Podcast appearances and mentions of Paul Roberts

In this episode of Closing The Wealth Gap, Tyrone French and Paul Roberts have a candid conversation about wealth and personal finances. For more information, visit: www.tyronefrench.com. Feel free to leave a comment (24/7) at: (877) 296-5192. To download our free mobile app, Text Tyrone French to 36260. Listen to prior episodes at www.closingthewealthgap.net. Thank you!   

Preserve your purchasing power! https://www.mydigitalmoney.com/ My Digital Money: Your BITCOIN & Crypto IRA Platform For Retirement Investing --------- Protect Your Retirement W/ a PHYSICAL Gold IRA https://www.sgtreportgold.com/ CALL( 877) 646-5347 - Noble Gold is Who I Trust   THE GLOBALIST PLAN TO COLLAPSE EVERYTHING exposes the chilling threat of a globalist agenda intent on dismantling civilization as we know it. Author Allan Paul Roberts joins me to expose the eleven pillars that uphold our society and how they are being systematically torn down, leading to a world where freedom will be a distant memory and government control, absolute. But by informing the people WE CAN STOP IT!   GET the book HERE: https://globalcollapsebook.com/   https://rumble.com/embed/v6ry4kx/?pub=2peuz   https://rumble.com/embed/v6ry4kx/?pub=2peuz

Who's talking about men's mental health? In this episode, four guests join me – Russ Jones, an ADHD mentor, Paul Roberts, a blue-collar business owner, Ali Mattu, a clinical psychologist & Jon Patrick Hatcher, a nonfiction humor writer. We discuss how men talk to each other about mental health behind closed doors, the mistakes women are unknowingly making when they try to help, the problem with strength-based identity, the medicine of community, neurodiversities & emotional dysregulation parties. If you like this episode, you'll also like episode 166: MALE ANXIETY: STIGMA, STRATEGIES & ROGAINEGuests:   Jon Patrick Hatcher https://anxietyforamateurs.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonpatrickhatcher/ | Russ Jones HTTPS://www.adhdbigbrother.com/podcast | https://adhdbigbrother.circle.so| Ali Mattu https://www.braverwithanxiety.com/start/ | https://www.youtube.com/@drali | Paul Roberts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bass-and-brews-fishing-podcast/id1562959432 | https://www.instagram.com/paulheels/ Host:  https://www.meredithforreal.com/  | https://www.instagram.com/meredithforreal/  | meredith@meredithforreal.com | https://www.youtube.com/meredithforreal  | https://www.facebook.com/meredithforrealthecuriousintrovert Sponsors: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/starterpacks/ | https://uwf.edu/university-advancement/departments/historic-trust/ 

You may not be thinking about holiday shopping right now, but the companies you’re hoping to buy gifts from sure are. Time is of the essence, and tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are putting trade-dependent Washington in a tough position. Seattle Times business reporter Paul Roberts will tell us how companies, ports, and consumers are beginning to feel the squeeze. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback onlineSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Allan Paul Roberts joins us for a great chat about his book driven by divine inspiration. THE GLOBALIST PLAN TO COLLAPSE EVERYTHING TO USHER IN A NEW WORLD ORDER. We talk about the 11 pillars and how 6 of these came to him in the middle of one night.   We chat about how owns it all, the New World Order, WEF, picking presidents, the Trump factor, NATO, EU and the war, DOGE and NGO's and how this must be a spiritual fight at the top.   In the second half we get into the technocratic push, EV's, the 15 minute city, the Satanic Cult, the debt trap, the Fed, flying insects, Trump and the money system and the Globalists, tearing it down, writing from the heart, Revelation and how they steal, kill and destroy.   Website: www.AuthorAPRoberts.com / https://www.globalcollapsebook.com/   To gain access to the second half of show and our Plus feed for audio and podcast please clink the link http://www.grimericaoutlawed.ca/support.   For second half of video (when applicable and audio) go to our Substack and Subscribe. https://grimericaoutlawed.substack.com/ or to our Locals  https://grimericaoutlawed.locals.com/ or Rokfin www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Patreon https://www.patreon.com/grimericaoutlawed   Support the show directly: https://grimericacbd.com/ CBD / THC Tinctures and Gummies https://grimerica.ca/support-2/ Eh-List Podcast and site: https://eh-list.ca/ Eh-List YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEh-List Our Adultbrain Audiobook Podcast and Website: www.adultbrain.ca Our Audiobook Youtube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@adultbrainaudiobookpublishing/videos Darren's book www.acanadianshame.ca Check out our next trip/conference/meetup - Contact at the Cabin www.contactatthecabin.com Other affiliated shows: www.grimerica.ca The OG Grimerica Show www.Rokfin.com/Grimerica Our channel on free speech Rokfin Join the chat / hangout with a bunch of fellow Grimericans  Https://t.me.grimerica https://www.guilded.gg/chat/b7af7266-771d-427f-978c-872a7962a6c2?messageId=c1e1c7cd-c6e9-4eaf-abc9-e6ec0be89ff3   Leave a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/grimerica-outlawed http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/grimerica-outlawed Sign up for our newsletter http://www.grimerica.ca/news SPAM Graham = and send him your synchronicities, feedback, strange experiences and psychedelic trip reports!! graham@grimerica.com InstaGRAM https://www.instagram.com/the_grimerica_show_podcast/  Purchase swag, with partial proceeds donated to the show www.grimerica.ca/swag Send us a postcard or letter http://www.grimerica.ca/contact/ ART - Napolean Duheme's site http://www.lostbreadcomic.com/  MUSIC Tru Northperception, Felix's Site sirfelix.bandcamp.com 

Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Alan Paul Roberts, author of Global Collapse: The Eleven Pillars Under Attack by the Globalists, as we dive into the alarming forces threatening society today. In this episode of Nephilim Death Squad, Alan breaks down the 11 pillars—ranging from national borders and security to faith and self-identity—that he believes are being deliberately undermined to usher in a new world order.From the orchestrated chaos at the southern border to the erosion of privacy, the collapse of education, and the spiritual attack on faith, Alan shares his supernatural "download" experience that inspired the book and offers a call to action for those ready to wake up. With exclusive insights, QR-coded evidence, and a hopeful perspective rooted in faith, this discussion is a must-watch for anyone seeking to understand the bigger picture.Highlights:The shocking truth behind open borders and military-age migrantsHow AI and chemtrails are reshaping our worldThe spiritual warfare targeting our identity and faithJOIN THE PATREON FOR AD FREE EPISODES BEFORE THEY DROP AND BECOME PART OF THE GROWING COMMUNITY OF DANGEROUS RTRDs ON TELEGRAM:https://www.patreon.com/NephilimDeathSquadnephilimdeathsquad.com FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:NEPHILIM DEATH SQUAD:Nephilim Death Squad / SpreakerNephilim Death Squad / YouTubeNephilimDeathSquad / Rumble(@NephilimDSquad) / X(@nephilimdeathsquad) / Instagram(@nephilimdeathsquad) | TikTokchroniclesnds@gmail.comX Community: Nephilim Watch https://twitter.com/i/communities/1725510634966560797TOPLOBSTA:(@TopLobsta) / X(@TopLobsta) / InstagramTopLobsta.com / MerchRAVEN: (@DavidLCorbo) / X(@ravenofnds) / InstagramWEBSITES:Nephilim Death Squad | Merchnephilimdeathsquad.com OUR SPONSORS:15% OFFRife Technology – Real Rife TechnologyPROMO CODE : NEPHILIM FOR 10% OFFParasiteMovie.com - Parasite Cleanse and Detox – Parasite MoviePROMO CODE: NEPHILIM 10% OFFEmergency Survival Food, Seed, & Supplies | Heaven's Harvest – Heaven's Harvest StorePROMO CODE: NEPHILIM 5% OFFINTRO ANIMATION DONE BY @jslashr ON XINTRO MUSIC: END OF DAYS BY VINNIE PAZBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/nephilim-death-squad--6389018/support.

Allan Paul Roberts discusses his book "The Globalist Plan to Collapse Everything: To Usher in a New World Order". He posits the endgame includes world government, a social credit system with programmable digital currency, 15-minute cities with travel restrictions, and much more. They'll achieve this by collapsing many sectors of society including banking, energy, and food. We'll need courage, hope, and mental fortitude to make it through. Watch on BitChute / Brighteon / Rumble / Substack / YouTube Geopolitics & Empire · Allan Paul Roberts: The Globalists Plan to Collapse Everything! But Will They Succeed? #539 *Support Geopolitics & Empire! Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com Donate https://geopoliticsandempire.com/donations Consult https://geopoliticsandempire.com/consultation **Visit Our Affiliates & Sponsors! Above Phone https://abovephone.com/?above=geopolitics easyDNS (15% off with GEOPOLITICS) https://easydns.com Escape Technocracy course (15% off with GEOPOLITICS) https://escapethetechnocracy.com/geopolitics PassVult https://passvult.com Sociatates Civis (CitizenHR, CitizenIT, CitizenPL) https://societates-civis.com Wise Wolf Gold https://www.wolfpack.gold/?ref=geopolitics Websites Globalist Plan to Collapse Everything https://globalcollapsebook.com Author Allan Paul Roberts https://www.authoraproberts.com About Allan Paul Roberts ALLAN PAUL ROBERTS is committed to exposing the details behind the Globalist plan to collapse society to usher in their New World Order. Using an innovative writing method that features QR codes, his work creates a rich multimedia experience that leads readers to a greater depth of understanding. Robert's gift for conveying complex information is sure to please political thought leaders as well as those new to the subject. *Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

