figure. He has represented an array of high-profile clients and made waves in the legal community with his blunt approach and unrelenting tactics. Despite his successes, he has faced criticism for what some see as self-promotion and ostentation. One of Buzbee's most notable cases involved the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, where he represented over 10,000 clients impacted by the environmental disaster. The settlements from that case were in the billions, solidifying his reputation as a powerhouse in class-action litigation. However, critics argue that his aggressive style often borders on the excessive, with detractors labeling him a “showman” more interested in personal fame than justice. Public Reactions and Media Scrutiny Beyond his professional life, Buzbee's personal controversies have added fuel to the fire. In one particularly infamous incident, a woman on a date with him allegedly caused damage to artwork in his home, including two Andy Warhol paintings. The case, while ultimately dismissed, added to the narrative of Buzbee as a magnet for drama. Meanwhile, the media frenzy surrounding the case has cast a spotlight on Jay-Z's carefully curated public image. Known as a self-made billionaire who rose from Brooklyn's Marcy Projects, Carter has built an empire spanning music, fashion, and business. His defenders argue that the allegations are an affront to his legacy, while critics contend that no amount of success should exempt him from scrutiny. Diddy's situation is arguably more precarious. The sheer volume of accusations against him, coupled with his ongoing federal charges, has led to widespread speculation about his future. While he has categorically denied all allegations, the cases have already caused significant damage to his reputation and brand. Companies and collaborators have distanced themselves, leaving his once-thriving empire in jeopardy. The High Stakes for All Involved As the legal proceedings continue, the stakes for all parties involved remain high. For Buzbee, this case represents both an opportunity and a risk. A victory could further cement his status as one of the nation's top trial lawyers, while a loss or misstep could tarnish his career. For Jay-Z and Diddy, the allegations threaten not only their personal reputations but also the legacies they have spent decades building. The public's fascination with the case shows no signs of waning. Social media is awash with debates, with supporters and detractors of all sides voicing their opinions. The court of public opinion, however, is far from unanimous. Some view the case as a critical reckoning for powerful figures, while others see it as a legal circus driven by greed and opportunism. Ultimately, this case is about more than just the high-profile names involved. At its heart are the voices of alleged victims, whose pursuit of justice has been overshadowed by the spectacle of the legal battle. As new revelations continue to emerge, the question remains: will justice prevail, or will the truth be lost amid the noise? What lies ahead is uncertain, but one thing is clear: this case will leave an indelible mark on all involved. The coming months are likely to bring much-needed clarity to this tangled web of allegations and counterclaims.  Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com 

Inside The War Between Jay-Z & Attorney Accusing Him Of Rape, Tony Buzbee  The High-Stakes Legal Battle: Tony Buzbee vs. Music Moguls It began with allegations that were shocking even in an era saturated with sensational headlines. Sean “Diddy” Combs, already imprisoned under federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, one of the most influential figures in music, now find themselves at the center of child rape accusations. The man leading the charge? Tony Buzbee, a Texas trial lawyer with a reputation as polarizing as it is formidable. Buzbee's Legal Offensive Buzbee's involvement has turned this case into a legal maelstrom, one that has captivated both the public and the media. Known for his unrelenting pursuit of justice, Buzbee has accused not just the music moguls but also Jay-Z's entertainment company, Roc Nation, of conspiring to sabotage his credibility. He alleges that Roc Nation paid some of his former clients to file lawsuits against him, a claim he asserts is backed by evidence. The accusations against Jay-Z and Diddy, first filed in October, are staggering in their implications. An unnamed woman claims that the two men sexually assaulted her in 2000 when she was only 13 years old. Jay-Z has publicly denied the allegations, calling them baseless and accusing Buzbee of opportunism. Carter's legal team, led by Alex Spiro, has alleged that Buzbee is pressuring potential clients to make false claims. Buzbee, in turn, has dismissed these allegations as an attempt to distract from the severity of the rape accusations. Mounting Legal Challenges for Diddy Diddy's existing legal troubles add another layer of complexity. The federal charges against him involve over 200 accusers—men and women—represented by Buzbee. These allegations, ranging from sexual abuse to human trafficking, have already tarnished Diddy's once-glittering reputation. Buzbee's pursuit of justice in this case has been marked by public appeals to potential victims, with hotlines and press conferences designed to bring more accusers forward. Tony Buzbee's Controversial Career For Buzbee, this case is the latest chapter in a career defined by high-profile legal battles. From his humble beginnings as the son of a butcher and a cafeteria worker in small-town Texas to his rise as a trial lawyer, Buzbee has built a reputation as both a champion for the underdog and a lightning rod for controversy. His career milestones include winning $75 million against Transocean Ltd., securing billions from BP after the Deepwater Horizon spill, and representing victims in the Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy. Yet, Buzbee's history is not without blemish. Recent lawsuits from former clients allege unethical behavior and fraud, claims that Buzbee vehemently denies. One particularly damaging accusation came from a former female client who alleged assault and malpractice during her divorce proceedings. While Buzbee has dismissed the claims as fabricated, their timing has fueled speculation about whether they're part of a broader effort to undermine him. Jay-Z's Counteroffensive Jay-Z's counteroffensive against Buzbee has been equally dramatic. In addition to his public denouncements, Carter has filed his own lawsuit, accusing Buzbee of extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The case's stakes have grown exponentially, with each side accusing the other of deceit and coercion. Jay-Z's team has alleged that Buzbee added his name to the original lawsuit only after Carter refused to settle, a claim Buzbee denies. A Larger-Than-Life Figure Adding to the already convoluted landscape is Buzbee's controversial past outside the courtroom. The attorney, who famously once parked a Sherman tank outside his Houston mansion, has long been a larger-than-life figure. He has represented an array of high-profile clients and made waves in the legal community with his blunt approach and unrelenting tactics. Despite his successes, he has faced criticism for what some see as self-promotion and ostentation. One of Buzbee's most notable cases involved the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, where he represented over 10,000 clients impacted by the environmental disaster. The settlements from that case were in the billions, solidifying his reputation as a powerhouse in class-action litigation. However, critics argue that his aggressive style often borders on the excessive, with detractors labeling him a “showman” more interested in personal fame than justice. Public Reactions and Media Scrutiny Beyond his professional life, Buzbee's personal controversies have added fuel to the fire. In one particularly infamous incident, a woman on a date with him allegedly caused damage to artwork in his home, including two Andy Warhol paintings. The case, while ultimately dismissed, added to the narrative of Buzbee as a magnet for drama. Meanwhile, the media frenzy surrounding the case has cast a spotlight on Jay-Z's carefully curated public image. Known as a self-made billionaire who rose from Brooklyn's Marcy Projects, Carter has built an empire spanning music, fashion, and business. His defenders argue that the allegations are an affront to his legacy, while critics contend that no amount of success should exempt him from scrutiny. Diddy's situation is arguably more precarious. The sheer volume of accusations against him, coupled with his ongoing federal charges, has led to widespread speculation about his future. While he has categorically denied all allegations, the cases have already caused significant damage to his reputation and brand. Companies and collaborators have distanced themselves, leaving his once-thriving empire in jeopardy. The High Stakes for All Involved As the legal proceedings continue, the stakes for all parties involved remain high. For Buzbee, this case represents both an opportunity and a risk. A victory could further cement his status as one of the nation's top trial lawyers, while a loss or misstep could tarnish his career. For Jay-Z and Diddy, the allegations threaten not only their personal reputations but also the legacies they have spent decades building. The public's fascination with the case shows no signs of waning. Social media is awash with debates, with supporters and detractors of all sides voicing their opinions. The court of public opinion, however, is far from unanimous. Some view the case as a critical reckoning for powerful figures, while others see it as a legal circus driven by greed and opportunism. Ultimately, this case is about more than just the high-profile names involved. At its heart are the voices of alleged victims, whose pursuit of justice has been overshadowed by the spectacle of the legal battle. As new revelations continue to emerge, the question remains: will justice prevail, or will the truth be lost amid the noise? What lies ahead is uncertain, but one thing is clear: this case will leave an indelible mark on all involved. The coming months are likely to bring much-needed clarity to this tangled web of allegations and counterclaims. Want to listen to ALL of our podcasts AD-FREE? Subscribe through APPLE PODCASTS, and try it for three days free: https://tinyurl.com/ycw626tj Follow Our Other Cases: https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com The latest on The Downfall of Diddy, The Trial of Karen Read, The Murder Of Maddie Soto, Catching the Long Island Serial Killer, Awaiting Admission: BTK's Unconfessed Crimes, Delphi Murders: Inside the Crime, Chad & Lori Daybell, The Murder of Ana Walshe, Alex Murdaugh, Bryan Kohberger, Lucy Letby, Kouri Richins, Malevolent Mormon Mommys, The Menendez Brothers: Quest For Justice, The Murder of Stephen Smith, The Murder of Madeline Kingsbury, The Murder Of Sandra Birchmore, and much more! Listen at https://www.truecrimetodaypod.com 

Join petroleum engineer Malvina Lerma as she talks about her cozy mystery series, Oilfield Mysteries, and her amateur sleuth, Charlie, a woman working in a man's world. Malvina and Jennifer talk about the oil industry, Bakersfield, the BP catastrophe, well drilling, as well as a bunch of writing-related topics: how to convey technical expertise in a novel, what makes a cozy, Malvina's influences (especially Agathie Christie), and how to get better as a writer. An upbeat conversation great for writers and mystery lovers.Malvina's website:https://oilfieldmysteries.com/Thoughts? Comments? Potshots? Contact the show at:https://booksshowstunes.discreetguide.com/contact/Support us!https://booksshowstunes.discreetguide.com/support/Sponsored by Discreet Guide Training:https://training.discreetguide.com/Social Media:YouTube: @MadActsXTwitter: @Mad_ActsBlueSky: @mad-acts.bsky.socialFB: @BooksShowsTunesIG: @Mad_ActsLI: Jennifer K. Crittenden

Laura visited one of the four rehab centers allowed to treat birds oiled in the Deepwater Horizon spill.

In this special episode of Sloanies Talking with Sloanies, host Christopher Reichert, MOT '04, sits down with two distinguished guests: Admiral Thad Allen, SF '89, former Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, and Frank Finelli, SM '86, a senior advisor at The Carlyle Group and founder of the MIT Sloan Veterans Fund. Together, they discuss their experiences at MIT Sloan, the complexities of leadership in the military and private sector, and the challenges of technology adoption in government. The conversation explores the evolution of defense strategies, the importance of networks within the MIT and military communities, and the need for innovative approaches to address modern national security threats.Support the showThanks for listening! Find more episodes on our website Sloanies Talking with Sloanies. Learn more about MIT Sloan Alumni on X (Formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn. To support this show or if you have an idea for a topic or a guest you think we should feature, drop us a note at sloanalumni@mit.edu© MIT SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

