Podcasts about my french

My French teacher in high school absolutely shocked me with how she graded my notebook. Let's talk about it as we study D&C 45:3.  And grab study guides for the whole family here:  - To get Cali's scripture study guide for adults click here:  https://comefollowmestudy.com/shop/ Discount code: OMSS Or purchase on Amazon: https://a.co/d/49uOuF1 - Kristen's scripture study guides are available  here: https://kristenwalkersmith.com/starthere/ Get our 365-day Doctrine and Covenants daily devotional book: https://a.co/d/aE3Wp4D

Q&A can destroy your personal brand. Creating and delivering the presentation sees you in 100% total control.  You have designed it, you have been given the floor to talk about it, all is good.  However, the moment the time comes for questions, we are now in a street fight.  Why a street fight?  Because in a street fight there are no rules and the Q&A following a presentation is the same – no rules.  “Oh, that's not right” you might be thinking.  “What about social norms, propriety, manners, decorum – surely all of these things are a filter on bareknuckle duking it out in public?”.   That is correct but it is not a guarantee.   When doing public speaking, there are different personality types assembled in the room.  In Japan, often the English language presentation occasions are like mini-United Nations' assemblies, in terms of national representation.  Different social norms apply in countries apart from your own. My French friends tell me the French educational system promotes critique of statements and ideas and that is seen as an illustration of superior intellect. My fellow Australians are often sceptical, doubting and don't hesitate to mention it, in a direct assault on what has just been said.  There are also different personality types in the room.  Some people are naturally aggressive and want to argue the point, if the speaker has the temerity to say something they disagree with.  What is considered rude, aggressive or inappropriate behaviour is a relative judgment depending on where you grew up, how you were educated and how you individually see the world.  Even in Japanese society, there are occasions where there is heated arguement and a lot of the typical Japanese restraint is out the window.  As the speaker, we are pumped full of chemicals when we get up to present.  If we are nervous, then the flight or fight adrenaline chemicals are released by the Amygdala inside our brain.  We cannot stop this, but we can control it.  It is interesting that if this state is held for a long period of time, we lose the feeling of strength and have a sense of weakness.  A forty minute speech is a long time to be in a heightened state and by the time we get to the Q&A, we may be feeling denuded of strength.  Just at the moment when we come under full force street fighting attack.  The face of the speaker is a critical indicator during the Q&A.  I caught myself shaking my head to indicate disagreement with what was coming my way in the form of a question during the Q&A.  Without initially realising it, I was sending out a physical sign that I wasn't accepting the questioner's bead of disagreement to what I had been pontificating.  From an audience point of view, this looks like you are inflexible, closed to other opinions and just dismissive of anyone with an opinion that differs from your own.  Even if you are not a rabid head shaker like I was, the expression on your face may be speaking volumes to your audience.  You might be displaying a sceptical visage of doubt and rejection of what is being said before you have heard the whole argument out.  You might even be pumping blood into your face so that it goes red in colour.  There is a female businesswoman I know here, whose skin goes bright red when she is in the public eye and begins to look like one of those warning beacons.  There is probably nothing she can do about that, but it is definitely not a good look.  Or maybe your general demeanour is one of disdain for the questioner and you look arrogant and disrespectful of alternative opinions. Given the chemical surge leading to denuding of strength I mentioned earlier, we may look like we are defeated by the questioner. This impacts our credibility.  We need to be showing we are true believers in what we said and are fully committed to that line of argument.  We don't want to appear like we have collapsed in the face of pushback during the Q&A.  Maintain a brave front, even if it is all front.  The audience won't know the difference.  Nodding during the questioning is also a big mistake.  We do this in normal conversation, to show the speaker we are paying attention to them. Unfortunately, this bleeds over into public speaking events as well. I learnt this when I did media training.  The television media love it when you are nodding, because they can take that bit in the editing and transpose it to sync with the voice of the person disagreeing with you and it appears you are accepting their argument.  Very sneaky isn't it. When you pop up on the TV replay agreeing with your questioner attacking all that you have said, it is too late.  Even if there is no TV there, don't look like you are agreeing with the questioner and control that nodding right from the start.  So during Q&A maintain a totally neutral expression on your face and don't allow you head to nod.  If you feel anxiety from the question, take some secret slow deep breaths to slow down your heart rate and breathing.  Keep supremely calm and remember that really aggressive questioners look like dills or grandstanders to the rest of the audience. They usually place their sympathy with the person under attack.  We do have that Colosseum thing in us however, where we like watching blood sports and Q&A can come under that category.   So we have to appear above the fray, in control, calm, reasonable and assured of what we are saying.  Control your temper, don't cut them off mid-question, leave a pregnant pause after they have finished, to allow some of the tension to dissipate, then lob in a cushion or neutral statement to give you thinking time and then answer their question.   Here is a killer technique for obstreperous questioners.  When you start to answer their question, give them 100% eye contact for six seconds to show you won't be intimidated. Next switch your six second eye contact to various other members of the audience and never look at the questioner again.  By publicly and completely ignoring them, you take all the air out of their puffed up ego and you decimate them through denial of attention. Q&A must be an extension of the triumph of your presentation.  In the same way we plan for our triumph, plan for the Q&A too.  Don't leave this to chance.  Twenty minutes under direct attack during the Q&A can seem like a lifetime.  We have to be ready to weather the storm and emerge victorious

“We haven't invested this much money into an infrastructure like this really until you go back to the pyramids”—Kate CrawfordTranscript with links to audio and external links. Ground Truths podcasts are on Apple and Spotify. The video interviews are on YouTube Eric Topol (00:06):Well, hello, this is Eric Topol with Ground Truths, and I'm really delighted today to welcome Kate Crawford, who we're very lucky to have as an Australian here in the United States. And she's multidimensional, as I've learned, not just a scholar of AI, all the dimensions of AI, but also an artist, a musician. We're going to get into all this today, so welcome Kate.Kate Crawford (00:31):Thank you so much, Eric. It's a pleasure to be here.Eric Topol (00:34):Well, I knew of your work coming out of the University of Southern California (USC) as a professor there and at Microsoft Research, and I'm only now learning about all these other things that you've been up to including being recognized in TIME 2023 as one of 100 most influential people in AI and it's really fascinating to see all the things that you've been doing. But I guess I'd start off with one of your recent publications in Nature. It was a world view, and it was about generative AI is guzzling water and energy. And in that you wrote about how these large AI systems, which are getting larger seemingly every day are needing as much energy as entire nations and the water consumption is rampant. So maybe we can just start off with that. You wrote a really compelling piece expressing concerns, and obviously this is not just the beginning of all the different aspects you've been tackling with AI.Exponential Growth, Exponential Concerns Kate Crawford (01:39):Well, we're in a really interesting moment. What I've done as a researcher in this space for a very long time now is really introduce a material analysis of artificial intelligence. So we are often told that AI is a very immaterial technology. It's algorithms in the cloud, it's objective mathematics, but in actual fact, it comes with an enormous material infrastructure. And this is something that I took five years to research for my last book, Atlas of AI. It meant going to the mines where lithium and cobalt are being extracted. It meant going into the Amazon fulfillment warehouses to see how humans collaborate with robotic and AI systems. And it also meant looking at the large-scale labs where training data is being gathered and then labeled by crowd workers. And for me, this really changed my thinking. It meant that going from being a professor for 15 years focusing on AI from a very traditional perspective where we write papers, we're sitting in our offices behind desks, that I really had to go and do these journeys, these field trips, to understand that full extractive infrastructure that is needed to run AI at a planetary scale.(02:58):So I've been keeping a very close eye on what would change with generative AI and what we've seen particularly in the last two years has been an extraordinary expansion of the three core elements that I really write about in Atlas, so the extraction of data of non-renewable resources, and of course hidden labor. So what we've seen, particularly on the resources side, is a gigantic spike both in terms of energy and water and that's often the story that we don't hear. We're not aware that when we're told about the fact that there gigantic hundred billion computers that are now being developed for the next stage of generative AI that has an enormous energy and water footprint. So I've been researching that along with many others who are now increasingly concerned about how we might think about AI more holistically.Eric Topol (03:52):Well, let's go back to your book, which is an extraordinary book, the AI Atlas and how you dissected not just the well power of politics and planetary costs, but that has won awards and it was a few years back, and I wonder so much has changed since then. I mean ChatGPT in late 2022 caught everybody off guard who wasn't into this knowing that this has been incubating for a number of years, and as you said, these base models are just extraordinary in every parameter you can think about, particularly the computing resource and consumption. So your concerns were of course registered then, have they gone to exponential growth now?Kate Crawford (04:45):I love the way you put that. I think you're right. I think my concerns have grown exponentially with the models. But I was like everybody else, even though I've been doing this for a long time and I had something of a heads up in terms of where we were moving with transformer models, I was also quite taken aback at the extraordinary uptake of ChatGPT back in November 2022 in fact, gosh, it still feels like yesterday it's been such an extraordinary timescale. But looking at that shift to a hundred million users in two months and then the sort of rapid competition that was emerging from the major tech companies that I think really took me by surprise, the degree to which everybody was jumping on the bandwagon, applying some form of large language model to everything and anything suddenly the hammer was being applied to every single nail.(05:42):And in all of that sound and fury and excitement, I think there will be some really useful applications of these tools. But I also think there's a risk that we apply it in spaces where it's really not well suited that we are not looking at the societal and political risks that come along with these approaches, particularly next token prediction as a way of generating knowledge. And then finally this bigger set of questions around what is it really costing the planet to build these infrastructures that are really gargantuan? I mean, as a species, we haven't invested this much money into an infrastructure like this really until you go back to the pyramids, you really got to go very far back to say that type of just gargantuan spending in terms of capital, in terms of labor, in terms of all of the things are required to really build these kinds of systems. So for me, that's the moment that we're in right now and perhaps here together in 2024, we can take a breath from that extraordinary 18 month period and hopefully be a little more reflective on what we're building and why and where will it be best used.Propagation of BiasesEric Topol (06:57):Yeah. Well, there's so many aspects of this that I'd like to get into with you. I mean, one of course, you're as a keen observer and activist in this whole space, you've made I think a very clear point about how our culture is mirrored in our AI that is our biases, and people are of course very quick to blame AI per se, but it seems like it's a bigger problem than just that. Maybe you could comment about, obviously biases are a profound concern about propagation of them, and where do you see where the problem is and how it can be attacked?Kate Crawford (07:43):Well, it is an enormous problem, and it has been for many years. I was first really interested in this question in the era that was known as the big data era. So we can think about the mid-2000s, and I really started studying large scale uses of data in scientific applications, but also in what you call social scientific settings using things like social media to detect and predict opinion, movement, the way that people were assessing key issues. And time and time again, I saw the same problem, which is that we have this tendency to assume that with scale comes greater accuracy without looking at the skews from the data sources. Where is that data coming from? What are the potential skews there? Is there a population that's overrepresented compared to others? And so, I began very early on looking at those questions. And then when we had very large-scale data sets start to emerge, like ImageNet, which was really perhaps the most influential dataset behind computer vision that was released in 2009, it was used widely, it was freely available.(09:00):That version was available for over a decade and no one had really looked inside it. And so, working with Trevor Paglen and others, we analyzed how people were being represented in this data set. And it was really quite extraordinary because initially people are labeled with terms that might seem relatively unsurprising, like this is a picture of a nurse, or this is a picture of a doctor, or this is a picture of a CEO. But then you look to see who is the archetypical CEO, and it's all pictures of white men, or if it's a basketball player, it's all pictures of black men. And then the labeling became more and more extreme, and there are terms like, this is an alcoholic, this is a corrupt politician, this is a kleptomaniac, this is a bad person. And then a whole series of labels that are simply not repeatable on your podcast.(09:54):So in finding this, we were absolutely horrified. And again, to know that so many AI models had trained on this as a way of doing visual recognition was so concerning because of course, very few people had even traced who was using this model. So trying to do the reverse engineering of where these really problematic assumptions were being built in hardcoded into how AI models see and interpret the world, that was a giant unknown and remains to this day quite problematic. We did a recent study that just came out a couple of months ago looking at one of the biggest data sets behind generative AI systems that are doing text to image generation. It's called LAION-5B, which stands for 5 billion. It has 5 billion images and text captions drawn from the internet. And you might think, as you said, this will just mirror societal biases, but it's actually far more weird than you might imagine.(10:55):It's not a representative sample even of the internet because particularly for these data sets that are now trying to use the ALT tags that are used around images, who uses ALT tags the most on the internet? Well, it's e-commerce sites and it's often stock image sites. So what you'll see and what we discovered in our study was that the vast majority of images and labels are coming from sites like Shopify and Pinterest, these kind of shopping aspirational collection sites. And that is a very specific way of seeing the world, so it's by no means even a perfect mirror. It's a skewed mirror in multiple ways. And that's something that we need to think of particularly when we turn to more targeted models that might be working in say healthcare or in education or even in criminal justice, where we see all sorts of problems emerge.Exploiting Humans for RLHFEric Topol (11:51):Well, that's really interesting. I wonder to extend that a bit about the human labor side of this. Base models are tweaked, fine-tuned, and one of the ways to do that, of course is getting people to weigh in. And this has been written about quite a bit about how the people that are doing this can be exploited, getting wages that are ridiculously weak. And I wonder if you could comment about that because in the ethics of AI, this seems to be one of the many things that a lot of people don't realize about reinforcement learning.Kate Crawford (12:39):Oh, I completely agree. It's quite an extraordinary story. And of course now we have a new category of crowd labor that's called reinforcement learning with human feedback or RLHF. And what was discovered by multiple investigations was that these laborers are in many cases paid less than $2 an hour in very exploitative conditions, looking at results that in many cases are really quite horrifying. They could be accounts of murder, suicide, trauma, this can be visual material, it can be text-based material. And again, the workers in these working for these companies, and again, it's often contract labor, it's not directly within a tech company, it's contracted out. It's very hidden, it's very hard to research and find. But these laborers have been experiencing trauma and are really now in many cases bringing lawsuits, but also trying to unionize and say, these are not acceptable conditions for people to be working under.(13:44):So in the case of OpenAI, it was found that it was Kenyan workers who were doing this work for just poverty wages, but it's really across the board. It's so common now that humans are doing the hard work behind the scenes to make these systems appear autonomous. And that's the real trap that we're being told that this is the artificial intelligence. But in actual fact, what Jeff Bezos calls Mechanical Turk is that it's artificial, artificial intelligence otherwise known as human beings. So that is a very significant layer in terms of how these systems work that is often unacknowledged. And clearly these workers in many cases are muzzled from speaking, they're not allowed to talk about what they do, they can't even tell their families. They're certainly prevented from collective action, which is why we've seen this push towards unionization. And finally, of course, they're not sharing in any of the profits that are being generated by these extraordinary new systems that are making a very small number of people, very wealthy indeed.Eric Topol (14:51):And do you know if that's improving or is it still just as bad as it has been reported? It's really deeply concerning to see human exploitation, and we all know well about sweatshops and all that, but here's another version, and it's really quite distressing.Kate Crawford (15:09):It really is. And in fact, there have been several people now working to create really almost like fair work guidelines. So Oxford has the sort of fair work initiative looking specifically at crowd work. They also have a rating system where they rate all of the major technology companies for how well they're treating their crowd laborers. And I have to say the numbers aren't looking good in the last 12 months, so I would love to see much more improvement there. We are also starting to see legislation be tabled specifically on this topic. In fact, Germany was one of the most recent to start to explore how they would create a strong legislative backing to make sure that there's fair labor conditions. Also, Chile was actually one of the first to legislate in this space, but you can imagine it's very difficult to do because it's a system that is operating under the radar through sort of multiple contracted chains. And even some of the people within tech companies will tell me it's really hard to know if they're working with a company that's doing this in the right way and paying people well. But frankly, I'd like to see far greater scrutiny otherwise, as you say, we're building on this system, which looks like AI sweatshops.Eric Topol (16:24):Yeah, no, I think people just have this illusion that these machines are doing everything by themselves, and that couldn't be further from the truth, especially when you're trying to take it to the next level. And there's only so much human content you can scrape from the internet, and obviously it needs additional input to take it to that more refined performance. Now, besides your writing and being much of a conscience for AI, you're also a builder. I mean, I first got to know some of your efforts through when you started the AI Now Institute. Maybe you can tell us a bit about that. Now you're onto the Knowing Machines Project and I don't know how many other projects you're working on, so maybe you can tell us about what it's like not just to be a keen observer, but also one to actually get initiatives going.Kate Crawford (17:22):Well, I think it's incredibly important that we start to build interdisciplinary coalitions of researchers, but sometimes even beyond the academic field, which is where I really initially trained in this space, and really thinking about how do we involve journalists, how do we involve filmmakers, how do we involve people who will look at these issues in really different ways and tell these stories more widely? Because clearly this really powerful shift that we're making as a society towards using AI in all sorts of domains is also a public issue. It's a democratic issue and it's an issue where we should all be able to really see into how these systems are working and have a say in how they'll be impacting our lives. So one of the things that I've done is really create research groups that are interdisciplinary, starting at Microsoft Research as one of the co-founders of FATE, a group that stands for fairness, accountability, transparency and ethics, and then the AI Now Institute, which was originally at NYU, and now with Knowing Machines, which is an international group, which I've been really delighted to build, rather than just purely focusing on those in the US because of course these systems are inherently transnational, they will be affecting global populations.(18:42):So we really need to think about how do you bring people from very different perspectives with different training to ask this question around how are these systems being built, who is benefiting and who might be harmed, and how can we address those issues now in order to actually prevent some of those harms and prevent the greatest risks that I see that are possible with this enormous turn to artificial intelligence everywhere?Eric Topol (19:07):Yeah, and it's interesting how you over the years are a key advisor, whether it's the White House, the UN or the European Parliament. And I'm curious about your experience because I didn't know much about the Paris ENS. Can you tell us about you were Visiting Chair, this is AI and Justice at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS), I don't know if I pronounce that right. My French is horrible, but this sounds like something really interesting.Kate Crawford (19:42):Well, it was really fascinating because this was the first time that ENS, which is really one of the top research institutions in Europe, had turned to this focus of how do we contend with artificial intelligence, not just as a technical question, but as a sort of a profound question of justice of society of ethics. And so, I was invited to be the first visiting chair, but tragically this corresponded with the start of the pandemic in 2020. And so, it ended up being a two-year virtual professorship, which is really a tragedy when you're thinking about spending time in Paris to be spending it on Zoom. It's not quite the same thing, but I had the great fortune of using that time to assemble a group of scholars around the world who were looking at these questions from very different disciplines. Some were historians of science, others were sociologists, some were philosophers, some were machine learners.(20:39):And really essentially assembled this group to think through some of the leading challenges in terms the potential social impacts and current social impacts of these systems. And so, we just recently published that through the academies of Science and Engineering, and it's been almost like a template for thinking about here are core domains that need more research. And interestingly, we're at that moment, I think now where we can say we have to look in a much more granular fashion beyond the hype cycles, beyond the sense of potential, the enormous potential upside that we're always hearing about to look at, okay, how do these systems actually work now? What kinds of questions can we bring into the research space so that we're really connecting the ideas that come traditionally from the social sciences and the humanistic disciplines into the world of machine learning and AI design. That's where I see the enormous upside that we can no longer stay in these very rigorously patrolled silos and to really use that interdisciplinary awareness to build systems differently and hopefully more sustainably as well.Is Working At Microsoft A Conflict?Eric Topol (21:55):Yeah, no, that's what I especially like about your work is that you're not a doomsday person or force. You're always just trying to make it better, but now that's what gets me to this really interesting question because you are a senior principal researcher at Microsoft and Microsoft might not like some of these things that you're advocating, how does that potential conflict work out?Kate Crawford (22:23):It's interesting. I mean, people often ask me, am I a technology optimist or a technology pessimist? And I always say I'm a technology realist, and we're looking at these systems being used. I think we are not benefited by discourses of AI doomerism nor by AI boosterism. We have to assess the real politic and the political economies into which these systems flow. So obviously part of the way that I've got to know what I know about how systems are designed and how they work at scale is through being at Microsoft Research where I'm working alongside extraordinary colleagues and all of whom come from, in many cases, professorial backgrounds who are deep experts in their fields. And we have this opportunity to work together and to look at these questions very early on in the kinds of production cycles and enormous shifts in the way that we use technology.(23:20):But it is interesting of course that at the moment Microsoft is absolutely at the leading edge of this change, and I've always thought that it's incredibly important for researchers and academics who are in industrial spaces to be able to speak freely, to be able to share what they see and to use that as a way that the industry can, well hopefully keep itself honest, but also share between what it knows and what everybody else knows because there's a giant risk in having those spaces be heavily demarcated and having researchers really be muzzled. I think that's where we see real problems emerge. Of course, one of the great concerns a couple of years ago was when Timnit Gebru and others were fired from Google for speaking openly about the concerns they had about the first-generation large language models. And my hope is that there's been a lesson through that really unfortunate set of decisions made at Google that we need people speaking from the inside about these questions in order to actually make these systems better, as you say, over the medium and long term.Eric Topol (24:26):Yeah, no, that brings me to thought of Peter Lee, who I'm sure because he wrote a book about GPT-4 and healthcare and was very candid about its potential, real benefits and the liabilities, and he's a very humble kind of guy. He's not one that has any bravado that I know of, so it speaks well to at least another colleague of yours there at Microsoft and their ability to see all the different sides here, not just what we'll talk about in a minute the arms race both across companies and countries. But before I get to that, there's this other part of you and I wonder if there's really two or three of you that is as a composer of music and art, I looked at your Anatomy of an AI System, I guess, which is on exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and that in itself is amazing, but how do you get into all these other parts, are these hobbies or is this part of a main part of your creative work or where does it fit in?Kate Crawford (25:40):Eric, didn't I mention the cloning program that I participated in early and that there are many Kate's and it's fantastic we all work together. Yeah, that explains it. Look, it's interesting. Way back as a teenager, I was fascinated with technology. Of course, it was the early stages of the web at that moment, and I could see clearly that this was, the internet was going to completely change everything from my generation in terms of what we would do in terms of the way that we would experience the world. And as I was also at that time an electronic musician in bands, I was like, this was a really fantastic combination of bringing together creative practice with a set of much larger concerns and interests around at a systems level, how technology and society are co-constituted, how they evolve together and shape each other. And that's really been the map of how I've always worked across my life.(26:48):And it's interesting, I've always collaborated with artists and Vladan Joler who I worked with on anatomy of an AI system. We actually met at a conference on voice enabled AI systems, and it was really looking at the ethics of could it be possible to build an open source, publicly accessible version of say Alexa rather than purely a private model owned by a corporation, and could that be done in a more public open source way? And we asked a different question, we looked at each other and we're like, oh, I haven't met you yet, but I can see that there are some problems here. One of them is it's not just about the data and it's not just about the technical pipelines, it's about where the components come from. It's about the mining structures that needed to make all of these systems. It's about the entire end of life what happens when we throw these devices out from generally between three to four years of use and how they go into these giant e-waste tips.(27:51):And we basically started looking at this as an enormous sort of life and death of a single AI system, which for us started out by drawing these things on large pieces of butcher's paper, which just expanded and expanded until we had this enormous systems level analysis of what it takes just to ask Alexa what the weather is today. And in doing that, it taught me a couple of things. One that people really want to understand all of the things that go into making an AI system work. This piece has had a very long life. It's been in over a hundred museums around the world. It's traveled further than I have, but it's also very much about that broader political economy that AI systems aren't neutral, they don't just exist to serve us. They are often sort of fed into corporate structures that are using them to generate profits, and that means that they're used in very particular ways and that there are these externalities in terms of how they produced that linger in our environments that have really quite detrimental impacts on systems of labor and how people are recompensed and a whole range of relationships to how data is seen and used as though it's a natural resource that doesn't actually come from people's lives, that doesn't come with risks attached to it.(29:13):So that project was really quite profound for me. So we've continued to do these kinds of, I would call them research art projects, and we just released a new one called Calculating Empires, which looks at a 500 year history of technology and power looking specifically at how empires over time have used new technologies to centralize their power and expand and grow, which of course is part of what we're seeing at the moment in the empires of AI.Eric Topol (29:43):And what about the music side?Kate Crawford (29:45):Well, I have to say I've been a little bit slack on the music side. Things have been busy in AI Eric, I have to say it's kept me away from the music studio, but I always intend to get back there. Fortunately, I have a kid who's very musical and he's always luring me away from my desk and my research saying, let's write some music. And so, he'll keep me honest.Geopolitics and the Arms RacesEric Topol (30:06):Well, I think it's striking just because you have this blend of the humanities and you're so deep into trying to understand and improve our approaches in technology. And it seems like a very unusual, I don't know, too many techies that have these different dimensions, so that's impressive. Now let's get back to the arms race. You just were talking about tracing history over hundreds of years and empires, but right now we have a little problem. We have the big tech titans that are going after each other on a daily basis, and of course you know the group very well. And then you have China and the US that are vying to be the dominant force and problems with China accessing NVIDIA chips and Taiwan sitting there in a potentially very dangerous position, not just for Taiwan, but also for the US. And I wonder if you could just give us your sense about the tensions here. They're US based as well of course, because that's some of the major forces in companies, but then they're also globally. So we have a lot of stuff in the background that people don't like to think about, but it's actually happening right now.Kate Crawford (31:35):I think it's one of the most important things that we can focus on, in fact. I mean and again, this is why I think a materialist analysis of artificial intelligence is so important because not only does it force you to look at the raw components, where does the energy come from? Where does the water come from? But it means you're looking at where the chipsets come from. And you can see that in many cases there are these infrastructural choke points where we are highly dependent on specific components that sit within geopolitical flashpoints. And Taiwan is really the exemplar of this sort of choke point at the moment. And again, several companies are trying to address this by spinning up new factories to build these components, but this takes a lot of time and an enormous amount of resources yet again. So what we're seeing is I think a very difficult moment in the geopolitics of artificial intelligence.(32:31):What we've had certainly for the last decade has been almost a geopolitical duopoly. We've had the US and China not only having enormous power and influence in this space, but also goading each other into producing the most extreme forms of both data extractive and surveillance technologies. And unfortunately, this is just as true in the United States that I commonly hear this in rooms in DC where you'll hear advisors say, well, having any type of guardrails or ethical considerations for our AI systems is a problem if it means that China's going to do it anyway. And that creates this race to the bottom dynamic of do as much of whatever you can do regardless of the ethical and in some cases legal problems that will create. And I think that's been the dynamic that we've seen for some time. And of course the last 18 months to two years, we've seen that really extraordinary AI war happening internally in the United States where again, this race dynamic I think does create unfortunately this tendency to just go as fast as possible without thinking about potential downsides.(33:53):And I think we're seeing the legacy of that right now. And of course, a lot of the conversations from people designing these systems are now starting to say, look, being first is great, but we don't want to be in a situation as we saw recently with Google's Gemini where you have to pull an entire model off the shelves and you have to say, this is not ready. We actually have to remove it and start again. So this is the result I think of that high pressure, high speed dynamic that we've been seeing both inside the US but between the US and China. And of course, what that does to the rest of the world is create this kind of client states where we've got the EU trying to say, alright, well we'll export a regulatory model if we're not going to be treated as an equivalent player here. And then of course, so many other countries who are just seen as spaces to extract low paid labor or the mineralogical layer. So that is the big problem that I see is that that dynamic has only intensified in recent years.A.I. and MedicineEric Topol (34:54):Yeah, I know it's really another level of concern and it seems like it could be pretty volatile if for example, if the US China relations takes another dive and the tensions there go to levels that haven't been seen so far. I guess the other thing, there's so much that is I think controversial, unsettled in this space and so much excitement. I mean, just yesterday for example, was the first AI randomized trial to show that you could save lives. When I wrote that up, it was about the four other studies that showed how it wasn't working. Different studies of course, but there's so much excitement at the same time, there's deep concerns. You've been a master at articulating these deep concerns. What have we missed in our discussion today, I mean we've covered a lot of ground, but what do you see are other things that should be mentioned?Kate Crawford (36:04):Well, one of the things that I've loved in terms of following your work, Eric, is that you very carefully walk that line between allowing the excitement when we see really wonderful studies come out that say, look, there's great potential here, but also articulating concerns where you see them. So I think I'd love to hear, I mean take this opportunity to ask you a question and say what's exciting you about the way that this particularly new generation AI is being used in the medical context and what are the biggest concerns you have there?Eric Topol (36:35):Yeah, and it's interesting because the biggest advance so far in research and medicine was the study yesterday using deep learning without any transformer large language model effort. And that's where that multiplicative of opportunity or potential is still very iffy, it's wobbly. I mean, it needs much more refinement than where we are right now. It's exciting because it is multimodal and it brings in the ability to bring all the layers of a human being to understand our uniqueness and then do much better in terms of, I got a piece coming out soon in Science about medical forecasting and how we could really get to prevention of conditions that people are at high risk. I mean like for example today the US preventive task force said that all women age 40 should have mammograms, 40.Kate Crawford (37:30):I saw that.Eric Topol (37:30):Yeah, and this is just crazy Looney Tunes because here we have the potential to know pretty precisely who are those 12%, only 12% of women who would ever get breast cancer in their lifetime, and why should we put the other 88% through all this no less the fact that there are some women even younger than age 40 that have significantly high risk that are not picked up. But I do think eventually when we get these large language models to actualize their potential, we'll do really great forecasting and we'll be able to not just prevent or forestall cancer, Alzheimer's and so many things. It's quite exciting, but it's the earliest, we're not even at first base yet, but I think I can see our way to get there eventually. And it's interesting because the discussion I had previously with Geoffrey Hinton, and I wonder if you think this as well, that he sees the health medical space as the only really safe space. He thinks most everything else has got more concerns about the downsides is the sweet spot as he called it. But I know that's not particularly an area that you are into, but I wonder if you share that the excitement about your health could be improved in the future with AI.Kate Crawford (38:52):Well, I think it's a space of enormous potential, but again, enormous risk for the same reasons that we discussed earlier, which is we have to look at the training data and where it's coming from. Do we have truly representative sources of data? And this of course has been a consistent problem certainly for the last hundred years and longer. When we look at who are the medical patients whose data is being collected, are we seeing skews? And that has created all sorts of problems, particularly in the last 50 years in terms of misdiagnosing women, people of color, missing and not taking seriously the health complaints of people who are already seen as marginalized populations, thus then further skewing the data that is then used to train AI models. So this is something that we have to take very seriously, and I had the great fortune of being invited by Francis Collins to work with the NIH on their AI advisory board.(39:50):They produced a board to look just at these questions around how can this moment in AI be harnessed in such a way that we can think about the data layer, think about the quality of data and how we train models. And it was a really fascinating sort of year long discussion because in the room we had people who were just technologists who just wanted as much data as possible and just give us all that data and then we'll do something, but we'll figure it out later. Then there were people who had been part of the Human Genome Project and had worked with Francis on questions around the legal and ethical and social questions, which he had really centered in that project very early on. And they said, no, we have to learn these lessons. We have to learn that data comes from somewhere. It's not divorced of context, and we have to think about who's being represented there and also who's not being represented there because that will then be intensified in any model that we train on that data.Humans and Automation Bias(40:48):And then also thinking about what would happen in terms of if those models are only held by a few companies who can profit from them and not more publicly and widely shared. These were the sorts of conversations that I think at the absolute forefront in terms of how we're going to navigate this moment. But if we get that right, if we center those questions, then I think we have far greater potential here than we might imagine. But I'm also really cognizant of the fact that even if you have a perfect AI model, you are always going to have imperfect people applying it. And I'm sure you saw that same study that came out in JAMA back in December last year, which was looking at how AI bias, even slightly biased models can worsen human medical diagnosis. I don't know if you saw this study, but I thought it was really extraordinary.(41:38):It was sort of 450 doctors and physician's assistants and they were really being shown a handful of cases of patients with acute respiratory failure and they really needed come up with some sort of diagnosis and they were getting suggestions from an AI model. One model was trained very carefully with highly accurate data, and the other was a fairly shoddy, shall we say, AI model with quite biased data. And what was interesting is that the clinicians when they were working with very well-trained AI model, we're actually producing a better diagnosis across the board in terms of the cases they were looking at. I think their accuracy went up by almost 4.5 percentage points, but when they were working with the less accurate model, their capacity actually dropped well below their usual diagnostic baseline, something like almost 12 percentage points below their usual diagnostic quality. And so, this really makes me think of the kind of core problem that's been really studied for 40 years by social scientists, which is called automation bias, which is when even an expert, a technical system which is giving a recommendation, our tendency is to believe it and to discard our own knowledge, our own predictions, our own sense.(42:58):And it's been tested with fighter pilots, it's been tested with doctors, it's been tested with judges, and it's the same phenomenon across the board. So one of the things that we're going to need to do collectively, but particularly in the space of medicine and healthcare, is retaining that skepticism, retaining that ability to ask questions of where did this recommendation come from with this AI system and should I trust it? What was it trained on? Where did the data come from? What might those gaps be? Because we're going to need that skepticism if we're going to get through particularly this, as you say, this sort of early stage one period where in many cases these models just haven't had a lot of testing yet and people are going to tend to believe them out of the box.The Large Language Model Copyright IssueEric Topol (43:45):No, it's so true. And one of the key points is that almost every study that's been published in large language models in medicine are contrived. They're using patient actors or they're using case studies, but they're not in the real world. And that's where you have to really learn, as you know, that's a much more complex and messy world than the in silico world of course. Now, before wrapping up, one of the things that's controversial we didn't yet hit is the fact that in order for these base models to get trained, they basically ingest all human content. So they've ingested everything you've ever written, your books, your articles, my books, my articles, and you have the likes of the New York Times suing OpenAI, and soon it's going to run out of human content and just use synthetic content, I guess. But what's your sense about this? Do you feel that that's trespassing or is this another example of exploiting content and people, or is this really what has to be done in order to really make all this work?Kate Crawford (44:59):Well, isn't it a fascinating moment to see this mass grabbing of data, everything that is possibly extractable. I actually just recently published an article in Grey Room with the legal scholar, Jason Schultz, looking at how this is producing a crisis in copyright law because in many ways, copyright law just cannot contend with generative AI in particular because all of the ways in which copyright law and intellectual property more broadly has been understood, has been premised around human ideas of providing an incentive and thus a limited time monopoly based on really inspiring people to create more things. Well, this doesn't apply to algorithms, they don't respond to incentives in this way. The fact that, again, it's a longstanding tradition in copyright that we do not give copyright to non-human authors. So you might remember that there was a very famous monkey selfie case where a monkey had actually stepped on a camera and it had triggered a photograph of the monkey, and could this actually be a copyright image that could be given to the monkey?(46:12):Absolutely not, is what the court's decided. And the same has now happened, of course, for all generative AI systems. So right now, everything that you produce be that in GPT or in Midjourney or in Stable Diffusion, you name it, that does not have copyright protections. So we're in the biggest experiment of production after copyright in world history, and I don't think it's going to last very long. To be clear, I think we're going to start to see some real shifts, I think really in the next 6 to 12 months. But it has been this moment of seeing this gigantic gap in what our legal structures can do that they just haven't been able to contend with this moment. The same thing is true, I think, of ingestion, of this capturing of human content without consent. Clearly, many artists, many writers, many publishing houses like the New York Times are very concerned about this, but the difficulty that they're presented with is this idea of fair use, that you can collect large amounts of data if you are doing something with that, which is sufficiently transformative.(47:17):I'm really interested in the question of whether or not this does constitute sufficiently transformative uses. Certainly if you looked at the way that large language models a year ago, you could really prompt them into sharing their training data, spitting out entire New York Times articles or entire book chapters. That is no longer the case. All of the major companies building these systems have really safeguarded against that now but nonetheless, you have this question of should we be moving towards a system that is based on licensing, where we're really asking people if we can use their data and paying them a license fee? You can see how that could absolutely work and would address a lot of these concerns, but ultimately it will rely on this question of fair use. And I think with the current legal structures that we have in the current case law, that is unlikely to be seen as something that's actionable.(48:10):But I expect what we'll look at is what really happened in the early 20th century around the player piano, which was that I'm sure you remember this extraordinary technology of the player piano. That was one of the first systems that automated the playing of music and you'd have a piano that had a wax cylinder that almost like code had imprinted on a song or a piece of music, and it could be played in the public square or in a bar or in a saloon without having to pay a single artist and artists were terrified. They were furious, they were public hearings, there were sort of congressional hearings and even a Supreme Court case that decided that this was not a copyright infringement. This was a sufficiently transformative use of a piece of music that it could stand. And in the end, it was actually Congress that acted.(49:01):And we from that got the 1908 Copyright Act and from that we got this idea of royalties. And that has become the basis of the music industry itself for a very long time. And now we're facing another moment where I think we have a legislative challenge. How would you actually create a different paradigm for AI that would recognize a new licensing system that would reward artists, writers, musicians, all of the people whose work has been ingested into training data for AI so that they are recognized and in some ways, recompensed by this massive at scale extraction?Eric Topol (49:48):Wow, this has been an exhilarating conversation, Kate. I've learned so much from you over the years, but especially even just our chance to talk today. You articulate these problems so well, and I know you're working on solutions to almost everything, and you're so young, you could probably make a difference in the decades ahead. This is great, so I want to thank you not just for the chance to visit today, but all the work that you've been doing, you and your colleagues to make AI better, make it fulfill the great promise that it has. It is so extraordinary, and hopefully it'll deliver on some of the things that we have big unmet needs, so thanks to you. This has really been fun.Kate Crawford (50:35):This has been wonderful. And likewise, Eric, your work has just been a fantastic influence and I've been delighted to get to know you over the years and let's see what happens. It's going to be a wild ride from now to who knows when.Eric Topol (50:48):No question, but you'll keep us straight, I know that. Thank you so much.Kate Crawford (50:52):Thanks so much, Eric.*******************************Your support of subscribing to Ground Truths, and sharing it with your network of friends and colleagues, is much appreciated.The Ground Truths newsletters and podcasts are all free, open-access, without ads.Voluntary paid subscriptions all go to support Scripps Research. Many thanks for that—they greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for 2023 and 2024.Thanks to my producer Jessica Nguyen and Sinjun Balabanoff tor audio and video support at Scripps ResearchNote: you can select preferences to receive emails about newsletters, podcasts, or all I don't want to bother you with an email for content that you're not interested in.Comments for this post are welcome from all subscribers. Get full access to Ground Truths at erictopol.substack.com/subscribe