In this episode, we interview Allan Paul Roberts, author of the book The Globalist Plan to Collapse Everything To Usher in a New World Order.A stunning exposé on the globalist agenda revealing eleven key areas targeted for collapse. This unique work of research and reporting helps readers uncover the hidden powers and plans that are shaping the future of civilization. Many are becoming increasingly aware of a globalist agenda that is designed to bring governments under central rule. But such radical change doesn't happen overnight—it is slow, strategic, and methodical, gradually eroding our defenses as a civilization and ultimately aimed at turning the world as we know it upside down. Author Allan Paul Roberts, in his new book, reveals eleven key pillars of society that the would-be globalist regime aims to collapse. As these pillars are systematically deconstructed, Roberts holds that there will be nothing left to stop the final collapse of civilization and its replacement with a new, highly centralized world order. Special Audience Giveaway:  Read The First Collapse Chapter   https://globalcollapsebook.com/read  Website- https://globalcollapsebook.com*Where to purchase the book Amazon & Barnes& Noble Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/Globalist-Plan-Collapse-Everything-Usher/dp/B0DJN668BJ B&N- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-globalist-plan-to-collapse-everything-allan-paul-roberts/1146389980  https://geoengineeringwatch.org

Allan's website https://globalcollapsebook.com/readThe Forbidden Documentary: Doors of Perception official trailer

Weston Lindemann talks about the different strategies that wealthy individuals use for retirement planning. He emphasizes the importance of discipline, maximizing tax-advantaged accounts, and investing wisely. The discussion also covers risk management, asset appreciation, and the benefits of using ETFs over traditional mutual funds. In this conversation, Weston Lindemann discusses the differences between ETFs and mutual funds, emphasizing the liquidity and cost-effectiveness of ETFs. He highlights the importance of tax planning in retirement, particularly in light of changing tax laws and the implications of required minimum distributions (RMDs). Reach Roberts Wealth Management at 800-891-8680. Roberts Wealth Management www.robertswealth.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TODAY ON THE ROBERT SCOTT BELL SHOW: Jonathan Emord, RFK Jr. Senate Vote, Elon Musk Criticism, Trump Poll Shock, $925B Biden Waste, FDA Vaccine Debate, GOP Embraces MAHA Policies, Allan Paul Roberts, Global Collapse Agenda, Cashless Society, Mentha Piperita and MORE! https://robertscottbell.com/jonathan-emord-rfk-jr-senate-vote-elon-musk-criticism-trump-poll-shock-925b-biden-waste-fda-vaccine-debate-gop-embraces-maha-policies-allan-paul-roberts-global-collapse-agenda-cashless-soci/

Season 6 — with a focus on Reconciliation — kicks off with Rev. Paul Roberts Sr., who doesn't actually use that word. Why? He explains it well in this episode that will have you contemplating the meaning of the term, and how it interacts with the terms Repair and Reparations. Rev. Bill Davis leads the conversation with Roberts, who serves as President of Johnson C. Smith Seminary in Atlanta. Together, they explore the vital topics of repair, and reparations — examining their theological foundations and implications for faith communities today. How can the church actively participate in healing historical injustices? What role does theology play in the call for reparations? Join us for this powerful discussion on justice, faith, and transformative action.

Catching up with Grotbags Paul Roberts in Huntington Beach for a podcast. We talk about Paul's recovery from his leg injury after crashing in the dark while riding back from @epicbmx—mis-timing a curb and ending up on crutches, unable to ride for months. We then dive into some of the topics we've seen on social media lately—Is BMX dead? With the industry in a downturn, we talk about how things were in the late '80s and early '90s when we were both part of the downtime after the '80s BMX bubble burst. The riders and brands that stuck around during that period ended up in a good place when the industry bounced back in the mid-'90s. We also dip into a bit of politics for the first time, with so much in the news since the election. Other topics include a potential Neal Wood podcast, Paul's days as Vans UK Team Manager, getting Martin and Stephen Murray on Haro UK, and a few old stories from racing in the UK in the '80s and '90s—including my dad not wanting me to get into a car with Paul to go to a race. And more.

Weston Lindeman discusses the limitations and hidden costs of 401k plans as a retirement savings strategy. He emphasizes the importance of understanding tax implications and exploring alternative investment options. The discussion transitions into the significance of financial literacy in retirement planning, highlighting how a basic understanding of financial concepts can empower individuals to make informed decisions about their retirement savings and investments. He highlights the role of financial literacy and education, particularly in schools and workplaces, and the need for personalized financial planning. Reach Roberts Wealth Management at 800-891-8680. Roberts Wealth Management www.robertswealth.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weston Lindemann discusses the multifaceted nature of retirement planning, emphasizing that it encompasses more than just financial numbers. He highlights the importance of defining personal retirement goals, creating a timeline for achieving them, and understanding the financial habits necessary for success. Health and social aspects of retirement are also addressed, along with the significance of debt management and holistic planning. The conversation draws on historical wisdom to illustrate key financial principles, while also stressing the need for budgeting and balancing saving with spending. Reach Roberts Wealth Management at 800-891-8680. Roberts Wealth Management www.robertswealth.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This conversation explores the parallels between physical health and financial health, emphasizing the importance of consistent habits, balanced approaches, and long-term perspectives in both areas. Weston Lindemann discusses how regular exercise and proper nutrition relate to consistent contributions and diversification in financial planning. The discussion also highlights the significance of managing stress and risk in retirement, advocating for a comprehensive review of financial strategies to ensure a secure future. Reach Roberts Wealth Management at 800-891-8680. Roberts Wealth Management www.robertswealth.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deep in Wisconsin's Northwoods, the ruins of Summerwind Mansion sit quietly by West Bay Lake, but the chilling tales of ghosts, hidden secrets, and unexplained events keep its haunted legacy alive.Darkness Syndicate members get the ad-free version. https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateInfo on the next LIVE SCREAM event. https://weirddarkness.com/LiveScreamInfo on the next WEIRDO WATCH PARTY event. https://weirddarkness.com/TVIN THIS EPISODE: Was Summerwind in Wisconsin really haunted? No one knows and if they do, they aren't saying. Today, only the foundations, the stone chimneys and perhaps the ghosts remain. (Summerwind: The Most Haunted House In Wisconsin) *** A young woman discovers that it's possible to live a lonely life, yet still not be alone. (Followed By a Child) *** Is it possible that during the years of World War 1, Agnes Whiteland, while peering off her balcony, saw a group of time travelers? (Agnes And The Time Travelers) *** Tituba proved to be a fantastic orator as she talked her way out of slavery using the fear and mass hysteria of witchcraft that paralyzed the people of Salem. (Tituba And the Salem Witch Trials) *** The discovery of a 10-year-old's body at an ancient Roman site in Italy suggests his family, friends, and neighbors thought he was a vampire – and took measures to make sure he wouldn't return from the grave. (The Unearthing of a Child Vampire) *** Authorities placed Gil Perez in jail as a deserter and for the possibility that he may have been in the service of Satan. In Gil's defense though, he said he simply teleported somewhere else. (Teleportation of a Spanish Soldier) *** 
Matthew Weeks was found guilty and hanged for the murder of Charlotte Dymond. Today it is said that the ghosts of both of them roam the countryside – but could it be that Matthew's ghost is lamenting because he was innocent of the crime? (The Murder of Charlotte Dymond on Bodmin Moor) *** A building situated right in the middle of London's swankiest and most historical areas, has long been said to be the lair of something not of this earth. (The Bizarre Nameless Thing of Berkley Square) *** “The Jungle Book” - we are all familiar with the story in some way – either from the classic animated Disney film version from 1967, the live action version in 2016, or the original novel by Rudyard Kipling published in 1894. In fact, yet another retelling of the story is coming in 2019 in a film entitled simply, “Mowgli”. But what many don't know is that the character of Mowgli was, in fact, inspired by a real boy who was raised by wild animals. (The Real Life Inspiration for Mowgli) *** Evil stepmothers, jealous of their stepdaughters' beauty are a classic tome in fantastical stories – but Martha Savcoll was no fairy tale. (Brooklyn Murderess) *** Of all the places in the world you would expect to be safe from the paranormal, it would be a church – but that would not be telling the truth when referring to Adams Grove Presbyterian Church in Alabama. (Haunted Adams Grove Presbyterian Church) *** Outside of Washington, D.C. lies Forest Haven Asylum, an abandoned institution with a thoroughly disturbing past. (The Anguish of Forest Haven Asylum)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = Disclaimer and Cold Open00:02:02.865 = Show Intro00:05:58.800 = Summerwind: Wisconsin's Most Haunted House00:29:33.837 = Followed By A Child00:31:56.332 = Agnes And The Time Travelers00:34:10.701 = Tituba and the Salem Witch Trials00:41:03.838 = The Unearthing of a Child Vampire00:49:49.258 = Teleportation of a Spanish Soldier00:52:50.227 = The Anguish of Forest Haven Asylum01:01:16.868 = The Murder of Charlotte Dymond on Bordin Moor01:09:27.010 = Bizarre Nameless Thing of Berkeley Square01:23:15.852 = The Real Inspiration for Mowgli01:33:41.537 = The Brooklyn Murderess01:39:33.161 = Haunted Adams Grove Presbyterian Church01:46:29.354 = Show CloseSOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…“Summerwind: Wisconsin's Most Haunted House” by Troy Taylor: https://tinyurl.com/v45gfw7“Followed By a Child”: https://tinyurl.com/rjpjghj“Agnes And The Time Travelers”: https://tinyurl.com/s6ugg2c“Tituba and the Salem Witch Trials” by William DeLong: https://tinyurl.com/y6t486e2“The Unearthing of a Child Vampire”: https://tinyurl.com/yd7mzeju“Teleportation of a Spanish Soldier” by Ellen Lloyd: https://tinyurl.com/ryk3n3y“The Anguish of Forest Haven Asylum” by Gary Sweeney: http://ow.ly/VcsP30mhcSE“The Murder of Charlotte Dymond on Bodmin Moor” by Les Hewitt: https://tinyurl.com/sn8s5ms“The Bizzarre Nameless Thing of Berkeley Square” by Brent Swancer: https://tinyurl.com/sejcemy“The Real-Life Inspiration For Mowgli” by Noelle Talmon: https://tinyurl.com/yya26l9w“The Brooklyn Murderess” by Robert Wilhelm: https://tinyurl.com/y9y2uaat“Haunted Adams Grove Presbyterian Church” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Paul Roberts (from Halo Paranormal Investigations: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HPIinternational/)Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. = = = = =(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.= = = = =Originally aired: October 16, 2018SOURCES PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/SummerwindAndForestHavenTRANSCRIPT: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/2fpzuwfk