La gestión estratégica de los voceros – Karen PiñerosVideopodcast: https://youtu.be/LSUmhos5HqALa gestión estratégica de los voceros es crucial para construir y proteger la reputación de una organización. Los voceros actúan como la voz oficial de una empresa, tanto para las buenas noticas como las malas noticias. Las características y el papel de los voceros en este episodio con la experta Karen Piñeros. La gestión estratégica de los voceros: claves del éxito y errores comunesCuando se hace correctamente una gestión estratégica de los voceros, se fortalece la imagen pública de una empresa y se genera confianza entre los públicos de interés. Pero, una mala gestión puede llevar a confusión, malentendidos y hasta escándalos. Compartimos dos casos que ilustran los efectos de una buena y una mala gestión estratégica de los voceros.Caso de éxito: Satya Nadella y MicrosoftUno de los ejemplos más exitosos de gestión estratégica de los voceros es el de Satya Nadella, CEO de Microsoft. Desde que asumió el liderazgo en 2014, Nadella ha transformado la imagen de Microsoft, pasando de ser una empresa de software enfocada en sus productos de Windows a una empresa con una fuerte presencia en la nube y en la inteligencia artificial. Nadella, como vocero principal, ha logrado comunicar esta nueva visión de Microsoft de manera clara y consistente, generando una mayor aceptación de la compañía en el mercado y mejorando su reputación.Una de sus claves como vocero ha sido su tono accesible y humano. Ha mostrado empatía y ha sabido conectarse emocionalmente con los empleados, clientes y demás públicos de interés, transmitiendo los valores de inclusión y colaboración de la empresa. Además, su estrategia de comunicación está alineada con las acciones de la empresa, lo que refuerza la credibilidad de su mensaje. Gracias a esta gestión estratégica, Microsoft ha recuperado su relevancia en el mercado y ha ganado la confianza entre sus audiencias. Caso de error: Tony Hayward y el desastre de BPUn ejemplo de mala gestión estratégica de los voceros se dio en 2010, durante el desastre de la plataforma Deepwater Horizon, operada por British Petroleum (BP). El entonces CEO de BP, Tony Hayward, se convirtió en el vocero principal de la compañía tras el derrame de petróleo en el Golfo de México, uno de los peores desastres ambientales de la historia. Sin embargo, la estrategia de comunicación de Hayward fue un fracaso, principalmente por su falta de empatía y de sensibilidad hacia el impacto del desastre.Hayward hizo varios comentarios que fueron interpretados como insensibles y egoístas. Uno de los momentos más recordados fue cuando dijo: “Yo también quiero volver a tener una vida”, mientras miles de personas se veían afectadas por el derrame y BP enfrentaba un fuerte rechazo público. Este comentario mostró una desconexión con el sufrimiento de las comunidades afectadas y con el daño ambiental, y fue percibido como una muestra de falta de responsabilidad por parte de BP.Este error de comunicación no solo perjudicó la imagen de Tony Hayward como líder, sino que también afectó gravemente la reputación de BP. La compañía enfrentó protestas, pérdidas económicas y una crisis de confianza que tardó años en superar. La falta de una gestión estratégica de su vocero exacerbó los efectos negativos del desastre y aumentó las críticas hacia BP.La gestión estratégica de los voceros para cuidar la reputaciónLa gestión estratégica de los voceros puede hacer una gran diferencia en la percepción pública de una empresa. Contar con voceros preparados y con una estrategia de comunicación clara permite a las organizaciones enfrentar mejor tanto las oportunidades como las crisis. Karen Piñeros nos cuenta qué es la gestión estratégica de los voceros Karen es cofundadora de Black, agencia de comunicaciones y experta en vocería corporativa.Tiene más de 10 años de experiencia trabajando en pro de la visibilidad y construcción de reputación de marcas en Latam.Es consultora de comunicaciones. Aplica con sus clientes lo que ella llama la perfecta mezcla entre el trabajo de marca y la vocería experta, desde los frentes de la publicidad, las comunicaciones, el manejo de crisis y el posicionamiento digital.Escuchar el podcast con Karen Piñeros donde comparte su conocimiento y experiencia sobre la gestión estratégica de los voceros. ¡No te lo pierdas!La Gestión Estratégica De Los Voceros, Voceros, Líderes De Opinión, Crisis De Comunicación, Reputación, podcast, Podcast Corporativo, Comunicación Organizacional, Recursos Humanos, Desarrollo Profesional, Desarrollo Personal, Comunicación Efectiva, Santiago Ríos, Mil PalabrasRecuerda por favor escucharnos y suscribirte en la plataforma que más te guste:Apple Podcast Spotify Google Podcast SpreakerDeezerPara participar, escríbeme tus comentarios a santiagorios@milpalabras.com.coRecursos recomendados en este PodcastLinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenpinerosSitio Web: https://bck.com.co/Suscríbete al Podcast de Mil Palabras enwww.milpalabras.comDescarga GRATIS el ebook “Cómo Crear un Podcast Corporativo”https://milpalabras.com.co/ Otros podcasts recomendados de nuestra redExperiencia Tech.Las voces de los líderes que hacen posible la evolución y la transformación digital. Casos de éxito, innovación, nuevos modelos de negocio y soluciones tecnológicas prácticas para crecer las empresas.https://open.spotify.com/show/77wLRAuRqZMuIiPcaBNHsJHistorias que NutrenConversaciones con profesionales que tienen algo para nutrir tu vida en lo personal, lo profesional, lo espiritual y lo físico.bit.ly/historiasquenutrenSomos CancionesEntrevistas e historias divertidas y personales con Gente que ama la música y sabe de música. (suenan canciones completas al lado de las historias).spoti.fi/3hWr020Logística que Trasciende Aquí encuentras las voces del sector logístico con las mejores prácticas e historias que han contribuido al crecimiento económico de industrias, negocios y naciones.https://bit.ly/logisticaquetrasciendeConviértete en un seguidor de este podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mil-palabras--4898895/support.

Want free negotiation coaching? Text John here.In this special episode of Negotiation Made Simple, host John Lowry sits down with renowned attorney and mediator Ken Feinberg, whose expertise has helped shape the outcomes of some of America's most tragic and high-profile cases, from the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund to the Boston Marathon bombing and Deepwater Horizon spill. Over the course of an insightful conversation, Feinberg shares the lessons he's learned from decades of negotiating for victims and their families, the importance of empathy in the negotiation process, and how to manage complex emotions in high-stakes situations.Feinberg offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to navigate sensitive, high-profile disputes, emphasizing the power of patience, transparency, and active listening. He reflects on how his early inspirations from President Kennedy have guided his commitment to public service and why he believes that, even amid tragedy, the role of the mediator is ultimately about creating paths for healing. This episode dives deep into the essence of peacemaking, the value of empathy, and the unifying power of community, leaving listeners with practical strategies for negotiating in any arena.Join us for a powerful exploration of negotiation that goes beyond tactics and strategies, illustrating the profound impact of compassion and humanity at the negotiation table.Kenneth R. Feinberg, one of the nation's leading lawyers, specializes in mediation and alternative dispute resolution and has helped to administer the response to some of the most complex public crises in recent American history, including Agent Orange, executive compensation following the 2008 financial crisis, the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill, the Boston Marathon bombings, and, notably, the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.  A former prosecutor and member of two Presidential Commissions, he is also adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and New York University. He lives in Washington D.C.Get My Newest Book: Negotiation Made SimpleSchedule a Live WorkshopSchedule a Private WorkshopGet Private Coaching from MeGain Access to My Online CourseFollow Me on LinkedIn

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Sharon Russell lends her 20+ years of emergency response experience to the forum. Our discussion includes Sharon's experience as the Deputy Incident Commander for the response to the Key Bridge incident, which happened in March 2024. Recording Date: 4 Sept 2024 Research Question: Sharon Russell suggests an interested student examine ways of developing responses to public information questions faster; go back 20-30 years of lessons learned data to identify communications strategies that worked and did not work. Resources: ‘Remarkably complex' cleanup effort ramps up at site of Baltimore bridge collapse FEMA website FEMA Incident Command System Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio:  Ms. Sharon Russell is the Engagement Branch Chief and Deputy Division Chief of the Allies and Partners Force Development (APFD) Division, which is part of the Joint Staff Directorate for Force Development in Suffolk, Virginia.  This division uses coordinated engagements to develop collaborative force development capabilities between the Joint Force and its Allies and Partners. Ms. Russell also has 22 years of service in the United States Coast Guard Reserve. She is a commissioned officer currently assigned as the Reserve Chief of Staff for the Coast Guard's 13th District.  Her military experience includes assignments focused on Marine Safety and Port Security, as well as emergency responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (2005), Irma (2017), and Florence and Matthew (2018).  Other response operations include Deepwater Horizon (2010), the capsized vessel GOLDEN RAY (2019) and the Key Bridge Response (2024).  She served as the lead planner for Maritime Security for the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida in 2012 coordinating 27 interagency organizations and provided security for 50,000 delegates, protectees and media.  In 2021, she served as the Coast Guard's Incident Commander for COVID-19 vaccine operations, successfully leading the effort to vaccinate over 95% of the Coast Guard. Prior to her current assignment, CAPT Russell was assigned to the APFD Division as a Reservist, where she was hand-selected by the Division Chief to lead the highest priority effort, conducting a thorough analysis of the Joint Warfighting Concept and providing recommendations for release to Allies and partners.  Prior to joining the Coast Guard, Ms. Russell served at the US Department of State as the Office of Foreign Missions designated senior international environmental policy expert and advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary.  Her work focused on customs and shipping regulations for the import/export of hazardous materials and relevant diplomatic immunities for the Conditions of Construction Agreement (COCA) negotiations between the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Department.  With her experience in crisis management and long-range strategic planning from both a military and civilian perspective, Ms. Russell provides key leadership to inform current and future strategic issues affecting Allies and partners. Ms. Russell is a native of St. Petersburg, Florida.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from Emory University with a concentration in Spanish and Russian language.  She also earned a Master of Arts degree in Environmental Policy from American University and a Master of Arts degree in Emergency Management from Tulane University.  She now resides in Suffolk, Virginia with her husband Marty.  About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Send us a textTonight we welcome actor James DuMont! If you look up the term "that Guy" you'll see a picture of him for sure! He has a long list of acting credits including "American Sports Story- Aaron Hernandez", "The Righteous Gemstones", "Candy Cane Lane", "Deepwater Horizon", "Jurassic World" and many more!He provides coaching for other actors, especially for preparing taped auditions. His links are below:www.oncameraworkouts.comInstagram: @jamesdumontInstagram: @oncameraworkoutsJames DuMont IMDb page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003069/Thanks again for tuning in- you can find our main website at www.fowlplayersradio.com with all of our episodes. Our most recent three seasons and some best of episodes in video format can be found at youtube.com/@fowlplayersradio. Please hit the like and subscribe button and leave an honest reviewPlease support our guests in their endeavors. Buying books, cds, t-shirts, and tickets to shows make great experiences as well as great gifts and greatly help keep these folks going. It is also very much appreciated by the artists.#michaelspedden #fowlplayersradio #fowlplayersofperryville #madiganswaterfront #westernmarylandscenicrailroad #5thcompanybrewing #suskyriverbeveragecompany #marylandpartyboat#jamesdumont #americansportsstory #therighteousgemstones #oncameraworkoutswww.fowlplayersradio.comwww.thefowlplayersofperryville.com#michaelspedden#fowlplayersradio#fowlplayersofperryville@fowl_radio@SpeddenMichaelwww.youtube.com/@fowlplayersradiowww.patreon.com/fowlplayersradiobuymeacoffee.com/fowlplayerw

