Podcasts about last february

Last February, a jury found movie mogul Harvey Weinstein guilty of rape and sexual abuse, and ultimately sentenced him to 23 years in prison. The conviction of such a powerful figure marked a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement and left many hopeful that a major move toward justice was on the horizon. But in the 12 months since, how much has truly changed? And how did 2020 alter the outlook? Content warning: This episode includes conversations related to sexual assault, sexual harassment and domestic violence.

Last February, former President Trump made a deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 1st, 2021. After two decades of partnership with the U.S. and its NATO allies, foreign forces are preparing to go home, leaving the Afghan National Security forces to fight the Taliban alone--at a time when peace negotiations with the Taliban have stalled. Special Correspondent Jane Ferguson reports the final installment in the series: "The Longest War." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Last February, former President Trump made a deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 1st, 2021. After two decades of partnership with the U.S. and its NATO allies, foreign forces are preparing to go home, leaving the Afghan National Security forces to fight the Taliban alone--at a time when peace negotiations with the Taliban have stalled. Special Correspondent Jane Ferguson reports the final installment in the series: "The Longest War." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Last February, former President Trump made a deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 1st, 2021. After two decades of partnership with the U.S. and its NATO allies, foreign forces are preparing to go home, leaving the Afghan National Security forces to fight the Taliban alone--at a time when peace negotiations with the Taliban have stalled. Special Correspondent Jane Ferguson reports the final installment in the series: "The Longest War." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Franchises have an economic output of $787 billion and employ over 8 million people – accounting for 3% of the national GDP. Last March, everything changed and the long-term plan became the ‘right now’ plan. 2020 became an accelerant for everyone, including franchises. Catherine Monson brings 30 years of franchising and management experience and is currently the President & CEO of FASTSIGNS International. Last February, she became the Chair of the IFA (International Franchise Association) and today she’ll address the strategies for franchise growth and how support and mentoring have become the foundation of franchising. Connect with Catherine: https://www.franchise.org/our-team/executive-committee/catherine-monson Join the C-Suite Network: https://c-suitenetwork.com/executive-membership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maryland Humanities is a nonprofit organization founded nearly 50 years ago that creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities. Among its most popular programs are Maryland History Day and One Maryland One Book. Maryland Humanities recently elected a new leadership team.  Last February, Phoebe Stein left the organization after serving  more than 11 years as its Executive Director.  In May, she became the director of the Federation of State Humanities Councils.  In August, Lindsey Baker was appointed to succeed her as Maryland Humanities' new Executive Director. Mary Hastler is the CEO of the Harford County Public Library.  She was elected this past November to become chair of the Maryland Humanities board of directors.   Mary Hastler and Lindsey Baker join Tom on Zoom to discuss Maryland Humanities' priorities for the challenging new year ahead. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last February, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that he was launching the Bezos Earth Fund that would grant money to scientists, activists, NGOs and others making an effort to help preserve and protect the natural world.  The fund would start out with $10 billion and would begin issuing grants later in the year. In November, […]

Perry Quartuccio is a former college baseball player. Last February, he made the gut-wrenching decision to quit the sport he grew up playing, the sport He loved. Months later, during a nationwide pandemic, Perry found himself writing and putting together a book with hopes of giving back to the baseball community. The book is titled Reaching Home Plate: An In-Depth Guide on Getting Recruited, Conquering Adversity, and Achieving Mastery. In it, Perry shares many personal experiences as he reflects on his playing career up until the collegiate level. One personal experience Perry mentions is the time he threw 16 balls in a row in one of his first college outings. He also has over 60 college/professional players/coaches whom contribute to the book. Perry is a Mental Performance/Baseball Coach for PPH Baseball in NJ. He works with youth/high-school players leveraging his young age to relate to them and relay the mental aspect of game in an efficient manner. Twitter: @PerryQuartuccio Instagram: @_perryquartuccio Perry's Mental Performance Google Drive Folder --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/playballkid/message

Last February, CPD mistakenly raided a social worker's home. The owner of the home was naked at the time and put in handcuffs while police searched the premises and interrogated her. CBS reported on the story recently and the Mayor's Administration filed a motion to prevent the report from airing. Chicago Tribune reporter Gregory Pratt discusses with John Howell.

Last February a guy called Bedgypooks called out Ian Ellis. 24 hours later this 28 year old man was busted live streaming a night of drugs, sex, and beer with a 16 year old. In this episode Belland, HellenDaKeller, and Brother CosmicCam sit down to watch his confession. Join the Patreon for exclusive behind the scenes info!  Join the Patreon for exclusive episode of the Ian Ellis podcast!https://www.patreon.com/IanEllisPod?fan_landing=true  Video version: Ian Ellis LLC youtube ChannelAn Apology From Bedgypooks...https://youtu.be/_wg9FEsXK1c

“It’s time to leave Afghanistan.”That’s what the Pentagon’s new acting leader, Chris Miller, wrote in a two-page memo to Defense Department staff on Nov. 13.Related: Australian special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed Afghans — reportMiller went on to add: “We are not a people of perpetual war — it is the antithesis of everything for which we stand and for which our ancestors fought. All wars must end.”Four days later, Miller announced a major troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia: “By Jan. 15, 2021, our forces, their size in Afghanistan will be 2,500 troops. Our force size in Iraq will also be 2,500 by that same date.”There are currently about 4,500 troops in Afghanistan and 3,000 in Iraq. The administration also aims to pull out all 700 service members currently fighting in Somalia.Omar Mahmood, of the International Crisis Group, said US troops have been training an elite Somali fighting force to keep the al-Qaeda linked group, al-Shabab, at bay. Listen to that interview on The World below. The news from Washington broke late Tuesday night for people in Afghanistan and Iraq, and many learned the next morning.And while some say it’s time for American troops to come home, Miller’s announcement has been met with plenty of skepticism. Many US military experts worry a hasty and uncoordinated troop withdrawal would leave local forces in a dangerous position in both Afghanistan and Iraq, where Americans help train and assist local forces. And some critics say that the move is political — and seems to have more to do with President Donald Trump’s legacy than concern for Americans.Related: At the UN review of US human rights, the Trump administration gets an earfulJavid Faisal, an adviser to Afghanistan’s National Security Council, said the news wasn’t a complete surprise since the Trump administration had already made remarks about pulling out American troops. Faisal said that the Afghan national defense and security forces have been defending the country since 2014 on their own.“They are able to do it in the future, but they will need the support of the international community,” he said, “for financial, training and advising.”“The withdrawal should be a very responsible one to make sure that any decision that’s being taken in this regard does not reverse us. Does not take us back to where we were 20 years ago, when there was al-Qaeda, when there was other insurgent groups.”Javid Faisal, Afghanistan’s National Security Council, adviser“The withdrawal should be a very responsible one to make sure that any decision that’s being taken in this regard does not reverse us. Does not take us back to where we were 20 years ago, when there was al-Qaeda, when there was other insurgent groups,” he added.Many share this concern.“It will be much harder to provide advice and training to Iraqi forces, which is the primary role that’s going on right now,” said David M. Witty, a retired US Army colonel who served in Iraq, including after a major troop withdrawal by the Obama administration in 2011.US forces help the Iraqis fight ISIS, and they limit Iran’s influence in Iraq, he said.Related: An American journalist was murdered in Turkey. Why didn’t the US investigate?“The problem would be, you would basically be turning Iraq over to Iran. There’s no other way to put it,” Witty said.Iran has created and supported a web of powerful militias in Iraq. A drawdown of US forces would mean these militias could have more of a free hand in the country.Meanwhile, the US troop withdrawal in Afghanistan was to be conditional.Last February, the Trump administration signed an agreement with the Taliban. The US agreed to pull troops out in phases and only if the group met a series of conditions: that the Taliban reduces its violence, sits down with the representatives of the Afghan government and cuts ties with al-Qaeda.Retired US Army Gen. David Petraeus told The World that there is no indication that the Taliban has met any of these conditions.“This [troop withdrawal] frankly undermines the efforts at the negotiating table because you’re essentially giving the Taliban what they really want, having already pressured the Afghan government to release some 5,000 or so Taliban detainees.”Retired US Army Gen. David Petraeus“This [troop withdrawal] frankly undermines the efforts at the negotiating table because you’re essentially giving the Taliban what they really want, having already pressured the Afghan government to release some 5,000 or so Taliban detainees,” Petraeus said.Petraeus added that a reduction of forces should always be conditions-based. His concern is that after the US leaves, the Afghan security forces will no longer be able to maintain the security for major routes and cities.Related: He survived torture in a Syrian prison. Now, he’s set to study in the US.Violence in Afghanistan increased as much as 50% in recent months as the Taliban was taking part in peace talks. In its quarterly report to the US Congress, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said there were at least 2,561 civilian casualties this quarter, including 876 deaths, up 43% from the April to June period.Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center in Washington, said that the Taliban wants to have complete power — and that it will have that opportunity if it just waits out the United States and focuses entirely on the fight.Kugelman and other experts told The World that they sympathize with Americans who are weary of war and with families who have loved ones serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.“I think it’s time to bring all troops home,” Kugelman said, “but this is really the last opportunity you have to try to kickstart an admittedly fragile, but nonetheless, existent peace process, and yet you’re whittling away your last elements of leverage by pulling all of these troops very suddenly without the Taliban having done anything first.”Can the US send additional troops back to Afghanistan if needed?Jonathan Schroden, director for the Center for Stability and Development at the CNA Corporation and a longtime military analyst, said it could get complicated.“[The US] would have to get the approval of the Afghan government in order to do that. The current Afghan government, I think, would agree to that type of arrangement, but I wouldn’t want to presume that the US could just do that because it’s not a unilateral decision,” he said.Schroden said troop withdrawals take time. Flying personnel out of the country can be done quickly, but winding down big military bases is a different undertaking.“If they were going to zero, I would say it would be a logistical nightmare to do that by January, to go to 2,500 is still going to be challenging because they’re going to have to close a number of fairly sizable military installations.”Jonathan Schroden, director, Center for Stability and Development at the CNA Corporation“If they were going to zero, I would say it would be a logistical nightmare to do that by January,” he said, “to go to 2,500 is still going to be challenging because they’re going to have to close a number of fairly sizable military installations.”Ultimately, Trump’s decision to bring troops home, Kugelman, at the Wilson Center, said, is based on political goals. The election might be over, but the president is still thinking about his legacy.“He wants to be remembered as the president who brought as many troops home,” Kugelman said.“But when we hear all this talk here in Washington about ending the war, it’s important to remember that by bringing US troops home, we’re not ending the war. War may be ending for the US, but it’s not going to end for the Afghans.”