Weston Lindemann discusses the role of AI in retirement planning, evaluating various investment strategies through AI ratings. The conversation covers the strengths and weaknesses of AI in providing financial advice, particularly in the context of retirement income solutions, index funds, ETFs, dividend investing, and annuities. Weston emphasizes the importance of personalized financial planning and the emerging trends in retirement planning, including the impact of divorce on retirement accounts. In this conversation, Weston Lindemann discusses the financial implications of divorce, particularly focusing on how it affects retirement planning. Reach Roberts Wealth Management at 800-891-8680. Roberts Wealth Management www.robertswealth.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weston Lindemann discusses essential financial strategies for starting 2025 on the right foot. The conversation covers the importance of tracking expenses, preparing for tax changes, creating a sustainable retirement paycheck, and assessing risk in investment portfolios. Additionally, Weston highlights the significance of recognizing red flags in financial management, using Al Pacino's financial missteps as a cautionary tale. The episode emphasizes the need for a solid financial plan that is understood and actively managed by the individual. Reach Roberts Wealth Management at 800-891-8680. Roberts Wealth Management www.robertswealth.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Rule Change Regarding VA Benefits Eligibility. In this episode of Closing The Wealth Gap, Tyrone French and Paul Roberts will discuss the new VA rule change regarding veterans who received bad conduct discharges. Veterans, if the VA denied your claim in the past due to an Other Then Honorable Discharge (OTH), you might want to file another claim for disability benefits and compensation.  For more information, contact Tyrone French (24/7) at (877) 296 - 5192 or send us an email at coach@tyronefrench.com. Visit our website today and leave a message: www.tyronefrench.com. Thank you!       

Join tME as we hear from owner/ operator Mr Paul Roberts as he shares the origin story and the evolution of this iconic Signal Mountain pizzaria - The Pizza Place. As goes the world, change is coming to The Plaza Shopping Center on Signal Mountain and, after 35 good years, The Pizza Place is closing its doors. Listen in with Paul Roberts as he shares stories from he past, Signal Mtn history, and gives shout outs and thanks to many mountain folks who have been involved in this very American business story over the past 3 and a half decades. Hear about Pual's plans for the future and possible plans for this great location on Signal Mountain.  Also, many thanks to Olivia and her staff including Preston and McKenzie who help us say "goodbye" at the end.  Ronnie - we will of course miss you too. The Pizza Place has set a high bar and been a great example for community businesses to see an example of partnership and cooperation benefits everyone. 35 Years.....Job Well Done Paul Roberts and Team, well done indeed.Spread the word! Find us at ...theMountainEcho.orgPlease "Like" and 'subscribe' for notification of new episodes on your media player's podcast menu. Also, on regular, full length, non-bonus episodes, many thanks for closing music featuring the Dismembered Tennesseans and vocals by the amazing Laura Walker singing Tennessee Waltz. Opening fiddle music played by the late Mr. Fletcher Bright.

Paul Roberts and I check in with the Wildman, Todd Lyons, and catch up on everything SE has been up to this year. He shares his thoughts on the industry, his newly dialed-in garage, the Olympics, and more.

An Interview with Anthony Dunn, USN, Retired. (Pt.2) In this episode of Closing The Wealth Gap, Tyrone French and Paul Roberts will continue the conversation with my good friend Mr. Anthony Dunn, USN, Retired.  Remember to download my free mobile app. Did I mention that it's free! Visit: www.tyronefrench.coach or text TYRONE FRENCH to 36260. Leave us a message 24/7 by calling (877) 296-5192 or by emailing coach@tyronefrench.com. Go to: www.tyronefrench and check out my website.   

Joe and Justin are joined by Paul Roberts (SV Sports and BerksSportsReport.com) to recap rge first half of the 2024 Wilson Football season and preview the rivalry showdown with Governor Mifflin for Game 6! Thanks to our sponsors Mays Sandwich Shop (Bill Mays), White Star Tours, MikeDragoSports.com (Mike Drago), The Miller Family, and our 3 Anonymous Donors! The Bulldog Hour will be back for Episode 10-11 at 6:30p on Sunday 9/29/2024! ----------------------- JMNJR Radio: www.jmnjrradio.com/ The Bulldog Hour: www.bulldoghour.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/BulldogHour Twitter: @WilsonBulldogs | @BulldogHour | @CoachJoeMays | @Mr_Raffauf Email: show@bulldoghour.com OR joe@bulldoghour.com