In this interview with Andrew Thomson, a Scottish seasoned professional in the energy sector, we delve into the multifaceted landscape of oil, renewable energy, and their global implications through a personal lens. Andrew shares his journey from working in the oil industry over 20 years to recently transitioning into nuclear and wind energy sectors. Through his experiences, he provides insights into the socioeconomic impact of oil, the challenges of transitioning to renewable energy, and the complexities of global politics that intertwine with the energy sector.Exploring Andrew's experiences working offshore in locations like Nigeria and Azerbaijan, the discussion uncovers the substantial influence of hydrocarbons and the cultural, socio-economic, and safety developments within the oil sector. The discussion delves into the critical role of energy across modern life, impacting everything from education to communication, while critiquing governmental actions on energy policies and advocating for a balanced energy strategy, similar to Japan's where currently works in setting up Wind Turbine Platforms (using much of the same technology as oil rigs). Furthermore, the dialogue highlights the philosophical and challenging practical shifts toward renewables, exploring political and economic challenges in this transition. Through Andrew's perspective, one can try to better attempt to begin to understand the global energy politics, the necessity of interdisciplinary approaches in energy careers, and the shifting dynamics in the energy sector.Time Stamps * 00:00 The Importance of Energy in Modern Life* 01:00 Introducing Andrew: From Oil to Climate-Friendly Energy* 01:46 Andrew's Background and Career Journey* 02:38 Life and Work in the Oil Industry* 07:34 Challenges and Dangers of Offshore Drilling* 10:54 The Culture and Lifestyle of Oil Workers* 20:58 Global Perspectives: Working in Africa and Beyond* 23:58 Corruption and Local Interactions in the Oil Industry* 38:09 A Costly Mistake and Cultural Reflections* 38:54 Corruption and Anti-Corruption Measures* 40:09 Cultural Differences and Acceptance* 41:13 Colonial Legacy and Historical Perspectives* 43:41 Nationalized vs. Private Oil Companies* 45:46 Transition to Renewable Energy in Japan* 46:12 Challenges in the Oil Industry* 48:22 Geopolitics and Energy Policies* 56:43 Experiences with Government Agencies* 01:03:56 Future Prospects and Peak Oil Debate* 01:08:06 Final Thoughts on Energy and PolicyHighlights and Quotes of Interest On Energy Source MixesJapan has a long term vision.It has a vision of a percentage mix of nuclear fossil fuels, renewables, whereas I feel like I'm fairly against it in my home country, in the UK, because we don't have a long term plan. We've had four prime ministers in the last two years. One of them wanted to build eight nuclear power stations, the next one to start fracking. I believe in an energy mix. I think there's a lot of irresponsibility talked about these days in terms of the energy transition. I do think there should be an energy mix.And then the one now wants to quadruple our offshore wind capacity in eight years, which is impossible. It's quite nonsensical. It's quite short term thinking. I'm not anti wind, I'm not pro oil, I'm not anti or pro any, anything. What I'm pro is a science based, long term, non subsidy, non corruption based market solution.On Incentives in Oil Vs “Renewables”So right now, it seems like oil is completely negative and then offshore wind is completely positive. You look at the motivations behind companies putting in offshore wind turbines or the service companies exactly the same as motivations behind all companies.Neither one is doing them. For anything other than to make money. And I think it's simplistic and a little bit silly to think that the boss of an oil company is some sort of J. R. Ewing, person that likes to run over puppies on the way home and the boss of an electricity company or a turbine installation company or whatever is some sort of, sandal wearing saint that doesn't care about money. Everyone in pretty much, I would say any corporation, that statistic about men are CEOs, they're psychopaths. All they care about is money. And I think there are a lot of like there's a lot of talk about subsidies in [renewables] On Oil's Beastly NatureIt only takes, one ignition source and then you're on top of a fireball…potential that the entire thing can blow up underneath your feet. On Life without Oil It's the world we have is impossible to have without oil. Sure. You can reduce it. It's going to run out eventually one day anyway.So reducing it is not a bad thing, but to pretend that you can just press stop and then you can put in a wind turbine is nonsensical. And the politicians know it's nonsensical as well.  The sheer scale of, Hydrocarbon involvement in our modern industrial life is so incredibly difficult to untangle. There's literally nothing more important than our energy because it ties into the availability of education and medicine and travel and communication. Right, without. some form of mass energy production. We're right back to the medieval ages.On The British State I speak from a very UK point of view because it's my country, it's my home. I feel As ever, the British state works against the British people, not for the British people, which is a contrast to some of the countries that we may look down our noses on a little bit more as not developed, where, and Japan is a great example of this, where Japan seems to do things for the benefit of Japanese people, which seems to be a controversial idea back home. Learning from Travel This is part of, traveling. You see so many countries where people are so proud of their country. Nigerians were some of the most proud people I think I've ever met, and it's the same in Japan. And I worry the direction our country's going, both the UK and the US, when we were raising a generation of children who are being taught to be embarrassed by where they come from. Though I really feel like in the West we've made a mistake over the years in trying to impose our way of looking at the world on other cultures.Post Interview Notes / Links from AndrewHere are some relevant links that might be of interest:"Empire of Dust", a fascinating documentary widely referenced online, but with no major release I don't think, that shows interaction between a Chinese contractor and locals in the DRC. It's a perfect example of culture clash, the strength in the documentary being there is no western-style narrative, it's simply two very different cultures interacting honestly with each other. The film-maker is Belgian which is particularly interesting given their colonial history in the DRC.Watch @ https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5gdfm4I can particularly recommend Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness if you're interested in the dark side of colonialism, or any history of DRC or Zaire as it was. One of my favourite films is Apocalypse Now, which along with the book perfectly makes the point I was trying to, which is how these cultures are manifestly different from ours, and any attempt to convert or run these societies in a western way will ultimately end up in failure, unless it's done by complete dominance, which of course, is wrong. It's a subject I find really interesting, and my experiences in Africa really changed how I view the world.On Energy Prices “Strike Prices” and Renewables Some links explaining the Strike Price for electricity set through the CfD (Contract for Difference) mechanism that guarantees a specific rate for electricity to renewables companies.https://www.iea.org/policies/5731-contract-for-difference-cfdhttps://www.eurelectric.org/in-detail/cfds_explainer/ It's quite hard to find a non-biased article explaining this, but the basic mechanism is:What isn't always mentioned is the "top-up" when the price falls is paid to the generators by the consumer, in the UK at least, in the form of a levy on the electricity price. Which is fine in theory to have a set electricity price, but currently the UK has the 3rd highest electricity costs in the world:https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cost-of-electricity-by-countryOn British Embassy Support (Weapons:Yes / Hydrocarbons: No)UK government ending support for oil and gas sector abroad:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-announces-the-uk-will-end-support-for-fossil-fuel-sector-overseasBut no issue promoting UK weapons manufacturers:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/3/15/uk-spent-1-3m-on-security-for-worlds-biggest-weapons-fairSubsidies provided to the oil and gas industry in the US: (this can be complicated to assess because the IMF considers environmental and health costs after production as an effective subsidy, whereas the OECD and the IEA do not)https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-fossil-fuel-subsidies-a-closer-look-at-tax-breaks-and-societal-costsCorrection on Refinery Capacity in NigeriaI was slightly mistaken, there is some refinery capacity in Nigeria, in fact it's the highest in all of Africa, however it is still around half of what Houston alone produces per day.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13203-018-0211-zOn Oil Piracy / Theft (Discussed During Interview as Another Source for Danger / Volatility / Environmental Damage) Oil pipeline theft still seems to be a problem in Nigeria sadly:https://www.pipeline-journal.net/news/explosion-nigeria-oil-pipeline-kills-12-shell-blames-crude-oil-theft-tragedyOn Working in the Pubic SectorI was thinking about one of your last questions afterwards, whether I'd ever work for the government. You know, I would actually love it, to be able to make some type of positive impact, I'd really enjoy that much more than my current job, it's just that what I would advocate is so far in the opposite direction of the UK foreign office and civil service's ethos (non-judgmental promotion of UK interest and people without imposing change on other countries) that I wouldn't get the opportunity. The British sitcom "Yes Minister" captures perfectly how the UK establishment works, it's from the 80s but still very relevant. It works to ensure the continued existence of the establishment, not the general population.AI Machine Transcription - Enjoy the Glitches!Andrew: The sheer scale of, Hydrocarbon involvement in our modern industrial life is so incredibly difficult to untangle.There's literally nothing more important than our energy because it ties into the availability of education and medicine and travel and communication. Right, without. some form of mass energy production. We're right back to the medieval ages.Leafbox: Andrew, thanks so much for making time for me. I know you're a busy guy. Yeah, I really appreciate it. Actually, when I first met you, I was actually fascinated with your work because you're one of the few people I know who has jumped from the oil sector to a climate friendly energy sector, I call it, so I was very curious about your perspectives on both. Having, your wife told me that you lived in Baku and that alone, it is probably a book's worth of questions. Andrew, why don't we just start tell us who you are, where you are, what's the weather like in Fukuoka? And where are you from?Andrew: Well, the most important thing the seasons in Japan seem to follow rules like the rest of Japan. So it's got the memo recently that it's not summer anymore, which is great because summers here are pretty brutal. And it's cloudy and rainy, which from someone from Scotland is nice and familiar.Yeah, I guess be brief biography. I'm Scottish from the North of Scotland. This is usually the point where someone says, well, you don't sound Scottish, but that's because I was born down in England. But moved up Scott, two parents from very remote rural part of Scotland. And we moved up when I was about six.So I went to the local university Aberdeen which at the time was the oil capital of Europe. So with a passion for engineering and a desire to Just have adventure really as a young guy wanting to see the world. Also oil is always historically been very well paid. Probably along the lines of, I don't know, market wise, your career options, lawyer, doctor, that sort of thing, which was never really my interest in an oil worker.So anyway financial motivations, adventure motivations, just an interest in big, heavy engineering pushed me in that direction. I joined, graduated, I took a master's in offshore engineering graduated and joined Halliburton about six weeks before 9 11. So this was in the year of of Dick Cheney, of course then I eventually ended up working offshore.For a company that worked on drilling rigs, doing directional surveys, so you would run drilling tools down the well and that was quite life changing, really very exciting. A lot of. Pressure. This is all gonna make me sound very old, but pre smartphone days. So you were a lot more on your own in those days.I did that for four years. Then I ended up running operations in Lagos, Nigeria. Did that for three years, joined a Norwegian company, worked for them in Aberdeen, and then again, oil service. And ended up running their operations in Baku and Azerbaijan. Then COVID came along and like for a lot of people turned the world upside down.So with the low oil price ended up being made redundant and Really struggled for about a year or so to find work and then it wasn't ideological either one way or another in terms of the energy transition, it's quite heavily marketed these days but I'm not overly convinced that it's as easy as politicians seem to say it is but I took a job for a company drilling offshore foundations.And I was working on a nuclear power station, the cooling shafts for a nuclear power station. And then I simply got a job offer one day an online recruiter to come to Japan to work on offshore wind which has some, Close. It's basically the same things I was doing, except it was in nuclear.So yeah, none of it's been a straight line or a plan, but just the opportunity came up. We really wanted to have another period abroad. So we took the move and then I find myself on a beach speaking to yourself after about a year or so. Leafbox: So Andrew, going back to university time, exactly what did you study? Was this petroleum engineering? Or Andrew: It was no, it was mechanical engineering. But being in it was Robert Gordon university in Aberdeen, but being in Aberdeen, it was very heavily oil influenced at the time. I was actually. obsessed with cars and motorbikes, anything with an engine. So I really wanted to do automotive, but I didn't have the grades to go to a lot of the bigger universities down South.And I was 16 when I went to university and didn't really want to go too far. So I did mechanical. And then that led on to a degree in offshore engineering at the same university, which was completely oil focused. Leafbox: And then Andrew, can you tell me a little bit about the makeup of, the demographics of when you entered the oil industry and especially in Scotland and what were these offshore platforms like, you have engineers with high degrees and then what about the workers themselves?Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. So, your average rig is made up of a lot of different job functions. At the top or guess with the most responsibility. So you've got your company that own the rig. They're the drilling contractor and they have their personnel the guy that manages the rig, and then they have all different personnel, including all the deck crew and all the roughnecks raised about, but then you have the oil company that contracts them.And they have someone offshore running it, but they have a lot of engineers. And then you have all these like service companies, which is what I've worked for that come in and do things. So you typically have on the oil company sides. You'd have someone with, degrees, you'd have like their graduate programs, you'd have young people coming offshore, their first time offshore, but they'd be quite high up relatively.And then you would have your deck crew, mechanics, electricians, which typically weren't university educated. And the guys right at the very top who'd be like, Oh, I am like the rig manager generally, especially in the old days, wouldn't be university educated, but they would just have worked offshore for a very long time.So that they'd be very knowledgeable and skilled in what we're doing. A lot of them took degrees as, technology increased. And it became, more important to have a degree, but especially in the old days, although I think at that level in that job, people wouldn't have had degrees, but you do have, it is a big mix between like I said, your deck crew and the people that are more like the, engineers, geologists, et cetera.And I can't speak for every region, but you do find that you've got, so say the comparative salary or career prospects of a welder, or a mechanic or somewhere you've suddenly got someone who could earn, I don't know, in the U S but in the UK, maybe Twenty five twenty twenty five thousand pounds a year.Maybe, like three years ago in their offshore making like 60, and it's I think it's the same thing in the U. S. you have people from very poor areas that can go offshore and just, quadruple more there their salaries and it's a, But there's a reason why they're, there's a reason why they're getting paid that is because it's a lot more difficult and dangerous when you're away from home and stuff. It's a strange old mix in a lot of ways. Leafbox: And then can you describe for people just what the actual dangers are? Give people an image of what these platforms are like to be on them and how to build them and the complexity of these devices.Andrew: There's so you have there's a lot of different forms, but basically you have a drilling rig. which can be like a semi submersible which floats or a jack up which legs are like sitting on the ground or you could even have a ship that comes like, it all depends on the the depth of the water depth usually.So you'll have this vessel that drills a well and then eventually, so they'll drill a number of wells and then you'll have a platform which is fixed to the seabed usually and then that can that has like a. A wellhead that connects all the wells and then takes the hydrocarbons on board and then it might pump it to another bigger platform or it pumps it to some like somewhere where it's processed and then it's pumped on shore.There's different. There's common dangers. Everything from there've been a number of helicopter incidents over the years. Generally, a lot of these rigs are so far away that you'll take a, you'll take a chopper backwards and forwards. And it's been well documented of things like gearbox failures and stuff.You're probably one of the biggest, I don't have the HSC statistics in front of me, but one of the biggest injuries are probably slips, trips and falls. Because, your average drilling rig has maybe four or five levels to it, and you're up and down stairs all day with big boots on and a hard hat and glasses and stuff, and people tripping on themselves.Obviously drilling, you've got well you've got a lot of overhead lifts, a lot of people get injured with the fingers getting caught between loads roughnecks, raced abouts on the drill floor when they're handling drilling pipe. I've met a lot of people over the years that have got one or more fingers missing, because it's very easy to get your finger nipped between two things are being lifted, especially when people put their hands on to try and direct them.And then obviously the pressure of the hydrocarbons look at deep water horizon, for example the oil and the gas, It's funny listening to your podcast with Jed about oil being sentient that the pressure that the oil is under.So when you tap into, obviously it wants to go, it wants to go up and out. And then that could literally rip a rig apart if it's not if it's not controlled. And then obviously you've got the ignition risk, which, you've got Piper Alpha in the UK and you've got, like I say, Deepwater Horizon, there's been a number of rig explosions and then going back to what I said about platforms.So Piper Alpha was a platform and that was processing gas. So you have 100 and 170, 200 odd people working and living. on a structure offshore where there are like an enormous amount of gas that's being pumped. extracted and pumped like underneath their feet and it only takes, one ignition source and then you're on top of a fireball.And I remember being offshore when they're flaring, which is a process whereby they burn off excess gas and just being stunned by the ferocity of the noise, nevermind the heat of the, that it's just like a primal hour, you, you can stand a couple of hundred. Yards away from it and you can feel it on your face, it's just, it's very different.I've been offshore on a wind turbine installation vessel, which has the same offshore industrial risks in terms of lifted injuries, slips, trips, and falls and suspended loads. But you don't have that. You don't have that like potential that the entire thing can blow up underneath your feet.Leafbox: So with this danger and this kind of. wild beast underneath you. How did the men and women respond? You had in your email, a little bit of this kind of cowboy culture. I'm curious what the culture of these workers are like, and maybe in Scotland and what you've seen around the world. If these people aren't usually they're more working class or what's the relationship with them and the engineers and yeah, tell me about that.Andrew: It's it's a very, it's a very masculine environment. That's not to say that there aren't women offshore in the industry. There, there absolutely are. And there, there are more and more these days especially in certain countries, like in Scandinavia, for instance But it's a very, especially when you get down to the deck crew, it's a very, the recruits are very masculine, very like macho environment.It's quite a tough environment. It's a very hard working environment. The it's not that people I wouldn't say a matter of fact to say the opposite in terms of people having a cavalier attitude to safety. There have been a number of incidents over the years in the industry and each incident spurred along quite a lot of improvements in health and safety.So I'd say probably in terms of. Industry, it's probably one of the safest industries, well, it's probably one of the industries with the best safety attitude. I'm sure maybe nuclear is probably up there as well, but people are aware offshore of the risks. There's a huge QHSE industry.There's a, most companies have some form of a HSE system, which allows anyone from someone who works for the camp boss, like someone who changes the sheets, the cleaners, the cooks to like the driller can stop operations if they think that something is dangerous and there can't be any comeback, and stopping operations offshore is a big deal.Because the average. Rigorate is, it fluctuates, but the average is, I don't know, a few hundred thousand, I don't know what it is at the moment, but let's say up to maybe a half a million more for the biggest rates, biggest rigs per day. That's what, 20, 000 an hour. So if you see something that's dangerous and you stop it for a couple of hours that's a lot of money.So it takes a lot of nerve to do that, but the industry has been pretty good. They have these systems called stop cards. Like I say, Different companies have different names for it, but it gives the ability to It gives you authority for someone not to be forced into doing something that they think is dangerous.So overall, I actually think the health and safety culture is quite good. But if you look at Deepwater Horizon, that was a classic example of even at the corporate level, people being frightened to say no and frightened to halt operations. So that does still persist due to the sheer amount of money involved.Leafbox: And then tell me about in your email, you had a quote line about, these workers spending their money, maybe not as wisely. I'm curious to describe and understand the cowboy. I have this image, my father worked for Exxon for a long time. And his biggest problem was piracy. They had so much issues with piracy, but this was in the Caribbean. So it's just constantly people stealing oil from them. So maybe yeah, tell me how it is now after I guess 2000s, how it's changed. You're describing this very safe sounding MBA driven culture, but I have trouble.Yeah. Tell me what it's like around the world. Andrew: So that's the sort of the day to day attitude offshore, which is pushed very heavily by the oil companies. It's a lot of recording. They record lost time statistics which also not to get sidetracked, but that has a slightly negative effect as well in terms of if a rig has, say.That they'll, quite often rigs will have a big display when you arrive and it says this amount of days from the last accident and if they go like a year without any LTIs, everyone on the rig could get like an iPad or some sort of bonus or something and it's a big deal not to have incidents that cause a loss of time and that, by that if someone has to go to hospital, someone has to leave the rig, but that also does encourage it can encourage hiding of things, someone maybe, they've smashed their finger, but can they just maybe report it, but maybe just go on like light duties or something rather than go to the hospital before, before their shift change sort of thing which does happen and it's not healthy.But anyway, to get back to your point I think it comes from, as I say it's, a way for someone who would have no other avenue to earn the amount of money that they would get offshore by taking on the additional risk and being away from home. So say an electrician, your average construction electrician wages are probably pretty good these days, but if you take someone working in, some rural place in, in the States who is like a car mechanic or something, and then they go offshore And they're multiplying their salary, but they're multiplying their salary, perhaps coming from an environment where no one's ever had that type of money.They're coming home with maybe try to think of some people I've known, hundreds of thousands of dollars a year when their salary may have been I don't know, sub six figures, but they don't come from an environment where that sort of money is common. So you then have a situation whereby they are the one person in their family or town or their local bar.who has loads of money, who's been away from home for four weeks, but he doesn't have the most stable relationship precisely because they're not at home, but yet they've got loads of money and loads of time. You can see how that can encourage perhaps resentment. Or just a feeling of alienation from that community.That sort of person, say they have a lot more money than their friends, maybe they want to buy them drinks, but then do they want to have to do that all the time? I've known people that have been divorced multiple times, that have bought boats and all sorts of things that they never use and they end up with, paying for There are families that they never see, the families that get remarried, the kids that they never see.I've worked with directional drillers that I've got a wife in one country, an ex wife in another country, kids that don't like them, and they just pay for all these families. They get onshore and then they spend the next couple of weeks with some, teenage prostitute blowing all the money on that drink for the rest of the month and then they're back offshore.the shakes and then they decompress over the month and then the cycle repeats itself. So in the one sense, it's a fantastic opportunity for social mobility, but it also can leave a lot of chaos behind it. And I'm certainly not at all. And having come from a work class background myself, I'm not certainly saying that.It shouldn't be there. I think it's a positive thing and it's up to these people what they want to do with their money. I'm just saying it's an interest in social observance that it's, you don't get that many working class people that can leave school and have a manual trade and can go and be a lawyer or a doctor or a CEO but you are all of a sudden getting these people in situations who are making the same amount of money, but without the family structure.Or the societal structure that can prepare them for that.Leafbox: Jumping to the next topic, I'm curious, you first mentioned Dick Cheney, what was your relationship, you're in Scotland, and how does that fiddle in with the Middle East? oil wars and just the general kind of, I feel like when my father worked in oil, there wasn't that much of a hostility in the general environment.It was just people drove cars and you worked in the oil industry and it wasn't that. So in post 2000, I would say things change both from the climate perspective and then from the kind of American imperialist association with oil. Andrew: It's changed massively in terms of hostility. Just, it's just like night and day. So when I graduated, I remember being at school in the early nineties and there was, I don't think it was climate, no, no global warming. It was called then. So there was discussion of it.But the greenhouse the ozone layer was the big deal. And there was environmentalism, Greenpeace was quite big at that time. But. The, there was no stigma like whatsoever into going into the oil industry. And you could see that in terms of the courses at the time they were called there was like drilling engineering courses, offshore engineering courses petroleum engineering.You go back to the same universities now and it's like energy transition. I think you'll struggle to find that many courses that have got the words petroleum or drilling in it. And also it was very easy to get a job in those days in the industry. The, yeah the Gulf War, so the second Gulf War at the time working for Halliburton, I was very conscious of, it was very interesting to me how the company was structured.So you had Halliburton Energy Services and you had KBR, Kellogg, Brennan, Root, and they were the company that won the uncontested contract to rebuild in Iraq. But the way the company was structured. Was that they were that they were split up basically. So if one of them had gone down the toilet for any of these issues, they were separated.I was very happy to join Haliburton. It was a big career wise. I thought it was very good. I look back now, it's funny how I look back, like inside, I look back on that whole Iraq war with absolute horror now, but I had grown up with Free internet with, what at the time were considered authoritative news sources with the BBC and British newspapers.It might sound naive, but you believe that people are doing the right thing. And I just thought at the time that, that, we were going into Iraq because it was a very bad person there. And I look back now, with I look at Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and all the things that have happened with absolute horror.But at the time it just seemed quite straightforward. My, my view on the oil industry hasn't changed in terms of, I, I believe in an energy mix. I think there's a lot of irresponsibility talked about these days in terms of the energy transition. I do think there should be an energy mix.I don't think it should be any one source of energy. But I feel like we're in the same position that we're in before except instead of it being everyone's desperate to make money out of oil. I think everyone's desperate to make money out of renewables these days. Leafbox: Well, before we jump to that point, I want to I think that's a big topic we'll go to, but tell me about your jump to Nigeria.You're still naive then, or eager help, Nigerian oil industry or what you get assigned to Nigeria. What's that like? Andrew: Well, so I so that four years of us, so the three years I worked for that company originally was on it was on an ad hoc basis. So basically I would be at home. I'd get a phone call.And I could, I had to live within 45 minutes of the airport but I usually got at least a day. Sometimes it wasn't, it will, it was literally a day. Sometimes it was like a week, but I would get a call and then I could go anywhere in a region was Europe, Africa, Caspian. So I could go anywhere.Most of it was in West Africa. So I would go and work offshore in the Congo. Not the DRC, but the Republic of Congo Gabon, Nigeria, but all over Europe and occasionally like the