Podcast appearances and mentions of John Wu

Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 19 It Doesn t Matter, and I Don t Understand. In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             Being dead is wonderful; you never get tired and you have all the time in the world to regret how you ended up this way      "You are so good to me, Zane, and I appreciate it," Barbie Lynn murmured. "You never give me less than 100% and I've never felt like you take me for granted." "It is you and only you, Sarah, Cindy, Eve, umm, help me out here," I grinned. Barbie Lynn lilted in the voice of an angel while she pressed off the glass with her upper body and leveraged down onto my cock. I shifted one hand off an ass cheek to move it to the back of her neck and pull her face in and up to mine. She also constricted her anal muscles around my shaft, concentrating on my cockhead. "Does this make my body more familiar to you?" she panted, our lips only inches away. "Not as much as these eyes, these eyes of my own beautiful seraph," I whispered. Barbie Lynn completed the kiss. Her hips rotated up slightly and mine shifted lower and under so that my penetration reached deep inside. For thirty seconds we kept the tender kiss going before she had to break free. "Oh, Jesus, Zane, this feels so good, I can't, oh, Lord Jesus," she gasped out as I shifted out, then back in rhythmically. "More time, I want more time with you, Zane," Barbie Lynn panted with a heavy breath. "We have tests this afternoon and Vivian is waiting," I shook my head in disappointment. Fierce passion engulfed both of us. Clearly, I got my money's worth from the contractor who had installed the shower because the glass wall didn't give way despite our enthusiasm. "Lord Jesus loves, ," Barbie Lynn screamed across campus. Her arms locked my head and shoulders in place, her face grinding into my chest. Her torso desperately tried to impale her hole deeper onto my rod. Her scream degenerated to an uncontrolled growling against me while I kept her back to the glass and up against my body. "Zane, I know I've been really needy today but you've been so kind and understanding, and I appreciate you putting up with me the kind way you have," Barbie Lynn snuggled into me. "You are the best." That's what I wanted to talk to Barbie Lynn about, taking me for granted and using me like a sex toy. Boy, I just saved myself from acting like a total ass! "Babe, you are better than I deserve." I kissed her neck as I lowered her legs down to the tiled floor. "If I ever take you for granted, promise me you'll kiss me, rub your body against me front and back, and then walk away. I guarantee you I'll fall on my knees and beg for forgiveness." "I like it when you beg," she said with a glimmer in her eye. "Why am I being nice to you again?" I teased. Barbie Lynn simply let her eyes go wide and innocent with a cute little smile on her face. "Oh, yeah," I whistled, "you give me hope, happiness, and warmth in good times and bad." "My body has nothing to do with it?" she questioned in a coquettish fashion. "It's passable," I shrugged as I cut the water off, "but I hope you will fill out one day, you know, quit the training bra and become a little more womanly." Mind you, Barbie Lynn hadn't seen a training bra in ten years. Hourglasses went to Barbie for lessons on how they should be shaped and her ass was the perfect balance between fantasy cheerleader and soccer girl. "Thank you for spending time with someone as poorly endowed as me," she purred. "I admit that I'm holding out for Doctor Burns. He's got it going on," I struggled to say convincingly. Barbie Lynn fought valiantly to hold back her reaction to the thought of seeing our over-70-year-old male Biology teacher in any sexual manner. "Burns without his clothes on is an image I could have forever gone without," she shuddered. "Gosh, I value you more than my own personal desires so I guess I'm stuck with you, Barbie Lynn," I sighed playfully. "Would you two get out of the shower!" barked Vivian. She was sitting in a chair in the main room. We stepped out of the shower, grabbed the waiting towels, and began drying each other off. Vivian surprised me by keeping a somewhat detached eye on the two of us. Maybe she wanted to make sure Barbie Lynn and I didn't turn drying into fondling, thus ending up with us rolling on the tiled floor. The floor would be uncomfortable but having hot, sweaty Barbie Lynn flesh pressing into me, I put this on my 'to do' list. We quickly got dressed and moved to where Vivian was standing and waiting. It wasn't until we were making our way to the elevator that Vivian spoke. "Barbie Lynn, would you take the elevator? Zane and I need to take the stairs," she said. "Sure thing, Vivian," Barbie Lynn smiled. She stepped up to me and kissed me on the lips. "I'll see ya Sunday night, slugger." "I kinda, sorta have a standing date with Heaven," I cautioned her, "so if you come by, be careful." I didn't miss Vivian rolling her eyes in exasperation. The elevator came and took Barbie Lynn away. I waved Vivian to the stairwell, held the door for her, and together we went down. "What are we going to do?" I broke the insufferable silence. "What do you mean?" Vivian evaded. "Damn it!" I snapped. Since I stopped moving, Vivian decided to stop too. "Yes?" she looked to me with what I was learning to read was a disarming friendliness. "I want to make you happy but I don't want to change, Vivian," I grumbled. "So, what are we going to do?" "How much of your time and energy are you willing to devote to Christ?" she countered. I had to think that over. Monday was no good; it was Recovery night. Tuesday was 'make it up to the girls' night. Wednesday was Specialty Night, Thursday, that was no good; it was Orgy Night. Friday was first date night, Saturday was SYFY/Party night and Sunday was second-date night. "I am on a committee at Church on Wednesday nights and I go to both Sunday school and Church service on Sundays," I offered. "Isn't that enough religious stuff?" "Zane, do you have sex at Church?" Vivian pierced me with her eyes. I was so boned because while I was preparing some sort of verbal obfuscation, Vivian sighed and looked down at the stairs. "Why do I even bother?" she moaned with despair. She looked up at me, clearly in pain, "It is a Church, Zane. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Because it definitely means something to me." "Vivian, it is a building, made of stained glass, brick, stone, and lumber," I responded heatedly, "and I don't need any of those to be in God's presence." "It was sex in a church," Vivian nearly screamed. "Come on, now, do you respect anything at all?" "You are right, I don't respect a building simply because someone declares it to be holy. I don't recall my vote being consulted. I don't respect people who bully with scripture but won't study the original Greek and Latin texts it was written in to learn what was really said. I don't respect anyone who refuses to think for themselves and listens to some two-bit liar like Pastor William." "He is your pastor," Vivian growled back. "He deserves, " "Nothing," I snapped. "He's an adulterer, and I've seen it with my own two eyes so don't you dare lecture me on him. If you defend him, it is only because you don't know shit about him." Vivian glared at me but I could see she was trying to see if I was making stuff up. "I respect you, Vivian, and that's no lie," I continued. "Since our fight I haven't a clue what to do with you but I have respected you. You believe in give and take; you believe in consequences and redemption. The only other person I've met like you is Iona. I trust Iona with more than my life; I trust her with Rio's." "Right now you are pissing the hell out of me, but that doesn't change the fact that I trust you and respect you," I added. "I don't need someone with spiritual authority to tell me what to do; my heart does that for me." "Zane, it is the constant sex," Vivian groaned. "I thought I could take it but it never seems to slow down with you." I had to think that over. "Vivian, you can't confuse love and sex," I insisted. "You are in love with your boyfriend and you two have been through some rough patches and survived. Sex without passion is masturbation, Vivian. If you are ever tempted, fall back on your love for that man because when you love something, there is nothing you will let stand in your way." I could see the turn in the argument defused some of Vivian's wrath and sent her mind down different pathways. "Okay, then why is it okay for you to have sex without love?" Vivian said as we resumed our progress downstairs. "I love in different ways, Vivian. I love Iona and Rio as best friends, there is nothing I wouldn't do for them. I love Heaven and Paige because they do for me things that make me want to do for them right back. I love Brandi and Opal because they are fun and they give me the space to be me. I love Barbie Lynn, well, just because it feels natural and right. Christina, Christina, I will always love without cause or reason. I love her," I related. "If Christina asked you to stop seeing all those other women, would you?" Vivian asked with a glimmer of hope. "I don't know. Our pseudo-agreement lets me have my college years to go wild before I give it all up to be a good husband and father," I replied. "Are you thinking of going to Christina and asking for her help with me?" "Yes. Yes, I am," Vivian told me. "The only problem with that plan is that it requires Christina to declare her feelings toward me and make a commitment about what she wants to do with me," I pointed out. "Good luck with that." We hit the bottom of the stairs at a run and raced through the halls and doors on our way to the Dining Hall. We found Christina and company waiting outside for us when we got there. Christian handed a thick envelope over, my bribe to Deacon of the Warlord's motorcycle gang. "Heaven, date night Sunday? I've found a theater playing Hugo," I asked my fox-faced girl. "What? You think you can ask me out on Friday for a date on Sunday? What kind of girl do you think I am?" she growled. "Heaven, you weren't here for most of the week, and you have to admit the world had gone crazy. Come on, Babe," I pleaded. "I'll have to think about it," Heaven grumbled. Behind her back all her other friends were stifling their grins. All those grins fell behind impassive masks when Heaven turned around facing them and stomped back and forth. "What's the problem, Heaven?" Hope asked. "Barbie Lynn comes skipping across the yard from her dorm with a smile that outshines the Sun, Heaven began. "She said she's been doing intensive physical therapy," Christina interrupted. Yay! I've graduated to being considered exercise equipment. "Harrumph," Heaven grunted. "How come his hair is wet? Besides, he's taking another girl home for the weekend." "It's Iona," Chastity explained. "Think about how wound up he's going to be by Sunday evening, because you know he's not going to do anything Iona's uncomfortable with." "Yes," added Faith, "he'll be ready to knock 'em out of the ballpark after a whole weekend of physical denial. Maybe you shouldn't go out with him; he's probably going to be pretty fierce." Heaven glared at all her friends before turning on me. "Fine, I'll go out with you, but if I can still walk by curfew, you had better know I'm going to make next week hell for you. Are we clear?" Heaven threatened. "Is that all Zane is to you, a sexual release valve?" Vivian gasped before I could answer Heaven. "You are making light of a serious moral struggle for him." "Vivian, Zane was the first man to tell me he loved me and I've believed," Christina said. "He saved me from a fight and academic troubles by putting his body on the line," Chastity added. "Me too," continued Hope. "He pretty much saved my life," Faith chimed in, which oddly twisted back to ruining her life with Christina and company when I exposed her as the Chancellor's spy. Maybe the girls had made up somehow. "He's put up with more of my crap than I care to get into. He loves me for who I am, and he's my lover and boyfriend," Heaven clarified. "If you spent one night with Zane making love, you would know I'm more of an addict than anything else. It is just that I get, grumpy when he's not around every minute of every day." Everyone's eyes sort of gravitated toward me. "You are all great women but I have to go to class," I grinned, then took off. Vivian raced to catch up with me. "Do you have commitment issues?" she panted beside me. "No. I was getting hard. All that feminine compassion directed my way was getting me sexually aroused and they were all staring at my crotch," I explained. "I figured running away was the best resolution for what was coming down the pipeline." "Have you ever considered chemical castration?" Vivian asked. WHAT? The last quarter of the school day went rather well, considering