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Send us Fan MailIn preparation for season 18 we are rerunning a few of our older episodes that have either been remade or are remakes themselves. This episode is four years old. Next week we'll reurn our coverage of the MC remake. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE & THE TRAIN OG SHOW NOTES:John Frankenheimer (1930-2002) was one of the hardest working A-list directors of his generation. From early work at the forefront of the golden age of live TV to a series of classic films in the 1960s, he continued working through the 1970s and 1980s with up-and-down box office success, box office disappointments, some head-scratchers and a much-diminished star in the auteur pantheon he once seemed poised to be a permanent addition. Then a surprising return to TV in the early 90s made him a multi-Emmy-winning  wunderkind in his 60s and led to one last masterpiece in his return to the big screen (which we watch next episode). Co-host Ken chose Frankenheimer for his 4x4 director and chose the four films we'd watch and why. Anything missing, blame Ken.   PART ONEThe Manchurian Candidate (1962) and The Train (1964) start our 4xFrankenheimers off with a bang or two.The Manchurian Candidate was a feature Frankenheimer was deeply involved with from the get-go and his still-startling visuals resonate sixty years later.  That brainwashing sequence! The press conference! The deep focus! The kiss! It's all so impossibly good. Generally regarded as his masterpiece, our next feature may have a word or two about that.The Train was a film Frankenheimer was brought into late, after its original director was fired following the first day of shooting (harsh). Frankenheimer reworked the script considerably and designed an action movie of such uniquely powerful verisimilitude, it stands as a towering achievement as the best black and white action movie ever made (according to Ken, who won't shut up about this movie).Ken, Jack and Thomas all bring their A game this week (sorry, other weeks) in one of the best pairing we've ever had on the pod! THEME SONG(S) BY: WEIRD A.I.Email: thegoodthepodandtheugly@gmail.comFacebook: https://m.facebook.com/TGTPTUInstagram: https://instagram.com/thegoodthepodandtheugly?igshid=um92md09kjg0Bluesky: @goodpodugly.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6mI2plrgJu-TB95bbJCW-gLetterboxd (follow us!):Podcast: goodpoduglyKen: Ken KoralRyan: Ryan Tobias

Question: In Hot Weather, How Much Time Do You Have to Process Your Deer? Answer: Like all good questions, it depends. Generally, the faster you can break down an animal and get it cold, the better. In hot weather, you should prepare ahead of time so you don't risk meat spoilage. While “hot” might be relative to your geographical location, anything above 40 degrees requires special care. Temps above 70 demand expediency. Anything above 90, every...

God Empowers the Weak (4) (audio) David Eells, 9/16/26  Now this question comes up often from people who are learning to walk by faith. What about when you know you're healed, and you're confessing you're healed, but the symptoms remain? In other words, let's say you have a rash. You know you're healed, but the rash persists for days and weeks and months. Well, what I would examine is, first of all, have you confessed your sins? Is anything in the way? If there's something in the way, you'll know it. You don't have to do a lot of introspection; you don't have to examine your life and all that. If there's something in your life, you're going to know it already. God will show it to you. Get that out of the way first. Once you get that out of the way, our job is to believe in what we know of the promises, not what we see. That's what faith is. God's job is to manifest it, and He will. He will not fail. If we believe and we walk the walk of faith, He will manifest it. I'm not going to say He's going to do it right away because there would be no such thing as a trial of your faith if He did it right away every time. We don't take care of God's job. Our job is to believe and exercise the faith. That is our part of the Covenant. God's part was done at the cross and it will manifest in you. Exercise the faith and let Him take care of it. He will. He will never fail, although sometimes you may have to walk it out in faith for a while. Some people think because it's not manifested right away, God didn't hear it, but that's just not true. There have been some things I've had to walk out for a long time before I saw the answer. This is why we're studying the Scriptures. We need to be convinced that Jesus is the same today (Hebrews 13:8) and we have to be consistent in saying, “Yes, I am healed.” (Jas.1:2) Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold trials (or “temptations”; it's the same word); knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. So you see that if your faith has to be proven, then the healing is not going to manifest right away. In times when God is teaching patience, it's something that's not going to manifest right away. Some wonder will He be on time. Don't be double minded; make your faith pure. 've received some things right away, immediately. They were immediate manifestations. At other times, the more I walked it out, the more my faith grew and the more the answer came. Have you ever had that happen? It happened to Abraham. Hebrews 11 talks about the faith of Abraham. Well, let me tell you, he didn't start out that way, believing for his son, did he? And he even laughed, too, didn't he? He sure did. Not only Sarah laughed, but he laughed. And they had their Ishmael too (Genesis 16:15), too. This was because he wasn't walking in faith but works. He grew from that point. The Bible says that “he waxed strong through faith” (Rom.4:20), which means he became strong through faith. He did not start out there. There are some things that the Lord worked patience in me to believe God for. Just know He won't fail.  The devil will try to get us to walk by what we see and feel. Remember the motorcycle wreck that my wife was in? We were just learning faith. She had already received some surgery, and there were some problems and some complications and the doctors wanted to schedule another surgery. It was during that time that we really came before the Lord, sought healing and got prayed for. Since our insurance didn't cover the planned next surgery for a certain time period, the doctor had her on medication, painkillers, and antibiotics while we were waiting for the date when we could do the next surgery. But Mary threw the medicine away because that was when we came to the Lord. And after that, she forgot about it. Then there was a day she was going to take our little girl shopping and get some things she needed since she was starting school. So she planned to go shopping, but when she got up that morning, there were all those symptoms again. And she just started rebuking and praying all that day and saying, “I don't accept it; I was healed at Calvary.” (I also was doing warfare.) She said, “I'm not taking this back on me.” And when she went to record the checks that she had written, she saw the date on the calendar was when she was supposed to go in for another examination because the doctor was going to schedule the second surgery. It was only that one day when the symptoms came back, and then after that, they were gone. It's like the devil was trying one last chance to convince her to walk by what she saw and felt and return to the doctor.  The real problem in receiving healing is that God's people don't walk by faith. Yes, there are gifts of faith, and I've had gifts of faith before, but what I'm talking about to you here is not a gift of faith. Do you know what a gift of faith is? It's when your whole consciousness is convinced, when you are convinced and you're not wrestling with your flesh. It's a gift that overwhelms your flesh. But waiting for a gift of faith won't always work for you, where walking by faith will always work. About 90% of the people who look for healing through a gift of faith wind up the same way they started. But we know that the Lord is no respecter of persons. If we exercise faith, God will meet us by meeting our need. The problem with expecting healing only through the gift is you can't count on it because you never know when the gift is going to manifest and when it isn't.  But faith always works, if you exercise it. I've prayed over people before and seen instantaneous miracles. Then they'd walk away from there and the devil would convince them of what they saw and what they felt and they'd fall right back into their illness. That is because God expects us to walk by faith. A baby Christian may go into a church and people will pray over them and see an instantaneous miracle, where people who have been in the Lord for 40 or 50 years at that same church go down to the altar over and over to get prayed for but, you know what? There comes a time when God expects you to exercise your faith. For a baby in a crib, everything is spoon-fed. You're not expecting anything from him; you just give it to him. Once you've been in the Lord for a while, if you don't abide in the things that are written and you don't ever exercise your faith, you'll stay a baby; you'll just be a baby with a beard. Remember Brother Bolivar's vision of babies with beards? They were old in the Lord but they hadn't grown in Him. God expects us to use our faith and, if we don't use it, we're going to get into trouble. He'll push you out in that wilderness where your salvation is going to come from Heaven or you'll die in the wilderness. There are a lot of people who are dead in the wilderness because they went out into the wilderness and they wouldn't trust in the salvation that comes from God. They kept wanting to run back to Egypt. Well, you can't always trust Egypt's salvation, because it's not always there. I'll give you two good examples of how there's always a curse in trusting in the arm of the flesh (Jeremiah 17:5). My daddy smoked for 50 or 60 years; I don't know exactly. He had a lung removed and the doctors started giving him some Cortisone to try to get more oxygen into the lung he had left, but Cortisone destroys the muscles. The muscles just turn to mush. Well, you know, the funny thing is, when they did this, he had to have an examination. So he went to a doctor he really respected and this doctor said, “Mr. Eells, there's one thing you'll never die of. You have the heart of a much younger man and you'll never die of a heart attack.” You know what happened? He started taking that stuff and a month later he had a massive heart attack. The heart is a muscle. It's never a good trade-off, ever.  It wasn't for my momma. My momma was taking a medicine for many years that she thought was good for some kind of psychiatric thing and one day she got to looking in this Reader's Digest Side Effects of Medicine and the two side effects of this medicine were breast cancer and glaucoma. She had them both. Is that a good trade-off?  Trusting in the arm of the flesh is cursed. The Bible says you're cursed. Don't think you can get out of it. Don't think you can keep running back to Egypt. God will push you out into that wilderness, where your salvation must come from Heaven. Water comes out of a rock in the wilderness. That's not normally where it comes from. Manna came out of the sky in the wilderness; it didn't come out there to them by way of boxcars from Egypt. Well, there's a price to be paid if you get salvation from Egypt – a big price. A friend of mine out at the plant went to Fatima and he was healed of cancer. And I have to admit to you, I don't know where the line is. I do know that God is weak to the weak. If you believe, I don't care how you're convinced. If you believe that if I anoint you with oil that you'll be healed, then you'll be healed. You know what Jesus said? (Mat.9:29) According to your faith be it done unto you. Some people believe in just the laying on of hands, and some people believe you have to have the oil. I don't care what you believe. Whatever will help your faith, do it and accept it. Let me give you an example. A sister who lived next door to me when I lived in Louisiana and asked God to fill some of her teeth. She wanted God to put a filling in her teeth. You know what? God did that. He put a filling in her teeth. Now, I had a really bad cavity over the top of two of my molars. I could shove my fingernail up in there on top of it. I could feel it with my tongue. I rebuked that thing and commanded it to be healed in the name of Jesus. You know what God did? He healed those two molars. He didn't put a filling in there. He healed them. He put the tooth enamel back in there. According to Jesus, “be it done unto you according to your faith.”  God is weak to the weak. Many times He'll meet you where you are. If you have faith that when a particular person prays for you, you'll get healed, then go to that person. If you have faith, by all means go because, if that helps your faith, go do it. But if you have faith to be healed by just staying home and confessing it, then do that. “Be it done unto you according to your faith.” What I'm trying to tell you here is something that is consistent. I believe there are some famous men who have gifts of healing. I think they're doing some things that aren't right, but I believe they have some gifts of healing. But what I'm telling you always works. It always works because the Word of God says it always works, not because of my experience. Baby Christians can go in there to one of their services and get healing, but when they start growing a little bit, it's going to take two to agree (Matthew 18:19). They're going to have to go down there with faith and have somebody to pray the prayer of faith over them to get it because, you see, “to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required” (Luk 12:48).  The more you continue to walk with God, the more He expects you not to behave as a child who keeps falling and getting up, but to grow and get up and stay standing and to walk out your faith. So that's why I believe a lot of people aren't getting their healing. The people of God are not being taught faith. They're not being taught that you can trust God. You see, if you think that God's a “maybe” God, that “maybe He will,” “maybe He won't,” you never know whether He will or whether He won't, and then you'll never exercise faith. You have to be convinced it's God's Will to heal you before you can get healed because the only way you can exercise faith is to believe you have received. It works consistently, every time. There's one thing I know of that can get in the way of having faith and receiving and that's willful rebellion. (Heb.10:26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, (27) but a certain fearful expectation of judgment…. So a person who walks in willful rebellion is not walking under the blood; they are walking in a place where they're going to get a chastening, and there isn't anything you can do for that person until they repent. In fact, the Bible says don't pray for them for life (1 John 5:16). Don't pray for them for life. You know, you have to pray for people to repent. Sometimes people have to repent, or they're not going to get what they need from God. What about if you come upon an accident, like the time I told you about with the wreck on the bridge, where the man was bleeding out his lung blood and was unconscious? What if the person you would be praying for is a stranger and they might even be an atheist? Would God still heal them? Well, you know, there is such a thing as being led by the Spirit. That's what happened to me with the wreck on the bridge. I knelt down there and prayed over him and God healed him. That will happen in every case where you're led by the Spirit of God.  You see, you can always depend on the Word of God, but when you're getting outside of what you know is your foundation in the Word, like, for instance, the children's bread. If you get outside of something that you know is your foundation in the Word, you have to be led by the Spirit. There was this doctrine going around years ago that you had to get a rhema from God before you could receive. You had to hear God talk to you out of Heaven and say, “Hey, you're healed,” before you could believe that by His stripes, you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). That's hogwash. Don't ever believe that. Every time you believe any Scripture verse, it's a rhema straight from God to you. The problem is, are you humble to what that verse says? If you're humble to what that says, that's a Word for you. I believe God wants so much to teach you the ways of faith and that you step out in that faith and lay hands on some that God might heal them. They may not keep it because they are not walking under the blood, but He may let you do it for many reasons. He may let you do it in order to exercise your faith, to show you that faith works, to show them that faith works, to be a witness. So He may do it even if they won't be able to keep it. You cannot go beyond the principles of the Word of God with your faith. People try all the time and they fail. The Bible says the devil comes immediately to steal the seed which has been sown in their hearts (Matthew 13:19). You know, when you get a healing from God, the devil is going to come and try to steal that. He is going to come and try to convince you by your feelings and by using symptoms. The devil is a minister of symptoms, you see; he manipulates the physical realm.  That's why God wants you to walk by faith, because the devil can't manipulate what the Word of God says but he tries to deceive you. He'll put questions in your mind to get you to doubt the Word. But he manipulates the physical realm. He tries to get you to walk by sight and not by faith. He can make you feel things, but that feeling can go away immediately when you stand firm on the Word of God. That's the reason we have to have our spiritual senses exercised to know what's right and wrong (Hebrews 5:14). We have to have spiritual eyes; we have to have spiritual ears. We have to see and hear what the Word says and ignore everything else.  Jesus did that. Jesus would have looked like a fool and He knew it, if He had said some of those things He did and God didn't answer. But you know what? God is not going to let that happen. God never lets that happen. I'm saying that sometimes you may not be in the perfect Will of God, but God is so interested in teaching you faith, in teaching you that it's working, in teaching you that you can trust in Him, that He will manifest that healing. It's up to us to keep what God's given us because the devil is going to come and try to steal it. When I see something like that in someone, I'm in prayer. It may not come out of my mouth, but I am thinking, and I am praying, and I'm asking, “Lord, do you want me to do something? Will You permit me to do something?” Maybe you don't know if this person is a Christian; maybe you don't know if they have a right to God's blessings. Maybe you don't know if they have a right to the Covenant. Pray. Ask God. God can show you what you don't see and what you don't know. The principles of God are to lead us to know in this conscious realm, but the Lord sees what we don't see, and He can lead us to do something that we would think would be contrary.  I love to pray for baby Christians because God's grace is upon their innocence. I tell you, you will see the best results. Christians in this country are so worldly; they're always running after the world and not truly interested in growing in the things of God. They can be so double-minded. There was this girl in a mission when I lived in Pensacola, and I tell you, this miracle that happened really stuck with me; it was so wonderful. Well, she had come to the Lord at the mission. She'd just got saved, and another minister and I were ministering to her, and we prayed for her to receive the Holy Spirit. I'll tell you, she just got filled with the Holy Spirit. She was really a very quiet little girl, but there she was, just jumping around and praising God. Oh, it was really just wonderful! See, what had happened to this girl was she had been raped by a friend of her husband. She feared what he might do if he found out. She had tried different methods to abort the child. Then she went down to the public health clinic, they checked her out with the sonogram and with the heartbeat monitor and they told her, “The baby's dead; you need to have a D&C.”  Well, she was supposed to go back and do that, but meanwhile, she came to this mission when I was preaching and got saved. And when she got saved, we prayed for her to receive the Holy Spirit. And I felt to ask her, “Is there anybody whom you have not forgiven?” She said, “Yes, I have never forgiven this doctor whom I felt aborted one of my children purposely with drugs.” I said, “Wow! You just did the same thing. You're judging him for something, but you just did the same thing; you just killed your baby.” And I said, “Don't you see, you have to forgive that man.” So she did. She prayed the prayer and asked God to forgive him, and she prayed for his soul and asked God to save him. Then I just felt inside; there wasn't any booming sensation or anything, but I just felt led, and I told her, “Well, I don't see any reason God can't resurrect your baby right now because you're a new creature.” She was a born-again Christian that day, filled with the Holy Spirit, and not guilty of the thing that the person the day before was guilty of.  When I said this to the girl, the room cleared out. Everybody left the room, following the preacher. They just went right out the door. Then I called my wife to come over to lay hands on the girl's abdomen, and I commanded the spirit of life to come back into this baby. Then I also gave her a few little exhortations, such as, “Now faith works like this. When you pray, you believe you have received and you shall have it.” I gave her a few more words of faith. Then I walked out into the hall, and the preacher grabbed me by the arm leading me into the next room and closed the door, and they were all in there. And he said to me, “Listen, God's not going to do that for that girl. She killed that baby.” But I said, “Well, please don't try to destroy my faith. I believe He'll do it. I really don't believe you understand grace. She is a new creation and is not guilty. That's where my faith is.” And I opened the door and left them all in the room. So the girl called me the next day and told me, “Nobody over here will take me down to the health unit.” I said, “Well, I'll come take you down there,” and I went and picked her up. And while we were going, I preached faith all the way down there. I said, “Now listen, you remember what the Word of God says, that when you pray, believe you have received and you shall have it.” She was just a simple-minded baby Christian, full of the Holy Spirit, and she said, “Okay.” When we got to the public health clinic, she went in there, and she said, “I want y'all to check me again,” so they did. They put the heartbeat monitor on her, and they put her on the sonogram and there was no life signs. And the technician said, “Well, ma'am, you're going to have to have a D&C. This is over three days and you're going to be blood poisoned. You have to get a D&C.” But she said, “I don't accept that. I just don't accept that.” And when she said that, that heartbeat monitor kicked on, the baby's heart started pumping and the baby started moving all around. That unbelieving technician looked at that, and he said, “That's a miracle!” And her baby was born, and it was the baby of her common-law husband; it wasn't the one she thought it was when she was raped by this other man who was of a different race. Here's a baby Christian who said, “I don't accept that.” Why didn't she accept it? Because it was not what the Word of God said. We don't have to accept the curse when the Word of God says differently. We'll get out of a lot just by not accepting the curse. And her faith is supposed to keep growing from that day on. She's supposed to be maturing in her faith. That's what all Christians are supposed to do. (1Ti.6:12) Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal…. This is continual warfare. If you don't fight, you don't win. In fact, if you don't fight, you lose. We're here to bear fruit. We're here to bear the fruit of Jesus. We're here to walk the steps of Jesus. (1Jn.4:17) … As he is, even so are we in this world. We are here to do the work of God. And let me say that it doesn't stop with salvation of your spirit, nor salvation of your soul, nor salvation of your body. It doesn't stop until it gives you salvation in all of your circumstances.  Anything around you that has to do with your life that's part of the curse, the Scripture says you were saved from that by Christ. (Gal.3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. He became accursed for us. When you go to Deuteronomy 28 and read the curse, you see that most of the curse is circumstances surrounding a person's life. We are saved from circumstances. When you get into detrimental circumstances that are a part of the curse and you remember that you've been saved from that, you can exercise your faith, and you can change it. Did you know that? You can change it so repent and believe. Sometimes it may not look like anything that's all that important. For example, your grass might have a blight on it; it doesn't have to be that important. I found out God wants to do something just because you're exercising your faith. God will even heal animals.  As a matter of fact, He heals animals more quickly than He heals humans because there's no faith necessary from the animal; it's only you who has to have the faith. Your faith counts. God heals animals, and I've seen Him raise them from the dead. I've seen Him heal their bones. The only thing is, don't do what I did one day and call an unbelieving Christian over there to agree with you because that's the last thing you want to do. I did it one day. Now we've had many dogs healed; their bones and legs healed. We prayed over them and God would heal them. We even found a bunch of puppies that were frozen solid and God resurrected them from the dead. There was this old dog; you could just tell it was a “Christian” dog. It had such a good spirit. Have you ever seen a good spirit in an animal? This old dog was out in the road right in front of our house, and it had a broken back. I went out there and carried that old dog over into our shed. Then I saw my neighbor come up to me, and I said, “Hey, come on over here and help me pray for this animal.” But, you know what? As I was saying, “Hey, come on,” the Lord said, “Don't do that! Don't do that.” But he was already at the shed. And when he got there, I just said, “Well, we need to pray for this animal that God will restore his back.” I've seen God heal lots of animals, but it didn't always happen immediately. Let me tell you, the next morning that guy went out there and shot that dog. And I thought that's why the Lord said, “don't do that.” We see in Scripture that when Jesus went in to pray for people, He only brought certain people into the room with Him and put other people out of the room, according to their faith (Mark 5:40). He doesn't want to honor anybody's unbelief. He doesn't want people around who are agreeing with you but are unbelieving because they're going to get in the way. I tell you, I have come to not like the term “Christian.” I like the terms that they used in the Scriptures. I like “believers,” and I like that they called it “the way.” It was the pagans who used the term “Christian,” but I don't like the term because it doesn't truly identify people correctly. The thing that identifies people should be, “Are you a believer?” It's the whole thing that keeps you in the Covenant. In fact, you're going to be broken off from the vine if you don't abide in faith (Romans 11:22). The Jews were broken off because they fell into unbelief. Paul says, “and they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again” (Rom.11:23). You're out or you're in, according to faith. It doesn't have anything to do with a label that's called “Christian.” This is doing God a disservice. What identifies us as God's children is faith. If you lose your faith and start walking in the ways of the world, believe me, that's not going to save you. That's what the Lord taught me when I was a young Christian. I was going through the hospitals, and I would let the Lord guide me to go through the doors. I started asking people, “Are you a Christian?” And, guess what? They all said, “Yes.” So that just did not work very well, and I had to start figuring out better ways to ask people. I'd ask them, “Well, look, was there ever a time in your life when you just really turned your heart to God and you decided you wanted to please Him and you had a hunger for God?” I'd try to identify people that way.  Anyway, here's another good example of sozo in circumstances. (Mat.8:23) And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him. (24) And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. (25) And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save (that's the same word, sozo), Lord; we perish. (26) And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? And in Luke 8:25, He asked, “Where is your faith?” In other words, He was really expecting them to do something. Where is your faith? That was His rebuke. He was saying, “Why don't you do something?” He had given them authority to do this, you see. (Mat.8:26) … Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. (27) And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? This is obviously a sozo that has to do with circumstances around your life. All the curse in Deuteronomy 28 that doesn't have to do with healing, and your nature, has to do with the circumstances around your life. Jesus bore that curse. He became accursed. You can't be much more accursed than what happened to Him on the cross. That was a circumstance. In your circumstances, you have a right to come against the curse because of what Jesus did. We are delivered from the curse. In fact, every sickness and disease is listed in the Bible here: (Deu.28:61) Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. So they're all listed: every sickness, disease and circumstance. Anything detrimental to your life is a part of the curse, but crucifixion, spiritually speaking, is not detrimental to your life. That's not a part of the curse; that's a part of the blessing. We're here to be crucified, so don't get mixed up. Don't mix up the curse with the crucifixion that we go through in life. We're here to turn the other cheek, for instance, because God's put people here to come against us. You have to distinguish between the curse and what God's doing through the wicked to bring you to death to self. We're here to die. We have to take up our cross and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). For instance, when Jesus was going to the cross, He made no attempt at deliverance from it. He turned the other cheek (Matthew 5:39; Luke 6:29). He wouldn't defend Himself. He knew He was there to go to the cross. Jesus knew that these men were there to do the Will of God and put Him on the cross. In our lives, too, there are people whom we can't consider a part of the curse. God put them there to put us on our cross. The Bible says, if any man speaks, let him speak as an oracle of God (1 Peter 4:11). What they don't say is what Jesus said. Jesus said, if they slap you on the one cheek, turn the other one (Matthew 5:39; Luke 6:29). He said, “resist not him that is evil” (Mat.5:39). Jesus said that. A lot of churches try to make that into something that you have to obey in the millennium, but why would you need to obey it in the millennium? This doesn't make any sense. No. Jesus gave that to us because when you obey that, you're going to be spiritually crucified. Concerning these circumstances, God has delivered you. Sozo. In circumstances in your life, you are going to be saved, sozo, by grace through faith. And all of this is to show you that “my power is made perfect in weakness” (2Co.12:9). What God really wants from us is to be weak in ourselves. You know, dead men are weak, right? They don't handle things themselves; they're just dead men, and that's the way we have to consider ourselves to be. If you slap a dead man, he just turns the other cheek. (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. Salvation isn't from self; it's from God, and it's by grace and it's through faith (Ephesians 2:8). (Mat.8:23) And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him. (24) And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. (25) And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save, Lord; we perish. (26) And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? (26) … Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. (27) And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? Well, no matter what the wind and the waves are in our life, I believe Jesus would ask the same thing: “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” Generally, we're fearful because we get our eyes on the circumstances, instead of on the Savior. In verse 25, where they said, “Save, Lord,” that's the word sozo. It's the same word they use here: (Eph.2:8) By grace have ye been saved through faith. There is one thing we do have to fear and that is fear itself, because fear is negative faith in the devil and the curse. And when you're in the midst of turmoil, when you're in the midst of circumstances that you need God's salvation in, only faith is going to bring it to you. I believe God wants to take us by the hand and show us some things. Years ago, when I was a baby Christian, I felt, “I am a disciple of Jesus.” And I always felt that Jesus wanted to take me by the hand and guide me and show me how to walk in His Kingdom. Have you ever had that feeling, like the Lord wants to talk to you about circumstances and situations and teach you things? I've had Him say things to me that made me realize that about circumstances. We're not to be moved by circumstances. If you remember, Scripture says, “so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all” (Gal.4:1). So, as long as the servant is in bondage to the principles of the world, he's a child, right? Or, in other words, the child is a servant. But that's not sons. We are here to manifest God's sonship in us, and we're not to be in bondage to the principles of the world. Circumstances shouldn't be able to stop us from doing what we need to do for God.  Whenever circumstances get in our way that seem to be stopping us from doing what we feel is God's Will, we have authority over them. In this case in Matthew, the disciples exercised authority over their circumstances. The disciples never would have thought to do that, but this is what Jesus was doing. He was taking them by the hand, and He was teaching them. He brought them into those circumstances so that they would understand that they weren't to be ruled by the circumstances, nor any other kind of curse, but they were there to change the circumstances. Has God ever done that with you – just taken you by the hand and shown you what to do in the circumstance? Has God ever shown you how to change the circumstance so that you could keep on going and doing God's Will? Understand that God put the disciples in this little lesson He did that with me one time when I was a baby Christian, but it stuck with me. God asked me a question: “Why don't you do this?” It's like, “Well, I could have done it,” but I had to wait for Him to tell me. “Why don't you do this in this circumstance?” Has he ever done that to you? He's done that with me quite a few times. It's like, “Okay, let Me take you by the hand. Let Me show you how to do this. Let Me show you what to do.” Jesus asked, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” Like they naturally and normally wouldn't be fearful in a circumstance like this. If we think naturally, of course, we're going to be fearful in a circumstance like that one. When your eyes see things that are terrible, naturally, you're going to be fearful in a circumstance like that. But Jesus acted as though you weren't supposed to be. “Why are you fearful in this storm and with the boat filling up with water? Why are you fearful? Don't you know I've given you authority?” In fact, in another Gospel, He asked, “where is your faith?” (Luk.8:25), in the same situation. “Where is YOUR faith?” In other words, “Well, why didn't you do something?” And why would Jesus ask that question? He was saying, “Why didn't you take care of this?” God takes us by the hand to show us these lessons. He did that with Peter. Remember when Peter stepped out of the boat (Matthew 14:29)? What was the purpose in that? Everything has to have a real need or a purpose. What was the purpose in that? God did something only for the purpose of teaching Peter. That was the sole purpose of it.   Printer-friendly version

We've got another Q&A episode this week, and this time we're answering two listener questions about sexual health and STI protocol among non-monogamous partners!Generally speaking, non-monogamous folks have better communication around safer sex and STI risk, but sometimes communication breakdowns happen and that's what we're covering today! Visit www.multiamory.com/join to become part of our exclusive community if you want your question answered on a future Q&A episode!Join our amazing community of listeners at multiamory.supercast.com. Get access to ad-free episodes, group video discussions, and our amazing Discord community!Quality lube is essential for good sexual experiences. Try our absolute favorite, Uberlube and get 10% off plus free shipping with promo code MULTIAMORYGet 10% off sexual health supplements at vb.health with promo code MULTI.EVERYONE who signs up to our giveaway will receive a FREE Rose suction toy with their @bellesaco order! www.bboutique.co/vibe/multiamory-podcastWhatever you want to learn, MasterClass has something for you, taught by experts in their fields. Support the show and get an exclusive 15% offer at multiamory.link/masterclass.Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes for creators. Everything from graphic design and video editing to photography, writing, and business. Get a free month of Skilllshare at multiamory.link/skillshare.Multiamory was created by Dedeker Winston, Jase Lindgren, and Emily Matlack.Our theme music is Forms I Know I Did by Josh and Anand.Follow us on Instagram @Multiamory_Podcast and visit our website Multiamory.com. We are a proud member of the Pleasure Podcasts network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. Life arose in the oceans and only much later spread to the land. But some land animals returned to the ocean and eventually became fully marine animals. That's our topic this month, animals that returned to the sea. Vertebrates that evolved on land are called tetrapods, meaning four-footed. It applies even to animals like birds that have two legs and two wings, and snakes that have no legs, because all the ancestors of tetrapods had four legs. Returning to marine life as a tetrapod eventually results in an animal developing certain characteristics. Even animals like sea turtles become more streamlined, which helps the animal swim more easily, and arms and legs develop into flippers for the same reason. Sometimes limbs are lost completely, like the rear legs of cetaceans and sirenians, because they're not needed. One interesting note is that as far as we know, all marine tetrapods still have to breathe air, which requires them to come to the surface of the water periodically. The ancestors of marine tetrapods probably all started out as partially aquatic and gradually became more and more at home in the water. That's true even for animals as well adapted to marine life as whales. Some of the earliest whale ancestors were the ambulocetids, which probably looked sort of like a cross between a hippopotamus and a crocodile. Ambulocetid means “walking whale,” but there's some evidence that it might have already evolved to be fully aquatic 49 million years ago. It had short legs that might not have been strong enough to support it out of water. It might have been covered with short fur like a seal but it might have had little to no fur, more like a hippopotamus. Either way, it had long toothy jaws, strong legs with webbed toes that it used to propel itself through the water, and a tail that probably resembled that of an otter. It grew about ten feet long, or 3 meters. Ambulocetids lived in shallow coastal areas where the land was swampy, and it may have spent part of its time in fresh water. It wouldn't have looked or acted much like a whale to us, but it was already developing features now found only in whales. By around 41 million years ago, the basilosaurids and their close relations had evolved, and were definitely fully aquatic. Their nostrils had moved almost to the location of modern whales' blowholes. Their forelegs were basically flippers with little fingers, their hind legs had almost disappeared, and they had tail flukes. They were also much bigger than their ancestors. Basilosaurus could grow up to 60 feet long, or 18 meters, and probably looked more like a gigantic eel than a modern whale. It was long and relatively thin, and may have mostly lived at the ocean's surface instead of diving for food. Dakosaurus wasn't a dinosaur despite its name, although it lived at the same time as the dinosaurs, about 145 million years ago. It was a crocodylomorph that grew up to about 16 feet long, or 5 meters, and looked kind of like a shark with legs—but also a lot like a crocodile wearing a shark costume. Its tail had a fin near the end that made it resemble a shark's tail, and its legs were flipper-like but still obviously legs. It had a whole lot of big serrated teeth in a deep skull with strong jaws. Because its jaws and teeth were so strong, in fact, scientists think Dakosaurus probably ate other marine reptiles instead of just fish. While Dakosaurus was streamlined and well adapted to life in the ocean, we don't know if it left the water to lay its eggs on land the way sea turtles still do or if it gave birth in the water. We don't have any nest sites or young specimens one way or another. Other marine reptiles definitely gave birth in the water, including ichthyosaurs. Ichthyosaurs and their close relations were incredibly successful, first appearing in the fossil record around 250 million years ago and last appearing around 90 million years ago. Most ichthyosaurs grew around 6 and a half to 11 feet long, or 2 to 3.3 meters, depending on species, so while they were pretty big animals, they weren't enormous. They would have been fast, though, and looked a lot like fish or dolphins, with four flippers, a dorsal fin, a long tail with fins, and a long thin rostrum with lots of little teeth. We know they gave birth to live young because we have fossils of female ichthyosaurs who died in the process of giving birth, with the baby's tail outside of its mother but the rest of it still in the birth canal. We have other fossils of ichthyosaurs with partially developed young in what would have been the mother's uterus. We also have lots of ichthyosaur coprolites that show us what it ate, since the coprolites fossilized with pieces of undigested food in them. This includes fish scales and squid beaks. Of course, if you want to talk about big marine reptiles, you have to talk about mosasaurs. They lived in the late Cretaceous and went extinct at the same time as the non-avian dinosaurs. The earlier species of mosasaur are pretty small, but after ichthyosaurs went extinct, mosasaurs got really really big. Some estimates for the largest species range up to almost 50 feet long, or 15 meters, and maybe even longer. Mosasaurs looked kind of like streamlined iguanas, with four flippers, a shark-like tail, but a very lizard-like head. They probably ate other marine reptiles, including smaller species of mosasaur, along with sharks and other fish, dinosaurs that made the mistake of getting in the water, and sea turtles. Honestly, mosasaurs could eat whatever they could catch, and they could probably catch just about anything. Their jaws were double-hinged, which allowed them to swallow prey whole like snakes do. We even have some skin impressions of mosasaurs that show smooth scales similar to those of snakes, and one study suggests that mosasaurs might have had forked tongues too. Mosasaurs were distantly related to snakes, but they were more closely related to monitor lizards that also have forked tongues. Speaking of snakes, we'll finish with an animal that people don't usually remember when they think of animals that have returned to the ocean: sea snakes. Not all sea snakes are fully marine. One genus spends part of its time on land and still lays eggs, but fully marine sea snakes give birth to live young. Researchers aren't sure if the sea snakes that are fully marine were able to completely stop returning to the land because they already gave birth to live young or if that developed after the snakes started spending part of the time in the water. The sea snake has a single lung, like most snakes, but unlike snakes that live on land this lung extends almost the length of the whole body (but not the tail). The snake's nostrils are at the top of its snout so it can breathe without sticking too much of its head above water, and its extra-long lung can store lots of air so the snake doesn't have to breathe too often. Some sea snakes can stay underwater for up to about two hours, partly because of the air stored in the lung, but also because they can absorb some oxygen from the water through their skin. Studies have shown that a sea snake can absorb almost 25% of the oxygen it needs through its skin. Sea snakes are pretty big, with the largest growing up to 10 feet long, or 3 meters. Most are about half that length. They live in warm tropical oceans, usually in shallow water, and eat fish and other small animals. The sea snake's body is slightly flattened side to side and its tail is much more flattened like a paddle, which is how it swims. In most cases, if a sea snake is washed ashore, it's unable to crawl and is pretty much helpless. Terrestrial snakes have enlarged ventral scales that the snake can move up and down, allowing the edges of the scales to grab dirt or leaves or whatever the snake is moving over. This gives it a purchase, and as the scales move they push the body forward. Most sea snakes don't have these specialized ventral scales and have regular smooth scales instead. But while most sea snakes can't move on land, if you see one stranded, don't try to pick it up to help it. All sea snakes are extremely venomous. (Use a long paddle to push the sea snake back into the water, or better yet, call an expert who can safely return the snake to the water.) Most sea snakes are brightly colored as a result, to warn potential predators away. Many have stripes and are absolutely gorgeous. Generally, if you encounter a sea snake while you're swimming, the snake isn't going to bite you. You're too big for it to swallow and it doesn't want to waste its venom on you. Don't bother it and it won't bother you unless it feels threatened. Just swim calmly away and be glad it's not a mosasaur. Thanks for your support, and thanks for listening!

Generally, a holiday is full of different and new experiences, but sometimes it can take a sudden, unusual turn. You hope that you don't have that crazy experience while on a flight 30,000 feet above the air, but that's just what happened. That was the start of our journey to Greece. 

What does your credit score really say about you? And more importantly, how can a few smart moves help you improve it? If you're unhappy about your current score and looking for some ways to boost it a bit, or even a lot, keep listening because in this tip, we're sharing some key things you can do to get that score you've always wanted.   Links: Get a free report at annualcreditreport.com Learn more about how to access your Better Checking account Check out TCU University for financial education tips and resources! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! Learn more about Triangle Credit Union Transcript: Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast.  With interest rates still higher than many people have become used to over the last decade, your credit score can have a bigger impact on your wallet than ever before. Whether you're applying for a credit card, financing a vehicle, buying a home, or looking for a home equity loan, your credit score plays a major role in the rates and terms you receive.  The good news? Even small improvements to your score can make a difference.  Most credit scores range from 300 to 850. Generally speaking, a score of 670 or higher is considered good, 740 and above is very good, and 800-plus is excellent.  So, if your score could use a little help, here are five practical ways to start moving it in the right direction.  Tip number one: Give your credit a breather. Every time you apply for new credit, a hard inquiry may appear on your report. One application won't do much damage, but several in a short period can. If you're not actively shopping for a loan, consider pressing pause on new credit applications.  Tip number two: Make every payment on time. This remains the single most important factor affecting most credit scores. If remembering due dates is a challenge, set up automatic payments or reminders. Even one missed payment can have a lasting impact.  Tip number three: Lower your credit utilization. In simple terms, that's how much of your available credit you're using. If your cards are close to their limits, try paying down balances. Many financial experts recommend keeping utilization below 30%, and even lower is better.  Tip number four: Build credit strategically. If you're new to credit or rebuilding after a setback, a secured credit card or credit-builder loan may help. These tools can demonstrate responsible borrowing habits and gradually strengthen your credit profile.  Tip number five: Think carefully before closing old accounts. It may seem like closing unused cards is always a good idea, but older accounts can help establish a longer credit history. If a card has no annual fee and isn't causing problems, keeping it open may actually benefit your score.  One more quick reminder: Regularly review your credit report for errors. Incorrect information happens more often than people realize, and identifying an issue early can save time and frustration. Check out annualcreditreport.com for a free credit report or if you have a Better Checking account you have automatic access to a free credit report every 90 days. Just log into your Better checking app to take a look.   Building a stronger credit score doesn't happen overnight, but consistent habits can lead to meaningful results. Focus on paying on time, managing balances wisely, and being intentional about new credit.  If there are any other tips or topics you'd like us to cover, let us know at tcupodcast@trianglecu.org. Also, remember to like and follow our Making Money Personal Facebook and Instagram to share your thoughts. Finally, remember to look for our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union, on Facebook and LinkedIn.           Thanks for listening to today's Money Tip Tuesday. Check out our other tips and episodes on the Making Money Personal podcast. 

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A Retirement Income Guide The Tom Dupree Show | Dupree Financial Group | dupreefinancial.com | 859-233-0400 Episode Description If you’re trying to decide when to start Social Security, here’s the short answer Tom Dupree and Mike Johnson give on this episode of The Financial Hour: there is no single right age. The right age for you depends on your health, your marital status, your other assets, and how much of your monthly income Social Security actually needs to cover. On this episode of The Tom Dupree Show, Tom Dupree and Mike Johnson of Dupree Financial Group walk through a real Social Security claiming-age framework, the breakeven math, the spousal and survivor considerations, and how a dividend-and-growth income portfolio fits around whatever you decide, plus a second, closely related conversation about the “forgotten investor”: people in their 40s and 50s whose portfolios have grown large enough that ordinary market swings now move real money, not just numbers on a screen. What factors should go into your Social Security claiming decision? Mike Johnson lays out roughly seven variables that belong in the decision, starting with whether you’re still working. At full retirement age (67 for most people claiming today), you can work and collect Social Security with no reduction in benefits. Claim earlier than that, and you run into the Social Security earnings test, which temporarily withholds part of your benefit once your income crosses an annual limit — that withheld money isn’t lost, it’s repaid later as a higher monthly check once you reach full retirement age. Life expectancy matters too, even though, as Mike puts it, it’s a guess based on family history at best. And if you’re married, the earnings history of each spouse matters a great deal, because of how survivor benefits work. “We are not in the Social Security business, we are in the other assets business.”  Tom Dupree How does the Social Security breakeven analysis work? Mike Johnson walks through the most basic version of the math: compare what you’d collect starting at age 62 against what you’d collect by waiting until 67 or 70, then calculate how many years it takes the higher, later benefit to “catch up” in total dollars collected. In the show’s example, $2,500 a month at 62 versus $3,400 a month at 67, the breakeven point lands around nine years, meaning someone who waits until 67 typically comes out ahead in total lifetime benefits somewhere around age 76 to 78. Delaying all the way to 70 pushes the benefit even higher: the Social Security Administration’s delayed retirement credit schedule adds roughly two-thirds of one percent to your benefit for every month you wait past full retirement age, which works out to about 8% a year through age 70. The trade-off, as Tom and Mike are direct about, is that every year you wait is a year of Social Security income you didn’t collect, so the math only helps if you can comfortably cover your cash-flow needs from other sources in the meantime. If your other assets can’t comfortably bridge that gap, claiming earlier at 62 can be the right call even though the monthly check is smaller — because a smaller check you can count on now may matter more than a larger one you’re betting will still be there when you’re 70. If you have income sources that can cover your needs without it, delaying can make sense, but that’s a bet that Social Security’s rules won’t change materially by the time you start drawing on it. There’s no universal answer; it comes down to your specific cash-flow picture, which is exactly the kind of thing Dupree Financial Group works through one-on-one with clients as part of a Personalized Portfolio Analysis. Why does Social Security get more complicated for married couples? When one spouse has a meaningfully higher earnings history, there’s a strategic wrinkle worth understanding: if the higher earner passes away, the surviving spouse steps into that higher earner’s Social Security benefit instead of their own. That can make it worthwhile for the higher-earning spouse to delay claiming, since it locks in a larger survivor benefit down the road… but only if the couple’s other assets can cover the difference while they wait. As Tom and Mike explain it, this is a case-by-case calculation, not a rule of thumb, and it’s a good example of why Kentucky retirement planning conversations need to look at a household’s full financial picture rather than Social Security in isolation. How should your investment portfolio work alongside Social Security? Once the Social Security piece is on the table, the conversation turns to what has to carry the rest of the load: the investment portfolio. Tom Dupree’s approach centers on cash flow you can see… dividend-paying stocks and bonds… rather than paper gains you’re hoping to sell into at the right moment. “There isn’t an easy way to build an income portfolio only,” Tom explains. “It has to have growth components in it… you have to be flexible in where you’re investing and how you’re investing.” That means accepting that valuation drives the decision: when dividend-paying stocks get expensive, their yields shrink, and a disciplined manager has to be willing to look elsewhere for companies that are out of favor, less expensive, and often carrying a higher yield as a result. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and dividend income isn’t fixed or promised…a company can reduce or suspend a dividend. That’s exactly why Dupree Financial Group’s in-house research focuses on the durability of a company’s cash flow, not just its current yield. Who is the “forgotten investor,” and why does dollar-cost averaging stop feeling like enough? The second half of the conversation tackles a question Tom calls one of the best he’s read in a while, from a 44-year-old reader who’d been dollar-cost averaging for two decades and was unsettled by how large the dollar swings in his account had become…even though, percentage-wise, nothing unusual was happening. Tom’s read on it: “This is the forgotten investor right now, 40 to 50, because a lot of them have been putting back for 20 years. In this market run-up, they’re looking at dollars now that if you had a 20, 30% drop in the market, they’re gonna feel it… in real dollar terms.” Early in your investing life, a market drop barely registers because your ongoing contributions are large relative to your balance. Twenty years in, the balance has grown so much larger than any single year’s contribution that dollar-cost averaging alone can’t smooth out a real correction anymore…which is exactly the point in a plan where more deliberate, tactical decisions (raising some cash, addressing debt, revisiting allocation) start to matter more than muscle-memory saving. Tom recalls working with a client during the 2008–2009 financial crisis whose account value swung by six figures in a matter of months… a stretch, he says, where “there were no good answers,” and the discipline that mattered most was treating the downturn as an opportunity to buy rather than a reason to sell. That’s an illustrative example from Tom’s decades in the business, not a specific return or outcome any client should expect to repeat; markets and individual circumstances differ every time. What should you actually do differently once you reach this stage? Tom and Mike’s practical answer has a few concrete pieces: Track down and consolidate “orphaned” 401(k) accounts left behind at old employers, so the whole portfolio can actually pull in the same direction. If you change jobs or your income drops in a given year, consider whether that’s a good window for a Roth conversion… a decision that has real tax consequences and is worth reviewing with a tax advisor before acting. Revisit your plan on a fixed schedule, not just when the market gets scary. Dupree Financial Group meets with clients roughly every six months specifically because life circumstances change more often than people expect, and a plan built two years ago may not fit today. Decide what your accumulated number actually needs to accomplish — income to live on, flexibility to pursue a second act, or something else… before backing into an investment approach built around that goal. Topics Covered Choosing when to claim Social Security: age 62, full retirement age (67), or age 70 How the Social Security breakeven analysis works, with real dollar examples The Social Security earnings test and how working before full retirement age affects your check Spousal earnings history and survivor benefit strategy for married couples Why an income portfolio needs both dividends and growth, not one or the other The “forgotten investor”: why dollar swings feel bigger once a portfolio matures past 20 years of contributions Shifting from dollar-cost averaging to more tactical, deliberate portfolio decisions Consolidating orphaned 401(k) accounts from past employers Roth conversion timing around a job change or income dip Why Dupree Financial Group reviews client plans every six months Key Takeaways There’s no universal “right age” for Social Security. The best claiming age depends on your health, marital status, other assets, and how much of your monthly cash flow Social Security actually needs to cover…not a one-size-fits-all rule. The breakeven point for delaying to full retirement age is typically around nine years. In the show’s example, someone who waits until 67 instead of 62 generally comes out ahead in total lifetime benefits by around age 76 to 78… but only if other assets can bridge the gap in the meantime. Working before full retirement age can temporarily reduce your check. The Social Security earnings test withholds benefits above an annual income limit if you claim before full retirement age — but that money isn’t gone, it’s repaid later as a higher monthly benefit. Survivor benefits can change the math for married couples. When one spouse earned significantly more, delaying that spouse’s claim can lock in a larger benefit for the survivor — a case-by-case decision, not a rule of thumb. An income portfolio needs growth and dividends working together. Dividend-paying stocks and bonds provide visible cash flow, but valuation discipline matters, when dividend payers get expensive, a flexible manager looks elsewhere rather than chasing yield. Dollar-cost averaging alone stops being enough once a portfolio matures. After 15 to 20 years of contributions, market swings can outweigh what you’re putting in each year, that’s the signal to start making more deliberate, tactical decisions rather than relying purely on ongoing contributions to smooth things out. Orphaned 401(k)s from old employers are worth tracking down. Consolidating scattered retirement accounts lets a portfolio actually work as one coordinated plan instead of several disconnected pieces. A retirement plan should be reviewed on a schedule, not just in a downturn. Life circumstances change more often than people expect, regular check-ins catch the adjustments a static plan would miss. About The Tom Dupree Show The Tom Dupree Show is hosted by Tom Dupree, founder of Dupree Financial Group and a 47-year veteran of the investment business. Each episode covers the financial topics that matter most to retirees and those approaching retirement, in plain English, without the Wall Street spin. Dupree Financial Group is a fee-only, fiduciary Registered Investment Advisory firm based in Lexington, Kentucky. The firm manages separately managed accounts focused on income-generating, dividend-paying portfolios — no products sold, no commissions, no conflicts of interest. Clients work directly with the firm’s own portfolio managers rather than an assigned counselor inside a large, mass-market brokerage hierarchy — a difference that matters most when your income, not just your account balance, is what’s on the line. Past episodes and additional market commentary from the archive are available at dupreefinancial.com. You can also read more about the firm’s approach on the Investment Philosophy and Client Testimonials pages. Frequently Asked Questions When should I start taking Social Security? There’s no single best age. It depends on your health, marital status, and whether other assets can cover your income needs. Claiming at 62 locks in a smaller check permanently; waiting until full retirement age (67) or age 70 increases it, but only helps if you can bridge the gap from other sources. What is the Social Security breakeven age? It’s the age at which the total dollars collected from a later, larger benefit catch up to what you’d have collected by claiming earlier. In a typical example comparing age 62 to full retirement age, the breakeven point lands around nine years later, or roughly age 76 to 78. Does working before full retirement age reduce my Social Security check? If you claim before full retirement age and earn above the annual limit set by the Social Security earnings test, part of your benefit is temporarily withheld. That money isn’t lost… it’s repaid later as a higher monthly benefit once you reach full retirement age. Why does dollar-cost averaging feel less effective as my portfolio grows? Early on, your contributions are large relative to your balance, so dips barely register. After 15 to 20 years, the balance often dwarfs annual contributions, so a normal market correction can move more dollars than you’re putting in, which is when more tactical planning decisions start to matter. Should I consolidate old 401(k) accounts from previous jobs? Generally yes. Accounts left behind at former employers, sometimes called orphaned accounts, are easy to lose track of and often work against each other. Consolidating them under one coordinated plan lets your whole portfolio pull in the same direction. Schedule a Complimentary Portfolio Review Whether you’re weighing when to claim Social Security or wondering whether your portfolio can actually support the income you’ll need, it’s never too soon to get another set of eyes on where you stand. Dupree Financial Group’s complimentary portfolio review looks at your full picture, Social Security, investments, and cash flow together — with no cost and no pressure. Call: 859-233-0400 | Schedule online: dupreefinancial.com/book Dupree Financial Group  ·  Fee-only. Fiduciary. Lexington, KY  · dupreefinancial.com  ·  859-233-0400 Dupree Financial Group is a fee-only, fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor. All investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Nothing in this article is individualized investment, tax, or legal advice; consult your own advisor before acting. This document is for reference and internal use. Not for public distribution. The post When Should You Take Social Security? Kentucky Retirement Guide 9-05-26 appeared first on Dupree Financial.

