Podcasts about last april

Last April, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill of 321-101 to protect banks that service state-legal marijuana businesses from being penalized by federal regulators. The legislation is known as the SAFE Banking Act. What does this bill mean to the cannabis industry? And will the Senate and President make it the law of the land. Rachel Gillette joins the podcast to make sense of it all. She is chair of Greenspoon Marder’s Cannabis Law Practice and one of the first attorneys in the nation to dedicate her practice to the cannabis industry.

Last April, Jon recorded the first half of this story.  Now tune back in for the second part of the episode.  Everyone struggles with adversity in their darkest moments, but it's how you approach those moments that dictate how well you will fare.  You can find the silver linings of the dark clouds, find the light in the darkness, or you can let the negative emotions pull you down.   Listen this week as Jon discusses some of his own struggles, and shows you how to turn any adversity into a moment of growth and strength.   Press play, download, listen and share. instagram.com/JonParamore77

We’ve got the Academy Awards, the Emmy’s, and GRAMMYs… but what should we call the award for the most extraordinary performance by a corporate profiteer? How about the “Sleazy,” with winners getting a solid gold sculpture of a middle finger? There were so many worthy contenders, but one corporation exhibited uncommon callousness, so the 2021 Sleazy goes to … Tyson Foods! The meatpacking giant has regularly run roughshod over workers, farmers, communities, and the environment – not to mention the millions of animals it fattens and slaughters. But the coronavirus pulled out the worst in Tyson’s corporate ethic. Last April, its billionaire chair, John Tyson, ranted that health officials who were closing-down several of his slaughterhouses that had become hotbeds of contagion were creating another crisis: A national meat shortage! Responding instantly, our corporate-compassionate, burger-gobbling president decreed that meatpacking plants were crucial to America’s national security and must be kept open at all cost. Trump’s edict required workers to return to their jobs or be fired. Only there was no meat shortage. Not only did Americans have an excess of cheeseburgers, pork chops, and chicken nuggets, but Tyson and other giants actually increased their meat exports to China last year. Meanwhile, Covid rampaged through Tyson’s factories. In its Waterloo, Iowa facility alone, a third of the processing workers – low wage, mostly people of color – were infected. At least six died. Which brings us to the corporate play that cinched this year’s Sleazy for Tyson. Waterloo slaughterhouse supervisors actually knew that the back-to-work order would sicken hundreds, but not exactly how many. So, managers organized a winner-take-all betting pool on the percent of employees who would test positive. “It was simply something fun,” said one – “kind of a morale boost.” The virus infected more than a third of 2,800 workers in the plant. Some fun huh?

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us in our Discord soon!NEWSJohn Paul Leon has passed awayJeff Smith’s new graphic novel ‘Tuki’ to debut on Kickstarter May 4Dark Horse series ‘Lady Killer’ headed to Hollywood starring Blake LivelySkybound/Image Pride Month charity variants to benefit transgender law centerMarvel has invited real-world celebrities to the Hellfire GalaMarvel Comics teases new superhero SomnusMarvel teases new series ‘The Trial of Magneto’ for August 2021Our Top Books of the WeekDave:Nocterra #3 (W: Scott Snyder, A: Tony S. Daniel)Marauders #20 (W: Gerry Duggan, A: Stefano Caselli)Nathan:The Good Asian #1 (Pornsak Pichetshote, Alexandre Tefengki)The Swamp Thing #3 (Ram V, Mike Perkins)TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKDave: The Silver Coin #2 (Kelly Thompson, Walsh)Nathan: Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #2 (Chip Zdarsky, Pasqual Ferry)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: X-Corp #1 (David Aja)Nathan: Fantastic Four #32 (Peach Momoko)Segment: Interview - Declan Shalvey - Check out the Kickstarter for Time Before TimeHi Declan, thank you for being on the AIPT Comics podcast and congrats on a fully-funded Kickstarter with just 2 days to go! And with Time Before Time launching on Wednesday in comic book shops! How has the Kickstarter rollercoaster been for you?Time Before Time is a time travel story, but it’s more a smugglers’ tale, especially since time can’t be altered as far as we know. What made you choose to go this route using time travel?What is your favorite time travel story?I’ve read you hope Time Before Time goes for a long time, do you have a number of issues in mind that would be the dream run?The first issue takes place in the 80s and the 2100s, was there any significance in those periods of time?The first couple of issues end with cliffhangers - is that something we can expect for the full series?As an artist, have you found you approach scripting differently than Rory? And how is the process different collaborating with Rory McConville and Joe Palmer been like?Your book Immortal Hulk Flatline was inspired, especially the color story at work, how did that influence your work on Time Before Time?With plenty of Marvel works under your belt, are there any Marvel characters you’re itching to draw or write?Last April it was solicited you’d be working with Ed Brisson on a Punisher tale, is that still in the works?Are there any other projects you’d like to discuss or plug in today?Off-Topic Top Shelf - TV shows, Invincible, German Show Deutschland 89, Justified, Startup, Superstore, Last Man on Earth, Star Trek Lower Decks

Last April, more than one market was flashing an Elliott wave opportunity. Dollar/Rand is not a forex market you hear about often, yet... it's often where people aren't looking that deserves your attention. Watch our Currency Pro Service analyst explain last year's opportunity -- plus, another one in the making.

Last April, John Smith and Jolene Brink were a young Missoula couple navigating a high-risk birth in the opening days of an international pandemic . Their lives have significantly changed since then. Now the two are left pondering family life in a post-pandemic world. Leo Marlay Smith had his first birthday late last month, celebrating with grandparents over FaceTime. It's said that a first birthday party is less for the baby and more for the recognition of significant milestones: survival, growth and change.

Last April, as the world fell to COVID-19, one Chinese company was there to offer a helping hand: BGI. But the line between the biotech giant and Beijing is increasingly blurry.Read the article by Brent Crane: https://www.thewirechina.com/2021/03/21/jolly-gene-giant/Narrated by Kaiser Kuo.

Last April, in the midst of American Idol and the start of the pandemic, we recorded a zoom call with Arthur Gunn / Dibesh to talk about his time on Idol. We had the opportunity to sit down with Arthur Gunn once more. This time we could go more in […] The post Wichita Life Podcast #49 – Arthur Gunn (2021) appeared first on Wichita Life ICT.

One of the big astronomical mysteries of the last decade or so has been the origin of fast radio bursts. In recent months, though, astronomers have found that at least some of them may be powered by magnetars — the super-magnetized remnants of exploded stars. A fast radio burst lasts about a thousandth of a second. In that instant, though, it emits more energy than the Sun produces in several days. But most bursts are in other galaxies, so they’re hard to study. Last April, though, a burst was recorded inside our home galaxy, the Milky Way. It came from a known magnetar. A magnetar is the ultra-dense corpse of a star that exploded as a supernova. It’s heavier than the Sun, but only a few miles across. And it has a magnetic field that can be a trillion times as powerful as Earth’s. Starting on April 27th, X-ray telescopes in space saw the magnetar produce a series of outbursts. After a few hours, it produced an especially powerful burst — a fast radio burst. Astronomers aren’t sure just how a magnetar produces such an event. One study says it may begin with a “quake” — a crack in the magnetar’s crust. That shoots out a magnetic bubble that disrupts the surrounding magnetic field. The field reconnects behind the bubble, triggering a short but powerful burst of energy. There could be more than one way to make fast radio bursts. But last April’s event suggests that at least some of them could come from super-magnetic stars. Script by Damond Benningfield Support McDonald Observatory

Let’s turn the clock back a bit. Last April, you’ll remember that, because of COVID-19, just about everything got shut down as officials grappled with the exploding pandemic, and that list of places shut down by county officials included Florida beaches in their jurisdictions, including private beaches, by the way. By the end of the month, Gov. Ron DeSantis put out the word: the beaches can be open, and you would think that everybody would wear masks and social distance and do everything that health officials were recommending, but no. Plenty of people just resumed regular beach-going habits. That prompted one person into action.  Attorney Daniel Uhlfelder dressed up as the Grim Reaper and headed out to Florida beaches to try and educate people about the dangers of the coronavirus and why masks and social distancing were necessary.  Now, he's on a different mission in 2022, establishing the RemoveRon PAC to help his fight to make DeSantis a one-term governor. IN THIS EPISODE Attorney Daniel Uhlfelder’s Twitter: @DWUhlfelderLaw ABOUT THE SHOW Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

Last April, the world's leading accelerator Y Combinator announced that it would be going virtual for its S20 batch. One batch later, we interview YC President Geoff Ralston to learn about the difference that going remote has made. It turns out that there are more pros than cons: YC partners were able to work with companies in over 15 time zones, complete 50% more individual and group office hours than in previous batches (3600 hours in total), and chat with all of the teams in realtime (over 250,000 Slack messages were sent during the batch). Its Virtual Demo Day was also incredibly successful and out performed many in person Demo Days from years past — with over 28,000 introductions made between investors and founders. Note: this episode was recorded one week before the US Inauguration Day.Topics:00:22 — Introduction by Roxanne Varza01:19 — What the remote program at YC looks like05:08 — Examples of successful YC companies that started remote prior to the appearance of COVID: Zapier and Git Lab 05:48 — What works well remotely and what doesn’t07:16 — On YC’s virtual Demo Day08:17 — YC adopting a hybrid mode after COVID09:31 — On ecosystems11:18 — Tech trends accelerated by COVID12:50 — Some top companies at YC that benefited from the shift to digital: examples of Instacart and Stripe 15:12 — How tech solutions have helped make COVID easier*15:55 — How YC has evolved over its 16 years of existence19:20 — What’s next for YC?20:20 — Geoff’s background and how he got to YC22:27 — Geoff on his role as President of YC24:28 — The effect of COVID on investing25:19 — Geoff’s perspective on the Bay Area exodus27:06 — What the Biden presidency means for tech This episode is hosted by Roxanne Varza and produced by Cindy Yang. Art is by Gaëtan Lefebvre. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Marshall Billingslea has worked on a range of significant and difficult national security issues. He served as Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing at the Treasury Department, president of the international Financial Action Task Force, Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy. He’s also been an Assistant Secretary General at NATO. Last April, he was appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control with the personal rank of ambassador — a challenging portfolio over the months that have followed. To find out more, he joins Cliff May and Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power, for a discussion on the latest national security issues.

Trap money is money that looks like good money, but in reality, it’s a trap.  Trap Money is important to be able to recognize because it’s one of the factors keeping CPAs under the glass income ceiling and working long hours.  If you can learn to recognize Trap Money for what it is, you’ll be better equipped to say No Thank You at the gates, and then, eventually move your Trap Money income out of your revenue streams. If you can stop accepting Trap Money, it will make your transition to a high-margin CPA firm that much faster, and that much easier.  So what is Trap Money? It’s money that appears to take only 20 minutes to make, and you make 3 or 4 hundred dollars. Typically it’s in the form of individual returns.  It looks like good money, because the thinking goes that if it takes 20 minutes to make $300, that’s an hourly rate of $900, and that’s not shabby.  The problem is, that math doesn’t account for the whole picture.  The math on 20 minutes for a personal return is 18 weeks working 40 hours a week. 18 weeks is 4.5 months. Tax season is only 2.5 months, or 10 weeks.  Now, if you have 3 staff you can push the work to, that’s another situation. That’s 6 weeks per staff member. So that’s doable. If it’s truly 20 minutes per return, which we have established that it’s more like 2 - 3 times that.    But would you rather that your business have:  10 CFO-Advisory clients at $75K  30 clients where you are a Concierge CPA at $25K  50 simple Advisory clients at $15K  250 business returns at $3K   or 2,000 Individual returns at $350 apiece?   A reason that so many CPAs are stuck on the hamster wheel is Trap Money.  Recognize it for what it is, decide WHO you want to have as clients and where you want to focus your talents, and get rid of anything that risks getting you caught in trap money.  If you don’t believe me, let me give you an update from Minnie, my client from last week’s episode. Last April, she was drowning in Trap Money. She was making enough Trap Money - she was making GOOD Trap Money - but the earning of that money had taken control over her life and crowded out time to spend with her new little one.  Once we got into her business, set up consulting packages at $2500, $5K, and $7500, she was able to start buying her time back, and that enabled her to find a new home for about 30 clients.    So watch out for these offerings you have that look like easy money….   If you’re not convinced, Do the math… and add up all the increments of time.    Your next steps to getting to the bigger ticket items is to stop accepting this type of work, take it off your services list, and if people ask for it, recommend some other CPAs who would be happy to have that type of work.  If you think you might have Trap Money you can’t see, and you want me to help you find it, a single 1:1 coaching session with me will surface it.  Getting rid of Trap Money is just one way to get your business to the next level.  Changing how you price is the single fastest change you can make with the largest impact. Episode mentioned: 113 Out of Compliance and into Tax-savvy Stock Option Consulting, with Minnie Lau, CPA https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/113   Free 5 day email course:  Better Pricing Strategy for CPAs https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/subscribe-get-your-pricing-right/    Upcoming training:  TRANSLATE YOUR EXPERTISE INTO CASH Thursday, December 17th, 12pm ET  https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/accountants-anonymous-12-17   Schedule time with Geraldine: https://calendly.com/geraldinecarter/15min   Work with Geraldine: https://shethinksbigcoaching.com/coaching-options/

Last April we reported on Pimavenserin – Nuplazid – the novel antipsychotic that’s FDA approved in psychosis related to parkinson’s disease. In that article we mentioned a randomized controlled trial from Mass General – the CLARITY trial - that showed promising augmentation effects when Pimavenserin was added to an antidepressant in major depressive disorder. Now comes a secondary analysis of that study, which found a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms as well. [Link and Link] Published On: 10/21/2020 Duration: 3 minutes, 9 seconds Got feedback? Take the podcast survey.

Last April, states began to sporadically reopen after weeks of being shut down. South Carolina was among the first to begin the process and some others would soon follow, while some states wouldn’t start until June. The uncoordinated reopening caused chaos, according to Sinan Aral, director of MIT’s Initiative on the Digital Economy. As people watched their social feeds fill with images of people heading back outside, they stepped out too — even if their state wasn’t at the same phase. Aral, author of “The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health — and How We Must Adapt,” has used social media as a tool to gain insight into everything from COVID-19 reopenings to protests and politics.

Last April, which seems a hundred years ago now, we spoke to Dr Catherine Motherway, consultant anaesthetist at University Hospital Limerick and former President of the Intensive Care Society of Ireland. In this episode, Roisin Ingle catches up with her to find out Dr Motherway's views on Level 3, life on the frontline, societal compliance with covid restrictions and her hopes and fears as we face into a winter of living with the virus. As a new report from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation shows women's voices being "drowned out" globally in terms of coronavirus reporting. The Women's Podcast will continue to amplify the voices of women on all aspects of this crisis.

