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What to Know About the Government’s $6.5 Billion Healthcare Fraud Crackdown. US judge blocks Trump administration SNAP restrictions on soda, candy. Brandon Gill grills FRAC's director of SNAP policy on soda change // UFO Movie Creator Claims 'Tall White Aliens' Frequently Visit Orcas Island And One Even Drank In A Pub // WA trooper pulls over Tesla; driver says it was ‘possible’ she was asleep
What to Know About the Government’s $6.5 Billion Healthcare Fraud Crackdown. US judge blocks Trump administration SNAP restrictions on soda, candy. Brandon Gill grills FRAC's director of SNAP policy on soda change // Parents Send 6-Year-Old Child to the Grocery Store Alone After Months of Preparation… Naturally, the internet freaks out // Largest tree in Lakewood comes down one branch at a time
Neste programa, vamos conhecer o universo da artista francesa Nina Laisné que está em exposição no FRAC Franche-Comté, em Besançon, entre 14 de Junho e 3 de Janeiro. A retrospectiva chama-se “Un monde renversé” [“Um mundo derrubado” ou “virado do avesso”] e mostra obras que propõem outras formas de ver o mundo e que esbatem as fronteiras entre teatro, música, cinema e arte contemporânea. O mundo de Nina Laisné situa-se na intersecção entre as artes performativas e as artes visuais. As suas instalações têm uma dimensão teatral e as suas criações para a cena também se deixam contaminar pelas artes plásticas. Com a exposição “Un monde renversé”, Nina Laisné transformou o museu num vasto palco onde o público pode ver o mundo a partir de outros pontos de vista, incluindo alguns ângulos escondidos da Historia, da Arte e da História da Arte. Nina Laisné interessa-se por personagens, comunidades e minorias situadas à margem das narrativas oficiais e trabalha a partir de arquivos, repertórios musicais antigos e lendas populares para construir "contra-narrativas" que questionem a História que nos é ensinada nas escolas e nos museus. Também tem aprofundado questões relacionadas com colonialismo, identidade e metamorfose. É este o mundo que ela leva ao FRAC Franche-Comté, em Besançon. “'Un monde renversé' significa olhar para o mundo de outro ponto de vista, ao contrário, de forma diferente, inversa (…) Nesta exposição reunimos muitas obras de várias épocas, quase dez anos, e o mais óbvio, ao reunir tudo, foi falar de minorias, de hibridação, de coisas que realmente são a essência do meu trabalho, mas que eu não percebia assim tão frontalmente. Esta oportunidade de apresentar todas estas obras juntas realmente muda a forma de ler, de receber essa mensagem. E claro, no meu mundo, sempre tem um espaço muito grande, uma importância muito grande para narrativas diferentes, narrativas contrárias, coisas que sempre ficam na sombra dos relatos oficiais, figuras marginais ou figuras que foram apagadas, silenciadas”, conta à RFI. Nos últimos anos, a artista nascida em 1985 ganhou maior projecção em França e no estrangeiro graças ao seu trabalho em palco, nomeadamente com as colaborações com o coreógrafo francês François Chaignaud -“Romances inciertos, un autre Orlando” (2017) e “Ultimo Helecho” (2025) - que combinam canto, dança e música instrumental. Além das artes performativas, Nina Laisné é também artista plástica, música, fotógrafa, cineasta e apaixonada pela História. As suas pesquisas artísticas envolvem o estudo de arquivos históricos de diversos formatos que vão do século XV ao XIX, mas também a procura de músicas antigas, mitos populares e lendas esquecidas que depois transforma em experiências visuais, sonoras, imersivas, poéticas e políticas. Em Besançon, através de instalações, vídeos, esculturas, fotografias, livros, gravuras, pinturas e dispositivos sonoros, Nina Laisné propõe uma viagem por universos onde mito, memória, identidade, tradição, história e ficção se entrelaçam. Às vezes não se sabe onde fica a fronteira a realidade e a ficção. Às vezes, a lenda é a base para criar novas ficções. No centro deste “mundo revirado” e da sua investigação artística há lendas populares, tradições orais e repertórios musicais ancestrais que revisitam figuras híbridas ou em permanente transformação. É o caso do projecto “A mulher ursa”, que ela tem desenvolvido com a escritora Célia Houdart, a partir de lendas e tradições ouvidas em terras portuguesas, nomeadamente junto das adufeiras de Monsanto. Numa das salas do FRAC, além do adufe, há gravuras, livros, fotografias, arquivos sonoros e um vídeo que serve de prólogo ao filme que Nina Laisné está a escrever com Célia Houdart. A figura da “mulher ursa” acaba por questionar fronteiras entre humano e animal, mas também os próprios mecanismos intemporais que definem quem pertence e quem permanece à margem. “Estamos a escrever um filme de ficção que vai acontecer na zona de Monsanto, essa linda região da fronteira com a Espanha. É um lugar quase mitológico, por ser uma aldeia muito antiga, que tem uma história bem complexa, com muitas camadas, muitos níveis de história e também mitologia própria. Também apareceu essa tradição das adufeiras de Monsanto, um grupo de mulheres que tocam adufe e que também cantam. Eu gosto de chegar neste lugar e mudar um pouco a tradição, virar um pouco a história para abrir a outras mitologias, convidar outras histórias da Península Ibérica e, neste lugar, mudar um pouco o repertório, chegar com novas letras e também fazer aparecer nessa ficção a figura da mulher ursa, que seria uma mulher selvagem que convive com animais da montanha e, aos poucos, se aproxima dessa aldeia e começa a criar uma relação com o grupo de adufeiras”, descreve a artista. Nina Laisné vai à procura dos arquivos esquecidos ou censurados, de iconografias marginais, de relatos de resistência e vai destapando os silêncios da historiografia oficial. É o que acontece na sala que acolhe duas obras inéditas: uma extensão em grande formato da instalação “Na maré cheia, lá no meio da mata. Na maré baixa, surge a resistência” (2026) e a nova instalação “Portulanos virados” (2026). A primeira é constituída por duas pinturas em grande escala, frente a frente, que fazem uma releitura das imagens do Brasil colonial. Vemos escravos a trabalharem na vasta paisagem a preto e branco e vemos montanhas de vermelho-sangue, a cor extraída do pau-brasil, a invadirem a tela. No meio, estão os “Portulanos virados”, ou seja, 16 violinos abertos dentro dos quais a artista desenhou os tais “portulanos” (mapas de navegação) em que se vêem figuras da resistência à escravatura e ao colonialismo. “O problema é que, além de não falarmos do que aconteceu, também apagámos e silenciámos toda a memória das grandes figuras de resistência. Houve revoltas por todo o lado no Brasil, mas só se apresenta a dominação, a humilhação, coisas de violência. Só agora, nestes últimos dez anos, é que historiadores do Brasil começaram a recuperar essas histórias e a identificar gente - para além do Luís Gama e do Zumbi dos Palmares que já são ícones no Brasil - como Maria Filipa de Oliveira, que atacava barcos portugueses e franceses, ou também Zacimba Gamba que foi uma princesa da Etiópia que foi escravizada e que envenenava proprietários de fazendas. Houve muitas coisas de resistência e de criar quilombos e também as crenças de matriz africana, todas essas festas populares que hoje em dia são bem fortes no Brasil, mas que fora dessa fronteira são totalmente silenciadas”, explica. Nina Laisné quis lembrar também o papel de França na exploração do pau-brasil. “Já sabemos que Portugal foi muito importante nesta história e a responsabilidade é muito grande, mas nunca se fala da responsabilidade também da França na primeira época do coloniaismo. A França também foi nessas costas para roubar esse pau-brasil que foi muito usado para pinturas de tela e também na fabricação de arcos de violino”, recorda, sublinhando que o pau-brasil era comercializado pela sua capacidade tintorial e também para a produção de arcos para instrumentos de corda. O título “Un monde renversé” é também uma referência a um libreto barroco do compositor Estienne Moulinié e ilustra, desde logo, a importância que a música tem na vida da artista transdisciplinar. Nesta exposição, há, de facto, repertórios das tradições ibéricas, brasileiras, venezuelanas e italianas, de tempos idos e de outros mais recentes. Uma das obras mais impressionantes no FRAC é a monumental “Arca ostinata” (2021), concebida em parceria com o músico Daniel Zapico e que reproduz, de forma imersiva, um pouco do espectáculo com o mesmo nome. A instalação é musical e transforma um instrumento de música barroca, a teorba, numa construção escultórica em grande escala, decorada por criaturas fantásticas. “É verdade que esta exposição é muito musical porque, fora das imagens, a minha primeira linguagem seria a música. Especificamente, podemos falar da música tradicional, da música folclórica e da música antiga. A música antiga, para mim, é muito interessante quando tem algo popular e colectivo, seja do século XVI ou XVII. Comecei a trabalhar, a colaborar com muita gente, muitos músicos que trabalham também para recuperar músicas sobre instrumentos históricos, como a teorba, que é um instrumento europeu de corda pulsada da família do alaúde. Tem um braço muito grande, quase dois metros e é um instrumento muito híbrido, muito fascinante pelo som. Com o músico Daniel Zapico, com quem pensamos essa obra, quisemos ampliar e abrir novas portas do repertório para não ficarmos fechados no repertório barroco, e quisemos propor novas leituras de folclore sul-americano, português, italiano e também mais contemporâneo”, acrescenta Nina Laisné. A música também é basilar nas obras “esas lagrimas son pocas” (2015), “Marisol/Mariluz” (2015), “En présence” (2013) e “Frati Uccelli” (2023). Em todas, mais uma vez, há várias camadas de significados, muitos jogos de percepção, questionamentos e, sobretudo, o cruzamento de diferentes disciplinas artísticas. “Un monde renversé” é uma viagem ao labirinto teatral de várias artes, mas é também uma reflexão sobre a capacidade de a arte dar voz aos que dela foram excluídos. Algures entre arquivo e ficção, entre investigação histórica e criação poética, entre provocação e jogo, Nina Laisné constrói uma “cartografia da resistência”, um lugar mais inclusivo e assumidamente político, onde passado e presente se vêem com outros olhos. “O meu trabalho faz parte dessa resistência colectiva. Conecto-me a diversas resistências do passado para crescer e fabricar novos movimentos aqui, no mundo presente”, conclui. A exposição “Nina Laisné, un monde renversé” está patente de 14 de Junho a 3 de Janeiro de 2027.
https://sisuenergyllc.com/owner-operator-frac-sand-hauling-texas-rates-pay/Frac sand hauling offers owner-operators gross revenues of eight to eleven thousand weekly, but net take-home is closer to three to six thousand after costs. We break down fuel, detention, carrier selection, and equipment choices that determine your real income. Sisu Energy City: Fort Worth Address: 2400 Handley Ederville Rd Website: https://sisuenergyllc.com/ Phone: +1 817 717 1616 Email: Info@sisuenergyllc.com
https://youtu.be/50CmjzaZzHM Recorded: Friday, May 22, 2026, and Tuesday, March 17, 2026 In Episode 157 of the PetroNerds Podcast, Trisha Curtis, host of the PetroNerds podcast and CEO of PetroNerds, sits down with Leen Weijers, former Senior VP of Engineering at Liberty Energy and one of the most respected minds in hydraulic fracturing, for an in-depth technical discussion on hydraulic fracturing, U.S. shale resilience, natural gas, and the future of energy production. Recorded during a period of elevated geopolitical tensions and rising oil prices, the conversation examines the operational and technological forces that continue to drive American energy production forward. With oil prices near $96 per barrel and Brent crude surpassing $100, Trisha and Leen step back from short-term market headlines to focus on the engineering innovations reshaping the shale patch. From frac fleets and longer laterals to proppant logistics, simulfracs, natural gas-powered equipment, distributed power generation, and geothermal lessons for shale recovery, the episode explores why U.S. shale continues to outperform expectations. Why U.S. Shale Continues to Surprise the Market One of the central themes of the episode is the continued resilience of U.S. shale production. While many analysts have repeatedly predicted shale production slowdowns or peaks, Leen explains that the flexibility of the U.S. frac industry allows operators to respond rapidly to changing price signals and market conditions. Importantly, both Trisha and Leen emphasize that traditional indicators like rig counts and frac fleet totals no longer tell the full story. Today's frac crews are significantly larger, more efficient, and more productive than they were just a decade ago. Operational improvements such as: Longer laterals Higher-intensity completions Improved perforation cluster efficiency Better well spacing strategies Simulfrac operations Enhanced proppant logistics Faster pumping rates Better frac distribution have allowed operators to continue increasing production despite fewer rigs and fewer frac fleets. Efficiency Gains Are Outpacing Reservoir Challenges The conversation also addresses some of the real challenges facing unconventional oil and gas development, including: Parent-child well relationships Lower reservoir pressure Infill drilling complications Potential declines in productivity per foot in certain regions Despite these challenges, Leen explains that engineering innovation and operational execution continue to offset many of the headwinds facing the industry. The discussion highlights how the shale industry has effectively turned efficiency gains into a competitive advantage, enabling the U.S. to approach nearly 14 million barrels per day of crude oil production. Natural Gas Is Reshaping the Future of Frac Operations A major portion of the episode focuses on the growing role of natural gas in frac operations and power generation. Leen discusses Liberty Energy's DigiFrac and DigiPrime technologies and explains how the industry is steadily moving away from diesel-powered systems toward natural gas-powered frac fleets. The conversation also explores how oilfield power technology is increasingly being adapted for mobile and distributed power applications, including support for rapidly growing AI and data center energy demand. Trisha and Leen also discuss: LNG export growth Reliability challenges with wind and solar Distributed power generation Propane and NGLs in global development Energy poverty and energy abundance Nuclear power Geothermal innovation and its lessons for shale recovery Looking Ahead The episode closes with a broader discussion about the future of energy development and the importance of maintaining reliable, scalable, and affordable energy systems. As the energy landscape evolves, Trisha and Leen argue that innovation within the shale patch continues to position the United States as one of the world's most resilient and adaptable energy producers. For listeners interested in the technical side of oil and gas, hydraulic fracturing, energy infrastructure, and the future of global energy markets, Episode 157 offers an exceptionally detailed and insightful conversation.
Building software inside a frac and wireline giant is a different beast than doing it at a startup. Ben Dickinson and Raleigh Bumpers from NexTier Completion Solutions get into life under the Patterson UTI umbrella, the EOS platform, the Vertex automated pump control system, the shift from diesel to natural gas powered fleets, agentic AI in the field, and why the world genuinely stops if oil and gas stops. Plus Pittsburgh shale stories and a Colorado School of Mines reality check.Click here to watch a video of this episode.Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.ioClick here to view the episode transcript. 0:00 The NexTier 60-second pitch2:00 Why integrating every service on location wins4:30 Ben's path from Pittsburgh to wireline to digital11:15 Raleigh's jump from computer science to the Eagle Ford17:00 If oil and gas stops, the world stops19:30 Pittsburgh, the shale boom, and incoming data centers21:30 Completions 10123:30 The EOS platform and Vertex automated pump control27:00 Earning trust from veteran hands on new software32:00 Generative AI versus agentic AI in the field34:00 Diesel, natural gas, and electric frac fleets41:30 Colorado School of Mines and the next generation44:00 The road to a fully autonomous well site46:30 The 80 percent AI failure rule debatehttps://twitter.com/collide_aihttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai
Recorded live at the Daniel Energy Partners Thrive Conference, hosts David de Roode and Victoria Beard Queen sit down with Jackson Wise, CEO of Signal Peak Silica, and world-class pit master, to unpack the realities of the modern sand business and what it takes to lead through cycles. Wise shares his unconventional path from Enron and investment banking with the infamous Simmons & Company to operating one of the largest regional frac sand platforms in the U.S., along with the hard lessons learned during Signal Peak's 2019 turnaround.The conversation dives into how regionalization has reshaped the sand market, why delivered cost and logistics matter more than brand, and how consolidation and capital discipline are defining the future of the sector. Wise also reflects on leadership, mentorship, building high‑trust teams, and why barbecue, community, and culture still play an outsized role in oil & gas today.00:00 Why Oil And Gas Matters00:36 Podcast And Sponsors01:59 Live From Thrive Conference03:14 Meet Jackson Wise03:40 Early Career And Enron05:52 BP MBA And Simmons07:17 Simmons Culture Lessons09:34 Leaving Banking To Operate11:38 Mentorship And Leadership13:16 Signal Peak In 30 Seconds15:49 Turnaround And Team Building17:24 Sand Consolidation Strategy20:06 How The Sand Market Changed22:47 Plant Costs Then And Now24:17 Wet Versus Dry Sand25:36 Wet Sand Reality Check26:15 How Heavy Is Sand27:14 Logistics And Truck Staging28:59 Pitching SPS Value30:57 Five To Ten Year Vision32:48 Barbecue And Oilfield Culture34:53 Winning At Pebble Beach38:21 Cookoff Community And Team42:27 Career Wisdom And Wrap
“Le Syndrome de Bonnard”Ou l'impermanence des oeuvresLe Plateau Frac Île-de-France, Paris et aux Réserves, Romainvilledu 14 février au 19 juillet 2026Entretien avec Emilie Villez, commissaire indépendante, membre du collectif Le Bureau/, co-commissaire de l'exposition,par Anne-Frédérique Fer, à Paris, le 30 mars 2026, durée 20'54,© FranceFineArt.https://francefineart.com/2026/03/31/3706_le-syndrome-de-bonnard_le-plateau-frac-ile-de-france/Communiqué de presseCommissariat Le Bureau/[Marc Bembekoff, Garance Chabert, Aurélien Mole, Céline Poulin et Emilie Villez]Le Syndrome de Bonnard, présenté au Plateau à Paris et aux Réserves à Romainville du 14 février au 19 juillet 2026, dévoile la part mouvante et ouverte des oeuvres. Entre reprises, réactivations et recyclages, elles poursuivent leur propre trajectoire au-delà de leur entrée dans les collections. Inspirée par les retouches sans fin du peintre Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947), l'exposition, imaginée par le collectif curatorial Le Bureau/, réunit plus de trente artistes français et internationaux pour interroger l'impermanence des oeuvres, la plasticité des récits et le dialogue constamment réinventé entre création et institution.On raconte que Pierre Bonnard n'a cessé tout au long de sa vie de reprendre ses toiles. Une anecdote en particulier rapporte qu'il fut arrêté par un gardien au Musée du Luxembourg alors qu'il tentait de retoucher subrepticement une minuscule feuille d'arbre d'un de ses tableaux. Marguerite Duras, dans La Vie matérielle, se remémore l'histoire d'un tableau que Bonnard aurait significativement modifié, sans demander l'avis des commanditaires, et rappelle que la création avance rarement en ligne droite : « Ça arrive dans un livre, à un tournant de phrase, vous changez le sujet du livre. (…) Les tableaux, les écrits ne se font pas en toute clarté. »Ces récits confrontent plusieurs perspectives légitimes : d'un côté, l'institution qui garantit la conservation de l'oeuvre acquise et son inscription patrimoniale dans un récit historique ; de l'autre, le parcours individuel de l'artiste et les mouvements, parfois significatifs, de sa pratique ; enfin, l'interprétation du public, qui varie selon les époques, les aires géographiques…À partir de la collection du Frac Île-de-France, Le Syndrome de Bonnard explore comment les oeuvres peuvent évoluer après leur acquisition : les tâtonnements de la pratique d'atelier peuvent-ils être ré-examinés par l'artiste une fois son oeuvre inventoriée ? Comment certaines oeuvres peuvent-elles sans cesse être rejouées, réactivées et actualisées ? Que dire du changement de perception d'une oeuvre à la lumière de l'évolution de notre contexte politique, social et environnemental ? Dix ans après avoir réalisé une première exposition 1 consacrée à ces questions, Le Bureau/ joue le jeu de la reprise et approfondit au Plateau et aux Réserves sa réflexion sur l'impermanence d'une oeuvre d'art.[...] Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.
