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Margin pressure, driven by a widening profitability gap among MSPs, is the primary structural shift highlighted in this discussion. According to Dave Cava, industry data shows that over half of MSPs operate at less than 5% profitability, while around 27% are running at a loss. Larger and better-funded MSPs are leveraging resources to accelerate adoption of new technologies such as AI, increasing competitive risk for smaller providers that lack operational maturity and financial resilience.The discussion identified concrete data on workforce dynamics and hiring models as significant, with PeopleSharp internal figures revealing a 30-day gap between presenting a hiring candidate and accepted offers, attributed to process inefficiency on the MSP side. Additionally, Dave Cava referenced market research (Saya) showing a jump from 9% to 16% of MSPs struggling to find qualified technicians, despite a labor market some perceive as soft. This further intensifies pressure on mid-sized and smaller MSPs with limited recruiting power, especially as staffing expectations and willingness to work on-site have been drastically altered post-COVID.Secondary developments include the evolving structure of technical teams and career ladders. Traditional L1-to-L3 progression is under scrutiny as automation and AI begin to erode the volume of entry-level roles. While the shift is gradual, Dave Cava noted that "talent factories," or MSPs able to internally develop staff, are increasingly necessary. Process and operational maturity, not early AI adoption alone, are indicated as pre-requisites for sustainable growth, as merely adding new technology does not solve the underlying margin or process challenges.For MSPs and IT leaders, these dynamics translate to concrete operational risks: underestimating cost structure, slow hiring processes, and reliance on commoditized pricing expose businesses to margin erosion and slow response to market shifts. Building robust, value-based pricing strategies, investing in internal talent development, and streamlining hiring and onboarding are positioned as necessary—but not sufficient—conditions for survival. Rapid AI adoption without foundational process discipline creates more risk than opportunity in the current market landscape.Supported by:ProofpointHaloPSA

Recent advancements in the Christmas Tree industry are providing producers with more diverse product and consumers with greater choice during the holiday season. Rod Bain with USDA has the story, USDA Radio NewslineSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should You Invest in Vancouver, Montreal or Laval? Plus the 2 Numbers Wayne Uses to Analyze Deals Can you find a good rental property in Montreal or Laval? Should you invest in Vancouver? What numbers actually matter when analyzing a rental property? And if you already bought a bad deal, should you hold it and hope it recovers, or sell it and move on? Today's episode of the Canadian Real Estate Investing Morning Show is another investor Q&A covering exactly those questions. Wayne and Gabby break down how to evaluate a market, how borrowed down-payment funds affect cash flow, why Wayne would personally avoid certain provinces even when the numbers appear to work, and the two metrics he actually uses to compare real estate deals. The main message: Don't force a market to work. Find the market, property type and deal that actually fit your investment criteria. Can You Cash Flow in Montreal or Laval? A listener from Laval, Quebec asks whether it is realistic to find a property in Laval or Montreal that meets Wayne's cash-flow criteria. Wayne says it may be possible. But instead of starting with one predetermined property type, investors should study the entire market. Look at: Apartment condos Townhouse condos Duplexes Single-family houses Houses with secondary suites Small multifamily Larger multifamily Then compare purchase prices across different neighbourhoods with the rents those properties can realistically achieve. The goal is to become a master of the market. You need to know: What different property types cost. What different neighbourhoods cost. What tenants will pay. What areas attract stronger tenants. Which property types produce the best rent-to-price relationship. Only then can you determine which opportunities deserve deeper investigation. Don't Start With the Strategy and Force the Market The listener specifically mentions wanting to purchase a plex. Wayne's approach would be slightly different. Instead of deciding: "I want to buy a plex." Start with: "Which asset type in this city produces the best combination of cash flow, tenant profile, risk and long-term potential?" Maybe that is a plex. Maybe it is a townhouse. Maybe it is a suited house. Maybe it is something completely different. Do not force the property type. Follow the numbers. Borrowing Your Down Payment From Home Equity The listener is also considering borrowing against their existing home to fund the down payment. Wayne likes the concept of taking otherwise unused equity and redeploying it into another productive asset. But there is an obvious trade-off. Borrowing the down payment creates additional debt. Additional debt means additional monthly interest. That increases the risk. If the investment property itself produces $500 per month in cash flow but the borrowed down payment costs $300 per month to service, the investor's actual financial position is very different. That needs to be considered. Look at the Entire Portfolio When investors use equity from one property to fund another, Wayne sometimes prefers looking at the cash flow of the entire portfolio instead of judging only the new property in isolation. Maybe one property produces excellent cash flow. Another is tighter. Together, the portfolio may still be healthy. The question becomes: Does the entire portfolio still pass the cash-flow test and remain resilient? Borrowing money to scale increases potential profits. But it also increases risk. The goal is finding the right balance. Borrowed Investment Funds May Be Tax Deductible Gabby also points out an important tax consideration. When money is borrowed and used for qualifying investment purposes, the interest may be deductible. That can reduce the true after-tax cost of the borrowed funds. Investors should confirm the exact treatment with a qualified accountant based on their specific circumstances. Why Wayne Still Wouldn't Choose Quebec This is where Wayne's answer changes. Could somebody potentially find a property in Quebec that produces good cash flow? Yes. Would Wayne personally want to operate his rental-property business there? No. The issue is the landlord and tenant laws. Wayne views real estate as a business. And if the jurisdiction makes it unnecessarily difficult to operate that business, enforce agreements or manage risk, that becomes a major negative. Even if the numbers work. For Wayne, that can be enough to eliminate the market. A Great Deal in the Wrong Province Can Still Be the Wrong Deal Wayne compares Quebec with other provinces where investors have historically found strong deals. The purchase price might work. The rent might work. The appreciation potential might work. But if the operating environment creates significantly more landlord risk, the deal becomes less attractive. Wayne would rather invest in a market where: The property works. The cash flow works. The tenant profile works. The long-term fundamentals work. And the laws support the operation of the business. Wayne's "Ice Age" Theory Wayne again discusses the idea of real estate markets entering an "ice age." A market can become temporarily unattractive when prices rise faster than rents and household affordability. That does not mean the city is permanently bad. It means investors may need to wait. Calgary is one market Wayne currently describes this way. He believes Edmonton will eventually reach a similar stage. When that happens, he will look for the next market where the fundamentals work better. What Numbers Should Investors Actually Follow? Another listener asks which indicators they should use when analyzing deals. They currently look at: Cap rate Cash flow ROI DSCR The 1% rule Other rules of thumb Wayne simplifies it dramatically. He primarily focuses on two things: Return on Investment and The 5% Rule™ Cash Flow Test That is it. Metric #1: Return on Investment ROI tells Wayne how profitable the investment is. It allows him to compare completely different properties using one common measure. A townhouse. A suited house. A multifamily building. A condo. A garden-suite development. Whatever the property type, the question is: For every dollar I invest, how much profit am I receiving back? Wayne looks at total profits from: Cash flow Mortgage principal paydown Appreciation Then compares those profits with the initial investment. He generally prefers looking over longer holding periods rather than focusing only on year-one returns. Real estate is a long-term investment. Metric #2: The 5% Rule™ Cash Flow Test Profitability is only half the equation. The other half is risk. Wayne uses cash flow as his primary risk measure. The more cash flow a property produces, the greater its ability to absorb: Lower rents Higher mortgage payments Repairs Vacancy Increasing expenses Unexpected economic changes Imagine one property produces $500 per month. Rent falls by $200. You still have $300. Another property produces only $100. Rent falls by $200. Now you are losing money. Multiply that across a 20-property portfolio and suddenly a small monthly problem becomes a very large one. That is why Wayne created the 5% Rule. Profitability + Risk Wayne's approach is to balance: ROI = profitability with Cash flow = risk protection A property can have an incredible projected return but still be dangerously fragile. Another property can be extremely safe but produce disappointing returns. The goal is finding investments that score well in both areas. Wayne Doesn't Use the 1% Rule Wayne considers rules such as the 1% rule outdated and overly simplistic. The bigger question is: Why 1%? What exactly is it measuring? Profitability? Risk? Financing? There is often no clear reasoning behind the number. Wayne prefers metrics where he understands exactly what they are measuring and why they matter. A Listener Bought a Vancouver Condo and Regrets It Another listener writes in after purchasing a condo in the Greater Vancouver area. They say the property is losing several hundred dollars every month. They relied heavily on their realtor. They did not educate themselves first. And after finding the Morning Show, they realized they had done exactly what Wayne warns investors not to do. Their questions: Should they continue investing in Vancouver? Should they invest somewhere else? And how do they get out of the condo? Would Wayne Invest in Vancouver? Wayne's answer: No. He does not believe Vancouver currently fits the five fundamentals he uses when selecting markets and investments. His issue is not whether Vancouver real estate can appreciate. It obviously can. His problem is that Wayne does not buy properties primarily to speculate on appreciation. He wants to purchase a profitable rental business. If the rent cannot pay the operating costs and produce sufficient cash flow, he is not interested. Appreciation Is Not Enough Someone can buy a Vancouver condo and hope it goes up in value. That is a strategy. It is simply not Wayne's strategy. Wayne wants: Positive cash flow Mortgage paydown Long-term appreciation potential A strong tenant profile A supportive operating environment The property needs to make sense without requiring appreciation to rescue the investment. Should You Invest Outside Your Home City? Yes. Wayne believes investors should go where the fundamentals work. You do not need to live in the same city as your rental property. Wayne and Gabby already manage properties they rarely or never physically visit. The solution is building: The right team Communication systems Maintenance systems Inspection systems Contractor relationships Documentation systems Location matters far less once the management system works. How Do You Get Out of a Bad Vancouver Condo? Wayne's first answer is straightforward: Talk to your realtor and understand what the property can realistically sell for. Then calculate: Mortgage penalty Realtor fees Legal fees Current market value Remaining mortgage Potential loss Tax implications Net proceeds Then determine whether continuing to hold the property actually improves the situation. Wayne warns against holding a bad investment indefinitely simply because you want to "break even." Sometimes the best decision is to accept the loss, learn from it and redeploy the remaining capital into a better opportunity. Don't Make the Next Decision Based on the Last Mistake A bad deal does not mean real estate investing does not work. It means that particular deal did not work. The most important thing is learning from it. Get educated. Understand the market. Understand the numbers. Create proper criteria. Then try again with a stronger foundation. Ghost Listings for Rental Research Another viewer asks about posting a rental listing before the property is actually available to test the market rent. Wayne explains that investors sometimes use "ghost listings" to gauge demand at a particular price. But Gabby raises an important concern. If tenants currently occupy the property, posting their home for rent before it is actually available can create unnecessary problems. There is also a timing issue. If you post the listing in September to determine what rent you can get in December, you are collecting September data. Rental markets are seasonal. The information may not accurately reflect what tenants will pay months later. Ask the Right Professional Wayne closes the discussion with another important principle: Use professionals for what they actually specialize in. A realtor brokers real estate transactions. A mortgage broker arranges financing. A lawyer provides legal guidance. A contractor performs construction. That does not automatically make any of them qualified to provide investment strategy. Build a team of strong professionals. But remain the CEO of your own real estate business. Remote Property Management Course – 50% Off This Week Gabby's Remote Property Management Course is currently 50% off. The eight-module course teaches the systems Wayne and Gabby use to remotely manage their own rental portfolio. Use code: 50OFF at: www.reimasters.ca Edmonton Real Estate Investing Course Want to learn Edmonton neighbourhoods, property types, tenant profiles and investment opportunities? The Edmonton Real Estate Investing Course is available at: www.reimasters.ca REI Masters Mentorship Work directly with Wayne and Gabby on market selection, acquisitions, deal analysis, financing, property management, joint ventures and building a profitable Canadian real estate portfolio. www.reimasters.ca The 5% Rule™ Learn Wayne Hillier's cash-flow framework for Canadian rental properties. Search: The 5% Rule by Wayne Hillier on Amazon. Watch the Morning Show Join Wayne and Gabby every weekday morning at 7:00 AM Mountain Time on YouTube. Follow Wayne Hillier – Real Estate Investing Coach on YouTube. Questions: info@reimorningshow.com Upcoming Event REI Masters Annual Retreat Edmonton, Alberta October 17–18, 2026 www.reimasters.ca Sponsors Calvin Realty – Edmonton Investor-Focused Realtor Team www.calvinrealty.ca Finngo Bookkeeping & Tax Specialized bookkeeping and tax services for Canadian real estate investors. www.finngo.com/rei Kirkwood & Brennan Mortgage Group Investor-focused mortgage planning for Canadian real estate investors. www.kbmortgages.ca keaton@kbmortgages.ca