You know that old fairy tale thing where a prince rides up on a white horse to save you? If you’re like me that makes you want to throw up a little because you want to be your own savior. You know you are a powerful creator who doesn’t need to be saved. Rather you need to step up and create your own reality.  What if it was your Future Self that sent you the white horse, or in Kate’s case, a white jeep? Instead of saving you, your Future Self leads you. She guides you to what you want, which sometimes isn’t what you think you want.  Kate LOVED her truck. If you listened to her first year interviews you probably heard all about it. And yet, her jeep feels easier. Listen to this interview to hear why. Last April when the Enchanted Circle went to AZ for an event, I put Kate as a driver on my rental car so that there would be more drivers if we needed them. That’s a manifesting story in itself. Kate was en route and wasn’t at the airport with me so technically they weren’t supposed to put her as a driver but they did. When I walked outside and got to choose which car I wanted, I chose the jeep and as you’ll hear in this interview, text Kate to say, “You get to drive this!”  I let Kate drive to Whole Foods where everyone completed a dream of spending close to $1000 there for our food for the next few days. It was magical and all perfectly orchestrated by Kate’s Future Self.  Her Future Self also orchestrated her getting that very car to drive everyday. Listen to the interview and you’ll get to hear the back story.  Now, Kate rides around every day activating her Future Self on a deeper level.  Listen to hear all about it. Kate Cretsinger is the Founder and Owner of K8 4 Wellness. She is the mother of 2 beautiful young adults. She graduated from University of New England with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science, and became certified as a Nutrition Coach by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2015 to overcome her own health complications. She has over 15 years of experience in the health & wellness field as a personal trainer, instructor and nutrition coach. You can learn more about Kate at www.k84wellness.com. Resources Change Your Money Story Book Manifest $10,000 book Double Your Business book The Enchanted Circle

General Mills is blending regeneration and philanthropy to create impact. How do you feed a hungry world without destroying the planet? And, how do you do so in a way that is just and equitable? Agriculture and forestry activities generate 24% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The world population will reach 9.7 billion in 2050. And, a growing middle class in emerging countries is straining our global food supply. Mary Jane Melendez is Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer for General Mills. She also serves as President of the General Mills Foundation. “It’s broader than philanthropy and broader than sustainability,” Mary Jane says. “It’s those two areas coming together to drive greater social impact.” General Mills is a leading global food company whose purpose is to make food the world loves. They are a 150-year-old company that is using their scale to produce more quality food while reducing their footprint. Regenerative Agriculture “Our work is rooted in the earth,” Mary Jane explains, “and we want to restore it. We share a unique bond with nature. When there are threats to nature through changes in climate, those are threats to our business. At General Mills, this is a business imperative and a planetary imperative. “Today, about a third of the world’s topsoil is degraded. We have lost about 40% of insect species on the planet, including pollinators that are important to our food. There is nothing about that fate that should be sustained. We don’t want to sustain declining ecosystems. “At General Mills, what we’re being very thoughtful about is our responsibility to move beyond sustainability and think about regeneration.” General Mills has commitment to advance regenerative agriculture practices on one million acres of farmland by 2030. Regenerative agriculture is a system of farming practices that enhance soil health, pulling carbon from the air and storing it in the soil. It helps land to be more resilient to extreme weather events. 100% Renewable Energy Scale can be a force for good as demonstrated by General Mills’ commitment to regenerative agriculture. But scale can also be a burden on the planet. In 2015, General Mills was the first company to publish a goal approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions across the company’s full value chain by 28% by 2025. That means that, no matter how much they grow, they committed to reducing their 2010 greenhouse gas emissions. Last April, General Mills also set a goal of 100% renewable electricity worldwide by 2030. “Technology changes quickly,” Mary Jane told me. “As new technologies come online, we are constantly keeping our eyes open for new ways to activate that technology, drive the investments to help reduce our greenhouse gas “ Learn More About Mary Jane Melendez and General Mills: Mary Jane Melendez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-jane-melendez-4a45915/ General Mills Global Responsibility Report: https://blog.generalmills.com/2020/04/2020-global-responsibility-report/ General Mills and Regenerative Agriculture: https://www.generalmills.com/en/News/NewsReleases/Library/2019/March/Regen-Ag General Mills and Renewable Energy: https://www.generalmills.com/en/News/NewsReleases/Library/2020/April/General-Mills-commits-to-100-percent-renewable-electricity-globally-by-2030 General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening’s LinkedIn post from June 4: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-we-go-from-here-jeff-harmening/

Last April, a $250,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and United Way of Greater Atlanta allowed our Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning to assist essential workers and child care providers during COVID-19. Joining us to talk about the grant, part of the Greater Atlanta COVID-19 Recovery and Response Fund, is Carrie Ashbee, Executive Director of the Georgia Foundation for Early Care and Learning. Support the show (http://www.decal.ga.gov)

Last April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the agency was going to retain a piece of legislation called the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Particulate Matter without changes. The move has been heavily criticized by environmental advocates. Fine particulate pollutants or particulate matter are made up of particles (tiny … Continue reading "Smart Talk Thursday: Lung Association questions EPA on pollution regs; Baseball will be played this summer"

At the time of this interview, things were good for Kate. She had brought in $918 dollars in the previous few days, bringing her total to $148,747.02. Prior to that Kate’s business had stalled. She has been trying to stuff down her Future Self. Putting her in a closet and telling her to be quiet. The problem is you can’t do that once you’ve started the journey to becoming your Future Self.  Last April, Kate stepped into her Future Self big time when she participated in the Future Self event at the Paradise Valley Castle. She left there more of her Future Self, yet she was still trying to be her current self.  When she left the Paradise Valley Castle, she forgot her jean jacket. It’s the jean jacket she wore in her $10K photo shoot. It used to be her favorite. When she didn’t have it, she had to get a new one, one that was more her Future Self. And she wore the new one, a lot.  Whenever she put on that jacket it activated her Future Self feelings; confident, sexy and classy. She was constantly activating her Future Self, so you can see why stuffing her wasn’t working out too well.  When you don’t open the space and step into your Future Self, she’ll do things to help you move the process along. Often those things are painful. It’s painful to push against and yet it often happens in the process of fully developing into your Future Self. It’s what Kate experienced for several months until it came to a head.  For Kate that was realizing she had to let some things go, rather than hold on. Kate Cretsinger is the Founder and Owner of K8 4 Wellness. She is the mother of 2 beautiful young adults. She graduated from University of New England with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science, and became certified as a Nutrition Coach by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2015 to overcome her own health complications. She has over 15 years of experience in the health & wellness field as a personal trainer, instructor and nutrition coach. You can learn more about Kate at www.k84wellness.com. Resources Change Your Money Story Book Manifest $10,000 book Double Your Business book The Enchanted Circle The clouds started to lift as soon as she gave notice at the wellness center where she worked. Of course they did because letting go of her office at the wellness center is a huge part of stepping into her Future Self. Her Future Self coaches from her computer, in the middle of an adventure, not an office.  Listen to hear the details of this moment in Kate’s journey. 

Last April, LEGO and Star Wars celebrated the 20th anniversary of their collaboration. Many fans have at least one LEGO Star Wars set, game, or have watched some of the LEGO Star Wars content. So let’s reflect on the last 20.. Well 21 years of LEGO Star Wars together. . Hosted by Tyler Bucks & Mike Calhoun Support Us! https://www.patreon.com/ChatterSquadron Watch Us! Youtube: Chatter Squadron Facebook: Chatter Squadron - A Star Wars Podcast Follow Us! Instagram: @ChatterSquadron Twitter: @ChatterSquadron Subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify, and anywhere else you find great podcasts! Music: Star Wars: Rey's Theme - Flute Cover by Gina Luciani Composed by John Williams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=invAgrPacSU Laser beeps by Tyler Bucks CS outro by Tyler Bucks

Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran has told Checkpoint refunding all customers for cancelled flights would ground the airline for good. The national carrier is losing $5 million a day and is bracing for potentially more job losses saying it needs to slash $150 million more from its wage bill. It has already ditched 4,000 jobs with some employees taking a 30 percent cut in pay. The company has had more than $70 million from the government wage subsidy scheme but says it will need to rely on the second round of subsidies for millions more. Last April it carried 1.4 million passengers. This April it was just 15,000. It is also taking a hammering from many customers unhappy that they are being offered credits instead of refunds. But the airline says it simply does not have the financial reserves to refund everyone. Chief executive Greg Foran speaks to Lisa Owen.