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. -------------------- 01 Introduction This is the second episode in an 8 part series. 02 In the previous episode we discussed the predecessors of PLCs, in particular relay logic. In this episode we will discuss how relay logic came to be expressed in software rather than in actual hardware components. 03 The topics to be covered include * Early computers in industry. * The first PLC. * PC versus PLC - what's in a name. * Who the major brands are. * What does a PLC actually look like. * Machine architecture. * PLC programs. * The scan. * PLC programming languages. * Relative popularity of PLC programming languages versus more conventional computer programming languages. -------------------- 04 Early Computers in Industry Computers came to be used in industry fairly early on. Minicomputers were used in some large industries to control things like electric power plants. For example, the DEC PDP8 was used to control the refuelling machines in CANDU nuclear power plants. These would load and unload fuel from the reactor, which happens continually on a daily basis while the reactor is running. 05 The first microprocessor based computer sold on the commercial market was the MICRAL from France, based on the Intel 8008. It was sold as a cost effective replacement for minicomputers used in industry. It preceded what are generally considered to be the first Personal Computers. So you can see that industry were not reluctant to adopt new technology. 06 However, mini computers were large complex systems that did not fit well into a factory floor. They had particular niches in very large complex integrated systems, but were not suited to controlling many individual machines in a factory that produced things like automobiles or appliances. 07 What was needed was something that would fit into a standard electrical enclosure, withstand the temperatures found in a factory, could stand up to vibration and noise, was tolerant of voltage fluctuations, interfaced directly to sensors and actuators, and could be readily programmed by engineers, technicians, and tradesmen who were familiar with the processes to be controlled, but had little or no experience with computers. 08 This required a complete integrated package covering hardware, software, and product distribution through industrial supply retailers. Something that could meet these criteria is what was needed to become the PLC. -------------------- 09 History Many histories point to a US developer that became Modicon. However, their first hardware was more a proof of concept than a viable commercial product. In fact multiple companies in the US, Europe, and Japan were working on the problem and released comparable products all at around the same time in the early 1970s. 10 The idea preceded the implementation by a number of years. For example, General Motors had asked industrial control equipment suppliers in the mid 1960s for some sort of programmable control device to replace relay logic. This showed potential suppliers that there was a market for this sort of thing, and gave them a clearer idea of what customers were looking for. 11 What made this possible was the development of the first 8 bit microprocessor in that time period, combined with readily available bit slice processors from the minicomputer industry and other components. 12 People knew what to do, the problem was waiting for the development of suitable component hardware. Minicomputers were already being used in industry, but were normally located in control rooms. PLCs were an effort to take that technology out of control rooms and put it on the shop floor. 13 PC Versus PLC - What's in a Name In the early days, these systems were known as either PLC, which means "Programmable Logic Controller", or PC, which means "Programmable Controller". Different vendors favoured different terminology, but both were common. I have a book which was at one time one of the standard reference handbooks for this industry which was published in 1989, and refers to them as Programmable Controllers, or PCs. 14 The term PC was also used to mean "Personal Computer", but that wasn't really a problem in the early days. However, a certain large company decided to call their entry into the personal computer market the "IBM PC", and suddenly "PC" became a generic term for desktop computers. 15 After a long struggle to keep referring to their products as "PCs", even the biggest vendors caved in and gave up the fight and switched to using the "PLC" term. I will therefore use the term "PLC" in this podcast series even when talking about products which were originally called "PCs" at the time they were introduced. 16 Who the Major Brands Are The companies that came to dominate the industry fairly early on were generally companies that already made industrial electrical hardware. These were Siemens Allen Bradley, later known as Rockwell Schneider Mitsubishi Omron 17 These are still the dominant companies in the business, although there are many small brands, particularly at the cheaper end of the market. All of them were suppliers of a wide range of industrial control hardware, such that you could build all or nearly all of the parts of your control system using only their products. 18 Each of these sells an integrated hardware and software package, including development software, that is completely proprietary. If you thought that the mainframe business had a lot of vendor lock-in, you haven't seen the industrial market. -------------------- 19 What Does One of These Things Actually Look Like? At this point you are probably still very confused as to what a PLC actually is. I will attempt to describe one in basic terms by giving an example of one. The smallest and simplest ones are what are termed "shoebox" PLCs. These are basically a rectangular box with a plastic case. 20 Here are the dimensions for a typical low end model, a Mitsubishi FX3U-32M. According to specs in the manual, it is 150mm wide, 90mm high, and 86mm deep. 21 It can be mounted to the panel in an electrical enclosure by snapping it onto what is termed a DIN rail. DIN rails are standard mounting systems which use a strip of metal which is U shaped with a lip at the top of each end of the U. You screw the DIN rail to the electrical panel in the enclosure, and most industrial components such as PLCs, terminal blocks, circuit breakers, and all sorts of other things will simply snap onto it and be ready to wire together. 22 Along the top and bottom of the PLC are terminals to which you can attach wires from the things you want to sense or control in the rest of the machine, such as push buttons, pilot lights, proximity sensors, and valves. 23 Inputs are along the top, and outputs are along the bottom. The FX3U-32M has 16 inputs and 16 outputs. These I/O can be 24 volts DC, or 100 to 120 volts AC, depending on the model. Alternatively it may have small relays for outputs. While AC I/O once predominated, 24VDC became the standard in most industries several decades ago as it interfaced with electronic devices more readily and also allowed for cheaper and more compact wiring. 24 More inputs and outputs can be added by connecting additional I/O modules to the main PLC next to it on the same DIN rail, up to a total of 256 I/O The connection is typically via short ribbon cables which plug into the adjacent module. These I/O modules look like the main PLC, but just add I/O. 25 Inside the PLC are a CPU, memory, and firmware. This model has 64K "steps" of memory, which can be thought of as how many instructions you can have. The program runs in RAM, but you can add a small flash memory device to save the program to. There is a run/stop switch that allows you to start or stop the user program. There is a port that you can use to connect the PLC to a laptop computer with a cable so you can download your program to it. 26 The biggest part of the market for PLCs is for these "shoebox" style. However, there are bigger ones as well which have more I/O, more memory, faster CPUs, etc. These are meant for tasks such as coordinating large assembly lines and things like that. These are what are termed rack systems, where the rack is an empty box which is open at the front and has a backplane bus running along the back. You plug the main CPU into the bus, normally in the leftmost position, and then plug I/O modules into the rack. The I/O modules are tall, thin, fully enclosed boxes with the I/O terminals along the front. 27 You should have a rough idea of their appearance at this stage, so I'll leave the physical description aside for now and go on to the concepts behind how they actually work and what makes them different from something like say a Raspberry Pi. -------------------- 28 Machine Architecture It is not really the hardware which defines the PLC. Rather, it is the software system architecture. Every PLC that I am aware of has a common set of features. 29 Data Table A data table is simply a block of memory which may or may not be subdivided into different parts. All logic, and all, or nearly all, I/O works by writing to and reading from addresses in the data table. 30 I/O Every input and output point maps to a fixed memory address in the PLC. To read the state of an input, you read its memory address. To change the state of an output, you write to its memory address. 31 These digital I/O appear as single bit boolean values. The PLC programming language has instructions which allow single bits to be read or written to directly without have to mask off other bits as you would have to do if you were using a conventional programming language. I have so far only mentioned digital I/O, which are single bit on/off values. 32 Other types of I/O Many PLCs also have other types of I/O such as Analogue I/O, which represent variable voltages rather than just on/off values. For example you may wish to read a temperature from a thermocouple where the voltage level varies with the temperature. Often these are mapped into the data table as byte or word values. 33 Internal Bit or Boolean Memory There will be a range of single bit or boolean memory which is used for internal logic state. Your program may need to come up with a series of intermediate logical values, and you store them in these internal bits or flags. 34 Timers and Counters Control of machinery often involves timing and counting. Timer and counters are mapped into the data table. Timer and counter presets and values can be read as words, and there will be bit addresses which indicate the status of the timer or counter, such as whether it has reached its preset and is "done". 35 Integer and Floating Point Values There will be word addresses where integer and floating point words can be stored. If you need to do some mathematical calculations and store the results, you would save them in an integer or floating point word. 36 Typed Memory Unlike when programming something like a PC where you simply have a range of undifferentiated bytes and it is up to your software to impose meaning on it, PLC data table memory has defined types and meanings and the system firmware enforces the correct memory access methods. 37 Size of Data Table Data tables vary greatly in size. A bigger data table allows for bigger and more complex program. Generally, new PLCs will have bigger data tables than older ones, and more expensive PLCs will have bigger data tables than cheaper ones of the same generation. 38 Example Having picked a current PLC as an example for physical dimensions, I will pick an old and obsolete one for an example of a data table. The Siemens S5-100 series was a small PLC that came in several sizes. The basic S5-100 had the following data table size. 39 Digital I/O had a maximum of 128 inputs and outputs taken together. Analogue inputs and outputs had a maximum of 8 taken together. Flag, or bit, memory was 1024 Timers - 16 Counters - 16 40 The S5-103 offered more of everything in the same basic package, but of course at a higher cost. Digital I/O had a maximum of 256 inputs and outputs taken together. Analogue inputs and outputs had a maximum of 32 taken together. Flag, or bit, memory was 2048 Timers - 128 Counters - 128 -------------------- 41 The PLC Program A PLC will come with what amounts to an operating system and virtual machine built into it. You as the programmer use the vendor's proprietary development software, what is generally called the "PLC programming software" to write an application for it. 42 You then connect your PC to the PLC using a cable of some sort, and download your program into it. The program gets stored in the PLC's RAM. There may be flash memory which serves to back up the RAM when the power is off so you don't lose the program. Before flash was available, a battery was typically required to hold the static RAM memory. 43 There is just one program in the PLC. There is no file system, just the program memory and the data table. When the PLC starts up, it runs the program that you wrote. It continues running the program until you turn off the power or you set the run/stop switch to the stop position. 44 I will come back to programming later, but we needed to cover these basic points before I could describe some further concepts we need to cover. -------------------- 45 The Scan A key thing to understand about PLCs is the "scan" concept. This works as follows. There is a repeated cycle called the scan. 46 First, the PLC reads all the physical inputs and updates the corresponding input addresses in the data table. Next it runs the user program once. Finally it reads the output addresses in the data table and writes them to the corresponding physical outputs. Then it repeats the scan from step 1. 47 A scan can take anywhere from a few milliseconds to hundreds of milliseconds, depending on the model of PLC. Older PLCs and cheaper PLCs tended to be slower. However, as integrated circuit technology advanced, programs got faster. 48 The PLC has a watchdog timer. This is a timer which runs in the background and resets at the start of a scan. 49 If a scan takes too long, the watchdog will trip and stop the program and set the outputs to some defined state, either turning them all off or holding them at the last value. This is known as "faulting" the processor. 50 A watchdog fault may be caused by a program that is too long, or uses a lot of very slow instructions, or in some cases it may be due to a bug in your program. However, this last cause is not as common or as easy to cause as you may think when it comes to faults. -------------------- 51 PLC Programming Languages The key to all of this is the unique way in which the programming languages used in PLCs work. I will first briefly describe the two main programming languages and then explain how they work in a PLC as part of a complete system. 52 Ladder Logic There are several programming languages, but the main one is called ladder logic. If you listened to the previous episode, the word "ladder" will ring a bell. When machines were controlled by electromechanical relays, the electrical drawings which specified and documented the types of relays and the connections between them were called "ladder diagrams". 53 PLCs simply take these ladder diagrams and reproduce them on your computer screen in the programming software using the same standard schematic symbols. 54 You do not need to draw the symbols like it was CAD. Instead you simply use your keyboard or mouse to say that you want this symbol to be entered in the current cursor location or you want this wire to be connected from here to there. When your rung is complete the software will check at some point if it is syntactically correct. You then go on to entering the next rungs one after another until you have your complete program. 55 Instruction List An alternative representation is something called "instruction list", although various vendors may use other terms. This is a text representation that looks like a sort of assembly language. However, it's actually really ladder, just shown in a different way as text and some types of programming software will allow you to toggle between ladder and instruction list mode, translating between them automatically. 56 This should give you a clue as to how a PLC can execute a schematic diagram. Behind the scenes the programming software will translate the diagram into instruction list, and then the PLC will either execute those instructions in an interpreter, or compile them to machine code and execute those. 57 Other Programming Languages There are other programming languages, but they are rarely seen. I won't go into detail in terms of describing them, just briefly mention them. 58 One is called Sequential Function Chart. This is a type of flow chart which is designed to show complex sequences, including ones with alternate or parallel paths. The original name for this is Grafcet, spelled G R A F C E T. This stands for "Graphe Fonctionnel de Commande Étape Transition". As well as being a programming language, it is also a very good design and analysis tool even if the PLC being used doesn't support it. 59 Another is Function Block Diagram. This is another graphical language which resembles flow diagrams used in process industries. This is supposedly used mainly in industries such as chemical manufacturing. However it appears to be very niche and most people who use PLCs will never have seen it, and many will not have even heard of it. 60 Yet another language is Structured Text. This is very obviously derived from Modula-2 and strongly resembles it. If you are not familiar with Modula-2, it was created by Nikolas Wirth and intended as the successor to Pascal, which it was derived from. Structured Text seems to be much loved by a small number of academics, but seems to have little actual use in the field. You lose pretty much all of the monitoring and debugging facilities built into a PLC if you use it, so it's kind of pointless except perhaps for a few niche applications. There are a few other languages as well, mainly proprietary ones, often using flow charts or the like. 61 PLC Languages are Non-Blocking The important thing about a PLC program is that it executes from top to bottom, left to right, without stopping or blocking. There is no waiting on input or output or for a system call to return. Each rung immediately yields a result which is written to a memory address or which enables a timer or counter. Every rung is executed every scan. 62 You can reproduce this in a traditional computer programming language. In ladder logic it is inherent to the syntax and it is either very difficult or impossible to do it any other way. I'll give an example in Python of what I mean. 63 a = (b or c) and not d 64 If b or c are true and d is false, then a is set to true. If b and c are false or d is true, then a is false. 65 Now imagine that we are not executing this statement once, but rather are executing it repeatedly. This statement will never block execution. It will always immediately yield a result. Now let's modify that a bit. 66 a = (b or a) and not d 67 Note that we have replaced c with a. Now the value of a depends the previous value of a as well as b and d. However, once a becomes true, the value of b no longer matters because b is in an or condition with a. Now if we execute it over and over again, only d becoming true will make a go false. 68 This is a standard push button circuit, also known as a "seal in circuit", because it "seals" around the start condition. 69 b is the start push button with a normally open contact. d is the stop push button with a normally closed contact. a is a relay with one of its contacts being used to hold it on. 70 If you wired this up with actual push buttons and relays or if you programmed it into a PLC with ladder logic it would work the same way. A PLC program will consists of rung after rung of logic like this and executes it repeatedly scan after scan, only pausing to update its I/O. 71 Async Programming Some of you may be thinking that this cyclical scan sounds like the async programming that is all the rage with web server applications these days. Essentially it is exactly the same principle. 72 With async programming, your program must never use blocking instructions and execution proceeds on a repeated cycle. PLCs solve this by not having any instructions which block, and many PLCs do not allow backwards jumps. Tradesmen in coveralls in factories were doing async programming decades before the cool kids heard about it. 73 Most PLC Programming Languages are Visual or Graphical Languages If ladder, Sequential Function Chart, or Grafcet and Function Block Diagram sound like visual programming languages, they are. In fact ladder is probably one of the earliest visual languages in commercial use. Wikipedia defines a visual programming language as: 74 In computing, a visual programming language (visual programming system, VPL, or, VPS), also known as diagrammatic programming, graphical programming or block coding, is a programming language that lets users create programs by manipulating program elements graphically rather than by specifying them textually. A VPL allows programming with visual expressions, spatial arrangements of text and graphic symbols, used either as elements of syntax or secondary notation. For example, many VPLs are based on the idea of "boxes and arrows", where boxes or other screen objects are treated as entities, connected by arrows, lines or arcs which represent relations. VPLs are generally the basis of low-code development platforms. Scratch is an example of a VPL 75 End of quote. As you can see, what is cool today was on the factory floor more than 40 years ago. -------------------- 76 Popularity of PLC Programming Languages PLCs are about as proprietary as you can get. Pretty much every vendor has his own proprietary take on each language. How you can program any particular PLC is determined by that vendor's programming software. If the vendor doesn't support it, you can't use it. An individual vendor may even have multiple incompatible product lines which have to be programmed in different ways with different software, although that is not as common these days as it once was. 77 Nearly all PLCs support programming in Ladder. Some support programming in instruction list as well as ladder. Anything else is much less common. 78 Ladder logic happens to be on the Tiobe Index by the way. For those who have not heard of it, the Tiobe Index, that is T I O B E, is a web site that lists the popularity of numerous programming languages based on various criteria. 79 Number one on their list happens to be Python, currently at 19.98%. Number two is C, at 11.55%. 80 At the time of writing this script, Ladder Logic was at number 46 with a 0.28% rating, which put it just below Erlang and just above Haskell. I'm not sure whether that means that Ladder Logic is not as obscure as you thought it was, or whether it means that Erlang and Haskell are in fact more obscure than you thought they were. -------------------- 81 Episode Summary In this episode we covered we covered The early history of computers in industrial control The early history of PLCs, including how they got their name Who the major brands are What they look like physically 82 A basic description of the abstract machine architecture A very brief look at what a PLC program is like The scan concept The main PLC programming languages The minor PLC programming languages The relative popularity of each of the programming languages 83 In the next episode we will take a look at one of the early PLCs from the era when they began seeing widespread use. This PLC was hugely successful and was for many companies the first PLC they used. This is the Allen Bradley PLC2. 84 This has been the second episode in an 8 part series. -------------------- Provide feedback on this episode.

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Scripture Reference: Hebrews 2:5-18 How do you determine the value of anything? Generally speaking, something’s value is determined by how much someone is willing to give to acquire it. What is the value of people? God the Son gives everything to redeem people and have them rule and reign with him.

Darrell Castle talks about the trade problems between the U.S. and Canada which Prime Minister Mark Carney has descibed as a war. Transcription / Notes OH CANADA CAN'T WE WORK THIS OUT? Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 28th day of August in the year of our Lord 2026. I will be talking about the trade problems between the U.S. and Canada which Prime Minister Mark Carney has described as a war. My argument is that he is right because it is war but not the one he wants you to concentrate on. This war is one between the very elite group of globalists who are also the enemies of humanity as they attempt to control all humanity through their control of money, credit, interest, and banking in general. Before he became Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney was head of the London Central Bank and I have no doubt that he was installed in Canada to be sure globalist control continues. Now the bankers appear to be very nervous with the U.S. mid-terms coming up so if only Trump could be damaged by this “trade war.” The tactic or strategy is what Carney and his operatives in the American Democrat Party call the doughnut strategy. They call it that because they want to go around the American President through Democrat leadership directly to the American people. Convince them that trump is at economic war with nice, friendly Canada and maybe the usual group of globalist bankers can take back control in November. Don't get me wrong here folks I still think the Iran war was and is about the stupidest foreign policy decision in American history. I have a theory that the reason those American sailors during World War ll could stay at sea in desperate combat for years without complaint and the sailors on the Lincoln were suicidal after 9 months. World War ll sailors were fighting for their parents, wives, girlfriends, their way of life and they knew it. Nobody had to feed them a pack of lies to keep them going but in Iran the sailors know that it is stupid and pointless and its purpose is nothing American. That is a morale killer if I've ever heard of one. Yes, you are right about him being crass, vulgar, egotistical in ways we've never seen before and in ways that makes one wonder if he is delusional about himself. He is a flawed candidate and a flawed human being but if you study our history flawed human beings are numerous in leadership and sometimes in greatness. Barack Obama, and Joe Biden were both vulgar and egotistical as well but they didn't flaunt it quite as well as Donald Trump. The U.S. and Canada have a long history of cooperation primarily in two areas, economic and military. Canada contributed greatly to the allied efforts during World War ll both in troops and in manufacturing. When the war ended both Canada and the U.S. had a new enemy called the Soviet Union. The Soviets were right at the edge of Europe and it was generally assumed that they would invade any day. NATO was formed to resist the Soviet menace and that included Canada. Generally speaking, Canada has always remained more closely allied with Europe especially the UK than with the U.S. although the two militaries were integrated for mutual protection against the soviet threat. NORAD, the North American Air Defense system famously headquartered in a rock mountain in Colorada has Canadian military warning systems integrated. If a Soviet missile were launched against the U.S. in those days it was expected to come from the north across the Arctic and parts of Canada. The two nations built a network of radar early warning systems across the northern part of Canada and they are still functional today. So, the two sides have a mutually beneficial military relationship and both apparently want that relationship to continue. Although the Canadian military is an empty shell of what it once was the two sides still need each other. The U.S. needs the strategic depth that Canada provides as much as it ever has since tensions with Russia always seem to be there. Canada needs U.S. manufacturing and defense technology and so the military relationship remains intact. Economically, well that's another matter completely. The U.S. has some room to maneuver economically because about 72% of all the products Canada exports come to the U.S. President Trump wants to shift the economic relationship to one a little more favorable to the U.S. because as he sees it Canada taxes U.S. goods going into Canada at a much higher rate that the U.S. taxes theirs. That is a practice that Trump referred to as acting like the 51st state without all the responsibility of statehood.  The two sides set down last week to talk and try to resolve the matter and for a while it seemed like they had a deal. President Trump announced that they had a deal pending finalization of documents and the threatened 50% tariffs were lifted until the documents were finalized. All of a sudden at about midnight on Friday the Prime Minister called his diplomats home and announced in a solemn interview that Canada had been attacked and it was therefore at war with the United States. There are videos, and I concede that with AI who knows what is real, but the videos I'm referring to show Democrat operatives the most prominent of which is Hilary Clinton plotting with Carney to keep this disagreement going until after the midterms. Will it work. Time will tell but not everyone was as impressed with Carney's characterization of the breakdown as he seemed to be. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that the U.S. presented Canada with the best trade terms of any country in the world but Canada wants to retain all tariffs of their own while removing all American tariffs. There seems to be growing dissatisfaction in the parts of Canada where people still work for a living and workers realize the Canadian position in these negotiations will probably cost their jobs. Already the median standard of living in the U.S. is about $90 thousand while in Canada its about $60 thousand. The other aspect of this dispute is Canada's growing relationship with China. Canada is trying to increase its Chinese market as a way to avoid U.S. tariffs and of course Carney wants to give the impression he can live without the U.S. Canada is accused by U.S. trade people of assembling Chinese goods in Canada then hoping to ship them to the U.S. duty free. In response the Canadians say the U.S. is trying to control which countries Canada does business with. This attitude, logic tells me, will cripple the Canadian economy and ruin the economic lives of many people. Perhaps Carney is so dedicated to his cohort of European globalist banker friends that he will deliberately cripple his own people to accommodate them. Getting Trump's majority taken away thus curtailing Trump's ability to thwart their plans is apparently worth it. The military relationship is a factor in all this as I said earlier. It is complicated by the fact that hardly any leaders on either side have military experience. During Vietnam about 75% of the U.S. congress had military experience but now its about 20% and the President has no military experience at all. That fact sometimes results in leadership which doesn't understand the military and its problems. Furthermore, it creates a disrespect for military leadership and the advice top leaders give to inexperienced politicians is discounted. The upper leadership in the military sometimes appears to be a revolving door because politicians can't handle their stark truth. Canada is currently recruiting non-Canadians to serve in the military I suppose because very few Canadians want to do it. Canadians, like Americans probably see it all as a pack of lies and so they are skeptical. Potential soldiers from other countries are attracted to citizenship promises and higher pay but discipline and loyalty are lacking. The reason for this military diatribe in an economic report is because the relationship is still militarily very important to both sides and it is being damaged by this tactic which as I said is apparently designed between Carney, his globalist friends, and ambitious American Democrat politicians. In conclusion folks, Canada cannot win this war and I think they will soon realize that. The Canadian government doesn't want to be seen as offering to surrender but I hope they can see that trying to out swagger Donald Trump politically is a losing proposition. Hopefully, the two sides can move forward in mutually agreed upon terms that ensure the people of both countries prosper because the alternative is a kind of no-man's-land where their disputes constantly confront each other. Finally. Folks. I admit that much of this is simply my opinion but I argue that it is an educated opinion based on research. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail and normal relations will prevail and sanity restored.  At least that's the way I see it, Until next time folks, This is Darrell Castle, Thanks for listening.

Among the various Warner Bros cartoon directors, many are well-remembered today even by casual fans, and even more are remembered by those obsessed with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. But also some are rightfully forgotten. Generally speaking, Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton are among that latter group, even if they do deserve some recognition for their contributions to Bugs Bunny. But what about their original cartoons? Are any of those good? Let's see one of their best and determine if it's actually worth watching! Oh also we hear Porky Pig curse.

This Week In Startups is made possible by: Odoo https://Odoo.com/twist Quo https://quo.com/TWiST Conservation Fund https://conservationfund.org how old a movie has to be for me to be able to show a part of it on youtube Generally 10 seconds or less of a film clip can fall under fair use for commentary or criticism — which is how most podcasts and talk shows use clips without issue. But there's no hard legal rule based on age. What actually matters more than age is fair use, which considers: Purpose — commentary, criticism, education = stronger fair use case Amount used — shorter = safer; a 5-10 second clip for reaction/discussion is generally fine Effect on market — your clip shouldn't replace the original In practice for YouTube specifically: Most major studios have Content ID systems that will flag clips regardless of movie age — even 100-year-old films if the rights holder has registered them Public domain is the real safe zone — films from 1927 or earlier are generally in the public domain in the US. Some films from the 1928-1963 range are also public domain if copyright wasn't renewed Disney, Warner Bros., Universal etc. actively enforce even very old films For a show like TWiST showing a short reaction clip — 5-10 seconds with clear commentary context is the industry standard and rarely gets actioned. But age alone won't protect you. Today's show: *A humanoid robot ran the 100m in 9.39, breaking the human Usain Bolt's world record, while an entire stadium cheered. Jason thinks Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games aren't a science fair, or a fun exhibition, but the best AI PR campaign on Earth. While Americans debate the data centers that train the robot brains, China is already turning them into a spectacle and world-class entertainment. Find out what Jason thinks America can do to catch up… and why he believes there will be 1 billion Optimus robots deployed by the year 2036. PLUS on an all-news TWiST, hot takes on the potential $13B Hugging Face sale (to a mystery buyer), why founders should always "buy the threat," analyzing Sam Altman's "I'm listening and I hear you" face, and are kill drones already in operation around the world? We're digging in to how close the real world is to mirroring the "Terminator" films. Relevant Links CBS coverage of World Humanoid Robot Games: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-robot-usain-bolt-sprint-run-record-faster/ Bloomberg coverage of World Humanoid Robot Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lsrUAdcPPE X-Humanoid: https://www.x-humanoid.com/ Tesla Optimus on X: https://x.com/Tesla_Optimus Trailer for Spielberg's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_19pRsZRiz4 Bloomberg: Hugging Face exploring sale: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-23/hugging-face-gauging-interest-for-potential-sale-business-insider-says Fortune: Stripe acquires OpenRouter: https://fortune.com/2026/08/16/stripe-7-billion-deal-ai-firm-openrouter-acquisition/ InfoWorld: OpenAI acqui-hires OPenClaw founder: https://www.infoworld.com/article/4132731/openai-hires-openclaw-founder-as-ai-agent-race-intensifies-2.html David Senra podcast w/ Sam Altman: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/sam-altman Harvey Tenet Research Preview: https://www.harvey.ai/blog/post-training-update-harvey-tenet David Sacks comments on Harvey's Tenet (from X): https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/2090790063047168473 CNBC: Iran linked to UK cyberattack: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/23/small-uk-power-plant-shut-down-after-iran-linked-cyberattack-report.html NYT: A drone killed 3 Ukrainians: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/world/europe/russia-drones-autonomous-ai-kill-ukraine-war.html Forbes: Eric Schmidt secretly testing AI drones: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahemerson/2024/06/06/eric-schmidt-is-secretly-testing-ai-military-drones-in-a-wealthy-silicon-valley-suburb/ Restream: https://restream.io/ Kimbal Musk's Nova Sky Stories: https://novaskystories.com/ IKEA: Plug-in Solar Panels: https://www.ikea.com/be/en/energy-services/plug-in-solar/ Deadline: "Mandalorian and Grogu" box office: https://deadline.com/2026/08/star-wars-mandalorian-grogu-disney-release-date-1237040464/ THR: Dave Filoni leading Lucasfilm: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/star-wars-mandalorian-grogu-box-office-franchise-low-1236604973/ Star Wars: Starfighter first look: https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-starfighter-ryan-gosling Star Wars Theory: "Vader" fan series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey68aMOV9gc Timestamps: 0:00 Jason got a fresh Optimus demo 1:35 Robots are breaking human sports records 3:39 America's messaging problem vs. China's elite PR machine 11:07 Odoo - The all-in-one business platform. Your first app is free! Get started today at https://Odoo.com/twist 12:08 Jason got a fresh Optimus demo 19:21 Quo (formerly OpenPhone) - Quo gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free and get 20% off your first 6 months at https://quo.com/TWiST 28:09 Who's going to buy Hugging Face and why? 28:56 Conservation Fund - Find out more about how the Conservation Fund is protecting land, wildlife, and our shared access to the great outdoors while also providing economic opportunities. Visit https://conservationfund.org 31:35 How OpenAI killed OpenClaw 39:08 Sam Altman wants to make a platform, not a product 41:19 The "Castles and Keeps" metaphor for sovereign AI 49:27 UBI isn't happening but we could raise the minimum wage 58:47 Embracing redundancy and self-reliance 1:10:53 Is Star Wars at a historic low point (and Lon's Worst Take) Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https://ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https://www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https://rb.gy/v19fcp   Follow Lon: X: https://x.com/lons   Follow Jason: X: https://twitter.com/Jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis Check out all our partner offers: https://partners.launch.co/   Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland   Check out Jason's suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis   Follow TWiST: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com

A Lot Can Happen Between an Accepted Offer and Closing Day Getting an accepted offer is a major milestone in any real estate transaction. For sellers, it can feel like the hard part is over. For buyers, it can feel like they've finally secured the home they've been searching for. But an accepted offer is not the finish line. It's really the beginning of the next phase. On a recent episode of Talk Real Estate Roundtable, Melissa Wallace was joined by Boston Connect Real Estate agent Tracy Grady to discuss everything that can happen between an accepted offer and closing and why buyers, sellers, agents, lenders, attorneys, inspectors, and other professionals all need to work together to keep the transaction moving forward. As Tracy put it during the show, the transaction isn't truly complete until the buyer has the keys in hand. Every Real Estate Transaction Has a Timeline Once an offer is accepted, the transaction begins moving through a series of important dates and deadlines. Depending on the specific agreement, that timeline may include: Home inspection Additional property evaluations Purchase and Sale Agreement Additional deposits Mortgage application and underwriting Appraisal Mortgage commitment Homeowners insurance Title work Smoke and carbon monoxide inspection Final utility readings Seller move-out Final walkthrough Closing And while the offer may establish specific dates, those dates sometimes need to change. Attorneys may need additional time. A lender may request more documentation. An appraisal may need to be scheduled. An inspection issue may need further evaluation. That's why the timeline needs to be realistic from the beginning. A three-week closing may sound attractive in an offer, but everyone involved needs to be confident that the financing, inspection, legal work, and closing preparations can actually be completed within that period. Buyers: Stay Closely Connected With Your Lender For financed purchases, one of the buyer's biggest responsibilities after an accepted offer is protecting their mortgage approval. Your lender may request updated documentation throughout the transaction, including: Bank statements Pay stubs Tax documents Employment verification Explanations of deposits or transfers Additional underwriting documents Respond to those requests quickly. The financial picture your lender approved when you applied for your mortgage needs to remain relatively consistent through closing. Don't Make Major Financial Changes Before Closing You've probably heard the advice before, but it's worth repeating: Do not make major financial changes while you're purchasing a home without speaking with your lender first. That can include: Financing a new vehicle Buying furniture on credit Opening a new credit card Closing existing credit accounts Changing jobs Moving large amounts of money between accounts Making unexplained deposits Co-signing a loan for someone else Even something that seems completely unrelated to the purchase can affect your credit, debt-to-income ratio, available funds, or underwriting approval. The safest approach is simple: when in doubt, call your loan officer before doing anything financially significant. During the episode, Melissa and Tracy described the period between accepted offer and closing as a financial "bubble" that buyers should try to stay within until the transaction is complete. Schedule Your Home Inspection Promptly If a buyer is conducting a home inspection or other due diligence, don't wait. Inspection periods are contractual deadlines, and several things may need to happen within that window. A buyer may need to: Schedule the inspection Review the inspector's findings Obtain additional evaluations Ask questions Discuss potential repairs or concerns Decide how they want to proceed Communicate decisions through their agent and attorney Waiting until the last possible day creates unnecessary pressure for everyone. Inspection issues may also become part of the Purchase and Sale Agreement if the buyer and seller agree that certain repairs will be completed before closing. Buyers Should Be Represented During the Inspection The home inspection is part of the buyer's due diligence, and the buyer's agent has an important role in that process. The buyer's agent should attend with their client and the home inspector so the buyer has representation during the inspection. The listing agent represents the seller, not the buyer, and the responsibilities of each agent remain different even though everyone shares the ultimate goal of completing the transaction. Choose a Real Estate Attorney Early After an accepted offer, buyers and sellers will typically begin working with attorneys on the Purchase and Sale Agreement and other aspects of the transaction. During the show, Melissa and Tracy emphasized the value of working with an attorney who regularly practices real estate law. Real estate transactions involve specific timelines, title issues, deposits, contingencies, lender requirements, and closing procedures. A professional who routinely handles real estate transactions will understand those processes and help guide the client through them. Once documents are ready for signature, don't leave everyone waiting. Review questions with your attorney ahead of time and make sure documents are signed by the required deadlines. Homeowners Insurance Can Create Unexpected Issues Buyers also need to arrange homeowners insurance before closing. Sometimes securing coverage is straightforward. Other times, questions may arise because of: Roof condition Prior insurance claims Property condition Certain home features Availability of coverage Lender insurance requirements Address insurance early enough that there is time to solve a problem if one arises. Don't Forget to Transfer the Utilities Imagine closing on your new home Friday afternoon, getting the keys and realizing the electricity is scheduled to be shut off the next morning. That's exactly the type of last-minute problem that can happen if buyers wait too long to transfer utilities. Buyers should determine which utility companies service the property and arrange to have service transferred into their name effective on the closing date. Meanwhile, the seller will typically be arranging to end their responsibility for those same services. Coordinate ahead of time so the transition is seamless. Prepare Closing Funds Before Closing Day Closing funds can create another unexpected hiccup. Buyers should confirm: How much money will be needed How the attorney or lender requires the funds to be delivered Whether their bank has wire-transfer limitations Whether they need to visit a bank in person What identification or authorization may be required During the episode, Sharon McNamara called into the show and shared a recent example involving buyers who had spoken with their bank before traveling and believed they could complete a wire remotely. On closing day, they learned the bank required them to appear in person and their bank wasn't located near where they were staying. The situation was ultimately another reminder that even when you think you've confirmed everything, it's worth double-checking the logistics before closing day. And whenever wiring money in a real estate transaction, independently verify instructions with the appropriate professional before transferring funds. Sellers Still Own and Must Maintain the Property Once an offer is accepted, sellers sometimes mentally begin moving on. But until closing, it's still your home and you're still responsible for maintaining it. That means continuing to: Keep utilities operating Heat the property when necessary Maintain landscaping Remove snow and ice when appropriate Keep the property secure Address significant issues that arise Maintain the home substantially as the buyer agreed to purchase it The condition of the property matters because the buyer will see it again at the final walkthrough. An accepted offer doesn't mean homeownership responsibilities stop. Agreed-Upon Repairs Need to Be Completed If the buyer and seller reach an agreement following the home inspection, the seller needs to follow through. That could include completing certain repairs or addressing specific items before closing. Once those obligations become part of the agreement, they aren't simply suggestions. Save invoices, receipts, warranties, or other documentation when appropriate so there is a clear record that the agreed-upon work was completed. Be Very Clear About What Stays With the Property Another common closing-day issue involves fixtures and personal property. Generally, fixtures are items attached to the property. Examples might include: Curtain rods Permanently installed shelving Certain light fixtures Attached television mounting brackets Other permanently affixed items During the show, Melissa and Tracy specifically discussed television mounting brackets. The television itself may be personal property, but the mounting bracket attached to the wall can create confusion if expectations weren't established in advance. The best way to avoid disagreement is to make inclusions and exclusions clear from the beginning. If you're a seller and there's something attached to the home that you plan to take with you, discuss it with your listing agent before putting the property on the market. Sellers: Don't Assume the Buyer Wants Your Leftover Items That leftover paint might match the living room perfectly. The extra patio furniture might still have years of life left. The gardening tools might be useful. The buyer may still not want any of it. A good rule of thumb is to assume the buyer wants the property empty unless something else has specifically been agreed upon. If there are items you'd like to leave, communicate that well before closing and get the buyer's agreement. Don't wait until the final walkthrough. Give Yourself Enough Time to Move Out Moving almost always takes longer than people expect. Boxes multiply. Closets contain more than you remembered. Garages somehow hold years' worth of belongings. That's why sellers should avoid planning to finish moving on the morning of closing. During the show, Tracy shared a transaction where movers were still packing, items remained on the walls and in closets, and closing was scheduled for 10:00 that morning. The problem was obvious: once the property closes, it belongs to the buyer. Tracy now encourages her sellers to be completely moved out before closing so there is time to clean the property and address anything unexpected before the buyer arrives for the walkthrough. The Final Walkthrough Is Important The final walkthrough is the buyer's opportunity to verify that the property is in the expected condition before closing. Buyers may be checking that: The seller has moved out Personal belongings and debris have been removed Agreed-upon repairs have been completed Included fixtures and appliances remain No unexpected damage occurred during the move The property has been maintained The home is ready for the buyer to take possession The goal is not to renegotiate the entire purchase. It's to confirm that the property the buyer is about to own matches what the parties agreed upon. Sellers Have Several Final Municipal Responsibilities Depending on the property and municipality, sellers may also need to coordinate several items before closing. During the episode, Melissa and Tracy discussed requirements such as: Smoke and carbon monoxide inspections. Local requirements can differ by municipality, so sellers need to know both statewide rules and any additional local requirements. Final water readings. Certain municipalities require a final reading and may require the final balance to be paid before closing. Title V inspections. Properties with private septic systems may have additional requirements that need to be addressed during the transaction. Condominium documentation. Condo transactions can require association or management-company documents that also need to be requested and delivered on time. The specifics can vary from town to town, which is one reason local knowledge and communication are so important. Why Midweek Closings Can Sometimes Be Helpful Friday may sound like the perfect closing day. Close on the house, get the keys, and spend the weekend moving in. But if something goes wrong late on a Friday, there may be fewer options for fixing it before offices, banks, or registries close for the weekend. The episode referred to Wednesday or Thursday as providing a little more of a "hiccup day." If something needs to be corrected, there may still be another business day available before the weekend. This becomes especially important when transactions are connected such as when one seller needs the proceeds from their sale to complete the purchase of their next home. Communication Is What Keeps the Transaction Together A successful closing is rarely the result of one person. It takes coordination between: Buyers Sellers Buyer agents Listing agents Mortgage professionals Attorneys Home inspectors Appraisers Insurance professionals Municipal departments Moving companies Sometimes contractors and other specialists There will occasionally be problems. Documents may take longer than expected. A lender may ask for something unexpected. An inspection may uncover an issue. A repair may need to be completed. A bank may change the way closing funds need to be transferred. The goal isn't to pretend those things never happen. The goal is to identify them quickly, communicate clearly, and work together toward a solution. As Melissa and Tracy discussed during the show, the buyer wants to buy the home and the seller wants to sell it. Everyone involved should ultimately be working toward that same goal. Accepted Offer Is the Beginning Not the End There is plenty to celebrate when your offer is accepted or when you accept an offer on your home. Celebrate it. Then get ready for the next phase. The period between accepted offer and closing is where experienced guidance, organization, communication, and attention to deadlines become incredibly important. At Boston Connect Real Estate, our job doesn't stop when the offer is signed. We help our clients navigate what comes next through inspections, Purchase and Sale, financing deadlines, municipal requirements, moving preparations, final walkthrough, and ultimately the closing table. Because when it comes to real estate, a lot can happen between accepted offer and closing. And having the right professionals beside you can make all the difference. Thinking about buying or selling a home? Contact Boston Connect Real Estate and let our experienced team guide you through every stage of your move. Because every move should be a moving experience.   Watch our live video on Youtube!