What if the real secret to business growth is not creativity but competition? I sat down with Chris Dreyer, founder of Rankings.io, who built one of the fastest-growing legal marketing companies by mastering SEO, niche focus, and relentless execution. Chris shares how his early work ethic shaped his path, why he chose the highly competitive personal injury space, and how treating business like a math-based game helped him scale. You will hear how content, reviews, and authority drive Google rankings, why most lawyers misunderstand marketing, and how narrowing your focus can actually expand your results. I believe you will find this useful as Chris shows how discipline, data, and consistency can turn any business into an unstoppable force. Highlights: 00:56 – How early work and family habits built a strong work ethic05:00 – Why taking the hardest job created resilience and grit12:12 – How serving people helped develop communication and confidence24:22 – Why choosing a competitive niche leads to greater success37:08 – What it takes to rank at the top of Google consistently51:16 – How doing free work early builds skill and long-term growth Bottom of Form About the Guest: Chris Dreyer is the CEO and Founder of Rankings.io, the category-defining SEO agency built exclusively to help elite law firms and personal injury lawyers dominate Google's organic search results. Under his leadership, Rankings.io has become synonymous with measurable results, helping attorneys secure life-changing cases through visibility at the exact moment potential clients are searching for help. The company has achieved what few in the legal marketing space ever have, earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for eight consecutive years, proof of both sustained growth and relentless execution. Beyond Rankings, Chris is a builder of platforms and a voice of authority in legal marketing and entrepreneurship. He is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author of Niching Up: The Narrower the Market, the Bigger the Prize, where he details how focus creates outsized impact. He is also a seasoned real estate investor and the host of the Personal Injury Mastermind podcast, where he interviews top attorneys and business leaders shaping the future of law. His influence extends across respected councils and networks, including the Forbes Agency Council, Rolling Stone Culture Council, Business Journals Leadership Trust, Fast Company Executive Board, and Newsweek Expert Forum, cementing his reputation as both a practitioner and thought leader. Chris's path to entrepreneurship has been unconventional yet relentlessly instructive. Once a world-ranked collectible card game competitor, he carried that same strategic mindset into business. After earning a History Education degree, his first professional role was as a detention room supervisor, hardly glamorous, but it provided the unstructured time that sparked his obsession with digital marketing. He began experimenting with affiliate sites and, at his peak, managed more than 100 properties simultaneously. This side hustle soon eclipsed his day job, propelling him into full-time entrepreneurship. When affiliate marketing's golden age waned, Chris pivoted into legal SEO and quickly carved out a niche. Along the way, he also became a top-ranked online poker player, honing skills in risk management and probability that would serve him well in scaling his companies. Today, Chris runs Rankings.io with the same competitive fire he once brought to cards and poker, driven to outthink, outwork, and outlast the competition. His mission is simple: help the best personal injury law firms win more cases, build enduring legacies, and dominate their markets. Ways to connect with Chris**:** website: rankings.io https://x.com/chrisdreyerco https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdreyerco/ https://www.facebook.com/chrisdreyerco https://www.instagram.com/chrisdreyerco/ About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson 00:04 What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe Welcome to unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. I'm your host. Michael Hingson, speaker, author and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head on and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear, together, we focus on mindset resilience and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of unstoppable mindset. Today, our guest is Chris Dreyer. Chris, Chris has formed a company called rankings.ai. And I'm going to let him describe what all that is about. And he's done some pretty interesting things with it. It has been on inks top 5000 companies, growing companies for the past eight years. Eight years is a long time, which is pretty cool. So I'm sure he's got lots of adventures and lots of stories to talk about. So Chris, welcome to unstoppable mindset. We're glad you're Chris Dreyer 01:35 here. Yeah, thanks for having me, Michael. I'm excited to chat. Michael Hingson 01:39 Well, let's start with kind of the early Chris growing up and all that, and see where we go from there. It sounds Chris Dreyer 01:45 good to me. So yeah, Michael Hingson 01:46 let's go. Why don't you tell us a little bit about Yeah, school and all that stuff. Chris Dreyer 01:51 Okay, yeah, let me, let me, and then you just cut me off at any point, because I can be a long Michael Hingson 01:55 talker the so can I? I Chris Dreyer 01:56 know what you mean. I, I grew up in a very small city, elkville, Illinois, my high school had 100 people in it. I was a graduating class of 28 I grew up, I would say it's kind of weird. My mom and dad, if they heard me say poor, would not love me saying poor, but I we weren't. We were certainly at the bottom of middle class or the upper or poor. I had a lot of chores. I every single weekend, I cleaned a law office with my mom or did something at the farmers market. So and at the time, it wasn't work. It was just what we did as a family, right? I didn't even understand it. We had, we didn't have city water. We had to get a truck and bring in our water, and we had well water, right? And in my family, and that was, that was early on, right? My dad was a milk carrier. My mom was a cook and and ultimately, they did better over the years and made more money. But it started off, it was a lot, a lot of grit, perseverance, working hard. And I like to share that, because my parents work ethic is very strong, very dependable, very consistent. And that's kind of where I got my drive. But that's, that's kind of how I grew up, small, small town, you know, a lot of side hustles with the parents. And once I went to college, I got that, that shock of, oh, here's a whole bunch of go from 100 to, you know, 20,000 Yeah, it's a bit of a shock there. 03:35 Where'd you go to college? Chris Dreyer 03:36 Yeah, I went to SIU, Southern Illinois University. There in Carbondale, Illinois. I actually live in Carbondale today. And, you know, I went to college. I was always had that entrepreneurial bug, and, but I went to college, it was kind of to make mom and dad happy to get that degree and, but I just knew that I was going to own my own business. And I kind of had that conversation with them out of the gate, but so I was a terrible student. Partied a lot, you know, chase the women, so to speak, and but somehow, ended up with a degree, got a job at a high school as their JV basketball coach, and I started doing internet marketing on the side to make a little extra money because I had some downtime. And by the end of my second year teaching, I was making about four times the amount doing that that I was teaching. So that was kind of my sign, and to go pursue that full time, and that's what I did. That's when I left to do affiliate marketing and digital marketing full time was after Michael Hingson 04:41 that second year, of course. Now the real question is, you were chasing the women? Did any of them 04:44 chase you? Oh yeah, oh yeah. Just Michael Hingson 04:49 want to make sure it's reciprocal here. Yeah, that's that's pretty cool, though. And I was going to ask you, and you sort of answered it, about your workout. Ethic and so on. I find that if people do grow up in an environment where they're working and they appreciate what they do get and the amount of work that they do, and they develop a strong work ethic, or their parents have it, they generally do as well, although sometimes there's some rebellions, but still, ultimately, the right stuff shows through. Chris Dreyer 05:24 Can I tell just a brief story about that? My mom, when I turned 16, it was like, you're getting a job, son, right? And it was not, we had, we were fine without, but it was like, so she took me to this place. It was called Ken's antiques, and they used to do the semi truck deliveries of aluminum, and I used to go to auctions and unload furniture. And I asked her, I was like, Why did you take me there? Well, you know, why didn't you take me to the mall? Why didn't you know to go work at a the buckle or the gap or something, you know, why did you take me? There she goes. Well, I knew if you could, if you could succeed here, you'd be fine anywhere, because it was the hardest job that I could think of. And I was like, Oh, really, thanks, Mom. Like, send me to the to the hardest job that you could think of and see if I could thrive. And I did well there. But that just kind of goes to show you the mindset that my mom had racing me, which also kind of, you know, attached to me as well. Michael Hingson 06:26 Yeah, well, and I can appreciate course, now looking back on it, of course, but I can appreciate what she said, because if you can survive in one place, and you can if it's if it is a tough job and you approach it the right way, then you'll probably be good anywhere, and there you go. Chris Dreyer 06:47 Yep, yep, to her credit, it was a very tough job. It is as still to this day, the hardest job from a physically demanding perspective that I had, but, but yeah, and it was good. It built resilience, you know, kind of helped me get that that put that true grit on and yeah, so that's kind of my background. Michael Hingson 07:08 I never did really work at a job growing up, my brother did. He worked at a restaurant and so on and bus tables and did other things. But I remember, when he got his first job, he went and applied at a at a restaurant, and the owner or manager, I guess probably both said, so, you know, we'll, we'll consider you. Would you do us a favor? There's some weeds out in the in the front, would you go pull those? And he said, within about a half hour, he got the whole place completely cleaned up of weeds. And the boss came out and said, You did all of that. And my brother said, Yeah. And guy said, You're hired. You know, amazing, you know, because my brother didn't even realize, I think at first, that that was really a test, but it was, and of course, he passed, which was cool. That's a great story, but I never got really to do much work. I kind of was more the intellectual guy in the family, and finding jobs would have been a little bit more of a challenge for me. I did do some babysitting, but that was about all I could do. I've been blind my whole life, and a lot of the jobs that were available in Palmdale, where I grew up in Southern California, were not jobs I was going to realistically be able to do anyway, but I could babysit, and that worked out pretty well. Yeah, yeah. So I mainly studied, Chris Dreyer 08:41 love it. So So studied. Can I? Can I do the reverse interview? What's some of your your top motivational books, business books? Because I'm sure you've got some that just pop top of the dome. Well, sort of, kind Michael Hingson 08:55 of, I really have a slightly different idea about that, but I'll tell you, I've read a number of the main books in the whole motivational and and management world. One Minute Manager is a book I appreciate a great deal. And I also like Dale Carnegie books like How to Win Friends and Influence People. But for me, I point out, and even to this day point out that I've learned more about teamwork and trust and leadership from working with eight Guide Dogs for the last 61 years than I ever learned from all the management and leadership books and everything else that's out there, mainly because working with dogs, you have several things that are An issue, first of all, respecting them and the job that they do, knowing that you're really forming a team with a guide dog, where each member of the team has a job to do. So in my case, the dog, and the case of people who use guide dogs, the purpose of the dog is to make sure that we walk safely as. We're walking somewhere, but my job is to know where to go and how to get there, and then I have to learn how to communicate that to the dog, and also be the leader of the pack in the truest sense of the word, which also means that if the dog is upset, or there is any kind of an issue with the dog, I have to figure out what that is, and I have to read what is going on so that I understand that and can then figure out what is occurring and make sure that the dog stays happy so it's you. There's so much to learn about trust, and one of the main things I've learned over the years is while dogs do, I think love unconditionally, unless they're just so badly traumatized by somebody for some reason they don't trust unconditionally. But the difference between dogs and people is that dogs are open to trust a whole lot more than we are. We have just had so many things go on. We read we bought them in the newspapers, we see it on the news and so on. Nobody trusts anyone. The feeling is basically everyone has their own hidden agenda, and so you can't trust anyone. And so there's very little communications today. There's very little real interaction. And people, by definition, don't trust. Dogs are open to trust, and you can earn their trust, and likewise, they get to and can earn your trust, and it is a it is a combination and kind of thing. So what I really learn when I go to get a new guide dog every time is I'm learning how to form a team with this other dog who doesn't speak the same language I do, who doesn't think the way I do. But I have to figure out what this dog does, what this dog is all about, and I'm the one that has to become the leader of the of the team and make things work. So I think that working with a dog is a lot more of a practical experience kind of thing than just reading about whatever there is to read about in books and so on. So that's why I say that. I think I've learned a lot more by working with dogs than I ever got from all the management books in the world, any of the Tony Robbins books, or any Chris Dreyer 12:07 of those. I love, every bit of that I just I was on x the other day, and it was talking about the the new CEO for Starbucks, right? Because the former CEO was McKinsey trained, right, but didn't have any actual experience at the helm. And then they brought back the former CEO of Taco Bell over to Starbucks, and the stock immediately shot up because of the application aspect of it. He had, he had done the job and been in the grind. So it's kind of interesting, kind of corollary there. But yeah, thank you for sharing. I was really intrigued, and I had to jump in and and ask, Michael Hingson 12:45 Oh, fair question, and then this is a conversation, so nothing wrong with asking questions on either side. So it's perfectly fine to to be able to do that well, so what did you do right out of college? Chris Dreyer 12:59 Right out of college, the one thing I'll tell you that I still to this day, I call myself an introvert. I don't think that, you know, introvert, extrovert. I think we have the tendencies at all times to be either one, right? But I think for me, I was more shy, but I built a lot of friends because I played sports and I knew them in college, and then they met, they introduced me to their friends. Because you got to imagine, when I had a class of 28 kids, it's like super small community versus, you know, everybody I'm interacting through their connections and their extended connections. So through college, I'd say the main education thing I got was, I did get a job waiting tables for three years, and so I got a lot of client service training, dealing with people having a ton of conversations through that, through my through my job, and also through my personal relationships with my friends and and other, you know, Students at the University, but so I think that kind of helped, helped me succeed afterwards, but afterwards, really, when I student taught at Heron, they saw my work ethic. They saw a shoe up, that I showed up, that I listened and I took action. So they, they hired me immediately, and I did the same when I was a JV basketball coach. I never missed a practice. Was always on time. Really tried to develop the kids and bring the most out of them, treated the parents well, and so I think that's what I did well, and it kind of put me in the position to have time to learn internet marketing. So I think that's kind of how it all started, Michael Hingson 14:47 when I was getting my teaching credential at UC Irvine, and I also got my master's degree in physics from there. But I student taught at the local high school, at University High School, and I student. Taught two classes. One was a physics class, and it was kind of for they called it dumbbell physics, but you know, it was kids who were sort of interested in science, but really didn't know where they wanted to go. But the other class was algebra one, and I remember one day I was teaching, and one of the students asked a question, and I didn't know the answer to it, and I probably should have, but I didn't. But what I said was, I don't know the answer right off, tell you, what do you mind if I look at it tonight, get you the answer and bring it back tomorrow. And the kid who was an eighth grader, actually accelerated, so it was high school algebra one, but he was from the eighth grade. He said, Sure, so I went home and found the answer in the book, when I should have known that, but anyway, came back in the next day, and even before I could say anything, he said, Mr. Hingson, I went home and got the answer, and I said, Well, come up and write it on the board. And one of the things that I did with with all of my classes when, of course, we had blackboards and all that, back in those days, I would want a student to come up and be the board writer, because they write a lot better than I do. And so we, we had pretty good competitions of people who wanted to write on the board. They all thought it was kind of fun, and I did spread that wealth around, but Marty came up and I said, now you got to explain what you're writing. And he had actually found the answer, which was cool, but my master teacher was also the football coach, and when I first told Marty and the rest of the class, I don't know the answer, but I will get it after class was over, Mr. Redmond said you did something that's absolutely amazing and was absolutely the right thing to do, and most people wouldn't do it. And that was you admitted you didn't know the answer, but you would go get it rather than trying to blow smoke, because these kids can see through that in a second. And he said, So you did the right thing, and I've always felt that's the way to do it. If I don't know the answer, I'll go figure it out, but I will also tell you that I don't know the answer, and you can decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I think it's a good thing, to be honest, Chris Dreyer 17:22 I couldn't agree more. Michael Hingson 17:25 And so it was fun. And and what the the other part of the story, and I think I've told it a couple times on the podcast, is 10 years later, I was at the Orange County Fairgrounds, and this kid comes up to me, Well, he was, he didn't sound like a kid anymore. And he said, Mr. Hingson, do you know who this is? Deep voice. And I went, No, not right off. And he said, I'm Marty. I'm the guy that was in your algebra class 10 years ago. Nice to be remembered, but, but he he also just remembered what happened. And I think he even said it was so cool that I was honest with him about it, which was, you know, a life lesson anybody should learn. Chris Dreyer 18:09 That's incredible. That's incredible. So Michael Hingson 18:10 it was a lot of fun. Well, so you student taught and so on, but eventually you ended up deciding to go into the entrepreneur world. But you also were a card collector, right? A game collector, yeah. Chris Dreyer 18:25 And in high school, I played this collectible card game. I played a combination of two. I mean, most people are familiar with Magic, The Gathering, but I also played this other game called Legend of five rings. And both, you know, the collectible card games, but they're really math based games based upon advantage and and, you know, you so now it's applicable to today. I can look at any whether it's Pokemon or whatever card game there is. It's, it was very, you know, it's force based, you know, benefits to attack and things like that. It attributes everything. But anyways, I played it competitively, and I was a top I was a world ranked player at one time. I won four state championships or CO days. No one had done that at the time in a two consecutive years, and it was just a top player, and when you get to the top, you become friends with the other top players, and then you talk strategy and and that even takes you to an even higher level. And so I did that, you know, for many years, competed all over the country. It was a great experience. And so, yeah, that in my house. My dad very so he had, he was a civil engineer. He has an engineer degree, but he was traveling. He was on the railroad at all times, and he wanted to stop traveling, so he accepted this job as a mail carrier so he could stay put. And. Yeah, and that's what he did. He retired as a mail carrier, but, you know, a top math expert to the to the point where there would be conversations where you could, like, I couldn't understand him, right? He couldn't understand himself, right? And, and, and there's many conversations in different aspects of this. But when we played games, whether it was Yahtzee or monopoly or whatever, every game, there was a math based lesson to it, like, which dice you rolled for advantage at Yahtzee, which ones to hold after the first roll. Poker games, pitch games, Rummy, every single game it was, it was game theory. It was math on what was the precise the best role, like Monopoly, the best properties and the probability to get an orange property over other properties and and how much you should spend at certain points of the game. And I realized saying that outline that's that that's not normal. Some people just play yatse and roll the dice and they roll what they want, and some people play Monopoly and just buy the properties they want. That was not how games were played in my household, and it was very applicable to poker and to the collectible card games. Michael Hingson 21:22 Yeah. So how often did you want to buy Boardwalk and Park Place? Chris Dreyer 21:28 Not often. But I mean, so there. That was just how I was brought up. And yeah, and it turned into a lot of what I do today. Michael Hingson 21:42 Actually, I always like free parking. We had a thing where any money and and any kind of thing that you had to pay on all went into the free parking pot. So getting free parking was always fun. Oh yeah, but yeah, I hear what you're saying. I love monopoly and love to even play it against the computer, which was always a kind of a neat thing to do, but played Monopoly against other members of my family. Some we actually made a Well, we took a regular Monopoly board, and I think my father outlined the entire board and all the squares using elmer's glue so that we had raised lines for me to look at. Then we also did things to mark the paper money so I could tell what bills I had and and so on, and even Braille the cards. And I still have that game to this day, very neat, which is kind of cool, but monopoly spun. Chris Dreyer 22:36 Yeah, there's a lot of games that you know, there's no winner. You take my wife wants to play Scrabble all the time, and I'm like, there's just not a winner in Scrabble. Because if I challenge you on a word, and I'm right, you're wrong. You're mad if I beat you, you know, and then if I lose, it's not fulfilling for me. That's one of those games. There's no winner. Michael Hingson 23:02 I have a friend who plays Scrabble with his mother all the time, and and he, I think he loses more than he wins, but he's always proud when he beats her. And he's almost 60, so you know, she's, she's older than he is, but they, they play and have a lot of fun with Scrabble. Chris Dreyer 23:21 That's incredible. That's Michael Hingson 23:22 great. Yeah, it is kind of cool. But anyway, so you eventually decided to go off and go into the entrepreneurial world, and you started your company, or went well, when did you actually start the company? Chris Dreyer 23:37 Started the company officially in 2013 it was attorney rankings.org, that was the original name. Now it's rankings.io, I worked at a few agencies previously, while I was also doing the affiliate marketing, and kind of got to see the agency world of providing, you know, the professional services space. And after working at a few agencies. Thought that I could do it right. I got the confidence from the competence, and that's when I launched it. 2013 we've always been focused on legal. The difference today is primarily, we're focused on a sub niche of legal for personal injury law. And, you know, we work with other practice areas, criminal defense, family law, etc. But really personal injury is the is 85% of our business. Michael Hingson 24:27 So what is it that rankings.io? Does, Chris Dreyer 24:31 yeah, we do digital marketing. We do search engine optimization now, AI search, we do pay per click paid social web design. A lot of performance marketing, I would say more performance, less creative and branding. And that's what we do. We work with the top, the biggest pi firms, personal injury law firms in the country. We're in chiefs, I think every state we work with about. 