I had to juggle balls once between classs. (Apparently I resemble a dancing bear or something.) My second chore required me to bounce a soccer ball on my knees for a trip to the soccer field. Considering some of the crap I've had to do here, I almost volunteered to do it walking backwards. Karate started out so surprisingly normal (not my normal, but normal-normal), I should have known better. We had barely finished warming up and stretching when Gabrielle Black walked into the room. She stood against the far wall poised for our dispersal into teams. When first team knelt and waited for Coach Gorman's instructions for today, Gabrielle made her approach. "Coach Gorman, we seem to have had some difficulty connecting so I decided this would be the best place to meet," Gabrielle said in a deceptively upbeat manner. "I'm teaching a class," Gorman replied deadpan. "I teach several classes. I guess that makes me a teacher. In fact, I'm teaching right now, get lost." "I'd rather not." Gabrielle gave her deadliest smile. "Care to make me?" They really need to start psychological testing of the staff at FFU, or at least stop giving them daily doses of testosterone. "Since reason and rationality have clearly avoided you like the plague," Gorman growled, "why don't you tell me what you have in mind?" "A little sparing match," Gabrielle suggested. "So you really need to see if you can kick my ass, or is it just that you have to be Alpha bitch?" Gorman countered. Several of the more religious-minded students gasped, but they didn't realize this wasn't a game. Someone needed to do something, and of course it had to be me. I didn't very well have the time to overdose Rio with caffeine and throw her at Gabrielle. Besides, I am sure that's a war crime. "Me first!" I declared as I broke free of my second-team circle and walked toward the two adults. This was the point where I expected one or both of the women to tell me to ass out, mind my own business, I'm stupid, or something. Gabrielle stepped back and stripped off her jacket and slipped off each boot. I figured that since I was about to die, I'd best get rid of my gi; that way they'd have something to drape over my lifeless eyes. "Zane, what are you doing?" Cappadocia belatedly hissed at me. "Eh, you know, sometimes a woman has to be put in her place," I joked. It wasn't like Gabrielle was going to take it easy on me in the first place. Several girls laughed at what they were sure was levity on my part. You see, I was about to become a legend. Unfortunately, it was the legend of Don Quixote, damn fucking windmills dressed in tight black form-fitting outfits. To the credit of my limited intellect, I approached this fight with a totally different philosophy than any I'd faced before. I discarded every tenet of Thai kick-boxing (except the one that says never do anything that will make the lady-boys mock you). I went completely defensive, abandoning any hope of striking Gabrielle. I figured if such an opportunity presented itself, it would only be a trap. It took Gabrielle about two seconds to unravel my master plan, then she was on me like a fart in an airplane bathroom, choking the life out of you with nowhere to run. Because I am such a badass, it took Gabrielle eight more seconds to land a telling blow. I staggered back but instead of coming at me, she shifted to my side. Since I had my arms up to defend my head, she was slipping out of my field of vision. There was an added bonus; I discovered I couldn't hear her move over the mats. I somersaulted in the other direction which bought me a few more seconds, but I never regained my feet. Once more she opted to shift to my flank than come head-on. A man on his knees cannot out-turn a woman on her feet. I caught her knee in my shoulder, propelling me face-first into the mat. I tried to turn with the blow so I could keep eyes on her. Gabrielle slammed into my shoulder blade and I slapped the mat hard. I pressed up with my arms but Gabrielle was on my back so fast I might as well have been standing still. For a second our legs struggled as she tried to put me into a leg lock. Then her body rolled over on me and drove three fingers into my spine right above the coccyx. Blinding pain exploded over my body and I screamed. I wasn't paralyzed but I didn't need to be; I was in too much God-damn pain. Gabrielle's body was tight against my back. One hand cupped my chin and the other was placed on the back of my skull. She gave my head a quarter-twist. "You are dead," she whispered. Technically, she would have merely snapped my spine at the base of my skull. My cells would have struggled on for a few more minutes but that hardly seemed to be the point. Gabrielle stood up within inches of me and gave me an emotionless, pitiless stare. "Did you get what you wanted?" she asked softly. "We'll see," I grunted, then rolled onto my back. "Did you put me in my place?" she queried next. I had to chuckle, then I had to choke back on the pain. "Oh, yeah, we are perfectly placed." Seeing her brows crowd together in displeasure, I added with a pained gasp, "You've clearly never stood on a mirror and looked up at your cleavage the way I am now." Gabrielle reached down and touched my wrist before letting her fingers work up to my elbow. She pulled me up quite rapidly and gave me a soulless, piercing gaze. "You are insane," Gabrielle noted. That wasn't said as a joke or a condemnation. She said it as if she was recognizing a kindred spirit. When you are ten years old, being best friends with an assassin sounds pretty cool. Most of us grow out of that. After all, being buddies with a person who has a casual disregard for human life might come back to haunt you if they ever decide you are an encumbrance they can do without. "When I beat you, can I draw a smiley face on your forehead?" I blurted out. Why did I say those things? Maybe it was a brain tumor, or maybe Gabrielle was right and I am insane. Maybe my buddy Don Quixote was telling me the windmill is still standing. "What do I get when I beat you, again?" she inquired. "I've developed an inside track on some authentic saltwater taffy," I shrugged. Gabrielle didn't seem very impressed. "I could feel honor-bound to jump on the next grenade thrown your way?" "I'll think of something when the time comes," Gabrielle informed me. Turning to Gorman, she said, "Are you ready?" "I'd like a, Wilhelmina started to say as she stood. Dana put a hand on Willy's shoulder and shook her head. "I've got this," Coach said. She stood up and discarded her gi, depending on your point of view, she was fortunately/unfortunately wearing a white sports bra. Wait! Am I in chest-to-chest proximity with Gabrielle while scoping out Dana? Was I dropped on my head repeatedly as a child? Maybe I should hunt down my former nanny and ask her. "Let's make Zane's idiocy, Dana continued telling Captain Willy, ", worth more than the beating he took." Gorman stripped off her pants, revealing white biker shorts. It was very cinematic; Gorman in white and Black in black. Sadly, I believed White needed some serious Divine intervention to win this showdown. "Zane," Gabrielle requested my attention with that deathly quiet voice of hers. I must have looked pretty scared because she almost smiled at me. "You can let go of my hand now." Jumping back felt like a surefire way to test her killer instinct so I let go of her hand and backed away slowly and carefully. Only after I gave us some space did I contemplate the trust she'd put in me, allowing anyone to be that close outside of combat. I was walking past Dana when she grabbed my shoulder, stopping my progress. She pointed me to the spot on the floor she had just vacated. Wow, I had my ass kicked and still made First Team. I moved over to my new place in the hierarchy and thanked Dana in the only way I knew how. "Does this mean you are going to sit on my lap when you get back?" I said with a voice as sincere as I was serious. "Zane," Coach Gorman said over her shoulder. She was keeping her eyes on Gabrielle, "when I get back, I am giving grave consideration to having a general melee, and I'm placing a bounty on your head if we do. You will have all weekend to recover." A general melee sounded a whole lot like a 'beat up the new guy' kind of thing, and I had planned on devoting my weekend to Iona. Further banter was ended by Black and Gorman facing off. Willie gave the 'Go' and things went John Wu-crazy. My bright shining moment was delivered right off the bat. Gorman went fullout, denying Gabrielle the ability to control the maneuvering in the fight the way she'd controlled me. My beating hadn't been in vain; Gabrielle undoubtedly knew Gorman's fighting style but Dana knew nothing of hers. My body had bought Dana what little insight Gabrielle had been willing to give up. After all, Gabrielle knew my game from the moment I'd thrown out my challenge. Still, she had to beat me up to get at Dana. I could take on most members of the first team and, as Dana constantly reminds the world, I can take a beating, which meant I was the body for the job. I've fought Gorman on several occasions and she's damn impressive. Gabrielle was doing crap I'd never seen before and I wasn't even sure was humanly possible. I swear, if she'd turned into a Terminator, I couldn't have been more surprised. Dana's fighting prowess only went up in my estimation because she wasn't impaled on Gabrielle's fist in the first thirty seconds. It wasn't a misstep that screwed up Dana's game plan; her mistake was predictability. One second she was pushing Gabrielle back and the next she was on the floor, struggling to keep Gabrielle from establishing a chokehold. For a second I contemplated grabbing up Cappy and Willy, then rushing Gabrielle. After all, it would have been a shame for Dana to die alone. It would also seriously curtail my desire for an open-casket funeral but hey, Dana is almost a friend. Dana wasn't finished yet. Unknown to me, she has the ability to dislocate and relocate her shoulder. No one in the class wanted to consider how painful that had to be. The loud popping noise was enough to make us decide to miss dinner. Dana got an elbow and fist in before they separated. They went at it again, but this time, it was harder on Dana. I could feel that her confidence was shaken now that she had a clearer measure of Gabrielle's strengths and weaknesses. Gabrielle remained a steadfast cypher. If Dana was turning out to be a tougher opponent to crack than she'd expected, Gabrielle wasn't showing it. What she was doing was exhibiting the iron stamina of a triathlete. Dana wasn't fighting for air but I didn't see Gabrielle even breaking a sweat yet. Had I been Dana, this would have been the time I started crying out to a vengeful God for forgiveness. Dana didn't do that. Instead, digging down to her dogged determination and fighting on, her game, her gamble, was for Gabrielle to screw up somehow and take advantage of it. She had to hope that something came up before her endurance failed. And in the fourth minute of the fight, it happened. Of course it was a trap. I couldn't blame Dana for risking it because fighting hard, non-stop, for over four minutes is its own form of torture. Gabrielle caught Dana's leg, swept the other one out from under our Coach, then finished up with driving an elbow into her hip as they hit the mat. There is fast, unbelievably fast, a weasel on speed, and then Gabrielle, and if you gave a weasel enough speed to keep up with Gabby, the weasel would explode first. Dana is fast, but I'm faster and I know I didn't have a prayer of blocking Gabrielle at this point in their fight. The blow to Gorman's hip seemed to have temporarily paralyzed that leg. Without the leg, her torso below the ribcage was fatally exposed. Getting repeatedly punched in the stomach sucked. Sadly, Dana thought the same thing and totally missed Gabrielle flipping her over onto her stomach. Gabrielle came down with a palm to the center of Dana's spine. It had to hurt, but I had little doubt that if Gabby had used her fist, the spine would have been broken. "We are done here," Gabrielle announced calmly as she rose to her feet. No one said a word until Dana stirred on the ground. With varying degrees of speed, the first team swarmed over Dana. I alone approached Gabrielle. After she finished dressing and stood, she acknowledged my presence. "Did you learn what you wanted to know?" I asked. "Yes," she stated, once more into her emotionless mode. "Then you asked the wrong question." I drilled her with a combination of bravery and anger. Gabrielle walked away without acknowledging my statement. She got to the door and stopped before exiting through the door. "What do you think I should have asked?" she said with a vapor of condescension. "You should have asked us if we can help," I told her. Maybe I'm na ve, but I'm sure she's facing her past alone. Purity is a paradox; we