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Cari Stinebower about sanctions as an enterprise risk management issue. They discuss the holistic view of the maritime space and enterprise risk. They cover aspects of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) and how insurance companies, brokers, and reinsurers work with the U.S. Government to mitigate terrorism risk.   Listen for advice on keeping your organization compliant with respect to sanctions and terrorism risk.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. We will discuss geopolitical risk, sanctions, and TRIA with Cari Stinebower, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Steptoe. But first… [:42] RIMS-CRMP Virtual Workshops. RIMS will partner with PARIMA for the RIMS-CRMP on September 1st and 2nd for a two-day virtual workshop. Registration links are in this episode's show notes. [:55] Also on the webinars page, you will see a two-part series hosted by the RIMS Membership Department. The "Classroom to Career" webinar series highlights how RIMS equips students with the knowledge, skills, and connections needed to thrive in risk management careers. [1:10] Participants will gain insights into industry trends, career pathways, and practical tools that help them confidently step into the evolving world of risk management after graduation. These sessions will be hosted on September 1st and 9th. [1:24] These sessions are member exclusives and are complimentary for RIMS members, of course. So, if you are interested in becoming a member, this would be the time. Visit RIMS.org/membership. [1:34] Webinars: On September 17th, AXA XL returns to present the session, "Beyond the Loss Count: What Property Claims Reveal About Frequency, Severity, and Resilience." [1:46] On October 1st, Brown and Brown will make their RIMS Webinar debut with "The Future of Captives: What Risk Managers Should Think About Now." Visit RIMS.org/Webinars to register. [1:59] RIMS is back on YouTube. Our handle is @RIMSOfficialChannel. We've got plenty of videos there, including RIMScast, RIMScast Canada video podcasts, and other informative and entertaining content from RIMS. Subscribe to the channel today! [2:17] On with the Show! Our guest today is Cari Stinebower. She is a partner at Steptoe in Washington, D.C., and a former U.S. Department of the Treasury and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Attorney-Adviser. [2:32] Cari focuses her practice on regulatory risk where U.S. National Security and Foreign Policy objectives intersect with cross-border business. [2:39] We will talk about fraud, money laundering detection, and cybersecurity, and how this can be connected to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA). [2:50] We'll also talk about how international sanctions can impact any organization, and why risk managers should be strategizing now, if they haven't already. There is so much to discuss!  Let's get to it! [3:04] Interview! Cari Stinebower, welcome to RIMScast! [3:24] Cari says she was at OFAC at an interesting time. She came in after a Hill job doing the campaign finance cleanup for the Democrats for three years, from 1996 to 1999. [3:38] Cari says that OFAC sank their teeth into anti-money laundering and the detection of fraud and corruption. When Cari joined Treasury as an analyst within OFAC, they slotted her into a position focused on counter-narcotics work, and also on the Milošević tribunal. [4:03] Cari says there was lots of work to do and not enough staff to do it. Everyone ot OFAC had then, and still has, multiple portfolios. Cari was splitting between Milošević and counter-narcotics work. [4:20] Cari says she spent a lot of time in Colombia working with banks and the Colombian government on anti-money laundering, focused on the cartels. The drug dealers were very sophisticated and were spectacular at establishing front companies and money laundering. [4:54] Cari says it was a very good lesson for what was to come through the counter-terrorism work. The Colombian narcotics traffickers and their front companies were light-years ahead on money laundering techniques and sanctions evasion. [5:44] Cari says in Colombia, at that time, the narcotics traffickers were excellent businessmen. It was such a lucrative career that they had to find ways to wash the cash. They were buying agricultural businesses, tourism businesses, pharmacies; anything they could to launder cash. [6:18] Cari says they could have been fabulous businessmen if they had gone legitimate. She says some of them tried. [6:32] Cari says 9/11 happened, so the world changed overnight. Cari switched from a counter-narcotics focus to a counter-terrorism focus. [6:44] They started chasing the money. Who was the source of the funds? Where was it going? Which financial institutions were involved? Were they doing it knowingly? Were they being used by governments? Were they being used by "charities"? How is it flowing? [7:03] Cari says that became her focus at OFAC for the next five years after 0/11, before she hopped into the private sector. [7:39] Justin asks about sanctions against nations. Cari says the old way Treasury used to do sanctions was by jurisdiction. A jurisdiction would be identified as prohibited, off-limits for U.S persons, meaning individuals and entities. [8:01] Any funds, transactions, or contracts that came into the possession or control of the U.S. person or entity would, by operation of law, be blocked or frozen; the title remained with the sanctioned party, but the U.S. person or entity had to freeze it and report it to the Treasury. [6:26] The original sanctions on Iran were jurisdictional, based on the government, based on persons located within the jurisdiction of Iran. The Department of the Treasury was aggressive in pursuing enforcement actions. [8:44] Financial institutions were sanctioned with multi-million-dollar penalties. The world started to voluntarily comply. It was U.S. driven initially, but European financial institutions and some of the Emirati financial institutions got on board and complied with the sanctions. [9:20] The Departments of the Treasury and Justice used a clause within the underlying statute for the Iran sanctions that allowed penalties to be imposed on non-U.S. financial institutions that were causing a U.S. bank to process transactions on behalf of the sanctioned party. [9:43] That was the line of the European banking cases that came out. Cari says banks were penalized from 2005 through 2015, which pretty much swept in everyone. [9:56] That was the modern buildout of the compliance program where the U.S. established it was applying its sanctions requirements not only to U.S. persons but to non-US. persons where they could also identify a nexus. [10:12] The favorite nexus was the use of U.S. dollars through the clearing system. Sanctions exploded. It was identifying ways to reach non-U.S. parties through the use of dollars, servers located in the U.S., call centers, approvals, or whatever they could, as a hook to get U.S. nexus. [10:51] Justin asks about sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Cari says North Korea has sort of fallen off. There's a big focus on North Korea's use of forced labor. They've also been active in cyberspace and ransomware. [11:20] Cari says we don't see North Korea as often as we see Iran, Russia, and, to a certain degree, Cuba. It depends on the administration. For a while, Venezuela was really hot, from an anti-corruption, anti-money-laundering perspective, rather than a sanctioned invasion. [11:46] Justin speaks of the latest AML bill, passed in 2023. Cari says the big overhaul was under the Patriot Act, which updated and modernized the Bank Secrecy Act. It also updated and modernized the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), OPEC's big statute. [12:09] Cari says there have been updates since. When you hear M&A partners or private equity guys talking, they often refer back to the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act becomes this overarching term for updates to the AML laws and regulations. [12:48] Cari says there has been a growing evolution of the anti-corruption, anti-bribery statutes, the anti-money-laundering statutes, the sanctions world, and the adjacents like the whistleblower protections and the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. [13:09] Cari says all of these components are part of this growing collective focus on upgrading U.S. Government abilities to protect against threats to national security and the economy. [13:32] Justin says risk managers are accustomed to thinking about operational and financial risks, but sanctions can feel like a legal issue. Part of the problem is you may have a legal officer who is not a risk manager or a risk manager who is not a legal officer. [13:48] Justin asks, When should sanctions become an Enterprise Risk Management issue? Cari says, looking at OFAC's enforcement actions, sanctions should always be an Enterprise Risk Management focus. [14:04] It's very easy for the bad guys to take advantage of a business if it's siloed. The easiest way to detect a problem, whether it's financial sanctions evasion or exposure to corruption, is if the enterprise is looking holistically at its business, its counterparties, and its transactions. [14:26] Cari says, when we're working with clients on building a global compliance policy or procedure, we keep telling them that it's better to have a holistic view of the business, customers, and geography. [14:43] Not only geographic risk, customer risk, or service risk, but also across the regulatory schemes. If you have sanctions exposure somewhere in your enterprise, you're also likely going to have an anti-money-laundering issue, a corruption issue, and/or an export controls issue.  [15:06] Cari says when you're building out compliance, you want to have a 1,000-foot view of the business units, your customers, your geographies, and the regulatory components, so that you can take advantage of what you may be seeing in one area. It's silos that cause the problems. [15:26] A Quick Break! Many fantastic RIMS events are coming up in 2026. The 11th Annual Chicagoland Risk Forum will return to the Old Post Office on Thursday, September 24th, 2026. Visit ChicagolandRiskForum.org for more information. [15:42] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held from October 4th through the 7th in Seattle, Washington. The agenda is live, and registration is open. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com and the link in this episode's show notes for more information. [15:59] Save the dates: October 18th through the 21st. In Quebec City, we will be hosting the 50th Annual RIMS Canada Conference. Booth sales are open, and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. [16:16] Also, remember to check out RIMS.org/Canada for our spinoff show, RIMScast Canada, hosted by National Conference Committee Chair, Aaron Lukoni. [16:27] The RIMS ERM Conference 2026 will be held on November 19th and 20th in Columbus, Ohio. Registration is open. Visit RIMS.org/ERM2026. [16:40] We're already looking to RISKWORLD 2027, which will be held over four days in New Orleans, Louisiana, from April 18th through the 21st! [16:50] RIMS members can exclusively register by September 4th for the best rate. And get first access to the hotel block. Hotel reservations open on October 28th, ahead of public registration. Sitting this out is the real risk! The link to registration is in this episode's show notes. [17:10] Let's Return to Our Interview with Cari Stinebower! [17:26] Cari says an example of sanctions risk is Iranian oil or Venezuelan oil. Typically, the pattern is you have a Greek shipment manager under charter to deliver oil and gas to China.  The Bill of Lading says the cargo is of Omani origin or Malaysian blend. [18:08] It looks clean. They have all the sanctions exclusions language in the Charter Agreement; the insurers, the reinsurers, and the P&I quotes have all established that the vessel cannot carry Iranian cargo. The documents say it's Omani or Malaysian, and off you go. [18:28] Then you get a call from the U.S. State Department or the Treasury Department saying you've got Iranian cargo on board. The U.S. Government typically knows that because they're using satellite tracking software. They know that the cargo was loaded by ship-to-ship transfer. [18:58] If you go back through the satellite imagery, you can see that it's happened probably two or three times, and when the vessel called on the Omani port that was supposed to be the source of the cargo, it came in at the same draft as it left. Calling on the port was clearly a ruse. [19:34] When you get to the financial payments, that's where you have the money laundering side, and you can see that the Omani seller of the cargo is just a front company with a brand new website, secretly run by the Revolutionary Guard. [19:56] Cari says that when we start talking about the compliance policies and procedures, it's not good enough just to rely on the Bill of Lading. The expectation is that you're going to be doing something a little deeper. [20:11] In 2019, the Department of Justice started to pursue a lot of ship owners and ship managers for carrying Iranian cargo. Sometimes it was Iranian cargo going to Venezuela or going to China. [20:32] In a decent batch of those cases, the ship owners or ship managers would be contacted by the U.S. Government and agree that the Government was right and ask what they could do not to get sanctioned. [20:51] Cari says there were a series of cases where the ships were brought to the U.S. and the cargo was sold by the U.S. Government, with the proceeds going to the Victims of Terrorism Fund, for parties who registered with the Special Master and were entitled to a pro rata share. [21:20] That was the U.S. Government's solution to what to do with all this cargo that they can seize, and they had been seizing, under the Foreign Terrorist Organization Statute. We're now seeing the same focus on the narcotics trafficking cartels in Mexico, Brazil, and Venezuela. [21:46] Cari says, You see the evolution of the U.S. Government's thinking over the years, how the Iranian oil cases are now relevant to countering narcotics trafficking caused by the cartels in South America. [22:00] Justin asks about supply chain risk and sanctions-related risks companies may overlook when they evaluate suppliers. Cari says the supply chain, particularly when you're dealing with raw materials or manufacturers coming out of China, has been an issue for a long time. [22:29] Cari says it's not difficult for a U.S. importer who's bringing in parts and components for widgets to know that their manufacturer or warehouse in China is who they say they are. That's easy enough. [22:48] Where we see issues is when the Chinese manufacturer subcontracts to second or third parties, who ostensibly are also compliant, but it becomes difficult in a more opaque jurisdiction like China to do the tracing down to the actual mine or source of the raw materials. [23:14] That leads up to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which has forced companies to look at supply chains where there's a Chinese component, for several years. [23:31] Where are the raw materials coming from? Do you know where all of the raw materials are coming from, or do you just know where some are? Under the UFLPA, companies were particularly focused on identifying those risks in China. [23:50] Cari says, under the first Trump Administration, and under the Biden Administration, you started to see a lot of companies moving away from sole-sourcing goods from China, specifically because of that risk. [24:02] The National Drug Control Strategy Report that came out in May 2026 is digging deep into supply chain issues. [24:13] It says two things: first, that the U.S. Government needs to act as a whole. The Departments of Justice, Treasury, and Homeland Security need to work together on tackling supply chain issues and addressing where the gaps are. [24:35] Supply chains are being exploited, not only by narcotics traffickers, but across the board. [24:41] The report is also telling businesses that it's not enough to have an OFAC sanctions compliance program where you screen your counterparties against the SDN list. [24:54] There's an expectation for businesses to go deeper, using analytics and AI, looking at their records, and knowing who the suppliers of their suppliers are. [25:17] The expectation is for businesses to step up their game, but also for the U.S. Government to partner with businesses to figure out how to do that. [25:35] Cari says we've also been telling other jurisdictions, like those in the Caribbean and South America, that this is a really good opportunity. [26:44] The first Trump Administration, the Biden Administration, and the second Trump Administration have said to stop sole-sourcing in China. Let's near-shore and friend-shore, and let's bring business and infrastructure back to the Western Hemisphere. [26:00] Cari says we're starting to see jurisdictions offer tax incentives for setting up manufacturing spaces, or finding ways to invest in the United States to bring back manufacturing. [26:14] Cari says the big issue of late has been how to bring shipbuilding back to the United States. Is there a way to do it in Latin America without relying on China as the major shipyard? [26:29] Those issues are interesting because they trigger a series of other questions: cost of labor, sourcing raw materials, and more. It's a longer-term problem. If you're building out your supply chain nose-to-tail, it's going to require a more transparent jurisdiction than China. [26:52] One more Quick Break! RIMS, The Foundation for Risk ManagementTM, is dedicated to shaping the future of the profession. By making a contribution, you are strengthening the global risk management community and investing in the future of the industry. [27:11] The Foundation also supports the Spencer Educational Foundation but has a different mission. The Foundation focuses on providing opportunities for those professionals who have already decided to enter risk management and are just getting started. [27:26] You can learn more about the Foundation by visiting www.RIMS.org/FRM.  While you're there, be sure to check out information about the Susan Meltzer Scholarship Fund, which was established to honor Ms. Meltzer, who was RIMS President in 1999 and 2000. [27:44] Susan Meltzer was a cherished RIMS President and contributed so much to RIMS and the greater risk community. Learn more at RIMS.org/FRM. [27:53] Let's return to our interview with Cari Stinebower! [28:14] Justin asks if other countries sanction the United States or U.S. companies. Cari says it has become a new trend. The jurisdictions doing it are China, with the National Security Law; Russia, identifying Hostile Jurisdictions that have imposed sanctions against Russia. [29:12] Cari says it's a quid pro quo. Ukraine has a sanctions program against entities that do business with Russia. Canada and Europe are well-known for their Blocking Statutes. [29:48] They have Antidote Sanctions that prohibit their nationals from complying with the U.S.'s Cuba Sanctions. Those jurisdictions see the U.S. sanctions on Cuba as territorial. There is a quid pro quo. [30:08] Sometimes it triggers conflict-of-law issues, and companies have to decide how and when they're going to comply with which set of sanctions. [30:46] Cari says, if you don't have a holistic view of which jurisdictions you're operating in, and where your U.S. nationals are located, there's no way to build out a robust, comprehensive sanctions program. [31:01] If you have a U.S. person located in or in a business position in Canada, you wouldn't want them dealing with the Canadian company's Cuba business. You need to know where they are located in advance so you can protect the U.S. person. [31:27] Justin notes that RIMS is a global society. Canada is the second-largest RIMS membership base. [31:40] Justin says there's so much due diligence to be done. You have to vet the company you're going to be doing business with and do your second- and third-tier supply chain risk management deep dive to make sure that everything is above board. [32:02] Cari says there are many examples where the Canadian Government has aggressively stepped up its sanctions components. The Canadian sanctions on Russian targets may be more aggressive than the U.S. or EU sanctions on Russia. [32:19] If you have a financial institution or insurance company based in Canada, but operating in the U.S. and the EU, because they're complying with the Canadian sanctions, they're blocking transactions that a U.S. party wouldn't have to block. [32:44] You want to know what the entire web of sanctions regulations is before you figure out who your business parties are and how you're going to navigate something. [32:55] Justin surmises that a small company without a dedicated risk professional would need to reach out to a company like Steptoe. Cari agrees; a lot of people will use a law firm and a consultant to build out their compliance programs or to do the risk analysis. [33:13] Cari says, then they will either find someone in-house or outsource it to a consultant or a specialist to keep costs down. [33:23]  Cari says, we also see this pop up in Mergers & Acquisitions. One of the things that is often difficult is that they will see the compliance function either as redundant or as a cost center, and not as a profit center. [33:47] The guidance is always: Don't save costs by getting rid of your Compliance function, because it will cost you money in the long run. But often, that is what you will see. [34:00] Justin brings up the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), a legislative priority for RIMS. RIMS sends an External Affairs Team to Capitol Hill every year to talk about TRIA with their Representatives in Congress. [34:19] Justin says RIMS helped lead the charge, over 20 years ago, to get TRIA passed into law. [34:30] The nature of terrorism risk has evolved since TRIA's enactment. Justin asks how risk managers should be thinking about terrorism exposure today, compared to when the program was established. [34:44] Cari says terrorism, like the narcotics traffickers, evolves. It's cash-intensive. There's more you can do now through technology, AI, cybersecurity, and cryptocurrency. [35:01] You can sit completely offshore and wreak havoc on the electrical grid or a utilities provider, or a financial institution, through cyberattacks or cybercrimes. It can be crippling if terrorists go after the grid. [35:28] Cari says we have seen an overlap between what could be a terrorist attack and what is more likely a ransomware grab, when they're going after smaller utilities located somewhere in the Midwest. That seems to be a trend. [35:45] They're not always sophisticated. You don't always know who the counterparties are. Going back to the Drug Control Strategy report, the Government is saying that there has to be a holistic approach to ransomware and cyberattacks. [36:03] A couple of years ago, the FBI and Homeland Security set up a task force to work with the utilities or other U.S. businesses that see themselves faced with a ransomware attack that is either just for the money or is something more nefarious. [36:24] Cari says, if the question is, is it terrorism or is it something else, but the way you would attack it would be the same if you're the utilities manager; it doesn't matter if it's terrorism or cybercrime. [36:48] You've got to work with law enforcement to protect your infrastructure, to figure out whether you're going to pay the ransom or not, so that you can protect your customers' data. [37:02] It's up to the Government to figure out who the illicit party was. Is it a hacker group sitting in Russia? Is it a terrorist group? Why were they doing it, and how do you stop it from happening in the future? [37:18] If you're the Business Manager or the Compliance Officer, you need to build in your risks, your risk mitigation strategies, redundancies, and backup servers that are not connected. The problem for you isn't: Is this a hacker or a terrorist doing this to me? [37:53] Cari says there are many insurance working groups. We've worked with clients, some of these groups, and the U.S. Government to come up with language that makes sense. We see it in the context of Iran or Russia, or with respect to language for War Risk in the Strait of Hormuz. [38:32] Cari says, The partnership between the insurers, reinsurers, brokers, and Government is pretty deep. [38:41] These working groups have been around for a long time because insurers, brokers, and reinsurers need buy-in from the Government to get assurances that the language they're putting out there is enough to get them out of trouble if they're acting in good faith. [39:00] Generally, everyone is, but you want that nod from the Government that what you've done is sufficient from the Government's perspective. [39:37] Cari's advice to risk professionals in August 2026: The most important thing is that the risk professionals and the business units know and trust each other. [39:47] Cari continues: A risk professional isn't going to be able to build out a compliance program that works unless they know what the business units are up to and what the business priorities are, and they have the trust of the business professionals. [40:05] Some critics warn that you don't want the compliance person to become a captive of the business units, driven by profit rather than compliance. Cari says the business compliance person needs the business unit and the compliance unit to work hand in glove. She explains it. [40:46] Cari says we've seen this a lot with all of these businesses jumping into the Venezuela market. There's a lot of business upside but also a lot of risk. It may not be that there's a sanctions risk, but the longer-term risks are the money-laundering and corruption risks. [41:26] Cari asks what happens ten years from now? If you're a compliance officer, you need to understand the upside to the business, which is lots of profit, but when you're drafting contracts and working with the business unit, how are you mitigating the risk that's five or 10 years out? [41:44] Cari says the only way you do that is if the compliance and business units have a certain amount of trust and respect for each other. [41:57] Cari says the Compliance Officer is not always the Risk Manager. Some businesses will have it siloed; some will have someone embedded. In some cases, there's no compliance person. They throw it onto a legal officer, and the legal officer can be spread fairly thin. [42:13] Cari says you can work through trade associations to understand industry risk. You can hire consultants. You can hire law firms. The benchmarking is incredibly important to understand not only the opportunity but also the appropriate risk. [42:49] Justin says this has been one of the most informative RIMScasts we've had in a while. I'm so glad we got a chance to tackle this topic. Cari, thank you so much for joining us here on RIMScast! [42:45] Special thanks again to Cari Stinebower of Steptoe for joining us here on RIMScast! A link to her LinkedIn profile is in this episode's show notes. [42:58] I have links on this episode's show notes to other RIMS coverage on sanctions, geopolitical tensions, and related supply chain risk. Also visit RMMagazine.com. [43:08] Plug Time! Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [43:26] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [43:42] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [43:56] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [44:08] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continued support!   Links: Spencer Educational Foundation's 2026 Funding Their Future Gala | Sept. 17, 2026 ChicagoLand Risk Forum | Sept. 24, 2026 RIMS Certification Week: Sept. 21‒24 | Complimentary For All RIMS Western Regional Conference — Oct. 4‒7, 2026 | Seattle, WA | Register Today. 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In this week's episode, I take a look at ebook box sets and the advantages they offer both writers and readers. I also explain why I haven't done an ad update post in a while. Once again it is time for Coupon of the Week! This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Ghost Night series at my Payhip store: SUMMERNIGHT The coupon code is valid through September 7, 2026. So if you need a new ebook this summer, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction, Writing Updates, and a Reader Question Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 317 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is August the 21st, 2026 and today we are going to talk about advantages to using box sets. We'll also have a brief discussion on why I haven't posted an ad update in a while, and we'll have an update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. Before we get to all that, let's start with Coupon of the Week. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Ghost Night series at my Payhip store. That coupon code is SUMMERNIGHT. As always, the coupon code and the links to my Payhip store will be available in the show notes for this episode. This coupon code will be valid through September the 7th, 2026. So if you need a new ebook for the summer, we have got you covered. Now let's have an update on my current writing, publishing, and audiobook projects. As of this recording, I am 56,000 words into Blade of Visions, which I think puts me roughly somewhere in the neighborhood of about halfway through. I think the rough draft is going to end up being about 105 to 110,000 words when I get there, but we will find out. I'm also 5,000 words into Elven-Warlock, the next book in the Rivah Half-Elven Thief series. In audiobook news, recording on Blade of Thieves and recording on Cloak of Worlds is finished. As of right now, you can get Cloak of Worlds at my Payhip store, but both Cloak of Worlds and Blade of Thieves should be available on Payhip and all the other audiobook stores before too much longer (once processing is done). So if you're looking for a new audiobook to listen to this summer, we will have ones for you very soon with Cloak of Worlds narrated by Hollis McCarthy and Blade of Thieves narrated by Brad Wills. So before we get to our main topic of box sets, let's answer a reader question, which is why I haven't done monthly ad post results for a while. The reason for that is it started in October of 2025 and [I] mostly stopped using Facebook ads. Facebook ads became drastically less effective as Meta added more and more badly designed AI targeting features to the ad platform. Now, why is this a bad thing? Am I refusing to use Facebook ads because of my frequently stated dislike of generative AI? No. The reason is that the AI targeting doesn't work nearly as well as the old system and ends up being a waste of money because the AI targeting is too broad and too random. This is bad because the key to successful online advertising is to narrow your audience as much as possible. What do I mean by this? Perhaps this example will help. Let's say, for example, you sell motorcycle parts online. Obviously when purchasing motorcycle parts, you need to match up with the exact model and year, otherwise you're going to run in trouble. Say you are selling a lot of parts for the Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle motorcycle model from 2009 and you want to sell them online to your customers. The best way to do that would be to target your ads as specifically as possible. In the US at least, motorcycle owners tend to be a bit older and wealthier and are more likely than not male. So you'd want to target your ads to men 60 and older who have expressed interest in Harley Davidson motorcycles and potentially in that specific model from 2009. Facebook used to let you target audiences to that level of granularity. However, in the last few years, Meta has jumped on the generative AI bandwagon along with nearly every other large technology corporation. It's followed the same trajectory as every other company that has used AI. The CEO gets a brainwave that AI is the inevitable future and doesn't want to be left behind. Employees are told to implement as many AI features as possible and to use AI for everything. That inevitably becomes part of the key performance indicators on their performance reviews, so the employees dutifully stuff badly designed AI features into everything in hopes of keeping their jobs the next time the stock price drops slightly. If you've wondered why AI nonsense seems to be stuffed into everything these days, that is why. Gradually, Facebook has eliminated the ability for granular targeting like I've discussed above in favor of their Advantage AI system, which does the targeting for you. There are two major problems with this. First, Advantage is a black box. You don't really see how it works and it isn't well documented anywhere online. Second, the targeting is way too broad. Advantage is really good at getting a lot of clicks on your ad, but this is the important part: the clicks on the ads don't usually convert to sales. Which is better: an ad that gets 10 clicks but results in five sales or an ad that gets 50 clicks and converts to one sale? From Facebook's point of view, the second is better, but it's not better for the advertiser. To return to the motorcycle parts example, say you're trying to sell those Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle 2009 parts and you try to run an ad with Advantage doing the targeting. You can't specifically target male or male motorcycle or Harley owners over the age of 60. No, you have to mention motorcycle and Harley parts in the ad text and hope that the system steers it correctly. What will happen is that the Advantage system will show the ad to a bunch of people who have no interest in Harley parts. Honda motorcycle owners will see it, as well Yamaha owners and probably people who own mopeds and e-bikes as well. Now, admittedly, in certain situations, this could work. Let's say you have a giant warehouse of motorcycle parts, which includes Honda and Yamaha parts, so there could be some overlap. If you have a big enough inventory of motorcycle parts, a broad targeting reach might work. The trouble is that books are very, very specific products and targeting ads outside of genre lines never works. Like if you're writing dark fantasy romance and the system shows your ad to someone who only reads World War II historical novels, it's not going to work at best and at worst, the reader will become annoyed and leave you a bad review. Even for someone like me who has 160 fantasy novels and a bunch of sci-fi novels, it wouldn't work. I could try advertising to fantasy novels, but Child of the Ghosts, Frostborn: The Gray Knight, Cloak of Dragons, and Stealth & Spells Online: Creation are all very different books in very different subgenres of fantasy. So I have in essence, a giant warehouse of books, but books are specific enough that trying to use Facebook Advantage to advertise them doesn't work. So now I don't really use Facebook ads. I did try again in June to boost Half-Elven Thief Omnibus One before its BookBub deal, and the results from the Facebook ads were in the bottom half of mediocre at best and outright useless at worst. The BookBub Feature Deal itself by contrast was excellent. When I have a new book out and I do the "I published a book" post on Facebook, I'll use the boost pull function, which shows it to more people based on my audience, which does increase engagement and isn't too expensive. But for the most part, I don't really use Facebook ads anywhere near as extensively as I used to. That said, I do a lot of BookBub and Amazon ads, way more than I did before Facebook ads became unusable. I'll typically run about 20 to 24 short BookBub campaigns a month advertising my permafree books on the non-Amazon stores. While I am not sure of the exact number, I think I have something like 550 Amazon ad campaigns running across about 35 different titles on Amazon. Fear not, this is less expensive than it sounds. I haven't posted much about it because it's a ton of data and I haven't figured out a way to do so in a concise and pithy way that isn't overwhelming or a giant wall of math and text. That said, there should be a way to do it, at least for the Amazon ads. Generally, Amazon ads are way more effective with Kindle Unlimited books and nonfiction, and BookBub ads are very effective for the non-Amazon stores, especially for permafree books like Frostborn: The Gray Knight and Child of the Ghosts. So that is why I haven't done an ad review roundup post in a while. Once I work out a good way to present the information with Amazon and BookBub ad data, I will probably start posting them again. 00:07:30 Main Topic: Ebook Box Sets [All prices referenced are in US Dollars] Now let's move on to our main topic this week, ebook box sets and why they're a good thing for both authors and readers. I will talk about four advantages of making an ebook box set, and then four things you should consider if you're interested in making them for your ebook series. An omnibus edition or a box set is a collection of several books in one series. They need to be books in the same series. It's not a sample of various books by one author or a collection of several books with a similar theme by different authors, which are common, especially in romance, but that's not what we're going to be talking about in this episode. For example, my Frostborn Omnibus One collection includes the first three books in my Frostborn series, and The Ghosts Omnibus One includes the first three books in The Ghosts series and a bonus short story as well. Before we get started, a note on the terminology. Although the term box set or ebook set means something much broader than omnibus edition, I will use ebook sets and omnibus editions interchangeably throughout this episode, mostly because omnibus is a bit of a mouthful to say that many times. So here are four reasons why you might want to consider making an omnibus edition for books in your series. #1: Series Starter If you don't want to go the perma-free route on your series, a competitively priced set of the first books in the series might be another option for you. The goal is always to make it easy and cheap to start a new series and a low-priced omnibus edition helps with drawing in new readers into a series. Having an omnibus of the first books in the series also means that you can periodically run sales on it. It's worth taking a short-term hit in the sales price if readers continue on to the next set or later books in the series. I've dealt with this with many of my omnibus editions, especially Frostborn Omnibus One, Cloak Mage Omnibus One, and The Ghosts Omnibus One many times, running deals to them when they were $0.99. That has inevitably resulted in good sales for the rest of the series and the audiobooks in the series. #2: Reader Convenience The main reason for creating ebook sets may be the cost savings for the book buyer, but another big reason is convenience for the reader. Many people struggle with knowing the correct order of books in a series, and omnibus editions act as guides through a series. Readers like the convenience of knowing they're reading them in the correct order, but only having to make one purchase to do that. Some people also don't like the way that their ebook libraries display series and prefer the omnibus editions for that reason. #3: Changes to Amazon's KDP royalty tier KDP bases its royalty rates for ebooks on the price. They just raised a ceiling of the 70% royalty tier from $9.99 to $12.99, which makes omnibus editions priced over $9.99 more profitable since they can now be priced as high as $12.99 and still be in the 70% royalty tier. Previously, ebooks over $9.99 were put in a lower royalty tier to encourage authors to price them under $10. If there are a significant number of books in your omnibus edition or your individual books are priced at over $6, this change to KDP's royalties benefits you the most. To give an example, if an ebook series were made into an omnibus edition priced at $12 before, it would've netted $3.60 in royalties. With the change in pricing tiers, that same omnibus edition would now make $8.40 for the author. That is a significant increase that makes omnibus editions more attractive to produce. #4: The Kindle Unlimited Advantage Omnibus editions are good for putting in Kindle Unlimited because readers are excited to get multiple books while only taking up one of the "spots" they have in their KU library. Since readers can currently only borrow 20 books at a time, some power readers try to maximize the perceived value of each book in that library and look for longer books and omnibus editions for that reason. Since KU subscribers have many options, providing them with an omnibus edition might help get them more invested in the series and interested in continuing it because if they finish the set, there are several books into it and have spent a significant amount of time with your characters. If you don't put the whole series into KU (which is not a great idea by the way), an omnibus edition of the first books in the series would be a better choice than just putting the first book in the series in KU. KU subscribers get very angry when only the first book in the series is in KU, especially if that book ends on a cliffhanger or if the book isn't clearly marked as being part of a series. An omnibus edition gives them a much deeper introduction to the series. It feels less like a bait and switch than just the first book would be. It's also advantageous for the writer because of the page reads. For example, right as of right now, Half-Elven Thief Omnibus One, which is in Kindle Unlimited, is set to only $0.99 an ebook, but I usually make a good deal more from that because of the page reads because people will check out the book in KU and then the amount of page reads for that book comes to approximately about $4 for a complete read. So if you have a popular box set in KU, you can make a good deal more from it from the page reads than you would from just pricing it at $0.99. When setting up a box set, here are four things to consider when making an ebook omnibus edition. #1: You need to learn about reader expectations about what an omnibus edition is. It is not a collection of short stories or some short stories attached to a single book. It is not a sample collection of books you have across different series. Those are separate things and there's nothing wrong with them, but they need to be handled differently. An omnibus edition should be at least three complete and consecutive books in a series. If there are things like short stories or bonus content beyond that, that's fine. But three full length books is what book buyers expect from an omnibus edition or a box set. #2: Book buyers expect an omnibus edition to be less expensive than buying the book separately. Even providing bonus content like short story or extra chapter does not change this cost expectation. There's also an expectation that the first omnibus edition will be less expensive than the later omnibus editions because this is a common promotional strategy. For myself, what I usually do is I make sure that the omnibus is a dollar or two cheaper than the combined books would be. For example, I just put out Cloak Mage Omnibus Four, which combines Cloak of Embers, Cloak of Titans, and Cloak of Illusion into one book. Those individual books are $5, and so together buying three of them together would be $15. The omnibus edition is $11.99, so that's a savings of $3 across the three books. For the first omnibus edition in the series, I usually price it a bit lower. The Ghosts Omnibus One and Half-Elven Thief Omnibus One are $0.99 right now, but that is so they can be loss leaders and even if they're not on sale, like Cloak Mage Omnibus One is I believe $5.99 right now and Frostborn Omnibus One is $4.99, so that is to act as kind of a loss leader to get people in the door to read the series. #3: Take the time to learn to make an omnibus edition correctly. You can't just throw the individual ebook files into a single one and have the readers be happy with that. You need to update the book's front matter and metadata, and omnibus editions will need a new ISBN or ASIN, depending on where you publish them. For a long time for the covers, I used to do what I called a quartered cover where you'd have the three covers and a bonus short story arranged in a grid, kind of like a windowpane to advertise that it was clearly an omnibus edition. Lately, Amazon has been cracking down on that and some of the other ebook platforms don't like that as well. So what I've been doing is I've been making custom covers that very clearly say like Cloak Mage Omnibus Four on them and making sure that the cover is distinct enough from the individual covers in the series that won't be mistaken for an individual title in the series. #4: The omnibus edition needs to be treated as a separate book when creating ads. Their marketing works differently than individual books. Don't just hope that readers will find it on their own. Omnibus editions need new blurbs, separate ad campaigns, and their own marketing push. It's okay to list them separately on your website, but be sure to link them to the original books as well. On my website, I have links for the omnibus editions under each book in the series that is part of one so the readers are aware right away as an option for them. So hopefully these tips and tricks will help you to set up omnibus editions for yourself as well. So that's it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you've listened to all the back episodes athttps://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and we'll see you all next week.  

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INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER MOVIE REVIEW Coming in at entry number six is Insidious: Out of the Further, facing the ultimate horror franchise hurdle: how do you keep malevolent spirits scary after six movies? Quick recap: Generally, ghosts suck, mainly in their attempts to mess with humans and gain entry to our world. Previous […]

INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER MOVIE REVIEW Coming in at entry number six is Insidious: Out of the Further, facing the ultimate horror franchise hurdle: how do you keep malevolent spirits scary after six movies? Quick recap: Generally, ghosts suck, mainly in their attempts to mess with humans and gain entry to our world. Previous […]

According to the bankruptcy court's ruling in this podcast, which was docketed by the bankruptcy court on the record of the FTX bankruptcy case, an FTX customer/claimant brought a motion seeking reconsideration of the disallowance of his claim. His claim had been disallowed by the bankruptcy court because of complications with his submission of documents to satisfy Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. These requirements typically require submission of documentation in order for claims to be allowed, in other words eligible for payout. Sometimes customers/claimants need to also submit signed Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax forms.This can be burdensome for U.S. based customers/claimants, and especially burdensome for customers/claimants of foreign companies that file for bankruptcy in the United States that did not go through a KYC process or fill out tax forms when they opened accounts.People tend to think that, if their deposits and investments fail then they will be paid out in the ordinary course based on the information on file on apps through which they manage their accounts. Unfortunately this is not usually the case now typically. I am not sure but I think we would be pretty screwed if a bank or other institution holding deposit accounts failed - and I have applied to work for the FDIC because the government anticipates bank failure the FDIC will handle and I think I can help based on my bankruptcy experience.But perhaps in the future, in bankruptcy cases and in bank failure cases outside of bankruptcy, there will be technological and other improvements such that depositors and other claimants need not go through a process at all to prove up their claims and be paid out.For now, in bankruptcy cases, customers/claimants often find themselves either not submitting the KYC paperwork or trying to sell their claims to parties that are better able to cope with U.S. bankruptcy claims allowance/disallowance processes, including passing KYC requirements.From the FTX ruling it's not clear what the alleged defect was with the KYC documentation submitted by the customer/claimant, but the ruling explains that the customer/claimant was concerned to receive a request for more information than he had submitted, through the mechanism for submitting the documentation. The claimant expressed to the court that he thought the request for information was possibly part of a PHISHing attempt (a cybersecurity data breach that can result in identity theft).I am not clear what beyond a drivers license or other form of identification is needed to satisfy KYC in the FTX cases and whether the FTX customers/claimants had been KYC'd when opening accounts or thereafter.And I think I heard the court explain in the ruling, but I am not sure, that 47,000 - forty seven thousand - customer claims have been disallowed on the same basis as the claim at issue before the court in the ruling. In other words the claims will not be paid out.Can this possibly be correct? And how many FTX claims in total have been disallowed?This is not a perfect analogy but practically speaking - Imagine a scenario where, instead of plaintiffs bringing class actions for fraud perpetrated on them leading up to a bankruptcy filing such as FTX's, the defendant companies that committed the fraud against the customers, whose CEO is jailed for fraud, are protected from prosecution/litigation for fraud and are bringing class actions defensively to avoid paying out customers on claims that would not exist but for the fraud and collapse of FTX.For some context on claims allowance/disallowance processes in other bankruptcy cases, before FTX filed for bankruptcy relief in 2022... Twenty years ago or so, it became a practice in large bankruptcy cases that were not cases that followed frauds/fiascos like FTX, for the bankrupt companies' lawyers, to bring so called omnibus claims objections. The omnibus claims objection procedure is part of the claims allowance process, for large bankruptcy cases and enables bankrupt companies to more efficiently challenge claims on a common basis when there is a legitimate basis for a challenge affecting many claims.Generally speaking, even outside of bankruptcies following frauds, the claims allowance process reverses the bankruptcy rules that creditor claims (including customer claims) are presumptively valid and allowable. So the process is backwards substantively.And bankrupt companies can challenge claims on the basis of vague objections such as books and records objections, in other words challenging that the claim as filed by the customer/creditor is valid, on the basis the claim doesn't match the bankrupt companies' records. This can also be done with investor claims, which are a type of customer/creditor claim asserted in U.S. bankruptcy cases.Typically, If the creditor does nothing in response to an omnibus claims objection concerning the creditor claim (and that of many other customers) then the claim will be disallowed, by default. The bankruptcy court will treat the objection to the claim as unopposed and enter an order disallowing/expunging/excluding the claims from payment in the bankruptcy. The claims may be listed on a schedule with many other claims in the same situation - claims that will not be paid out.This is the default scenario, where a creditor who has timely notice of a claims objection, might reasonably assume creditors with larger claims will come forward. But the creditor doesn't consider those larger claimants may be dealing with the bankrupt company via arriving at one off deals reflected in stipulations and orders presented to the court, concerning the extent to which claims will be allowed and paid out.If the creditor does not default - and timely or untimely responds to the omnibus claims objection - which will typically necessitate hiring counsel, then the hearings on the customer claim are likely to be adjourned because the bankrupt company controls the agenda for hearings presented to the court. In other words, the claimant is not going to win and have a claim eligible for payout, even if the claimant responds to the claim objection.If the bankrupt company doesn't want to confront an issue that can be raised by other customers, which is a recurring scenario in bankruptcy cases, then the bankrupt company can adjourn hearings on a claim for months.In the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy case in the United States, filed in 2018, I represented foreign nationals who entrusted Lehman Brothers investment vehicles with funds before Lehman Brothers collapsed, then these individuals had to deal with the claims allowance process for customers/creditors/investors trying to collect on Lehman Brothers guarantees in the U.S.Few if any people would have invested in the Lehman Brothers feeder funds soliciting money overseas, without the Lehman Brothers guarantee probably, but when it came time to pay out on the Lehman Brothers guarantees - Lehman Brothers did not pay out in its chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, filed in New York. Lehman Brothers brought waves of omnibus claims objections challenging claims, hundreds of them.The bankruptcy judge presiding over the Lehman Brothers case at the time, who was the judge who had dealt with the nightmare of the case since the case filing in 2008, ruled that objections of one claimant would apply to all claimants, in effect giving us class action type status, recognizing the common issues (being defrauded into investing into a Lehman Brothers feeder fund with specious documentation causing it to be unclear what level of priority the claims should receive in an unthinkable bankruptcy scenario where Lehman Brothers, which had guaranteed payout to investors itself bankrupted then challenged the payout obligations).After the bankruptcy judge presiding over the Lehman Brothers case helped the parties procedurally and substantively with instructions for how the trial/hearing on the claims would proceed, the lawyers for the bankrupt company caused an adjournment of the hearing on our claims "sine die" - which means an adjournment of the trial on the claims without date/indefinitely.The bankrupt companies kept the claims off the bankruptcy court's agenda while the judge who wanted a trial on the merits was the bankruptcy judge presiding over the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.After the judge retired from the bench and another judge took over the case, Lehman Brothers found a way to avoid trial on the claims again and make sure they wouldn't be paid. I remember the substitute judge, who has since retired, telling the Lehman Brothers' lawyers, who she saw in court repeatedly over the course of the year, how great it was to work with them and she wished happy holidays as it was year end. I have the transcript somewhere and look at it every few years, missing appearing before the judge who initially presided over the Lehman Brothers case then retired into private practice where he does great dispute resolution work including mediation.The omnibus claims objection process for disallowing claims was extraordinary in the Lehman Brothers case which was in New York, but the case was abnormally large with a lot of foreign investment and resulting bankruptcy claims.Over time, the disallowance process via omnibus claims objections has become normal in some cases in Delaware like FTX and, in that context, perpetuates bankrupt companies' representations their bankruptcy plans are paying creditors decently high percentages on their claims, when really the percentages would be low if the claims in the claims pool were allowed and paid out.I do not know the circumstances of the claimant in FTX whose rights were impacted by the FTX ruling in this episode of the podcast, or how much crypto or money he lost, or how much he stands to gain if his claim is allowed, or whether he transferred his claim or continues to hold. I commend him on coming forward to a court of justice to defend his rights. He can proceed further and appeal if he thinks it worthwhile or do what the other claimants do and deal with the loss, unfair as it seems to be following the fraudulent collapse of FTX and good faith customer attempts to comply with the claims process including KYC requirements.An interesting question is can the many other FTX claimants whose claims have been disallowed due to alleged failure to satisfy KYC requirements appeal join in an appeal or will they too hear that their objections are untimely and will not be paid out?Thoughts on how FTX claimants can be helped are welcome on the YouTube channel accompanying this audio stream, when I post the FTX hearing there later today.www.youtube.com/@the-comi

More people in their 60s and 70s are staying on the job than ever before, and it's not always about the money. Let's dig into the real reasons retirees keep showing up to work.   Important Links: Website: http://www.yourplanningpros.com Call: 844-707-7381   ----more---- TRANSCRIPT:    Speaker 1: More and more people are retiring in their 60s and 70s and staying on the job than ever before 'cause it's not always about the money. So this week on the podcast, let's dig into some of the reasons people keep showing up to work, even in retirement.   Hey, everybody. Welcome into the podcast. This is Plan With The Tax Man with Tony Mauro from Des Moines Professional Alternative Tax Doctor Inc. Serving you all around obviously the Des Moines area and the Iowa area, but all over the country. Tony's got clients, he helps all over the place. So if you got some questions, need some help, and you're checking out this podcast, and you'd like to get a little more info or just chat about some things, he's a CPA, and a CFP, and an EA with 30-plus years in the industry and a great resource for you to tap into at yourplanningpros.com. That is yourplanningpros.com. And Tony, how you doing my friend? You doing all right?   Tony Mauro: I'm doing good. Yeah. Summer is in full force here, and enjoying it as much as I can.   Speaker 1: Nice. Yeah. So you're obviously still plugging away. I'm still plugging away. Now we're not at that age yet. We're in our mid-50s, but I'm sure you're seeing this with a lot of your clients as well, people that are into retirement, they've maybe got their strategy or they're playing with you guys, but are still working. And it could be for reasons other than the money, but I want to talk about both sets of those today, right?   Tony Mauro: Yeah.   Speaker 1: So let's dive into the first one, and we'll just start with social connections, for example. So this is not money-related. This just might be simply, "I like the people I work with, and it gets me out of the house, and it gets me some human interaction," especially, unfortunately, if you are a retiree who maybe has lost your spouse. Maybe this is a great reason to keep moving, and going to work, and doing things.   Tony Mauro: And I see a lot of clients that want this because... And I fall into this category myself, I think, is when I go to retire, I want a little social, like you say, connectivity. And with a lot of people, what I find with them is because they've been working for so long, they miss that. And they come back and tell me six months to a year into retirement that, "There's only so much golf I can do. There's only so much putts at around the house that I can do."   Speaker 1: Did you really just say that?   Tony Mauro: Yeah. And I would agree with that to an extent, and a lot of them like to go back to work. Generally, they'll go back and get something that they're not really concerned as much, especially if they don't need the money, about what it pays, other than they don't want generally tons of responsibility, or being able to set their own hours, or work part-time. But a lot of them for the social connection, they really enjoy it. And so I'm always good with that if they're asking me what do I think. And I think it can contribute to a longer life, frankly, especially like you said, if a spouse is gone.   Speaker 1: Yeah, definitely. I think a lot of people certainly continue to want to work just for that social connection alone, and that's totally fine. And I think the takeaway here, Tony, is going to be work optional, right? There's-   Tony Mauro: Yeah.   Speaker 1: ... reasons why you go to work because in retirement, and it's because it's an option, because you're choosing to versus not, because you're not choosing to, or you have to go for the money reason. And I'm going to skip around on the list. We'll get to the money one here in just a minute, but I want to do another one from the home standpoint. And that's just changes in the home. So not that there's much of a silver lining to think about with COVID, but certainly during that time period, a lot of people got a dry run of what it would look like to get into retirement with their loved one being at home together 24/7. And so maybe that was a little bit of a wake-up call. And I know, Tony, I've got advisors all over the country I talk to, like yourself. And all of you guys and gals have stories where one spouse or the other looks at the advisor and says, "Get them out of the house. They're driving you nuts."   Tony Mauro: That's right. Yeah. "I want to kill them."   Speaker 1: Right?   Tony Mauro: Yeah.   Speaker 1: So that could be a big thing to think about too, "I want to keep that sanctity of the home, so one of us is going to keep going to work because it gives us the social connections, but it also gives us a relief from the spouse."   Tony Mauro: Yeah. And I think this one I will struggle with because for a lot of people, you've been going to work for so long that it's hard to change your routine.   Speaker 1: Indeed.   Tony Mauro: And then you find out that you've been going to work, your spouse been going to work for so long, and you see each other at night on the weekends. Yeah, that 24/7 thing drives a lot of spouses on both sides crazy. And I think it's something that you have to at least take into account, especially if you're young enough and don't need the money to get out and make that happen.   Speaker 1: Yeah. And I think routines change, right? There's just various different things that just cause that uneasiness. And again, maybe it's not work, maybe it's something else. Maybe it's book clubs, or volunteering, or whatever the case might be. But I think that could be a reason people just go, "Well, you know what? I'll just go back to work because it gives me some social time with other folks. It gets me away from the spouse for a little while so we're not at each other all the time. And I make a little extra money because it helps with some of the money woes." Right? And so-   Tony Mauro: Yeah.   Speaker 1: ... that'll walk us into the money woes conversation, Tony, because some studies have shown that nearly half of retirement age folks who are still working do so out of financial necessity or financial stress. And I think this is where you've got to have that strategy and plan in place, because if you absolutely have to work for the money, no shame, it is what it is. But if you're stressed about it when you don't need to be, that's kind of silly. Find out. Go to work because you want to, not 'cause you have to.   Tony Mauro: By far, yeah. This is the biggest conversation to have with your advisor. And we do it a lot with people before they retire on... What it comes down to is a couple things. You get to that 65, 67, and say you just haven't followed good advice, and you miss the mark, and it's a little late to save. You've got to go to work because you have to. And like I say, there's nothing wrong with that. You have to do it, depending on what kind of lifestyle you want. And that's one thing. But the other thing is a lot of people tend to just go to work because they... And they really don't have to. And again, if they want to just because they don't have to, that's great. But they continue working because they're worried about running out of money when, really, they do have a good plan, and they won't run out of money.   So make a decision based on that. I think that's where the advisor, beforehand, needs to talk to them. I just had a conversation with a client, he's only 43, making some good money, but he has not done much for retirement. He just refuses to do it. And I had the conversation with him, and I told him, "Look, I'm going to pull your social security statements for you and your wife's balance from her 401(k). I'm going to extrapolate that out. So if you continue down this path, here's where you're going to be at about 67." And he was floored because he says, "That's not the money I'm making now. I won't have any money." I said, "Exactly. So you've got money worries, so you've got to start now." Not too late for him, but you need to have these conversations, especially when you're, I think, in your 40s and 50s, with your advisor, 'cause that's the whole reason you're paying us, is to say, "Am I going to be okay at retirement or not?" And I can make these easy decisions, I think.   Speaker 1: Yeah. And I think this is where the final piece of this, Tony, is if you're doubting your strategy or your plan, or you don't even have one, clearly, then this is where you got to get one, 'cause even after years of working towards the goal of retirement... And a lot of people, Tony, when they come in for those initial consultations, they're in better shape than they realize, but they still think, "I'm going to have to work. I'm never going to be able to retire." So if you've got any doubt at all, this is why it's so important to just go get a strategy. Go out and talk with one, two, three different advisors, find the one that you like, have those consultations, those reviews, see who you resonate with, do your homework, check and see if they're properly licensed and all that good stuff, and get started, because that'll help you alleviate... Then the other things we talked about today come back into play just because you want to.   Tony Mauro: That's right. And most people, I think, want peace of mind when they get to that retirement... I know I do. My big peace of mind thing right now is, "Am I going to be able to go somewhere warm for all four months of the winter when I retire?" And I've done my calculations, and I think I'm going to be in really good shape for that. And so again, peace of mind, "Okay, I can do that." But if you're at all in doubt of your plan, or if you don't have a plan, now's the time to start working. It's never too late. We always preach that.   And I think that's the goal and that carrot hanging out there when you work with your advisor, that he or she's going to keep reminding you, "Okay, here's the plan. This is what you told us. You're on track to hit that." And they could constantly keep giving you peace of mind because a lot of people that go at it on their own, they don't have the peace of mind. They're constantly worried. They're constantly making decisions probably at the wrong time and the wrong way. And so I think that's one of the reasons why you pay an advisor, is to get that.   Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely. I think you've got to have that in place. Working longer isn't automatically the wrong decision, Tony, or the wrong-   Tony Mauro: No.   Speaker 1: ... right?   Tony Mauro: Absolutely not.   Speaker 1: Sometimes it's exactly right. I guess the real question is, is it a choice or is it a fallback? So find out those answers, and get some details put in place, and retire... And again, work optional. Go to work 'cause you want to and be retired because that's what you want to do. So I think that's where most people are trying to get to nowadays. And of course, we didn't talk about health and all that stuff. That could force you out of working years. But again, the idea here was why are you still clocking in if you are retirement age? And for a lot of people, they just like it. And that's okay too.   Tony Mauro: Yeah, that's okay too. And you could keep working as long as you're able.   Speaker 1: Yeah.   Tony Mauro: And I know that it's fun to daydream, especially if you've got your plan in place about, "Well, if I just didn't have to work, what would I do for work?" In other words, is it something you've always wanted to go enjoy even though it doesn't pay a lot? Maybe it's volunteering, maybe it's something else, but explore that. That's the whole fun of it, is being able to be in that position.   Speaker 1: Absolutely. Well, if you need some help deciding where you're at getting that strategy in place, because maybe you are doubting the one you have or you don't have one at all, as I said earlier, Tony and the team are here to help. All you got to do is reach out to them at yourplanningpros.com. That is yourplanningpros.com, to get started today. And there's no cost or obligation, so why would you not reach out and see if they're a good fit for you and have those conversations for yourself? So again, find them online at yourplanningpros.com, and don't forget to subscribe to us on Apple, Spotify, or whatever podcasting app you enjoy using. This is Plan With The Tax Man with Tony Mauro from Tax Doctor Inc. Tony, thanks for hanging out, buddy. I'll see you next time.   Tony Mauro: I'll see you next time. Thank you.   Speaker 1: Have a great week.   Securities offered through Avantax Investment Services SM, member FINRA, SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Avantax Advisory Services. Insurance services offered through an Avantax affiliated insurance agency. Investment strategies discussed in this episode may not be suitable for all investors. Please consult with a financial professional.

Legacy planning is not just for the ultra-wealthy, and it is definitely not something to leave until later. If you own a home, retirement accounts, or anything you care about passing on smoothly, this episode shows how to turn your wealth into a blessing instead of a burden. Alex Cabot and Ed Limbert of Birch Run Financial walk us throug practical, eye-opening conversation about the documents, decisions, and tax moves that can make life much easier for the people you love.  Alex breaks down the legal foundation of a strong estate plan, including wills, executors, durable financial powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, living wills, and why beneficiary designations can override everything in your will. Ed then explains how different assets are taxed when inherited, why Roth IRAs and step-up in basis matter so much, when Roth conversions can create long-term advantages, and how charitable giving can fit into a smarter legacy strategy. You will discover: Why estate planning matters even if you do not consider yourself wealthy The difference between a will, a power of attorney, and a living will Why a beneficiary update can matter more than almost any other estate document How inherited IRAs, Roth accounts, and brokerage assets are treated differently Why communication with your family, advisor, and attorney is often the most overlooked part of legacy planning The conversation also gets into the real-world consequences of not having these pieces in place, from probate headaches to old beneficiary forms sending money to the wrong person decades later. More importantly, it shows how thoughtful planning can remove stress, reduce confusion, and help your family focus on what matters during an already difficult time. This episode is for you if you want your financial plan to do more than build wealth - if you want it to protect your family, reflect your wishes, and leave behind clarity instead of chaos. You can always email Alex and Ed at info@birchrunfinancial.com or give them a call at 484-395-2190.Or visit them on the web at https://www.birchrunfinancial.com/Alex and Ed's Book: Mastering The Money Mind: https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Money-Mind-Thinking-Personal/dp/1544530536Any opinions are those of Ed Lambert Alex Cabot, financial advisors, RJFS, and Jon Gay, and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James. The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. There is no assurance any of the trends mentioned will continue or forecasts will occur. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. The examples throughout this material are for illustrative purposes only. Raymond James does not provide tax or legal services. Please discuss these matters with the appropriate professional. Diversification and asset allocation do not ensure a profit or protect against a loss. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. This information is not intended as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any security referred to herein. Future investment performance cannot be guaranteed, investment yields will fluctuate with market conditions There is an inverse relationship between interest rate movements and bond prices. Generally, when interest rates rise, bond prices fall and when interest rates fall, bond prices generally rise. Investing in small cap stocks generally involves greater risks, and therefore, may not be appropriate for every investor. The prices of small company stocks may be subject to more volatility than those of large company stocks. Bond prices and yields are subject to change based upon market conditions and availability. If bonds are sold prior to maturity, you may receive more or less than your initial investment. Holding bonds to term allows redemption at par value. There is an inverse relationship between interest rate movements and fixed income prices. Generally, when interest rates rise, fixed income prices fall and when interest rates fall, fixed income prices rise.Risk Considerations:There are special risks associated with investing with bonds such as interest rate risk, market risk, call risk, prepayment risk, credit risk, reinvestment risk, and unique tax consequences. To learn more about these risks and the suitability of these bonds for you, please contact our office.Bonds are subject to risk factors including:Default Risk - the risk that the issuer of the bond might default on its obligationRating Downgrade - the risk that a rating agency lowers a debt issuer's bond ratingReinvestment Risk - the risk that a bond might mature when interest rates fall, forcing the investor to accept lower rates of interest (this includes the risk of early redemption when a company calls its bonds before maturity)Interest Rate Risk - this is the risk that bond prices tend to fall as interest rates rise.Liquidity Risk - the risk that a creditor may not be able to liquidate the bond before maturity.Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Birch Run Financial is not a registered broker/dealer and is independent of Raymond James Financial Services. Birch Run Financial is located at 595 E Swedesford Rd, Ste 360, Wayne PA 19087 and can be reached at 484-395-2190.Any rating is not intended to be an endorsement, or any way indicative of the advisors' abilities to provide investment advice or management. This podcast is intended for informational purposes only.Links are being provided for information purposes only. Raymond James is not affiliated with and does not endorse, authorize, or sponsor any of the listed websites or their respective sponsors.Raymond James is not responsible for the content of any website or the collection or use of information regarding any website's users or members. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Wednesday, 19 August 2026   So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. Matthew 22:10   “And having departed, the ‘servants, those' into the roads, they gathered all, as many as they found, evil, both, and good. And it filled, the nuptial – reclinings.” (CG)   The previous verse noted that the king said to his servants to go through the through-departures and as many people as they found, to call them to the nuptials. He next says, “And having departed, the ‘servants, those' into the roads, they gathered all.”   Out they went, dutifully looking for people to attend the wedding ceremony. One can imagine the apostles and early disciples, once finding that Gentiles were to be a part of the kingdom, actively going out and sharing the good news.   Those who heard this parable would remember it and consider that the plan waswe set and all they needed to do was engage their feet and get going. What they had no idea about was the scope of the task, either in expansion or in time –   “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' 7 And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'” Acts 1:6-8   When Jesus was departing, these disciples were still thinking of the promised earthly kingdom, not realizing that two-thousand years would pass, and that every nation on the planet was to be evangelized. Nations that didn't exist at the time would participate in the process.   As the world has evolved, the priority has remained unchanged in the lives of those who have accepted the call to continue inviting others to the coming event. That is in fulfillment of the words of the parable, saying, “as many as they found, evil, both, and good.”   A new word is seen here, te, a primary particle of connection or addition. Generally, it is translated as both or also. HELPS Word Studies says it “occurs 204 times in the NT and unfortunately is often not translated.” They rightfully rue over the fact that translators do not include such articles, as if they are unnecessary.   Of the words of this clause, Cambridge says, “bad and good] Who will always co-exist in the Church on earth.” Other commentators repeat the same thought. That misses the point and incorrectly explains the parable. This is not referring to bad people who remain bad in the church, as if they will or will not participate in the event. This is referring to the state of those who are called, when they are called.   No person is to be excluded from hearing the gospel. The “good” people who are honest, responsible with their lives, pay their bills by working decently, etc., need Jesus. The “bad” people like drug addicts, prostitutes, swindlers, and politicians(!) need Jesus too. All are invited to respond favorably to the good news. Someday, the last person to be evangelized will hear and respond. At that time, the rapture will take place, “And it filled, the nuptial – reclinings.”   Well, we don't need to worry about what the seating arrangements will be like. The idea of “reclinings” is the Middle-Eastern style of sitting at a low table. Of this style of dining, the Topical Lexicon says it –   “...portrays the first-century practice of reclining on a couch while partaking of a meal. In Scripture it frames scenes of fellowship, invitation, judgment, and eschatological promise. The posture itself is never incidental; it locates the participants within covenantal meals that anticipate the Messianic banquet and reveal the heart of Christ for sinners and saints alike.   Cultural Background of Reclining   By the early Roman period Jewish and Gentile diners adopted the Greco-Roman triclinium. Guests lay on the left side, feet extended outward, right hand free for eating. Reclining indicated belonging, honor, and enjoyment. Servants moved among the couches; hosts signaled welcome through seating order.”   Life application: As noted above, those who are in the church and who do not believe will not be a part of this event. The rapture will take those who are sealed with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13,14). Our job is to tell others about Jesus. Their job is to believe.   Those who join a church and don't believe, for whatever reason, will not be taken. It is the sealing of the Spirit, something known by God, that will bring about our being taken to the feast that is coming. This gives good reason why the strong delusion Paul refers to in 2 Thessalonians 2 will be possible.   Although we don't know who is or who is not sealed with the Spirit, it is rather certain that the Pope has no personal relationship with Jesus. This unbelief permeates much of the Roman Catholic church, along with leaders and adherents of many major denominations.   When the rapture happens, and they are not taken, it will be easy to dismiss the event. They sit smugly in their religiosity, thinking they are the center of God's plans and purposes. The world, too, looks at them as the representatives of “true” Christianity. As such, their being left behind will provide a simple means of beginning this strong delusion.   Lord God, help us to diligently tell those around us about the prospect of eternal life in Your presence, paid for solely by the merits of Jesus Christ. May we never water down the gospel. There are no works of our own that will bring us any closer to You. Our faith in His works is the ticket. Thank You for this wonderful gesture of love and reconciliation. Amen.  

✔️ Can You Refuse Child Support Payments? | Los Angeles Divorce Can you simply refuse to pay child support because you disagree with the amount or your circumstances have changed? Generally, no. Once child support has been ordered by the court, the obligation continues unless the order is legally modified or otherwise changed through the proper process. If your financial circumstances have changed, simply stopping payments can create additional problems. Instead, the appropriate approach may be to request a modification and provide the court with accurate information about your current circumstances. This video explains why child support orders must be followed and what parents can do when they believe their support obligation needs to change.