250 law firms across the country. Michael Hingson 25:03 What made you decide to focus on law in the beginning? Chris Dreyer 25:09 Yeah, I'll say a few reasons. One, I had an experience working with attorneys, and I liked working with them. So there was the like component when I worked at an agency, I had a few firms that would I spoke with, and I enjoyed it. The second thing was, if I'm being honest, the status like I wanted to tell my parents that I did marketing for lawyers, and not just, you know, any industry. And then the other thing is, is I'm very, very, very competitive, and I kept seeing and hearing these reports about more and more attorneys going to law school and and just all this competition for legal and the thing that I differ you hear a lot of coaches and mentors. They'll say, hey, go to the blue ocean. You know, everyone's read the blue ocean book, or, you know, Peter thiel's zero to one, and everyone thinks so, go where there's no competition. And I'm like, That's fine if you're Elon or Peter Thiel or Zuckerberg creating something new, but if you're going into an existing category, you want to go where there is competition, because it demands expertise, and that's the way that I've looked at it. Like, you take the agency perspective, I don't want to go to, you know, lawn care, SEO like, do they really want to do search engine optimization? Do they really have a ton of competition? Maybe that's not a great example. But you get my point where, if you go into the city, there's a ton of personal injury law firms, but there's only a few that can rank at the top. And there's, they're all trying to gather cases from one another, so they want an expert to help them, you know, get that visibility. And that's, that's the mindset that Michael Hingson 26:58 went into it. What strikes me is interesting, though, is that with all of that, you bring a very competitive level to what you do. And I'm not sure that I find that a lot of people necessarily even do that, so you consider even search engine optimization to be a very competitive thing, I don't want to say sport, but you consider it all about competition, and you want to really bring the best and the most significant aspects of it to what you do. And that clearly has to show up when you're talking about Inc ranking you in the top companies for eight years in a row. Chris Dreyer 27:47 Yeah, it's very status orientation. You know, that's why I like working with trial attorneys. There's a winner and loser in court, and there's only one top position in Google or on these llms, and it's, who's gonna win, who's the best? Yeah, and it's right there for everyone. Here's here's the tally. Everyone can see who's the best. And I've always loved that. I think I heard a podcast recently by John Morgan. He's the founder of Morgan, Morgan, right? Of course. And you know, he's always a character and funny to listen to, but, yeah, he talks about being insatiable. Like, how did you grow this? He's like, Well, I'm insatiable. I I want to continue to grow. And for me, it's, it's the exact same thing. It's like, I'm insatiable. We hit a milestone. I want the next milestone. It is the game that I'm playing. I am playing like my hobby is my business. I enjoy it. I look forward to a Monday. It rewards me mentally. I enjoy the people I work with. And that's that's how we're at you know, Inc, 5008 years in a row, we'll definitely be on the ninth year next year, due to our growth this year. And it's that's just, that's just how I treat it. It's just a big game. And, you know, like any game, you play Sim City, whatever, you get a little bit more money, you get a little bit more buildings, right? You do a little bit better, you hire more talent, you expand your capabilities, and you just, if you don't stop, you're going to Michael Hingson 29:22 continue to grow. But it's a game in the mathematical sense, and it's it's a game in the the productive sense of what you're trying to do is, isn't the game just, although you obviously have to have fun in what you do, otherwise you wouldn't enjoy doing it. But it's a game in the mathematical sense of the word, oh, 100% Chris Dreyer 29:44 and so many people don't understand what I'm about to say. But like, every move that you make is a move based upon leverage in some capacity, yeah, and you take, because our time is all limited. You take. I'll give you some examples, like from a from a distribution perspective, hosting my podcast or being on your podcast is going to have more listeners than if I go speak on stage, if I go speak on stage now that that has its own benefits of authority and and different you know, belly to belly relationships from a trust perspective, but from a distribution perspective, I would be better off doing more podcasts than I would speaking on stage, sure. So there's an advantage there, right? And then there's also advantages through pricing arbitrage, and it's if, if I hire labor and talent in in the Midwest, and I pay them above average fees and salaries, and I pay my employees well, but compare that to New York or California. And I think some people, you know, these are things that they don't talk about, but when you start to look at leverage closely, it's everywhere. Capital, economies of scale, if I you know, there's leverage based upon my my buying power in certain areas, and that's what I look for. It's an interesting way to make decisions. Is based upon that leverage component. Michael Hingson 31:20 Do you think that that works in other kinds of arenas, other than just what you do? Chris Dreyer 31:27 Oh, I won 1,000% yes, yeah. It works in you could see it. You know, the closest would be, closest arena would be sports. There's so many, whether it's the salary caps or the talent of one person's labor based, you know, what they can do from a utilization or capacity versus another one's people talk about it on the business side of like, you know, You have one software programmer is worth, potentially 1,000x another one just because of that individual's capabilities. So it's literally everywhere, and it's also dissecting different scenarios into fractional leverage. So I'll take give you a different way of thinking about this. Is like, you take a an SEO specialist, a top tier SEO specialist might be 100 200 grand, right, technician, right? But you you break down their capabilities into the smaller parts. You know someone that just writes, someone that just does the title tags and the website, and someone that just does the links and that, like you can assemble, that individuals that that superstars talent through the FRAC breaking it down from a fractional perspective. It's just a big game of puzzles and how you get there and you look at like what your competitors are doing and how you can, I wouldn't say, exploit in a negative way, but, but what I mean is how you can take advantage in a positive way to to help your business succeed, right? Michael Hingson 33:15 Well, do you so if, if you're playing a game like football, of course, everybody, every team, wants to crush the other team, and it's all about winning and beating the heck out of the other guy. Is that really the way you view it, in terms of the game, as you play it, and do you enjoy being able to just crush the competition? Or is it a different mindset than that? Chris Dreyer 33:42 That's a really good question, because I am an abundance mindset. I don't think everything is a zero sum game. It's, I'll tell you something super nerdy. I was talking to my chief of staff the other day that he's we're big gamers, big nerds. And he, we were talking about Warhammer 40k and the dwarves in that game have a book of grudges. So anybody that that goes against the dwarves, they they're listed in the book of grudges, right? Yeah. And it's like all the dwarves are trying to, you know, right? This wrong. And I kind of look like that. I'm like, treat people respect like, you know, abundance zero, you know, like, abundance mentality. Do the referral thing until it's like, okay, you've done X, Y and Z, and I could give you examples of x, y, z, and it's like, okay, well, you're not my friend. You're not my ally, so now you are a true competitor by all since you know, by all definitions, right? That's how I've treated it. Michael Hingson 34:48 And so it isn't the joy of just beating everybody in sight. No, which is different, which is cool, because certainly. I would, I would also bet, though, that you have people who are competitors, but they're not unfriendly, so you can absolutely, yeah, you can develop Chris Dreyer 35:10 working relationships. Rattle off, and we have great conversations. We're friends, and people are surprised when they see us, and we're friendly, and it's like, no, it's like, we have families, we have life. We want to do good work. We want to and it's so you can absolutely have that too. Yeah. Michael Hingson 35:27 Why did you decide to specifically choose personal injury Chris Dreyer 35:33 for me? And it's this is turning into the math conversation. But really, I looked at our revenue, and it was like over 70% of our revenue. Was from less than 50% of our clientele. And it was a clear directional signal to pursue this area. And that's it was the math like, these are our best clients. They pay the most, they stay the longest we could do the best work. Also the PI space is the Super Bowl. Is the major leagues. In the legal arena, it's, it's very difficult to rank. There's a lot of competition versus, you know, I get a family law attorney. I don't care what market you're in, Los Angeles, it's like a sneeze to get them the number one or two? Yeah, it's and I like that. I like the competition. I like having to work at it and be creative and think about different things to try to obtain that top position. Michael Hingson 36:33 Yeah, well, so I would, I would presume that John Morgan's happy with you. Chris Dreyer 36:40 I, you know, I had Dan Morgan as a keynote for my 2024 conference, his son. And I haven't personally talked to John. I think he's well, he says he's retired, but he's not really retired, yeah, right. The I couldn't work with Morgan and Morgan, I can have a great relationship with them, but I can't work with them because they're in every market, and my I would, they would be my only client, so that's why, but certainly have a great relationship. I've got a text relationship with Dan, but yeah, they, I think they do everything in house. Michael Hingson 37:20 Anyways, you don't want to be the consularity for Morgan and Morgan, in other words, Chris Dreyer 37:25 your only client, right, right? That would put a lot of risk on the old client concentration problem, Michael Hingson 37:33 and it would, but still. So what does it mean for a law firm to dominate Google's organic search. And I guess the other question is, why is that the legal battleground that personal injury lawyers can't really ignore? Chris Dreyer 37:53 There's, there's so much here. Okay, where do I go? That's a lot of take. You take any channel, broadcast television has been the main vehicle for channel for distribution. It's the lowest CPMs cost per 1000. The distribution is very wide, because an individual doesn't know typically, when they're going to be in an accident, right? So you got to have a lot of reach and touch a lot of individuals. There's also radio and billboards. But typically, even if they watch you on television or hear you on the radio or what have you, they still convert. They go to Google to make that conversion that go to the website. Typically, it's not always and and things are changing due to these llms and the native experiences on platform. But even today, it's still the final destination before they contact a firm. So it's really important that you show up at the top of Google to capture all of those opportunities that you've advertised for in other mediums. Michael Hingson 39:09 How do you do that? Chris Dreyer 39:12 Well, so you know, I'll say, I'll try to simplify for the audience. Let's just keep it really, think of like a Venn diagram of, you know, the three circles overlaying and you've got the middle. You have to do all three. The first one is you have to have excellent content. You have to have, you know, if you're an auto accident attorney, you have to have content about auto accidents. You have to have, you know, you have to have content that targets phrases and words that consumers will search for, right? It starts with the content. It has to be thematically and topically relevant. Has to be excellent content. The second component would be related to. Views. You got to get Google reviews to show up on in the LSA, the local services ads location, you have to get reviews to show up in Google Map Pack. You need reviews now on Yelp to show up on and be discovered on these different llms, particularly a chat GPT. And just due to how okay for the SEO nerds listening, let me explain, because typically when you get reviews on Yelp and when you get reviews or recommendations on Facebook, they aggregate that information to other sites, which is then the listicles that form the basis of discovery for these llms. So you got to have a review background. So content reviews and then links. Google, the way that they differentiated, again, way against lo AOL was they use links as a categorization method. So if you're trying to win an election, you want to get as many votes as possible. If you're trying to win the first page of Google, you want to get as many high quality links as possible. High quality being authoritative, relevant, trustworthy, you know, sites that get a lot of traffic, so you need great content, lot of reviews and links. That is the very 8020, high end summer summary of of how to rank in Google search and on the llms, yeah. Michael Hingson 41:24 Well, and how does LinkedIn fit into what you do? Chris Dreyer 41:29 LinkedIn is a bit different. I you know LinkedIn more B to B platform. I think if you're a business attorney or a B to B firm, it's an excellent channel. I use it from a distribution perspective. I get a lot of reach. I get a lot of followers on there. A lot of attorneys congregate on there. And it's a great, you know, channel for recruiting talent, and it's cited frequently if you have some type of reputation perspective that you want to control around your name. LinkedIn typically ranks in one of the top three positions for your name if you have your profile set up properly. So yeah, it's, it's, it's got great distribution from a leverage perspective, and, you know, has other applications as well. Michael Hingson 42:15 If you were starting a law firm today, or you were advising someone who's starting a law firm, how would you deal with and start their marketing efforts? How would you organize marketing for them? Chris Dreyer 42:28 Yeah, in the beginning I would, I would do almost all performance marketing. I would not do. I would do very little with brands, because you need to get on your your cash acceleration cycle is very poor. From a PI perspective. I'm always thinking from an injury law firm perspective, because, you know, if you get an auto accident case by the time they get treatment and go through the whole process, you know, it could be 12 to 18 months before you get paid. So you know, I would think about performance marketing, Facebook ads, Google ads, LSA, SEO, a lot of the ads platforms that are, you know, very performance driven. That would be the majority of my investment. Facebook ads. So in a vacuum, you know, different markets are, there's different channels that are more effective. But in a vacuum, I would say today, right now, Facebook ads would be the best platform, the best channel for that, Michael Hingson 43:29 because so many, because it has such a high volume of viewers, or what Chris Dreyer 43:34 they're well, it's just the cost per lead. The amount that you pay on that platform to reach your target prospect is going to be cheaper than say, you go to Google ads and you're paying $600 a click for a phrase, or, you know, it's just now, there's, again, this is in a vacuum. There's very effective Google Ad strategies you can get, you know, creative with performance, Max campaigns and and different strategies. But I would say just in general, Facebook ads out of the gate would be one that I would start with, and I would start the SEO early, just because it takes time to develop. Michael Hingson 44:14 Yeah, well, that makes sense, and it does take a long time, and I think a lot of people don't necessarily understand how all of that works, but it's still something that they should, should deal with Chris Dreyer 44:28 1,000% and, you know, it's, it's a game of, it's a long game, but it, you know, even SEO can be on a shorter time horizon, if, if You're, like, if you target Car Accident Lawyer in that phrase and that segment, then sure, yeah, 12 to 18 months is, you know, you know, even two years before you start to get some visibility. But you target dog bites, you target, you know, some other case types that aren't as competitive like you can get traction sooner. Michael Hingson 45:00 Hmm, well, and that kind of brings up the question you You talk a lot about, and you wrote a book about niche. Why is it that going into like a smaller niche can yield sort of a greater opportunity, or by narrowing focus, you're creating bigger opportunities? Why is that? So? Chris Dreyer 45:22 What comes top of mind? Some of the biggest, the most important reason is it all centers around this word focus. When you focus in a single area, you become better. Well, because you were better, you can you can at your you can charge more because you're worth it. The other thing is, is when you focus on a single area, you you can create, create repeatable processes, and everything is not bespoke when it comes in. So you can set up your internal productization of a certain area. You it makes training easier by immersion. So there's a lot of benefits, even even the perception aspect of it, right? So when you think of like, who's better, a generalist versus a brain surgeon, you think a brain surgeon is a specialist. And you think, Well, who do you think, just offhand, whose fees would be higher? Well, you think the brain surgeon would would charge higher fees. And so from a perception perspective, and when you're thinking about trust, the that's the other one, right? You would think from a trust perspective, they would be more qualified because they're in this certain area. So, and when we're trying to convert someone in sales, it's always a conversation based upon trust. So those are some of the main advantages, the one heavy, heavy disadvantage. Disadvantage is Tam, total addressable market. It's you focus on personal injury. You're at 50, 60,000 firms. You focus on all law firms. United States, you're at 400,000 law firms. So there's trade offs for you know, there's pros and cons on both sides well Michael Hingson 47:03 and and that makes sense, but there is a lot of merit to the to the whole concept of specializing, and you've proven it with what you do, and you continue to be pretty successful about it. And then that makes a lot of sense, but you also do something else that I think is interesting. You've written a book, niching up, you've got a podcast, you have other things that you do, and, of course, just the company itself, but you put all of that together, and all of that not only has to help your brand, but it makes you more visible in the marketplace overall. Don't you think? Chris Dreyer 47:42 Yeah, it certainly does, and it is our flywheel, right? It's somebody that's on my podcast could be a potential quote in my book, and I have a personal injury lawyer marketing book, right? And there's quotes from the pod. I have now a quarterly magazine that goes out. We could cherry pick a couple episodes, you know, to include in the magazine. We have retreats that are quarterly. They're, they're in person that, because we have a community, they're easier to to fill. We have a yearly event for personal injury law firms called, you know, Pim con. So it's all this, this flywheel that kind of compounds over time due to the community aspect, Michael Hingson 48:25 but people obviously react well to it, because you continue to be successful. Chris Dreyer 48:32 Yeah, and I think the biggest thing for me is I am I am not the the expert. I am bringing on the experts in their field, the people that are eating their own dog food, so to speak, right? They're practicing what they preach. It is, I can orchestrate a great conversation because I know the space and can ask very specific questions based upon my knowledge. But I'm bringing on, you know, Dan Morgan's on the pod. I've had, let's see Morris Bart. You know, I've had frank Azar in Colorado. I've had the biggest of the big pi attorneys on sharing what works for them, which, which is very valuable, because it's not, you know, some, you know, a consultant or me or whoever, speaking about like, Oh, this is how you can grow a law firm. It's no this is the owner of a law firm explaining how he or she is growing their law firm right, Michael Hingson 49:31 and providing that advice for other people, which also helps you gain trust, which is pretty cool. What's the best way for an attorney who wants to stand out to truly build authority in the market? Chris Dreyer 49:50 Well, if you're if you're b Look, okay, so there's a couple types of firms. If you're a trial attorney and you want to get peer referrals, I would say. See, I would say start a podcast would be one of the best ways, you know, interview your peer, interview other attorneys around the country, talk shop, you know, speak at C les. You know, do the those types of aspects it, you know, a podcast. I'm not saying it's not good for B to C, but it's, it has to be a different type of podcast. So I think, I think B to B, if you're a litigation attorney, a podcast would be great if it's B to C. That's, that's tricky. I think I think probably social media in some capacity, but really it's just sharing your knowledge on a platform and being consistent. Michael Hingson 50:51 Yeah, consistency counts for a lot, and it is something you can you can show is being relevant in almost any kind of business. I mean, look at McDonald's. One thing you can generally tell about McDonald's is that their quarter pounder is going to taste the same everywhere, and it's going to be the same and, and, and companies and people can learn a lot by seeing a company that truly develops that level of trust, 51:24 yeah, couldn't agree more. Michael Hingson 51:26 And that's pretty important to do, to be able to get someone who is going to earn that trust by vigorously working to earn that trust. And so there's something to be said for that, needless to say, so you've built a very large company. What would you say are some of the pivotal moments that sort of helped shape your trajectory? I know you've talked about some things, but what, what kind of really, are the things that stand out that really helped you create all of that? Chris Dreyer 52:00 I think in the beginning, I did a lot of free work, and had to prove my work, prove my abilities. I think so many people just want to charge a lot out of the gate. And I think there's when you do things for people, they're more willing to reciprocate. And it from an application perspective, it makes you better. So I did a lot of free work early, a ton of free work. I took a lot of jobs or contracts that maybe not, maybe for certain, that I wouldn't take today, that were just not perfect, but like they were my opportunities that I didn't, you know, let them pass by. I think hiring the right people, having super high standards is incredibly important, people that share your values. In the beginning, I used to, every time I heard a speech or taught speech speaker talk about culture values, I used to kind of roll my eyes and say I just didn't get to get to work, right? But now I know it's more important than ever that they share my values, right? Because they're important to me, and that's how you move forward. And I think the other one, if I had to say, the bigger I get, the more important good data, is to make decisions like, if I just don't have good data, it's very difficult. I'm just guessing and and the better the data, the better decisions well. Michael Hingson 53:32 So the the other thing that comes to mind when you talked about doing a lot of free work and jobs that you wouldn't necessarily take today, I don't know how much it really entered into your mindset, but think of all the knowledge you gathered by doing that that you might not have ever gotten. Yeah. Chris Dreyer 53:49 I mean, that's true, and a lot of other people wouldn't have done those jobs, so that's kind of some unique perspectives. Michael Hingson 53:56 Yeah, I when I hired sales people, one of the first things I always told them was, you're coming into this be a student for at least the first year. Don't hesitate to ask questions of your customers, because they're not if you gain their trust at all. They're not in it to see you fail. They want you to succeed, but they want to be able to trust you. And so there's a lot to be said for being a student, asking questions and learning from that. I agree. I agree, which makes a lot of sense. What's the biggest misconception that lawyers typically have about marketing? Chris Dreyer 54:33 They underestimate how many dollars and what it takes for someone to actually be memorable or build a brand. I talked to, I heard Alex hermosi talking recently about, you know, no one really knew who Jennifer Lawrence was before the mockingbird movie, and they spent $50 million on advertising for that movie. And then, oh, suddenly, everyone knows who she is. But it took $50 million To do so. I think a lot of times people think they oversaturate a channel when they haven't even scratched the possibilities or the capabilities of a particular channel. Michael Hingson 55:10 How do you help lawyers break through that misconception? I agree with what you're saying. I hear it a lot, in so many ways, but how do you break through that and get them to understand the value. Chris Dreyer 55:22 It's a dance, yeah, you know, I try to get them to look at the blended cost to acquire a case, as opposed to, you know, the CAC to LTV ratio, versus trying to pinpoint each individual channel and but it is try to try to solve with data and proof over, you know, guesses, but or promises, but it is always a song and dance. Michael Hingson 55:52 The data and proof is out there. If people can learn to look for it, it's, it's, the reality is, mostly it's not a guess, but you have to know where to look or learn how to find the data to be able to get the answers that you need to demonstrate that marketing is just as valuable as anything else. I mean, there's so many strong lessons about marketing. We talked about Morgan and Morgan, but think about it, he's out there doing TV commercials all the time, and I'm sure that that's helping his company. He and Ultima continuing to to grow, and now they got the boys all in it. And the reality is they've demonstrated that they understand something about what marketing is all about. I remember back a long time ago when it was taboo for lawyers to even advertise. And then a couple of companies out here started to do it. And finally, people realized there's a lot of value in marketing. Chris Dreyer 56:50 Absolutely. And Michael, I should have said this in advance. I've got a I got a hard stop, I got a I got a hat, I got a client call here in two minutes. Michael Hingson 56:59 Well, then let me just ask, is there anything else that you want to add? Or how can people reach out to you if they'd like to do that? Chris Dreyer 57:06 Well, first of all, I really enjoyed our conversation, so thank you for having me. Yeah, you know, for anybody that has a question or wants to connect with me, the best way to get in touch with me is by email. I'm an inbox zero guy. It's Chris, C, H, R, i s@rankings.io I'm most active on LinkedIn. You'll just do a search for Chris Dreyer, and you'll find me cool. Michael Hingson 57:29 Well, I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for tuning in today, wherever you are, I'd love to hear from you. Love your thoughts on the podcast. Give us an email at Michael h i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, also, you can listen to any of our podcasts. They're all available. And you can find us at Michael hingson.com/podcast and you can see and hear all the episodes that you want from there. Please give us a five star review and great rating wherever you're listening and watching us, we value it a lot. And if you know anyone who you think might be able to be a good guest, love to hear from you. Chris, you as well. If you know anybody else who you think ought to be a guest, I'd love to definitely get your help to bring them on, because we're looking for all the people who want to come on and show that we're all more unstoppable than we think. But again, I want to just thank you for being here today. Chris Dreyer 58:20 Thank you, Michael. I really enjoyed it. Michael Hingson 58:26 Thank you for being here with me on unstoppable mindset. I hope today's conversation left you with a fresh perspective, a new insight, or at least something worth thinking about if you're ready to go deeper into the ideas that shape how we see ourselves and others. I have a free gift for you. Head over to Michael hingson.com and download my free ebook, blinded by fear. It explores the invisible beliefs that hold us back and shows you how to reframe them so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review and share this show with someone who can use a reminder that growth starts with mindset. When people think differently, we all move forward together. Thanks again for listening, keep learning, keep questioning and keep choosing to live with an unstoppable mindset you.