Should You Invest in Vancouver, Montreal or Laval? Plus the 2 Numbers Wayne Uses to Analyze Deals Can you find a good rental property in Montreal or Laval? Should you invest in Vancouver? What numbers actually matter when analyzing a rental property? And if you already bought a bad deal, should you hold it and hope it recovers, or sell it and move on? Today's episode of the Canadian Real Estate Investing Morning Show is another investor Q&A covering exactly those questions. Wayne and Gabby break down how to evaluate a market, how borrowed down-payment funds affect cash flow, why Wayne would personally avoid certain provinces even when the numbers appear to work, and the two metrics he actually uses to compare real estate deals. The main message: Don't force a market to work. Find the market, property type and deal that actually fit your investment criteria. Can You Cash Flow in Montreal or Laval? A listener from Laval, Quebec asks whether it is realistic to find a property in Laval or Montreal that meets Wayne's cash-flow criteria. Wayne says it may be possible. But instead of starting with one predetermined property type, investors should study the entire market. Look at: Apartment condos Townhouse condos Duplexes Single-family houses Houses with secondary suites Small multifamily Larger multifamily Then compare purchase prices across different neighbourhoods with the rents those properties can realistically achieve. The goal is to become a master of the market. You need to know: What different property types cost. What different neighbourhoods cost. What tenants will pay. What areas attract stronger tenants. Which property types produce the best rent-to-price relationship. Only then can you determine which opportunities deserve deeper investigation. Don't Start With the Strategy and Force the Market The listener specifically mentions wanting to purchase a plex. Wayne's approach would be slightly different. Instead of deciding: "I want to buy a plex." Start with: "Which asset type in this city produces the best combination of cash flow, tenant profile, risk and long-term potential?" Maybe that is a plex. Maybe it is a townhouse. Maybe it is a suited house. Maybe it is something completely different. Do not force the property type. Follow the numbers. Borrowing Your Down Payment From Home Equity The listener is also considering borrowing against their existing home to fund the down payment. Wayne likes the concept of taking otherwise unused equity and redeploying it into another productive asset. But there is an obvious trade-off. Borrowing the down payment creates additional debt. Additional debt means additional monthly interest. That increases the risk. If the investment property itself produces $500 per month in cash flow but the borrowed down payment costs $300 per month to service, the investor's actual financial position is very different. That needs to be considered. Look at the Entire Portfolio When investors use equity from one property to fund another, Wayne sometimes prefers looking at the cash flow of the entire portfolio instead of judging only the new property in isolation. Maybe one property produces excellent cash flow. Another is tighter. Together, the portfolio may still be healthy. The question becomes: Does the entire portfolio still pass the cash-flow test and remain resilient? Borrowing money to scale increases potential profits. But it also increases risk. The goal is finding the right balance. Borrowed Investment Funds May Be Tax Deductible Gabby also points out an important tax consideration. When money is borrowed and used for qualifying investment purposes, the interest may be deductible. That can reduce the true after-tax cost of the borrowed funds. Investors should confirm the exact treatment with a qualified accountant based on their specific circumstances. Why Wayne Still Wouldn't Choose Quebec This is where Wayne's answer changes. Could somebody potentially find a property in Quebec that produces good cash flow? Yes. Would Wayne personally want to operate his rental-property business there? No. The issue is the landlord and tenant laws. Wayne views real estate as a business. And if the jurisdiction makes it unnecessarily difficult to operate that business, enforce agreements or manage risk, that becomes a major negative. Even if the numbers work. For Wayne, that can be enough to eliminate the market. A Great Deal in the Wrong Province Can Still Be the Wrong Deal Wayne compares Quebec with other provinces where investors have historically found strong deals. The purchase price might work. The rent might work. The appreciation potential might work. But if the operating environment creates significantly more landlord risk, the deal becomes less attractive. Wayne would rather invest in a market where: The property works. The cash flow works. The tenant profile works. The long-term fundamentals work. And the laws support the operation of the business. Wayne's "Ice Age" Theory Wayne again discusses the idea of real estate markets entering an "ice age." A market can become temporarily unattractive when prices rise faster than rents and household affordability. That does not mean the city is permanently bad. It means investors may need to wait. Calgary is one market Wayne currently describes this way. He believes Edmonton will eventually reach a similar stage. When that happens, he will look for the next market where the fundamentals work better. What Numbers Should Investors Actually Follow? Another listener asks which indicators they should use when analyzing deals. They currently look at: Cap rate Cash flow ROI DSCR The 1% rule Other rules of thumb Wayne simplifies it dramatically. He primarily focuses on two things: Return on Investment and The 5% Rule™ Cash Flow Test That is it. Metric #1: Return on Investment ROI tells Wayne how profitable the investment is. It allows him to compare completely different properties using one common measure. A townhouse. A suited house. A multifamily building. A condo. A garden-suite development. Whatever the property type, the question is: For every dollar I invest, how much profit am I receiving back? Wayne looks at total profits from: Cash flow Mortgage principal paydown Appreciation Then compares those profits with the initial investment. He generally prefers looking over longer holding periods rather than focusing only on year-one returns. Real estate is a long-term investment. Metric #2: The 5% Rule™ Cash Flow Test Profitability is only half the equation. The other half is risk. Wayne uses cash flow as his primary risk measure. The more cash flow a property produces, the greater its ability to absorb: Lower rents Higher mortgage payments Repairs Vacancy Increasing expenses Unexpected economic changes Imagine one property produces $500 per month. Rent falls by $200. You still have $300. Another property produces only $100. Rent falls by $200. Now you are losing money. Multiply that across a 20-property portfolio and suddenly a small monthly problem becomes a very large one. That is why Wayne created the 5% Rule. Profitability + Risk Wayne's approach is to balance: ROI = profitability with Cash flow = risk protection A property can have an incredible projected return but still be dangerously fragile. Another property can be extremely safe but produce disappointing returns. The goal is finding investments that score well in both areas. Wayne Doesn't Use the 1% Rule Wayne considers rules such as the 1% rule outdated and overly simplistic. The bigger question is: Why 1%? What exactly is it measuring? Profitability? Risk? Financing? There is often no clear reasoning behind the number. Wayne prefers metrics where he understands exactly what they are measuring and why they matter. A Listener Bought a Vancouver Condo and Regrets It Another listener writes in after purchasing a condo in the Greater Vancouver area. They say the property is losing several hundred dollars every month. They relied heavily on their realtor. They did not educate themselves first. And after finding the Morning Show, they realized they had done exactly what Wayne warns investors not to do. Their questions: Should they continue investing in Vancouver? Should they invest somewhere else? And how do they get out of the condo? Would Wayne Invest in Vancouver? Wayne's answer: No. He does not believe Vancouver currently fits the five fundamentals he uses when selecting markets and investments. His issue is not whether Vancouver real estate can appreciate. It obviously can. His problem is that Wayne does not buy properties primarily to speculate on appreciation. He wants to purchase a profitable rental business. If the rent cannot pay the operating costs and produce sufficient cash flow, he is not interested. Appreciation Is Not Enough Someone can buy a Vancouver condo and hope it goes up in value. That is a strategy. It is simply not Wayne's strategy. Wayne wants: Positive cash flow Mortgage paydown Long-term appreciation potential A strong tenant profile A supportive operating environment The property needs to make sense without requiring appreciation to rescue the investment. Should You Invest Outside Your Home City? Yes. Wayne believes investors should go where the fundamentals work. You do not need to live in the same city as your rental property. Wayne and Gabby already manage properties they rarely or never physically visit. The solution is building: The right team Communication systems Maintenance systems Inspection systems Contractor relationships Documentation systems Location matters far less once the management system works. How Do You Get Out of a Bad Vancouver Condo? Wayne's first answer is straightforward: Talk to your realtor and understand what the property can realistically sell for. Then calculate: Mortgage penalty Realtor fees Legal fees Current market value Remaining mortgage Potential loss Tax implications Net proceeds Then determine whether continuing to hold the property actually improves the situation. Wayne warns against holding a bad investment indefinitely simply because you want to "break even." Sometimes the best decision is to accept the loss, learn from it and redeploy the remaining capital into a better opportunity. Don't Make the Next Decision Based on the Last Mistake A bad deal does not mean real estate investing does not work. It means that particular deal did not work. The most important thing is learning from it. Get educated. Understand the market. Understand the numbers. Create proper criteria. Then try again with a stronger foundation. Ghost Listings for Rental Research Another viewer asks about posting a rental listing before the property is actually available to test the market rent. Wayne explains that investors sometimes use "ghost listings" to gauge demand at a particular price. But Gabby raises an important concern. If tenants currently occupy the property, posting their home for rent before it is actually available can create unnecessary problems. There is also a timing issue. If you post the listing in September to determine what rent you can get in December, you are collecting September data. Rental markets are seasonal. The information may not accurately reflect what tenants will pay months later. Ask the Right Professional Wayne closes the discussion with another important principle: Use professionals for what they actually specialize in. A realtor brokers real estate transactions. A mortgage broker arranges financing. A lawyer provides legal guidance. A contractor performs construction. That does not automatically make any of them qualified to provide investment strategy. Build a team of strong professionals. But remain the CEO of your own real estate business. Remote Property Management Course – 50% Off This Week Gabby's Remote Property Management Course is currently 50% off. The eight-module course teaches the systems Wayne and Gabby use to remotely manage their own rental portfolio. Use code: 50OFF at: www.reimasters.ca Edmonton Real Estate Investing Course Want to learn Edmonton neighbourhoods, property types, tenant profiles and investment opportunities? The Edmonton Real Estate Investing Course is available at: www.reimasters.ca REI Masters Mentorship Work directly with Wayne and Gabby on market selection, acquisitions, deal analysis, financing, property management, joint ventures and building a profitable Canadian real estate portfolio. www.reimasters.ca The 5% Rule™ Learn Wayne Hillier's cash-flow framework for Canadian rental properties. Search: The 5% Rule by Wayne Hillier on Amazon. Watch the Morning Show Join Wayne and Gabby every weekday morning at 7:00 AM Mountain Time on YouTube. Follow Wayne Hillier – Real Estate Investing Coach on YouTube. Questions: info@reimorningshow.com Upcoming Event REI Masters Annual Retreat Edmonton, Alberta October 17–18, 2026 www.reimasters.ca Sponsors Calvin Realty – Edmonton Investor-Focused Realtor Team www.calvinrealty.ca Finngo Bookkeeping & Tax Specialized bookkeeping and tax services for Canadian real estate investors. www.finngo.com/rei Kirkwood & Brennan Mortgage Group Investor-focused mortgage planning for Canadian real estate investors. www.kbmortgages.ca keaton@kbmortgages.ca