  In this enlightening episode, we sit down with Kathy, a forensic psychologist and former lawyer, to delve into the complexities of adult friendships. Kathy shares her journey from practicing law to helping families navigate the emotional landscape of divorce and custody. Together, we explore the importance of friendships at every stage of life, the impact of social connections on mental health, and the challenges adults face in making and maintaining friendships. Join us as we uncover practical tips for fostering meaningful relationships and the role of vulnerability in friendship.     Chapters:   (00:00) Kathy is talking about friendship and how to create adult friendships     (00:49) You work as a forensic psychologist in family law cases     (04:38) Why is it important for kids to have friends outside of family     (06:02) Your friendships can shape what you do as an adult, right     (08:54) What is the main purpose of friendship? You know, it depends on person     (11:46) It's important to cultivate friendships with a wide variety of people     (15:00) Generally, kids are more open to friendship when they're younger, right     (17:25) Do you think people need to prioritize social events more than in their life     (21:36) As an introvert, do you feel like you hold things to yourself     (25:57) I work with kids on this. And I think even for my own children     (28:56) How do we balance technology and in person relationships when making friendships     (34:03) How does autism affect making friends? It depends on the level of autism     (36:05) What about ADHD and ADD then? Um, that also impacts you socially     (39:38) How important is vulnerability in friendship? It depends on the level of friendship     (42:08) What about friends of the opposite sex? Are there boundaries     (44:45) What duties do we have for our friends once we have a friend     (45:40) How do you stay on your own page when helping someone make a bad decision     (48:17) How important is it to have friends in the same vocation as you     (49:24) Is it important for parents to not live in a bubble as well     (50:56) There are different ways to help facilitate friendships with your younger children     (54:37) Sam: Start getting to know who you are before forming new friendships  

Are you playing by the כללים? A כלל is a rule or regulation, and it's a great Hebrew root to tackle together. Guy takes us through all the rules, regulations, generalizations, and exceptions. Hear the All-Hebrew Episode on Patreon   New Words and Expressions: Klal, klalim – Rule, rules – כלל, כללים Klalim le-chatsiyat kvish – Rules for crossing the street – כללים לחציית כביש "Ve-ha-ikar, lo lefahed klal" – And the main thing is not to be afraid at all – והעיקר, לא לפחד כלל Be-derekh klal – Usually, in general – בדרך כלל, בד"כ Yotseh min ha-klal – Extraordinary, exceptional – יוצא מן הכלל Bli yotse min ha-klal – Without exception – בלי יוצא מן הכלל Hu kalal – He included – הוא כלל Likhlol – To include – לכלול "Heskem gerushin tsarich likhlol" – A divorce agreement should include – הסכם גירושין צריך לכלול "Ha-mechir eino kolel sherut" – The price does not include a service charge – המחיר אינו כולל שירות Ma ze kolel? – What does it include? – מה זה כולל "Ma ata bikhlal yode'a al ahava?" – What do you know about love at all? – מה אתה בכלל יודע על אהבה Ha-kol kalul – All inclusive – הכל כלול Zeh nichlal – It is included – זה נכלל Lehakhlil – To generalize – להכליל Hakhlala, hakhlalot – Generalization, generalizations – הכללה, הכללות Yeda klali – General knowledge – ידע כללי Bchirot klaliyot – General elections – בחירות כלליות Mancal (Menahel klali) – General Manager, CEO – מנכ"ל, מנהל כללי "Hu diber be-klaliyoot" – He spoke generally – הוא דיבר בכלליות Ba-klali – Generally speaking – בכללי Ba-klali ha-kol sababa – All in all everything is great – בכללי, הכל סבבה Mikhlala – College – מכללה Mikhlol – Entirety, ensemble – מכלול Mikhlol ha-gormim – The totality of factors – מכלול הגורמים   Playlist and Clips: Tsemed Re'im - Gesher Tsar Me'od (lyrics) Kaveret - Yo-Ya (lyrics) Ma tsarich likhlol heskem gerushin? Gidi Gov - Ma Ata Bikhlal Yod'ea al Ahava? (lyrics) Cellcom TV - Ha-kol Kalul Ep. no. 384 about iska, deal HEB

⚖️ Can You Refuse to Pay Child Support If You Disagree With the Amount? | Los Angeles Divorce

听前提示一、每期提供10个单词，每个单词都会有2-3个例句，方便理解记忆。二、每个单词和句子都会重复5遍，其中第2遍为慢速，有助于识别。三、本材料的整体难度较低，可以用来听力磨耳朵和单词查漏补缺。Day 1671661.Phrasen.短语，词语，习语What is the meaning of this phrase?这句话是什么意思？Can you guess the meaning of this phrase from the context?你能从上下文中猜出这句话的含义吗？1662.Physicala.物质的；身体的；物理的Mental health is as important as physical health.心理健康与身体健康同等重要。I am suffering from physical and mental exhaustion.我的身心疲惫不堪。A good relationship is based on more than just physical attraction.良好的关系不仅仅建立在身体吸引上。1663.Physicallyadv.身体上，肉体上I don't find him physically attractive.我不觉得他长得好看。I am now very healthy, both physically and mentally.我现在身体和精神上都非常健康。Generally speaking, men are physically stronger than women.一般来说，男人的身体比女人强壮。1664.Physicsn.物理（学）Physics is my favorite subject.物理是我最喜欢的科目。1665.Pickv.拾，摘；挑选，选择The boy picked up a stone and threw it at the dog.那个男孩捡起一块石头朝那条狗扔去。I'll pick you up in ten minutes.我十分钟后来接你。Please pick up your ticket at the counter.请在柜台领取票。1666.Picturen.画，图片v.画，描述Who painted this picture?这幅画是谁画的？Let's take a picture here.让我们在这里拍张照片。This picture reminds me of my childhood.这张照片让我想起了我的童年。1667.Piecen.一片；碎片v.拼合，拼凑I need a piece of metal.我需要一块金属。I'll save you a piece of cake.我给你留块蛋糕。She drew a circle on a piece of paper with a pencil.她用铅笔在一张纸上画了一个圆圈。1668.Pilen.堆，大量v.叠，堆积I have a pile of books to read.我有一堆书要读。1669.Pilln.药丸Did you take your pills?你吃药了吗?He tried to kill himself with sleeping pills.他试图用安眠药自杀。1670.Pilotn.飞行员；领港员v.驾驶；领航My dream is to become a pilot.我的梦想是成为一名飞行员。I have a friend who is a pilot.我有一个朋友是飞行员。I want to be a pilot when I grow up.我长大后想成为一名飞行员。

Gene Marks shares insights from White House advisor Kevin Hassett regarding the validity of government economic data, with Hassett favoring durable goods orders and unemployment claims over revised surveys. Marks reports a generally positive outlook for small businesses, citing an uptick in optimism and a four-year high in manufacturing activity driven by the AI and data center explosion. He notes that while tariffs and $4 gasoline remain concerns, many businesses are absorbing costs without significant impact on sales. Marks characterizes the United States as an "entrepreneur's paradise" because of the ease of starting a business and the high availability of capital. He highlights that nearly half a million new business applications are filed monthly, supported by record levels of private debt and venture capital. Marks concludes that despite various uncertainties, the small business sector remains resilient and is continuing to hire. (2)

fWotD Episode 3387: Ellis Wackett Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 13 August 2026, is Ellis Wackett.Air Vice-Marshal Ellis Charles Wackett, CB, CBE (13 August 1901 – 3 August 1984) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Its chief engineer from 1935 to 1959, he served on the RAAF's controlling body, the Air Board, for a record seventeen years, and has been credited with infusing operations with new standards of airworthiness. Commencing his service career as a Royal Australian Navy cadet during World War I, Wackett transferred to the Air Force in 1923 while on an engineering course in Britain. He qualified as a pilot before completing his studies and returning to Australia, where he inaugurated parachute instruction within the RAAF and made the country's first freefall descent from a military aircraft in 1926. The following year, he led a three-month survey flight to Papua New Guinea.Wackett became the RAAF's senior engineer with his appointment as Director of Technical Services in 1935. A wing commander at the outbreak of World War II, he rose to air commodore by 1942 and assumed the role of Air Member for Engineering and Maintenance. He established the Technical Branch as a separate department of the RAAF in 1948, and was promoted to air vice-marshal the same year. Wackett served as Air Member for Technical Services until leaving the military in 1959, having been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Companion of the Order of the Bath. From 1960 to 1968, he was a member of the Australian National Airlines Commission, parent of Trans Australia Airlines. Generally known as "Wack", or "EC" (to distinguish him from his elder brother, aircraft designer Lawrence James Wackett or "LJ"), his prominent chin and nose also earned him the nickname "Punch". He died in 1984, aged 83.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:19 UTC on Thursday, 13 August 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Ellis Wackett on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Gregory.

Romans 5:1-5 Hope is a fundamental aspect of the human experience. Generally, we place our hope in things that we want to enjoy in the future but can't fully experience in the present. But the guaranteed, eternal hope that Jesus secured for those who believe in His finished work on the cross has both present and future benefits. In this sermon, we'll explore how God helps followers of Jesus to remain hopeful through all seasons of life.

Episode 302-Not Getting Tired of Winning Also Available OnSearchable Podcast Transcript Gun Lawyer — Episode Transcript Page – 1 – of 12 Gun Lawyer — Episode 302 Transcript SUMMARY KEYWORDS Gun Lawyer, New Jersey assault firearm law, Third Circuit Court, Supreme Court, stay granted, unconstitutional laws, Second Amendment, sensitive places, National Firearm Act, suppressors, Jordan Salinas, good guy with a gun, training, legal advice, gun rights. SPEAKERS Evan Nappen, Teddy Nappen, Speaker 2 Evan Nappen 00:16 I’m Evan Nappen,. Teddy Nappen 00:18 And I’m Teddy Nappen. Evan Nappen 00:20 And welcome to Gun Lawyer. Well, my friends, the wins keep coming. These are great times. You know, we have suffered from the oppressors on our gun rights for decades upon decades, and now we are seeing the collapse of all their machinations over the years. It is great and getting greater. And so, just within this short period of time, we’ve had the spectacular win in New Jersey in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the full en banc panel, all the judges, of course, finding that New Jersey’s 36-year-old assault firearm law and magazine law is unconstitutional. It’s a fantastic decision, as we’ve discussed, written by a Biden-appointee judge who happened to be the first woman of color appointed to the Appellate bench. That is fantastic and has multi-dimensional impact, of course, having that great decision. Evan Nappen 01:52 Now, with that having been said, yes, a stay has been granted in terms of the implementation of the finding of unconstitutionality. So, that stay is granted essentially because traditionally these kind of stays do get granted, especially when the Supreme Court itself of the United States has taken this issue and has granted certiorari over the assault weapon, what New Jersey calls assault firearm law under Viramontes and Grant. They’ll be deciding that. Essentially we’ll have a decision by next June on that issue affecting the nation. Now, New Jersey has got their stay because they’re requesting the Supreme Court of the United States to grant certiorari over New Jersey’s case, and the stay has been granted pending the final resolution, essentially, of these issues, or at least in good part, these issues by the United States Supreme Court. So, in the meantime, Teddy Nappen 03:12 I don’t know if you caught what the AG Davenport wrote in their press release, Dad. Page – 2 – of 12 Evan Nappen 03:20 Well, they can continue to irreparably harm law-abiding, honest gun owners over these unconstitutional laws until that finally happens. But what exactly did Davenport say as they try to turn an utter defeat into some sort of short-term victory? Teddy Nappen 03:45 We are thrilled that the Third Circuit this morning stayed its ruling on our assault weapon / large capacity magazine case while our petition to the U.S. Supreme Court proceeds. That ensures this 36-year law will remain in place. (https://www.njoag.gov/statement-from-attorney-general-jennifer-davenport-on-third-circuits-grant-of-a-stay-in-assault-weapons-large-capacity-magazines-case/) 36 years of going after people, putting them in jail, taking away their rights, providing ruining their lives. Evan Nappen 04:07 Hey, wait, Teddy, are you reading from their news release? Teddy Nappen 04:11 Oh, you know, I read their news release and then added the little context that they forgot. Evan Nappen 04:16 Did they actually use the word “assault weapon”? Teddy Nappen 04:20 Yes. Evan Nappen 04:20 Or did they say “assault firearm”? What did they say? Teddy Nappen 04:21 Assault weapon. Evan Nappen 04:22 Davenport called it “assault weapon” law? Teddy Nappen 04:26 Yes, assault weapons. Evan Nappen 04:27 Okay, just so you know, this is the top law enforcement attorney for New Jersey who is calling their law something it is not. We do not have an “assault weapon” law. We have an “assault firearm” law. Now, granted, it’s a similar issue, and you know it’s the same idea of going after New Jersey’s version of semi-automatics. But you would think if you’re a lawyer, and you’re a lawyer for the State that has this case that you might want to refer to it as the actual name that your State utilizes, because that term “assault firearm” is the term embedded in New Jersey’s law. It is a defined term under N.J.S. 2C:39-1. Page – 3 – of 12 They are called “assault firearms” in New Jersey by law, by law. But you know, why would she bother actually using the correct legal term when discussing laws? That would be amazing, wouldn’t it? Teddy Nappen 05:46 Well, Dad, I mean, just the abuse alone, just to give you the one-to-one. You’ve had many times where people have been charged with having a “assault firearm”, and it’s not. But they love to abuse it and just use whatever term they want. I mean that goes right back to Josh Sugarmann, and his whole idea of making that term “assault firearm” to confuse the public so they could pass their laws. I mean. Evan Nappen 06:10 Yep, it’s exactly that. Well, Sugarmann wrote the manifesto “Assault Weapons and Accessories in America”. That’s what laid the groundwork for this issue. It finally has one foot in the grave, is bedridden, on its deathbed, and the Supreme Court will hopefully administer the coup de gras in June 2027. I believe the odds heavily, heavily favor us, virtually to the point of I would be shocked if we lose. I just don’t see that happening, and the antis know it as well. Those oppressors get it that they’re going to lose on this issue. Teddy Nappen 06:54 It’s Viramontes and Grant. Evan Nappen 06:58 Yeah. Those are the two cases that Supreme Court has granted certiorari on. Just so you know, one is a local law out of Cook County, Illinois, that bans assault weapons, and has incorporated into the definition, magazines into their definition of assault weapon. So, the Supreme Court might actually address the magazine issue because it’s actually part of Viramontes’ law itself. e may see that. The Grant case deals with Connecticut’s assault weapon ban, state law, and when they challenged in Connecticut, they didn’t challenge the magazine portion. They only challenged the so-called assault weapon portion. New Jersey’s case, in the Cheeseman v. Platkin case, that court addressed both assault firearms, aka assault weapons, and magazines. And now, with New Jersey requesting certiorari, meaning requesting the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case, it also opens up the magazine issue. So, the Supreme Court that can do anything it wants might choose to address the magazine issue in the Viramontes and Grant decision. They might even, arguably, they could even take up New Jersey’s case and make it part of that. They might, and what most likely they’re going to just have it in a holding pattern. Evan Nappen 08:47 And we have the Duncan case that deals with magazines as well out of California, the Duncan v. Bonta case (25-198(. So, what it means is, if the Supreme Court doesn’t deal with magazines by next June, but just the guns, then they may very well take New Jersey’s case and Duncan with the split in the circuits there, and then deal with magazines. Like I said, they might do it all together. They might not. But New Jersey proceeding with this actually weirdly in the long run may present and give us a great opportunity because it presents magazines as a complete win by the court from our circuit. So, this may be one of those situations where you know the word to New Jersey is be careful what you wish for. This Page – 4 – of 12 is very interesting to follow. But I believe that all these laws are going to go to the dustbin of history. It’s just a matter of time. Evan Nappen 09:59 But as I have advised listeners, even when this decision came out, not to do anything because of the ability to get a stay. To wait and see. Well, that’s proven correct. I’s been proven out to be the wise thing to do, and have our listeners not end up being GOFUs by obtaining the firearms and magazines that are not yet technically lawful. So, for these continuing months, New Jersey is still free to enforce the magazine and assault firearm laws. Of course, if you have such a case or such a charge, your attorney, if they’re anywhere competent, will raise these very important issues and hopefully get your matter, your criminal matter, stayed pending the outcome and preserve the constitutional issues on your behalf in fighting it. So, be careful. Don’t end up with a GOFU where you’re facing these charges and your current counsel isn’t doing anything about it. I’ve had a number of those cases coming to me from other attorneys, where the client is like, my attorney never raised the constitutionality on these issues. Well, that is a huge mistake because you need to raise these issues, preserve these issues, because ultimately your odds of success are so great here, and it is essentially, arguably, malpractice to not, especially now, raise the constitutional issues if someone is facing in New Jersey or in the Circuit that has decided that these laws are unconstitutional. So, it’s very important that you be aware of that. Teddy Nappen 12:05 Would it be better if the Supreme Court does the other two cases and then take this one up as a mag separately, or is it better to do it all in one go? Evan Nappen 12:13 The best for everyone would be complete victory as soon as possible. However, if they’re not going to do that, if they’re just going to address guns now and then we have these cases to address mags, fine. We’ll fight the fight, and there you go. But the important thing, honestly, is that they’re taking the cases. Remember, for years they did not take these cases, and instead, luckily, wisely, maybe by planning it correctly-I don’t know-maybe intentionally, the groundwork got laid for the challenges to ultimately be successful. Because look, way back in May of 1990, I was an attorney. I remember this horrible New Jersey assault firearm law and magazine law passing. It was disgusting. Of course, it also became the Evan Nappen Full Employment Act. But the fact is, they passed this ridiculous law, and I remember thinking at the time, yeah, you know, in my heart, I knew this has got to be contrary to the Second Amendment. But we did not have any of the cases at that time. We didn’t have Heller finding that the Second Amendment is an individual right. We didn’t have McDonald incorporating the Second Amendment to the states. We didn’t have Bruen laying out the test of constitutionality and what test is to be used to see if guns laws, if gun laws are proper and constitutional. We didn’t have any of that. We didn’t have the giant body of historical research that is critical in these wins. We didn’t have any of it. Evan Nappen 14:08 And what the pro-second amendment gun rights side has done is nothing short of Herculean. All the forces together have built this fortress of the ability to defend and to fight and to take on the fight and to attack. Built this up so that we’re now in a position to have victory after victory. Yet, we see another Page – 5 – of 12 victory, another victory. Just determined in the Fifth Circuit, a nationwide injunction as applied to the members of the parties and their members, such as NRA and GOA and SAF, and FPC, etc. (https://www.nraila.org/articles/20260805/federal-court-strikes-down-nfa-registration-requirements-for-suppressors-short-barreled-rifles-and-short-barreled-shotguns-in-nra-case) All joining, attacking the National Firearms Act under a legal argument that was made possible by President Trump in the Big Beautiful Bill. Remember, the Big Beautiful Bill, which was a reconciliation bill, that was dealing with money, taxation, funding, money. When it’s done as a reconciliation, then what you have is no need or ability to run a filibuster. Since simple majorities can pass the reconciliation bills under the Senate rules, the Democrats, the anti-Second Amendment rights oppressors, could not stop its passage because they would. You know they would demand the 60, have the filibuster cloture, and the laws would die on the vine. But this did not, because it only needed simple majority. In that bill there was a specific repeal of the taxes. The taxes that get paid on suppressors, short barrel shotguns, short barrel rifles, on any other weapon, and silencers. The tax was eliminated to zero. And by doing that, it opened up the ability for the Big, Beautiful Lawsuit that was just a success in the Fifth Circuit, and how it worked was not based on Second Amendment arguments. It was based on jurisdictional arguments. Evan Nappen 16:55 You see, the National Firearms Act is premised upon the federal power of taxation. It is not founded upon the federal power of interstate commerce. Nor is it founded upon the military power. The federal government’s powers are limited. And back in the ’30s, when the National Firearms Act passed, they did not have the insane expansion of the commerce powers under the federal government. Therefore, the first national gun laws, which the NFA was, was jurisdiction by taxation. They imposed a $200 tax on suppressors, short barrel rifles, etc. Now, $200 in 1934 was just a little bit under $5,000 in terms of it being adjusted for inflation. So, imagine today passing a law that said any semi-automatic firearm that you want to possess, you must pay a $5,000 tax to the federal government in order to obtain it. Evan Nappen 18:26 You see how prohibitive that makes the possession, and then go through a registration scheme that is hidden in a pretext of taxation, which is blatantly excessive. And what has happened is by the elimination of the tax to zero, the court essentially said if there’s no tax, then there’s no law. Therefore, the NFA collapses in the enforcement proceedings regarding the paperwork, registration, printing. All the things that get done on the acquisition of NFA items. That law has been stayed for seven days, even though this is a permanent injunction. There’s been a seven-day stay to see if it progresses further, but that is a tremendous win on yet a different front of fighting for Second Amendment liberty. ‘ve had both of these great wins, and we have a lot to be proud of, and a lot to be optimistic about. Teddy Nappen 19:39 Regarding the big win with the NFA, I always want to see what is the what are the gun rights oppressionists? What are they pushing on this one? The Trace didn’t bring up something. However, Giffords, they’re flipping out, and I love this. (https://giffords.org/press-release/2026/08/giffords-reacts-to-federal-court-striking-down-background-checks-for-firearm-silencers-short-barreled-rifles-and-shotguns/) They go right to the. Just laugh, just reading it. This came from Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill. Remove the tax on these devices. The court has struck down the National Firearms Act, requiring background check and registration of firearm silencers, short barrel rifles, and shotguns. Page – 6 – of 12 Silencers and short barrel firearms, and other than handguns, are rarely used in crimes today because current laws have stopped them. Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding. Logical fallacy alert, everybody! Logical fallacy alert. Correlation does not equal causation. Saying that this will stop that these things have prevented crime does not make it so. What is your argument? Oh, they didn’t. They don’t have access. Even though prior to that, they weren’t used in crime. Generally speaking, as well. Number one is handguns on that front. But I love how they just try to toss that in every time. Just a red herring every single time, and they try to push it. Evan Nappen 20:56 Yeah, they’re just propagandists, and they’re losing left and right. It’s going to end up, my friends. You can mark my words. It’s going to end up that their entire world of gun law schemes, machinations, all these things that they have hoisted upon us as they die. I am greatly enjoying watching these gun laws die. As they die off and are impossible to find workarounds that, as well, get killed and die off. That they’re simply going to be left with only one mission, and their one mission of the oppressors, the one mission of the Second Amendment rights haters, will be to repeal the Second Amendment. And that’s where a fight’s going to end up. A fight over the oppressors trying to remove the Second Amendment. Of course, they’ll push this through their socialist, communist political movement. Remember, they want to make all kinds of institutional, governmental, radical changes, including getting rid of the Senate, including ending the nine-person Supreme Court and expanding it, getting rid of the presidency being elected where it’s an appointed, et cetera, and going at all different constitutional rights and turning America into a communist nation, and in so doing, they will also push. And Teddy, I think they even are saying, even now, to get rid of the Second Amendment. And you’ll see them joining hands. You’ll see the anti-Second Amendment rights folks joining hands with the Communists, with the DSA, the Democrat Socialist Wing, as the Democrat Party in its civil war implodes over the monster that the Democrats have created themselves. This is their Frankenstein that is now running loose on them. Teddy Nappen 23:27 Yeah, and quite frankly, just going back to them where they have pushed and pushed and pushed, where they said we don’t. They and there was a great video where this guy was basically trying to argue the socialist dilemma of the Second Amendment because it’s that catch 22 where they want to ban arms but they need arms for the revolution. For their great, you know, seize the means of production, but they cannot because they still push for red flag. They still push for universal background checks. Evan Nappen 23:58 Teddy, it’s like the meme with the guy sweating as to which button to push, you know. Ban guns so that you get, you know, so they could disarm the populace, or don’t ban so that their radical, violent Left can have access to firearms. Right? You know, they’re conflicted over that choice. Yeah. But regardless of what politics may lay in the future, right now the wins in court and legislatively. Okay. Remember, this is a combination. The reconciliation bill, etc. That’s all an important legislative changes that open the door to the ability to win on the front of the NFA tax attack and the big beautiful lawsuit. We are making tremendous gains and wins. And it is absolutely a reason to be optimistic. Page – 7 – of 12 Evan Nappen 25:03 I’m looking forward to seeing the decision in Koons and Siegel cases. Those that’s the case that addresses New Jersey’s sensitive places. We’re waiting for that same full en banc panel of the Third Circuit. Now, this is the same court that just killed New Jersey’s assault firearm and magazine law. That same court will be rendering an opinion over the constitutional validity of New Jersey’s sensitive places in the very near future. We’re going to see it. We’re just a matter, any day they can come out with that decision. Keep in mind, it’s going to be very important in countering and destroying the Carry Killer bill that Murphy and company got enacted. They did it. How? They did it because of their hissy fit to the Bruen decision, mandating carry permits get issued. So, they tried to make it so that this insane matrix of sensitive places makes it so incredibly difficult to actually exercise that right. is same court that gave us this fantastic pro-Second Amendment decision will be coming out with the sensitive places decision shortly. I’m cautiously optimistic about that. Keep in mind that the vote of the judges on the assault firearm magazine case. That was a panel of 15 judges, and the vote was 10 on our side, and five against us. So, it was 15 judges. One of the judges that opted to stay in was a judge that had been on a temporary assignment in, and that judge was a known opponent to Second Amendment rights. So, of course he wanted to stay in, and of the votes of the 10 to five ruling, one of the five judges was the anti-Second Amendment judge, but that judge is not part of the decision that will come out of Koons and Siegel. Therefore, it’s a 14-judge panel. And if we see the same voting as occurred on assault firearms and magazines, we should see a 10 to 4 ruling. Keeping our fingers crossed here in favor of knocking out New Jersey’s sensitive places, which would be really fantastic. And so, hang in there, folks. We’ve suffered a long time, but our suffering is slowly but surely being relieved. Evan Nappen 28:18 Hey, let me tell you about our good friends at WeShoot. WeShoot has some pretty cool offers and things happening. They’re offering the Bull Armory Ultralight Pro, and Bull is proudly recognized as North Jersey Friends of NRA Gun of the year for 2026. It’s lightweight. It’s exceptionally accurate, and it’s built for everyday carry. The pistol earned its title through outstanding performance, craftsmanship, and innovation. You can check out that Bull Armory Ultralight Pro at WeShoot. WeShoot is also offering Hornaday Critical Defense ammunition. Now, you know, Critical Defense and that Hornaday line of Critical Duty, as well, is one of the most trusted names in personal protection. That round is designed and engineered for reliable expansion, and dependable feeding, and confidence when it essentially matters most. And let me tell you, the Hornaday Critical Defense and Critical Duty, those are polymer-tipped rounds that perform arguably even better than hollow nose. But are not hollow nose bullets under New Jersey law because the nose is actually not hollow. It’s got an insert filling the hole. So, because of that, it is an ideal round for carry in New Jersey. You can’t carry, at the moment, actual hollow nose, but you can carry Critical Defense or Critical Duty. And frankly, it’s got advantages over hollow nose. Evan Nappen 30:12 Not just because it performs as well or better, but also because of the nose having the polymer plug. It actually feeds even more reliably than hollow nose. So, it’s actually far superior, at least in these terms, to your normal hollow nose ammunition. So, check out Critical Defense at WeShoot. Also, WeShoot has the Ruger Mini-14 Ranch rifle. Now that Mini 14, that’s an American classic. It’s earned its reputation through decades of proven reliability, versatility, and timeless styling. And let me tell you Page – 8 – of 12 about the Ruger. The new Rugers are incredibly accurate. You know the old Ruger with the pencil barrels-they were called pencil barrels. They weren’t known for their accuracy. hey functioned well and sure looked cool when the A-team had them rolling, right? But accuracy-wise, not so much. However, the new Rugers are extremely accurate. The barrel is thickened toward the base, and it is a redesign that gives incredible tack driving accuracy to the new Ruger Mini-14s. The Ranch rifle will be able to deliver for you, and of course, it’s set so you can not only have the scope rings, the classic Ruger scope rings, but even a Picatinny rail that fits in where you could put the rings, and then you could Picatinny it up to whatever optics you like as well. So, Ruger has come a long way, and the new Mini-14 is something you need to check out. I really do love the new Mini. I have one myself and greatly appreciated having had the old ones as well. So, you can get yours at WeShoot. Weshootusa.com is their website. Evan Nappen 32:26 I want to also remind you that if you want to get a New Jersey carry permit, you really should get it. Join our ranks of 100,000 or more here of permitted carry holders. The more folks we get with carries, the closer we get to constitutional carry. So, make sure you’re part of that. You can get your CCARE certification from WeShoot. They have all the great training there. It’s a fantastic facility. It’s a wonderful resource, conveniently off the Parkway in Lakewood, New Jersey. So, make sure you stop by and check out their website as well. weshootusa.com. You’ll be glad you did. Evan Nappen 33:10 Let me also shamelessly plug my book, New Jersey Gun Law. The Bible of Jersey Gun Law. You need to have it. It’s over 500 pages, 120 topics, all question and answer, so that you don’t become a GOFU. Make sure you have that book. Go to EvanNappen.com. You’ll see the big orange cover right there. Click it, and you’ll have it in a matter of days. Go to EvanNappen.com to get your New Jersey Gun Law book. Hey, Teddy, what do you have for us today in Press Checks? Teddy Nappen 33:48 Well, as you know, Press Checks are always free, and I imagine you’ve caught all about the In and Out shooting. What happened there? Evan Nappen 33:59 Well, maybe our listeners aren’t aware of that. would be surprised, but they may not know there was a major shooting that took place at, at and outside of and around this In / Out Burger in Idaho. Hey, I don’t know if any of you’ve ever eaten at In / Out Burger. It’s a West Coast thing. I really do love In / Out Burger. Just a side note, by the way, guys. But anyway, I digress. So, I could have well seen myself ending up at In / Out Burger in Idaho if I was out there. And Teddy Nappen 34:33 Isn’t there mustard on the burger that they do? Evan Nappen 34:35 No, no, that’s Whataburger. Another great burger chain. Oh, listen, we’re gonna have to call this the Burger Show shortly, instead of the burger lawyer, hamburger lawyer. Page – 9 – of 12 Teddy Nappen 34:44 What’s the best at In / Out? Evan Nappen 34:47 I like to get you know they have the secret menu and all that. I get the protein wrap where they take their In / Out Burger and they wrap it in lettuce. You know, I’ve lost over 200 pounds, and I avoid the carbs. I love the lettuce wrap, the protein. They call them the protein wrap. They wrap their In / Out burgers strictly in lettuce, so you have no carbs, and they’re delicious in-out burgers. So, that’s my favorite. But their stuff is really delicious. However, on this particular occasion, it was not so good. We had a bad guy going there with a gun and decided he was going to shoot up the place. And lo and behold, what happened, Teddy? What happened? A fellow by the name of Jordan Salinas. Go ahead. Teddy Nappen 35:35 Yes, good guy with a gun. Jordan Salinas, where he was with his girlfriend, and they had planned a quiet Saturday. You know, going horseback riding, so and you know, going out for a nice lunch in Twin Falls. And as the gunman Chad Williams has been identified, who was shooting up the In-N-Out, Jordan drew his holstered FN five seven semi-auto pistol with a suppressor to fire back and save the people inside. (https://www.ammoland.com/2026/08/armed-citizen-used-a-suppressed-pistol-to-save-lives-at-twin-falls-in-n-out/) Evan Nappen 36:10 Okay, so first of all, that gun standard has a 20 round magazine, and it’s readily available to have a 30-round mag, so that gun with its standard capacity magazine, you would you would up until the recent case, and even though there’s a stay at the moment, you still can’t have that handgun with the standard capacity magazine. But I’m confident we will be able to. So, you couldn’t have that gun in New Jersey unless you had a lame 10-round magazine in it. Which what’s the point when you have an FN five seven that can hold 20 or even 30 of the five seven ammo? And then his gun has a silencer or suppressor on it, which is just great. Again, that is prohibited in New Jersey because New Jersey doesn’t allow silencers at all. So, here we have this crime being committed by this Chad fellow, and lo and behold, the hero, the good guy with the gun, breaks out his five seven with the suppressor and starts laying down fire on the bad guy. It was fantastic, and he was credited, wasn’t he, by law enforcement with saving lives, Who’s Crowder? Teddy Nappen 39:28 Stephen Crowder, Gladworth Crowder. He did a full breakdown on it, where it’s about training, where you just do enough to where you can handle yourself in a situation. And what Evan Nappen 39:36 did he? What did he say hasn’t been? Page – 10 – of 12 Teddy Nappen 39:39 So the one thing that caught is the fact that he’s has a suppressor attached to it, and it was identified in one of his other videos as he uses an FN five seven USG fitted Tactical Solutions Axiom suppressor, firing Vanguard 55 grain subsonic five sevens. Evan Nappen 40:00 Nice. Teddy Nappen 40:00 That was I so that may not now they may not be his exact rig at that moment, but that was what was reported to what he was practicing with. But that being said, this is one to one of what he was using in the and so Evan Nappen 40:12 you know when you step back, Teddy, and look at this. Normally, when there is some bad guy shooting up soft target area, the antis just cheer because they get to do a blood dance to try to attack and oppress gun rights, because it’s the old saying of they never let a tragedy go to waste. However, here the entire thing was turned on its ear because we had an armed civilian who saved lives and did it with a 20 to 30 round capacity handgun with a suppressor, okay, and so this completely turned around this incident to be one of the greatest current examples of why citizens need to be armed and ready and trained, and so the antis can’t even respond because in their normal blood dance that they like to do, it just always goes back to well. Look, we had a good guy with a gun make the difference. That’s the key, and it’s so important, so great that Jordan Salinas was there to save the folks that he did. He rendered aid even to the injured after. He’s just a great person as well. It was amazing to see this, that, and it so turned it around that I’m going to put on my conspiracy hat the way we sometimes see happen with the shootings that they use to go against our gun rights, I’m going to put my conspiracy hat on and say I think this, given how the outcome was, that this was a false flag operation run by us, because it’s had such tremendous-I’m just kidding about that. Of course, it’s not run by us. We, but you know, yeah, Candace Owens might run with it. Oh yeah, it was-it was the pro-gun side that engineered the entire thing. To no, but the thing is, the impact has been tremendous, and it’s now iconic of Jordan Salinas in his position. It’s like as iconic as Sophie Cunningham pointing is Jordan Salinas in his perfect firing position with his suppressed five seven. Seeing Teddy Nappen 42:57 the I’ve been seeing the citizen cowboy joke that’s been circling. Oh yeah, Evan Nappen 43:02 as compared to Citizen Vigilante, it’s now Citizen Cowboy. Teddy Nappen 43:06 Yeah, Citizen Cowboy because he has. But he’s Citizen Page – 11 – of 12 Evan Nappen 43:09 Defender. He’s not a vigilante. He’s a defender. He’s a defender at the moment. Being a man, imagine that being a man. Actually, is that your greatest example of so-called toxic masculinity, right there, called saving lives. I guess so. The Teddy Nappen 43:25 the other thing is, and I want to take this step further. I see where we win in the argument of common use. I want this to be a common thing where people are using suppressors in self-defense shootings. I want people to start carrying and doing that. I think there’s a lot of advantages to Evan Nappen 43:44 having them in self-defense shootings because Teddy Nappen 43:46 if you go back to the old where it was like we’re using 45 for the stopping power or nine, this guy had a five-seven with the suppressor. We were putting out more rounds, and you’re protecting your hearing on that. So it’s definitely that new frame. It’s a very interesting Evan Nappen 44:01 choice, and I’m sure on the technical side, people will can always debate what’s the best. But the bottom line is, well, someone Teddy Nappen 44:09 was going to say like, but look, what’s really the best Evan Nappen 44:11 is that a good guy with a gun helped save the day, and that’s what really matters. Evan Nappen 44:17 And Teddy, I need to tell you about this week’s GOFU because I’ve been seeing a lot of it. GOFUs, as you know, are Gun Owner Fuck Ups. It’s where gun owners make expensive mistakes, costly mistakes, and you get to learn for free. I got to tell you, this week’s GOFU something I see. You know, when it comes to restoring rights, when it comes to getting an expungement, I have to say, do not do it yourself. Seek professionals that know how to do it. I’ve been getting more poorly, improperly done pro se, where the individual themselves tried to expunge their record. There’s too much to that law. Too many complications. Too many nuances. Too many things you have to know to do it right. And when you do it wrong, it’s 10 times more difficult to fix it, and it can end up costing you. If you expunge poorly, and then you apply to get your firearm because you think your rights are restored and they’re not, you end up with a denial. Now you end up with falsification of the application because you wrote no when you should have wrote yes. You wrote no because you thought you were expunged, but you didn’t do it properly. We see this all the time. There is an entire procedure. There are things you need to know. You need to go to a professional. Whether, you know, and I just don’t mean me. Like some attorney. We do them at my firm. We do plenty of expungements. We help people with that. It’s great. But you need to make sure whoever is doing your expungement really understands it, and especially does it Page – 12 – of 12 with gun ownership in mind. Because when it’s done poorly, it can absolutely come back and bite you in the behind. Evan Nappen 45:54 Hey, this is Evan Nappen and Teddy Nappen, reminding you that gun laws don’t protect honest citizens from criminals. They protect criminals from honest citizens. Speaker 2 46:01 Gun Lawyer is a CounterThink Media production. The music used in this broadcast was managed by Cosmo Music, New York, New York. Reach us by emailing Evan@gun.lawyer. The information and opinions in this broadcast do not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state. Downloadable PDF TranscriptGun Lawyer S5 E302_Transcript About The HostEvan Nappen, Esq.Known as “America's Gun Lawyer,” Evan Nappen is above all a tireless defender of justice. Author of eight bestselling books and countless articles on firearms, knives, and weapons history and the law, a certified Firearms Instructor, and avid weapons collector and historian with a vast collection that spans almost five decades — it's no wonder he's become the trusted, go-to expert for local, industry and national media outlets. Regularly called on by radio, television and online news media for his commentary and expertise on breaking news Evan has appeared countless shows including Fox News – Judge Jeanine, CNN – Lou Dobbs, Court TV, Real Talk on WOR, It's Your Call with Lyn Doyle, Tom Gresham's Gun Talk, and Cam & Company/NRA News. As a creative arts consultant, he also lends his weapons law and historical expertise to an elite, discerning cadre of movie and television producers and directors, and novelists. He also provides expert testimony and consultations for defense attorneys across America. Email Evan Your Comments and Questions  talkback@gun.lawyer Join Evan's InnerCircleHere's your chance to join an elite group of the Savviest gun and knife owners in America.  Membership is totally FREE and Strictly CONFIDENTIAL.  Just enter your email to start receiving insider news, tips, and other valuable membership benefits.   Email (required) *First Name *Select list(s) to subscribe toInnerCircle Membership Yes, I would like to receive emails from Gun Lawyer Podcast. (You can unsubscribe anytime)Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.var ajaxurl = "https://gun.lawyer/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php";

Dupree Financial Group  Blog & Podcast The Tom Dupree Show The Financial Hour · Hour 2 · August 8, 2026 Is the AI Rally a Bubble? What Retirees Should Watch For The Tom Dupree Show | Dupree Financial Group | dupreefinancial.com | 859-233-0400 By Tom Dupree, Founder, Dupree Financial Group III     Ii               I iiI.  Is this AI Rally Built to Last? Turn on any market report lately, and you’ll hear the same story: a handful of AI-linked names are doing most of the heavy lifting. On this week’s Financial Hour, Tom sat down with analyst James Dupree and market analyst Michael Dawahare to talk through what’s actually driving that rally — and it’s a more complicated story than “AI stocks are up.” The conversation opened with reshoring: American companies bringing manufacturing back from overseas, and the market slowly absorbing the idea that this makes more sense than the offshoring wave of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. From there it moved into the AI infrastructure buildout, the old industrial companies suddenly catching a second wind because of it, and a cautionary tale about a leveraged AI hedge fund that lost 78% of its value in three weeks. Tom, James, and Michael walked through the Gold Rush and dot-com parallels, why diversification matters more than ever in a fast-moving sector, and where Dupree Financial Group is finding value right now — financials, insurance, mortgage REITs, and energy. The short version: something real is happening in AI and in American manufacturing. But a real trend and a sure thing are two very different things, and knowing the difference is the whole job. “There’s gonna be people riding high on AI right now who in four years may not be. Don’t just focus on the new technology — ask what are the derivative trades, what can go wrong. Because something will.” — Tom Dupree Topics Covered Why the market is absorbing the reshoring of U.S. manufacturing — and why that’s different from a tariff headline The AI infrastructure buildout, and which “old economy” companies (Johnson Controls, Cummins) are catching a second wind from it The Leopold Aschenbrenner story: how a 4x-leveraged AI fund went from $45 billion to a forced $10 billion sale in about three weeks Gold Rush and dot-com parallels — and who actually made the money when a boom goes bust Regional mall traffic and the return of in-person, live entertainment spending as a signal worth watching Why financials, insurance, and mortgage REITs are on Dupree Financial Group’s radar right now The capital gains tax cost of trying to “sell at the top” and buy back in lower Why a “set it and forget it” approach is especially risky in a fast-moving sector like AI Security concerns as new AI models test the limits of their own guardrails Key Takeaways Reshoring is showing up in the data, not just the headlines. Manufacturing activity has expanded for several consecutive months, and reshoring initiatives have driven a meaningful number of announced U.S. manufacturing jobs since 2010 — a trend the show connected directly to the “picks and shovels” companies benefiting from it. AI infrastructure spending is running far ahead of AI revenue. The largest tech companies are on pace to spend hundreds of billions on AI infrastructure this year alone — spending that, by some estimates, is outpacing the revenue AI products are currently generating. That gap is exactly what Tom, James, and Michael were pointing to when they said “something will go wrong.” Leverage turns a good idea into a forced sale. The Leopold Aschenbrenner fund didn’t lose money because AI was a bad bet — it lost money because a 4x-leveraged position can only absorb so much of a pullback before it’s liquidated. That’s a lesson about position sizing, not about AI. History says the “picks and shovels” companies often outlast the flashiest players. Tom’s Levi Strauss story from the Gold Rush isn’t just a fun aside — it’s the show’s real thesis. When a boom happens, the companies supplying the boom sometimes outlast the speculative names chasing it. Diversification is what protects you when some AI names don’t make it. Nobody on the show argued AI is fake. The argument was that not every AI company will succeed, and a portfolio built around five or ten concentrated bets is a very different risk profile than one spread across sectors. Trying to time a pullback can trigger its own tax bill. Selling a highly appreciated position to avoid a possible drop means paying capital gains tax on the gain — which, as James pointed out, can functionally act like selling at the top even if the stock never actually drops that far. Dividend-paying sectors remain the core of the plan, regardless of what AI does next. Financials, insurance, mortgage REITs, and energy were named as areas of current focus — companies tied to real, ongoing economic activity rather than to a single technology cycle. “Set it and forget it” is the riskiest approach in a fast-moving sector. The show’s closing message: stay alert, stay informed, and know what you own — because in a sector that can move 10-15% in a day, being asleep at the wheel is exactly when it costs you. The Reframe: What This Means for Your Portfolio Here’s where we’d push the conversation a step further than the show had time for. The AI story and the reshoring story aren’t really two separate topics — they’re the same story told twice. Both are examples of real, durable economic activity attracting an amount of capital that may or may not be justified by what it produces. The five largest U.S. tech companies are on pace to spend somewhere in the range of $660–690 billion on AI infrastructure this year alone, nearly double the year before, according to industry analysis from Futurum Group. Other estimates put the ratio of AI infrastructure spending to AI software revenue at close to eighteen-to-one, per S&P Global research reported by ETF Trends. That doesn’t mean the technology is fake — it means the payoff isn’t set to arrive on the same timeline as the spending, and it may not arrive on that timeline at all. The Bank for International Settlements — essentially the central bank for the world’s central banks — has already flagged the scale of this spending as a risk worth watching, noting that combined AI capital expenditure across 2025 and 2026 is outpacing the free cash flow of the companies funding it, per Fortune’s reporting. Fidelity’s own research team has taken a more measured view, noting that as of early 2026 they aren’t yet seeing some of the classic bubble warning signs, like shrinking free cash flow among the AI leaders — but they’re watching closely, and so should you (Fidelity). Both things can be true at once, which is exactly what Tom, James, and Michael said on air. This is precisely the environment dividend-focused, diversified investing was built for. Research from Hartford Funds, using data going back to 1973, has found that companies that grew or initiated a dividend have historically delivered higher returns than the broader market with meaningfully less volatility than non-dividend payers (Hartford Funds). That’s the case for owning financials, insurance, and energy alongside — not instead of — exposure to the AI and reshoring trends. You get to participate in the buildout without betting the whole plan on any single piece of it working out on schedule.     Related Reading Listen to this episode and browse past shows on the Podcasts page Learn more about our approach and team on the About Us page Schedule your own complimentary portfolio review from the DFG homepage About The Tom Dupree Show The Tom Dupree Show is hosted by Tom Dupree, founder of Dupree Financial Group and a 48-year veteran of the investment business. Each episode covers the financial topics that matter most to retirees and those approaching retirement — in plain English, without the Wall Street spin. Dupree Financial Group is a fee-only, fiduciary Registered Investment Advisory firm based in Lexington, Kentucky. The firm manages separately managed accounts focused on income-generating, dividend-paying portfolios — no products sold, no commissions, no conflicts of interest. Past episodes are available at dupreefinancial.com under the Podcast tab. TD Tom Dupree Founder of Dupree Financial Group and host of The Tom Dupree Show. Tom started in the investment business in 1978 as a municipal bond salesman, and has spent 47 years building an income-first, fee-only approach to retirement investing in Lexington, Kentucky. Schedule a Complimentary Portfolio Review If you’re not sure whether you know what’s actually driving your portfolio’s gains right now — and whether it could unwind as fast as it built — we’ll take a look. No charge. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about what you own and whether it’s working for you. Call: 859-233-0400 | Visit: dupreefinancial.com { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "PodcastEpisode", "name": "Is the AI Rally a Bubble? What Retirees Should Watch For", "url": "https://www.dupreefinancial.com/is-the-ai-rally-a-bubble-what-retirees-should-watch-for/", "datePublished": "2026-08-08", "description": "Tom Dupree, James Dupree, and Michael Dawahare discuss the AI market rally, reshoring, and where Dupree Financial Group sees value for retirement portfolios right now.", "partOfSeries": { "@type": "PodcastSeries", "name": "The Tom Dupree Show", "url": "https://www.dupreefinancial.com/podcasts" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Dupree" } } { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is the AI stock rally a bubble?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It's too early to say for certain. AI infrastructure spending is running well ahead of AI revenue, which is a real warning sign, but the underlying technology and demand are also real. The honest answer is: parts of it may be a bubble, and parts of it may not be — which is exactly why diversification matters." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is reshoring, and why does it matter to investors?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Reshoring means bringing manufacturing and industry back to the U.S. from overseas. It matters to investors because it's benefiting a range of established industrial companies, and manufacturing activity data has shown consistent signs of expansion." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What happened with the Leopold Aschenbrenner AI hedge fund?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A hedge fund that was leveraged roughly 4-to-1 on AI infrastructure stocks was forced to sell at a steep loss after the market moved against it, dropping from about $45 billion in net asset value to roughly $10 billion in about three weeks. It's a reminder that leverage, not the underlying investment thesis, is often what causes forced losses." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Should retirees own AI-related stocks?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "There's no one-size-fits-all answer, and this isn't individualized advice. Generally speaking, exposure to a trend like AI works best as part of a diversified, income-generating portfolio rather than as a concentrated bet, especially for retirees who need their money to last for decades." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is Dupree Financial Group's approach to sector risk like AI?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Dupree Financial Group focuses on dividend-paying stocks and bonds across a range of sectors, including financials, insurance, and energy, rather than concentrating in any single trend. The goal is income and growth investors can understand, not a bet on any one technology." } } ] } The post Is the AI Rally a Bubble? What Retirees Should Watch For | Dupree Financial Group appeared first on Dupree Financial.