You do not have the right to repair your own belongings because of intellectual property rights granted to corporations by Congress in 1998. In this episode, listen to the debate happening in Congress about if and how they should grant customers the right to repair and get a status update on the multiple efforts under way in the current Congress, including one with a good chance of becoming law. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support Congressional Dish via (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Andy Greenberg. December 14, 2023. Wired. Joseph Fawbush. March 29, 2022. FindLaw. John Deere Luke Hogg. January 8, 2024. Reason. Internet of Things Updates and Maintenance Márk Szabó. August 27, 2024. WeLiveSecurity. Massachusetts Auto Repair Law Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. DoD's Revolving Door OpenSecrets. OpenSecrets. Karl Evers-Hillstrom and Reid Champlin. June 18, 2019. OpenSecrets. OpenSecrets. Salary.com. Military Right to Repair Issues Kyle Mizokami. February 11, 2020. Popular Mechanics. Max Finkel. February 8, 2020. Jalopnik. Elle Ekman. November 20, 2019. The New York Times. Lucas Kunce and Elle Ekman. September 15, 2019. Technological Protection Measures (TPMs) Jennifer Zerkee. November 8, 2023. Simon Fraser University. Cyber Risks Sam Curry et al. January 3, 2023. samcurry.net. Apple Lawsuit Brandon Vigliarolo. December 18, 2023. The Register. NDAA Sec. 828 Jason Koebler. August 28, 2024. 404 Media. AdvaMed et al. July 30, 2024. DocumentCloud via 404 Media. Laws Bills Sec. 828 : REQUIREMENT FOR CONTRACTORS TO PROVIDE REASONABLE ACCESS TO REPAIR MATERIALS. Fair Repair Act Audio Sources May 16, 2024 Senate Armed Services Committee Witnesses: Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy Clip Sen. Elizabeth Warren: So the Navy acquires everything from night vision goggles to aircraft carriers through contracts with big defense contractors, but the contractors often place restrictions on these deals that prevent service members from maintaining or repairing the equipment, or even let them write a training manual without going back through the contractor. Now the contractors say that since they own the intellectual property and the technical data underlying the equipment, only they have the right to repair that equipment. These right to repair restrictions usually translate into much higher costs for DOD, which has no choice but to shovel money out to big contractors whenever DOD needs to have something fixed. So take the Navy's littoral combat ship, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin considered much of the data and equipment on the ship to be proprietary, so the Navy had to delay missions and spend millions of dollars on travel costs, just so that contractor affiliated repairmen could fly in, rather than doing this ourselves. Secretary Del Toro, when a sailor isn't allowed to repair part of their ship at sea, and a marine isn't allowed to access technical data to fix a generator on a base abroad. One solution is for the Navy to buy the intellectual property from the contractors. So can you say a little bit about what the benefits are of the Navy having technical rights for the equipment that it has purchased. Sec. Carlos Del Toro: The benefits are enormous, Senator, and we've actually had tremendous success, I'd say, in the last year and a half to two years, through the taxpayer advocacy program that we initiated when I came in. There have been three examples, one, gaining the intellectual property rights for the new ACV class of ships that will replace the AAVs. The F-35 negotiations really proved themselves out in a significant way as well, too. And lastly, the 20 F-18s that the Congress authorized in ‘22 and ‘23, we were able to make significant gains in terms of the government finally getting the intellectual property rights that were necessary for us to be able to properly sustain those moving forward. Sen. Elizabeth Warren: So I am very, very glad to hear this. I like the taxpayer advocacy project and how you're training contract officers to secure technical equipment that the Navy buys, but I think you should have the support of Congress on this. Senator Braun and I have introduced the Stop price gouging the military act to give DoD more tools to get cost and pricing data so that you will be in a better position to negotiate better deals with contractors. There's also more that we can do to ensure that the Navy and the rest of the services have the rights they need to bolster readiness. So let me ask you, Secretary Del Toro, would having a stronger focus on right to repair issues during the acquisition process, like prioritizing contract bids that give DoD fair access to repair materials, and ensuring that contract officers are looking into buying technical rights early on, would that help the Navy save costs and boost readiness at the same time? Sec. Carlos Del Toro: Very much. Senator, in fact, one of the things that we have prioritized since I came in as Secretary of the Navy, given my acquisition background, is actually those negotiations need to happen as early as possible before that we even as we develop the acquisition strategy for that contract to go out to bid, and by doing so, we will reap tremendous returns. July 18, 2023 House Judiciary Committee Witnesses: Aaron Perzanowski, Thomas W. Lacchia Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School , Legal Fellow, Hudson Institute's Forum for Intellectual Property Kyle Wiens, Co-founder and CEO, iFixit Paul Roberts, Founder, SecuRepairs.org; Founder and Editor-in-Chief, the Security Ledger Scott Benavidez, Chairman, Automotive Service Association; Owner, Mr. B's Paint & Body Shop Clips 41:25 Scott Benavidez: My name is Scott Benavidez. I'm the Chairman of the Automotive Service Association's Board of Directors. I am also a second generation shop owner from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mr. B's Paint and Body Shop. Scott Benavidez: We do have concerns when some insurers insist on repairs that are simply cheaper and quicker, without regard to quality and safety. Repairers understand better than anyone the threat of replacement crash parts or lesser quality. We can and should have a competitive marketplace that doesn't compromise quality or safety, deciding to only cover the cheapest option without understanding implications for quality leaves collision shops and their customers in a tough position. Very few consumers have the knowledge about these types of crash parts used on their vehicles as numerous crash parts in the marketplace, such as OEM (original equipment manufactured) parts, certified aftermarket parts, aftermarket parts, reconditioned crash parts, and recycled crash parts. Repairers can make recommendations, but their customers are unlikely to hear if the insurance won't cover them. 46:45 Paul Roberts: My name is Paul Roberts, and I'm the founder of Secure Repairs. We're an organization of more than 350 cyber security and information technology professionals who support the right to repair. 46:55 Paul Roberts: I'm speaking to you today on behalf of our members to make clear that the fair access to repair materials sought by right to repair laws does not increase cyber risk, and in fact, it can contribute to a healthier and more secure ecosystem of smart and connected devices. Paul Roberts: Proposed right to repair legislation considered by this Congress, such as the Repair Act, or last session, the Fair Repair Act, simply asks manufacturers that already provide repair information and tools to their authorized repair providers to also provide them at a fair and reasonable price to the owners of the devices and to third parties that they may wish to hire to do their work. 47:35 Paul Roberts: By definition, the information covered by right to repair laws is not sensitive or protected, as evidenced by the fact that the manufacturers already distribute it widely to hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of workers for their authorized repair providers. This could be everyone from mechanics working at auto dealerships to the folks staffing the Geek Squad at Best Buy. 48:00 Paul Roberts: Also, we have yet to find any evidence that the types of information covered by right to repair laws like schematic diagrams, service manuals, diagnostic software and replacement parts act as a portal to cyber attacks. The vast majority of attacks on internet connected devices - from broadband routers to home appliances to automobiles - today exploit weaknesses in the embedded software produced and distributed by the manufacturers, or alternatively, weak device configurations so they're deployed on the internet in ways that make them vulnerable to attack. These security weaknesses are an epidemic. A recent study of the security of Internet of Things devices, by the company Phosphorus Labs, or a cybersecurity company, found that 68% of Internet of Things devices contained high risk or critical software vulnerabilities. As an example, I'd like to call attention to the work of a group of independent researchers recently led by Sam Curry, who published a report, and you can Google this, "Web Hackers vs. the Auto Industry" in January 2023. That group disclosed wide ranging and exploitable flaws in vehicle telematics systems from 16 different auto manufacturers. At a leading GPS supplier to major automakers, the researchers claimed to obtain full access to a company-wide administration panel that gave them the ability to send arbitrary commands to an estimated 15.5 million vehicles, including vehicles used by first responders, police, fire and so on. Hacks like this take place without any access to repair materials, nor is there any evidence that providing access to repair software will open the doors to new attacks. 50:05 Paul Roberts: For the last 25 years, Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act has given manufacturers an incentive to deploy software locks widely and to limit access to security researchers. That's kind of a model what we call in cybersecurity, security through obscurity. In other words, by keeping the workings of something secret, you're making it secure. But in fact, that doesn't work, because cyber criminals are very resourceful and they're very determined, and they don't really care what the law says. 50:35 Paul Roberts: Section 1201 has also enabled what one researcher has described as dark patterns in the design and manufacture of hardware that includes everything from locking out customers from access to administrative interfaces, administrative features of the products that they own, as well as practices like part pairing, which Kyle will talk to you more about, in which manufacturers couple replaceable components like screens and sensors and cameras to specific device hardware. Such schemes make manufacturers and their authorized repair providers gatekeepers for repairs, and effectively bar competition from the owners of the devices as well as independent repair providers. 54:45 Kyle Wiens: You think about what is local? What is American? Main Street you have a post office and a repair shop. And unfortunately, we've seen the whittling down of Main Street as the TV repair shops went away when the manufacturers cut off access to schematics, as the camera repair shops went away when Nikon and Canon decided to stop selling them parts. We've seen this systematically across the economy. In the enterprise space, you have Oracle and IBM saying that you can't get security updates to critical cyber infrastructure unless you buy a service contract with them, so they're tying long term service contracts with the security updates that are necessary to keep this infrastructure secure. 56:45 Kyle Wiens: Over the last decade plus, I've been working on Section 1201, trying to get exemptions for the ability to repair products. The challenge that we've had in the section 1201 process every triennial I go back and we ask for permission to be able to fix our own things is that the exemptions we've gotten really only apply to individual consumers. They aren't something that I could use to make a tool to provide to one of you to fix yourself. So in order for someone to take advantage of a 1201 exemption that we have, they have to be a cybersecurity researcher and able to whittle their own tools and use it themselves, and that just doesn't scale. 57:45 Devlin Hartline: My name is Devlin Hartline, and I'm a legal fellow at the Hudson Institute's forum for intellectual property. 57:50 Devlin Hartline: I'd like to start with a question posed by the title of this hearing, is there a right to repair? And the answer is clearly no. A right is a legally enforceable claim against another, but the courts have not recognized that manufacturers have the duty to help consumers make repairs. Instead, the courts have said that while we have the ability to repair our things, we also have the duty not to infringe the IP rights in the process. So it is in fact, the manufacturers who have the relevant rights, not consumers. 58:30 Devlin Hartline: Right to repair supporters want lawmakers to force manufacturers to make the tools, parts, and know-how needed to facilitate repairs available to consumers and independent repair shops. And the assumption here is that anything standing in the way of repair opportunities must necessarily harm the public good, but these tools, parts and know-how, are often protected by IP rights such as copyrights and design patents. And we protect copyrighted works and patented inventions because, as the Constitution recognizes, this promotes the public good. We reward creators and innovators as an incentive for them to bring these things to the marketplace and the public benefits from the introduction of new products and services that increase competition. Thus, the right to repair movement isn't based on a pre-existing right. It's instead asking lawmakers to create a new right at the expense of the existing rights of IP owners. 1:00:45 Devlin Hartline: IP owners are merely exercising their federally protected IP rights, and this is not actionable anti-competitive conduct. It is instead how the IP system is supposed to work. We grant IP owners exclusive rights so they can exclude others, and this, in turn, promotes the investments to create and to commercialize these creative innovations in the marketplace, and that promotes the public good. Aaron Perzanowski: My name is Aaron Perzanowski. I am a professor of law at the University of Michigan, and for the last 15 years, my academic research has focused on the intersection of personal and intellectual property rights in the digital economy. During that time, the right to repair has emerged as a central challenge to the notion that we as consumers control the devices that we buy. Instead consumers, farmers, small businesses, all find that manufacturers exert post-sale control over these devices, often in ways that frustrate repair. Aaron Perzanowski: Repair is as old as humanity. Our Paleolithic ancestors repaired hand axes and other primitive tools, and as our technologies have grown more complex, from the Bronze Age through the Renaissance, to the high tech devices that we all have in our pockets here today, repair has always kept pace. But today, manufacturers are employing a range of strategies that restrict repair, from their hardware and software design choices to clamp downs on secondary markets, and we also troublingly see attempts to leverage IP rights as tools to restrict repair. These efforts are a major departure from the historical treatment of repair under the law, the right to repair is not only consistent with nearly two centuries of IP law in the United States, it reflects half a millennium of common law property doctrine that rejects post-sale restrictions on personal property as early as the 15th century. English property law recognized that once a property owner sells an item, efforts to restrain how the new owner of that item can use it are inconsistent with the essential nature of private property and obnoxious to public policy. As the Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized, IP laws' respect for the property interests of purchasers of copyrighted and patented goods was profoundly shaped by this common law tradition. In 1850, the Supreme Court recognized that the repair of a patented machine reflected "no more than the exercise of that right of care, which everyone may use to give duration to that which he owns." A century later, the Court held that the repair of a convertible car roof was justified as an exercise of "the lawful right of the property owner to repair his property." And just a few years ago, the court reaffirmed the rejection of post-sale restrictions under patent law in Impression Products vs. Lexmark, a case about refurbishing printer ink cartridges. Copyright law, not surprisingly, has had fewer occasions to consider repair restrictions. But as early as 1901, the Seventh Circuit recognized "a right of repair or renewal under US copyright law." When a publisher sued to prevent a used book dealer from repairing and replacing damaged components of books, the court said that "the right of ownership in the book carries with it and includes the right to maintain the book as nearly as possible in its original condition." A century after that, Congress itself acknowledged repair as a right that owners enjoy, regardless of copyright restrictions, when it enacted section 117 C of the Copyright Act. That provision was designed to undo a Ninth Circuit decision that allowed copyright holders to prevent third party repairs of computers. Section 117 C explicitly permits owners of machines to make copies of computer programs in the course of maintenance or repair. And finally, the US Copyright Office over the last decade has repeatedly concluded that diagnosis, repair, and maintenance activities are non-infringing when it comes to vehicles, consumer devices, and medical equipment. So the right to repair is firmly rooted in basic principles of US IP law. Aaron Perzanowski: Section 1201 of the DMCA makes it practically impossible for consumers to exercise their lawful right to repair a wide range of devices, from tractors to home electronics, even though the copyright office says those activities are not infringing, and the weakening of standards for design patents allow firms to choke off the supply of replacement parts needed to repair vehicles, home appliances, and other devices. Aaron Perzanowski: One way to think about a right is as an affirmative power to force someone else to engage in some behavior, and in some cases, that is what we're talking about. We're talking about imposing, especially on the state level, regulations that impose requirements on manufacturers. I think that's true of the Repair Act on the federal level as well. But, I think part of what we also need to keep in mind is that sometimes what you need to effectuate a right is to eliminate barriers that stand in the way of that right. So we can think about this, I think, helpfully in the context of tools that enable people to engage in repair. The state level solution has been to require manufacturers to give their own tools to repair shops, sometimes compensated under fair and reasonable terms. The other solution would be to change section 1201 to say, let's allow independent repair shops to make their own tools. I think both of those solutions have some value to them. I also think it's really important to keep in mind that when we're talking about IP rights, there are always multiple sets of interests at stake, and one of the key balances that IP law has always tried to strike is the balance between the limited statutory exclusive rights that the Patent and Copyright Acts create and the personal property rights of consumers who own these devices. And so I think a balancing is absolutely necessary and appropriate. 1:15:20 Aaron Perzanowski: I think the best solution for Section 1201 is embodied in a piece of legislation that Representatives Jones and Spartz introduced in the last Congress, which would create a permanent exception to Section 1201 for repair that would apply not only to the act of circumvention, but would also apply to the creation and distribution of tools that are useful for repair purposes that does not open the door to broad, unrestrained, creation of circumvention tools, but tools that are that are targeted to the repair market. 1:16:40 Devlin Hartline: He cited a case about where you can repair a cover on a book. That's very different than recreating the book, every single word in it, right? So there's a difference between repairing something and then crossing the line into violating the exclusive rights of IP owners in the patented product or the copyrighted book. And so the things that repair supporters are asking for is that, if somebody has a design patent that covers an auto body part, well, they have the right to exclude other people from making that part, but repair supporters say they shouldn't have that exclusive right, because, you know, we could increase competition if we just took away their design patent and now other people could make that part, and so that's competition. But that's not the type of competition that IP law and competition law seek to support. That's like saying, if we just let the Pirate Bay copy and distribute all of the Disney blockbuster movies, then that's competition, and prices would go down. But that's not the way that we do it, right? So competition means other people come up with new products and new services, and so that's what we should be trying to support. 