are awed by it yet we are repulsed by it as well. Vivian was terribly subdued as she walked me back to the dorm. It was the two of us because my Handmaiden mistress was Erica, a second-team Karate classmate. She'd given me a rain check due to the trauma we had all just been through during class. "You can use my room this weekend if you like," I broached the silence. "I'll ask Rio and Mercy to be somewhere else and Barbie Lynn can stay with you." "I don't want to sleep with Barbie Lynn, Zane," Vivian replied. "I want to sleep in my own bed." "That's bull- , I decided saying "shit", while a minor infraction, wouldn't do my argument any good. "You know Barbie Lynn to be kind-hearted and decent. She's not going to molest you. You two will be totally platonic." "I don't know what to think," she replied. "I never thought Barbie Lynn would be the one to have sex outside of marriage." "I knew she was flirty but that was it," she continued. "Now, now she's moved into your room and is having sex with you as if you were a married couple." She sighed. "Fine, not like a 'normal' married couple so we don't need to go there." Ah, no mention of anal sex I see. "Vivian, I don't like to talk about my relationships with other women but I think Barbie Lynn would understand," I tried to explain. "There was no seduction between us, we collided. I showed up at FFU pretty depressed. I'd spent a long month with my Aunt trying to adjust to America and a place and lifestyle I didn't know." "My Aunt and I fought a lot and that Sunday Pastor Bill and his buddies tried to shake me down for my inheritance. I had the feeling that is why they wanted Aunt Jill in their church, and after all the crap Jill had been through, I felt that sucked," I said. "I'm in my room, sad and pissed off, then Barbie Lynn Masters comes soaring into my life." "She thought I was 'Glenda's' brother, I told her my name was Zane, and next thing I knew we were all over one another. She gave me a blowjob and I gave her multiple orgasms and we parted ways. She thought she might see me once a month and I had no idea this was a girl's college. You are aware of the humiliation that followed," I concluded. "Zane, that explains nothing," Vivian observed. "Okay, I could have been clearer," I admitted. "What I was trying to say is that Barbie Lynn didn't change. I allowed her to do what she wanted to do with a guy all along. She is still the same woman who goes after life full of enthusiasm, who likes to work with kids, teaching Sunday school and going to church." "And you want me to sleep with her when I've avoided the pleasure for the past three years?" Vivian refused to give in. "I'd want you to sleep with Iona if she wasn't already heading out with me. I have a few others I could ask but that would be awkward. I like Opal and Brandi but I also know they'd hit on you if given half a chance," I outlined. "I can sleep alone, Zane," Vivian stated. "I know that, but do you want to?" I asked. Vivian didn't immediately reply. "You climbed into bed with me and some of the ladies, Vivian. There is a certain quality provided by a sleeping companion that you enjoy. You wanted it enough to put some faith in me and Barbie Lynn last night," I added. "Zane, why are you making a big deal about this?" Vivian inquired. "Your happiness matters to me," I answered. Vivian and I walked into the dorm and into the elevator before she spoke. "Coach Gorman warned me about this," Vivian groaned. "Do you realize how much easier my life would be if you grabbed my breast or something like that?" "Is that an invitation?" I perked up. "No," she stated decisively. Her glare emphasized the point. "I mean my job keeping the Devil in line would be easier if he wasn't constantly giving me my favorite cupcakes." "What's your favorite cupcake?" I grinned. "Behave yourself," she sighed, somewhat amused and somewhat exasperated. "Yes, ma'am," I nodded. "That's a good boy," Vivian acknowledged. "When I'm a good boy Heaven gives me a ginger cookie," I prodded. "We are Not going to go there," Vivian declared authoritatively, and that was that. I thought I would have to stop by and pick up Iona Beckett on my way out. I was obviously forgetting I was dealing with the most organized person I'd ever met. I know Iona looks after all her own affairs and most of mine, plus I suspect she keeps an eye out for Rio as well. She was waiting in the main area of my 'room' when Vivian and I arrived, her overnight bag beside her. I gave her a kiss and hurried to my room, where someone had already packed a weekend worth of stuff for me. I do not deserve one tenth of the affection aimed my way. Being hung by my toes from a ceiling fan is a small price to pay for what I receive. Still, I make a note to avoid girls with bizarre foot fetishes while in close proximity to ceiling fans, my life is pretty freaking weird enough already. I gathered my stuff, gathered up Iona, and made my good-byes. Brandi was kind enough to snuggle up to my back, reach around and pinch my nipples. It was playful, not painful, so I didn't mind too much. Besides, I had bigger fish to fry. When I told Rio that she'd need to share another bed with Mercy for the weekend she nodded. "No problem, Bro," Rio told me. She then stepped up under the guise of hugging me good-bye and tried to nut me. She's a dangerous friend to have but since I can count her public displays of affection for me on one hand, I was ready for her. "Damn it," Rio snarled, "you can't give my room to that Jesus-freak!" By 'my room' she really meant my (Zane's) room and 'Jesus-freak' was Vivian, who was eight feet away looking at her. "It isn't going to kill you two to behave for two days, Rio," I stated. Mercy, standing right behind Rio, remained unfortunately silent on the subject. "Rio, if you two would agree to abstain until I got back, I'd be willing to let you stay, but you are the King Kong of bedroom antics and Vivian needs the space," I explained. "Fine, we'll crash at Aunt Jill's," Rio smirked. "I'm sure she can't shut the door before I get a foot in. She's far too nice to break it or kick me out." Oh yeah, I cannot begin to describe what Jill's reaction to a Mercy-Rio lesbian love-fest at 2:00 in the morning would be like. It would probably involve paramedics and a defibrillator. "Okay," I shrugged. I fished out my keys and tossed them to Rio. "Sweet!" Rio trumpeted. "We'll meet you at the car." "We are not going," I corrected Rio. "Iona and I will stay here, camp out on a sleeper-sofa, and take in some Pay-per-View. Come by and pick us up for the party around nine tomorrow night." "Your loss, Princess," Rio mocked me and walked away. Mercy loyally padded along. "I'm sorry, Iona," I said to my petite friend. "I promise I'll make it up to you." "I'm not looking for any particular place but a particular man," she smiled serenely. "Sadly, I still have a piece of business to attend to and I see the person I need to see," I said as I spotted Valerie playing a competitive game of pool versus Raven of all people. When Valerie had taken her shot I stepped up to her side. "Can I catch a ride to the Dixie Roadhouse in the next few minutes?" I whispered. "Sure. Wait,  are you expecting me to hang around when you go inside?" Val smirked. "I've already gone a round with Gabrielle Black today so I don't feel I deserve a second ass-whooping. I'd appreciate you sticking around at least until the gunfire starts," I chuckled. "Fine, I'll stay, but you'll owe me one," Valerie smiled. "By the way, how tough is Gabrielle?" "I'll let you know when my concussion fades," I responded. "That good, huh?" Valerie persisted. "In less than thirty seconds she snapped my neck. It took her less than five minutes to break Dana's back after that, and right there at the end I swore I saw a lone bead of sweat on Gabrielle's brow," I related. "Just so we are clear; if I ever see her chasing your ass down like Gorman did that day, you are on your own," Valerie snorted. "I thought you were a bad-ass," I taunted her. I really didn't want her fighting Ms. Black on my behalf. "Granddad is a bad-ass; I'm a teenage girl who is good with bikes and can handle myself in a brawl but I'm not a true bad-ass. What I am is smart enough to not attempt the craziness that is your life," she huffed. "Being smarter than me is hardly an accomplishment to be proud of," I jibbed back. Raven, who had been pretending to not be eavesdropping, made this choking sound at that comment. "Let me finish Raven off and I'll take you there," Valerie said. "Valerie, she's killing you," I noted. "I like a challenge," Valerie countered. She must because Raven only had one ball left to sink while Valerie had four. Less than a minute later Raven sent Valerie and I heading for the stairs. Iona gave me a slight nod and grin. Rio came storming up at us half-way down. "You motherfucker," she snarled. "Problems?" I replied cautiously. "Mercy said she wasn't going with me," Rio growled. "What did you do?" I asked. "I slapped the bitch," Rio retorted. I could tell that pissed Valerie off; I wasn't too happy either. "You put her up to this, didn't you?" "I certainly did. I told her that she was going to have to step up instead of taking advantage of you all the time," I explained. "Did it hurt?" Rio knew I wasn't talking about Mercy's pain. "Yes," she rumbled. "If I can't trust her, I can't use her." "Whatever you decide to do, I'll live with," I shrugged. "I hope you know how hard it was for her to do what she did." Thankfully, Valerie was far more controlled than Rio and judged the conversation to be too delicate for her input. "Mercy is my deal, Zane. She's my responsibility and I'll take care of her without your interference," Rio stated aggressively. "It doesn't work that way. People aren't one dimensional and you can't expect to help people and not have them change," I countered. "You changed Mercy, for the better, and that includes her desire to take up some of the responsibility you've borne onto her shoulders. And the only reason for her to do that is, you annoy her so much." "Yeah," Rio finally deflated, "she was looking pretty miserable." "Buddies take your pizza; friends take your pain, Rio. Get used to the fact that there are three of us standing beside you when you need us," I reminded her. "I wasn't asking for anyone's help," Rio insisted. "In that case, get in Zane's car and take a trip. When the cops finally pull you over you will have three years friend-free in prison," Valerie now interjected. "Ha!" Rio snorted. "That's no good. Zane already promised to break me out if I get sent away." "Zane," groaned Valerie, "do you have even a passing acquaintance with common sense?" "I get a lot of that," I answered. "What now, Rio?" "I go back to my room," she sighed, "apologize to Mercy, then come back upstairs and work out a deal with Vivian for use of your room." "No tying them up and gagging Vivian and Barbie Lynn in their sleep," I cautioned Rio. "Fuck you," Rio muttered darkly. "Fuck you and your mind-reading ability. Fine, I'll be good, okay, I'll be as good as I can be." With that, Rio tossed me back my keys and then bounded downstairs and out the door. "I swear to God I would have tossed her out a window by now, if I were you," Valerie snorted. "Umm, she grows on you, kind of like a tapeworm," I chuckled. "I think my invitation to catch a bullet has been voided now that you have your keys back," Valerie noted. "I'll catch you tomorrow night." "Sure thing, but I may need you for that 'thing' if I can set up a meeting," I replied. That thing was meeting up with a possible undercover officer which held the possibility of being a real disaster. Valerie was being kind enough to ignore her instincts, and her advice to me, by helping me out. Valerie shook her head in skeptical amusement at my poor decision-making before we walked back upstairs. That bit of drama over, I swooped in, picked up Iona (figuratively) and escaped my room before anyone else could intervene. I thought we were doing quite well until I spotted someone sitting on the hood of my car, with a suitcase. "Hey, Paige, what's up?" I inquired with a good deal of exasperation. It was kind of stupid, actually. I knew exactly what she was doing here; I hadn't invited her and I didn't want her coming along on Iona's weekend. "I thought I'd let you spend the weekend with me," Paige smiled smugly. A light breeze tossed her alabaster hair across her translucent albino features. "You are late, by the way." "No, Paige, this is Iona's, I started to say. "It would be wonderful spending the weekend with you, Paige," Iona stepped up and hugged her. "It will be so great; their house is huge, Aunt Jill is so kind, and there is the sorority right next door." "Okay, Paige, you can come along, but this is a no sex weekend. Are we clear?" I warned her. "We'll see," Paige smirked. "I plan to sleep both nights in his bed, completely naked and rubbing