Beverly Buchanan, l'artiste afro-américaine, est en majesté au Fonds régional d'art contemporain (FRAC), à Metz dans l'est de la France. Née en Caroline du Nord en 1940, elle est d'abord éducatrice et agente de santé avant de se consacrer à l'art. Son inspiration prend sa source dans le monde rural et dans le mode de vie des communautés afro-américaines. Dessins, peintures, sculptures, collages ancrés dans la culture vernaculaire du sud des États-Unis témoignent de la richesse de son art.
Beverly Buchanan, l'artiste afro-américaine, est en majesté au Fonds régional d'art contemporain (FRAC), à Metz dans l'est de la France. Née en Caroline du Nord en 1940, elle est d'abord éducatrice et agente de santé avant de se consacrer à l'art. Son inspiration prend sa source dans le monde rural et dans le mode de vie des communautés afro-américaines. Dessins, peintures, sculptures, collages ancrés dans la culture vernaculaire du sud des États-Unis témoignent de la richesse de son art.
Frac Without a K by John W. Ely https://www.amazon.com/Frac-Without-K-John-Ely/dp/1665552360 Elyfrac.com The book titled FRAC without a K is actually the third edition of the initial book written in 1985. I got the inspiration for the initial book, titled Stimulation Treatment handbook, form working with a young Engineer who was in distress because of cheating on frac treatments. The original book was designed to instruct personnel on how to oversee fracs-basically understand what was going on and what to expect from the service company. There was, sadly, felonious activity going on in the oilfield and I took it upon myself to do what I could to stop this behavior. The activity was pretty well eliminated when the very large lawsuit occurred between Parker and Parsley and BJ Services occurred in the late 80’s. Without going into details the lawsuit was settled for 270 million dollars which was a huge sum in the late 80’s. I have included the 1994 edition 2 to show the improvements and advances that have occurred in our industry in 27 years. I include the second edition to show where my mind might have changed but also to allow a younger generation to see where we came from. I placed a lot of emphasis on historical changes as well as discussing at length the waterfrac revolution. My very subjective comments on waterfracs, small sand and actual design of slick water treatments is indeed controversial but not to me. I can state there is nothing equivalent to this book in our industry. You can find books with massive amount of equations or sales pitch phenomena but nothing anywhere as readable as FRAC without a K. I have included hopefully for your enjoyment, war stories and pictures and descriptions of directional kill blowouts I have attended worldwide.
Today on the podcast we'll be discussing Red Leaf Blotch a new invasive disease in California almond production. I want to offer my sincere apologies to listeners and to the Trouillas Lab for not getting this episode out promptly for maximum usefulness in the 2026 season. Although we are still in the red leaf blotch susceptibility window at the time of podcast airing – there's not currently any rain in the forecast. Disease management The disease has a long latent period of 35 to 40 days, so by the time symptoms are visible, the infection window has long passed. This makes early, preventive management the key to controlling the disease. Based on 2025 field trials and growers' experience in Spain, a three-spray program is recommended for orchards at risk. The first spray should be applied at petal fall (young leaflet emergence), followed by a second application two to three weeks later, and a third spray five to six weeks after petal fall if wet weather continues. These timings coincide with elevated inoculum levels of P. amygdalinum in orchards and a period of high leaf susceptibility to RLB. Similar timings for fungicide applications are used to manage other spring diseases like scab, shot hole, rust, and anthracnose, highlighting the need for an integrated approach to disease management in almond orchards.Research trials in 2025 indicated that the most effective products to control RLB included various mixed fungicides with FRAC groups 3 + 7 (e.g. difenoconazole + pydiflumetofen); 3 + 11 (e.g. difenoconazole + azoxystrobin or tebucnonazole + tryfloxystrobin); 7 + 11 (e.g. fluopyram + trifloxystrobin, fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin, or boscalid + pyraclostrobin); 7 + 12 (adepidyn + fludioxonil), and FRAC 3-triazoles (metconazole or flutriafol). Growers are advised to rotate modes of action and follow all resistance management and product label guidelines to prevent product failure over time. Cultural practices, focused on eliminating the primary inoculum of infected fallen leaves, also can help mitigate the disease. These consist of removing leaf litter or applying urea to accelerate its decomposition. However, such strategies are only effective when applied over a wide area. Fungicides applied during bloom and after symptoms are visible are not effective.2025 Fungicides, Bactericides, Biocontrols, and Natural Products for Deciduous Tree Fruit and Nut, Citrus, Strawberry, and Vine Crops in CaliforniaMention of a pesticide does not constitute a pesticide recommendation, merely the sharing of research results. Consult your PCA and read the pesticide label. The label is law. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandvThank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.Come to an upcoming extension meeting!Sacramento Valley Rice Production Workshop on March 18–19 at Lundberg Family FarmsThe 2026 North Sac Valley Olive Day is on Tuesday March 24And the Nickels Field Day is on Tuesday May 19 San Joaquin Valley (scroll to the bottom) Madera/Merced Pistachio Day is on Wednesday March 18
durée : 00:09:37 - Le Point culture - par : Marie Sorbier - Situé depuis 2013 à l'emplacement des anciens chantiers navals de Dunkerque, dans un double bâtiment translucide face à la mer, le Frac Grand Large est un acteur local de premier plan dans la promotion de la culture et notamment de l'art contemporain et du design dans les Hauts-de-France. - réalisation : Laurence Malonda - invités : Keren Detton Keren Detton, directrice du Frac Grand Large — Hauts-de-France
TamaraLaineis an Emmy Award-winning journalist, fintech founder, and business growth strategist. As the founder and CEO of MPWR, she is transforming how credit and capital are accessed by gig workers, women, and underserved communities through AI and alternative data. A former gig worker herself,Tamarabrings lived experience to her mission of building a more inclusive financial system. She has launched and scaled eight-figure tech ventures and is a recognized expert in financial inclusion, ethical tech, and economic innovation.Tamaraalso co-hostsWhat the Frac?, a podcast on startup growth.
El FC Barcelona fa els deures, guanya el Copenhague (4-1) i entra al Top8 de la Champions League. I un altre fracàs del Real Madrid, que perd al camp del Benfica de Mourinho (4-1) i queda fora del Top8 de la màxima competició europea. Ho analitzem amb Lluís Carreras i José Mari Bakero. I la situació del Real Madrid amb Joaquín Maroto. I tanquem el programa amb el concurs imbècil amb Edgar Hita.
El primer fracàs d'Álvaro Arbeloa al Madrid: el conjunt blanc cau eliminat de la Copa del Rei contra l'Albacete de Segona Divisió. Ho analitzem amb Antón Meana i escoltem la veu dels protagonistes. I parlem amb Jon Erice, entrenador de l'Arenas de Getxo, que aquest cap de setmana va guanyar al filial del Real Madrid, entrenat aleshores encara per Arbeloa. Avui és el torn del Barça, que juga al camp del Racing de Santander, líder de Segona Divisió. 'El pase atrás' amb José Mari Bakero. Obrim la gàbia del tigre Jaume Creixell. Cop de geni sobre Hope Solo. I estrenem concurs amb Edgar Hita.
Trying to make geophysics cool again, and honestly Peter Duncan from MicroSeismic, Inc. makes it easy. We bounce from a bear encounter in Newfoundland to why geophysicists are basically treasure hunters with pricey toys, then land on the simple difference between seismic and microseismic, why sound travels so freakishly well through rock, and how listening to tiny underground pops helps fracking and now geothermal get smarter without wrecking nearby wells.Click here to watch a video of this episode.Join the conversation shaping the future of energy.Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward.Apply today at collide.ioClick here to view the episode transcript. https://www.microseismic.com/2026-forum/00:00 Panel shoutout and event mention00:23 Peter's back, making geophysics cool02:12 How he became a geophysicist07:18 Bear story in the field11:34 Geophysics shows up everywhere14:22 Geologist vs geophysicist basics23:13 Sound waves, earthquakes, and why seismic works26:05 Seismic vs microseismic explained28:11 Microseismic and geothermal's comeback40:57 What MicroSeismic actually does in the field45:34 Frac hits and protecting neighboring wells48:52 Wrap-up and round three teasehttps://twitter.com/collide_iohttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.iohttps://www.facebook.com/collide.iohttps://www.instagram.com/collide.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_iohttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.socialhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters
2025: l'any de l'ingrés a presó de Santi Laiglesia pel cas Jubany, el fracàs de l'OPA de Banc Sabadell o la sortida de Junts del govern
durée : 00:10:02 - Le Point culture - par : Sophie-Catherine Gallet - Le 22 septembre 2025 le Centre Pompidou a fermé ses portes pour des travaux prévus jusqu'en 2030. L'occasion de revenir sur l'histoire de la création de ce bâtiment, entre politique et ambition culturelles. - réalisation : Camille Mati - invités : Claude Mollard Chargé du budget au cabinet Lang en 1981. Créateur en 1982 de la Délégation aux Arts plastiques dont il est nommé délégué, ainsi que président du Centre national des arts plastiques. Fondateur des Fonds régionaux d'art contemporain (FRAC) et du FIACRE
Preachers and Preaching introduces Pastor Ryan Bebee and Front Range Alliance Church. If you drive Centennial on the west side, you see a beautiful church building high on the hill - now you can hear about the great things happening at "FRAC." Front Range Alliance Church exists to love and glorify God by presenting everyone complete in Christ. Check out https://www.frontrangealliance.org/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
10/31/25: Crystal FitzSimons is the President for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), leading the organization to achieve its vision: A nation in which all people have the nutritious food they need to lead healthy and productive lives. Prior to taking on the President role, she oversaw FRAC’s work to improve and strengthen the school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs. Joel talks with her on "News and Views" about the impacts on SNAP due to the government shutdown. (Joel Heitkamp is a talk show host on the Mighty 790 KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. His award-winning program, “News & Views,” can be heard weekdays from 8 – 11 a.m. Follow Joel on X/Twitter @JoelKFGO.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The October 23 edition of the AgNet News Hour was packed with innovation, insight, and a deep look at the future of farming — from fertilizer and fungicides to fully autonomous sprayers. Broadcasting from the FIRA USA Ag Automation Show in Woodland and the CAPCA Conference in Reno, hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill spotlighted some of the biggest players in ag technology, including TK, Bayer Crop Science, and GUSS, now part of John Deere. The show opened with Alex Avila, Central California representative for TK (Tessenderlo Kerley), who shared updates from the crop protection side of the business. “California is so unique — every region grows something different,” Avila said. “What we do in the Central Valley is totally different from the coast or Oregon.” TK provides fertilizers, insecticides, and fumigation solutions tailored to each region's unique needs. Avila noted that California's mild growing season in 2025 produced some of the best fruit quality and yields in years, but warned that market pressures remain tough. As winter approaches, Avila said the focus shifts to fumigation. “This is when we prep the soil for the next season,” he said. “We're getting ready for fumigation with products like Sectagon to make sure next year's crops start strong.” He also predicted another wet winter — a welcome change for water storage and dormancy cycles. “Cold, wet weather is good for trees,” he said. “They're staying dormant longer and recharging.” Next, Papagni sat down with Sabih Javid, fungicide product manager for Bayer Crop Science, who discussed emerging threats like Red Leaf Blotch in almonds, first identified in 2024. “It's taking 30 to 40 percent of yields in some orchards,” Javid warned. “Our fungicides with FRAC 3, 7, and 11 codes — like the Luna and Adamant lines — are showing the strongest results.” Bayer is also preparing for EPA approval of new Adamant and Xivana formulations, designed for aerial and drone applications. “We're ready for drones — the future is targeted spraying,” Javid said. Javid urged PCAs and retailers to plan early for next season. “Spray at bloom and post-petal fall,” he advised. “Once Red Leaf Blotch sets in, it's too late.” He emphasized that three straight wet winters could increase disease pressure, making timing and precision more important than ever. Finally, Papagni spoke with Gary Thompson, co-founder of GUSS (Global Unmanned Spray System), now a John Deere company based in Kingsburg. Thompson, who grew up in the dairy industry, described how GUSS was born from necessity. “The CEO, Dave Crinklaw, couldn't find enough tractor drivers,” he said. “So he built a tractor that didn't need one.” GUSS machines are now spraying millions of acres across California, using sensors and GPS-guided autonomy to eliminate overspray, reduce labor strain, and improve precision. “Growers can now run fleets of sprayers from a tablet,” Thompson said. “It's about empowering workers — turning tractor drivers into fleet managers.” He announced that John Deere has fully acquired GUSS, giving the company access to nationwide dealer support and expanded manufacturing capabilities. “We started with one model and now have three — GUSS, Mini GUSS, and a herbicide version that spot-sprays weeds to save chemicals,” he said. “The technology is only getting smarter from here.” Papagni wrapped up the program by connecting the dots between these innovators: “Whether it's fertilizers from TK, fungicides from Bayer, or automation from GUSS, California farmers are leading the world in adapting, innovating, and feeding the future.”
Pantheon Resources CEO Max Easley and Chief Development Officer Erich Krumanocker joined Steve Darling from Proactive to announce the successful completion of hydraulic fracture stimulation at the company's Dubhe-1 well, marking another key milestone in Pantheon's development program on Alaska's North Slope. The operation, which began on September 30, 2025, involved 25 hydraulic fracture stages successfully completed over eight days—a significant technical and logistical achievement given the company's limited prior experience treating this specific reservoir and working with a new team of contractors from Alaska, Canada, and the U.S. Lower 48. The Dubhe-1 lateral, drilled to a total measured depth of 15,800 feet, includes approximately 5,200 feet within the SMD-B target reservoir available for stimulation. The program utilized a “plug and perforate” design, with each of the 25 stages averaging 200 feet, and achieved full and efficient placement of both water and sand with no spills or safety incidents reported—an exceptional outcome for a first-time operation in this zone. With stimulation now complete, Pantheon Resources has begun preparing the well for clean-up and production testing. In the coming weeks, the team will drill out the plugs separating the fracture stages using coiled tubing, install 2-7/8 inch production tubing, and connect the well to a temporary test system to initiate flow testing. Easley and Krumanocker emphasized that the Dubhe-1 results reflect Pantheon's growing operational capability and the quality of its technical planning and execution. The company will continue to update the market as testing progresses, in line with regulatory disclosure requirements. #proactiveinvestors #pantheonresourcesplc #mining #lse #panr #pthrf #Dubhe1 #AlaskaOil #OilAndGasDevelopment #EnergyStocks #NaturalGas #AlaskaEnergy #OilExploration #OilProduction #PantheonDrilling #InvestingInOil
durée : 00:09:23 - Le Point culture - par : Marie Sorbier - Depuis plusieurs années, les réserves des Frac commencent à saturer alors que le nombre d'acquisitions continue de grimper et que les collections s'agrandissent. Dans ces conditions, comment poursuivre les différentes missions des Frac et quelles nouvelles solutions trouver pour montrer les œuvres ? - réalisation : Laurence Malonda - invités : Fabien Danesi Directeur du Frac Corsica et président du Réseau des Fonds régionaux d'art contemporain; Lauriane Gricourt Directrice des Abattoirs (Frac Occitanie)
On this episode of "What is Frac?!", we take a quick timeout from oilfield talk to dive into one of our other passions: college football. With kickoff just around the corner, we're making our bold predictions for the 2025 season, talking rivalries, big matchups, and who we think will be crowned the newest National Champion. Whether you're here for the insights or the game-day hype, this one's a fun listen.