  How does Romance begin?  And what does it have to do with Baseball?  For one, don't you think that Romance is akin to a foreign language? I have been studying European Portuguese for over a year and it's the  most difficult language that I am mastering: My French is fine, Italian so-so, Spanish ok…  It is really difficult however, to hear this spoken language.  I believe that this need to understand the spoken language, is similar to understanding the language of ROMANCE.  Our teacher Liz Sharma is young and very funny. She uses movie clips, music and live interviews to teach us via zoom classes: @talkthestreets.  Liz Sharma Here is a clip of where the romance starts in this famous Portuguese film with Colin Firth  (Jamie) and Aurelia (Lúcia Moniz) LOVE ACTUALLY Where the Romance begins… does it begin with this scene where she dives into the lake to rescue Jamie's book as the wind caught the pages?   ..without her clothes on…https://youtu.be/DsugPaXH4kA?si=yxnX4IuwEjsxf-W0 Of course not… it started much sooner when you watch the entire film.. Point being that Romance is similar to learning a language or even baseball because of the nuances … you have to pay attention to the signals.. Just like baseball… bear with me… there are rules that are unwritten in our behavior. Now baseball. … while it's true that you can't break the rules to play fair… there are some players that do bend them a little . Check this out….Batters smacking the helmuts of the poor catchers!!  https://youtu.be/YnZAAf85xTo?si=ytiSR7pCA-Un0CgG Kundalini yoga - Prosperity and Protection  https://youtu.be/AxefrkDOOY8?feature=shared   WINE - have trouble navigating the wine store? a good wine store will have knowledgeable staff and won;t sell you swill Juan António Ponce "told me 2021 is one of those vintages when you realize in wine you never know everything... He thinks the 2021 Clos Lojen is the most complete vintage ever for this wine, wit... $12.99" Raats - Original Chenin Blanc 2019 (750ml). One of the greatest vintages ever   DISCOVER, You can find GLENELLY  and other delectable South African wines at STERLING CELLARS https://www.sterlingcellars.com/websearch_results.html?kw=South+Africa STERLING CELLARS is one of the few fine stores that has a temperature controlled fine wine and spirits “cellar. ADVENTURE, the baseball clip:  https://youtu.be/YnZAAf85xTo?si=ytiSR7pCA-Un0CgG GUIDANCE:   My Minicourse: Fear of Public Speaking: Virtual, PRIVATE Class,  One Lesson takes you from Ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY https://bit.ly/3TXbx5L Valerie@allinourminds.com @valeriehail56 merci          

This week on the SNL Hall of Fame podcast we welcome back to the show, the statistical guru of the Saturday Night Network, Mike Murray! He's here on the pod to discuss our third host in a row, this time it's Emma Stone. Get it wherever you get your podcasts. Transcript: Track 2:[0:42] Thank you so much, Doug DeNance. It is great to be back inside the SNL Hall of Fame with you all.Track 2:[0:51] Big kudos for you showing up this week. It's been a stormy week here in Toronto where the Hall of Fame is and our guest count has went down.But I'll tell you what, the floors are a mess. I don't know what kind of message I need to send to you, but wipe those feet, people.The SNL Hall of Fame podcast is a weekly affair where each episode we take a deep dive into the career of a former cast member, host, musical guest, or writer and add them to the ballot for your consideration.Once the nominees have been chosen, we turn to you, the listener, to vote for the most deserving and help determine who will be enshrined for perpetuity in the hall.That's how we play the game. It's just that simple.All you need to do is listen in for the argument that is being made by our special guest for the week and determine whether or not they make a strong enough case.From there, you'll get a ballot and you'll get to place your vote.If a candidate reaches 66.7% of the ballot, they are welcome to join us here in the SNL Hall of Fame.Did you know that if you're in the Hall of Fame, you get a pass that you can come in for free anytime you want, and we'll even provide you a bottle of water. So there's that.Track 2:[2:19] Let's track down my friend Matt for some trivia in Matt's minutiae minute.Let's see if I can find him here. I'll give him a holler.Track 3:[2:29] Matt how in the world are you doing this week i am good thank you i am good, busy busy but can't complain well you just did.Track 3:[2:42] Well stating a fact isn't necessarily complaining but yeah i was complaining.Track 3:[2:50] Well no one will be complaining about our nominee this week uh emma stone is who you're going to be be talking about learning me up real good here.What have you got for us this week, Matt?Emma Stone, height 5'6", born November 6th, 1988, making me feel very old again.She's accomplished much more in her shorter life than I have in my longer life.So I found out that her low voice stems from actually having colic as a baby that lasted six months.So I'm shocked that her parents didn't pull out all of their hair um it developed she developed nodules and calluses on her vocal cords which is how why she has such a distinctive voice she actually has a phobia of being lifted up or being high because uh when she was seven she was doing gymnastics on on the parallel bars and fell and broke both of her arms. Oh my gosh.Horrible. Yeah. Oh yeah. We need to have a warning at the top of this one, a trigger warning.Yeah. Trigger warning for anybody who's afraid of gymnastics.Yeah. She grew up blonde. Judd Aptow suggested for she go red for super bad.And she real, after doing that, she found that she was called back much more for auditions. So she just stayed a redhead.Track 3:[4:16] Originally named emily stone she changed to emma as there was already an actor named emily stone registered with sag and it happens amazingly a lot um a lot of actors uh go by three names or or a slightly different name um she actually prefers emily over emma so that's how she would would prefer to be called um but she took the name emma from a member of her favorite band the spice girls oh baby yeah she is she is a baby spice fan me too that was my favorite yeah there's actually pictures of her on the internet meeting them losing her mind like tears fanning out it's uh it's very endearing now she knew at an early age she wanted to be a film star and convinced her parents to move to Hollywood by putting together a PowerPoint presentation named Project Hollywood.She lists her heroes as Gilda Radner, Diane Keaton, and Marianne.Track 3:[5:22] Cotillard. But yeah, she's been dreaming of being on SNL since she was a kid.So having been a host multiple times now, she got that dream.Since that PowerPoint presentation, she went on to be an actress in 57 films, produced 11 films, and has four soundtrack credits.She has been in five Oscar-nominated films and herself has been nominated for four Oscars, five BAFTAs, seven Golden Globes, six SAG Awards, and many more.She is one of only eight actresses to win an Oscar for a musical, the others being Rita Moreno, Julie Andrews, Barbara Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Hudson, and Anne Hathaway.Before she initiated Project Hollywood, she was developing websites and learned HTML at the age of 14, launching her own webzine called Neptune, which pulled on her love of journalism.She dreams of being a Jeopardy contestant to this day, and she deleted her Facebook.Track 3:[6:26] Not because of harassment, which is a delightful change given the way the internet is, but because she was addicted to Farmville. Oh my gosh.She is a true nerd. She even got to turn her theater nerddom into real-life Broadway credentials, taking over for Michelle Williams as Sally Bowles from 2014 to 2015 in a Broadway production of Cabaret.So yeah, Emma Stone, honestly one of my favorite Hollywood stars.I'm looking forward to hearing all about her. She is a great host, but is she a Hall of Fame host?Track 3:[7:06] Let's take it down to Thomas now with Mike Murray.Track 4:[7:40] Alright, JD and Matt, thank you so much for that valuable information.You guys are, I'm telling you guys, you guys are kicking so much ass on Matt's Minutia Minute this year. It's been really enjoyable to listen to.Definitely appreciate that. So welcome to another edition of the SNL Hall of Fame. Welcome to our chat.Today's nominee is the one, the only five-timer, newly minted five-timer, Emma Stone.We're re-litigating or re-examining Emma Stone's case, her candidacy.She's been on the ballot since Season 1. So I'm excited to get into Emma Stone, get into her candidacy, why she may not already be in the SNL Hall of Fame.And to do that with me, to break down Emma Stone today, I have a great guest, a first-timer. I guess technically he's been on a roundtable, but he's first time for being a guest on an actual, like an episode, like a nominee episode.Track 4:[8:35] So please welcome from SNL by the numbers on the Saturday Night Network, I have Mike Murray joining me today. Mike, how's it going, man?Good, Thomas. Good to see you. Two nights in a row. You were on my pod just last night and we're doing this again.I'm so happy to be here with you. I love these home and homes and I had such a good time.So we recorded, I did SNL by the numbers after the Shane Gillis episode, which was such a fascinating episode going in.It ended up being a fascinating episode to talk about. I love being on your pod, man. We get to dissect numbers.We get to talk different facets of the episodes and the season in general.So I love when I get asked on your pod.It's always a good time. Oh, thanks. You're such a great guest.And if you haven't checked it out, it's just truly the sports talk radio of SNL. And so Thomas is a perfect guest for it.Perfect. Bill Kenney was also with us.So that's like quite the trio right there. That was a good time.Yeah, we could do our own weekly show, the three of us.Absolutely. No kidding. So yeah. So can you maybe elaborate like what's been going on in SNL by the numbers?How's just the pod going? Tell everybody about the pod a little bit.Track 4:[9:45] Sure. I mean, it's quite the passion project for me.I've been doing this since 2018, but since the SNN, the Saturday Night Network started up, I've been doing it, the stats weekly.So what I do is I record the screen time for every individual that appears on the show.Track 4:[10:04] I put that into what I call the SNL supercomputer and just have spreadsheets on spreadsheets and try to just dissect and i say demystify the show because it's been going on now 49 strong seasons or 49 seasons strong whatever way you want to put it and i just try to figure out what their process is and who is who is doing better than the other person and who's leading in every single category cold opens monologue sketches update everything like that and what i do is take pick every piece of data and put it into an algorithm. And I call it the power rankings.Track 4:[10:42] And so week to week on the show, Wednesdays, 8pm Eastern, following a live show, we've run down that episode and do an update on how everyone's performing that week.So it's called SNL by the numbers on the SNN.That's so awesome. You're catering to, I think, how so many fans watch SNL I think I don't know if it's a cliche at this point but I found I basically found my tribe a few years ago because I've always watched SNL like it's a sport like I follow baseball basketball football hockey and SNL like those are my sports so just to find someone who also follows it like a sport find a whole community that follows SNL like a sport then we now we have stats to go with that like that you're catering to not just me but so many people out there Mike And you would think that's such a niche group, but...Track 4:[11:35] Truly, it's a live sport. Anything can happen, and that's why I love it so much.Yeah, we have a wonderful community here of SNL nerds that just love your podcast. SNL by the numbers.Go check that out. Mike, I want to talk to you from the perspective.You're the stats guy, but I want to know a little bit about Mike Murray, the SNL fan.Track 4:[11:59] Let us know, what's your origin story of being an SNL fan? man.When did you start watching? Any particular cast that you love?Sure. I feel like a lot of SNL fans, it was passed down lineage-wise from my parents who were constantly quoting the show.And I had no idea what they were quoting. Chopping Broccoli, Wayne's World, all that kind of stuff.Track 4:[12:23] So I feel like I started watching in the early 2000s.My earliest memory was actually a vhs tape that my dad had because he was a huge aerosmith fan and he was actually in an aerosmith tribute band and a friend of his who recorded snl like weekly on vhs he took his tape and copied it because aerosmith was in that wayne's world sketch and so i had had that episode so i watched that episode in the vcr and just really got into the the show and was just fascinated by the fact that it changes every season so it wasn't like this kind of serialized thing where you had to catch up on it you could just pop in and watch it and so probably the first cast was like the that i really watched week to week was like the fallon and um maya rachel like that era and i've watched it ever since my high school cast was was the Sudeikis-Sandberg-Wig era, which is, I think, a golden age.And now it's literally an obsession and a full-time job.Yeah, that's similar to a lot of our origin stories. You're exactly right.Then keeping the stats, how did that develop?Track 4:[13:40] That just came from a fascination of that ever-changing, ever-growing cast.So I used to just pen and paper when I saw someone just tally it.I've heard other people have done that too.And then I was thinking, I'm so into stats, so into sports.And like you mentioned, Thomas, that it does feel like that competitive edge to it that even if cast members don't want to admit it, it really is vying for screen time.So i thought like well what would it look like if i timed it so at first it was very elementary very rudimentary just counting and i would memorize the cast every year and all time, and then i just started going like well how do i how do i parlay this into something interesting that's just not raw data so i went from there and took the appearances and the screen time and try how to just meld them together so that's kind of how it all started to be and then with the podcast and then with a lot of fan interaction from the great community it just really snowballed yeah, you and you've so you've obviously watched a lot of snl you've seen a lot of great hosts the one that you mentioned the aerosmith i believe tom hanks was the host right siblings siblings yeah so tom hanks was in that wayne's world sketch yeah so you've seen a lot of great hosts in your your day.So what do you look for in a great SNL host, Mike?Track 4:[15:04] It's such a great question because I think that there's so many qualities that make a good host and not a lot of them, even the greats, can possibly possess all of them.But number one, elevate the material.They're at the mercy of the writer's room. So you're not always going to get the greatest host to have the best material and vice versa you could have a not so great host and great material so that's number one and then i would say bring something to the show that i can't just get from cast number x so some edge that they can bring that oh i'm glad the host wasn't doing that was doing that and not just kate mckinnon or will ferrell or somebody who's like the star of the show and then something that's important and we're talking about emma stone tonight is just at least important to me as a super fan is have a reverence or understanding of the show and like when the host doesn't just play themselves but bring some of their personality with it too yeah I love that and we will see that's a theme with Emma.Track 4:[16:10] Right off the bat, we know that she's a big fan of the show.She does revere the show.She grew up watching the show. So right away, we as fans, it's endearing for us to see someone like Emma Stone on screen.So I think those are all great things to look for in a great SNL host.Track 4:[16:29] So today we're re-examining Emma Stone's candidacy because she's been on the ballot since season one.And her voting track record it's kind of interesting to me uh season one 10.3 percent of the vote and season two emma got 11.7 percent up in season three to 15.5 percent then we saw quite the jump last season season four 32 percent of the vote so we've seen her climb a little bit so she's making some progress but i'm curious like why do you think emma has maybe slipped through the cracks a little bit in terms of her place among other great snl hosts well first of all i don't think there is a female host in the hall of fame yet so i'm hoping that that gives her a little bit of an edge candace bergen still waiting yep and i was on the round table talking about candace uh with you recently so i think maybe the recency might play against her at the the moment because thinking about your show and how many titans of snl have to get in so maybe a more recent host is like well they'll get their time so now that she's been on the ballot for four years i think people are starting to realize like we don't want to miss our chance and we got to get emma in there yeah do you think that uh that jump from 15.5 percent in season three to 32 percent in season four.Track 4:[17:57] I mean that that vote happened almost right after.Track 4:[18:00] She hosted for a fifth time do you think that jump can be credited attributed to maybe like her hosting like like she was maybe.Track 4:[18:09] Fresh in people's mind so like that was recency bias like that possibly worked for her in a weird way oh 100 because there's no greater honor for a host than to be in the five-timers club and get to get that jacket, so once you hit that threshold, that 3,000 hits or that many wins, whatever sport you want to call it, touchdown record.So you have that resume.I almost feel like it's not a prerequisite.Track 4:[18:39] If you're in the five-timers club, there's an argument to be made.Yeah, I think so. I think you're right. It does solidify a host.I wouldn't say it's arbitrary, but it is. I think I love that we do watch this like sports.Track 4:[18:53] So if you think of 3,000 hits, that's a little arbitrary.What's the difference between that and 2,999 hits, right?Track 4:[19:03] Not too much, but it's that visual. it's that like it's something that's tangible that you can point to and say that's like the line and at snl we've decided a five-timer that that's kind of the.Track 4:[19:15] The line where where you start getting a lot of recognition so yeah i could see uh that jump being attributed to that uh for sure and she's definitely a host that deserved it's like her five-timer that was inevitable that was and only 24 members so we're not talking about right you're right a long list that everyone one makes it into eventually yeah you got to stay relevant for a long time and be a friend of the show and perform to even get that opportunity at three four let alone five so she's just just this past december became the 24th member of that club and only the and uh only the sixth woman to join the club yeah that that's a that's a good point so it is like an exclusive club like the 3000 hit club yeah 500 home runs and things like that so emma's first episode was october 23rd 2010 that was in season 36 early on in season 36 emma stone a first timer she had already been in some stuff she was in super bad uh she was out um promoting things her career had had jump started probably two or three years uh of being relevant uh in hollywood uh around that time so her first episode Mike I want to throw it to you like what do you want to start with as far as what stuck out in Emma's first hosting gig.Track 4:[20:34] Well, first of all, Superbad, one of my favorite films, and the first R-rated movie I ever saw in theaters.Really? I have a special place for Superbad and Emma for that reason.So yeah, October 2010, two weeks before she turned 22.So she was a young host, 35th youngest host all time, 23rd youngest female host all time.And that's to this date, not even just back in 2010. and that episode you know if you watch it now you see the makings of a great host but she really played the straight role or a secondary character in a lot of those sketches but it's something about emma stone when she's so facially expressive and is a great team player and like we mentioned reveres the show and just i think understands what any type of role she she could do um we We mentioned Superbad, so that monologue, Taron Killam, Bobby Moynihan playing Michael Cera and Jonah Hill was great.And then she was in a digital short, the I Broke My Arm, which I forgot all about until I rewatched.And then, of course, I have to mention, which is like, I feel like a pivotal moment in my, I was 2010, so I'm a senior in high school, and something about the Le Jeune de Paris just really got me because it felt like an old-school SNL sketch.Track 4:[21:58] It's not in English, first of all, and there's very little dialogue.So it's all these sight gags and a lot of movement because they're dancing, and her and Taryn just had this great chemistry.So that's the one that if I had to mention anything from the first show, it's definitely Lejeune de Perry. Excusez-moi, mademoiselle.Vous voulez jeter ça à la presse et moi?Track 4:[22:23] That was a great one.That was probably the first thing she did on the show, to me, too, that really stood out.And you're right, I never thought about it. But now that I'm thinking about how something like that could fit in other eras, I could see Mike Myers and Jan Hooks playing those roles or something like that.Yeah, this would go well in any era. And I think Emma really brought fun energy to this. And she really matched Taryn Killam the entire way with the dancing, with her French accent.My French teacher wife, I've shown her this sketch and she's like, those are pretty good accents.She laughed because Taryn just kept talking about grapefruits at the beginning of the pamplemousse. That's a fun word to say.Grapefruit. And so my French teacher wife was laughing. She's like, yeah.She's like, Emma actually has a pretty good accent in this. So like bonus points.But it seemed like, yeah, Emma's just really having a lot of fun, playing really well at the cast.I think, Mike, you're right. A sketch like this really showed that this was a host that loves the show and really came to play.Track 4:[23:30] Absolutely. And just if you're going to see an episode with Emma, where she is, like I mentioned, just kind of on the team, just on the bench, ready to do anything.It's that because when she had her moments, she sees them completely.And I mentioned that digital short.And, you know, she had some minor parts. She played, did an impression of Lindsay Lohan on The View and was with Nassim Pedrad's My Brother's Bedroom talk show, did a 10 to 1 with Keenan. And so a lot of them were just kind of that second role.Actually, her first appearance, she post monologue was just completely playing straight for like the dream home makeover.Hello. Yes, I'm looking for Miss Lita Mill Douglas. I'm her.Well, we are here to say that you have won Dream House Extremes $2 million homemaker. You won. You're on TV.Track 4:[24:31] Wow okay wow okay wow yeah and kristin wig is you know chewing scenery and being kristin and emma just had to be very deadpan and so for her to go with that then to the digital short and then to have this like high energy dance number it's like what you know this for a first time you know debut on snl like really kind of covered a lot of ground yeah it's it's interesting too because I think there's almost a catch-22 or weird thing that happens sometimes when you have a really good host especially like a really good first-time host is that they're so willing to play with the cast and there's they understand sketch comedy so well that they don't always have to be front and center so someone like Emma Stone understands the comedy behind this she loves the the show.So she's willing to play the straight person or willing to, to be part of the ensemble or side character.And then it might seem on the surface, like she didn't contribute to the show, but she did in a way that somebody who loves the show and who's a good sketch performer would contribute to the show.Like they didn't have to tailor the whole episode around Emma Stone.Is that something you picked up on here?Track 4:[25:45] Oh, absolutely. Because it's sometimes, I mean, SNL fans appreciate a utility player, more than maybe the casual who wants to see a celebrity in like a funny wig and costume doing an accent or something like that, because it's more of a easier laugh.So I like what you said about how that it's more of a contributing to the entire sketch rather than being the spotlight on you.And of course, we're going to see plenty more of that in our next four shows.Yeah, that seems to be a theme of her hosting gigs. There was one sketch in this first episode in particular where I thought that maybe I wish Emma had more to do in this in this bizarre sketch in particular.And it was that sex ed, the sex ed Vincent sex symposium sketch with Paul Britton.Like that was a great Paul Britton showcase.And Emma had a little bit to do. Day three is devoted to fantasy roleplay scenarios, including sexy hospital, sexy insurance scam and sexy robbery. So on the floor, lady.Oh, great. Well, do whatever you want with me. Just don't shoot my brains out.See, now what's she going to do? She starts thinking to herself, what are you going to do?We could polish that apple between our butt cheeks.Without letting it hit the floor? Yeah, I don't know. Is that kinky or is that weird? You tell me, is it? Who's to say? Exactly.Track 4:[27:04] Who's to say? But I think that's something where Emma and Paul Britton could have teamed up and really made it this weird thing that Emma could have contributed to it more.So that's an example of something to where maybe I thought Emma was underutilized.Even though she does know her role in a lot of these sketches, I really think that she could have even been used a little more effectively.That sketch in particular sticks out to me.Yeah, I mean, it's what we remember Paul Britton for, if at all, is sex ed. And that was a pre-tape heavy first episode that she had.And yeah, just was kind of, if you don't remember that sketch, she just played this role play burglar.Track 4:[27:52] That was kind of it so it was really only a few seconds or maybe like 40 seconds of screen time in that yeah so maybe not an all-timer of an episode uh on the surface but to me emma really stood out as someone who clearly loved the show she was excited to take part in whatever goofy thing they threw her away and mike it was easy to see to me why they wanted to have her back like this was the first time host and i know what you see in first time hosts but i think us as SNL fans we know it when we see it as far as like oh yeah this person needs to come back this we're in the middle of season 49 and I think uh Io she was a great host first I was just thinking of Io yeah exactly same energy where it just was again on on the team just game for anything and that's all you can ask because I mean think about SNL it's very established institution very talented talented people.Track 4:[28:51] You got Lorne running the ship and you bring in massive egos constantly.So to have a young, almost 22 Emma Stone or just a few weeks ago, Iowa Debris coming in and they're still young and trying to prove themselves.So they weren't doing maybe the biggest things, but we're just down to have a funny show and have a quality show.Yeah i have a feeling if iowa debory comes back and hosts again it's gonna be a better show i think she's gonna have more to do just like uh for sure we saw we saw emma having a little more to do so it didn't take emma long to come back obviously the show was excited to have her back so season 37 a year later emma stone's back in november of 2011 i think a lot more to do a lot more Emma Stone featurey type of things.They did a Le Jeune de Paris part two. What did you think of that?First of all, what did you think of the that they brought this sketch back?Track 4:[29:53] Well, it's one of the biggest compliments you can get is a sketch was so successful or at least popular enough with the fan base to inspire a second coming of it.You know, they did do it again with other hosts.But when I think of that sketch, I think of only Emma. I think they did with Miley as well.But they did that and a year later did it again.Track 4:[30:15] So I think seeing that a second time just kind of solidifies it in my memory.But I still always imagine that first song that they played in the original one.Oh, no. Yeah. The first song to me is like the song and canon of these sketches.I've put that song on playlists before.It's a good song. You know, it got me to delve more into French pop.That and was it Moonlight Kingdom, the movie by Wes Anderson?Yep. Those two things kind of made me delve more into French pop.Pop so uh so les jeunes de paris did that i like that this wasn't just a rehash of the first one too like they built on the last one created a whole narrative like you mentioned with a different song but like the characters emma and taryn's characters they were getting married a bunch of french things appeared on yeah they really went head first into uh fred armisen being like napoleon napoleon yeah andy sandberg coming in at the button as like quasimodo they just threw the the kitchen sink of all French things that Americans would think of.The damn Tour de France went through the set. Yeah.Track 4:[31:25] Literally, yep. Gosh, yeah, that was great. So I think that was a successful part two, La Jeune de Paris.She has her own recurring sketch. And even though Taryn did this with other people, I think I associate this sketch with Emma and Taryn more so.There was a, and this is, you know, as we go along, we'll get into more Emma-focused things.And I think this, what I'm about to talk about is an example of something Emma-focused.And it was a very weird character named Wallace.At the bridal shower. I had almost, sometimes this sketch slips through the cracks, but it's really, to me it shows Emma being willing to play weird.She's going to throw on an ugly wig, kind of play this very bizarre, weird, socially inept character.She doesn't need to be, you know, look great in the sketch and be front and center, and she doesn't mind.She's like the type of host that doesn't mind getting weird.And this bridal shower gift sketch is like a great example to me.All right, okay, next one.Feels like another video.Twink Summer.Track 4:[32:37] Gay boy toys from all around the world. Get it? It's a sex movie.It's like hers. Okay, I think I did wrong again.What's the movie? I don't understand. Oh, no, it's nothing, Mom.Is twinks summer, ma'am? It's 90 minutes, 100 twinks, one unforgettable summer.Wallace, Wallace, Wallace.Yeah, that's my big highlight from Emma episode two was Wallace because I think that's where her SNL star was born, was in that sketch.And just leaning into character work and like you said, not trying to just be...The you know young attractive actress but like no i'm down for anything like make me as like weird and awkward and creepy as possible because it really was just an all-female ensemble.Track 4:[33:29] Bridal shower and you know she's giving the the lubricant and the bringing in fred harmison as this like you know really weird prostitute and just that was definitely the um, the sign of things to come was that sketch.So I'm glad you mentioned that because I wouldn't have let you go past this episode without mentioning Wallace.Oh, no, it was great. Wallace is great, and she's not understanding the vibe of the party.Track 4:[33:57] And she's maybe feeling embarrassed, but she still wants to contribute in the way that she had planned.Track 4:[34:03] But still has some heart to it, some likability.Track 4:[34:08] Yeah, right. And even some, like, a little bit of relatability, a little fish out of water, just like somebody who doesn't really get the vibe trying to fit in maybe a little bit like alan in the hangover like just that's true he's like i'm i know i'm happy to be here but i don't know the rules that's a really good comparison to alan in the hangover i like that so yeah so we've seen especially gosh season 49 that's been uh there's been a handful of them it seems like that uh snl can rely on the host is hot types of motifs and sketches uh as we're recording this sydney sweeney's episode is coming up so i'm kind of crossed my fingers and hoping that they're not leaning into that with her too much but i'm glad that emma is not leaning into that especially right here yeah i mean we saw that with the jacob belordi and you know jason momoa taking his shirt off and you know it's fine once in a while but don't base the episode around it but you know we we don't want to see emma stone you know on a a poster being hot you know it's not what we want to see right yeah right yeah she's she could play hot she could play weird that's why she's like such a great versatile host so um is there anything else from um episode number two that um maybe stood out to you well maybe i and i think this is maybe a running thread that we'll get to but all of her monologues are like super strong and And very fun, well-paced.Track 4:[35:35] And so this was, she's promoting the amazing Spider-Man.Track 4:[35:38] And Andy Samberg comes down from the ceiling as Spider-Man, auditioning for the role, which of course was already cast with Andrew Garfield, who then pops into it.But it was just kind of a moment where she really vibed with that era of the cast, of the show with that cast. And so we're going to see, you know, go forward till just a few months ago with this era.But seeing Emma Stone and Andy Samberg felt very like this works.Track 4:[36:12] I love when SNL calls back older SNL stuff, but he was basically doing Horatio that did this, I think, with Kirsten Dunst. Yeah, and they referenced that.Are you trying to remake this monologue? And Andy Samberg says, well, aren't you just remaking that same movie? Yeah, touche. Yes.Track 4:[36:35] She comes off as very likable in the monologues. again uh that first monologue we she said right away that like this is a dream come true she was a fan growing up so i think monologue is really important for a host and you're right she showed out well in this monologue uh definitely uh speaking of andy this isn't a highlight for me but just a little tidbit is that emma and it's not her fault but she probably has the privilege of being in maybe the worst lonely island digital digital short of all time i wish wish it would rain oh gosh that's like an infant i think that's an infamous lonely island, it's pretty bad and i love lonely on their snl hall of famers but emma to no fault of her own was in a memorably bad lonely island unless you love this one mike no i i i wasn't gonna mention it yeah it's uh one of the one of the few because lonely island uh for better or worse has no no trouble letting you know exactly what the joke is.And with that one, we did not know what the joke was. Oh, my God.Yeah, you're just watching. Where is all this coming from?And Emma plays a character with just like an abnormally big butt.It was just, yeah, it was very weird.Track 4:[37:50] Again, not Emma's fault, but it is a distinction that she has coming from this episode.But she's right. She plays well with the cast.And we will see that going forward with different eras of the cast. Andy in the monologue.She took part in a Kristen Wiig showcase, the secret word sketch, which truth be told, I didn't always love these sketches.But Emma in this particular one made it entertaining for me.Back over to charlene's team i'm gonna give a receipt actually lyle i'm gonna let my friend mr pickles give the clues since he was such good luck to me during my talent portion of miss america right mr pickles right miss charlene he's british.Track 4:[38:39] This is good fun 10 seconds on the clock the secret word is cloud okay go ahead mr pickles Because, okay, this is why it floats in the sky. A plane?Track 4:[38:54] No, it's Poppy and I. So she took a sketch, a recurring sketch that I was never, I always had mixed feelings and usually negative feelings about.And Emma made the secret word sketch watchable to me. She played Miss America from Georgia.And she did some really weird ventriloquist stuff during the secret word.So she actually made a recurring sketch that I don't love, like entertaining.And that's a mark of a good host for me.And I think SNL might use recurring sketches where the host is secondary as kind of a crutch for a weaker host.So I'm glad you mentioned that. She really made the sketch better because especially that's not a sketch that you are too fond of.Because they also did Herb Welch with Bill Hader, which I do love.I do, yeah. And so they put her in that as well.And she she was great and uh my last thing for that episode was they did a like office sketch with um listening to someone like you by adele yes where i mentioned that emma is so great like facial acting and it was a lot of just react you know cuts to reactions of the women and then like you know the men come in they show bobby outside as the window washer everyone just sobbing to someone like you so it's what just a classic snl sketch of like here's the joke we're gonna do it it again, but we're trying to escalate it every time.Emma's so good at ugly crying in that sketch, just like everybody else.Track 4:[40:21] One more weird one. This was a pretty good episode, and I think Emma had a lot to do with it.Again, with Andy, we're going to make technology hump.I've always had a soft spot for this sketch.He did it with Zooey Deschanel was in another rendition of this sketch at one point, too. But.Track 4:[40:42] Emma played this perfectly as just this really enthusiastic, upbeat person presenting this weird material.But it's not weird to she or Andy. They're just like, hey, we're just going to make technology hump.And I love when they got listener feedback or viewer feedback.Hey, we've got some viewer email. Ryan from Sacramento says, we don't want your dumbass soap opera scene.Just show clean, close-up shots of tech humping. call me a hopeless romantic but this lady needs a little dialogue before the action i hear that line was perfect and that's a sketch that i might not pull up and show a friend who doesn't not familiar with snl and when i re-watched that one that like really brought me back in time because i don't think i had seen it since it aired live it's the last piece of the night exactly and when i watched it i was like wow i remember watching this at you know 12 53 a.m um back in 2011 and that sketch with another host might have been too weird and inappropriate but like you said andy and emma were selling it like no this is fine this is okay so jason sudeikis as an xbox controller you know it worked yeah it definitely worked there was a digital camera involved and then at a certain point like the zoom went out and it was very creative way to make these these pieces of technology. Props to the props. Yeah, absolutely.Track 4:[42:10] And yeah, Zooey Deschanel was in one of these. And I think Emma probably sold it a little better than Zooey, to her credit.So this is always one perfect 10 to 1 type of thing that Emma was just totally up for. A very weird thing that Emma was up for.So I feel like Emma, you know, we saw in this second episode, somewhat confined to the era with being in some recurring sketches, an unfortunate digital short.But she's a great host and I think that that shines through again so we're like two for two as far as Emma just showing us like what a what a fun presence she is on SNL absolutely I mean I'm sure at the end of this episode I might have to make a big case but it's again it's somebody who gets the show shows up and performs so two for two in my opinion I agree yeah absolutely and then it took Took her a few years, like about five years before she was back in December of 2016.Track 4:[43:08] Season 42, which I think history is going to look at.Season 42 is a great season of SNL. Just a lot of really, really great episodes.Some great hosts that season. Emma really stood out. This was a fun thing.And Emma, so we had mentioned good monologues. And it must have been a thrill for her as a fan. She got to do a backstage monologue.Track 4:[43:33] In this episode i love backstage monologues me too they're my favorite that's the monologue to to mention because and that was when you saw especially with some time had passed so like thomas said you know she hosted the first time she's not even 22 yet she comes back a year later and then in the meantime as a dramatic actress is like doing great things so when she comes back it feels definitely like this is a celebrity now this is not just a young up-and-comer and so for her to she mentions that snl was like my high school and it's funny because she went to high school with ad bryant albeit for a short time um in phoenix uh because she um emma's from scottsdale and uh her and ad bryant are on the same age and went to the same high school together ad bryant makes a joke like what uh emma you know you went off and did acting and went to hollywood and emma says well what have you been up there he's like well i just i did high school yeah So I love that.You see the classic backstage SNL and all the things we love to see.And I just love that. And we see Leslie and Kyle making out and Keenan smoking backstage.Track 4:[44:50] There's a monologue to watch of Emma. It's that one. And that was very much of like, okay, Emma Stone is now in the club of SNL for sure.There's no doubt anymore so if she never came back there's still an argument that she has made her footprint on the show but of course we saw more later yeah fantastic monologue good bit with rekindling her fling with bobby moynihan good callback they treated it like a dramatic like high school sort of movie that was great uh bobby wearing a snl letterman right yeah bobby's this this like too cool for school, jock with a letterman jacket that that breakfast club don't you forget about me exactly yeah, Yeah, great monologue. I urge people to go check it out. First sketch after the monologue, this theater showcase.I love these theater showcase sketches.And Emma, she played such a great, well-meaning, but misguided high school theater student.That's what these sketches are about. And Emma, along with the entire cast, this is a fun ensemble piece with Emma and I think probably Kate.But pretty much Emma leading the way.Man, I love these. And Emma was so good at this.Track 4:[46:14] And scene. Excuse me, ma'am. Could you understand that? Uh, no.Is it because we were speaking Mandarin? Yes. And you only know English? Yes.Sad.That the theater showcase and they did a few of them i think this might have been the last one they did is the most emblematic of that era so i don't meet many snl fans who like don't like this era but this is one that if you're into this sketch you're probably into that era and emma stone for sure was like one of the guys because at the end of the day they're all a bunch of like like, theater nerds living out their dream.So we get to see them playing younger versions of themselves, being, like, social justice warriors and doing...Track 4:[47:09] Theater showcase and i loved like the the transitions with the prop movement and that music and just the bewildered crowd yeah just perfect yeah vanette was it vanessa was this one vanessa and keenan and yeah it was vanessa and keenan in the crowd just uh perfect the show was dedicated to um the the native americans at standing rock let's get them the pipeline that they want want i love that i just every beat to this sketch is just fantastic or they all kiss and they say black lives matter and they say i i think they just wanted a reason yes that was their black lives matter scene yeah yeah the this is one of a really great recurring sketch that i think you're right snl fans uh love i think sometimes it gets forgotten but you re-watch and okay these are really great and emma just did a great job um with leading this uh and i'll mention that that they did i think have a lot of musical theater moments in this era that didn't hit and so this one did for me a lot so yeah they could bring the sketch sketch back next week and i'd be like super pumped to see it again absolutely they should snl 50 this would be like a good Good type of scene maybe for SNL 50. I don't know.Yeah. And just because it's all just vignettes. Exactly. Exactly.Is there anything else in this episode, like something else that hit for you?Track 4:[48:36] Well, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention what I was calling forward to, which is the poster sketch, which is Emma's most prolific character.She did Chrissy Knox in her third, fourth, and fifth episode.So I have to shout it out now because usually the first iteration is the best.So Emma Stone being on Pete Davidson's wall as a poster, talking about her fat, shiny hot dog was really, I think, a big moment in her SNL career because it did launch that character.Yeah, but algebra's crazy, though. Solve for X? X is a freaking letter.It's a variable. X is what you don't know.Yeah, so if I eat this entire fat, gross hot dog and mustard plops all over my shirt, what does X equal?What? That's not a math problem. Yeah.Track 4:[49:35] A host having a recurring character, a recurring sketch, is like a good feather in the cap.We saw what Tom Hanks had, a few of them. He had Mr. Short-Term Memory.He had the comedians, I think, that he did, who talked basically like Jerry Seinfeld.He had that. Alec Baldwin had Tony Bennett.He had some stuff like that. so I think you know it's a feather in the cap for a host to have recurring sketch recurring character Chrissy Knox here with the poster one uh the voice that she uses might be a little much for me sometimes like I think maybe she could have toned it down a little bit and I might have enjoyed it better but I do I do think the premise is solid and it just seems like Emma is just committing to it super well and having a lot of fun.This is something that she's just willing to do.I could just tell that she loves being on SNL and it shines through in the poster sketches.Track 4:[50:38] I think that's what's likable about it, too, is that Emma Stone, especially at this point in her career, was a well-respected actress.And this was in 2016. So we're right a few months before she wins her first Oscar for La La Land.And we never saw her play these very one-dimensional roles.So I think she, like you said, was just having a blast being this character and just leaning into it like super hard yeah when we of course again yeah this is the the first of of three consecutive poster sketches that she would do in her episodes and one of my small complaints i just want a little nitpick i guess of some of emma's episodes is that maybe the writers in the show don't quite utilize her but there's a writer that utilized her in a couple of sketches the The first one being in this episode, Julio Torres utilized Emma Stone perfectly.Julio, a candidate in SNL Hall of Fame candidate for this season. Absolutely.Great rider. He utilized Emma so well.Wells for Boys is in this episode. Classic error from this sketch, Mike. I'm sure that you enjoyed this sketch.Track 4:[51:56] So much. It's a sketch I could watch every month and still enjoy.And again, it was a premise pre-tape. It wasn't a character pre-tape.But Emma Stone has a moment where she just yells at this child.That thing's weird. I don't get it. That's because it's not for you.Because you have everything.Track 4:[52:17] Everything is for you. And this one thing is for him.Wells for Boys by Fisher Price. And just really just completely takes the level down to this little boy, just to really just chew him out as off in the background.Track 4:[52:35] There's the young sad boy at the well.So Wells for Boys should be definitely top 10 maybe of that era.And Julio Torres is just, that's his style all the way.Track 4:[52:48] And so Emma Stone is just a great pre-tape actress for SNL. and that was a good example of it.I'm sure Julio was excited that he had this idea.He and his writing partner, Jeremy, had this idea for Wells for Boys and I'm sure they were excited to have a great host like Emma to carry something like this.They didn't have to rely on a cast member and perhaps maybe the host wasn't even in the sketch or they shoehorned the host in to do something else and had a cast member play the lead.They had Emma and this was this was perfect she had like such a great understanding of playing like the protective mom the understanding mom all of that so I bet you know Julio I don't know if he saved it for the right host or if it was just his luck that Emma was was hosting that week but it but she couldn't there couldn't have been a better host probably you know a great host could could do something like this she did julio's writing justice i think yeah well said perfect is there anything else from from this episode there was some like here and there i think we hit probably the main things yeah i mean i'll give a slight shout out to the nativity sketch she plays mary and uh that's a sketch that on rewatch wasn't very memorable the first time seeing it you know know eight years ago but i i i enjoyed more the second time of just being the frustrated.Track 4:[54:15] Virgin mary with all the people coming into the stable and that was a good uh good ending sketch for that episode yeah not much to say other than that but yeah that closed out the night emma got to play weird she got to put on like a weird eastern european accent uh in the the cleaning crew she and leslie and cecily got to play this cleaning crew in an office that sang like this this inappropriate song about Santa.Track 4:[54:56] Um, that was, uh, something.It was, uh, okay or bad and you hate it. Your face looks confused.You know who is Santa, right?That was Emma being able to play weird, kind of like Wallace, probably not as good of a sketch, but she still got to, like, throw herself into, like, a weird character and a weird premise.That stuck out to me just because I liked Emma's performance.Yeah, and it was Christmas Candles was in that one, which is very like you know she could have been could have been a maya rudolph kind of role that she did and that was in a pre-tape earlier in the night too yeah a good ensemble priest piece that pre-tape and that's one thing snl did well in that era they did these slice of life relatable kind of pre-tapes like the um do it in my twin bed uh it was kind of something like a similar uh ish vibe so yeah that was her third episode i think uh uh she showed out well for herself uh that was season 42 we see her back um a little over two years later in season 44 this is april of 2019 and i know there's one honestly like one super super classic sketch in this episode pretty endearing monologue i think like where should we start with her fourth episode.Track 4:[56:12] Let's just start with the monologue because and you know we did i don't know if we're going to to mention cameos but in the meantime you know she had played rosanna rosanna dana in the snl 40 and now here she is in her monologue talk she mentions you know invokes the great gilda radner she said it became a huge dream to even be near this place so now here she is hosting for the fourth time and so like you said just very endearing again that reverence for the show like somebody that could win more oscars than meryl streep and be asked to host and be like Like, I'm so lucky to be here.And so she had family there. She mentioned, kind of like I mentioned at the top of the show, just this kind of lineage of my grandparents showing my parents and my parents showing me this show.And her love of Gilda Radner was, like, very genuine.You know, it's not like it was written for her. Like, it's a real thing.And clearly, you know, playing the iconic character on SNL 40 and being a friend of the show for that long.So, you know, got to start there. there yeah it's a funny funny premise too of like you know she they're hinting at like the the five timers club.Track 4:[57:22] She's thinking maybe the cast is going to plan something special for her.So it has all these fun beats about Kate and Kenan. They sing a song to the tune of No Woman, No Cry.Oh, Emma, She Hosts. Yeah.Aidy gives Emma a silver bracelet from her wrist. They trot out Melissa to do a string of impressions.Track 4:[57:44] Kyle, and Emma's super excited that Kyle's here. It makes her all night.Yeah, great Kyle Mooney moment.Oh, wonderful. Wonderful. Yeah, Kyle Mooney is going to be just like an interesting, I'm wanting to at some point maybe do a Kyle episode because I think he did more on the show than just as a little sidebar.I think Kyle did more on the show than we even realize. And joking or not, it's fun to see Emma so excited about Kyle being there.Yeah, this is following Kyle Mooney being brought in as a surrogate for Melissa to do an Oprah impression.Yes. Yeah, exactly. Melissa's like, I don't have an Oprah.Track 4:[58:20] Oh let's bring in kyle so fun monologue uh a wink wink to like snl history you're right she talks about her love of gilda there was an easter egg at the end of her first hosting stint there was a bumper card that had emma as rosanna rosanna dana at the end of that show so this was years before she played rosanna rosanna dana on snl 40 which makes me think that was by request almost i think so no i think emma was like i think i could do this and i would love to pay tribute to gilda and they already had like a visual of her dressed as rosanna rosanna dana for this just bumper card or whatever at the end of her first episode that was a little easter egg that i saw like re-watching these episodes yeah and i had mentioned that julio torres was a great writer and emma was able to see the vision of julio's writing and she was just a perfect person to be cast in Julio's sketches.So in this one, we have the actress, which I think, as much as I love Wells for Boys...Track 4:[59:23] The actress, gosh, Mike, this might be the best thing Emma's done on SNL.It's like a wonderful showcase of her talents.It's number one. I mean, it has to be. It's something that, like I mentioned, if you had to show somebody something, this would be it.It's so well done. There's not a second wasted in this sketch.There's not a joke that falls flat or an extra cut to somebody else.There's just no wasted space.Track 4:[59:50] Everything is perfectly paced. and I can't think of any host in the history of the show that would have been better at this sketch than Emma Stone was.And it was at the end of the night.So this is season 44, her fourth time hosting, nothing really to prove other than she's a good host and she's back and just goes full throttle, 10 out of 10 as Deirdre, the woman who gets cheated on in the gay porn. That was her role.Track 4:[1:00:18] And to be an Oscar winning actress at this point and being an actress playing a bad actress and just diving deep into the role and the props that you know the one ug boot and the new year's eve glasses it just everything about that sketch is perfect it's it has to be one of my favorite of all time just period yeah emma's really selling like the self-seriousness of her deirdre character it's it's so fun i think she has this great like like flat delivery so she's trying to like be the be an actor and i want to act this and then they ask her to deliver it flat and she's it's just funny she's like all right so she delivers a flat line action jared i'm getting my nails at the mall now teach my godson push-ups right before our wedding jared cut great nice and flat onto the real stuff it's like she has these perfect Like, this perfect delivery, perfectly executed, like, with what Julio Torres and his writing called for.This, to me, is an example of what she can bring as someone who's a good actor and has a sense of humor.Track 4:[1:01:28] And it's why I get a little frustrated kind of re-watching these and remembering these episodes.Because it's why I think that the show hasn't, for the most part, taken advantage of her skill set.And this, to me, is a perfect example of what she could do.Maybe like not in a sketch as great as this but the fact that she has a great sense of humor she gets the show and she's a good actor i mean i think she could have been utilized a lot better like julio showed how she could be utilized and i feel like if you know she of course hosts again after this but if she comes back like can we get julio to be a guest in the writer's room, and i you know i don't want to see a repeat of wells for boys or the actress but can we get a part three of this Julio-Emma trilogy.Track 4:[1:02:16] And this is... And Thomas, this is like...When you bring a serious actor, actress to this show, we don't always know if they're going to be funny.And so one great thing about Emma Stone is that she does comedy and drama so well.So we already know that before she comes out for the monologue.We're not going to be at the edge of our seat wondering if they're going to bomb.But when you have a pre-tape like this, that they can flex those muscles to the perfect degree.So we could have opened the show or closed the show with the actress, and we could make a case.But here we are, end of episode four for her, and it should be on the best of that season, that era, and obviously for Emma.Yeah, 100%. And to me, this is, to a certain extent, her fifth hosting gig.So basically her last two hosting gigs just are a perfect example to me of why I find Emma Stone so fascinating as a host, in that she can stand out as a really great host during an episode that's not that good.Track 4:[1:03:26] And it's not the host's fault. So we have that.So we have episodes of SNL that are good episodes with not that great of a host.I'm not trying to bash him, but Michael Jordan hosted a really good episode of SNL, but I wouldn't say Michael Jordan was a great host. it just happened to be a really good episode Emma Stone especially with her last two.Track 4:[1:03:50] Really great host, that's obvious, but not great episodes. That's an interesting thing that can happen on SNL, Mike.Yeah, I mean, as we know, it's such a hard show to make, and they don't bank sketches.So they're not waiting for Emma to come along. Maybe she'll host next year.Let's keep this in the bag.Track 4:[1:04:10] So it is of the moment. It's topical, and it's what's on their mind that week.So we might strike gold with the actress in this episode for four and now for five and this is where i have said on my podcast that i do like kind of love when they announce a host that i've never really heard of or haven't seen because i don't go in with expectations where this one i as a huge emma stone fan huge snl fan couldn't have been more excited for and i left And I said to myself, like, that was kind of a bad SNL I just saw.Yeah, it left us kind of hollow a little bit.And we had just recorded or we just done the SNL by the numbers, me, you and Bill Kenny. And we did our rankings.Track 4:[1:04:56] So far as we're recording this episode, there's 12 SNL episodes in season 49 that we ranked.And this Emma episode was like bottom half of season 49 for us.But to no fault of Emma's in my opinion like she was obviously a good host a really game host there was actually on like even a couple of sketches where I thought that the like really solid writing and I thought Emma especially in the mama cast sketch but Emma really acted the hell out of it like she really went for it in that sketch there were a couple of good moments But this was an interesting episode.I try not to get my expectations too high going into an episode.But this was one where it was like, it could have been better.Like, that was a bit disappointing. And it wasn't Emma's fault.Track 4:[1:05:48] And there were two sketches in this episode that I couldn't stop thinking about.How did this make it into the Emma five-timer show?Because I think there might have been the two worst sketches of season 49 as of this recording, which is the What's in the Kiln sketch with Heidi and Chloe.And then we had Emma for the fifth time.We didn't need Treece Henderson for the fifth time. So the Therese Henderson character I've ranted about on my podcast as like, you know, I talk about Keenan so fondly so often.He's like a stat god for SNL.And we saw Therese Henderson for the first time just like only a couple years before this.And now it's the fifth time and you're going to make Emma Stone be in that sketch.So just like some big swings and misses and nothing really that Emma could have done in either of those sketches to improve them.So you could have the worst host or the best host of all time.It couldn't have saved it. Where other sketches in the night, I will say, Emma did bring them up.So a bad host would have made this episode really bad.So thankfully they had like an SNL Hall of Famer, in my opinion, to be there for them.Yeah, that what's in the kiln sketch is an example of the writing issues that I've had with season 49.It was just basically, here's some bad pottery.Track 4:[1:07:17] That's the joke. There's no escalation. Here's just some bad pottery that we think is good.Track 4:[1:07:23] And SNL has had a problem with putting a hat on a hat or bringing in too many wacky things. They didn't bring in anything.They just let Emma Stone have to just rot on the set with Heidi and Chloe.And it was a long sketch, too. I mean, I have all the run times, but when I look back, that was one of the longest sketches in a while.And it should have been four minutes shorter, but it was tough.Yeah, it was brutal. But the make your own kind of music sketch, the Mama Cass one.Mitch Lester. Yeah, it was basically Phil Spector, but like with the big like Afro and stuff. But yeah, Emma really went for it in this one.I don't know, Mitch. The song is about celebrating individuality, not zombies. Dig, dig, dig.Yeah, forget the zombies. Bad example. Oh, how about this? How about this, Mom?Movie is I'm a prostitute.I've serviced some of the most powerful men in the city. and god they're off on me but how could a powerless prostitute get even with these big wigs right well we'll find out at this swanky party they're all at come on hit it.Track 4:[1:08:34] And re-watching um her character wallace in the second episode i mentioned this is when she became a snl star and so i'm glad that in a not so great night that she reminded us that like this is an an actress who again gets the show but is very into character work and i thought that was a strong premise and it was fun we got to see chloe trost again sing so well for only like her second time in the you know as a new cast member and emma stone just again going.Track 4:[1:09:07] Just full court like all the way and completely leading it and so physical crazy facial expressions all over the set and i mean it was just like a crazy idea and a perfect host to do it so i love when a host is again trying to do like big characters and doesn't fall short yeah the sketch was better because emma took the reins i also really enjoyed enjoyed question quest and i thought it was a great premise emma was really good as the put upon contestant in the sketch uh it was it was the uh host played by michael longfellow of this game show where basically the whole point was for him to trying to foist his pet tortoise onto someone onto one of the contestants so i thought it was a really clever premise yeah not just a tortoise a 37 year old desert sulcata tortoise that yeah that might live for for another 150 years, for all he knows.So basically it was this tortoise that was a burden on the host that he just wanted to foist upon somebody else. I love the premise.Emma was really good in her role as this put-upon contestant that was hoping that another contestant would get the tortoise.Wait, I won a tortoise? Sure did, and I'll miss him. He's been mine since I was six years old, and now he's yours. Congrats!It's your tortoise? No, it's your tortoise.Track 4:[1:10:34] So you got him, like, 25 years ago? How long does a tortoise live?That's a great question. Quest testants, how long does a tortoise live? Michelle?A hundred years. No. Angela? Hmm, is it a corn or a flower tortoise?I think you're thinking of a tortilla.Track 4:[1:10:53] Jen? It can't be more than a hundred years.More than a hundred years is correct. A hundred and fifty to a hundred and ninety, to be exact. It lives for 190 years?Maybe more. Everyone who studies them dies before they do.It's one of my favorite sketches of season 49, an example of, like, I want to point at this sketch and look at the writers and say this. Do more of this.Like, follow this template. It was funny, creative, good host.Like, this one was a good standout of the night for me.Yeah, and, you know, nothing out of the ordinary. I've done stats on my show about the first sketch of the night how they tend to be a little bit longer a little bit um.Track 4:[1:11:36] Trying to bring everybody in. They don't go too niche for the first half of the night.They do a lot of game shows, a lot of talk shows, pageants, that type of thing.So very down the middle, but just the right amount of quirkiness, good acting, good joke telling.And we got one of only a handful of Michael Longfellow showcases this season.And it was just, the whole thing was great