BLUF: To determine whether AI is ‘improving exponentially', ‘hitting the wall', or any other claim which involves a quantity or magnitude (e.g. ‘This model was a big leap/small increment'). We need a good y-axis: an interval scale of AI capability which means +1 unit always represents the same degree of ‘how much better', in the same way +1 degree Celsius is always the same amount of ‘how much hotter'. Yet there is no good y-axis for AI capability. All our measures are of something related-to but clearly not identical-with it, thus ‘true' AI capability can be a funhouse-mirror reflection of whatever was measured. Specifically: Benchmark score: One small step in benchmark score can be a giant leap in capability, or the opposite, or whatever else. (My 6/10 vs. your 4/10 ≠ I'm 50% better at maths than you). Elo et al: Can give a real y-axis in terms of winning chances, but doesn't translate outside of beating others. (Going from 50% to 73% to 88% chance to get a higher score than you on a maths test ≠ gaining 0 → 1 → 2 units of maths ability over you) Epoch Capabilities Index: Analogous to IQ, so [...] ---Outline:(03:05) Introduction(04:26) Both a poor reflection and a dark glass(07:51) Human benchmarking also has a y-axis problem(12:27) A metrological elegy(12:49) The base case: benchmarks (cf. exams)(13:30) Elo et al.(16:25) (And maybe not quite 'game ability ≡ winning games', after all?)(18:28) ECI (cf. IQ)(20:56) Intervals Rarely True(25:01) Measure endogeneity(31:12) Forking IRT(34:45) (Dimensions of being, and beating, a bat)(39:40) Prediction (cf. chronometry)(41:58) Time horizons(44:34) Human "capability" is also exponential in time horizon(47:38) Intuitive/interpretative prelude(52:56) Time horizons and ECI share an axis kink(57:13) Perhaps money, as a measure, stinks the least(01:01:07) Finale: AI as normal epistemics(01:06:48) Acknowledgements The original text contained 33 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: August 4th, 2026 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/CQvdadxjCpd7i7kjA/general-capability-and-capabilities-generally-have-no-good-y --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

In their 500th episode, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb celebrate a decade of The Reformed Brotherhood by diving into one of Scripture's most overlooked parables — the Parable of the Growing Seed in Mark 4:26–29. Exclusive to Mark's Gospel, this four-verse passage packs a theological punch that is, as Tony and Jesse argue, unmistakably Reformed in its emphasis. The man scatters seed, goes about his life, and the earth produces — by itself — without his understanding or intervention. From this, the hosts draw out rich implications for evangelism, sanctification, ecclesiology, and eschatology. They argue that the kingdom of God advances by divine power alone, hidden from human sight, moving toward a certain consummation. The episode pairs deep theological reflection with the hosts' characteristic warmth, humor, and 10 years' worth of shared history. Key Takeaways Monergism is embedded in the parable itself. The growth of the seed is entirely God's doing. The man scatters and rests; the earth produces by itself — a picture of divine sovereignty that requires no human management or comprehension. The evangelist's only obligation is to scatter. This parable relieves believers of the anxious burden of producing spiritual fruit. Faithfulness in proclamation is the call; growth belongs to God. Sanctification is gradual, hidden, and God's work. The progression — blade, ear, full grain — mirrors the believer's sanctification, which proceeds by degrees imperceptible to the individual yet certain in God's design. The Kingdom of God is not dependent on any individual. Whether it's a ministry leader, a financial contributor, or a worship musician, no single human agent is load-bearing for the advance of God's kingdom. Primary and secondary causation work together without contradiction. God uses means — the farmer still sows, the earth still functions — but the means are instrumental, not efficient causes. God's providence encompasses and exceeds them. The harvest belongs to God, not the evangelist. Just as the man did not direct the growth, he is not the agent ultimately putting in the sickle. The consummation of the kingdom occurs in God's time and by God's initiative. This parable resists reduction. It cannot be flattened into a simple evangelism lesson or a single eschatological statement. It holds together personal sanctification, corporate ecclesiology, and cosmic eschatology within four verses. Key Concepts The Earth Produces By Itself: Monergism in the Parable The theological center of this parable is the Greek word automate — the earth produces "by itself," without external compulsion or human assistance. Tony and Jesse argue this is not incidental language but the thesis of the entire passage. The farmer is genuinely active — he scatters the seed — but his agency recedes almost immediately from view. He doesn't monitor the soil, apply nutrients, or trace the growth. He simply lives his life. This picture coheres precisely with the Reformed doctrine of monergism: that in regeneration and kingdom growth alike, the decisive cause lies entirely outside human capacity. As Jesse puts it, the mechanism of growth "belongs to God alone." The farmer's ignorance is not a failure — it is the point. We are not meant to understand the how; we are meant to trust the Who. Scatter, Then Rest: A Theology of Evangelism Without Anxiety One of the episode's most practically rich applications concerns the posture believers are called to adopt in evangelism. Tony observes that this parable is rarely preached as an encouragement to evangelists, yet that is precisely what it is. The sower's only active verb is scattering. After that, he sleeps and rises — the rhythms of ordinary life — while God does the work that no human strategy, method, or persistence can accomplish. This directly addresses what Tony calls the "anxiety around trying to ensure some sort of production." The Reformed vision of evangelism is not passive indifference but liberated faithfulness: scatter the seed of the gospel without bearing the impossible weight of manufactured outcomes. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:6–7, "Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." Blade, Then Ear, Then Grain: The Patience of Providence The threefold progression Jesus describes — blade, then ear, then full grain — is not decorative agricultural detail. It is a theological statement about the character of God's work in the world and in the soul. Growth is gradual, ordered, and unhurried. Jesse draws the direct application to sanctification: the believer cannot fully trace the work of grace in his own heart, yet it is real and it is God's doing. This ought to produce, as Jesse summarizes, "patient confidence rather than human striving or anxiety." The church, too, matures through stages. Neither impatience with slowness nor despair at imperceptibility is warranted — both misread the nature of divine providence. God is not behind schedule. He is, as always, working through means, in His time, toward a consummation He has already appointed. Memorable Quotes The earth produces by itself — we might even say the kingdom of God produces by itself. It's not dependent on anything except God's sovereign will and his sovereignty to execute all that he desires. - Tony Arsenal The mechanism of growth is strangely hidden from the human agent, and it belongs to God alone. - Jesse Schwamb The kingdom of God advances by God's own hidden power toward a certain appointed consummation — and this ought to produce patient confidence rather than human striving or anxiety. - Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript Jesse Schwamb: Welcome to the 10th Pentacost episode of the [00:01:00] Reformed Brotherhood. It's number 500. I'm Jesse Tony Arsenal: and I'm Tony, and this is the podcast that's been going for 10 years. Hey, brother.  Jesse Schwamb: Hey, brother. A happy 500th episode to you.  Tony Arsenal: I know, man. It's kinda crazy. It's kinda crazy, and we're not gonna do anything special 'cause we don't do that, but it is crazy that this is the 500th episode. That's a lot of podcasting.  Jesse Schwamb: It's absolutely wild.  Podcast Memories And Mishaps Jesse Schwamb: And as with any milestone, as I was thinking about this one occurring, it did draw my mind to all the crazy things that have happened on this podcast, some known, some unknown. Of course, there is the very infamous time that I spilled a whole bottle of kombucha on the desk while we were recording, but everybody knows about that. But I was, I was also thinking about the, the lesser-known ones, like the time you and I sat in the downstairs church, like so close to each other on the same side of the table- Yeah ... to record a episode, or the time [00:02:00] that a tow truck showed up while we were recording and I had to go run out and direct the tow truck 'cause I'd called it for the car. Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Jesse Schwamb: And you paused the episode so that we could go do that, or the time that we had our favorite Lutherans on the podcast in what I think was, like, the hottest environment, and I just remember the sweat trickling down Chad Bird's beard. Like, like, like air being- Like the oil gloss ... mixed with oil. Yeah. It was so hot. So those are the ones that come to my mind. I don't know if there are any ones that come to you. We- we've had some great episodes, and by the way, they all live out for free in the world on reformedbrotherhood.com. So don't take our word for it. You can go all the way back to the beginning if you really want to, and you can hear this incredible journey that God has had us on these some 10 years. So I'm curious, like, do any episodes, topics, conversations, weird things come to your mind after all this time?  Tony Arsenal: Uh, the one I remember is when we recorded with Dad and we were waiting for the snow, the [00:03:00]snowplow- ... and we had to, like, wrap the episode up real quick because the snowplow was there and we had to go move cars. That's right. So there's been a fair amount of episodes where it's like something has interrupted us and we need to just get it over with real quick. That's right. Um, hopefully the listener doesn't hear that too much.  Patreon Support Check In Tony Arsenal: The other thing I was thinking about, you know, just as we're kinda thinking about the back catalog, we're not great at this. Uh, we tend to do our, what, what's they call the call to action. The experts call it the call to action. We do it at the very end of our podcast episodes, which is the worst place to do it. Uh, but we're gonna try to land it in the beginning here. So we, we've been supported by a number of, of people, uh, for basically the entire podcast. I don't remember exactly how early on it was that we started doing Patreon, but it's, it's been a long time. And what I noticed the other day, I went in to, to check on a couple things and make sure everything was working the way it's supposed to. There was some, like, account merge I had to do, and I've noticed that several people who've been supporting us, um, pretty much since the beginning- have their accounts listed in a declined status. [00:04:00] And what that means is that their, probably their credit card that they use, uh, has expired, and so now they're not, no longer supporting the show even though they think they are. So if you are a person who believes you're supporting the show, particularly if you've been supporting the show for a long time, and you wanna continue to support the show, uh, we would really appreciate if you took a minute to go into your Patreon account, double-check that the, you know, that you've been, um, contributing for the last couple months. Uh, double-check that the credit card you have on file is not, uh, expired or suspended or anything like that. Um, again, if you've made a decision that it's time to stop, uh, stop the show, or if this is the point where you realize, "I don't care enough to re-support to the show," um, that's fine. We love you. We've appreciated your support. We hope you keep listening. Uh, but if you do wanna continue to contribute, please do check that. And if you've never taken a chance to think through whether or not you want to support the show, uh, Jesse and I are so thankful for all the support we have.  Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  Tony Arsenal: Uh, but things are getting more expensive, and, um, you know, that's, that's [00:05:00] just a reality for all of us, and that includes things like podcasting hosting fees. Um, the cost of our, our editing software that we use has gone up. That's a subscription. Uh, the cost of hosting space has gone up. Um, all of that, uh, all of that has gone up, and so even though we've had steady supporters, it's kinda like we have lost supporters, um, financially because the money doesn't go quite as far. So if you've ever thought, "Maybe I should, uh, maybe I should contribute to the podcast," please do think about it. Even if just, uh, half of our audience went in and contributed $1 a month, um, that would be a substantial amount. That would really help us to keep the podcast going. And there's actually a number of projects and things Jesse have I, and I have wanted to do, um, that we would love to be able to, you know, to take a step on. Uh, we just don't have funding to do it, uh- Right ... because the funding we have is enough to keep the podcast going but not enough to stretch to something else. So I don't wanna, like, preload that too much, 'cause who knows if it's gonna happen, but there's some things that we wanna do [00:06:00] that would involve a little bit of upfront capital that we would need- Right to get some contrib- contributions on. So please do consider that. We appreciate you so much if you've been a supporter. We appreciate you so much if you've even considered it. Uh, and we appreciate you so much just for listening, uh, especially- Yes ... if you've been with us, you know, this is episode 500. That's a lot of podcasting- Yeah, it is ... directly in your ear hole. So thank you so much for that.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, we're so grateful.  Why We Keep Doing This Jesse Schwamb: It's fun just to think how many episodes we recorded, but also how many interesting conversations and topics, all the inside jokes. It really is a community. That's in part why we started this, is to sit down together and to bring other brothers and sisters into the fray, as it were, or maybe to bring us into your fray a little bit and to encourage and edify the church, the brothers and sisters, the saints around the world. And it is an around the world kinda podcast, which is remarkable too. So- Yes ... we're just gonna keep being here. As long as the Lord tarries and He allows us to do this, we'll just keep doing it. And again, we've recorded in closets, in cars on the way to things. We've done it at [00:07:00] the beach, and we've done it in cold environs, and we've done it in hot environs. And you're right, you reminded me of that time where we were desperately waiting as we were getting snowed in for the plow to come. And then it was all hands on deck, and we just dropped the recording equipment and said, "We gotta get out of here." And more often than not, the p- joy of this podcast is it just kinda finds its way into our normal rhythm of life. But it- Yeah ... comes out of our life, and out of a life that's been transformed by Christ. And so that's really what we come back to.  Mark Only Parable Preview Jesse Schwamb: In fact, that's the whole thing that we're in right now. We're going through all these parables. And this episode, we can't stop, won't stop. We're gonna continue to hit you with the content that we love, which is talking about Jesus. And so we're in one of the few... Well, it's a Markan parable that only appears in Mark. That's why I called it Markan, I guess. So extra bonus points to you, that's both extra and bonus, if you know which one it is before I say it. But there's a lot for us to talk about- ... because we're getting into this really, really short little story, but it's really chock-full, of course, as Jesus likes to do with all [00:08:00] kinds of spiritual truth. It's about a farmer chucking a seed on the ground, and then he goes about his business. He eats, he sleeps, he binge-watches the Jane equivalent of Netflix. He sleeps again, he wakes up. And while he does this, the seed is doing entirely its own thing without his help or understanding. He didn't make it grow. He can't explain how it grows. He just shows up at the end with a sickle to collect what God has already finished. Man, if there isn't a Reformed theological parable, I don't know what one is. Yeah. So we're gonna get to all of that on this 500th episode. I mean, it's something to be saying that even the US is only 250 years old, and- we've already recorded twice as many podcasts as there are years of experience in the US. But besides all of that, it wouldn't be- It's like- ... Reformed Brotherhood-  Tony Arsenal: I don't know if you've seen this. That reminds me of those things online where it's like, like, "Elon Musk is a billi- is a trillionaire. That means he could give every person on earth $1 billion- Oh, yeah and still would be a multi-billionaire." And you're like, "That's, that's not mathematically true." 'Cause when [00:09:00]you said that, I was like, "You mean the podcast is older than the country?"  Jesse Schwamb: Oh, math. I have a feeling we're gonna come back to that. Oh, math.  Tony Arsenal: Oh, math.  Affirm Or Deny Segment Jesse Schwamb: Now, of course, if you listen for any length of time, you know it wouldn't be an episode if we didn't have a time of affirming with or denying against. Of course, that is that time where we pick something that we like, we think everybody should be a part of, that we wanna recommend, and we affirm with it. Or on the opposite, instead we say, "We deny against this thing because it's just no good." So Tony, on this 500th episode, I'm just gonna keep saying it over and over again, so lest the listeners forget, what are you affirming with or denying against? Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Scammer Payback Recommendation Tony Arsenal: I'm affirming, um, a little YouTube channel that I found. Uh, it takes a little bit of setup to explain it, but the, the channel is called Scammer Payback. Ooh. Um, and it's, it's a... I think most people have probably seen, like, the Gene Fieith- Gene Veith, um, like, where he, he gets a, some sort of scammer on the phone, and he sorta just, like, [00:10:00] trolls them and makes, kinda makes them sound dumb and, you know, pretends to play along just to see how long he can keep them on the phone. Those are really funny. These are funny, but they're on a whole different level of seriousness, which is a weird sentence. Um, basically what this is is a group of professional hackers, um, and there's, this is a serious kinda sting operation they have going. They don't use their real names on the channel. Um, there's one, there's one, um, where they interview, like, a social, um, a social engineer whose job is to... Her- she is a person who basically, uh, does social hacking, and she helps companies who, who their security people think, like, their executives are, um, susceptible to social engineering, social hacking. She'll actually call and, like, mess around with the CEOs and socially hack them. Um, they interviewed her, and the first thing she said when she sat down was the person she was talking to's first name, and the guy was just stunned. He's like, "I- we- we've never used my first name on the channel before." So they're very serious, and what they do is they identify [00:11:00] a scam or a g- usually a group of scammers, and they'll actually hack into and infiltrate the computer systems that they're using. And so they show you everything that they're doing. Um, they're, they're explaining the scam and how it's run. Um, and a lot of times they're actually actively intervening in, uh, in a scam, trying to stop a scam that's in progress because somebody is about to lose a lot of money. I mean, I think one of the things that's important about this is our audience, you know, mostly, mostly guys probably, like, age, I don't know, late 20s, early 30s, maybe early 40s, we kind of grew up and lived, lived in a world most of our adult lives or all of our adult lives where, like, fishing schemes and other kinds of, like, um, data s- data theft, like, that was just in the air. It was just normal. So we're... It's not like we're immune to it, but we're used to it, and we're ready for it, and we're looking for it. That means that most of us have parents that are in a generation who are particularly susceptible to this. [00:12:00] So I think it would be worth, worth people's time to take a look at this, uh, just as a educational piece, and then, yes, share it with your family members who are in this era. People get taken for a ton of money. Yeah. The reason that these older generation sort of bu- builder Boomer generations are targeted is not just because they're somewhat soft targets, but they also have the money. Um, most of, most of the wealth in our country is possessed by people in that generation. It's just an economic fact in a lot of places and a lot of areas, and so that's why they're targeted. So take a little bit of time, watch the show. It's... And it's entertaining. It's really well produced. It's funny. These are non-Christians, you know, who are, are being non-Christian, so there's a fair amount of salty language, especially when they're interacting directly with the scammers that they absolutely hate. Um, but it's, it's worth watching. And, and it... I think it'll... I think it's entertaining. Most of the time it's like a 15-minute video, so it's not too much of your time. Pop that on two times [00:13:00] speed on YouTube and, and you're all set.  Jesse Schwamb: And when you say salty you're not talking about Salty the Singing Songbook, right? Tony Arsenal: Correct. Yeah. Not P-S-A-L-T-Y. S-A-L-T-Y.  Jesse Schwamb: Just in case. I wouldn't want any of the loved ones to go and just be waiting for Salty to show up, like, in the mid- Which would be kind of epic in the midst of this, like, scamming shutdown, the sting operation. Like, Salty s- pops up and starts singing about restorative justice and- Yeah what it means that God restores all things. I mean, that would have a good place in this, but I just want that just to be clear. We don't, we don't want anybody to, to at us on that.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah, for sure. Well, Jesse, what are you affirming or denying tonight?  Jesse Loves Algebra Jesse Schwamb: I'm going to return to that beautiful intro you gave about mathematics and the whole Elon Musk thing. And so my affirmation is simply, like, just do... Just enjoy all the math you can. Use all the math that you know. So my wife and I were watching some kind of program on YouTube, and it was a program in which there are a couple [00:14:00]people competing in this kind of escape room situation, and as escape rooms are want to do, there came some kind of small math problem. And it goes something like this, is the best I can remember it. It was what number between one and nine when it is tripled and five is added to it is the same as that number being doubled and having one added to it? Now, as soon as that problem was read, we were watching intently, and I turned to my wife and I said, "Why do they need to say it's between, like, one and nine?" And she goes, "Well, how else would they know what the number was?" And I was like, "Well, like, this is a beautiful little algebra thing, like se- series of equations. Like, you have two equations here." And she's like... Just gave me a blank look. So I was like, "Oh, man." So she's like, "Okay. Do it then. Do it." So I was like, "Give me a piece of paper." So I, I was just like, this is gonna be such a beautiful thing. So I was like, "All this is, is, like, it's basically 3x minus five equals 2x plus one. You're solving for whatever this missing number is, and they've given you this beautiful setup, [00:15:00] which you rarely get in real life, but this beautiful setup is a system of equations. We have two things you know are gonna turn out to be the same. They've just been said in different ways, and that allows you enough space to figure out how to solve for them using a little bit of algebra." So I realized then this is why they said between one and nine, because the contestants then proceeded just to iteratively pick numbers until they found the answer, which is not a bad way. Like, that's a way to use, like, all the math you have. Certainly, that's a way. But I showed her how it was like, this is the answer, six, and you don't even need to know where to start because you don't need to start anywhere. You can actually figure this out. Still not really impressed. And then she said something to me that just, like, kind of rocked my world. I said, like, "Well, I'm sure this is familiar to, with, to you." And she's like, "Oh, yeah. Like, I learned algebra." And she goes, "Yeah, I, I know algebra. I just don't do it anymore. I just don't use it anymore." And I was like What, what I heard was, like, basically her saying to me, "I used to brush my teeth, but I just don't do it [00:16:00] anymore." 'Cause I was like, "This is such a beautiful thing." So then I got it in my head, well, well here's the problem. It's just a matter of seeing the results. So I was like, "Well, here's the amazing thing is yes, these are abstract concepts. Yes, it's like each of those is a function. It's, it's a representation of what he just said in the problem. But," and this is my grave mistake, Tony. But I was like, "Really, Descartes showed us that we can think about these not as abstractions, but we can plot them geometrically as lines on a Cartesian plane." And so I was like, "Really we can show that these are two lines and they have a relationship together." And then I was like, "Guess where they intersect? Guess where they intersect?" And she's like, "I w- that's impossible to even know. I have no idea where they intersect." I was like, "No, no. Just, just based on what we're saying, the beauty of this is they have a relationship. They're gonna come together at some point, like you and I in life. They're gonna, they're gonna come together. Guess where that would be?" And she's like, "That would be impossible to know." And I was like, "It's not, actually." So I showed her that, you know, left and right, up and down, X and Y, however you wanna speak [00:17:00] about it, those two lines are gonna intersect, at least on the X. The X spot is gonna be the number six. It's the same thing. Still nothing. So after all of that, I just appreciate my wife is such a brilliant lady, that she just doesn't need algebra. She goes through life just, like, crushing problems without... Like, because she'd like to do it, I think, just the, the more challenging, difficult, iterative way. And, uh, she doesn't use algebra anymore. Just no need for it. So in many ways I respect that. In other ways, again, the affirmation is like, use all the math you have available to you because it's a beautiful thing. I think basically at the end of that I ended up in, like, a very supreme place of doxology, and my wife was like, "Can we just go back to watching TV now?" So but I, I have to say, like, and I, I know you, you share my appreciation for math and stuff like this. Like, it's not even just puzzles. It's just the beauty that, like, we can do this, and that there's such a created order, like a supremely created order, that these rules of ma- mathematics aren't just impounded. They're like the fabric in which God has, [00:18:00] has basically woven all of reality such that we can do this kind of thing, and that even a simple problem in escape room can lead us to appreciate how intensely ordered and beautiful the world is, that we can go after knowledge and solve for explicit things that seem abstract beyond our comprehension and reason to begin with, but have been brought to a place we might understand them. That is, like, an insanely glorious thing to me. So algebra is great, loved ones. I've recommended before, but the side affirmation is go to Khan Academy if you wanna brush up on your algebra skills. I think algebra is, like, some of the most beautiful and intensely practical math ever. I love calculus, but calculus you don't get a lot of, like, use. You can use algebra to solve all kinds of things, whether it's like tips or... Like, it's gonna save you so much time. If you're ever in escape room, I'm just telling you, do not do this iteratively. Just get the, your system of equations down, and you will be, like, tearing out of that room, and then you'll look like a hero. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah.  Math In Everyday Life Tony Arsenal: I mean, I think, like, even the f- even the, the... How do I wanna say this delicately? Uh, [00:19:00] even the idea that we, quote, "don't use algebra" means people don't actually understand that we're using algebra all the  Jesse Schwamb: time.  Tony Arsenal: Exactly. Right. Like, I could buy I don't use calculus or I don't use trigonometry- Right or even I don't use geometry. Um, but to say I don't use algebra, like just basic. I mean, I know like basic equations are, I guess, technically arithmetic, but like how many times does someone have to, have to go, "All right, the tip, the, the bill is X number of dollars. The bill is-" Right ..."$100, and I wanna give a 15% tip, so what's the outcome?" Like, that's an algebraic equation, right? That's right. Um, or a more, I think a more common one would be like, "All right, the bill is this amount. I want my, uh, my final amount that I give billed to me to be an even number."  Jesse Schwamb: Right. " Tony Arsenal: And I also want to give at least 15%, 20%, whatever percent, so what's the number I need to use in order to get to a bill that is, or a [00:20:00] tip that is both 15% or higher and results..." Like, all of those things are algebraic equations.  Jesse Schwamb: Yes.  Tony Arsenal: So I think, yeah. I mean, even like, "I need to get to work by such and such a time. What time do I need to leave?" Right. "I know it takes-" Exactly. "... a certain amount of time." Right. So I think we, we all use algebra a lot more than we, we probably realize, and I think you're right. Like, when people say, "Well, I don't use my math anymore," what they're saying is like, "I don't use, I don't use the stuff that I had to show my work on anymore." Right. "I don't use the stuff that I have to do on paper anymore." But, um, it's funny, we had a, a conversation, by the way, Reformed Tele- Reformed Brotherhood Telegram chat is a thing. Uh, we had a conversation in the Reformed Brotherhood Telegram chat a little while ago. One of our members was trying to figure out some sort of, like- And it was a problem having to do with like a, an air conditioning throttle or whatever it's called. Some sort of like programming in an air conditioner. And we went through it, we figured out that one of the like relatively complex parts of the equation that he was trying to figure out actually no matter what values you [00:21:00] put in, uh, equated to one. And then the other one was like it was ti- and then it was times one. So it was like whatever you put in ended up to that times one was the rest of the equation. It was like a huge, or like a relatively large equation that resolved down to one. So it was like you're trying to figure out all this complicated math and really like that entire, uh, that entire complicated equation was doing nothing in the rest of the equation. Nice. It was doing absolutely nothing. Um, so we were able to sort of like figure out, all right, well now all we need to do is figure out what, what this relationship does. Right. Um, and even something like in that particular situation, there were some values that the equation couldn't possibly balance. Which again, you could plot that on a graph and see like there's a spot... I don't, I'm, I'm making this up, but I think this is probably not wrong. There's a spot where it's like this is a parabolic equation, and so at some point the parable, or the par- parable, I didn't even mean to do that. There we go. At some point the [00:22:00] parabola goes back up, and so like there is no point- Right ... when it reaches this number. So values that would be in that, in that zone or in that range- Right ... they, they don't work in the equation. So yeah, I think math, uh, algebra is, uh, you know, basic arithmetic obviously is, is relatively straightforward. Algebra's probably the most simple, uh, form of math that your average person uses on a regular basis.  Jesse Schwamb: For sure.  Trigonometry And Design Tony Arsenal: But it's funny, I remember the first time, um, the very first time that I realized trigonometry was not just some abstract thing that we would never use. And it's so funny, 'cause it's like the nerdiest, the nerdiest example. I was playing a tabletop RPG with my friends, we were in high school, and we were, we were learning trigonometry at the time. I was playing a tabletop RPG, and we were trying to figure out- Um, it was a, it was like a futuristic tabletop RPG, so we were using like, like laser guns or something like that that have a certain range. And we were trying to figure out if the thing that was flying in the air from us was within range or not.  Jesse Schwamb: Nice.  Tony Arsenal: And what we realized [00:23:00] is that's just a quadratic equation, right? Right, it is. I just need to calculate. I know how far away it is from me in a straight line, I know how high in the air it is, so I need to just- Right now I need to... Or not, not the quadratic. That's Pythagoras' theorem, right? Yep. I need to calculate the Pythag- or the, um, the hypotenuse.  Jesse Schwamb: I'm with you. I  Tony Arsenal: knew where you were going. Yeah. So, like, I remember distinctly, I, I mean, I remember where I was sitting in my friend's basement going, "Oh, my goodness, trigonometry actually has a practical application here." Um, you know, whether that's figuring out how much rope I need to be able to, to attach to a tree and still be able... Like, all of these different things ultimately are math, and, or as the, the Brits say, are maths. And, uh, the, it, it's just a beautiful thing. And I think you're right, like, this is evidence that the universe has a structure- And a designer because- Right you can describe the universe using this- Nice ... sort of universal numerical language that, um, in, for the most part, describes everything we can [00:24:00] see. I mean, obviously, like, they're still learning things. They're still figuring things out. But what we can see with our senses, we can also describe with math on some level. Even something like the colors that we see can be reduced to a, a number, a frequency, a wavelength. So yeah, I'm with you. Use your algebra. Find ways to use it.  Jesse Schwamb: Use it. It's the... I like what you said, that we're using it. We just don't realize it. There's a spiritual lesson in there, I think, as well, that it's, it's present all around us, and it's... I like what you said. It's, like, the, the most, like, grabbable. It's the thing that's pretty easy to grasp, yet has, like, some beautiful outworkings that are super complex. All the time I love to, like, mess with people, even people who are, like, say, like, "Oh, I'm not into math." I'm like, "That's okay." Like, it's... You're, you're living in a mathematical world, and you're certainly using it, but that, that's okay.  Imaginary Numbers Wonder Jesse Schwamb: But like, sometimes I'll just say to somebody, like, "How do you know, like actually know that, like a negative number times a negative number is a positive number?" Like, who came up with that, and how do you know? And why are we just trusting him? Why can't somebody just say, "You know what? For me, it's not. I'm gonna make that a [00:25:00] negative number"? And w- the reason is because algebra provides... There's a lot of proofs, but algebra provides the most simple, beautiful proof. And then once you, once you basically contravene that law, like, everything falls apart. I- it's... And the question we should be asking is why does everything fall apart if we contravene one simple law, wh- which is two negative numbers multiplied, the product of them has to be, must be, is always a positive number. And that's, like, not even getting into, like, the more crazy things. Like, everybody should go look up, like, what imaginary numbers are. That will kind of mess with your mind, but then we found ways to use imaginary numbers, which are exactly what they sound like- Yeah ... to solve, like, incredible problems. Where does that come from? It comes from the Lord. It comes from God's, like, creative ability that He's placed in mankind to go after and to take a dominion over the knowledge and the creative order in such a complex and creative way. It mimics and mirrors the creativity of our Heavenly Father, and it is altogether beautiful. So on this- Yeah ... 500 episode that has a lot of numbers associated with it, I [00:26:00] say go love the numbers. Go enjoy them. Wherever you are in life, whatever your enjoyment of math is, big or small, go try to find some way to enjoy it today. Tony Arsenal: Can I, can I throw in a, a weird relevant sub-affirmation to your affirmation? I  Jesse Schwamb: mean, please.  Tony Arsenal: This is our show, so I'll do what I want to. You can do what you want. First, when you say we live in a mathematical world, all I could think of was some Perry song of Material Girl. Material  Jesse Schwamb: World?  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Odd Squad Math Tony Arsenal: I am a mathematical boy, and I live in a ma- Anyway, um, there is a show that I watch with August, my son, who is almost five. Uh, he'll be five in March. And, um, it's called Odd Squad. And what Odd Squad is, is it's a sort of a s- like a spy-themed kids show with a touch of like, uh, almost like Twilight Zone. Like, there's so- It's they manage odd. Like, they're the Odd Squad because they, they respond to odd emergencies, so it's a lot of like weird monsters and aliens and like time travel paradoxes and strange stuff. But the answer [00:27:00] to the problem is always related somehow to a math principle. So they will talk about how like multiplication is just addition like many times over.  Jesse Schwamb: Sure.  Tony Arsenal: And that's actually why multiplying a negative number times a negative number is a positive number or, you know, like, or multiplying by a negative number is a negative number, right? And that's because like really what you're doing if you multiply two, uh, two times negative three is you're subjecting, you're subtracting two from two from two, which gives you, you know- Right ... a negative number. So it's, it's not, uh, it, it's for kids, but I actually have realized that I understand math better- because of watching the show.  Jesse Schwamb: I  Tony Arsenal: love it. And it's because they break it down in, you know, the, the audience- Yes ... the target audience is a little bit older than August. I think the target audience is probably like six to seven, maybe eight years old. Um, and so they're talking about math principles geared towards those groups. But they'll talk about things like [00:28:00] using a number line to be able to understand math, and so like visualizing it. Or they'll talk about how multiplication is really just groups of things. So yeah, check it out.  Why Math Matters Tony Arsenal: And again- Algebra is probably the most, uh, easy to grab of the disciplines, but that's because that's the one we are using every day all the time. Tony Arsenal: And we don't realize it. But again, like, calculus is a beautiful, a beautiful thing. Um, and there are some amazing things that exist in the world that can really only be understood and described in a certain sense by something like calculus or trigonometry. Um, my favorite, I, I wish I had, like, kept it up, but one of my favorites is geometry 'cause I think a lot of it is, that's, like, the closest to puzzles. Yes. Um, uh, so, like, I, I used to love doing proofs and axioms and stuff. So, and then of course logic is technically related to math. It's a related discipline to math- It is ... in that it, it's, it's actually, like, the language that underlies a lot of the mathematics is [00:29:00] logical formulas. So it's all relevant. It's all beautiful. It all describes God's creation, and it all redounds to His glory.  Jesse Schwamb: You got that right.  Mark Growing Seed Jesse Schwamb: And speaking of both His creation and His glory, and Jesus teaching of both of those things, we are, as we promised, hanging out in the Book of Mark, and we've got just four sentences. And what I love about this parable that we're about to read is it fits in so perfectly with something I think you and I have been saying from the very beginning, which is it's tempting when we think about the parables to consider, like, a single element or to distill them down to, like, a single word and say, "We hear the kingdom of God is this thing, this noun, this object, this person." But instead, the case we've been making is it's actually generally a series of verbs, or in this case, it's the whole four verses that Jesus is gonna give to us here. So let me just read Mark 4:26-29. That's all it is, loved ones. And it's a good thing because we're already knee-deep into this 500th episode. So this goes by various names. I've heard it called, [00:30:00] like, the Parable of the Growing Seed, or sometimes people call it, like, the Parable of the, The Secret Seed. I'm not sure that's really secret, but I suppose the increase is secret in a way, and that's really what Jesus is communicating to us in these verses. So Mark 4:26: "And Jesus was saying, 'The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil, and he sleeps and he rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, how he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself, first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately puts in the sickle because the harvest has come.'" Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, this is, um, an interesting parable, and I'll be the first to admit, like, when you said, "Well, why don't we do the king- the parable of the growth next?" I was like, "I don't actually know what Jesse's talking about." So if you're in the same boat as I am and [00:31:00] you, uh, you are like, "Wait, there's the... This is a parable? Like, this exists in the Bible?" Um, you're not alone, and I think part of the reason is that, one, it's so short, but it also sort of, like, connects into the next parable thematically. I don't know necessarily- Hmm ... about the content and the meaning, but thematically it sort of blends into the next parable, which is the parab- Mark's version of, um, of the parable of the mustard seed. So it's, it's hard to delineate unless you're really thinking about it, but I'm glad that we're talking about it because I think this is probably one of those parables that doesn't get a lot of attention because it's so short and because it is, um, it is sort of thematically in a spot where I think it does sort of, I don't know, like seep into the next- Right parable.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah, there's a tendency because you're right, it's sandwiched between the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Mustard Seed, both of which we've talked about from Matthew's perspective, that it seems like maybe the theme is redundant, but [00:32:00] it is altogether different with the emphasis. Uh, there, it's true I guess that all three of these parables are addressing that same underlying question the disciples in the early church were asking, which is, if Jesus truly inaugurates the Kingdom of God, then why does it seem so impressive? Why is it so slow or hidden in contrast to all the expectations that the Jews had for what they thought would be this dramatic, immediately visible rain? And so I like that there is a lot said within four verses. And again, from our perspective, this thing seems so distinctly reformed in its under- Yeah of course the whole Bible is that way, but maybe nothing more so than this, especially because we'll get to it, but the center of this parable being, and there's various translations, that this guy doesn't even know. He doesn't understand. He's totally ignorant to what is going on, and isn't that... I, I mean, I can only speak for my own test- that's the story of my life, uh, spiritually and otherwise. That again, if you wanna talk about God doing all the verbs, I guess Mark had it first. I thought maybe I coined that, but [00:33:00] turns out that Mark, well, actually Jesus, the Son of God himself, says it best here. So let, let's get into this because the beautiful thing is you and I can handle theoretically in the time allotted here, like three or four verses. That, that's theoretically possible for us to do, but we, we're only gonna h- see how far it goes. Um-  Tony Arsenal: Yeah ...  Hidden Kingdom Growth Jesse Schwamb: I think the first thing to say here is that we get that beautiful characteristic, like formula, like the controlling paradigm. It's that Kingdom of God again. And a- as I kinda set up, it's the Kingdom of God, though, launched into a bunch of, uh, verbs. Uh, this idea of like him casting, and then him sleeping, and then him waiting, and then him getting up, and then the growth happens, and then he comes again at the end, this character, this farmer, into kind of the consummation of that kingdom. And I think there's a lot here that's maybe to explain that tension. The kingdom is real and active. It's irresistibly moving towards some kind of fixed end, but it does not appear in its final glory, and that is something you kind of get with the other two parables. [00:34:00] But here it's just like so lovely. It's right in front of you. That, that's like the whole emphasis and thrust of what Jesus seems to be saying in this. Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and I think this one's interesting because, you know, generally in the parables, at least in, in... I, I would have to do a little bit more study to know if this is, like, distinctly Markan or whatnot. But in the, the, um, Matthew's parables, um, or Christ's parables reported in Matthew, um, primarily the main figure of the parable is, uh, is generally is God or, or more specifically is often Jesus himself. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? But in this parable, it wouldn't make sense for us to say that somehow g- you know, God or Jesus scatters seed, and then He doesn't know that it sprouts. Right. Right? So, so the, the parable implies that the one scattering seed, and again, we don't wanna over-interpret parables. Generally speaking, parables are teaching kind of a principle of some sort, a comparison of some sort, not, it's not an allegory. [00:35:00] In, in most cases it's not an allegory where each element has a direct representation of some sort. But it wouldn't make sense for this to be talking about God's perspective on scattering or Christ's perspective on scattering, 'cause obviously God and Jesus, even, even if we're talking about Jesus according to His humanity, um, has some sort of awareness of the workings of the Kingdom of God that is not the ignorance that the parable here seems- Right to present of the one scattering.  Scatter Then Rest Tony Arsenal: So I, I really do think this parable has more to say to us about- Our own perspectives on evangelism and on how the Kingdom of God will propagate. And I think, um, both in terms of, like, evangelism, there's an element here, an encouraging element of, you know, all your s- your job... And what's really funny is I, I don't recall this parable being used in my experience to sort of [00:36:00] encourage people that all, your own, your job is just to scatter. You don't need to worry about the growth. Mm-hmm. There's a, there's a passage in Paul about one person scatters, one person waters, and God brings the growth that is often used to sort of say, like, it's not your responsibility to make sure that the, the, the, um, the bud is, you know, c- comes to flowering and to fruiting. It's just your job to be faithful to scatter or to water or whatever step it's on. This, I think, has even more encouragement for us in that the one who scatters, um, i- is obviously God, but there's also this element that, like, we're scattering. The one scattering is not omniscient. But the one scattering, uh, he doesn't even know how or why or even that, I think, that the, um, that the f- the growth is occurring, and that's the most- Right remarkable part of this. Like, we're not talking about a normal farmer who is aware of how growth [00:37:00] occurs, is aware of the timing. He's constantly checking. He's making sure that he's checking the soil, that he's applying manure, that he's watering the crops. This is literally like some dude who just throws seed out, and then, then just goes back to his daily business of sleeping and rising and going about his day. And then all of the sudden, the earth, quote, "by itself produces." And I think that's the real key here is- There's something about the Kingdom of God and the seed that the Kingdom of God scatters. It's almost like the Kingdom of God itself is the one scattering here.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Yep. The Kingdom of God and the seed that is scattered in and as a result of the Kingdom of God, it produces the outcome autonomously. It doesn't require us to input into it, at least in the context of this parable. Now, again, the Parable of the Talents would be very clear to us that we can't just rest on our loyals- laurels. God expects us to work and to be fruitful for the kingdom. [00:38:00] But there is this element here of, like, you are not the one responsible for the production of the seed and the fruiting and flowering of the seed. In fact, you're not even responsible for being aware that it occurs or how it occurs. Your only responsibility, the only active verb in this whole thing is... Well, there's a couple. The, the, the main active verb is the scattering. The other active verb is the sleeping. So, like- Right ... we, we scatter, and then we, we rest and we trust that God is going to do His work. Jesse Schwamb: Right. Even on the face, there's so much in this that does seem mysterious. Like, if you just take this parable and think about the act of agriculture, and I sometimes think about this because I do love plants, and we have a bunch of plants in our house, and I'm horrible at trying to get them to grow. And I think about what still a mystery it is. With all we know about science, just that you can still plant something, a seed, and water it, and the sugars will break down, and the seed will take root, and that something will grow and flower, and you think, "Oh, who is doing that?" And, and w- [00:39:00] I think we'll get into this, the first and second principles, first and second causes here, which are, I think, certainly something that Christ intends for us to consider here. But there is this idea that the man's action is simple and passive relative to what follows. He, like you said, just scatters the seed. And he's a real agent, but as the parable unfolds, it's almost like his entire agency recedes entirely from view. And that's what kind of sets for me, like this whole trajectory of the parable. It's that the mechanism of growth is strangely hidden from the human agent, and it belongs to God alone. And so you already stole it from me, but I'm gonna read 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, which is, coheres directly with what's happening, I think, in this parable. And this reads, or Paul writes, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." And so there is like an extension, I think, of that application inward though as well. Kind of like when you were speaking about that, what occurred to me is that we see in the [00:40:00] farmer's like day and night unawareness, this picture, I think, of this often gradual, imperceptible work of grace in our own hearts, in every believer's heart. Like that, that sanctification process, it proceeds by these degrees, and the Christian cannot fully trace even in himself, yet it is definitely real, and it's definitely God's doing. And then I think as well we might pull out a thread of this, you know, ecclesiological truth. You know, the church's growth is God's work, not the fruit of human strategy. And then by application even further into that, it's based upon a soteriological one, which is like the ordo salutis, which is maybe half of every episode we've recorded talks about the ordo salutis in some ways. That too is unfolding by this divine power, and it's hidden from the creature's full comprehension, and that's consistent in this parable and in all of Scripture, that this regeneration precedes and produces faith rather than the reverse. Tony Arsenal: Yeah. Yeah, and I, I think too there's also an element in this passage, you know, when you think about... Uh, [00:41:00] I'm not a farmer, uh, and I, I don't know that many farmers, but when you think about how f- how modern farming works, it's very different than, uh, ancient farming, right? Historically, ancient farming was, uh, I think probably a lot of just trusting the world to do what the world does and, and trusting God to do what, what God does. A- and I think that's probably why a lot of like- When you look at, um, pagan religion, the, the fertility cults and the sort of goddesses and gods of the harvest were all related because there was this mystery to it. And so the reason that there's so much, uh, cultic worship around fertility and harvest is because it is so mysterious, and you just kinda have to, like, trust that it's gonna happen. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: Right? You sow your seed in, you sow the seed of your field in, you know, the fall, uh, and, or in the, the, you know, the summer, and then you wait several [00:42:00] months and just hope that the crop comes in. And our modern agricultural world is not all that different. We have better tools and we can measure things that, like the soil, the nutrients in the soil. We can, you know, we can do all sorts of different imaging to see of what's happening underground. But at the end of the day, even with all of the advances we have, the farmer still can't make the crop come in.  Jesse Schwamb: That's right.  Tony Arsenal: Either the crop comes in or it doesn't. And I, I think there's this element of trust here that I think is really useful for us. And again, I think you're right. This is like, uh, it feels almost wrong to say it this way, but it's like this is a super distinctively Reformed parable. Like, of all, all of the parables in the, the Gospels, this one is like, on the face of it, a Calvinist parable. Yeah. Exactly. Like, it's like God just grows the kingdom- Yes and nobody does anything about it.  Jesse Schwamb: Amen.  Tony Arsenal: And I don't need to go into more details than that. But there is this element for us, I think, as, uh, as those [00:43:00] who want to share the gospel, there can be an anxiety around trying to ensure some sort of production, some sort of produce, uh, and productivity from that, that is just not healthy. And I think, you know, we, we have a responsibility as Christians, um, to be faithful and diligent in doing what God has called us to do. But if, if we read this parable as the one who scatters is sort of like the evangelist, then the only responsibility we have as evangelists, and all of us are evangelists, right, lowercase E evangelists, um, all of us, the only responsibility we have is to scatter the seed of the gospel. Jesse Schwamb: That's  Tony Arsenal: right. And we're not responsible for the growth. We're not responsible for even really understanding how growth happens, uh, or even, even doing much about it until it's time to harvest that growth. And I think that's, we need to talk about what that means too, because again, like [00:44:00] this is a parable that I think is maybe not as, as clean and clear as some of the, uh, Methanian parables where it really does seem like there's a pretty clear symbolic representation on some things. This one feels like it's maybe a little muddier in that, um, the main character and the role of the s- the one who's scattering seems to sort of almost shift throughout the parable, which is crazy to say because it's only like four verses long.  Tony Arsenal: But it, it does seem like at some points the scatterer is God, at other points it can't be God, and then it seems like, well, who's harvesting? It's not really us, so it's gotta be God. So I think it's, it's important for us to hold this parable as more of a general principle about the Kingdom of God than it is about any sort of like really direct one-to-one teaching on the, on the Kingdom of God.  Jesse Schwamb: Yeah. That's a interesting distinction.  Providence And Causes Jesse Schwamb: Here's what I would say about that, I think, is let's equate this to, like, coffee. You like a good cup of coffee. I do. I like a good cup of coffee. I think if we were to take, let's [00:45:00] say, the Parable of the Prodigal, that would be for me like a big Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Like, it's delicious, mild-bodied, maybe a little bit light. This parable is like two shots of espresso- Yeah ... 'cause there's a lot in there, and we could probably take a lot of time even t- speaking about, like you're saying, the more shadowy eschatological truths that appear in verse 29 because those, this idea of, like, a sickle in the harvest, I mean, that's imagery drawn from Old Testament eschatological judgment texts. So that could be pretty heavy in its own right. I think what's critical, before we get to that, is to, like, tease out something you said, which is there is a lot in here about this doctrine of providence, like, this spontaneous self-originating action apart from external human causation. And we've talked a lot, like, we distinguish between primary and second causation. You know, the Earth is genuinely or generally has second- secondary causes, like an ordinary means through which God's ordinary providence operates, but the ultimate primary [00:46:00] cause of growth is God himself. And so here we see that. Like, there's no exclusion of the farmer's agency as an explanatory cause. The soil does what it does because God has ordained the natural order to function in this way. That is his prerogative. And so that threefold progression then, blade, ear, full grain, which by the way I had to look up because my understanding of, like, all kinds of different types of grains is very thin and I'm out of my depth here. But- ... I'm led to believe That that development is gradual, and of course it's ordered, but it's not instantaneous. And so the application here, I think, has traditionally been applied in this corporate individual spiritual growth we're talking about. Like, the church advances through stages of maturity, and so does the individual believer's sanctification, without warranting either impatience or despair at the process's slowness. This is how God works. He does it in His gracious and kind way. And again, He's using this, all of this agriculture to illustrate that purpose. So there's, like, this buildup, I think, [00:47:00] in verse 28 about the incredible providence of God, both like corporatively, personally, in His world, how He is the primary cause, but also uses secondary causes, not in a disjointed or divorced way, but in a way that encapsulates and magnifies His glory. And that is then what leads to or will lead to the reemergence in verse 29 of this whole deal of, like, well, if farmer comes back in, and now he returns, but only at the point of consummation, not at the point of growth.  Tony Arsenal: Yeah.  Harvest And Timing Tony Arsenal: Yeah, and, you know, we won't go into all of the ways that this ties into the other parables, but it's worth, uh, it's worth mentioning that in, in both, uh, the parable of the mustard seed, which follows this, and then also the parable of the sort of sower or the seeds, um, there is this element of this, the one who is sowing seeds is not fully cognizant or aware or, and, and absolutely not in [00:48:00] control of the outcome, right? In the parable of the sower, um, he scatters the seed promiscuously, right? And the- Right ... the outcome depends on what kind of ground the seed falls on. And in the parable of the mustard seed, it, it's more of a, like, idea that the, uh, the sower sows a seed that seems so small, but it, the growth of the seed is explosive and expansive because of the nature of the seed, not because of the skill of the sower. Jesse Schwamb: That's  Tony Arsenal: right. Right? In this instance, um- The only thing, again, the only thing that initially the sower is responsible for is the sowing of the seed, the scattering of the seed. But what I also think is interesting is then there is a point where the one who scatters the seed is now responsible to act once he's observed the seed coming to fruition, right? Now, now what exactly that means and how exactly that applies, I think there's a lot of different things we could talk about. Um, but again, [00:49:00] this is a parable that we have to be careful not to, uh, not to restrict just sort of crassly to, like, evangelism. Right. Exactly. Or, or even just to sort of, like, the eschatological harvest. Right. That's what's tricky about this parable, I think, that bears ... And I don't think we'll do it, we'll do it necessarily on the show. It'd be worth having more conversations about. But for our own personal study, it bears deeper reflection because this parable cannot be simply reduced to an eschatology parable about what God does in the end. Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: And it can't be simply reduced to a parable about evangelism because strictly speaking, like, we're not really the ones that harvest when the harvest comes in, right? I've, I have heard this parable, um, preached, you know, like I said, although I acknowledge that I, um, like forgot that it existed. I have heard this parable preached as though, like, "Well, our responsibility is to scatter seed. We're not responsible for [00:50:00] making it grow or making it take root. But when we see that it's taking root, we're responsible for jumping in and harvesting at the right time." I don't think we should draw that conclusion here. Although the, the harvester does see that the ear is ripe, that the grain is ripe, and he harvests it, it would be a weird sort of like shift in the parable to go from the person who scattered seed isn't responsible for its growth, doesn't even know that the growth is happening, but is actually responsible for knowing exactly when to harvest the grain. Right. So we have to think about this again in gen- in terms of general principles of how the Kingdom of God functions. And w- how it functions is it's mysterious, it is, uh, consistent, it happens on a, a scale and on a predictable outcome that we as individuals don't understand and don't have visibility to, and the harvest will occur in its [00:51:00] time, and it will h- occur consistently and reliably. So again, like this is... I hope that maybe like the one or two non-Reformed people that listen to the show aren't terribly offended at this, but like this just is Reformed theology, right? There, there is a seed that is sown, God is responsible for the growth, and the harvest necessarily will help it happen when it's supposed to happen, right? When the r- when the fruit is ripe, it will be harvested. That doesn't mean I'm responsible as the one who sows seed or scatters or m- witnesses to people from making sure that the, quote, "sickle is put in at the right time," or anything like that.  Jesse Schwamb: Right.  Tony Arsenal: The fact is that the sickle will always come in at the right time. The person who has the final kinda piece of the puzzle in evangelism, I think that's how it often happens. Someone hears the gospel repeatedly from multiple places. They have contacts and relationships that tie into how they [00:52:00]ultimately come to accept the gospel and trust Christ. But ultimately it's the Holy Spirit who brings all that into some sort of coherent, um, execution and application of redemption That will happen in God's time. So I wanna be careful not to, like, put too much responsibility on us. Right. And again, this is just a parable that I think bears a lot more reflection, that I think because, um, I think Mark in general, because it's so short, uh, gets, it gets overlooked by Christians. I think we would all do well to spend a little bit more time in Mark. But especially some of these really short pericopes. I think we just read through it, and it's like we read a chapter of Mark, like Mark 4 comes up in our Bible reading plan. Right. And if we're reading the Bible in a year, like, Mark 4 is one of three or four chapters that we read, and this is four verses of that. Right. We just read over it quick and we c- we just, we don't appropriate any of it.  Jesse Schwamb: Right. It sounds like he's just reiterating a point or he's recapitulating something that he's already said or is about to say, and you're like, "Okay, get on with it." But I'm with [00:53:00] you. This parable, like all of them, is for us. It's for our joy. It's for our satisfaction and our comfort. And I think from this, there is, like, a single controlling point that's emerging from our conversation, which is the Kingdom of God advances by God's own hidden power toward a certain appointed consummation. And this ought to produce, like, patient confidence rather than human striving or a- anxiety. In order to give us a sense of calm, a reminder that God's providence is real in all areas of life. Remarkably, we've gotten this far in the conversation, and neither of us has just, has used the M word, which just came to me, and I think we're contractually obligated to say it as a Reformed podcast, and that is this is a prime example of monergism and the sovereignty of grace. And as in regeneration, the decisive cause of kingdom growth lies outside human capacity and comprehension. I think sometimes the latter part of that seems wrong to us. It makes us fearful because we don't understand it. But the former part should make us feel very happy and [00:54:00] relieved, that the capacity belongs to God and God alone. That doesn't depend on me or you or anybody else that we know. And this parable, I think, is often been paired with John's image of the wind blowing where it wishes as this picture of the Holy