Fungicide resistance in powdery and downy mildew is a growing challenge in Australian vineyards. Ismail Ahmed Ismail, Senior Research Officer at the South Australian Research and Development Institute, discusses a decade-long national study on fungicide resistance in Australian vineyards. Listeners will learn how spore trapping is being made practical and affordable, the use of phenotyping and genotyping to detect resistance, and why monitoring fungal populations is critical for sustainable disease management across FRAC groups. Resources: 266: Soft Pesticide Trial: Powdery Mildew, Downy Mildew, Botrytis, and Sour Rot 235: Battling Fungicide Resistance with Glove Sampling 219: Intelligent Sprayers to Improve Fungicide Applications and Save Money 117: Grapevine Mildew Control with UV Light Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network FRAC Code List©* 2024 Improving the understanding of fungicide resistance in Australian viticulture Status of fungicide resistance in Australian vineyards and developing strategies for monitoring Understanding fungicide resistance in powdery mildew, downy mildew and botrytis Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate Online Courses – DPR & CCA Hours SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Vineyard Team – Become a Member
Fractional leaders aren't here for job security—we're here to build legacies. We remove the internal angst that clouds big decisions. We're not protecting titles or playing politics. We're focused on what drives transformation, growth, and lasting impact.Hi there, I'm Kerry Curran, B2B Revenue Growth Executive Advisor, Industry Analyst, and host of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast.In every episode, I sit down with top experts to bring you actionable strategies that drive real results. If you're serious about growth, hit subscribe and stay ahead of the competition.In The Rise of the Fractional CMO: How to Accelerate Revenue Growth Without the Overhead, I sit down with Virginie Glaenzer, a fractional CMO, tech entrepreneur, and community builder.We explore how fractional marketing leaders are reshaping go-to-market execution, AI adoption, and executive alignment across today's most innovative organizations.Be sure to stay tuned until the end, where Virginie shares her advice on how to scope your first fractional engagement and make an immediate impact, without the overhead.Let's go!Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:02.148)So, welcome, Virginie. Please introduce yourself and share your background and expertise.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (00:09.086)Thank you so much, Kerry, for having me on your podcast. I'm really excited—I think the work you're doing is amazing. My name is Virginie—Virginie Glaenzer. I'm originally from France and am your typical immigrant. I've had quite an interesting journey: I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1998, started a couple of software businesses, and had my fair share of successes and failures.After 17 years in Silicon Valley, I moved to New York for about 12 years, where I served as VP of Marketing and CMO for mid-size organizations. I've been in D.C. for the last year and a half. Over the past 30 years, most of my career has been in B2B SaaS tech, helping organizations. Today, as a fractional CMO, I enjoy supporting small- to mid-size companies that are trying to disrupt their industries—mostly in tech, where technology is part of their offering. That's just a little bit about me.Kerry Curran, RBMA (01:21.594)Thank you. I'm very excited to speak with you today. You have a wealth of experience, but I want to start by diving into fractional CMOs and the evolution of fractional executives. I know you serve both as a fractional CMO and as the leader of Acorn Oak, so I'd love to hear what you've seen regarding this evolution and why you find it so valuable.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (01:54.804)That's a great question. I actually fell into the fractional model—I never thought I would become a consultant—but it has changed my life, and I love it. I chose the fractional path because I wanted to make real, lasting change. When I was a VP of Marketing, I found that people wanted me to make them feel comfortable instead of guiding them through change. As a fractional CMO, I offer an unbiased outside perspective, removing the anxiety and internal angst that often accompany big decisions—something I couldn't do as a full-time employee.My focus isn't on protecting a title or playing politics; it's about building a legacy, not job security. As a result, I avoid the “drink-the-Kool-Aid” syndrome that can cloud judgment. The fractional model really works, and I think it took off after COVID because companies realized they could hire talent anywhere. When you hire people remotely, you don't see the hours; you see the output. A fractional executive who works two days a week can deliver the equivalent of four days from a traditional employee—and often, that's all a company needs.AI is also disrupting organizations. Internal employees may hesitate to rock the boat, but a fractional executive will do whatever is necessary to drive change.Kerry Curran, RBMA (04:01.762)I love that example—doing in two days what others might do in four—because when you can focus solely on the initiative, you avoid the distractions of full-time employment and get more done. Another benefit is that fractional CMOs must stay on top of trends—from AI to strategy—and can apply learnings from one client to another, an opportunity full-time employees don't always have.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (04:59.680)Absolutely. Working with multiple clients gives you a different view of each market. You come in with broad experience, fresh perspectives, and numerous frameworks. It's a win–win—deeply satisfying for the individual and invaluable for the organization.Kerry Curran, RBMA (05:28.266)I'm seeing a trend: six years ago, most engagements were project-based—solving urgent challenges over three to six months. Now, clients hire me as a fractional CMO for assignments that can last a couple of years. As long as you're helping the company reach its next growth stage, why not?Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (05:57.428)Exactly. Hiring a fractional CMO can be a smart way to secure expert support without the full-time cost. When should a company consider a fractional CMO? I've seen three common scenarios:The company is growing, but marketing isn't scaling with it. You're facing a market shift—a funding round, product pivot, or another fundamental change. You're tired of disconnected campaigns and need integrated strategy and execution. For companies without a CMO, a fractional CMO brings strategic guidance, makes marketing proactive instead of reactive, and prevents wasting money on tactics that don't drive growth.If you already have a CMO, a fractional CMO can augment and elevate the internal team by:Playing “bad cop” when needed, helping leaders stay aligned during tough decisions. Providing strategic pressure relief without stepping on toes—I take the anxiety out of the organization. Rolling up sleeves and owning delivery when necessary. Kerry Curran, RBMA (08:41.024)Those are excellent examples—for companies without a CMO and for those with one. CMO turnover is high, often because a CMO fits one stage but not the next. Removing them isn't always best; sometimes they lack performance-marketing depth or AI expertise. A fractional CMO lets you keep institutional knowledge while adding new skills.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (10:01.952)Absolutely. In today's uncertain economy, the fractional model makes even more sense. It's a cost-effective way to keep driving the company without paying for a full-time executive. I expect more organizations will take this path.Kerry Curran, RBMA (10:31.994)I agree. Startups and scale-ups may go sales-led and stall. Bringing in a fractional CMO to establish strategic foundations can be crucial. You talk a lot about AI. What services and strategies do you provide around transformation and AI?Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (11:31.222)Sure. AI is a major focus. I help clients with several business challenges. For example, tariffs are front and center; they're an opportunity to revisit every part of the business and optimize. From a marketing perspective, we need to adapt to GEO—Generative Engine Optimization—to stay visible as algorithms evolve. Some call it AIO, but the point is visibility.AI has changed how we work. Initially, it saved time; next, it improved quality; now, it changes how we think about our work. Resistance exists: in a recent webinar, 0 % of attendees had an AI policy, yet 60 % used AI professionally. That's a risk we must address.Kerry Curran, RBMA (14:29.272)Wow.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (14:51.318)Exactly. Another area is AI chatbots. Customer experience can't be an afterthought—if users don't like the experience, they go elsewhere. Leadership resistance also exists: many engineers resist AI, yet Google reports that 25 % of its code is now AI-generated, expected to reach 50 % within a year. Marketers sit between innovation and legal risk; we must work closely with legal to use AI responsibly.Kerry Curran, RBMA (17:03.492)That's smart. An experienced fractional CMO can guide organizations through those challenges. We've focused on fractional CMOs, but tell us about Acorn Oak and the community of fractional C-suite advisors you've built.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (17:46.540)Absolutely. If you're hiring a fractional executive, choose someone who belongs to a community. At Acorn Oak—and other networks like TechCXO—we're a trusted group of fractional executives. When you hire one of us, you gain cultural fit, synergy, and faster results. We already know one another, so alignment is immediate, and there's no ego.Kerry Curran, RBMA (19:17.262)That's great. What advice would you give a company considering a fractional CMO or other executive?Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (19:43.406)First, define the pain. I always ask: What's the priority? A clear understanding of the challenge leads to a clear scope and a successful partnership. Second, work with someone in a community; they bring broader resources. Finally, don't wait—hiring a full-time CMO can take a year; hiring a fractional CMO can take two to three weeks from the initial call to weekly execution.Kerry Curran, RBMA (21:26.318)Definitely. Thank you for sharing your expertise. How can listeners find you?Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (21:47.764)I'm an open book. If you Google my name, you'll find me. I'm on LinkedIn and, less frequently, on Twitter. You can also visit acornoak.net or techcxo.com.Kerry Curran, RBMA (22:09.494)Excellent. I'll include those links in the show notes. Virginie, thank you so much for sharing your story. We've all learned a lot today.Virginie Glaenzer, Frac. CMO (22:18.764)Thank you, Kerry. I appreciate the opportunity.Thanks for tuning in to Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast. If this episode sparked a new idea or perspective, be sure to follow the show and leave us a quick review. It helps us grow and keeps the insights coming.And if you're ready to explore what fractional leadership could look like inside your business, head to revenuebasedmarketing.com for more expert strategies, CMO resources, and growth frameworks.Until next time, keep leading with impact. We'll see you soon. Flat or slowing revenue? Let's fix that—fast.Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast delivers the proven plays, sharp insights, and “steal-this-today” tactics that high-growth teams swear by.Follow / Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTubeTap ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ if the insights move your metrics—every rating fuels more game-changing episodes
In this episode of the Pumps & Systems podcast, we're speaking with Connor Docherty, Strategy Manager at SPM Oil & Gas. He's going to be telling us about fluid ends in frac pumps, and how companies can mitigate issues for a smoother and more cost-effective pumping experience. Tune in the first Wednesday of every month for new episodes of the podcast! Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/GWPdIdbU46I?si=qR7Fgr5MpzzsDJaK Pumps & Systems Podcast homepage: https://www.pumpsandsystems.com/podcast/ Pumps & Systems Magazine: http://www.pumpsandsystems.com Opening music: Know Myself - Patrick Patrikios Closing music: Freeling - Lauren Duski
An important court decision and a victory for Americans versus an overreaching government bureaucracy was just handed down. Franklin Armory and FRAC were plaintiffs. We have Jay from Franklin Armory and Travis from FRAC as our special guests to discuss that decision and much more. During our Tech Talk from EOTech Inc, Professor Paul will consider the importance of tactics versus marksmanship. When it comes to fighting for your life, which is more important? Additionally, we have an SOTG Homeroom for you from SOTGU. Are you carrying a compact revolver? Have you considered carrying one? Paul wrote an article recently that examines that topic in detail. FEATURING: Jay Jacobson, Travis White, , , Madison Rising, Jarrad Markel, Paul Markel, SOTG University PARTNERS: EOTech, Hi-Point Firearms, Spikes Tactical FIND US ON: iTunes, Stitcher, AppleTV, Roku, Amazon, GooglePlay, YouTube, Threads, Instagram, Facebook, X TOPICS COVERED THIS EPISODE Huge thanks to our Partners: EOTech | Hi-Point Firearms | Spike's Tactical [0:03:21] EOTech Talk - EOTechInc.com TOPIC: Marksmanship vs. Tactics: Which is more important when it comes to saving your life? www.youtube.com [0:23:13] SOTG Homeroom - SOTG University TOPIC: Serious Considerations for Compact Revolver Carry shoot-on.com [0:33:49] Travis White w/ FRAC & Jay Jacobson w/ Franklin Armory discuss new ruling Franklin Armory and FRAC Defeat ATF, Judge Rules Words Mean Things www.shootingnewsweekly.com FRAC Action Website: www.fracaction.org Franklin Armory Binary Triggers: franklinarmory.com
An important court decision and a victory for Americans versus an overreaching government bureaucracy was just handed down. Franklin Armory and FRAC were plaintiffs. We have Jay from Franklin Armory and Travis from FRAC as our special guests to discuss that decision and much more. During our Tech Talk from EOTech Inc, Professor Paul will consider the importance of tactics versus marksmanship. When it comes to fighting for your life, which is more important? Additionally, we have an SOTG Homeroom for you from SOTGU. Are you carrying a compact revolver? Have you considered carrying one? Paul wrote an article recently that examines that topic in detail.
In this episode of World Oil Deep Dive, we're coming to you live from SPE's, Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference in The Woodlands, Texas. We sit down with Justin Allison, Senior Engineering Advisor from Thru Tubing Solutions (TTS) to discuss a groundbreaking innovation in frac plug technology—the UnPlug system. Unlike anything seen before, this decentralized stage isolation method is eliminating failure points, improving efficiency, and reducing drill-out risks for operators. Justin shares insights into the challenges, successes, and future developments of this disruptive technology. Tune in to learn how this new approach is transforming hydraulic fracturing and where it's headed next.
On our podcast, we have often talked about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In many of those conversations, we've talked about the benefits and eligibility, and ways to improve the work that SNAP does to help low-income families meet their food needs. In today's podcast, we're going to turn our attention to a particular challenge, and it's the SNAP skimming fraud. To help us understand this and the larger context of SNAP, we have the great pleasure of talking with Salaam Bhatti, who is the director of SNAP at the Food Research and Action Center, or FRAC. Interview Summary So, let's provide a little bit of level setting for our listeners. Can you tell us what role SNAP plays in the lives of individuals who are facing low income or food insecurity? Yeah, Norbert, the problem with being in the richest, most powerful nation in world history is that we are facing a food and hunger crisis. We have the means, we have the resources to solve for it, but we haven't. For the record, the USDA, the United States Department of Agriculture, did a study last year. They do this study every year where they report food security in the country. In 2023, 86.5 percent of U. S. households were food secure. The remaining 13.5 percent, which is 18 million households, were food insecure. And this was an increase from 2022. So, 86.5 percent of food security is barely a B+. To be in the most powerful wealthiest nation in the world and we're barely getting a B+ in this space is unacceptable. And so, we saw some really interesting policies happen during the pandemic. We saw emergency allotments come in for the SNAP program, where all households received the maximum benefit amount for their households. And that, unfortunately, sunset. When that emergency allotment was in place, food insecurity-surprise, surprise-decreased. But not just that, we also saw Medicaid healthcare spending costs decrease as well. Because who would have thought that when people had food security, they didn't need to go to the emergency room because their blood sugar was low. So, we're experiencing a lot of challenges where we've seen the government show its hand that it can end poverty. It can end hunger. It just chooses not to. We know that SNAP is an entitlement program. It's available to anyone who meets the eligibility requirements. But we know that everyone who's eligible doesn't participate in the SNAP program. Can you help us think about how more people can be enrolled who are eligible. And maybe we even need to think more broadly about what is eligibility? What are your thoughts about this? In a given month these days, about 42 million people participate in SNAP. That's a lot of people. I would say that 42 million people are participating in it every day, but unfortunately, SNAP benefits do not last the whole month. By the third week of the month, people's SNAP benefits have been exhausted. Now, taking a step back, in case the listeners don't know how SNAP benefits work, it's a, as you said, a government program. And it comes in the form of an electronic benefits transfer card, an EBT card. It looks like a credit card, looks like a debit card. But really, it's more like a hotel card key, because it doesn't have the security measures, which we can talk about later in the show. It doesn't have the security measures that a credit and a debit card have. It is essentially a glorified hotel key. It's got the magnetic stripe on the back, circa 20 years ago. Maybe 15. I'm dating myself. I don't know how long ago it was we were swiping the cards. But all you gotta do is you swipe the card and you type in your PIN. And then you can use it at the EBT retailer. That is in a nutshell how 40 million people are utilizing SNAP benefits every single month. The program itself is also vital to retailers as well. We've seen that every dollar of SNAP benefits generates about $1.54 in economic activity during an economic downturn. So that means that when somebody is using their SNAP benefits at the grocery store, it's helping that grocery store keep the lights on. You know, employ the cashiers. And we need to employ cashiers, enough of this self-checkout stuff. It helps to pay the truck driver who's transporting the produce to the store. And it ultimately even helps pay the farmer for growing the crop. So, it's a great investment from the federal government into not just our households to help them put food on the table, but really into the whole local economy. And it is immediately used directly by the people and helps so many people. Now so, to your question about how do we enroll more people? Well, luckily we are at a time where the USDA reports that in the fiscal year 2022, 88 percent of eligible individuals were participating in SNAP. And that is the highest participation rate we've seen since they started tracking this in the past 50 years. That's great. But again, it's just a B+ so we can do better. There is room to improve. In the study, it showed that older adults, those who are over 60, they're participating at lower rates with only 55 percent of eligible members in that age category participating. We also have so many military families and veterans who are eligible, but don't participate. This SNAP gap is something that our partners are working throughout the states, throughout the entire country. We're working in partnership with a lot of federal agencies and partners as well. So, how do you ultimately close the SNAP gap? We're seeing a lot of targeted outreach. Seeing a lot of education efforts, but, you know, with 88 percent of eligible people participating, what's going on-on the local level? And unfortunately, Norbert, we've seen that state agencies which administer the SNAP program are unfortunately understaffed and they're underfunded. I used to be a state advocate at the Virginia Poverty Law Center. And when I was, hustling in the halls and lobbying for a million households with low income, I became friends with our social services agency because we had similar goals. We wanted to help households with low income. And we came to learn that the agency that we are relying on to administer the program was never getting their budget met by the legislative assembly. So, what we did was we got into partnership with them to advocate for their budget so that they could retain their staff, and so that the staff could do the job. That is something that we have to do across the states. Support these social service agencies in getting the funding so that they can have the staffing so that they can administer the programs in a timely way. Unfortunately, I don't know if you've seen this but earlier this year, the USDA Secretary Vilsack sent out a letter to like 44 state agencies, including D. C. and Guam. Being very concerned about their timeliness issues because they're supposed to complete the application reviews and determine eligibility within 30 days. And that's for a normal SNAP application. You have seven days for expedited applications. And 44 of these agencies were not meeting the mark. That's bad for, in terms of deadlines, but even worse for the families experiencing the food insecurity. So that is a very layered answer. It's the seven-layer dip answer of how we increase participation. Well, we need more staff to, to help that out. I hear that, and I'm really grateful for how you hit it at this point, and I want to draw a little more attention to it. While you talk about 88 percent participation, it looks different on a state-by-state level. Some states have a higher level of participation, other states don't. Do you think it's really the ability of those state agencies to provide that support, or do you think there are other factors that may be influencing the differential participation rates across states? Yeah, so we saw a big retirement, the great resignation, that happened during the pandemic. There were so many state agency employees, you know, who were, who were doing the job because they were passionate about it. They were also at retirement age. So, we saw quite a resignation happen. Because it was incredibly difficult. It was traumatizing to be involved in this space. And so, they resigned, or they retired, or they moved on to somewhere else. The new workers came in and they learned the programs with the flexibilities that were provided during the pandemic. Now, they have to relearn the program because all those flexibilities are gone. So, we're seeing a lot of administrative burden taking place within these agencies. I have a colleague, Carolyn Barnes, who's worked on this idea of administrative burden and the challenge of what's sometimes referred to as street level bureaucrats. The people who are on the ground who do the administration of these programs and the challenges that they face and the ways they engage folks. I appreciate hearing more about this. And I'm going to ask a potentially controversial question then. What if we took that responsibility out of the hands of state agencies and privatized that? What would that look like? Oh, and people have tried that. Governments have tried that, and it's always resulted in net losses. Not only has it cost the states more, but it has also led to the participants not receiving their benefits, or receiving less than, or receiving an error of more than. So many errors have resulted, which has made the program and administration worse. Which is an interesting question because a lot of people don't know that there are skilled employees at the helm within the agencies that are working on these eligibility determinations. They're known as merit-based staff. And every now and then you'll see a Farm Bill, that's the piece of legislation that houses the SNAP program, it'll come in and they'll try to privatize parts of the program. In the guise of, 'Oh, we're just wanting to help the agencies out and get the benefits to the people.' But listen, the several states that have privatized their benefit programs have learned the hard way and they've done away with those privatization efforts. Okay. I want to turn our attention to something that you hinted at, and we talked about at the top of the program. This idea of skimming or the SNAP skimming fraud. And this is not something that participants are doing. It's something that's happening negatively to participants. So, could you tell us a little bit more about this skimming issue? You know, skimming is a very serious problem that has affected all types of consumers. It's a device that gets put on the point-of-sale system, like that thing that you insert your card into or swipe at the checkout. And it's indistinguishable from the actual point of sale system. You could have a trained eye and still not be able to tell that this point-of-sale system has been compromised. So, what happens is when somebody uses a compromise point of sale system, their information, their card number, their pin is all taken. And within the same day, within an hour, you'll see the benefits are extracted. Usually in an entirely different state, and just the account balance is completely wiped out. The SNAP participant does not find out. If they don't check their account balance, they won't find out until the next time they're at the grocery store and they've done their, you know, 30 minutes of 45 minutes of shopping, with their kids in tow, and they've put everything on the conveyor belt and they're checking out and they swipe their card. And it says your payment is declined. And that is an awful harrowing situation that people are subjected to in the richest nation on the planet. They can't even use their government benefits to put food on the table. And then the process that currently exists to replace those stolen benefits is a lot of administrative burdens there as well. Where you have to you go home without the food, you fill out a piece of paper to say what happened, and then it takes weeks for you to get your benefits replaced. And God forbid that this happens to you more than twice in one year because the current resolution from Congress only allows two benefit replacements every year. But I mean, Norbert the question might be, who's stealing all this stuff? And why aren't the states doing something about it? Or why isn't the SNAP participant doing more to protect themselves? What we have to understand is that there are federal authorities, the FBI, are looking into this. They are investigating this because tens of millions of government dollars have been stolen. Over 120,000 households have been affected. This is big. This is bigger than the SNAP participant. This is bigger than the state. This is bigger than the retailers. And so, there's a lot for the federal government to do not just in replacing the benefits. Because that's you know, you we have a hole in the boat and we can't throw money at the hole. We need to fix the hole. So, what are we looking at here? We're looking at the opportunity to Secure our cards, secure the EBT card, by moving to chip. So, that is the next big thing You know what I appreciate out of this conversation is the experience of individuals who are using their SNAP benefits and they go to the store and the pain of discovering that their SNAP benefits have been expended. Not by them, but through some other means. I know the experience of having identity theft and, losing a credit card and not being able to do it. But I'm not in a situation where that means I'm not able to put food on my table. So, thank you for bringing our attention to the individual tragedy of that experience. And I think that's something important. But what you're also hinting at is that this is not some small-time incident. This is something much bigger. And of course, the federal government has a deep interest in trying to address this issue. And there needs to be some fix. And how this fix occurs also needs to be cognizant of the individual experience of low income individuals who are just struggling to make sure that they're able to solve this food problem. Yeah, you were talking about identity theft and when identity theft happens in the private sector things are resolved pretty quickly. If your credit card is hacked, nowadays you can just go online and say dispute charge and everything's taken care of within 24 hours. But can you imagine like not getting food benefits, like your debit card, your bank account being emptied, and you don't get everything back for weeks. It's mind numbing. It's really awful to think about. You've mentioned some technology fixes. And seems like they're pretty well known, the chip technology. Are there other fixes or in terms of technology or security systems that could help prevent this skimming challenge? One of the other challenges we're facing with the skimming is that the replacement benefits are temporary, it's going to expire on December 20th of this year (2024). And this is an extension that happened after the original replacement benefits, which was just under two years. These short-term fixes, or these short-term replacement benefit strategies are not what we need. We really need a permanent replacement benefit because no matter how secure the card gets, criminals are just going to be creative, and they will attack every single type of card as they continue to do with chip cards. Because we're talking about skimming, there's also something called shimming. S H I M M I N G. And that's when the point-of-sale system isn't compromised from the top, but from within, where you insert the card. That's shimming. So, that's something that exists as well. Chip cards will go a long way to decreasing the benefit theft when chip cards rolled out in the private sector it reduced theft by like around 90 percent. We're hopeful and optimistic that similar patterns will emerge there. But that's of course not 100 percent. It's not AA+++ It's a reason for why permanent replacement benefits need to continue. When it comes to chip card benefits, your listeners might be like, wait, wait, wait, this is 2024. We still have cards that haven't gone chip? It's because there's so many layers in the financial sector of what's going on the back end of these cards. So thankfully there was this massive process known as the x9 process where the entire industry came together. All the card manufacturers, grocers, convenience stores, retailers, banks, us humble nonprofits, and we came in to talk about what needs to be done. And so, they finally released the standards just over a month ago. And now we have two states in the running California and Oklahoma to roll out chip cards in the new year. All eyes are on Cali and Oklahoma to see how it goes before, I guess other states are going to hop on. The chip card is going to be the next big thing in the SNAP benefits world. Thank you for sharing this. I want to ask you one additional question about this technology issue. And it's related to a project I'm working on. It's the idea of online grocery shopping and the expansion of the SNAP benefits for online grocery shopping. And I'm wondering if there's any relationship between what you're seeing in skimming and the ability to use online grocery shopping. Or are these completely disconnected? I haven't seen anything regarding theft online, it's all been physical. We are seeing some promising things coming out of online shopping, especially for people who are living in areas without food access. Once we can bridge that gap of getting fresh food, like the produce and meats and chicken and fish, to people who are far away from grocery stores, then we've found the magic solution. But it's a promising trend on the online delivery space. Oh, that's awesome. I want to ask you just more generally about SNAP and where FRAC is right now. Where are you all thinking about in this space? And then what are ways that you can get just regular everyday people to help in the policy work of eliminating food insecurity? For more than 50 years, FRAC has been working to improve health, nutrition, and the well-being of people who have been struggling with poverty related hunger in the United States. Now, we have made tremendous strides in the fight against hunger. We've played a critical role in expanding SNAP. We've secured increased benefits for households with low incomes through landmark legislation, litigation. But unfortunately our work is far from over and we are really trying to work ourselves out of jobs. We cannot do it alone. We really need all hands on deck, especially as we are seeing in this upcoming Farm Bill effort some cuts that are being suggested or offered to SNAP benefit. We really need all hands on deck to protect this program. To build a nation free from hunger we encourage your listeners to go to frac.org, frac.org. Sign up for our action network and urge your members of Congress to prioritize ending hunger in America. Now, I know that oftentimes we're not sure what we should be saying to our Congress members. Our action network tells you all the things and it helps you really quickly and easily customize templates. Send in your own messages to your members of Congress. And also learn about hunger in your state and the solutions that exist as well. So, what will it achieve for you at the end of the day? Your efforts will advance bold and equitable policy and program solutions. And provide technical assistance and training to thousands of anti hunger advocates across the country, because we're collecting your stories. And your stories help impact Congressmembers. It helps us win their hearts. Bio Salaam Bhatti joined FRAC in November 2023 as the SNAP Director. In this role, he works to strengthen SNAP access and benefit adequacy. Salaam works closely with the Interim President to develop, lead, and track annual work plans; set and meet unit goals; collaborate with other unit Directors to assist in achieving FRAC's strategic plan goals; and expand the unit's innovation and work. Salaam joined FRAC after working at the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC). While at VPLC, he successfully lobbied to fully repeal the drug felon ban for SNAP and TANF, twice achieved record increases to TANF cash benefits, subsidized reduced-priced school meals, repealed the TANF family cap, ended lunch shaming policies in schools, and received a unanimous vote to expand SNAP for over 20,000 families. Salaam also helped develop a mobile-friendly, SNAP screening tool which is used by tens of thousands of people & multiple non-profits and has been rolled out to be available for all states and D.C. He received the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Albright College for his work in alleviating poverty and promoting Muslim-Jewish relations. Salaam also received the inaugural Stuart A. Freudberg Award for Regional Partnership for his work with Maryland and DC Hunger Solutions to address food insecurity across the metropolitan Washington area from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Salaam has a J.D. from Touro Law School, is barred in New York and Virginia, and received his Bachelors in Political Science and International Relations from Albright College (with a year abroad in the University of Aberdeen).