In a world where the rules of the game are changing, a small town in Colorado is facing a big problem. The Montrose Forest Products sawmill, a vital part of the local economy, is shutting down due to a perfect storm of circumstances. The mill's owner, the Niemanns, can't get enough logs to keep the doors open, and the rising cost of diesel fuel is the final nail in the coffin.This episode delves into the complex issues surrounding the sawmill's closure, from the decline of the national forest's timber supply to the impact of the war with Iran on the global fuel market. The speaker takes a closer look at the role of federal regulations and the war in the sawmill's demise, and explores the consequences of not having a working sawmill in the area. The discussion also touches on the importance of active forest management and the need for a more sustainable approach to forestry.The speaker argues that the sawmill's closure is not just a local issue, but a symptom of a larger problem. With the national forest's timber supply dwindling and the cost of diesel fuel skyrocketing, the consequences of not having a working sawmill are far-reaching. The speaker highlights the importance of finding a balance between environmental concerns and economic needs, and explores the potential solutions to this complex problem.If you're interested in learning more about the issues surrounding the Montrose Forest Products sawmill and the impact of federal regulations and the war on the local economy, tune in to this episode to hear the speaker's insightful analysis and discussion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should your school purchase the smallest legal pole vault pit—or invest in a larger landing system?In this Gill1918 Project episode, Mike Cunningham explains why meeting NFHS or NCAA minimum requirements is only one part of the decision.

Brought to you by the English Programme. Featuring news, politics, popular culture, celebrity trivia, quizzes, book readings, and a whole host of fun.Support Our Rescue Cats | Our Blog | Get New Episodes By Email | Rumble | X | YouTube | NewsK365 on Spreaker | Get New Blog Posts By Email | Throne Wishlist |

Brought to you by the English Programme. Featuring news, politics, popular culture, celebrity trivia, quizzes, book readings, and a whole host of fun.Support Our Rescue Cats | Our Blog | Get New Episodes By Email | Rumble | X | YouTube | NewsK365 on Spreaker | Get New Blog Posts By Email | Throne Wishlist |

In this episode, host Pete Moore sits down with Tim Klitch, a former D1 tennis player, "Chief Fun Officer" and co-founder of Austin Pickle Ranch. Pete and Tim talk about everything from how pickleball skyrocketed from a niche sport to a 40-million-player phenomenon, the blend of social energy and accessibility that fuels its growth, and what it really takes to make money in this space. You'll hear how Austin Pickle Ranch's beginnings from a rooftop to a 50,000-square-foot facility, the data-driven logic behind scaling courts and optimizing member experience, and why the intersection of in-person community and national brand recognition is changing the game for local clubs. Plus, Tim provides some fantastic takeaways from his professional tennis background, lessons learned in sports investments, and what pickleball can teach us all about fun, fitness, and business. Whether you're exploring deal flow in the HALO sector or just want to understand why pickleball is attracting new investors, operators, and fans, this conversation has something for every executive with an eye for scaling and innovation. Key themes discussed Pickleball's explosive growth and demographic reach Business models and unit economics for profitable clubs Open play versus membership-based facility models Comparison of tennis and pickleball facility efficiencies The impact of branding and social media reach Professionalization and celebrity investment in pickleball Social, communal, and wellness benefits of pickleball A Few Key Takeaways 1. Pickleball's Exponential Growth and COVID Impact: Pickleball exploded from about 4 million to 40 million players in the US, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The sport was already poised for growth, but the pandemic "set it on fire," establishing pickleball as a leading social and active lifestyle activity 02:05. 2. Keys to a Profitable Pickleball Facility: To operate a sustainable, manned, for-profit pickleball club, you need scale: 12–16 courts is considered the minimum viable size to generate income and achieve operational efficiency. Larger clubs benefit from economies of scale, with costs consolidated at the front desk and across amenities 05:04. 3. Revenue Efficiency: Pickleball vs Tennis: Pickleball courts are significantly more revenue-efficient than tennis courts. The same square footage that fits a singles tennis match can host 24 pickleball players, explaining why 10% of tennis courts have been converted to pickleball annually in the US over the past three years 09:20. 4. Pickleball as an Accessible, Social Experience: Pickleball's unique value lies in its communal, open play. Austin Pickle Ranch intentionally overfills open play sessions to create built-in breaks and maximize social mixing. Members typically spend 2.5 hours per visit, reinforcing the "ultimate social engagement sport" concept 22:39. 5. Brand Awareness and the Power of Social Media: Despite being a single-location club, Austin Pickle Ranch has developed national and international brand recognition, largely due to social media and internet presence. This organic "brand bleed" has attracted visitors globally and set the stage for possible expansion 13:45. Resources: Tim Klitch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-klitch-2aa0024  Austin Pickle Ranch: https://austinpickleranch.com  Integrity Square: https://www.integritysq.com Prospect Wizard: https://www.theprospectwizard.com Promotion Vault: https://www.promotionvault.com HigherDose: https://www.higherdose.com

American Pacific Mining CEO Warwick Smith and Managing Director of Exploration Eric Saderholm join Mining Stock Daily to discuss the company's best drill result yet at the Madison Copper-Gold Project in Montana. Hole M26C-02, a step-out from earlier high-grade intercepts at Madison and Broadway, returned 30.8 metres of massive sulfide, including 20.1 metres of 11.15 g/t gold, 14.3 g/t silver and 0.42% copper, with the zone thickening and remaining open to the southwest. Smith and Saderholm explain how the result fits into the spring's 15,000-metre program and what a planned follow-up hole is designed to test next.

Eating disorder recovery often requires developing a relationship with food, hunger, movement, and body size that differs sharply from what society considers “normal.” In this conversation, Dr. Marianne welcomes back psychotherapist Shira Collings, LPC, to discuss a powerful question: Can eating disorder recovery become its own form of neurodivergence? Shira describes neurodivergence as a way of thinking, processing information, or living that diverges from dominant social expectations. From this perspective, rejecting diet culture, anti-fat bias, intentional weight loss, and rigid rules about “healthy eating” can place someone outside the cultural norm. Recovery may change how a person understands nourishment, pleasure, rest, exercise, body acceptance, and the right to eat without trying to control their body size. Eating Disorder Recovery in the Ozempic and GLP-1 Era Dr. Marianne and Shira discuss why eating disorder recovery can feel especially isolating in the Ozempic and GLP-1 era. As weight loss becomes culturally celebrated again, people in recovery may experience grief, loneliness, body-image distress, or renewed pressure to shrink themselves. They also examine the growing tendency to call hunger, cravings, and thoughts about food “food noise.” For many people recovering from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, chronic dieting, or other eating disorders, noticing hunger and responding to food cravings represent meaningful signs of healing. Treating these experiences as problems that should disappear can undermine body trust and reinforce disordered eating beliefs. Hunger Cues, Neurodivergence, and Body Trust Hunger does not feel the same for everyone. Autistic people, ADHDers, highly sensitive people, and others with neurodivergent eating experiences may not notice traditional hunger cues such as a growling stomach. Hunger might appear as lightheadedness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, thoughts about food, emotional changes, or a desire for sensory regulation through eating. Dr. Marianne shares how ADHD hyperfocus can interfere with recognizing when she needs food and why mechanical eating helps her nourish herself consistently. Shira explains that eating without experiencing a specific type of physical hunger does not mean someone is eating incorrectly. Rebuilding body trust can include recognizing your individual hunger signals and releasing the fear of eating “too much.” Diet Culture, Anti-Fat Bias, and the Fear of Eating Too Much The conversation also addresses how anti-fat bias, purity culture, healthmaxxing, and moral judgments about food teach people to distrust hunger and reject pleasure. Larger-bodied people often face added pressure to become the “good fatty” by pursuing weight loss, exercising frequently, or proving that they eat according to society's definition of health. Sustainable eating disorder recovery may mean letting go of the belief that you must control your weight to deserve nourishment, rest, pleasure, care, or belonging. Dr. Marianne and Shira acknowledge how difficult this work can feel when friends, family members, healthcare providers, therapists, treatment programs, and social media continue to reinforce diet culture. About Shira Collings, LPC Shira Collings is a feminist, neurodiversity-affirming, LGBTQIA+-affirming, fat-affirming, and disability justice-aligned psychotherapist. Their specialties include eating disorders, body image, reproductive mental health, trauma, grief, and loss. Shira supports clients in healing from external and internalized oppression and creating lives aligned with their values. Learn more about Shira at threadandthreshold.com or follow them on Instagram at @threadandthreshold.therapy. In This Eating Disorder Recovery Episode Dr. Marianne and Shira discuss eating disorder recovery as neurodivergence, hunger cues in autism and ADHD, mechanical eating, body trust, food noise, Ozempic and GLP-1 medications, anti-fat bias, diet culture, body acceptance, fear of eating too much, weight-neutral recovery, and the loneliness of rejecting cultural expectations around food and body size.  Related Episodes What If You're Not Broken? Neurodivergence, Sanism, Eating Disorders, & Radical Acceptance With Shira Collings, LPC on Apple & Spotify. About Dr. Marianne Miller Dr. Marianne Miller is an eating disorder therapist with nearly 30 years of mental health experience. She specializes in ARFID, binge eating, anorexia, and bulimia through a neurodivergent-affirming, sensory-attuned, trauma-informed, and weight-neutral approach. Dr. Marianne provides therapy in California and Washington, D.C., as well as coaching for clients worldwide. Learn more about working with her, her self-paced ARFID course, and her Binge Eating Recovery Membership at drmariannemiller.com.