against him," Iona beamed. "He'll crack," Paige wagered. "No, he won't. I trust him," Iona pledged. Paige appraised me for a second. "Okay, I'm game. We'll see if we can break him," Paige allowed. I once joked with some Kappa Sigmas about joining a monastery. I'm being driven to reconsider that option. After that exchange I was happy enough to make it to my home in one piece. I'd have been happier if there wasn't a police car in the driveway. I was walking onto the porch when my ladies spoke up. "Zane, why would the police be here?" Iona worried. "Zane, if they arrest you and I then attack them, will they let us share a cell?" Paige mused. "Iona, I have a few ideas and none of them are good," I responded. "Paige, they don't house men and women together, but I can probably smuggle a message to your side and tell all the lesbians what a screamer you are." Iona didn't get to question and Paige didn't get pick on me before I opened the door and went inside. "Hey, Aunt Jill," I called out, "I'm home and I've brought Iona Beckett and Paige Zeller with me." We had already talked over Iona's stay with Jill; Paige would be a whole new series of complicated hurdles. "Zane," Aunt Jill greeted me heartily. She was coming off her lounger while Officer Danica Campbell rose from the sofa and gave me a measured look. "This is Officer Campbell of the Lancaster Police and she has an official criminal matter to discuss with you," Jill finished in a worried tone. "Mr. Braxton, if I could have a word with you on the porch," Danica put forth the question that wasn't really a request. "Of course, officer," I responded. "Ladies, could you please hang out here with Aunt Jill for a few minutes and I should be back as soon as possible." I walked back to the porch. When Danica passed me, I shut the door and we turned to face one another. "Zane," Danica smiled. "Hey, it is good to see you, Officer Danica Campbell, but I have a feeling this isn't a social call," I sighed. "You are correct. There was an incident at the Dixie Roadhouse last night and your name came up during the inquiry. The Sheriff's Department contacted the PD and I decided that it would be more discrete that I meet you at your home as opposed to on campus," Danica related. "What can you tell me about the Dixie Roadhouse?" "I went there with a few buddies, got into a fight, and beat a Warlord named Big Ted into unconsciousness," I informed Danica. "What do you know about a guy named Peter 'Deacon' Baker?" Danica asked. "He's like a big deal with the local chapter but I don't actually know the guy," I replied. She studied me for a moment then appeared to accept me at my word. "This is a different crop of girls," she said with smirk. "Yes, they are friends of mine. Iona is a best bud and Paige is, Paige. She's very smart but very hard to get along with at times too," I explained. "How is your other friend?" She tried to sound casual. "I was curious if she'd be here tonight." "I'll tell her that," I grinned. "It will make her week when she hears you've asked about her. She still thinks you are very special." "She's quite a handful," she grinned back. "Not that I'm complaining. I can hardly get over the sensation of her nipples on my back as she drove into me." Heaven was going to love that, I was sure. Her eyes wandered northward to the adjoining property. "More girls?" I followed her gaze to see three Kappa Sigmas coming through the tree-line. "Those are some Kappa Sigma sorority sisters, friends of mine. They are cool," I told her. "Uh-huh," she sounded skeptical. "There has to be a story behind that that statement, I'm willing to bet." She pulled out a business card from her breast pocket. "Here's my card, in case something regarding the case occurs to you, or whatever." The girls were almost on us so I had to whisper. "You aren't, like, married, or divorced from somebody with violent tendencies, are you?" I inquired softly. "No," she chuckled, "and cause for you asking that question has to be yet another interesting story, I'll bet. Maybe you can tell me about it if we get together." "Mr. Braxton," she said a bit louder as she took a half-step back from me, "have a good weekend and try to stay out of trouble." "I'll do my best, Officer Campbell," I responded. "Ladies," she made a passing recognition of the Kappa Sigs as she left the porch and headed for the car. Only when Danica's cruiser pulled onto the road did the Kappas speak. "Hey, Zane," Leigh spoke up first, "isn't that the speed trap lady?" "Yeah, she's nailed me before," I admitted, and immediately regretted my choice of words. "Really?" Paris prodded me. "Isn't she a bit old for you?" "No, speed trap, she pulled me over but I got off with a warning ticket," I back-pedaled. "So, she got you off," Ferrara skewered me. "Which of her orifices was required for that?" "Aarrrggh," I cried heavenward. "Fine, Iona and Paige Keller are inside. Together with Jill, they will be making dinner for those of us who care to share our table. I have to go a bar and pay off a biker gang chieftain before he hunts me down and kills me." "Can we come along?" Leigh smiled. "We don't want to fight or anything like that, but I'd like to get some video of it, in case something fun happens." "That's right," Ferrara joked. "Something like him being beaten up, shot, stabbed, or killed. Leigh, Zane has sustained two beatings on our behalf. Let's not go for a third time before the month's out." "He didn't take a beating in the second fight," Paris corrected her sister. She was right; in the fight at the mall my opponents hadn't landed a blow. "I heard he was pretty roughly abused when he went to jail over that," Ferrara gave me a knowing smile. "All that conjecture is fascinating, ladies, but I do have a guy to pay off so go inside, make yourself at home, and I'll be back soon," I announced. I kissed each sister; Ferrara on the cheek, Paris on the lips, and Leigh with a tonsillectomy. I double-timed it to my car and didn't look back. The Fading Light And The Lord Mafia. I made it to the Dixie Roadhouse five minutes late. There were only fifteen bikes parked out front so I figured that if something went wrong I'd only be kinda dead, as opposed to the totally dead, killed in five or more fashions. There were three biker babes outside the door, drinking beers and talking; one was thankfully Willa. I made sure I had the money before disembarking from my car and heading in. "Hi there, Zane," Willa greeted me. I recalled that Belle would be working at the bar near UV campus tonight and tomorrow. "Hey, Willa, Katt, and Janet," I grinned. "Willa, if I get out of this, can I have a moment of your time when I get back?" "Sure," Willa seemed curious. "I would like to talk to you too." That was a bit odd but okay. When I entered the Dixie Roadhouse it took me a moment for my eyes to adjust but I knew where Deacon's table was from my last visit. Deacon was there with two of his associates, all in similar states of disrepair. My first thought was: What in the hell happened to them? The second was: Wow, they let someone in a half-body cast out of the hospital rather quickly these days. It looked like a herd of water buffalo had worked out the dance routine from that prison scene in the play Chicago, he had it coming, all over their bodies. None of his infirmities kept Deacon from glaring with horrible malevolence at me as I approached. "Here is your five thousand dollars," I stated as I lay the envelope on the table. None of them made a move on the money and I began to worry. Then I took in the full effects of their injuries and I figured out that not one of the three could reach over and get it. I opted to push the money across the table to the closest cripple. One of the guys managed, with some pain, to pick up the envelope and count the money. "It is all here," the guy mumbled to Deacon. I could see in Deacon's eyes that his hate for me was far from quenched but I didn't know why. It wasn't like I came back and kicked his ass, oh fuck, maybe I had. "I'll be going, then," I said as I backed up four steps. "I hope you feel better next time we meet." With that, I rapidly evacuated myself from the building. I found myself de-stressing next to Willa outside. "So, who in the hell fucked up Deacon and his buddies that bad?" I inquired. "Some people were hoping you could tell us," Willa prodded. "It wasn't me if that is what you are worried about," I assured her. "Tell me what happened." "From what little we've been told or been able to figure out, Deacon and his two senior officers stepped out to their rides around 11:30 last night when they got jumped," Willa related. "Then it gets weird, weirder," Katt continued. "Their attackers dragged them thirty yards over to the electrical shed," she pointed. That way no one could see them from the bar. "Then they proceeded to beat the ever-living hell out of them," Janet concluded, then took a swig of beer. I had to think about that for a moment. "Didn't they see who did it?" I questioned. "Blackbeard and Booth (who I assumed were the other two broken bikers) were knocked out before they saw anything and Deacon hasn't related what he saw, his jaw is wired shut because it's been broken in four places," Willa tried and failed to hide her grin. I had to think about that for a second; Deacon's jaw looked like it was carved out of granite. "Ladies (an affectation they found amusing), if Deacon and his two buddies had gotten into a fight outside the Roadhouse, wouldn't the rest of you come running, and wouldn't they have called out if they saw a gang of guys they didn't know coming toward them?" I ruminated. "That makes sense," Katt confirmed, "but what does that mean?" "One person," I muttered; "one really, really skilled person." "No way," Janet shook her head. "I can and have one-punched a person and I'm only so good," I countered. "I would have figured out which bike was Deacon's, picked the third one closer to the door to hide behind. After that, when he passed by me, I would come around the bike at a crouch-run and kick the closest target where the ear and jaw meet. If I do it right his brain beats around inside his skull a few times and it's lights out," I explained. "It looks like you've given this some thought," Willa observed. "No; the move is standard kick-boxing and the tactics are the usual for ambushing a dangerous animal. If you come at it head-on, you might still win but the price is much higher. Deacon and the other two talking in a place they felt safe was the 'distraction' for the ambush," I explained. "Oh," Willa contemplated the scenario. I could see her eyes walk over the parking lot as she considered the events playing out. "Of course, that still leaves you facing two opponents, right around six feet and 220 to 240 who are adept at violence," I pointed out. "If you could hit the second guy the same way fast enough and somehow render the last one incapable of speech, Willa concluded. "You would have to be insanely fast and if someone was that good, what would they be doing at a biker bar in Lancaster, Virginia?" "Don't you know? This is the destination of choice for all international assassins on the run?" I joked. "Willa, can I have that moment now?" She shrugged, grinned, and walked with me to my car. It was refreshing to be side-by-side with a woman not interested in jumping my bones. If she'd been a lesbian instead of what she was, it would have been perfect. "You are too young for me, Zane," Willa headed me off. "Cool," I answered, which was not what she expected. "I need to talk with you a bit but not here. I don't want to risk anyone else listening in." Now Willa appeared to be curious. "Okay. The abandoned roadside motel on Chandler Road, 2:00 pm tomorrow," she responded. "Thanks, Willa. And also, do you know where I can get some fake ID's?" I asked as I got into my car. "I'll see what I can dig up," Willa smirked. She rejoined her buddies on the porch and was chatting away as I took off for home. I knew that my ordeal for this evening was far from over. There still was the hurdle of finding a place for Paige to sleep and making sure she stayed in the room Jill and I agreed on. The struggle with Jill over Rio had been epic enough; I certainly didn't expect the sounds of women's laughter and modern music to be the first thing I heard when I stepped out of my ride. Mind you, Jill thought Rio still had moral fiber. If I told Rio she had even a single moral fiber left she'd span Heaven and Earth hunting the mythical beast down a la King Pellinore. On the plus side, Aunt Jill knew nothing of Paige so I could play up that angle. I walked indoors to a chorus of 'hey' and 'Zane' coming from the kitchen. I strode into a flurry of dinner-prep activity. Apparently we were attempting Italian sausage ravioli, broccoli & carrots, mashed potatoes, salad, and gazpacho. Okay, I was pretty sure Jill thought ravioli was the invention of Chef Boyardee and