Dave wrote a nice note about his ex Susie... My ex-wife Susie and I have little or no contact, in fact it’s been that way for many many years. It hasn’t been always intentional; time has simply done what time does. Time certainly is a thief as they say. My respect however never really went away. I guess it was always just below the surface of a fleeting nod or distant wave, but certainly never voiced. In spite of all this our 3 children somehow navigated this, and have become great young adults and super citizens, we have been blessed. Dysfunctional but blessed. Last February our family was shaken to the core with Susie’s diagnosis of advanced breast cancer. It pained me deeply to see fear in my children’s faces and imagining the unthinkable for them. I too found myself at a loss to imagine such potential sadness. I felt helpless for the first time in a long time. Bravely, she opted for a double Mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. I’m happy to report, to date I hear she’s doing fine. Obviously, we still don’t talk, but if we did, I’d let her know how proud of her I am and how happy I am she’s here to nod and wave to. Please consider this humble brave soul as one of your warriors because she’s one of strongest, toughest ones I know. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Show Transcript: You are listening to the Blooming Inspired Podcast on the Blooming Inspired Podcast Network. We exist to empower the voices of women who live their lives #BloomingAlive through Podcast Community. Now, here is your host. Blooming Inspired Podcast equipping and empowering the voices of women who live their lives Blooming Alive. This week Michelle shares from the heart about a very personal series of Mirror Moments with God. Last February she was preparing to speak at a conference and share her testimony - and, God was gracious in allowing her to prepare the glory story of all the victories she’s known in her life with Him. As she put the final period on the end of the last sentence - she felt Him nudge her heart. “Now that you have that out of your system, would you like to know what I want to say?” This testimony was her response to that question! Introduction Hello Wildflowers! This is Michelle Bentham, host of Blooming Inspired Podcast. We’re moving in a new direction this week - over the next two or three weeks I’ll be sharing my personal testimony - really, it’s my identity journey into Poppa, Jesus & the Holy Spirit’s heart for me. This is a word straight from the deep places of healing and messy life I’ve walked with God as I’ve grown in knowing Him. For the last 10 years my prayer has been “God, I want to know you the way you know me.” And in that time, I’ve come through these beautiful mirror moments, learning to see His image in me. Embracing Identity is a core value here at Blooming Inspired Network. In my own experiences I’ve found spiritual identity is not at all about discovering who YOU are in Christ, but rather settling your heart in intimacy to know Him - just Him - discovering who He is and how He wants to express Himself through you. As I pray for you today, I want you to keep in mind in Genesis 1 & 2 we learned that we - as human beings - were born in the image of God. Our life as believers should be an ever increasing journey toward becoming what we behold in Him - seeing, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, faintly as in a mirror but as we grow more like Him looking forward to that day when we finally know Him as He knows us - FULLY - Face to Face. Let’s Pray, Father God, I ask that You would give each person within the sound of my voice eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to know you more. I pray that every person would encounter and be reminded that You think thoughts toward us and those thoughts are plans to prosper us and to bring about our future and hope in You. That as I share the testimony of the truth I’ve lived in you, that those within the sound of my voice would find a resonating life song they can begin to sing in their own experiences with you. Let our hearts be inspired to press into You more, to live for more and to experience more so Your glory may be known upon the earth. I ask these things in Jesus’ Precious Name, AMEN. Would you allow that reality to settle deep in your heart as you hear my testimony of Jesus today? Last February I prepared to speak at a conference and share a sweet little testimony about my life with Jesus. God’s grace allowed me to prepare that glory story of all the victories I’ve known in my life with Him. I settled down after the final period landed on the end of the last sentence of that testimony. Satisfied. Excited. I had two weeks until the conference and all I needed to do was tweak it, read it again and again so I could deliver it from my heart. And that’s when it happened… I felt Him nudge my heart. “Now that you have that out of your system, would you like to know what I want to say?” How else would I respond? My simple reply in that moment was yes, Lord. It still took me two full weeks to let go of my glory story complete with a cute anecdote my daddy loves to tell about how I thought the preacher was God at a revival meeting when I was just 3 years old. At 9:30 am, on the morning of the conference, I opened my laptop and typed up what I am about to share with you now. Just 5 hours before delivering it to the women I had been invited to serve that weekend. You see, God did not want me to share that “Glory Story” because it only told you the good parts of my experiences with Him, without digging into the not so lovely parts. Anybody else? Do you have those not so lovely parts of your testimony you’d just really rather not share with 100+ strangers much less the entire interwebs… As I am choosing to do now? I mean, come on – who here has Facebook or Instagram, or maybe that “Pinterest. Perfect. Account?” I attended the conference I shared this testimony at the year before serving as the Worship Painter. The day that I spoke, the room filled with many of the same women who watched me paint a glorious masterpiece of God’s Pearl of Great Price the year before, I confessed: “I really am not ‘that good’ at painting.” Meaning, I usually learn to do things that I don’t think I can do by doing them. (REPEAT) And, because I was painting the entire day the previous year, I didn’t get to fully participate in all the activations offered. In particular, the mirror moment activation each woman was encouraged to do during the conference. They stood before the mirror taking off the lies they’d believed about themselves and asked God to show them how He sees them. That night, as I walked my tired body into the hotel room provided I found myself standing in front of the mirror taking off my shoes. The day had been long and hard, but my hair looked great and my make-up still in all the right places. And as I looked He took me back to a moment many years earlier. As I lingered there staring at myself in the mirror my heart spoke up... Has that ever happened to anyone out there? Well it does to me! You see, your heart has a voice and sometimes it talks to you. That night it would have been unusual for me to pause in front of a mirror. After ministering through paint, being on my feet and working more than 12 hours - I’m normally exhausted! By extension – my heart is usually quiet. But this night, because of the women I served – MY HEART WAS QUITE FULL. And as my eyes stared back at me I said aloud, “I think I’m finally starting to see her – that girl you’ve shown me I am. And, what’s more... I think I like her. And maybe, even I’m starting to love her...” The moment was not nearly as vain as it sounds. You see I have a very Jerry Springer meets Jennie Jones kind of story. A story that mirrors a few women we read about in scripture who had amazing encounters with Jesus when He walked the earth. The woman at the well, Mary Magdalene, and the adulterous woman the pharisees brought before Jesus to be stoned. We’ll look at one of these stories together, but before I go there... I need to tell you a bit of my story. As I wrote my testimony last February, I wanted to share all the things I counted as victories and how I have never known a day of my life when I didn’t believe God exists and that Jesus is real. Every word of it 100% TRUE, but it wasn’t complete. In sharing the victories, I skipped right over those years I often call my wilderness or prodigal season. A time when I was a very poor mother to small children, divorced and promiscuously working my way through 100s of men in bars – I don’t remember many of them, much less their names. I skipped the part about being married twice. And the abusive men who tried to utterly destroy me sending me off in the PTSD of Battered Women’s Syndrome. I was a hostage in my own mind. Can I just brag about my husband a little bit? We met when I was still hiding out and a hot mess - running from the law, and he quickly became the truest taste of unconditional love I’ve ever known. I like to call him my Kinsman Redeemer, but mostly I just call him #TheFisherman because he often catches all the fishes. Beside Jesus, he is the love of my life. He made me the catch of his life 22 years ago last August. We share a blended family of 2 sons and 3 daughters, two sons in love, and one who will soon be officially joining our family in November... and then there’s that little Grandbaby we learned about in January! He was due in August, but came a little early while his pops and I were on vacation in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Can I tell you I loved that little boy before I ever know him and I’m one happy Mimi? That little boy truly has my heart. And holding him is about the sweetest thing I’ve ever known. But, before all that I had a life riddled with traumas. My parents struggled with volatile anger and emotional drama while I was in my mother’s womb. She was really sick while carrying me, and the doctor force delivered me after my mother had a near fatal episode in the delivery room. I grew up believing I had nearly killed my mother and given her high blood pressure. SO! Birth was traumatic, my family life - full of emotional drama. In addition, I suffered a number of external traumas before I was 18: the deaths of both my grandmothers – the first at 5 years old, my cousin’s girlfriend was murdered when I was 12, and if that were it would be enough! I was also bullied in middle school, and at 16 I was raped as a virgin which messed me up -BIG. TIME. I carried that event as a secret for a number of years. I dated a man much older than me as I turned 17, and a few months later found out I was pregnant a few weeks before I began my senior year in high school. He abandoned me and his child when he learned of my condition. As I graduated from school and left home - I would hear boys say, “She’s really pretty and all, but she has a kid.” As an adult I was in several traumatic car accidents that resulted in major injuries to my body, I ended up moving in with the first guy who paid attend and ended up being physically abused in my first marriage and another relationship I had before I met #Theisherman. That’s a laundry list of opportunities for the enemy to come in and take footholds or build strongholds through my life. He sought to destroy my identity, and didn’t have to work too hard at it either. I carried a lot of self deception and self hatred. I think it was around 5 years of age that I decided it would be better to make up or pretend to have a better life than the one I was living. By 8 years old I was convinced I was a problem and constantly in trouble with my parents - one particular incident which was attributed to an error my teacher made not recording my grades for several weeks sealed my wounded heart shut. I decided at that point if I was going to get in trouble I’d have a great time doing it. I lived in active rebellion towards authority almost my entire life – including a few days in jail here and there. I had been in church enough as a child to be saved at age 12, but I had such an immature mindset because I was not discipled in the word of God – though my daddy tried. (Did I say I lived in active rebellion? YEAH.) At this point in my story, I’m pretty sure my pastor friend who invited me to speak was thinking - “Why on earth did I invite her to speak?” As You Have Heard, I have a messy testimony. Full of pitfalls and potholes and lots of self sabotage! It’s a messy story that has an equal number of amazing BUT GOD moments to tell as well. He intersected my life after I face-planted a windshield on the way home from a bar with a friend in 1998. And as hard as I had run from God all those years before, I ran after God and I’ve not ever looked back. But, when I started going to church there was this moment when I realized I had all these SKELETONS in the closet... All these things I’d done that only my family really knew about – well, some of them are public record with the state of Texas. Are you with me? At age 30, I ended up in this little church in Rhome, TX with my unsaved second husband, our blended family of five kids with three different last names, and I wanted to pretend we were Ozzy & Harriet. Put on my best clothes and my best face each week and smiled and nodded my way through those first few months in church. Around Christ that year, my husband and later three of our five kids surrendered their lives to salvation and Jesus. And after a summer of Bible study with my pastor’s wife our fourth of five came to know Jesus at summer camp, and I began leading women’s ministry at the church. That was it... I knew what I was made to do from that moment on. But, REMEMBER... I still had this closet in my head full of skeletons. And that door had been slammed shut with a padlock in place to keep that wreck of a life hidden. There were even a few of those old bones sticking through the cracks in the door and I was terrified that they might just come flying out one night at Bible study and sprawl themselves across the floor – You know what that means, right? I’d be disqualified... And DISQUALIFIED is exactly how I felt. You know, somehow in all that Bible study I missed the part where Jesus died to redeem my past and not only forgive my sins, but to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. SAY THAT TO with me – Jesus not only forgives my sin, but cleanses me from ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. Here’s the deal though, 1 John 1:9 tells us we have to do something to receive the cleansing... Confess the sins to God. “If we confess our sins (to God), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL -” Say ALL! “All unrighteousness.” What’s our part? To confess our sins. To come clean about all the things we’ve done to offend God and hurt other people. It’s been a long way from there to here, and I wouldn’t say I’ve arrived - still, I work daily to keep my life confessed up with God so the enemy doesn’t get any more footholds. Amen? I spent from those early years in church digging into the depths of God’s word, leading women’s Bible study at church, and doing my own word studies on the side. Things were not ideal at home, but I was growing in God and learning so much about Him. Still, I kept the not so lovely parts of our lives hidden from those around me. Like the fact that my teenage son was spinning wildly out of control and that our issues with him often escalated to violence between he and I. That’s when the enemy hit our family hard… Side Swiped us for real. In 2005 my oldest son suffered severe head injuries in a car accident. Eight days after his accident he passed away and I like to say he is now in Heaven’s safe keeping. God has been so good and gracious to me. As I walked out the healing journey after Justin’s death I discovered that God wanted me to give him everything... And that led me to several mirror moments that would change my life forever. I’ll save the others for the next couple of weeks, but today I’ll share the one that stemmed from that night in the hotel room in 2019. (FACEBOOK TESTIMONY) Do. You. See. It's been a long journey from there to here... From that night when I heard a voice call me from my sleep sending me to the living room to watch a video. I sat in the dark, my attitude far from polite, watching my favorite Bible study teacher speak on the screen across the room. From that moment when one by one all the unconfessed sin in my life played through my mind. Sin that brought tears... not of shame, not of guilt and not of regret, but rather tears of conviction at the high price Jesus paid for each picture remembered. I lay there, face in the carpet, sobbing in grief over what my sin cost Jesus. It seemed like time had stopped. From that moment after gut sobbing, snot in my hair kinda' crying when I asked Him what I should do with all this mess. And I felt He said, Go look in the mirror. From that moment when I walked into the bathroom where the light intensified so brilliant white I could not see to the clarity that came as I stepped in front of the vanity mirror and saw my piercing brown eyes. Chocolate brown dots staring back at me from a splotchy red face. And that's when I heard the most beautiful words, "Look what a mess you made out of the beauty I created." I didn't hear condemnation, but loving acknowledgement. He said He created me beautiful. Still beautiful in spite of the mess. I had always felt less than, somewhat ordinary... Crook in my nose, brown eyes -one noticeably smaller than the other-naturally dishwater colored hair, freckles and speckles and splotches in pasty white skin, a square shaped jaw and sparsely drawn in brows. A blank canvas... But He said I'm beautiful. Lately, I see her. That woman He fashioned and designed me to be - the uniquely fabulous way my dark eyes catch and reflect light. The sweet little way my mouth turns first down then up creating a beautiful smile that deeply creases my cheeks on both sides. The way my chin juts down from a softly square jawline. The way my fine mass of hair wisps and curls around my face, taking the style I carefully apply. I've started to love her lately in a way I didn't realize she needed to be loved. I see myself as He sees me - as He is within me. Scriptures commends us to love - first God with all our heart, soul, mind & strength and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. I cannot love others well, unless first I love myself. I cannot love myself well, unless I first love God. And when I choose to see myself through His eyes, I learn to see others as I see myself - from Love's perspective. Do. You. See. I am starting to see that girl He showed me back then. I love her, too. "The King is enthralled with your beauty. Honor Him for He is Lord." Psalm 45:11 (My Memory) Closing Remarks That’s all the time we have for today! Thank you for tuning in with us. I pray this is some encouragement to you as you seek to set your heart in a posture of love through turbulent days that are warring for our hearts and minds. May His power, wisdom and presence be complete in you and may you walk in His steadfast love daily. Next week we’ll dig deeper into this idea of Moving Forward in the power of the Holy Spirit. I’m very excited to announce that Blooming Inspired Network is sharing a new office space with Michelle Bentham’s Coaching Practice in Granbury, TX! If you’d like to learn more about mentoring through Blooming Inspired Network or sign up for coaching please reach out to Michelle by email and she will send you all the information you need to get started. WOW! OCTOBER is upon us… We’re already more than half way through and that means there are approximately 68-70 days left in 2020!!! Our fall Bible study has been delayed but we’ll be making announcements for a November start reading our last book in #TheGospels #VerseByVerse! I have excellent news… We’ll be meeting in person again this fall. I’ve got a few details to iron out before making the announcement but I cannot wait to get connected with you all again in Bible Study and community! If you’d like to be a guest on this show or get more information about hosting your own podcast on the Blooming Inspired Podcast Network - please reach out to me by visiting bloominginspirednetwork.com and click the podcast link at the top of the page or michelle.bentham@bloominginspirednetwork.com. I’d love the opportunity to connect with you and figure out how we can share your voice with the world around us. If you need encouragement of any kind, prayer or would just like to stay connected with us here at Blooming Inspired Network, please reach out by visiting us on Facebook, @BloomingInspired or bloominginspirednetwork.com and click the Direct Message or Contact link at the top of the page. We’d love to join hands with you in this season and lift you up. If you’d like to get this podcast delivered to your smart device, we're available on both Apple and Google Podcasts - take a moment to Subscribe and leave a review today! We’d love to partner with you in sharing messages that encourage and inspire other women to live their lives blooming alive! Speaking of partnering… Blooming Inspired Network is working with an up and coming ministry called Women of Verve. I began a little more than a year ago to walk with my friend, Melissa, as she birthed this idea of doing a community based outreach to women through retreats and Bible studies. In June we hosted 24 women and 4 leaders for a life-changing weekend away at MO Ranch in Hunt, TX. As we did the community of women we served has ralled! We are meeting in early November for a Brunch and time of fellowship with some light teaching. Be Sure to Follow @WomenOfVerve on Facebook or you can learn more by looking us up at facebook.com/WomenOfVerve and if you’d like to join us for our 2021 retreat July 23-25th you may visit womenofverve.com for more information and to reserve your spot! Space is limited so sign up today! Mark Your Calendars Be sure to tune into our Network’s weekly shows featuring these women who are living their lives Blooming Alive! Wednesdays | Jennifer Eikenhorst is bringing hope and building community with Accidental Hope Podcast. You can learn more about Jennifer and Accidental Hope by visiting facebook.com/accidentalhope. Thursdays | Beverly Flanagan is helping us age wisely and live well as mature women of God on In All Seasons Podcast. You can find Beverly’s latest episode at facebook.com/BloomingInspired or by visiting bloominginspirednetwork.com and click the podcast link at the top of the page. And, Of Course, our very own Michelle Bentham is empowering the voices of women who live their lives blooming alive right here on the Blooming Inspired Podcast. Bible Study starts in October! We’ll be reading with fresh perspective in the Gospel of John as we wrap up our four year journey walking through #TheGospels #VerseByVerse. Be listening for more information here and be sure to check out facebook.com/bloominginspired for regular updates. Thank you for listening to the Blooming Inspired Podcast on the Blooming Inspired Podcast Network. This show airs weekly on Fridays. Please take a moment to like, share and subscribe to this podcast. To learn more about this podcast and it’s network, or the ministries of Blooming Inspired Network please visit BloomingInspiredNetwork.com and click the podcast link at the top of the page. Podcast music provided by standard license from premiumbeats.com, “Spirit of Fire” created by FASSound.