The sermon explores the benefits of Christ's redemption as outlined in the Larger Catechism, emphasizing that Jesus secured eternal redemption through His mediation. By analyzing Hebrews 9 and other epistles, the text clarifies that this redemption includes forgiveness, justification, and sonship, paid to the Father rather than Satan. It further explains that these benefits are applied to believers by the Holy Spirit, not earned by human works but received through faith and repentance as gifts of grace. The teaching warns against Pelagianism and Arminianism, affirming that salvation is entirely God's mercy while calling for a responsive life of holiness. Ultimately, the message encourages gratitude for the comprehensive promises of the new covenant secured by Christ.

Unto whom is baptism to be administered? How is baptism to be improved by us?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is signalling a move to expand nuclear power cooperation with Russia, just as his country's first Russian-built nuclear station prepares to go live later this year. The deepening partnership is likely to unsettle Turkey's western allies. On the sidelines of a recent gathering of regional leaders in Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that Russia and Turkey “will take steps together to open some new power plants, along with the opening of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant”. The Akkuyu nuclear power plant, built by Russia's state nuclear company Rosatom on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, is due to go online later this year. Erdogan's announcement comes amid strained ties with Russia, as the Turkish leader has deepened relations with United States President Donald Trump. Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, head of the Ankara office of US think tank the German Marshall Fund, describes Erdogan's move as a “gesture” to Putin. “Although Turkey is competing with Russia geopolitically, and although Turkey is firmly anchored in NATO and is improving its relationship with the United States, it does not intend to sever all ties with Russia,” Unluhisarcikli explained. “Indeed, Turkey sees the Turkey-Russia relationship as a long-term strategic one. And this is, by the way, consistent with Turkey's balancing act.” Trump tests Turkey's energy dependence on Russia with lure of US power Nuclear lifeline For Ankara, nuclear energy promises to help it break free from its heavy reliance on imported power. Once operational, the Akkuyu plant in southern Turkey will supply as much as 10 percent of the country's electricity. Rosatom owns the Akkuyu power plant and will recoup the estimated €21.5 billion construction costs by selling electricity to Turkey, generating annual income of around €2-3 billion. Such income could be a vital tool for Moscow to mitigate tightening sanctions by both the European Union and the United States. “The Akkuyu nuclear power plant allows Russia to build itself various state-to-state payment channels to store liquidity in Turkish banks without necessarily interfering with any sanctions regulations,” according to George Voloshin of Acams, a global organisation dedicated to anti-financial crime, training and education. Voloshin believes that, given the project's 60- to 80-year lifespan, Turkey's commitment to Russian nuclear power will shape bilateral ties for the long term, with consequences. “It will be a source of scrutiny from western partners of Turkey. At the same time, nuclear energy has been so far shielded from any sanctions, so for Russia it is clearly a kind of lifeline,” he said. Turkey seeks Black Sea shipping deal as attacks threaten grain trade Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ankara has maintained that it is not bound by EU or US sanctions on Moscow. Yet behind the scenes, it has quietly followed many restrictions and secured crucial waivers, especially for Russian gas. By leveraging its pivotal location near Syria and Iran, Ankara has walked a diplomatic tightrope between its western partners and Moscow. However, deepening nuclear cooperation with Russia threatens to complicate the already difficult balancing act. “It would reinforce the already existing distrust between Turkey and Europe and Turkey and the United States,” warned Unluhisarcikli. “But at the same time, Turkey is in talks with other countries, the United States and South Korea. These are the main two competitors for Russia.”  Mutual dependency Turkey's dependence on Russian fossil fuels has stirred unease at home, and the idea of doubling down with Russian nuclear energy only heightens the sense of anxiety. “It is a dilemma,” Unluhisarcikli conceded. Yet with Russia willing to shoulder the hefty construction costs, cash-strapped Ankara has a strong incentive to continue the partnership. Russia expert Zaur Gasimov of Istanbul's Turkish-German University points out that more than a decade of joint investment makes it tough for Turkey to turn to alternative suppliers. "It's quite a profound project,” said Gasimov, “Russia conducts the training of Turkish specialists in the field of nuclear energy, which started 15 years ago. We now have three or four waves of Turkish engineers who stayed for longer periods in Russia; they learn the Russian language for two years, and you have an infrastructure of specialists.” However, Gasimov stresses that, given the scale of investment by both sides, it has created an important mutual dependency. “Its importance makes the two sides, somehow, at the end, interested in preserving a certain level of the relationship,” he said. This shared reliance might help keep Turkish-Russian rivalries in check, from North Africa to the Middle East, the Caucasus and the Black Sea. Yet any step toward deeper nuclear cooperation is bound to invite sharper scrutiny and rising suspicion from Ankara's western allies.

What if your life was meant for more than just you? Looking at the story of Samuel, Pastor Sean explores what it means to recognise and respond to the call of God. You are called as someone, called for something, and called to someone. Discover how making space for God, staying sensitive to His voice, and saying yes can lead you into the purpose and mission He has prepared for your life.

Have you hit a wall in midlife and started wondering if it's too late to build something bigger? This episode gives you concrete, science-backed practices for answering that question and reclaiming the life you actually want. Diana talks with NPR health correspondent Allison Aubrey, author of Your Turn: How to Create a Midlife You Love, about what it took for her to move from decades of striving and burnout toward something freer and more her own — from parts work that names the "striver" running the show, to turning a big dream into a realistic plan, to the strength training that keeps you capable and free as you age.Listen and learn:How IFS (parts work) can help you find the striver part driving your burnout — and make room for who you were before the world had expectations of youThe WOOP method for turning a big wish into a workable plan by naming the real obstacles in your wayWhy dream incubation is backed by real science, not superstition — and how to try it tonightThe "nine lives" exercise: a two-minute writing prompt that reveals what you actually want, underneath what you think you should wantListen to the full conversation now — and if it speaks to you, share it with someone standing at the edge of their own larger life.Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live September 24 for a free Word of the Week talk and meditation

Labor Department reports the U.S. economy gained 162,000 jobs in August, much more than many economists predicted. Unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%. President Donald Trump posting the numbers are 'great' and 'you haven't seen anything yet!'; President Trump signs an Executive Order aimed at lowering beef prices by easing regulations on ranchers and farmers so they can process the meat themselves; Reaction to the Missouri Supreme Court striking down a new Congressional District map that advantages Republicans; North Carolina sends out the first mail-in ballots even as the Trump Administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the U.S. Postal Service to implement a plan to restrict mail-in voting in the midterm election; David Hearn goes to court to try to prevent the Justice Department from ever again charging him with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool; Members of Congress propose House rules changes, including banning insider trading, tougher sexual misconduct punishments and letting Members who are new parents vote by proxy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy and Randy bounce around to some of the bigger sports stories around Atlanta and nationwide.

What do video games and homebuilding have in common? More than you might think! Thomas Holt spent years creating visuals for major video games before turning his attention to residential construction. Today, he helps companies rethink the way they design, sell and build homes through artificial intelligence (AI). Holt, co-founder and vice president of visualization at Higharc, joined host Carol Morgan on Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio to discuss spatial AI, the future of new home sales and why technology could dramatically speed up the way the industry brings new products to market. From Video Games to Real-World Construction Holt's background in video game development may seem like an unlikely path to homebuilding, but he sees an important distinction between the two. “In games, you're inventing a world, and the only rule is that it has to feel right,” Holt said. A house has a lot more rules. Every wall has a cost, windows have requirements and design decisions affect framing, permitting and construction. Ultimately, there's also a homebuyer counting on the finished product to work as intended. For Higharc, that means creating a digital model that accounts for more than what a home looks like. The platform connects information across the design, sales, estimating and construction processes. Ending the “Game of Telephone” One of the biggest challenges in residential construction is not necessarily creating information. It's keeping that information consistent as it moves through an organization. CAD drawings, for example, are essentially representations of a building. A line might indicate a wall, but the line itself doesn't represent what a wall is. That becomes an issue when the file moves from design to estimating, sales and construction. Each team may have to interpret the information and enter it into another system. Holt compared the process to a game of telephone. “Every one of those handoffs is a different chance for the versions to kind of drift,” he said. By the time those differences reach the field, they can show up as change orders, material overages, delays and other expensive mistakes. A shared digital model gives each department access to the same underlying information, reducing the need to translate it over and over again. Why Spatial AI Is Different From Generative AI Generative AI has become remarkably good at producing things that look and sound convincing. But convincing isn't necessarily the same as correct. An AI-generated floor plan might be perfectly useful as inspiration. It's a different story when someone needs to estimate materials or send the plan to a job site. Spatial AI is designed to understand the relationships between elements in a building. A wall isn't simply a line. It is a wall with characteristics and construction implications. The same applies to windows, kitchens, rooms and other components. That context allows the technology to produce information that can support the actual building process. A More Interactive Way to Shop for a New Home Consumers have become accustomed to customizing products online. They can build a car, change a pair of sneakers or configure a computer before making a purchase. A house is considerably more complicated. There can be an enormous number of possible combinations, and changing one element can affect several others. Historically, giving buyers that level of choice has required a lot of manual work behind the scenes. Higharc's web-based showroom is designed to make the experience more seamless. Buyers can explore 3D floor plans, change structural options and swap exterior collections while seeing those choices update on screen. The experience can also incorporate real manufacturer products and builder-controlled pricing. The bigger advantage is what happens behind the scenes. Because the experience is connected to the same underlying information used throughout the process, changes can stay aligned with what the company is actually selling and building. For buyers, that means more freedom to explore. For sales teams, it means less work trying to keep countless combinations straight. AI Could Give Homebuilding Teams More Time Holt doesn't see AI completely replacing most jobs. Instead, he expects it to change how people spend their time. “I think everybody's job in some way is going to improve,” Holt said. That could be particularly valuable in an industry that continues to face labor shortages. Rather than eliminating people, technology can help teams spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on work that requires experience and expertise. The same principle could extend to the job site. Holt expects technology to improve access to information, quality control, analytics and other tools that help tradespeople and field teams do their work more effectively. Higharc Expands Its Reach With $95 Million Funding Round Higharc recently raised $95 million in a Series C funding round led by Insight Partners. The investment will support two major priorities: accelerating the company's AI product development and expanding the platform beyond builders into the broader housing industry. For smaller companies, the appeal may be the ability to offer buyers sophisticated 3D sales and marketing experiences. Larger organizations can benefit from bringing more consistency to complex product lines, options and processes. The Future Could Be Faster Home Design Creating a new plan or adapting an existing one for a different community can take months. That makes experimentation expensive and can discourage companies from making frequent changes. Holt believes AI could dramatically shorten that process. “I think where AI will take us is to a point where plans can get generated and validated in hours instead of months,” he said. That would give companies more room to test ideas, adapt designs to individual markets and respond to what buyers actually want. In some ways, the future could mean products are tested and refined continuously rather than treated as finished once they reach the market. Listen to the full episode of Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio for more insights from Holt on spatial AI, the homebuying experience, the future of product development and how technology could reshape the homebuilding industry. For more information about Higharc, visit Higharc.com. About Higharc  Higharc is a homebuilding technology company helping builders move from design to construction with a connected digital platform. Its tools bring together home design, configuration, 3D sales, estimating and construction documents, allowing teams to work from the same underlying data.   Podcast Thanks       Thank you to Denim Marketing for sponsoring Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. Known as a trendsetter, Denim Marketing has been blogging since 2006 and podcasting since 2011. Contact them when you need quality, original content for social media, public relations, blogging, email marketing and promotions. A comfortable fit for companies of all shapes and sizes, Denim Marketing understands marketing strategies are not one-size-fits-all. The agency works with your company to create a perfectly tailored marketing strategy that will suit your needs and niche. Try Denim Marketing on for size by calling 770-383-3360 or by visiting www.DenimMarketing.com.        About Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio       Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio, presented by Denim Marketing, highlights the movers and shakers in the Atlanta real estate industry – the home builders, developers, Realtors and suppliers working to provide the American dream for Atlantans. For more information on how you can be featured as a guest, contact Denim Marketing at 770-383-3360 or fill out the Atlanta Real Estate Forum contact form. Subscribe to the Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio podcast on iTunes, and if you like this week's show, be sure to rate it. Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio was recently honored on FeedSpot's Top 100 Atlanta Podcasts, ranking 11th overall and number one out of all ranked real estate podcasts.  The post Higharc Wants to Design Homes in Hours, Not Months appeared first on Atlanta Real Estate Forum.