Ever wondered how a simple twist of faith could alter the course of life within the prison walls? This episode of our podcast series will take you on an emotional journey through the Alabama prison system, focusing on my personal experiences as an inmate. We unravel the reality of entering prison, the dread of a potential Life Without Parole sentence, and the profound moment that ignited my salvation. The episode reveals the startling contrast between the different inmate populations within the Alabama prison system, each having their unique challenges and an apparent lack of resources. Yet, amidst such despair, we explore the miraculous power of faith, which becomes a beacon of hope in the gloomy ambiance. My French pen pals, Patrick and Joanne Quillec, illustrate this beautifully through their unwavering faith and the biblical story of Joseph. In a remarkable stroke of grace, my former public defender's expertise dramatically reduced my sentence. It was like a curse lifting, showing that hope and freedom could be found even within the concrete confines of prison. We also ponder over the idea of how God can re-route us when we miss a turn, just like a GPS. Teasing our next episode, we will be discussing the prison chapel dorm, the fascinating people I met there, and intriguing insights on Christianity and religion. Support the showMore from James & Haley: Chef James K Jones Website Cooking with Chef James K Jones (YouTube Channel) Support our Sponsors Hurst Towing and Recovery -Lynn & Debbie Hurst205-631-8697 (205-631-TOWS)https://hursttowing.com/Home & Commercial ServicesCall or text 205-798-0635email office@hollandhcs.comInstagram Home & Commercial Services Crossfit Mephobia - Hayden SetserCrossFitmephobiainfo@gmail.com256-303-1873https://www.instagram.com/crossfitmephobia/Dana Belcher - RE/MAX Advantage NorthWebsite: theiconagents.comemail: danabelcheragent@gmail.comCall or text 205-910-3358

I've cooked with just about every pan brand and type there is over the last 3.5 decades I have been cooking seriously, I love some and hate others and today I want to discuss this more in-depth. I own many cast iron pans and pots and also 2 carbon steel pans and one new carbon steel wok. They perform well at times, but need to be cared for in specific ways, and when those care methods are not followed the pans lose their seasoning and are then just heavy paperweights. My French copper is amazing and cooks well no matter what, but for sticky stuff….bacon, eggs, etc they are not the best either and they cost. a small fortune. In my experience cooking eggs (which I do daily) requires a well-seasoned cast iron, carbon steel, or non-stick pan. But as mentioned above, the first two options can go from beautiful to ugly duckling fast, so I am working more with a high-quality non-stick at the moment. I don't love non-stick aluminum pans, they are too light, and even if the food does not stick, the cooking performance is just not there, Ford pinto V.S. Porsche 911. So the best cookware for this is high-quality stainless lined with PFOE-free non-stick, and it must not come from China. I use USA-crafted Made In pans and really do love them. Cheap they are not, as Yoda might say. But worth it they are, no affiliation by the way, I paid full price for both of mine. So I suggest you find a stainless pan that is lined with a trustworthy coating, NEVER heat it more than 450 and never wash it in a dishwasher or when hot, allow it to cool. When cooking use silicone or wood, no metal!   I'm out! LINKS TO CHECK OUT: Harvest Eating Youtube Support Harvest Eating Enroll in Food Storage Feast Save $50 dollars on enrollment-COUPON CODE: save50 Brown Duck Coffee About Chef Keith Snow LISTEN TO THE PODCAST: On iTunes Fountain FM Stitcher Radio Player FM Google Top Podcast Audible Podbay  

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for another episode of Opinions That Don't Matter, and it's a banger! This is episode 150, and Kati and Sean are back with some truly outrageous topics that will make you question everything you thought you knew. First up, we've got Combat Juggling on ESPN. Now, I know what you're thinking, what the hell is combat juggling? Well, let me tell you, it's exactly what it sounds like. People juggling, while trying to beat the crap out of each other. It's wild, it's crazy, and it's something you need to see to believe. And if that's not enough to blow your mind, wait until you hear about Gwyneth Paltrow's rectal ozone therapy. Yes, you heard that right, ozone therapy, for your rectum. Now, I'm no doctor, but that doesn't sound like a good time to me. But it's not all weird and wacky on this episode, Kati and Sean are also discussing some classic game show fails, including some epic moments from Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right. And don't even get me started on Fox News' ridiculous headline about Pat Sajak. Sean tries to set the record straight, but I'm not sure anyone really knows what's going on there. And if you're a fan of Canadian geography, you won't want to miss the population guessing game where Kati and Sean try to figure out which province has more people, Saskatchewan or Quebec. It's a nail-biter. But let's not forget about the Netflix review of Outer Banks' final season, or the heartwarming story of how penguins' eyes were rejuvenated. And in the "Letters" section, Joolz brings some "Doggy Tales" and asks the hosts if they're naughty or nice, or just a bit spicy. And let me tell you, their stories of cow tipping, a car crash & a great donut robbery are not to be missed. And last but not least, we can't forget about Ben, the Minister of Space and Ham Radio, who shares his experiences riding the bus. It's an episode filled with laughs, bizarre stories, and the kind of conversations that you can only find on Opinions That Don't Matter. So grab yourself a drink, sit back, and enjoy the ride. (description written by My French cat Ginette Pierrette Trudeau) Links Combat Juggling on ESPN https://tinyurl.com/4649ba3x Show us your Regina  https://tinyurl.com/5exu6u29 Gwyneth Paltrow's rectal ozone therapy https://tinyurl.com/2875ktdz Fox News headline maligns beloved gameshow host Pat Sajak https://tinyurl.com/37ea77cf Penguins eyes rejuvenated! https://tinyurl.com/zhwrxwuc Amazon Suggestions https://www.amazon.com/shop/katimorton CONNECT  • Discord community: https://discord.gg/4gPTrGBM9z • OTDM census form https://forms.gle/qFZM3ywPzrpKMkKfA • Email OTDMpod@gmail.com • Speakpipe 90 second voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/OTDM  • Kati Morton  TikTok @Katimorton      Instagram @katimorton  • Sean St. Louis TikTok @hatori_seanzo  Instagram @seansaintlouis  • Roxy  Instagram @roxytheadventurer  • Business inquiries for Kati | Linnea Toney  linnea@underscoretalent.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/otdm/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/otdm/support

This episode is sponsored by my all-time favorite seed company that sells a whole lot more than seeds. See my fermenting springs, sprout garden and more: https://soulyrested.com/seeds/Grab the free pantry supply list (and listen to episode 1 for how to use it) here: SoulyRested.com/pantryFor free e-course on dehydrating: SoulyRested.com/dehydrateCheck out SoulyRested.com/coupons for current specials on many products I've mentioned in this season.My freezer biscuit recipe: https://soulyrested.com/2018/06/05/make-amazingly-easy-freezer-biscuits/My granola recipe: https://soulyrested.com/2020/07/29/maple-mango-granola/My French toast recipe: https://soulyrested.com/2018/11/28/how-a-homesteader-makes-french-toast/The garlic pepper I use for our potato wedges: https://shop.redmond.life/collections/garlic-pepper?afmc=uy And use my code SWEETSALT for 15% off everything!The popcorn I love: https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/food/grains/popcorn/multi-colored/popcorn-multicolored-organic/10083?package=GR174&a_aid=bd9edf28fdFor free e-course on sprouting: SoulyRested.com/sproutsFor free e-course on milling fresh flour: SoulyRested.com/flourFor free e-course on kombucha: SoulyRested.com/kombuchaFind my book, Sweet Maple, all about delicious real food, here: https://amzn.to/2OiAqWI (on Amazon) or here: https://bookshop.org/a/5810/9781493037773 (that link supports small businesses)And find all episodes of this podcast at SoulyRested.com/podcastTo leave a review of this episode or the podcast in general, go to soulyrested.com/podcast and click “apple podcasts.”To access my Subscriber Resource Library go here: https://soulyrested.com/snag-free-ebooks/Please join me at SoulyRested.com ( https://soulyrested.com/ ) as well as:instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/souly.rested )facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/soulyrested/ )pinterest ( https://www.pinterest.com/soulyrested/ )youtube ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOLRbLo4lnwJ2nPiL2xtB8g )And remember, It's easy to forget how blessed we are to live this life. So enjoy the simple, everyday efforts. It's not easy, but it's a good life.

On the fourth episode of Flex Your Head, a Scream Therapy podcast spinoff, host Jason Schreurs welcomes his dear friend Drue Swalwell to talk about The Future of What, the fourth album by Olympia post-hardcore band Unwound. Flex Your Head is a limited podcast series until Scream Therapy returns. https://unwound.bandcamp.com http://unwoundarchive.com Featured song clips: Unwound - "New Energy" from The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars, 1995) Unwound - "Full Explanation of Answer" from The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars, 1995) Unwound - "Natural Disasters" from The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars, 1995) Unwound - "Swan" from The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars, 1995) Unwound - "Equally Stupid" from The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars, 1995) Unwound - "...My French" from The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars, 1995) About this podcast: Flex Your Head is a spinoff of the Scream Therapy podcast where host Jason Schreurs welcomes a guest each episode to discuss a classic punk album. Scream Therapy, currently on a short hiatus, explores the link between punk rock and mental health. My guests are members of the underground music scene who are living with mental health challenges, like myself. Intro/background music clips: Submission Hold - "Cranium Ache" from The Buzz of a Buzzless Situation Minor Threat - "12XU" (originally by Wire) from V/A Flex Your Head (Dischord Records, 1982) Contact host Jason Schreurs - jasonschreurs@telus.net

Tune in now and don't forget to sign up for www.solciety.co!Speaker 1 (00:01):Hey, Solarpreneurs. What's up. Taylor here just wanted to give you a quick intro to this episode. It's going to be James Swidersky on, and he's doing a little series on how we're implementing trainings for companies that would like to uplevel their sales trainings. As many of you may know, we launched our new Solciety training app were already getting great results with it. So James is going to talk about a few things that we're able to implement within the app and ways we're getting great results, whether you're on Solciety or not. You can go and implement these things today, but you can also go and book a demo at Solciety.co. So hope you enjoy the episode and we'll see you on the inside.Speaker 2 (00:45):Welcome to the Solarpreneur podcast, where we teach you to take your solar business to the next level. My name is Taylor Armstrong and I went from $50 in my bank account and struggling for groceries to closing 150 deals in a year and cracking the code on why sales reps fail. I teach you to avoid the mistakes I made and bringing the top solar dogs, the industry to let you in on the secrets of generating more leads, falling up like a pro and closing more deals. What is a Solarpreneur you might ask a Solarpreneur is a new breed of solar pro that is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve mastery and you are about to become one.Speaker 3 (01:25):Solarpreneurs. What is going on? My name is James Swidersky. And for those of you guys who don't know me, go back a few episodes for the intro. I don't want to bore you guys to death. I just want to dive right into the content today here. And I want to talk about how to hold your reps accountable. Now this is going to be primarily forward business owners, VPs directors, managers, on how to hold your reps accountable, get them motivated, and specifically my four step formula on how to do this. Just an absolutely killer formula on how to cut through the BS. Cut through excuses of, oh, I'm working 60 hours a week. I don't know. What's not working. Uh, oh, I swear. I'm putting a numbers. I'm working really hard. It's going to cut through all of that crap and just get straight transparency on the performance of each rep.Speaker 3 (02:10):So you can make critical training and hiring decisions on a regular basis to scale your company. Have you enjoyed that type of content? You know exactly what to do. So let's go ahead and dive right into it. What is the formula to hold reps accountable? First thing I like to do is identify my activities. That reps are supposed to be performing on a daily basis. You'd be very surprised how many companies don't have this clearly communicated within their organization. The best way I used to do this and currently do this with my team at epic as well. Although not solar, it's the same thing. And I learned how to do this in solar is I actually have flat screen monitors up in the office where we are projecting everybody's metrics. It is just a naked organization with metrics and metrics. I see every single as it's scrolling through how many appointments they've set, leads, calls, call time presentations, their close rate, everything transparent.Speaker 3 (03:08):The entire company can see what's going on. The entire company could see what kind of numbers we're doing as an organization. What's our revenue look like, right? What's our deal, uh, install rate. They see everything. Transparency is absolutely key here. Now that's just kind of a bonus, but we want to identify the activities that reps perform. So it's probably going to be a nine times out of 10 door knocking appointment setting, right? Presentations, okay. Follow up activities. And usually some type of referral activity, right? These are going to be customized for your business, map out your entire process, what activities they should do on a regular basis. We're going to play out an example, an amendment a minute. So you'll get some ideas from that step. Number two in this formula, identify how long it actually takes to do the activity. Okay. Again, this is, this is where it starts getting real spicy.Speaker 3 (04:03):Cause nobody does this and knows how long it takes. Go ask your reps individually. How long does it take to do an appointment? You're going to hear 40 minutes. You're going to hear two hours. You're going to hear it. Hour and half, right? You need to come to a conclusion what that average time is. All right. So you're going to ask all of your reps, do a survey, do whatever you got to do. Get the numbers, average amount, how long it actually takes to do what they do. Right? Sending out a proposal, adjusting a bid, right? How long does it take to adjust in a bid? 20 minutes, 30 minutes. How long does it take to send out a follow-up email? You got to get every activity on the board, mapped out. Okay. Step number two, three, take your results from last month for each rep.Speaker 3 (04:49):So you're going to actually go through this process with your reps on a one-on-one meeting. And you're going to take the results from their previous month, not like the previous week or days, cause that's not enough and more than a month too much. One month is going to give you a real good grasp of a rep's performance. This is also going to cut out all of those guys who were top producers a year ago and they haven't sold anything in three or four months. This is going to shine the light on that. Here's the deal. If you're a guys and you're hanging on and paying out payroll or uh, whatever, some kind of base salary or something rewarding guys and incentivizing guys who are not producing, you gotta cut that out ASAP. Okay? Only incentivize guys who produce results. Period. Cut the base commissions, cut the salaries, cut all that crap fire the lot, get rid of the old veterans who have been in the industry and who are just riding comfortable for 10 years.Speaker 3 (05:48):They are ruining your culture. They are bad apples in the barrel. Cut them out, get some fresh new young blood boom, rock and roll. Right. Again. I don't expect many of you guys to apply that because again, you've got to be willing to take a few steps back to go forward over the next several years. There's very few companies who are willing to do that. I know I'm sounding aggressive with this straight forward. I just really sick of seeing it. It's a super common thing in the industry. Any industry for that matter, you have to be willing to make some temporary sacrifices. If you want to grow okay. If you don't want to grow, I respect it. Right? Don't complain about your situation. If that's the case. All right. I'm off my soap box now. So take your results from last month for each rep.Speaker 3 (06:32):Hey Taylor, you close 10 deals. Last month you did 20 appointments. You did 500 doors knocked, whatever it is, right. Make sure they agree with their results when you're talking to them. Okay. And then next and the last part here is simply calculate how long they actually worked. All right. So let's play out an example. Let's say that a rep closed 10 accounts last month. And for math purposes, I know this is a small commission, math purposes. He made a thousand dollars per deal. He made 10 grand in commissions, right? Awesome. 10 grand. What activities made up those 10 accounts? Well, he had to go prospect and knock doors. It takes him about 30 minutes of knocking doors to get an appointment. We know how long it takes. Cool. 30 minutes equal and appointment. All right. Let's say he has a 50% close rate. He's just like on the ball.Speaker 3 (07:25):Okay. And it takes him 90 minutes driving to the appointment, having the appointment, following up at the appointment, it takes them 90 minutes to do a presentation. Okay. And he closes 50% of his presentations. And then let's say it takes him about half an hour to send out a proposal on a bid. All right. It takes 30 minutes to do a proposal, a bid. Um, that's not just the deals he closed the followup deals. And then let's say he takes about 40 minutes per account, total to close a deal. So 40 minutes of following up with calls, emails, texts, that is about what it takes to close one deal. All right. So after you map out each activity, how long it takes all of that jazz, right? You're going to come to the conclusion of the monthly results. You're going to find evicts example. Now he spent 30 hours running appointments for the month.Speaker 3 (08:17):He spent 10 hours setting appointments in the month, right? 10 hours sending proposals for the month and 6.6 hours following up for a grand total of 56.6 hours of work for the month. All right. Monthly, not weekly. And what you're going to find is most of your guys who say they're working their tail off, they're working like 15, 20 hours a month. When you do this math, I just did math for a guy who closes 10 deals a month. How many of your reps close 10? Right. Super rare. Right? You're doing pretty well. If you have a lot of 10 rep 10 deal reps, right? Most of your guys are going to be working like 15, 20 deals. I'm at 20 hours a month. Right. And what happens is for the first time with these guys, they're going to realize that they're full of.Speaker 3 (09:09):Pardon? My French. Right? They're just full of it. Right? They've been lying to themselves and you're going to find, your guys are just like, oh crap, you can't argue this. You can not argue this. And the way you make sure your reps are on page with this is you just make sure they agree with every number. So if they say it takes 90 minutes, do the math with them in front of them. For the 90 minutes. If they say they take 30 minutes to close an appointment or a 60 hours or whatever, it doesn't matter. The close rate is a hundred percent. Do the math with them on their level. Trust me. It doesn't matter how you do the math. It's always going to highlight and expose how little they actually work. And you can have a Frank conversation at this point. Now that the numbers are out in thin air, it could say, John, you wonder why you're making seven grand a month.Speaker 3 (09:59):Closing two deals a month. You're working 15 hours a month, right? What are we going to do about that? What can I help you with as your manager, your VP, or director, your CEO, whoever, what can I help you with to increase those numbers, right? What do you need help with? Do we need to hold these kinds of meetings on a weekly basis? What do we need? And have those conversations and make real decisions. The problem is it's difficult to make hiring recruiting or firing decisions or training decisions or whatever. If you don't have proper data. Okay? I preach a lot about data. The last couple of episodes, data's king, it's everything tracking is everything. That's the only reason I had two failed solar companies before starting my first successful one was purely because of tracking. All right? I had to learn the hard way.Speaker 3 (10:49):Do not do the same mistake that I did. And many others do start tracking. These things. Use this formula with each one of your reps, use this formula with yourself, with your activities, your daily pipeline, right? Whatever you're doing, this is the magic formula. So guys, that is it. That's how hold your reps accountable. It's a no BS straightforward way. It's how to hold yourself accountable. And I hope it serves you guys. Well, if you like that type of content, keep tuning in to, uh, this series I'm doing, I'm going to be dropping to fire for company owners. I know I'm calling my own stuff, my, my own stuff, fire, but I don't see anybody talking about it. So I gotta, I gotta call what it is. Right? All right. Well, it's been real guys. My name's James Swidersky and I'll see you in the next video.Speaker 4 (11:38):Hey Solarpreneurs. Quick question. What if you could surround yourself with the industry's top performing sales pros, marketers, and CEOs, and learn from their experience and wisdom in less than 20 minutes a day. For the last three years, I've been placed in the fortunate position to interview dozens of elite solar professionals and learn exactly what they do behind closed doors to build their solar careers to an all-star level. That's why I want to make a truly special announcement about the new solar learning community, exclusively for solar professionals to learn, compete, and win with the top performers in the industry. And it's called Solciety. This learning community was designed from the ground up to level the playing field and give solar pros access to proven mentors who want to give back to this community and to help you or your team to be held accountable by the industry's brightest minds. For, are you ready for it? Less than $3 and 45 cents a day currently Solciety's closed the public and membership is by invitation only, but Solarpreneurs can go to solciety.co to learn more and have the option to join a wait list. When a membership becomes available in your area. Again, this is exclusively for Solarpreneur listeners. So be sure to go to www.solciety.co to join the waitlist and learn more now. Thanks again for listening. We'll catch you again in the next episode.