We discuss climate migration. According to the New York Times , one percent of the world today is a barely livable hot zone; by 2070, that percentage could increase to 19 percent. Millions of people around the world have left their homelands to escape extreme weather conditions that have destroyed crops and ways of life. Researchers say that number will only increase due to the effects of climate change. The California wildfires have left many Californians asking if they should move. Last February, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown declared his city a climate refuge. Rochester has become home to thousands of people from Puerto Rico fleeing the damage of Hurricane Maria. This hour, we discuss climate migration from a number of angles. Our guests: Congressman Joe Morelle , co-sponsor of the Climate Displaced Person's Act Brady Fergusson, member of the Rochester chapter for Citizens' Climate Lobby Dennis Olmedo, native of Puerto Rico who moved to Rochester Abrahm Lustgarten , senior environmental

Last February the talk in Ireland was of a political earthquake. The nationalist party Sinn Féin won the most votes in the general election and promised to smash the status quo. Well, so much for that. Ireland’s two old established political parties instead formed a grand coalition and are steering the country through the Covid-19 crisis and Brexit. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Féin. Has her party missed its moment? Photo: Mary Lou McDonald Credit: PA

Last February, I interviewed Evan Ratliff, author of The Mastermind. The book tells the story of how lone programmer Paul La Roux, built an online drug empire responsible for dumping millions of pain pills into the U.S. La Roux enticed hundreds of doctors to take part in his scheme and wasn’t caught until 2012. During my interview with Ratliff, he speculated on how La Roux’s cooperation with the government to bring down the people in his organization would affect his sentencing. Last month we finally got our answer, as La Roux went before Judge Ronnie Abrams for sentencing. Today, we revisit our story on The Mastermind and talk with Evan Rattliff about the bizarre twists in the La Roux proceedings. For more on the Paul Le Roux story, and the fate of the mastermind, join us on this week’s PPT podcast episode.

Last February, I was supposed to attend my first WordCamp. I was really thrilled about meeting fellow WordPress-ers from all over the world at the first conference to be held in Asia. I was excited about all the plans we had at Freemius for new video opportunities at the conference – new testimonials, new filming […]

Last February, following his arrival on a flight to Israel, Tomer Pinchas recalls receiving a startling text from the Israeli government. Having recently visited Italy, the text explained, passenger Pinchas must now agree to enter self-quarantine for a period two weeks. As CFO of Kryon—a Tel Aviv start-up specializing in Robotic Process Automation (RPA)—Pinchas, like most business travelers, was well aware of the recent spread of COVID-19. Still, the order to self-quarantine seemed aggressive to Pinchas, who at the time could not have imagined that in a few short weeks he would be sheltering in place with the rest of Israel. “The actions taken by Israel were quite drastic and came pretty much a few weeks before the rest of the world, but what we learned during the process was that we can work anyplace—and sometimes we can be even more organized,” says Pinchas, who believes that a new business environment is beginning to come into view. So far, the remote workforce is perhaps the new environment’s most pronounced characteristic. However, some of the more interpersonal attributes of doing business may be compromised. “Due to the fact that we work with enterprise customers and many things that we use to install are on-premise, we would often meet the customer face-to-face, so this will be kind of challenging in the new environment)” explains Pinchas, who says that while face-to-face selling will likely be curtailed, Kryon’s RPA offerings will find new traction among companies seeking new tools to help automate repetitive tasks and help them to better engage and respond to customer demands. Fortunately, the RPA start-up closed on its latest round of financing within weeks of Israel sheltering in place. “I really believe that you need to raise money when you can and not necessarily when you need it,” remarks Pinchas, who believes that as long as a company has a strategy that it’s prepared to execute—and not just an appetite for cash—the timing of a capital raise should not matter. Says Pinchas: “Don’t wait for the right time, because the majority of the time, there’s no such thing.” –Jack Sweeney

Last February, the Saskatchewan Craft Brewer's Association hosted the Second Annual Sask. Craft Beer Festival. Matt shares some thoughts and memories, and asks people from across the provincial beer scene to share their thoughts. Interviewees include Carrie Stenson of Black Bridge Brewery, Kate Biblow of Pile o Bones Brewery, Sarah from Shelter Brewing, Mark Lozschuk from the ALES Club, Chris Bevis of 21st Street Brewery and Brennan Lampitt of Armoury Brewing.