Al and Codey talk about all the latest news. Timings 00:00:00: Theme Tune 00:00:30: Intro 00:05:13: What Have We Been Up To 00:20:07: I Know What You Released Last Month 00:22:49: Game News 00:43:58: New Games 01:19:53: Outro Links Pokopia PokemonXP Cloud Island Moonlight Peaks 1.2.6 Update Story Of Seasons / Rune Factory Livestream Farming Simulator 25 Beans & Alpacas Expansion Petite Planet Trailer Research Story on Switch Haunted Chocolatier Info Keep Watering Farm And Feast Hammer And Harvest: Dwarven Roots Isle Of Food Meadgard Dungeons And Dragons: Long Rest Tavern Animula Nook Spirit Rancher Halcyon Days At Taoyuan Gaucho Origins Contact Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent just said the part Canada does not want on loop: You cannot be in a tit for tat with a country 13 times larger than you are. Watch the clip. Then watch what he said next. On CNBC from the G20 in Asheville, Bessent was asked if America is now in a trade war with Canada. He waved it off. Mark Carney, he said, turned a deal into a political shouting match because it helps Carney and the Liberal Party — not Canadian workers. The United States offered what Bessent called the best trade deal of any country on the globe. Carney walked away at the last minute. Now Ottawa wants to talk toughness while sitting next to an economy an order of magnitude bigger. “We're not at war with Canada. How are we going to be at war with Canada? What, are they going to take their two submarines from the Edmonton Mall and sic them on us?” Pat also covered:  It's SEPTEMBER!

Mike and Rico took the Pacheco injury topic in a different direction to begin the final hour, asking what exactly this situation says about the Lions/Brad Holmes' philosophy as a whole.

After a decade of decline, Sydney Anglican church attendance has grown by more than 20% in just three years. This is now higher than at any point since 2013.But underneath the encouraging headline, the picture is uneven. Larger churches have grown fastest. Around 13% of churches reached an approximate proxy for the report's 5% conversion target.Plus, a significant group of churches remain in long-term decline.So what's driving the turnaround? Are people actually coming to faith in Jesus? Or are Christians moving between churches? And why are churches with stronger children's and youth ministries growing faster?Craig Roberts, CEO of Anglican Youthworks and chair of the committee behind the new Sydney Anglican attendance report, says there's much to thank God for, but there's also some challenging numbers, as Sydney Anglicans pursue the ambitious goal of 5% annual attendance growth through people coming to faith in Jesus.To watch or listen to Bible Teaching from Dominic Steele at Village Church Annandale Sydney goto this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1976, American toy designer Jim Swearingen was working at Kenner, a mid-sized company in the American Midwest.When a script for a new film called Star Wars landed on his desk, Jim was intrigued. Larger toy companies had already passed on the chance to make the figures."It was difficult from the point of view that it was a movie, could be in and out of theater in weeks, maybe months," he said. "It was science fiction, and toy buyers at that time had been turned off to science fiction because they still had a lot of Star Trek on the shelf. "And it was opening in May, which is completely counter to the toy business. We sold toys from September to December."Jim tells Rowan Bridge how he persuaded his boss to take a chance on Star Wars, what it was like seeing the film for the first time, and about the race to get the toys into the shops.Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories.When you subscribe to Witness History, you'll be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa's fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations. You'll discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal's worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. You'll explore culture and ideas too: Sweden's Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles' George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy's show to a sudden end. And if you're curious about inventions, we'll tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created.If you're new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history – all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of BBC World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you.(Photo: Children playing with Star Wars figures. Credit: Getty Images)

The sudden emergence of AI models for all sorts of healthcare procedures, along with advanced hardware such as NVIDIA's GPU processors, creates questions for healthcare practices that want to improve outcomes and costs with these technologies. In a recent video interview, Dan Schneider, Enterprise Platforms Product Specialist at NVIDIA, and Sandra Colner, GM Global Healthcare & Life Sciences at Dell Technologies dove into these important topics and shared some key insights as healthcare leaders navigate AI in their organization.Learn more about NVIDIA: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/Learn more about Dell Technologies: https://dell.com/HealthcareHealthcare IT Community: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/

Technology is constantly progressing, which means were often left with old, outdated, or broken electronics we have no use for. So what do you do with them? Since you can't just throw away your old electronics and appliances, Kate Hall has compiled some information on where they should go instead. Mobile phones, laptops, chargers, cables and tablets can often be recycled through retailers like Noel Leeming and other approved e-waste collection points. Larger appliances such as vacuum cleaners, microwaves and printers should be taken to your local e-waste recycling facility or transfer station. Sometimes the company accepts old appliances for responsible recycling or parts reclamation. Before recycling, ask yourself whether the item could be repaired, donated or refurbished. Extending the life of electronics is almost always the most sustainable option. Delete personal data from phones, laptops and tablets before donating or recycling them. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drew Glover of Fiat turns to the venture capital space and how smaller firms can compete with more established names. As he explains, a lot of it comes down to distribution. Drew uses his own experience at Fiat to give people working in similar firms more perspective.

Merger and acquisition activity within the MSP sector has accelerated, with data cited indicating a 73% year-over-year increase in transactions for 2026 compared to 2025. Jay McBain's reported statistics also highlight strong international momentum, particularly in EMEA, and a marked 800% rise in acquisitions specifically targeting managed security service providers (MSSPs). While the consolidated figures suggest heightened activity in large, visible deals, several participants noted that the true frequency of smaller, unreported transactions likely exceeds official tallies, underlining persistent underrepresentation in sector reporting. According to podcast contributors, small MSP deals often go untracked in industry data, despite anecdotal evidence that hundreds or thousands of such transactions occur annually. Larger deals, such as a $20 million transaction mentioned, receive public acknowledgment, but the majority of M&A activity is conducted without broad disclosure. The consolidation trend among larger entities—exemplified by Charter's $34 billion merger with Cox and ScanSource's $220 million acquisition of MicroAge—has resulted in fewer choices for business clients, though new regional providers are emerging as market gaps appear. Secondary discussions addressed operational and governance topics relevant to MSPs. The adoption and enforcement of AI acceptable use policies (AUPs) was emphasized as an accountability measure for clients whose employees are integrating AI tools into workflows. Additional topics included the stabilization of supply chain pricing by major vendors Dell and HPE, who have committed to 30-day price locks amidst recent volatility, and tactical sales advice regarding quote expiration to manage project timelines and risk exposure. For MSPs and IT leaders, these developments entail both opportunity and risk management considerations. M&A trends point to increased scrutiny and potential market concentration, emphasizing the need for transparency and due diligence in both dealmaking and vendor relationships. The recommended adoption of AI AUPs reflects heightened governance expectations, aiming to mitigate operational and reputational risks. Meanwhile, shifts in vendor pricing policies and resale practices invite closer review of contract terms to ensure financial stability and customer accountability. What if my clients resist change? Question of the Week: What is the best CRM for small MSPs? It depends on the size of the MSP and what you need the CRM to do. Popular options include Zoho, Pipedrive, HubSpot, and Campaign Monitor.Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/Pipedrive: https://www.pipedrive.com/HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/Campaign Monitor: https://www.campaignmonitor.com/ I, MSPs & Channel Trends: Is AI replacing the need for MSPs? Discuss M&A activity, AI acceptable-use policies, and supply-chain challenges.M&A Trends: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jaymcbain_ma-activity-across-managed-services-is-accelerating-share-7490450073336799232-SHiL/ ScanSource to Acquire MicroAge: $220.5M acquisition expands cloud, cybersecurity, data center, and AI services.https://www.scansource.com/about/press-releases/2026/scansource-to-acquire-microage Charter Completes Cox Merger: The $34.5B deal creates a cable and broadband giant serving roughly 37 million customers.https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/charter-completes-cox-merger-creating-cable-giant-7531516/ Dell Matches HPE's 30-Day Price Quote Validity: The change gives partners more pricing stability amid rising memory costs.https://www.crn.com/news/channel-news/2026/hpe-extends-price-quote-validity-to-30-days-partners-cheer-new-pricing-stability Tales from the Field: How do you handle a customer dispute over a $100 item when they threaten legal action? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.volts.wtf/subscribeTypically, AI data centers are large, inflexible loads that the grid has to build around, which is one reason utilities take so long to connect them. Emerald AI has designed a “digital brain” that can ramp down, move, or delay computing jobs in a data center on demand, making a data center a flexible asset to the grid. I talk with CEO Varun Sivaram about how the software works, what flexibility costs the compute, why it beats just installing batteries, whether utilities can enforce it, and what it would mean for clean energy.Chapters:00:00 – Introduction03:05 – Temporal, spatial, and resource flexibility06:26 – What Emerald Conductor touches on site08:35 – Who decides which workloads can flex10:55 – Who is liable when a job slows down13:45 – Who actually signs the contract14:49 – Larger and faster grid connections18:02 – Enforcing the flexibility promise19:05 – What broke in the demos, from bad nodes to slow telemetry26:41 – What flexing costs the compute jobs29:21 – Why not just use batteries, and the demand merit order35:44 – Training, inference, and substation-scale data centers40:23 – PJM, ERCOT, and legal enforceability44:50 – Renewables, gas, and consumer bills