I’m continuing to read from my book Earning Freedom: Conquering a 45-Year Prison Term. This is the first installment of chapter 7, covering months 93 through 95 of my confinement, in 1995.   Hofstra awards my master’s degree in May of 1995 and I begin working my way toward a doctorate at the University of Connecticut. The textbooks on penology could cure insomnia, but the clear path to a Ph.D. motivates me, keeping me cocooned in my room except for my early morning exercise. I think about the authors sometimes, wondering what inspired them to study and write about prisons. For them, I know, a lengthy sentence didn’t provide the impetus. I don’t have any idea what compels someone to build a career around the walled concrete and steel compounds that now hold more than two million people in the U.S. I have eighteen more years to serve and at times I feel disconnected, as if I’m living behind a glass wall, where I can see but not participate in the broader society. I’m isolated, though my projects bring meaning into my life and dissipate feelings of loneliness or despair.  I feel driven by goals every day, racing to finish one project so that I can begin another.  Despite the length of time I have to serve, I still feel as if I can’t afford to waste a single second. When I hear news that Warden Luther plans to retire in June, I worry that his departure will lead to changes that could disrupt my progress.  I seek him out and inquire about who will replace him as warden. “You’ll be fine,” the warden assures me.  “It doesn’t matter who comes.  Just keep working on your education and you’ll continue to live productively in here.” Under Warden Luther’s leadership, McKean enjoys a reputation of having comparatively well-behaved prisoners. Despite the long sentences that many men serve, they appreciate the privileges of “open movement,” the absence of lockdowns, the ability to order food from the community, and the privilege of participating in Luther’s token economy. Men who transfer from other prisons leave their tension, hostility, and gang problems at the door. Throughout the institution, he hangs copies of a framed memorandum titled: Warden Luther’s Beliefs About the Treatment of Inmates.  The 28 beliefs begin like this: Inmates are sent to prison as punishment and not for punishment. Correctional workers have a responsibility to ensure that inmates are returned to the community no more angry or hostile than when they were committed. Inmates are entitled to a safe and humane environment while in prison. You must believe in man's capacity to change his behavior. Normalize the environment to the extent possible by providing programs, amenities, and services. The denial of such must be related to maintaining order and security rather than punishment. Most inmates will respond favorably to a clean and aesthetically pleasing physical environment and will not vandalize or destroy it. Luther’s philosophy, albeit powerful and positive, exists at FCI McKean but nowhere else that I’m aware of within the Bureau of Prisons. It won’t last beyond his departure and I sense trouble. Some staff members resent the privileges Warden Luther extends to me, and I can understand why they would. After all, he treats me kindly, and it isn’t unusual for me to receive a page over the loudspeaker to report to the warden’s office.  He openly supports my academic program, authorizing me free access to a computer lab, allowing me to use the word processors for my academic program as well as for correspondence with my growing support network. On one occasion, he introduced me to a tour group he was leading through the prison. “This is inmate Santos. He knows more about prisons than many on my staff.”  He treats me more like a colleague than a prisoner, and some staff members resent it. I don’t miss the frozen expression on their face, the body language that implies definite disagreement on that point. My profile at McKean has become too high. Every staff member knows Warden Luther supports and sponsors my work and I sense that his retirement puts a target on my back. I begin contemplating the merits of requesting a transfer to someplace new, someplace where I can serve my sentence anonymously. If I were to ask for a transfer, I feel confident that my support network could help make it happen.  Doing so, however, would mean the immediate loss of the privileges I enjoy here, and so I put off the decision, deciding to see what comes with the change in leadership.   *  *  *  *  *  *  *   Within weeks of Luther’s departure Warden Meko arrives, blasting Luther’s token economy out of operation and blowing the atmosphere of trust to smithereens. The new warden institutes the oppressive controls characteristic of other prisons, giving quick rise to levels of anger and hostilities that weren’t around under Luther’s leadership. Warden Meko is all law and order.  If you put a pair of mirrored sunglasses on him, he could pose for a highway patrol poster. He and his staff quickly assess that the prisoners at FCI McKean have been living too well, and they’re determined to tone down the atmosphere, to bring us into line with their beliefs of how prisoners should live. In stripping away the incentives prisoners have grown accustomed to, he also rips away the sense of camaraderie and tolerance. McKean’s atmosphere quickly changes to discontent with growing racial tensions and threats, eradicating the hope that Warden Luther worked so hard to instill. The new regime wants a standard-issue prison and welcomes the hostility its punitive system breeds. Tensions become more palpable.   Last April authorities arrested Timothy McVeigh for bombing the Murray Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. Judicial proceedings are all over the news.  Many prisoners in FCI McKean now openly root for McVeigh, cheering every sign of civil unrest, from militia groups to incidences of civil rebellion.  This atmosphere feels ripe for rebellion. It’s October and another fervor is emerging. Louis Farrakhan, minister of the influential Nation of Islam, has organized The Million Man March on Washington to protest injustice in America. He calls for black men to unite and for legislators to bring fairness to a criminal justice system that disproportionately locks up blacks and Hispanics. Media attention stokes the anger of prisoners at McKean, and there is constant chatter on the compound about a need to unite, to take a stand, to do something. Whereas Warden Luther would’ve led us positively through this collective desire for rebellion, Warden Meko turns up the heat to see how far the prisoners are willing to take their anger. Had Luther been in charge, I suspect he would’ve called a Town Hall meeting, assembling all the prisoners to remind them that he didn’t have any power over the length of their sentences. He likely would’ve communicated a message as follows: “Although I can’t do anything to change the length of time any of you are serving, wardens set the tone for the environment in these places.  I do my best to operate an efficient institution that allows every man to serve his sentence with dignity. At McKean we offer privileges and incentives conditionally to everyone who acts responsibly, but any hint of rebellion will result in changes that could include lockdowns, strict controls, and the loss of privileges that none of us want.  I’m encouraging you guys to work together, to act responsibly so that we can keep things working well here.” The administration under Warden Meko’s leadership, on the other hand, sees opportunity in the brewing resentment. An organized disturbance would provide the cover necessary to completely dismantle the progressive policies that Warden Luther favored.  Whereas the prisoners resent the new administration, most staff members eagerly embrace changes that Meko’s regime is putting in place.  It’s as if they’re goading prisoners on to carry out threats of a rebellion.  They don’t have to wait long. When I open my door at 5:20 in the morning, it’s hard to believe that Luther retired only three months ago.  Instead of the calm that previously reigned over McKean, I see fires blazing in front of me.  Prisoners are on a rampage, wool caps pulled over their faces, smashing windows, breaking chairs, tables, and desks. Guards have deserted their stations, leaving the entire building devoid of order. I close the door and retreat into my room, knowing I’ve already seen more of this melee than I’d like. Although prisoners run wild through common areas, locked steel doors prohibit them from exiting to the compound. Destruction, not escape, is the purpose of their anarchy. It isn’t only our housing unit erupting in bedlam, as through the narrow window of my room, I watch orange flames reaching the ceiling in the next unit, where a pool table burns. As I’ve done so many other times, I lie on my rack and pull my pillow over my eyes, a conscious effort to tune out my environment.  Hearing no evil, seeing no evil, and speaking no evil is part of my deliberate strategy to survive in here. Violence and disturbance represent a part of the journey, and I’ve just got to roll with it. I know that we’ll be on lockdown soon, and an official inquiry will follow. I’m best served now by trying to sleep through this mess.   *  *  *  *  *  *  *   “All inmates! Stand for count!” The guard’s bullhorn demand from the common area wakes me at 10:30 in the morning. Five hours have passed since I saw the blazes outside my door and windows. Now I see a dozen guards dressed in camouflage and wearing helmets with clear visors standing alert. They hold batons, and plastic grips for quick handcuffing along with canisters of mace hang from their heavy leather belts. I brace myself for the riot squad, seeing that they’re all suited up and ready for combat. One holds a video camcorder, filming the destruction, while another snaps photos of the debris with an instant camera. “I repeat!” the guard yells again. “Stand for count! Any inmate who refuses to stand is resisting and my officers will respond accordingly. So I repeat again! Stand for count!” Some prisoners yell obscenities from their cells, taunting the guards. I back against my rack and stand stoically, letting everyone see that I don’t have a stake in this fight. Predictably, the riot team responds aggressively to defiance, rushing into rooms, restraining any belligerent, taunting, or resisting prisoners with plastic quick ties and marching them straight out to waiting buses. Those men are gone, being transferred to penitentiaries thousands of miles away. It isn’t my concern, as I don’t feel any alignment with the shortsighted prisoners who set this problem in motion. I’ve read of and thought about the struggle and suffering of Elie Wiesel, Viktor Frankl, and the millions of others who perished because of anti-Semitism in Hitler’s camps. I’ve also read extensively about the persecution of blacks and injustice in our country. Those stories inspire me, as by reading them I have examples of amazing survivors who overcame those severe violations of human rights. Now, while locked in my cell, I contemplate the strategies I’ll use to triumph over the dehumanizing indignities about to ensue. I have what I need, including books, space to exercise, a plan, a growing ability to express myself, and a professional audience of mentors who validate my efforts. I’ll make it. I may lose access to computers and other privileges that have made my studies easier, but I’ll make it through, relying on a stash of pens and the skill I’ve developed to write in straight rows across unlined paper. Being locked in my closet-sized cell prohibits access to the track or weight room. So I exercise alone, ignoring the outbursts of other prisoners who kick their doors to protest the lockdown. I run in place for hours, pulling my knees up high and then dropping down to blast out several hundred pushups. With a dirty towel, I mop the sweat that rolls off me and puddles on the floor. A shower may be a few days off but I’ve got soap and a sink with running water to clean myself. I wash my underwear and t-shirt, hanging them to dry on a hook against the wall. I can do this for as long as it takes. Guards bring white bread with a slice of bologna in a brown sack twice a day. As weeks pass, I draw strength from knowing that prisoners such as Nelson Mandela, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and many, many others have endured much worse.   *  *  *  *  *  *  *   “Normal” operations resume at McKean in November of 1995, albeit with more restrictions and more controls. It’s like other penitentiaries now, with metal detectors, locked gates, and more cell confinement. Hundreds of prisoners were shipped off to other institutions after the riot, and investigations continue. The local newspaper covers the riot and reports that damages to the prison exceed a million dollars. That’s a lot of broken windows and smashed furniture, although I suspect that Warden Meko padded those costs by keeping us on lockdown, generating immense staff overtime and installing new security measures like surveillance cameras throughout the compound. He succeeds in turning Dream McKean into a nightmare. Some prisoners face new criminal charges and others will spend years in isolation without access to visits, telephone, or other privileges they once took for granted. Losses of television, pool tables, bingo, and videos don’t affect my adjustment to this new regime. Instead of pacifiers, I need permission to receive books through the mail from the University of Connecticut for my second semester, as the long lockdown has given me the time to finish my first semester from my cell. I’m eager to resume my studies, but before I can, I need that permission to receive more books.  Only an associate warden can provide me with that permission. It’s Thanksgiving Day when I see Associate Warden Nuss in the chow hall. He sports a flap of dark hair styled with gel to conceal his receding hairline and stands with military bearing, hands clasped behind his back, barely moving. Even his face is frozen, as if a smile might crack it. Eyeglasses with circular lenses in a thin, almost invisible wire frame reminiscent of those worn by Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt complete the austere image he projects. I inch forward through the line with hundreds of other prisoners toward the serving bar. I’ve never spoken to Nuss but I know he’s part of the new Meko administration, referred to as Meko’s hatchet man. He’s in charge of security, the man who oversees the work of captains, lieutenants, and guards. I saw his signature on memorandums that replaced the old incentive system with threats of disciplinary action and punishment. I need to speak with AW Nuss to obtain his written approval to receive my textbooks. From across the noisy chow hall, I try to gauge his mood, assessing whether this is a good time to approach him. I’ve been creeping forward in line for 12 minutes with my eyes on him the entire time, noting that no one has dared approach him. Finally, a prisoner gripping his brown plastic tray of turkey and mashed potatoes ventures forth and initiates a conversation. Nuss looks through the prisoner with no change in his facial expression, nods slightly, and the prisoner walks on. I estimate it’ll be another 10 minutes before the line servers load my tray. I don’t want to speak with Nuss, but since I need his authorization for the university to send me books for the next term, I don’t have a choice.  He may leave by the time I find a place to sit, so I decide to abandon my spot in the slowly moving serving line and approach him. The prisoner who was in line behind me issues a warning. “A yo! Once you leave, dat’s it dawg. I ain’t savin’ no spot.” I shrug my shoulders. “I didn’t ask you to save my spot.” “I’m jus’ sayin’ yo, ain’t savin’ no spot.” The gold grill in his mouth glitters as I walk away. I weave my way through the crowd toward the far wall where Nuss stands. His eyes scan the room slowly, looking from one side to the other over 500 prisoners’ heads. He shifts his glance toward me as he notices me walking toward him. “Excuse me, Mr. Nuss. May I speak to you?” His nod is nearly imperceptible but we lock eyes. While his stern demeanor suggests that he considers our relationship inherently adversarial, I know he’s giving me his full attention. “My name is Michael Santos.” “I know who you are Mr. Santos,” he says, cutting me off and startling me with his sharp tone. “I’d like to talk with you about my educational program.” He nods, and I proceed. “I’m enrolled in a doctoral program at the University of Connecticut.” “Spare me the résumé. What’s on your mind?” “Well, I’ve completed my coursework for this term and I’m signing up for the next semester. I’ll need a package permit to receive new books from the university.” “Not going to happen.” He doesn’t elaborate. “I’m sorry?” Nuss doesn’t offer an explanation. He stands still and stares into my eyes without blinking. “I need the books to complete my program.” “And I’ve got a prison to run.” My pulse quickens, as I sense he’s about to disrupt my world. I can’t believe he’s going to block my education without even offering an explanation. “You know, sir, I’ve been in prison for more than eight years and my disciplinary record is as clean as the day I came in?” He’s totally motionless, just staring, as if expecting me to grovel.  “So you’re a candidate for sainthood.  What else is new?” “May I ask why you won’t authorize me to receive books?” “They interfere with the security of my institution.” “Books?” “That’s right.” “But they’re academic texts and they’ll come directly from the library of a major university.” “How would I know what’s in them? I don’t have the staff available to look through books.” “Mr. Nuss, this isn’t radical literature. I’m studying theory, relationships, social order and allocation of public resources for prisons.” “I’ve made my decision, Mr. Santos. You’ve done just fine for yourself as an inmate at FCI McKean. But this is a new McKean, a federal prison, not a college.” Getting nowhere I muster a “thanks” for his consideration and walk away. There’s no way I can enjoy a Thanksgiving meal.  I return to the housing unit with thoughts of how I’m going to overcome this hurdle. The doctoral degree has an integral link to the future I’m striving to create, and to my sense of self. I can’t give up, as I’ve got more than 17 years to go but I don’t know what I’ll do without the sublimation that study provides. I call Bruce to let him know what I’m up against and he offers to do what he can, saying he’ll call his contact at BOP headquarters, Sylvia McCollum, after the holiday weekend. As a high-level education administrator in the BOP, perhaps she’ll have a solution. My next call is to Norval at the University of Chicago, who promises to intervene at a higher level. “I’ve got a meeting with the National Institute of Corrections in December,” he says. “Kathy Hawk is going to be there and I’ll have a chat with her. Perhaps it’s time to find another prison for you, one better able to accommodate your studies.” Dr. Kathy Hawk is the Director of the Bureau of Prisons. President Bush appointed her and President Clinton has kept her on to lead this massive, rapidly growing agency. I’ve read about her and I know she has a doctorate, either in education or psychology.  Norval once sent me a copy of a letter she wrote to him referencing me, so I know she’s aware of my efforts and she can help. With a phone call she could resolve my problems at McKean, or order my transfer to a prison where I’d be able to complete my studies. With Bruce and Norval ready to lobby on my behalf, my tension eases. A new focus leads me to read through everything I find in the law library about potential prisons where I can transfer. It would be nice if Bruce could make another information-gathering trip to other prisons, but I doubt he has the time, and actually, neither do I. President Clinton hasn’t ruled on my clemency petition yet, but it’s important that I finish my doctoral studies by the time I hit my 10-year mark. I can’t afford to miss an entire semester because of bureaucratic resistance and bottlenecks. I haven’t thought much about security levels of prisons since my initial incarceration. Yet as I read through the Bureau of Prisons Custody and Classification manual, I stumble upon the formula case managers use to determine them. A number of factors convince me that my security level should be low rather than medium.  Specifically, I don’t have a history of violence, I wasn’t incarcerated before this case, I don’t have a history of disciplinary infractions, and I’m within 18 years of my release date.  All of those factors mean that I should be classified as low rather than medium security. Low-security classification would open more options, but in order to pursue a transfer to one of those prisons I need to meet with my case manager and verify my status. If I can persuade him that I’m entitled to a low-security classification, perhaps I can also persuade him to recommend a transfer.  

Last April 2019 at BFM, Richard Wee and Lesley Lim discussed the case of the American Women's Soccer Team taking up an action against the US Soccer Federation, alleging discrimination in treatment and pay. The original podcast is here :- https://www.bfm.my/podcast/the-bigger-picture/live-learn/ll-discrimination-women-football ** This RWC Podcast was uploaded on 20th May 2020.

What if technology had our best interests in mind? What if the largest technology companies in the world were measured by how much they benefited our well-being rather than how effectively they could exploit user behavior to earn attention and dollars? We live in a technological world driven by a deluge of media content and the platforms delivering that media to achieve certain business goals. Paralleling this rise in technology and media is a rise in depression, especially among millennials. While it is inconclusive whether or not specific forms of media such as social media cause increase rates of depression, the power of technology in its many forms to influence our mind and behavior is evident. It has permeated our politics, the fabric of our relationships, and our everyday decision-making. In fact, many of the platforms you use every day were designed to be addictive by people just like you.  In this episode, we are joined by two guests, Stephen Cognetta and Anne Wu. Stephen and Anne are the founders of Hack Mental Health, a non-profit focused around the belief that technology can help revolutionize mental healthcare. Last April, HackMentalHealth hosted its second annual 24-hour mental health hackathon in San Francisco. This hackathon paired mental healthcare professionals such as therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists with tech-savvy programmers and engineers. In 24 hours, these interdisciplinary teams went on to develop software prototypes addressing many problems in cognitive health including trauma recovery, dementia, and compulsive behaviors. Stephen and Anne share their philosophy behind Hack Mental Health as well as some of the challenges that still remain including data privacy concerns, social media's impact on our psychology, and the persistent stigma of mental health. If you are interested in getting involved with Hack Mental Health's 2020 conference from March 21st to 22nd, please check out www.Hackmentalhealth.care to join their mailing list and register for the event.

Hello and welcome… to EPISODE 52 and part 3 of WHO KILLED the Yogurt Shop 4?Thank you to this week's sponsor, Podcorn. They make connecting podcasters with advertisers a breeze. Click HERE for more details on the packages they offer.PURCHASE WHO KILLED THESE GIRLS? BY BEVERLY LOWRYHelp Support Independent Journalism HereI am your host Bill Huffman and on this week’s show, I will begin the arduous task of covering an infamous case out of Austin, Texas, the yogurt shop murders.This case has been covered by the likes of 48 hours, ID Channel, Inside Edition and a plethora of podcasts.The reason I wanted to take a look at this case is I just finished Beverly Lowry’s book, Who Killed these girls? and it reinvigorated my interest in the case. I will do my best to do it justice and next week I may even have a special guest to discuss the case.Let’s get this week’s episode rolling, Who Killed the Yogurt Shop 4?December 6, 1991, started off like most days in Austin, Texas for Sarah and Jennifer Harbison. They got ready for school, packed their book bags and headed off for the day. It was an overcast day for the city, with temperatures maxing out around 72; a cool Texas Friday. Austin, Texas in 1991 was just coming into its own as a nationally known place where creativity can thrive.Not only is Austin, the capital of Texas, but it also holds the title of Live Music Capital of the World.In 1994, the city created the Austin Film Festival and filmmakers and actors such as Mike Judge, Richard Linklater, and Matthew McConaughey call Austin home.In 2002, Austin City Limits was founded and became one of the premier live events in the U-S drawing groups from all over the world to perform.Sarah would be working that’s night shift so her plans were already set. She would be working with Eliza Thomas, another classmate at Lanier high school. For Sarah and Eliza their shift was going to be just like any other Friday night they worked together at the I Can’t Believe it’s Not Yogurt shop. And the shift started exactly that way. This was 1992 and the frozen yogurt fad was still in full swing; with lines at most times. The chain the girls worked for had hundreds of stores in multiple states. Amy Ayers, a friend of the girls, and Jennifer Harbison, Sarah’s little sister came up to the shop to hang out. A normal routine for any teenager who has friends working by themselves. Their place of employment can become an ideal new hangout spot... We’ve all been there. The Statesman put together a timeline of this case and how it unfolded: Reading verbatim from the timeline: Dec. 6, 1991: Austin firefighters respond to a blaze at I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! at 2949 W. Anderson Lane just before midnight. After the fire is extinguished, a search reveals the bodies of Jennifer Harbison, 17; her 15-year-old sister, Sarah; Eliza Thomas, 17; and Amy Ayers, 13. Dec. 8, 1991: Travis County Medical Examiner Robert Bayardo releases autopsy reports stating each of the four girls had been shot in the head. Police say they have no suspects. Dec. 9, 1991: Police discover evidence that they say leads them to believe more than one person was involved in the killings. Dec. 10, 1991: About 1,500 people attend the victims' funeral Mass at St. Louis Catholic Church. Dec. 12, 1991: Travis County District Judge Jon Wisser seals autopsy reports on the victims at the request of the Travis County district attorney's office. Dec. 17, 1991: Police release possible psychological profiles of the killers. Dec. 31, 1991: The victims' parents plead for additional help from the community during a news conference. Gov. Ann Richards releases a written statement asking for community assistance. Jan. 3, 1992: The Austin Police Department, along with local, county and federal authorities, form a task force to solve the case. Jan. 6, 1992 Police release additional information about the possible murderers. Twelve billboards display images of the slain teenagers. Feb. 26, 1992: Police arrest Laura Green on suspicion of stealing four tombstones. She is charged with theft by appropriation and questioned in the yogurt slayings. Her arrest came after intensive interrogation of a group of Austinites labeled by police as PIBs People in Black. Police later say Green is not a suspect in the slayings. Feb. 27, 1992: Local celebrities make a recording of We Will Not Forget, a song written by two local musicians and dedicated to the four slain girls. Proceeds from the song are donated to a fund established to help solve the yogurt case and reduce crime through education and counseling. March 16, 1992: Austin police release a sketch of a man seen parked outside the yogurt shop the night of the slayings. Police say the sketch resembles the sketch of a suspect In a November assault and abduction. March 25, 1992: The CBS news program 48 Hours focuses on the yogurt shop murders. June 3, 1992: The Austin business community adds $75,000 to the existing $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people involved in the murders.June 5, 1992: About 1,200 people march from the Congress Avenue Bridge to the steps of the Capitol carrying white candles in memory of the slain girls. June 6, 1992: Six months after the murders, classmates of the slain girls graduate at Lanier High School, leaving seats for Jennifer Harbison and Eliza Thomas. Aug. 5, 1992: Police begin searching for three men indicted in a November abduction and sexual assault. The three men are Alberto Cortez, Carlos Saabedra and Ricardo Sanchez. The men are wanted for questioning in the yogurt shop murders. Aug. 7, 1992: The television program America's Most Wanted airs a segment on the yogurt shop murders and shows photos of the three men listed in the kidnapping indictment, prompting about 60 tips. Oct 12, 1992: Austin sex crimes investigator Joy Mooney goes to Mexico City to give the Mexican attorney general a deposition about three men charged with abducting an Austin woman. One of the men in the abduction case fits the description of a man seen in a car outside the yogurt shop the night of the murders. Mooney is joined by two Austin homicide investigators, Sgt. Mike Huckabay and Lt. David Parkinson.Oct 16, 1992: The Austin investigators return from Mexico City. An officer says Mexican authorities were cooperative in the search for the three men wanted for questioning Alberto Cortez, 22; Ricardo Hernandez, 26; and Carlos Saavedra, 23.Oct. 22: Mexican federal authorities say that they have arrested two men wanted by Austin police and that one confessed to the murders of the four girls in the yogurt shop. Officials said Porfirio Villa Saavedra, 28, and Alberto Jimenez Cortez, 26, are being held. A third suspect is at large, officials said. On October 23, 1992 the American-Statesman published an article titled “City breathes heavy sigh with arrests in slayings” by Tim Lott and Starita Smith.For some students, the confession by one of the suspects, who said he shot all four girls, made their struggle to understand even more difficult. Samantha Tomaszewski, an 18-year-old who knew Sarah Harbison, burst into tears when she heard about it. "They've hurt hundreds of people," she said. "They don't know how many people they hurt doing this. Either they should be put in jail for 190 years or given the death penalty." Paul Turner, the Lanier principal, said he hopes this is a turning point in the recovery of his school from the tragedy. But Turner, like others, will not let his guard down unless there is a conviction. "I personally would rather there be some kind of closure to it than for us to be left hanging," Turner said. "I don't know whether this will bring closure or not." The family of Colleen Reed, the victim of another unsolved Austin crime, knows what it's like to wait for a resolution. Reed was abducted from a West Fifth Street carwash by two men just three weeks after the yogurt shop murders. Last April, Belton resident Alva Hank Worley said he and a paroled killer, Kenneth Allen McDuff, kidnapped and sexually assaulted Reed. Authorities arrested McDuff in Kansas City, Mo., in early May. McDuff hasn't been charged in the Reed case. Reed has never been found. "I'm ready for some closure," said Reed's sister, Lori Bible. "How much can you accept it when you don't have a body to bury or a grave to go to? That's the part that gets me.”In a big blow to everyone involved, relief was short-lived when the Mexican who was said to have confessed recanted his statement and said his confession came as he was tortured.The investigation never quite went cold but there was a lull in the investigation until August 1999 when police assign six investigators and one sergeant and enlist the help of other agencies to pursue a new lead.Just a few months later on Oct. 6, 1999, Austin police arrest Forrest Welborn, Maurice Pierce, Robert Burns Springsteen IV and Michael Scott on capital murder charges.As quick as things move in Texas, it was only 2 months later on Dec. 9, 1999, when a judge rules that Pierce and Welborn, 16 and 15 at the time of the killings, may be tried as adults.As the train steamrolled towards a conclusion on Dec. 14, 1999, a Travis County grand jury indicted Springsteen on four counts of capital murder. District Attorney Ronnie Earle announces he will seek the death penalty.Four days later on Dec. 18, a grand jury indicts Pierce and Scott on four counts of capital murder. Prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against Scott but cannot against Pierce because he was a juvenile at the time of the crime.As the twists and turns continued it was in June of 2000 when a judge dismisses capital murder charges against Welborn after a second grand jury declines to indict him.The train didn’t stop for Springsteen though because in April 2001 Jury selection begins in the capital murder trial of Springsteen. Prosecutors arrived in court armed with Springsteen’s confession but no physical evidence tying him to the cr