Now, you may be wondering why I have called you all here today.The reason, of course, is this week's episode of Nerds Amalgamated. This time, the Nerds discuss the hidden genetic code in POLG. Not PUBG, POLG. And these hidden genes aren't blue. Check out the full article, it's a hell of a read.The Australian Parliament is taking a look at regulating lootboxes. This will get the Libertarians wound up. But will the Australian government actually listen to their committee this time, or will Professor and DJ get to complain about politics again?DJ thinks Mrs Doubtfire will lose her charm on Broadway. But anyone who can pull off an 18 second sex change has to be fun to watch.This week's game section involves Professor gushing over Black Mesa and DJ taking a hike in Walking Simulator.As always, stay hydrated and don't get COVID-19.Overlapping Coding Sequence -https://bmcgenet.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12863-020-0828-7?fbclid=IwAR3qh1R84zySNlOSui0duObYGZ7IL7dilCynYFSmZPshoA-811ngh4xeLSIAustralian Parliamentary committee’s recommendations in protecting the age of innocence -https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-03-06-australian-parliamentary-committee-recommends-loot-box-regulationMrs Doubtfire on Broadway - https://comicbook.com/irl/2020/03/09/mrs-doubtfire-broadway-musical-first-look-preview-photos-rob-mcclure/ Games PlayedProfessor– Black Mesa – https://store.steampowered.com/app/362890/Black_Mesa/Rating – 10/5DJ– Walking Simulator - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1214280/Walking_Simulator/Rating – 4/5Other topics discussedE3 2020 cancelled - https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/03/11/e3-2020-reportedly-cancelled-due-coronavirus-concerns/Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson tested positive for Coronavirus- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/12/tom-hanks-coronavirus-actor-and-wife-rita-wilson-test-positive-in-australiaUniversity student goes to nightspot after being tested positive for Coronavirus- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-11/coranavirus-queensland-uq-student-went-to-brisbane-nightspot/12047000Rugby fan tested positive for Coronavirus - https://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/super-rugby/teams/melbourne-rebels/melbourne-rebels-rugby-fan-tests-positive-for-coronavirus/news-story/40b2f35674ef83f349b269ccbf50f069Vacanti Mouse (The Vacanti mouse was a laboratory mouse that had what looked like a human ear grown on its back.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacanti_mouseMutations on flies…legs-on-the-head fly- https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/body-altering-mutations-in-humans-and-flies/Protecting The Innocence report- https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportrep/024436/toc_pdf/Protectingtheageofinnocence.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf Plain tobacco packaging (also known as generic, neutral, standardised or homogeneous packaging, is packaging of tobacco products, typically cigarettes, without any branding (colours, imagery, corporate logos and trademarks), including only the brand name in a mandated size, font and place on the pack, in addition to the health warnings and any other legally mandated information such as toxic constituents and tax-paid stamps.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_tobacco_packagingNBA 2K20 filled with loot boxes and slot machines- https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/28/20837104/nba-2k20-myteam-loot-boxes-ball-drop-triple-threat-slot-machines-trailer-pc-xbox-one-ps4-switchTeam Ninja confesses that microtransactions are involved in changing hair colour in Dead or Alive 6- https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/03/09/team-ninja-admits-hair-color-microtransactions-in-dead-or-alive-6-were-bad/British parliamentary committee recommends banning loot box sales to children- https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-09-11-parliamentary-committee-recommends-banning-loot-box-sales-to-childrenEA calls its loot boxes are ‘surprise mechanics’ in British parliamentary committee - https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/21/18691760/ea-vp-loot-boxes-surprise-mechanics-ethical-enjoyableEA’s CEO Andrew Wilson compares loot boxes to baseball cards- https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2019/06/20/ea-loot-boxes-discussed-by-the-companys-ceo-andrew-wilson/List of Disney animated to live action remakes- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Disney_live-action_remakes_of_animated_filmsRob McClure (American actor. He is best known for his roles in musical theatre. He won a Theatre World Award and was nominated for the 2013 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in the title role of the musical Chaplin. In 2019, on Broadway, he played the role of Adam in Beetlejuice, the Musical, his seventh Broadway production.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_McClureMore promotional pictures of Mrs Doubtfire the musical- https://ew.com/theater/mrs-doubtfire-broadway-rob-mcclure-first-look/Max Von Sydow played as Liet Kynes in the 1984 Dune movie- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dune_secondary_characters#Liet-KynesThere is no vitamin C in Ribena proven by school kids in New Zealand- https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/no-vitamin-c-in-ribena/news-story/d0b544dc3a2dada6e6cd42a41ea87090Chuck Norris facts (satirical factoids about American martial artist and actor Chuck Norris that have become an Internet phenomenon and as a result have become widespread in popular culture.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Norris_facts#Prominent_mentionsDNA (Red Dwarf episode, the episode revolves around the genetic engineering technology that the crew discover.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_(Red_Dwarf)Red Dwarf: The Promised Land (upcoming 2020 British science-fiction comedy television film and the thirteenth installment of the British science-fiction sitcom,Red Dwarf.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dwarf:_The_Promised_LandRed Dwarf : Back to Earth (three-part miniseries continuation of the British science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf. It was the first television outing for Red Dwarf in over ten years, and features the characters Rimmer, Cat, Kryten and Lister.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dwarf:_Back_to_EarthDave Lister interview by Absolute Radio about new Red Dwarf series- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_ciigJ6RBIRed Dwarf (US pilot episode for an American version known as Red Dwarf USA)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dwarf#U.S._versionLancing with Myself (TNC Podcast)- https://thatsnotcanon.com/lancingwithmyselfpodcastScared Sh*tless (TNC Podcast)- https://thatsnotcanon.com/scaredshitlesspodcast Shout Outs 7 March 2020 – Earl Pomerantz passed away - https://variety.com/2020/tv/obituaries-people-news/earl-pomerantz-dies-dead-mary-tyler-moore-show-1203527993/Earl Pomerantz, an Emmy-winning television writer who worked on numerous sitcoms over the years, died Saturday. Over the course of his career, Pomerantz wrote scripts for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Rhoda,” “The Tony Randall Show,” “Phyllis,” “Taxi,” “Cheers” and “The Cosby Show,” which he also ran for a period of time. He also was creator and executive producer on “Major Dad” and “Best of the West” and served as a creative consultant on “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” “The Larry Sanders Show,” “Lateline” and “According to Jim.” He won two Emmy Awards, one in 1976 for serving on the writing team of “The Lily Tomlin Special” and another in 1985 for “The Cosby Show.” In what would end up being Pomerantz’s final blog post, the writer expressed gratitude toward his audience. Titled “Intermission,” the post says the following: “Troubling eye problem. Can’t write. Be back when I can. In the meantime, thanks for the company. I’ve never had more fun writing. So long. And as The Cisco Kid used to say, ‘See you soon, Ha!'” He died at the age of 75. 8 March 2020 – Max Von Sydow passed away - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/movies/max-von-sydow-dead.htmlMax von Sydow, the inimitable screen actor who starred in classic films like The Seventh Seal and The Exorcist, has died. The actor, who was born Carl Adolf von Sydow, studied at the Royal Dramatic Theatre before becoming an internationally renowned star. He changed his name while serving in the military prior to acting school, fashioning himself after a flea named Max that he had played in a sketch. Von Sydow would go on to have a career that spanned more than six decades. He was an actor’s actor, starring in offbeat sci-fi like Dune, horror classics like The Exorcist, and adult dramedies like Hannah and Her Sisters. He earned two Oscar nominations along the way: a best-actor nod in 1989 for Pelle the Conqueror, and a best-supporting-actor nod in 2012 for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. But the prestige performer never shied away from mainstream fare either, playing memorable roles in projects like Flash Gordon and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well as TV hits like Game of Thrones—on which he played the omniscient Three-Eyed Raven. “You see, I had an odd upbringing,” von Sydow once said. “My father was a scholar, a professor in the town where I was born, and his subject was folklore. He was a master at telling stories, folktales, and adventures. I was very shy as a child and heard more fairy tales than the average child because of my father. I think this and my shyness prompted my imagination and led to an interest in make believe.” He died in Provence at the age of 90. 9 March 2020 – World record Smurf gathering – https://comicbook.com/irl/2020/03/09/smurfs-world-record-gathering-france-coronavirus/Over 3,500 people dressed in blue met up in Landerneau in the western part of France to smash the previous world record set last year in Germany. 3,549 Smurfs fans showed up for the record-breaking event on Saturday. The event came in just under the wire in terms of social gatherings as France banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people. For Smurfs fans, however, the threat of the coronavirus wasn't ever a real concern. Last February, a gathering of nearly 3,000 Smurfs fans came together in Lauchringen, Germany to break the 2009-set record of 2,510 people dressed as Smurfs. With the German group's world record being short-lived, it remains to be seen if another group will make the attempt again in 2021 with an even larger gathering. "We figured we wouldn't worry, and that as French people we wouldn't give up on our attempt to break the record," one Smurfs fan said. "Now we're champions of the world." "There's no risk, were Smurfs" they added. "Yes, we're going to Smurferize the coronavirus."Remembrances10 March 1982 – Minoru Shirota - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoru_ShirotaJapanese microbiologist. In the 1920s Shirota identified a strain of lactic acid bacteria that is part of normal gut flora that he originally called Lactobacillus casei Shirota; it appeared to help contain the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut. The strain was later reclassified as being Lactobacillus paracasei Shirota. He founded the company Yakult Honsha in 1935 to sell beverages containing the strain, branded Yakult. He died from dysentery at the age of 82 in Tokyo Japan. 10 March 2012 – F. Sherwood Rowland - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F._Sherwood_RowlandFrank Sherwood "Sherry"Rowland, American Nobel laureate and a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Irvine. His research was on atmospheric chemistry and chemical kinetics. His best-known work was the discovery that chlorofluorocarbons contribute to ozone depletion. Rowland theorized that man made organic compound gases combine with solar radiation and decompose in the stratosphere, releasing atoms of chlorine and chlorine monoxide that are individually able to destroy large numbers of ozone molecules. Rowland's research, first published in Nature magazine in 1974, initiated a scientific investigation of the problem. In 1978, a first ban on CFC-based aerosols in spray cans was issued in the United States. The actual production did however not stop and was soon on the old levels. It took till the 1980s to allow for a global regulation policy. Rowland performed many measurements of the atmosphere. One experiment included collecting air samples at various cities and locations around the globe to determine CCl3F North-South mixing. By measuring the concentrations at different latitudes, Rowland was able to see that CCl3F was mixing between hemispheres quite rapidly. Rowland and his colleagues interacted both with the public and the political side and suggested various solutions, which allowed to step wise reduce the CFC impact. CFC emissions were regulated first within Canada, the United States, Sweden and Norway. In the 1980s, the Vienna Agreement and the Montreal Protocol allowed for global regulation. He died from complications of Parkinson’s disease at the age of 84 in Newport beach, California. 10 March 2012 – Bert R. Bulkin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_R._BulkinBertram Raoul Bulkin, American aeronautical engineer who participated in the first United States photo-reconnaissance satellite programs and is best known for his role in building the Hubble Space Telescope. He was assigned to the company's proposal to build the Support Systems Module or basic spacecraft for the Space Telescope or Large Space Telescope (ST or LST; later renamed the Hubble Space Telescope or HST). Early on, observers noted the design continuity between the systems modules for the Hexagon and the LST. Bulkin described the April 24, 1990 launch of the Hubble Space Telescope as "like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your brand-new Cadillac." Asked at the time of the launch what scientists hoped to see with the new instrument, he said simply, "God." As director emeritus of scientific space programs for Lockheed, Bulkin served on several national scientific advisory committees, including panels for three of the four space telescopes in NASA's Great Observatories Program: the Hubble, the Chandra, and the Spitzer. He died from a heart attack at the age of 82 in Lodi, California. Famous Birthdays10 March 1923 – Val Logsdon Fitch - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Logsdon_FitchAmerican nuclear physicist who, with co-researcher James Cronin, was awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physics for a 1964 experiment using the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory that proved that certain subatomic reactions do not adhere to fundamental symmetry principles. Specifically, they proved, by examining the decay of K-mesons, that a reaction run in reverse does not retrace the path of the original reaction, which showed that the reactions of subatomic particles are not indifferent to time. Thus the phenomenon of CP violation was discovered. This demolished the faith that physicists had that natural laws were governed by symmetry. He participated in the drop testing of mock atomic bombs that was conducted at Wendover Army Air Field and the Salton Sea Naval Auxiliary Air Station, and worked at the Trinity site, where he witnessed the Trinity nuclear test on July 16, 1945. He was born in Merriman, Nebraska. 10 March 1940 – Chuck Norris - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_NorrisCarlos Ray "Chuck" Norris, American martial artist, actor, film producer and screenwriter. After serving in the United States Air Force, Norris won many martial arts championships and later founded his own discipline Chun Kuk Do. Norris is a black belt in Tang Soo Do,Brazilian jiu jitsu and Judo. Shortly after, in Hollywood, Norris trained celebrities in martial arts. Norris went on to appear in a minor role in the spy film The Wrecking Crew. Friend and fellow actor Bruce Lee invited him to play one of the main villains in Way of the Dragon. While Norris continued acting, friend and student Steve McQueen suggested to him to take it seriously. Norris took the starring role in the action film Breaker! Breaker! which turned a profit. His second lead Good Guys Wear Black became a hit, and Norris became a popular action film star. Norris would go on to star in a streak of bankable independently-made action and martial arts films, with A Force of One, The Octagon, and An Eye for an Eye. This made Norris an international celebrity. In the 1990s, he played the title role in the long running television series Walker, Texas Ranger, from 1993 until 2001. Norris made his last film appearance to date in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables 2. In 2005, Norris found a new fame on the internet with Chuck Norris facts became an internet meme documenting humorous, fictional and often absurd feats of strength and endurance. Although Norris himself did not produce the "facts", he was hired to endorse many products that incorporated Chuck Norris facts in advertising, the phenomenon resulted in six books (two of them New York Times Best Sellers), two video games, and several appearances on talk shows, such as Late Night with Conan O'Brien where read the facts or participated in sketches. He was born in Ryan, Oklahoma. 10 March 1949 – Bill Buxton - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_BuxtonWilliam Arthur Stewart Buxton, Canadian computer scientist and designer. He is a principal researcher at Microsoft Research. He is known for being one of the pioneers in the human–computer interaction field. Buxton's scientific contributions include applying Fitts' law to human-computer interaction and the invention and analysis of the marking menu (together with Gordon Kurtenbach). He pioneered multi-touch interfaces and music composition tools in the late 1970s, while working in the Dynamic Graphics Project at the University of Toronto. In 2007, he published Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design. He was born in Edmonton, Alberta. 10 March 1956 – Robert Llewellyn - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_LlewellynBritish actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He plays the mechanoidKryten in the TV sci-fi sitcomRed Dwarf and formerly presented the TV engineering gameshow Scrapheap Challenge. He also presents a YouTube series, Fully Charged. Llewellyn's involvement with Red Dwarf came about as a result of his appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, performing in his comedy, Mammon, Robot Born of Woman; this show was about a robot who, as he becomes more human, begins to behave increasingly badly. This was seen by Paul Jackson, producer of Red Dwarf, and he was invited to audition for the role of Kryten. In the early days of Red Dwarf he would arrive to do makeup many hours before the rest of the actors; however, that changed as time progressed as his fellow actors "have a little bit more help in the makeup department than they used to". In an interview with The Skeptic Zone, Llewellyn mentioned that he needs a special pair of glasses to be able to read the script with the Kryten mask on. In Red Dwarf, he worked hard to get the more technically difficult lines right because the show tried to be factually accurate in reference to scientific theories. He was also the only British cast member originally to participate in the American version of Red Dwarf, though other actors such as Craig Charles and Chris Barrie were also approached to reprise their roles. He was born in Northampton,Northamptonshire. Events of Interest10 March 241 BC – Battle of the Aegates: The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing the First Punic War to an end. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_AegatesThe Battle of the Aegates was a naval battle fought on 10 March 241 BC between the fleets of Carthage and Rome during the First Punic War. It took place among the Aegates Islands, off the western coast of the island of Sicily. The Carthaginians were commanded by Hanno, and the Romans were under the overall authority of Gaius Lutatius Catulus, but Quintus Valerius Falto had the battle command. It was the final battle of the 23-year-long First Punic War between Rome and Carthage. The Roman army had been blockading the Carthaginians in their last strongholds on the west coast of Sicily for several years. Almost bankrupt, the Romans borrowed money to build a naval fleet, which they used to extend the blockade to the sea. The Carthaginians assembled a larger fleet which they intended to use to run supplies into Sicily. It would then embark much of the Carthaginian army stationed there as marines. It was intercepted by the Roman fleet and in a hard-fought battle the better-trained Romans defeated the undermanned and ill-trained Carthaginian fleet. As a direct result, Carthage sued for peace and agreed to the Treaty of Lutatius, by which Carthage surrendered Sicily to Rome and paid substantial reparations. Henceforth Rome was the leading military power in the western Mediterranean, and increasingly the Mediterranean region.10 March 1972 – Silent Running came out in theatres - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_RunningSilent Running is a 1972 environmental-themed American post-apocalyptic science fiction film. It is the directorial debut of Douglas Trumbull, and stars Bruce Dern,Cliff Potts,Ron Rifkin and Jesse Vint. The plot according to IMDB "In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's botany, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft." Douglas Trumbull says that he learned how to be a director while working on this film, as he had no training or experience in the job. Joel Hodgson, creator of Mystery Science Theater 3000, credits Silent Running as a major inspiration for his show. Bruce Dern plays a botanist in this film. His daughter Laura Dern plays a paleo-botanist in Jurassic Park.10 March 2000 – The Nasdaq Composite stock market index peaks at 5132.52, signalling the beginning of the end of the dot-com boom. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASDAQ_Composite#Dot-com_boom_and_bustThere were multiple things contributing to this Dot-com boom and bust. Some optimists thought the internet and World Wide Web would be more significant to business than any kind of Industrial Revolution in the past, possibly enabling us to achieve a Technological Singularity. More pessimistic types were concerned that business would require massive technology replacement to achieve Y2K compatibility. The 2000s (decade) brought a mix of pessimistic news stemming from the Early 2000s recession, the September 11 attacks and the impending Afghan War along with the 2003 invasion of Iraq.Follow us on Facebook - Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/ - Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/440485136816406/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamated Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrS iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094 RSS - http://www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com/topshelfnerdspodcast?format=rssInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/General Enquiries Email - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.comRate & Review us on Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/nerds-amalgamated-623195

Last February after the annual walnut crack out meeting, I sat down with Chuck Leslie and Dr. Pat Brown of the UC Davis walnut improvement program. We first discussed the major achievements and recent outcomes of the breeding program with Chuck Leslie before turning to Pat Brown to discuss marker assisted breeding and how it is making the program more efficient.You can learn more about the program at: walnutrootstock.ucanr.edu/Thanks to the Pistachio, Almond, Walnut and Prune Boards of California for their generous financial support. Music by Muriel Gordon.This is a UC ANR educational podcast. Any opinions or positions taken are those of the hosts and not the University of California. Use of this platform for and any advertisements connected with this podcast do not imply endorsement.