Ross Grainger remembers an early chapter of his career when finance was only one part of the job.After stepping outside a traditional finance path to own and operate a Mako auto-body franchise, Grainger tells us he learned what it meant to “act like an owner.” That sometimes meant cleaning toilets, learning to paint cars, welding, doing body work, handling customer service, and making outside sales calls. But the experience also taught him another lesson: even if a leader can do everything, “you shouldn't do those things forever” if they pull you away from where you can provide the most value.That owner's mindset later followed Grainger back into finance. At a healthcare software company, he tells us he was passed over for a CFO role he wanted. The executive hired instead brought a different perspective—one that showed Grainger how finance could move beyond “the debits and credits” and help shape company direction. Grainger says he ultimately became “extremely happy” they hired someone else because the experience accelerated his development.Years later, that broader view surfaced again when Grainger helped lead a pricing overhaul at a prior company. According to Grainger, management initially proposed a 7% increase after nearly 10 years without one. Challenged by the board to reconsider “the art of the possible,” the team ultimately achieved a 22% to 23% increase in average ACV.For Grainger, finance leadership repeatedly returns to the same idea: understand where value is created, and focus your effort there.

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Today, a thorough look at the commodity space, especially crude oil as hopes for relief from geopolitical tensions fade and how it may be weighing on broader risk sentiment. With Saxo Head of Commodity Strategy Ole Hansen, we also take a look at copper market dynamics and grain and soft developments as geopolitical and El Niño risks weigh. We also sift through broader equity market dynamics and the risks that we are heading into a bearish correction here. Today's pod hosted by Saxo Global Head of Macro Strategy John J. Hardy. Links Coverage of Cerebras' latest chip and claims of huge potential advances in inference computing efficiency. As well, WSJ covers a new semiconductor startup Etched, which shows that technical disruption risks in the AI compute hardware space are significant.  Polemic Paine with a thorough look at factors that have him concerned we face a significant equity market correction in the US. Read daily in-depth market updates from the Saxo Market Call and the Saxo Strategy Team here. Please reach out to us at marketcall@saxobank.com for feedback and questions. Click here to open an account with Saxo. Intro music by AShamaluevMusic DISCLAIMER This content is marketing material. Trading financial instruments carries risks. Always ensure that you understand these risks before trading. This material does not contain investment advice or an encouragement to invest in a particular manner. Historic performance is not a guarantee of future results. The instrument(s) referenced in this content may be issued by a partner, from whom Saxo Bank A/S receives promotional fees, payment or retrocessions. While Saxo may receive compensation from these partnerships, all content is created with the aim of providing clients with valuable information and options.

The whole team is back together for the final round of the home and away season, and we start with a big discussion about the Sydney Swans allegations, and how this story represents a wider issue for the AFL and Australia. Brad Hill speaks to Isaac Smith on the boundary before playing his 300th game, then Isaac has been listening to the Life of Brian podcast - where someone from the Thursday Rub has made an appearance. In Jay Z's Chief's agenda, the Bombers are supposedly less than a week away from selecting their new coach - but will anyone but James Hird get a decent shake from senior figures at the club if they're selected? Isaac has plenty of people to put in his penthouse and outhouse, and the team wonders how many players will rest in round 24 ahead of the finals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Live from the 2026 Psi Games, Ryan and his sister, Emily, sit down with American physicist, consciousness researcher, and author of the My Big TOE (Theory of Everything) trilogy, Tom Campbell, for a wide-ranging conversation about the nature of consciousness and reality. They explore the Larger Consciousness System, reality as a virtual simulation, the role of love and fear in our evolution, enlightenment, out-of-body experiences, UFOs/UAPs, and the potential of psi phenomena. They also dive into the Psi Games and what extraordinary experiences might reveal about the true nature of our reality.

In this week's Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya takes a deeper look at the growing snook population along the northern Gulf Coast with Zoey Hendrickson, a PhD student with the University of South Alabama's Estuarine Ecology Lab. The conversation covers why snook are appearing more frequently in Alabama and Northwest Florida, how they are surviving winter cold snaps, and what their continued range expansion could mean for local anglers. Zoey explains that warming winters, fewer prolonged cold periods, and the ability of snook to find thermal refuge in deeper rivers and other temperature-stable areas are helping the species establish farther north. Researchers are now seeing snook throughout the year, including juveniles that appear to be surviving multiple winters and gradually growing into larger fish. Similar patterns occurred around Cedar Key before that area developed into an established snook fishery. The discussion also covers how adult snook move between rivers, jetties, grass flats, oyster reefs, and other estuarine habitat as water temperatures change. Zoey explains that snook are adaptable predators capable of tolerating everything from freshwater to full saltwater, giving them an advantage as they expand into new habitat. She also discusses research into tagging, habitat use, genetics, and whether these "novel native" fish could eventually compete with established species such as speckled trout. Joe and Zoey wrap up with conservation considerations for this developing fishery. Larger snook play an important role in reproduction, and with the northern Gulf population still relatively small, releasing fish can help give the population an opportunity to become established. Anglers who catch snook are encouraged to handle them carefully, report sightings to the Estuarine Ecology Lab, and report any tagged fish so researchers can continue tracking their growth and movements. Sponsors: Pike Consulting EMS Endeck PVC Decking Dixie Supply and Baker Metal Admiral Shellfish Sea Tow Coastal Connection EXP Realty - Abaco Orange Beach SlipSki Solutions Deep South Cranes

Ryan MacLeod, who posts as The Nuclear Bitcoiner, works at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and has spent almost eleven years in the industry as a laboratory technologist. He compares his facility to Idaho National Lab, Oak Ridge, or Savannah River in the US, and Sellafield in the UK. The order of his conversion is the opposite of what you would guess: he did not become a nuclear advocate until after he became a Bitcoiner. Working in the industry, he only started making the public case once he saw where mining could solve problems nuclear could not solve on its own. ⭐ The centerpiece: he has written a paper he will present at a nuclear industry conference in October, titled "A Transitional Offtake Model for SMR Deployment Using Proof-of-Work Digital Asset Mining." It grew out of a study his employer conducted with Ontario Power Generation, which concluded that small reactors could eliminate diesel dependency in remote regions but would deliver the highest cost of energy of any option. The problem the paper solves is a timing mismatch, and he states it cleanly: size a reactor for demand on the day it switches on and you constrain the community's growth; size it for demand twenty years out and most of that capacity sits idle in the meantime. Neither option is financeable. ⭐ His proposal is Bitcoin mining as a "transitional offtaker" that buys the otherwise-wasted output, then recedes. In his words, it operates as a subordinate residual load and "temporarily bridges the phase between the commissioning of the plant and the maturation of the regional demand." ⭐⭐ And the framework he builds it on is Brandon Quittem's own "Pioneer Species" essay, which Ryan notes he has rarely heard discussed. A pioneer species occupies an environment before more complex life can establish, creates the conditions that let a later ecosystem develop, and then declines in importance as higher-order entities arrive. Ryan proposes miners as a "transitional pioneer load" on exactly that model. Answering Suze's question about how modular these reactors really are: in the one to ten megawatt range the entire unit can fit inside a tractor trailer and ship whole. Larger designs ship as components for on-site assembly. He points to Vogtle as a warning, where modular construction was attempted and some modules did not fit the larger reactor specs. Five small reactors have recently sustained a first critical reaction, among them Oklo, Halo, Antares, and Deployable Energy. Their next milestone is generating power, then commercial operation. Site selection to operating reactor should run about five years, against ten to twenty for conventional large builds. The use case he cares most about is northern Canada, where diesel must be shipped in year-round at high cost. A five to ten megawatt reactor carrying ten years of fuel eliminates the resupply problem entirely, and frees that diesel for uses better than burning it for heat and power. ⭐ Tomer Strolight asked the hardest question of the show: AI data centers can pay more for power than miners can, hashrate has been falling for months, so is this a problem for Bitcoin mining? Ryan's answer is that it is the pioneer species story repeating. Miners cultivated and learned to finance energy infrastructure, a wealthier customer arrived, and miners now move further out to the edge and do it again, acting as the anchor that develops energy systems to attract higher-order clients. ⭐ His most falsifiable claim, and worth revisiting later: because the best mining sites are now occupied by AI, he does not expect difficulty to follow a significant Bitcoin price rise as closely as it has historically. The power simply is not as widely available as it was during the migration out of China. Reading and listening he recommended: Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, which he says every Bitcoiner should read for its account of paradigm shifts and why Keynesians cannot see what Bitcoiners see; Earth is a Nuclear Planet; and the Decoupled podcast, including its four-part breakdown of what went wrong at Vogtle.

Anorexia in a Larger Body: How to Talk About Your Eating Disorder When Others Don't Understand Can you have anorexia in a larger body? Yes. Yet weight stigma and stereotypes about what an eating disorder "looks like" can make it difficult to feel believed, receive appropriate anorexia treatment, or talk about your experience with others. In this solo episode, Dr. Marianne discusses anorexia in larger bodies from both a clinical and lived-experience perspective. As an eating disorder therapist who has experienced anorexia and now lives in a larger body, she understands the complicated experience of having an eating disorder history that other people may not recognize. Anorexia, Atypical Anorexia, and Weight Stigma Anorexia and restrictive eating disorders occur across the weight spectrum. Body size cannot tell you how much someone restricts, how distressed they feel around food, or how much support they need. Dr. Marianne explores atypical anorexia, weight stigma, eating disorder recovery, and the painful experience of receiving compliments about weight loss when restriction is harming your health. How to Talk About Anorexia With Others What do you say when someone tells you that you "don't look anorexic"? Learn practical ways to talk about anorexia with family, friends, and healthcare providers, set boundaries around weight and body comments, advocate for weight-inclusive care, and respond when people don't understand your eating disorder. Work With Dr. Marianne If you're navigating anorexia, atypical anorexia, restrictive eating, or eating disorder recovery, Dr. Marianne offers neurodivergent-affirming, trauma-informed, weight-inclusive support. Learn more about eating disorder therapy, coaching, and consultation at drmariannemiller.com.