Far East. So I had a lot of experience of Africa at that point. My very first, one thing I did want to, I was thinking the other day, one thing I did want to mention was when I first went, in terms of naivety, when I first time I ever went to Africa was in the Congo.And I'd grown up in the eighties where we had Live Aid was basically anyone's kind of opinion of Africa. And I remember at school we used to be forced to sing Do They Know It's Christmas, like every Christmas. So that was everyone's opinion of Africa was like just basically starving children. And I arrived in the Congo.They've got quite a decent airport now in Point Noir, but when I arrived it was literally a concrete shed with arrivals on one side and departures on the other and just like sand on the ground. And I can't remember coming out of that totally by myself just with my Nokia phone with the local contacts phone number and all these little kids appeared like Tugging it, tugging at my trousers asking for money and I was absolutely horrified I'd never seen like poverty like that and I felt horrible that I couldn't help them.But it's funny how You not that I don't care about children, but you harden yourself to what the reality of life is like in places like that. And I did that for three years. I was in Angola rotating for a year. In Cabinda, which is a chevron camp. And then I I got the job in Nigeria.And actually my father passed away just before I got that job. So I was a bit rudderless at that point. I really enjoyed it got to me in the end, I was there for three years and I started to get very frustrated when I was at home, that's when I thought I need to make a change.But there's a sort of happy level of chaos, I found. It's. in Nigeria, where things are, they don't work in the sense that they would do in, in, in what you'd call, developed countries. You can't rely on things to work. You can't really rely on people in a certain sense, but there's a sort of happy, it's difficult to explain.Like it's just, It's a very chaotic place, a very noisy, chaotic place. But once you accept that it's quite a good laugh actually. I have some quite happy memories from working there. Leafbox: So Andrew, when you enter in these places you first described your kind of exposure to Congo, but how do you conceptualize the interaction between the Western oil companies and I guess the local developing country?Do you think about that? Or are all the workers local? Or is everyone imported from all over the world? And Andrew: There's a big move towards localization in pretty much any location I've been which is, which has changed over the years. So when I first started working say in Africa, as an example.Pretty much all of the deck crew, all of the roughnecks were all Africans or locals from whichever ever country you're in. But once you got to the upper levels, like the Western oil companies, you would have, so you'd have like drill engineers, which weren't. You might describe them as like project managers of the drilling operations.So there you would have kind of a mix of locals and expats, but you pretty much always find once you went above that to like drilling managers. You'd find all what they call company men, which are the company's representative offshore, pretty much always expats. That has changed over the years, which I think is a very positive thing.A lot of countries, Azerbaijan's like this, a lot of countries in Africa, Nigeria is like this. They put within the contracts, like a local content. So for a company to win the license and which is then cascaded down to the subcontractors, you have to have a percentage of local employees and you have to have a system for replacing your senior people, training up locals and replacing them over time, which I think is very positive because after all, it's there.Oil is their resources. There are in certain locations with certain companies, a pretty bad history. Shell Nigeria, for example. You can your listeners can look all this up, but there have been, various controversies over the years on the whole, I think on the whole, I think.that it's a positive for these countries because I look at it in terms of a capitalist sort of capitalist approach that, you know and it's almost like the thing that I was saying where you have like someone who comes from a family or a class where they are not exposed to money and all of a sudden they have a huge amount of money where you could say the same thing with some tiny country where by a that they've had a level of civilization and a level of like income over the years and all of a sudden someone discovers oil and there's no way you can reasonably expect a society to just, you can't take somewhere that goes from like tribal pre industrial revolution conditions and make it New York City overnight.It's just, it's not going to happen. And just expanding that slightly, I was in Papua New Guinea in the eastern part And up in the highlands on a well site a while ago. And that was fascinating because Papua New Guinea is still, it's a country, but it's still very tribal. So once you leave Port Moresby you're really, it's not like you're going to call the police if someone tries to assault you or call an ambulance or something.It's very much like I say, pre industrial revolution, tribal. societies, but they're sitting on billions of dollars of gas. So you get these little pockets of on the shore drilling rigs. And they're just pumping millions and billions of dollars worth of gas out from under your feet, but they pay the locals.And the site that I was on right at the top of the hill overlooking it was a big mansion owned by the who, as soon as he started drilling, he would get 10 million. And then, as I was informed, would probably disappear down to Australia and, enrich the local casinos and stuff. But, who is to say that is, would it be great if he built a hospital and built a school and improved the lives of everyone around him?Oh, of course it would. But who's to say morally that we Chevron should be, I understand the point that maybe Chevron should be building these things, but who is to say that the condition should be attached to what that chief spends his money on. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I I think I place a lot of responsibility on hydrocarbons are located.I do think there have been a lot of very negative practices by By all companies over the years, and they absolutely have a duty to maintain the environment. But I think it's a bit hypocritical. I see a lot of rich Western countries, especially now saying to a lot of poorer, undeveloped countries that they shouldn't be drilling or they shouldn't be, should be using the money differently.And I think, well, it's their resource. I look at it more from a capitalist point of view, rather than, like I said in my email, I'm quite anti interventionist in that sense. So historically I'm going to, this continues now, but there have been issues with literally, so they put these big pipelines through people's villages and the way that a lot of these things are organized is like I said, about Papua New Guinea they'll contact, the tribal chief and we'll pay a rent or some sort of fee to, to put these big pipelines through, through these small places.But there are some times when, I haven't, I, the right tribal chief or they've not paid enough or there's some sort of dispute and you will get villagers literally drilling into these oil pipelines with drills and buckets to steal the oil. And of course someone's doing it and they're smoking or there's some sort of ignition source and the whole thing erupts and, the village is burnt and it's a horrible, tragedy but it's just it's a funny, again, it goes back to the theory of what I was saying, the juxtaposition of that very valuable resource with a very, with a civilization, with a community, probably better way of putting it, who has never had access to that amount of money.So you're literally pumping these, this thing through their village that is worth more money than they'll ever see in their lifetime. And obviously the temptation to try to take some of that. is there, almost like understandably, but then again it quite often results in a lot of death and destruction.So that's yeah, it's just it's part of the whole industry in a lot of ways. And other industries, when you look at things like lithium mining and diamonds and stuff, you have a very high value resource That has been, by pure chance, located in a very poor part of the world and it results in these tragedies sometimes.Leafbox: I was going to ask you about the processing of oil. So when export the raw crude. Mostly the oils and process somewhere else. You were, you're taking the oil from Nigeria. Like Venezuela, they have to ship it all to Houston or whatnot to get turned into different solvents and gasoline. And, Andrew: This is probably when I'll need some fact checking, but my recollection of the time in Nigeria was that they weren't processing the oil on shore.I stand corrected if that's wrong, but my understanding was that they weren't, or at least there wasn't very many refineries, so it was basically all, like you said, extracted and then sent abroad. To be refined. That's certainly the situation in in Papua New Guinea. A lot of it is turned an LPG there and then shipped abroad.I guess I would guess, I would assume that would be the situation in a lot of West African countries for a lot of reasons, you have an established. Supply chain, you have established skill set in other places, then it comes down to cost and then you have the security of, you can imagine the enormous amount of investment you would need in a refinery.And would you rather do that in a place that's had a history of civil war, or would you take the cost to ship it abroad and do it somewhere else, Leafbox: no, it's understandable. I think that's important for listeners to understand that. The refinery in Louisiana or whatnot, or, it's so massive, it's billions of dollars and it's such a dangerous place to work also. Right. Those are just like literally atomic bomb sized potential energy. Andrew: The one thing that, there's always been, say in Scotland, there's been a little bit of resentment towards, Aberdeen and they're all like rich up there from other places in Scotland, but I think that there is, people are aware of Deepwater Horizon and Piper Alpha, et cetera, but I do think that there has been an underappreciation of the, just the Crazy risks that are involved when you're working offshore and handling hydrocarbons.Like I said, you take a helicopter to work with all the risks that I had in, in tails, and then you spend a month or so working on top of something that is effectively, a bomb if if things aren't handled properly. And you're, how far away are you from like emergency services?There are supply vessels and stuff, but. It's very much an environment where you have to just be very careful and very aware of dangers, which I think the industry now has got very good at. But yeah, the wages are high, but they're high for a reason. It's not it's not an easy, it's not an easy job in terms of that.And like I alluded to before, in terms of family stability, working away and coming back is not really conducive quite often to, to a healthy home life.Leafbox: Going back to Angola for a second I read an account of the Chinese are very heavily in Luanda and Angola, and they had the terrible civil war.But one of the things that really stood out to me is that all the Chinese use Chinese labor. So their oil boats are all Chinese workers and they often use ex felons, which I thought was interesting. But there's, I guess they, all these ex felons in Angola, I don't know if you saw this, I wanted to confirm it, but there's a lot of half Chinese, half Angolan children now because all the Chinese roughnecks.They're all men. So there's a booming Angolan prostitution and it just was so wild. Angola think Luanda is the most expensive city in the world. But then the most violent too, so yeah, just what's your general impressionAndrew: I I've been in Luanda in total, probably just a couple of days.Most of my time was spent in a, so Chevron Texco have this place called Cabinda. Which is actually, technically speaking, if you look at the map, it's not actually connected to Angola, you've got Angola, then you've got a little gap, and then you've got Cabinda, which is the little gap is part of the DRC, I think but Cabinda is where all the onshore processing of the oil is.It's part of Angola and it's like a prisoner of war camp and you go up there and you can't leave pretty much until you've finished your work. But my impression of Lulanda wasn't great at all. I remember driving into it and there's these massive shanty towns on the edge of the city with just like literal rubbish tipped down the side of these hills.And then you get into the city and it's just a. massive continual traffic jam with Porsche Cayennes and Range Rovers and G Wagons. And it just felt in the way that I was describing Lagos and even Port Harcourt, which has a pretty bad reputation as a sort of, chaotic, but fun sort of chaos.I felt and this is just my personal impression, I felt Lwanda was chaos, but dangerous chaos. Not you wouldn't stay in a staff house there and you wouldn't go out for a drink anyway. You wouldn't even really go out for lunch much. You just stayed in. It looked to me like as if you'd taken a European city, which I guess it, that's how it was built.And then you just start maintaining it from like 1960s onwards, but then you'd add it in a civil war and I appreciate the civil war was like a proxy civil war and then just didn't repair any infrastructure and just peppered the whole place with like bullet holes.It wasn't, it was not particularly, it's not a place that I would recommend to be quite honest with you. In terms of the Middle East, the comparison with the Middle East I've not really worked that much in the Middle East, to be quite honest with you. I guess my closest is the Caspian, which is more Central Asia, but that was way more structured.Yes, there's massive amounts of corruption, massive amounts of poverty. But yeah, absolutely more structured and less chaotic in that sense. Leafbox: Andrew, what's the relationship in Nigeria, there's famous activists who, like the Shell, they polluted so heavily, but then I guess the military tribunals would erase or disappear people.Maybe this is before you worked there, but what, as, what was the relationship of the company men with the government? Was there open kind of corruption or? What was your general vibe of is the manager's job and kind of getting these contracts. Talk to me about that. Like Deanna, how did the, you know, Exxon versus Armco or whatever it is, whoever's ever getting these contracts, there's obviously backdoor dealings.Andrew: Yeah, in terms of, actual drilling licenses I was never near or even remotely near the people that will be making those sort of decisions. And I'm certainly not going to allege corruption at that level. And I don't have any evidence, but what I would say, and again, all of this is just my personal opinion.It's, I'm not disparaging any one particular place in general, but the level of corruption. that I would see was so endemic that I just came to feel it was cultural which again, it's not really don't want to make that sound like it's a slight, to me it was an understanding of I really feel, and just briefly going back to the whole Bob Geldof Live Aid thing, I really feel like in the West we've made a mistake over the years in trying to impose our way of looking at the world on other cultures.And what I would see in most West African countries was it was just an accepted way Of living, accepted way of dealing. So you would go to the airport. We used to have these boxes that would have electronic equipment in them. And we had to hand carry them cause they were quite fragile.And then you would go to the check in desk and they would be like okay, well we have to get some stairs to lift this into the plane. So that's an extra 50. I'm not sure you actually own this equipment. It's got another company written on it. You give me a hundred dollars.Sometimes it's not quite said, you'll just get so much hassle and you'd see other, you'd see some people there that would freak out in case thinking that they were gonna, arrested or something. They just open their wallet and hand over loads of money. The, but it's not it's not like some under the table nefarious plot it's just like the checking guy is getting paid next to nothing He sees someone who's obviously got all my money and he has How can I get that money off him and it's at every single level my I mean I suppose I would say I was wise to it, but even I would make naive mistakes.I remember on a leaving day when I left Nigeria I had this driver who I'd still consider a friend. I messaged him on Facebook sometimes, and he was a really nice young guy who would go out of his, literally out of his way to help me. And I made the silly mistake of handing in my bank card on my like, leaving due.I'd had a little bit to drink and I just thought, surely it'll be fine. And of course I get back to the UK, I check my statement and there's a couple of hundred dollars missing or a hundred pounds missing. At the time I was like, that must be a bank error, surely not. But I look back in it now and I just think, again, this isn't, this honestly isn't even a criticism, it's just the culture is to try and hustle.And if you, if it doesn't work, well, I tried. It's just, it's endemic in that sense. I don't doubt that there most likely have been over the years some very shady practices on the behalf of Western oil companies and Western governments. You only have to look at the history of, BP and the UK government and Americans in Iran and coups to get oil and all these sorts of things.But I'm just talking about like the corruption that I've seen, it seemed, Cultural in that sense. It's just everywhere. The one thing that I would say is that companies I've worked for within the contracts is very heavy anti corruption. So the FCPA, if I'm remembering that right, in the US. The anti corruption laws are very strong to the point where if a company official from a country, say like Scotland, is a manager and he signs off on a bribery expense, he can actually, if I'm right in recalling this, he can end up going to jail himself for that.So a hundred percent, I'm sure it's happening by at the same time legally, there are some very strict laws against it. Leafbox: When they just outsource to local sub providers, that's what I would imagine they do to get around that. Andrew: I think it's a case of well, just don't tell me sort of thing.Leafbox: Yeah. Andrew: I'm pretty sure that, that's why. Well, Leafbox: I think people don't understand if you haven't been to these countries, it's just it's just not Norway. It's not. Yeah. It's a very different. Yeah. Andrew: And. I, sorry to interrupt you, but I've done quite a bit of work in Norway and I have found that some countries and some cultures seem to have a difficulty accepting that the world isn't the way that they are.And I think that that, not to, not to boast or to my trumpet here, but I think that one thing that I've learned over the years is that some places they just are the way they are. And it's, of course you don't want to encourage. Corruption, you don't want to encourage mistreatment, but I don't believe it's your right.Like I'm like, I live in Japan now and some things, a lot of things about Japan I absolutely love, but there are also some things about Japan that just don't seem right to me. But it's not my place to come in and say, right, you're doing this wrong. You should be doing this the other way. It just isn't, it's not my country.And I felt the same way in Africa. There's loads of things about Nigeria that I was like, this is absolute madness. But it's their madness, it's not my madness, and I'm a guest in their country. Leafbox: What do you think the difference, in your email to me, you wrote about the colonial being British, how's that relationship been for you?You've, non interventionist now, but you wrote about, your forefathers or previous generations having quote, good intentions. Maybe tell me about that. Andrew: I think that I know that there's a lot in the UK as with America now that's quite, there's a lot of attempt to be revisionist within history and question history, which I'm a big fan of people questioning history.I just think once again, that we are tending to look at things from a very Western point of view without taking into account like global history. I know believe, through my experience of traveling, I now think, well, exactly like what I just said, I don't think it's our place to change countries to mold them in our ways, but I do have a more charitable view of a lot of our maybe not every one of them, certainly not every country's colonial adventures, but I do think that some of them were more motivated by, as I said, a Christian desire to end certain barbaric practices.If you look at, the I forget what the practice is called, but the practice of people burning their their wives on the husband's funeral pyre in India and the whole slavery, which, yes, Britain was a part of but it's quite clear that, the British Navy was very important, effective in, in, in ending the global slave trade.So I'm very proud of where I come from and I'm proud of my ancestors. I don't deny that They were put that they, there weren't some, as I said, some negative aspects and atrocities, but I just think that again, when it comes to, and I think about this more because I have kids now.So I think about how I want them to feel about the country going forward. This is part of, traveling. You see so many countries where people are so proud of their country. Nigerians were some of the most proud people I think I've ever met, and it's the same in Japan. And I worry the direction our country's going, both the UK and the US, when we were raising a generation of children who are being taught to be embarrassed by where they come from.Leafbox: Going back to oil for a second, Andrew, the colonial legacy is impossible to digest in a short interview, but do you have, what's the general like Pemex or the Venezuelan oil companies or the Russian oil companies? What's your general impression of nationalized oil companies versus the private?Andrew: Yeah. I so I guess my biggest experience is in Azerbaijan, there's a company called Soka which is the national oil company. And of course all these national oil companies, a lot of them have shares in international like private oil companies.So it's not always a clear divide of either one or the other, but I guess I, as someone who really. believes in capitalism. I think that in terms of efficiency and certainly in terms of safety, in terms of environmental compliance, I think that the private oil companies are much more answerable to activism, to just a sense of corporate responsibility than private oil companies.And if you're in somewhere like Russia, like you say, Venezuela and the national oil companies is polluting the water. Well, What are you going to do about compared to a private oil company who has, a much more, it has shareholders and I guess more of a global footprint. But I also come back to the point, as I was saying about localization that these resources are the country's resources and I think it's quite right that companies pay.I wouldn't say prohibitive amounts of tax, but I think it's quite right that companies pay a lot of money in tax when they extract the hydrocarbons, and they have local content. I guess the ideal for me is private, but with a level of public ownership. But not actually running the operations because I think as soon as you take away, as soon as you take away that meritocracy, you end up with health and safety risks, you end up with just waste, and when it comes to something like with the large amounts of money involved That just ends up taking money away from the actual people.I don't think it's, I don't think it's generally a great idea, but I think a sort of public, a bit like you see a lot here in Japan actually, a public private mix, if done properly, is probably the way to go for a lot of utilities. Leafbox: Great. So Andrew, maybe it's time to jump to the oil and energy diverse mix.Tell me about what brings you to Japan. First, you work on nuclear and now wind. Andrew: Yeah. For me, I can't claim any sort of high minded high minded drive to change from one industry to the other. It was purely, I had a mortgage and a new baby and I desperately needed a job. So that was how I made that jump.The one thing I have experienced over the years, it's certainly the place I've worked. It's very, Unless you're in a region that has like a national oil company, it's even then I guess depends who you are. It's very meritocratic, but it's quite cutthroat. So oil companies, service companies, as soon as oil price drops, it's very cyclical.People just get made redundant. People, I saw people at Halliburton had been there for literally 40, 50 years being made redundant just because the share price dropped a few points. I've been made redundant twice myself. And yeah, it's just horrible. And there's nothing you can do about it because it's an economic decision.It's nothing to do with your performance. And that happens to, it's probably very few people on the street that hasn't happened to It's the downside of the high salary really. So coming into wind it was really an opportunity to, as I say, we wanted to live abroad again for a little while.And opportunities to live in Japan don't come by very often. And it's interesting. It's interesting. It's very different. It's interesting from an engineering point of view. It's a lot of heavy lifts. And Japan, I think Japan has a good attitude towards offshore wind, because everything else, Japan has a long term vision.It has a vision of a percentage mix of nuclear fossil fuels, renewables, whereas I feel like I'm fairly against it in my home country, in the UK, because we don't have a long term plan. We've had four prime ministers in the last two years. One of them wanted to build eight nuclear power stations, the next one to start fracking.And then the one now wants to quadruple our offshore wind capacity in eight years, which is impossible. It's quite nonsensical. It's quite short term thinking. I'm not anti wind, I'm not pro oil, I'm not anti or pro any, anything. What I'm pro is a science based, long term, non subsidy, non corruption based market solution.Obviously you've got environmental aspect of climate change, et cetera, which needs to be taken into account. But I found, I find a lot of the attitude towards renewables and towards the energy mix quite histrionic and not really based on facts. Leafbox: Do you ever think about, geopolitics as an engineer in terms of, where these pressures are coming from.Europe particularly seems so against oil and hydrocarbons, but if you do any scientific research, you just, there's the capacity of hydrocarbons to produce energy is just unparalleled in terms of the input to output. And wind is just not a realistic option. Andrew: I think that, I think there's a general I would say it's a mistake, but I think it's done on purpose, but there's a general attitude that seems to be portrayed in the media that you can have one company or one industry is virtuous and everything they do is virtuous and there are no negative connotations or motivations behind what they're doing.And then the other is just all negative. So right now, it seems like oil is completely negative and then offshore wind is completely positive. You look at the motivations behind companies putting in offshore wind turbines or the service companies exactly the same as motivations behind all companies.Neither one is doing them. For anything other than to make money. And I think it's simplistic and a little bit silly to think that the boss of an oil company is some sort of J. R. Ewing, person that likes to run over puppies on the way home and the boss of an electricity company or a turbine installation company or whatever.is some sort of, sandal wearing saint that doesn't care about money. Everyone in pretty much, I would say any corporation, that statistic about men are CEOs, they're psychopaths. All they care about is money. And I think there are a lot of like there's a lot of talk about subsidies.You just touched on it, I think. And people talk about subsidies and oil when they're talking about subsidies and oil, what they're talking about is the The fact that when you drill an oil well, which can be anything between, I don't know, 30 and like upwards of 100 million, you basically get to claim that back off the tax.Now the tax in the UK is, it was about 75 percent on the oil that they extract and profit from the oil they extract. But if you have that say 100 million cost, how many companies can drill three or four wells at 100 That you're going to get anything out of that. Very few companies can afford to take that risk.I don't think it's a bit rich to call that a subsidy when you've got the whole CFD process for offshore wind, which effectively guarantees the strike price of electricity. So you imagine if you had that for oil, you would have, You would have countries buying oil off the oil companies when the price dropped, and they don't have that, they don't have that, that, that mechanism, but you simply wouldn't get offshore winds without a decent strike price, which you've seen recently in the auctions when no one bid on the licenses in the UK, and I think it was the US as well.Leafbox: So in essence you prefer just like a free market, totally. Not a totally free market, but in the sense that a clear transparent market. So if that really incentivized the right incentives, like you're saying in Japan, they have that mix of nuclear and hydrocarbon and wind and solar. And in Japan, I always feel like they're just burning trash.That's their real power generation. Andrew: It's funny that it's such a funny place in so many ways, but you've got this island, which has, a lot of geothermal resources. But in terms of mineral resources, it's not in a great position yet. It manages to be so incredibly self sufficient in terms of industry, in terms of fuel price.Like they, they said to me when I arrived here, Oh God, it's so expensive electricity. It's like about 60 to, to a month for the electricity in your house. And it's a four bed house with five air cons on 24 seven. I'm like, geez, you just see the price UK. You'd be like, 10 times almost. So they managed to make it work, but like everything else here, like I said, it's a long term, long thought process.And Obviously, I guess we haven't really talked about it, and I'm not, I don't feel qualified even to talk about it at all, to be honest with you, but in terms of climate change, I am very much meritocratic and capitalist in that sense that I think the market will identify the most efficient.way of providing energy, but I completely accept that there needs to be a level of environmental regulation because going back to what I said, CEOs, I think of any company would do anything if it made them money. And I've seen, I saw this in Azerbaijan. You go out, you're back, he's an absolutely beautiful city, but if you look back through its history of being part of the Soviet Union, the level of just pollution was unreal and it still suffers from a lot of that, especially out with the main city. So I 100 percent agree with environmental regulations. I think that, I think there's a lot of politics behind climate change. I'm quite skeptical of international NGO organizations, especially with the last few years that we've had.But I think that the yeah, I think that Japan's got it right. I think we need a mix and we need to not. Pretend like we are doing in the UK at the moment that for instance, the electricity price in the UK is doubled since 2019. And it hasn't here in Japan, and there, there tends to be a thought of, well, we just need to do all this because climate change is going to happen.It doesn't matter that, that people are suffering now, I don't think, I think people tend to. tend to maybe forget the, it's like the, the just stop oil extinction rebellion types. It's the world we have is impossible to have without oil. Sure. You can reduce it. It's going to run out eventually one day anyway.So reducing it is not a bad thing, but to pretend that you can just press stop and then you can put in a wind