“The market is enthralled with innovation,” John Wu argues. He compares stablecoins to the “oil” of the crypto market – the thing that supports the whole system. He thinks the GENIUS Act will “unlock a lot of utility” across the board. He explains what a stablecoin is and why players like MasterCard (MA) and Visa (V) “have to” embrace the technology before they're left behind.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

BlackRock-backed sBUIDL, issued by Securitize (BlackRock), is now live on Euler. It's sBUIDL's first ever direct DeFi integration. Users can also earn $AVAX rewards when borrowing USDC or AUSD against sBUIDL.~This episode is sponsored by Tangem~Tangem ➜ https://bit.ly/TangemPBNUse Code: "PBN" for Additional Discounts!00:00 Intro00:14 Sponsor: Tangem00:51 Abraxas Capital is not playing around!01:30 Blackrock rewards02:49 Euler CEO: “we brought attention back to Avax”03:13 Growth04:04 VanEck copying BUIDL?04:30 Solana vs AVAX 05:20 Transaction explosion05:45 TVL climbing to December highs06:20 Maplestory06:34 John Wu on Maplestory launch07:33 AVAX Activity spiking07:55 AVAX burning08:11 Nexxon CEO on revenue potential09:21 NXPC marketcap09:54 NXPC vs IPOs10:41 Testnets Ready11:10 Pharaoh11:40 Flipping BlackRock and TraderJoe?12:00 $PHAR12:23 Uniswap12:42 AVAX Summit Incoming13:00 Outro#Crypto #avax #ethereum ~BlackRock AVAX DeFi Rewards!

John Wu is the President of Ava Labs. The Scoop's host, Frank Chaparro, was joined by Wu to discuss Avalanche's growing institutional appeal, the rise of blockchain gaming, and how his background in traditional finance shaped his approach to building in crypto. OUTLINE 00:00 - Introduction 00:51 - Sponsor break 02:11 - John Wu's tradfi background 06:36 - Taking crypto seriously 09:27 - Ava Labs' focus 11:11 - The gaming landscape 18:38 - Ava Labs x financial markets 24:30 - Challenges in building in Tradfi 26:11 - How enterprises select blockchains 29:03 - Project Guardian 31:52 - Looking ahead GUEST LINKS John Wu on X: https://x.com/John1wu Ava Labs on X: https://x.com/AvaLabs Ava Labs: https://www.avalabs.org/ Are you hiring in crypto? Use Campus to quickly find your best candidates with our challenging Crypto Assessment Test. Faster hiring, stronger teams. Sign up for a trial today: theblock.co/campus This episode is brought to your by our sponsors: Fidelity Explore Fidelity crypto careers today. Go to crypto.FidelityCareers.com to learn more.

John Wu says the implied volatility of the SPX has been greater than Bitcoin over recent trading sessions. That doesn't mean volatility has been taken out of the cryptocurrency, but Bitcoin's activity level has drawn bullish optimism from John. Additionally, he points to Federal action in D.C. inching toward clearer crypto regulation.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

Coinbase (COIN) reports earnings after the closing bell. John Wu believes the runway for growth remains steady, though how fast Coinbase can run depends on regulation from the Trump administration. He warns investors it could take longer than expected. John adds that Coinbase needs more pipelines for revenue, even if it comes with more competition risk.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Mahesh and John Wu, President of Ava Labs, are joined by J. Paul Meyer, founder of Collar Network, to explore innovative solutions in decentralized finance (DeFi). J. Paul shares how Collar Network, a smart contract-based lending protocol, helps crypto investors borrow against their holdings in a hedged, non-liquidatable manner—addressing challenges like tax implications and liquidity. Drawing from his Goldman Sachs background, J. Paul discusses the need for financial services tailored to crypto's emerging wealthy class and the risks of replicating traditional finance's mistakes. They also touch on regulation, market behavior, and the future of Bitcoin, AI in finance, and Web3 value capture. Check out Collar's beta platform at beta.collarprotocol.xyz  Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 01:16 - The Role of ETFs in Tokenization 03:10 - Discussion on Goldman Sachs and Its Relevance 06:35 - The Impact of Technology on Financial Services 08:51 - The Consolidation of the Banking Sector 10:19 - Competing with Large Financial Institutions 13:27 - Weaknesses of Large Financial Institutions 17:02 - Overview of Collar Networks and Its Mission 20:32 - Comparison with Traditional Margin-Based Borrowing 22:44 - User Experience in Financial Products 24:51 - Future Product Development at Collar 26:20 - Finding Liquidity in DeFi Markets 28:10 - Working with Major Financial Institutions 30:57 - Concerns About Repeating Past Financial Mistakes 33:02 - Future Strategies for Collar Network 36:54 - Political and Regulatory Considerations 38:27 - Lightning Round: Quickfire Questions 41:02 - Closing Remarks  Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

Follow Building in Public Podcast: https://x.com/builtnpublicpod Mahesh and guest host John Wu sit down with Austin King, CEO of Omni Labs, to explore the future of cryptocurrency and decentralized finance (DeFi). Austin shares his journey from Harvard College to building and selling his first company to Ripple, reflecting on the lessons from the 2017 crypto boom that shaped his vision for blockchain interoperability. He discusses innovative design trends like "intents and solvers," which simplify cross-chain transactions for users, and Omni Labs' mission to abstract blockchain complexities, enabling seamless participation in the on-chain economy. Austin also opens up about leadership challenges, including pivoting after significant fundraising, and emphasizes the value of transparency, collaboration, and a strong support network. The conversation concludes with insights into the evolving crypto landscape and Austin's vision for a neutral and open economic system. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Introduction to Omni and Solvernet 01:30 - Austin King's Journey from Harvard to Crypto 03:02 - Identifying the Need for Interoperability 05:20 - The Ripple Acquisition Story 06:43 - Understanding the XRP Community 10:19 - Misunderstandings About XRP and Ripple 14:24 - Cults and Communities in Crypto 16:21 - Building Omni and Its Vision 20:56 - The Importance of Interoperability 23:24 - Pivoting After Fundraising 28:01 - Support Networks for Founders 30:33 - Conviction in Decision-Making 33:37 - Overview of the Omni Token and Network 39:04 - Defining Success in the Crypto Space 41:34 - Long-Term Vision for Crypto Development Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

Join Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young as they decode the world of Web3 and DeFi with special guest John Wu, President of Ava Labs. Listen in as they discuss John's journey from traditional finance to crypto, the potential for tokenization in financial services and accelerating stablecoin adoption worldwide, the next big assets that will be brought onchain, Avalanche's classification and uniqueness, its subnets and how they contrast to Ethereum L2s, its dual mission of targeting both crypto native and enterprise users, key Web3 adoption milestones that have helped pave the way for more firms to join, the roadmap for the next twelve months, and more.

John Wu with Ava Labs says enthusiasm for cryptocurrency is sky-high since the presidential election. That excitement is seen in Bitcoin's record price today. However, upside potential for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum depends on regulation the next administration puts in place. John also explains why Coinbase (COIN) has become the only "crypto index" for U.S. investors. ======== Schwab Network ======== Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribe Download the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185 Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7 Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watch Watch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-explore Watch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/ Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetwork Follow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetwork Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

With 170 million U.S. users, TikTok's fate hangs in balance as the Biden-era law requiring ByteDance to divest from TikTok by January 2025 is triggered. Could TikTok divest into Project Liberty's unbrella of web3 social media companies?Guest: John Wu - President at Ava Labs~This Episode is Sponsored By Coinbase~ Get up to $200 for getting started on Coinbase➜ https://bit.ly/CBARRON00:00 intro00:21 Sponsor: Coinbase00:44 TikTok on Polkadot?01:29 MeWe Chooses Avalanche03:23 TikTok on Avalanche06:05 Days Until Ban06:51 Preparing For TikTok Ban08:10 Businesses & Transactions08:56 Ticketmaster RugPulls Everyone10:59 NFT Ticketing on Avalanche12:59 Sports Illustrated Moves To AVAX16:35 Massive Ticketing Test on AVAX17:55 Testnet vs Mainnet & Costs21:15 Off The Grid Success25:16 Off The Grid Still Early27:21 Chipotle x Off The Grid28:16 John Wu Prediction30:46 AVAX Coming To U.S.34:04 outro#Crypto #TikTok #Avalanche~Could TikTok Move To Avalanche in 70 Days?