Tune in now and don't forget to sign up for www.solciety.co!Speaker 1 (00:01):Hey, Solarpreneurs. What's up. Taylor here just wanted to give you a quick intro to this episode. It's going to be James Swidersky on, and he's doing a little series on how we're implementing trainings for companies that would like to uplevel their sales trainings. As many of you may know, we launched our new Solciety training app were already getting great results with it. So James is going to talk about a few things that we're able to implement within the app and ways we're getting great results, whether you're on Solciety or not. You can go and implement these things today, but you can also go and book a demo at Solciety.co. So hope you enjoy the episode and we'll see you on the inside.Speaker 2 (00:45):Welcome to the Solarpreneur podcast, where we teach you to take your solar business to the next level. My name is Taylor Armstrong and I went from $50 in my bank account and struggling for groceries to closing 150 deals in a year and cracking the code on why sales reps fail. I teach you to avoid the mistakes I made and bringing the top solar dogs, the industry to let you in on the secrets of generating more leads, falling up like a pro and closing more deals. What is a Solarpreneur you might ask a Solarpreneur is a new breed of solar pro that is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve mastery and you are about to become one.Speaker 3 (01:25):Solarpreneurs. What is going on? My name is James Swidersky. And for those of you guys who don't know me, go back a few episodes for the intro. I don't want to bore you guys to death. I just want to dive right into the content today here. And I want to talk about how to hold your reps accountable. Now this is going to be primarily forward business owners, VPs directors, managers, on how to hold your reps accountable, get them motivated, and specifically my four step formula on how to do this. Just an absolutely killer formula on how to cut through the BS. Cut through excuses of, oh, I'm working 60 hours a week. I don't know. What's not working. Uh, oh, I swear. I'm putting a numbers. I'm working really hard. It's going to cut through all of that crap and just get straight transparency on the performance of each rep.Speaker 3 (02:10):So you can make critical training and hiring decisions on a regular basis to scale your company. Have you enjoyed that type of content? You know exactly what to do. So let's go ahead and dive right into it. What is the formula to hold reps accountable? First thing I like to do is identify my activities. That reps are supposed to be performing on a daily basis. You'd be very surprised how many companies don't have this clearly communicated within their organization. The best way I used to do this and currently do this with my team at epic as well. Although not solar, it's the same thing. And I learned how to do this in solar is I actually have flat screen monitors up in the office where we are projecting everybody's metrics. It is just a naked organization with metrics and metrics. I see every single as it's scrolling through how many appointments they've set, leads, calls, call time presentations, their close rate, everything transparent.Speaker 3 (03:08):The entire company can see what's going on. The entire company could see what kind of numbers we're doing as an organization. What's our revenue look like, right? What's our deal, uh, install rate. They see everything. Transparency is absolutely key here. Now that's just kind of a bonus, but we want to identify the activities that reps perform. So it's probably going to be a nine times out of 10 door knocking appointment setting, right? Presentations, okay. Follow up activities. And usually some type of referral activity, right? These are going to be customized for your business, map out your entire process, what activities they should do on a regular basis. We're going to play out an example, an amendment a minute. So you'll get some ideas from that step. Number two in this formula, identify how long it actually takes to do the activity. Okay. Again, this is, this is where it starts getting real spicy.Speaker 3 (04:03):Cause nobody does this and knows how long it takes. Go ask your reps individually. How long does it take to do an appointment? You're going to hear 40 minutes. You're going to hear two hours. You're going to hear it. Hour and half, right? You need to come to a conclusion what that average time is. All right. So you're going to ask all of your reps, do a survey, do whatever you got to do. Get the numbers, average amount, how long it actually takes to do what they do. Right? Sending out a proposal, adjusting a bid, right? How long does it take to adjust in a bid? 20 minutes, 30 minutes. How long does it take to send out a follow-up email? You got to get every activity on the board, mapped out. Okay. Step number two, three, take your results from last month for each rep.Speaker 3 (04:49):So you're going to actually go through this process with your reps on a one-on-one meeting. And you're going to take the results from their previous month, not like the previous week or days, cause that's not enough and more than a month too much. One month is going to give you a real good grasp of a rep's performance. This is also going to cut out all of those guys who were top producers a year ago and they haven't sold anything in three or four months. This is going to shine the light on that. Here's the deal. If you're a guys and you're hanging on and paying out payroll or uh, whatever, some kind of base salary or something rewarding guys and incentivizing guys who are not producing, you gotta cut that out ASAP. Okay? Only incentivize guys who produce results. Period. Cut the base commissions, cut the salaries, cut all that crap fire the lot, get rid of the old veterans who have been in the industry and who are just riding comfortable for 10 years.Speaker 3 (05:48):They are ruining your culture. They are bad apples in the barrel. Cut them out, get some fresh new young blood boom, rock and roll. Right. Again. I don't expect many of you guys to apply that because again, you've got to be willing to take a few steps back to go forward over the next several years. There's very few companies who are willing to do that. I know I'm sounding aggressive with this straight forward. I just really sick of seeing it. It's a super common thing in the industry. Any industry for that matter, you have to be willing to make some temporary sacrifices. If you want to grow okay. If you don't want to grow, I respect it. Right? Don't complain about your situation. If that's the case. All right. I'm off my soap box now. So take your results from last month for each rep.Speaker 3 (06:32):Hey Taylor, you close 10 deals. Last month you did 20 appointments. You did 500 doors knocked, whatever it is, right. Make sure they agree with their results when you're talking to them. Okay. And then next and the last part here is simply calculate how long they actually worked. All right. So let's play out an example. Let's say that a rep closed 10 accounts last month. And for math purposes, I know this is a small commission, math purposes. He made a thousand dollars per deal. He made 10 grand in commissions, right? Awesome. 10 grand. What activities made up those 10 accounts? Well, he had to go prospect and knock doors. It takes him about 30 minutes of knocking doors to get an appointment. We know how long it takes. Cool. 30 minutes equal and appointment. All right. Let's say he has a 50% close rate. He's just like on the ball.Speaker 3 (07:25):Okay. And it takes him 90 minutes driving to the appointment, having the appointment, following up at the appointment, it takes them 90 minutes to do a presentation. Okay. And he closes 50% of his presentations. And then let's say it takes him about half an hour to send out a proposal on a bid. All right. It takes 30 minutes to do a proposal, a bid. Um, that's not just the deals he closed the followup deals. And then let's say he takes about 40 minutes per account, total to close a deal. So 40 minutes of following up with calls, emails, texts, that is about what it takes to close one deal. All right. So after you map out each activity, how long it takes all of that jazz, right? You're going to come to the conclusion of the monthly results. You're going to find evicts example. Now he spent 30 hours running appointments for the month.Speaker 3 (08:17):He spent 10 hours setting appointments in the month, right? 10 hours sending proposals for the month and 6.6 hours following up for a grand total of 56.6 hours of work for the month. All right. Monthly, not weekly. And what you're going to find is most of your guys who say they're working their tail off, they're working like 15, 20 hours a month. When you do this math, I just did math for a guy who closes 10 deals a month. How many of your reps close 10? Right. Super rare. Right? You're doing pretty well. If you have a lot of 10 rep 10 deal reps, right? Most of your guys are going to be working like 15, 20 deals. I'm at 20 hours a month. Right. And what happens is for the first time with these guys, they're going to realize that they're full of.Speaker 3 (09:09):Pardon? My French. Right? They're just full of it. Right? They've been lying to themselves and you're going to find, your guys are just like, oh crap, you can't argue this. You can not argue this. And the way you make sure your reps are on page with this is you just make sure they agree with every number. So if they say it takes 90 minutes, do the math with them in front of them. For the 90 minutes. If they say they take 30 minutes to close an appointment or a 60 hours or whatever, it doesn't matter. The close rate is a hundred percent. Do the math with them on their level. Trust me. It doesn't matter how you do the math. It's always going to highlight and expose how little they actually work. And you can have a Frank conversation at this point. Now that the numbers are out in thin air, it could say, John, you wonder why you're making seven grand a month.Speaker 3 (09:59):Closing two deals a month. You're working 15 hours a month, right? What are we going to do about that? What can I help you with as your manager, your VP, or director, your CEO, whoever, what can I help you with to increase those numbers, right? What do you need help with? Do we need to hold these kinds of meetings on a weekly basis? What do we need? And have those conversations and make real decisions. The problem is it's difficult to make hiring recruiting or firing decisions or training decisions or whatever. If you don't have proper data. Okay? I preach a lot about data. The last couple of episodes, data's king, it's everything tracking is everything. That's the only reason I had two failed solar companies before starting my first successful one was purely because of tracking. All right? I had to learn the hard way.Speaker 3 (10:49):Do not do the same mistake that I did. And many others do start tracking. These things. Use this formula with each one of your reps, use this formula with yourself, with your activities, your daily pipeline, right? Whatever you're doing, this is the magic formula. So guys, that is it. That's how hold your reps accountable. It's a no BS straightforward way. It's how to hold yourself accountable. And I hope it serves you guys. Well, if you like that type of content, keep tuning in to, uh, this series I'm doing, I'm going to be dropping to fire for company owners. I know I'm calling my own stuff, my, my own stuff, fire, but I don't see anybody talking about it. So I gotta, I gotta call what it is. Right? All right. Well, it's been real guys. My name's James Swidersky and I'll see you in the next video.Speaker 4 (11:38):Hey Solarpreneurs. Quick question. What if you could surround yourself with the industry's top performing sales pros, marketers, and CEOs, and learn from their experience and wisdom in less than 20 minutes a day. For the last three years, I've been placed in the fortunate position to interview dozens of elite solar professionals and learn exactly what they do behind closed doors to build their solar careers to an all-star level. That's why I want to make a truly special announcement about the new solar learning community, exclusively for solar professionals to learn, compete, and win with the top performers in the industry. And it's called Solciety. This learning community was designed from the ground up to level the playing field and give solar pros access to proven mentors who want to give back to this community and to help you or your team to be held accountable by the industry's brightest minds. For, are you ready for it? Less than $3 and 45 cents a day currently Solciety's closed the public and membership is by invitation only, but Solarpreneurs can go to solciety.co to learn more and have the option to join a wait list. When a membership becomes available in your area. Again, this is exclusively for Solarpreneur listeners. So be sure to go to www.solciety.co to join the waitlist and learn more now. Thanks again for listening. We'll catch you again in the next episode. 

If you could go back and do school all over again, what would you change? I have a large variety of things that I would change, but one of them is that I would have given myself a little more encouragement when it came to writing and my English classes. At a young age, someone gave me a journal, and I have written in a journal on and off my whole life. In episode 5 I spoke about the miracle of my mission journals. I've always enjoyed writing. But in high school, I felt like English was one of my worst subjects. The reason was that I could not figure out diagramming sentences. I was terrible at it. On into college, I dreaded English classes. I always seemed to make up for it with essays, and writing, including book reports. But it took me a while to really grasp grammar rules and I don't know about diagramming sentences to this day. I took French in Junior High and High School. When I went to sign up for advanced French my senior year, my teacher discouraged me saying that I would not be able to pass the class. Little would he know that I would be called to a French-speaking mission and after my mission get a degree at BYU minoring in French. Learning the French language helped me understand English better. I have told many high-school and college students, that English may be the most important class in their studies. Being able to effectively communicate and to do it without major glaring grammatical errors is so important in a world where we communicate constantly through text & email. It quickly shows if you lack some of these skills and it might impede your career. I decided to start a blog in 2017 called ... you got it, “Rocky Mountain Sunshine.” I've had a lot of compliments, and a fair amount of criticism. In high school, getting papers back with all the things that I had done wrong in red really was discouraging. In college, I started to get more confidence in writing, and I took a business English class where all of a sudden, English grammar started to make sense. It somehow just clicked. I wrote a lot of papers in humanities, psychology, and English. Then I served a mission and learned French. My French improved a ton, and I came home, tested out of several French classes at BYU, and got my minor in French, which is no cakewalk. BYU has a really difficult French program. My understanding of the French language helped my English quite a lot. Well, actually when I first came home from France, my English was all messed up. One of the first dates I went on was with the sister of one of my former companions. He had set us up. We went to temple square and they had a movie that was being played in one of the theaters. I asked, “Can we assist the movie?” Both the person at the door and my date looked at me weird. I didn't understand where there was a communication breakdown. I again asked if it was possible for us to assist the movie. Again two people looking at me wondering what I wanted. In French assister means to attend. I wanted to know if we could attend the movie. Luckily my date translated for me and I walked into the theater baffled. For some reason, we never went on another date. Haha Tune in for more! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocky-mountain-sunshine/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rocky-mountain-sunshine/support

If you could go back and do school all over again, what would you change? I have a large variety of things that I would change, but one of them is that I would have given myself a little more encouragement when it came to writing and my English classes. At a young age, someone gave me a journal, and I have written in a journal on and off my whole life. In episode 5 I spoke about the miracle of my mission journals. I've always enjoyed writing. But in high school, I felt like English was one of my worst subjects. The reason was that I could not figure out diagramming sentences. I was terrible at it. On into college, I dreaded English classes. I always seemed to make up for it with essays, and writing, including book reports. But it took me a while to really grasp grammar rules and I don't know about diagramming sentences to this day. I took French in Junior High and High School. When I went to sign up for advanced French my senior year, my teacher discouraged me saying that I would not be able to pass the class. Little would he know that I would be called to a French-speaking mission and after my mission get a degree at BYU minoring in French. Learning the French language helped me understand English better. I have told many high-school and college students, that English may be the most important class in their studies. Being able to effectively communicate and to do it without major glaring grammatical errors is so important in a world where we communicate constantly through text & email. It quickly shows if you lack some of these skills and it might impede your career. I decided to start a blog in 2017 called ... you got it, “Rocky Mountain Sunshine.” I've had a lot of compliments, and a fair amount of criticism. In high school, getting papers back with all the things that I had done wrong in red really was discouraging. In college, I started to get more confidence in writing, and I took a business English class where all of a sudden, English grammar started to make sense. It somehow just clicked. I wrote a lot of papers in humanities, psychology, and English. Then I served a mission and learned French. My French improved a ton, and I came home, tested out of several French classes at BYU, and got my minor in French, which is no cakewalk. BYU has a really difficult French program. My understanding of the French language helped my English quite a lot. Well, actually when I first came home from France, my English was all messed up. One of the first dates I went on was with the sister of one of my former companions. He had set us up. We went to temple square and they had a movie that was being played in one of the theaters. I asked, “Can we assist the movie?” Both the person at the door and my date looked at me weird. I didn't understand where there was a communication breakdown. I again asked if it was possible for us to assist the movie. Again two people looking at me wondering what I wanted. In French assister means to attend. I wanted to know if we could attend the movie. Luckily my date translated for me and I walked into the theater baffled. For some reason, we never went on another date. Haha Tune in for more! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rocky-mountain-sunshine/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rocky-mountain-sunshine/support

As a Franco-American woman there aren’t many things in this world that I love more than a glass of dark dry oaky red wine. I’ve been drinking wine since I was about 4 years old actually. My French grandfather, my Bon Papa, used to fill up my little glass at the lunch table with a mix of water and wine. And I remember feeling so grown up that he would include me in this ritual, because that’s what wine was, and still is, in my family today. Wine is part of our dining ritual. We spend hours at the dinner table eating cheese, drinking wine, talking, laughing...and these are some of my absolute favorite moments.  But, throughout my hormone healing and health journey, one of the things I couldn’t help but be curious about was the impact alcohol may be having on my hormones, and overall health. So, I did a bit of digging and came up with some pretty interesting findings all of which we’ll be talking about today. In this episode we’ll be exploring how alcohol impacts your hormones, why you should eat before you drink, whether or not red wine is actually healthy, the connection between alcohol and weight gain, and more! Note: Special thanks to registered dietician Kathleen Robins, the founder and CEO of Kathleen Robins Nutrition, for reviewing this episode for accuracy.  The Wise Consumer "Feel Good-Do Good" Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/feelgooddogoodclub/ The Wise Consumer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewiseconsumer/ The Wise Consumer Show Notes: https://thewiseconsumer.com/how-alcohol-impacts-your-hormones/ 

Corporate Branding with Valerie Forgeard A strong brand is the centerpiece of successful and influential business and professional activity. Your brand is what you make of it. Our goal is to help you clarify the best route to build your brand and help you every step of the way. Whether you're a corporation, small business, or trying to build/grow your network or change your career, your brand is the bridge between where you are now and where you want to be. It is all too easy to make mistakes while marketing online; even a slight misstep can undermine the personal brand you worked so hard to create. We are here to support you in crossing the bridge to success with ease while avoiding common branding pitfalls.   "Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room"— Jeff Bezos (Amazon founder) Services | StunningBrand Stunning Brand provides workshops, Media Training & Support, and Consultancy.  www.seniorlivingsalesandmarketing.com Full Transcript Below Roy (00:02): Hello, and welcome to another episode of senior living sales and marketing. I'm Roy. Uh, we've got, uh, a great guest with us today. We're going to talk about branding and, um, be the first to say I have very limited knowledge of it. So I am, uh, I'm happy that we have Valerie here with stunning brand to help us out. I'm not forgetting her last name. It's just very difficult to pronounce. So what I will do is I will get her after the introduction to, uh, she can say that for us. It sounds awesome when she says it. Not so much when I tried to say it, uh, but, um, Valerie and her team, uh, they bring 32 years of experience in broadcasting, social media, stakeholder engagement, community, building, public speaking, and negotiation to both the private not-for-profit and public sector. So serve a wide range of clients. And, um, I was why I was excited to have Valerie and she's taken time out of her, uh, late evening. She is in the UK. So we appreciate you taking time, Valerie. First off, before we go too much further, can you give us a pronunciation of your last name please? Valerie (01:14): Um, it's for French. Not expected. Roy (01:19): Okay. Yeah. Yeah. My French is terrible. I can barely speak English. Good English. So anyway, um, you know, what I want to do is, um, I just want to start at the beginning and this, uh, that what we're talking about today is going to be more geared toward corporations, big corporations, not necessarily, um, individuals are solo preneurs. There is a little bit of difference there. So just so everybody is kind of on board with that. We're going to talk to corporations. So let's just start at the beginning where you can tell the audience kind of what is branding. We, uh, typically some of us that are not knowledgeable, we think it's a logo, or we think it's a web page, but I know it's so much more encompassing, so let's just take it from the start. I, I have a corporation. I want to either develop my brand or, um, maybe rebrand in some manner. So I come to you and your team, uh, where do we start first? And secondly, welcome to the show. Thanks so much, but where do we start? Valerie (02:26): Uh, thanks for having me here. Um, so first I'd like to say that, uh, branding sounds like a complicated word, but we run every day right now. You're branding you to me and I'm granting yourself to you. And we're not even aware of it because branding is the representation of the brands. So it's the image that the brand represents and how people will talk about it. Um, the only difference with, uh, which is a big difference with the corporations is that in a corporations then could be 50,000 or a hundred thousand of different worries. Um, which means that, uh, it's a lot of people to represent the brand. So, so yes, a brand that has a logo has a website, uh, does its marketing companies do the marketing to, to impress the clients to gain more clients. Um, but it is also around, uh, the personality of the brand, but also around the people who represent the brands, uh, which is why, sorry, she wants to say something. Um, we, which is why, uh, the classic branding doesn't really work anymore because, uh, everyone nowadays has the perfect design has the same classic marketing. So if everyone does the same thing, uh, branding is not edge. Branding is not really unique. Uh, it's, it's just another flashy, perfect design Speaker 3 (04:09): And then another Valerie (04:10): Shouting on social media. And so, so how can you make a difference with your branding where first it comes? So if you come to me, I will ask you what is the story? So if you're a corporation, I presume that it's very likely that your design is already sorted out. You hire professionals to do it. Uh, your marketing is already up and running. So, so that that's not really the RA. Um, but I would ask you, what's the story, the history of your branding, how did it start? Why was the story behind your brand? Uh, usually there's always fantastic stories that come out. Sometimes I spoke with people who were not even aware that for example, Vagrant parents were already attached Speaker 3 (05:04): The company, um, in term of Valerie (05:08): How they influence. Um, but also it's, it's also about the leaders of the organization or the corporations. Uh, many times we don't think of the leaders, but the leaders, uh, some of the leaders may have some really good stories attached to the brand, um, to, to the story of the corporation. Um, there could be also, well, what is the interest for the next step? Uh, so some, some corporations now adopt, uh, corporate social responsibility, uh, to make a, an impression to make more impact and to get their brand, uh, and the great thing with social responsibilities because, um, it's like a marriage with a big NGO, for example. So, so both gain, uh, the NGO can raise awareness to the clients of the brand or the, of the corporation. The corporation can also raise the awareness about their brand, um, to the NGO supporters. Um, so, so that's a big, uh, thing that is being done now. Um, so, so, so these will be the questions first, uh, I would ask is, is after the story is about, uh, which impact, uh, do you want to make, um, apart from just, uh, showing how successful you are, and we would look at these different areas. Yeah. Roy (06:42): I'm not being rude, I'm actually taking, actually taking notes. This is very interesting. So, uh, yeah, I want to talk about the story for just a minute, because a, a lot of time in business, we, we try not to be personal or we try not to tell those stories. We try to be very sterile, but you know, one thing I talk a lot about is not only telling the company story, but the individual story, that's how we, uh, I think that's how we connect with other individuals is when we could connect on a personal level and not be a sterile, non, um, you know, non feeling company. Valerie (07:23): Yes. Um, well, I think to, to tell a story, a physical story has to be a really aligned with the brand, but it also has to be aligned with you. Um, I agree with the fact that if you don't feel comfortable of telling a personal story and not everyone is ready for that, um, it doesn't have to be, I mean, some companies use, uh, other people's stories that connect to them, um, to create an emotion, uh, because beyond the physical branding, uh, what really matters is the emotion. So it doesn't have to be your story, but it can be someone else's story. Uh, so for example, corporations who are associating themselves with, um, um, um, and then you, uh, could have, for example, a guest, uh, so for example, let's say it's an NGO that helps refugees could have a refugee coming and talk at the event and show that, uh, the corporation is supporting these schools. So, so that can be an example, for example, so that, that would touch, uh, the clients, uh, providing that it's, but usually a corporation will choose, uh, an area where it's safe. Um, and also, um, the corporation the same time does something good. So it's good karma. Roy (08:54): Yeah, I think, uh, you know, the story goes a long way in conveying our brand, um, unless you're very lucky and have a very unique product or service, there's somebody else that sells the same product or service out in the market. So the other thing that I've, uh, talk about a lot and feel that we have to do is we have to create the value. Why do you want to deal with me either for my service or my product? Again, I think that's where stories can go a long way in helping us show where that value is to the people that we're trying to reach. Valerie (09:31): Yeah. I mean, these days for corporations, uh, it's very data driven, so they will know what their customers, uh, what kind of topics that customers are interested in there will be surveys, but would be so, so it's not like, um, there, there would suddenly dive in supporting another organization and it doesn't have to be an organization. I mean, some, some, some corporations use emotion in very complex companies, for example, cook at the company in about happiness, um, to, to uncle, to encourage people, to, to figure about happiness when they did this look and choose happiness, or you have also, uh, for example, children of the world, which is a non-profit organizations. I like to give the example of nonprofit organizations because they're fantastic when it comes to creating emotions, um, because uh, corporations tells a product usually, which people want, um, otherwise they con crew, but a non-profit organization says something that people don't especially want and lesbian raised awareness, right. So the emotion has to be created, uh, strongly. Um, Roy (10:53): Yeah, and I think that's important even for products I, you know, in sales, that's one thing they always try to tell you is that you have to tell a story that creates that emotion in order to, you know, interest people. So I, I did notice that, uh, you know, when some of your collateral, that's something that you talk a lot about is creating that emotion. It's some kind of an emotional response. Valerie (11:17): Yeah. Yeah. Now there is, there can be downsides about this, uh, which is why some people are when you consent to tell your story, um, which is connected with brand damage. So sometimes the story or, or values are being promoted, but within the company it's not being respected. And then you will have, you will hear about an employee. You will start to Sue the corporation, but harassment, that people will say, well, you've been promoting this and your values and, and, and that, and so, so would say, um, well, when we speak about pushing further the branding, we also have to look at the downside, right? The potential risks. That's a con that the company might run, uh, by, by branding, by running new campaigns or associating themselves with, with specific organizations. Roy (12:19): So I kind of have a question that's basically back at the beginning. Um, I guess it's branding one Oh one. So it's a two-fold question. First off is how important is our name? And I love the name of your company, stunning brand, because you say exactly what you do in there is some thoughts around the concept that you really don't have to be a service product specific in your name. And, you know, the fine example of that is Google. I mean, nobody knew what a Google was, you know, 20 years ago. And now all of a sudden, it's not only a noun, but it's a verb. So can you kind of elaborate on, um, how important is naming and trying to focus on our product or service, or is it really not that important anymore? Valerie (13:14): It's a debate there and I haven't chosen my, my say that that's fair, that's fair. It's a difficult Roy (13:25): Question. And, you know, looking at naming and things and you always want to be in that space, but sometimes it's like, well, all the good ones are already taken. So you kind of have to look outside of that. So I won't press you on that then. And that, because it is a debate, there's a lot of, uh, argument. There's a lot of, um, data, you know, that kind of goes both ways on that. So the other question about naming is, um, how hard is it? If you're a corporation that's been in business in the same space for, I don't know, 25, 30 years, and now you decide that you want to change your name to something, uh, you know, maybe you've grown and evolved in something more representative. How hard is that to, uh, have a name change with a well-established company? Valerie (14:19): Uh, you're, you're talking about for branding. Um, yeah, it's, uh, it's very hard that I don't really search this area. And then we find you have, uh, clients who are interested in this. I kind of recommend people who have the top companies will do branding. Um, but from what they told me, uh, it's often a struggle because they, they want to rebrand, but then when they get to the stage of rebranding, they kind of attach it's like your children go. Right. Roy (14:53): Exactly. Exactly. So a lot of times that change, um, somebody wants to make a change because of a brand damage. Maybe I've got a brand, something went wrong with my product, my service, bad publicity, bad press. And so if you can't get out from under it, sometimes people think the best thing to do is make a change. So do you ever do any brand damage work? Valerie (15:23): Yeah, um, it would be more like refreshing the brand. Okay. Um, so some, my advice would be take, take positive action that will make good publicity. Um, I S I see a grand, like a person in a way. And, you know, when someone made a mistake, uh, the person has the choice to either keep justifying and try to make things better, according to the first mistake, or they can ignore it and keep doing, um, good, try to keep doing good things, uh, to actually help, um, the reputation to, to, to do better. So I would say, I would say don't get stuck with the bad reputation, uh, but think of what is the next thing you can do. And, and very often what I would advice is either to go with, um, some social responsibility, corporate responsibility to, to, well, firstly it will help the brand to do better. Valerie (16:26): Uh, and also it will ensure the clients that, um, Verizon improvement, very something. Now, if it's to do with, uh, employees who have to been, for example, badly treated and clients found out and it looks, it looks really bad. Uh, I would advise to take action, um, and make it public. We have changed our modified our policy. And, um, if it's to do with the projects, uh that's what about produce then? Uh, when I don't sell them anymore maybe, or show the improvements that has been done and should the process of, uh, of the improvement. I mean, the thing is there's no corporation who was perfect. It's, it's, uh, it's, it's hard work to run already a small company, but when you're running a huge corporation, um, mistakes are going to happen all the time. Uh, the wrong projects are going to come out every now and then. Valerie (17:30): Um, but how to deal with it, I would say is the same way we deal with our personal life, our personal life. We can choose to get, to stay stuck with what's not working, uh, or we can find a way forward and how to, to refresh, uh, the image, uh, by, by being completely honest. And sometimes it's to admit, um, that yes, this, I mean, this was wrong and people are not blind. And, uh, and this is the thing there's, there's a lot of leaders who have, um, a lot of pride and we don't want to, to, to tell, uh, there's been an issue, but there's a way, I mean, you don't have to be on your knees and apologize. There's, there's ways of saying things and there's ways of, um, making things look better. I mean, if, if it's, if it's a really big scandal or if it's a very big area, then, um, I would give it to that, for example, with, uh, someone who has worked fighting here and has been working with people who have a very big international reputations. So, so that would get into the area of reputation management. So it's really, I would assess what the damage is and, and see, um, who is the best person to take it off. Roy (18:56): Okay. Yeah. And I think, um, you know, transparency is the best way out of trouble is, you know, sometimes we have to admit it and then we lay out our course of action of, you know, how we're trying to fix it, how we won't repeat that, because like you said, nobody's perfect. We're all gonna make mistakes. Uh, especially when you have large corporations with a lot of people, uh, we can't be with them at every minute of every day, so things happen. And so that kind of leads into another, um, kind of area with social media, with each employee, having their social media account. There is, I guess there's a lot of room for that to be damaging, but there's also a lot of room for your employees to be advocates of your brand. Valerie (19:49): It's a, it's a big opportunity to, to spread the word as well. I mean, if I example a corporation or has, uh, 50,000, um, employees, uh, could run, uh, for example, Earl was I do it with my nonprofit, uh, where it's not a nonprofit community. Um, uh, they could give, uh, was for example, for the employees who promoted best, uh, the corporation and they could give them training is where, because the, the fear very often of cooperation to, to bring brand advocacy among the staff, uh, they're worried that someone is going to mess up or say the wrong thing or misrepresented the Brown, but there are trainings for this that can be given, uh, it's possible to educate, uh, the employees educate them also about their personal brand, because sometimes the person or the brand of the employee quits, uh, damage a little bit, the reputation of the corporation, the way they post on social media, for example, and, and it's to raise awareness more about how, uh, the social media world works. Um, and, and also there are, I mean, lots of the corporation now integrating diversity is very big word these days. Um, and also internet integrating like mindfulness, we're trying to get, uh, the employees welfare for their wellbeing, but we saw it is branding was so the corporation, because, uh, I see all the time on LinkedIn employees speaking about the corporation where they work and say, Oh, I've been to this great mindfulness training. So it's great publicity for exactly the operation. Roy (21:48): Yeah. And kind of the flip side of that is, uh, with the big brands, they need to be mindful of monitoring, uh, traffic negative, w let's talk in the negative for a minute, but, uh, you know, disgruntled customers, maybe even, uh, competition, trying to pull a fast one and posting bad, uh, experiences about your product or service. So in order to keep your brand reputation, it's important to monitor, uh, you know, what's going on out there on social media platforms with your brand. Valerie (22:24): Well, it's lucky in life very often. Uh, the issue will come from the inner second. And what many times corporations are, are not aware and nonprofits organizations as well. I mean, once, uh, in a big nonprofit international organization, uh, which is promoting, uh, all the good to do in the world, um, th the, the, the main line manager was, uh, introducing himself as a tumble of cider. I mean, what, but, you know, if someone photographed him, uh, not photographed him, but made the video these days, it's very easy to record, uh, people, uh, that that could have been a huge scandal because, uh, you you're talking about a humanitarian and social issues. Uh, so, you know, bringing, uh, like heavy alcohol in, in, in conversations when you're supposed to work, um, it's not really the place. Um, personal life is one thing, but, um, what, what many people are not aware is when we're within the company, their branding, the corporation, uh, for their eight or nine hours a day. Valerie (23:46): Yeah. They're spending their, everything. They say everything they do is, is part of the branding. And tomorrow someone might just pass or work there for one day and recalled, and then it was in the press. And, and you've got this big scandal about, uh, uh, you know, like sexual harassment and all the things we're hearing. Um, but the thing is when you have 50,000, a hundred thousand employees, you can count one that you can train them. You can educate them about the values and why it is important to have a certain code of behavior. So, so I know most corporations and organizations have their, their big flats. And, but very often nobody reads it. It's, I mean, people who start a job, they're just eager to start the job. They're not reading every document that the receiver sign it, they're not reading every, every single thing. So, so training is very important and the future will be more and more about this because the millennials are paying lots of attention. Right. And if a brand is not ethical that we know. Roy (25:00): Yeah. And I think you make a good point there that when, uh, when you come onto a company, you're onboarded, you sign the documents, you go through it. That really shouldn't be the end. There should always be a refreshers. Uh, again, it goes back to employee engagement. We need to keep employees engaged enough where we can reach out and talk to them about how we expect them to act and represent us. Because like you said, even in their personal life, if things could go really bad for them, it can, uh, uh, it can make the brand look bad and be very damaging as well. Valerie (25:35): Yeah. No super supporting, uh, employees wellbeing and, and supporting, you know, the education about the values, I think is very important. And many incorporation don't think it's important until we have to. Roy (25:52): Exactly. Exactly. So one more thing, um, the consistency of branding, because again, there's so many platforms out there that, uh, we need to be, even though we may message different on different platforms, the branding, um, how do we keep that consistent? Valerie (26:16): What do you mean? For example, because it was lots of consistency area, Roy (26:20): Well, like, uh, you know, across Instagram, Twitter, uh, Facebook, you know, they all reach a little bit different audience, and I know we can tweak our, uh, tweak our messaging, but our branding still needs to be very consistent, no matter what channels that we put that out on. Valerie (26:40): Yeah. Um, well usually it's the communications departments job. Uh, what I've seen in, I mean, cop, uh, PRI in the private sector, usually it tends to be more, more consistent. Uh, the big non-profits organizations tend to be consistent. Um, but I have seen in some large organizations I should be, which are international, um, where it's not consistent. People who don't really see it because, uh, the bigger news are stay consistent and it's stronger. Um, but I think as, um, people, as AI is coming in, people are gonna pay attention also on more and more details. Uh, so eventually I think consistency, the lack of consistency in some places, wouldn't be it. I mean, because I've got the background in fashion uh it's it was in my own career or represented like, um, uh NVMH and, uh, so as, as you said, as negotiator, but what I've learned there is perfect perfection is in, and I can tell you a consistency, even when you sleep, you Roy (27:57): Dream about. Right. Valerie (27:59): Um, so I, I tend to spot details that a lot of people don't spot. Um, but the thing is like everything, you know, when you start to go outside the line, that you can cross it more and more, and then mistakes can be done very easily. Um, but if there's a lack of consistency, I mean, many times it doesn't damage too much to brand, but it, it just, uh, reduce the strength of the branding, right. Because people just don't recognize that that is, that was picking about the same thing. Um, and, and, and Brown's also, um, uh, corporations also have Brandon Sue Brown. So for example, if a certain product that we brand a little bit differently, um, that's again, when it comes to, um, on per years, for example, promoting it. Yes. I think education is important. Someone majors say something that has nothing to do with what they're trying to promote. Roy (29:01): Right. Right. Well, Valerie, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to talk to us about corporate branding. Um, before I let you go, uh, first off, is there a tool or a habit or, um, that you use in your daily life, either your business or your personal life that you just couldn't do without Your phone? Right. Okay. Valerie (29:30): Do you mean, uh, like, yeah, Roy (29:32): Yeah. If it's, uh, if it's the phone, an app, um, could be, uh, I hear a lot of, uh, practicing gratefulness, you know, people go out for take walks when they get stressed. So just anything that you do, you know, in your life that you just couldn't do without, Valerie (29:52): Uh, I meditate actually every morning and every evening, uh, that helps concentrating for, for the rest of the day and in the evening helps me sleep well. Roy (30:04): Okay. No, that's good. That's good to know. Valerie (30:06): And I find it very helpful in some of, for cues, um, term of a physical tool then yes, I couldn't live with also my computer because they work on lane that's would be dramatic. Right. Roy (30:20): All right. Well, Valerie, thanks again. Uh, tell everybody, uh, number one, who is your customer, uh, what you do for them and how they can reach out and get ahold of you? Valerie (30:32): Yes. So, um, I, I can advise from corporations to personal branding or sometimes personal branding in corporations as well. Um, at the moment amongst a ring on a sentence, uh, woman is program. Um, but I've also worked with, uh, tech companies, um, um, very open. I mean, for me, branding is branding. Doesn't really matter in which sector, uh, what matters is, is what you want to achieve. And, and if, if you're open to speak about, um, the history of your brand, it's like with lawyers, if you don't tell everything that's important, something may be missed out. So, so, so I would say with unsure clients, just be aware that, um, I will not come in, uh, as a tourist and pick up the money because clients or so represent my brands. So I don't want to work with clients where I know something might go wrong and I will do a full assessment before making sure that a bit before confirming that we can work together so that the assessment is free. Valerie (31:44): Um, so you, you can reach me at hello, uh, outstanding brand.com and one group would reply. And, um, and we do a free assessment of one hour to see what is needed and, and what has been done before. And what is the step forward? You have a questionnaire to fill. It's not long, it's very short span, 10 questions. Um, and, uh, and then, uh, we can assess, um, how we, how we proceed and if we proceed, if you're happy. So with, with what I'm suggesting. Okay. So there's no, um, obligation that I always think if the client is happy and then it's great for my brands. So, so I, I prefer to do an assessment first. Uh, some people will take the service streets aware, but I have some friends for whom it's went wrong and then reputation goes with it. So that's all right, you're your Roy (32:40): Brand. So you can protect, you got to protect your brand. Exactly. Exactly. Now I understand that. All right, well, shout out to Valerie and, um, let her, you know, give you the assessment, see what she can do to help you either strengthen or change your brand, whatever you need done. She'll be glad to help you out. Um, again, thanks for taking time out of your day. My name is Roy. Uh, this is the senior living sales and marketing podcast. You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, Google, play, and Spotify. Please be sure and share with your friends. You can also find us@wwwdotseniorlivingsalesandmarketing.com. And, um, if you have any questions, please reach out to me or reach out to Valerie until next time. Thank you very much.  