1:26:45 Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY): Repair advocates argue that section 1201, prevents non-infringing circumvention of access controls for purposes. But Congress contemplated this use when it passed the DMCA in 1998, allowing for a triennial exemption process. Is the exemption process working as intended? And if not, are there actions Congress can take to expand exemptions or make them easier to acquire? Devlin Hartline: What's important about the triennial rulemaking is that the proponent of an exemption has to come forward with evidence and demonstrate that there's actually a problem and it relates to a certain class of works, and then they can get a temporary exemption for three years. And so it is true that the Librarian of Congress, the last few rulemakings, has said that because using a copyrighted work in a way for repair, maintenance, etc, is Fair Use that they grant these exemptions. But these exemptions are quite narrow. They do not allow the trafficking of the computer programs that can crack the TPMs. And so it's very narrowly done. And the concern is that if you were to create a permanent exemption that opens things all the way up with access controls, copy controls and trafficking thereof, is now you're getting to the point of why we even have these TPMs under 1201 in the first place, and that's because they guard against piracy. And so the concern is that you're opening the piracy floodgates. You make these devices less secure, and then content owners are going to be less likely to want to put their content on these devices. Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA): How does section 1201 of the DMCA impact the ability of consumers and independent repair shops to modify or repair devices that have proprietary software and data in the consumer electronics industry? Aaron Perzanowski: Thank you so much for the question. As we've been talking about the copyright office in 2015, 2018, 2021, and they're in the process for the current rulemaking, has determined that engaging in circumvention, the removal or bypassing of these digital locks for purposes of repair, is perfectly lawful behavior, but there is a major practical mismatch here between the legal rights that consumers enjoy under federal law today and their practical ability to exercise those rights. And that's because, as Devlin was just describing, the section 1201 rulemaking does not extend to the creation or distribution of tools, right? So I have the right under federal law, to remove the technological lock, say, on my video game console, if I want to swap out a broken disk drive. How do I do that? I'd like to think of myself as a pretty technologically sophisticated person. I don't have the first clue about how to do that. I need a person who can write that code, make that code available to consumers so that I can. All I'm trying to do is swap out a broken disk drive on my video game. But you would argue that code is proprietary, correct? So I'm talking here about a third party making their own code that is simply allowing me to engage in activity that the Copyright Office has repeatedly said is non-infringing. Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA): So you want to give them a map. Is that, essentially, what you're saying? Aaron Perzanowski: Absolutely, yes, I do. Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA): Do trade secrets play a role in the right to repair debate? Aaron Perzanowski: There are occasions where trade secrets are important. I don't think in the context that we're talking about here with section 1201, that we're typically running into trade secret issues. The state-level bills that have been introduced do typically address trade secrets and often have carve outs there. And I think that's something worth considering in this debate. But I think it's important to keep in mind that just because we have some hypothetical worry about some unknown bad actor taking a tool that I use to fix my video game console -- Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA): It's not unknown. The Chinese do it all the time. Aaron Perzanowski: I don't think the Chinese are particularly worried about whether or not I can fix my video game console, and in fact, I think that point is important, but the bad actors already have these tools. All we're trying to do is get very targeted tools in the hands of law abiding citizens who just want to repair the stuff they buy for their kids for Christmas, right? If the Chinese are going to hack the PlayStation, they've already done it. 1:32:25 Aaron Perzanowski: So the 1201 process is what established the legality of circumvention for repair purposes. But when Congress created that rulemaking authority, it only extends to the act of circumvention, the actual removal. Congress did not give the [Copyright] Office or the Librarian [of Congress] the authority to grant exemptions to the trafficking provisions, and that's where I think legislative intervention is really important. 1:39:00 Kyle Wiens: One of the challenges was section 1201. It doesn't just ban repair tools, it also bans the distribution of cybersecurity tools. And so we've seen security researchers....Apple sued a company that made a security research tool under 1201 and that tool has markedly made the world more secure. It's very popular amongst government security researchers. So I think that's kind of the sweet spot is, allow some third party inspection. It'll make the product better. 1:41:25 Kyle Wiens: These ice cream machines are made by Taylor, and there is an incredibly complex, baroque set of touchscreens you have to go through. And then there's a service password you have to be able to get past in order to access the settings that really allow you to do what you want. And so, in an ideal world, you'd have an entrepreneur who would come along and make a tool to make it easier for McDonald's, maybe they could have an app on their phone that they could use to configure and help them diagnose and repair the machine. Unfortunately, the company who made that tool is struggling legally because of all these challenges across the board. If we had innovation outside of the manufacturers and to be able to develop new tools for fixing ice cream machines or anything else, you have a whole flowering ecosystem of repair tools right now. It doesn't exist. The US is like this black hole where innovation is banned in software repair. There's all kinds of opportunities I could see, I had a farmer ask me for help fixing his John Deere tractor, and I had to say, I can't do that particular repair because it's illegal. I'd love to build a cool app for helping him diagnose and fix his tractor and get back back in the field faster. We don't have that marketplace right now. It's like farmers have been forced to, like, use cracked Ukrainian versions of John Deere diagnostic software, right? Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC): So it's not just ice cream machines. I led off with that, but it's farmers, it's farm equipment, it's iPhones, it's somebody's Xbox, right? I mean, these are all things.... in your experience, what are the challenges that these customers and stakeholders face when they're trying to repair their own devices? What are some things that they face? Kyle Wiens: It's absolutely infuriating. So my friend, farmer in San Luis Obispo, Dave grows all kinds of amazing products. He has a $300,000 John Deere tractor, came to me and said, Hey, there's a bad sensor. It's going to take a week to get that sensor sent out from Indiana, and I need to use the tractor in that time. Will you help me bypass the sensor? I could hypothetically modify the software in the tractor to do that. Practically, I didn't have the legal ability, and so he had to go and rent an expensive tractor for the week. This is impacting people's lives every single day. 1:43:50 Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC): So, to pivot a little bit, what role do you see from a federal side, from legislation, and what specific measures do you think might be included in such legislation? Kyle Wiens: So we've seen the solutions being approached from two angles. At the state level, you have states saying John Deere and other manufacturers, if you have a dealership that has fancy tools, sell those tools to consumers and to independent shops, allow that competition. At the federal level, what we can do is enable a competitive marketplace for those tools. So rather than compelling John Deere to sell the tool, we can say, hey, it's legal for someone, an entrepreneur, to make a competing tool. And you have this in the car market. You can take your car down the AutoZone, you can buy a scan tool, plug it into your car, and it'll decode some of the error messages. Those tools exist on the auto market because we have a standard diagnostic interface on cars that you can access without circumventing a TPM. We don't have that for any other products. So another farmer in my town, he showed me how if he has a transmission go out on a truck, he can fix that. But if he has a transmission go out on his John Deere tractor, he can't. He can physically install the transmission, but he can't program it to make it work. I'd love to be able to make a software tool to enable him to replace his transmission. Aaron Perzanowski: So I think if we see passage of the SMART Act, we can anticipate significant reductions in the expenses associated with auto collision repairs. Estimates are that design patents on collision parts are responsible for about $1.5 billion in additional expenditures. We see price premiums on OEM parts over third party parts often reaching into like the 40% range, right? So these are pretty significant cost savings associated with that. Part of this problem, I think, does relate back to the kind of unique structure of this market. Most consumers are not paying out of pocket for collision repairs. Those costs are being covered by their auto insurance provider, and so the consumer doesn't see that the - I'm pulling this from memory, so don't hold me to this figure - but the side view mirror of a Ford Fiesta costing $1,500, that's not something that the consumer is confronted with, right? So this goes back to the question of notice. Do consumers know when they buy that vehicle that the repairs are going to be that expensive? I think in most cases, they don't. And so I think the SMART Act is a very targeted solution to this problem. I do think it's important to note that the design patent issue for replacement parts is not limited to the automotive industry. I think it's the most, I think that's the area where the problem is most pressing. But home appliances, consumer electronics, we see companies getting design patents on replacement water filters for refrigerators so that they can charge three times as much when the little light comes on on your fridge to tell you that your water might not be as clean as you want it to be. So I think we have to think about that problem across a range of industries, but the automotive industry, I think, is absolutely the right place to start. Paul Roberts: I mean, one point I would just make is that with the Internet of Things, right, we are facing a crisis in the very near future as manufacturers of everything from home appliances to personal electronics to equipment, as those products age and those manufacturers walk away from their responsibility to maintain them. So we're no longer supporting the software. We're no longer issuing security updates. Who will step in to maintain those devices? Keep them secure, keep them operating right? The manufacturers walked away. Do we just get rid of them? No, because the equipment still works perfectly. We're going to need a market-based response to that. We're going to need small businesses to step up and say, hey, I'll keep that Samsung dishwasher working for another 20 years. That's a huge economic opportunity for this country, but we cannot do it in the existing system because of the types of restrictions that we're talking about. And so this is really about enabling a secure future in which, when you buy a dishwasher with a 20 year lifespan, or 25 year lifespan, it's going to last that 25 years, not the five to six years that the manufacturer has decided, you know, that's how long we want to support the software for. Paul Roberts: My understanding is the use of design patents has increased dramatically, even exponentially, in the last 10 to 15 years. If you go back to the 90s or 80s, you know, parts makers, automakers were not applying these types of patents to replaceable parts like bumpers and rear view mirrors. Somebody had a business decision that, if you can do so, then we can capture more of that aftermarket by outlawing identical aftermarket replacements that has a huge downstream impact on car owners and on insurers and on all of us. 2:10:15 Paul Roberts: Both of the things that we're really proposing or talking about here, which would be changes to Section 1201 of the DMCA as well as passage of robust right to repair laws, would empower a market-based response to keeping the internet of things working, secure and functioning. DMCA 1201 reforms by making it clear that you can circumvent software locks for the purpose of repair and maintenance and upkeep, right? So that would take the threat of the federal crime away from small business owners as well as security researchers who are interested in, you know, plumbing that software for purposes of maintenance, upkeep and repair. And on the right to repair by making the tools available to maintain and upkeep products - diagnostic software, schematic diagrams, service manuals - available. Once again, you'll be empowering small business owners to set up repair shops and say, I'm going to keep your smart appliance running for its full 25 or 30 year lifespan, and I'm going to support my family doing that locally, and not be basically choked out of business by a company that says, Well, you don't have the right to access this product. From a cybersecurity perspective, that is really important, because one thing we don't want is a population of millions or tens of millions of out of date, unsupported, unpatched, insecure internet connected home appliances, webcams, home routers out there available to nation state actors, cyber criminal groups, to compromise and use for their own purposes. And that's something we already see, particularly around broadband routers and other types of devices, and it's a real threat going forward that I think this type of these types of changes would support. Aaron Perzanowski In a lot of instances, this conversation, and we've touched on this earlier, focuses on cost savings, right? And cost savings are an important consideration, right? Farmers aren't thrilled that they have to pay a technician from the John Deere dealer to drive maybe hours to get to their farm and connect their laptop and, you know, download these payload files to enable their equipment to work. But in the agricultural space, the thing I hear most often in the conversations I have with farmers is and Kyle touched on this a bit earlier, is a real concern about the time sensitivity of their work. If your tractor is out of commission for a week or two in the wrong part of the season, that is going to have disastrous effects, right, not only on that farm's economic outlook, but collectively, it can have an impact like, not to be hyperbolic here, but on our national food supply, and so I think it's really important that farmers have flexibility in terms of where and how they execute repairs, so that they can get their equipment back up and running. If my laptop breaks and I can't get it fixed for a week or two, I'm annoyed there will be emails that go unanswered, but like the world will continue to spin. That is not the case in the agricultural space where we, I think, have to be much more concerned. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA): If I remove from my BMW, at least during certain models, I remove the radio, unplug it, and then plug it back in, simply because I was fiddling around with the dash, I now have to go back to the dealer to reinstall it. Similarly, the transmission example. I've got two John Deere tractors. One's got a busted engine, the other's got a busted transmission. Currently, they will prohibit you from moving the transmission from one to the other. From a standpoint of intellectual property, where, in God's green earth or the Constitution, are any of those designed to be rights that belong to the manufacturer, rather than rights that belong to the owners of those two John Deere tractors? Devlin Hartline: So those are a bunch of different situations, and so I think there would be underlying facts that differ with each right. So we started on the iPhone, and I was going to point out that iPhone will actually give you the tool to synchronize it. In those other situations, I don't know the business justification for it. How is that an IP problem? Right? So if that's locked up with the TPM, and you have to bypass the TPM, well then that's a violation of 1201, so that's how they can that's how they can lock -- Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA): So what you're saying is that Congress has created impediments to the right to repair. Mr. Roberts, would you say that is correct? That, in fact, the right to repair, were Congress never to have done anything since, you know, George and Thomas were our presidents, so to speak, knowing those two presidents, we'd be able to do things we're not able to do because they're now prohibited by acts of Congress. Paul Roberts: Yes, and we certainly know going back to the 50s, 60s, 70s, there was a much more you know....First of all, companies would ship products with service and repair manuals with detailed schematic diagrams with the understanding that owners would want to replace and service them. And what I would say is, yes, absolutely. I doubt very much. And I know we had members who were here in 1998 authoring the DMCA. I think if you had said to them, in 25 years time, this law will be used to prevent somebody with a broken dishwasher from getting that serviced by their local repair shop or by for fixing it themselves, this law will prevent them from doing that, I doubt very much they would have said, yeah, that's pretty much what we want. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA): Well, I will tell you that the I was the chairman of what is now the Consumer Electronics Association in 1998 and we did predict a lot of these items were going to be expanded beyond the scope of the original. Paul Roberts: Right now this is not an urgent issue, because most of the cars out there are older vehicles. As we move forward, as telematic systems evolve, as automakers continue their trend of moving more and more information to telematic systems, this is going to become a bigger problem. I'll point out another problem, which is the Massachusetts law is contingent on data transfers of diagnostic and repair information via the OBD or onboard diagnostic two port under the dashboard. That's only there because of federal Clean Air law. Electronic vehicles don't have that port because they don't have emissions, and so in the very near future, as we shift to electronic vehicles, that data access port will no longer be there. It will all be telematics data, and so the utility of the Massachusetts law is going to decline over time, going forward. And again, I you know, when you start talking about right to repair, you become like this crazy person who talks about right to repair every time it comes up. But one thing I try and stress to people when I talk to them about auto repair is, if you live in Michigan or California and you have taken your vehicle to the local independent repair shop, you have only done that because the voters in Massachusetts passed a ballot measure over a decade ago and then updated it in November 2020. That is the very thin thread that our right to use independent auto repair hangs by in this country. That's not the way it's supposed to be. This is something that affects vehicle owners, hundreds of millions of them in all 50 states. And it's a type of thing that the federal government needs to address with federal legislation. It should not hang by this very thin thread. 2:30:20 Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA): Are software updates new creations, and thus copyrightable? Devlin Hartline: Software updates, yeah, they're computer programs, and so Congress said explicitly in 1980, but it was understood before then, that computer programs are literary works and they're protected, just like any other copyrighted work. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA): Thank you, Professor Perzanowski, do you disagree? Aaron Perzanowski: I don't disagree at all that software updates are protectable subject matter under the Copyright Act. But what I think is important to keep in mind right is the Copyright Act and copyrights exclusive rights, and all of the exceptions and limitations to copyrights exclusive rights are created by Congress, and so if you think those rights are interfering with other important issues and concerns, then I think Congress clearly has the power to make changes to the copyright law in order to best serve what you ultimately determine to be in the public interest. 2:35:30 Aaron Perzanowski: Access to firmware and other code is really essential to the functioning and repair of lots of devices. I think there's some important differences between the standard essential patent context and kind of what we're talking about here in that in the standard essential patent context, we're relying on standard setting bodies to identify technologies and to require companies to license their patents under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. We don't quite have that infrastructure in place in the copyright context, but what we do have are compulsory licenses that exist within the Copyright Act already, one of which you were alluding to earlier, the mechanical license for musical works. We also have compulsory licenses for retransmissions of satellite and broadcast content that essentially say the copyright owner is entitled to compensation of some form, but they're not entitled to prevent people from using or accessing that underlying work, and I think that could be a useful framework here for getting owners of devices access to the firmware that they need. Music by Editing Production Assistance