Tampa Florida trial lawyer Steve Yerrid has done it all.  He was a boxer in his youth and a fighter for justice in his career as a trial lawyer.  Steve was the youngest member of the Tobacco “Dream Team,” which secured a $17 billion settlement from Big Tobacco and numerous changes in their business practices which have saved thousands of lives.  Steve has many record setting jury verdicts.  He has served as personal counsel to NY Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner.  And he has given back to his community through his Yerrid Foundation.  Steve has authored several books and has frequently spoken on the topic of what separates those would achieve greatness (i.e., those who have “it”) from everyone else.  Join Rahul and Ben for their fascinating conversation with Steve as he shares aspects of his incredible career and things that have shaped his approach to trying cases and success in life. About Steve Yerridhttps://www.yerridlaw.com/attorneys/c-steven-yerrid/In a city like Tampa, Florida, a coastal metropolis steeped in history, the list of well-known names and larger-than-life personalities is rich and lengthy, but few names resonate with the same renown as Steve Yerrid.Yerrid, a trail-blazing trial lawyer for more than 45 years, has built a legacy that continues to evolve, fueled by a relentless desire to help as many people as possible, whether seeking and securing justice on their behalf in the courtroom or selflessly devoting his time and donating a substantial portion of his accumulated wealth to bettering the world around him. In an age where importance and social impact are measured by likes and subscribers, instead of hard work and good deeds, Steve remains a practitioner of the old ways, always leading by example and putting the needs of others first. Whether meeting each client of his firm personally or taking time to deliver much needed food to the area's most vulnerable and less fortunate, he is and has always been one-of-a-kind, a determined legal and social warrior the likes of which are a rarity in today's world.Yerrid has experienced a career of noteworthy achievements, including over 300 verdicts and settlements of $1 million or more for individuals and the families of those injured or killed by the wrongdoing of others. Among those was a jury verdict of $217 million, the largest medical malpractice award in Florida's history, and the nation's largest verdict in 2006. In 2009, he again obtained the country's largest verdict rendered in a wrongful death case that year, with a jury award of $330 million. When he was just 30 years old, Yerrid received international recognition in one of the world's largest maritime tragedies. In utilizing a rare “Act of God” defense, he was able to secure the complete exoneration of Captain John Lerro, the accused pilot in command of a large 608-foot bulk freighter which, during an unpredicted storm packing hurricane force winds, was blown off course and struck the mammoth Sunshine Skyway Bridge, collapsing its center span and tragically claiming 35 innocent lives.  Not a decade has passed that Steve has not left an indelible mark. In 2010, confronted by one of the largest environmental catastrophes in history, then-Governor Charlie Crist appointed him as Special Counsel regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster and its aftermath. Yerrid gave his time, costs, and efforts for nearly a year to the people of Florida as a public service. As a result, The Florida Justice Association presented him with the Outstanding Pro Bono Award, a special recognition given only every several years. Yerrid also was retained by the City of Tampa to hold BP responsible for the economic damages it sustained as a result of that disaster. He successfully obtained a $27.5 million settlement in July 2015. It was the largest recovery paid to any municipality by British Petroleum. In the 1990's, as the youngest lawyer appointed by the late Governor Lawton Chiles to an 11-member “Dream Team” of private lawyers, Steve undertook a leading role in Florida's landmark lawsuit against the previously unbeaten cigarette industry. The case resulted in the biggest monetary settlement that had occurred in U.S. history, ultimately topping $17 billion. In addition, he and the Dream Team members succeeded in obtaining unprecedented advertising concessions that permanently prevented marketing aimed at children, eliminated cigarette billboards, vending machines, Joe Camel, the Marlboro Man, and established youth tobacco prevention programs across the United States. As a result of his success, tenacity and integrity, Steve has long been sought out to take on important and precedent-setting cases. He was honored to be appointed as Special Counsel to the Office of the Chief Judge (13th Judicial Circuit) and the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges. In representing Florida's entire judiciary, he successfully argued before the Florida Supreme Court and protected state judges and staff from public disclosure of confidential records and internal communications within the court system. Yerrid is a lifetime member of the prestigious Inner Circle of Advocates, an “invitation only” organization whose membership consists of the top 100 trial lawyers in the United States. He is a past recipient of the Perry Nichols Award, bestowed by the Florida Justice Association (FJA) as its highest honor in recognition of a lifelong pursuit of justice, and in 2013, he received the Excalibur Award for exemplifying leadership and commitment at the highest level of Florida's civil justice system, an honor bestowed on only four Florida trial lawyers. In 2016, he was voted into the National Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. Steve also is the recipient of several FJA Eagle Awards (Gold, Silver and Crystal), including recognition as the first donor to achieve the $1 million-dollar-level of giving to the FJA's educational efforts designed to protect and improve the American system of justice; currently serves as a Distinguished Fellow in the FJA; has been named Top Lawyer in the Nation by Lawyers USA; was selected by the National Law Journal as a top ten litigator; honored by the American Board of Trial Advocates a Diplomate as well as Trial Lawyer of the Year (Tampa Bay); and the recipient of numerous other honors and recognitions through his career too numerous to specifically reference. He has been continuously listed in Best Lawyer in America over the last five decades. Steve Yerrid, a Georgetown University Law Center graduate has long been one of the country's top catastrophic injury and wrongful death trial attorneys, having secured over 300 verdicts and settlements of $1 million or more.  This year the jury awarded $15 million in damages to each parent for mental anguish, plus burial expenses of $7,502.00. The verdict total was $30,007,502.00.  In 2006 - A $217 million verdict was obtained for the client and his family. It is the largest medical malpractice verdict in Florida's history, and the top national jury verdict of its kind in 2006.  1990s, Mr. Yerrid was selected by the late Gov. Lawton Chiles as the youngest member of the 11-member “Dream Team” of private trial lawyers. He took a leading role in Florida's landmark lawsuit against the previously unbeaten cigarette industry. The case resulted in the biggest monetary settlement in the nation's history at the time, ultimately topping $17 billion.  The mantra that everyone should have a shot at happiness, success and living the American dream led to the formation of The Yerrid Foundation almost four decades ago.   The self-funded family foundation has made significant donations to more than 700 causes and charitable organizations locally, nationally, and even internationally, with an emphasis on children's issues, pediatric cancer research, the welfare of veterans, and domestic abuse victims.