GEORGE: And welcome back to one of those crazy free for all Fridays where I rip the intros off the top of my head. But today I feel like I have my brother from another mother from another country where balded brothers, we love cold therapy. I have meet someone with a crazier story than mine, but one of the biggest hearts in the world. And so today I'm excited to have my dear friend. The guy who literally has more stories than the hundreds of books that I read every year, but really is dedicated to changing the world by changing his own life first and giving away those gifts. Everything from health to mindset, to movement, to absolutely every modality that you can think of to helping humanity be a better person. And most recently, something that I started wearing where I don't have to swallow my vitamins anymore. I just slapped them on my skin. So I am excited to have my dear friend and brother Shane. Welcome to the show, my friend. SHANE: My friend. It's good to see you, dude. GEORGE: It's always good to see you. I always get to see you. I'm afraid to come visit you up in the North because I control my ice bath, but you got other variables up there and I know we'd get in, we would get there and we're going to talk about that for sure. But I do get a set context and this is one of the most important questions I ask. And it's something that I feel like you have an entire multitude of generational experience with given the industries you've been in from the nightclub industry, to the health industry, to running a clinic and a physical business and everything in between. And so my question that I ask everybody is when you look back, when you reflect on where you came from, what was one of the biggest mistakes that you made in business? What's the lesson that you learned and how do you carry that forward now where you are looking back on the past SHANE: easiest question for me. Impatience. You're going to take, I've made, as in patients, I have race. I am a fast thinker, a fast talker, a fast mover. I love fast. I hate fast. I get angry, fast. I get joyous, fast, everything. Everything is fast with me. Even rehab was fast for me. I was like, I'm 30 days out. Okay new career. Let's go. It wasn't a year long kumbaya, so impatience hands down 100% in anything that I've done, that I've failed on, I've gone too fast or expected too much too soon for too little initiative, too little input and so patience is what I've had to learn over the years, which is still a challenge every day. and how have I implemented that. No, I have to, I walk away from a lot of stuff now. So I've learned, we talked a little bit about cold therapy and a little bit about mindset and motive. Like you just mentioned that in the intro, what I've learned the most is for me, I need to distance myself from the issue at hand to get perspective on the issue, because the issue that I use when see that has to get done fixed. Is one step in the process. And I actually learned that at school, by the way, because when I went to school to become a certified nutritional practitioner, our mantra is treat the whole person, not just the symptoms, which means there's a myriad of issues or is it the theology of visions? It's not the headache. That's the symptom. That's the problem that you're feeling, but what's causing that headache. we've gotta do the pathology of it all the way down. It could be liver, kidney distress. It could be a hundred things. It could be stress, it could be anxiety. It could be gut digestive imbalance. It can be bacterial amounts. It could be a thousand things. We have to do the pathology of it. So for me, patients, a hundred percent, impatience has always left me in a bad place. and then to process that now it's a hundred percent step away. Get out of the micro for a minute, look at the macro. Is that the only problem is that a descendant of a problem it's a systemic problem. Is it relating to other issues? And then, just get back in and work. GEORGE: I'll start, at the scratch man, scratch the itch. my parents they're awesome human beings. They're entrepreneurs, provided a middle of the way upper-class I don't know what the standard. I don't know what categories that I knew my parents were entrepreneurs and they did well. I had a car at 16, I guess I'm privileged. I, they earned everything. Then nothing was handed to them. they set my brother and I up for success. There's no doubt with more, I would say actionable tools than just, steering us with wealth. My dad had us working in the warehouse at 13. 12, actually a sweeping floors and forklift operator. And then as we got a little older, we went into the office and we worked as an assistant to the purchaser. And then we worked in accounting and we worked in receivables and payables, and I worked at the reception desk for a summer. I was a receptionist, and that was like probably 15 or 16 when all my friends were like, starting to be bar backs and working in the, what we thought were the cool businesses. The late night stuff, I was working 9 to 5 in the summers. And then after schools. my mom would drive us to the office. We'd get done school around 2:45 and I worked on six and it wasn't hard. I love my family. My brother was there all the time. so that's the simple basics of like where I come from working I'm Canadian, for the followers and viewers that don't know. and we're not much different. as much as it is colder here, but only seasonally. an entrepreneurial middle of the road family that was extremely tight, like our dinner, we used to call my dad's company, Calico our third brother. Because it was a family member, like at dinner we didn't talk about, Oh, how was your day? did you see what did? And at the job site, in Toledo, Ohio today, jeez Murphy, I can't believe that happened, So that was our family dynamics. So I was brought up in business, which is the best lesson I could have gone to pick your Harvard finishing school or business school.I wouldn't have learned one 10th of what I learned working with real people and real scenarios and real problem solving. I worked in paint shops. Our family business was automotive sector. we did quality control and assembly plants, and a lot of cleaning. And, PR and production line maintenance. So we were in charge of the quality of the paint jobs on all the Chrysler, Ford, GM Audi, Porsche, several different BMW, South Carolina globally. and I worked in Detroit, Michigan for a long time, and I did sales all across the us. And I was Southeast business development representative at a time, when I was in college and I got to work along, hardworking, real working people.So this is labor. This is not, it wasn't an office tower. It wasn't like I went into the suit whenever I was working in a shutdown, we go in for two weeks and we called queen 2 million square feet of space. And it's four stories tall, and we have to wipe every surface and clean every surface, horizontals verticals, every robotic mechanism, water blast, all the greats, clean, all the sleuth ways, deep, clean, wet, and dry, clean, every single oven, which are 700 feet long. And there's six of them. And you do that with a shop vac and you do that with a rack. So this is labor intensive. So we're not dealing with, probably some of the smartest people I meet, but not what society deems smart. They didn't wear a suit and tie and didn't go to Wharton finishing business school. but they all came up in the ranks and I'm fortunate that in that business, my dad was an extremely good boss and he was a father. So there's a lot of these guys and it was a male dominated industry. A lot of these guys were disenfranchised. And I learned that a long time as I was growing up, like they were from rougher upbringings. They were, the guys that needed to get a job. That's it? Like they, they were on the road for six months of the year. that's not usually somebody's choice, cleaning paint shops. That's not Hey, what are you gonna do for this? I want to clean paint shop. You know what I mean? and it's not, I want it to kids. Don't say that they say Superman or doctor or lawyer or a police officer or firefighter, whatever paint shops didn't come up.But what I learned from these guys watching them with my dad is a couple important lessons and I'll jump into my whole lineage. is treat everybody equally, treat everybody with respect and be upfront and authentic at all times  and that is what I saw with my dad. And these guys became a subsect of a family to us, like my brother who bought my dad's business outright about eight years ago, from my dad there, my dad's retired now and his right-hand guy started with my dad at 18. The CFO started my dad when he was 23. ,most of the senior management started on the floor. They moved up in the business. So you don't see that in a lot of companies now. So when I, so we go to the patience thing, that's my first category of patientce. Is I'm going to look at the global of this, the macro, these guys that started with my dad, didn't jump at every opportunity. Didn't go to every other company, every other I'll give you five grand more a year to come work here. They were patience because they had value in what they were doing and who they were working for. And we don't see that a lot in our industry today. People jump for nonsense. People don't stick it out. They don't work through the rough times, which means they lose the ability to learn how to solve problems and manage crisis. And that's a big factor. So I've learned a ton just from 12 to 21 working for my dad. And that being able to observe that business grow, as my brother has taken it from what it was doing to what it's doing now, which is an extremely. International global. He's I believe the second largest industrial services company, in the country or at least in definitely in Canada. maybe in the world that isn't a publicly owned operated company. We're still private, but he's still a private business. Yep. What he has done is exceptional and I've also learned from him. He started at 12 he's 47.  He didn't, he could have cashed out, sold out. He's got offers. I'm sure he's got an exit strategy in his books, but he also is stuck with things. So patience is also sticking with it, right?  We have knowledge that.And then my next phase is, and this is kinda, I like telling this story because my brother and I are extremely close. I was already in the nightclub scene a little bit. I was a little bit of a Playboy. And I don't mean Playboy like that way. I was out, I liked the social life. My brother was more of an introvert. I'm an extrovert. And, at about, we were allowed to drink at 19 here in Canada. So I'm an 18 in Montrel, but 19 here. So about 1920, I started going downtown Toronto to these clubs. And that's when you're that age, it's like a whole different world, right? It's you're going into Gotham. If you're from a suburb it's yeah this is so big to you. now it seems like it's a fish tank to me whenever I look at it now, because I've traveled the world. But at the time it was like, Oh my God, there's so many places to go. And I loved it, man. And I used to throw, all through high school parties that I just did because I loved throwing parties. I liked being the center of attention to be truthful and the kid that threw the biggest, cause I was party was the center of attention on Monday at school, so I used to throw them on my dad's warehouse actually. And have we literally had my well funny story, my dad was on his way to Boston for a meeting, and he saw a flyer on a light post for a warehouse party that was a BYOB that was basically a rave. We had scaffolding set up in the warehouse, so my dad would take off on Friday afternoon, Friday night. I would have friends come in, set up the warehouse with scaffolding, a hundred thousand square foot warehouse. There's at least 80,000 scaffolding and all the corners. We went to local strip clubs and hired the strippers, but not the strip to be go dancers  and they would come in and dance on the scaffolding. Then we would set up an 18 Wheeler truck we'd back it in, we'd put a band up or a DJ up. And then I had a, unsavory motorcycle club do security for me. I won't drop any names, but the big one. Okay. support 81 is what a lot of people will know before. they would come in and do securityfor us and people would show up, they would check their booze at a bar that we set up, and which was actually made out of an inverted swing stage. We would put their beer behind their liquor, behind them. We give them tickets and they come back with the tickets and we have these parties. It was 10 bucks guys, seven bucks girls. And we used to put, 2000 people in this space, 2000, 3000 people. Led light show, laser show, all of that good stuff. There wasn't that we used back then it was laser lights and the old, like the spotlights, the scabbard. So my dad was on his way to Boston and saw a flyer for three 44 new perk road, which was the address, the thing.And he turned around and went back to the warehouse. And I was in the backyard, he setting up and he literally looked at me and this is the relationship I have with my dad. He looked at me, he said, what are you doing? He goes, do you understand the liability? You're putting me in? He goes are you out of your fucking mind? Like he was just beside himself. And I'm like, dad, I go, I've been doing this for six months, every once a month. And he's, I don't give a shit like you could have, I could lose a business you could. And he was right. Except he had taught me business. So when he didn't know, as he said, I said, dad, this is happening tomorrow.You call the cops, but it's that you're going to have 2000 people on the street. And he said, there's only one way we can figure this out. He said do you have a party permit of Firebird? Do you have insurance? if you don't have any of these things, it's getting shut down and he didn't expect me to happen. And I did, I had, I had the fire department come in and do a fire inspection for occupancy, for private venue parties. So we had a license for a party permit for that night. And I had some insurance on the building that separated my dad under a lawyer I forget the name of the company now. I think it was, better days productions. Might've been better days, but we had an insurance policy that had us like $3 million liability. So he looked at all the paper and he's Jesus, like you little prick, so I threw that part that was the last one though. And, that kinda got me into things.So as I fast forward, I was already in that scene a little bit and started going to nightclubs. And I really loved it. My brother, who was my brother and I were my dad was starting a separate business, which is the business of today. And, he, I had a piece of it. My brother had a piece of it and my dad had a piece of it and it was all of ours but Clip and him were partners, but I was involved. And I remember looking at my brother saying like this isn't, I don't like this.What do you mean? And he's you've got, you're making more money than 30 year old, like you have a life path here. Are you an idiot? I'm like, I don't think I want to do this anymore. I'm going to go up in a nightclub. And he looked at me. He said, you're out of your mind, that's the largest failure rate. And I said, look, point, I don't want anything from the company. I don't want anything from it at all. I don't deserve anything. You guys are building it, but do me a favor. Can you keep me on payroll while I go out and explore this? And because I don't want any value for leaving the business as an owner or whatever, will you back my play with that whenever I need to figure out the finance .And he made me do actually killed my brother. He's I got your back, bro. You're my little brother, whatever you want to do it, like you're an idiot, but go ahead and do it. So I went out and, the story of how I got my first nightclub, I was a VIP host at a place in Toronto, which means I was nothing. basically I would still the VIP and I would get free booze, but I was treated like when I was introduced around town as an owner.And, it was a place called casino lounge and people thought I owned a piece of it. And that gave me at 20 years old cloud. Like I was a big shot. I was an owner of the club and I wasn't, But, there was the, I don't know if you remember the movie. I think it was called drive. And so that's just a little, They filmed the closing scene there. And I wasn't aware of that as I brought down my two limo buses full of people for the night. So I had 40 people coming into the VIP on my name and I pull up and Jesse who was a legitimate owner and a friend of mine, who introduced me to this space and brought me in as a host, whatever, he looked at me and he's what are you doing here? I'm like, Yeah, I guess for the night, when you want them to do it again. And he said, Shane, he goes well, because it was private it's, we're filming the swimming, the movie. And I said, based on that, he jokes, he was like, do you want to meet Slyvester Stallone I'm like, yeah. Yeah. I forgot the people for a minute. I do. So when said hi, and that was neat. but I want, you said, look, go to this club. It's called insight. There's a guy at the front door. He's still a friend of mine, by the way, his name's Blake. He goes, tell Blake that you're one of the owners here and. Tell them that you'd like them to comp all of our, for your 40 guests and we'll do a deal with them. Their staff will come over and drink. We'll pay them a check at the end of the week, whatever, like just run a tab and we'll take care of handshake. Did this happen to clubs at the time staff get taken care of back and forth. So I will roll up in this limo bus and I get out all sauntered up.I think I'm like some big shot and I walk up to you Blake. And he's yeah. And you understand I'm 5'5, and I didn't have any of this. And I'm a little scrawny kid. and Blake's, 6'2, it looks like John Ciena, And he really is.That could look. of a guy. He's a sweetheart of a guy too.And he, he turns to me, he goes, the alcohol do for it. I'm like, Hey Blake, I'm Shane. I'm the owner of one of the owners casino lounge. Can I, can I slide in, I got 40 people and we're going to take over your VIP for the night. If that's cool, run up a huge tab and casino going to pay the bill. And he looked me dead in the eye and he said, you're a host. You don't have the authority to do this. It is no not happening. And that was in front of people.  I was humiliated, bro. And he didn't and he didn't yell it. He wasn't disrespectful. He was honest actually. I wasn't an owner. Jesse told me to swing by, but I did, I have a credit card from casino lounge to prepaid the bill, like I, I didn't, even though it was, a handshake.So I turned around and I sent the bus home and when the buses pulled away, it's like a movie shot, man. There was a restaurant across the road that was called mr. Pongs Chinese food, a little two-story building two and a half story, looked like a semi-detached squeezed between two big office towers and it had a for sale sign on it. I turned around to Blake and I said, you know what? You did do your job, but you're going to regret it because they're going to work for me one day and he laughed. He goes, yeah, I heard that a thousand fucking times household type thing. I went across the road and I went into the place and I said, who's the owner? Is there an owner here? And this guy comes out of the kitchen. His name is Lake pong. And he says, I'm the owner? I said, so your building's for sale? How much do you want for him? And he gave me a number. And, I remember calling my dad and it's now about midnight. And I said dad.I think I found a building for my club and he's like, how much they want? I said how much it was. And he says, you don't have the equity. I said, I can find the money, I can always, I can, I know people that will lend money, even if it's high rate, he goes, the only way you're going to pull this off kid is if you get it for this price cause you need this much for construction minimum.So basically the price of the building was here. I needed to cut it in half to be able to do both parts of the segment. And the late Pong, looked at me and gave me the number I went back in. I offered them all cash deal. I had half the value of what he was asking. What I didn't know about Mr. Pong was he's being sent to jail the next month. And he was liquidating assets because he had an illegal arms deal. So I didn't know that he was desperate to sell. He had to sell. So he accepted the offer. So I turned around and about two in the morning or three in the morning, I had a building on Richmond street in Toronto, which was the Club PortalGEORGE:  I think that's hilarious. Didn't you include your friends Harley in the deal?SHANE: So Jimmy Williams, who own the limo company. that I was, I used for the nightclubs and everything else. And, Jimmy, I had the Harley there, and he liked the Harley and he's what's the deal with that? And I'm like, why you want it? And he's it's a deal. If you throw that in, I'm like done. Gil started. I remember calling Jimmy. He was like, Hey, how did it go? How did Jimmy talk like this? I, Jimmy had this tough Greek guy, he goes, Hey, shader, he actually used to call me tiger. And I won't explain why. because it's derogatory. He goes, Hey, tiger, how'd it go? How'd it go? And I'm like one good buddy. I got the building goes, that's fucking great because I don't know, fucking clap. Beautiful. And I said, bad news. I owe you Harley, GEORGE: What I love about this? and I've heard the story and I laugh every time and I love it. Like you basically. You take what you talked about in the beginning, you invest in people. You've always loved people. You learned the value of like hard work and principles and people and staying long time and like you've leveraged relationships and absolutely everything that you do. Like you are the master at relationships. Like every time I'm sitting with you, you're like, Oh, I'll reach out to them. I know them. I have them it's relationships. And so you get this building and then you literally turn around and go from Chinese restaurant to becoming one of the biggest nightclubs in Toronto SHANE: Therapy wasn't. Therapy lounge was my baby that was my first one. If there was only a 666 capacity, but it was the only club on the street that was a lounge. I love the idea of sultry and sexy, Lavender and mahogany. not laminate, the bar was made. The bar was a $200,000 bar. I didn't know anything about design by the way. I'm an idiot. I should have spent $6,000 on a plywood construction laminated it of the total Reiki. I didn't understand designers. I have dreams. And then, so I blew my budget, but, it was the most greatest place. And I did leverage and you're absolutely right. I had a friend of mine, Dave JanCoulis, who was, just left red, just left rockstar energy, drinks. They got bought by Pepsi, I believe, or somebody they just sold. He was the president of rockstar Canada for many years long before that he got a bar in Oshawa. And I was good friends with them and I'm like, dude, I'm going to buy a club. You're going to be my manager. You're an old friend. I trust you,Dave ironically, didn't take the job. But he had committed to it. And as a commitment president, I took him to Mardi Gras with a bunch of other guys. We had a crazy wild week down there and, that was like a signing bonus. And, that was one of the trips. There was many to Mardi Gras. That was my Vegas. You can keep Vegas, Mardi Gras was Vegas gamble with your life. Now with your money. I used to say, So anyways, Dave came back as like Shannon over really want to take the job. I think I scared of maybe Mardi Gras. I'm not sure he saw some signs of me, probably hadn't seen. And, but he did find me another amazing guy and, and Craig and Adrian, and he brought two other people. So an old friend, not just an applicant couldn't come through, but didn't leave the space empty. Yeah. And then I brought on, I brought, I had a great team. So therapy lounge was by far my proudest thing. And then from that I had money nightclub, which was the largest nightclub, next to RPM, which was Charles caboose, which became the government, which was four clubs in one space. And I think they did about 15,000 people a night. We did S we did 8,000. So in Toronto, we were the second largest club. But I was the only person that owned my properties. That was the big difference. I leveraged my buyingproperties around me and then I reconverted them or else I took over. Money I called existed before me. I can't see, I created it. I don't want to take credit for my club was another person's club. And I acquired it, through, through a certain way. I won't discuss that here because it's not the right way to talk about things. ut I think I had to throw a little nefarious method, shall we say? but I ended up getting it and I wanted it and I did it because I didn't like the guy that owned it by the way. Yeah. I wouldn't do that. Good person. But, so fast forwarding, cause I don't want to take up all of our time on that, nightclubs. I ended up having them and I, what I did know, and I'm gonna be real honest with your audience because I don't want to blow this story up as Oh what a cool life. I didn't know that I was miserable. That's the sad part George. Is I had developed somewhere along the line, probably in my early adolescence, a self-esteem self-worth issue. So the reason I threw parties and I did all that shit for the attention was to fill, just the top of my needs. And I would just fill in just a little bit, just you think of a glass and it's draining out.I would just getting enough to keep the bottom with a little fluid. I never filled my cup.  Always a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more. I never sealed the problem of this lack of self worth and lack of integrity or self-esteem. And I started drinking more and I started using more. I was doing an eight ball of Coke a day, from 19 years old until I quit. And, that's 20 years and, yeah, 18 years and I was drinking excessively. Like we, we drink a lot in Canada. It's well known around the world, Canadians and Australians compounding back. And I was at the top. I would be in a heavyweight fighter if there was a, if there was a competition for on my 30th birthday, I think it was like 40 drinks. 36 and 38 drinks. So I was masking that and then I didn't develop good quality when you're intoxicated and you're living in a false reality and you are sitting there, everybody is looking at you for something and you already have a self-esteem self-worth problem.You compensate by making every field, they got something and it's shallow and hollow and it's not authentic, which leaves you more void. Yep. So you keep giving this false person the way I explain it to people that makes a lot of sense is I was a Broadway performer or a stage actor, except I didn't finish the stage. So when you see an actor, they get into character, they create a new perversion of themselves to give to an audience, to entertain people. And they go on and they do their show and then they come off and they wipe the makeup off and get industry clothes and they go home that character of Shane club owner slowly got more and more where it was 24 hour consumed by.I was, I didn't communicate with my girlfriends, loved them, all, never cheated on a woman in my life, but I wasn't a good boyfriend because I wasn't there. I was always void. I was distant. I was, I didn't like me, dude. That's a simple trip in like who I was. If you don't like yourself, you're pretty fucked.GEORGE: Yeah, totally. When, like what it sounds like, and you and I have very similar stories, it becomes all in golfing than everything's an act. You have no time down. And then you're just like running and then the threshold gets higher and you have to increase the intensity. You have to do bigger parties. You have to do more lavish things to get attention. Like the, all of it changes. you were. You were like hiring private jets at 17, literally throwing parties that celebrities would come find you out. Like you have more crazy stories than anybody I know, but it just seems like it was like, you would have to find another level to the gas pedal.SHANE: That's exactly it. I remember, I'll tell this one story. I don't want to name drop because it's cheesy. but this one I think was, is So when you speak about Jetson stuff, yeah, we would, I would charter planes, to go to Mardi Gras. Like I would take my whole staff and be like I'm having a good party myself at my club and I love Mardi Gras and I'm like, guys, let's go to Mardi Gras, fuck it up.And literally take the whole team down. And, and it was the top floor of the force of the, the Ritz Carlton. And, we had there's so the top floor of the Ritz-Carlton in new Orleans, I don't know if it still is like this, but when you get to the governor's suite and the chairman suite financials, The elevator goes up and there's a door from one side and the door on the other. It's the whole side of the floor. So you got one side or you at one side you're overlooking the park. Are you overlooking downtown new Orleans or the river? or downtown new Orleans and. The, at the very end of these rooms, there's a little balcony that overlooks and then cool that you share a rooftop pool. That's got like a barn thing, brought everybody down and we're having a bang up time. And I wanted to throw the biggest party in this hotel. So and it's Mardi Grass. They let everything go. So I went down to the front desk. First thing I did is one of my, when my guests all got down and I'm like, all right, guys.And I had friends on lower floors that were staying in actual rooms. Like I, it was. I won't give the bar the hotel tab, but it was extremely large. I remember calling my brother saying I matched the card again. And he goes, you did that yesterday. I go, there's a check in my desk drawer. Can you drop it to the bank and pay it? So my credit card clears up and we're talking like a $20,000 limit. Yeah. It's 20 grand a day. Taking care of everyone. And my brother was like, you're out of your fucking mind. You're an idiot. what are you doing? And I'm like having a good Mardi Grass, So I was down there. So I was, I said to all my friends, soon as they get down on my, and my team members and I'd give everybody, give me your watch. And she was like, why? give me your, watch us while at the safe deposit box in the room, through the Washington, why are you doing that? I said, because time doesn't exist here, you drink til you pass out, you wake back up, you drink, you pass out. That's your time. There is no call by we're clock here. You might wake up at three in the morning from passing out at 6:00 PM the night before, and you start you'll find one of us.One of us will be out there. Find us, call us. And so is this great thing. And then the next thing that happened is I went down to the front desk and I got 200 room key coats. And I went up to all my friends and I said, every girl that raises her blouse, give her a key to the cart, keep the hotel and tell her there's a party here.Saturday night at 8:00 PM. I hired a jazz band. Hired bartenders, had the whole place set up at 8:00 PM, 800 people on the, on that deck patio. Band playing tequila, rye, Jaeger, Meister, frigging fender, right? Like I literally stood on the balcony that overlooked the pool off the bedroom. I've told you this part is fucking biblical because it was the part, it was the unknown party in Mardi Grass.  Like it was like a speakeasy in Mardi Gras. That's impossible to pull off. You had to have a key to get in and it was just Epic, dude. It was just Epic. And I'm sitting there and I still am. I'm still finding these memories, even though I think they're so shallow and pointless. And then, I get a knock on the door and I figure it's police.So I opened the door and it's a guy with long hair and he's got like a door and he's got glasses on and he leans in and raspy voice goes, yo man, the fuck you got going on here. And I'm like, having a party, dude, you gotta keys. Like I don't gotta keep him in the room across the hall. I'm like, Oh, it's going to go late, bro. I hope you're not calling to complain. I'm looking at them and I'm recognizing them, but I don't know where I recognize them from, but I'm like, how do I know you? We meet and you gotta understand I'm gassed, I'm high and drunk. I'm thinking what? Guy's got like a Ferdy color on big glasses, gold chain. I'm like who the fuck? And he looks at me and this is now. I'm gonna tell you who he is. You guys remember the song cowboy? I'm a cow boy it's Kid Rock. .It's Bob Richie. So I'm sitting there and, and that was his only popular song at the time. So it was like, he was just starting out. So I'm like, Hey, you're the cowboy, you're the cowboy. That's moving to the West coast guide. He's yeah, man. I'm Bob Richie. And I'm like, Hey, nice to meet you really appreciate meeting you. And he's Hey man, can me and my girl come in. I'm like, absolutely. I'd love to have you over. Sorry. I think somebody here. Sorry. I just, I'm hearing noises in my kitchen. I'm wondering if an animal get in thereGEORGE: it's all the stories of the past camera. Hey reminder, you ever go?SHANE: Yeah. Yeah. So actually I, for short, Bobby comes in, we have a crazy party, three days him and I didn't leave the master bedroom. GEORGE: so like you, you said something and I think this is really important. You're like, I love the stories, no matter how shallow they are, but like one of the reasons, I think your story. And your past is so impactful is because some people have played on the extreme level, but like you played on a level and created a level that didn't exist for people. And. I think it serves as a perfect juxtaposition for what you stand in and believe in now, like you don't have shame about the past. You have knowledge looking back, but when I hear you now, the guy that literally coaches people, you help people find their meaning and their path and their values and their worth. And I'm talking to everybody from the top A-listers of the A-listers down to me and our friends and everybody. I think one of your gifts is that range that you've experienced. when you talk about it, I want everybody to understand that, like I know Shane and his heart and those things are perfect experiences to stand for what you do now and how you do it and what you believe in and who you stand for. And what I think is so remarkable, in my experience, like I'm a pretty extreme person, but I can't even get to your level, but it felt like the opposite wasn't even possible for me. Like I was living in such this like chasing another level of dopamine, skydiving, more jumping, more crazy dopamine, like distraction, performing this person. And then, I had a family and I lost it all and I ended up almost bankrupt and ended up alone and, in some dark areas. And those times I was like, I couldn't even exist here. And I imagine, when you were like the nightclub things exploded, all this is going, you got to a point where you felt that inside you're like this, isn't it like I'm empty. There's nothing thereSHANE: I call it the tears after the beers. I've talked with this one. I sold all my own nightclubs solved. That's the funny story, Kid Rock. We're good with all my party and everybody gets the idea.And, and then I sold my nightclubs at 34 35 ago. And. I built this idea and this character for so long that once that was gone, I had no idea who I was. and it was, and I didn't have the access and all of a sudden, by the way, people didn't give a shit. Because I didn't have, I had personal access cause I had colleagues, but all of a sudden I was living in my really nice home in suburb, on summered, Ontario with the boat downtown and. It just, it, this person, I didn't know who the fuck had wants to. And then I used to start, I hung around this unsavory group up there and it was just, local pub drink till last call, come back to my house to blow for horrible existence.For two years, I was depressed, not knowing, but I call it the tears off the beers because eventually the party always ends. Yeah and whatever, and this is the same with anything, your followers, your viewers, or anybody is listening too. If you push away your issues, you're just giving them a bigger levy to break on you. You're building another issue onto the issue on the issue. It's just how it works. If you don't, if you don't eat slowly, every problem you have take them and digest them and then shit it out. Literally get rid of it by going through the process, then you're going to leave yourself to disaster.And I had built 20 years, 20 years of issues that I had neglected. And one night sitting on my couch, I'm just in tears. Everybody had gone my house, melt the cigarettes and booze, and I couldn't sleep because I'd been up for two days on Coke and. the house was a mess. and I looked around, I remember vividly man. I was sitting on my couch and I'm just bawling. And I think CSI Miami was on TV or something. One of the right grand nanny shows or law and order SVU on USA networks or whatever. And I was just like looking at TV, mindlessly, zombie stupid. I couldn't make meetings. Nobody really cared. I had a girlfriend who was passed out upstairs high as a kite to, And it was just fucking horrible. And that wasn't enough because this is, I went through that for two years, every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday night cause I used every day almost. So it was the same cycle. So what happens is you sit there in your fog feeling like shit. And then you wake up the next day and the fog is still there.You don't feel like shit because the physical crap takes over where your body is decimated from the abuse you did. And you, the only way to heal that abuse is to go use again. So you do, and then by the end of the night, you remember that you feel like shit mentally, because you've used all these drugs that open up that portal in the brain that after everybody's gone, it goes, Oh yeah, I'm a piece of shit. And it compounds and then you feel worse. You do more worse, you do more words and you do more worse. And then my story of revelation, is, was in Greece when I was 37.Long story short. I landed in Greece with a girl that I wanted to date and I want to do impress her. So I took her to Greece and I showed up like Shane Griffin in those days showed up douchebags, schmuck, Lopers suit, Gucci glasses, whatever you want to say. Just pick your picture, your biggest kind of Miami looking douchebag.I do now, this is, I got dressed up for you. I put on a long sleeve with flip flops. But, so anyways, I got there and the one thing that this girl said to me, and she was quite an angel and I mean that with all sincerity, she said, Shane, I know that you drink and all you have fun. Please don't drink and drive in the village where my family's at. It's very similar and she wasn't staying in my hotel. She wanted to know propriety, no image that we were together. She's you're my friend. You're here as my friend, I'm giving you a tour. And I took her on the trip. that's a given.But she made it clear that this was not a PR this was not a Quid pro quo. You know what I mean? It wasn't, that she's I appreciate your kindness and I'll have a great time and I'll show you the best parts of Greece. And that's what you're getting for this. You're getting a private tour guy.I expected more because I was doucebag and thought women were acquired and they were required through impressing them through money. So that's where I was at that time of life. Anyways, second night there,  I'd rented a, a, AMG Mercedes, GT. Yeah. And, and I left drunk, short version. I left drunk. I wrote the car off. I fractured my broke my nose fractured my orbital fractured three ribs. I was, this side of my face was mangled and I was coughing up blood and it was not good. And the next morning she kicked in the door, the hotel was like, what the fuck happened? Like your, the car's wrapped. And I'm like, and I don't know why I said this, but I was still drunk and probably in shock. and I said, I got carjacked by Albanians and she laughed a little kind of, because knowing me that was, I'm from a dead sleep, stuck to a pillow with blood on my face. And she's you're such an asshole. Like just, you're such, you're like Shane, I watched you wreck the car. The quad was an outdoor club. You drove around the back of the club and put it off the road where the whole club could see, like we saw the headlights go off the road and then back onto a service road so long and short, she on that trip said I'm out. I think you're a great guy, Shane, I'm not invested enough into this. I'm not putting myself at risk and I'm leaving. I'm not taking the restaurant. I'm gonna stay with my family. I'll grab my cell phone. Of course I said, your bitch. You're not, fucking use me for a first-class ticket or a private jet or wherever the hell we got there and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and all that other shit. And I remember leaving after I said all those things too. And I felt just shifted. I'm like, that's not you, man. That's not you. You're not that guy. You're not that guy, but I was that guy. I didn't want to be that guy, but I was that guy.So I spent a week, by myself healing at this salt Lake water thing that I found. And then I went on Mykonos. And when I was in Mykonos, the short version there, I'll practice up a little bit. We know it's the nightclub business. I was involved in film festivals. I meet a lot of celebrities. Okay. Guys, one celebrity particularly told me how to cook, how to call him if I ever saw him again, I never expected to see the celebrity ever again in my life because when you run into this guy,  I'm in the hotel room and I hear this voice now, do you understand these were villas that were staggered and each woman there was a Bush and then a hot tub and then bush in a hot tub. And they all looked over the sea, and I'm sitting on the, I'm sitting in the hot tub and I hear this voice. It sounds awful. We're going to do a, it's this talk Hey, and I'm like, fuck, I know that voice. So I go, Bobby. And I hear, Hey, who's that right? So I go, Bobby, it's Shane Griffin. He goes, come on in the hallway. I don't know who you are. So for the folks that don't know, Robert de Niro goes by Bobby, if you're his friend.So I come out in the hallway and I'm like Bobby and Shane, he looks at me, he goes, I don't fucking know you. And I'm like, Toronto, you did the film festival party. You opened the club. Are you open to your media at the thing goes, Hey, trouble up fucking what movie was that? And I told them the movie, I forget it now. I think it was, I think it was the Meet the Fuckers or something like that. Anyways. it was cool. Oh, the Brooklyn club, it's a purple club. banged up, type thing. I'm like, yeah, I'm banged up a little bit. I said, what are you doing for dinner? He goes, Oh, I'm just going to go out. He's by himself. I'm by myself. We went to dinner and at dinner, this is when the epiphany happened. I'm a big fan of celebrities. I don't like that everybody shits on them because I know a lot of them and they're just as human as you and I, and opinion, and I have an opinion and they're allowed to have an opinion. No, they're not. they're less unattached. They're actually more dialed into the issues. And most of the people I know on the offense, because they deal with a whole different category of issues. and I know that intimately, that's why. I won't speak any more on that. but I have a lot of respect. I'm always fascinated with people that have excelled in a career that millions of other people are selling. I want to know the best firefighter in the world to buy. How did you get better than everyone in business? In spiritual advice? Everything. When somebody is the elite, the best UFC fighter, whoever's hold the belt. What separates you? Fascinates me. So actors and musicians do. We're at dinner. And he literally looked at me and goes, so what happened? I said, ah, this girl, I took her out and, I took her here and then I wrecked the car and the bond, she's a bitch. And this and that he's, I don't know. I don't know if she's a fucking bitch. I don't know if I'd say that it was like, you fucking wrecked the car shame, And I said, and say, anyways, he goes, cause Shanne, this was the most pointed thing was ever said to me. And, and I actually have permission to say this, He said, chin, can I be honest with you? I said, yeah, that's my best part, DeNiro people. so he's got to be honest with us and he goes, I reckon stories for a living. I tell stories for a living. I direct stories for a living. I'm a fucking storyteller. Your life is amazing. You got a great fucking story, but we could never produce it in Hollywood.And I said, why? cause we don't make movies with bad endings. And he literally said, maybe you need some help. And I said, you think I need to go to rehab. He says, I don't think it'd be a bad fucking thing. it's not going to fucking hurt you. The bars will still be there when you get out, if you don't like it, And, that was the first moment I ever thought about going to rehab. And then. I just, I embraced it. I got home and I had some help getting there, acknowledged my brother who was the final push for me. I'd been thinking about it for two months. And Clint was the one that basically sat me down and was like, Hey man, I heard you're thinking about going there's plane at the airport.It's fueled. And it's going to California. We honor. You can not, I'm never bringing this up again. Yep. Type thing. And that was it. That's how it was laid out to me. He's I'll never bring it up to you again, I don't fucking care if you go or you don't care. You're a big boy. He said, but, I have arranged a place for you and you can go or not. There was no ultimatum. There was no, you're not going to be in our family anymore. There was no martial law. They were just like, you're a big boy. If you think you've got a fucking problem, you probably have a fucking problem kid. And I said, you're so right. And, I got on a plane. And I went and, and I loved that.I went to a place called passages. it is a highfalutin Malibu place, people, so yeah, privileged, spent a lot of money to be there. but they were a non 12 step. My brother picked that specifically because he didn't think that I could submit to it higher power, which he was. Yeah. and that's not to say that I don't believe in anything that you want to believe in. For me, not a religious guy, not the 12 step is based in religion, but it does submit to a higher power and I've just always believed I'm I'm, I manifest my own destiny. I can create my own luck and I create my own bad luck too. And I didn't want to be reliant on, on, a person that if I didn't get in call in touch with them when I was having a tough moment, like a sponsor, but I didn't call them that I would crumble because they're my gateway to success.So this holistic pathway that they taught me was about self acknowledgement and self-worth, and it was about self-esteem and self management. And creating positive habits in your life and creating purpose in your life, creating passion in your life. And I fell in love with the George fell in love with the whole concept. I fell in love with what I heard the word holistic. Before I went in there, I was like, Oh, I'll come to come out of Tesla drive in tree foggy. We were in Birkenstocks. Like I'm a capitalist. I like business. I love helping people. And I like business. I'm like socialists and economic this and I'm like, I don't want to come out  bleeding hard cone by yacht you're Nomis day. that's not a version of me either, and there's nothing wrong with that. I love I don't know yoga studio, but I'm too diverse. yeah, that's where I got my start, man. and from there went back to school and got a bunch of degrees and became certified nutritional practitioner, North and molecular health practitioner.This is where we talk about the patients and the passion. I looked back on most of my decisions that I'd made that led me to the bad path and they were, because I didn't plan it in preparing it in a purpose. You know what I call it the four piece for me.  It's patients plan, prepare, have purpose, and I think they're very important. and I had, I didn't have any of those really aligned. I had react, emulate, stimulate. that's what I had and those weren't healthy. GEORGE: So what I think yeah is so profound. we could, we could do a 10 hour show and hence why I tell you keep need, you still need to launch your own podcast. For everybody listening, you can just hit Shane up and tell him that. But what I think is now to get to where we are today, right? So you. Had your epiphany moment. No one better than the, like the godfather himself of acting in that Italian accent and everything. And like that advice being absolutely profound.SHANE: He was so matter of fact and so direct and it was so he didn't know me that well, that's the thing, George. Yeah, that was the thing to me. He was just, he's just, he just seemed at the time, a 68 year old man. Who is on the top of his fucking refreeze. He took time to have dinner with him, the guy that he had five drinks within the VIP six, eight years before. I don't know. Maybe he needed a friend that night. Maybe he was lonely. I don't know, but I know that he's sat any and we talked and it was a human being. It was like the stars were aligned, bro. I just, I remember just sitting there It wasn't even that I was hanging out with, I wasn't Bobby de Niro wish like it wasn't, it wasn't like we were going out with Bobby de Niro, I sent my mother some pictures, totally Blackberry messenger at the time. Hey mom, Bobby's coming out with a bottle of wine from the restaurant. She's you're good. Bobby can hear here.GEORGE: what I think is so powerful and I'm going to bring it to today is like, when you really look at it like That intervention I'll call it intervention. That divine intervention was literally predicated on how you treated him over a glass of whiskey, X amount of years prior, even in the midst of all the chaos and the distraction, the addiction that you had, this part of you that really understood people going all the way back to childhood. Like people I'm no different. I treat people well, I treat people like it wasn't an accident. It was a by-product of how you showed up consistently. And then it basically was the lever to get you out of the way. So you go through passages, you get out, you get all these certified things. And you are a smart dude and the word you drop, I'm like, can you say that again and spell it for me when we spend time together, but really then you fast forward and everyone starts to catch wind and you literally help people. And you help everybody from the tip top to the top, to me, bumping down in the street. And I think one of your gifts is you have range and range as a gift. You have experience like you have the ability to reach out and connect with people anywhere that they are. And one of the things that I love about you is that like, when we meet, like we became like instant friends, we were on FaceTime, we were connecting, we were jamming, we were speaking and we speak the same language, but then you realize like you have a purpose, you have a passion. The reason this story exists is to serve people, to help people in whatever context that is. And then what I love is you take that tenacity. That's a gift that ability to be resilient and determined and, make it through this stuff and apply it to people. And these lessons that you've learned, I hear you say things, I hear you drop things that are like profound wisdom and nuggets, but I watch you and I pay attention to you and I work with you and I'm in your world.And one of the things that I will tell you is that every single person that I see, come into contact with you feels important. They feel seen, they feel heard, they feel respected. They feel like a person and that being your secret and and so when I got to meet you and I heard about what you were up to and how we could work together and how I could support you, I was like, this guy gets people like he's guaranteed to succeed. He understands that it's patience. It's the long game it's people. But my question for you is there's a lot of entrepreneurs that play this game. And a lot of us bury ourselves in entrepreneurship, right? That becomes our thing that becomes our value. That becomes our worth, the results that we create, how hard we can hustle, what we post pictures with.And so when you think about this, like now being where you are now and looking at all of what you experienced to get here, what's the hardest part. Of being here and remaining, like I'm worthy, I'm worth doing this, having the patients sticking the course with consistency and persistence, but you don't want a lot of the simple things that help you elevate. Where you are in your life, like, how do you go about that every day? what is your day look like? What do you focus on? you run this company, vitamin patchclub.com. You help people with life coaching and nutrition, coaching, and mindset coaching. And it's so what are you focused on? Like now with all of that history 30 years? what is so important to do now? SHANE: So I have one goal. One fixed goal in life. And I decided this whenever I was in school and I got my certified life coaching certificate or my co-active life coaching certification, I want to help people. I generally like the reward that I get. I'm still a drug addict. And the drug that I prefer is adult mean rush. They get when somebody feels better because I exist and that's a hundred percent true. Now you can't, I'm not wealthy enough to be in eliminate utopia where I can just give away everything and just go help people. I also am a capitalist and I also want to have a nice life myself.So I have to build something. I have to build something that has enough value that allows me to do what I want to do in the long run. My goal was always to build the company to a certain size that I would be able to step away as the leadership still be involved in the face and very active. And run vitamin patch charity, which should be a foundation that would hand out basically a million dollars a month. That's my first goal that I have when I started building the company, stepping back before that I learned I'm good at this. I learned whenever I started my life coaching. I've never charged a single person for life, coaching, celebrities, or homeless veterans or women's shelters. I do not charge, I won't charge.I don't need to charge. I have the abilities to make other income. I think that it's an absolute gift. It's an absolute responsibility that we decide to actually give a shit about other human beings. Again, I said it in my gold cast video. I'll say it again. We need to start caring about each other. Again, I don't give up. Pardon? My French. I don't give a fuck. What you politically believe you have blood coursing through your veins. You have aggression, you have sadness, you have sympathy, you have empathy, you have hurt, you have trauma, you have guilt and you have shame the same as fucking me. And it's so damn important that we start acknowledging each other as a human, not as some stupid tribal bullshit. I liked the Bulldogs. You like the Gators, like it's such fucking nonsense and I'm a fan of sports. You know what I mean? But like this asylums, we put each other in, I'm pro this, I'm anti this I'm this I fucking nonsense. What do we really want to do? Yeah, we want to exist. We want to feel good and we want to not be in harms way and that's not that complicated.And what I realized really quickly along the way is I live by one word to answer your question, what my day looks like, how do I manage very quickly? I do not go to bed unless I'm going to sleep easy that night. And I last week, didn't. I'm mad at my work. I was up for 48 hours. Cause I had shit going on that I hadn't worked through. I did not go to bed. I will not put my head on my pillow until I am assured that I did everything in my power to make it okay. To make things equivalate, to make them flattened. So I live by, I, you probably heard it the mind temporary. So it's I got this bracelet. this is a new one because my last one literally just wore out, had it for eight years, but it says truth on it.I believe a hundred percent authentic truth be who you are and be proud of who you are, even in the shining moments that suck. We're all. Fuck ups, trying to figure it out. Not one of us has a clue what's going to happen next. And quite frankly, not all of us have learned enough from our past. Right? So give your assurance and allowance for yourself to make mistakes it's going to happen. But you need to really, when I say truth, it's such a simple thing in a complex thing. I had a client last week. She called me. And I actually knew her as a child, as an infant. They lived with, lived in the neighborhood near me and she's followed me on Facebook and she goes, Shane, I need some help right now. And I see that you offer, can you put me in touch with a life coach? Because I said, I'm a life coach. I said, I'll help you out. I got it. I got an opening next Thursday. So to give you a, I'll go into the schedule thing, but long story short, I didn't tell her anything. She didn't know, bro. Yeah. I didn't help her. I allowed her to help herself. It's a very simple thing. what is wrong right now? I am telling you 100%. If you look in the mirror and you wonder why something didn't work, it didn't go your way. You fucking know why now it might be this shit over here that you have no control over. COVID put your restaurant in business. I get it. I'm a hundred percent on board and I terribly feel bad for you. But what are you doing today in your life to better yourself? And each one of us knows where we fall short. This thing like with, with athletes and what not, I give 110%, you can't give 110, you can give a hundred is a full circle. So let's stop this nonsense. And most of us don't have the capacity to even give a hundred. So what is your number that you need to hit? Because a hundred is assuming you're perfect and perfection, my friend doesn't exist now. So maybe you hit 99.9, but if you're trying to get ahead in business entrepreneurs.And you know that the email campaign you could have spent more, in your body right now, you didn't spend all the time you needed to on this one thing, you fucking know the answer. Yeah. and it's a matter of getting really honest with yourself and looking in the mirror and saying, okay, this is my range then. And it doesn't mean you're a shit piece. It doesn't mean you're no good. It means that you have the capacity to put out 68% of Epic shit. Yup. So how are you going to fill up that other 32? Yup. How are you going to find that at 32 now you're going to find good people. You're going to find, apps systems. Chart out George you're part of that 38 to me. I don't know what my percentage is. I'm being argumentative here totally. Really. I don't know if I'm putting out 88% of it. I'm putting up 20%, but I know that if I want to get my business to where it is, I can't do a hundred percent of it. It's not possible. I don't know enough. I'm not smart enough. It doesn't exist. But what I do know is that there's other people that can bring in things. And Brad fine example, of course, he's my business partner now. Brad was part of a mastermind that I went to that I didn't want to go to. I didn't want to sit in this meeting. My business was losing money. I was having a shit thing. I got taken to the cleaners by an old friend for a ton of money who is a fraudster to a piece of shit. But I was an old friend and I believed them. I didn't do the contracts people. So also be very articulate and follow through on them. I, he didn't fuck me. I fucked myself. That's the truth. I didn't go. If he was a stranger, I would have by-lines and by bylaws and by-lines and contracts so scheduled, I'm like, ah, he's a good guy. I've known him for 30 years. but I didn't want to go to this mastermind. And I sat in it and Kevin Thompson, who brought me in blessed, Kevin Thompson, sorry. He was like, Shane. He called me personally. I need you in here. I'm like, why do you need me? I go, I got nothing to offer. I go, my company just, I just got jacked for $200,000 this month and I've got three more months to rebuild or I'm out. I'm so pissed off at the world. I'm like, I'm not going to bring anything of values of shame.Everything you bring is value. He goes, we have consultants that want to move into charity and you work the most in charity of anybody. I know. I'm like, okay, I can help that transition. Yeah. I know how to do that. I know how to, I know how to talk to charity people to be able to, they wanted to consult and charities. They wanted to migrate the businesses. One consultant that was on the panel. And that's why he thought of me. And I said, I know the language. Brad's in there and. I just drive with them. And Brad was asking a question. I won't speak about his business. It's not my place to, but he was asking a question and I threw out a different way to phrase a question, for ascertaining some new business. And it wasn't even a field that I don't think about. And he's I like that. I'm going to try that. And about a week later, Brad called me and he used the pitch on me, which was funny. You can get a starcasticallyof course he's pretty bright guy. you can agree on that. And he was like, Hey, I want to do this for you. And I'm like, dude, I can't afford you at the end of it. No matter. Yeah. I was with you when we made the pitch, but I met with him and he did what he said he was going to do. And I found that piece that whatever it's 10, 15, 20, 30%, whatever it is that fills in the gaps, then he introduced me to you. And the other thing that I'll say really quickly to your crew here, you can't lose trust. That's the big thing too. So truth and trust are extremely important. You got to live in your own truth, but you can't be void of trust. Yeah, I hate, and I know that Gary V has been saying this a lot.I've been saying this for years and I know Gary, and he's a great guy. I'm telling you he didn't steal from me either. It's his own thought process, but I'm pissed off. He's got a platform that can say it to millions of people before I could is you don't earn shit from me. Your trust is your I'd give my George, I meet you once. I trust you if radically it's yours, what you do with is up here. Yep. And if I get burned by you and I trust you again, then I'm an idiot. Okay. But I give it, I don't, you don't earn shit from me. I have zero expectations. Zero. I don't expect a goddamn thing from anybody. Cause I will show up. I will show up on time, will show up with authenticity and truth. And if that's not good enough, Then it's not good enough. Yeah. And I had to learn that the last eight years of sobriety, I'm 45. Now I got sober at 37. I had to learn that I had to learn that I'm good enough as long as I'm giving it my best. and if you're honest with yourself and you're authentic with yourself and you give yourself, you gotta be hard on yourself. I am the worst fucking credit you had, a shock content two weeks ago under your advisement. Shane, I need you to shoot new content. They sent me everything. I think it's dog shit. I'm looking at it. I'm like, Oh, this sucks. This sucks. You know what? One's converting Epic. GEORGE: I know. And here's the beautiful part. That content was never for you or your opinion anyways. Cause I had you do it for themSHANE: I'm looking at what I'm doing and I'm like, Oh man, I don't like the way that shirt fits. And we're spoken a couple of things. Cause I'm like this I'm a flow guy, One for an hour.GEORGE: what I love about you and I have to interrupt you so I can wrap some paper around this. What I love about you is there's no filter between your brain and the world. So that means there's no filter between your heart, your brain in the world. And so we get all of Shane, but like what I love about this, earlier you talked about having the space, right? being an authentic truth. And one of my tools. For my sobriety was authentic expression all the time, regardless of what it was. And so you and I talk a lot and I find that my talking is my accountability measure, because I'll say it.And I say it all. I'm like, Oh yeah. When I did this and when I had this, when I had this, but it's just a practice, like a muscle. And so I want to wrap a couple of things that you said and ask you another question. you talked about like the a hundred percent, Jeff, Spencer's a dear friend of mine teacher. And Jeff is responsible for coaching over a hundred Olympic gold medalists, a hundred of them. And he taught me this beautiful word called temperance. And he's like Olympians or gold medalists. Cause they train to 70% intentionally every day, intentionally. And then they know that's what they have to do, to win that gold. And they save what's there