Last April, I opened up about my journey healing from my long history of disordered eating. The further I've delved into my treatment, the more I've started to understand some of the experiences and systems that sustained my difficult relationship to my body and food for so long. In this episode, I share my experiences with the hopes to educate not just about eating disorders, but about how layered the process of loving ourselves is.   The last Make Your Own Dream Catcher event at Better Half Brewing was so much fun! Join us on February 21 at LaFortuna in Wolcott, CT.  Tickets available at this link.

"The General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is coming up this weekend, and there will be beautiful music. Last April, a touching hymn reminded us that the Savior is our safe haven in storms.

News crews haven’t had a monopoly on live footage of breaking news and emergency situations in quite some time. Among other innovations, the proliferation of cellphone video — especially video taken by bystanders during first-responder interactions with citizens — has been a game changer in recent years for the public’s understanding of such events. Production companies including Big Fish Entertainment have also turned their cameras toward the real-life drama. And in “Live Rescue,” a Big Fish show currently airing on the A&E Network, St. Louisans are finding themselves in the spotlight. Last April, the St. Louis Fire Department entered into an agreement with Big Fish to allow the company access to record the activity that surrounds calls for help and various crises that department personnel respond to on an everyday basis. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Erin Heffernan reported earlier this week, the department does not receive any money in exchange. But Captain Garon Mosby, public information officer for the department, is deeply involved with the production of “Live Rescue,” regularly traveling to New York City on Big Fish’s dime to help produce the Monday evening broadcast. In this segment, Mosby and St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson offer a closer look at the collaboration.

This week’s guest is the New Zealand rugby journalist, charity worker and children's book author Brent Pope, who joined Sasha and Venetia to speak about minding your mental health after the loss of a loved one. There is a huge symbiosis between grief and mental health, and in recent years Brent has done stellar work in speaking about his struggles with depression and anxiety. Last April, Brent's father sadly passed away after battling Parkinson’s Disease at home in New Zeland. Brent delivers a beautiful account of his father’s character and what made him such a unique man. Having originally moved to Ireland for 3 months, he has lived here for the last thirty years and speaks candidly about the varying levels of regret he has about not seeing as much of his Dad as he would have liked to. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel, Share articles, photos , memories and more,Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group,A place for support, compassion and empathy for those grievinghttps://www.facebook.com/groups/GriefEncounters/Music by: Nctrnm See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"Obviously I'd love to be a world-class runner—like I'd love it, that'd be awesome—but I know there's so much more in my life and so many more things I can do and my life isn't just running. Obviously I knew I missed running, I will try to admit that, but I really did feel content. But I still had this feeling and I'm like, 'Well, it's over now. It's officially over. I'm done.' I'm running like 40 miles a week, just kind of having fun, I'm not competing. But it never really went away and then I don't really know, I really just fell into the marathon." CJ Albertson is one of the most intriguing athletes heading into the Olympic Trials Marathon at the end of February. The 26-year-old ran a personal best of 2:13:40 at CIM last December to finish a close second behind Kenyan Elisha Barno. Last April, he  ran 2:17:59 to break the indoor marathon world record and he's broken 2:20 in each of the five marathons he's competed in, most of them lower key efforts near where he lives in Clovis, California. I first learned about CJ from a reader of the morning shakeout newsletter, who told me to check out some of the runs he was putting up on Strava, like multiple solo 30-ish mile training runs averaging 5:15 to 5:20 per mile. I started following CJ in his buildup to CIM last December and was impressed by his penchant for hard work and ability to seemingly recover very quickly between big efforts. In this conversation, we talked about his unorthodox training methods and how, as a collegiate coach at Clovis Community College, he's careful not to let his own training influence that of his athletes; he told me about his independent streak and tendency to push things to the extreme; we got into the race that sparked his return to competitive running after an up-and-down collegiate career at Arizona State; we discussed self-experimentation and some of his crazy things he's tried to help him recover faster; he also told me about his wife, Chelsey, a fellow Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier and how she's his secret weapon on race day, and a lot more. This episode is brought to you by:  Final Surge: Final Surge's coaching tools have made planning and delivering training to the athletes I coach easy and seamless—communication is completely streamlined into one easy-to-navigate portal and it's made my workflow far more efficient and effective. Go to finalsurge.com/morningshakeout to purchase a training plan written by yours truly, to find more information about coaching packages, or to check out a 14-day coaching trial. Coaches: Use the code MORNINGSHAKEOUT when you check out to save 10% on your first purchase of a coaching account. Complete show notes: https://themorningshakeout.com/podcast-episode-97-with-cj-albertson/ Sign up here to get the morning shakeout email newsletter delivered to your inbox every Tuesday morning: www.themorningshakeout.com/subscribe/ Support the morning shakeout on Patreon: www.patreon.com/themorningshakeout

Last April when Simply Salty first launched Adrians good friend graciously shared a VERY salty story. Her diagnosis of ALS. Over the last year and half Tesla has continued to be a shining light of love and compassion. She inspires everyone fortunate enough to know her. She has taken a salty diagnosis and created something beyond AMAZING! Along with a good friend they have launched a non profit charity, Harboring Hope. Named after Teslas daughter Harbor. Tune in and learn how you can get involved! *all statistics are from www.alsa.org Donate to Haboring Hope @ www.paypal.me/HarboringHope976