Watch the full episode on YouTube:We first covered Baseten last year when DeepSeek mania was at peak hype. Now they have raised a monster $13B round and become one of the new cohort of AI Infra decacorns that are (with Nvidia, Intel, and the semis complex) chief beneficiaries of the Inference Inflection. We return to Baseten at the peak of the 2026 edition of Open Weights debate. Ali has published a viral breakdown of Kimi K3:And since you last saw him, Philip has spoken at AI Engineer and written the definitive book on Inference Engineering spotted all over SF:Three years ago, inference engineering barely existed as a category.Today, it is one of the most critical disciplines in AI. Inference engineering inherently tackles a different question than standard model training: “How do you turn those weights from training into a product that is fast, reliable, and affordable at scale?” Focusing on these creates an entirely new optimization problem.In one recent GLM-5.2 experiment, quantizing more of the model actually preserved its benchmark quality while increasing throughput by 20%, because the errors introduced in different layers could cancel each other out.Inference is no longer just the final step after training. It is becoming its own engineering discipline, with its own research problems, infrastructure, and increasingly specialized roles.In this episode, Baseten's Philip Kiely and Ali Taha join swyx and Vibhu to explain what actually happens after a new open model is released and what it takes to turn “we generated a token” into a fast, reliable, production-ready API.We go deep on cache-aware routing, disaggregated prefill and decode, quantization, speculative decoding, KV-cache movement, model parallelism, GPU kernels, and the race to make frontier models up to 10× faster. Philip and Ali explain why inference optimizations can still produce gains of 20%, 100%, or even 200%; how quantization errors can cancel one another out; why identical weights can behave differently across clusters; and how Baseten grafted a Kimi vision encoder onto GLM-5.2 without changing the underlying language model.The conversation then expands beyond LLMs into NVIDIA Dynamo, mega kernels, Rubin, AI-specific chips, local inference, video generation, diffusion versus autoregressive models, and the enormous compute barrier to generating coherent long-form video. Finally, we explore the convergence of training and inference, continual learning through persistent KV cache, and the emerging loop where models help optimize the infrastructure that runs them.We discuss:* What happens when a 200,000-token request enters an inference system* Cache-aware routing and reusing previously computed KV cache* Why prefill and decode are increasingly handled by different GPUs* When dedicated deployments become cheaper and more reliable than shared APIs* How speculative decoding uses a smaller model to accelerate a larger one* Tool calling, structured outputs, and what LLMs actually do* What it takes to support a new open model on day zero* Grafting Kimi's vision encoder onto GLM-5.2* Retrofitting inefficient model layers with components from other architectures* Why models sometimes collapse into repeating the same token* How hardware, kernels, and race conditions create nondeterministic failures* Preserving model fidelity while making inference faster* How quantization errors can cancel each other out* Why inference optimizations still deliver gains of 20%, 100%, and 200%* How optimized serving can make a model up to 10× faster* NVIDIA Dynamo, KV-aware routing, and distributed model serving* Speculative decoding the speculative decoder* Why local AI is about making models less dumb while data-center AI is about making them less slow* Tensor, expert, and pipeline parallelism across GPUs* Hardware-aware model design, auto-tuning, and the case against mega kernels* Rubin and why inference is becoming a systems problem* Whether modern GPUs are evolving into programmable AI ASICs* Why enormous models like Kimi K3 require GB300-class hardware* Why open-source video generation still trails Veo, Kling, and other closed models* The quadratic attention bottleneck behind long-form AI video* Autoregressive video, real-time generation, and compounding quality drift* Why future video systems may combine autoregressive and diffusion architectures* Training for inference and inference for training* Continuous post-training, deployment, evaluation, and improvement loops* How GLM-5.2 helped optimize the kernels serving GLM-5.2 itself* Why faster networking could unlock dramatically faster decoding* Continual learning, KV-cache compaction, and persistent model memoryShow Notes* How to build a day-0 API for Kimi K3* 22580: From GPT2 to Kimi3, ExplainedPhilip Kiely* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipkiely* X: https://x.com/philipkiely* Inference Engineering: https://www.baseten.co/inference-engineering/Ali Taha* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliestaha/* X: https://x.com/waterloointernTimestamps00:00:00 Introduction and the 200K-Token Prompt00:03:18 Dedicated Deployments, Speculative Decoding, and Tool Calling00:11:26 Launching Production-Ready Open Models00:19:06 Model Retrofits, Failure Modes, and Nondeterminism00:28:22 Quantization and Canceling Errors00:32:15 The Race to 10× Faster Inference00:40:48 Dynamo, Speculation, and Local vs. Data-Center AI00:50:18 Model Parallelism, Auto-Tuning, and Mega Kernels01:00:55 Rubin, GPUs vs. ASICs, and Custom AI Chips01:10:03 Giant Models and the Limits of GPU Memory01:12:42 AI Video, Quadratic Attention, and Autoregressive Generation01:21:47 Audio, Images, and Diffusion Models01:27:32 Training, Self-Optimizing Models, and Continual Learning01:40:06 Closing ThoughtsTranscriptIntroduction: Baseten, Waterloo Intern, and Inference EngineeringSwyx [00:00:00]: Okay, we're here in the studio with Philip, old friend from Inference Engineering, the book, as well as Baseten and everything that you've done, you and I have done before, as well as Ali. Welcome.Ali [00:00:15]: Pleasure to meet you.Swyx [00:00:15]: Waterloo intern.Ali [00:00:16]: Waterloo intern, always.Swyx [00:00:17]: When did you get “Waterloo intern” as a handle?Ali [00:00:19]: As a handle? Oh.Ali [00:00:20]: I think the rebranding happened mid-March. When I saw it was open, I was like, “I have to take it. Up for grabs.”Philip [00:00:26]: The problem is that Ali is really good at his job and is not gonna be an intern much longer.Philip [00:00:30]: So we have to figure out who's gonna get the handle.Ali [00:00:33]: Well, I'll pass the torch over to the next intern.Swyx [00:00:34]: Oh, okay. It can be, like, you just pass it to another Waterloo grad.Ali [00:00:37]: To another Waterloo intern. No, bruh.Philip [00:00:39]: Yeah.Ali [00:00:39]: Intern.Swyx [00:00:40]: Intern, yeah.Ali [00:00:40]: And no.Philip [00:00:41]: You gotta get an intern from Waterloo.Ali [00:00:42]: Yeah, I've gotta get an intern from Waterloo.Swyx [00:00:44]: Right.Ali [00:00:44]: But they have to follow the path.Swyx [00:00:45]: Oh, it could, but it could come from Baseten, so it's like whoever Baseten gets from Waterloo.Ali [00:00:48]: Right.Swyx [00:00:49]: Has the title of Waterloo.Ali [00:00:50]: It stays in the ecosystem.Philip [00:00:51]: Exactly.Ali [00:00:52]: Halfway through the internship, you either get it or you're out.Philip [00:00:55]: You should also do, like, a big graduation ceremony where you change the handle.Ali [00:00:59]: Just say it.Philip [00:00:59]: For everybody.Swyx [00:01:00]: You guys are good at ceremonies, clearly. We had a nice launch of the book, very successful. But before we get into all that, I wanna start off with a fun question for you. Okay, you're an expert inference engineer. What happens when I send a long query, say two hundred thousand tokens into Baseten's inference? What's the process of query through GPU model routing, balancing, all that? What is all the stuff that we don't think about?Long Context Requests, KV Cache, and Cache-Aware RoutingPhilip [00:01:26]: With a long query specifically, the first thing that I'm gonna ask is, “Have you sent me this query before, or at least part of it?” and I really hope you have, because it's gonna be a lot easier for me and a lot cheaper for you. So the first thing that we're gonna look at is some cache-aware routing, where we're going to see, we probably have a number of instances, a number of replicas up serving whatever model you're hitting. We want to send this one to something with, number one, available prefill workers, and number two, ideally some cached input already there so that we can skip prefill on at least part of these two hundred thousand tokens. If you're doing two hundred thousand tokens, it's probably coding or a multi-turn agent or something where you would expect to have that cached. If you don't, we're gonna have to send it to a prefill worker. We've at least on certain models disaggregated prefill and decode, so you're going to have one set of GPUs that's solely going to process the input, create the KV cache, and get you your first token, and then that's going to be passed over to a separate set of GPUs, which is going to run decode. We're going to iteratively make those tokens. We're probably going to have some speculator model in front of that. I'm going to assume that you're doing coding, and because of that, our speculator model, which assumes you're doing coding, is gonna have a high draft token acceptance rate. If I'm wrong and you're asking me to summarize every Harry Potter book, it's gonna be slower. And then we stream that output to you and account for it, charge you, a couple of pennies and say, “Hey, would you like to send another one?”Swyx [00:03:04]: Except Baseten doesn't charge by pennies.Philip [00:03:07]: Well, yeah, we charge. I'm assuming that we're talking about the public model APIs. If you are setting up a dedicated deployment, then yeah, it's not pennies.Public APIs vs. Dedicated DeploymentsSwyx [00:03:18]: Yeah, one of the key differentiators when I was talking with Baseten initially was that people who want very high volume just need to rent by the box, ‘cause then it's up to you to figure out how to saturate the box.Ali [00:03:31]: And more often than not, it's, like, way cheaper if you're pushing, like, millions of tokens per hour, if you just pay per hour instead of pay per token.Philip [00:03:37]: Yeah, they do. I think that we've increasingly seen a lot of demand for the pay per token APIs, just because everyone wants to try open models, and then once they find a use case that's really sticky, then they move over to dedicated.Swyx [00:03:51]: Is there a best practice on when it's time to swap over?Philip [00:03:54]: Couple reasons. Yeah, reliability, that's a big one, right?Ali [00:03:57]: Like, if they have a very specific use case, they want you to train something specifically for them, like they want their own spec dec, for instance, for their own traffic.Swyx [00:04:04]: Spec dec is speculative decoding.Speculative Decoding and Custom SpeculatorsAli [00:04:05]: Speculative decoding, yeah.Swyx [00:04:07]: You have to explain.Ali [00:04:07]: Sorry. Like, speculative decoding is like, if you have a huge model, right? And so the model is going to be generating one token at a time every single turn, every single forward pass. So we attach, like, this little, like, parasite, like this layer that goes on top of the model, and this model just has to predict. It does three very fast autoregressive forward passes, and it will predict, like, three certain tokens, and then you do one forward stage over the entire original model in order to see if those predictions were correct or not, and then you accept them or you reject them. Now, this draft model is traffic specific, so if you, like, Philip said, if you're summarizing Harry Potter books, I can train exclusively that draft model on Harry Potter books, and I can guarantee you that I'm gonna accept the three tokens every single time. And so with that case, I increase your decode speed. I wouldn't be able to provide this to you if you're a shared endpointSwyx [00:04:53]: YeahAli [00:04:53]: ‘cause I have no idea if you're doing Harry Potter, if you're doing coding, if you're doing English. We don't know. Also, there was a thing in the book that mentioned that if they really cared about a specific threshold, chapter four, I think. Do you remember that?Philip [00:05:06]: Yeah. The things that you can do is you can set a specific, like, batch sizing, a specific, like, parallelism strategy if you're trying to optimize for, like, throughput versus latency. You can. Maybe a NVFP4 quant doesn't pass your benchmarks and you wanna run a model at higher precision, you could do that. There's just a bunch of reasons why you might wanna have your own endpoint and the biggest one, of course, just being, like, you don't have to deal with someone else doing a hundred million tokens of benchmarking traffic at the endpoint when you happen to be trying to serve your users.Swyx [00:05:40]: Yeah. I think one thing that is. That is a classic journey. Like, it's people is asking the, what happens when you type Google into the browser. Tool calling, is that just, you're generating JSON or is there more complication beyond that?Tool Calling, JSON, and Structured OutputsAli [00:05:58]: Certain customers that we have, they have their own post-trained models, and so they demand a tool calling that's not just, like parse a file or go find the weather. It's something that's very specific and you have to do post-training on this. And if the post-training on the model is not good or if the quantization after the post-training to get the inference to be fast, the model will struggle reading the JSON file and reading the tool calling. But it doesn't require its own like sandbox. It's not like it's going to use that tool calling to like escape a sandbox or like it doesn't have to be contained. It can just be a normal dedicated deployment. The challenge with tool calling more and more seems to be that the companies want certain tool calling which is a very sensitive thing to train. And because you're dealing with all of the JSON outputs, if it doesn't like close the end of the request in a very certain manner, you end up with a model that did the tool calling and like the thinking and so as a result of that, it didn't see the result and just hallucinated the result as it decoded. That seems to be the most challenging thing with tool calling, not really the sandboxes model.Philip [00:06:56]: Yeah, that's a challenge on the training side and then on the inference side, there's work that you can do to scope the possible output. So we published this at this point close to two years ago, the solution to this problem which is you make a state machine and you use that to constrain the output to a specific format. So this is the structured output problem. If you remember backSwyx [00:07:27]: Yeah, the specific grammar is,Philip [00:07:29]: Yeah, exactlySwyx [00:07:30]: GML had this thing.Philip [00:07:31]: Yeah. So it's like the old-school “make sure this is only JSON”, return only JSON orSwyx [00:07:38]: YeahPhilip [00:07:38]: Grandma's gonna die type of prompts.Swyx [00:07:39]: Is it BNF grammar? At some point OpenAI had released a thing that was like, yeah, if you want to constrain your output, write BNF grammar, back as NOR.Philip [00:07:47]: In our inference system, it's just a specified output format. And you get the guarantee that your output's gonna be structured along that format. And so applying that to tool calls can like help cut down on. You can still call the wrong tool or call no tool. It doesn't solve the certainty problem but it at least solves the output structuring problemSwyx [00:08:10]: YeahPhilip [00:08:10]: Within tool calls.Swyx [00:08:12]: And MCP is just another form of tool, right.Philip [00:08:14]: Yeah, exactly.Swyx [00:08:15]: As far as there's no special thing there.Philip [00:08:16]: The thing I'm always like explaining to people is the LLM is not capable of doing anything. It's only capable of making suggestions of what to do and then if those suggestions are formatted in a certain way and applied to a system that knows what to do with them, then an action occurs.Swyx [00:08:32]: Yeah. Part of the fun stuff is, this is solved outside of tool calling too. Like in an agent loop if the output is not correct or you're right, like reasoning, tool calling was done in the reasoning trace, just be like, “Oh, I don't know what to do. Let me just try again.” And it might get there after a few tries. And on your point of training, sometimes this is harder in smaller models, so you don't have the same exact quality outputAli [00:08:56]: Right.Swyx [00:08:57]: When you just swap from a big model, right?Ali [00:08:59]: Yeah. I will say that, before, I think we need to go back to inference engineering proper.Ali [00:09:04]: But, I had expected that something would replace JSON because it's hard to stream JSON ‘cause JSON must be complete and you must have open and close brackets and everything. So it's hard to parse something or validate something while it's being streamed. So people invented all sorts of things that are like, I forget the name of some of these alternatives, but it's something like TOML, something like YAML. But JSON seems to be dominant still.Philip [00:09:30]: The JSON outputs aren't that long, right? Like you could have a long-- ‘cause tool calls also contain the arguments in them and perhaps for a certain tool you might pass like a very long argument. But my impression of the median tool call is that it's a relatively small number of tokens, right? So I would expect that speculators are generally fairly good at something as formatted as JSON. And so you would have like a pretty fast decode step there and that the streaming wouldn't be as valuable, but maybe I'm wrong about that.Ali [00:10:02]: I think you're also bounded by the software or that the model is gonna integrate with if the software is built with JSON for the tool calls or if the company that you'- if your customer says that this is how our software works and our tools are interfaced with JSON, you can ask them to like, change their software and say like, “Yeah, this is gonna be better for the model.” but like with the right training shouldn't be that much of a difference. Also more profitable if it outputs more tokens probably.Swyx [00:10:25]: Depends on your business model.Swyx [00:10:27]: It really depends. But I will say that, as a writer with like experience a lot with generated output, I do try to move from text to JSON text which is very long JSON, right? Like there's paragraphs in every field because I'm trying to structure it, right?Philip [00:10:44]: Right.Swyx [00:10:44]: I want you to first make factual statements, then make opinions then make bullet point summaries, have dates, have entity references have your sources for references, all these things. Anyway, so these are things that like I think people who really experiment with structural output have to really care about. But, let's, let's recurse up the stack a little bit. Before we started recording, you mentioned something really cool, which is that there's a lot of engineering that-- inference engineering that goes on when a new model provider releases a new model, right? So let's call it GLM-5.2, Kimi K3. I had previously assumed, especially if it's like, well, GLM 5 to 5.1 to GLM-5.2, like that you've supported them before. Is it that much work?What It Takes to Support a New Open ModelAli [00:11:26]: It's a lot of work.Swyx [00:11:28]: Yeah. Okay. So like, a lot of people, all you guys, right whenever a new model launch like, people rush to say like, “Oh, Hugging Face supports this, Fireworks supports this, Spacetime supports this,” and I'm like, “Yeah, of course we support it.” But what goes into that? What goes intoPhilip [00:11:40]: I think it's more than just support it too, right? It benefits the consumer a lot. Like I think it was with Kimi K2.5 or GLM-5.2 the latest, there was an inference war, right? X provider is at 90 tokens a second. The next day we're at 150. The nextSwyx [00:11:55]: I kinda kicked that off with the GLM-5.2.Swyx [00:11:58]: I wrote a Twitter article about. It got like half a million views,Ali [00:12:02]: Based on being numberSwyx [00:12:03]: YeahAli [00:12:04]: Or it's for something else.Swyx [00:12:05]: Yeah. Which,Ali [00:12:06]: Oh my GodSwyx [00:12:07]: Which then got everyone really excited about, hey, how can we, bend tracks a little bit further and,Philip [00:12:14]: There's a difference between support the model, as in I can make a token out of this model, and support a model, as in I have a production-ready API from this model.Philip [00:12:26]: Getting to the point of I can make a token out of this model is not that hard because generally the, open source inference engines, vLLM, SGLang of the world oftentimes even receive weights ahead of time, maintainers do, or the people making the model merge PRs to ensure support. So you generally can, just get it working on the standard open source stack without too much pain in most cases. The challenge is, every inference company is gonna have own proprietary stack. Some open source components, some in-house stuff. And for any arbitrary model, there's going to be some new stuff. Sometimes you get lucky, like K, two five to two six was, like, pretty similar.Quantization, Speculators, and Production ReadinessAli [00:13:16]: Yeah. It was pure continued post-trainingPhilip [00:13:18]: YeahAli [00:13:18]: If I remember correctly.Philip [00:13:19]: Even in those cases, there's still stuff you have to do. You have to redo the quantization work. You're taking the model from. Generally, these models are not released in NVFP4, and we want them to be in NVFP4 for maximum Blackwell compatibility. So we have to perform that quantization, and, calibrate the quantization to make sure that we're not causing any regression in the model's intelligence. And then we also have to train the speculator, as we've talked about. Generally, we have. We have ZDR, zero data retention on our model APIs, so we don't know exactly the traffic that people are sending us, but we know what's popular. We know that coding use cases are popular. We know that agents, agentic use cases are popular. So we can get public data sets that are representative of that traffic and train general speculators. Now, with speculators today, you need to train the speculator using the base model itself because you're getting hidden states out of the model from running inference on these specific prompts, and that is the training data you use to create the speculator. So there's that process which you need the real model weights for. And then there's of course just the process of, standing up all the infrastructure behind it, loading all this stuff, testing it. And then when there's a new model with a newer architecture, I think that, like, the DeepSeek models tend to be the most challenging as they have, like, the most novel architectural stuff going on, model after model. But every new model has something. Kimi K2 had. Oh, sorry, GLM-5.2 hadAli [00:14:53]: Sparse attention.Philip [00:14:54]: Yeah,Ali [00:14:54]: YeahPhilip [00:14:54]: the DSA.Ali [00:14:55]: Right. Which is brought from DeepSeek.Philip [00:14:57]: Yeah. AndAli [00:14:59]: So you can copy-paste then?Philip [00:15:01]: It kindAli [00:15:01]: I don't know how this works.Philip [00:15:02]: So, like we had to, like, build support for that into our runtime. And you're right, like it is really interesting the way that all of these open source labs borrow from each other. For example, like GLM-5.2 doesn't have vision. So something that, Haley, a guy on our team, if we could take a look at this, he, like, grafted the Kimi vision encoder onto GLM-5.2.Retrofitting Vision into GLM-5.2Ali [00:15:27]: We'll be training the projector.Philip [00:15:28]: Exactly. So if you think about, like, the encoder, there's the encoder, which is the part that looks at the image and turns it into latent information, and then there's the projector which likeAli [00:15:38]: You can say latent space. It's okay.Philip [00:15:41]: And then there's the projector that maps it onto, the model itself, and then there's the model weights. You don't wanna mess with the model weights because you run a chance of making the model dumber at something else for the purpose of giving it vision. So instead, Haley started with just a projector, which is only a handful of millions of parameters.Ali [00:16:02]: That would be, yeah.Philip [00:16:02]: Yeah.Ali [00:16:03]: Can you show the training one?Ali [00:16:04]: Like the way it groksPhilip [00:16:05]: YeahAli [00:16:06]: Very interesting.Philip [00:16:06]: And maybeAli [00:16:07]: That right therePhilip [00:16:07]: Maybe Ali, you should take it from here. You've got a betterAli [00:16:10]: Ooh, double the sandPhilip [00:16:11]: Understanding of this than I do.Ali [00:16:11]: Yeah. You can see, like, he. The way he trained this is really cool. At the beginning, he was training it using just like, “Here's a picture of a mountain. Can you describe what's in this mountain?” And that caused it just like the first, learning walls. Like here you can see this all we're trying to teach it is to translate the encoded. Like it's already taken the encoder from Kimi K. It's taken the image. It'Philip [00:16:31]: Yeah. FrozenAli [00:16:31]: FrozenPhilip [00:16:32]: With adapter.Ali [00:16:32]: Exactly.Philip [00:16:33]: Yeah.Ali [00:16:33]: So the brain is frozen and the eyes are frozen. It's just we're tryingPhilip [00:16:37]: AlignAli [00:16:38]: Interconnect between the eye and the brain, right? So the projector. And so you take the tokens and then he's like, “Oh, can you describe what's in this image?” And he's like, “Oh, it's a mountain,” or it's a person or it's a human, whatever the case is. But that didn't cause complete understanding. So he changed it such that every image was associated with a data set of questions. Like, does this image have a white male? Does this image have birds in the top corner? Does this image have a scientist in it? All of that stuff. And it would have to answer questions correctly. And using not just training on describing an image, but being able to answer question, another question, answer over time. Like you can see the grokking, which is like genuinely insane, that retrofitting vision into a large LLM can learn to that extent. And even for images that it doesn't perform well on, for instance, if you ask it a picture of like Stephen Hawking, “Who is this?” Maybe it doesn't get it, but it will say something like, “This is Albert Einstein.” Like it still understandsPhilip [00:17:25]: Close enoughAli [00:17:26]: That this is a scientist who is a man who has, some significant achievements, all that stuff. So that's like really cool.Philip [00:17:32]: Yeah. So, we've covered Hao Tian before, who the author of the LLaVA paper that did this, a while ago. And I think that's very foundational work for anyone who hasn't done vision work before.Ali [00:17:41]: Same with the CLIP and MetaCLIP, where you go from just captioning to building out questionsPhilip [00:17:47]: RightAli [00:17:47]: Off the image and how much better you can get performance.Philip [00:17:50]: Right. Right. Right. Yeah. But what's, what's so exciting about this is if you look at a model like this. Now, this is a little bit more of a research project. It's not. It got to 56% on MMLU Pro, I think. So not quite frontier. But if you're running this model, you haven't suffered any loss on your GLM-5.2 quality. If you don't have an image, it'll just behave exactly the way it used to. And ultimatelyAli [00:18:14]: Which in the inference code you literally do not include the other part, right?Philip [00:18:18]: Yeah. You would just skip the encoder if you don't have an image input.Ali [00:18:22]: Okay.Philip [00:18:22]: Just confirming.Philip [00:18:23]: YeahAli [00:18:23]: Does it affect a lot on the overall inference side? Like you're not adding much, you're adding a very small vision encoder. These are typically likePhilip [00:18:30]: They're super fineAli [00:18:31]: Less than a billion parameters, right?Philip [00:18:32]: Yeah. It's, - There's a little bit less standardization among vision encodersSwyx [00:18:37]: YeahPhilip [00:18:37]: So the support matrix can be a little bit, sparser. But overall, yeah, it's a pretty, it's a pretty minor component of the overall system. And ultimately what you get out of the system is all of a sudden you have Kimi Vision, GLM weights, and DeepSeek attention all in one model.Open Source Model Grafting and Franken-MergesPhilip [00:18:56]: And that's, I think, a lot of the power and beauty of open source, is that you can take all of these different components and combine them together into a system that's better than anyoneSwyx [00:19:05]: YeahPhilip [00:19:05]: Can be individually.Swyx [00:19:06]: People used to say that you would also do Franken-merges where you would take likePhilip [00:19:10]: YeahSwyx [00:19:10]: Layers from each model.Swyx [00:19:11]: Does anyone do that anymore?Ali [00:19:13]: Well, to your point previously when you were mentioning like, the work that goes into supporting a model when it first comes out, like GLM-5.2 or MiniMax M3 or whatever the case is. Sometimes you do have to like, you do have to switch out some things. Like, for instance, the MiniMax M3 head uses full attention, and with full attention you end up with this like insane bottleneck in spec dec ‘cause you're doing auto-regressive token generation for three tokens, and you're doing this like N squared over all of the tokens that are in your sequence. Your KV cache is like very large because it's not sparse, it's not top K. So we find it better to like, okay, we're gonna replace this, we're gonna replace this layer with a layer from another model that's using like GQA, for instance. And then just with the right training, you can get it to have the same acceptance rate. So it is very possible to retrofit layers from other models and very much needed. If a layer is like inefficient, the training just becomes the challenge, like how do you ensure that you train it properly? Which again to your earlier point is like the mesh between training and inference. As in like you need very good training in order to do fast inference. That's like, I feel like more and more becoming true.Swyx [00:20:21]: Yeah. Anything else on the support side when you say like get it to fully production ready?Loop Detection, Race Conditions, and Non-DeterminismPhilip [00:20:26]: Yeah. I think that there's also a question of just, we can test a model to a pretty extensive degree, but we're trying to get it out quickly and then you see a bunch of other people test it and you get interesting results. There was an issue with, GLM briefly where we had some like mode collapses where it would just output the same token over and over again for certain prompts on certain temperatures. Like once you expose an endpoint to the real world, there's going to be, so many more varieties of things given to it that you're able to, discover and patch things. So it's not just a, day zero process, it's then like for the first week, for the first month, if a model remains popular, like how do you both fix bugs and then continue to push the envelope on performance?Ali [00:21:21]: What do you mean you don't want your model outputting S?Swyx [00:21:24]: Is there loop detection on that stuff, by the way? It still happens like quite a lot, which is surprising.Ali [00:21:30]: We have like we, in our endpoint, like if a model was to output the same token like four plus times, we just cut the generation. We say like, “Oh, sorry, this-- Like try again,” or like we will reprocess the request. ‘Cause we know then, like if it, like if, yeah, it's four times the same token, it's probably collapsed.Swyx [00:21:45]: Yeah. Is there a way to opt out in case I really want that?Ali [00:21:48]: You want that?Ali [00:21:50]: I think there's a way that we have to handle it. I'm not exactly certain, but I feel like in certain models, like when they output something like you can imagine, like a table for instance, and so they want, they wanna draw like 12 dashes and 12 dashes. Yeah, I think there's a way for that to happen. I think we only do it on certain tokens. Like we exclude certain special characters.Swyx [00:22:07]: Yeah.Ali [00:22:07]: So we only do it on like certain like S is the most common almost. GLM-5.2Swyx [00:22:11]: OhAli [00:22:11]: And I think it was DSV 4 as well. Like you'd just have like looping issues where like you literallySwyx [00:22:17]: ItAli [00:22:17]: Just have like S.Swyx [00:22:18]: Yeah. Is there a special, something special about S? No, just randomlyAli [00:22:21]: It just seems to be the one token involved.Swyx [00:22:23]: Yeah. And it'Philip [00:22:24]: Is thereSwyx [00:22:24]: And it's only temperature 0Ali [00:22:27]: NoSwyx [00:22:27]: Even at other temperaturesAli [00:22:27]: Even at like 0.9 or whatever, it will still, it will still collapse.Swyx [00:22:30]: That's weird, right?Ali [00:22:30]: It's, it is an inference problem to be honest, like a software problem. Like oftentimes, the image you run will-- like NVIDIA will release an image for instance, and if we will upstream the changes from their latest TensorRT-LLM image into our stack, we'll find that it fixes it. Or oftentimes this will only happen in an inference engine that you're using like SGLang. But if you were to switch to vLLM, that isn't the case. So it seems to be like an extremely like deterministic software issue and not really a model issue. It's not like a weights problem. Like I'- we'll say like, “Oh, it's a problem with the quant. We did PTQ wrong,” right? But that isn't, that doesn't make sense because the same weights used with a different inference engine does not repeat the problem. And sometimes it's, the kernels that are being used in the backend have like these very subtle sometimes race conditions, where if you were to use this model hosted on one cluster, you will never get this problem.Swyx [00:23:19]: Oh my God.Ali [00:23:19]: But if you host it on a different cluster, you will. And the reason is the KV cache transfer from a node to node in that one cluster is using a slower interconnect than the node to node in another cluster. So that exposes the race, whereas in another cluster it doesn't. So then you end up just like, okay, this model is not gonna be hosted on this cluster. We're gonna host it on, another cluster because that cluster exposed that problem. But then it ends up with like, okay, is it the software? Is it the model weights or is it the hardware?Swyx [00:23:42]: There is a thing about this with temperature 0 still not being deterministic, right?Ali [00:23:46]: Right.Swyx [00:23:46]: Mostly because of hardware. Even at temperature 0 same model, you won't always get the same output.Swyx [00:23:52]: Even-- But I'm surprised by the race condition one because, I thought PyTorch was a graph that like guarantees that you at least, execute things in the right order.Ali [00:24:02]: Well, yeah, true. Like I'm not, I'm not saying that there is. Like well, you have things like PTL optimizations where like you can start a kernel before the end of the previous kernel, and that's like ‘cause you want to do that because there'sSwyx [00:24:12]: It's like pipeliningAli [00:24:12]: Expense. Exactly.Swyx [00:24:13]: Yeah.Ali [00:24:13]: But it'- But you don't do it cleanly. Like you overlap a little bit of the execution. No, it is very possible that the kernel itself, like that one block that is supposed to be running in this instance of time, that kernel itself has a race condition. For instance, like a missing barrier. Like often if you're designing a kernel and you want it to make it to be very fast, if you don't test it extensively, you'll, you'll have certain threads access data points from registers before they've been written to by other threadsSwyx [00:24:36]: YeahAli [00:24:36]: For example, because like your barrier is wrong or your synchronization was wrong. But yeah, like the testing itself is very difficult in those like, andSwyx [00:24:42]: And there's no like borrow checkerAli [00:24:45]: What does that mean?Swyx [00:24:46]: Like Rust. Like the. If you're trying to have like memory safety It sounds like a comparable problem.Ali [00:24:52]: Well, yes, but you're working in CUDA, right, NVIDIA GPUs. Like- You just need a higher level language like modular Maybe that's what modular is supposed to do. I don't know.Quantization Quality and Vendor FidelityVibhu [00:25:00]: How do you see keeping quality of the model? So you talked about all these steps of, okay, you gotta do quantization, train your own speculative decoderAli [00:25:07]: RightVibhu [00:25:07]: Run on different hardware. Looking at other model providers, okay, you kicked off a inference speed race on the consumer end. What goes into keeping quality the same across them, right? Sure, you can run benchmarksAli [00:25:22]: YeahVibhu [00:25:22]: But, like, how do you determine how much quantization are there standards? What goes intoPhilip [00:25:27]: There's a few things on quality. Most inference optimizations are lossless. KV caching, for example. You are just recomputing or preventing recomputing the same values. Speculation, of course, if a draft token is wrong, it gets rejected. The main lossy optimization is quantization. And that really comes down to, number one, data format, number two, which parts of the model you choose to quantize, which layers, and number three, like doing a lot of calibration on the quantized weights, to ensure that you're preserving all the outliers. There's other tricks that you can do, though. A big one is long context, ‘cause one thing you asked at, right at the beginning is, “Oh, what's gonna happen if I send a 200,000 token request in?” So with a long input sequence, you need to, store a lot more information. You need to process a lot more tokens. And so even if a model has a context of a certain length, you might, as an inference provider, choose to build an API with a shorter context length, and of course a full length one as well. Because if someone doesn't need the full million token context, for example, you can get them better performance. I don't know if that's exactly like quality of the model. The way that I think about quality is to what degree are we faithfully serving the original model? If you think of a golden implementation of a model that performs exactly the way the model is designed to perform, I think of quality as how close are we getting to that, 100% fidelity of the model.Philip [00:27:13]: You can also, of course, think about quality from the training side and how do you push yourself past 100%. But when I think about purely inference optimizations, it's getting faster while staying as close to that 100% fidelity mark as possible. And certainly our standard internally is that, like you should not be able to tell the difference between our API and a, official API. I think Kimi in particular does a good job of vendor benchmarking hereAli [00:27:41]: YesPhilip [00:27:41]: Where they haveAli [00:27:42]: They released an actual vendor benchmark.Philip [00:27:43]: Exactly, yeah.Ali [00:27:44]: ‘Cause they accused, some people, Amazon? There was some provider that was not doing very well on Kimi's benchmark.Philip [00:27:50]: Yeah.Philip [00:27:51]: So, with Reflect we probablyVibhu [00:27:52]: This was a long time ago, right?Philip [00:27:54]: No.Ali [00:27:54]: Yeah, like threeVibhu [00:27:55]: They alsoAli [00:27:55]: Four, five months agoVibhu [00:27:57]: This also happened with, I don't remember which model, but they pulled out quite a few, and then they started a whole chart about this. It might have beenPhilip [00:28:03]: Kimi Vendor Verifier.Ali [00:28:04]: Yeah.Philip [00:28:05]: Yeah.Ali [00:28:05]: Yeah, ‘cause you, ‘cause you'd be pissed, right? Like if you'Philip [00:28:07]: Yeah.Ali [00:28:07]: If like if I'm a consumer and I'm using like Amazon's endpoint for instance, and I've used Kimi and I'm like, “Oh my God, like this is bad,” I'm not gonna say, “Oh, Amazon quantized the model in a bad way.” I'm gonna say, “Oh, Kimi sucks.” Right?Philip [00:28:17]: Yeah.Ali [00:28:17]: So it seems like that makes sense.Philip [00:28:19]: Yeah, they care. They care.Vibhu [00:28:21]: Justifiably.Ali [00:28:21]: Yeah, justifiably.Vibhu [00:28:22]: This is probably a stupid question, but just checking, has anything improved from main quantization?Philip [00:28:28]: Yeah.Vibhu [00:28:28]: Like, is quantization always strictly worse?Ali [00:28:30]: Well technicallyVibhu [00:28:32]: NoAli [00:28:32]: It's a lossy. QuantizationPhilip [00:28:33]: YeahAli [00:28:33]: Is a lossy, it's a lossy implementation.Philip [00:28:36]: Speed improvesVibhu [00:28:36]: Speed improves.Ali [00:28:37]: It the number, likeVibhu [00:28:38]: No, I' always look for inverse scaling laws.Philip [00:28:40]: Yeah.Ali [00:28:40]: Yeah.Vibhu [00:28:40]: This is something I learned from Noam Brown, where like things that normally act in one direction sometimes do.Philip [00:28:45]: Well, technically when you run a benchmark, because these models are deterministic, sometimes your,Ali [00:28:52]: YeahPhilip [00:28:52]: NVFP4 quant is like, two basis points higher than yourAli [00:28:56]: No, it's noise. It's noise.Philip [00:28:57]: Yeah, exactly. I'm like, yeah, it's, it's within. That's why I always say within margin of error.Philip [00:29:01]: And I stopped saying that because everyone assumes that what is, well, within some margin of error, we're barely inside of that to the worst, so we're saying. But yeah, sometimes it's just like, gives you a higher output score. But like Ali said, that's noise. To my knowledge, you're not necessarily making the results better. You're just trying to, again, like keep your fidelity as close to 100% to the original model.Layer Selection, KL Divergence, and Better QuantizationAli [00:29:27]: There is, to your point, research that we did on MP. I don't know if you are able to pullPhilip [00:29:31]: YeahAli [00:29:32]: A tweet we did. One of our research interns, Joshua, I think it's a tweet on how we have 20% better quantized GLM-5.2 than NVIDIA. Essentially what we found throughout like this month research is, okay, quantization is a lossy. It's. You're compressing the data from, occupying 16 bits to occupying, four bits, for instance. And so you're losing some information, and you're trying to minimize that. And so when I say that I'm gonna quantize the model, my job becomes how do I find the layers that I can quantize, and how to find the layers to not. For instance, with image models, I don't quantize modulation layers, and I don't quantize out projections because those two are. Like out projection is what you see as the user. Modulation is what the model sees or understands. Right, exactly. And so to his paper, do you have the. It doesn't have the. Yeah. It's a long paper. I don't know if I can findVibhu [00:30:25]: If there's a part to search or it's probably in the thread.Ali [00:30:28]: It's probably in the thread.Vibhu [00:30:29]: Yeah.Ali [00:30:29]: But the long and the short is it is very possible that quantizing more of the model makes the results. Like if I have a model that I quantize layers one, five, and 10, and another model where I only quantize layers one and It is possible that the model in which I quantized more information is going to perform better because the quantization errors have canceled out. And so what Joshua showed in his mathematical proof where he had like a verifier in, is that you can predict which layers are going to have quantization errors that will cancel out with each other, and you choose to quantize those layers. And so the result of doing this mathematical quantization is you end up with a model that's 20% more quantized than another provider, so you get 20% more throughput of it because there's more layers than running an NVFP4, and your quality is better than that other quant because the layers that you chose to quantize have their errors cancel out, like one layer skewed to the right one layer skewed to the left, one layer skewed to the right. Your final logits distribution is more similar to the original distribution of the model, so you have better fidelity. And so the way we proved this was with KL divergence. So instead of just scoring on the benchmarks, we scored the KL divergence between the logit distribution of the quantized model and the logit distribution of the original full precision model, and we showed that with this technique we get. If your probability distribution on the logits which token it wants to select is more of the same as the original model, you're probably gonna end up staying true to the original model. So yeah, so it seems like previously before this, it seemed like the industry was, well, the more you quantize, the worse it's gonna be, ‘cause the more loss you introduce. That's not exactly, not necessarily true. So yeah, doesn't improve it, but can cancel out.Philip [00:31:57]: I think it might be this, but reminds me a good bit about pruning where you can prune off certain layers.Philip [00:32:03]: But very interesting. Didn't know this was a whole paper you guys put out.Ali [00:32:06]: It's. Fun fact, it was originally 72 pages, this paper, and then we decidedPhilip [00:32:11]: WowAli [00:32:11]: We can't tell. We couldn't release it. So it's now 45.Swyx [00:32:15]: Still 39 pages, so very substantive. We talked about evals and all these things and, like what's possible in terms of speedup? Like it's like probably like the numberInference Speedups and BenchmarkingSwyx [00:32:25]: Thing that people do wanna care about, and it's something that you wrote about in your post. Like official API is 70 tokens per second, and you push it up to 90. Is that like a normal thing?Philip [00:32:36]: So what's cool about working in inference, the reason that I think inference is going to be a useful place to do engineering for a long time, is that if you look at highly optimized domains like, say, finance, if you're in finance, you measure how much better you got in basis points. It's like, “Oh, I got five basis points better, like twentieth of 1% better,” that's huge news because everything is so optimized. When we publish optimizations, it's 20%, it's 100% it's 200%. So there's still probably like a lot further to go, honestly. Like you'll, you'll know that inference is pretty much solved when researchers start publishing about how they got 1% faster at something.Swyx [00:33:19]: Which by the way, because I am from the finance background, in the ‘70s, that was the margin at the time. When you did quantitative finance research, you would findAli [00:33:27]: And like 20%, tens of percent.Swyx [00:33:29]: That's. Yes.Philip [00:33:29]: Yeah.Swyx [00:33:30]: And now it'Philip [00:33:31]: Tiny fractionsSwyx [00:33:32]: For those people interested, look up Andrew Lo's paper. He had a really interesting illustration of quant, stat arb, distribution, narrowing down from like those kinds of 20% differences in the ‘70s, down to nothing today, which is very cool.Philip [00:33:48]: Exactly, and we're at the beginning of the same type of thing. Now benchmarking is hard. I think anyone will tell you that, and benchmarking provider speeds is hard because there's so many variables that go into it. What hardware are you using? How much load do you have on the system? What's the exact nature of the prompts and input and output sequence lengths? All that stuff. But overall, when you start stacking these improvements, you're looking at multiples. You can look at it. The most common form, of course, is TPS, tokens per second, which is bad naming by us in the industry, ‘cause there's two tokens per second. There's tokens per second, the throughput number, and the latency number.Ali [00:34:31]: TTMT, yeah.Philip [00:34:32]: Like total tokens per second out of the, out of the GPU as a throughput number. Most people only care about tokens per second as the latency number, which we should call ITL, intertoken latency, but we don't.Philip [00:34:44]: Anyway, so you can imagine a standard API without many optimizations for a 1 trillion parameter model operating somewhere in the 30 to 50 tokens per second range for reasonable traffic profile. And we generally see the goal of, pushing to 10X that. But, not necessarily day zero, but by stacking enough optimizations, if you have, say like four optimizations, each of which doubles performance. Or sorry, three optimizations, each of which doubles performance, then you stack that up, that's an 8X gain. That's the order of magnitude that we're working with in this space. We're trying to make things substantially faster, not just go from like 70 to 90.Swyx [00:35:38]: Are you saying you've. You have done that?Philip [00:35:40]: So let's say you have as a reasonable baseline, 30 or 40 tokens per second. You can achieve 10X that. So like on GLM-5.2, if you run it unquantized, perhaps on H100s even, and you're just using an off-the-shelf inference engine with no particular optimizations, no speculator, nothing extra around like KV routing, no disaggregation, you're, you're probably, yeah, looking at that like 30 to 40. You think that's like a reasonable baseline?Swyx [00:36:12]: Right. Right.Philip [00:36:12]: To get to something like 10X, there's a lot of trade-offs that you're making. If we're running at more like a 300, 400 tokens per second range, you are using the best hardware possible. You have a optimized speculator. You have done all of your quantization work. You are Seeing a pretty high cache hit rate. You are running with a reasonably small batch size and a parallelism configuration that is tuned for latency versus throughput, but it is possible. So the spreads that you see if you, like, go on artificial analysis or you go on OpenRouter and you look at, the worst provider to the best provider, oftentimes can hit that range. 10X is of course very aggressive. It's oftentimes maybe more of a four to six times improvement. But that's the performance that makes us really excited, is when we can get these huge gains, not just go from 70 to 90 tokens.Stacking Optimizations: NVFP4, Speculation, and DisaggregationAli [00:37:19]: It's also, like, hardware dependent. Like, ifPhilip [00:37:20]: YeahAli [00:37:20]: If you have a thing where you're serving it on just, like, a node of H100s and then you throw, like, you shard the model across, like, four nodes of B200s. Like, you can definitely increase the speed with just throwing more hardware at it. Like, normalizing for the same exact hardware and the same number of GPUs.Philip [00:37:35]: Yeah. Then you're looking at, like, a two to 4X improvementAli [00:37:38]: Right. RightPhilip [00:37:38]: Depending on the inference optimizations. So yeah, it's. Some of it's, what's the call, and some of it's who's the driver.Vibhu [00:37:46]: If you break down the two to 4X, say the example is run GLM-5.2Ali [00:37:51]: YeahVibhu [00:37:51]: On B200sAli [00:37:53]: YeahVibhu [00:37:53]: Single node, right? What's, like, the cost trade-off for effort to get, like, the last bit of juice out versus what should people just think of, right?Ali [00:38:01]: Spectre quantization. Yeah.Vibhu [00:38:03]: Spectre quantization.Ali [00:38:04]: That's, that's, that's like 95%. LikeVibhu [00:38:06]: And how far does that get you? And how easy is that for the average person to do? So say right I wanna throw the weights of GLM-5.2 on a node of B200s, how easy is it to find speculative decoder- decoder model or already quantized model? How much work goes into it?Philip [00:38:23]: If you're doing it up front, it's quite a lot of work. If you're doing it today, there's going to be people who have published things that you can just, you can just grab some NVFP4 weights. You can grab a speculator. Yeah, if we're thinking about, like, what are the 2Xs we're stacking, going from, BF16 to NVFP4 is, it's not quite a 2X, right? It's like. I think it's about, like, 30 to 40%, from 16 to 8, and then another 30 to 40% multiplied from, 8 to 4. So that doesn't quite get you a 2X, but, like, roughly a 2X. Speculator, roughly a 2X. Disagg on top of that if you're able to get enough hardware and put enough traffic through it, another roughly a 2X. And then you add in some, double-digit percent increase from having just a better runtime with, the latest kernels and stuff behind it. And that's how it stacks up.Ali [00:39:21]: YeahPhilip [00:39:21]: So building each of those, like, building the, quantized weights is, for someone who really knows what they're doing, hours to days of work. Building the speculator, again, like, hours to days of work. And the, disagg setup, hours to days. Well okay, but like once you haveAli [00:39:39]: Once set up. Once set up. YeahPhilip [00:39:40]: Yeah, getting disagg working for the first time, I'm saying, of course, is very difficult.Philip [00:39:44]: The marginal implementationAli [00:39:48]: Like, if you're just grabbing, like if you are a person, like just a normal consumer who has access to, like, a node of B200s and you're wondering, “How can I just host it myself?” You don't need to quantize the model yourself. There's always gonna be, like, an open source quantized checkpoint. NVIDIA's gonna push one out if no one else does. You. Usually, the providers will have their own spec dec that they've trained as well. You don't need to train your own spec dec. You can just use that as well.Philip [00:40:09]: Yeah. Like, GLM-5.2 has its own MTP.Ali [00:40:13]: Right. Right.Vibhu [00:40:14]: What's multi token prediction?Philip [00:40:15]: Yes.Ali [00:40:16]: I'm justVibhu [00:40:16]: Can you explain that?Ali [00:40:16]: I'm just an expert.Ali [00:40:18]: I can do it for you in case I get it wrong?Vibhu [00:40:20]: No.Vibhu [00:40:21]: Yeah, you should correct if we're wrong, but their multi-token prediction can be used for self-speculative decoding.Ali [00:40:27]: I'm not sure. I'm not gonna correct that.Vibhu [00:40:28]: Okay. I'm semi-confident in thatAli [00:40:30]: Okay. YeahVibhu [00:40:30]: But someone can check. But it's useful to paint the story of, okay, not just the average person, but say a company wants to switch from serverless inference I wanna throw this up on. I wanna rent some GPUs, throw it up. These are the steps you take to do significantly faster than just put it behind vLLM.Ali [00:40:48]: Right.Vibhu [00:40:49]: I was waiting for a mention of Dynamo.Vibhu [00:40:51]: I feel like, that's supposed to be the baseline that you measure against.Dynamo, KV Routing, and Disaggregation ToolkitsPhilip [00:40:55]: I would think of Dynamo as less of a box system and more of a toolkit for building with. So when we talk about doing aware routing, when we talk about doing KV offloading, when we talk about doing, PD disaggregation, Dynamo fundamentally is. By the way, Dynamo is an open source library from NVIDIA.Ali [00:41:17]: We've done a pod with KylePhilip [00:41:18]: OkayAli [00:41:19]: Kyle Cranin.Philip [00:41:19]: Cool. So then your listeners know then that it supports all the different inference frameworks. And it is multi hardware, which is interesting.Ali [00:41:28]: But it's just a router, it's not like an optimizer layer.Philip [00:41:30]: Yeah. All it does, like, what Dynamo is good at, it is a library for moving information around your cluster, around your hardware. So if you have, KV cache on one place and you need it to be somewhere else, Dynamo coordinates NIXL for you to move that around.Philip [00:41:49]: That doesn't mean that, like, out of the box, you just say, “Pip install Dynamo,” and then you get, like, a massive performance speed up. It's more of a developer toolkit.Ali [00:42:01]: Yeah. I would have said it would. It comes with a set of defaults that you can then swap out.Philip [00:42:06]: It does. If the industry at large, I think, was, like, rolling out all of these deployments, standard, then I think it would be, like, a credible baseline. But, we've got to, we've got to benchmark against, like, what we're seeing in the wild.Speculative Decoding Methods: Medusa, EAGLE, n-Gram, and Spec-SpecVibhu [00:42:23]: I did wanna talk a little bit more about PD disagg, because that is probably, like, number three after quantized and speculative decoding. In your book though, I was just gonna pull out the book.Philip [00:42:31]: Yeah.Vibhu [00:42:32]: Like section 522 on Medusa, 523 on EAGLEPhilip [00:42:35]: YeahVibhu [00:42:36]: 524 on gram.Philip [00:42:37]: It's 55, would be disaggregationAli [00:42:42]: Yeah. Well, no, I just wanted to dwell a little bitPhilip [00:42:44]: YeahAli [00:42:44]: The other. Like, so what do you choose to include? What do you choose to not to include? Because there was all these other techniques.Philip [00:42:51]: Yeah.Ali [00:42:51]: Are these still relevant? Because I think they came out, like, a year and a half ago maybe.Vibhu [00:42:55]: Medusa is quite old.Philip [00:42:56]: Yeah, Medusa's old.Ali [00:42:58]: It was old.Vibhu [00:42:58]: But is it in the book as a good, here'sPhilip [00:43:01]: BaselineVibhu [00:43:01]: Baseline vanilla understand it?Philip [00:43:02]: Like you should know this.Vibhu [00:43:03]: Like I read the paper, I'm like, “ it makes so much sense.”Philip [00:43:05]: Yeah.Philip [00:43:05]: So with the book, I had a couple goals. One was to give people just a working vocabulary for the space as a whole, and the other was to give them some intuition about how each of these techniques works. As I mentioned in my AI Engineer talk, which is the first public addendum to this, the speculation space has moved much faster than everything else. So yeah, even at the time that I wrote the book Medusa, I very much included as a way for people to understand how the space evolved rather than what the most modern technique is. And now of course, there's DFlash, dSpark. There's, there's newer techniques even than EAGLE, although EAGLE is still very commonly used.Ali [00:43:51]: SpecSpecta.Philip [00:43:52]: Yes. Speculative decoding.Vibhu [00:43:54]: What canAli [00:43:56]: Oh, it's a paper by Tri Dao and it's like, it's doing speculative decodingVibhu [00:44:00]: HuhAli [00:44:01]: For the speculative decoder.Philip [00:44:02]: Oh, in spec- oh my God.Ali [00:44:02]: It's literally just an another. It's like, yeah, that's the most simple way to explain it, and it seems like he got trivial speed ups there. But it seems that the complexity with training, it's almost like in our mind at least, it's almost as complex as training GANs. Like it's like a very delicate balance and oftentimes you, it's just but yeah, it's literally speculative decoding on speculative decoding.Vibhu [00:44:21]: Speculative.Ali [00:44:22]: Yeah. We saw this paper.Vibhu [00:44:24]: It's interesting, right?Ali [00:44:24]: Yeah.Vibhu [00:44:24]: I wouldn't even expect it to be very particular to train, I wouldAli [00:44:29]: Right.Vibhu [00:44:29]: The naive part of me is like, okay, train speculative decoder.Ali [00:44:32]: But like, and it makes sense, like the whole idea of speculative decoding is you. It's like, it's like almost like the iPhone auto predict version but for a normal model, right? Like you're just, you're just, generating three tokens and you're like, okay, I'll do prefill on them. And so you save those three turns for your original model. Now your speculative decoder is doing three turns of auto regression, so why not just have an even smaller model?Ali [00:44:53]: The other question there is what are the size of speculators? So say forPhilip [00:44:58]: Right. It's like a billion parameters.Ali [00:45:01]: Like for MiniMax, it's. Yeah. It's like one layer. It's like one 60th of the original model usually.Philip [00:45:06]: Yeah. I think we should do a paper when we get back to the office.Philip [00:45:10]: SpeculativeAli [00:45:11]: SpeculativePhilip [00:45:11]: Decoding.Ali [00:45:13]: No, it's, it does seem like how, when do you stop? But then it also seems like if you're able to train spec-spec decode for instance, right? Like if you're able to have a small model that is accurately predicts what the intermediate speculator is gonna predict, that is able to predict what the original target model's gonna predict, then why not just use that smallest model directly, right?Vibhu [00:45:34]: Yeah. This isAli [00:45:35]: Like it seems likeVibhu [00:45:35]: Adjacent to the routing problem.Ali [00:45:36]: Right.Vibhu [00:45:36]: Yeah.Ali [00:45:36]: Right.Philip [00:45:37]: The thing with speculators is one of the practical constraints on using them is that you do have to run a small model on the same hardware that you're running the big model on. There is a orchestration and resource competition problem inherent in that, and that is one of the constraints on speculation in general, is that draft tokens cost resources to create and cost software complexity to manage. And so if you have like infinitely recursive speculators, you add in quite a bit of that complexity on the actual implementation within the inference engine as well, not just in the training process.Vibhu [00:46:17]: I was gonna say, I would wonder if you could do similar, like distillation and pruning of, it's the same thing, it's just a model. Can we not just distill a lot of the weights, quantize the speculator, out of my domain? The question that also comes up is, this is all for big server workloads, right? How much of this applies to, say I have this MacBook, I wanna run Gemma really efficiently. Similar problems, not the same?Local AI vs. Data Center InferencePhilip [00:46:45]: Pretty different. I talked to Selo, about this on his podcast a couple weeks ago. The difference between inference engineering for the data center and for production workloads versus inference engineering for local AI, is that we start with fundamentally like different constraints and different goals. With local AI, it's how do I fit this model onto my hardware and then make it less dumb? And with data center influence, it's how do I load this model and then make it less slow? And we care about less dumb, and they care about less slow. But the local AI inference engineering ecosystem, I think has a lot for us to learn from in the data center space. They are experts in various forms of quantization, including dynamic quantization that we just don't touch, in the pruning, in the distillation, in the, layer removal. There'Ali [00:47:42]: Layer removal matters less.Philip [00:47:43]: Yeah. There'Ali [00:47:44]: No one loves pruning really.Philip [00:47:45]: Yeah. Well, but the, but they doVibhu [00:47:46]: Which is surprising, right? But that's, that's a whole different thingPhilip [00:47:48]: Just to fit something on the laptop.Ali [00:47:50]: Right.Philip [00:47:50]: So yeah, it's a, it's an interesting, it's an interesting space. Not necessarily that like their techniques make sense for us to do in the data center, because we have different resources and different goals, but more that the process as well as the openness of that field is something to, admire.Ali [00:48:12]: Yeah. Like to your point, like, certain optimizations that would. Like for instance, Turbo Quantum Sharper, like it made such huge hype on that and we did like a whole deep dive on Twitter and like said, what is it? How does it work? Why is it good or not? And it took off and it was implemented on local devices because your memory bandwidth is so slow on like a MacBook, for instance. But try putting the same thing on like an NVIDIA GPU on a B200 Turbo quant would not be. Like, it would not be used. Like, NVIDIA - Like, NVIDIA made it clear that this is not a good optimization, and we've seen it firsthand where the overhead of doing dequantization, quantization of, in the kernel itself with turbo quant kernel, each end is much slower than the time that you save from doing the bandwidth. ‘Cause on the B200s, you have like 3.5 terabytes per second. You don't need decrease the storage that much. You don't need to do, FP4 KV cache. You don't need to use a requant. There's, there's, there's better optimizations to be made. But on Edge devices, it's extremely important, it's extremely useful. So, seems to be, like, different optimizations there, but then they're all uniquely combined with like all you wanna quantize the model, you wanna do speculative decoding, like certain common prefixes with bothPhilip [00:49:18]: Principles.Ali [00:49:19]: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Exactly.Philip [00:49:20]: They also do a lot of work on, model parallelism, especially over, heterogeneous topology, where you have, some sparks and they are wired together with, Ethernet, DGX sparks.Ali [00:49:35]: Yeah, this is the Exo Labs guys.Philip [00:49:36]: Yeah. You have, a nu

James W. Burley, APX Data Base/Report System James W. Burley is the programmer of Data Base/Report System, which was sold by Atari Program Exchange beginning with the Summer 1982 APX catalog. It was catalog number 20134 with a price of $22.95. APX sold it for about a year, through the Summer 1983 catalog. APX awarded Data Base/Report System first prize for new software in the "Business & Professional Applications/Personal Finance & Record Keeping" category: for that, James was awarded an Atari Star plaque and $2000 prize. (He received the plaque, but says he never received the money.) The software may have also been sold by Main Street Publishing. Here's what the APX catalog had to say: Data Base/Report System by James W. Burley Recommended for experienced data base users/Written in BASIC and machine language If you've ever used a data base manager on a large computer system, you'll appreciate the many features of DATA BASE/REPORT SYSTEM. This general-purpose system for ATARI 800 Home Computers creates and maintains records having up to ten units of information ("fields"), with a maximum field length of 100 characters and a maximum record length of 255 characters. The total number of records you can store varies with record key size, a key being the unique identifier for each record) and available computer memory. Generally, you can store about 1300 records having a five-character key on a system with 40K of memory. You use the main program to create a new file; add, update, and remove records; sort the file; and print reports. Auxiliary programs reorganize the data files to free unused diskette space; redefine the file by adding fields, modifying field sizes, or changing field headings; delete old files; and print special reports. ... These and other features make DATA BASE/REPORT SYSTEM a really versatile data base management system for your ATARI 800 Home Computer. REVIEW COMMENTS: You need some data base knowledge to use the program; it's a bit complex, but all the features are worthwhile. The print formatting and file reorganization features are very useful. The sort and search routines, written in assembly language, work quickly. In 1983, Antic magazine featured the program as one of the "Ten Best from APX". In 2024, Wade at the Inverse ATASCII podcast did a deep dive into Data Base/Report System: check the show notes for the link to that review, which includes dozens of screenshots, sample print output, and information about the database's file format. Wade gave the software a rating of 5 out of 8. As of this recording, the Atari community doesn't yet have a scan of the APX manual for Data Base/Report System: if you have a copy, let me know, or scan it and upload it to Internet Archive. The Main Street Publishing version — both disk and manual — are also not preserved. This interview took place on May 22, 2026. Data Base/Report System at AtariMania Data Base/Report System in the APX Summer 1982 APX catalog Antic Magazine - February 1983 - Ten Best from APX Inverse ATASCII reviews Data Base/Report System

If one wakes up in the middle of the night with a need to use the restroom, he should get out of bed despite the inconvenience in order to perform his bodily functions, in fulfillment of the Halacha that forbids restraining oneself from using the restroom. In such a case, if the person plans to go to back to sleep after using the restroom, the question arises regarding Netilat Yadayim. In order to recite the Beracha of Asher Yasar after using the restroom, one must wash his hands. Normally, of course, one does not recite the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim" when washing after using the restroom. But is a Beracha required when one woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom? Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Jerusalem, 1924-1998) notes a dispute among the Poskim as to whether a person who wakes up in the middle of the night, and plans to go back to sleep, recites the Beracha over hand-washing even in the middle of the night. According to one view, if the individual plans to go back to sleep, he does not recite the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim" when washing his hands in the middle of the night, as the Beracha is required only when one washes upon waking up for the day. Others, however, require a Beracha both times – in the middle of the night, and then again in the morning. Hacham Bension concluded that the person in such a case should not recite the Beracha when washing his hands in the middle of the night. This is the opinion also of the Yalkut Yosef. Rav Yisrael Bitan suggests avoiding this debate by washing one's hands in the middle of the night without a utensil. He writes that a utensil is not required for washing after using the restroom, whereas for the morning washing, the accepted Halacha requires using a utensil. Although some Poskim maintained that one fulfills the obligation of the morning hand-washing even without a utensil, Hacham Ovadia Yosef ruled that one should follow the stringent opinion, and thus the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim" should not be recited in the morning until one washes with a utensil. Accordingly, Rav Bitan reasons, when a person wakes up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and plans to go back to sleep, he should wash directly from the faucet, without using a utensil. He then does not require a Beracha according to all opinions, and his hand-washing suffices to allow him to recite Asher Yasar. Another question that must be addressed is whether hand-washing is required in this case immediately when one wakes up, before going to the restroom. Generally speaking, one must avoid walking four Amot (cubits) after waking up before washing Netilat Yadayim. The Mishna Berura cites an opinion that one's entire home is considered within four Amot with respect to this Halacha, but we do not rely on this leniency. Nevertheless, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Jerusalem, 1910-1995) ruled that if somebody woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and plans to then go back to sleep, he may rely on the lenient view. He explains that there is also an opinion that the requirement to avoid walking four Amot before hand-washing does not apply when one wakes up for a brief period during the night and plans to return to bed. We may take into consideration these two leniencies to allow one to go the restroom during the night before washing his hands at his bedside. Rav Shlomo Zalman added that one is allowed in this case not to wash his hands at all in the middle of the night, and simply delay the recitation of Asher Yasar until after he washes his hands in the morning. However, we follow the opinion of Hacham Ovadia Yosef that the Beracha of Asher Yasar must be recited within 72 minutes of performing one's bodily functions, and thus one may not delay the recitation until morning. If a person is concerned that washing his hands with cold water will make it difficult for him to fall back asleep, then he may wipe his hands on a towel or some other material in lieu of washing, and this suffices to allow reciting Asher Yasar. Summary: if one wakes up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and plans to then go back to sleep, he may go to the restroom before washing his hands. After using the restroom, he washes his hands without reciting "Al Netilat Yadayim," and then recites Asher Yasar. There is an opinion that it is preferable to wash in this situation directly from the faucet, without a utensil, so that "Al Netilat Yadayim" will not be required according to all opinions. If he is concerned that washing his hands with cold water will make it difficult for him to fall back asleep, then he may wipe his hands on a towel or some other material in lieu of washing, and this suffices to allow reciting Asher Yasar.

reference: Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, The Psychic Being — Soul: Its Nature, Mission and Evolution, Section 4 The Afterlife and Rebirth, pp. 131-132This episode is also available as a blog post at https://sriaurobindostudies.wordpress.com/2026/07/27/spiritual-progress-is-generally-a-circuitous-process/Video presentations, interviews and podcast episodes are allavailable on the YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@santoshkrinsky871More information about Sri Aurobindo can be found at www.aurobindo.net  The US editions and links to e-book editions of SriAurobindo's writings can be found at Lotus Press www.lotuspress.com#Sri Aurobindo #The Mother #yoga #integral yoga #spirituality #soul #psychic being #rebirth

Generally, dark energy and dark matter are regarded as separate entities, but recent astronomical observations have spurred scientists to look further into a less widespread idea — that the two are in fact physically intertwined. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with Physics Editor Kathryn Jepsen about the theories surrounding dark energy's ties to dark matter and the possibility of a shared dark universe. This topic was covered in a recent story for Quanta Magazine. Each week on The Quanta Podcast, Quanta Magazine editor in chief Samir Patel and Senior Editor Hannah Waters speak with the people behind the award-winning publication to navigate through some of the most important and mind-expanding questions in science and math.