This episode of Going Green (a SPACES podcast story) explores the environmental policies and approaches of the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. It highlights the influence of the oil industry on the US government and the challenges faced in addressing climate change. The episode also touches on the manipulation of public perception and the impact of campaigns by oil companies. The conversation explores various tactics used by corporations and the government to shape public opinion and influence environmental policies. We highlight the technique of astroturfing, the manipulation of emotions in messaging campaigns, and the funding of nonprofit organizations by corporations. The episode also examines the lead up to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.Subscribe to SPACES PodcastEpisode Extras - Photos, videos, and links to additional content I found during my research. Episode Credits:Production by Gābl MediaWritten by Dimitrius LynchExecutive Produced by Dimitrius LynchAudio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff AlvarezArchival Audio courtesy of: CSPAN-Richardson, AP Archive, CBS News-Clinton, CSPAN-Browner, Texas Parks and Wildlife, CSPAN-Kendall, CSPAN-Cooney, kathiamalcom, mpdrsn, Reelblack One, climatebrad, Politics Dude, CSPAN-Davis, CSPAN-Norton, CSPAN-Energy Issues, CNNMentioned in this episode:ArchIT

Joselyn talks about her new novel Pearce Oyster. She discusses the story's setting in Louisiana during the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill disaster, still the worst in history. She also talks about how she came to be in Louisiana in 2010, what sparked her interest in oyster farming, and how she went about writing her novel. She provides an overview of oysters and farming them. We also discuss how she went about writing her novel, from story idea to finding the best approach.  