My French side comes out as I enter the magical world of my closet.

更多英语知识，请关注微信公众号: VOA英语每日一听Danny: So, we've been talking a lot about food. Do you have a favorite restaurant?Alex: Yeah, I do. I haven't been there for years, but it's still my favorite. It's called The Little SnailDanny: The Little Snail.Alex: And it's a French restaurant, and it's in this small coastal fishing village down the coast. It's kind of funny because it's a great restaurant and you kind of expect it to be in a big city. It has really good French food, but it's in the middle of nowhere.Danny: So, what's the decoration like then? What does it look like?Alex: It's cute. It's very cute. I haven't been in many restaurants in France but it's kind of what I imagine a French restaurant would look like, you know like , there's just a few things hanging on the walls and very simple decor, and it's just kind of cozy like a country town.Danny: Cozy! Sounds nice. But how's the service?Alex: Oh, it's okay. You won't starve. They don't have lots of staff, so it can get quite busy and you're gonna have to wait a while, but you know, when the food arrives, it is so good that you do not care.Danny: Really? What's the food like then?Alex: Ah, well, I just love French food. It's my favorite cuisine and I usually can't afford to eat it however, but if do you like traditional French food, it is great.Danny: Traditional French food? What's that like?Alex: Well, usually I get some kind of meat dish, maybe a quail or kind of another bird or something, and there's usually a really delicious sauce that might be made from wine or cream and herbs and that sort of thing.Danny: Sounds really nice.Alex: It is really good. It's delicious.Danny: So you said you can't really afford to eat French food. What are the prices like ?Alex:Well, the Little Snail is good compared to a French restaurant that you get in a big city.Danny: Really?Alex: Two people could eat there and have a really fantastic French meal for maybe about eight dollars, which is as I said, really good French restaurant.Danny: Really?Alex: That's for two.Danny: For two?Alex: Yeah.Danny: So is there anything special with the place?Alex: Actually we used to go there when I was working. We would go on these business trips and my boss would take me and my other coworker there on the Friday night as a kind of thanks-for-working-hard reward. And we always used to have, I think it's called ------ I've forgotten. My French is terrible, but it's this amazing dessert, which is kind of made with pastry, and has a sweet kind of custard creme inside.Danny: Everyone loves custard. Sound deliciousAlex: It's really good. I can't wait to get back there.

更多英语知识，请关注微信公众号: VOA英语每日一听Danny: So, we've been talking a lot about food. Do you have a favorite restaurant?Alex: Yeah, I do. I haven't been there for years, but it's still my favorite. It's called The Little SnailDanny: The Little Snail.Alex: And it's a French restaurant, and it's in this small coastal fishing village down the coast. It's kind of funny because it's a great restaurant and you kind of expect it to be in a big city. It has really good French food, but it's in the middle of nowhere.Danny: So, what's the decoration like then? What does it look like?Alex: It's cute. It's very cute. I haven't been in many restaurants in France but it's kind of what I imagine a French restaurant would look like, you know like , there's just a few things hanging on the walls and very simple decor, and it's just kind of cozy like a country town.Danny: Cozy! Sounds nice. But how's the service?Alex: Oh, it's okay. You won't starve. They don't have lots of staff, so it can get quite busy and you're gonna have to wait a while, but you know, when the food arrives, it is so good that you do not care.Danny: Really? What's the food like then?Alex: Ah, well, I just love French food. It's my favorite cuisine and I usually can't afford to eat it however, but if do you like traditional French food, it is great.Danny: Traditional French food? What's that like?Alex: Well, usually I get some kind of meat dish, maybe a quail or kind of another bird or something, and there's usually a really delicious sauce that might be made from wine or cream and herbs and that sort of thing.Danny: Sounds really nice.Alex: It is really good. It's delicious.Danny: So you said you can't really afford to eat French food. What are the prices like ?Alex:Well, the Little Snail is good compared to a French restaurant that you get in a big city.Danny: Really?Alex: Two people could eat there and have a really fantastic French meal for maybe about eight dollars, which is as I said, really good French restaurant.Danny: Really?Alex: That's for two.Danny: For two?Alex: Yeah.Danny: So is there anything special with the place?Alex: Actually we used to go there when I was working. We would go on these business trips and my boss would take me and my other coworker there on the Friday night as a kind of thanks-for-working-hard reward. And we always used to have, I think it's called ------ I've forgotten. My French is terrible, but it's this amazing dessert, which is kind of made with pastry, and has a sweet kind of custard creme inside.Danny: Everyone loves custard. Sound deliciousAlex: It's really good. I can't wait to get back there.

My French pronunciation is abhorrent. The Four Horsemen, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett released a book version of a conversation they had and someone in The Guardian was none too happy.

I am planning a Security Summer for my listeners.  I will have some free courses.  I will also introduce you to some of the software that I use for my clients and how you can use it too.  So watch out for announcements on those. Is our society changing? What part is social media playing? Listen in today for more on this. What can Open Source do for you? Why Open Source may change your life. More on this today. Are we really ready for Autonomous Cars? or Is the technology expected to perform faster than it is actually ready?  Interesting questions we will be discussing today. What is going on with Google?  G-Suite and Titan are both having issues. Microsoft has another problem and it is a big one. More on this. Do you have a Mortgage?  You need to hear this! For more tech tips, news, and updates visit - CraigPeterson.com --- Transcript:  Below is a rush transcript of this segment; it might contain errors. Airing date: 06/01/2019 Cyberbullying, Security summer free courses, First American Hack, Google Bluetooth titan hijacking ---- Hello, everybody, Craig Peterson here. We have ignition and boy do we have a show for today and then some. You know a little bit about cyberbullying, I am sure. Well, I'm going to tell you about something that I experienced this weekend, something that your kids may be experiencing in a much more critical way. You know, we mentioned last week about the suicides and tied into this Netflix show. Well, we'll get into this a little bit more. For those of you who are wondering how software is getting developed, nowadays and what you might want to do for your business for software development. We'll talk a little bit about GitHub and this whole open source revolution and how It has come into the mainstream, now. We have some security warnings from our friends at Google. A massive hack. I don't think I saw this anywhere. Frankly, we'll talk about what Krebs on security had to say about this. Tesla. Got to throw this in because what's a week without talking about Elon Musk. Consumer Reports is calling the automatic lane change feature on Tesla's navigate on autopilot, far less competent than a human driver. So, it kind of makes you wonder, should we be messing with this? Is this the right thing to do? Frankly, I think it's an excellent question. Well, I commented last weekend in one of the articles up on the website, and as you know, I post articles every week. It's usually just a real quick synopsis of like the first couple of sentences from the article, and then I'll give you a link to it. However, this last week, really, for the first time in a couple of years, we sat down and wrote some articles. We had mentioned something because again, I select the pieces that I am going to cover.  I go through what the strategy is with my team and talk about the salient and essential points, and then they go off and write the article. So, this particular one was about anonymous, and it's still up on the website. And we take those articles, and we tweet them, we put them up on the social media sites as well.  Well, the guy that we had mentioned in the web article claimed to be part of the hacking group Anonymous. He spent time in prison because of some of his activities, and he was a little miffed with me. So I got a little bit of a whiff of him not being pleased about me and what I said in that article. I thought that it was rather interesting because this is the first real hater I've had in quite a while, frankly.  Well, I've got to tell you, this feeling I had in my gut was, you know, people describe this, this feeling of butterflies and things and here, I was wondering, what did I do? What did I do to hurt this guy's feelings? Or, what, right.  I can only describe it as a Wow thing. Well, in reading a little bit further into what he had said was that the that he remembers, I think it was in his warrant, it mentioned the FBI infragard program. And I'm an infragard member. He probably looked me up, and I'm easy to find after seeing the article, which was perhaps triggered by a Google search or maybe a Twitter search or something. And that made me feel a little bit better. But man, brought back all the feelings of the first time there was an attack on my systems.  And that was again, you might remember in the early 90s. And I had these questions running through my mind, what should I do? How do I do it? How do I respond? What? What's going on? I remember when I discovered the hack, who do I call, right? What do I do? And what's going to happen, Right? In my case, it's what's going to happen to everything that I have built, right? Here I am sitting there with a company that I had founded years before, and remember it's the early 90s and I was still a relatively young guy. But I'd been working on this company for over a decade by that point in time. And that feeling I had could only be described as horrendous. It was quite something, and it reminded me of this by having this guy from anonymous, you know, going after me kind of the cyberbullying thing, right? Hey, they're not sitting there trying to wait around for any logic or reasoning or anything else. It is a type what you feel without thinking reaction. Think about people that you've had to deal with probably yourself before. So what do you do? Well, that made me do a little bit of re-evaluation, you guys know, if you listen to the show, for a long time that I do a lot of training, I offer a lot of free training for people on cybersecurity. And just thinking back again, made me remember helped me and let me just put it that in perspective. Remember, that feeling I had in my gut when my first hack attack occurred.  When I realized someone had violated my trust, someone had broken in. Someone was potentially going to take my entire business away from me. How helpless I felt, and I had no idea what to do. Questions like: What should I do?, How can I do it?,  Who do I call?, What's going to happen to my business?, What's going to happen with my clients?. Of course, that was almost 30 years ago now. But this brought all those feelings back. So here's what I'm going to do for everybody out there. Because I know I'm not alone. Some of you are maybe 30-40 years behind me on this journey. I admit I was a pioneer out there. I got arrows in my back, right? I was out there on the Internet early, getting people online, when it was first legal to do so. I was one of the very first people. You weren't, Okay, I understand. You were running a business, and maybe you were not even born yet, okay. But I am committing now to build what I'm calling a security summer. And the idea is that throughout the summer, and I'm probably not going to be able to start this until late June, early July. But throughout the summer, I'm going to offer a course. So you know you know what to do, and you'll know how to protect yourself, right? Because you have to start at the beginning, before the bad guys get in, how to detect it, once they are in what to do about it, the forensic analysis that you're going to have to do after the fact, to clean this thing up, right? I don't want you to have that feeling in your gut that I had before. Thirty years ago, when my first hack happened. I've had a couple of times since and not nearly as dramatic, okay. Because I had dealt with it before and I knew what to do. I had moved into a position where I was pretty much at the forefront at the time in security. But then I went on to run my business. But I don't want you to have that feeling your gut. Right? What do you do? I am sure some of you have had it before. I know you've come into the office in the morning, the computers aren't working. And your first reaction is there in your gut.  Your first thought is -- Oh my gosh, what do I do now? Then that turns into anger. It's anger towards your vendors. Right? Well, I have Norton. I bought that Sonic wall. How did this happen? I should be all set, right. And so now you get on the phone, and you start yelling at vendors, you start yelling at your people who are supposed to be taking care of the IT side. I don't want you to feel that way. We're going to have some free pieces of training this summer. If you're interested, send me an email, and let me know what security subject you're particularly interested in having me cover. That I can make sure we have some free training for you on that during the summer. I want to make it a summer of security. It's our security summer. Brought to you by Craig Peterson, my team and I am getting to work on it, as we speak. My wife is going to put her heart and soul into this effort.  I think I know what you need, and I think I know what you want, but it is essential to hear from you so that I can give you what you feel you need. So, email me at Craigpeterson.com Craig Peterson. com. We're also going to be talking about it on this radio show on these podcasts and on YouTube side, etc., etc. I got my first real hater this week in a long time. And it brought back memories and made me more determined to help you guys out. So, What was one of the first things I did.  I shut down my website and made sure everything was patched up, right? Because I didn't want him to try and hack into my site. After all, anonymous is a hacktivist group, and that's what they do. So, that's what I'm going to do for you guys. We're going to have a security summer this year. Okay, so let's get into a couple more of these articles before I run out of time. This one, I thought it was just totally appropriate. I got a couple of articles that are appropriate for this week, and you'll see those up on my website, and one or two of these articles were written up with my team.  My wife does a lot of this stuff too. So, kudos to her. You will find these up on craigpeterson.com, This is from an article that initially appeared in Pro Publica, and I found it on Ars Technica myself.  It is a fascinating article and written by a couple of people here, Renee Dudley and Jeff Cow. It's talking about the some of these companies here in the US that you can hire to help you out of ransomware, tight spot. Think about some of these we have read about, lately, The city of Atlanta, Georgia,  Newark, New Jersey, the Port of San Diego, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in LA. Atlanta, online water service requests and billing systems were down for over a month. Colorado Department of Transportation, they called in the National Guard, all because of cyber attacks. Apparently what has happened here is that the companies and in these cases, government institutions and hospitals, went to professionals and said, hey, what should we do now? The response from the FBI from the government, in general, is don't pay ransoms. Well, guess what happened here? The FBI said that the criminal actors were out of the reach of US law enforcement. But they were not apparently and out of the reach of this American company called Proven Data Recovery out of Elmsford, New York. It appears that these guys regularly made ransom payments to Sam Sam ransomware hackers over more than a year, according to Jonathan Storfer, who is a former employee who dealt with these ransom payments. Now, Bitcoin transactions are somewhat anonymous and difficult to track. But I know in talking with some secret service agents that they have tracked people through public records and got convictions because of being able to track down some of these Bitcoin coin payments. Pro Publica was able to trace four of these payments, and this article goes on and on. Another US company, Florida based company, Monster Cloud also professes to use their data recovery method, but turns out they were paying ransoms sometimes without informing law enforcement or the victims, this is bad. Again, from Pro Publica, both of these companies charge their victim's substantial fees on top of the ransom amount, and they offer other services such as sealing breaches to protect against future attacks. Well, that's what I do for a living, Right? I don't try and do the recovery and no do I pay any ransom. There are many pieces of free recovery software out there that work in most cases. But, sometimes if you don't have a good backup, you're just out of luck. So, keep that in mind. Going to one of these companies, if you have ransomware on your computer is not going to solve the problem of ransomware. Because, some of these account companies, at least two of them in this case, according to Pro Publica, are making deals with the ransomware criminals, which is, in my opinion, not right. So, we talked a couple of weeks ago about our friends over at Equifax and how they took a huge hit here. It cost them over a billion dollars, probably I would guess close to one and a half billion, but I don't know for sure. They haven't disclosed all of the numbers. This week, they did reveal that they had to do a bit of a write off of about a little more than half a billion dollars. But there's another one out there, and It is crazy. It is the one, I mentioned, from Krebs on security, concerning the website for First American Financial Corp, a Fortune 500 real estate, title insurance giant.  I mean giant, billions of dollars in annual revenue. First, America Corp leaked hundreds of millions of documents related to mortgages going back to 2003. Krebs on security found this leak, and they went ahead, and they fixed it.  Isn't that nice of them, after the horses got out of the barn. So, these are digitized records that included bank account numbers, bank statements, mortgage statements, tax records, social security numbers, wire transaction receipts, driver's license images, were all available without authentication to anyone with a web browser. I find that incredibly unbelievable that a company that employs 18,000 people, you'd think they'd have some security people on staff. And they brought in more than 5.7 billion. There you go. That's the number from Krebs article. Now Krebs found out a bit about it because of a real estate developer, out in Washington state, who said he'd had little luck getting a response from them. It just goes on and on, just like last week with what happened with Intel. And the reports of their colossal security problem. And they, it sounds like, literally tried to buy off the people who reported this massive bug in the Intel chips. It's just amazing. So it goes on and on the earliest document number available on the site wasn't document number 75. The dates and documents get closer to real-time each forward increment in the record number. I have the article up on my website, we've got a link to it if you want to see it.  It's it is just stunning. So, who knows what happened has happened here, again, we have an example of a company that did not keep track of the security problems. And what do you want to bet they did not keep track of data x filtration, and what the criminals stole? Big deal. Big problem. Now Google's got a couple of warnings out this week too. Is this getting old to anybody? I hope you're learning from this, and I hope you can apply it in your own life and your businesses. Take time to learn from these things. But, Google exposed that their G Suite, which is the Google suite where you as a business, you can pay for Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc. If you're a business and you're trying to use it, they want you to pay for it. That's what the city of Atlanta found out when they got hacked. All of their email accounts were down, and they couldn't do spreadsheets, they couldn't do anything. So, they all signed up for Gsuite accounts. Google promptly shut them down two weeks ago for doing that, because they're supposed to pay. Then Google worked out a deal with them. However, it turns out they were storing plain text passwords on its servers for the last 14 years. It is a very, very big deal. So Google is saying that they have fixed the issue and that they've seen no other improper access or misuse of the affected passwords. They've got reasons why they did it. No, everybody makes mistakes in security, okay. I'm giving you that. But these two cases are for companies that should know better, they have big enough department, and they are going to lawsuits. And like Equifax, it's probably going to cost our friends over at First American Financial Corp over a billion dollars. It is something that they can maybe afford to pay a billion dollars in fines and fees. But how about you as a small business. So we've talked about two-factor authentication many times on my show. And we always set up two-factor authentication when it comes to our clients to keep their data safe. You know, some of them have to have to fall under the rules that are in place for federal military contractors, federal contractors, HIPAA records, etc., etc. So you have to have the right kind of two-factor authentication in place, you have to have the correct type of training, the right kind of databases, etc. And the people are getting ripped off right, left and center, these companies that are selling some of these things, they don't care. They are just trying to sell you something another point product and other point security, that is not going to help you out. Can you tell I am getting a little pissed today? Excuse, My French. But here's what's happening. Google has something they call Titan, and we've talked about it on the show before. It is a security key.  It was leading edge, and I'm glad they did it. They've been using it internally for all of their logons. So, it's something you have along with something, you know. Now, you know. I have been promoting Yubikeys. I don't have an investment in any of these companies. We do use them when we are trying to get a company secured. The idea behind the Yubikey and Titan security keys is that it's a little USB fob, you plug it into your computer, you type in your password, you're off and running. Okay? Well, Google's warning that for the Bluetooth Low Energy version of the Titan security keys it sells for two-factor authentication are vulnerable to hijacking by nearby attackers. Google says if you have them, contact them. And they'll give you a free replacement device that fixes the vulnerability. It has to do with Bluetooth pairing protocols, and that means that anybody within 30 feet can carry out an attack, against you. These are $50, which is about the same cost as a Yubikey. I, personally, would go with the Yubikey. But there now you know about the Google Titan. There is nothing particularly wrong with it, except that it's one version is susceptible to hack. If you check the back of your Titan key, if you pull it out right now, it's probably on your key ring, it's a nice, small thing looks like your USB thumb drive, almost. If it starts with a T1 or T2, it is susceptible to attack and eligible for a free replacement. We're not going to have time to get into the rest of these things. So let's get into cyberbullying. I think this is an important one. And I want to talk about internet mobs because that's kind of what happened this week to me. And because I was reported on some security stuff, right, and they, they use almost anything they can against you. And recently we've seen real problems with cyberbullying against kids. According to a survey and a completed study,  It reported online bullying affected 43% of kids. One in four has said that happened more than once. 70% of students reported seeing frequent bullying online. Over 80% of teens use a cell phone regularly. I think these numbers are probably higher than what this study showed, in 2014, I bet you they come close to 100%. Now, most of the teens ignore it. You know I talked about that terrible Netflix show "13 Reasons Why" where a teenage girl committed suicide and left behind 13 cassette tapes explaining her 13 reasons for killing herself. It has led to a 30% increase in teen suicides in the 30 days after that show came out. So there, there's been a correlation drawn on that it did not, by the way, affect adults, it was mainly the 10 to 18-year-olds that it touched. But, we have kids that are thinking about suicide and committing suicide because of cyberbullying. There have been well-publicized criminal cases about this. Now, how about an internet mob? How about if one of these groups decides to come after you, and the group is just the cheerleaders at school? There's a great story that CNN shared this week about a young lady, named Dominique Mora. She's from Southern California and went to school in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is 23 years old and was attending on a softball scholarship. So she thought it would be great to take a job at Chipotle to help make ends meet. Well, she was working at the store, and a group of teenagers came in ordered food, went to pay for it, and their debit card didn't work. That group of teenagers ran out of the restaurant with the food. They stole it, right. The manager gave them a little coaching and told them here's what they should do. What happened next was another day a group of teenagers came in, and she recognized two of them as being part of the group who had ordered food with the bad debit card before running off with the food. They never paid for it. They called the police and explained that these two teenagers were there and they did not want to serve them. We want them evicted from our store.  Here is this young woman, 23 years old, and she asked them to pay first. They pulled up a cell phone, and she didn't realize they were videotaping her and started accusing her of racism because she was a white person caught in the act of doing something labeled racist. Which obviously, there's no racism involved in this at all, they had stolen food from this store, and it was on video, there's surveillance video, it had these two guys on it, according to what CNN is reporting. They dumped this video of her as a racist "B" online. The video of her November confrontation was watched at least 7 million times retweeted at least 30,000 times within two days, and media covered it. Chipotle fired her after it went viral. Now here she is, having done nothing wrong, the police not responding in a reasonable amount of time. It sounds like they never really did respond. It is a case of confirmation bias, these black guys were calling her a racist and the video they presented made it look like she may have been. It is now being used to paint her falsely as a racist. She lost her job and now is worried about what will happen, what she could or should do, and what she should not do.  Those are the same questions I opened the show with today that went through my mind 30 years ago and ran through my mind again this week. Very, very, big deal.  I think w have got to spend some time with our kids talking about this.  Helping them understand the whole act of bullying, what cyberbullying is. That they should report it to the authorities at school, report it to your teacher, report it to the principal, I guess the vice principal is the one who's usually dealing with these types of things. The most common places where it's happening, and this is from stopbullying.gov, they have a lot of great information. Social media like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, SMS, you know, your text messages, instant messaging, which includes email provider, app services, social media, and of course, email at self. We've got to be careful because the content that we share online, you can get these internet mobs, this mob mentality where everyone jumps on board and starts attacking people. It can drive not just our teens, but almost anyone to suicide, and we don't want that to happen. Sit and talk with them. You know, I was severely bullied as a kid as well. But you know, I could leave it alone. It was happening on the way to school, at school, on the way back from school. At least there were brackets or definitions surrounding it. But nowadays, there aren't. All right, I want to send you to my website Craigpeterson.com, because you will find more information about all of these topics today. A very, interesting one on hackers. About anonymity that was once critical and how that's now changing. I might try and get into that next week. A little bit more here on the show. Also, the Consumer Reports thing about Tesla. Don't count on their autopilot people. Be very careful. The automatic lane change feature is reported to be far less competent than a human driver. So, don't use it. Be concerned about cyberbullying. I'm working here this summer. I'm going to make this a security summer. I'm going to be doing some free courses. We're going to help you guys out with lots of free information. I give these little webinars. They're not I'm not trying to upsell you or anything else. I'm trying to inform you so make sure you attend. Let me know if you're interested and what topics you think I should cover. So if you are interested,  email me. me@craigpeterson.com That is P-E-T-E-R-S-O-N Peterson with an O. Until next week, everybody. Take care. Have a great week. Bye-bye ---  Related articles: Our New Society: Social Media Results In Judgement By Mobs Open Source Is Changing The Way We Approach Everything Autonomous Cars — Are they ready for Prime Time? Why Are We Still Trusting Google? Running Windows? Be Sure You Patch! You Need Two-Factor Authentication Even If Google Screwed It Up Got a Mortgage? Your Information Might Be Included In Massive Hack ---  More stories and tech updates at: www.craigpeterson.com Don't miss an episode from Craig. Subscribe and give us a rating: www.craigpeterson.com/itunes Follow me on Twitter for the latest in tech at: www.twitter.com/craigpeterson For questions, call or text: 855-385-5553