Learn more about Jeni'sSupport the show and get on monthly brand advisory calls with Fabian____Full Transcript:F Geyrhalter:                 Welcome to the show Jeni. It is a tremendous pleasure and honor to have you on Hitting The Mark.Jeni B Bauer:                 I'm so excited to be here with you.F Geyrhalter:                 Well, thank you so much for taking the time in this pre holiday frenzy. We talked about it a little, bit before we got on air, but this now marks officially our holiday podcast episode. Ice cream in winter is a thing now at least based on your gorgeous holiday catalog, which I reviewed on Instagram, you even have a gift concierge team to help pick out the flavors. Can you take any credit for the year round ice cream trends since you were cited as being the pioneer of the artisan ice cream movement?Jeni B Bauer:                 I don't know, I'm from the Midwest and so we eat ice cream year round here. That's something I grew up doing. Of course we eat more ice cream in summer but we definitely eat ice cream all year round here. I grew up doing that and then when I started my business I knew that, the business goes down as soon as it gets cold out. We needed to work harder to bring people in and I was able to make many flavors each month, each week. That would be flavors that you only wanted to eat during the holidays or during January or February. Then by March we're back up in and going crazy. We really, really engage our customers for the holidays and make flavors that you just really craved during that time. Then move on into deep winter, which you really have to fight for every sale. But it's a lot of fun, we do these big bakeshop flavors where you make handmade marshmallows and sauces and all sorts of things that go in the ice creams. I think that, that's what brings people out and it gets us through the winter and then all of a sudden everybody wants strawberry again. As soon as the first warm day hits. Of course, we're still two months away from actually having a fresh strawberries available in the gardens and farms. But it's just a funny way to plan the year I guess, but we do lot of holiday gifting as well. Right now, UPS or I guess it's FedEx has a truck sitting and they'll probably fill up two trucks today from our loading docks taking gift packages and beautiful boxes of ice cream all over the country. That's a big part of what we do as well, it's this whole storytelling through ice cream, which makes just such a beautiful gift. And so we've got this beautiful box where you UN-box it and that's where the catalog comes in. It's been really fun and we've been doing this since 2004 shipping ice cream across the country.F Geyrhalter:                 That is really amazing and it's a culinary experience. It's like a year round culinary experience, why would it want to stop at a certain point. I'm actually interested in how you got into ice cream because it's very different. You were fascinated with fragrances and you'll realize that ice cream is scientifically and mathematically prone to be the perfect carrier of scent. Can you tell us a little, bit about that epiphany and what some, of the first flavors were that you created after you had that realization?Jeni B Bauer:                 I was studying art, my grandmother's an art teacher and I grew up in the art classroom. I went to art school and I was studying mostly illustration and painting and a little, bit of sculpting and other things. Then a lot of art history trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life and I began to really lock into my sense of smell. I realized that I have a very developed sense of smell, I grew up going to the forest throughout the entire year. I think there's something about that with my grandmother who was an artist and when you spend a lot of time in the forest, there's just so many sense that surround you all the time. You could put me in the forest to this day, deciduous forests and I can close my eyes and tell you what the season is probably just by the scent. It's very connected to my sense of smell and I knew it and I was thinking about what I could do with that from an art perspective. I happened to also be working in a French pastry shop and the owners were French, it was a family and they were wonderful. I was absolutely in love with them and all, of the friends people from Ohio state university. It was right down the street from Ohio state university, which is a massive, massive city of a university. A lot of the French people who were studying there would come in and it was a wonderful active environment where I could learn a lot. I was, I'm making pastries there, learning from the chefs that were in the kitchen, they were all from France. Almost everyone in the entire restaurant, except me and maybe one other person were French speaking, but I was learning about pastries and what goes into that. I actually happened to meet a French student who worked in the chemistry department at Ohio state who would bring me a little scents knowing that I was into this. Things that go on in your life, and I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with scent through art. But I was also doing pastry and I was thinking like, is pastry my future? Should I quit art and go into pastry because I loved it so much. I love flavor and I love scent, even pastry is a lot about scent. All food is about stent, you only taste it's five things on your tongue, sweet, sour, bitter, salty and savory then everything else is a scent. But I quickly realized that ice cream would be a fun carrier of scent. I took a store, bought ice cream, and I mushed rose petal. I had a really expensive Bulgarian Rose petal essential oil and that one, it was like, I don't know, it's $400 an ounce. I probably had $25 worth, it was like several drops and I put one drop in a pint of ice cream and it was absolutely gorgeous. That was when I realized that, Oh my goodness, because I had done pastry and I knew something about butterfat. I knew that butter melted below body temperature and that it was known to absorb flavor and scent and I knew that from my grandmother. She would say, don't put the onion next to the butter or if you're in certain regions in France, you might actually put the truffle next to the butter. Because it will absorb the scent coming off of whatever it's around and that's what the fat and cream is. I knew this because I was doing it and I knew that... Once I realized that, I licked the ice cream that had this beautiful rose in it. I knew all of these things that came together, all these sparks were flying at that exact moment, which was, wow, all ice cream is about scent. It's the perfect carrier of scent, it's almost like edible scent. I wasn't into fake fragrances or whatever, I think it's a fun world to be in, but it was really more into real scent and things that, I was collecting. Were all from flowers and from herbs and things like that and mosses and all of that. Anyway, I realized in that moment that first of all, even cheap ice cream, even a synthetic vanilla you could think of it as an edible perfume. But what are we missing in American ice cream that I can add to it? I knew that, this was going to be my entire future, that I was going to be exploring ice cream foods. I literally had that epiphany and this was in 1995 so I really had this whole thing. By 1996 I had a little shop in an indoor public market here in the middle of Columbus, which is in the middle of Ohio. Working with farms from the surrounding countryside and using the ingredients, they were bringing me to steep in the cream and infuse scent that way and there you go.F Geyrhalter:                 That's fascinating. I'm sure your opinion about truffle oil, I would be interested in, most probably not a purveyor. Moving on, I met you at NPR's How I Built This Summit with Guy Raz, which was amazing this year. I was a mentor, you were interviewed by Guy onstage, I believe it was the second time you get interviewed by him. You talked about how people said it was impossible to ship ice cream and you talked about this at the beginning of this episode and you proved them wrong by actually creating containers that were defying the odds. Can you tell us a little, bit about that time and why did you feel like you need to invent it. Was it just you needed your ice cream to travel across the country and it was the only way to scale?Jeni B Bauer:                 Well, it was a combination and I think there were people who had figured out how to ship ice cream, but they were doing it in a very, very expensive way. It was overnighting only and one of the things that we did was make it much more accessible so we could do a two night or two day, using a lot of ground. That enabled us to use ground shipping instead of air shipping, which reduced the price of shipping by a lot, that made it more accessible to more people. Also in Columbus we are within a day's drive of about 60% of the population of North America, I think is the official... We really can use a lot of ground shipping from here, which was really great. Then we started our website in 2004, started shipping on there. We got a few high-profile customers that led to some national press, which was really cool. At one time, just being young and not really knowing what I was doing. At one point I called Florence Fabricant, at the New York times and I was like, "Hey, I just wanted to know." She's the one that writes about new products, but I just didn't know and I called her because I was like, we're doing this really beautiful ice cream is in Ohio. I just thought it'd be something you would like. Because I always wanted to live up to the standards of the beautiful pastry shops and chefs that I'd seen around the world. Certainly in New York. She goes, "Oh, can I get it in New York city? I was like, no, not yet. She was like, well, why don't you call me when I can? She was polite, but yeah, I don't write about just stuff like that. I write for the New York times. I realized that was a stupid call, but what it did was I was like, I need to make sure that people can get our ice creams across the country in order to get national attention and it worked. Immediately we started getting, we were on the food network, I think we're on the food network five or six times in a period of four years.F Geyrhalter:                 Unbelievable.Jeni B Bauer:                 Of course the New York times and basically every other food magazine out there. Quickly, what happens is that once we start to get big pieces, then you start to see other ice cream shops pop up in this model across the country and even around the world. Then it starts to pick up as a trend, which is pretty exciting to watch.F Geyrhalter:                 Absolutely and taking the responsibility or being a part of this next phase, this next culinary phase is beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful. During the summit with Guy Raz. When you were on stage, you also said and I paraphrase you here, "Make one person really happy and then move on to the next. It takes time to create a meaningful community that feels the right way." When then how did you know that that your brand, and maybe it was still Scream or maybe it was already Jeni's, but when did you know that it was actually creating a meaningful community around it?Jeni B Bauer:                 When did I know that? Well, I know that when I had my first company, which is called scream from 1996 to 2000 then I closed that. I had made a lot of mistakes but also I started to understand ice cream a little, bit by the end of that. I had a lot of positives but when I opened Jeni's, I had solved a few mistakes and or some of the things that I thought didn't work. At that point we had such a long line and I thought, I'm going to keep this going however I can, then it was just like it goes back to that one person at a time. Being a communicator, making sure that when I go through the trouble of making this ice cream with these strawberries, that the person who's about to eat it gets just enough of that story. That it slows them down to remember that moment a little bit deeper and to experience it a little deeper. I just remember just thinking, I'm going to keep this going and, it really does feel almost like it is a chain after that. Really is about one person at a time and it is about your team and every interaction and listening a lot and all of that. I think that it was more for me, a determination, and I will say that... I think you probably know this just as well as anybody else, but it wasn't because we had a beautiful visual identity. It wasn't because we had gorgeous light fixtures or tables or we had these incredible uniforms. We weren't communicating through that, we were communicating through ourselves, our facial expressions and our ice cream. Our actual product and our own reputations, which I think is true today. Even though now we have much more beautiful visual identity and experiences because we've gotten better at that. We, do all of that in house as well. But back then we couldn't afford any of that, it was really just me in the market with a couple of high school kids really trying to do a good job. I feel like that's still what we do and now we're 1800 people in this company. I really do think that's the brand, that's what it is. Everything else we do, any visual representation of that is a representation of that and that's what it goes back to.F Geyrhalter:                 Absolutely. It's funny you actually started your store in Venice beach, one of the many locations in Venice Beach on Rose Avenue, which is exactly where I started my first company in 2001 as well. What's really interesting is what you just said. I drove by a store in Venice beach a couple of years ago and it was one of those hip surfboard stores and they had a burglary overnight. They had a big sign over the window that got broken into and it said you can't steal our vibe and I think it's so cool. You can't steal out vibe. That's exactly what it is, right? People can try to emulate you to be like you, to create these similar ice cream. A similar experience with the lighting, with the design, but it's really about that soul. It's really about that vibe that Jeni's has and you create it over years and that's one step at a time.Jeni B Bauer:                 It's so many tiny things that nobody will blink into every one of them or notice everyone one them, but they all add up and you feel a certain way when you're in our world. Sometimes I think about the difference between entrepreneurship and business and they're very different things. Every entrepreneur I've ever met has been motivated much more by community and by their own creativity and imagination. Any money that they get, they use to further that, that's what it's about. Whereas, business is really motivated by money, that's your scorecard and business is a complex structure of teachable disciplines. We can all learn them and we can also build a team with people who really get all that stuff. But entrepreneurship is really different, it's far more about, I guess all of this feeling and emotion which is much more in that branding world or whatever. I think that sometimes even when you get people who... Once you've become very successful, other people want in on that and a lot of times they can look at it from the outside and say, "Okay, this is what's happening, they're dropping flavors this often they're creating flavors that do this and that gets media attention. But they also have classic flavors for other people." You can put it all out linearly and I can't tell you how many copycats I've seen over many years.F Geyrhalter:                 Congrats.Jeni B Bauer:                 But the graveyard is full of them because it is so much more work and it's so much more emotional and you really have to give everything to it to create something that people really do care about. In some business ideas you can do it more flatly. I just don't think that ice cream is that kind of a world. Ice cream is a very emotional, very personal thing to do. Much more than, casual food or casual dining or some of the other worlds of business. It really is about personality and every flavor is personal to someone and that's something that you can't just put out on a linear business plan. Be like, we're going to go open the Jeni's in Brooklyn or we're going to go open something like Jeni's in this place. Because it really is much, much more than... It's so fun that way too but-F Geyrhalter:                 Of course, exactly. That's why you do what you do. Talking about meaningful communities and creating more deeper meaning, you have been a Henry Crown Fellow. First congrats, that's a big achievement, tell us a bit about that experience and I'm curious as to how you see that personal growth effecting your brand's values and the daily actions.Jeni B Bauer:                 Well, we as a company have always been very connected with our community. First of all, we didn't have a lot of money to start up at all. We just started working with other people in the community and just getting out and being as genuine as we could in as many places as we possibly could. We've been very connected and I think that our story's always been about asking other people for help and then paying them back with helping them. That's this community spirited company that we've become and that's what the Henry Crown fellowship is all about. It's about community, spirited leadership but it was the one of the most impactful things, maybe the most impactful thing I've ever done in my life. We get under these like islands when we're entrepreneurs and it's actually a very lonely, you get used to being alone because your ideas are usually, other people think of them as really stupid then you figure out how to make it work. It's actually hard to get people to come on board, and you're just living out there all the time doing that. But the Henry Crown Fellowship finds a lot of people who are in that same place in their life. Usually it at that moment of change in a life or there's an impactful moment happening an inflection and they put all of us together and it's this mosaic of people from all different kinds of businesses, all different levels of success all over the country. I think they have 40 something points of diversity and then they put these 20 people together in a room and you spend four weeks together over two years and it's incredible. You learn about the history of how leadership works in the world, back to the ancient philosophers. You start to look forward and think about what your impact can be in the things that you need. It really makes you very aware of every decision that you're making. In addition to the fact that once you're a Henry Crown Fellow, you really do represent the Henry Crown Fellowship in your life. There's something really special about that too, you really do think a lot about every action that you make, even more than you did, I think before.F Geyrhalter:                 Subliminally it becomes part of everything Jeni's does, as a brand because it's your actions, right?Jeni B Bauer:                 I think it does. We want to live up to the expectations there, but also it's really beautiful. It's what we always wanted to do and maybe didn't know how in some ways there's certainly me personally and just having that. I think it really builds context and perspective about where we fit in the world and how change is made and how history moves very slowly. We all want things to happen right now, especially when we're entrepreneurs, but you have to just keep steady and never give up and there's a lot of that that goes on. We've been a B corporation for a long time, we know that business can be a very powerful force for good and even in early American business, the business leaders understood that. It's an important part about business, whether you're a B Corp or not, how you give back to the world that that supported you as you grew and as you became, who you become. Anyway, we've always known that we were a certified B Corp for that reason because we think it's important that we've actually put our money where our mouth is, where we actually can then say, but we're certified. We're not just saying we're making these. I would rather be a B Corp and just say well, we're doing our best and you can trust us because it's certified by this third party, then put another label on our pint. Even something like all natural or organic or non GMO and there's so many labels that make you... All of those are fine, but we just believe in much, much bigger picture I guess than that.F Geyrhalter:                 It's already the status quo. It's like, yes, of course your ice cream will be, all of these things, right. If you have to B Corp stamp on it already in a way says, "Yeah, of course we do this."Jeni B Bauer:                 Well, it's important to build your company as a community and people are the most important thing. That is the thing that's important, not organic, not non-GMO, not all the other things you can put on it, but did you pay that person fairly, whether they're local, regional, national or international? Where did you get it from, were there children picking those things. Those are the important things, that people are the most important thing that we can support, of course our land and our earth and children and all of that. Those things have always been more important to us, I would rather look somebody in the eye and make an agreement that we're going to continue to grow and get better together. Than to say, I need organic strawberries. I want Mike and his brother Steve growing our strawberries because we can continue to get better over time when we worked together.F Geyrhalter:                 Absolutely. You named your brand after, after your first shop in 96 was called Scream, you named the new brand Jeni's, yet at the same time, back then when you relaunched, you decided to separate your personality away from the brand a bit. Long gone were Jeni's pink hair and funky art student clothes and instead you started wearing a pharmacy like very white clinical outfits. From a branding perspective, this leaves me puzzled, why did you do this? How did this go, suddenly it's Jeni's and it's your brand.Jeni B Bauer:                 Well, first of all, I didn't want to call it Jeni's. I had a couple of other names, but because I had worked every day at the market, people didn't even remember that it was called Scream. They were just like, let's go see Jeni, let's go to the Jeni's. They all already called it that. As a Midwesterner, we don't usually put our names on things. It's just like, we're all very community oriented I think and were just very humble to a fault actually sometimes. But I knew that my friends were right that you can't add another, it couldn't be called Scream, but everybody called it Jeni's and I have a new name for it when I launched again. I did it, I called it Jeni's and I was really happy that I did, it really makes you focus in a different way when the company's named after you. I would make sure that every dish was washed every, that we never ran out of certain flavors that were very popular. You actually really do, when you put your name on it, you absolutely try to live up to that. It really makes a difference when it's your name, not just some made up thing, but the funny thing is when I was at Scream. I was a young woman, pink hair trying to break