Send us a textOn today's episode the brilliant pianist, Andrew King, shares about his incredible journey of reaching new artistic heights through the Taubman Approach. He has been studying this work with master teacher, Robert Durso, for two decades. His quest to finding a comprehensive piano technique was on his heart for many years until one day, serendipitously he was making eggs in a communal kitchen in Vienna when someone shared with him the Taubman Approach.You will have to listen to the full episode to hear about his journey which includes a sketchy treatment for pain offered by a teacher which included bunches of garlic and whacking his hand with a Bible. Don't miss it! Here we go. http://andrewkingpianist.com/Pianist Andrew King is a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative artist based in Connecticut.  Mr. King has performed throughout the Northeast, including to a sold-out hall at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall as soloist and with his colleague, soprano Julie Reumert.  He has played in masterclasses for several world-class pianists and pedagogues, including Edna Golandsky, Ilya Itin, Paul Roberts, Yael Weiss, and Robert Wyatt. After winning many local competitions by age 17, Mr. King went on to Bowdoin College to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. He subsequently completed his master's degree in piano performance from the Hartt School of Music as the recipient of the William S. Vincent Scholarship. While studying in Vienna, Austria, he and violist Sean Reilly won the first prize in chamber music for the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) program in 2003, and they performed with musicians from Milan, Italy.  Mr. King regularly performs on the St. John's Summer Music Concert Series in Williamstown, Massachusetts.  In addition to performing, Mr. King continues to refine his technique as both student and teacher. He is a Certified Associate Instructor of the Taubman Approach, the groundbreaking and transformative approach to piano playing that provides the necessary tools for musical expressiveness through healthy motions at the keyboard. He has studied extensively with Robert Durso, master Taubman teacher and co-founder of the Golandsky Institute, in New York; he was also a student of Gerald Stofsky in Vienna, and Margreet Francis and David Westfall at the Hartt School of Music. After teaching as faculty of the Hartt School Community Division for many years, Mr. King now offers private lessons, both online and at his home studio in Connecticut. He is a long-standing member of the Hartford Chapter of the Connecticut State Music Teachers Association, through which his students have frequently placed in local competitions. He also serves as an adjudicator for piano competitions and presents introductory workshops on the Taubman Approach. For more information, please visit andrewkingpianist.com.This Summer, Edna Golandsky, renowned pedagogue and leading expert on the Taubman Approach will release her first book with Amplify Publishing Group. Entitled ‘The Taubman Approach To Piano Technique: A Comprehensive Guide To Overcome Physical Limitations and Unlock Your Full Pianistic Potential.' Visit: www.ednagolandsky.com to learn more.The Golandsky Institute's mission is to provide cutting-edge instruction to pianists based on the groundbreaking work of Dorothy Taubman. This knowledge can help them overcome technical and musical challenges, cure and prevent playing-related injuries, and lead them to achieve their highest level of artistic excellence.Please visit our website at: www.golandskyinstitute.org.