This Day in Legal History: Switzerland Federal Charter SignedThis day in legal history marks the anniversary of the signing of the Federal Charter on August 1, 1291, which laid the foundation for the Swiss Confederation. This historic agreement united three Alpine cantons—Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden—establishing a pact for mutual defense against external threats and maintaining internal peace. The Federal Charter, known as the "Bundesbrief," is one of the earliest examples of a written constitution in Europe, symbolizing the birth of Switzerland as a confederation.The signatories pledged to support each other in disputes and conflicts, emphasizing the principles of cooperation and self-governance. This alliance was crucial in resisting the influence of the Habsburg dynasty, which sought to dominate the region. Over time, additional cantons joined the confederation, expanding and strengthening the alliance.The Federal Charter's emphasis on mutual defense and collaboration laid the groundwork for Switzerland's longstanding tradition of neutrality and federalism. It remains a significant symbol of Swiss national identity and independence. The principles enshrined in the charter continue to influence Switzerland's political structure and commitment to direct democracy. Today, August 1 is celebrated as Swiss National Day, commemorating the unity and enduring legacy of the Federal Charter.Accounting regulators and industry leaders are drafting reforms to state CPA licensing rules to expand the profession's workforce by allowing new pathways to earn the credential. These changes may include skills acquired outside the classroom. Draft changes to model legislation, serving as a template for state regulations, could be ready for public comment by September. The goal is to finalize these changes before next year's legislative sessions, according to Sue Coffey, CEO of public accounting for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.The reforms aim to address declining graduation rates and a workforce that has shrunk by 17% since the pandemic. Proposed pathways for earning the CPA credential may include a mix of formal education and work experience, potentially eliminating the requirement for 150 college credit hours and specific schooling.A recent report suggests offering skills-based paths without traditional education requirements, which could attract more candidates, including minority students. The report also recommends increasing starting wages, improving the profession's image, and providing more flexible schedules.The pipeline task force is collaborating with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy to develop model language and outline essential skills for credentialed accountants. In September, a broader group of industry leaders will discuss advancing these recommendations and developing a scorecard to measure progress.States are already exploring flexible education requirements, with some proposing alternatives such as apprenticeships and different combinations of education and experience. Coffey emphasizes that any licensing reforms should maintain the rigor of the CPA license while accommodating state-specific solutions.CPAs Pitch More ‘Flexible' Licensing Rules to Expand WorkforceRudolph Giuliani has agreed to pay $100,000 in cash and use proceeds from future sales of his multimillion-dollar homes to settle administrative bankruptcy fees, concluding his Chapter 11 case. Giuliani and his largest creditors reached an agreement outlining how he will exit bankruptcy without having to testify about his finances. Despite a judge ruling that the case must be dismissed due to a lack of progress, Giuliani initially struggled to guarantee payment for an estimated $400,000 in fees. Under the proposed order, Giuliani will immediately pay $100,000 to Global Data Risk LLC, with the remaining fees to be covered by proceeds from the sale of his Manhattan penthouse or his Palm Beach condominium. GDR will have liens on both properties and may foreclose if fees are not paid within six months. Giuliani's Manhattan penthouse is listed for $5.7 million, and his Florida home is valued at approximately $3.5 million.Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in December following a $148 million defamation judgment. He has $10.6 million in assets but failed to provide full financial records during nearly seven months in Chapter 11. Additionally, he faces a defamation suit from Dominion Voting Systems, criminal cases related to the 2020 election, and a $10 million lawsuit from former employee Noelle Dunphy for sexual harassment and assault. The case is In re Rudolph W. Giuliani, Bankr. S.D.N.Y., No. 23-12055.Giuliani Reaches Bankruptcy Dismissal Deal to Pay Legal FeesCrowdStrike has been sued by shareholders, accusing the cybersecurity company of concealing inadequate software testing that led to a massive global outage on July 19, affecting over 8 million computers. The proposed class action, filed in Austin, Texas, claims that CrowdStrike misled investors about the reliability of its technology, which was proven false when a faulty software update caused significant disruptions worldwide, including to airlines, banks, hospitals, and emergency services. Following the outage, CrowdStrike's share price dropped by 32% over 12 days, erasing $25 billion in market value.Chief Executive George Kurtz is required to testify before the U.S. Congress, and Delta Air Lines has hired attorney David Boies to seek damages, reporting $500 million in losses from the incident. The lawsuit references a March 5 conference call where Kurtz described the software as "validated, tested and certified." CrowdStrike, based in Austin, denies the allegations and intends to defend itself vigorously. The lawsuit, led by the Plymouth County Retirement Association, seeks unspecified damages for holders of CrowdStrike Class A shares between November 29, 2023, and July 29, 2024.The case is named Plymouth County Retirement Association v. CrowdStrike Inc et al, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The aftermath of the outage and the subsequent drop in stock prices might lead to more lawsuits against CrowdStrike.CrowdStrike is sued by shareholders over huge software outage | ReutersPaul Hastings has recruited Brian Israel, the former chair of Arnold & Porter's environmental practice, to co-head its environmental litigation practice. Israel, based in Washington and Los Angeles, brings over 20 years of private practice experience and a decade of leadership in environmental law. He is known for representing major corporations such as BP in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill case, as well as companies like Chemours Co., CSX Corp., Dow Chemical, Honeywell Inc., Monsanto Co., and Motorola Solutions Inc.Israel's decision to join Paul Hastings came after collaborating with its lawyers on a significant environmental case, which convinced him of the firm's potential to become a leading force in environmental law. Paul Hastings' environmental practice is co-chaired by Navi Dhillon and has a strong presence in California. Israel sees his move as an opportunity to help build a nationally recognized environmental practice.This hiring continues Paul Hastings' trend of attracting top legal talent, including recent additions like a 12-lawyer white collar team in Paris, trial lawyer Renato Mariotti in Chicago, and cybersecurity expert Michelle Reed in Dallas. On the transactional side, the firm recently added an 11-partner private credit and restructuring team from King & Spalding.Israel noted that his area of focus is evolving due to national low-carbon initiatives and recent Supreme Court rulings, which have reshaped the environmental regulatory landscape. These changes are increasing demand for high-level expertise in environmental law, a demand that Israel is well-positioned to meet. He joined Arnold & Porter in 2000 after serving as a trial attorney in the environmental enforcement section of the US Department of Justice and has authored a leading treatise on Natural Resource Damages claims.Paul Hastings chair Frank Lopez stated that Israel's addition enhances the firm's capability to handle complex and important matters for its premier clients.Paul Hastings Lures Arnold & Porter Environmental Chair Israel This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Soup du Jour. Episode Seventeen. In honor of the release of Twisters (2024), the guys decided to do a movie draft for disaster films.What are some of your favorite disaster films? Email us your comments/feedback at weeklyreelpod@gmail.com. Subscribe to The Weekly Reel Podcast YouTube channel. Follow The Weekly Reel Podcast on Instagram (@weeklyreel) and TikTok (@weeklyreelpod).Co-host: Ken Arceo (@free_ken_a)Co-host: Jeremy Pulumbarit (@jp_flicks)Social Media: Andrea Pilapil (@andreajpilapil) / Linktree / PatreonMusic: Gunnar Olsen - "Late Night Snack" (from the YouTube Audio Library)

The Philippines is racing to contain the oil from a tanker that sank on Thursday in the midst of heavy rains from Typhoon Gaemi. It was carrying 1.5 million litres of oil, and the spread of it could cause an environmental catastrophe. We hear the latest on the coast guard operation from Jhesset Enano, a journalist based in Manila.This incident has reminded people about the devastating impacts of previous major oil spills like BP's Deepwater Horizon in 2012 and when MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef near Mauritius in 2020. We unpack how oil can be cleaned up and what these spills do to marine life with BBC climate and science reporter Georgina Rannard.We also hear from Vikash Tatayah, conservation director at Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, about how Mauritius' biodiversity was affected by the country's worst environmental disaster. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

This week we welcomed Dr. David Krause for a discussion on remediation of microbial contamination and Legionella. We have wanted to get Dr. Krause on the show for a long time now and the stars have lined up. Dr. David Krause is the founder of Healthcare Consulting and Contracting (HC3). He is a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Toxicologist, with 30 years of experience in public health, occupational hazard assessments, and indoor air quality. David received his Doctorate in Environmental and Occupational Health and Master of Science in Public Health Toxicology from the University of South Florida, College of Public Health in Tampa, FL. He is a nationally recognized expert in risk assessment, workplace exposures to pathogens and hazardous chemicals, health care facilities, Legionnaires' disease, combustion products, flame retardants, indoor air quality, and mold. From 2008 to 2011 Dr. Krause served as the State Toxicologist for the Florida Department of Health. During his tenure as State Toxicologist Dr. Krause led state-wide investigations into the potential health effects of corrosive emissions from Chinese Drywall, sources of carcinogens in the Acreages Pediatric Cancer Cluster, and human health risks throughout the Deep Water Horizon oil spill response. Dr. Krause reviewed and approved all of the state's ATSDR program health hazard evaluations and fish and seafood consumption advisories. Florida's fish and seafood consumption advisories considered human health risks due to mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Developing health advisory levels for chemicals in drinking water and human health screening levels for petroleum products and PAHs in coastal waters and beach sediments were among the responsibilities of Dr. Krause while serving as the State Toxicologist. In 2009 he co-authored the Guidelines for the Surveillance, Investigation, and Control of Legionnaires' Disease in Florida. As a volunteer for the American Industrial Hygiene Association Dr. Krause co-authored and edited the AIHA Guideline for the Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Legionella in Building Water Systems, in 2015 and the 2nd edition in 2022. David is a member of the ACGIH Bioaerosols Committee and was a contributing author for the ACGIH 2021 White Paper on Engineering Controls for Bioaerosols in Non-Industrial/Non-Healthcare Settings. Dr. Krause is past chair of the AIHA Indoor Environmental Quality Committee and coordinated AIHA's efforts to develop guidance on reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 in the workplace through engineering controls and effective cleaning & disinfection.