into the culinary world, trying to get a food critic to notice I'm trying. I was in a market that was of a culinary space and trying to get people to notice what I was doing. I think they just thought I was just goofy, so from a branding perspective, I think I was giving off that vibe to be honest. When I opened Jeni's, and this is that... If I was a customer, what would I want from my ice cream maker? I would want that person to be there and look like they're here to make the best ice cream in the entire world. I started wearing, a white shirt every single day, a white apron. I would want them to know that. It wasn't about the person, but it was about the ice cream and the product and the team and the customers. I just took all emphasis off of me and made it about... It's funny because even though I formed it-F Geyrhalter:                 I know exactly, at the same time you called it Jeni's.Jeni B Bauer:                 Maybe that's why it worked because it wasn't me just parading around with my pink hair and saying like I'm the artist, come see what I've got to do every day. But it was me saying I'm taking responsibility for your experience and that's all that matters to me here.F Geyrhalter:                 You basically signed it with Jeni's, right? Yeah, exactly. Are there ever time's, especially these days with social media. Are there ever times where you wish you would be a little, bit more removed from the brand because you are the brand as a person. Your name is the verbal and visual brand anchor and you are the representative of the brand. Are there ever moments where you just feel like it wouldn't hurt if I would be one step removed or do you actually fully embrace your true self transparently for the world to see?Jeni B Bauer:                 I do embrace it. I didn't for a really long time, only fairly recently. But I do because I feel that I represent the people that work here and the work that we do collectively as a community and that is something that's very important to me and I would never want to let them down. It's not that I could go out and just represent me or that my wishes or things that, I purposely created this community after we had the failure of Scream. I wanted Jeni's to be about people coming together more like a fellowship. We call it a fellowship a lot in the same way that the Lord of the Rings is a fellowship where you bring, the sword and somebody else brings the ax and everybody's bringing something awesome in and then together we become something greater than the sum of it's parts. For me, I feel like I'm just a part of that and I get to keep it going and I keep supporting it and trying to keep it healthy. Then I go out and represent that and also I still will know more about ice cream than anybody else in here. I'll hang out with our customers longer than anybody else will because I care so deeply about it. That never not working that entrepreneurs do, I definitely do that, but I do think that in that way a founder's role is a very specific role. I'm not the CEO of our company and that's important to us. I will say that like being a founder is the really specific role. You really do have to know more about your products and your customers than anybody else. That is more than enough for a more than full time job and that's what I do.F Geyrhalter:                 Absolutely. Let's talk about company culture for a minute because you hinted at it, it is important to you as to most other entrepreneurs who rely on the work of many others, to keep the engines going. You said and I don't know where you said it, it might've been on Instagram you said, "Our ambassadors become jedis of emotion, facial expressions and body language. They learn that flavor is everything, and by flavor I mean character, they learn what it means to put your name on it and other lessons about teamwork and community. I should know, I spent 10 years behind the counter daily. I use those lessons every day." How did you build your culture and what mechanisms do you have in place to keep it going? It is really, really difficult, I talk to people who have franchises and I talked to people who have 30 plus stores like you. How did you create it and how do you spread it in a way where it is very intrinsic but yet personal but yet you create this, linear brand experience.Jeni B Bauer:                 Well, I think now you don't have, there isn't a curtain behind the or between the back of the house and in front of the house anymore in a business or a brand. Or at least with what we're doing and other company founders and companies that I know are, are similar and that we actually are our brand. We are what you hope we are, we're not just pictures that we put out our ice creams we you put out we're the decisions that we make every single day as a team. I think people want to work on teams that are really transparent, that actually are what you hope they are when you're on the outside. I always say we can't tell every single story that happens here because it will be too many and it's just too much. It's overload. We tell our best stories externally, but the more you want to dig and go into it, the more your hopes are confirmed. When you are company like that and the word company is great because it means you're not alone, it means community. That's how we think here, people want to be a part of that, they want to bring their awesomeness into that. That is how you build your culture is by being open to what somebody else is bringing in and we don't everybody in the company to have a specific look to them or whatever. We want people of all ages and all different colors and all different genders and all of that stuff. That's our company, that's who we are. That becomes what people know about us and feel when they're in our space. That it really is about character and flavor, at every level. What's great when you're a company that lives up to your external voice internally, people want to be a part of that team, so you start attracting some, of the top talent in. We have definitely absolute top talent here in America and not because we pay better than everybody else, it's because people want to be a part of what we're doing. That's really wonderful and it's because... I would say that it's really hard and it's also not really that hard. It's not like you have to go through a training program, it's not like everybody carries around a mission statement. I don't think if you walked around where I'm sitting right now and there's 40 people sitting not too far from me, I don't think that if you asked... Every one of them would give you a slightly different idea of what we do in this company and it would all be right. It wouldn't be one practiced mission statement.F Geyrhalter:                 That's really great and I love the metaphor of flavor. How flavor is actually part of this company.Jeni B Bauer:                 It works so well.F Geyrhalter:                 It works so well.Jeni B Bauer:                 Even if you look up the word flavor in the dictionary, it says character, the essential character of something. When we think about our company, we really think about flavor a lot. That flavor is what surrounds you. It's who you are, what you do. It's your bookshelf, your record shelf, your travels, everything that makes up you and certainly how we work together as well.F Geyrhalter:                 When you said, about no curtain between back and front of the house, that's also true with no curtain between the founder and the brand and the customer and all of that. In April you endorsed Joe Biden in one of your Instagram posts. Actually, you're pretty much a Joe Biden fan, I would say.Jeni B Bauer:                 Joe loves ice cream and I do love Joe. I do Joe. Joe was going through a really hard time in 2015 I was having a tough time too. He became really truly a beacon for me. I have to say that I am for anyone who moves us out of this era that we're in and I will throw my support behind anybody. I don't know if it's a complete endorse. He got into the race and I just was giving my friend because at this point Joe is a friend of mine, a fist bump and saying, "Man, I'm going to be behind you. I'll be behind you as far as you go and let's get you the nomination." But, I would say there's other people that I'm also right behind. At the moment I'm wearing an Andrew Yang hat, the math hat, I have a hat from every one of the candidates.F Geyrhalter:                 Same for me.Jeni B Bauer:                 I like many people, I am for whoever will win and I'll put my support behind them. But of course, I love Biden because he loves ice cream so much, how can you not? He's an incredible human being of course and I've gotten to spend lots of time with him, I do know that for sure, that's important.F Geyrhalter:                 Last February, you had this amazing Instagram posts that read, "Hey FedEx team Jeni's loves you, but we're not playing around. Our customers are demanding action from us. Drop your support of the NRA, or we will be looking at other options." That's almost 100,000 shipments and by the way, now I'm sure it's much more than that and more projected this year. Do you feel obligated to utilize the power of your brand to create the change you seek? What would you say to those few that like your product but they don't share your political point of view?Jeni B Bauer:                 The answer to the first part is, yes, as a human being, not necessarily as a company. Although our company definitely stands for character and flavor and people and we will always fight for human rights and humanity first, that world no matter what the political ramifications are or whatever. That's just something that's built into our DNA and who we are. We don't pick candidates as a company ever, ever, ever, we do believe that you should be you and that you should be proud of that and whatever that is, you should rock it and be that. But I think also be open to other things, so as a person representing that world, I get to do that as well. My platform is my stuff, it's the Jeni Britton Bauer world. It's not the Jeni's world necessarily, they cross over. On my Instagram, of course the FedEx thing is a whole different thing. I was as a mother, so upset about what happened in Parkland, it was-F Geyrhalter:                 Absolutely.Jeni B Bauer:                 During that time.F Geyrhalter:                 It's not even political.Jeni B Bauer:                 It really isn't at that point. However, I learned a big lesson during that time. I learned, I guess how big my platform actually is and I've got to be careful and I know that because first, I don't want to alienate other people. I do like people who have different opinions than me, actually, I'm more curious about you if you're different than me than I am if you're the same. That's important, but I learned something with that. I haven't, I haven't done something quite so dramatic since then.F Geyrhalter:                 Picking in the past, that's totally not fair.Jeni B Bauer:                 Yeah, and it wasn't that long ago but, nevertheless I do think that we can have we can actually make more change, a slightly quietly than we can just by getting out and complaining it loudly. We have a potential to actually make big change and that's what we're focused on. That's what we're working on. I think it doesn't really help. I think that actually, that FedEx post did help ultimately they did drop their-F Geyrhalter:                 That's amazing.Jeni B Bauer:                 Probably it had little to do with us but nevertheless.F Geyrhalter:                 Who knows, right. I'm sure it's the voice of many that creates change for a company like that. Your tagline is Jeni's makes it better. I think just how we talked about flavor and how it has double meaning, that has double meaning too, Jeni's makes it better. On one hand, that's the product.Jeni B Bauer:                 So much meaning.F Geyrhalter:                 How it makes you feel, but it really encompasses most probably your brand's core values if you have written them down or not. It is who you are.Jeni B Bauer:                 It's you lose the game, we make it better, you win the game, we make it better and that's part of it. And it's all of our community of makers, growers and producers who are actually making product and making our ice creams. Actually, that's literally how we make it, but it's just really fun, we've had so much fun with that.F Geyrhalter:                 You created amazing ice cream, a beloved brand, but really you created a cult like following. What does branding mean to you, Jeni Britton Bauer?Jeni B Bauer:                 Oh my goodness. Well, I would just say it means it's the culture, it's how you make people feel, it's who you are. I always think of entrepreneurship is building your own world. Your brand is your world that you're creating. I'm in favor of the Willy Wonka school of entrepreneurship.F Geyrhalter:                 Of course, you are.Jeni B Bauer:                 Not, whenever, not business school entrepreneurship and I think your brand is your world. When people step into it, what are they experiencing? What does it look like when they look around? What are they feeling and that's what it is. That's been so much fun for us to create and we're still creating it.F Geyrhalter:                 And the fun shows. What is one word that can describe your brand? I like to call it your brand's DNA, if you would have to sum up all these parts, what is one word?Jeni B Bauer:                 I think if I was going to choose one, it would be belonging. When I started in ice cream I thought, can I make an ice cream shop where people like me and that was the artists of the world or the people who wanted to be artists. Or the alternative people or the whatever progressive thinkers wanted to go because, all the ice cream shops that I had seen were backward looking. They were all nostalgic it was a lot of grandparents and grandchildren. I was like, can I make an ice cream shop for everybody else and that was just all of my friends. A lot of us just didn't feel like we belonged in some of those other places and we really created a place that celebrates as we keep going back to flavor and people and character and curiosity and all of that. That sense of belonging, we want you to feel that when you're in our world, but that's what we're trying to create as a company of people too. Whether it's our makers, growers, producers, or other people who drive our ice cream around or the people who are doing artwork for us. We all belong together.F Geyrhalter:                 People feel that and looking through your Instagram and the stories that you tell of customers. They come back every month too. Yeah.Jeni B Bauer:                 Much bigger than ice cream and yet if the ice cream wasn't perfect, they wouldn't come back. It means with all these mostly if the ice cream was not good, all of that wouldn't matter, and yet, and if all of that was... You have to have all of it, it has to all be there. Not everything has to be perfect, but it has to all align in a certain magical way.F Geyrhalter:                 Absolutely. In the end it's still about ice cream and that begs me to ask a question that usually you like to ask others. Jeni if you were an ice cream flavor, what would it be?Jeni B Bauer:                 Oh my goodness.F Geyrhalter:                 I'm using your own tools here.Jeni B Bauer:                 Yes. If I was an ice cream flavor I would probably a caramel. We started making salty caramel a long time ago and I had heard about it in France, I'd heard of that in front in France there was burnt sugar and then there's salted caramel. I didn't have money to travel to France, so I thought they meant Swedish licorice, it was actually salty. I started making a caramel ice cream that was salty, a little extra salty but anyway, I would be that because caramel is one thing, I think it's caramelized. A lot of people use a flavoring because caramelization is, sugar burns at 385 degrees or whatever, and you've got to burn the sugar. It's very dangerous and it's a very precise process. But in the end when you're like licking it off of a cone, it's very simple. It's just buttery. It's beautiful, it's nostalgic, it takes you back to your grandmother's kitchen or whatever and it's just this really beautiful scientific process that makes it, and it's complex and yet also super simple and that's it.F Geyrhalter:                 You like it for the process too because you see behind the curtains as you actually indulge in it which is great.Jeni B Bauer:                 It's handwork. We can't make caramel by time or temperature or any of the other things you can do. You have to actually get good at what it smells like and what it looks like. And when you're the one that's caramelizing the sugar, it's really not about time or temperature, it's about just how does it look and smell. Every batch is slightly different of our salted caramel on all hand done.F Geyrhalter:                 It's beautiful. One piece of brand advice for founders as a takeaway, perhaps a four for one of the hundreds of thousands that have read your James Beard award, winning New York times bestseller, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home, and one to take a step at actually stepping into your footsteps and doing it professionally. Do you have any advice that you learned over your, 20 years of running, I don't know how many years is exact but about that. That and plus. I think it's to, to create a vision of what's possible of what you think, you can do. For me it was, to create this world around ice cream and there was no guarantee I was going to make it and there still isn't. But you get that vision in your head of what it looks like and then you can close your eyes and imagine it. Once you lock into that vision, then you can do one thing today to get you there. Then one more thing tomorrow to get you there and one more thing the next day. That's really what it has been for me. It's better if you don't start with a ton of money. If somebody had given me $10 million in 2004 I would have built a really big ice cream plant and that would have put me into major debt and I wouldn't have known what I was doing anyway. I had to learn all of these things the hard way and then you just get this vision and you just do one step a day and don't go too fast. It's just that one person at a time, one step a day, but be led by your vision and dream about that. I still to this day can sit for an hour or sit quietly and put myself into that vision, which I still have. Every year, I have a new add addition to that vision that I have of in the future. I think that's important to be a vision led person and have a good imagination. One that you really enjoy spending time, in I think where you can really quiet yourself and sit there and just dream and then build that slowly.F Geyrhalter:                 Absolutely love it. Listeners in the US which I believe is the only place where Jeni's is currently available who needed pint or three-Jeni B Bauer:                 The book is in Germany.F Geyrhalter:                 Oh the book is in Germany, the book is most probably global right at this point.Jeni B Bauer:                 Well, the book is in German and you can probably find the book globally, but it is actually, has been translated in German and it did really well. We've got like a new edition now and then I'm in China.F Geyrhalter:                 That's fantastic.Jeni B Bauer:                 Taking it places. Yep.F Geyrhalter:                 That is awesome. As far as picking up a pint or three or six or nine, which I believe is how you ship them, where can people go? The last question, which is part of this and in the same vein, what are your top three winter flavors for people to pick?Jeni B Bauer:                 Oh my goodness. Well, you go to Jeni.com, it's J-E-N-I-S.com.F Geyrhalter:                 That's the easy part.Jeni B Bauer:                 All, of the Whole Foods in America carry our ice creams, which is pretty great. And a bunch of other top grocers across the country. You can go to our website and find out what we call a pint finder and that'll direct you to somewhere near you. Probably the top winter flavors, we have a bunch coming out after the holidays too, which are going to be really fun. But right now I'm going all in on the Cognac and Gingerbread. It's a dark caramel cognac ice cream and this incredible black strap, molasses gingerbread that we make, it's just incredible. I also love white chocolate peppermint and it's funny, a lot of people love it but it does not sell after January. We can only sell it in December and then after that nobody wants it anymore. Really just such a great flavor and we do it as like a pink, we color it with beets. It's just like pink and white swirl with white chocolate and, it's just incredible, it's so good. Then we've been making sweet potato and toasted marshmallow forever and ever, we actually blow torch the marshmallows in our kitchen. It's a really... We make the marshmallows and then we blowtorch them and then we put them in like a handmade sweet potato ice cream, it's so incredible.F Geyrhalter:                 It sounds amazing.Jeni B Bauer:                 There's many more coming next year and we have a lot of non-dairy flavors as well and those are winning innovation awards and they're just gorgeous. They're selling as well as our other ice creams, even with dairy eaters, so if you ever see any of our non-dairy ones, just get them because you'll love them are actually my favorites right now. And that's, I'm a dairy person, so.F Geyrhalter:                 Yeah. Thank you Jeni for having been on the show. It was so much fun and we so appreciate your time and your insights. Thank you for not only what you're doing, but also how you're actually doing it. Last but not least happy holidays to you and your family.Jeni B Bauer:                 Well, thank you so much. It's been so much fun to be here and happy holidays back at you and all your listeners.F Geyrhalter:                 I appreciate it. Thank you.  What a great story – from college dropout who hated math to an innovation award-winning entrepreneur who is making more than just ice cream better.It is entrepreneurs like her that we can learn from how to craft true and meaningful brands and I am so grateful to have had Jeni on the show to round out this year.And I am grateful for all of you who joined in supporting the show.I want to thank the new Creative Brand Mentorship Circle members: Xian Hijas from the Philippines and Goce Petrov out of SwitzerlandThe new Entrepreneur Brand Mentorship Circle members Rushit Hila from Towson, Maryland and Nathan Thompson from Redondo Beach, CAAnd last but not least the first Golden Brand Circle member Ziad Aladdin from Köln, Germany and Devroni Liasoi Lumandan and Florian Phillippe out of L.A. for upgrading to the Golden Brand Circle.Head on over to patreon.com/hittingthemark to become a supporter and to join this awesome community of creators.The Hitting The Mark theme music was written and produced by Happiness Won.I wish all of you happy holidays. Don’t forget to sit down and re-think your brand based on the many insights from the founders who were on this show so you can craft a better brand for 2020 and beyond. I will see you next time – when we, once again, will be hitting the mark.