It was Podcast moving day last week and the EdTechLoop Pod is happy to now be hosted by Podbean! However all the archived shows did not make it through the move so over the next few weeks before the school year begins I plan to post some of our most popular past episodes starting with the very first BiblioTech podcast featuring local writer and illustrator Brianne Farley. Please excuse the poor audio quality, we hadn’t dialed the studio or editing in yet but the interview is too good to not have on the feed. And as always, thanks for listening and inspiring.Please forgive the first attempt to transcribe the podcast. As always, we will strive to improve.0:00 - StephieThis is Brianne Farley, and she is an author and illustrator, and a local Traverse City Area Public Schools, alumni, we're gonna chat today. 0:37 - StephieWhat’s your background, your educational background and career, what your career path has been. And if you want to look, you know, in when I say educational background. Back in elementary school, the experiences you had an elementary school how those have carried along with you and how you ended up in the career that you're in. Okay. 1:02 - Brianne All right. Well, I started. Well when I moved up here to Traverse City when I was seven, and I started Old Mission, and we live actually right, my parents live right behind Old Mission. Yeah okay and that's like the world's best playground. I think when I did when I first did a visit at Old Mission with my book that's like, all I talked to the kids about was, I was like, tell me about your playground. Is it the coolest is the pond still haunted. and they're like, No, and I was like, It’s still haunted. 1:37 - BrianneAnd so I went to Old Mission and then, and then I went to the talented and gifted program at Central. And then, yeah and I went to East, Central High School, and  StephieWhen did you graduate? BrianneI graduated in ‘02. Yeah, I was the first class after the split. Okay, yeah.  StephieSo one year after split.  Brianneyeah yeah one year to split, and. 2:06 - Brianne And then I went to McAllister college actually on the recommendation of my principal, Mr. Townsend,  StephieMr Townsend Yeah, yeah,  BrianneFunny enough, he’s been my principal since elementary school. Interesting. He kept moving up as I graduated and so yeah he’s been my principal forever and then you say, also go to college here.  StephieAnd then he and he promoted your book for you. 2:35 - Brianne Yeah. Yeah, he's my publicist. 2:40 - Stephiehe's a great person  Briannehe is great. He's so great. Um, and then after McAllister, I  StephieWhat was your focus there.  BrianneOh I went there for English. I like knew that I wanted to be an editor. And so I went for English and I really loved, art, but I thought that for some reason I had this idea that if I made art my career I would hate it, like, like you said, like the pressure of having to make something that makes me not like it anymore. So I really loved reading I loved books as a total bookworm growing up and, and so I knew I wanted to be an editor and then I went off to New York after a year of college, and did an editorial internship and totally hated it. Yeah. I really hated it. And  StephieWhat do you think it was. Did you find it too technical or too, was it, work was mundane? BrianneI was at a very small publishing house. And so I think that having a little bit of a different view of what editing was then what I saw at this house and which actually is probably not very accurate it's like how other houses edit but, um, yeah it was like it was a little too mundane it was I thought that I was going to be like in the trenches with the writers like helping them like what if you used this other word here and, and that's not what it was at this house. 4:13 - StephieDid you have much contact with authors.  BrianneNo, no, no. Yeah, it ended up being this very I mean it was like an internship, they were like yeah like organize our computer. Like, this is what editing is. So then, I, I was an art minor and then I went down to Chicago and was working at the Art Institute there and was an administrative assistant.  StephieOkay, did you like that.  BrianneI really did yeah, that was a great job. The best part about it was that you could take classes for free at the School of the Art Institute. Yeah, so I started taking more classes and then I did a residency and, and then, was like why am I doing this is I should really, realy make that happen so I applied for grad school and went to SCAD for illustration and SCAD is the Savannah College of Art and Design. StephieGeorgia? BrianneGeorgia. Yeah.  StephieAnd your focus was the illustration, and had that been your interest? Would you say, Did you find that and trust when you're in Chicago? BrianneNo I, well, a little bit I had grown up loving Roald Dahl and Quinten Blake, and I'd actually went to his at TAG we had to write a speech every year about when I grow up, do they still do that? they should still do that because it tells you what you want to be when you grow up. ‘Cause that’s what I wrote my speech about. I was like, I want to be Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake. Although I guess the year before I said I wanted to be Benjamin Franklin and that didn't pan out. StephieThere’s still time 6:01 - Brianneto be a founding father. It could still happen. 6:06 - BrianneYeah, so I said that that's what I wanted to do so. I think that that kind of stuck with me. StephieAs an illustrator, do you focus in a certain medium, or you explain that, like, what, what would an illustrator, what would that look like, like what classes did you take? What kind of a focus in your art education, did you have? BrianneWell, um, I think I lucked out, knowing that I was interested in children's books going into it. Because I was able to kind of tailor my graduate experience toward children's books, and actually my first book was a homework assignment in grad school, I took a class called directed projects which is basically, it's like a directed free-for-all, like, you pick a project that you want to do over the course of the whole semester. And, and it has to be a series of some sort of some people that like branding, like they've made up a brewery and branding, like you know made several different kinds of beer labels or something and, and I picked a kids book and...  StephieAnd did that become Ike?  BrianneYeah that became “Ike’s Incredible Ink.” Yeah, do your homework kids. 7:30 - StephieSo, that was what year of school. How long have you been in?  BrianneThat, it's a two year program and that was the first quarter of my second year there.  StephieSo, from that homework assignment, how did they get from there to the published book?  BrianneGosh, like a combination of super hard work and crazy good luck. Like anything in life. I kind of hit the ground running with this project and got...I was able to finish the entire book in the whole in 10 weeks. And you were only supposed to do three interior spreads and a cover, and I was, I don't know crazy person was like I'll do all of it and, so, which ended up being great, because I had; so Peter Brown, who's a author, Illustrator, he was coming to SKAD to give a presentation, and at the same time I knew that my friend Ryan who I was in grad school with had a friend Pete who was coming to town, I didn't realize that these are the same person. And so I was sitting in the grad studio at SKAD doing my work working on Ike, and Pete and Ryan came in we were hanging out and talking and then my professor walked in and he was like, oh, Brianne I see you’ve met Peter Brown. He's like, you should have them look at your book, and I was like, Oh, (laughing) okay. And so he took a look at it and send it to his agent and the agent liked it and now here we are. And now Peter’s one of my closest friends so that worked out to, socially. 9:21 - StephieOkay, so what were some of the steps like so then agents said, I really like this. Then what? BrianneWell, that's the trick with kids books is that you. It's very rare that you get your book published without an agent. Without an agent your manuscript goes into the slush pile they call it which is like about as organized as it sounds, but with an agent, you have all these doors open where the agent is kind of the first gatekeeper and they kind of carry a stable of people that whose work they like. And then they will go into the publishing companies and either in person or by email kind of promote your work and say like this is something that we're working on. We think that it would be a good match for you so they'll kind of try to pair you up with a, with an editor. And then the editor is usually the one that does the acquiring till they find a manuscript that they like that can either. If you're an author illustrator they'll have some sample drawings with the manuscripts and this year, just an author, it won't have any illustrations with it. 10:28 - StephieSo from the time that it went to an agent and was selected, how long does it take typically or did it take for your book for your first book? BrianneUm, for my first book. It took about a year from, my agent is Paul Rodine, and it took about a year from when Paul picked it up to when Candlewick said hooray, we want your book. But it can go much faster than that. I don't, I don't know how long it takes us first books but yeah that's what happened with mine. StephieAnd then it was published how soon after that? 11:09 - BrianneUm, let's see well that was another funny one because that I had, you know, finished a book basically and then had to kind of go back to square one with their suggestions and revisions. But I think the whole process took maybe another, not quite another year altogether and then it takes another year to actually get public, come out into bookstores. So, like I finished this book “Secret Tree Fort” in April. Last April, and it comes out this coming April. Yeah. 11:50 - StephieAnd I can't wait to talk about that. 11:53 - BrianneFor Ike, having it published. So tell us about what it's like, it's in bookstores. Did you do a book tour? Did you get to talk with kids, I get to talk with kids. I didn't do a book tour that the publishing company sent me on or anything, I would, kind of, I'm going to get caught by the IRS telling you this but like, if I ever wanted to go on a trip I would call up a bookstore and be like, Hello, and just start writing off this trip. But yeah, it was great, bookstores are really happy to have you because you're free and you help sell their books and you're kind of like an hour long babysitter. And then schools are great too I am, I was able to do a bunch of school visits with TCAPS last spring, yeah, it was.  StephieThe weather was a little iffy, yeah. 12:52 - BrianneYeah, somewhere in there  StephieIt could have been arranged in November. BrianneCould be anytime. 12:59 - BrianneBut, yeah, it's wonderful , the kids provide a lot of good feedback and you get to see like what they respond to and what they're interested in. 13:10 - StephieDo you have any like best quotes from kids a lot along the way about your book or funny questions? 13:20 - BrianneWhen I first started, hats off to the  teachers, I like knew nothing about crowd control and like what questions you could ask kids and whatnot, like, like you can't just be like, How are you, because they'll be like, “I'm going to a birthday party and there's a swimming pool and…” And that was actually my very first reading as a kid raised his hand and said, “I'm going to a birthday party.” Anyway, let me see, at the end of the presentations I draw a rocket with the kids and I like to tell them that they can that I'm going to draw Ike inside of the rocket but that they can draw whoever they want and I had a little kid, tell me that they're putting their grandma in the rocket to the moon, like I'm going to send my grandmother to the moon. 14:08 - StephieWhat happened with that.  BrianneYeah, so they yeah this is some pretty some pretty great stuff. I've also been really blown away with the other end of things, kids being like, so how do I get an agent? What's the difference between self publishing a published book? Who are you?  StephieLike a little kid. I mean some of those.  BrianneSome of those questions came from like fifth graders but I was really impressed that they even... 14:38 - StephieWhen you're young, did you write for fun and to illustrate books for fun?  BrianneYeah, yeah. I actually, when I was in third grade. Our Old Mission did a program where you could write a book and the library would bind it and have like put a bar code on it and have it in the library and anybody could check it out. So that was really inspiring I got to do that.  StephieDo remember what you wrote for that book?  BrianneYeah, it was a book called, Trees are Homes, and I distinctly remember making the cover first and then kind, of just plowing my way through the rest of the book and the book kind of like taking a turn somewhere and then like not really being about that by the end. StephieBut cover was set. BrianneTrees are Homes, and it was like animals live in trees, so you should recycle, recycling's good, boy do I like paper, it just kinda like wandered. 15:37 - StephieDo you remember checking out friends books and like having friends check out your book. Do you remember having like...  BrianneI do remember. I do remember going into the library and checking to see if anyone had checked out my book. Yeah, it's like the first version of like social media, any likes? 15:58 - StephieWell, that must be an amazing experience, now to see, Ike, and to see, Secret Tree Fort.  BrianneYeah, it's crazy like it when, when Ike first came out, I was on a road trip and stopped at this Barnes and Noble in the middle of nowhere and found it. Yeah, and one of my good friends lives in Anchorage, and she sent me a photo of like in her local library, and I was like, “oh, thanks for donating that book to your library,” and she was like, “it was just here.” 16:31 - StephieSo “Secret Tree Fort,” comes out in April. Can you tell us a little bit about it?  BrianneSure, it's about, about two sisters and older sister just wants to read and the younger sister wants to the older sister to play with her.  StephieDoes this have any connection to your own life?  BrianneOh yeah, it's incredibly biographical. This is me never wanting to put down a book. And this is my younger sister, little toe head, her being very energetic and wanting to play and we actually we did play together as kids, and when we did play a lot of what we did was plan tree forts, or tree houses we would have drawings of like okay on the third floor will have the observation deck and then the slide will lead to the pool. And we'd be like dad. Let's do this. 17:27 - StephieDid you have a tree fort?  BrianneWe did, we did, it was a, it was a box in a tree but it did have a zip line. Yeah that's all you need. 17:37 - StephieYou just need a little, little bit of wood in a tree in your house. Yeah. Yeah. So illustration wise, did you use a similar sort of process when you were working on this book? BrianneNo, not at all. I did a lot of print-making at McAllister this great printmaking professor, and I somehow I didn't even know that print-making existed before I got there. And she kind of opened up this whole world they really fell in love with it and so I guess I think a lot of my work is informed by printmaking but maybe by different processes. So, the first book is about a blob of ink who can somehow get up and walk. And so it's about ink and paper and craft and like making things with their hands so I wanted it to be made with ink and paper so it's it's ink line work and collaged paper that's actually collaged digitally. And then this is also kind of made digitally, I drew the book with charcoal and pencil and different layers. Okay, different pieces of paper so like the outline will be a piece of paper and then like the texture will be on another piece of paper and then I scan it all into the computer and color it digitally, which is a total headache. I don't know why I work like that but…StephieWhat made you choose to do it that way does it give you more options.  19:11 - BrianneYeah, I think I really love getting the color right and the texture right is really important to me and I like it when the color and the format of the book kind of helps you tell the story. So, in this book, the younger sister is telling her older sister about this tree forth that she has that, you know, as she talks you kind of see the tree fruit in the background like growing floors and slides and the whale observation area. And, and I wanted to kind of, kind of interacting with an imaginary environment and I wanted there to be some visual cue that was like, “This isn't real.” “And this is real.” And so I made this real for myself that everything that was real would be very muted, and everything was imaginary you can be these technicolors, and the computer let you kind of set that up and play with it. 20:12 - StephieDid you enjoy that process? So, you know, very different from Ike. Did you enjoy doing it that way and was it a lesson to be learned would you do it that way again. 20:27 - BrianneI don't know, actually, it’s funny that you ask. I had a publisher contact me and asked me to submit a sample of work and I like can you make it just like how you made “Secret Tree Fort,” and I was like, ugh. Okay, maybe if I was a better artist I wouldn't need to do it that way but it's like, I need to fuss with it forever to be like, oh no I made this tree dark so then this tree has to be light so then this part has to be more colorful but I don't know if I do it again. It's definitely really fun to work like that it's kind of like how you build a screen print. Yeah, I like that. I love the look of it. Yeah, and I love the control but, boy is it time consuming. 21:20 - StephieWhat I’ve seen of it, it’s beautiful. So when this book comes out will it be the same thing when you visit schools again, and maybe get a few bookstores at some exotic locations? 21:31 - BrianneHopefully, yeah. Yeah, I love doing school visits it's really, really fun. Yeah, I love doing the school visits, it's kind of like the opposite of sitting alone and drawing. Standing up in front of an auditorium of eight year olds. 21:54 - StephieWhen you mentioned that, that being alone and working, I know that you've been involved with A26. And can you tell us a little bit about, first what that is and what you've done.  BrianneSure. A26 is an amazing organization and I know that you said that Front Street Writers is kind of a little bit near it. A26 was started by the writer Dave Eggers and legend has it that he wanted to start a tutoring program in San Francisco and bought a commercial space, and then was told that, because it was a commercial space and zoned commercially it had to sell something and it couldn't just be a tutoring center and so he was like great we sell pirate supplies. And so the front of the store sold pirate supplies in the back of the store… StephieI love that it happened that way. 22:50 - BrianneYeah, so then they were really surprised to find out the pirate supply section of the store kind of helped the kids, like it made it this like, very special space and it also helped take away the stigma like meeting after school homework assistance or like taking an extra writing class just for fun. I'm a big dork, that’s something I would do. And so, it helped with that and then also it was bringing in people from the neighborhood to be like, what is this place? And that led to people volunteering just because they like walked in to see what the Pirate Store was about. And then the revenue from selling like a tub of lard pays the rent on the stores. Yeah, so now it's nationwide and all of the stores had like a front and then there's a secret tutoring center in the background. So I think they want in Michigan, haven't been a robot repair shop.  StephieYeah, yeah, Seattle is time travelers. I think there's a Bigfoot one. What’s New York?.  BrianneIt’s the superhero supply store. I first got involved with the one in Chicago, which is the spy supply store.  StephieYeah, I just love to go in one. BrianneYeah, yeah, it's the one in Chicago so funny that it has the sign out in front, that's like, nothing to see here, nobody needs to come in, you don't need anything. And for a while I had to change it because it was like two effective people are like, Oh, yeah. 24:18 - StephieAnd so did you do workshops there?  BrianneYeah, yeah, I did a comic book writing workshop and autobiographical comic book ratings that was great. And also the one. Oh, we did block printing with character descriptions so I had the kids make black print of face, and they wrote a character description of it and then they all traded prints and then wrote a description of that someone else's portrait. It's really fun activity Yeah. StephieSo thinking about working with kids and, have you thought about, like, doing something more like that doing more workshops with kids is that an area that you might pursue?  BrianneYeah, yeah, hopefully. That's the great part about living here now is I have all this extra time I was, I was working. When I first moved to New York I was working for random houses, uh, well first as an administrative assistant and then there's a book designer. And then I left to do more illustration but came as rehired as a freelance designer so I was working there part time. And then, and now that I live here, I can have a little bit more time on my hands, because I’m not working at Random House. StephieSo right now are you do your projects in the pipeline that are working on? BrianneI do. I don't know what am I allowed to share. I'm working on getting my promotional plan ready for it Secret Tree Fort. You start kind of amping that up about three months out but you have to know what you're going to do before the three months are here. And, and then I signed up to do it I can tell you about this. I signed up to do a book called “Charlotte the Scientist is Squished,” and that's my first book that I’m just illustrating in not writing on hey yeah.  StephieSo where is that in the process? BrianneThat is signed up... StephieSorry to interrupt you. How did you get connected to that book? Did the author see your work?  BrianneNo, that's, um, gosh that's another book was like, yeah, and like, usually it happens this way but I don't, that’s not how it happened for me, usually an author submits their manuscript to a publishing company and then the editor buys the manuscript, and then the editor and the art director work together to find an illustrator. But in this case, my agent represents the author and, and I had told my agent that I wanted, I was like I'd really like to try illustrating somebody else's manuscript. And I said, we've got this manuscript do you want to illustrate it and we'll send it out to publishers that way and I like there's no guarantee, they like they might drop your illustrations, like, whatever. Yeah yeah so that's how I got connected. 27:29 - StephieSo, and that book will be coming out like I said a couple years away. BrianneThat'll be coming out in spring ‘17.  StephieOkay, I’m excited to see it. 27:42 - BrianneYeah, me too. It's on the manuscript is being edited right now and is with the author. And as soon as they finalize the manuscript then I get a hold of it. 27:55 - StephieWill you be working on that here? will you be back in New York? Or can you work anywhere? BrianneOh gosh, I don't know. Yeah, I can work anywhere. That's great anywhere that has Wi Fi and a flat surface.  28:11 - StephieBesides, what you've done in the book form,where else has your art appeared, what other format? Tell us about, tell us about your art, separate from books?  BrianneUm, well, I did a couple publications with, I did a drawing for McSweeney's, and for the New York Times, did one for them. So I've done a couple editorial pieces here and there, but I found that editorial is like, kind of this constant, you need to keep reminding our directors that you're around, and I just I love doing children's book so much that I'd rather spend my time doing that.  StephieThat's really your passion.  