Recorded on December 18, 2024 and October 3, 2024 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUetfgKI13c Episode 122 of the PetroNerds podcast is your pre-Christmas PetroNerds special. This podcast is the panel discussion Trisha Curtis hosted at the Denver Earth Resources Library with Leen Weijers, VP of Field Engineering at Liberty Energy and Brenton Cheeseman, VP of North America at NCS Multistage. Trisha spends time talking to Leen and Brenton about growth in US oil production, the role of the US service sector, and the incredible efficiencies made in the past few years. This is a candid conversation covering production, efficiency gains, a sub 600 rig count, horizontal lateral lengths, and the state of the service sector. Trisha asks Leen and Brenton to talk about the efficiencies in drilling and frac, completions, the speed in drilling, the growth in lateral lengths, and refracs. They talk about consolidation, the future, the Rockies, the Bakken, the role of the service sector, and the number of frac fleets. Trisha introduces this podcast with a fresh market download on oil prices and the macro, the Federal Reserve's hawkish interest rate cut, and what clients and the industry are asking about in 2025. She spends twenty minutes getting you completely up to speed on the Federal Reserve rate cut and meeting and the mixed messages and confusion the Fed has caused. Trisha explains to listeners the biggest macro factors driving oil and the weakness in the global economy. She closes the intro telling listeners about her Common Sense Institute Report that has just been released on the state of Colorado energy, rising electricity prices, CO2 emissions, and lack of growth in Colorado oil production. The paper can be found here. https://www.commonsenseinstituteus.org/colorado/research/energy-and-our-environment/key-trends-in-colorados-energy-landscape. This panel discussion took place at the Rockies Expo at the Denver Earth Resources Library downtown Denver on October 3rd, 2024. Listen on Itunes
The second Christian school in two weeks has been the scene of an attack with a lone gunman shooting innocent children. What do we know about the Wisconsin attack? What can be done to protect our children inside of their schools? Does anyone have a plan that doesn't include disarming innocent people? FRAC, the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, is an organization dedicated to keeping an eye on the criminals in the AFT as well as fighting back against government attacks on the gun industry. We have Travis White from FRAC on as a special guest. Also, during our Tech Talk from EOTech Inc, Professor Paul will discuss colors. Is a green reticle necessary or just some kind of marketing trick? FEATURING: Travis from FRAC, Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, Valley News Live, Homestead Movie, AP News, Daily Wire, Madison Rising, Jarrad Markel, Paul Markel, SOTG University PARTNERS: EOTech, FrogLube, Hi-Point Firearms, Spikes Tactical FIND US ON: iTunes, Stitcher, AppleTV, Roku, Amazon, GooglePlay, YouTube, Threads, Instagram, Facebook, X TOPICS COVERED THIS EPISODE Huge thanks to our Partners: EOTech | Hi-Point Firearms | Spike's Tactical Have You Checked Out Homestead Yet? Trailer Get Tickets [0:07:00] EOTech Talk - EOTechInc.com TOPIC: EOTECH HWS EXPS2™ Green www.eotechinc.com [0:19:58] SOTG Homeroom - SOTG University TOPIC: Wisconsin School Attack Student and teacher killed by 15-year-old in shooting at private school www.valleynewslive.com History of ATF Badges www.atf.gov Knights of Saint Nicholas amzn.to/49G4LHy Teacher and a teenage student killed in a shooting at a Christian school in Wisconsin apnews.com/article/ Shooter At Christian School Sought ‘Child Executions' In Response To ‘Oppression Of Palestinians' www.dailywire.com [0:44:55] Travis from FRAC Interview - www.fracaction.org FRAC = Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition Donate Today! secure.fracaction.org/donate
The second Christian school in two weeks has been the scene of an attack with a lone gunman shooting innocent children. What do we know about the Wisconsin attack? What can be done to protect our children inside of their schools? Does anyone have a plan that doesn't include disarming innocent people? FRAC, the Firearms […] The post Student of the Gun 1272 – Wisconsin School Attack & Travis from FRAC appeared first on Firearms Radio Network.
Fernando Furones, director de orquesta, compositor y roquero, acerca la música clásica al público general junto a Dj Symphonic a ritmo clásico-techno
Portrait Monica BonviciniCourtesy the artist, © Monica Bonvicini and VG-Bildkunst, Bonn 2022 / Photo by Olaf Heine Born in Venice, Italy, Monica Bonvicini currently lives and works in Berlin, Germany. The artist studied at the Universität der Künste in Berlin and the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA. Since the 1990s, Monica Bonvicini has had numerous exhibitions and projects around the world. Upcoming, the artist will have a major solo exhibition at Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin (2022). Other significant solo exhibitions include Hurricanes and other Catastrophes at Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Switzerland (2022), I Don't Like You Very Much at Kunsthaus Graz, Austria (2022), LOVER'S MATERIAL at Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Germany (2020), I CANNOT HIDE MY ANGER at Belvedere 21 Museum of Contemporary Art, Vienna (2019), As Walls Keep Shifting at OGR, Turin, Italy (2019), Monica Bonvicini at Berlinische Galerie, Berlin (2017), her hand around the room at BALTIC Center for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, Newcastle (2016), BOTH ENDS at Kunsthalle Fridericianum, Kassel (2011), Desire Deseise Devise at Deichtorhallen, Hamburg (2012), Monica Bonvicini at Frac des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou, France (2009), Monica Bonvicini / Tom Burr at Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland (2009), Focus: Monica Bonvicini–Light Me Black at Art Institute of Chicago (2009), NEVER MISSING A LINE at Sculpture Center, New York (2007), Monica Bonvicini at Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2002), among others. Bonvicini has earned several awards, including the Golden Lion at the Biennale di Venezia (1999); the Preis der Nationalgalerie für junge Kunst, from the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (2005); the Rolandpreis für Kunst for Art in Public Space from the Foundation Bremen, Germany (2013); the Hans Platschek Prize for Art and Writing, Germany (2019); the Oskar Kokoschka Prize, Austria (2020). Monica Bonvicini's works can be found permanently installed in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London; on the waterfront at Bjørvika, before the Den Norske Opera & Ballett House, Oslo; the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (2003-2019); and the Weserburg Museum of Modern Art, Bremen, among others. Monica Bonvicini, Chainswing Rings & Stripes 2024 Galvanized steel chains, chain quick fasteners, belting leather, rivets, galvanized steel rings Dimensions variable Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles Monica Bonvicini, Stay Home 2024 Silkscreen and tempera on Fabriano paper 78 3/4 x 59 inches; 200 x 150 cm (unframed) 82 5/8 x 63 inches; 210 x 160 cm (framed) Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles Monica Bonvicini, Installation view, Put All Heaven in a Rage, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York, 2024. Photo by Pierre Le Hors Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York / Los Angeles
Ep.218 Ibrahim Mahama was born in 1987 in Tamale, Ghana. He lives and works in Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. Solo exhibitions include Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh (2024); Barbican Centre, London (2024); Kunsthalle Osnabrück, Germany (2023); Oude Kerk, Amsterdam (2022); Frac des Pays de la Loire, France (2022); The High Line, New York (2021); University of Michigan Museum of Art (2020); The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, UK (2019); Norval Foundation, Cape Town (2019); Tel Aviv Art Museum, Israel (2016); and KNUST Museum, Kumasi, Ghana (2013). He has participated in numerous group exhibitions including Desert X AlUla, Saudi Arabia (2024); Sharjah Biennial 15, UAE (2023); 18th International Venice Architecture Biennale, Italy (2023); the 35th Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil (2023); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (2021); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2020); 22nd Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2020); Stellenbosch Triennale, South Africa (2020); 6th Lubumbashi Biennale, Democratic Republic of the Congo (2019); Ghana Pavilion, 58th Venice Biennale, Italy (2019); Documenta 14, Athens and Kassel, Germany (2017); Broad Art Museum, Michigan State University (2016); Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen and Holbæk, Denmark (2016); 56th Venice Biennale, Italy (2015); and Artist's Rooms, K21, Düsseldorf, Germany (2015). Mahama was also appointed Artistic Director of the 35th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana (2023). In 2024, Mahama was selected for the inaugural Sam Gilliam award by the Dia Art Foundation and the Sam Gilliam Foundation, which includes the presentation of a public program at Dia in fall 2024. Photo credit: Carlos Idun-Tawiah White Cube https://www.whitecube.com/artists/ibrahim-mahama Sam Gilliam Award https://www.diaart.org/about/sam-gilliam-award Dia Art Foundation https://www.diaart.org/program/calendar/sam-gilliam-award-program-ibrahim-mahama-dia-talks-11212024/period/2024-11-02 Fruitmarket https://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/about-us/ Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam https://www.stedelijk.nl/en/events/artist-talk-ibrahim-mahama-en Ghana Remembers https://ghanaremembers.com/stories/people/ibrahim-maham-the-first-ghanaian-artist-to-win-the-inaugural-sam-gilliam-award-in-2024.html#google_vignette Barbican https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2024/event/ibrahim-mahama-purple-hibiscus Observer https://observer.com/2024/09/interview-ibrahim-mahama-artist-white-cube-exhibition/ Vennice Biennale https://www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/2023/force-majeure/ibrahim-mahama Institute for Humanity Activities https://www.humanactivities.org/en/iha-blank/sculpture-workshop-with-ibrahim-mahama/ Edinburgh Art Festival https://www.edinburghartfestival.com/event/ibrahim-mahamasongs-about-roses/ Wallpaper https://www.wallpaper.com/art/exhibitions-shows/ibrahim-mahama-tells-us-why-he-has-covered-the-barbican-in-pink-fabric Reiter Galleries https://www.reitergalleries.com/en/artists/ibrahim-mahama/ NYTimes https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/19/arts/design/ibrahim-mahama-artist-ghana-white-cube.html The Brooklyn Rail https://brooklynrail.org/2024/10/artseen/ibrahim-mahama-a-spell-of-good-things/ Bonhams https://www.bonhams.com/press_release/38679/ Burlington Contemporary https://contemporary.burlington.org.uk/reviews/reviews/ibrahim-mahama-songs-about-roses The Highline https://www.thehighline.org/art/projects/ibrahim-mahama/ Desert X AlUla https://desertx.org/dx/dx24-alula/ibrahim-mahama C& https://whitewall.art/whitewaller/best-of-new-york-exhibitions-ibrahim-mahama-janaina-tschape-and-more/ artnet https://news.artnet.com/art-world/ibrahim-mahamas-stunning-textile-installation-blankets-the-barbican-in-london-2476760 BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68846770 The Art Newspaper https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/08/23/saatchi-collection-ibrahim-mahama-auction-bonhams Whitewall https://whitewall.art/whitewaller/best-of-new-york-exhibitions-ibrahim-mahama-janaina-tschape-and-more/
How do we make it easier for more Americans to reliably put food (in particular, hot food) on the table? That's today's big question, and my guest is Salaam Bhatti. Salaam is the SNAP Director at the Food Research and Action Center, a 501c3 that uses advocacy and strategic partnerships to improve the health and well being of people struggling against poverty related hunger in the United States.Before joining the Food Research and Action Center, Salam was the Public Benefits Attorney and Deputy Director of the Virginia Poverty Law Center where he specialized in public benefits law. Salaam also served as the director of Virginia Hunger Solutions, where he supported the initiative's mission of eradicating hunger and enhancing the nutrition, health, and overall well being of children and families living in poverty throughout this great commonwealth.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:Llama Llama and the Bully Goat by Anna DewdneyFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Follow Salaam on TikTok and TwitterFollow FRAC on Instagram and TwitterGet involved with the FRAC Action NetworkDonate to FRAC to help end hunger in AmericaCheck out FRAC's Road to the Farm Bill resourcesCall on Congress to protect and strengthen SNAPRead the USDA Food Security report and FRAC's Statement of Poverty reportRead FRAC's brief with the National Women's Law CenterFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our...
This is an audio recording of a recent Happy Hour and Learn Session for members of the Escapee Collective community. Jake Stahl shares his advice, perspective and best practices for thriving as a fractional leader.Jake Stall discusses the concept of fractional work and shares his experience in the field. He emphasizes the importance of building relationships and networking in order to succeed as a fractional professional. Jake also provides insights on pricing strategies and how to ask for referrals. He promotes the upcoming Frac 2024 conference as a valuable opportunity for learning and networking in the fractional industry.Guest Links:Jake Stahl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakestahl/ Frak2024: https://fractionalconference.com/ TakeawaysFractional work involves providing a certain amount of time and expertise to a company in return for high-level guidance and leadership.Building strong relationships and networking are crucial for success in the fractional industry.Pricing strategies should focus on the value provided rather than competing on price.Asking for referrals is an effective way to generate new business in the fractional field.The Frac 2024 conference is a valuable opportunity for learning and networking in the fractional industry.Sound Bites"Networking is not about attending as many groups as possible, but about being involved in quality groups where you can build meaningful relationships.""The more interest you show in someone, the higher your chances of getting a contract with them.""The higher your price, the more people perceive value and are willing to pay for your services."
We're joined by Travis White, CEO of FRAC to discuss how their recent victory against ATF. 8th circuit ruling – https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca8/23-3230/23-3230-2024-08-09.html RAND report – https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/misc/MSA3057-4/RAND_MSA3057-4.pdf Please support our sponsor Vertx! https://www.vertx.com – use code TGC for at least 15% off! For Show Notes and to Download or Stream Audio: https://firearmsradio.net/category/podcasts/the-gun-collective-podcast/ The post The Gun Collective Podcast 132.5 – SUING THE ATF… AGAIN appeared first on Firearms Radio Network.
We're joined by Travis White, CEO of FRAC to discuss how their recent victory against ATF. 8th circuit ruling – https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca8/23-3230/23-3230-2024-08-09.html RAND report – https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/misc/MSA3057-4/RAND_MSA3057-4.pdf The post The Gun Collective Podcast 132 – Fought the ATF and WON! appeared first on Firearms Radio Network.