Send us a Text Message.On today's episode of Serious Angler we are joined by recent MLF Champ Keith Carson and then later by our pals Alex Rudd and Caleb Bell for a little Fish It, Box It or Trash It.

My guest this week is Paul Roberts from Electronic group, K-Klass K-Klass, who formed in Manchester back in 1991, enjoyed great success in the mid 90s, scoring five top 40 hits on the UK singles chart. After 36 years, group are still going strong, regularly performing live and DJing at various festivals and club nights. We discuss the making of K-Klass' biggest hit "Rhythm Is A Mystery”. Legendary Manchester nightclub, The Haçienda, where the guys met and what it was like recording music in a converted military bunker. Next month the duo are performing at the Reminisce festival in Liverpool, which is now in its 10th year. With DJ's and Live acts across 7 stages, this popular festival is a celebration of 90's dance and pop music  Other acts performing at Reminisce Festival on Saturday September 7th include,  Rozalla, K Klass, N Trance, Oceanic, Alison Limerick, and Basshunter   https://wearekklass.com https://www.reminiscefestival.com K-Klass - Rhythm Is A Mistery - TOTP - 1991 K-Klass - Let Me Show You - TOTP- 1993

Send Us A Message! Let us know what you think.THIS WEEK IN REVIEW TOPICS:Topic #1: Good Returns 22nd of July - Predictions for OCR cut next monthTopic #2: The Mortgage Mag 23rd of July -Deloitte: shared equity schemes could arrest declining home ownershipTopic #3: Stuff 25th of July - Teenagers buy their own home after years of saving at their supermarket jobsTopic #4: RNZ 24th of July -Rents falling for first time in nearly two years, data showsTopic #5: RNZ 23rd of July -More home loan rate cuts - if you can get them Join OUR NEW EVENT: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/auckland-events/Book a Meeting with Paul Roberts: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/free-strategy-call/Support the Show.*Nothing from this episode should be taken as individual financial advice. *Property Advice Group Limited trading as Property Apprentice has been granted a FULL Licence with the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand. (FSP Number: FSP157564) Debbie Roberts | Financial Adviser (FSP221305) For our Public disclosure statement please go to our website or you may request a copy free of charge.

IN THIS EPISODE: Were the Tate-LaBianca murders attributed to Charles Manson actually the results of a drug burn?  And was Manson simply a scapegoat? *** Matthew Weeks was found guilty and hanged for the murder of Charlotte Dymond. Today it is said that the ghosts of both of them roam the countryside – but could it be that Matthew's ghost is lamenting because he was innocent of the crime? (The Murder of Charlotte Dymond on Bodmin Moor) *** A building situated right in the middle of London's swankiest and most historical areas, has long been said to be the lair of something not of this earth. (The Bizarre Nameless Thing of Berkley Square) *** “The Jungle Book” - we are all familiar with the story in some way – either from the classic animated Disney film version from 1967, the live action version in 2016, or the original novel by Rudyard Kipling published in 1894. In fact, yet another retelling of the story is coming in 2019 in a film entitled simply, “Mowgli”. But what many don't know is that the character of Mowgli was, in fact, inspired by a real boy who was raised by wild animals. (The Real Life Inspiration for Mowgli) *** Evil stepmothers, jealous of their stepdaughters' beauty are a classic tome in fantastical stories – but Martha Savcoll was no fairy tale. (Brooklyn Murderess) *** Of all the places in the world you would expect to be safe from the paranormal, it would be a church – but that would not be telling the truth when referring to Adams Grove Presbyterian Church in Alabama. (Haunted Adams Grove Presbyterian Church) SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…“Helter Skelter: Coming Down Fast”: https://theunredacted.com/helter-skelter-coming-down-fast/“The Murder of Charlotte Dymond on Bodmin Moor” by Les Hewitt: https://www.historicmysteries.com/charlotte-dymond-murder/“The Nameless Thing of Berkeley Square” by Brent Swancer: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/06/the-bizarre-nameless-thing-of-berkeley-square/“The Real-Life Inspiration For Mowgli” by Noelle Talmon: https://www.ranker.com/list/life-of-dina-sanichar/nicky-benson“The Brooklyn Murderess” by Robert Wilhelm: http://www.murderbygaslight.com/2018/10/the-brooklyn-murderess.html“Haunted Adams Grove Presbyterian Church” submitted directly to WeirdDarkness.com by Paul Roberts from Halo Paranormal Investigations: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HPIinternational/Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library= = = = =(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2024, Weird Darkness.= = = = =Originally aired: October 17, 2018CUSTOM LANDING PAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/manson-scapegoat

Send Us A Message! Let us know what you think.THIS WEEK IN REVIEW TOPICS:Topic #1: 1News 17th of July - NZ's largest bank cuts home loan rates as inflation dipsTopic #2: NZ Herald 15th of July - Housing: Listings soar, Auckland, Canterbury buck price falls, ASB expects turnaround in late 2024Topic #3: Oneroof 17th of July - Tony Alexander: Why the era of crazy house price rises is overTopic #4: 1News 16th of July -Govt considers rolling back home insulation standardsTopic #5: Kainga Ora 14th of July -New approach to tenancy managementJoin OUR NEW EVENT: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/auckland-events/Book a Meeting with Paul Roberts: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/free-strategy-call/Support the Show.*Nothing from this episode should be taken as individual financial advice. *Property Advice Group Limited trading as Property Apprentice has been granted a FULL Licence with the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand. (FSP Number: FSP157564) Debbie Roberts | Financial Adviser (FSP221305) For our Public disclosure statement please go to our website or you may request a copy free of charge.

Fifteen QFC and Safeway stores in Seattle could soon be under new management thanks to a proposed merger between Safeway parent company Albertsons and Kroger, which owns QFC. The announcement sparked plenty of questions about what would happen to the stores, if any would close, and what changes customers could see.  Seattle Times business reporter Paul Roberts is here to get into the details with us. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/seattlenow And we want to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at SeattleNowPod, or leave us feedback online: https://www.kuow.org/feedback See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send Us A Message! Let us know what you think.THIS WEEK IN REVIEW TOPICS:Topic #1: The Mortgage Mag 10th of July Expectation of Nov rate cuts prompts record short rate borrowingTopic #2: Stuff 10th of July - Housing changes will make it ‘harder for disabled people to live', advocate saysTopic #3: Interest.co.nz 9th of July -  QV says house hunters are going into hibernation as values continue to fallTopic #4: NZ Herald 8th of July -Lending limits: How they could affect bank mortgage booksTopic #5: 1News 8th of July -Millions spent on Kāinga Ora developments now in limboJoin OUR NEW EVENT: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/auckland-events/Book a Meeting with Paul Roberts: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/free-strategy-call/Support the Show.*Nothing from this episode should be taken as individual financial advice. *Property Advice Group Limited trading as Property Apprentice has been granted a FULL Licence with the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand. (FSP Number: FSP157564) Debbie Roberts | Financial Adviser (FSP221305) For our Public disclosure statement please go to our website or you may request a copy free of charge.