BrianneIt is it's so great, it's like it's like don't tell any other illustrators but it's like you get to, basically, you're like free rein you have like 32 pages to just go nuts, and with editorial it's really really fast turnaround and people make beautiful stuff. I really have a deep admiration for editorial illustrators but and I don't work that way very well. StephieBut it's gonna work, what you enjoy.  BrianneYeah. Yeah. can anybody see your art around town? 29:25 - BrianneOh, the Little Fleet. Yeah. That was the best job. Yeah, I did the mural at Little Fleet. 29:35 - StephieTell us about that process? BrianneYou introduced me to Allison. And Allison was so great. She actually, it was so funny because they had just moved here from Brooklyn, and I was living in Brooklyn, at the time, and she was like, oh yeah, she sent me a couple images of what she was interested in and she was like we want these free hand kind of line drawings on our wall, and I started sending her sketches and she's like, can you know, can you just come in and like, do crazy stuff all over the wall. It's like, Oh yeah, totally.  StephieAnd you did it. Tell us about like the actual process where people there?  BrianneOh yeah, they... I started at 11 in the morning so I got all set up before anybody came in, and then I just worked the whole day. And it was, yeah, there are people there and watching and luckily I was up on a ladder, with my back to everybody. I wasn’t too aware of anyone watching. That's pretty good. Yeah, and you're adorable daughter was there, StephieShe does love knowing there's. 30:47 - BrianeIt's their balloon. 30:50 - StephieDid you? It has it looked like watching it that that you had planned out where things would go because everything fits so nicely, like how much pre-planning...  BrianneSmoke and mirrors.  StephieDefinitely. It looks that way. But can you just like did you look at this face and you're able to just, I mean how much of that was planned ahead in your mind and how much of it, and I mean I like out of  the blue here.BrianneThey told me that they wanted some like goofy characters and I've actually painted my bathroom in New York with chalkboard paint and had been actually like the week that she contacted me had filled my bathroom wall with these like crazy characters, and I sent her a photo of it and she was like, yeah, that's what we want. That works out well. So I had a kind of a eight and a half by 11 piece of paper with just some doodles on it and like character ideas, but all the layout was done on the fly. It was fun, it was exhausting. I think the only thing I knew going into it was that I wanted to have all of the characters marching in one direction because I wanted them to be like a fleet. Yeah, and I wanted to put that there's a cherry with a face in it that I knew that I wanted to up there, but... StephieYou obviously such an eye and experience. Was it nerve racking to do in front of people? And maybe we're looking back to people but have you ever painted like in a public setting?  BrianneNo, no. You know, I think I would have been, you know, if someone had come up to me and said, will you draw my portrait that would have terrified me but the fact that she was like, draw these crazy characters that you love drawing. I think that made it fine.  Stephie Did you go back and change anything, or was it just as is. 32:56 - BrianneNo, Yeah, I think one girl I kind of made for myself was that I would get off the ladder as often as possible so that I could step back and look at it from a distance. I think that really helped. But for the most part if I, I kind of saw how things were fitting together as I was moving from left to right. But yeah, I think I did have a little freak out in the beginning, so I wasn't really sure about the paint. The paint was like going on the wall and was really weird way like I felt slimy and I was like this is terrible, like, no one told me that painting on a wall it feels different than drawing with the marker. 33:41 - StephieSo that was your first time painting, something like that, of that scale? 33:46 - BrianneYeah, but now I love it funny. Yeah, I would love to do it again. 34:03 - StephieOkay. So switching gears a little bit. I'd love to talk about books and libraries, in particular. I mean we touched a little bit on the book project that you did at Old Mission but what are some of the things you remember now that you're, you know, in your career and following your passion for what you're doing and looking back at you know school libraries, public libraries and books in general I know you're a big reader and always were. What are some of the experiences you remember, and in what ways do you think school libraries and libraries in particular impacted you? Or some of your memories?  BrianneGood question. I guess, I have really fond memories of my librarians feet, you know, she would kind of sit on like a big armchair and everyone would kind of like crowd around. I just, I remember I loved that, like intimacy of like being read to. Really wanting to know what happened next, like, I remember the librarian at Central reading us “The Giver” and just being like, oh, when I found out that it was color that had been missing I was like, “What!” stop everything. Being read to it's just so special and it really brings the books to life, and, and I found I was really surprised when I visited schools that told me that I was going to be presenting to first graders as well as fifth graders. It's like I hope this presentation works for all ages. And I was really surprised by how engaged the fifth graders were that they still love being read to and enjoy picture books and just get something totally different out of it.  StephieAbsolutely, yeah. picture books are, they hit  kids at all different levels. And some of them are really, and, and maybe not in particular yours but some are geared, really there's middle school kids and some projects that there are picture books that are at that level, I mean in the details well as, What's the subject and it's quite mature. It's always thought of as her very young children. The format is really not necessarily that way. BrianneYou know I really think that's a mistake, actually I find myself when I talk about books trying not to say, kids books. I tried to say picture books cuz i mean i think that a lot of them are for audiences of all ages and that, and that booksellers are making a mistake kind of pigeon holing what age range, they can present to.Have you ever seen this book? Death, Duck, and the Tulip by Wolf Elbrooke? I think it's his name. He's a German guy. European kids books, they're like crazy like boobs, and there's all kinds of stuff in there. They’re a little bit edgier. It’s about a duck that meets death, and they kind of hang out together and then at the end of the book the duck dies, and that’s whole book and it's like really beautiful and, and just kind of like, this is what happens. Sometimes things die. And so it's like, I think it would be good. And it really struck me, you know, a certain age. Yeah, that was really really powerful, yeah. A good thing for kids of all ages. StephieI don't think that kids stop needing to be or stuff enjoying to be read to. It's not, it doesn't end in fifth grade. Middle School, even when even High School, and the adults. Yeah, being read to is something that's pretty universal.  BrianneYeah, it's very soothing to be read to even as an adult, it's nice to have someone just read something out loud. And, and I think that you get you get access to, you know, like words that you might not normally hear read out loud, like you're like, Oh, it's not hors d'oeuvres? Yeah, I think, I think it's really important and I think, yeah, I think that there's I actually I find myself having a little bit of a hard time talking about like, like what my favorite picture books are because I'm like there’s the books that I love as a kid. And then there's the books that I love now, and I don't have, I don't have kids and so like I don't really know what it is that kids respond to and Charlotte who I work with at Smith and Jones studios she brought in this whole stack, she, she labeled them a post it notes and she's like these are good books. These are terrible books. 39:10 - StephieLike, what made those terrible? Was it content, they were boring was it…? BrianneYeah, I mean, I think some of it was. I mean picture books I such a hard audience because you're appealing to a very young child and the parent that has to read it one hundred times in a row. And so I think some of them were books for her kids love them and she was like, I never want to see these books again. Yeah, yeah, but so I don't have that, I don't know I don't have the input of actual little kids so I'm going off like this is a beautiful book. I'm touched by this book, I don't know if kids would actually like it. 39:47 - StephieSo the unfair question. What were some of your favorite books as now and as a kid, and not just picture books like what are some of your, you mentioned the Giver, just favorite books?  BrianneI think the first book I remember being just obsessed with was the BFG Roald Dahl, and I loved that book. And then I went and read everything of Roald Dahl’s that I could find. He's super talented and dark. I love that too. Yeah. And I think as a kid I really, I really liked Sneeches by Dr. Seuss and, oh, Just a Dream by Chris Van Alsberg. That probably inspired Trees are Homes. Protect your environment. And what else: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, anything by Maurice Sendeck, the Little Bear books, and Where the Wild Things Are, Go Dog! Go! I recently re-read that and was like this book is brilliant. Yeah. And, and now...There's so much out there. Again, I'm like, I don't know if kids like these are not, but Greg Pizzoli is really great author, Illustrator. He just said a book about the “Watermelon Seed.” Okay, about a crocodile that follows a watermelon seed and Pool by, oh gosh, JHyeon Lee I think is her name and I think that that just one has a magical place in New York called the Society of illustrators and that's a museum slash art studio, that's just illustrations, And they hold, they do separate several competitions throughout the year but there's the original art show is just for children's books. And I think that that just won the original art show. It's a really cool space it's like this little converted townhouse, and it's kind of bright red door so you feel like you're kind of walking into a magical home. StephieWow, great, things like that are celebrated. What a wonderful spot to celebrate that kind of creativity. 42:16 - BrianneThat's the thing I miss most about Brooklyn is that a lot of my friends also wrote and illustrated book so they've also got some really beautiful books coming out. StephieAnd their titles, you can share? BrianneYeah. Um, let's see, Ruth Chan has her first book coming out which is, “Where's the Party,” which is about a cat that wants to throw a party but then all of his friends are busy. And it's based on her real cat Georgie. And let's see, my friend, Dasha Tolstikova has this really beautiful illustrated novel coming out I guess that's what you call it so it's long but it's not really a graphic novel, probably like a hundred pages, “A Year Without Mom.” And that's about when she grew up in Russia and her mom moved to America, and she stayed in Russia for another year and then followed her mom so it's about that year, she's 13.  StephieSo, like a middle grade, Middle School?  BrianneYeah, probably for like that same age group, 12-13. And she's also got a couple of picture books coming out “The Jacket.” She illustrated and that's like doing really, really well. It's a, it's a book about a girl who, I guess it's about a book, who, a girl buys the book and he's so happy to have someone who loves them. It’s so cute. 43:44 - StephieSo, yeah. Any other thoughts on experiences you remember, projects you did that standout related to books or illustration in school, other experiences in other schools or libraries that you remember? 44:00 - BrianneWell, each. And, and the librarians and I think I was really lucky to be in that talented and gifted program they have a lot of really great like kind of interactive projects where you are encouraged to write and, and draw, or they would maybe give you like several options of how to complete a project which I think is really great for kids learn and express themselves in different ways so you could either you know like, put on a play or like make a board game. I think that's always the one I chose like make some stuff with your hands, you could make, like, a little sculpture. I remember really loving my science classes, because I like making all the models.  StephieSure, yeah, it's interesting isn't it like even as a small, small young learner like those things that carry through, things that you love, you know, they might change, but some of those things stay. They are  what is important to you even as an adult. 45:11 - StephieWell, are there, anything is there anything I didn't ask you that you want to share. 45:17 - BrianneI can think of any. Any ideas?. 45:20 - LarryOkay, so the voice from the other side of the monitor. There, there are three questions I want to ask if you have the time. The first one I was fascinated by the conversation you guys had about picture, picture books, not being available, or is this something with the authors and publishers now making picture books for adults. First of all, was that their coffee table books, but not really because oftentimes, coffee table books don't contain a narrative. There more non-fiction. There might be a correlation between and especially for high school readers that correlation between picture books, and then read and students that have enjoyed picture books then graduating to graphic novels yeah I mentioned graphic novels and I wanted to know if you felt there was a connection there between the picture book and the graphic novel.  BrianneDefinitely, I think that and I think graphic novels are really filling a hole that's been present in, in the books that are available that that graphic novels aren't just like superhero graphic novels anymore that you can get like these really beautiful narratives that, I think that this is the first year that a graphic novel won, oh gosh, I'm going to get it wrong, some big literary prize was won by a graphic novel this year  StephieFor kids or adults?  BrianneFor kids it's like the Caldicot of, and I'm going to show you like such a dummy, I have to figure out what it is but it was like the Newbery, Yeah,  StephieEl Daffo, I think it was an honor.  BrianneWas it an honor?  StephieWe’ll have to crack this detail, definitely. 47:10 - BrianneIt's a great book, you should check it  StephieIt’s in our elementary libraries. 47:17 - BrianneBecause you can read it, like, I read it sitting in a cafe. You know the whole thing.  StephieOur libraries just received a donation from AAUW, for the book “Roller Girl.” BrianneI heard it’s wonderful. 47:30 - StephieYes, and it has wonderful messages for young girls. But it was. I'm guessing it was the first time we've had from that group, a graphic novel donated which, you know, there's so much more. Yeah, the quality of graphic novels, has come so far. But it really connects with kids all readers it really. Yeah, we've seen that really sparks kids who may or may not love to read and then it kind of ties, you know, good, kids who love to read anyway are drawn to it but sometimes you're reluctant readers of graphic novels less intimidating.  BrianneYeah, yeah. Another. I have friends who teach in the Bronx who say that the graphic novels are this like huge gateway for kids that like might not even feel comfortable reading or maybe like English language learners or... it’s a nice, nice I like that and I think it makes, it can make, like, difficult topics more accessible. I think that, like I'd rather read a history graphic novel than like read a history book. Yeah. 48:36 - StephieAnd the graphic novel “The Fun House” which is for adults. BrianneMaking so much. It's amazing so many ways right now which is funny because I taught that book in my autobiographical comic book writing class for A26. I mean, my friend Grace and I taught the class together and we just we photocopied, like one page out of a bunch of different books and showed kids like these are different styles of autobiographical comics.  StephieWell it, kinda as a segway but I think it's now on Broadway. It’s become a Play. And I think she has another graphic novel coming out.  49:15 - BrianneI know that she's like a regular comic, like a series. But I think that that kind of predates “Fun Home” but I don't know who the next book is. StephieWell and that was, you know, for, for example in “My Mom's” book we read, you know, it was the first time I think a lot of people were exposed to a graphic novel. It just it's come so, there's, there's just so much more at every level, and and that's an example of amazing illustrations, and amazing narrative as well.  BrianneYeah, I was really lucked into a great class, and that McAllister my first class was called superheroes. And it was English class that we studied graphic novels and then books about graphic novels, and books about superheroes, like Frankenstein and Orlando like these kind of like super human people in literature, but it was my, It was great, and it was my first exposure to, like, critical discussion about a graphic novel I think it was the first time I'd ever read a graphic novel. We read Watchmen. We read Dylan Horrocks, what is it called, “Hicksville,” it’s a great book. It's about New Zealand and they ended up studying abroad in New Zealand and then I came back and read it again was like, it's so cool because it's about the, I mean it's about a guy who loves comic books, but it's also about the, kind of mythology of New Zealand and, like, Captain Cook discovering New Zealand and his interaction with like the Maori people that were already in there legend of how New Zealand came to be and it's like you learn all this stuff. You don't even...  StephieYou have to go back through this tape and make a reading list. 51:03 - BrianneI spent way too much time with books. 51:11 - Stephiesomething else who said that. I'll remember. LarrySo I didn't realize that the graphic novel question was going to just.. BrianneI love graphic novels! And I don’t love them as much as most people do. I’m, like, no connoisseur, but I do know that they're like, I think they're incredibly under appreciated, and should just be like, thrown out like confetti. 51:34 - LarryAs an Illustrator there’s a whole other conversation about how you relate to, to not only the pictures, specifically as an artist but also how you would tell your stories in a picture book, as opposed to a graphic novel and vice versa. But those aren’t the questions that I want to ask is that much longer. I think, you know, the idea is kind of keep this under an hour, and we're getting close to it. So, what I wanted to maybe close with if Stephie doesn't have any more questions, are two questions. One is, what is the most important thing and putting you on the spot here and I recognize this, what is the most important thing you believe you learn from a teacher. 52:31 - BrianneI have no clue. Actually I guess cuz we're talking about like learning styles, because I think that's where that's kind of what we're going for with graphic novels was I like, that someone's learning style, I learned better with that. I also think it's important to do the learning style that you're not good at, and I, I, so when I was in, let's see, fourth, fifth and sixth grade so at TAG, we had to every week give a science report out loud in front of the entire class. And it's like, my deepest fear, like, like you would you rather be buried alive or give a report in front of class. And. And I think that that was incredibly helpful to kind of just like stand up there and just get used to it and like those communication skills are super helpful and every single part of your life going forward so I don't know if I'd say that they taught me to like face my fears or if they taught you that you can just like practice something and get good at it and, but. That persistence is more important than natural ability. 53:48 - StephieSo then when you have 250 first through fifth graders staring gymnasium.  BrianneOh yeah, I was terrible. My first couple of presentations I was like, BLLL Stephie Looked very polished to everyone, 54:03 - BrianneNot through natural ability, It was through like going home and being like, Okay, I need to redo my entire PowerPoint presentation. I think it's something that like is probably the most important part of a when kids go to those presentations is like seeing that there's a huge leap between where they are and like where they'll be as an adult, and that you can kind of be like, I was really bad at these things, and then you just do them a lot. And then you're good at them. Like I have friends were like, “your such a better drawer than I am,” and I'm like, “you're such a better lawyer than I am,” and they’re like, “I went to school for that,” and I'm like, “I did to.” It’s not magic, you just keep trying it. 54:51 - StephieAnd, and wanting to keep trying. Have the love for it. And that's, I mean the segue’s to but having kids, especially local like when you're talking to an Old Mission and when you talk to other schools in our district, for them to say she went, like, she sat here, she was in my school being a kid here, and then she's really doing the thing that I'm wanting to do. That is incredibly powerful for kids. BrianneYeah, and I actually don't remember this, I vaguely remember it but a cartoonist came to Old Mission when I went there, and I guess I came home from that author visit and my and told my mom that I wanted to be a cartoonist and was, like super inspired by it, yeah, vaguely remember this guy coming but, yeah, that's has a huge impact on me. Yeah, just like opening up the scope of, like, what you think is possible. StephieAnd I think the library is clear on that, yeah and experiences for kids. Bring the world in and through books to the world for kids.  BrianneIt opens you up to the things that you might not naturally seek out, like, I just went to our library on Woodmere the other day I was looking for books about Matisse and came home with a book about Danish chairs, because it was like sitting out on a table and I was like Oh, chairs! that’s what’s like, so magical about libraries is that you're like, you know, it's all just there. And you might kind of wander into something that you weren't looking for. And then the librarians are these like incredible gatekeepers who are just way smarter than I am. 56:37 - StephieBut that's what we hope the libraries are doing is opening up all these possibilities.  BrianneYeah, and that's something that like the internet can't replace. I visited an elementary school, where the librarian stands in the hallway, and she has like hand picked out books for certain kids and as she sees them walk by she would be like this book is yours. This is a really cool. I’m sure that they feel really special. StephieAnd knowing your readers, you know, connections. 57:11 - LarryOkay. So last question. And then ties in exactly you segueing your segue. What advice would you give a student interested in pursuing a career in publishing? So, you inspired one of those, one of those kids. BrianneI hope you like ramen noodles. You will not be rich. I guess, yeah, I guess what we've been talking about. Of course you have a natural interest in certain things but that, that persistence will get you way farther than any, like, ability you may have like out of the gate, and that, Neil Gaiman gave a speech that I think about all the time where he said that you only have to be two of three things, either have to be talented, pleasant to work with, or on time, you only have to be like, be only two to those. It's like if you're pleasant to work and on time then you don't have to be that talented. 58:17 - StephieSo true. 58:19 - BrianneYeah, you can. I think there's something, really something to be said for persistence and pleasantness. 