Stupid GPS tried to squeeze me through narrow streets Maybe I was just stupid to believe what the GPS was telling me. As soon as I made the turn it looked a little bit narrow. It said turn right and then turn right again – Then there was nowhere else to go. I had to reverse back and then I saw another possibility to go forwards and took it. I should have reversed back further and ignored the instructions of the GPS completely. After squeezing through a very narrow alleyway I ended up in a pretty little French village square. I was able to ask for help from someone sitting at a table at a bar. My French is really bad but he was able to help me and tell me I had to return down the narrow street I had just come through. Blog post for this Podcast At the end of my small detour I was surprised I managed to survive. I was breathing hard and sweating rather a lot. A huge moment of relief when I made it back to the main road. I was then able to continue round to the car park I was looking for in the Ceret. My bad luck continued with finding the Museum of Modern Art was closed until next month. I won't be able to return until October because my day off is changing to a Monday. Museums tend to be closed on Mondays! So I didn't stay in Ceret very long even though it's this nice small town. Very pretty and very French. For the next part of the journey I went to another nearby town. I had used the charger in this town previously but I haven't bothered to check the charging speed. This time I wanted to see how many kilowatts were going into the car. The charger in Ceret only puts out 3 kW and I was happy to find that the charger in this other place was giving out 6 kW. The cost of using either of the charges was based upon time. It would cost much more to use the slow charger unless you are staying overnight. It was picnic time while the car was charging. I added about 6% into the battery. I would have liked to have stayed for longer but was short on time. This shortness of available time also stopped me from using a rapid charger on the way back home. When I finally got back into the house I had a 3% left in the battery. Rosie, my Nissan leaf 2018 was talking to me telling me to go and find a charger as soon as possible. I could have pressed the button on the dash screen. This would have given me options for finding the nearest chargers. I didn't need to do that as I was very nearly home. On account of not being able to use a rapid charger on the way back home and being short of energy in the battery I wasn't able to use the car in the evening as planned. I had to be a passenger in my wife's fossil fuel burning car. It would have been so much nicer if my wife also had an electric vehicle. Her next car will have to be electric. Mind you, she might never ever buy another vehicle because the last one she kept for 26 years.

During thejourney I thought over my errand with misgiving. Now that I was free from thespectacle of Mrs. Strickland's distress I could consider the matter morecalmly. I was puzzled by the contradictions that I saw in her behaviour. Shewas very unhappy, but to excite my sympathy she was able to make a show of herunhappiness. It was evident that she had been prepared to weep, for she hadprovided herself with a sufficiency of handkerchiefs; I admired herforethought, but in retrospect it made her tears perhaps less moving. I couldnot decide whether she desired the return of her husband because she loved him,or because she dreaded the tongue of scandal; and I was perturbed by thesuspicion that the anguish of love contemned was alloyed in her broken heartwith the pangs, sordid to my young mind, of wounded vanity. I had not yetlearnt how contradictory is human nature; I did not know how much pose there isin the sincere, how much baseness in the noble, nor how much goodness in the reprobate.But there wassomething of an adventure in my trip, and my spirits rose as I approachedParis. I saw myself, too, from the dramatic standpoint, and I was pleased withmy role of the trusted friend bringing back the errant husband to his forgivingwife. I made up my mind to see Strickland the following evening, for I feltinstinctively that the hour must be chosen with delicacy. An appeal to theemotions is little likely to be effectual before luncheon. My own thoughts werethen constantly occupied with love, but I never could imagine connubial blisstill after tea.My own hotelwas modest enough, but it was magnificent in comparison with this. It was atall, shabby building, that cannot have been painted for years, and it had sobedraggled an air that the houses on each side of it looked neat and clean. Thedirty windows were all shut. It was not here that Charles Strickland lived inguilty splendour with the unknown charmer for whose sake he had abandonedhonour and duty. I was vexed, for I felt that I had been made a fool of, and Inearly turned away without making an enquiry. I went in only to be able to tellMrs. Strickland that I had done my best.The door was atthe side of a shop. It stood open, and just within was a sign: Bureau aupremier. I walked up narrow stairs, and on the landing found a sort of box,glassed in, within which were a desk and a couple of chairs. There was a benchoutside, on which it might be presumed the night porter passed uneasy nights.There was no one about, but under an electric bell was written Garcon. I rang,and presently a waiter appeared. He was a young man with furtive eyes and asullen look. He was in shirt-sleeves and carpet slippers.I do not knowwhy I made my enquiry as casual as possible."Does Mr.Strickland live here by any chance?" I asked."Numberthirty-two. On the sixth floor. "I was sosurprised that for a moment I did not answer."Is hein?"The waiterlooked at a board in the bureau."He hasn'tleft his key. Go up and you'll see. "I thought it aswell to put one more question."Madameest la?""Monsieurest seul. "The waiterlooked at me suspiciously as I made my way upstairs. They were dark andairless. There was a foul and musty smell. Three flights up a Woman in adressing-gown, with touzled hair, opened a door and looked at me silently as Ipassed. At length I reached the sixth floor, and knocked at the door numberedthirty-two. There was a sound within, and the door was partly opened. CharlesStrickland stood before me. He uttered not a word. He evidently did not knowme.I told him myname. I tried my best to assume an airy manner."You don'tremember me. I had the pleasure of dining with you last July. ""Come in," he said cheerily. "I'm delighted to see you. Take a pew. "I entered. Itwas a very small room, overcrowded with furniture of the style which the Frenchknow as Louis Philippe. There was a large wooden bedstead on which was abillowing red eiderdown, and there was a large wardrobe, a round table, a verysmall washstand, and two stuffed chairs covered with red rep. Everything wasdirty and shabby. There was no sign of the abandoned luxury that ColonelMacAndrew had so confidently described. Strickland threw on the floor theclothes that burdened one of the chairs, and I sat down on it."What canI do for you?" he asked.In that smallroom he seemed even bigger than I remembered him. He wore an old Norfolkjacket, and he had not shaved for several days. When last I saw him he wasspruce enough, but he looked ill at ease: now, untidy and ill-kempt, he lookedperfectly at home. I did not know how he would take the remark I had prepared."I've cometo see you on behalf of your wife. ""I wasjust going out to have a drink before dinner. You'd better come too. Do youlike absinthe?""I candrink it. ""Come on,then. "He put on abowler hat much in need of brushing."We mightdine together. You owe me a dinner, you know. ""Certainly.Are you alone?"I flatteredmyself that I had got in that important question very naturally."Oh yes.In point of fact I've not spoken to a soul for three days. My French isn'texactly brilliant. "I wondered as Ipreceded him downstairs what had happened to the little lady in the tea-shop.Had they quarrelled already, or was his infatuation passed? It seemed hardlylikely if, as appeared, he had been taking steps for a year to make hisdesperate plunge. We walked to the Avenue de Clichy, and sat down at one of thetables on the pavement of a large cafe.旅途中，我仔细考虑了一下这次去巴黎的差事，不觉又有些疑虑。现在我的眼睛已经看不到思特里克兰德太太一副痛楚不堪的样子，好象能够更冷静地考虑这件事了。我在思特里克兰德太太的举动里发现一些矛盾，感到疑惑不解。她非常不幸，但是为了激起我的同情心，她也很会把她的不幸表演给我看。她显然准备要大哭一场，因为她预备好大量的手帕；她这种深思远虑虽然使我佩服，可是如今回想起来，她的眼泪的感人力量却不免减低了。我看不透她要自己丈夫回来是因为爱他呢，还是因为怕别人议论是非；我还怀疑使她肠断心伤的失恋之痛是否也搀杂着虚荣心受到损害的悲伤（这对我年轻的心灵是一件龌龊的事）；这种疑心也使我很惶惑。我那时还不了解人性多么矛盾，我不知道真挚中含有多少做作，高尚中蕴藏着多少卑鄙，或者，即使在邪恶里也找得着美德。但是我这次到巴黎去是带着一定冒险成分的，当我离目的地越来越近的时候，我的情绪也逐渐高起来。我也从做戏的角度看待自己，对我扮演的这个角色——一个受人衷心相托的朋友把误入歧途的丈夫带回给宽恕的妻子——非常欣赏。我决定第二天晚上再去找思特里克兰德，因为我本能地觉得，必须细致盘算，并选定这一时间。如果想从感情上说动一个人，在午饭以前是很少会成功的。在那些年代里，我自己就常常遐想一些爱情的事，但是只有吃过晚茶后我才能幻想美好婚姻的幸福。我在自己落脚的旅馆打听了一个查理斯·思特里克兰德住的地方。他住的那家旅馆名叫比利时旅馆。我很奇怪，看门人竟没听说过这个地方。我从思特里克兰德太太那里听说，这家旅馆很大、很阔气，坐落在利渥里路后边。我们查了一下旅馆商号指南。叫这个名字的旅馆只有一家，在摩纳路。这不是有钱人居住的地区，甚至不是一个体面的地方。我摇了摇头。“绝对不是这一家。”我说。看门人耸了耸肩膀。巴黎再没有另一家叫这个名字的旅馆了。我想起来，思特里克兰德本来是不想叫别人知道他行踪的。他给他的合股人这个地址也许是在同他开玩笑。不知道为什么，我暗想这很合思特里克兰德的幽默感，把一个怒气冲冲的证券交易人骗到巴黎一条下流街道上的很不名誉的房子里去，出尽洋相。虽然如此，我觉得我还是得去看一看。第二天六点钟左右我叫了一辆马车，到了摩纳街。我在街角上把车打发掉，我想我还是步行到旅馆，先在外面看看再进去。这一条街两旁都是为穷人开设的小店铺，路走了一半，在我拐进来的左面，就是比利时旅馆。我自己住的是一家普普通通的旅馆，可是同这家旅馆比起来简直宏伟极了。这是一座破烂的小楼，多年没有粉刷过，龌龌龊龊，相形之下，两边的房子倒显得又干净又整齐。肮脏的窗子全部关着。查理斯·思特里克兰德同那位勾引他丢弃了名誉和职责的美女显然不会在这样一个地方寻欢作乐，享受他们罪恶而豪华的生活。我非常恼火，觉得自己分明是被耍弄了。我差一点连问都不问就扭头而去。我走进去只是为了事后好向思特里克兰德太太交待，告诉她我已经尽了最大的努力。旅馆的入口在一家店铺的旁边，门开着，一进门便有一块牌子：账房在二楼①。我沿着狭窄的楼梯走上去，在楼梯平台上看到一间用玻璃门窗隔起来的小阁子，里面摆着一张办公桌和两三把椅子。阁子外面有一条长凳，晚上守门人多半就在这里过夜。附近没有一个人影，但是我在一个电铃按钮下面看到有侍者②字样。我按了一下，马上从什么地方钻出一个人来。这人很年轻，贼眉鼠眼，满脸丧气，身上只穿一件衬衫，趿拉着一双毡子拖鞋。①  ②原文为法语。我自己不知道为什么我向他打听思特里克兰德时要装出一副漫不经心的样子。“这里住没住着一位思特里克兰德先生？”我问。“三十二号，六楼。”我大吃一惊，一时没有答出话来。“他在家吗？”侍者看了看账房里的一块木板。“他的钥匙不在这里。自己上去看看吧。”我想不妨再问他一个问题。“太太也在这里吗③？”③原文为法语。“只有先生一个人④。”④原文为法语。当我走上楼梯的时候，侍者一直怀疑地打量着我。楼梯又闷又暗，一股污浊的霉味扑鼻而来。三层楼梯上面有一扇门开了，我经过的时候，一个披着睡衣、头发蓬松的女人一声不吭地盯着我。最后，我走到六楼，在三十二号房门上敲了敲。屋里响动了一下，房门开了一条缝。查理斯·思特里克兰德出现在我面前。他一语不发地站在那里，显然没有认出我是谁来。我通报了姓名。我尽量摆出一副大大咧咧的样子。“你不记得我了。今年六月我荣幸地在你家吃过饭。”“进来吧，”他兴致很高地说，“很高兴见到你。坐下。”我走进去。这是一间很小的房间，几件法国人称之为路易·菲力浦式样的家具把屋子挤得转不过身来。有一张大木床，上面堆放着一床鼓鼓囊囊的大红鸭绒被，一张大衣柜，一张圆桌，一个很小的脸盆架，两把软座椅子，包着红色棱纹平布。没有一件东西不是肮脏、破烂的。麦克安德鲁上校煞有介事地描述的那种浪荡浮华这里连一点儿影子也看不到。思特里克兰德把乱堆在一把椅子上的衣服扔到地上，叫我坐下。“你来找我有事吗？”他问。在这间小屋子里他好象比我记忆中的更加高大。他穿着一件诺弗克式的旧上衣，胡须有很多天没有刮了。我上次见到他，他修饰得整齐干净，可是看去却不很自在；现在他邋里邋遢，神态却非常自然。我不知道他听了我准备好的一番话以后会有什么反应。“我是受你妻子的嘱托来看你的。”“我正预备在吃晚饭以前到外边去喝点什么。你最好同我一起去。你喜欢喝苦艾酒？”“可以喝一点儿。”“那咱们就走吧”他戴上一顶圆顶礼帽；帽子也早就该刷洗了。“我们可以一起吃饭。你还欠我一顿饭呢，你知道。”“当然了。你就一个人吗？”我很得意，这样重要的一个问题我竟极其自然地提了出来。“啊，是的。说实在的，我已经有三天没有同人讲话了。我的法文很不高明。”当我领先走下楼梯的时候，我想起茶点店的那位女郎来，我很想知道她出了什么事了。是他们已经吵架了呢，还是他迷恋的热劲儿已经过去了？从我见到的光景看，很难相信他策划了一年只是为了这样没头没脑地窜到巴黎来。我们步行到克里舍林荫路，在一家大咖啡馆摆在人行道上的许多台子中拣了一张坐下。

During thejourney I thought over my errand with misgiving. Now that I was free from thespectacle of Mrs. Strickland's distress I could consider the matter morecalmly. I was puzzled by the contradictions that I saw in her behaviour. Shewas very unhappy, but to excite my sympathy she was able to make a show of herunhappiness. It was evident that she had been prepared to weep, for she hadprovided herself with a sufficiency of handkerchiefs; I admired herforethought, but in retrospect it made her tears perhaps less moving. I couldnot decide whether she desired the return of her husband because she loved him,or because she dreaded the tongue of scandal; and I was perturbed by thesuspicion that the anguish of love contemned was alloyed in her broken heartwith the pangs, sordid to my young mind, of wounded vanity. I had not yetlearnt how contradictory is human nature; I did not know how much pose there isin the sincere, how much baseness in the noble, nor how much goodness in the reprobate.But there wassomething of an adventure in my trip, and my spirits rose as I approachedParis. I saw myself, too, from the dramatic standpoint, and I was pleased withmy role of the trusted friend bringing back the errant husband to his forgivingwife. I made up my mind to see Strickland the following evening, for I feltinstinctively that the hour must be chosen with delicacy. An appeal to theemotions is little likely to be effectual before luncheon. My own thoughts werethen constantly occupied with love, but I never could imagine connubial blisstill after tea.My own hotelwas modest enough, but it was magnificent in comparison with this. It was atall, shabby building, that cannot have been painted for years, and it had sobedraggled an air that the houses on each side of it looked neat and clean. Thedirty windows were all shut. It was not here that Charles Strickland lived inguilty splendour with the unknown charmer for whose sake he had abandonedhonour and duty. I was vexed, for I felt that I had been made a fool of, and Inearly turned away without making an enquiry. I went in only to be able to tellMrs. Strickland that I had done my best.The door was atthe side of a shop. It stood open, and just within was a sign: Bureau aupremier. I walked up narrow stairs, and on the landing found a sort of box,glassed in, within which were a desk and a couple of chairs. There was a benchoutside, on which it might be presumed the night porter passed uneasy nights.There was no one about, but under an electric bell was written Garcon. I rang,and presently a waiter appeared. He was a young man with furtive eyes and asullen look. He was in shirt-sleeves and carpet slippers.I do not knowwhy I made my enquiry as casual as possible."Does Mr.Strickland live here by any chance?" I asked."Numberthirty-two. On the sixth floor. "I was sosurprised that for a moment I did not answer."Is hein?"The waiterlooked at a board in the bureau."He hasn'tleft his key. Go up and you'll see. "I thought it aswell to put one more question."Madameest la?""Monsieurest seul. "The waiterlooked at me suspiciously as I made my way upstairs. They were dark andairless. There was a foul and musty smell. Three flights up a Woman in adressing-gown, with touzled hair, opened a door and looked at me silently as Ipassed. At length I reached the sixth floor, and knocked at the door numberedthirty-two. There was a sound within, and the door was partly opened. CharlesStrickland stood before me. He uttered not a word. He evidently did not knowme.I told him myname. I tried my best to assume an airy manner."You don'tremember me. I had the pleasure of dining with you last July. ""Come in," he said cheerily. "I'm delighted to see you. Take a pew. "I entered. Itwas a very small room, overcrowded with furniture of the style which the Frenchknow as Louis Philippe. There was a large wooden bedstead on which was abillowing red eiderdown, and there was a large wardrobe, a round table, a verysmall washstand, and two stuffed chairs covered with red rep. Everything wasdirty and shabby. There was no sign of the abandoned luxury that ColonelMacAndrew had so confidently described. Strickland threw on the floor theclothes that burdened one of the chairs, and I sat down on it."What canI do for you?" he asked.In that smallroom he seemed even bigger than I remembered him. He wore an old Norfolkjacket, and he had not shaved for several days. When last I saw him he wasspruce enough, but he looked ill at ease: now, untidy and ill-kempt, he lookedperfectly at home. I did not know how he would take the remark I had prepared."I've cometo see you on behalf of your wife. ""I wasjust going out to have a drink before dinner. You'd better come too. Do youlike absinthe?""I candrink it. ""Come on,then. "He put on abowler hat much in need of brushing."We mightdine together. You owe me a dinner, you know. ""Certainly.Are you alone?"I flatteredmyself that I had got in that important question very naturally."Oh yes.In point of fact I've not spoken to a soul for three days. My French isn'texactly brilliant. "I wondered as Ipreceded him downstairs what had happened to the little lady in the tea-shop.Had they quarrelled already, or was his infatuation passed? It seemed hardlylikely if, as appeared, he had been taking steps for a year to make hisdesperate plunge. We walked to the Avenue de Clichy, and sat down at one of thetables on the pavement of a large cafe.旅途中，我仔细考虑了一下这次去巴黎的差事，不觉又有些疑虑。现在我的眼睛已经看不到思特里克兰德太太一副痛楚不堪的样子，好象能够更冷静地考虑这件事了。我在思特里克兰德太太的举动里发现一些矛盾，感到疑惑不解。她非常不幸，但是为了激起我的同情心，她也很会把她的不幸表演给我看。她显然准备要大哭一场，因为她预备好大量的手帕；她这种深思远虑虽然使我佩服，可是如今回想起来，她的眼泪的感人力量却不免减低了。我看不透她要自己丈夫回来是因为爱他呢，还是因为怕别人议论是非；我还怀疑使她肠断心伤的失恋之痛是否也搀杂着虚荣心受到损害的悲伤（这对我年轻的心灵是一件龌龊的事）；这种疑心也使我很惶惑。我那时还不了解人性多么矛盾，我不知道真挚中含有多少做作，高尚中蕴藏着多少卑鄙，或者，即使在邪恶里也找得着美德。但是我这次到巴黎去是带着一定冒险成分的，当我离目的地越来越近的时候，我的情绪也逐渐高起来。我也从做戏的角度看待自己，对我扮演的这个角色——一个受人衷心相托的朋友把误入歧途的丈夫带回给宽恕的妻子——非常欣赏。我决定第二天晚上再去找思特里克兰德，因为我本能地觉得，必须细致盘算，并选定这一时间。如果想从感情上说动一个人，在午饭以前是很少会成功的。在那些年代里，我自己就常常遐想一些爱情的事，但是只有吃过晚茶后我才能幻想美好婚姻的幸福。我在自己落脚的旅馆打听了一个查理斯·思特里克兰德住的地方。他住的那家旅馆名叫比利时旅馆。我很奇怪，看门人竟没听说过这个地方。我从思特里克兰德太太那里听说，这家旅馆很大、很阔气，坐落在利渥里路后边。我们查了一下旅馆商号指南。叫这个名字的旅馆只有一家，在摩纳路。这不是有钱人居住的地区，甚至不是一个体面的地方。我摇了摇头。“绝对不是这一家。”我说。看门人耸了耸肩膀。巴黎再没有另一家叫这个名字的旅馆了。我想起来，思特里克兰德本来是不想叫别人知道他行踪的。他给他的合股人这个地址也许是在同他开玩笑。不知道为什么，我暗想这很合思特里克兰德的幽默感，把一个怒气冲冲的证券交易人骗到巴黎一条下流街道上的很不名誉的房子里去，出尽洋相。虽然如此，我觉得我还是得去看一看。第二天六点钟左右我叫了一辆马车，到了摩纳街。我在街角上把车打发掉，我想我还是步行到旅馆，先在外面看看再进去。这一条街两旁都是为穷人开设的小店铺，路走了一半，在我拐进来的左面，就是比利时旅馆。我自己住的是一家普普通通的旅馆，可是同这家旅馆比起来简直宏伟极了。这是一座破烂的小楼，多年没有粉刷过，龌龌龊龊，相形之下，两边的房子倒显得又干净又整齐。肮脏的窗子全部关着。查理斯·思特里克兰德同那位勾引他丢弃了名誉和职责的美女显然不会在这样一个地方寻欢作乐，享受他们罪恶而豪华的生活。我非常恼火，觉得自己分明是被耍弄了。我差一点连问都不问就扭头而去。我走进去只是为了事后好向思特里克兰德太太交待，告诉她我已经尽了最大的努力。旅馆的入口在一家店铺的旁边，门开着，一进门便有一块牌子：账房在二楼①。我沿着狭窄的楼梯走上去，在楼梯平台上看到一间用玻璃门窗隔起来的小阁子，里面摆着一张办公桌和两三把椅子。阁子外面有一条长凳，晚上守门人多半就在这里过夜。附近没有一个人影，但是我在一个电铃按钮下面看到有侍者②字样。我按了一下，马上从什么地方钻出一个人来。这人很年轻，贼眉鼠眼，满脸丧气，身上只穿一件衬衫，趿拉着一双毡子拖鞋。①  ②原文为法语。我自己不知道为什么我向他打听思特里克兰德时要装出一副漫不经心的样子。“这里住没住着一位思特里克兰德先生？”我问。“三十二号，六楼。”我大吃一惊，一时没有答出话来。“他在家吗？”侍者看了看账房里的一块木板。“他的钥匙不在这里。自己上去看看吧。”我想不妨再问他一个问题。“太太也在这里吗③？”③原文为法语。“只有先生一个人④。”④原文为法语。当我走上楼梯的时候，侍者一直怀疑地打量着我。楼梯又闷又暗，一股污浊的霉味扑鼻而来。三层楼梯上面有一扇门开了，我经过的时候，一个披着睡衣、头发蓬松的女人一声不吭地盯着我。最后，我走到六楼，在三十二号房门上敲了敲。屋里响动了一下，房门开了一条缝。查理斯·思特里克兰德出现在我面前。他一语不发地站在那里，显然没有认出我是谁来。我通报了姓名。我尽量摆出一副大大咧咧的样子。“你不记得我了。今年六月我荣幸地在你家吃过饭。”“进来吧，”他兴致很高地说，“很高兴见到你。坐下。”我走进去。这是一间很小的房间，几件法国人称之为路易·菲力浦式样的家具把屋子挤得转不过身来。有一张大木床，上面堆放着一床鼓鼓囊囊的大红鸭绒被，一张大衣柜，一张圆桌，一个很小的脸盆架，两把软座椅子，包着红色棱纹平布。没有一件东西不是肮脏、破烂的。麦克安德鲁上校煞有介事地描述的那种浪荡浮华这里连一点儿影子也看不到。思特里克兰德把乱堆在一把椅子上的衣服扔到地上，叫我坐下。“你来找我有事吗？”他问。在这间小屋子里他好象比我记忆中的更加高大。他穿着一件诺弗克式的旧上衣，胡须有很多天没有刮了。我上次见到他，他修饰得整齐干净，可是看去却不很自在；现在他邋里邋遢，神态却非常自然。我不知道他听了我准备好的一番话以后会有什么反应。“我是受你妻子的嘱托来看你的。”“我正预备在吃晚饭以前到外边去喝点什么。你最好同我一起去。你喜欢喝苦艾酒？”“可以喝一点儿。”“那咱们就走吧”他戴上一顶圆顶礼帽；帽子也早就该刷洗了。“我们可以一起吃饭。你还欠我一顿饭呢，你知道。”“当然了。你就一个人吗？”我很得意，这样重要的一个问题我竟极其自然地提了出来。“啊，是的。说实在的，我已经有三天没有同人讲话了。我的法文很不高明。”当我领先走下楼梯的时候，我想起茶点店的那位女郎来，我很想知道她出了什么事了。是他们已经吵架了呢，还是他迷恋的热劲儿已经过去了？从我见到的光景看，很难相信他策划了一年只是为了这样没头没脑地窜到巴黎来。我们步行到克里舍林荫路，在一家大咖啡馆摆在人行道上的许多台子中拣了一张坐下。