In today's episode we welcome back co-host John Wu and introduce Ash Ahmed, a recent Harvard College graduate and co-founder of Axal. Ash shares his fascinating journey from being a competitive debater to the world of startups and cryptocurrency. We discuss the unique bond between Ash and his twin brother, who is also making waves in the venture space with a non-invasive Neuralink startup. Ash discusses the entrepreneurial spirit fostered at Harvard, the challenges of building a company while still in college, and the importance of reflection in his decision-making process. Ash explains how Axal aims to create a network for verifiable autonomous agents, making tasks easier and more accessible for users. He highlights the intersection of AI and blockchain, the utility of Axal's token, and the vision for the future of crypto and task fulfillment. 00:00 - Introduction 01:06 - Introduction of Guests 01:57 - Sibling Rivalry and Competition: Ash's Twin Brother 04:19 - Different Paths: Ash and His Brother's Journeys 06:17 - Entrepreneurship in College 09:18 - Finding Funding and Building Axal 10:42 - Advice for Mentors in Startup Accelerators 12:26 - The Importance of Ambition and Hustle 16:46 - Reflections on Personal Growth and Maturity 17:12 - Introducing Axal: The Platform Overview 21:00 - Exploring Other Vertical Opportunities for Axal 23:23 - The Role of UI/UX in Product Development 24:34 - Comparing Computer Science Education Across Universities 26:10 - The Entrepreneurial Spirit at Harvard 27:25 - Token Utility and Ecosystem Dynamics 30:57 - Future Vision: Axal's Role in the Crypto Landscape 33:11 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs in College 36:06 - The Pressure of Early Career Decisions 37:32 - The Value of Banking Experience for Entrepreneurs Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

In this episode, Mahesh and guest host John Wu are joined by Kaledora Fontana Kiernan-Linn, Co-Founder of Ostium Labs. Ostium is committed to delivering solutions around stablecoin settlement, low-latency oracle-based pricing, minimal liquidity provider exposure, and a disintermediated and unbiased trading environment. We discuss the world of Ostium, finance, and various platforms like Interactive Brokers, LMAX, CME, and Coinbase futures. Kaledora examines the flexibility and benefits of the current trading model, highlighting institutional liquidity, potential partnerships, and the intriguing concept of "perpification." We also explore the noncustodial perp market for commodities, the significance of funding rates, and the creation of a platform for onboarding real-world assets through synthetic products. Kaledora shares insights into the technical challenges and the project's potential to disrupt traditional markets. Additionally, we uncover the novel solution for market hours data at the node level, emphasizing the importance of quick and decisive decision-making in the startup landscape. Gain valuable perspectives on trading strategies, decision-making, and the exciting innovations reshaping the world of finance and investment. 00:00 Prioritize quick decision-making over perfection, use intuition. 04:25 Rational decision-making process for quitting ballet. 07:33 Encouraging team trust, accepting imperfect decisions. 10:50 Constructive disagreements focus on idea generation approaches. 15:48 Trading any asset as a perpetual summary. 17:24 Innovative funding rates create balance in crypto. 23:27 Express thoughts freely, don't overthink sharing. 25:32 Advice for overcoming writer's block and perfectionism. 27:57 Accounting for market features crucial for creating oracles. 31:28 Improved solution for market hours data reporting. 36:08 Decentralized system using pool-based market making. 39:10 Excited about future opportunities in crypto markets. 41:18 Creating perpetuals, a unique onboarding approach overview. 44:34 Cryptocurrency, perpetual futures, and evolution of assets. Disclaimer: The hosts and the firms they represent may hold stakes in the companies mentioned in this podcast. None of this is financial advice.

Welcome back to season 2 of Proof-of-PR, your passport into the world of Public Relations for Bitcoin and Web3. Asylum Ventures Investor Jon Wu joins Melrose PR CEO Kelley Weaver this week to discuss all things investing, marketing, and thought leadership on X! They cover how to shift your marketing strategies as market sentiment changes, the importance of authenticity, and the role of spirituality as a thought leader on X, plus so much more! To stay up-to-date on upcoming guests and news follow us on Twitter at @ProofOfPR.

Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF. Bloomberg News Wall Street Reporter Sonali Basak breaks down earnings from JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Citi. Hagar Chemali, Founder and CEO at Greenwich Media Strategies, shares her thoughts on Israel bracing for an unprecedented attack by Iran. Rich Lesser, Global Chair of BCG, discusses risks and disruption concerning CEOs. John Wu, President at Ava Labs, talks about seeing a new wave of blockchain innovation. And we Drive to the Close with JJ Kinahan, CEO at IG North America. Bloomberg News Squawk Desk Reporter Bill Maloney also participates in the conversation. Hosts: Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec. Producer: Paul Brennan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Wu is the president at Ava Labs. We discuss:- Ava Labs overview- What makes the Avalanche Blockchain unique- Plan to scale to 100K TPS- Avax staking- JPMorgan utilizing Avalanche for tokenization- Amazon Web Services partnership- Bitcoin Spot ETF launch- US Crypto Regulations

John Wu Discusses Novalis' Growth and LVT Products at Surfaces 2024 by Floor Focus Magazine

Crypto investment platform Republic will list its profit-sharing digital asset, the Republic Note, on the Avalanche Blockchain via the US-regulated trading platform INX. The Note listing will be available to KYC'ed non-accredited and accredited investors worldwide on Dec. 6.~This episode is sponsored by iTrust Capital~iTrustCapital | Get $100 Funding Reward + No Monthly Fees when you sign up using our custom link! ➜ https://bit.ly/iTrustPaul00:00 intro00:23 Sponsor: iTrust Capital00:57 Republic x Avalanche01:24 John Wu on Republic02:19 December 6th02:54 Algorand Rugpulled03:15 Dividends & Non-Accredited04:47 INX Token on Ethereum05:41 Security Tokens06:05 Prometheum still a scam07:08 Tokens To Watch07:49 Republic Subnet Coming08:20 JP Morgan on Avalanche08:33 Bitcoiners Still Attack Altcoins10:13 Grayscale Web3 Growth12:03 Polygon Tokenized Products Coming12:55 outro#Crypto #Ethereum #Bitcoin~SEC Approved Tokens Launching on Avalanche December 6th

The transaction count on Avalanche's C-Chain (responsible for handling smart contracts) over the past week has set new all-time highs, reaching an estimated 2.3 million transactions per day on November 19. However, Avalanche hasn't even begun to explode.00:00 intro00:55 Tokenized Assets Growing04:19 JP Morgan Onyx & Citi Banks08:14 Dividend Yields Coming11:54 Tokenized ETFs14:00 Visa Payments Test15:08 Transaction Speed17:53 Testnet Subnets18:55 Loyalty Rewards Exploding23:08 Brands Awakening24:20 John Wu Predicted ROBLOX29:12 First Console Game?30:32 NFT Sales Exploding32:33 The Great Chain Migration34:21 Meta Interoperability36:42 XCAD Moving To Avalanche?37:38 Apple Reckoning Coming38:19 BEAM & Merit Circle40:40 Tech Roadmap41:13 AWM & Teleporter42:12 OnChain Storage42:30 Big Partnerships Coming43:41 Avalanche Render Network?44:45 outroGuest: John Wu, President of Ava LabsAva Labs website ➜ https://bit.ly/AVAXlabs#AVAX #Crypto #ethereum~Avalanche Set For Explosive Growth!

Bloomberg Businessweek Editor Joel Weber and Businessweek Assistant Managing Editor Jim Ellis discuss whether Disney's The Marvels release will raise questions about the future of the Marvel franchise. Butterball CEO Jay Jandrain shares his insight on how inflation could impact Thanksgiving food costs. John Wu, President at Ava Labs, talks about seeing Bitcoin market cap increasing 50% in 2024. And we Drive to the Close with Rob Haworth, Senior Investment Strategy Director at U.S. Bank Asset Management Group.Hosts: Tim Stenovec and Jennifer Ryan. Producer: Paul Brennan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alibaba is the Amazon of China, who's annual active user base is equivalent to the entire population of India. Alibaba, draws 70% of its total revenue from domestic operations and an additional 7% from international commerce. The firm also has a growing cloud division, similar to Amazon's, accounting for 9% of its revenues. The remaining revenues are generated from its digital media and distribution sectors. Throughout its growth, Alibaba would face industry titans such as eBay, and Amazon themselves, but emerge on top - creating the next wave of China billionare dragons. In Ep 1. We'll learn the humble life and painful experiences that turn Alibaba founder, Jack Ma into a global icon. In Ep 2. We'll follow the establishment (Joe Tsai, John Wu, Savio Kwan), rise then repercussion of Alibaba's ambitions as the dot com recession came smashing in. In Ep 3. We'll witness the intense war games between Alibaba and eBay, that birthed Taobao & Alipay (Ant Financial). In Ep 4. We'll observe the major mistep that eBay made, and the controversial deal that turned Alibaba into a billion dollar enterprise. In Ep 5. We'll behold the final transformation of Alibaba - that formed what experts call the iron triangle; dominating in e-commerce, mobile payments and supply chain. In Ep 6. We'll speak to both ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cynthia Ding⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Founding Partner of Yincubator) and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeremy Au ⁠⁠⁠⁠(VC & Chief of Staff for Monk's Hill Ventures) to learn more about their involvement in the region. Founder BRAVE podcast) - We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') ⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠ - Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to understand the bigger picture beyond the Asian business empires. Want to meet the team? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! - If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:

Alibaba is the Amazon of China, who's annual active user base is equivalent to the entire population of India. Alibaba, draws 70% of its total revenue from domestic operations and an additional 7% from international commerce. The firm also has a growing cloud division, similar to Amazon's, accounting for 9% of its revenues. The remaining revenues are generated from its digital media and distribution sectors. Throughout its growth, Alibaba would face industry titans such as eBay, and Amazon themselves, but emerge on top - creating the next wave of China billionare dragons. In Ep 1. We'll learn the humble life and painful experiences that turn Alibaba founder, Jack Ma into a global icon. In Ep 2. We'll follow the establishment (Joe Tsai, John Wu, Savio Kwan), rise then repercussion of Alibaba's ambitions as the dot com recession came smashing in. In Ep 3. We'll witness the intense war games between Alibaba and eBay, that birthed Taobao & Alipay (Ant Financial). In Ep 4. We'll observe the major mistep that eBay made, and the controversial deal that turned Alibaba into a billion dollar enterprise. In Ep 5. We'll behold the final transformation of Alibaba - that formed what experts call the iron triangle; dominating in e-commerce, mobile payments and supply chain. In Ep 6. We'll speak to both ⁠⁠⁠Cynthia Ding⁠⁠⁠ (Founder Partner of Yincubator) and ⁠⁠⁠Jeremy Au ⁠⁠⁠(VC & Chief of Staff for Monk's Hill Ventures) to learn more about their involvement in the region. - We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') ⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠ - Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to understand the bigger picture beyond the Asian business empires. Want to meet the team? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! - If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:

Alibaba is the Amazon of China, who's annual active user base is equivalent to the entire population of India. Alibaba, draws 70% of its total revenue from domestic operations and an additional 7% from international commerce. The firm also has a growing cloud division, similar to Amazon's, accounting for 9% of its revenues. The remaining revenues are generated from its digital media and distribution sectors. Throughout its growth, Alibaba would face industry titans such as eBay, and Amazon themselves, but emerge on top - creating the next wave of China billionare dragons. In Ep 1. We'll learn the humble life and painful experiences that turn Alibaba founder, Jack Ma into a global icon. In Ep 2. We'll follow the establishment (Joe Tsai, John Wu, Savio Kwan), rise then repercussion of Alibaba's ambitions as the dot com recession came smashing in. In Ep 3. We'll witness the intense war games between Alibaba and eBay, that birthed Taobao & Alipay (Ant Financial). In Ep 4. We'll observe the major mistep that eBay made, and the controversial deal that turned Alibaba into a billion dollar enterprise. In Ep 5. We'll behold the final transformation of Alibaba - that formed what experts call the iron triangle; dominating in e-commerce, mobile payments and supply chain. In Ep 6. We'll speak to both ⁠⁠Cynthia Ding⁠⁠ (Founder Partner of Yincubator) and ⁠⁠Jeremy Au ⁠⁠(VC & Chief of Staff for Monk's Hill Ventures) to learn more about their involvement in the region. - We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') ⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠ - Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to understand the bigger picture beyond the Asian business empires. Want to meet the team? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! - If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:

Alibaba is the Amazon of China, who's annual active user base is equivalent to the entire population of India. Alibaba, draws 70% of its total revenue from domestic operations and an additional 7% from international commerce. The firm also has a growing cloud division, similar to Amazon's, accounting for 9% of its revenues. The remaining revenues are generated from its digital media and distribution sectors. Throughout its growth, Alibaba would face industry titans such as eBay, and Amazon themselves, but emerge on top - creating the next wave of China billionare dragons. In Ep 1. We'll learn the humble life and painful experiences that turn Alibaba founder, Jack Ma into a global icon. In Ep 2. We'll follow the establishment (Joe Tsai, John Wu, Savio Kwan), rise then repercussion of Alibaba's ambitions as the dot com recession came smashing in. In Ep 3. We'll witness the intense war games between Alibaba and eBay, that birthed Taobao & Alipay (Ant Financial). In Ep 4. We'll observe the major mistep that eBay made, and the controversial deal that turned Alibaba into a billion dollar enterprise. In Ep 5. We'll behold the final transformation of Alibaba - that formed what experts call the iron triangle; dominating in e-commerce, mobile payments and supply chain. In Ep 6. We'll speak to both ⁠⁠Cynthia Ding⁠⁠ (Founder Partner of Yincubator) and ⁠⁠Jeremy Au ⁠⁠(VC & Chief of Staff for Monk's Hill Ventures) to learn more about their involvement in the region. - We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') ⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠ - Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to understand the bigger picture beyond the Asian business empires. Want to meet the team? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! - If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:

Alibaba is the Amazon of China, who's annual active user base is equivalent to the entire population of India. Alibaba, draws 70% of its total revenue from domestic operations and an additional 7% from international commerce. The firm also has a growing cloud division, similar to Amazon's, accounting for 9% of its revenues. The remaining revenues are generated from its digital media and distribution sectors. Throughout its growth, Alibaba would face industry titans such as eBay, and Amazon themselves, but emerge on top - creating the next wave of China billionare dragons. In Ep 1. We'll learn the humble life and painful experiences that turn Alibaba founder, Jack Ma into a global icon. In Ep 2. We'll follow the establishment (Joe Tsai, John Wu, Savio Kwan), rise then repercussion of Alibaba's ambitions as the dot com recession came smashing in. In Ep 3. We'll witness the intense war games between Alibaba and eBay, that birthed Taobao & Alipay (Ant Financial). In Ep 4. We'll observe the major mistep that eBay made, and the controversial deal that turned Alibaba into a billion dollar enterprise. In Ep 5. We'll behold the final transformation of Alibaba - that formed what experts call the iron triangle; dominating in e-commerce, mobile payments and supply chain. In Ep 6. We'll speak to both ⁠Cynthia Ding⁠ (Founder Partner of Yincubator) and ⁠Jeremy Au ⁠(VC & Chief of Staff for Monk's Hill Ventures) to learn more about their involvement in the region. - We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') ⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠ - Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to understand the bigger picture beyond the Asian business empires. Want to meet the team? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! - If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:

Alibaba is the Amazon of China, who's annual active user base is equivalent to the entire population of India. Alibaba, draws 70% of its total revenue from domestic operations and an additional 7% from international commerce. The firm also has a growing cloud division, similar to Amazon's, accounting for 9% of its revenues. The remaining revenues are generated from its digital media and distribution sectors. Throughout its growth, Alibaba would face industry titans such as eBay, and Amazon themselves, but emerge on top - creating the next wave of China billionare dragons. In Ep 1. We'll learn the humble life and painful experiences that turn Alibaba founder, Jack Ma into a global icon. In Ep 2. We'll follow the establishment (Joe Tsai, John Wu, Savio Kwan), rise then repercussion of Alibaba's ambitions as the dot com recession came smashing in. In Ep 3. We'll witness the intense war games between Alibaba and eBay, that birthed Taobao & Alipay (Ant Financial). In Ep 4. We'll observe the major mistep that eBay made, and the controversial deal that turned Alibaba into a billion dollar enterprise. In Ep 5. We'll behold the final transformation of Alibaba - that formed what experts call the iron triangle; dominating in e-commerce, mobile payments and supply chain. In Ep 6. We'll speak to both Cynthia Ding (Founder Partner of Yincubator) and Jeremy Au (VC & Chief of Staff for Monk's Hill Ventures) to learn more about their involvement in the region. - We're looking to grow our team! Help support our productions here :') ⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠ - Want to discover more origins, rise & fall on Asian business empires? Follow us on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tiktok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ where we share 5 minute breakdowns of some of the most interesting Asian businesses. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to understand the bigger picture beyond the Asian business empires. Want to meet the team? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! - If you love the style of Empires, and want similar content, check out:

John Wu Showcases Novalis' Newest Nova Floor Products at Surfaces 2023 by Floor Focus Magazine

In this special segment, we're featuring web3 investors, founders and mentors such as Joey Krug from Pantera Capital, Matthew Graham from Sino Global Capital, Teana Baker-Taylor from Circle, Sam Williams from Arweave, John Wu from Ava Labs, Clarisse Hagege from Dfns, Sean Lee from Odsy, Tim Bos from ShareRing and Michelle Tsing from GRI. Included in this episode are some of the most helpful insights that these web3 leaders have shared with us over the past year and a half. The common thread you'll hear from all of them is that the things that make a great web3 project or startup focus a heckuva lot more on humanity than technology. FEATURED VOICES: Teana Baker-Taylor, now VP of Policy & Regulatory Strategy at Circle, on ep 163 John Wu, President of Ava Labs, on ep 164 Michelle Tsing, web3 governance advisor, on ep 161 Matthew Graham, CEO of Sino Global Capital, on ep 165 Joey Krug, co-CIO of Pantera Capital, on ep 166 Tim Bos, founder and CEO of ShareRing, on ep 169 Clarisse Hagege, co-founder and CEO of Dfns, on ep 202 Sean Lee, co-founder of Odsy Network, on ep 201 Sam Williams, co-founder and CEO of Arweave, on ep 205 LINKS Leave a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Spotify Check out our MoneyNeverSleeps website and email us at info@moneyneversleeps.ie Follow us on Twitter: MoneyNeverSleeps | Eoin Fitzgerald | Pete Townsend --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/moneyneversleeps/support

On this episode, we're discussing the monumental task of onboarding the masses from web2 to web3. Avalanche's ($AVAX) recent partnerships with Amazon cloud service AWS and Shopify (Venly) might pave the way for millions of businesses to leverage the scalability and speed of Avalanche's blockchain as-a-service model.Guest: John Wu, President of Ava LabsAva Labs website ➜ https://bit.ly/AVAXlabs~This episode is sponsored by CoinLedger~Save 10% Using Discount Code "BARRON" ➜ https://coinledger.io/

In this episode of Empire, Emin Gün Sirer and John Wu explain why Avalanche is the most scalable, decentralized L1. We start with why developers choose Avalanche, then quickly transition into the L2 debate. Emin explains why Subnets are superior and how the L2 vision and L2 reality are miles apart. We also talk about Avalanche's consensus engine, business development, the multichain future and more! - - Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (01:01) Avalanche's Core Thesis (04:17) Why Build on Avalanche? (14:19) The Problem with L2s (19:08) Avalanche's Tradeoffs (23:41) The Consensus Engine (30:00) Learnings From Other Networks (33:29) Solana vs Avalanche (40:59) Avalanche's Security Guarantees (45:00) Business Development Strategy (55:09) Warp: Communication Between Subnets (1:00:01) On-Chain Governance (1:01:41) Avalanche's Community (1:08:29) A Multichain Future? - - Follow Emin: https://twitter.com/el33th4xor Follow John: https://twitter.com/John1wu Follow Jason: https://twitter.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Santi: https://twitter.com/santiagoroel Follow Empire: https://twitter.com/theempirepod Subscribe on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/4fdhhb2j Subscribe on Apple: https://tinyurl.com/mv4frfv7 Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/wbaypprw Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ - - Resources Avalanche https://www.avax.network/ Ava Labs https://www.avalabs.org/ - - Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

On this episode of Positive University, bestselling author Jon Gordon is joined by the President of Ava Labs, John Wu for a fascinating conversation about the state of cryptocurrency, how to invest long term and regain financial trust.  Featured Resource: One Word Challenge - Make 2023 your best year yet. Instead of creating endless goals and resolutions, choose One Word to be your driving force for the year. No goals. No wish lists. Just one word. Sign up for our FREE One Word Challenge and we'll help you pick your word plus discover how to live it out. Sign up at https://onewordchallenge.com/ About John Wu: John Wu is President of Ava Labs, an Andresseen Horowitz backed technology company building the next-generation blockchain platform: Avalanche. John's objective is to open up financial services and products to all. In this role, he leverages his expertise from over 20 years as a fintech executive and technology investor to create a blockchain-enabled solution for originating, issuing, and trading financial assets.   John was previously CEO of the SharesPost Digital Assets Group, enabling compliant token trading of private shares and funds. Prior to that, he was a technology investor and the founder of Sureview Capital, a global hedge fund backed by the Blackstone Group.  John began his investment career at Tiger Management, a preeminent hedge fund with $20 billion in assets under management at its peak, before managing a global technology portfolio at Kingdon Capital.   John received his MBA from Harvard University and holds a BS in Economics from Cornell University.

Today on the Ether we have the Coinage Crypto Wrapped Year In Review with Ava Labs President John Wu. Recorded on December 15th 2022. If you enjoy the music at the end of the episodes, you can find the albums streaming on Spotify, and the rest of your favorite streaming platforms. Check out Project Survival, Virus Diaries, and Plan B wherever you get your music. Thank you to everyone in the community who supports TerraSpaces.

Welcome to your healthy and wealthy Winston Salem Podcast which is dedicated to educating the community about flourished health and wealthy minds to nourish the community and allow us to be healthier and wealthier together. I am your Host Dr. Sarvar Pathan and with my colleagues, we sit down with experts who are right now making a difference in the community. Thank you for tuning in to listen to this episode and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast as well as our social media handles on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Without further due, let's have a listen. Dr. Sarvar Pathan(host), is the Creator of Healthy Wealthy Winston Salem Podcast, and with his wife, Farhin Pathan(also a physical therapist), is the Founder and Owner of Personalized Physical Therapy and Wellness LLC. He is a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Arcadia University, PA, a graduate of Leadership Lewisville-Clemmons, an ex Clinical Supervisor at Wake Forest High Point Medical Center, and taught at High Point University, in the School of Doctor of Physical Therapy at the Community Clinic in High Point. He specializes in the Musculoskeletal system, focuses on Back pain, and helps Active Adults and Athletes conquer pain, return to activities they enjoy, and live from pain medication, injections, and surgeries. You can find out more about at www.pptaw.com Today on the show, We have John Wu and Muyao Teng, who are interns of Personalized Physical Therapy and Wellness. We learned a lot together and these are the things we discussed. -Educational backgrounds and their pathway to physical therapy -Their experiences and growths in Personalized Physical Therapy and Wellness -Their vision of improving the overall health of the Winston Salem community Additional Resources and links mentioned in the podcast: -Personalized Library will be launched during the New Year of 2023.