EB is on vacation this week. So, instead of going dark, we decided that we would still have a NEW EPISODE for you.  But the episode you'll hear is from someone else's show. Last April, Mike and EB were guests on "The Lisa Valentine Clark."  It's a nationally syndicated talk show that can be heard of Sirius/XM Satellite radio. The guys were interviewed about CoasterRadio.com and their thoughts on the theme park and amusement industry. EB is will also check in from a surprise trip to Six Flags America and Mike will preview next week's discussion about "Pantheon" at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and "Epic Universe" at Universal Orlando!

Today, in Episode 38, Tim and Jake speak in depth about one of their favorite stories from John 11 - Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Last April and May they did a 4 part sermon series which you can watch at cglchurch.org. Note: This episode is much more devotional in nature. This is Lead Time.

PART 2 Chris Campbell is a police officer in Warrenton, VA and lives outside of town with his wife and two kids. Prior to joining the Warrenton Police Department, Chris helped launch "The Sound Church," where he was a Pastor, dedicating much of his time to their Youth Ministry, alongside his wife Charity. Last April, he received a Valor Award and more recently, he was seriously injured in a life-changing freak accident during an officer training. Tyler and Chris talk about so much that this interview was broken up into two parts! In each episode of Learning to Dad with Tyler Ross, Tyler pulls lessons, tools and experiences from his guests, high achieving professionals (investors, entrepreneurs, business owners, athletes, etc) who've managed to find balance between their personal pursuits and being a thoughtful, deliberate father and partner.

PART 1 Chris Campbell is a police officer in Warrenton, VA and lives outside of town with his wife and two kids. Prior to joining the Warrenton Police Department, Chris helped launch "The Sound Church," where he was a Pastor, dedicating much of his time to their Youth Ministry, alongside his wife Charity. Last April, he received a Valor Award and more recently, he was seriously injured in a life-changing freak accident during an officer training. Tyler and Chris talk about so much that this interview was broken up into two parts! In each episode of Learning to Dad with Tyler Ross, Tyler pulls lessons, tools and experiences from his guests, high achieving professionals (investors, entrepreneurs, business owners, athletes, etc) who've managed to find balance between their personal pursuits and being a thoughtful, deliberate father and partner. In these long form interviews, guests provide the listeners the value of their experiences, from taking professional risks to how they pivoted their professional approach after starting a family. Stories of successes and failures, personal losses and gains, stories of how to be good and great.

June is CDT and Dental Technician Appreciation Month! VFTB celebrates this every week, but this month is extra special as we bring you three interviews from two different state association meetings. Last April we recorded at the DLAT Southwest Conference in Texas we talked to: Razi Setoodegan from the Preat Corporation. Razi tells us about how she got started in a small lab, worked at Glidewell, and how great it is to work at Preat. Pilot and CDT Wade Bognuda sits down to chat about his hobby of flying planes, being a CDT, and getting the Implant specialty. Then we jump to May while we recorded at the FDLA Symposium in Florida. The current president, Alexander Wünsche CDT and out going president Tim Stevenson CDT sit down to talk about the meeting, the association, and paddle boating. Donate to Crossing for a Cure - Alex's 80 mile fundraiser on June 15 (https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/alex-paddles-4-life?fbclid=IwAR3HpbpE_MNwIMnRJEsfcmaOKR7Khg1KykGh1H99uGUpBG5tXjikgWCvZTA) Be sure to check out DLAT.org to see all the AMAZING things the Dental Laboratory Association of Texas is doing. Come next year to their AWESOME conference where these interviews were recorded at! (https://members.dlat.org/membership/) Special Guests: Alexander Wünsche CDT, Razi Setoodegan, Tim Stevenson, CDT, and Wade Bognuda CDT.

Last April, the Portland Bureau of Transportation lowered speed limits on residential streets to 20 miles per hour. The lowered speed limits were part of the city’s Vision Zero campaign to eliminate deaths in traffic crashes. We talk with PBOT spokesman Dylan Rivera about the impact the lowered speed limits have had in the last year.

Some of you may recognize the name already, but we had the chance to catch up with Pratima Sherpa, the young lady seeking to become Nepal’s first-ever female professional golfer. Last April, she was featured in the Emmy Award Winning ESPN Documentary, A Mountain to Climb. Raised in a maintenance shed on a golf course, Pratima opens up about her upbringing and what she’s up to now. But the excitement doesn’t end there. We also brought on the ESPN feature producer of A Mountain to Climb—Kristen Lappas. She shared some incredible insight on what all went into this documentary, how it feels to win a Sports Emmy and the special bond her and Pratima now share. You can follow Pratima on Instagram (@pratima_sherpa), support Team Pratima and watch a Mountain to Climb here!

How focusing on becoming an awesome catch and the best version of yourself can dramatically change your personal and professional life for the better so you can experience the life and lifestyle the average person can only dream about. In this video coaching newsletter, I discuss two different email success stories from two different viewers. The first email is from a viewer who moved to China three years ago for a better job and life without speaking the language or knowing anyone there. Last April he had a bad breakup with his girlfriend that left him sometimes having suicidal thoughts. He resolved to finally figure out what he was doing wrong in his intimate relationships. This led him to my work. He has read my book twelve times so far, and is now for the first time in his life dating his ideal woman. He details what he did and said to cause her to fall for him successfully. The second email is the latest update from a client I have been coaching for several years. His last email I discussed in a previous newsletter titled, “Being In A Peaceful Relaxed State.” He details several success stores he has had with women that before discovering my work, he would have thought impossible for him to experience. He is stunned by the quality of women who pursue him now and he can't believe the life he is living. He also talks about how his standards have skyrocketed and that he has noticed that there really aren't too many women who are 3% women.

A wide-ranging talk with Borderlands Books' owner and founder Alan Beatts. Matthew and Alan discussed Borderlands' history -- including the controversy that garnered it unexpected national attention in 2015, landing Alan everywhere from the pages of the New Yorker to on camera for Fox and other news outlets. Matthew and Alan also talked about what the climate is like today for indie bookstores, both how they've dealt with Amazon and some of the innovative ways they continue to adapt to the future. Borderlands Books is a new and used bookstore specializing in science fiction, fantasy, mystery and horror, located in San Francisco's Mission District. Borderlands is one of the largest stores in their specialty in the world, with nearly 30,000 titles in stock. The store has been mentioned in AAA's travel magazine VIA, Gourmet Magazine, and the Washington Post. Last April, Borderlands made Atlas Obscura’s list of 62 of the World's Best Independent Bookstores.

For this episode, I’ve chosen to reissue a very helpful and informative past podcast. Last April, I had a wonderful conversation with Stan Tatkin about the safety and security we need in relationships. For those of you who didn’t catch this episode the first time, you’re in for a treat. This is a wonderful chance to learn more about being in a mutually satisfying, secure relationship. For more, visit: bethrogerson.com

Last April, the Linden Depot Museum turned 25 years old. In those two and a half decades, they have restored the original building, have a caboose, semaphores, and feature exhibits including trains and circus memorabilia. Events like "Depot Under the Stars", and a "Christmas Open House" take place this fall and winter. John Clare spoke with Vice President Elizabeth Hendrickson about their history, and the 25th Anniversary Steam Engine.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved an AI-generated software that identifies fractures. Last May, the FDA announced that it is authorizing the use of OsteoDetect, a tool that examines X-ray images of adult wrists. The tool's detection feature can spot signs of distal radius fracture, one of the most common types of wrist fracture. The software analyzes the X-ray images by using machine learning techniques to draw attention to areas where the fracture is found. These techniques specifically apply statistical methods that allow computers to analyze data, identify patterns from them, and make predictions. With the aid of OsteoDetect, clinicians can make more accurate and quicker diagnoses. Imagen Technologies, OsteoDetect's developer, conducted two studies that tested the software's helpfulness in wrist fracture diagnosis. Results of both studies showed an improvement in how wrist fractures were detected and diagnosed. Despite its effectiveness, the software is not a replacement for a doctor's expert advice. It serves only as an aid for medical experts in interpreting X-ray images. The FDA's approval of OsteoDetect suggests that the use of AI tools will be prevalent in the medical industry. Last April, the FDA also approved an AI-powered tool that detects diabetic retinopathy, an eye complication from diabetes. FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that his organization is working to stay up to speed with the latest technology, such as AI. According to him, AI and machine learning hold a lot of potential for the future of medicine. Thus, the FDA aims to promote innovation by supporting more AI-based medical devices and ensuring that they are safe and effective.

Sam Gikandi is the CEO and co-founder of Africa’s Talking, a pan-African mobile technology company empowering developers across the continent. Prior to Africa’s Talking, Sam worked for Morgan Stanley, the investment bank, in the US and Hong Kong. In the Asia office, he helped build the high frequency trading platform and led a team trading hundreds of millions of dollars per day. In 2010, intrigued by the burgeoning tech scene in his home country of Kenya, he set up with a co-founder Africa’s Talking. While it started as a side hustle, two years later, Sam took on a full-time COO/CTO role in the company, developing the software developer-facing part of the business. As demand for business APIs in Kenya exploded with the strong growth of tech startups and mobile money payment solutions, Africa’s Talking software developer business took off. The company turned profitable after only 1 year of operations. Africa’s Talking helps the growing software developer community across the continent integrate into the telecoms infrastructure by simplifying the required processes and technologies. It offers APIs for short codes, payments, and communications, including bulk SMS, USSD, and voice. Africa’s Talking is in seven African markets with its hub based in Nairobi, Kenya. Last April, Sam and his team closed a $8.6mn fundraising round that was led by the IFC’s venture capital arm which Africa’s Talking will use to further its expansion, especially into Francophone West Africa. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Sam who’s a real thought leader in Africa’s tech space. Make sure you listen to our entire chat. He explains why he’s bullish on Ethiopia, why capital is overrated in the early stages of a startup, and why he advocates sharpening your toolkit before diving headfirst into entrepreneurship. Without further ado, here’s my conversation with Sam Gikandi.

The world was first introduced to the term “cigar butt” shares in what Warren Buffett regards as the best investment book ever written. Published in 1949, Benjamin Graham’s masterpiece is called The Intelligent Investor. And Buffett reckons it provided the skeleton around which all his other investment knowledge was built. Graham, who changed his surname from Grossbaum in recognition of those anti-Semitic times, likens some shares to a mostly smoked cigar. They are shares in companies whose circumstances have changed significantly for the worse so have been shunned by most investors. But often this neglect can push the unloved orphan’s share price below what is realistic, providing an opportunity for the smart analyst to see value where others don’t. Hence the analogy with a cigar butt that still has a couple of good puffs left. Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private sector coal miner, was one of many coal companies that hit the wall after the mineral’s price plunge. Shareholders in Peabody were wiped out, but thanks to $800m in financing from banks led by Citigroup, the company’s coal mines continued producing running. Last April, a year after opting for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a rehabilitated Peabody re-emerged onto the New York Stock Exchange. While off the market it raised fresh capital at $25 a share. Those who jumped into the stock at that level when it relisted a year ago have enjoyed a 64% paper profit. And judging by the Orbis stock picker, that’s only the start. While its track record and coal’s poor long-term prospects will ensure many will keep seeing Peabody as a cigar butt, shareholders may well be smoking away luxuriously for many years to come.

Last April, we gave you our first “Rebel Girls” episode of the podcast, so this year we wanted to make it an annual tradition. Here’s a bunch more badass woman in rock music, including Lunachicks, Liliput (nee Kleenex), Luscious Jackson, Screaming Females, Daddy Issues and more. We'll watch Regis and Kathie Lee try to get to the bottom of the New York hardcore scene in the mid-'80s. Wendy O. Williams drops in because she’s the patron saint of all true rebel girls. And who’s covering Debby Boone? To see the videos we watch in this episode, visit musicraygun.com/playlists.

Can an employment lawsuit be based on the premise that discrimination based on sexual orientation is a Title VII violation under the Civil Rights Act of 1964? On Feb. 26, 2018, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 10-3 decision in Zarda v. Altitude Express Inc. that sexual orientation discrimination constitutes a form of discrimination “because of . . . sex,” in violation of Title VII. Some legal experts have predicted that the case might eventually make its way to the Supreme Court. Last April, the Seventh Circuit ruled in a separate case that Title VII could be applied to a similar workplace situation. But the Supreme Court passed on a third case, out of Georgia, that dealt with the same issue. Joining us on this podcast are two experts with different takes on this question.                John Eastman is Henry Salvatori Professor of Law and Community Service and Former Dean at Chapman University Law School. He is also the Director of the University’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence. Suzanne Goldberg is Herbert and Doris Wechsler Clinical Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where she also directs the Law School’s Center for Gender and Sexuality Law and its Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic. National Constitution Center president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen moderates the discussion. Questions or comments? We would love to hear from you. Contact the We the People team at podcast@constitutioncenter.org The Constitution Center is offering CLE credits for select America’s Town Hall programs! Get more information at constitutioncenter.org/CLE.

Today on Midday, with high winds blowing outside our Baltimore studio, we explore whether the winds of change will blow through Annapolis come November, as we begin a series of Conversations with the Candidates who will be on the June 26th primary ballots here in Maryland. Between now and the election, Tom Hall will be talking with Democrats who are running in the gubernatorial primary, as well as the Democrats and Republicans who are running for Baltimore County Executive, and candidates in a few other races as well. Today, Tom's guest for the hour is Alec Ross. Last April, Ross became the first person to announce his candidacy in the Democratic primary for Governor. Since then, eight others have joined him on that ballot. Alec Ross is an innovation expert, and the author of the New York Times best-selling book, “The Industries of the Future,” about innovation and the changes that economies and societies can expect over the next decade. Ross served in the State Department as Senior Advisor on Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He also worked in the Obama campaign and transition team in 2008. He’s a former Distinguished Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins University. He is 46 years old. He and his wife, who is a teacher in a Baltimore City School, live in Baltimore. They have three children.

  Nadia Wiseman found herself struggling when she left an unsafe relationship: struggling to to pay rent for herself and her now-5-year-old son. Struggling to find direction for her newly single life. Struggling to find other women who could relate in her city of Montreal, Canada.  While she found ways to refocus her education and skills as a social worker, Nadia Wiseman launched Single MOMtreal, an organization designed to support single moms in need of resources like food and, clothes, friendship and, for some, help escaping domestic violence. So far, the group has served more than a thousand moms and their families.  "I knew that if I, an educated, professional woman, struggled with these things as a single mom, there were other women out there who were in the same situation," she told me. "I knew I could help a lot of people if I could build a community of single moms."  Last April she launched Single MOMtreal, which started as a Facebook group, and has has meetups, parties, and sprouted informal networks of all kinds of individuals and families supporting unmarried moms in Montreal. There is a board of directors, and Wiseman has a knack for attracting positive media coverage — which has inspired dozens of donors around her city to contribute money, food, goods and services to single moms in need. Plus, friendships and mom-owned businesses are flourishing.  Wiseman says: "Montreal single moms are now helping and hiring each other. For example, some single moms hire other single moms to babysit their kids, others hire single moms to do their nails, others donate items, etc."  