The Postal Service has traditionally served as neutral infrastructure during elections, moving ballots from voters to election officials. But changes in election law, postmark requirements and voter verification debates are placing new demands on the agency. Elena (ELL-eh-nah) Patel of the Brookings Institution joins me now to discuss what that shift could mean for the Postal Service and the election system.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The penalties are the part that stands out. A single gram can carry jail time and a state felony, which means losing firearm rights permanently in Texas. Larger quantities scale up fast. Products bought legally weeks ago are now contraband. Seven years of legal sales built a multibillion dollar industry with real employees and real customers across both parties. Rogan's argument is that those people vote, and James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa are both running close races. The Dallas Morning News has a good explainer on how the law works. SUPPORT & CONNECT WITH HAWK- Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mdg650hawk - Hawk's Merch Store: https://hawkmerchstore.com - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mdg650hawk7thacct - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hawkeyewhackamole - Connect on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mdg650hawk.bsky.social - Connect on Substack: https://mdg650hawk.substack.com - Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawkpodcasts - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdg650hawk - Connect on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mdg650hawk ALL HAWK PODCASTS INFO- Additional Content Available Here: https://www.hawkpodcasts.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@hawkpodcasts- Listen to Hawk Podcasts On Your Favorite Platform:Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3RWeJfyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/422GDuLYouTube: https://youtube.com/@hawkpodcastsiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/47vVBdPPandora: https://bit.ly/48COaTB

The 94WIP Morning Show discuss Jeremiah Trotter Jr.'s impressive preseason instincts and how he compares to his legendary father's legacy. They also dive into Jay Glazer's report regarding Jalen Hurts' offseason improvements and the positive shift in his leadership within the Eagles' locker room. 02:04 - Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Instincts 05:33 - Eagles Linebacker Poll 07:27 - Backup Quarterback Concerns 09:50 - Jay Glazer's Hurts Update 17:50 - Phillies Management Talk

More from VPM News:  Virginia childhood vaccines schedule unchanged after new Trump EO On the agenda: This week in Central Virginia public meetings VPM's 'Declarations' explores Black experiences during American Revolution  WATCH: Virginia's Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment (YouTube)    Other links: Severe nursing home violations surge 77% in Virginia following reform efforts, data shows (WTVR) Larger gun-free zones around polling places arrive in Arlington without a hitch (ARLNow) Austrian skincare company to open U.S. headquarters in Roanoke, bringing 400 jobs (WDBJ) Why Orange has Virginia's shortest mayoral term — and why that may change (Charlottesville Tomorrow)    *This outlet uses a paywall.  Our award-winning work is made possible with your donations. Visit vpm.org/donate to support local journalism. 

Lafayette Parish Tax Assessor Justin Centanni joins Discover Lafayette to explain the duties of his office, how property values are determined, and what property owners need to know about the upcoming 15-day assessment review period. Justin is Lafayette Parish's 26th Tax Assessor, but his professional path to the office was anything but traditional. With a background in technology and data management, he previously worked in Washington, D.C., for the Department of Defense, helping develop software behind the military's smart identification cards. He later worked at IberiaBank, where he managed a team responsible for backend data integration, including platforms used to detect fraud and illicit banking activity in real time. Before becoming assessor, Justin served nine years as the District 6 representative on the Lafayette Parish School Board. Justin says public service was never something he envisioned for himself. He moved to Lafayette at 18 to attend USL and ultimately found that serving the community gave him an unexpected sense of purpose. “What I learned about myself and public service is that I do take a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction from helping solve problems, helping make decisions. I care a tremendous amount about Lafayette.” What Does the Tax Assessor Actually Do? One of the biggest misconceptions about the assessor's office is that it collects property taxes. It does not. The assessor's responsibility is to identify and value all property in Lafayette Parish. That seemingly simple mission involves an enormous amount of information. The office begins each year with the previous year's tax roll and continually updates it with information from municipalities, the Clerk of Court and other sources. Building permits reveal new construction and renovations. Conveyance records identify properties that have been sold or transferred. Appraisers visit properties where construction has been completed and determine when values need to be updated. And Lafayette gives them plenty to keep up with. Justin says approximately 15,000 properties transfer each year, including residential and commercial property, and more than 1,000 new buildings were constructed in the parish during the past year. Lafayette Parish currently has an approximately $3.3 billion assessed-value tax roll, representing a little more than $30 billion in market value. As Justin put it, those numbers tell an encouraging story about Lafayette's economy. He jokingly offered one particularly visible example: “We're building an $80 million gas station at Louisiana Avenue,” referring, of course, to Buc-ee's. How Your Property Value Is Determined For homeowners who have not substantially changed their property, assessments generally move according to what comparable homes in the neighborhood are selling for. The assessor's office examines neighborhood sales and establishes a price per square foot. Larger homes will therefore have a higher value than smaller homes, but comparable properties within the neighborhood are valued using a consistent methodology. Parishwide reassessments occur every four years. The last reassessment was in 2024, and the next will take place in 2028. Of course, Justin understands the eternal property owner’s dilemma: everybody wants a high appraisal when they are selling or refinancing their home and a low valuation when the property tax bill arrives. “Don't we all,” he laughed. “I'm no different.” August 17 Through 31, 2026: Assessment Review Period An important focus of our conversation was Lafayette Parish's 2026 Assessment Review Period, August 17 through August 31. Property owners whose assessments increased by 15 percent or more should have received notice from the assessor's office. But the review period is also an important opportunity for anyone who believes the assessor's office has incorrect information about their property. Justin explained that the most common type of error might be something as straightforward as incorrect square footage. If the assessor’s records show a 6,000-square-foot home when the home is actually 4,000 square feet, that error can significantly affect the tax bill. “If we have the square footage of your house incorrect…you should come in and you should tell us,” Justin said. The assessor's office can measure the property, correct its records and adjust the valuation accordingly. This first step is important. A taxpayer who wants to challenge an assessment must first meet with the assessor's office. The taxpayer and assessor attempt to reach agreement on the property’s proper assessed value. Evidence matters, and simply disagreeing with the valuation does not guarantee that it will be changed. If an agreement cannot be reached, the taxpayer can proceed to the next level of appeal before the Lafayette Parish Council, sitting as the Board of Review. But to preserve that right, Justin explained that the taxpayer must first have an in-person meeting with the assessor's office during the review period. Appointments can be made through the Lafayette Parish Assessor's website, https://lafayetteassessor.com/, and taxpayers can request the appropriate specialist depending upon whether their issue involves an appraisal, personal property, a property transfer or another matter. They may be contacted by phone at (337) 291-7080. Senior Freezes, Veterans and Homestead Exemptions The assessor's office interacts frequently with senior citizens, veterans, real estate professionals and families dealing with inherited property. Justin explained that qualifying homeowners over age 65 may obtain a special assessment level, commonly called the “senior freeze.” For 2026, he said the income threshold is less than $102,000 in adjusted gross income. An important distinction: the senior freeze freezes the property’s assessed value, not the amount of taxes owed. Millage rates can still affect the ultimate tax bill. Justin also explained that once a taxpayer qualifies, the income qualification does not have to be revalidated annually. Veterans may also qualify for special property tax exemptions, and the office regularly assists families after the death of a property owner. Justin shared that the office monitors obituaries and other data sources so ownership and homestead exemption records can be kept current. He also spoke candidly about the sensitivity required when contacting families shortly after a death. “We’re trying to interpret the law in the most compassionate way possible,” he said, while acknowledging that the office still has a legal duty to maintain accurate records. A Warning for Estate Planning Attorneys: Trusts and Homestead Exemptions Our conversation also ventured into an issue especially important for Louisiana attorneys and their clients: transferring a primary residence into a trust. Justin explained that a trust must be structured properly if the homeowner intends to retain the homestead exemption. Losing that exemption can have a cascading effect because special assessment levels, including a senior freeze, depend upon the existence of the homestead exemption. If a longtime homeowner inadvertently loses both the homestead exemption and senior freeze, the consequences can be substantial. Justin gave the example of a home whose value had been frozen since the 1990s suddenly having to be reassessed at its 2026 value. His office would much rather catch the problem before that happens. “We try to catch them and say, ‘Go back and redo this so that we don’t have to do this to your client, because I don’t think that’s what the client was looking to do.'” Justin encourages attorneys who have questions about how estate planning transactions may affect property tax exemptions to contact the assessor's office. The Mystery of Properties Nobody Can Find One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation involved something Justin never expected to encounter as assessor: properties on the tax roll that his office cannot definitively locate. Some parcels date back more than a century, when property descriptions might reference a road, a neighboring landowner or hand-drawn boundaries rather than today’s precise legal descriptions. Justin described one document dating to 1905 that identified surrounding tracts essentially by references to other family members' property, with no modern landmarks to pinpoint its location. Nevertheless, the property made it onto the tax roll, and someone continued paying the taxes for generations. “I never in a million years thought there would be property we didn’t know where it was,” Justin said. The problem becomes especially complicated when property has passed through generations without a succession and may now have a multitude of co-owners. Some rural timberland parcels generate only a tiny annual tax bill, so one family member may simply continue paying it year after year. Bringing the Assessor’s Office to the Public Justin is also looking for ways to make his office more accessible. The assessor's office is located at 213 West Vermilion Street in downtown Lafayette, in the former Capital One/Hub City Bank building. But Justin heard repeatedly from residents outside the city that driving downtown, finding parking and visiting the office could be inconvenient. That led to the creation of Parish Pop-Ups, where assessor’s office employees spend time in municipalities around Lafayette Parish helping residents with assessments, senior freezes and other property matters. One woman arrived at a recent pop-up before the staff had even officially begun for the day. She had been putting off applying for her senior freeze for years simply because she didn’t want to make the trip downtown. She arrived with her paperwork ready and was able to take care of it. For Justin, that is exactly the point. “We are really just trying to figure out ways that we can better serve the public and make it easier for them to interact with our office.” Where Do Your Property Taxes Actually Go? We also discussed something every property owner wonders about when that tax bill arrives: Where does the money go? Individual millages are levied for particular taxing bodies and, in many cases, dedicated to specific purposes. School Board millages support schools. Other millages support entities and services such as law enforcement, the health unit, mosquito control, the airport, libraries and municipal services. The assessor determines the taxable value, but the assessor does not decide the tax rate or determine how those tax dollars are spent. Those decisions belong to the respective governmental and taxing authorities. The assessor's website publishes annual “grand recaps,” reports required by the Louisiana Tax Commission that allow the public to see how much revenue is generated by the various millages throughout Lafayette Parish and its municipalities. To access the 2025 Annual Report, visit https://content.lafayetteassessor.com/uploads/LPAO_Annual_Report_2025_FINAL_181c88bc34.pdf Even Parish Lines Can Be Complicated Justin shared one final surprise that came with the job: disputes over exactly where Lafayette Parish ends and a neighboring parish begins. Some parish boundaries were historically defined by bayous and waterways, and those waterways may have shifted since the boundaries were established nearly two centuries ago. “My constitutional duty is to assess all property in my parish,” Justin explained. That means the assessor sometimes has to determine whether a particular piece of land actually sits in Lafayette Parish, even when another parish assessor may reach a different conclusion. As Justin joked about relying on modern technology to solve an old Louisiana boundary dispute, “Siri has an opinion, just like everybody else. Unfortunately, there's only 64 opinions that actually matter in this situation.” When Justin isn’t immersed in property values, data and parish boundaries, he is a voracious reader who enjoys spy novels and estimates he reads 30 to 35 books each year. His mornings typically begin with coffee, number puzzles and crossword puzzles, and when fall arrives, plenty of football enters the mix. Our thanks to Lafayette Parish Tax Assessor Justin Centanni for joining Discover Lafayette and giving us an inside look at an office that touches virtually every property owner in our parish.