Discover what counts as fighting words, why it matters for free speech, and how hate speech laws are challenged in court.You've heard the phrase, but did you know “fighting words” are more than just cartoon banter? We break down where this legal doctrine comes from—and why it matters for free speech today.The HistoryThe concept goes way back to Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942). Walter Chaplinsky was arrested for calling a city marshal a “GD racketeer” and “damned fascist.” The law at the time allowed arrest for any “offensive, derisive, or annoying word” spoken in public. The Supreme Court unanimously concluded that “fighting words”—those which by their very utterance inflict injury or incite immediate breach of peace—are not protected speech 01:28.Modern ImplicationsWhat about today's hottest speech debates?Many believe causing offense or being subjected to hate speech should be criminalized. But modern courts have limited the fighting words doctrine, instead requiring that the words would provoke a reasonable person—not just offend someone subjectively 04:26.In R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul, the Supreme Court struck down selective bans targeting specific viewpoints, meaning laws can't target speech based on its message alone 05:47.Virginia v. Black established “true threats” as separate: burning a cross with an intent to intimidate is not protected, but burning a cross at a rally, without specific threats, is classified as protected expressive conduct 06:41.“That's Offensive!”—Is It a Crime?Calling someone the wrong pronoun, yelling insults at police, or using crude language? Most of these are still protected under the First Amendment—unless there's a credible, specific threat behind them 12:38. Police even have to put up with some name-calling in the line of duty—courts say you need thick skin if you're going to wear the badge in America!Confused? So are we! The fight over fighting words is always evolving. Drop your questions, comments, or legal hypotheticals on our episode page or at lawyertalkpodcast.com. We'll dive even deeper if you want to geek out on the legal details.5 Frequently Asked Questions about Fighting WordsWhat are fighting words? Fighting words are those that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace, as defined in Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire.Is hate speech protected by the First Amendment? Generally, yes. Courts have ruled that the government cannot ban speech based on content or viewpoint, although true threats and certain conduct can be restricted.Can you be punished for insulting a police officer? Insulting a police officer (calling them a name) is typically protected speech, but direct threats (such as threatening harm) are not.What is the difference between fighting words and true threats? Fighting words are those that provoke immediate violence from the person addressed; true threats are statements meant to communicate a serious intent to harm.How do disorderly conduct laws interact with free speech? Disorderly conduct laws can validly restrict speech based on time, place, and manner, but not solely on the content of the speech unless it rises to the level of fighting words or true threats.Submit your questions to www.lawyertalkpodcast.com.Recorded at Channel 511.Stephen E. Palmer, Esq. has been practicing criminal defense almost exclusively since 1995. He has represented people in federal, state, and local courts in Ohio and elsewhere.Though he focuses on all areas of criminal defense, he particularly enjoys complex cases in state and federal courts.He has unique experience handling and assembling top defense teams of attorneys and experts in cases involving allegations of child abuse (false sexual allegations, false physical abuse allegations), complex scientific cases involving allegations of DUI and vehicular homicide cases with blood alcohol tests, and any other criminal cases that demand jury trial experience.Steve has unique experience handling numerous high publicity cases that have garnered national attention.For more information about Steve and his law firm, visit Palmer Legal Defense. Copyright 2026 Stephen E. Palmer - Attorney At LawMentioned in this episode:Circle 270 Media Podcast ConsultantsCircle 270 Media® is a podcast consulting firm based in Columbus, Ohio, specializing in helping businesses develop, launch, and optimize podcasts as part of their marketing strategy. The firm emphasizes the importance of storytelling through podcasting to differentiate businesses and engage with their audiences effectively. www.circle270media.com

A bestselling computer book and a mayor's office may seem worlds apart, but Dan Gookin's path connects them through curiosity, clear communication, and public service. I talk with the DOS for Dummies author and Coeur d'Alene mayor about making technical writing useful, challenging industries that resist new ideas, and finding success by improving work others do poorly. Dan also shares why he entered local politics, how transparency and community engagement built public trust, and why responsible leadership often means asking the questions others overlook. We close by exploring political division, religious freedom, social media algorithms, and the need to reduce online anger without losing the internet's benefits. Highlights: 00:06:48 - Why leaving your comfort zone creates growth. 00:11:07 - How doing something better can become a business. 00:12:39 - Why writing for beginners changed computer publishing. 00:27:06 - How transparency concerns led Dan into politics. 00:37:30 - Why responsiveness helped Dan earn public trust. 00:54:49 - How social media fuels anger and division. About the Guest: Dan Gookin is the mayor-elect of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, having won election in November 2025 after serving on the City Council since 2011. Known as a fiscal conservative, outspoken advocate for government transparency, and a committed budget hawk who asks tough questions, he is often described as “the lone voice of reason” on the council, consistently championing the public and the “little guy” against bureaucracy. Gookin views his public service as protecting individual rights. He prides himself on listening to all perspectives, welcoming alternative viewpoints, remaining open to new information, and never being a rubber-stamp vote. Professionally, Gookin is known as a writer and online trainer. He has been writing about technology since the early days of personal computing, combining his humor with a passion for gadgets to create informative and entertaining books. He authored the groundbreaking DOS For Dummies in 1991—the world's fastest-selling computer book at the time and the title that launched the iconic For Dummies series, now a publishing phenomenon. With more than 170 titles to his credit, over 12 million copies in print, and translations into more than 30 languages, his popular works include PCs and Laptops For Dummies, Android For Dummies, Word For Dummies, and C For Dummies. He maintains two helpful websites, wambooli.com and c-for-dummies.com. He creates online courses for LinkedIn Learning on diverse topics, and in 2020 published Running for Local Office For Dummies. Gookin graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a BA in Communications/Visual Arts and minors in cognitive psychology and theatrical design. He put his creative talents to work as artistic director of the Lake City Playhouse, where he designed sets, lighting, and directed many productions between 1997 and 2002. First and foremost, Dan considers himself a father who raised four boys in Idaho. Gookin resides in Coeur d'Alene with his wife, Brie, along with various children and pets. In his leisure time, he enjoys woodworking, playing the piano, riding his bike, cooking, gardening, and making lists of things he enjoys doing along with occasionally annoying those who think that they're important. Ways to connect with Dan**:** LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-gookin-46995713/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dangookin 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/ 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 Hingston, 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. Hello there, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Unstoppable Mindset. I am your host, Michael Hingston, and today we get to chat with Dan Gookin. Do you know who Dan Gookin is? Probably not, but you will by the time we're done. But I will tell you one thing about Dan. He was elected mayor of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in November of 2025. I think Dan, you're the first political person as such that we have had on, which is kind of cool. I'm really honored to to have you here, and and we can spend the the whole time picking on on other politicians, but there's no need to do that. I mean, what good does it do? It's a waste of time. But I want to welcome you to Unstoppable Mindset, and Dan, thanks very much for being here. Dan Gookin  01:44 Thank you, Michael. Thank you for having me on. Michael Hingson  01:46 Well, this will, I think, really be a lot of fun. I'm sorry that you guys aren't getting a lot of snow up there. My brother-in-law has been keeping me posted on the lack of snow, so today here we're expecting a temperature at about 70 degrees. Last week it got up to 39. So I don't know. There's something going on with the climate. Dan Gookin  02:10 Something. Michael Hingson  02:11 Yeah, whatever it is. Speaker 1  02:13 Well, there was a name for that. Michael Hingson  02:15 Yeah, yeah. If if there were enough people, would only believe it. But that's another story. You are right. Well, thanks very much for being here. Why don't we start? Tell me about the early Dan growing up and all that. Speaker 1  02:31 So I grew up in San Diego, California. Good place. I still say San Michael Hingson  02:35 Diego has the best weather in the country. Speaker 1  02:38 They do. It's changed a little bit as everything has, but I escaped from there back in 1991. Went up to Washington State because I was doing some work with Microsoft, and then decided that that was Seattle was another big city. So we kept looking east and finally landed in Idaho in Coeur d'Alene because it's pretty. Michael Hingson  03:01 It's a nice area. So you you did your schooling and all that down in San Diego. Speaker 1  03:06 Yeah, I graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in communication visual arts. That was in 1983. Michael Hingson  03:13 Cool, wow. I've spent many a a day down in San Diego. I lived in Vista for six years, so I'm familiar with the area. Yeah, I liked Vista. Vista was a nice place to be. You Speaker 1  03:24 did a radio show out of Vista. Did you for a while? Yeah, computer call-in show. So that was way back. Michael Hingson  03:32 What did you discuss, or just anything dealing with computers? I Speaker 1  03:36 was editing a magazine, a local computer magazine at the time, and we purchased an hour, and so I would drive from my home in Tierra Santa all the way up to Vista to be in this little tiny radio station, where we would do call-ins. And sometimes people would call in, and I would help them solve their computer problems. And sometimes I had to talk to myself for Michael Hingson  03:57 an hour. And and and did you get answers when you talk to yourself. Speaker 1  04:02 No, but I got really hoarse. Ah, okay. Michael Hingson  04:04 Well, you know, just just checking. Well, that's cool. Well, I guess we could tell everyone that, among other things, Dan is also the author of a number of books, including DOS for Dummies. I still like DOS. Thank you. I I like DOS. I've just always enjoyed it. Although, I have to admit, Windows has progressed a whole lot more. But I always liked DOS. Speaker 1  04:27 Yes, it was good, and and it was its complexity or its a rudeness, I shall say. Yeah, that's a good. Sold the book because you had to type. You had to know the commands in Windows. You can kind of look and point and do all this stuff, but in DOS, you had to know the commands and type the commands, and people wouldn't-they couldn't remember. There were all these options, and so we sold a lot of books doing that. It's still, like I said, I I like it too. I like the command line because it's faster if you know what you have to type. Yeah, it takes less time to type. Than it does to look around, point and shoot with the mouse. Michael Hingson  05:04 Yeah, there are a number of blind people on some list serves that I am part of that every so often something regarding DOS comes up, which is I think kind of cool. Speaker 1  05:15 Yep, hasn't gone away. It's it's still lurking in there somewhere. Michael Hingson  05:19 It is still a kind of the basic underpinning foundation of a lot of Windows, isn't it? Speaker 1  05:25 Well, Windows actually does run on top of it still. If you if you when you start a program in Windows, you're actually issuing a text command. So inside there is a long text command that is issued that gets everything running. It's just that you're configuring that from a graphical perspective, Michael Hingson  05:44 right? Yeah, but but it is still running. DOS essentially runs under Windows, which is which is something that is is relevant. So I guess we could blame that on Bill Gates, Speaker 1  05:57 or credit him. I don't know. Michael Hingson  05:58 Or yeah, yeah, one of the other. Well, so you you graduated, you moved to Seattle. As you said, it is a big city, although you know it's kind of hard to fight Pike's fish market. Speaker 1  06:11 Well, there's there's the fun and charming parts of of Seattle that I really enjoyed. So I mean, I can't say that you know it was a horrible city. The thing I admired about Seattle the most was that Seattle would occasionally not take itself seriously, and I liked that it had a sense of humor and that people there were generally good natured. San Diego was a little bit more uptight, you know, fair weather fans, that kind of stuff, where Seattle was more of a community, and I admired that greatly. Michael Hingson  06:43 And there used to be a lot of rain up there. Speaker 1  06:45 Not as much as people say. That's kind of their reputation. The Pacific Northwest we do have. So I moved from Southern California where you have 360 days of sun a year to Pacific Northwest where you have 180, so it was kind of a shock from that point of view. It's mostly like today; it's overcast. It's just there's no sun, so that's the big difference. Michael Hingson  07:10 And then you moved up to Idaho, and and how many days of sun or not sun are there a year? Speaker 1  07:16 Oh, still about 180. 180. Uh huh. But it's you know so you get used to it after a while, and when the sun comes out, you're all happy, and it's like, look, the sun's out, everything's pretty. Michael Hingson  07:27 Yeah, fair. Yeah. So when you were in San Diego and so on, what did you want to do or be when you grew up? Speaker 1  07:36 So originally, I wanted to be a doctor, and then I had the misfortune of being in a hospital, and I said I don't ever want to be back here, and changed my mind and figured I would be a writer. So for years I started writing and submitting things to magazines, trying to work on books and stuff. I mean I wrote a few books, and they say that you have to get about a million words of junk out before you actually are a good writer. So I I worked on that for a long time, and got to the point where I I actually had a reputation with some of the editors in the magazines who would write me back personal notes instead of the generic you know dismissal, and so that was working really well. But then what happened in 1984 was I wrote something for the local computer flyer, and they liked that, and it got published, and that was what really started the career for tech because tech wanted people who knew how to write, so that was good timing. Michael Hingson  08:35 Yeah, so many technical manuals are just so boring. I really wish people would learn how to write more interesting books. Of course, I say that about textbooks as well. I am of the opinion that having a master's degree in physics and having read many a physics book, the and there are so few of them. The best books are the ones where the authors have put some actual personal stories in to draw people in with human interest parts of the science, and I wish more people would do that. Speaker 1  09:03 And that was my point too. It was like these books are dull and boring. And the problem I had because I was writing computer books at the time, I had a computer book literary agent. There is such a thing, and it's it's backwards in that industry though, because the publisher says what they want a book on, and then they have you write the book on the topic, and so I was doing that for many years. But I did not like the fact that they would edit my books to make them dry, and the editors would actually complain to me and say, "There's too much personality in here. You can't have this. It was like it was like they thought that was a built-in feature of the book, and my protest was, "Well, no. Let's make them interesting. Let's use real life examples. Let's have some personality in there. Let's have some interaction with the with the reader. And they didn't like that until DOS for Dummies came around, and the publisher was willing to change the paradigm. Michael Hingson  09:55 Jeez, yeah, it's so unfortunate. They they think they know. Everything there is to know, and the reality is they don't. Speaker 1  10:04 That's the way it is with just about any industry. You know that I think the corporate mentality is kind of to resist innovation, even in the most innovative industries, until something crazy comes along. And I think that's why in Silicon Valley you had all these startups. You know, if you look, if you trace the lineage of a lot of the big companies, they started at other big companies that were unwilling to do the crazy ideas these guys had, and so they went off. I mean, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak left Hewlett Packard and started up Apple Computer, and I'm pretty sure there's probably been some engineers from Apple Computer who've left and started up their own company and becoming Michael Hingson  10:43 well. And Bill Gates is essentially the same way. It's it's he started out doing something, but he attracted people's attention by some of the other things that he did. Speaker 1  10:53 Yep. Michael Hingson  10:54 And that was was very relevant. But I I hear what you're saying. It makes perfect sense because people just don't like to be innovative and don't like change, and and that's unfortunate that we have so many people that just, as much as they talk about the fact that change is everywhere, they don't like it. Speaker 1  11:10 No, it's well, I think yeah, we we get in our comfort zone, and you don't grow out in the comfort zone. So I like to challenge myself and do interesting things like become mayor, and you know you leave your comfort zone. And what what can I do here, or how can I do this better? Michael Hingson  11:26 Yeah, well, and that makes makes perfect sense. Well, what got you started writing about technology? Just because you were writing that that one article there, or those articles that got interest on the part of a publisher, or what? Speaker 1  11:41 What got me started was that I got paid. Ah, Michael Hingson  11:44 good point. Speaker 1  11:45 You know, they they paid me, and then you know, as as someone who was you know using a computer at the time, and they were called microcomputers, and they were really primitive compared to what we have today. Oh yeah, I I used it to write. So, and the the problem with that was that the the documents, the manuals that we talk about, were so dry and boring, and eventually, all of a sudden, it would dawn on me: it's like, well, this is what it's trying to say. So why don't they just come out and say it this way, or why don't they use an analogy and try to explain it in that manner instead of coming at it from this hardcore technical? And that was what really turned off a lot of people, so it motivated me to want to do it better, and that's kind of what I tell the kids, like my kids. I say you should start up a business. That's really the best way to get successful is start up your own business and become famous like that. And they're well, what business should I start up? I said that the easiest way is to find something that you like, something that's being done poorly, and just do it better. Yeah, and that's really a lot of the the creative, insanely genius stuff that's happened throughout the world is just someone who does something routine but does it better. Michael Hingson  12:52 And that's really the operative part about it, and and the real key. I think you're you're absolutely right. Find something that people aren't doing well, and by the time you get creative enough to figure that out, you're well on your way. Speaker 1  13:05 Yep. So that's that's what I did. Michael Hingson  13:08 Yeah. And so you started going off and and writing a variety of things. What what actually got you to write Dos for Dummies? What specifically? That's first of all, I love the the title of all the Four Dummies books. I think it makes sense. But what got you started in writing DOS for Dummies directly? Speaker 1  13:27 Well, I I knew that there was an appetite out there for beginner computer books, but the publishing industry would not publish beginning computer books because they said beginners don't buy computer books. And I explained to them, well, your problem is you don't write beginner computer books. You write something and you call it, you know, the easy guide to whatever, but the content of it is not written for a beginner. Maybe the first chapter is very condescending and patronizing, and then the rest of it is just technical garbage. So I said you have to keep that tone throughout the entire text. You have to identify who it is you're writing to, as who's a smart person who may just not get it, and explain it to them, and just keep going. And that was the problem. So I I did originally called it the Idiots Guide for DOS, which was based after the Idiots Guide to Volkswagen Repair. My dad had a copy of that, and I thought, well, what a brilliant idea. Michael Hingson  14:20 Yeah. Speaker 1  14:21 And so the publisher saw me speak at a conference, and where I was bemoaning the fact that the books were so boring, and they kept editing out my personality. And then went to to him, and and he's like, "This is great. Your outline that you have for this book is perfect. Except we want to call it DOS for Dummies. I thought, like a lot of other people, that was condescending and patronizing, but that it's an alliteration, so that's what they go with. And then he said to make it a reference. Don't make it a tutorial because, and this is brilliant, these people don't want to learn anything; they just want to do their job. Yeah, that makes sense. So that was and that was it, and we put a lot of humor in it. You know, people would tell me that they'd read the book on the subway, and you know, you'd see someone laughing reading a computer book. That's weird, but there would just be enough humor, and I'd use Mad Magazine as my inspiration. So it was kind of like us versus the nerds, and and that was what really founded the whole thing, and I tell you what, it caught on. I did not think it would. There was no way we were planning on writing a book that would sell, you know, 8 million copies. We were just thinking, well, this is going to be fun. Let's just do this, get it out of our system, and then go back to writing boring books. Michael Hingson  15:36 Made the publisher very happy. Speaker 1  15:39 Oh yeah, they were printing Gold bricks, yeah. Michael Hingson  15:43 That, of course, was the real key. Well, that started a brand, didn't it? Speaker 1  15:47 Oh yeah, they did. There was no intention to do that, but then they they followed that up with Max for Dummies and a bunch of other titles that were just very popular at the time. AOL for Dummies, you know, Windows for Dummies eventually came out, and that was the King for Dummies book. But yeah, they have and they have it on all topics. I've even so as someone who is you know starting in government, I got Robert's Rules for Dummies, which you know you've been to a meeting, you know they follow Robert's Rules, which is very dry and boring, but it's it's important. And Robert's Rules for Dummies is a good example of a For Dummies book because it explains everything carefully. Lots of humor in there, and so there's a lot of them. Wine for Dummies was another one that I really liked. I thought they did a good job. Golf for Dummies. There's a there's on every topic. There's a For Dummies book. Michael Hingson  16:37 How many of them did you write? Speaker 1  16:40 Only wrote the ones with my names on them, but probably about 40 separate titles. So over the years, most of them have been rewrites. So technology changes. So there have been 16 editions of Word for Dummies, and 13 editions of PCs for Dummies. There were four editions of DOS for Dummies. So you're you're always writing new editions, so all totaled 180 separate titles. But individual titles, without not counting multiple editions, right? About 60. Michael Hingson  17:09 Wow. Speaker 1  17:10 Yeah. Yeah, Michael Hingson  17:10 and I can appreciate that that books like Word for Dummies or even iPhones for Dummies has to change over time. Speaker 1  17:19 Yeah. Well, some of them. I mean, I've been doing a kind of a review on on YouTube. I've been doing short videos highlighting some of the goofy images that I put in the books over the years. And way back about 20 years ago, I think I was updating these titles once a year. They would say, "We need a new version of this. We need a new version of this. And at the time, technology was just. I mean, they were cranking out new stuff all the time. Michael Hingson  17:44 So, who's written AI for Dummies? Speaker 1  17:47 I don't know, but that is a title, so I wouldn't be Michael Hingson  17:50 surprised. Speaker 1  17:51 It should write itself, though. You think about Michael Hingson  17:53 it. Yeah, you you know, they they really should do that. It should write itself. Speaker 1  17:56 Someone told me once that they they they wanted to do a manual in my style, so they directed AI to write something in the style of Dan Gukan, and apparently AI can do that. So, am I going to get paid? I don't know. Michael Hingson  18:10 Well, that's another story, of course. Yeah, but still, it it is a it's a it's a great franchise. It's a great brand all the way around, and I know different people have written different different kinds of books like that, but still, the the fact is we need that in the world, and and I agree with you, especially that it's good to put humor and personality into it. And I really wish more people would do that. I really wish that would go into the the textbook world, but it hasn't yet. Speaker 1  18:37 No, that's that, and that's a different planet. I tried to break into that world, and that academia is is it's different. It is weird. Michael Hingson  18:44 Yeah, there are just not that many people who can get away with it like Richard Feynman did with some of the things that he did in physics, and even there, his his books were a little boring at times. But still, Speaker 1  18:56 he was awesome. His of course, his his autobiography is a lot of fun. Michael Hingson  19:00 Yeah, surely you're joking, mr. Fineman. Speaker 1  19:03 Exactly. Michael Hingson  19:04 Adventures of yeah, it is. I I keep it around. I've got an audio copy of it, and every so often I will go back and read parts of it. It's a it's a great book. Speaker 1  19:14 He's kind of an inspiration to me, especially in the area of government. And one of the parts of his book where he was on the panel that was reviewing textbooks for, I think, the state of California, and he noticed that one of the books was blank; it was empty, and he was the only one on the panel who did it. And I kind of echo that often in government because I'm occasionally the only person who actually reads some of the material they provide. Yeah, and and those kind of moments are classic. I love those. You know, when you can say, "Well, as everyone notices, you know, page 14 is blank, and they all madly flip to page 14, like, "Oh my gosh, how did you find this? Well, I, I did my job. I read the thing. Michael Hingson  19:54 I had a roommate in college, and we at that time we were using the Berkeley Physics series. I don't know. Whether that even still exists anymore, but different professors from Berkeley wrote various books, and the guy who wrote the book on waves, I had a roommate who was reading that book, and he searched vigorously to try to find a single misspelling of a word in the whole book. Wow! He finally found one. He said there really was one in the book. Kind of makes you wonder if that was deliberate, but but he actually found one. But it took him most of the quarter we had the book to find it. But but he did. Speaker 1  20:33 Excellent. Yeah, I got to say that's that's an art form. I used to work in a publishing house, and we would pore over books looking for spelling errors and mistakes and punctuation and all this stuff and of course you don't find them until the book's actually printed. Michael Hingson  20:46 Of course not. Yeah, yeah. Now it's it should be easier, but it's not, and they still don't come out until the book is already published and it's out there, and then you find out what isn't right. Speaker 1  20:58 Right. Michael Hingson  21:00 I suppose that gives the publisher an excuse to republish the book and make more money. Speaker 1  21:05 Well, yeah, it depends. It's if it is selling. If it doesn't sell, then obviously the the mistake's going to linger out there. Of course, with digital copies, they can update it right away, but not with a print book. Michael Hingson  21:17 Yeah, nowadays there's so many print books that are done pretty much on demand, so that if you want a copy, unless it's just something where they're selling literally millions a month, the book is available on demand. Although there's a little bit of a lag time to get it, my book Thunderdog, which is the story of Roselle and me in the World Trade Center, is is still selling pretty well, but it is more printed on demand by Thomas Nelson than now Harper Collins. Speaker 1  21:46 Yeah, Michael Hingson  21:47 and I understand that as long as it's available, I'm not going to complain. Speaker 1  21:51 And they and they they prefer to sell it that way as opposed to printing out 5000 copies they have to store somewhere. So Michael Hingson  21:56 right, yeah, they don't have to pay for storage and they just print it, and so it takes an extra week to get somewhere. That's fine. We can cope with that as long as it's available, and then that's all that really matters. Speaker 1  22:08 Yeah. Michael Hingson  22:09 But you've written a lot of books. How come so many? Because they're not all for dummies. Ah, okay. Speaker 1  22:16 Well, it just you know that was my profession, and that's what I did. And so, and I had a good agent who would find me a lot of work, so yeah, they would come up and they would want me to write a book on this or that, and a lot of it was because at the time in that industry I had a name and a reputation. I'm also very fast, so and that that kind of surprises people. In fact, there's some someone who accuses me of having a ghostwriter, which I do not. It's just I've been doing it so long, and you know, when I started, my agent said that he said the more you do this, the faster you'll get, the better you'll get. So, whereas in the original book, the first book I wrote took about six months to to write. I've written books in less than a month. It really depends. It depends on the topic, how well I know the topic, but also I do a lot of organizing with an outline, and so I will will work with an outline almost until it's down to the paragraph level, and then that makes it really easy to write the book, especially a technology book where there's a lot of cross references, and this sequence, you know, assuming someone's reading it front to back is really important, so you got to make sure that you touch upon things and do it in the right order. And then that's so yeah. I just got really good at it, which annoyed a lot of my fellow authors because as I was writing and I would get faster and faster, the contracts would start demanding the books in a more expedient manner, so other authors would complain to me and say, "You know, I have to write this book, and they're only giving me three months to do it. They're blaming me because I can do it in three months, and they figure everyone can do it in three months. So that was fun. Michael Hingson  23:54 Have you had books that someone asked you to write where you really didn't know much of anything about the subject, and you had to spend more time researching it, or you just spend time researching it, but you still did that very quickly. Speaker 1  24:06 Yeah, when I first started, that was pretty much the case. In fact, I talked with a guy who he had written the like the best-selling DBase three book. So DBase was a database way back in DOS, and it was the most popular database program, and he wrote the number one best-selling DBase three book that everyone who used that that program would buy, and he told me that he knew nothing about it when he signed the contract. So the the process of writing the book involved this intense deep dive into finding out what it is the program does, and then working on that. Of course, in those days, the books, the software came with a manual, so it was possible to go through the manual and see what the thing was capable of, and maybe get a few hints about that. But the books were not just a rephrase. The manual; they were a little bit better, the project oriented, whatever. So there was one one book that I did on a program called Super Card for the Macintosh, and it was the it was the there was no documentation, and I could call up the developer and I could ask him. So that was that was a tool I could use if I had access to the developer. I could call them up and I could say, "Okay, so I'm I'm doing this. What can you tell me that's like a secret or that is not obvious? And they love to share that stuff. Sure, I just write it all down, and then that that'll make the book better. If you could get through the the gatekeepers and get into where the nerds were, then you could get a lot of good information, and they were happy to share it. I did a few books on OS two that were like that, where I finally was able to escape into the lab and ask them. And the the guy they were so friendly, and they're like, "Oh, you got to tell him this, this, this, this. You know, we we couldn't put this in the manual. You have to tell him this, and so you write a great book. But of course, OS two, no one used it, so no one bought the book. Michael Hingson  26:05 Yeah, yeah, OS two was not one of those things that everybody loved. If Speaker 2  26:13 you enjoy Unstoppable Mindset and would like to help us continue bringing these conversations to you each week, we've created a way for you to support the show. Your contribution helps us cover production costs and continue sharing stories, insights, and ideas that inspire people to live with purpose and possibility. If supporting the podcast feels right for you, you'll find the link in the show notes. Thank you for being part of the unstoppable mindset community. Michael Hingson  26:46 I remember when I was a student at UC Irvine. I wasn't an information computer science major. I was physics major, but several people took ICS one, two, and three, which was a three quarter course, or well, it was a year course, and the the book they used was Introduction to Computer Programming by Ken Ingram. And what was fun about that was that on the first day of class, the professor would come in and he'd say, "Okay, I want you to read chapter one of information of introduction to computer programming by Ken Ingram. It's the textbook we're going to use. I want you to read that before our next class. And of course, most everyone had not touched the book prior to that. And what he didn't say was that that first chapter took up half the book. Speaker 1  27:40 I like it. Michael Hingson  27:43 Yeah, I know. Wasn't that? And I, I, I heard about it. I, I never did get the book, and I didn't get it transcribed into Braille. But I thought that was cute. Chapter one was half the book. Speaker 1  27:53 No one would have suspected chapter one's an easy chapter. It's four pages. Right, supposed to be right. I think it was like Michael Hingson  28:00 180 pages. It was amazing. Michael Hingson  28:03 I'm not sure whether Ingram had a sense of humor or what, but anyway, there you go. But yeah, that that was kind of kind of amazing. So you you wrote all these books and you continue to do that, but somewhere along the line, you got interested in doing things in politics. What was that all about? Speaker 1  28:25 Well, that was frustrating. Not Michael Hingson  28:28 bad, Speaker 1  28:29 because I. So I think a lot of people are kind of interested. They follow politics. If I call up my mom in San Diego, she has to complain to me about you know the mayor of San Diego and what the city council is doing and and it's it's common it's just I think I think the most most people who are active in in their community know a little bit about politics or whatever and in my case I had just moved from the county here near Courtland and then I'd moved into the city, and I had heard that there was someone was buying up properties in my neighborhood, and I thought that was curious, and I wanted to see if this was something that you know are they going to tear down houses? What are they going to do? So I started researching using the the county website to see who was own who owned these properties, and it was a place called the Lake City Development Corporation, and I thought, well, I need to find out what that is, and it turned out that was an urban renewal agency that was formed by the city of Cortland, and I started reading the statutes and I started reading their minutes and finding out what it is they do, and while on the surface it sounded really fun, there were a lot of curious things that I didn't like. A lot of non-transparent things, a lot of things where you know they're spending public money on what I thought were frivolous things, and so I started asking questions. I started coming to meetings, and they're missing. Was that they pushed back, and so I just something triggered me, and I had a red flag, and I just started going after it. We started, we formed a group of people who were all interested in this, and we would meet regularly and go over what was going on with the government. We'd find issues regarding transparency and spending, and lots of interesting stuff. Never really anything nefarious. Never anything that would. But just a lot of stuff that, as we let the public know about what was going on, they would become outraged and they would say, "Wait a second! They're spending millions of dollars on this, and you know, with property taxes so high, and what is this, and why is it affecting me? And and so I went to the city council meetings here in Portland, and I was frustrated because no one else seemed to get it. And I would look at them, and they would have some issue that would come up, and everyone on the council-there were six members on the council-they would all vote in unison, and no one had asked a question. And I would say, "Well, wait a second, why aren't they asking a question about this, or why aren't they concerned about this, or what about the side effects of this? And so I started writing articles for the paper. I eventually did videos and to speak to various groups and such because I was like, we got to hold government accountable. So I ran for office in ran for the city council in 2007, and I lost. And then I ran in 2009, and I lost, but only by like 29 votes. And then I was done at that point. I really didn't want to do it again because running for office is a pain. Michael Hingson  31:33 Yeah. And Speaker 1  31:34 then they had this huge thing where all of a sudden they were going to redo a park without a public vote, and I wanted a public vote. Lots of people wanted to vote on it, but no, they were going to do it, and they didn't care what the public thought. So they made me run. They made me run a third time, and I won. And I've been on the city council ever since. And then, of course, well, since last November when I got kicked up to the mayor seat, which is where I'm sitting Right now, strange journey. Michael Hingson  32:04 Well, yeah, but on the other hand, there is something to be said for transparency, and there's somebody something to be said for somebody who really wants to look out for what what people want and what people are doing. I I got involved. Well, I've not run for public office, but I've been very much involved in political kinds of things because I've been involved in the blindness world since early 1970s, and the National Federation of the Blind has had for well now, gosh, more than 50 years or around 50 years, what used to be called the March on Washington. Now it's called the Washington Seminar, which is a an event that takes place every year, where several 100 blind people descend on Washington and go off and visit legislators. And the idea is to really get them to understand what the needs of blind people are and try to get them to vote on issues that directly relate to issues concerning us, and sometimes they do. Although it's gotten a lot harder to get things passed, especially in the last eight or nine years. But still, that it it has to be done. But I remember, among other things, I was living in Massachusetts when I first started going, and among other things, we we went and saw the Speaker of the House, who was Tip O'Neill at the time, which was kind of fun. And what an interesting, what a charismatic guy! Didn't matter what party he was with; it was a charismatic guy. And we also visited people like Senator at the time Paul Songis, and what was interesting about him was we we talked about our issues, and it was the end of the day, and then suddenly he said, you know, I'm not going anywhere for the next few minutes. Do you guys have time? And we ended up just talking for about an hour and a half about his view of of and our views of what Massachusetts needed to do, not only for blind people but just in general, it was just fascinating. There weren't very many politicians who would do that. Speaker 1  34:08 That's awesome. Yeah, I liked him. I liked Tungus a lot. Michael Hingson  34:12 Yeah, I wish he'd been able to run for president, but he got cancer, and that's that's unfortunate. Yeah, but because I think that he's one of those people who would do what really needed to be done and do it the right way. Speaker 1  34:26 In other words, the people who never win. Yeah, that's unfortunately Michael Hingson  34:31 really the case, isn't it? Speaker 2  34:33 Yeah, Speaker 1  34:33 yeah. Michael Hingson  34:34 But but you got to do that. Speaker 1  34:36 Yeah. Michael Hingson  34:38 So you you know, but you you hopefully you'll make a big difference, and maybe you'll be able to get people to believe in climate change. Oh, did I say that Speaker 1  34:48 this year? Nah, Michael Hingson  34:53 not unless you predict snow when it actually comes. Speaker 1  34:56 That and that and that's the key. Yeah, Michael Hingson  34:59 yeah. No, I understand, but it but it is fascinating. I you know I I enjoy the concept of politics. I enjoy people who really have a vested interest in making government go well, but it is so unfortunate that we don't see that much of it, which is just too bad. Speaker 1  35:18 There are a lot of good dedicated people out there. I think so. Of course, the the problem is is you know, like they say, politics is sports for the uncoordinated, and it's drama for the ugly. But the the thing is, the people who really do a good job, who are out there doing what you want them to do, they don't get the headlines. It's the noisemakers. It's the extremists. It's the people who are going to have some obnoxious opinion because that that gets everyone's attention. You know, the the guy out there who's doing the job, who's putting in the time, representing the citizens, and making his community a better place. You know, you're never going to read that guy in the paper, unfortunately. Michael Hingson  35:59 Yeah, and that's also part of the problem: is that the media looks for all the drama rather than really looking to to represent the the average citizen and what they truly want and need. Speaker 1  36:10 So those don't the actual the things don't make headlines. In fact, it was a it was really funny. There was a guy who was elected to the state house from this county, and one of his campaign platforms, he was going to repeal all the useless laws, all the things that are still on the books. That you know, just we don't need those laws anymore. They're old. They're outdated, and he did that for about a week, and it doesn't make headlines. So here he is, you know, doing this, doing the job that you think they they would want to do and making government more effective, no one cared. I remember there was one year where we actually we cut property taxes here in the city, and I thought, wow, everyone's going to come up and say thank you. No, no one did. So it's like, what's the motivation? If you go, they say, I want you to be I want you to be my mayor and I want you to work to cut that budget and so you cut the budget and then no one says thank you. Michael Hingson  37:08 We got Tom Steyer here in California who wants to become governor and he's talking about all these things that he's going to do. He's going to get electric utility rates lowered by a significant amount. He's going to encourage and bring competition to the electric grid industry, and he talks about lowering housing costs by building a million homes and doing so many things. And every time I hear his campaign commercials, the thing that I keep asking myself is, haven't we learned anything? And no offense to Donald Trump, but Donald Trump made a lot of promises that we're not seeing. Steyer is making a lot of promises that he has yet to say how he's going to pull any of them off. Speaker 1  37:56 Oh yeah, and that's and that's the thing is you got to. There's so much. There's only so much you can do. But you can you when you campaign, they can say anything. Of course, I know they might as well just say free ice cream and ponies for everyone. Michael Hingson  38:07 Yeah, and and that's almost essentially what's happening. And I'm not saying that he'd be a bad governor. I I haven't researched him enough, but the commercials just don't do anything to make me thrilled because he's not saying how he's going to do any of it, and and that's what I really want to know. Speaker 1  38:25 Yeah, I didn't when I when I ran this campaign, I didn't really promise anything that was sexy at all. I said, you know, I'm going to work on a policy manual. I'm going to increase the amount of information and transparency, and it was like nothing that you want to put on a bumper sticker, but I still won. I mean, there were people who were in the race who were promising this and that, and they were going to do this and all this stuff, and somehow I eked it out. Michael Hingson  38:51 Why do you think you won? Speaker 1  38:52 Name recognition, Michael Hingson  38:54 okay, Speaker 1  38:55 and that's and that's pretty much that's a lot of what politics is is is just the the name recognition. You can win on that. I also do have a reputation. I mean, being on council for 14 years and being often called the lone voice of reason, like I said earlier, I'm the one who asked that obvious question. Yeah, and people are in the audience are going, "Well, thank you. Someone's finally asking what what they wanted to ask, and so there was there was that, and and I also, you know, I I do return my emails. I answer the phone calls. I make sure that I'm I'm available. So you know, and I think that that reputation kind of spread itself around that that I would be responsive. It didn't mean that I actually did anything because the you know the powers are really limited. So if someone wanted you know they want to put in a stop sign somewhere, I'll go visit them, and we'll look at the thing, and we'll look at the traffic data, and all this stuff. But there may not be a stop sign there. Still, I showed enough time that I paid attention to them, and I responded to them, and you know, we'll see what we can do. That's the best you can say. Michael Hingson  39:55 And if it didn't happen that there was a stop sign, but there was a good reason for it. I would suspect that you would be the kind of person who would say, "Here's why it didn't happen. Speaker 1  40:03 Right, exactly, and and to explain that for and a lot of people don't understand things like that because it's easy to get defensive with government because sometimes it can be so colossally stupid. Yeah, but but it's just as long as you have that explanation, and sometimes it's it's really it's refreshing because then they hear the answer and they're good with it, so we have a problem here with there's noise on the freeway because they're expanding the freeway, and a lot of people are upset, so they call city hall, but it's not our project; it's the state highway district. So you know, it's like I can do only what I can do, but it's still you know, if you're the only elected official who bothered to reply to them and told them, you know, I hear what you're saying. I'm going to do whatever we can. Sometimes that makes people happy. They may not be happy in the big picture, but at least they got a response. Michael Hingson  40:48 And when you discover something that's relevant, I'll bet you are the kind of person who would then initiate another letter saying, "Here's why it didn't work, or "Here's why it will work. Speaker 1  40:59 Right, and I do follow up. So I did. In that case, I wrote a letter to the governor and said, "You know, is there anything you can do? And then I forwarded the letter on to the person who had contacted me and said, "Okay, this is the best I can do. Let's let's see what he can do. So yeah, Speaker 1  41:14 yeah. Michael Hingson  41:15 I'm I'm curious. You mentioned that property taxes did get lowered once in Cordellane, but nothing. No one ever did anything with that. How come? Speaker 1  41:23 Well, no. It's just we we did. We we kept them. You got you got them lowered. Michael Hingson  41:27 But but why didn't anybody pay attention to that? Speaker 1  41:30 No. Well, see, I'm sure they paid attention to it. We are only one entity on your property tax bill, so there's there's a few. Ah, good Michael Hingson  41:39 point. Speaker 1  41:39 We might have been the the one who kept it down, but the other ones may have kept it up. And then there's all the the formula is really complex, and so it could be that you know their assess property assessment went up, a lot of other things that would have happened that would have affected it. But like I said, I mean we made a big to do about it, saying hey look we worked, we cut the budget. We kept it flat for all you guys, and then no one said anything. But you know that that's it's discouraging, but it doesn't discourage me from continuing to try because I'll always try. Michael Hingson  42:12 You can only do what you can do, but at least at least you're doing it. Yeah. Now, if you want to live in a state where the taxes are very interesting, move to New Jersey, yeah, where we lived, the the taxes every town, every city had its own property taxes. You could live on a street, yeah, you could live on a street where you had a property tax of some amount, and if you walked across to the other side of the street, the property tax would be twice what yours was because the border runs right down the middle of the street. Speaker 1  42:45 That's crazy. Michael Hingson  42:47 We thought it was. Yeah, we thought it was kind of interesting, but we fortunately never had too horrible of property taxes in Westfield. But still, we heard about some other places that had some some horrible property taxes, but you know it's it's what what you have. Speaker 1  43:07 Yep. Michael Hingson  43:08 So you were in the city council for 14 years. What made you decide that you were going to run for mayor? Because you had to do that. You had to make that decision. Speaker 1  43:17 Yeah, didn't want to. You know, wasn't on my on my dance card to like, oh, next step up is going to be mayor. It was more of there was frustration that I had because the the past couple of mayors, good men, good people, but I always wanted to do more. I mean, being on the council, it was frustrating because I wanted a little more leadership out of the center seat wasn't seeing that, and then I worked earlier last year. I called up a bunch of people to see if they'd be willing to do the job. You know, good strong community members who would be provide the leadership and had the name recognition required to do the job, and no one wanted to do it. So I was like, okay, well, I'll I'll see if I can do it. I still have two years left on my council term, so if I lost, I'd still be part of the process. But there ended up being four people in that race, so it was pretty crowded. Which to me, you know, if if you're running if you run unopposed, it's pretty much a sign that people kind of like the way things are going. They're not they're not upset with you. Generally, if you have one opponent, you're considered that you know oh well good you know I get to compete for for the job or someone else is unhappy. But if you have a lot of opponents, it generally means that the public isn't happy with what's going on and they want to see some change. So there were four people in the race. I won with like 38% of the vote, so that's wow, Michael Hingson  44:45 yeah. Well, but clearly you're different than a lot of people. For example, you're a member of the Kootenay County Republican Central Committee, and yeah, and they sued you for defamation. What was all that about? Speaker 1  44:59 Well. So we had an episode here where the first of all the local Republican Party decided that running partisan races wasn't enough; that they wanted to get involved with nonpartisan races. And in Idaho, a lot of the local offices are nonpartisan. So city council is nonpartisan, school districts are nonpartisan. You know, water district, highway district, all these smaller local offices, and we have a community college here called North Idaho College. And the Senate committee decided that they would start to what they call rating and vetting candidates to determine who was the most conservative. And while a lot of Republicans appreciate that and they want to know who the real conservative is. The central committee realized that it was a way for them to exercise political power, because when people would get their recommendations, that would be the person who would win. And so they got power mad, and in my opinion, they hijacked the trustees of our local community college, and pretty much almost ran the thing into a ground. It was the it's the only college a community college in the history of the country that's ever been put on probation for disaccreditation due to board governance. Normally, when you disaccredit a college, you're disaccrediting it because of financial reasons, or something else, but or academics. Never, never has it happened that the board has been so crazy that the the ACL ACCU whatever it is the accreditation agency for community colleges has said, "What we're gonna we're gonna pull away your credentials, and all your students will not be receiving college credit. So, I mean, what what this board did that was endorsed by the local Republican Party, the extremists on the party, they they fired the president for no reason. They they started running up the bills, increasing the athletics budget. The board meetings were just pure chaos. Employees would leave. The local high schools stopped their their co education programs. It was just crazy. Wow! And and a lot of people didn't really understand what was going on. So I did a YouTube channel called Kootenay Rants, and Kootenay is the name of our county. Michael Hingson  47:20 Kootenay, yeah. I said Kootenay. Sorry about that. Speaker 1  47:22 It's no, it's okay. It's it could be either way. Who knows? Up north, they do say Kootenai, so we don't know. But anyway, this really got under the skin of the central committee because I pinned the blame on what was going on at the college on them, which is was justified, and I would not make anything up. Instead, I would just put in highlights from the meetings and say, "Here's what's happening, and here's the crazy stuff. You know, trustees yelling at members of the audience, making fun of them. You know, interrupting people, saying just weird, strange things. I mean, it just-it was odd. It was so bizarre, and so it was easy for me to make these videos. My background is in communications, and I know video production, so I was able to put together these videos on a YouTube channel, and you know, hundreds of people in the county would start watching them, including the central committee that did not like that I was exposing what I consider to be their corruption and their the the fact that I think they were responsible for this and they didn't like that so they accused me of defamation basically mean tweets because I would tweet about them and their nonsense and it was like they they made a big to do out of it because I was running for re-election for city council, so they came to a city council meeting to serve me, and you know recorded it and put it up on the internet and all this other stuff that that was just crazy. But my insurance company fortunately decided to represent me, and they just they thought the the suit was without merit. They don't say frivolous. They say without merit. Without Michael Hingson  49:04 merit. No, yeah. Speaker 1  49:05 And so yeah. And so eventually, now the suit is over, and I figured I would either win in court or it would be dismissed. But the insurance company settled, and I it was against my wishes. I said no. I said don't settle with these people. But the insurance company did settle, and I made sure that, as part of the settlement, that they would not say that I agreed to it, or that I said I was wrong, or I apologized, or anything. No, the insurance company just didn't want to waste any more money, so they decided to settle. They wrote a check. I don't know what it cost the central committee. As a member of the central committee, it has never been reported to the committee how much money they spent on that? Because it's it's pretty much the the Republican Central Committee of Kootenay County is pretty much a tyranny run by one guy and a personality cult, and there are members of the committee. There are some good Republicans such as myself on the committee who do believe in transparency and limited government and all those Ronald Reagan things. But there are these extremists on there who are just nutballs, and so there's a group of us here called North Idaho Republicans who are working to counter their insanity. And we've done a good job, but we need to do more work, and that's the story of the KCRCC. And they sued me for defamation. Michael Hingson  50:21 That's kind of crazy, though. Nevertheless, Speaker 3  50:23 of course. Michael Hingson  50:24 And it's only kind Speaker 1  50:26 of that. I wasn't laying awake. I mean, occasionally someone would call me up and they would say, "So what's the case? What's the what's happening with a lawsuit? And I'd say, "Well, a lawsuit. I said, "Oh yeah, that's right. They're suing me. I mean, it was never really. I was never obligated for it. Michael Hingson  50:39 Yeah. Well, so just out of curiosity, since the Republicans were doing this, where were the Democrats in all of that? Speaker 1  50:47 Well, we don't really have a lot of Democrats. That's Michael Hingson  50:49 what I was wondering. Yeah, Speaker 1  50:51 and so and and I always used to joke. I would say that the the Democrats, the Kootenai County Democrats, are looking for a new meeting location, and if anyone has a spare closet, got it. You let them know. No, they're they're all they're all very nice people. Michael Hingson  51:05 Yeah, Speaker 1  51:05 but they're they are in an extreme minority, and unfortunately, they they do try. So last time they had a body for every seat up for election, but they don't really come close. And it's a lot of it comes down to name recognition, but you also have a lot of red blue state refugees who come here. You have a lot of COVID refugees who came here, and so Idaho is very red. Kootenay County is very red, and it would take a tremendous amount of effort to to have a Democrat win here. We do have Democrats in the legislature, not a lot, but we do have them, and the the National Democratic Party is unwilling to spend a lot of money here because they know they're going to lose. So that's what I hear from them. But they are they are generally nice people. I mean, like you said, you if you wanted to vote for me here and you're a Democrat, I'd happily accept the vote. It's a nonpartisan position. We don't deal with those big divisive issues that you know that you you see on the news. Yeah, we're pretty much community-minded people, and I appreciate anyone who is. I do fight the KCRCC because I don't see them as community-minded, and that's one of the issues. Michael Hingson  52:18 Yeah. Well, it's it's unfortunate that that people are that way, but I I see it all too often in so many different ways. I mean, we face it with even in the blindness world with so many things where there ought to be major improvements and there ought to be defenses of the civil rights of blind people. For example, some of the rideshare programs don't do a lot to train their drivers about the fact that in reality they're obligated to take blind people with guide dogs, and oh, there's there is a fair amount of that, and it's and and the companies aren't willing to do anything about it, and we have to keep fighting it, which is just too bad. But there's just so many stuff, and there are so many people who just have these hidden agendas, or they just what it really comes down to is we don't want anybody telling us what to do, Speaker 1  53:09 right? Michael Hingson  53:11 And that's what it really comes down to. So, do you find that that religion gets into any of it at all, like with the conservative Christian movement or any of that, Speaker 1  53:24 there well, there's I do not like the politicization of the church. Michael Hingson  53:29 Yeah, Speaker 1  53:30 my favorite quote on that is that politics poisons the purity of the church. So I think we should keep the separation of church and state as much as possible, but there are you know politically motivated, politically active pastors, and I just I I think that's that's not the proper role of religion. I know that that there's kind of a battle going on in the far right about you know how much religion or how much that should should should be involved in politics in the public arena. In fact, there's a little across from the Costco up here. There is a little yard sign in front of some business that says "Vote Bible, and I always think that's kind of. I mean, I understand what the sentiment is, and I would always want to think that the people who we elect are good moral people. You know, Adam said that our Constitution is best suited for a moral people. I don't believe that means that there's morality in the Constitution. I believe there's morality in people, Michael Hingson  54:32 right? Speaker 1  54:33 And we do want people who have good ethics and good morals in public office, and it's very obvious when that doesn't happen. But I do not think. I think the purpose of our Constitution and the First Amendment is to ensure that we all have the the right to enjoy whatever religion we want, and we don't want to pick favorites. And so, what I see with a lot of these people is that they want to pick a favorite. Michael Hingson  54:55 Yeah, Speaker 1  54:56 they they not only want to pick the first religion, but they want. Everyone to go to the same church and the same service and sit in the same pew. Yeah, and that's not going to happen in any church. It's not going to happen in any denomination of any church. And then, and see, that's the other question: is if you know if you're going to insist that this is a Christian nation, it's like okay, but which denomination is it? Catholic? Is it Protestant? Is it Mormon? I mean, I you know you tell me because it's just going to be this incredible knot of worms, which is why I think the genius of the founders was that you know the the clause about religion is is two things: it gives you the freedom to exercise your own religion, and it also restricts the government from declaring that there's a religion. Yeah, and I think the far right kind of misses that when they when they take the message of we like moral people in office, but to dictate the morals to someone else is wrong. Michael Hingson  55:52 You know, I and it was Tolstoy who once said the biggest problem with Christianity is that people don't practice it, and I I see that so often. It's it is so unfortunate, but it is Speaker 1  56:03 there. Yeah. So that is a tough one. Michael Hingson  56:07 So if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be? I'd Speaker 1  56:12 get rid of the internet in a heartbeat. Specifically, social media. I think the the problem with social media is it amplifies our immaturities, and that is a huge issue. the The solution to that is to make the the publishers responsible for the content. So, in other words, Facebook could be sued for anything that someone puts on Facebook, and that would terrify Facebook, but it would terrify them to the point that they would actually regulate themselves and and start dialing back. I mean, I can say 20 years ago or so, when I whenever I was first on Facebook, I would go on there and I would see my kids, and they'd be playing a ball game or they'd be over at a friend's house. You'd see birthdays, vacations. It was just kind of like it was a social thing. You go on there now, and it's politics, and it's like this person deserved to be shot, and it's just-it's so-it's so extreme, and it's so rude. And you know, some of the stuff they said about me is not very nice, but I think that if we're going to solve one problem in the world, we really need to dial back all the animosity that's on the inter