I created the group called The CashPT Nation which has about 3,500 members now. It is a group for therapists interested or working in the cash-based therapy model. All therapy professionals are welcome; Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapist, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, etc. I created it to network, answer questions and support each other in our journey to Freedom In Practice! I did a live Q & A for the group because what I do is I help passionate Physical Therapists create, grow and market successful cash-based practices. Last April, I went live to answer questions and I gave a quick tour of my practice! Check it out! Click here http://lebauerconsulting.com/checklist for your free CashPT Checklist. This is a free download of all the steps you need to take to start your cash-based physical therapy practice. Get started creating your cash based practice with my 6 module online training course The CashPT Blueprint http://www.cashptblueprint.com Already a practice owner? Join me in my CashPT Blueprint Mastermind and Coaching Group for ongoing support, trainings, live monthly master classes, answers to your questions and more.... http://lebauerconsulting.com/mastermind

Today's episode is something very powerful that changed my life and the 26 others during our London Intensive. Podcast Highlights: [00:00] - Topic introduction [00:53] - The Power of Mastermind Group in your Recruitment/Search Business [02:34] - The Leveraged Recruitment/Search Business Owner - London Intensive 2017 [03:31] - The impact of Mastermind Group to your Recruitment Business [09:22] - Three things you need to consider when you're moving to a Mastermind Group [10:01] - First: Collaboration in the Recruitment Mastermind Group [10:41] - Second: Simplicity in the Recruitment Mastermind Group [12:52] - Third: Think Bigger in the Recruitment Mastermind Group [17:32] - The Power of the Tribe in your Recruitment/Search Business [20:31] - Recruitment Business Recommendations [21:10] - Think not once but twice in joining a Mastermind Group Summary: Hey there, Welcome to this edition of the Million Dollar Recruiter. Today, I'm going to be chatting about something very powerful that changed my life and certainly after what happened to the 2-Day London Intensive that changed the lives of 26 others. It's around the Power of the Mastermind Group. Last April 19-20, 2017, we launched an event called intensive held at London. There were members coming in from the United States, from Malaysia but most of them in the U.K. It was our U.K. intensive rationing going across the U.S. very soon to allow U.S. intensive. So we spent two solid days together. Everyone was excited sharing one of our strategies they've used [Inner Circle Strategy] and how they've made it. Some put on steroids or indeed another strategy they've taken on board and tweaked it. We actually changed the entire structure of the 2-day intensive. So three things you need to consider when you're moving to a Mastermind Group 1.Collaboration 2.Simplicity 3.Think Bigger Whatever you're doing now or maybe a better frame would be wherever you want. Be somebody who's already done it. Somebody who's already done what you want to do. So it makes sense to model what's proven. So that said I am going to show and I'll speak to very soon. Andy, Recruitment Marketing International http://recruitmentmarketinginternational.com Email me at andy@recruitmentmarketinginternational.com or chantel@recruitmentmarketinginternational.com Speak to Andy here: https://rmi.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php

The guest on today's show is Lindsay Padilla. Lindsay, who has two graduate degrees,  used to work as a University Professor and is now an online Teaching and Learning Consultant. Last April, Lindsay was at lunch with some big influencers, after attending Todd Herman's Ninety Day Year.  She was helping one of them with an upcoming launch and the person was so impressed with what Lindsay had to offer that she wanted to know why she wasn't teaching this to other people. This made so much sense to Lindsay and she realized then that she actually had many things to offer to people that could really benefit them, as entrepreneurs.  On today's show, Lindsay talks to Stacy about her online business and she also shares some incredibly simple, yet effective ways that you can attract more people, streamline your content, find your niche and really stand out, with online coaching. Listen in today and discover more ways to keep your business growing.   Some highlights include: “You know, I've been in academia for at least like thirty years...” From minute 1.15, Lindsay talks about how got to where she is today. “And so that common thinking of how do I translate my face to face course into an online course is actually pretty much what I help entrepreneurs do all the time.” At minute 4.07, Lindsay talks about her current business and what she does. “You never know what connection you meet- that would trigger off the next idea...” At minute 4.58, Lindsay talks about the importance of being open, networking and going to events, to growing your business. “To get started, it's a really good way to like get testimonies from people and just get the vibe of what it's like to work with someone one on one.” From minute 7.10, Lindsay talks about the value of bartering or swapping services with others, when starting out in your business. “If you find yourself in a niche, or something that you're realizing doesn't have a lot of people or a niche that does, you have to stand for something.” At minute 9.03, Lindsay explains how you can make yourself stand out from other people. “I'm good on camera and I think it has to do with me teaching a little bit...” From minute 12.59, Lindsay talks about her personal strengths and what makes her business unique and special. “You know, I actually started to go to live events that aren't necessarily in the little bubble...” From minute 14.29, Lindsay talks about live events- her favorite ones and how many she goes to each year. “I have my first full-time employee and I essentially cloned myself...” From minute 18.46, Lindsay talks about delegating things to other people. “So I tend to actually get people who are academics...” from minute 24.06, Lindsay talks about the type of people she attracts to work with. “There's too much content...” From minute 24.28, Lindsay talks about some common mistakes she sees with course creation and what can be done to fix them. “Make sure you have transcripts... get all your videos transcribed.” From minute 28.41, Lindsay explains some small things that you could do, to really benefit your business.   To contact Lindsay: www.lindsaympadilla.com Lindsay on Facebook: The Teacher's Lounge Group Resource: www.pdfescape.com – to help you to stay organized Go to www.audibletrial.com/herempire for your free trial from Audible.

How do you know when the best time is to put your home on the market? There are three important factors to consider.There are many great Truckee area homes for sale.  Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (530) 582-6900 for a FREE home buying consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.When is the best time to sell your house in the Truckee-Tahoe area? There are a few factors to consider: 1. What percentage of homes are selling on a monthly basis? In March and April of last year, over 18% of homes on the market actually went into escrow. In August, 20% of homes went into escrow. That number dropped to 18% in September but jumped back up to 22% in November. In short, March, April, August, and November had the highest percentages of homes in escrow last year. That number can shift depending on your neighborhood. For example, last March in Tahoe Donner, 75% of homes on the market went into escrow. Inventory is incredibly low in Tahoe Donner, which is why the percentage of home sales is so high. So far this year, inventory remains low. Last April, Tahoe Donner had 58% of homes on the market enter escrow. That number dropped to 11% in May because more people put their homes on the market. As a result, you can expect inventory in Tahoe Donner to go up again this May. The percentage of homes sold went back up in November of 2016.Overall, keep in mind that spring and fall have a higher percentage of homes go into escrow. 2. What is the average selling price? Between January and May, the average sales price in our area was $808,000; from August through December, the average price dropped to $776,000. Prices go up when homes sell in the spring and drop a bit through the second half of the year.“Prices go up when homes sell in the spring and drop a bit through the second half of the year.”In Tahoe Donner, the average price from January through May was $603,000. From August through December, the average sales price dropped to $575,000. Even luxury markets like Old Greenwood experience a similar trend, with an average sales price of $1.88 million in the spring and $1.6 million in the fall. 3. When is it most convenient for you to put your home on the market? Of course, this is the most important factor of all. When does it make the most sense for you to sell your home? When do you need to move? What makes the most financial sense for you? If you have any other questions about when to put your home on the market, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I would be happy to help you!

Last April, we recorded the fantastic talk given by Dr Michael Klaper at Melbourne's Astor Theatre, an event hosted by Animal Liberation Victoria. Dr Klaper is an acclaimed doctor, dedicated environmentalist, and passionate educator. He has been a champion of the vegan diet since the early 1980s, recognising the devastating impacts that animal agriculture has on human and planetary health and, of course, on animals. Dr Klaper had a brief but memorable appearance in the documentaryCowspiracy where he uttered the now oft-quoted line “The purpose of cow’s milk is to turn a 65-pound calf into a 700-pound cow as rapidly as possible. Cow’s milk is baby calf growth fluid.”  We'll share the first part of this warm and wonderful presentation.Dr Klaper's website:  www.doctorklaper.com

South Korea’s democracy is experiencing some eventful years. Last April, the ruling Saenuri party saw an unexpected loss in the parliamentary elections; and next year. in late 2017, President Park Geun-hye’s term in office will end as new presidential elections are conducted. Until then, the opposition parties will likely try to consolidate and attempt to create a unitary platform around a single candidate in order to capture the Blue House. To learn more about South Korea's democracy, we met with Steven Denney after April’s parliamentary elections. We took a look back at the first three years of President Park Geun-hye's presidency and spoke about the attitudes and peculiarities that shape the country’s democratic process. Additionally, we asked for his opinion about the voices that see South Korea’s democracy threatened by the authoritarian tendencies of the current administration. Steven Denney is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Toronto and a doctoral fellow at the Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs. In addition to various academic articles, Steven Denney is also a frequent contributor to The Diplomat and the Managing Editor of SinoNK.com.

File on 4 uncovers the story behind the collapse of one of the biggest health contracts ever put out to tender. Last April an NHS consortium of Cambridge University Hospitals and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust successfully bid to run older peoples' health services. But in December the £800m, five year contract ended without warning, with local commissioners saying only that it was "no longer financially sustainable." Jane Deith asks what the failure of the Cambridgeshire contract means for the broader policy of trying to improve NHS services by opening massive contracts to competition between Trusts and the private sector. Reporter: Jane Deith Producer: Ian Muir-Cochrane.

Phillip & Eileen Blume are a creative duo who are leaders in the photography community.  WPPI and being featured on Creative Live are just a few recent stops for these creative wedding photographers.  They also have generously offered a free course of how to make $1500 per hour with mini sessions.   Phillip & Eileen BlumeINSTAGRAM - @phillipblumeWEBSITE - www.blumephotography.com For Photographers - http://blumephotography.com/photographers   Special Offer From The Blumes!!INFO to share: Celebrate the Fourth of July (and get better prepared than ever for portrait season!) by downloading this amazing FREE course now! For a very limited time, the Blumes are gifting us video access to download their popular class, Maximizing Mini Sessions: Make $1500 Per Hour. (Info and download at: http://blumephotography.com/1500-per-hour)How can you earn over $1500 per hour with mini-sessions?! Maximizing mini sessions is not only possible; it's a simple, solid formula photographers are applying successfully to every aspect of their businesses! Last April, Phillip and Eileen Blume (internationally published photographers and speakers) revealed this exceptionally successful strategy to sold-out classrooms at ShutterFest in St. Louis. Here's what their students are saying about this profitable tool: "Your presentation about mini-sessions was off the hook, man! I look forward to having you and Eileen on Tiffinbox [TV] soon!"- Seshu Badrinath, (host) Tiffinbox TV"We have been poring over the mini session packet, and I cannot thank you enough.. Your mini session info is so incredibly valuable!"- Laura Yang, Laura Yang Photography"Your mini session class at ShutterFest and the [Complete Mini Session] Kit I purchased has helped me so much with restructuring my business! I can't thank you and Eileen enough... You both were so approachable and friendly, and it was such a breath of fresh air to meet photographers who are so willing to openly share their procedures. You have helped me tremendously! Thank you!!!"- Melissa J. Gowen, MJ Gowen Photography

This week: Live from Miami (many months ago) Duncan, Patricia, and Brian talk to Syvlie Fortin. From the press release when she joined: The Biennale de Montréal is pleased to announce the appointment of Sylvie Fortin as Executive and Artistic Director of La Biennale de Montréal – BNL MTL, beginning Tuesday, September 3, 2013.  Sylvie Fortin will be responsible for the vision, strategic development and positioning of La Biennale de Montréal and will oversee its future editions, beginning with BNL MTL 2014. Fortin brings proven leadership, rigorous artistic vision and a unique combination of management experience, international connections, and media and publishing expertise to the Biennale de Montréal. She will move to Montréal from Kingston, where she has been Curator of Contemporary Art at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queen’s University since last January. As Editor-in-Chief (2004–2007) and Executive Director/Editor (2007–2012) of ART PAPERS, she led the organization from a regional publication to a global thought leader. She was also Curator of the 5th Manif d’art in Quebec City (2010), Curator of Contemporary Art at the Ottawa Art Gallery (Ottawa, 1996–2001), Program Coordinator at LA CHAMBRE BLANCHE (Quebec City, 1991–1994) and a long-term collaborator with OBORO (Montreal, 1994–2001). Her critical essays and reviews have been published in numerous catalogues, anthologies and periodicals. Last April, La Biennale de Montréal and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MACM) announced a strategic partnership to co-produce future editions of BNL MTL. This innovative alliance between the Biennale de Montréal and MACM, Canada’s foremost institution dedicated solely to contemporary art, signals a heightened level of civic commitment to BNL MTL. It also casts its future editions in a new light, providing a solid foundation for BNL MTL’s continued growth, increased relevance and far-reaching collaborations with arts organizations in Montréal and beyond.  La Biennale de Montréal was founded in 1998. Its mission is to contribute to contemporary art discourse, to provide a platform for the exploration of innovative curatorial practices, to catalyze art production and to increase public awareness of contemporary art. It has thus far presented seven editions of its signature event, BNL MTL, which brings ambitious new projects by local, Canadian and international artists to Montréal residents and visitors. Photo: P.Litherland.

Let me tell you a story. Last April, I spoke at the NY Travel Festival, & I met the most amazing girl named Kelly Lewis. Kelly's the founder of Go! Girl Guides, a guidebook series that's tailored toward the specific needs of women on the road. After the festival, we went to the nearest Irish pub with my friend Masha Vapnitchnaia, & between the three of us, we came up with the idea to start a women's travel festival which has never been done before. I don't know, maybe it was the pints that inspired us... But the difference is that Kelly, Masha, & another wonderful travel blogger named Mickela Mallozzi took off with the idea & made it happen, & I'm so proud of these three gals! I recently sat down with Kelly at Hostelling International in New York to chat with her about all things travel & women's empowerment. I hope to see you at the Women's Travel Fest on March 8th, 2014 in New York, because it's going to be an inspiring event filled with kindred-spirit traveling sisters! So grab your tickets soon at www.WomensTravelFest.com or at www.GoGirlGuides.com, becuase prices go up after the New Year. Plus, it was just announced that the adorable Samantha Brown from numerous TV shows is going to be speaking as well, which I'm personally jumping up & down about! I'm looking forward to seeing you there.

Last April 42yr old Cathy Durkin went public to campaign for access to the cancer drug Ipilimumab or 'Ippy' - This documentary tracks Cathy's life from then until the end of her life.

Last April, secularist author Susan Jacoby and Christian apologist Dinesh D'Souza debated each other over the question, "Is Christianity Good for American Politics?" While Jacoby's argument was more accurate, D'Souza employed a host of logical fallacies and historical inaccuracies to gain a rhetorical edge. For this RD Extra, doubtcaster Jeremy Beahan joins Ed Brayton of Culture Wars Radio for some in-depth post-debate analysis.

By Alison van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues This week, we take a look at the Fresh Dialogues archives. Last April, I met with the enchanting Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Maureen Dowd. We had an animated conversation during a green-themed morning in downtown San Jose. Over cups of delicious mint tea, we discussed Maureen’s Irish heritage and how […]

Last April on Tell Somebody, I talked with Curt Ellis, copoducer of a documentary film, King Corn, that aired on PBS' Independent Lens later the same night as my interview.  (I've posted the 2008 interview here: King Corn interview with Curt Ellis from 2008 ) Now, the King Corn crew have a new film out, called Big River, "a 30 minute documentary about the ecological consequences of industrial agriculture." This week's edition of Tell Somebody features a new interview with Curt Ellis about Big River, and in the second half of the show, excerpts from Bill Moyers speech to those gathered at the first Free Press national conference on Media Reform in Madison, WI in November, 2003. The show ends with a spoken word piece on the First Amendment by artists 'Priest' and '337', aka The Recipe from their new CD on the Bill of Rights. Right click on the .mp3 filename below and choose "save target as" to save a copy of this show to your computer. Tom Klammer