During thejourney I thought over my errand with misgiving. Now that I was free from thespectacle of Mrs. Strickland's distress I could consider the matter morecalmly. I was puzzled by the contradictions that I saw in her behaviour. Shewas very unhappy, but to excite my sympathy she was able to make a show of herunhappiness. It was evident that she had been prepared to weep, for she hadprovided herself with a sufficiency of handkerchiefs; I admired herforethought, but in retrospect it made her tears perhaps less moving. I couldnot decide whether she desired the return of her husband because she loved him,or because she dreaded the tongue of scandal; and I was perturbed by thesuspicion that the anguish of love contemned was alloyed in her broken heartwith the pangs, sordid to my young mind, of wounded vanity. I had not yetlearnt how contradictory is human nature; I did not know how much pose there isin the sincere, how much baseness in the noble, nor how much goodness in the reprobate.But there wassomething of an adventure in my trip, and my spirits rose as I approachedParis. I saw myself, too, from the dramatic standpoint, and I was pleased withmy role of the trusted friend bringing back the errant husband to his forgivingwife. I made up my mind to see Strickland the following evening, for I feltinstinctively that the hour must be chosen with delicacy. An appeal to theemotions is little likely to be effectual before luncheon. My own thoughts werethen constantly occupied with love, but I never could imagine connubial blisstill after tea.My own hotelwas modest enough, but it was magnificent in comparison with this. It was atall, shabby building, that cannot have been painted for years, and it had sobedraggled an air that the houses on each side of it looked neat and clean. Thedirty windows were all shut. It was not here that Charles Strickland lived inguilty splendour with the unknown charmer for whose sake he had abandonedhonour and duty. I was vexed, for I felt that I had been made a fool of, and Inearly turned away without making an enquiry. I went in only to be able to tellMrs. Strickland that I had done my best.The door was atthe side of a shop. It stood open, and just within was a sign: Bureau aupremier. I walked up narrow stairs, and on the landing found a sort of box,glassed in, within which were a desk and a couple of chairs. There was a benchoutside, on which it might be presumed the night porter passed uneasy nights.There was no one about, but under an electric bell was written Garcon. I rang,and presently a waiter appeared. He was a young man with furtive eyes and asullen look. He was in shirt-sleeves and carpet slippers.I do not knowwhy I made my enquiry as casual as possible."Does Mr.Strickland live here by any chance?" I asked."Numberthirty-two. On the sixth floor. "I was sosurprised that for a moment I did not answer."Is hein?"The waiterlooked at a board in the bureau."He hasn'tleft his key. Go up and you'll see. "I thought it aswell to put one more question."Madameest la?""Monsieurest seul. "The waiterlooked at me suspiciously as I made my way upstairs. They were dark andairless. There was a foul and musty smell. Three flights up a Woman in adressing-gown, with touzled hair, opened a door and looked at me silently as Ipassed. At length I reached the sixth floor, and knocked at the door numberedthirty-two. There was a sound within, and the door was partly opened. CharlesStrickland stood before me. He uttered not a word. He evidently did not knowme.I told him myname. I tried my best to assume an airy manner."You don'tremember me. I had the pleasure of dining with you last July. ""Come in," he said cheerily. "I'm delighted to see you. Take a pew. "I entered. Itwas a very small room, overcrowded with furniture of the style which the Frenchknow as Louis Philippe. There was a large wooden bedstead on which was abillowing red eiderdown, and there was a large wardrobe, a round table, a verysmall washstand, and two stuffed chairs covered with red rep. Everything wasdirty and shabby. There was no sign of the abandoned luxury that ColonelMacAndrew had so confidently described. Strickland threw on the floor theclothes that burdened one of the chairs, and I sat down on it."What canI do for you?" he asked.In that smallroom he seemed even bigger than I remembered him. He wore an old Norfolkjacket, and he had not shaved for several days. When last I saw him he wasspruce enough, but he looked ill at ease: now, untidy and ill-kempt, he lookedperfectly at home. I did not know how he would take the remark I had prepared."I've cometo see you on behalf of your wife. ""I wasjust going out to have a drink before dinner. You'd better come too. Do youlike absinthe?""I candrink it. ""Come on,then. "He put on abowler hat much in need of brushing."We mightdine together. You owe me a dinner, you know. ""Certainly.Are you alone?"I flatteredmyself that I had got in that important question very naturally."Oh yes.In point of fact I've not spoken to a soul for three days. My French isn'texactly brilliant. "I wondered as Ipreceded him downstairs what had happened to the little lady in the tea-shop.Had they quarrelled already, or was his infatuation passed? It seemed hardlylikely if, as appeared, he had been taking steps for a year to make hisdesperate plunge. We walked to the Avenue de Clichy, and sat down at one of thetables on the pavement of a large cafe.旅途中，我仔细考虑了一下这次去巴黎的差事，不觉又有些疑虑。现在我的眼睛已经看不到思特里克兰德太太一副痛楚不堪的样子，好象能够更冷静地考虑这件事了。我在思特里克兰德太太的举动里发现一些矛盾，感到疑惑不解。她非常不幸，但是为了激起我的同情心，她也很会把她的不幸表演给我看。她显然准备要大哭一场，因为她预备好大量的手帕；她这种深思远虑虽然使我佩服，可是如今回想起来，她的眼泪的感人力量却不免减低了。我看不透她要自己丈夫回来是因为爱他呢，还是因为怕别人议论是非；我还怀疑使她肠断心伤的失恋之痛是否也搀杂着虚荣心受到损害的悲伤（这对我年轻的心灵是一件龌龊的事）；这种疑心也使我很惶惑。我那时还不了解人性多么矛盾，我不知道真挚中含有多少做作，高尚中蕴藏着多少卑鄙，或者，即使在邪恶里也找得着美德。但是我这次到巴黎去是带着一定冒险成分的，当我离目的地越来越近的时候，我的情绪也逐渐高起来。我也从做戏的角度看待自己，对我扮演的这个角色——一个受人衷心相托的朋友把误入歧途的丈夫带回给宽恕的妻子——非常欣赏。我决定第二天晚上再去找思特里克兰德，因为我本能地觉得，必须细致盘算，并选定这一时间。如果想从感情上说动一个人，在午饭以前是很少会成功的。在那些年代里，我自己就常常遐想一些爱情的事，但是只有吃过晚茶后我才能幻想美好婚姻的幸福。我在自己落脚的旅馆打听了一个查理斯·思特里克兰德住的地方。他住的那家旅馆名叫比利时旅馆。我很奇怪，看门人竟没听说过这个地方。我从思特里克兰德太太那里听说，这家旅馆很大、很阔气，坐落在利渥里路后边。我们查了一下旅馆商号指南。叫这个名字的旅馆只有一家，在摩纳路。这不是有钱人居住的地区，甚至不是一个体面的地方。我摇了摇头。“绝对不是这一家。”我说。看门人耸了耸肩膀。巴黎再没有另一家叫这个名字的旅馆了。我想起来，思特里克兰德本来是不想叫别人知道他行踪的。他给他的合股人这个地址也许是在同他开玩笑。不知道为什么，我暗想这很合思特里克兰德的幽默感，把一个怒气冲冲的证券交易人骗到巴黎一条下流街道上的很不名誉的房子里去，出尽洋相。虽然如此，我觉得我还是得去看一看。第二天六点钟左右我叫了一辆马车，到了摩纳街。我在街角上把车打发掉，我想我还是步行到旅馆，先在外面看看再进去。这一条街两旁都是为穷人开设的小店铺，路走了一半，在我拐进来的左面，就是比利时旅馆。我自己住的是一家普普通通的旅馆，可是同这家旅馆比起来简直宏伟极了。这是一座破烂的小楼，多年没有粉刷过，龌龌龊龊，相形之下，两边的房子倒显得又干净又整齐。肮脏的窗子全部关着。查理斯·思特里克兰德同那位勾引他丢弃了名誉和职责的美女显然不会在这样一个地方寻欢作乐，享受他们罪恶而豪华的生活。我非常恼火，觉得自己分明是被耍弄了。我差一点连问都不问就扭头而去。我走进去只是为了事后好向思特里克兰德太太交待，告诉她我已经尽了最大的努力。旅馆的入口在一家店铺的旁边，门开着，一进门便有一块牌子：账房在二楼①。我沿着狭窄的楼梯走上去，在楼梯平台上看到一间用玻璃门窗隔起来的小阁子，里面摆着一张办公桌和两三把椅子。阁子外面有一条长凳，晚上守门人多半就在这里过夜。附近没有一个人影，但是我在一个电铃按钮下面看到有侍者②字样。我按了一下，马上从什么地方钻出一个人来。这人很年轻，贼眉鼠眼，满脸丧气，身上只穿一件衬衫，趿拉着一双毡子拖鞋。①  ②原文为法语。我自己不知道为什么我向他打听思特里克兰德时要装出一副漫不经心的样子。“这里住没住着一位思特里克兰德先生？”我问。“三十二号，六楼。”我大吃一惊，一时没有答出话来。“他在家吗？”侍者看了看账房里的一块木板。“他的钥匙不在这里。自己上去看看吧。”我想不妨再问他一个问题。“太太也在这里吗③？”③原文为法语。“只有先生一个人④。”④原文为法语。当我走上楼梯的时候，侍者一直怀疑地打量着我。楼梯又闷又暗，一股污浊的霉味扑鼻而来。三层楼梯上面有一扇门开了，我经过的时候，一个披着睡衣、头发蓬松的女人一声不吭地盯着我。最后，我走到六楼，在三十二号房门上敲了敲。屋里响动了一下，房门开了一条缝。查理斯·思特里克兰德出现在我面前。他一语不发地站在那里，显然没有认出我是谁来。我通报了姓名。我尽量摆出一副大大咧咧的样子。“你不记得我了。今年六月我荣幸地在你家吃过饭。”“进来吧，”他兴致很高地说，“很高兴见到你。坐下。”我走进去。这是一间很小的房间，几件法国人称之为路易·菲力浦式样的家具把屋子挤得转不过身来。有一张大木床，上面堆放着一床鼓鼓囊囊的大红鸭绒被，一张大衣柜，一张圆桌，一个很小的脸盆架，两把软座椅子，包着红色棱纹平布。没有一件东西不是肮脏、破烂的。麦克安德鲁上校煞有介事地描述的那种浪荡浮华这里连一点儿影子也看不到。思特里克兰德把乱堆在一把椅子上的衣服扔到地上，叫我坐下。“你来找我有事吗？”他问。在这间小屋子里他好象比我记忆中的更加高大。他穿着一件诺弗克式的旧上衣，胡须有很多天没有刮了。我上次见到他，他修饰得整齐干净，可是看去却不很自在；现在他邋里邋遢，神态却非常自然。我不知道他听了我准备好的一番话以后会有什么反应。“我是受你妻子的嘱托来看你的。”“我正预备在吃晚饭以前到外边去喝点什么。你最好同我一起去。你喜欢喝苦艾酒？”“可以喝一点儿。”“那咱们就走吧”他戴上一顶圆顶礼帽；帽子也早就该刷洗了。“我们可以一起吃饭。你还欠我一顿饭呢，你知道。”“当然了。你就一个人吗？”我很得意，这样重要的一个问题我竟极其自然地提了出来。“啊，是的。说实在的，我已经有三天没有同人讲话了。我的法文很不高明。”当我领先走下楼梯的时候，我想起茶点店的那位女郎来，我很想知道她出了什么事了。是他们已经吵架了呢，还是他迷恋的热劲儿已经过去了？从我见到的光景看，很难相信他策划了一年只是为了这样没头没脑地窜到巴黎来。我们步行到克里舍林荫路，在一家大咖啡馆摆在人行道上的许多台子中拣了一张坐下。

Sharing my experiences of learning French (or not learning it). My French and Me - How I learned some French as a child and how I'm failing to learn it properly as an adult. Includes conclusions about language learning, immersion and the importance of motivation, habit and simply applying yourself. Notes & transcriptions available. Episode page https://wp.me/p4IuUx-81p  italki offer http://www.teacherluke.co.uk/talk 

During my recent travels, I had the opportunity to go to Paris. I was only there for a few days with my son Hudson. I went there to get him settled in school, and to make sure that he seemed happy with his arrangements. "Mum, I love this place," he said to me at one point. He was amazed by the city. There is so much history, art, and spectacular architecture that you can be pleasantly distracted for years. I hadn't been to Paris for decades, and only had vague(1) memories of certain places. One of my good friends, Lorraine, joined us for the weekend which was a special treat for me. She lives near London, and so caught the Eurostar train to Paris, a journey that only took two hours. I loved being back in Europe again, and having the chance to experience this intense city. Winter, I suppose, is not the best time to go to Paris to study; however, as Spring gets closer, the days get longer, there is less rain and more sun, my son will find himself in a city that is like a painted masterpiece(2). Like London, Paris is a place you can lose yourself in. That means that your mind can be totally absorbed by things other than yourself. And having two legs becomes especially important, as so much of what can be experienced needs to be walked to: you walk down narrow alleyways and discover art galleries, you walk around a historic building to take just the right photo, or you walk past cafe after cafe until you find the one that is particularly pretty, or has the best view. Another thing that I enjoyed was practicing my French. Because I love language, and I'm not particularly shy, I threw myself into conversations with all sorts of people. My French was very inaccurate and rough, but I actually didn't care because I knew enough to make myself understood, and the people I spoke with were very kind and patient. I believe that people really appreciate it when you make an effort to speak their language; I think it shows humility. Anyway, I'm not a self-conscious teenager, so I don't mind making a fool of myself occasionally. I encouraged my son who is a self-conscious(3) teenager to jump in and talk as much as possible with the Parisians.  I couldn't leave Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower, of course. The day that we went there was very cold indeed, and windy. Thankfully I had brought a long, thick coat as I hate to be cold. Lorraine and I had arranged to meet up with Hudson for a coffee nearby. There were so many people! Underneath the Tower is now sectioned off for security reasons, which is understandable. So we decided to go into one of the nearby tents and have a hot chocolate. We lingered and enjoyed the atmosphere, and then decided to take some photos and head back to his student residence. Though the skies were grey, and the trees bare, the sight was quite magnificent, even in the gloomy colors. 1. 'Vague' means inaccurate, slight, approximate, or not present. a. His ideas are not expressed well; they are very vague. b. I had a vague notion that we had left our keys in the restaurant. c. He looks very vague, like he's off in the clouds. 2. 'Masterpiece' usually refers to a work of art or literature that is highly admired and considered close to perfect. a. The Mona Lisa, and 'Pride and Prejudice' are considered masterpieces of both art and literature. b. I wrote a poem; it's not a masterpiece, but I like it. 3. 'Self-conscious' is to have your mind too much on yourself, and to therefore feel shy. a. I often feel self-conscious when people want to take a photo of me. b. She's not self-conscious at all; she'll sing opera to anyone!

My husband is fluent in both French and English. During the first years of our marriage, I worked hard to learn some French on my own. I wanted to be functional in the language when we visited his family overseas. Afraid to Speak I established basic grammar from used textbooks I picked up at bookstores, and my husband coached me on pronunciation. I bought a set of cassette tapes—yes, they were still around—and CDs, and eventually a video series, which I worked with nearly every day. Over the course of five or six years, I built up a fairly strong base. But the times I actually visited Belgium, I relied entirely on my husband to translate for me. I knew my grammar would be off if I spoke, and I hated the thought of sounding like a child. As a language person, I wanted to express myself perfectly. My career as a writer focused on my drive to find the best phrasing possible and make the fewest mistakes. I was too proud or vain or nervous or shy to try express myself in baby talk in another language. In this arena of life, I was a perfectionist. I could have jumped in and made mistakes and learned along the way, but I didn’t. Forced to Speak One year we were in Belgium to attend my brother-in-law’s wedding, and on that visit my husband became gravely ill and was hospitalized. My in-laws helped me comprehend all the medical jargon throughout the ordeal, but day-to-day interactions were no longer translated for me by my husband because he had surgery and was confined to a hospital bed for several weeks of recovery. If I wanted to purchase bread at the bread store or buy stamps or visit with family or friends, I would have to risk sounding like a child. I would have to let go of my stubborn perfectionism. On that trip, on an unusually sunny afternoon, I left the hospital after a visit with my husband, and thought to myself, “Hey, you know, he almost died. Why on earth am I worried about how I sound to these people?” Free to Speak And I decided I just didn’t care about how I sounded any longer—or, rather, that I didn’t need to care. Being too proud to speak French because I didn’t want to make a mistake seemed pretty silly and vain in light of our situation. I finally let go of my pride and perfectionism and self-consciousness and whatever else was at play. Better to use what I had and sound like a child—or, a foreigner, which is what I was—than to say nothing. Starting that day, I tapped into the French inside me and started to speak. When friends and extended family came to visit my mother- and father-in-law, I listened to the conversation and, on occasion, opened my mouth and spoke a little French. Everyone was so pleased to hear my attempts, they helped me along by supplying a missing word or gently correcting pronunciation or verb tense. Grocery store clerks leaned in and listened to try to understand my question or spoke slowly when I explained I was American and spoke only a little bit of French. The woman at the bread store gladly bagged up my requests when I pointed at the pistolets and baguettes and held up my fingers to indicate the amount of each and followed up with merci. I’d take my kids to the park and listen to other children’s chatter. If they talked to me, I’d tell them my children and I spoke English but if they repeated it slowly, I’d try to understand their French. Guess what happened? My French got better. Fast. By taking the risk of sounding immature and imperfect, I willingly made mistakes, rapidly gaining skills and learning how to wield the language. Use It and Improve Because I wasn’t so uptight or nervous, my brain relaxed. I could tap into the knowledge I had accumulated to speak as thoroughly and accurately as I was able, knowing it wasn’t perfect. By putting myself out there, imperfect and humble, I added words and phrases to my repertoire, collecting appropriate responses to certain scenarios and situations. As my vocabulary grew, so did my confidence.

How teenage gangsters not knowing geography can be life-saving, and a common food that could have helped calm everybody down. What you will learn what to do when faced with foreign (teenage) gangsters the best food to calm down (both for you and for everyone else) At the end of this episode I'll share with you one of the best, cheapest and most easily available items to make food to calm down, as well as help with stress and anger management. And believe me, the main character in our story could have really used something to chill him out. This food is very common and I bet you eat it all the time without thinking about it. It isn't red, in case you're thinking about a food that I discuss in a previous episode that is also very common. OK so it's easy to find and it isn't red. I think that's enough hinting from me, so let's get on with the story. On with the story Waitressing in France This story takes place in France, while I was living in Paris. I lived there for 14 years, and one of my many different kinds of jobs when I was willing to do just about anything for money (as long as it was legal), was waitressing. What a surprise, right? I had lots of other jobs too. I sang at parties and in restaurants, I taught people English (or I tried to) using hypnosis (I talk about that in Episode 1), and I even cleaned people's houses at one point who didn't believe I was a housecleaner (but that's another story). This waitressing job was in a restaurant in a village way outside of Paris, in the middle of the countryside. It was in a big shopping center which was closed at night except for the restaurant, so it was OK during the day but was kind of spooky at night. However, I'd learned I could handle just about anything (including dangerous Italians, see Episode 4). And I needed the money. The hardest part The job itself was fine. I liked waitressing because it kept me busy and the time would fly by because I was running around all the time. There was one girl who worked there whom I just couldn't understand. She was from a small town in Scotland, and I was still getting used to hearing different kinds of accents when people were speaking. I mean, I grew up on Long Island New York where everyone talked with a New York accent. So strong foreign accents were hard for me to understand because I just wasn't used to it. But eventually I could understand her as well as the French customers. After a while, my French was fluent. This last bit is important to our story, as you'll see later. The hardest bit of that waitressing job was getting back home. I had to get the last train going back to Paris, to then get the last metro train going from the mainline station to the metro stop near my house. So I was always racing to get the train. My rebellion against late night train strategy I was always told that if you were a woman on your own taking the train at night, you had to sit in the very first car right behind the driver to be safe. And I did that religiously, every single night. It meant running further and being further away from the exit at the mainline station. It was a bit of a pain because it added extra time to my journey home, but I did it. And one night I just got fed up of having to always go out of my way to sit in the first car like a child. I'd never seen anything bad happen on that train, and I was thinking, "Why should I have to run further every night just because I'm a woman alone? That's not right, and it's not fair". So that night I thought 'Right, I'm going to sit wherever I want!' So I sat in the middle of the train. And once I was alone... When I got on there were about 3 other people, but they all got off at the next stop, and so then I was alone. There were still a few stops before Paris, and I started to think "Maybe this isn't such a great idea to be by myself." I was about to get up and go to another car that at least had other people in it, when 3 teenage guys walked into the car. Now I was in a booth, so there was room for 4 people. Of course two of them sat across from me, and one of them sat next to me. In a car that was otherwise totally empty. I thought "Uh oh" and I figured they were probably gonna hit on me - that happened a lot. So I kind of sighed inwardly and resigned myself to fending off a pass or something. But I was really nervous because there were 3 of them and one of me. The first scary part Then the guy sitting next to me pulls out a gun and holds it on the seat, pointing it at my thigh. And of course my heart plummeted. It reached my stomach and just stayed there. The good thing was that I noticed that when he pulled the gun out - I don't know his name so I'll call him Jean - he didn't look happy about it. He was kind of sighing inside as he did it, like 'oh this is such a pain'. Of course the thought that flashed through my head was 'if this is such a pain, why are you doing it?' Right? But the one across from me - I'll call him Reno - he was an angry kid. He was angry at the world, and I happened to be the one in his way. Why you want to travel light Reno scowled at me and said "L'argent ! Vide tes poches !" which means "The money! Empty your pockets!" (He was using the familiar 'tu' form which was kind of rude considering we didn't know each other!) Anyway at that moment I was glad for two things: one, that I never carried much money with me because I traveled at night, and two, he was just after my money. I'd much rather surrender my money than my person. So I emptied my pockets, and there was basically just a bunch of change. It was the equivalent of like two dollars, so not very much. I gave him the change and he was like 'what?' He was definitely disappointed, I think he'd figured me for some rich tourist. When a little acting comes in handy Now the other thing you need to know here is that as soon as they started talking to me, my intuition said "Pretend you can't speak French". Because I was fluent I understood everything they said, even the slang. My French teacher would have been so proud! But I pretended to not only not speak French, but also I wanted them to think that I was a bit 'intellectually challenged'. That way I might find an opportunity later to surprise them. Or so I thought, anyway. So Reno looks at the coins, and he says "Is this it?" He looked like a kid who'd asked for a train for Christmas and gotten a tiny plastic car. Poor guy. Reno asked Jean - who was still looking like he'd rather be at home watching TV - to look through my coat pockets too. There was nothing else there...except for my US passport, which I really didn't want to lose because that would just be a huge pain. I'd already had it stolen from me on the first day I arrived in Paris, and I figured if I went to the police again they'd be like 'are you selling them?' Way too embarrassing. Who wants the money? Anyway Reno put the passport to one side, looked at his huge takings of two whole dollars...and said "Oh here, take it." He handed me the coins back, as in 'this really isn't worth it'. And playing my role of a clueless tourist, I said "Oh no, you keep it" and he said "No, just take it" and I said "No, no, I insist". It was like when you've got two friends arguing over who's going to pay the bill in a restaurant because each person wants to treat the other, right? Reno kept the coins, but he still didn't look happy about it. And although I'd diffused his anger a little bit - which was totally one of my goals - he still wanted something. I think at that moment though, even he didn't know what it was. Why I was grateful he didn't know geography So Reno picks up my passport and starts flicking through the pages. Now at that time there weren't any epassports. I had lots of stamps in my passport from when I traveled, and I was getting worried that he'd see that a US passport is very valuable on the black market, which it was. People would steal them, change the picture and sell them for lots of money. And here comes the bit where it was fortunate for me that he didn't know his geography. He looked at me and said "You're from England?" I played along with this because an English passport was valuable, but it wasn't considered as valuable as an American one (sorry English friends), so I was hoping he wouldn't decide to keep it. The scariest part Anyway, just then the train stopped. It was the last stop before Paris, and it was in the middle of nowhere. You know, at one of those deserted stations that just has fields on either side. Here's where the story gets the scariest, at least for me. Reno takes the gun from Jean, points it at my kneecap and says "Get off the train" as in 'get off the train with us and a gun in the middle of a field'. Well one thing was for sure - I didn't know what Reno wanted to do with me and a gun outside late at night, but I had no desire to find out. I'd noticed while all of the thieving was going on that Reno's two colleagues kept looking over their shoulders all the time. They were nervous that someone would come along, and it seemed to me that Reno was the mastermind and he'd coerced them into playing along with his plan. Taking a gamble So I took a gamble and I did the only thing I could think of. I pretended I didn't have a clue what Reno meant so that I could stay put. I figured he probably wouldn't shoot because he didn't want to make noise, and I knew there was no silencer on the gun (thanks to TV). He repeated his ultimatum, saying "If you ever want to see your beloved England again, you'll get off this train now". This was all in French of course. Well I was thinking that my survival was way more likely if I stayed put. So I just looked at him with a puzzled face and pretended to be really clueless. I pretended that I just didn't get what he meant. Nobody move He was looking at me, I was looking at him, and nobody moved. Suddenly we heard the sound that signalled the closing doors, and the train moved on. Inwardly I breathed a huge sigh of relief, because I'd taken a gamble that he wouldn't shoot, but still I wasn't 100 percent sure. Once the train moved, I knew he wouldn't shoot. At that point, much to my surprise, he gave me back my passport. To this day I don't know why, except it was obvious that he definitely didn't know how much it was worth. And he definitely didn't know his geography. Or his English actually, because it said "United States of America" on the cover in big letters. My best strategy Anyway I figured my best strategy - since they apparently had decided to stay with me all the way to Paris - was to befriend them. This might sound crazy, but it fit perfectly with my 'playing clueless' strategy. They asked me where I lived, and I told them "Place de Clichy." Now you need to know at that time, Place de Clichy was one of the rougher parts of Paris. It wasn't the roughest, but it was known for having more immigrants than native French. Everyone in that part of town got along relatively well together, but a lot of them were often prejudiced against by some of the more right-wing French. (This was years ago, it's way worse now, sadly). My captors were foreigners too - I could tell by their accents. So when I said "Place de Clichy" they looked impressed, which I thought was quite funny. It was a bit like the scene in Attack the Block, if you've seen that movie? You know, where the guys find out that the girl they mugged lives in their building and they say 'Hey if we'd have known you lived here we never would have bothered you'. Logical, right? I almost became a criminal I said they could come back to my house if they wanted. That might sound crazy to you, but I figured if they were planning on following me back home anyway, it was best to pretend I was being friendly about it. I figured I could find a way to surprise them. At that time I was living with my French hypnotist-later-turned-Scientologist boyfriend, and I knew he had a gun at home. So I decided that worst case scenario they'd follow me back home and my boyfriend would scare them or shoot them and then we'd call the police. That's seriously where my mind was going! My reckless moment At this point we were finally arriving in Paris - it felt like the longest train ride ever by that point. I saw that they were going to finally leave me alone. They kept looking over their shoulders (they'd put the gun away by this time which was such a relief), and Reno said 'Don't tell anyone. No cops!' And in a moment of what might have been stupid recklessness but which actually felt too damn good not to do, I said to them in fluent French - using slang and everything - "You think I'd call the cops? I hate cops. I'm from New York". A small victory Well, their jaws dropped. You could hear them thinking, "Shit!" because for kids like them who were relatively uneducated, New York meant gangsters and rough stuff all the time. (There was no internet, so everything they knew was based on rumors and the news which somehow I doubt they watched). Plus they realized I'd understood everything they'd been saying the whole trip, I'd just been pretending not to. So now they were afraid of being caught. They ran out of that train like their pants were on fire. When they got to the platform, they kept running. They were still running when I got out (once my knees had stopped shaking and I made my way to the metro). I never saw them again, for which I'm very grateful - oh, except as pumpkins (I kid you not), but that's another story. On to the tips: a common food to calm down So what food could I have given Reno? What food could have helped dampen his anger and chill him out a bit? Are you ready? The answer is: bananas. What? I can hear you say. Are you kidding? Nope, I'm not kidding. What's so great about bananas Bananas have vitamin B and potassium, both of which help to calm the nerves. In other words, they help chill us out. Plus they're delicious, easily available and inexpensive. Super cheap anger management...almost. I'd link to a site that I came across yesterday around this topic, but bizarrely on the page about bananas it also has a video called 'How to control your husband' which honestly just is too weird. I had lots of people controlling my ex-French husband (well he's no longer my husband but he's still French) and it wasn't fun. But again, that's another story. In the shownotes for this episode I'll link to an article that I wrote that tells you about not just bananas, but also several other kinds of food to calm down that can not only help with anger management, but also with reducing stress and anxiety. Some ideas for eating more bananas How do you eat bananas? Well, easy, right? You pick one up, peel it and munch away. They even fit in a bag or in your pocket (if it's a small banana and you've got a big pocket). The only problem with that last strategy though is that your banana might look like a gun...or like something else, neither of which would have made Reno very happy to see on my person, I don't think. I mean, I can't say that if I'd fed Reno a banana he'd have put the gun away, but he would have at least been very surprised. If you live in a kind of dangerous neighborhood, you might want a banana in your bag. Just for emergencies. Anyway, I've got lots of delicious recipes that use bananas in all kinds of creative ways in my 5-Minute Breakfasts recipe ebook that I'll link to in the shownotes for this episode. Have YOU got a story to share? If you've got a crazy, true story to share, I'd love to hear from you! Got a question, or a comment? Got a question, or a comment? Pop a note below in the comments, that would be awesome. You can also subscribe to the podcast to listen 'on the go' in iTunes. I hope you have an amazing day. Thank you so much for being here with me to share in my Clean Food, Dirty Stories. Bye for now! RESOURCES 5-Minute Breakfasts and other recipe ebooks: https://rockingrawchef.com/5-minute-recipes/ Article on properties of bananas plus other stress-busting foods: https://rockingrawchef.com/stressed-fight-top-5-anti-stress-foods/

A situation in a tiny room that went one way but could have gone another: do you speak up or not? And food that can help the heart. Hi everybody, I'm Barbara Fernandez, the Rocking Raw Chef, and welcome to my Clean Food and Dirty Stories: one to entertain, the other to inspire. I help people stamp out stress, depression and fatigue over at RockingRawChef.com, and today's title is: This is SO not girl on girl What you will learn How you can use a little self assurance to avoid a lot of discomfort How to eat some great foods to help you if you're feeling lonely, scared, insecure or just plain blocked Before I say anything else, I've GOT to say that this is NOT a sex story. It really is NOT girl on girl. I mean, it could have been, but things didn't really go that way. It's more like a super vulnerable, I-know-I'm-not-the-only-one-but-it's-still-kind-of-weird-so-its-super-scary-to-share story. So on with the story It takes place in a tiny room - specifically, in a maid's room in Paris - a 'chambre de bonne'. There are a few requirements for a room to classify as a real French maid's room: It must be super tiny. How much room does a maid need, right? It must be at the top of at least 8 flights of stairs with no elevator It must NOT have a shower I guess maids didn't need showers? That one kind of baffles me - but anyway. If you were a lucky maid you'd have a communal shower in the hallway. Otherwise you just did what I did, you went to the local pool a lot. It had no kitchen area either - surprise surprise - but we had an electrical socket next to a shelf with a hot plate. We basically made a lot of pasta and oatmeal. I guess it was the equivalent of what the British call a bedsit. A bedsit is a room with enough room for a bed and for you to sit on the bed. There's not much else. We actually had a deluxe maids room because there was enough room for TWO beds which was unheard of really. Maybe that one was where the head butler lived or something. Anyway I was really grateful to be able to live there with my friend - I'll call her Mave. Mave was the whole reason I went to Paris in the first place. She had said 'Come to Paris, I'll be there too, we can stay for a year, it'll be really fun'. Mave went back to the US at the end of that year, and I wound up staying for another 14 years (but that's another story). From the airport straight into 'French fried' When I arrived fresh (well not so fresh actually) from the Paris airport, the train and the subway, Mave was kind enough to help me lug my 3 HUGE suitcases up 8 flights of stairs (God knows WHAT I was thinking by bringing so much stuff). She also let me stay with her till I got my own place. She was working as an au pair and the maid's room was included in her 'deal'. So there were TWO of us in a tiny room that was smaller than my bedroom at home - but way more exciting of course because it was in Paris! Now one day I'd just come back from a long hard slog of going around jobhunting...before Google. Before the internet. You had to look through newspapers for job adverts or go out of your house (what a concept) to look at local noticeboards. Then you had to call people up and go to see them. Of course you also had to find them first, in a strange city. So when I got back I was feeling a bit discouraged because it was really hard. Why was it hard? Because my brain was absolutely FRIED from trying to do everything in French. I was job hunting, reading, talking, getting lost, asking for directions and interviewing, all in French. My French wasn't good enough to make that an easy process (buying bread was stressful, so imagine jobhunting. What was I thinking?). Plus you didn't have a mobile to check Google maps to get directions. Just imagine. So I was totally wiped out. I can remember the insides of my cheeks hurting because speaking French requires different facial muscles. Did you know that? Totally weird - and totally another story. Here comes the 'not girl on girl' Anyway I must have looked as discouraged as I felt. Mave was like 'Oh, you look like you've had a rough day, let me give you a massage'. Now if this had been a guy saying this, I would have been like 'He's totally hitting on me' and I would've just laughed. I would have either said 'Well maybe another time' or 'Hmmm, sure!' Depends if I was attracted to him and how I was feeling at the time, right? But because this was coming from one of my closest girlfriends, I was like 'OK'. I laid down on my stomach on the floor (there was nowhere else). Mave started massaging my back and my shoulders, which was really nice. Now a lot of my close friends are gay or bi, so, you know, I don't see people's sexual preferences as any big deal. I think we're all on one big spectrum anyway. A few minutes into the massage though, and I started to sense that things could easily go in a totally different direction from just a friendly massage. It was like that spidey sense that we've all got, right? When your brain goes 'Whoa! Alert! New information here! What are we gonna do?' So I kind of started panicking, and I thought, "What do I do? What do I say?" I mean I loved this girl, but I wasn't attracted to her that way. Actually the most important thing to me was that I really didn't want to hurt her feelings. So I just said something like 'Ummm, I think I'm good now, thanks so much!" and I sat up and started doing something else. I think I probably started making oatmeal (we practically lived on oatmeal so that would have made total sense). The only thing 'coming out' was good ol' insecurity I actually felt a bit guilty inside, like maybe I'd disappointed her or hurt her feelings anyway. My mind was like "OMG we're gonna be sharing this small space for potentially a few weeks and things are gonna be all uncomfortable and weird..." Actually Mave was absolutely fine about the whole thing. I had been panicking inside for nothing. She was almost laughing about it, you know, like 'easy come easy go, just a thought' kind of thing. And you know, we never talked about it, I'm sure because I was way too afraid to mention it. I mean I was so chock full of insecurities anyway at that time, and I was so focused on not hurting her feelings. When I think back, not only was she totally OK with the whole thing, she was OK with who she was. She still is, in fact now she has this SUPER high-powered job, a great relationship, the kind of life that anyone would envy. And I realize now that she was way more grounded in herself than I was at that time, even though she'd definitely had her share of challenges growing up. I think it's taken me like 30 years longer (ahem) to feel anything close to the degree of self-assurance that she had at 24, which is how old we were then. So I kind of wish now that I'd been brave enough to at least talk about stuff rather than push things under the rug. I wish I wasn't so embarrassed and uncomfortable about the whole thing. I've gotten way better at talking about stuff now, but 30 years seems like a long time to get there, you know? Has anything like that ever happened to you? Did you have an opportunity to be really open and honest with someone and maybe you didn't take it, you closed up instead? I think we all have at some stage, right? What I wish I'd known then I personally wish I could have felt braver rather than scared, more secure rather than insecure, or even just happier and more confident rather than be riddled with low self-esteem. In other words, I really could have used something to help me unblock my 'emotional self', or my heart center, to put it another way. Now I say 'heart center' because I don't just mean our physical heart, I mean the whole center of our chest that comes alive when we feel happy, loved and expansive. If you think I'm going all woo-woo on you, just bear with me. Think of a time when you hugged someone you love, or cuddled a pet - you know that warm feeling in your chest? That's the heart center expanding. There's an actual physical process that goes on there that can be measured. It's why people with cats for instance are less likely to develop heart disease. I mean, I'm not making this stuff up. How do you know if you need a bit of 'unblocking'? So how do you know if your heart center - or heart chakra, some people would call it - how do you know if it's a bit blocked? Well, any time we experience loneliness, shyness, an inability to forgive, jealousy, harsh judgment of others, sadness, codependency - in fact, any time we block our feelings, we're blocking our heart center. So if any of these are familiar to you, and if you're human I suspect the answer is yes, your heart center could use some tlc and a good ol' foodie boost. I mean, we all feel these things sometimes. It's nice to know though that there are things we can do - and foods we can eat - to help us through these feelings. The perfect food, and it isn't what you think So let me share with you the perfect foods to help. These foods are not only good for your heart center, but for your physical heart too. And no, I'm NOT talking chocolate (although that's good too, for other reasons which you can read about here). The food I'm referring to is...I hope you aren't disappointed...green leafy veg! But wait! Before you go 'ewww I hate greens, I'm not a rabbit', hang in there. There are ways to make them taste amazing, and I'll get to that in a second. The rule of thumb is pretty much anything that's green, and I'd say the darker the better. Eating greens like spinach and kale is great for your heart because they give you magnesium. Magnesium helps regulate blood pressure. Plus green veg are rich in fiber so they help lower cholesterol as well as lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. One thing though: if you're on blood thinning medication such as wayfarin, check with your doctor - you'll need to limit the amount of kale and spinach that you eat because the vitamin K content can make that particular medication less effective. However you can have other green veg like broccoli and celery which will still benefit your heart, so you won't lose out. How to eat it without feeling like a rabbit Now how do you eat your greens, especially if you don't like them? Well, make yourself a green smoothie! Toss a mango (take the huge seed out obviously), a handful of spinach and some water in a blender, and voila! Delicious! If you'd like some recipes to make a wide variety of greens taste absolutely amazing, you'll find lots of inspiration in my 5-minute recipe ebooks here. And if you enjoy my stories and want to hear more, subscribe! I share one crazy yet true story a week. And if you enjoy my stories, pop a note in the comments, that would be awesome. You can also subscribe on iTunes. Last but not least, if you've got a crazy yet true story to share, I'd love to hear it! Send it to me! I change all names to protect the innocent, the not-so-innocent, and the oh-so-totally guilty. I hope you have an amazing day. Thank you so much for being here with me to share in my Clean Food, Dirty Stories. Bye for now!

Around the room Samuel Levi in studio - #Holdtight Campaign The Daily 3 Valentines DejaVu: Meet the second couple - Sarah & Kem We play pardon My French and the Couples Quiz Dom The Godfather: Jay-Jay brings in special guest for Dom His 23 year old Godson?! Campbell got head butted by his 3 year old how did you lose your front tooth? Whistleblowers: Chef - Tito from Pane and VinoSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendan Woodruff showed up at the Rib Joint, my thursday night anarchy format comedy show and we hung out afterwards talking about polyamory, comedy and filmmaking. My French bass player sits in with me in the intro and outro, plus Martin my UK #1 fan gives me his weekly update from across the pond.