The most interesting use cases for DeFi are still being discovered. But tokenization of real world assets, or anything that has an income stream associated with it, is starting to take shape. And there are blockchains being built today with digitization and tokenization of assets as their core use case.My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is John Wu, the President of Ava Labs, the organization behind the Avalanche blockchain. John has a deep knowledge of technology as an investor and was early in bitcoin. Now, he is leading Ava Labs and the Avalanche blockchain into becoming a major force in a multi-chain world.In this podcast you will learn:The founding story of Ava Labs and the Avalanche blockchain.Why Emin Gün Sirer is so well respected in the crypto space.What makes the Avalanche blockchain unique.How Ava Labs is working with traditional financial institutions.The two core benefits of tokenization.What assets lend themselves best to tokenization.The interesting use cases for tokenization getting traction now.The benefits of Avalanche over private blockchains.What it will take for tokenization to become mainstream.How programmable money fits into the Avalanche vision.How fintech and TradFi should think about web3 disruption.How the downturn in crypto has affected Ava Labs (or not).What John would like the TradFi world to understand about DeFi.The role of Ava Labs in the future of crypto.Connect with John via LinkedInConnect with John via TwitterConnect with Fintech One-on-One: Tweet me @PeterRenton Connect with me on LinkedIn Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes

Artificial intelligence has a lot of potential for higher education. It can automate onerous repetitive tasks for teachers, help researchers leapfrog mountains of data crunching and make higher education more accessible and personalised for students. But AI also presents risks, including biases that can become embedded into algorithms and a lack of transparency around data use. Though we may be a long way from understanding exactly how higher education can harness AI and machine learning's great potential in a safe way, this episode's guests say that continuing to test and explore it is the only way to make progress. Join THE Campus editor Sara Custer and senior content curator Miranda Prynne as they speak with Ashok Goel, a professor of computer science and human-centered computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the developer of the first automated teaching assistant, as well as John Wu an assistant astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute and an associate research scientist at Johns Hopkins University.   Find resources from your peers exploring the benefits and costs of AI in higher education on THE Campus.  

In the last year, Avalanche has established itself as the “Ethereum killer” after rapidly scaling its dApps and subnets, despite the broader market downturn. John Wu, the president of Ava Labs, joins Raoul to talk about the big picture, how to separate the signal from the noise, and Avalanche's plan to on-board the next billion crypto adopters. Never miss an episode of Raoul Pal: Real Vision - subscribe here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen on Apple, Google, Spotify, and other platforms. John gives an overview of what Gryphon is [02:22] How did John get into the tech industry? [03:52] John shares the trends he was starting to see after working in tech companies [06:12] How did John come up with the business idea for Gryphon? [08:18] John shares Gryphon's use cases and success stories [09:56] John talks about encryption and its importance [12:12] John shares some of the lessons he learned from building hardware and software [13:08] John shares the positive and negative effects of the pandemic on their business [15:32] John shares Gryphon's next steps, including building new products [17:03] John talks about the crypto aspect and decentralized approach when it comes to security and privacy issues [18:43] John explains why they have proof of bandwidth and proof of memory  [19:56] John shares his favorite taco spot, Yesenia's [21:34]   Follow John Wu LinkedIn   Gryphon Website | LinkedIn

In the last year, Avalanche has established itself as the “Ethereum killer” after rapidly scaling its dApps and subnets, despite the broader market downturn. John Wu, the president of Ava Labs, joins Raoul to talk about the big picture, how to separate the signal from the noise, and Avalanche's plan to on-board the next billion crypto adopters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Wu, CEO of Gryphon, joins the pod with Scott Kitun. Gryphon is a wireless router built around online safety, privacy and protecting the central point of your digital life at home. John first starting thinking about the idea for the router after watching his young daughter access the internet and come across NSFW (or children) content. Scott and John catch up about the essential role of data in our lives, why we should care where it goes and treating children's digital lives with equivalent protections and safeguards we use in the physical world. John also shares new features coming to Gryphon including password manager functionalities, VPN and other privacy protections using  blockchain technology that transfer control away from third parties and into the hands of the user.  Gryphon is currently raising a CF round on Republic. 

John Wu is the President of Ava Labs In this conversation, we discuss the state of the Crypto market, bridging Bitcoin to Avalanche, the Avalanche ecosystem, who's building on Avalanche, building a better DeFi 2.0, and what John is excited about in the Crypto world. ======================= BCB Group is the leading payment services partner for the digital assets industry. BCB Group provides payment services in 30+ currencies, FX, cryptocurrency liquidity, digital asset custody and BLINC, which is BCB's free, instant settlements network for the BCB client ecosystem. Find out more by visiting bcbgroup.com/pomp ======================= Exodus is leading the world out of the traditional financial system by building beautiful and user-friendly blockchain products. With its focus on design and user experience, Exodus has become one of the most popular and loved cryptocurrency apps. It's supported on both desktop and mobile, allowing you to sync your wallet across multiple devices so you can have access to your funds anywhere. You can instantly exchange around 100 different cryptocurrencies straight from your wallet. Interactive charts let you view an asset's price history and your portfolio's performance over time. And maybe the best part, Exodus is integrated with the Trezor hardware wallet - making advanced security easy for everyone.  Visit exodus.com/pomp for your free download or search Exodus on the App Store or Playstore. ======================= The Pod Pro Cover by Eight Sleep is the most advanced solution on the market for thermoregulation. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking. Go to https://www.eightsleep.com/Pomp to check out the Pod Pro Cover and save $150 at checkout. Eight Sleep currently ships within the USA, Canada, and the UK. =======================

Ava Labs president John Wu talks about the meteoric rise of so-called "Ethereum killer" Avalanche (he hates that phrase), its utility and usability, AVAX token, tribalism in crypto, the SEC and regulation, and NFT backlash. For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @decryptmedia on Twitter. Hosts, guests, and credits: Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwrite Jeff RobertsTwitter: @jeffjohnroberts John WuTwitter: @john1wu Podcast art by Grant Kempster gm from Decrypt is a Redd Rock Music PodcastInstagram: @reddrockmusicwww.reddrockmusic.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ava Labs president John Wu talks about the meteoric rise of so-called "Ethereum killer" Avalanche (he hates that phrase), its utility and usability, AVAX token, tribalism in crypto, the SEC and regulation, and NFT backlash. For more from Decrypt, visit decrypt.co and follow @decryptmedia on Twitter. Hosts, guests, and credits: Dan RobertsTwitter: @readDanwrite Jeff RobertsTwitter: @jeffjohnroberts John WuTwitter: @john1wu Podcast art by Grant Kempster gm from Decrypt is a Redd Rock Music PodcastInstagram: @reddrockmusicwww.reddrockmusic.com Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Venture capitalists know what it feels like when a company is firing on all cylinders. But it's been a while since the whole country had that feeling of dynamism—so why not focus on companies that help the cause by supporting the national interest, solving critical problems, and doing fundamentally new things? Rob and Jackie sat down with Ben Horowitz and Katherine Boyle of the leading VC firm Andreessen Horowitz to talk about investing in American dynamism.MentionedBen Horowitz, The Hard Things About Hard Things (Harper Business, 2014). Ben Horowitz, What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture (Harper Business, 2019). Rob Atkinson, The Past and Future of America's Economy: Long Waves of Innovation that Drive Cycles of Growth (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2005). Related“Doing Capitalism in the Innovation Economy,” ITIF event, January 2014.Luke Dascoli, “AI Start-Ups Attracted Over 21 Percent of The World's Venture Capital in 2020” (ITIF, January 2022).John Wu, “A Small Business Innovation Research Grant Doubles an Energy-Technology Company's Chances of Later Receiving Venture Capital” (ITIF, May 2017).

John Wu, President of Ava Labs, discusses China's cryptocurrency crackdown. Josh Duitz, Portfolio Manager of the Aberdeen Standard Global Infrastructure Income Fund (ASGI) at Aberdeen Standard Investments, talks about investing implications of the infrastructure bill. Tracie McMillion, Head of Global Asset Allocation Strategy for Wells Fargo Investment Institute, discusses their globalization report. David Harden, CIO of Summit Global Investors, talks markets. Hosted by Paul Sweeney and Matt Miller. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the latest episode of The Bit, Stephen Stonberg sits down with John Wu, the President of Ava Labs, to discuss Ava Labs' Avalanche blockchain network and how it fits into the rapidly evolving crypto and DeFi ecosystem. John and Stephen then take a wide-angle look around the broader crypto space, from recent regulatory moves to how Avalanche and its ongoing upgrades compare with Ethereum 2.

Vicki begins to develop romantic feelings for Bardot and Hector starts to doubt her resolve. They turn in their case to Brimstone National insurance, but Hector wants to see if he can get the police to reopen the case. Vicki must choose between her partner and her feelings for Bardot. Actors: Georgina Okon, Alberto Mojo Pena, Rachanee Lumayno, Mark Chandler Bailey, John Wu, Paul Kelly, Jessica Mathews and Veronica Kelly.

Bitcoin Futures (/BTC) fell to a low of $30,205 today and down 30%. "The correlation between high-growth tech stocks and bitcoin has tightened compared to previous years," says John Wu. He weighs in on growth stocks collapsing over the last few months, and institutional money entering crypto over the last year.

Vicki Klain, a private investigator, hired by the insurance company Brimstone National, teams up with her loyal partner Hector Morales. They cautiously gather evidence on Bardot Hermes, a former webcam model about to hit a big insurance settlement after the death of her husband, a cosmetic surgeon and a notorious necrophiliac. Actors: Georgina Okon, Alberto Mojo Pena, Rachanee Lumayno, Jason Turnage, Jessica Mathews, John Wu and Jerel Taylor.

David Kaye, free speech expert at the University of California, Irvine, joins Ellysse and Ashley to explore the challenges of developing effective and culturally relevant content moderation policies in different countries and how intermediary liability laws like Section 230 impact online speech for billions of users around the world.MentionedDavid Kaye, Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet(New York: Columbia Global Reports, 2019).Jack Goldsmith and John Wu, Who Controls the Internet?: Illusions of a Borderless World (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). “Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Single Market for Digital Services (Digital Services Act) and amending Directive 2000/31/EC,” EUR-Lex.RelatedAshley Johnson and Daniel Castro, “How Other Countries Have Dealt With Intermediary Liability” (ITIF, February 2021).