To understand fungicide resistance in the vineyard, a group of United States scientists formed the Fungicide Resistance Assessment Mitigation and Extension (FRAME). Sarah Lowder, Assistant Professor and Viticulture Extension Specialist at the University of Georgia describes a nationwide sampling project to test for resistance markers. To get samples, they are promoting a new collection method called glove sampling. This process leverages the time that fieldworkers are in the field running their hands through the vines. They collect samples by rubbing their gloved hands on a cotton swab and sending the sample to the lab. Research shows that glove sampling results are very similar to spore trapping, a process that samples the air flowing through the vineyard. Resources: 117: Grapevine Mildew Control with UV Light 219: Intelligent Sprayers to Improve Fungicide Applications and Save Money A Rapid Glove-Based Inoculum Sampling Technique to Monitor Erysiphe necator in Commercial Vineyard Fisherbrand™ Plastic Handled Cotton Swabs and Applicators Grape FRAME Networks Glove swab sampling tutorial for collecting grape powdery mildew (video) Glove Swab sampling tutorial for collecting grape powdery mildew - silent (video) Identification of Putative SDHI Target Site Mutations in the SDHB, SDHC, and SDHD Subunits of the Grape Powdery Mildew Pathogen Erysiphe necator Rapid sampling technique to monitor Erysiphe necator more effective than visual scouting Sarah Lowder Vineyard Team Programs: Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship - Donate SIP Certified – Show your care for the people and planet Sustainable Ag Expo – The premiere winegrowing event of the year Sustainable Winegrowing On-Demand (Western SARE) – Learn at your own pace Vineyard Team – Become a Member Get More Subscribe wherever you listen so you never miss an episode on the latest science and research with the Sustainable Winegrowing Podcast. Since 1994, Vineyard Team has been your resource for workshops and field demonstrations, research, and events dedicated to the stewardship of our natural resources. Learn more at www.vineyardteam.org. Transcript 2024-07-04_235_Sarah Lowder - glove sampling for mildew_Otter [00:00:00] Craig Macmillan: Our guest today is Sarah Lawder. She is Viticulture Extension Specialist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia. And today we're going to talk about some exciting new advancements around monitoring for powdery mildew and other related topics. Welcome to the podcast, Sarah. [00:00:16] Sarah Lowder: Thank you very much, Craig. I'm very excited to be here. [00:00:18] Craig Macmillan: First though, I want to start with something I just found out about that applies to this, and that is the grape frame networks. Can you tell us exactly what that is and kind of how it came about and what it does? Okay. Thanks, Craig. [00:00:29] Sarah Lowder: Absolutely. Yeah, the FRAME Network is part of a USDA SCRI grant. This is a project that was funded several years ago, I believe in 2017, as part of the Specialty Crop Research Initiative Project System. And FRAME Networks literally stands for Fungicide Resistance Assessment Mitigation and Extension. networks. And so this was a grant that was really intended to look and learn so much more about how fungicide resistance works in the vineyard for powdery mildew specifically. But this was a group, a very large group of scientists from all across the country from a wide range of different disciplines looking into how we can better address fungicide resistance for vineyards and for powdery mildew specifically. [00:01:12] Craig Macmillan: But there's also applications either now or in the future for other fungal diseases like downy mildew, et cetera. [00:01:18] Sarah Lowder: Absolutely. Yep. They are currently working on getting a new iteration of this grant, Frame 2 as it were that will hopefully be able to address also resistance in Downy Mildew and Botrytis Bunch Rot. [00:01:29] Craig Macmillan: Fantastic. This is really exciting because what I saw was that there are people at Washington State, Oregon State in California, and then on the East Coast. So hopefully this work will continue. What exactly kinds of things does Frame do? [00:01:45] Sarah Lowder: Yeah, so we had a multi pronged approach for this project. One of the big parts that I was a part of is looking at the assessment of the fungicide resistance. So one of the things that we did was collect powdery mildew from all across the country, from states and vineyards all over, all over the place, and then look for different fungicide resistance markers in that mildew. That can hopefully help us much more quickly assess if we have fungicide resistance present in a sample. One of the big groups of fungicides that we looked at was the QOI fungicides, the Sturbulurins, also sometimes they're called or the FRAC Group 11, with FRAC is the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee. Is what the FRAC group would be for that and those just kind of group your different fungicides based on the mode of action. So how they work on the different diseases that they're attempting to control. And so we were looking at this group, this group 11, the QOI products which operate by attaching to the mitochondria, so the powerhouse of the cell. And just preventing them from being able to produce energy and so the, the spores die and you don't get any more growth of that disease. But because it's one of those products that works like a binding site if you get resistance presence it just means that your fungicide can no longer attached to the disease and then it can grow in the presence of that fungicide and then you can even no matter how much you spray that product it can still continue to grow. By looking at there's one particular mutation that occurs that causes that resistance in this group of products and we're able to run a test much more quickly than you can otherwise do a lot of different fungicide resistance testing And tell whether or not you had QOI resistant or sensitive Mildew in your field so you knew whether or not you could use that product or not [00:03:35] Craig Macmillan: What about frac group three? That's another one that we have known Resistance issues with the demethylation inhibitors. Is that part of the project as well? [00:03:43] Sarah Lowder: Absolutely Absolutely, the DMIs demethylation inhibitors, absolutely, the FRAC3 Group 3 are a group of products that have a little bit more complicated unfortunately of a resistance pattern rather than just having one particular mutation. There, there are a bunch of different things going on in those products. But we do have a marker that can help us get a sense for the resistance. It's not as necessarily reliable as the QOI. Frack Group 11 product resistant testing, but we can test that as well and give us an idea of whether or not we might have resistance to DMIs present in the field as well. [00:04:19] Craig Macmillan: Are there other frack groups that have potential or have found some resistant populations coming down the pike? [00:04:28] Sarah Lowder: Absolutely. Anything that has a very specific mode of action really has some potential for having a resistance develop in a population. [00:04:36] Craig Macmillan: Great. [00:04:38] Sarah Lowder: We're, we're looking at some of the modes of action. We have not heard as much of field failures due to resistance to a lot of other products, but we wanted to, like, kind of get a, get a jump on looking for some of those other modes of action to see if we can develop. Test to be able to monitor that, monitor that much more quickly before resistance becomes as much of an issue. And we were able to get a lot of that information for like the SDHI groups, which is the group 7 products. Although again, we're not really hearing too much yet of any field failures for powdery mildew control from the SDHIs. As well as looking much more into some of the mechanisms for how group 13, quinoxafen how well how the resistance might work in that system. All of those are stuff that we were able to do because of the Frame Network project team. [00:05:26] Craig Macmillan: That's really great. I hope that we can continue that. That's really important work. In order to do that kind of thing, you need to get samples. And you and your colleagues are promoting a new method for monitoring for powdery mildew and collecting, I guess, ASCA spores, I would imagine, is what you're collecting. Tell me about it. There's videos on YouTube. It's really exciting. [00:05:47] Sarah Lowder: Absolutely. [00:05:47] Craig Macmillan: It involves a glove. [00:05:49] Sarah Lowder: Indeed, we call them glove swabs, which is one of the projects that I was able to help lead as a part of the system. Because you hit the nail on the head when you are trying to monitor fungicide resistance. The first step that you have to do is actually find the mildew. And you want to find this before you have a control problem. You want to find it while there's still not very much mildew present in the field. We looked at, we looked at a bunch of different ways. Not everything worked very well. But one of the ideas that we had was, oh, We have vineyard workers moving throughout the field all the time. Could we potentially use these people who are already in the field doing normal stuff to also potentially collect powdery mildew? And we found that as you're moving through the vineyard, as you're moving your hands along the canopy, you're able to collect powdery mildew. Conidia spores, actually, it's generally, it's their summer spores. are collecting and you're able to take a, just a cotton swab. So many of us have taken a COVID test that you've had to stick up your nose. It's a very similar, similar swab that you take with your hands. And you can stick that in a tube and send it to the lab for processing. This system worked, I think, way better than any of us were expecting it to. It was actually much better than trying to go out there and look for it physically. And you can do it much faster because it's just literally, you can be walking through the vineyard with your hands in the canopy, take a swab. and collect it, and you can find that so much faster if you're already having to do a lab test for that product. [00:07:16] Craig Macmillan: And also the potential here is that, let's say I've got a crew out and we're doing a shoot thinning in the spring, so they're handling the canopy all the time, we could swab some gloves and then send that out to be tested and get an idea what's out there. [00:07:27] Sarah Lowder: Absolutely. Absolutely. And as you're already testing for whether the field is out there, you can also use the same test to tell whether or not you have resistant mildew to the QI fungicides. [00:07:38] Craig Macmillan: Is this quantitative? [00:07:41] Sarah Lowder: So, it is run on a quantitative quantitative PCR. So, in theory, it does give you some information on how much mildew is present. In the QI QPCR test, in the test that tests for the fungicide resistance pattern, it tests a piece of DNA in the mitochondria, and you can technically have different numbers of things. Mitochondria per cell, individual cell, and so the, the quantitative, it does give you that information, but it's not necessarily the most reliable information. So as, as a scientist, I'm always hesitant to say that, oh, you can get quantitative information, but it, in theory, it does give you a little bit of information about how many spores at least you were able to collect. You can tell a little bit of that information. [00:08:21] Craig Macmillan: Can it tell me something along the lines of, I can go out and sample at the very beginning of the season, maybe even post bud break, and say, oh, we have nothing there yet, and then come by later and test and say, oh, we have something there now. Is there a qualitative aspect to it? [00:08:41] Sarah Lowder: Absolutely. So we tested it and compared the glove swabs to visual scouting to compare it to someone actually physically going out and looking and found that the glove swabs were much more sensitive. They were able to find the powdered mildew much faster, and also much sooner than the OR than our visual eyes were able to do So. But we also tested it in comparison to impaction spore traps. So these are tests that actually had come out of a lot of the lab that I worked in the foliar pathology lab with Walt Mahaffey at the USDA for a couple years previously with like Lindsay Thiessen that they were able to test these impaction spore traps which sample the air that flows through the vineyard. We're collecting that many of the vineyards in the Willamette Valley of Oregon which we did a lot of the testing in that area as well as in Areas like Napa, California have a bunch of these spore traps present that we were able to test it in comparison to these spore traps, which have been used pretty widely in the system. And what we found was that our glove swabs were showing us very similar information to these impaction spore traps which was really cool because a lot of these growers absolutely do use already these impaction spore traps to look at when they're going to initiate their fungicide spray programs. So, in theory, yes. You could absolutely potentially use these glove swabs as a fungicide initiation indicator. [00:10:01] Craig Macmillan: Yeah, that's what I was getting at, and that's, that's a really exciting technology. Because obviously we're trying to control the amount of material we put out there, and obviously part of resistance management is being careful what you put out and when. And so having a good idea of what the timing should be, I think, is really important. And then of course, as everybody knows, People who listen to this podcast know, by the time you see it, it's too late, baby. [00:10:24] Sarah Lowder: Absolutely. [00:10:24] Craig Macmillan: You know, it's, it's, it's, you're chasing a ghost. And so, here's, here's our Ghostbuster tool, where we can catch that ghost before before it comes too much of a problem. Now you said, send these off for, to a lab for analysis. What what labs are we talking about? [00:10:39] Sarah Lowder: The initial frame grant project is technically at a, has come to an end and so the funding that originally funded a lot of this testing has ended, but now we're able to supply all of these protocols and testing materials and stuff to a lot of the different private labs elsewhere. So I know one of the private labs that does the impaction trap testing. service in the William Valley of Oregon has taken over that process, as well as I know a bunch of different labs like I know at UGA here, where I am currently, they have some tools and able to do some of those testings or do some of those tests as well with the qPCR. And so even if you, a lab where you send a lot of your materials, if they happen to have a qPCR present and you're strongly interested in doing it, you can talk to them to see if they might potentially be willing to add this into their repertoire. [00:11:24] Craig Macmillan: So, this technology is starting to make it out into the world of commercial plant pathology. [00:11:29] Sarah Lowder: Yes. [00:11:30] Craig Macmillan: I may have a plant pathology lab that I already work with, I can talk to them, I can make some phone calls, and for instance, a commercial lab in Oregon, they're a business, so they still may do samples from California or from Washington or from Ohio. [00:11:44] Sarah Lowder: Yeah, potentially. [00:11:45] Craig Macmillan: It's not limited by territory. [00:11:46] Sarah Lowder: Correct. You can send these samples and as long as you're not leaving your samples out in the sun and in the heat for a long period of time they can be shipped off elsewhere as well. [00:11:55] Craig Macmillan: Where do you see this technology going? What's, what's the future here? We, we, we've just kind of touched on it a little bit, but what, in your, when you close your eyes and imagine the long term impact of your work, where do you see this kind of thing going? [00:12:08] Sarah Lowder: One, I would love to see a lot of this information being used more regularly to be able to test this a little faster. And eventually, one day, we may be able to test for all of these different resistance genes, all of these different resistance patterns within the same sample. So you could be like, okay as a normal part of my practice, I'm going out and taking these glove swabs or whatever else that I'm looking to test. Even if I don't use a glove swab, but I can come in and take my powdery mildew sample and send it off to the lab and get a, just a score sheet of exactly what fungicide products could be used or could be not used. That would be really awesome, because no one wants to buy a product that it's not going to work, and no one wants to put a product out that's not going to work for any reasons, environmentally or financially. In the wallet or just for labor purposes. It's just a win, win, win situation. If you know, you don't have to use a product and instead you could choose a different one. [00:13:01] Craig Macmillan: Oh, this might be a related, very practical matter. So gloves, touching vines, no problem. I can have workers. I could have actually my VIT tech go down a row and then swipe the canopy. Where do I get the swabs because we're talking about something has to be a sterile protected swab, just like the COVID test swab. Where do I get those? [00:13:17] Sarah Lowder: Yeah so a lot of the times, or at least for a lot of this test that we did originally they were groups that we sent out, or like just kits that we would send out to the different cooperating practices. But essentially, it is literally the same tool. It's a polystyrene cotton swab tip and we normally will put them into these little half tubes that kind of keep their tip protected, and then you will stick it back into the plastic wrap that it came in, and then wrap it up so that it stays more protected. But it is, it is literally the same tool that you often will use for those COVID tests, which made it really hard to get that right at the beginning of the pandemic. [00:13:54] Craig Macmillan: Where, where can I get them? Where can I order them from? [00:13:56] Sarah Lowder: So I can send a link for the type of material that we're looking for. And then you can shop around for the same tip at a couple different locations and find the best price. [00:14:06] Craig Macmillan: That'd be perfect. We'll put a link to that in the show notes. So folks, you can go check that out and find the materials that you need. And then you can also shop around for the labs and see who's doing what. And again, if a lab is getting a lot of phone calls. That's going to encourage them to adopt this new technology. What is kind of the, the current state of the nation, if you will, in terms of fungicide resistance, what are the hot new topics, what's getting funded? What are people working on and where are they working on it? [00:14:33] Sarah Lowder: Fungicide resistance is certainly a hot topic that has a lot of different research happening in a lot of different areas. I could literally fill your entire podcast probably with talking about this topic. One thing that I'm very excited about is to hopefully see this Frame 2 iteration happen that is, being submitted for funding for this next funding cycle this year, but it is looking to hopefully also add in testing for downy mildew and betritis bunch rot, which are also two big diseases that can cause a lot of issues. Especially now that I'm over here in Georgia, I'm very excited to hopefully get to test much more of the downy mildew which can be quite the struggle in the vineyard. And we're getting much more information on a lot of the other modes of action that we're working with. I'm excited to see a lot of the information come out about some of the quinoxephins. Some of this information that we have started to work on and we haven't seen much field resistance to these products yet. But if we continue to use them, then they may still pop up. And so hopefully making sure that we can get ahead of the game for these other products. [00:15:37] Craig Macmillan: I'm very happy about that because I'm old enough to remember when the DMIs came out and it was like, Oh my god, it's a secret. It's the silver bullet. We're never gonna have to use sulfur again. Yay, and then it was literally within a couple of years they failed in some places. Now, the Fungicide Resistance Action Committee is publishing better information, more information, more accessible information every year about what's new about the different code groups. And they're also now putting a category in, or they have for a long time, but they have a category in there about the potential for resistance. So they'll say, yeah, there's known resistant populations for this. This one has got high potential, even if we haven't found it yet. And that's directing research in that direction. And I think that's really important that we stay ahead of these things. things, looking at where the potential is, as well as where there's known issues. So that's really fantastic. This is going on at what OSU, MSU, I think, Tim Miles in Michigan Walt Mahaffey in Oregon. I think Washington state. [00:16:35] Sarah Lowder: Mm hmm. Michelle Moyer is the viticulture specialist at Washington state university, who's been the project director for this project, led with Walt Mahaffey, who is the foliar plant pathologist at the USDA located in Corvallis. the horticultural crops units. And then a whole, a whole group of scientists from across the nation. There are people at UC Davis. There's people at Michigan State University. Even while I worked on this project in my role at Oregon State, I'm at with the USDA in Corvallis, Oregon. I'm now here at the University of Georgia working with Phil Brannon, who was the University of Georgia, Scientist working on this project and who actually was the person that convinced me to actually apply for the job that I currently now sit in. [00:17:20] Craig Macmillan: That's great. You know, we do still have a little bit of time left. This is a huge topic, but I found it interesting as I was doing research on you and looking at your publications. One of the things you've been involved in is research on collective action. and information transfer among growers related to disease management. And I am really fascinated by this topic. My background is in sociology. So my background is in people, talking to people, doing people stuff. And as we know, things, not just diseases, but also insects like mealybugs, etc. It's an area wide issue. And what you do or do not do on one farm affects what happens or doesn't happen on another farm. Can you tell us just a little bit about what that research was like, what you did? [00:17:57] Sarah Lowder: Absolutely. So that was really coming from how do we branch out from some of the fungicide resistance? Like how do we use a lot of this information that we are getting? One of the things that we were realizing is that some of the vineyards that we were working with, that we were getting some of these tests from, even organic vineyards who were not using any, they weren't using the QIs. They also weren't using any other synthetic product. We're still seeing sometimes very high rates. of the fungicide resistance to these different products. And what we really found was that a lot of the information that we were able to look at was really so much more useful on that larger scale when we were able to look at all of this data in the aggregate. And so one of the things, which I'm going to talk about my experience with the Oregon State, in the William Valley Vineyard growers especially, that they took all of this information, that they took the data, powdery mildew information that we are getting from their impaction spore traps. They were taking the fungicide resistance data that we were giving them, and they were sharing all this information with each other. And we're able to say, Hey, oh, I was using this product, you know, on my field this year and next year. And then I started to see a lot of issues. You didn't see it immediately, but you saw it pretty closely after I did, even though you followed the patterns elsewhere. And so they were able to take a lot of that information and aggregate it and share together and be able to use that much more quickly. I didn't talk too much about how much of the fungicide resistance that we were seeing. We definitely did see some differences in some of the states. that we were looking at, although it was generally pretty high rates of resistance to the QI products across the nation. That degree was less in a lot of the places in Oregon where a lot of this information started and where they shared a lot of this information from the get go. So one of the things that we wanted to look at was how does this information come across and then what do people do with that information? Absolutely. So when you get into the area wide management, when you, when you start talking about it, you're like, okay, while I manage my property, Unfortunately, a lot of these diseases aren't just staying on my property. If we could, if we could keep everyone isolated, then we wouldn't have to talk about a lot of this information management information management across all these different regions. What do we do once we have that knowledge and once we're sharing all of these spores back and forth even if we don't necessarily want to share that. But if we can also share some of the information on what we're all seeing, we can all manage it a little better. Even if it's just as simple as like, Oh, my sprayer was not calibrated correctly and I'm starting to see More powdery mildew in my vineyard blocks. If you communicate that to your neighbor, then they may be able to increase their spray intervals a little bit more in order to not lose their crop because they're going to have to deal with a much higher crop load. And they could be looking at the spore information. They could be looking at any of these monitoring effects that they're collecting. But if you can know that a source population nearby is going to be pushing more spores more readily, that's even before it's hitting your vineyard. So it's getting that information even a little faster than you would with some of the spore monitoring efforts, if that makes sense. [00:21:01] Craig Macmillan: That does make sense. And so, in terms of the collecting the information, this doesn't just have to be glove swabs or, you know, impaction traps. This simply can be people saying, hey, I'm seeing mildew pressure that's pretty intense, or I'm seeing it earlier, or whatever. Other people are saying, I'm not seeing it yet, but I know I'm downwind of you, for instance. Or, I know that my conditions are still very conducive, so I might be able to, like you said, increase my spray intervals, maybe check my calibration, check my coverage. It's a, it's a heads up. Basically from from one grower to another. How is this information shared? [00:21:34] Sarah Lowder: So there are lots of different ways that this information is shared One of the ways that we wanted to look is at just what did people find the most useful when they were Looking for different information on either new diseases or old diseases or all that kind of thing And some of the stuff that we were finding was that people really found their colleagues, just those person to person conversations that they were having to be the most useful information when managing any diseases. And while people certainly found, which I was happy to hear, that people found their viticulture specialists, their extension agents, to be extremely useful when helping to find this information, they really were still, the the most important part was their colleagues and their neighbors, the other growers in the area. And so you can look at different ways that people communicate, which we, one of the things that we did was look at a communication network. So just exactly how is that information flowing in the system? And there are certain people, which this may not necessarily be a huge surprise. But there are certain people that a lot of people go to, to learn more information about stuff, especially as someone that is looking at a region and be like, Ooh, I have one, this super great new tool, mate, I have something even cooler than the glove swabs. And now I need to tell. the growers about it. I need to see if we can actually use this in a commercial way that'll be viable. You can go to some of these more influential individuals within a region and then hopefully see that information spread a little bit more quickly than it might otherwise if you just kind of picked your people based on just where they were located or even just the closest ones you get your hands on. As it were. [00:23:09] Craig Macmillan: Gotta find the node. Gotta find the hub, [00:23:11] Sarah Lowder: find the node. . [00:23:14] Craig Macmillan: This is an interesting topic to me because one of the things that I think we've lost from a cultural standpoint is the coffee shop. People who are now retired growers have talked to me about how you're on your farm. You know, before sunup you get things running, you get going. People are doing what they're doing. Everything's fine. And then you go to the coffee shop about nine o'clock and everybody's there. And that's where the information would get transferred. And this goes back to the, you know, basic farming decades ago. We don't do that anymore. What we do is we're there at Sunup before Sunup, we get things running, we get done, then we're back in the truck and we're on the phone and we're going to the next ranch and we're not connecting with people. In that kind of social conversational way, the way that we used to. And so hopefully we can revive some of that either through meetings or through internet or through just simply networks, like you said, if there's a relationship, you can just simply call somebody and say, Hey, I'm starting to see this and hopefully we can build those social networks and see the collective benefits [00:24:12] Sarah Lowder: and find more ways to bring us together. [00:24:15] Craig Macmillan: Find more ways to bring us together in a world that seems to be forcing us apart, right? No. On this topic of managing diseases and monitoring diseases, is there one thing you'd recommend to our listeners around this? [00:24:27] Sarah Lowder: There are lots of different diseases in lots of different ways that a lot of things are managed and we talked a little bit about Collective action in the sense that a lot of times some diseases are more effectively managed on a much wider scale than an individual Farming unit so like you could do the best practices in your own vineyard but if you have Someone next door doing lawn best practices that could just mitigate all of the hard work that you just put into it. But it's hard to say anything on the large scale other than the fact that Talking more with those around you has a much wider benefit for disease management on all scales And just also grow better cultural practices, better more information on learning. I may be someone in the academia realm, but I always think that the more you can learn, the better. And your neighbors are in the same game as you are, especially in vineyards. I feel like the mantra of the rising tide lifts all boats is very much in effect. [00:25:24] Craig Macmillan: So we can learn from extension and from all that great stuff that's out there, but we can also learn from each other. Sarah, where can people find out more about you and your work? [00:25:31] Sarah Lowder: Yeah, so now that I'm over here at the University of Georgia, where I'm most easy to find is through the Viticulture Extension website. It's called the UGA Viticulture Blog. We post a lot of information relevant to those growers in the southeast, but we also have a blog posting that sometimes will go out via email if you would like to sign up for that, backlog of what we've posted. It's the easiest way to find me. I'm all around the University of Georgia system. [00:26:00] Craig Macmillan: Fantastic. Thank you so much. Our guest today was Sarah Lowdre. She's a Denture and Viticulture Specialist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia. Thanks for being here. This was a great conversation. [00:26:10] Sarah Lowder: Thank you, Greg. I had a great time. Nearly perfect transcription by Descript
Groundbreaking (see what I did there using "groundbreaking" in this homage because Josh McCollom and scott stedman are with Pharaoh Energy Services and have frac fleets). This is epic social media content. Critics may comment, "A modern marvel masterpiece; meticulously peppered production infused with wit, wisdom, comedy, and motivational meandering covering most of life's important meanings". Yes, this must watch wonder may be the key to unlocking all of the answers to universal mysteries. We may include lighthearted, irreverent, uninhibited gaffes; however, the ideas shared here will stand as pillars to modern business development within serving our amazing #oilgas industry. Each of you decide daily to get up, plant your feet on a foundation of contributing to this generation of abundant and affordable #energy finding, harvesting, and delivering for global #humanflourishing. You grind it out. I'm fracing impressed by you all. Thank you for what you do. Have a happy fourth of July and appreciate your contribution to our liberty and freedom we are so fortunate to be proud of here in the United States Of America. We are blessed. God is good. Time to sign up to sponsor Oilfield Tailgate. Send me a logo and commit to growing your own brand with abundant #networking opportunities. oilfieldtailgate.com Disclaimer: Characters within this video are not recognized as experts in legal advice or advocate for you to abandon your own religion or business policies nor subject to any form of parameters of being sued from you choosing to watch and having medical conditions such as phobias or spasms. No animals were harmed during filming by any parties that we know of and edited post production. Safety first. Got a dad joke; leave your best in the comments. I'm looking for the next victim of an episode or a cohost too. Tag people below.