On this episode of The Immigration Lawyer's Toolbox® Podcast, host John Khosravi sits down with returning guest Roman Zelichenko, J.D. to unpack what's really happening in the growing wave of immigration law firm M&A: how firms are actually valued, why some attorneys inflate their revenue numbers with filing fees, the difference between a true acquisition and a "merger" that's really more of a hire, why clean books can make or break a deal, and what private equity's track record in dentistry, HVAC, and plumbing suggests about where legal consolidation is headed. Whether you're thinking about selling, buying, merging, or just want to run your firm like it's sellable, this episode is full of practical insight on the business side of immigration law. Sponsor: Get a free website (first 10 sign-ups) and special pricing on marketing for your firm from Constellation at http://immigrationlawyerstoolbox.com/Constellation. Timestamps: 00:00 – Opening 00:33 – Intro 04:24 – How hard is it for practitioners to value and sell their firm? 04:53 – B2B/corporate vs. B2C firms: why recurring revenue is valued higher 05:30 – The filing-fees-in-revenue trick that inflates valuations 06:36 – What sellers actually want: fair price vs. emotional attachment 07:54 – How clean (or messy) books affect due diligence 09:43 – Bookkeepers, GMI Rocket, and staying on top of your numbers 11:29 – Mergers vs. acquisitions: when a "merger" is really a hire 13:12 – Larger firm mergers and fade-out deal structures 13:52 – New fee memos, attorney burnout, and the push toward litigation 16:13 – Consolidation, specialists, and the rise of AI-native law firms 19:00 – Lessons from private equity roll-ups in dentistry, HVAC, and plumbing 20:17 – Community page & Constellation SEO/marketing sponsor break 21:20 – Back to the show: will the free market self-correct? 21:33 – Envoy Global: an example of PE-backed immigration firms done right 24:19 – Scaling without sacrificing service quality 26:15 – The M&A trend among solo and small firm owners who want out 29:01 – Creative deal structures, equity, and the "Built to Sell" mindset 33:13 – Why QuickBooks and clean numbers drive better marketing and growth decisions 36:26 – Outro Spotify | iTunes | YouTube Music | YouTube Follow eimmigration by Cerenade: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn Start your Business Immigration Practice! (US LAWYERS ONLY - SCREENING REQUIRED): E-2 Course EB-1A Course Get the Toolbox Magazine!  Join our community (Lawyers Only) Get Started in Immigration Law! The Marriage/Family-Based Green Card course is for you Our Website: ImmigrationLawyersToolbox.com Not legal advice. Consult with an Attorney. Attorney Advertisement. #podcaster #Lawyer #ImmigrationLawyer #Interview #Immigration #ImmigrationAttorney #USImmigration #ImmigrationLaw #ImmigrationLawyersToolbox

To watch a video version of this podcast, click here: https://youtu.be/-Tsv9suvZwc In this episode, Reuben Saltzman and Tessa Murry discuss kitchen hood fans and exhaust ventilation, focusing on CFM, hood design, ductwork, makeup air, and combustion safety. They explore common ventilation problems found during inspections, explain how excessive exhaust can affect homes, and discuss Minnesota's makeup-air requirements. The episode also introduces AI-powered calculators to help homeowners determine fan and makeup-air requirements, along with practical tips for improving kitchen ventilation and indoor air quality. For Reuben's calculator on the Maximum Exhaust Fan Rating Without Makeup Air, go to https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VT9XTGvmk7RVMfh4D-_iveF8LyNhYBelOeqSKS6vPds/edit?usp=sharing. For the Makeup Air Calculator with Opening Sizing and Home Age, go to https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1b_899bkGIt8WNK8H6KwrErB9_YO80jAYb2zVy5dIEDk/edit?usp=sharing Here's the link to Inspector Empire Builder:https://www.iebcoaching.com/events    TakeawaysEffective kitchen ventilation depends on proper hood design, placement, ductwork, and capture efficiency—not just CFM.Larger fans can increase energy use and may cause depressurization or backdrafting in homes with combustion appliances.Common inspection issues include blocked dampers, disconnected ducts, restrictive ductwork, and improperly configured microwave hoods.Minnesota makeup-air requirements vary based on fan size, home characteristics, and combustion appliances.AI-powered calculators can help homeowners and inspectors determine appropriate fan, makeup-air, and duct-sizing requirements.Proper ventilation helps improve indoor air quality, including when using electric cooking appliances.Homeowners should use exhaust fans while cooking, check exterior dampers, use back burners, and choose properly designed, quieter hoods.The key takeaway: Good kitchen ventilation is about effective capture and proper system design—not simply installing the largest fan.Chapters00:00 Introduction and AI Report Reviewer Update02:43 Sponsor Spotlight: Inspector Empire Builder and Rapid Gain Training04:39 Introducing the Kitchen Hood Fan Topic05:35 Why Kitchen Ventilation Matters for Indoor Air Quality07:14 CFM vs. Hood Design and Capture Efficiency08:11 Why Hood Shape and Placement Matter10:28 Typical Kitchen Hood CFM Ratings11:40 Oversized Fans and the Energy Penalty12:15 Makeup Air for High-CFM Exhaust Fans13:13 How Ductwork Affects Actual CFM14:42 Duct Restrictions, Exterior Terminals, and Airflow Problems15:10 Stuck Dampers and Common Inspection Findings17:20 Microwave Hood Fans and Recirculating Systems19:17 How Many Homes Have Proper Exterior Kitchen Ventilation?20:05 Indoor Air Quality, Cooking Pollutants, and Code Requirements21:03 Gas Cooking, Carbon Monoxide, and Ventilation22:15 Minnesota Ventilation Requirements22:58 The Truth About the 300 CFM Makeup-Air Rule23:28 National Code Requirements for Makeup Air26:14 Why One-Size-Fits-All Makeup-Air Rules Can Be Problematic27:39 Backdrafting Risks in Tight Homes28:59 Reuben's New AI-Powered Maximum CFM Calculator30:39 Factors Used in the Minnesota CFM Calculation32:50 When a 300 CFM Fan Requires a Calculation33:31 Calculating Makeup-Air Requirements and Duct Size34:25 AI-Powered Makeup-Air Calculator35:23 Making Complex Code Calculations Easier37:03 Minnesota Code Exceptions and Combustion Safety Testing38:22 Worst-Case Depressurization Testing39:06 When Makeup Air May Be Avoided40:31 Practical Kitchen Ventilation Tips41:13 Using Back Burners and Choosing a Quiet Hood41:54 Microwave Vents vs. Proper Capture Hoods44:30 Why Capture Efficiency Matters More Than CFM Alone45:25 The Difference an Exhaust Fan Makes in an Airtight Home47:49 Closing Thoughts and Listener Feedback 

The Drive played what Royals owner John Sherman had to say about how he pans to make a larger payroll investment in the team this offseason.

Hello! And welcome to season to the newest episode of The Dana Gould Hour podcast. Fasten your enthusiasm harness, we are blasting off, yet again. We have two, count 'em, two, fantastic guests today. Richard Edlund is a legend. In his amazing career, he is known first and foremost as one of the founders of ILM, Industrial Light & Magic, which created the special effects for a little film called Star Wars, and revolutionized how movies were made in Hollywood. But that is just the tip of the iceberg, Edlund began his career in the late '50s early '60s. When you watch on old episode of the original Addams Family TV show, that's Richard Edlund's hand coming out of the box as Thing. He designed the font for the original Star Trek ,and on and on and on. Also, Dave Bertolino is here. Dave is the creator of Spooky World, founded in Berlin, Massachusetts, the middle of nowhere! Spooky World became a nationally known horror theme park attraction. It started from nothing, and immediately became HUGE. Dave has a new book out entitled Behind The Screams At Spooky World and he'll be here to discuss that. Who looks like an accountant but is close pals with Linda Blair, Tom Savini and Alice Cooper? Dave Bertolino, that's who. True Tales From Weirdsville tells the tale of schlockmeister par excellence William Castle. From Emergo to Percepto to Illusiono, William Castle was the gimmick king of b-movies. Larger than life, stranger than fiction, more real than any reality you can conjure, Mr. William Castle. There are some great live performances coming up, so check out the events page at www.danagould.com/events/! And now, it's on, to our filthy business.

Salvatore Vitale and Calin Plunkett of MIT explain hierarchical merging, a process where black holes merge repeatedly to create larger "monsters." By analyzing gravitational waves from 155 binary pairs, they discovered that 14% are second-generation black holes, born from previous mergers rather than stellar collapse. These second-generation black holes are characterized by rapid spin and mass asymmetry, providing clues to how supermassive black holes form in galaxies. (7)1897 WISCONSIN, LENS BY ALVIN CLARK AND SONS

Simon Constable and Jim McTague continue with a quiz highlighting that typical data centers use 300,000 gallons of water daily, while larger ones can reach 5 million gallons. Currently, most centers are urban, but 67% of planned facilities are rural. In Lancaster County, a "tale of two data centers" emerges as one town embraces the revenue stream while another resists it due to misinformation and fear. (2)

Salvatore Vitale and Calin Plunkett continue: to uncover the origins of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, scientists propose building larger gravitational wave detectors scaled up by a factor of ten. These advanced observatories would allow researchers to peer further back into cosmic history, potentially detecting black holes from the very early universe. Expanding the global network to four or five detectors would help pinpoint host galaxies and detect the formation of heavy elements. (8)1836 ROYAL OBERVATORY, GREENWICH UK

Conrad Black disputes Prime Minister Mark Carney's characterization of Canada as a "middle power," arguing the term is obsolete for a G7 nation with a larger economy than Russia. He critiques Carney's attempt to foster ties with China, noting China's "tatters" economy and history of disregarding trade agreements. Black maintains that Canada should prioritize its vital relationship with the U.S. while embracing a more ambitious and patriotic view of its global influence. (15)