Founder and MD, Holly Moore, from Make Events joined our podcast host, James Dickson, on this week’s episode to discuss the role of women in the event industry as well as her personal journey.  Make Events is a corporate event agency based in Cheshire that revolves around creating the “ultimate experience” for top brands including Garmin, Myprotein and Twitter. Last February, Holly ran an event for her staff. She believes that the best way to drive a message home is through a live event and so she put this into practice for her own team which served as the delegates to the two-day conference.  This event allowed Holly to communicate the agency’s strategy for 2019 as well as remind the team of Make Events’ core values. “The event was two-pronged: to drive the message of Make Events forward for the financial year and to give them [her team] the experience of an event that they loved so that they could sell it to clients,” Holly said. She stressed that the devil is in the detail when it comes to planning. During her event, delegates (her team members) were presented with their favourite beverages and snacks while their favourite quotes were written on their bedroom mirrors.  Holly also wove research into the event and ensured all sessions were no more than 22 minutes. This has been proven to be the length of time an audience’s attention is captivated, so any content beyond this point of time is more likely to be wasted. “Everyone’s attention span is so much shorter than what it used to be. If you leave more time for Q&A, the sessions become much more authentic.” If you would like to feature on a podcast episode, please email molly@eventindustrynews.com.

Nineteen years ago, Mark Harris and Alec Guettel founded Axiom, a pioneering service to provide on-demand legal talent to corporate legal departments, growing it into a company with a roster of more than 2,000 lawyers that works with over half of the Fortune 100, while also developing technology and managed services arms.   Last February, gearing up for a possible IPO, Axiom spun off its technology and managed services entities into two new companies: Knowable, which uses machine-learning technology to help companies better understand their contracts, and Axiom Managed Services (AMS), which offers people, processes and technology to provide outsourced legal help to companies. With the spin-off, Harris and Guettel moved to Knowable, with Harris as CEO and Guettel as CTO. In July, Knowable announced that it had entered into a joint venture agreement with LexisNexis Legal & Professional, allowing Knowable to continue to operate independently, but with the benefit of LexisNexis’s resources and infrastructure.  On this episode of LawNext, Harris joins host Bob Ambrogi to discuss his new “contract intelligence” company, which aims to help companies get a global view of their risks, obligations and entitlements. He also recounts his 19 years starting and growing Axiom.  NEW: We are now on Patreon! Subscribe to our page to be able to access show transcripts, or to submit a question for our guests. Comment on this show: Record a voice comment on your mobile phone and send it to info@lawnext.com.

As Universal Basic Income becomes a talking point in the Democratic Primary race, one city has already started. Last February, the city of Stockton, California randomly selected 150 residents to receive five hundred dollars a month, as part of a universal basic income pilot program. Michael Tubbs, the mayor of Stockton, and Sukhi Samra, the director of the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration, discuss how the pilot has been going so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last February, the most attended session at our Conference was the Cannabis round table discussion. Festival and Event organizers were desperate to get updates on the new laws and how they would effect them. Megan Henderson, Executive Producer of The Growth Op, was one of the speakers at that session and we thought it was important to speak with her again to get an update on where we are at today. Megan talks about the still grey areas concerning Cannabis at Festivals and Events, sponsorship and advertiser rules, working with local police and municipalities, how to let the community know your event is 420 friendly and the new wave of products coming soon like edibles and infused beverages If you are interested in finding out more information, please contact Megan by email mhenderson@postmedia.com or visit The Growth Op website for more information www.thegrowthop.com. If you're an FEO member and you'd like your services, festival or event highlighted to our members and the world, please give us a call, we would love to share your story. Contact Dave MacNeil at 519-742-2226 or through email dave@festivalsandeventsontario.ca.

Last February, APTN News broke the story of racist social media comments by an RCMP officer who posted that Colten Boushie, the 22-year-old Cree man shot and killed by Gerald Stanley, “got what he deserved.” Trina Roache got the tip from another police officer who was disgusted to see dozens of racist comments about Indigenous people on a Facebook group for RCMP. Trina takes us behind the scenes of that story, and talks about why exposing these stories are important.

On March 6th, Huawei announced it was suing the United States government over policies banning federal agencies from purchasing the company’s equipment. Huawei’s lawsuit is the latest escalation in its continuing standoff with the White House, which has embarked on a global campaign to prevent Chinese equipment manufacturers from taking part in the building of 5G network infrastructure. Last February, Vice President Pence cautioned Western allies against having any dealings with Huawei, and stated: “We cannot ensure the defense of the West if our allies grow dependent on the East.” Australia and New Zealand have implemented measures to restrict the use of Huawei equipment, while the UK, Germany and Canada are considering restrictions. Is the United States justified in advocating for robust measures to counter Chinese involvement in Western 5G networks? Or are Chinese telecommunications manufacturers the casualties of a larger trade war between Washington and Beijing? Join us for a discussion of these and other important issues related to supply chain security in the 5G era. Featuring:Michael H Ryan, Principal, MHRyan LawDileep Srihari, Senior Policy Counsel, Telecommunications Industry AssociationModerator: Paul Beaudry, Director of Broadband Policy and Regulatory Affairs, TELUS Communications Inc. Teleforum calls are open to all dues paying members of the Federalist Society. To become a member, sign up on our website. As a member, you should receive email announcements of upcoming Teleforum calls which contain the conference call phone number. If you are not receiving those email announcements, please contact us at 202-822-8138.

On March 6th, Huawei announced it was suing the United States government over policies banning federal agencies from purchasing the company’s equipment. Huawei’s lawsuit is the latest escalation in its continuing standoff with the White House, which has embarked on a global campaign to prevent Chinese equipment manufacturers from taking part in the building of 5G network infrastructure. Last February, Vice President Pence cautioned Western allies against having any dealings with Huawei, and stated: “We cannot ensure the defense of the West if our allies grow dependent on the East.” Australia and New Zealand have implemented measures to restrict the use of Huawei equipment, while the UK, Germany and Canada are considering restrictions. Is the United States justified in advocating for robust measures to counter Chinese involvement in Western 5G networks? Or are Chinese telecommunications manufacturers the casualties of a larger trade war between Washington and Beijing? Join us for a discussion of these and other important issues related to supply chain security in the 5G era. Featuring:Michael H Ryan, Principal, MHRyan LawDileep Srihari, Senior Policy Counsel, Telecommunications Industry AssociationModerator: Paul Beaudry, Director of Broadband Policy and Regulatory Affairs, TELUS Communications Inc. Teleforum calls are open to all dues paying members of the Federalist Society. To become a member, sign up on our website. As a member, you should receive email announcements of upcoming Teleforum calls which contain the conference call phone number. If you are not receiving those email announcements, please contact us at 202-822-8138.