Had an AHA or Insight? Share it:"Master the art of navigating buyer personas and strategic marketing alignment with Nicole Zeno. Gain actionable insights to simplify your marketing strategies effectively.”In this episode of the Business Growth Architect Show we introduce Nicole Zeno, a marketing expert from Clever Cow Media. With her extensive background in entrepreneurship and her passion for connecting businesses with their core audiences, Nicole starts the episode by sharing her unique journey from growing up in an entrepreneurial family to carving her own path in the marketing and business world.She reflects on her early days working in her parents' software web company and how this experience planted the seeds of her entrepreneurial spirit. Nicole moved to Los Angeles, where she worked in the music industry, doing everything from journalism and photography to directing and producing music videos. This period taught her the importance of storytelling and emotional connection, elements she emphasizes are essential in marketing. She emphasizes the overwhelming nature of marketing where business owners and marketing departments face burnout due to the "more is better" philosophy. Nicole introduces the concept of strategic alignment, where your business needs to focus on activities that directly contribute to your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). She walks you through a practical exercise she uses with her clients, encouraging you to envision your business in five years and define clear KPIs that will guide your marketing efforts. Nicole shares a compelling example from her show, "What the Frac," where she discussed fractional executives and the common mistakes they observe in marketing strategies. She highlights the disconnect that often happens when businesses either under or overestimate their marketing needs. Nicole advocates for a data-driven approach to your marketing, where your assumptions are tested, and your strategies are adjusted based on performance. She demystifies the data aspect of marketing, encouraging you to lean into metrics to refine your strategies continually.The episode takes a turn towards the more human aspects of marketing as Nicole discusses alignment of core values and spirituality in business. She argues that your business suffers when your strategies and operations don't align with your core values and the lifestyles of their founders and teams. This misalignment can lead to burnout and a sense of disconnect.Nicole cites an example of a marketing agency founded by two mothers who structured their business around their core value of motherhood, demonstrating how alignment can lead to fulfilling and successful business practices. She emphasizes that authenticity and alignment are increasingly important in marketing, as customers are drawn to brands that resonate with their values and experiences.Resources Mentioned: Website | Instagram_____________________We appreciate you, thank you for listening. Let us know in the comments what resonated in this episode, we want to hear from you. Leave a comment, like, share with one person who needs to hear the message our guest shared. Take our QUIZ and find out what your talent is worth in this market: What's Your Talent Worth (http://WhatsYourTalentWorth.com)Follow us on Instagram:Check us out on Tik Tok: Work With Us
This week we feature an interview with Andrew McMurray from ShearFRAC, focusing on their latest frac optimization technology. Recorded live during day two of HFTC , Andrew discusses the use of high-resolution pressure transducers to guide frac operations, offering insights into maximizing frac surface area and enhancing production efficiency.
Dr. Dustin Jones // #GeriOnICE // www.ptonice.com In today's episode of the PT on ICE Daily Show, join Modern Management of the Older Adult division leader Dustin Jones discusses helping patients better understand their osteoporosis diagnosis, including learning to read a DEXA scan. Dustin also shares tips on discussing prognosis with patients as well as using the data supporting their osteoporosis diagnosis to inform your treatment choices & plan of care development. Take a listen to learn how to better serve this population of patients & athletes, or check out the full show notes on our blog at www.ptonice.com/blog. If you're looking to learn more about live courses designed to better serve older adults in physical therapy or our online physical therapy courses, check our entire list of continuing education courses for physical therapy including our physical therapy certifications by checking out our website. Don't forget about all of our FREE eBooks, prebuilt workshops, free CEUs, and other physical therapy continuing education on our Resources tab. EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION INTRODUCTIONHey everybody, Alan here, Chief Operating Officer at ICE. Thanks for listening to the PT on ICE Daily Show. Before we jump into today's episode, let's give a big shout out to our show sponsor, Jane, an online clinic management software and EMR. The Jane team understands that getting started with new software can be overwhelming, but they want you to know that you're not alone. To ensure the onboarding process goes smoothly, Jane offers free data imports, personalized calls to set up your account, and unlimited phone, email, and chat support. With a transparent monthly subscription, you'll never be locked into a contract with Jane. If you're interested in learning more about Jane, or you want to book a personalized demo, head on over to jane.app.switch. And if you do decide to make the switch, don't forget to use our code ICEPT1MO at sign up to receive a one month free grace period on your new Jane account. DUSTIN JONESWhat's up team? Dustin Jones here. You are listening to the PT on Ice daily show brought to you by the Institute of Clinical Excellence. Today we're talking about osteoporosis diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. This is a big topic that so many of the folks, older adults that we work with, they will receive this diagnosis or have this discussed with them. And a lot of times it's not given a lot of context or they don't have full understanding of what this really means for them and what they can do about it. Most importantly, what they can do about it. All right, so let's get into this. OSTEOPOROSIS: DIAGNOSIS We'll start with the diagnosis piece, just really defining what is osteoporosis and then spend a little bit more time on the prognosis side of things and the treatment because I feel like that's where we have a lot of opportunity to really serve our folks well. So osteoporosis, we're going to review, go all the way back to your formal training when you learn some of these numbers. that we may have forgotten, all right? So when someone is, when that conversation of bone mineral density starts to come into play, usually it's for postmenopausal women or males over 50 years old, start to look at bone mineral density. And the way that we can measure, objectively measure bone mineral density is through a DEXA scan. You'll see that D-X-A or D-E-X-A, that's Dual Energy X-Ray Absorbed Geometry or DEXA. This is the reason why everyone calls it that. So you're basically looking at bone mineral density. And if for individuals that are over that kind of 65 year range, you're going to get a score. That score is going to be a T score. And so we're taking the measurement of the minerals in the bone in a certain area and comparing that to same sex and race norms for a younger population. So we're comparing it to a younger cohort, and that's where you'll get those T-scores. And so based on those T-scores, you will get maybe something from 0 to negative 1, and that is considered to be normal and healthy. Then that negative 1 to negative 2.5 is that osteopenic range or osteopenia which means the bones are a little bit weaker but not full-blown osteoporosis just yet and then below negative 2.5 and below they will receive that osteoporosis diagnosis. Typically, along with the DEXA scan, a physician is doing a FRAX screen. This measures the 10-year risk of having a fracture. There's some different lifestyle questions and it'll basically spit out a percentage of likelihood that that individual is going to have a fracture within the next 10 years. And so those two pieces of information really formulate the, or someone giving a diagnosis, but then also the treatment that follows. And then based on those T-score readings, as well as the FRAC score, the pathways are typically, there's gonna be some pharmacology involved, right? Whether we're preventing bone resorption or really encouraging more bone formation and remodeling. And then they're typically going to give some blanket generic recommendation of exercise of weight bearing exercise. All right. Now, the tough part about this diagnosis, it can come from a whole host of different providers. So you can see primary care physicians, you know, kind of leading the charge of, you know, looking into bone mineral density. Internists can as well. Orthopedic physicians can as well. And so there will be different doctors that will be kind of looking into bone mineral density. And then they will often refer out to someone like an endocrinologist, for example, for further treatment and so there's a lot of people kind of involved talking about this and what at least I have seen is that this has been a topic that has been brought up and a lot of fear has been revolving around this topic but not a ton of guidance of what it really means day to day to really influence bone mineral density beyond taking that pill and you know quote-unquote weight-bearing activities. I've just worked with so many people that did not understand that diagnosis and what it actually meant. So just understand that. I'm not saying that always happens, but in a lot of the folks that I work with, that is typically the case. OSTEOPOROSIS: DIAGNOSIS So they're given this diagnosis and now let's talk about the prognosis. In particular, what I want to speak to is the opportunity to really dive in to the DEXA scan that our patients receive. And I'm not saying it is our place to kind of give a medical prognosis per se. Well, I guess when I'm saying prognosis is what can they expect going forward and to give them context of that diagnosis. So I'm mainly working the context of fitness now at Stronger Life in Lexington, Kentucky, and it's a gym for folks only over 55. And we're about four years old now, and so over the past four years, we've had a lot of members that have had at least a couple DEXA scans at this point. And so I'll put a field out for folks to send me some of their DEXA scans, and this is something that, these are conversations I'll typically have with folks anyway, once they get their DEXA scan. This is something I want you all to do. I want you to ask some of your folks that have osteoporosis on their, you know, their chart, their diagnosis list. Say, Hey, can I see your DEXA scan? Or, you know, if you're in a medical system, look up their DEXA scan, because it's really interesting. And you start to look at a lot of these reports and you'll have some of them that are more kind of narrative based, um, that, you know, are basically just several paragraphs kind of outlining, um, you know, what to expect, what they found, something more along the lines of, a bunch of words if you're not watching I'm just holding up some of these DEXA scans but more narrative but then a lot of them will actually have graphs of T-scores when they had that DEXA scan and where. So the most common areas are going to be the lumbar spine, the neck of both femurs, bilateral femurs, and then they'll kind of zoom out a little bit and look at the total hip as well. And so get those DEXA scans and look at some of those numbers. And when you start to look, what you're often going to find is variation amongst the different sites. So you can have individuals that may have that negative below negative 2.5, negative 2.5 or below, let's say at the neck of the left femur, for example. And then the neck of the right femur may be negative 1.7, osteopenic. The lumbar spine may be negative 1.5, for example, osteopenic. And so technically that person has osteoporosis on the left, on the left side, right? The right and the lumbar spine does not have osteoporosis, osteopenic, still a concern, right? But not as bad as that left side. That message is often missed by many of our patients. Now, I believe they're getting that message, you know, when they are getting these reports and having conversations with some of the physicians, but they're probably getting all kinds of recommendations. They're getting that diagnosed and all kinds of things that, you know, we only may only hear half of what is actually being said. But a lot of folks I work with, they will receive that diagnosis of osteoporosis that in reality is only in their lumbar spine, for example. and they will take that and own it as if every single bone in their body is brittle and about to combust under any type of pressure or load. They embrace that diagnosis as it's this global systemic osteoporosis. Every single bone I have is tremendously weak without acknowledging that there's some variability in different areas of the body. That piece of information for folks can be really eye-opening and very empowering. Oh my gosh, are you saying that I only really have this in this particular area of my body and not everywhere else? That's a sense of relief for a lot of folks. A lot of folks will take this diagnosis and view it as almost like a death sentence. everything. I am so weak. I'm so fragile. I need to be very careful. I'm going to break something, any bone I need to be very, very concerned about. Right. And that's not necessarily what's happening. It's usually in kind of one, maybe two areas that are a concern, particularly folks that are initially receiving these DEXA scans. And the cool thing about where I'm at now, working with folks for over four years, this individual, she's had a DEXA scan every two years. She was on a negative slope, negative three in 2017, negative 3.1 in 2019, negative 3.4 in 2022, and her most recent scan a couple months ago was negative 2.8. This is at her lumbar spine. and when you are able to give context to the diagnosis but then also be able to see over time you'll be able to spot trends and then hopefully be able to potentially reverse trends or slow down trends and we're seeing this at Stronger Life and I know many of y'all don't have the luxury of working with folks consistently you know three times a week over the course of several years but man if we can apply some of the interventions I'm going to talk about here in a second over the course of years you can have a significant influence in a lot of these DEXA scan readings and we're definitely seeing that and you can too. But I think that conversation, the prognosis, them understanding the diagnosis, where in particular that may be, that they understand every single bone in my body is not going to combust under pressure. This particular area may be more concerned, but I'm doing okay in these other areas. It's really good for them to hear that and that can be a more empowering message. OSTEOPOROSIS: TREATMENT Now the most important thing I think is that we take the information from this DEXA scan and then we use it in our plans of care. And so if I have someone that has maybe normal osteopenic in terms of the DEXA scan in their bilateral femurs, neck of their femurs, but then they're kind of borderline osteoporosis in their lumbar spine, for example, as a physical therapist, That gives me something that I can focus on, that I can give targeted interventions to give specific forces and stressors to that area in a very progressive manner, keep in mind, to stimulate a change in that bone mineral density or increase the odds that we can see change in their bone mineral density. So we take that information, use it for our plan of care. Some folks, you may be focused, all right, this left hip, let's load up this left hip a little bit more, do some unilateral stuff, staggered stance type things, not neglecting the other side per se, but if there's a big difference, we may want to give preference to one side or the other. If it's a spine, lots of loaded carries, deadlifts, those types of things where we're getting that axial compression, getting those forces through the spine. We can give target interventions. that's gonna encourage those bones to remodel, to get stronger, or potentially slow down, decline. So we take that information and take it into our intervention piece. Now for the intervention piece, you know, this is a 15, 20 minute podcast. We have a whole week on this in our NYA Level 2 course. But what you need to know is there are three things that are really, really important if osteoporosis is on board. One is balance training. This doesn't directly impact bone mineral density, but if we're able to improve people's balance capacity, I would even go as far to say their fall capacity as well. Do they know how to land? Do they have the balance capacity to even prevent the fall? That whole conversation of falls prevention and falls preparedness that we speak to, particularly in our live course, is really helpful for these individuals. Because if we can prevent a fall or even teach people how to fall in a more efficient or safer manner, you can potentially prevent an injurious fall or an osteoporotic-related fracture. So that's the first thing. Second thing is progressive resistance training. Bones really like progressive resistance training, where we're working up to relatively higher percentages of a one rep max, 70, 80, 85%. We're not going to come out the gate hitting that, but it'll take some time. But there's some really promising studies showing that, man, if people are able to regularly train at those higher intensities, they get really strong. They improve in a lot of the functional outcome measures that we care a lot about, but also their bone mineral density as well. Lyftmore trial is a great example of one group that's been able to show that. And then probably one of the more neglected things that we can definitely implement that can be intimidating for a lot of folks, but I found a lot very empowering for patients once they're able to do these things, and that is impact training. Weight-bearing as well. Loading the bones, but really thinking about the rate of loading. Progressive resistance training puts a ton of force, a bunch of load through that skeletal system that gets really good results. But bone can also respond really well to rapid loading. So think like plyometrics, stomping, heel stomps. step-ups, maybe a plyometric push-up, for example, or a quick bearing of weight through the upper extremities, something along those lines, where we're getting those increased ground reaction forces, we're getting those impact that can give the bones a signal to remodel. You take balance training, you take falls preparedness, sprinkle in some progressive resistance training, and then sprinkle in some of that impact training, and you stretch that out over years, And I will put my money that you're going to see some solid results when your patient comes back and says, Oh my gosh, Alan, look at my DEXA scan I just got. Remember the previous year, about a couple of years ago is like right when we started working together. And then man, I just had this DEXA scan and I've reversed my osteoporosis. We've seen that. Not to say it's going to happen every time, but people have the capacity to change and we often don't perceive that with this particular diagnosis. It is not a death sentence. There's a lot we can do. So understand the diagnosis, but then also understand that prognosis and give your patients context. Get that DEXA scan, look at it, analyze it. It's going to give you a lot of helpful information that they may not have comprehended and it can ease their mind of a lot of concern and worry, but it can also give them, something that they know they can do. And we can take that information and give a targeted intervention to a particular area that may be more troublesome than others. But man, if we combine that balance training, falls preparedness, progressive resistance training, and impact training with folks over a long duration of time, we can see some really significant results. All right, y'all. I appreciate y'all taking the time to listen. Let me know if you have any thoughts, questions, or your experiences working with folks. I do want to make sure I'm not saying everyone's going to get better. Everyone's going to improve their bone metal density. That is not the case. But man, if we can try without causing more harm, I think that's a good thing to pursue. And oftentimes, we can see some improvement. SUMMARY Before I go, I do want to mention our MMOA courses. I already mentioned that level 2 where we talk a lot about osteoporosis. Our online level 1 course is starting May 15th. Our level 2 course is starting May 16th. These are both 8 weeks long, about 2 hours a week, so you'll get 16 CEUs for PT, OT. and we equip you all to be the go-to clinician to best serve older adults in your community. It's likely gonna make you a very, very busy clinician serving these folks. And then our live course, we're gonna be in Bismarck, North Dakota, in Richmond, Virginia on May 18th and 19th. I'm gonna be in Scottsdale, Arizona, the beginning of June 1st and 2nd, and then we'll be in Spring, Texas, June 8th and 9th. We'd love to see y'all on the road or see y'all online. Y'all have a lovely rest of your Wednesday and go check out those Texas games. See y'all! OUTRO Hey, thanks for tuning in to the PT on Ice daily show. If you enjoyed this content, head on over to iTunes and leave us a review, and be sure to check us out on Facebook and Instagram at the Institute of Clinical Excellence. If you're interested in getting plugged into more ice content on a weekly basis while earning CUs from home, check out our virtual ice online mentorship program at ptonice.com. While you're there, sign up for our Hump Day Hustling newsletter for a free email every Wednesday morning with our top five research articles and social media posts that we think are worth reading. Head over to ptonice.com and scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up.
SummaryJake Stahl is a fractional CLO and a corporate escapee who helps companies onboard and train their salespeople. He also provides coaching on neurolinguistic programming to help salespeople and executives overcome mental blocks. He shares his journey of leaving the corporate world and transitioning into consulting and fractional work. Jake emphasizes the need to reframe the concept of fractional roles and highlights the importance of networking and building relationships for finding clients. The importance of referrals and targeted outreach in building relationships and generating business. The power of asking questions and showing genuine interest in others. The value of serving and adding value before selling. The benefits of referring clients to others when it's not in your lane. The approach to pricing as a fractional professional. An overview of Frac 2024, a conference dedicated to fractionals.Links:Jake Stahl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakestahl/ Jake's Website: https://jakestahlconsulting.com/FRAK 2024: https://fractionalconference.com/ TakeawaysFractional roles are valuable in helping companies onboard and train their salespeople.Coaching on neurolinguistic programming can help salespeople and executives overcome mental blocks.Networking and building relationships are crucial for finding clients in the fractional space.Reframing the concept of fractional roles can help organizations understand the value they provide. Referrals and targeted outreach are crucial in building relationships and generating business.Asking questions and showing genuine interest in others can lead to stronger connections and opportunities.Serving and adding value before selling can build trust and loyalty with potential clients.Referring clients to others when it's not in your lane can create value and strengthen relationships.Pricing as a fractional professional should be based on the value you provide and should not be discounted.Frac 2024 is a conference dedicated to fractionals, providing networking and learning opportunities for professionals in the industry.Sound Bites"I help salespeople and executives get past those mental blocks.""Frac Conference is one of the only conferences dedicated strictly to the Fractional Executive.""The referral is so important and maybe some super targeted outreach.""The secret weapon is really just getting them to ask you.""Don't tell them what you do. Because eventually if you serve them enough and you ask them enough questions and show interest, they're going to come back to you."
Welcome back to The Gun Collective podcast. This week, our host Jon Patton is talking with Travis White, CEO of Firearms Regulator Accountability Coalition aka FRAC. Please support our sponsors Blackout Coffee and Vertx! https://www.blackoutcoffee.com/TGC – use TGC for a discount! https://www.vertx.com – use code TGC for at least 15% off! For Show Notes and […] The post The Gun Collective Podcast 127 – Flanking the ATF appeared first on Firearms Radio Network.