It's the biggest operation of its kind in US history, as the state tries to save its coastline which is vanishing at an alarming rate.We travel to the Mississippi River and the city of New Orleans to see how billions of dollars are being spent to fix the rapid land loss.The project to revert the Mississippi to its land-making pathways could restore ecosystems destroyed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and create buffers to protect against sea level rise and hurricanes. The Louisiana coastline is disappearing due to human-made and natural factors, such as leveeing the Mississippi for oil and gas infrastructure, erosion, and sea-level rises.And this is having an impact on local wetlands which are eroding, leaving communities vulnerable to storm surges and flooding. Produced and presented by Beth Timmins(Image: Oyster shells painted by members of the community as part of the shorelines project )

We examine whether a safe work environment truly enhances productivity and engagement or if it stifles business efficiency. Historical incidents like the Union Carbide disaster and BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout are analyzed to question if neglecting safety can still lead to profitability. Finally, we break down the misconception that good safety practices automatically translate to business profitability. We highlight the tangible benefits such as enhanced publicity, stronger client relationships, and improved employee satisfaction, and stress the importance of complex discussions about the actual costs vs. benefits of safety practices.The Paper's AbstractThis research addresses the fundamental question of whether providing a 15 safe workplace improves or hinders organizational survival, because there are conflicting predictions on the relationship between worker safety and organizational performance. The results, based on a unique longitudinal database covering over 100,000 organizations across 25 years in the U.S. state of Oregon, indicate that in general organizations that provide a safe workplace have significantly lower odds and 20 length of survival. Additionally, the organizations that would in general have better survival odds, benefit most from not providing a safe workplace. This suggests that relying on the market does not engender workplace safety.Discussion Points:Is safety “good for business”? Examining the relationship between safety and business viabilityBhopal and the costs, Occidental - you can still make money without safetyThe backgrounds and qualifications of the paper's authorsWorkplace safety can both benefit and hinder organizational survival due to productivity prioritization and potential risksWorkplace safety and business performance are complexly related, with a study showing a decrease in survival odds and length due to safety prioritizationSafety compliance at the lowest minimal cost may hinder productivity and divert attention from safety, leading to increased risksSafety is not inherently good for business; instead, it can bring tangible benefits like publicity, client relationships, and employee satisfactionStrict regulations and upfront investments in safety are necessary for fostering a safer work environment and ensuring business successTakeaways - Stop claiming safety is “good for business”The answer to our episode's question is, “So the short answer is on average, no. At least according to this study, businesses are more likely to survive in the short term and long term if they're hurting more people more seriously.”Quotes:“The sorts of things that you do to improve safety are the sorts of things that I thought should also improve productivity and reliability in the long run.” - David“Which is science, right? That's what it's about. We think we're right until we get a new piece of information and realize that maybe we weren't as right as we thought we were.” - David“Even though there is a reasonably high volume of research out there, it's really hard to look very directly at the question.”- Drew“So we know from this data that it's not true that providing a safe workplace makes you more competitive.” - DrewResources:The Paper: The Tension Between Worker Safety and Organization SurvivalThe Safety of Work PodcastThe Safety of Work on LinkedInFeedback@safetyofwork

Send me your writing and publishing questions!In the latest episode of Write the Damn Book Already, Joselyn Takacs and I discussed her first novel, Peace Oysters (Zibby Books, 6/25/2024). EPISODE HIGHLIGHTSHer writing process (and the system she and her adviser had for keeping her consistent)Free writing versus stream-of-consciousness writing The fun way she's including the book's theme in her upcoming book eventsJoselyn's top tricks for getting through writer's blockHow writing ahead can help authors figure out the book's trajectoryABOUT JOSELYNJoselyn Takacs holds a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Southern California and an MFA in Fiction from Johns Hopkins University. Her fiction has appeared in Gulf Coast, Narrative, Tin House, Harvard Review, The Rumpus, DIAGRAM, Columbia: A Journal of Art and Literature, and elsewhere. She has published interviews and book reviews in the Los Angeles Review of Books and Entropy. Joselyn has taught writing at the University of Southern California and Johns Hopkins University. She lived in New Orleans at the time of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, and in 2015, she received a grant to record the oral histories of Louisiana oyster farmers in the wake of the environmental disaster. She currently lives in Portland, Oregon.CONNECT WITH JOSELYNWebsite: www.joselyntakacs.com/aboutInstagram: @joselyn_takacsPurchase a copy of Pearce OystersWHAT JOSELYN'S READINGF MOCKUP SHOTS DEALI've used MockUp shots for years to create attention-grabbing images great for social media. It usually costs $207, but they're offering a 60% discount on lifetime access with lifetime updates. It's a great way to get an unheard-of price on a product that will make you money and that you will end up using all the time.Click Here for 60% off >> Ready to start your own podcast?Get 35% off the Podcast Starter Pack with code PODCAST35 at https://publishaprofitablebook.com/podcast101"I got my podcast launched in 3 days thanks to this great mini-course!"--Dr. Diana Naranjo, The Characterist podcast hostWrite the Damn Book Already is a weekly podcast featuring interviews with authors as well as updates and insights on writing craft and the publishing industry. Available wherever podcasts are available: Apple PodcastsSpotify YouTube Let's Connect! InstagramWebsite Email the show: elizabeth [at] elizabethlyons [dot] comThe podcast is a proud affiliate partner of Bookshop, working to support local, independent bookstores.To see all the ways we can work together to get your book written and published, visit publishaprofitablebook.com/work-with-elizabeth

Agencies responsible for natural resources along the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River corridor often face significant challenges due to limited resources. A powerful solution to this problem is the Gulf Corps program, which leverages funding from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement to support nature-based projects. This episode features conversations with Christina Wayne from The Nature Conservancy, Brian Pember from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Austin Bowley from the Corps Network discuss the transformative impact of this initiative. Filmed at a worksite in Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge, they discuss the program's dual focus on environmental restoration and workforce development. The Gulf Corps' efforts include trail maintenance, invasive species removal, and building living shorelines, significantly enhancing public access and conservation. This episode underscores the critical need for such initiatives to sustain and restore nature while providing valuable job skills and career opportunities.waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet. The Mississippi By Nature series is supported by the Walton Family Foundation and outfitted by Patagonia.

Kenneth R. Feinberg, renowned mediation expert and Special Master of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, sat down with Travelers Institute® President Joan Woodward to discuss his experience overseeing high-profile victim compensation funds, including for 9/11, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Boston Marathon bombing. Feinberg discussed the personal and professional challenges of taking on these cases and the difficult process of deciding compensation after the tragic loss of human life. Referenced in the show:Read “Who Gets What: Fair Compensation after Tragedy and Financial Upheaval” by Kenneth R. Feinberg: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kenneth-r-feinberg/who-gets-what/9781586489779/Watch the movie “Worth”: https://www.netflix.com/title/80226212---Visit the Travelers Institute® website: http://travelersinstitute.org/Join the Travelers Institute® email list: https://travl.rs/488XJZM Connect with Joan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-kois-woodward/

May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases―And What We Can Do about It by Alex Edmans https://amzn.to/3V02O31 How our biases cause us to fall for misinformation—and how to combat it. Our lives are minefields of misinformation. It ripples through our social media feeds, our daily headlines, and the pronouncements of politicians, executives, and authors. Stories, statistics, and studies are everywhere, allowing people to find evidence to support whatever position they want. Many of these sources are flawed, yet by playing on our emotions and preying on our biases, they can gain widespread acceptance, warp our views, and distort our decisions. In this eye-opening book, renowned economist Alex Edmans teaches us how to separate fact from fiction. Using colorful examples—from a wellness guru's tragic but fabricated backstory to the blunders that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster to the diet that ensnared millions yet hastened its founder's death—Edmans highlights the biases that cause us to mistake statements for facts, facts for data, data for evidence, and evidence for proof. Armed with the knowledge of what to guard against, he then provides a practical guide to combat this tide of misinformation. Going beyond simply checking the facts and explaining individual statistics, Edmans explores the relationships between statistics—the science of cause and effect—ultimately training us to think smarter, sharper, and more critically. May Contain Lies is an essential read for anyone who wants to make better sense of the world and better About the author Alex Edmans is Professor of Finance at London Business School. Alex has a PhD from MIT as a Fulbright Scholar, and was previously a tenured professor at Wharton and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Alex has spoken at the World Economic Forum in Davos, testified in the UK Parliament, and given the TED talk “What to Trust in a Post-Truth World” and the TEDx talks “The Pie-Growing Mindset” and “The Social Responsibility of Business” with a combined 2.8 million views. He serves as non-executive director of the Investor Forum, on the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Responsible Investing, and on Royal London Asset Management's Responsible Investment Advisory Committee. Alex's book, “Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit”, was a Financial Times Book of the Year for 2020 and has been translated into nine languages, and he is a co-author of “Principles of Corporate Finance” (with Brealey, Myers, and Allen). He has won 25 teaching awards at Wharton and LBS and was named Professor of the Year by Poets & Quants in 2021. His latest book, "May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases – And What We Can Do About It" will be published by Penguin Random House in April 2024.

This episode of The Naked Scientists: Scientists give mice a rat's sense of smell; we find out why some of China's biggest cities are sinking; and, 14 years after disaster struck in the Gulf of Mexico, might laser-treated cork be able to help us to clean up oil spills... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Chimpanzees are being forced to eat bat feces, and the viruses in itResearchers in Uganda have noticed a new behaviour in the wild chimps they study. The apes are browsing on bat guano, apparently to access the nutrients it contains, as their normal source for these nutrients has been destroyed by humans. Since bats are carriers of a range of diseases, from ebola to coronaviruses, this may be a new way these diseases could spread. The study was published in Communications Biology. Dr Tony Goldberg, a professor of epidemiology at the school of veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was part of the team.Controversial methods are working to buy Canada's caribou some timeWoodland caribou have been in steady decline for decades, as logging, oil and gas exploration and other disturbances compromise their western mountain habitat. Steady progress has been made to restore habitat in order to save these caribou, but since these forests will take half a century to regrow, conservationists are trying a variety of interim actions to buy the caribou some time. A new study led by Clayton Lamb from the University of British Columbia Okanagan found that these methods, including direct feeding, maternal penning, and, controversially, culling predatory wolves, have helped caribou recover to some extent, but restoration of their habitat will be necessary for full recovery. The research was published in the journal Ecological Applications.Giant ancient Pacific salmon had tusks sticking out of its faceMillions of years ago, enormous three metre-long salmon inhabited the seas of the Pacific coast. Named Oncorhynchus rastrosus, this ancient giant was first described in the 1970s as having long front fangs, which led to it being known colloquially as a “saber-toothed salmon.” But a new study published in PLOS ONE sets the record straight: the teeth actually protruded out to the sides from the fish's upper jaw, as tusks do. Lead study author and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine professor Kerin Claeson says despite their menacing look, the salmon did not hunt with these tusks, since these strange fish were filter feeders.The Gulf oil spill may have had ecological impacts we haven't seen yetFourteen years ago an explosion destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and kicked off the largest oil spill in history. While commercial fisheries have largely recovered from the disaster, there are signs that rarer and more vulnerable species might have been devastated. Prosanta Chakrabarty from Louisiana State University surveyed deep sea fish catalogued in museum collections around the world and found that out of 78 endemic species found only in the Gulf, 29 of them haven't been spotted in the years since the spill. The research was published in the Biodiversity Data Journal.Primordial black holes may be the solution the problem of missing dark matterThe hunt for exotic black holes that Stephen Hawking first predicted back in the 1970s is now well underway. Primordial black holes behave just like any other black hole, but they would have  formed in the early universe and could  be any size. Many scientists are particularly interested in the primordial black holes that are the size of an atom and have the mass of an asteroid because they suspect they could be the answer for the missing dark matter in our universe. 

David Kriebel, Sc.D., Director, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production https://www.uml.edu/research/lowell-center/ Professor Emeritus, Department of Public Health https://www.uml.edu/Health-Sciences/Public-Health/faculty/kriebel-david.aspx David Kriebel is a professor emeritus of epidemiology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Trained at Harvard in occupational/environmental epidemiology, his research has helped to identify many important environmental and occupational causes of cancer, lung diseases, injuries and other health hazards. For over 30 years he taught in the Department of Work Environment at UMass Lowell, an interdisciplinary graduate program that trained hundreds of occupational health researchers, practitioners and activists. Dr. Kriebel has co-authored two textbooks and published more than 150 peer reviewed papers. As a member of a committee of the U.S. National Research Council, Dr. Kriebel helped establish the link between exposure to Agent Orange among Vietnam veterans and cancer, leading to compensation for many disabled veterans. He advised the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences on its long term study of the health effects of the Deep Water Horizon oil spill and clean-up operations and conducted research to identify cancers and other diseases among the first responders to the World Trade Center Disaster. Dr. Kriebel is also the Director of the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, which collaborates with industries, government agencies, unions, and community organizations on the redesign of systems of production to make them healthier and more environmentally sound. He continues to teach epidemiology and also frequently speaks to community groups and government agencies on the role of science in democratic decision making, particularly in cancer prevention.  A few articles that you may find useful: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thesmarthuman/FDA_Consumer_Update_on_tattoos_FDA_Cosmetics_Facts-Tattoos_Foerster_Tattoo_inks__cancer_Negi__Tattoo_inks_toxicological_risks_systematic_review_Toxicol_Indus_Health_2022_Sabbioni_Carcinogenic.pdf Other podcasts with David Kriebel: https://www.whatmamawants.org/archived-episodes/david-kriebel

In this week's Episode of The Subliminal Deception Podcast, Cody and Phil discuss the catastrophic accident that occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig on April 20th, 2010, the horrendous ecological fallout, and the many conspiracy theories that persisted after the disaster. 

Peter Berg is a writer, director, and producer known for "Friday Night Lights," "Lone Survivor," "Deepwater Horizon," and "Patriots Day." His newest project is the Netflix exclusive limited series "Painkiller."https://film44.comwww.netflix.com/title/81095069