We’re away this week, but in the meantime thought we’d listen back to one of our favourite episodes from last year. If house prices are too high for people to be able to buy houses, how can we bring them down? And can we do it without upsetting homeowners and crashing the economy? Beth Stratford is a PhD student at Leeds University. Last February she published a blog post at OpenDemocracy that was so interesting we knew we had to get her on the podcast to talk about it. She argues it just might be possible to lower house prices without crashing the economy. Joe Beswick, head of housing and land here at the New Economics Foundation, joined Beth and Ayeisha Thomas-Smith, to chat through the idea. We hope you enjoy! And we’ll be back next week with a brand new episode. Enjoying the show? Tweet us your comments and questions @NEF! Produced by James Shield and Huw Jordan. The award-winning Weekly Economics Podcast is brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the UK's only people powered think tank. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org

Welcome to episode two of Hank! - a podcast for food lovers in Cardiff run by Matt Appleby (http://www.roathbrewery.co.uk) and Jane Cook (www.HungryCityHippy.co.uk). In this episode we talk to Phill Lewis of Dusty Knuckle restaurant in Canton. Last February, Phill left Cardiff with nothing but a sack of flour, a case of tomatoes, and a box of cheese, and traded his way to Naples, using only pizza as currency. The trip was to raise funds and awareness for Slow Food International; a global grassroots movement who actively campaign for better food systems for all. In Wales, the organization focuses on local educational projects to help individuals and communities make informed choices about their food and its production. Let us know what you think of this episode by tweeting us @hungrycityhippy, @mattappleby and @dusty_knuckle - and if you are enjoying #HankCardiff please subscribe, and leave us a review as it really helps! :)

Last February, the fatal attack Srinivas Kuchibhotla in Kansas sent shivers up the spine of every desi in the west. This was one of the many racial attacks on brown men  in the past few years. Whether it is because we work on volatile temporary visas or it is because we have non violent attitudes, desis for the longest time have not addressed how big an issue racism is in the land of the American dream. We all know it is a problem but we all let it go. Do you think its time we stop letting in go and come together to reclaim our safety?  Check out more episodes from Culture Chaos where I share stories of my experiences trying to navigate life away from India. You can write to me at culture_chaos@yahoo.com or leave your feedback/review on iTunes. Thank you for listening!

Last February, a former student at Utah State University wrote a Facebook post. She said she’d been raped by an instructor in the piano department, and that the university hadn’t taken her seriously. But then other students started coming forward, and now USU is changing how it handles sexual assault. Deseret News reporter Gillian Friedman and KUER’s Lee Hale join Doug Fabrizio to talk about it. Link to story: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900015150/Report-Discrimination-sexual-misconduct-went-unchecked-in-USU-music-department.html

What do you think of when you hear the term ‘MLS’? The software vendors? The providers? The database itself? What about MLS executives? We tend to use the label as a catchall for all of those things, which can get problematic.   Shelley Specchio has a handle on all aspects of the MLS system. In 1994, Shelley began her professional career publishing a home magazine for the Reno/Sparks Association of REALTORS. The association expanded in 2003 to become the Northern Nevada Regional MLS, and Shelley served as their VP of Sales and Marketing until 2008 when she transitioned to the role of CEO. Last February she became the CEO of the MIBOR REALTOR Association in Indianapolis, a unique organization that marries the MLS, the association, and a nonprofit arm to impact the community at large. Shelley is involved with NAR on the national level, serving on the MLS Executive Advisory Board.   Today Shelley addresses the role of an MLS executive, discussing her own career path and the pros and cons of the position. She shares her take on the fear of disruption in the marketplace, the Upstream initiative, and MLS consolidation. Shelley explains what drew her to the CEO position at MIBOR, describing how the association, MLS, and foundation work in tandem to impact the community. Listen in for insight around using ‘MLS’ as a catchall term and MIBOR’s adoption of the acronym BLC.   What’s Discussed:    Shelley’s career path in real estate The role of an MLS executive The fear of disruption in the marketplace Shifting from fear to strategic action Shelley’s take on the Upstream initiative No one solution for pain points MLS needs to facilitate choice Other graduates of the ‘Merri Jo School of MLS Execs’ Why MLS execs often relocate as they advance The extensive travel required of MLS execs The shrinking number of MLSs from 900 to 672 What drew Shelley to MIBOR Economic development piece Opportunity to move community forward MIBOR’s unique structure as an association and MLS The challenges of having a new boss every year How MLS execs build relationships with the board The confusion around ‘MLS’ as a catchall term Why MIBOR uses the term Broker Listing Cooperative Shelley’s insight on future consolidation Less important to merge if data flowing Tech like MLS Gridcould facilitate   Resources:   T3 Sixty MLS Grid CMLS Brings It to the Table MIBOR REALTOR Foundation   Connect with Shelley Specchio:   MIBOR REALTOR Association MIBOR on Facebook MIBOR on Twitter Shelley on LinkedIn        

During today's episode, I am excited to feature an interview with Dan Tricarico as part of my Truth for Teachers podcast. Dan and I met when we were both speaking at a conference a couple of years ago, and I remember walking away from the conversation with him thinking, “This guy is the real deal.” That’s the phrase that stuck in my head because he just came across to me as being so grounded and so sincere in everything he said -- he was truly passionate about everything we spoke on and had a pure heart for helping kids and teachers. Last February, I was out in San Diego for another conference, and he and I sat down together and hashed things out a bit. We’ve been working for the past 7-8 months on creating something together that addresses teacher anxiety. It’s called Finally Free: The teacher toolkit for conquering anxiety, overwhelm, and the pressure to do more.  Today, we’re going to give you some of our favorite mindset shifts and advice from the toolkit and talk about some ideas that will really make a big difference in how you feel. Dan and I are making one of the modules in the Finally Free toolkit available to you for free. It’s Module 1: Freedom from Comparison, which is designed for you to listen to when you’re feeling not good enough and comparing yourself to others. You can go to finallyfreetoolkit.com to learn more about the toolkit, and scroll down to the preview where you can download the audio and PDF for that first module on comparison right now. Click here to read or share the transcript and audio, or participate in the discussion.  

It's February! Last February we did a State of the Podcast episode. Let you guys know what's going on. Did a new one since we actually have ALOT of stuff in the hopper that we're ready to talk about. Tune in and enjoy, chummer!   LINKS Violent Life Podcast The Shadowcasters Network Discord Community Violent Life Patreon Previous Episodes of Redmond Born   VIOLENT LIFE: A SHADOWRUN PODCAST  FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: @MyViolentLife SUBSCRIBE & RATE ON ITUNES INTRO/OUTRO BY PRISMSHARD, BACKGROUND MUSIC & SFX COURTESY OF SYRINSCAPE.

Pope Francis has said that he is open to the possibility of ordaining women as deacons. Are the ranks of the Catholic Church's all-male clergy really going to open up to female members? Next week, two ministers battle it out in the annual Sermon of the Year Competition. They talk to Edward Stourton about their ministry and go head to head in Sunday's very own battle of the sermons. Hazel Southam reports from Jordan on a trauma healing programme that is being offered to tens of thousands of people who have fled the wars in Syria and Iraq. On Thursday, Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan is giving a speech to the Saltire Society in Glasgow in which he will argue that 20th and 21st century composers have never given up their search for the sacred in an increasingly secular society. He explains to Edward his reasons for this belief. Last February, Charles Maung Bo became Myanmar's first-ever cardinal. For many years he has spoken out against the persecution of religious minorities in his country and now that there is a new civilian government, he is carving out a role for himself as peacemaker between different ethnic groups and the Buddhist majority. On the 1st May, the residents of the Canadian city of Fort McMurray became aware of a wildfire on the outskirts of their city. Two days later they had to evacuate. Rev Donalee Williams is the minister of Fort McMurray's First United Church she explains how she is supporting her dispersed congregation. As the Archbishop of York's six month Pilgrimage across the Diocese of York is about to finish, Bob Walker caught up with John Sentamu to discover what he has learnt from his time on the road. Producers: Helen Lee David Cook Series Producer: Amanda Hancox.

Hi Podcast listeners! Ryan is getting married today, but that did not stop us bringing you a fantastic episode. After talking about some wedding stuff, Ryan and Dave interview Grammy award-winning indie musician Tim Kubart. Last February, Tim won the Grammy for Best Children's Album for his 2015 release "Home". He talks to R & D about his experience making an award-winning album in his "tiny apartment." He also talks about what it means to him that the five Grammy nominees in his category were all indie musicians. Tim also talks about his experiences as a member of YouTube sensation Postmodern Jukebox (on tour now!) and his work hosting "The Sunny Side Up Show" on the Sprout Network. It was a pleasure to have such a fantastic indie musician on the show. You should definitely check out his inspiring interview. You can find out more about all of the amazing things Tim is doing by checking out timkubart.com and postmodernjukebox.com. Thank you all very much for listening. Rate/review/subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes and SoundCloud. Like Break the Business on Facebook. Follow Ryan @ryankair and Dave @dkaye1027. And tell a friend about the show! Find out more about Ryan's book at www.breakthebusiness.com.

In many respects, Barry Barish is the quintessential scientist: soft-spoken and modest, he is also completely dedicated to the pursuit of pure science. Barish is currently the Linde professor of physics at Caltech. He’s a leading expert on gravitational waves, and his leadership and advocacy to the National Science Foundation about the need for LIGO (laser interferometer gravitational wave observatory) played a key role in convincing the NSF to fund it. Barish was the principal investigator of LIGO in 1994, before becoming its director in 1997. The pay-off of Barish’s effort and the NSF decision was huge: Last February, Barish and other scientists announced to the world that they had detected gravitational waves four months before, marking the first ever direct detection since Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves in 1916. The proof came via a chirping sound—played below in this interview—which was the sound-wave translation of the merger of two black holes more than a billion light years away. Barish talks to STEM-Talk host Dawn Kernagis and co-host and IHMC Director Ken Ford about the history of Einstein’s theory and the science that later ensued to set up this significant discovery. He also talks about the scientists who made it happen. Barish gave an IHMC lecture in 2009 entitled “Einstein’s Unfinished Symphony: Sounds from the Distant Universe” Here is a link to the LIGO press conference on the gravitational waves detection: https://cds.cern.ch/record/2131411 1:36: Audio of “the chirp” signaling the detection of a gravity wave emanating from two black holes merging one billion light years away. 2:57: Ford reads a five-star iTunes review from CCPABC: “Love the science-based discussions, which also includes the interviewers, who also know and understand science, a rarity amongst podcast hosts. Love the funny comments along the way. For example, “Stay curious my friends.” And “Walk into a Walmart to see epigenetics at work.” Outlines (show notes) are also helpful for those of us who want to listen to specific sections again for better understanding.” 3:37: Dawn recaps Barish’s career, calling him a “leading light in several areas of physics.” 4:04: In October 2002, Barish was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve on the National Science Board of the NSF. Ford was also on the board. “We immediately connected and worked on the NSB for six years,” Ford said. 5:15: Barish discusses his upbringing and initial interest in science. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, to parents who had not gone to college, Barish said, “I was probably a scientist before I knew it.” The first science question he asked his father was why ice cubes float on water. His father’s answer didn’t satisfy him. “His answers never satisfied me, which I think is kind of the scientific mind.” 6:36: Ford, Kernagis and Barish recall one of their first scientific questions on why the sky is blue. 7:20: Barish grew up around Hollywood, California. “The furthest horizon I could see was Caltech, and that is where I thought I would go to college.” He went to Berkeley instead because he could start mid-year there, and he immediately fell in love with it — and a young girl. 8:55: Barish started as an engineering student, but he liked neither his surveying course nor his engineering drafting course. “By default, I ended up in physics. It’s where I belonged because physics has been great for me.” 11:15: In 1905, Einstein discovered: E=mc^2; and the theory of special relativity: “These solved some long-standing problems in physics in no time at all.” 11:42: In 1915, Einstein came up with the theory of general relativity, which was an extension of the theory of special relativity that added accelerations instead of just velocities. 13:30: In Newton’s theory of gravity, there’s instantaneous action at a distance: When the apple falls, you see it immediately. When something happens in space (a star collapse...

Last February, the Supreme Court of Canada overturned a ban on physician-assisted death and gave federal and provincial governments 12 months to craft legislation to respond to the ruling. Dr. Jim Silvius — Medical Director for Seniors Health at Alberta Health Services — discusses the ruling’s implications on Canadians and their health system.

Last February we published two episodes with our favorite (nearly graduated) student from Notre Dame Law John Gerardi with an update on the HHS mandate lawsuits as well as answering the controversial question, "why did so many church-going Catholics vote for President Obama, again?!"  After we recorded those two episodes, we spent another 20 minutes answering questions we hadn't talked about yet, and answered a good questions sent from a listener. This is the audio from that post-episode discussion. Topics/Questions: "Tell me about states like Massachusetts, that are heavily Catholic and Irish but are totally in the tank for Obama." "What do you think is the future for the bishops' involvement in politics?" Karen: "Is it even possible that we really change our society legislatively, or do we need to concentrate on the hearts of women and men?" Note from Josh: We try to get bonus audio published a lot closer to the original recording, but it wasn't as high of a priority as keeping our publishing schedule for TV and radio. As you listen to this, it'll be obvious that this was recorded before Pope Benedict stepped down. Also, John said in this discussion that we're only "one Supreme Court justice away from overturning Roe vs. Wade." Based on some recent research that I plan on blogging about in the future, I now think this may be a bit optimistic. In other words, I think it's more likely that we have one or two justices that would overturn Roe, and a few others that we really don't know how they would rule on overturning Roe, even if they have pro-life beliefs. I hope history proves me wrong.

Abraham Hyatt is the production editor at the technology news site ReadWriteWeb. He was the creator of the Digital Journalism Portland conference in 2009, and previously worked as the managing editor at Oregon Business magazine. He can be found online at abrahamhyatt.com and @abrahamhyatt on Twitter. Abraham is one of the editors at the tech news site ReadWriteWeb. Last February something happened that made him suddenly realize that there are a significant number of people who are navigating the Web in ways they don't understand. This Ignite presentation is a unique case study -- sometimes funny, sometimes serious -- that illustrates that the problem is bigger than those of us who develop online tools, produce content and create user interfaces realize.