Ever seen a profane or bold bumper sticker and wondered if it could get you pulled over? This episode of Lawyer Talk looks into the legal details behind motorists' free speech rights, breaking down what the law really says about offensive language on your car.Setting the SceneA recent viral video showed a driver getting stopped because their bumper sticker said, "I eat ass." This sparked a deeper discussion about whether displaying provocative, crass, or lewd language on a car can legally justify a police stop 00:31.Legal BackgroundThe U.S. Supreme Court has not directly addressed this issue, but state courts have. For instance, Georgia's Supreme Court dealt with a case where a driver was twice arrested for having a "shit happens" sticker. The law prohibiting such language was challenged as unconstitutionally vague and overbroad 02:00.Vagueness and OverbreadthHere are the requirements for a law to pass constitutional muster:Vague: If an ordinary person can't discern what's prohibited, the law is unconstitutional 04:46.Overbroad: If a law prohibits too much protected speech, not just the targeted conduct, it is also unconstitutional 05:17.Georgia's Supreme Court ultimately found that prohibiting "profane or lewd" words on bumper stickers was unconstitutional, affirming that even provocative language in public is protected speech unless it targets a specific person or group 05:58.Relevant Supreme Court CasesLet's look at past U.S. Supreme Court cases such as:Cohen v. California: A conviction for wearing a jacket that said "F the draft" was overturned, with the Court famously stating, “one man's vulgarity is another man's lyric” 06:31.Tinker v. Des Moines: Reinforcing that expression, even in provocative forms, is generally protected unless it causes substantial disruption 06:42.Fourth Amendment ImplicationsSo, does a traffic stop for an offensive sticker violate the Fourth Amendment? Major takeaways:Stopping someone solely for protected speech is not enough justification under the Fourth Amendment 08:14.Intrusions like car stops require specific legal grounds, not merely the officer's offense at the language or message displayed 08:31.Displaying even an outrageous bumper sticker is generally protected under the First Amendment. Police cannot constitutionally stop your car just because they're offended by your message or language 08:40.Frequently Asked QuestionsCan police legally pull over a car for having an offensive bumper sticker?Generally, no. The courts have found that displaying profane or lewd words alone is protected expression under the First Amendment 06:10.What does it mean if a law is “vague” or “overbroad” regarding speech?“Vague” means people can't tell what's prohibited. “Overbroad” means the law bans protected, as well as unprotected, speech 04:46.Is there a Supreme Court case about bumper stickers and free speech?The U.S. Supreme Court hasn't ruled directly on bumper stickers, but Cohen v. California set a precedent protecting offensive language 06:31.Does the First Amendment protect all forms of speech on vehicles?Most non-threatening, non-targeted profane or lewd language is protected, but context and how it's displayed might matter.Can state laws ban specific words on bumper stickers?If the law is too vague or broad and bans constitutionally protected speech, courts can and have struck it down, as in Georgia's Cunningham case 05:49.Submit your questions to www.lawyertalkpodcast.com.Recorded at Channel 511.Stephen E. Palmer, Esq. has been practicing criminal defense almost exclusively since 1995. He has represented people in federal, state, and local courts in Ohio and elsewhere.Though he focuses on all areas of criminal defense, he particularly enjoys complex cases in state and federal courts.He has unique experience handling and assembling top defense teams of attorneys and experts in cases involving allegations of child abuse (false sexual allegations, false physical abuse allegations), complex scientific cases involving allegations of DUI and vehicular homicide cases with blood alcohol tests, and any other criminal cases that demand jury trial experience.Steve has unique experience handling numerous high publicity cases that have garnered national attention.For more information about Steve and his law firm, visit Palmer Legal Defense. Copyright 2026 Stephen E. Palmer - Attorney At LawMentioned in this episode:Circle 270 Media Podcast ConsultantsCircle 270 Media® is a podcast consulting firm based in Columbus, Ohio, specializing in helping businesses develop, launch, and optimize podcasts as part of their marketing strategy. The firm emphasizes the importance of storytelling through podcasting to differentiate businesses and engage with their audiences effectively. www.circle270media.com

Keith explores how investors can build legacy wealth by owning productive teak timber and the land beneath it in Panama.  Mike Cobb, an international real estate developer with over 30 years of experience, explains why Panama's legal framework, economic stability, and U.S. dollar economy make it a compelling destination for first-time offshore investors.  They discuss the long-term return profile of teak, its resilience as a hard asset, and common mistakes to avoid when investing internationally, along with how a sawmill and vertical integration can enhance returns.  This discussion highlights how the strategy can diversify both geography and asset type while also opening doors to potential residency options abroad. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/615 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  FAMILY to 66866  Unlock truly passive real estate income—visit flockhomes.com/GRE today to see if your properties qualify for a 721 exchange with Flock Homes. To get in the best physical, mental, and professional shape of your life, go to DanielThomasHind.com and apply for Daniel's intensive 1-on-1 coaching for burnt-out entrepreneurs and executives. Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com  Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   Welcome to GRE. I'm your host Keith Weinhold, talking about a legacy investment. You can profit from this real asset long term, and so can your heirs. It's real estate, but not housing. It's a diverse and more primitive use type. Today on Get Rich Education, you know. Mid South Homebuyers, that top Memphis turnkey provider. I learned that a secret weapon behind their explosive growth is more than just you buying their properties. It's an executive coach. For nine years now, their CEO Terry Kerr and his COO Pat Mix have worked privately with a coach who I've now learned from too, and he doesn't market himself online anywhere. After 12 years behind the scenes, that coach is now making himself available exclusively for GRE listeners. His name is Daniel Thomas Hind. If you're a hard-charging business owner or investor who wants to get in the best shape of your life, physically, mentally, and professionally, you can fill out an application for a free consult. This is private one-on-one coaching for those willing to go to uncommon lengths to achieve uncommon results. Thanks to Daniel, we've all become better leaders, better operators, and better men. It started by showing up for ourselves. Now it's your turn. Go to DanielThomashind.com. H-I-N-D. That's DanielThomashind.com, and sign up before spots fill.   Keith Weinhold  1:35   What if you got your mortgage loans the same place I get mine? You sure can at Ridge Lending Group NMLS 42056. They provided GRE listeners with more loans than anyone because Ridge specializes in investment property. They'll help you build a long-term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequal and even chat directly with President Caeli Ridge while it's on your mind. Start at ridgelendinggroup.com. That's ridgelendinggroup.com.   Speaker 1  2:08   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is Get Rich Education.   Keith Weinhold  2:24   Welcome to GRE from Cherokee, North Carolina, to Cherokee, Panama, and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. Welcome back to another Wealth Building Week. You are inside Get Rich Education, where financially free beats debt free. Today we're talking about a specific investment that is not residential real estate. In fact, it's a more primordial real estate type that predates housing. So therefore, it is lucid and intelligible. It's easy to understand. Sort of the opposite of more arcane investment like AI data centers or crypto mining. At a basic level, this makes it easy to understand, and there aren't any tenants to manage. It also does not pay you as often as monthly, though as you'll learn, there is income and appreciation is expected too. Now, if you invest outside your home country, you're probably going to want to be diligent and select a politically stable nation that also has an operator based in that region with a fantastic track record. It helps if they're close to the U.S. This small nation is close to the U.S. in both geographic proximity and economically. Their currency is even the U.S. dollar. They even share an electrical system with the U.S. with the same outlets and voltages. As you might be guessing, where I'm talking about, this nation also has a consumer culture somewhat similar to the U.S. with American restaurants and retailers and brands in our real estate world. What we find more important is how, like the U.S. this nation is a constitutional presidential republic, and both nations have these separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches, the three branches and elected presidents, in these competitive multi-party elections, and both America and this place have market-oriented economies that emphasize private property and private enterprise, banking and financial services, international commerce, logistics, ports, and aviation.   Keith Weinhold  4:49   Today, we're talking about the opportunity for you to own productive timber and the land beneath it, teak hardwood trees in Panama, a quarter-acre parcel. At a time with your name on the deed, that direct ownership is known as fee simple ownership. I have directly invested in Panama for about 11 years myself. Now, though teak might be able to survive in a climate like Hawaii, mere survival is not enough in the U.S. It is difficult to impossible to find anywhere that grows productive plantation teak. Here in the late 2020s decade, we've had bouts of El Nino or La Nina a lot of places in the world, and that has severely weakened some crop types. Other providers of different agricultural investments are failing, but not this teak. They're resilient, and we'll get into the physical properties of the teak. I'm going to ask today's distinguished guest about that. He and his business partners planted some select timber 27 years ago, and they've been offering teak hardware parcels to investors for that long, 27 years, and for about the last 10 years to GRE investors. Hundreds of you are participating now, but I'm going to wait to ask more about the physical teak product itself until later, because what's more important are the investment environment and the strength of the operator. So learn more about this and what the projected investment returns are, and just how much exactly does a quarter-acre parcel of teak cost? If you so choose, owning teak parcels also gives you the option of residency status in Panama, and you only need to spend two days there every two years in part of maintaining that status, they offer investor in-person tours of the teak plantations too because they're proud of what they do there. I expect a fascinating discussion with Mike, the teak company co-founder and CEO. This week's guest has become a friend since I met him about 10 years ago. He co-founded and is CEO of an international real estate development company. He's got active projects throughout Central America. He's been doing it for more than 30 years, so he's not a tinkerer and not trying out project concepts.   Keith Weinhold  7:26   And at this point, he's helped thousands of North Americans diversify their portfolios through international real estate ownership and residency planning, and even lifestyle investing. And if you've ever attended an investment conference on something like global diversification. You might have seen him speak there because he's such a frequent, recognized speaker and voice, and he's authored multiple books on real estate, financial freedom, expat living, and just unlocking a better lifestyle. Hey, welcome back onto the show, Mike Cobb.   Mike Cobb  7:59   Oh Keith, nice to be with you. And you're right. 10 years, we've enjoyed one another's company at many conferences. It's always great to be back with you virtually. I look forward to seeing you again personally one of these days as well. And yeah, thank you for the very kind words on the intro.   Keith Weinhold  8:14   Yeah, if I'm teetering on whether or not to attend a conference, I ask myself, is Mike going to be there? That's right.   Mike Cobb  8:20   We'll hang out,   Keith Weinhold  8:22   100% And you know, Mike, he's also an avid reader of GRE's "Don't Quit Your Daydream" newsletter. So then, clearly, he's even smarter than you've ever thought. You heard him on the show before, so you knew he was smart, but now he's even smarter than you ever knew since he's a reader. Tell us what you like about the newsletter.   Mike Cobb  8:40   You know, Keith. I gotta say, every issue that comes in, I read it. By the way, today's issue said read before Thursday, so you give me a couple days tomorrow at least to read it. Anyway, no, you know what? You are so powerfully succinct. The charts that you put in are wonderful. You were a geographer major, and and so spatial things are important. I also recognize. I love the charts. I love the graphs, and I hate to even say I love sort of the I hate to call it the trivial information, but you know enough data points that seem trivial when you put a theory around them actually become meaningful. And what you are able to do is you're able to connect dots that most people don't connect. That's the hallmark of genius, and I think you are a genius, by the way. And I think your newsletter shows that. And so, thanks for putting it out. Your readers are very, very fortunate to have you there, giving them the kinds of information that are super relevant in the marketplace at one level and on a specific level. But even more important, creating the theoretical constructs that allow them to understand the why of something's happening because you know if you understand the why of something you know it makes a lot more sense first of all but it also allows us to maybe forecast the next what coming down the pike and if we can be on the front edge of something or you know being able to look over the hill or around the bend that's. Powerful in the marketplace, and and you bring that power to your readers. Well done, man.   Keith Weinhold  10:04   Thanks. Yeah, it's not just what; it's why this matters. And that was an incredibly kind thing to say. I write every word of the letter myself, and you, the listener, you can get the letter free now@greletter.com I send it about weekly, and Mike, I know that U.S. investors, including some Get Rich Education followers, they've been increasingly looking offshore for one thing many perceive the political risk has palpably higher than it was a few years ago. So, just broadly, tell us more about what North American investors seem to be looking for.   Mike Cobb  10:42   Sure, I summed it up earlier today. I was talking with a conference organizer, and he was really giving me the hard sell on why I should come to his conference. And it's probably not a good fit. But I heard myself say it for the first time. What we really help folks do in certain spheres, but maybe in this sphere, is help people get a good night's sleep, you know, peace of mind, right? And when you've got the political turmoil, you wrote an article or a newsletter a couple weeks ago, and it was about inflation, the kinds of things that were happening, and it was so spot on. And I think your readers, and not just your readers, but people who are tuned into what's really happening from a political standpoint, a financial standpoint. There is no way you can print this much money. There's no way you can have these kinds of things going on all the time that create a huge run-up of debt, right? And it's not even the debt; it's the implications of the debt. What's going to happen next? How's this thing going to unwind, right? And so when you have all of this stuff going on. You have people who are really, really worried about their future. It's a financial future. I say there are two train wrecks. There's a train wreck of debt, which is what I just talked about, and there's a train wreck of freedom. And that train wreck of freedom is really, in some ways, a result of the train wreck of debt. But when you've got a train wreck or two train wrecks happening, we really have three choices. We can ride it out, right? Take the ride and go for the crash, right? We can do something about it, but we really have to do something about it before. I'm going to mix a metaphor here, but if you know a hurricane's coming in three or four days, you don't wait till the wind's blowing 150 miles an hour to put up the plywood, right? You get out there while the sun's still shining. You put up the plywood, and then when the hurricane hits, like you got plywood over the windows, and you can ride out the storm. And this is where I think so many people are today. They're recognizing this hurricane is coming. The problem is, is that I don't think people always know where to go get plywood, right? What do I do? How do I protect myself and my assets, right?   Mike Cobb  12:38   And what this conversation right here is about is here's one kind of plywood you can put up on your window and the diversification overseas the diversification internationally into a hard asset that is not really inflation proof because I'm not sure there is such a thing but largely inflation proof or a big a great hedge against inflation real stuff hard assets real estate timber commodity right this is. what so many people are now looking at, and then the other piece of it is you can layer in a residency, which starts to give you that political plan B. You've got an economic plan B, kind of the hedge against inflation, but you've got this residency component that gives you sort of a hedge against the political uncertainty, and 1000s of folks have moved in this direction. Several 100, I think it's about 600 folks now, have picked up the residency as part of their timber investment as well. So a lot of different things going on, but I think they do circle all the way back to this train wreck of debt and a train wreck of freedom, the political divisiveness kind of what's happening.   Keith Weinhold  13:40   Now, what if someone hasn't invested in a hard asset overseas before, Mike? I'm thinking some people might come ask you. You know, why would I do this? For example, I live in the United States, where we have a rule of law and stable, mature markets and high property ownership rights. So, why should I look to diversify internationally with hard assets,   Mike Cobb  14:01   yeah, I think there's a general answer, and then maybe a couple specific answers. Generally, you know, I would never bet against the U.S. the U.S. economy. We're the largest economy in the world. I would never bet against it, right? But I think that for prudence, we would all want to have at least another basket for a few of our eggs: 5% 10% 20% Pick. Pick a number that's comfortable, but have some of your investable net worth outside your home country. Like that's just prudent, right? Why would you have everything all in one basket? And so we see that as a general answer. Specifically, a country like Panama, where we do have artique plantations, they have public title escritora publica. It's fee simple title, but in the civil law, so it's called escritora publica. The rule of law is strong in Panama. And then the other thing about Panama that I absolutely love is you have the canal, and the canal provides both economic stability and political stability. On the economic side, it generates just. Under $5 billion a year of cash flow, year in year out, right? So just it's like an ATM machine for a country with a population of about 4 million people. Do the math on that; like that's a huge amount of money on a per capita basis, right?   Keith Weinhold  15:13   Narrow water passages have really been newsworthy for a long time now, too.   Mike Cobb  15:16   Well, they have, and just like the Strait of Hormuz, right? You know, people sometimes go. I hear it said, "Oh, the canal is a vital strategic U.S. interest. That is absolutely 100% correct. But if you're a country that produces any goods that ship, or you're a country that receives any goods by ship, that canal is a strategic interest to you, and by definition, that's every country in the world. Every country in the world wants that canal open and transiting, right? Because everybody either produces or receives or both, right? And so you've got the political stability element as well as the economic stability element. You've got the rule of law. Panama is a great, great place for that person who you mentioned who's never done an overseas investment, never gone offshore, right? What's an easy place to start? What's one of the safest places to start is Panama, and it's in this hemisphere too, so it's close. I mean, you can get there for three hours from Miami, three and a half hours from Houston. Flights all over to U.S. Canada. It's easy. So I think a lot of folks see Panama as a very, very easy way to make that first step overseas.   Keith Weinhold  16:25   I happen to know that you just flew in from Panama. You're in the United States today, but you're constantly going to Central America. You span time zones more often than almost anyone I know. You mentioned fee simple ownership in there. For those that don't know, I think of that as direct ownership, where you don't have some weird administrative government layer in there that can dilute your hard asset.   Mike Cobb  16:47   Right, you can own it in your own name, you can own it in a corporation, so it's easy to own it. But yeah, no layering, right? By the way, the Constitution treats owners who are Panamanian the same exact ways it treats all foreign owners, and actually, we do business all over Central America. The one thing that we look for is a a legal regime that protects foreigners and foreign investors the same as it does domestic. Panama does that.   Keith Weinhold  17:12   Yeah, so investing in hard asset in Panama is a bit like investing internationally with training wheels on, due to its close relationship with the United States bolstered by the Panama Canal, but yet if someone hasn't invested internationally first, there are still a few mistakes to avoid. Maybe things that one isn't aware of. Can you tell us more about that?    Mike Cobb  17:33   The biggest danger people have when they make their first foreign investment is what I call margarita madness, right? And a lot of times it happens. You're on vacation in Cancun. You're having the time of your life. You're you just went parasailing, whatever. You're walking down the beach, and some developer says, "Hey, come on up here and take a look at my condo project. You know, and we'll buy you dinner at Senior Frogs tonight. We'll give you a coupon or whatever, right?   Keith Weinhold  17:55   Right.   Mike Cobb  17:55   And a lot of people do that, and then later that night, that's Senior Frogs. They're celebrating the condo they just bought, right? I mean, it's not how we transact real estate in the U.S. and Canada. There's a due diligence process. There's a due diligence period. It takes weeks or months to transact on a property, not hours, right? And so the single biggest mistake is that, and the way that we really can resolve it. I mean, my book is all about this. In fact, you have a copy, and I think you've helped some of your your readers and listeners get copies as well. It's called "How to Buy Your Home Overseas and Get It Right the First Time, and it really boils down to three simple principles: buy what you see. Is it there? Right. Own community. Right. Make sure it's in a place where you have people around. Right? Because there are a lot of ghost towns out there, and then know the developer. Do your due diligence on the developer himself, right? So you've got these three principles, and if you follow those three principles, you could do a lot better. But I actually think there's even a better way, and it has to do with character. It has to do with us, and you know when we move to the developing world, anywhere outside of you know North America, Northern Europe, maybe Australia, New Zealand, right? We're moving from the land of seller beware, right? Think lemon laws, think Ralph Nader, think advocacy groups, you know, lots of laws and regulations that control the seller, to the world of buyer beware, where none of those laws exist, and so now you're on your own. And because we've been living and transacting our whole lives in a seller beware environment, in a bubble of protection, we're protected by the government, right? We think we are. We'll just say that anyway. But we're protected. We're in a bubble, and we move to the land of buyer beware.   Mike Cobb  19:38   The problem is we don't really know how to transact. We don't know the right questions to ask, and our single biggest advantage, our single biggest attribute or asset that we have, is actually humility, because we don't know what we don't know, and we have to forget what we think we know. Assumptions, right? We can't bring assumptions with us that hold true. Some do some. Don't right. If we approach a transaction overseas with humility, there are no dumb questions. I'm going to ask every question I can think of. I'm going to do as much research as I can within a limited period of time. I'm not going to not analysis to paralysis forever. I'm going to say, look, I'm going to spend the next 30 days. I'm going to do a ton of due diligence, and at the end of 30 days, if I like what I say, I'm going to transact, right? So you're you're not getting the deer in the headlights never to do something, right? But you know, several weeks, maybe a month or two, depending on what it is you're doing, is enough time to do really, really good due diligence. Ask all the questions you can think of, but approach it with humility. And when we do those things, we transact so much, so much better than if we just rush into it with Margarita Madness.   Keith Weinhold  20:44   Right? People get caught up in those emotions with Margarita Madness and end up with a timeshare that they can't get rid of, or something like that. You said something so interesting there, Mike. When you move from the developed world to the developing world, you move from a seller beware world, like with some of the things you have to be aware of, and like you need to give disclosures and such into a buyer beware world. I hadn't thought of it that way before.   Mike Cobb  21:08   Yeah, and really, a lot of my book and a lot of the presentations that I've given, you've seen me give over the years, really deal with what I call a change in thought process. Because mostly in presentations, right? My goal in a presentation is to help somebody change how they think, to take away the bubble and understand that they're on their own, right? It's not really their own. They have you, they have me, they have other resources, right? But they don't have this bubble of government or regulations or laws out there protecting them anymore. Now it's the individual, and as an individual, I don't want to be rugged individual. I want to find other people that can help me, right? But I have to do that as opposed to it's just there for me, right? So if I can help people change how they think, they will transact so much better. They'll make better investments. They'll make investments that work for them in ways that they want them to work for them, right? They'll achieve the goal or the dream in a much, much, much higher percentage of the cases,   Keith Weinhold  22:04   we're talking about investing antique tree hardwood plantations, principally in Panama, like you mentioned, and we're talking about one mindset about crossing borders with our investing, and another is oftentimes, at least for GRE listeners, we're crossing asset use type because we're so used to residential rental housing. So when you cross into agriculture or forestry, I guess as it is with teak, what are some of the bridges to cross there as we change use type?    Mike Cobb  22:35   The reason I love timber generally and teak specifically in Panama in this case is that most people, most people, and I hope that many of your readers aren't most people. Most investors look at 20-five years and they simply say themselves, "No way, no way. And I love that because right now teak timber is being cut down 10 to 12 times faster than anyone is replanting it. And the reason people don't replant it is because most average investors come along and say, "Oh, it's 25 years. I can't wait 25 years. Well, you know what? Good, because the folks who do decide to move ahead and plant the teak, what that means is the price of teak is very highly likely to continue to increase in value far beyond inflation. Teak wholesale teak prices have gone up five and a half percent a year on average for the last 50-three years. I think that number is going to increase largely because there's this huge psychological barrier. People think, "Oh, 20-five years, but back in 1990-eight I bought 100-acre cattle pasture in Panama, and we had a professional forestry company plant it and maintain it for the last now 27 years, and two two and a half years ago, we started building a sawmill. Our sawmill is up and running. In fact, was just down there and brought back one of our first retail products. We're producing lumber. Our first container of lumber is headed out to a distributor in Colorado next week.   Keith Weinhold  23:56   Mike's holding up a nice cutting board for those in the audience.   Mike Cobb  24:00   Nice cutting board. We're setting up an e-commerce site. We're going business to consumer with cutting board, bath mat, shelving, tables, chairs. We have our whole production facility ramping up with new retail products. So the bottom line is, is yeah, man, it does take 25 years. You know.   Keith Weinhold  24:15   The lantation to harvest cycle. That's the 25 year span you're talking about here. The patience it takes for an investor.   Mike Cobb  24:21   Thank you. Yes, absolutely. And then, as we cut down this mature plantation that we we are now harvesting right now, it gets replanted, and the next 25 year harvest. I'm 61 Maybe I'll make 86 I don't know. Maybe not. Right. But my kids probably will, and they'll get the big harvest in 25 years, and then it'll replant, and maybe they'll get a next one, or maybe it'll be the grandkids, right? And so what we found savvy investors, people who are really not your average bear, right? And they think to themselves, how can I create generational wealth stewardship? I have enough money coming in. I mean, Keith, that the I mean, you can own teak for 10 grand. You can. Own a quarter acre of teak. You own the land. You own the trees. 10 grand, like it's 9000 something or other, but 10 grand, right? I mean, the bottom line is it's such an affordable, easy investment, right? And it turns into well over $100,000 in today's numbers. Who knows what inflation? But in today's numbers, buying power, you know, 10,000 turns into 100,000 right? Over 20-five years, and so most people who do this recognize the fact that they might get the first harvest, but it's their kids, their grandkids, their great grandkids who are going to get this harvest every 20-five years thereafter. And so the 20-five year thing becomes a wonderful thing, not a bad thing. Right, it keeps many people out, which keeps the price of teak high and growing, which we like. But it also creates this cash flow period. People go, "Oh, it doesn't cash flow. I'm like, "Absolutely, it does. It cash flows phenomenally four times a century. Like you have an internal rate of return of almost 11% 10 point something, right? You have an internal rate of return of 11% and it cash flows four times a century. This is a phenomenal cash flow investment. You might get to see the first one or the second one, but you're probably not seeing three or four. But somebody else in your lineage, your family, your heirs will see it, and they will all be so happy you made that decision to own teak.   Keith Weinhold  26:22   We're talking about the ability for you to own teak parcels and the land beneath it, title in your own name, one quarter of an acre at a time. We're going to talk more about that with Mike when we come back. You're listening to Get Rich Education. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. Flock Homes helps you retire from real estate and landlording, whether it's one problem property or your whole portfolio, through a 721 exchange, deferring your capital gains tax and depreciation recapture. It's a strategy long used by the ultra wealthy. Now mom and pop landlords can 721 their residential real estate. Request your initial valuation. See if your properties qualify at flockhomes.com/gre. That's flockehomes.com/gre.   Keith Weinhold  27:09   Let me ask you something: If you've worked hard to build wealth, is your money positioned to actually support your goals? A lot of accredited investors leave capital sitting in cash because it feels safe, but inflation and missed income opportunities can quietly erode its value. Freedom Family Investments offers freedom notes for investors seeking structured income backed by real estate. It's a straightforward approach built on real assets, not speculation. And full disclosure, I'm an investor myself. What I like is that their team walks you through how it all works, so you can decide if it aligns with your portfolio and income goals. Every investment carries risk, and nothing is guaranteed. But with a track record of consistent, on-time investor payouts, they built real credibility. Go to freedomfamilyinvestments.com to book a clarity call or text family to 66866 That's family to 66866.   Ken McElroy  28:12   This is Rich Dad advisor Ken McElroy. Listen to Get Rich Education with Keith Weinhold and don't quit your daydream.   Keith Weinhold  28:29   Welcome back to Get Rich Education. We're talking about international investing with teak tree plantations. This isn't something experimental. We're not talking about a tinkerer here. You have to be more careful when you go overseas, and we're talking about with the owner of an international company that's been doing this for 30 years, providing international investments. But the teak tree plantation, I think, began in 1998 or 1999 Is that right?   Mike Cobb  28:56   Yeah, 98 was the purchase of the property, and in the rainy season of 99 we planted the first 100 acres. Yep.   Keith Weinhold  29:03   Yeah. Well, talk to us more about that because you talked to us about how historically teak appreciates at about 5% per year. Tell us about how we get to that 11% internal rate of return.   Mike Cobb  29:15   Yeah. Sure. I mean, so two things. One, you've got the five and a half percent a year kind of calculated out over a very long period of time, 50-three years. So that's a pretty good statistical baseline. And then the fact that your trees actually physically grow, right? I mean, back in 2008 my joke is from 2008 to 2012 While the rest of us in real estate were hating life, my trees just simply kept growing, right? They just kept growing. And so what you start off with is about 100 maybe 110, I think, trees on a quarter acre, and in the end, after all the thinnings, you end up with somewhere between 22 and 25 trees per quarter acre, and each of those trees produces about 1.2 to 1.6 cubic meters of timber. For lumber, by the way, one of the things that we are working on, and you know, look at the end of the day, you had a walk, jog, run, right? And we're in the walk stage right now, but we're harvesting out all of the other elements of the teak tree. Your lumber piece, that just you know, sell it as boards, you know, one by fours, one by sixes, one by eights, whatever it is. Ship that stuff off. That's your 1.2 to 1.6 cubic meters, but you've got other pieces of the tree. You've got stuff that's too thin, the root stock that can be turned into other things, including cellucrete with cellulose, the ground up, the sawdust itself. We're saving all the sawdust. We're going to use that for cellulite. This is the math on this. Our investors get 80% of the net proceeds after processing costs, which is 15% my company gets 20% and so we, my company, has the highest incentive to drive the highest possible return to the investor possible because I get 20% of whatever I make for the investor, and so all the numbers we use are always the net investor number, right? And we have a business plan. All the numbers are laid out. It's all there, and it's pretty easy to see how the IRR gets up. About I think it's 10.6, 10.7% I can't remember. Just under 11% but it's all in the business plan, Keith. And again, this is part of that due diligence process, right? Get a copy of the business plan. Get on the phone with one of our property consultants maybe take a trip to Panama. I just got back. We just took a group of people. Yeah, we got tours. Yeah, we have tours, and so like as part of the due diligence process, come visit, come see the trees, come see the sawmill. Right? If it's something that makes sense from a an investment standpoint, yeah, the material, the facts, and the due diligence is all there for people to be able to pick up and do over a you know several week period, you know 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, whatever it is.   Keith Weinhold  31:47   Well, let's back up because seemingly you have had really good prescience. Because when we look at world agriculture today, we see some problems. Whether some people want to call it erratic weather, other want to call it climate change, and how that's really ravaged some crops and created disruptions in certain produce. Or with coffee, you know, we've also got a cattle production problem, for example. But you've chosen something that's been really resilient. Tell us more about that resilience and just why teak of all crops and forestry.   Mike Cobb  32:22   Let me start by saying, who was it? Yogi Berra says, you know, predicting is hard to do, especially when it's about the future or something. Exactly. Yeah. Right. But I mean, look, we're talking about the future. I mean, who the heck knows, right? I mean, that's what makes it investing rather than you know something else. But teak has been grown in plantations for almost 400 years. It was started by the British in India, what was then Burman throughout Southeast Asia. And one of the things the Brits did so so well is they documented everything. They had statisticians keeping track of altitude, rainfall, soil types, different stock. I mean, just anything and everything that you could imagine, and so by the early 1900s, some of the best books about teak and teak plantation farming was written. I actually read those books in order to interview the forestry management companies in Panama that we would hire them to manage our plantation, because I don't know anything about it, right? But I wanted to be prepared to do the interviews, so I was. What amazed and fascinated me was this incredible track record of production for almost 400 years of teak as a commodity in the marketplace, and then for the last 50 years, 53 years, you know, seeing what's happened to the price of teak in that time period. Look, nobody can predict the future. Weather patterns change. Teak as a species, is very very resilient. You know, the highest quality teak is grown in very specific conditions, and the Darien province of Panama has exactly the conditions to produce the highest quality teak. If those conditions change, maybe the quality of the teak goes down. Maybe the quality of the teak goes up a little bit. Who knows, right? I mean, at the end of the day, we don't control weather. We don't control weather patterns. We don't control the future. But that thing goes back to the idea of diversification. Like, how can we mitigate against the future? I think we do that by just simply broad diversification. And if we have all of our assets and stocks, bonds, and rental real estate, we're pretty concentrated, especially if it's all in the United States, right? Our home country, for example, and so some diversification into other sectors probably makes sense. I know it makes sense for me because I think that's my way of hedging against the uncertainties of the future.   Keith Weinhold  34:37   Let's talk about the tree quality and then the sawmill, because some people don't understand that teak really has pretty special properties that maple or black cherry or oak doesn't have.   Mike Cobb  34:47   It does. It has a very very high oil content and it has a hardness that makes it extremely resistant to rot fungus, which is why it's used in the marine environment. If you look at Chris Craft. Boats or yachts. You always hear about teak, teak, teak. Teak is used in maritime environments because it holds up to the salt water-not just salt water-holds up to water, but even more so, salt water and the environment, which makes it unique. And so, even if you don't treat teak, right, you just leave it out. It turns gray, but it doesn't rot. And then you can come back. You can you know sand it and varnish it and turn it into that beautiful, rich color. It's a beautiful, beautiful wood. It's funny because it has furniture uses, outdoor furniture, patio furniture, things like that, decking. But now they're starting to use it in hardwood floors. They're using it in gates and fences and soffit materials. Again, outdoor uses, but it can be used indoors as well for very very fine furniture, which at the end of the day teak has a panache that a lot of these other woods don't have. Mahogany is certainly one mahogany. The thing about mahogany is it's softer, right? It's a softer wood. It carries some qualities in terms of the grains and the colors that make it a a very favorable product for cabinetry and other things. We actually looked at mahogany as a species to possibly grow, and it's about a 30-five to 40-year harvest cycle. And so, when we looked at that, we said, you know, we can get our heads around 20-five, and and maybe someday we will do some mahogany plantations as well. But for now, we we started with teak. Actually, when we did the analysis, I don't know if this is still true, but 27, 28 years ago, when I did the initial research and analysis, it had the best time value of money ROI.   Keith Weinhold  36:29   Ah, that's the first time I learned that. And some of these durability properties that you've been talking about really go back to my earlier question about how some more sensitive crops have been ravaged lately.   Mike Cobb  36:39   Yeah, it holds up very very well to the environment. By the way, it'll do well in pretty much everything but desert, right? If it rains too much, the teak will grow faster. Actually, it produces a less quality. The quality of the teak is less. If so, if panama's rain system changed and it started raining every day of the year, where we have it growing, teak trees would grow wonderfully. The quality of the teak would be lower, right? Still, be teak. It'd still be valuable, but not as valuable in the marketplace. So.   Keith Weinhold  37:08   Now you've been here to talk about teak before, but something that you added a few years ago was a sawmill to really bring some vertical integration there. And now you're not at the mercy, perhaps, of the price that you would need to sell to a lumberyard. Can you tell us more about how it's going with that?   Mike Cobb  37:22   Yeah, absolutely. Well, the bottom line is, is because we earn 20% of what we earn for the investor on their wood, our goal is to sell it for as high a possible price. And lumber does pretty well. I mean, you can sell logs. Let's just start there. You can cut the trees and sell the logs for X. You can turn the logs into lumber and sell it for you know whatever 578 x. You can turn it into things like cutting board, chairs, tables, a finished product, and there you're talking about you know not just five to 7x You're talking about another 10x on top of that. So that's like 30x right? I mean it's an incredible difference. So from log to finished product, it's about a 30 times differential in what you ultimately achieve out of the marketplace for return. Right now it takes longer to do it. There's more work involved, but at the end of the day, because you make more of the investor, we make more. Some of the teak is going to go out as finished product, and so we get a blended return of lumber. We don't do logs, but we're going to have a blended return of lumber and finished product that will push that yield up maybe higher than we've anticipated, which would be just fine with everybody.    Keith Weinhold  38:30   ll right, all right. Diversifying your exit, then. Well, before we learn about how we can get a hold of more information, is there any last thing that we should know about investing across international lines into teak, maybe something that I didn't think about asking you, Mike.   Mike Cobb  38:45   The only thing there is two of the teak farm parcels can be bundled together for a half acre with about a I don't know it's a seven $8,000 legal piece government fees to achieve a residency. So you can actually become a resident of Panama with the teak investment, and again coming in on about 600 folks have done the residency as well as the investment and ownership of the teak farms. So I would say that's a piece. Again, if people aren't sleeping well at night, they're worried about inflation, they're worried about social disruption, polarization, where things are headed, right? And they like the idea of the teak investment, then you know it may make sense to just do the extra government legal piece and get the residency card. I mean, I just did that. By the way, I think you know I'm a I'm a Nicaraguan resident because I lived in Nicaragua for 14 years.   Keith Weinhold  39:34   Mike is holding up his Nicaraguan ID.   Mike Cobb  39:37   but last summer I also got my Panama residency card, so now I have, y'all. I'm a U.S. resident, U.S. citizen, and I'm also a Nicaraguan. I think I held up my West Virginia driver's license. Hold on, let me go. Here's my Nicaraguan residency. Sorry, I was like, yeah. Wait a minute. Anyway, so right. So I'm a U.S. citizen, and I'm a resident of both Nicaragua and Panama. And so, this is something that a lot of folks choose to do because of the uncertainty, the political and social uncertainty in their lives. The teak itself will help with the economic uncertainty, but the residency then helps with the other two elements.   Keith Weinhold  40:15   Next time you fly in and you're doing customs in Panama City or Managua, show them your West Virginia driver's license and see how they like it. See what happens.   Mike Cobb  40:22   It wouldn't work. Hahaha.   Keith Weinhold  40:25   Well, the prices are low. You do not need to be an accredited investor in order to do this. So there's really no qualification bar to clear. There's really no limit in the number of parcels that you can buy. Some people like to purchase 10 parcels, but you can buy as little as one, and tell us more about that price.   Mike Cobb  40:42   Yeah, in fact, we've introduced Keith since the last time we talked a financing program. Oh,   Keith Weinhold  40:48   I didn't know that yet.   Mike Cobb  40:49   We did. That's a fairly new. It's a this year thing, right? So the teak parcels, I think 9890 or something, whatever. Call it 10 grand. The parcels just under $10,000.   Keith Weinhold  40:59   Okay.   Mike Cobb  40:59   Yeah, and they have a down payment and a credit card thing. I think it stretches maybe over a year or two, so it's a fairly short period. Let's people who don't have the entire 10,000 upfront who want the teak investment to be able to acquire it. And if they're doing the residency piece, the residency piece can only begin after the teak farm piece is acquired, right? But it can also lead to the residency piece over time. So yeah, and then there are some discounts on three of them and 10 of them. So we have a lot of people that actually end up getting them for. And and here's a really cool thing because it's titled in your own name, it can also be titled in a child's name or a grandchild's name. And so we have a lot of people that actually acquire them and they don't take ownership. They put it in their kid's name or their grand name. Yeah, so it's a wonderful way to move that asset already right out of the gates into the next generation or the next generation.   Keith Weinhold  41:52   So we're talking about diversifying at least twice, both internationally and then in a different asset type as well. This has been fascinating to learn about, Mike. It's just fascinating alone, I think, to learn about the geography and the teak itself. And like we touched on earlier, they do organize tours. Any reputable provider should do that. They're proud of what they offer there. Tours in the Darien province of Panama, in this case, to see your teak tree parcels. It's a really approachable price. If you want to learn more and get a report and perhaps purchase some parcels, Mike's one of our GRE marketplace providers. You can visit gremarketplace.com/teak or talk to your GRE investment coach. Mike has been fascinating as always. It's been great having you back on the show.   Mike Cobb  42:40   Nice to be here. Thank you, Keith.   Keith Weinhold  42:48   Teak is one of the more durable crops that there is. The demand for teak hardwood is substantial, and it's really growing. They have also had the same tree manager for all 27 years since the teak was planted, some real continuity there. The name of the manager is Heyo Forestall. There's a little to manage with the teak hardwood trees, like performing thinnings, and those thinnings do give investors like you intermittent income. So you're not waiting for absolutely everything for 25 years, but the income from the thinning is really small. Most of the return takes place in that 25 years, and it's interesting to me to see the profile of the GRE investor in teak because it attracts young investors, and maybe that's because the cost of entry is so low. It also attracts older investors because they more often have an eye toward passing along something productive to their heirs that is going to outlive them. A lot of them don't want to give their heirs money because money can be spent on fleeting trivialities. Also, the older a person is, they just have an easier time visualizing the fact of 25 years and knowing that it really will pass by. And yes, in-person tours are offered there in the Darien province of Panama, and there were 13 to 14 attendees on a recent tour. They do need to limit the group size, and the tours are for you, whether you're an existing investor or not. If you're just checking it out, that's for you too. If you believe that you want to attend a tour and you don't want to buy, I understand that you can get your money back from the tour.   Keith Weinhold  44:35   The next tour is in September. Each quarter-acre newborn teak parcel costs $9,680 $9,680 and over 20-five years, it's projected to produce about 110k in today's dollars. And yes, now with financing, we've talked about this investment on GRE before, but it's the first time where they now have financing in place, so you don't even need. 9680 to get started. Also, retirement funds might be eligible for use here. And really, when you think about the long-term horizon of this investment, retirement funds make sense. If this is potentially interesting to you, get a hold of the report that goes into the details and shows you some projections and more. You can do so by either contacting your GRE investment coach or visit gremarketplace.com/teek. Money may not grow on trees, but sometimes trees grow into money. Until next time, keep growing your means and maybe a few trees. You could visit gremarketplace.com/teak. Until next week, I'm your host Keith Weinhold. Don't quit your daydream.   Speaker 1  45:53   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal, or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial, or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of Get Rich Education LLC exclusively.    Keith Weinhold  46:21   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building. getricheduceducation.com  

Generally speaking, I hate the expression “conspiracy theory.”It's an overused and unhelpful descriptor for what often amounts to a minority or controversial view. I've begged writers to stop calling everything they don't like a conspiracy theory, and I've written regularly about my open-mindedness to all manner of ideas that have at some point been called conspiracy theories.But it's also an expression with a definition. The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers two: “A theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators,” or “a theory asserting that a secret of great importance is being kept from the public.” These are both good, workable definitions. They both aptly describe a lot of the ideas I encounter on social media on a regular basis. And neither suggests judgment on whether the theory itself is true, which I think is important. Conspiracy theories, obviously, are not new. Examples go back centuries, not decades, to the Illuminati panic of the 1700s, or the Salem Witch trials, or blood libels targeting Jews in medieval Europe. I assume there were prehistoric conspiracy theories, too. Contemporary ideas, like “Covid came from a lab,” were once labeled conspiracy theories, but have become more mainstream and gained credibility with new evidence — though they're still unproven. What has changed recently, though, is that these theories spread more easily, society seems more gullible, and the theories themselves are just getting — well — a whole lot dumber. The end result is that a lot of people seem to believe easily disprovable things (or, conversely, they latch onto ideas for which there is almost zero evidence, and insist others subscribe to those ideas, too). Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!The latest Suspension of the Rules.This week, Isaac, Kmele and Senior Editor Will Kaback (filling in for Ari) break down the arguments for and against appointing family members to fill the seats of deceased lawmakers, a viral video of Nevada's governor, and President Trump's latest election-administration moves. Plus, an interview with epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina on the cyclosporiasis outbreak. Check it out here.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Generally speaking, firstborns are leaders, middle children are peacemakers, and the babies of the family are playful. And while it’s challenging to understand your children’s dynamics when it comes to their birth order, these traits hold true for you and your spouse, as well. Dr. Kevin Leman helps you understand how birth order plays a role in the way you interact as a married couple and shares advice on how to manage challenges in your relationship that often stem from your placement in your family of origin.Receive a copy of The Birth Order Book: Why You Are the Way You Are and an audio download of "Understanding How Birth Order Impacts Your Marriage" for your donation of any amount! Plus, receive member- exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today. Your monthly support helps families thrive.Get more Episode Resources Do you have a story or comment on how Focus on the Family impacted you or your family? Leave a message for Jim Daly!If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, please give us your feedback.

Send us Fan MailGuest: Ed Vitagliano, Executive Vice President, American Family AssociationAmerica as an independent, sovereign nation is now 250 years old. The founders of our nation, who were mostly Christians or were in large measure influenced by Christianity, brilliantly wrote and adopted our nation's founding and guiding documents—the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and the US Constitution, the supreme law of our land on Sept 17, 1789.The founders understood from studying Scripture and history that separation of power is necessary to avoid tyranny and individual liberties, bound by personal restraint, are God's intent for a flourishing society.They were right. For about 200 years, America grew, developed, and course-corrected into one of the greatest empires in human history—militarily, economically, culturally, and yes, spiritually. The pulpit of Christian churches influenced the majority of our citizens through proclaiming biblical truth and the gospel. Generally speaking, our people and institutions largely revered God and His Word.But as with all nations throughout history before us, including God's own people the Jews, the hearts of our people began to wander and be seduced from reverence of the Creator. The Christian worldview that pervaded our land now has been replaced by a man-centered ethic where “every man does what is right in his own eyes.” We are now at the point where right is called wrong and wrong is called right.So where will America go from its 250 anniversary—deeper into sin and societal collapse or repentance and revival? What do Christians need to understand about our situation and what should they be doing?Ed Vitagliano is our guest this weekend to help answer these questions. Ed is the executive vice president of American Family Association (AFA) and the longtime co-host of Today's Issues radio program on American Family Radio Network. An award-winning writer, Ed wrote a column titled Foundations from the Past in AFA's The Stand magazine, which also appears in the July-August issue of The Christian Worldview Journal to be released soon.

Get the 200+ Page Optimal Living Daily Workbook (PDF) — Free. Want to turn today's episode into an actionable plan? Join the Optimal Living Weekly newsletter and I'll send you our 200-page digital workbook immediately. It's packed with the best takeaways from the show, formatted for easy reading and implementation at home. Get your free PDF workbook here: ⁠https://oldpodcast.eo.page/join⁠ Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes and learn more at:⁠ OLDPodcast.com⁠. Episode 2109: Steve Pavlina reflects on the unexpected shift from running a successful computer games company to teaching personal development, discovering that creating value for others could have a far greater impact than focusing solely on his own business. His story illustrates how paying attention to where you can serve people best can open the door to more meaningful work, influence, and long-term success. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://stevepavlina.com/blog/2009/02/succeeding-by-helping-others-succeed/ Quotes to ponder: "Generally those who try to fake success don't get very far but those who are honest about sharing their Journey along the way can definitely provide a lot of value." "I believe it's wonderful to run a business centered around helping people, if it truly benefits people then this is a perfectly acceptable business model." "It's funny that even though I was running a computer games business my passion for personal growth couldn't help but come through." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the US Civil War (1861-1865) dragged on, both sides resorted to conscription (the draft) to fill their ranks. Under the Confederate law, a draftee could dodge service by hiring a man who was exempt from the draft to replace him—in most cases someone under or over the conscription age. Generally, the “principal” (as one evading the draft was called), paid a fee to the government as well as a large sum to his substitute. Only the wealthy could afford substitutes. The apostle Paul writes of the cosmic spiritual war, where “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “the wages of sin is death” (6:23). There was no clause or loophole that gave those with “means” some way out. But what about a substitute for us all? The writer to the Hebrews praises God, who in His infinite mercy sent Jesus to be our substitute—to bear the punishment our sin deserved, to pay our debt by sacrificing “the body of Jesus Christ once for all” so that we would be “made holy” through His substitutionary sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). We have “died with Christ,” and one day “we will also live with him” (Romans 6:8). That’s the good news right there. Christ died for you and for me; the substitute took our place. We’re now more than simply survivors of the war. We’ve become the sons and daughters of God.