Send Us A Message! Let us know what you think.THIS WEEK IN REVIEW TOPICS:Topic #1: NZ Herald 4th of July -Government to ‘flood' cities with more housing by liberalising planning rulesTopic #2: Oneroof 2nd of July - Banks pick date of first interest rate cut - will mortgage pain ease this year?Topic #3: NZ Herald 2nd of July -  New building consents take a tumbleTopic #4: The Mortgage Mag 3rd of July -New code brings commonsense to lending - FSFTopic #5: RNZ 2nd of July -Australian, New Zealand property markets face creeping climate risksJoin OUR NEW EVENT: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/auckland-events/Book a Meeting with Paul Roberts: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/free-strategy-call/Support the Show.*Nothing from this episode should be taken as individual financial advice. *Property Advice Group Limited trading as Property Apprentice has been granted a FULL Licence with the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand. (FSP Number: FSP157564) Debbie Roberts | Financial Adviser (FSP221305) For our Public disclosure statement please go to our website or you may request a copy free of charge.

Send Us A Message! Let us know what you think.THIS WEEK IN REVIEW TOPICS:Topic #1: Interest.co.nz 27th of June -Trade Me says more rooms in flats are being advertised but  fewer people want themTopic #2: NZHerald 26th of June - Another major bank scales back house price forecastTopic #3: NZ Herald 27th of June -How July 1 changes to Auckland Fuel Tax, paid parental leave and the bright-line test could affect you – The Front PageTopic #4: Oneroof 25th June -Works hard, earns good money, still can't afford a homeTopic #5: Interest.co.nz 26th of June-What to think about when reading your annual KiwiSaver statement according to the Chief Economist at the Financial Markets AuthorityJoin OUR NEW EVENT: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/auckland-events/Book a Meeting with Paul Roberts: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/free-strategy-call/Support the Show.*Nothing from this episode should be taken as individual financial advice. *Property Advice Group Limited trading as Property Apprentice has been granted a FULL Licence with the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand. (FSP Number: FSP157564) Debbie Roberts | Financial Adviser (FSP221305) For our Public disclosure statement please go to our website or you may request a copy free of charge.

Send Us A Message! Let us know what you think.THIS WEEK IN REVIEW TOPICS:Topic #1: Landlords.co.nz 20th of June -Market could be near a tipping point Interest.co.nz 19th of June - New Zealand's biggest rent increases have come in cyclone-affected Gisborne and Hawke's BayRNZ 19th of June -Granny flat change could make home ownership more obtainable, supporters sayTopic #4: Oneroof 20th June -Ex-housing minister: Rare moment of political agreement torpedoed by Christopher LuxonTopic #5: Corelogic 20th of June- Persistent market challenges, despite easing lending and tax rulesJoin OUR NEW EVENT: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/auckland-events/Book a Meeting with Paul Roberts: https://www.propertyapprentice.co.nz/free-strategy-call/Support the Show.*Nothing from this episode should be taken as individual financial advice. *Property Advice Group Limited trading as Property Apprentice has been granted a FULL Licence with the Financial Markets Authority of New Zealand. (FSP Number: FSP157564) Debbie Roberts | Financial Adviser (FSP221305) For our Public disclosure statement please go to our website or you may request a copy free of charge.

Join us as we celebrate 15 incredible years of Orange County's longest-running business talk show. In our 1500th episode, host Ric Franzi interviews three distinguished guests who have made significant impacts on the Orange County business community. Meet Our Esteemed Guests: Paul Roberts, Creator of OC Talk Radio: As the creator of OC TALK RADIO, Paul Roberts pioneered Orange County's only online business radio station and live podcasting platform. His innovative approach to live podcasting earned an Industry Innovator Award from Radio World magazine in 2018. Paul also serves as a Digital Media Consultant for the SBA's Small Business Development Center, helping businesses amplify their stories through digital media. Rebecca Hall, Founder of Idea Hall: Rebecca Hall is the founder of Idea Hall, and has led the agency in delivering purpose-led creative communications for 21 years. Her nearly 30 years of experience includes leading international, national, and local branding, PR, and marketing programs. Rebecca serves as the Executive Vice Chair of Chapman University's Board of Governors and is also the President Elect for the Orange County Business Council. Her influence and dedication to community service have earned her recognition in the Orange County Business Journal's OC500 every year since its inception in 2017. Peter J. Brennan, Executive Editor at the Orange County Business Journal: With a career spanning over 40 years in journalism, Peter J. Brennan has authored over 30,000 articles for prestigious publications such as The New York Times, the Washington Post, and Die Welt. He's written headlines and articles that have moved the market capitalization of publicly traded companies by hundreds of millions of dollars. Currently, he serves as the Executive Editor at the Orange County Business Journal, where he oversees coverage of an economy the size of Finland. -- Critical Mass Business Talk Show is Orange County, CA's longest-running business talk show, focused on offering value and insight to middle-market business leaders in the OC and beyond. Hosted by Ric Franzi, business partner at REF Orange County. Learn more about Ric at www.ricfranzi.com. 

It is no surprise that it's hard to buy a house in Seattle, but it's gotten even harder for many as interest rates and housing prices have sored. That means would-be home buyers are increasingly leaving the city, the metro area, and sometimes even the state. Seattle Times journalist Paul Roberts breaks down the trend and explains the calculus homebuyers are making.Rainier: A Beer Odyssey at SIFF: https://www.siff.net/festival/rainier-a-beer-odysseyWe can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/seattlenowAnd we want to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at SeattleNowPod, or leave us feedback online: https://www.kuow.org/feedback

In this Spotlight Podcast, host Paul Roberts talks with Chris Walcutt, the CSO of DirectDefense about the rising cyber threats facing operational technology (OT) and how organizations that manage OT - including critical infrastructure owners can best manage increased cyber risks to OT environments. The post Spotlight Podcast: CSO Chris Walcutt on Managing 3rd Party OT Risk appeared first on The Security Ledger with Paul F. Roberts. Click the icon below to listen. Related StoriesCiting Attacks On Small Utilities, Dragos Launches Community Defense ProgramFBI: Iranian APT Targets Israeli-Made PLCs Used In Critical IndustriesChina Calls Out U.S. For Hacking. The Proof? TBD!

On this week-in-review, Crystal is joined by Chair of Sierra Club Seattle, long time communications and political strategist, Robert Cruickshank! They discuss: Republican Divisions Threaten Party's Chances in Governor's Race Corporate-Backed Super PAC Boosts Conservative Democrat's Campaign Seattle Councilmember Seeks to Roll Back Gig Worker Protections Mayor's Office Cuts Anti-Displacement Proposals from Growth Plan New Light Rail Line Set to Open on Eastside Business Group Launches Campaign to Relocate Light Rail Station Seattle Children's Hospital Refuses to Share Patient Records with Texas AG As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Robert Cruickshank, at @cruickshank.   Resources Nick Brown Discusses Key Issues in Washington State Attorney General Race from Hacks & Wonks   “MAGA Republican Semi Bird endorsed by Washington GOP for governor” by Scott Greenstone for KUOW   “The WA GOP put it in writing that they're not into democracy” by Danny Westneat from The Seattle Times   “Corporate backers of Mark Mullet launch an independent expenditure to boost his flagging campaign” by Andrew Villeneuve from The Cascadia Advocate   “Nelson Bill Would Eliminate Minimum Wage for "Gig" Drivers—and Slash Workers' Rights” by Erica Barnett from PubliCola   “Seattle hospitality giant buys into City Council member's Fremont Brewing” by Paul Roberts from The Seattle Times   “Mayor's Office Removed All New Anti-Displacement Proposals from Draft "Anti-Displacement Framework"” by Erica Barnett from PubliCola   “Planners Proposed Bigger Upzones Before Harrell's Team Intervened, Records Show” by Doug Trumm from The Urbanist   Discover the 2 Line | Sound Transit    “How will your life change when Bellevue's light rail opens?” by Joshua McNichols from KUOW   @cruickshank on Twitter/X: “The Seattle Chamber of Commerce is out with a new campaign to Save South Lake Union. From what? you may ask. From a subway station that would be at the center of the neighborhood and serve more riders than their inferior “couplet” plan.”   Email Sound Transit Board of Directors at emailtheboard@soundtransit.org   “Seattle hospital won't turn over gender-affirming care records in lawsuit settlement with Texas” from The Associated Press   “Medical provider leaving Texas over AG investigation into gender affirming care for minors” by S.E. Jenkins from CBS News Texas   Find stories that Crystal is reading here   Listen on your favorite podcast app to all our episodes here

Bethany Manktelow hosted the NOLUT Team of Gary Staff, Ted Robinson and Stan Godwin. Bethany expressed our condolences to the family and friends of former Lion Dave Mehmet and pannounced the funeral arrangements supplied his daughter Alice. Post the heartbreaking loss at Huddersfield on Saturday The team reviewed the welcomed win against Championship leaders Leicester City on Tuesday night.They team were joined by guest Alan Dunne, who:Remembered Dave Mehmet, shared his memories of Mem, and expressed his condolences to his family and friends;Talked about Millwall's predicament in the Championship; Gave updates on Lions on loan Nana Boateng and Kamarl Grant, and former Lions Byron Webster and Besart Toppalloj;Explained the Millwall DNA;Spoke about the departure of Gary Rowett, arrival and departure of Joe Edwards, and the return of Neil Harris;Responded to Fan in the Dugout questions;The formation that Bromley play and the formation brought in by Pep Guardiola; andMillwall v Cardiff PredictionIn the next section of the show we heard from the friends, former teammates, along with our panel memories of Dave (Mem) Mehmet:Phil Coleman:Our panel;Paul Roberts;Jeff Burnige; andThis was followed by a November interview with Mem about the Millwall Academy.Paul Loding reported on Millwall Romans, Eamonn updated on Millwall Pride. Jeff Burnige gave his Millwall Lionesses report. The panel previewed Millwall v Cardiff and they made predictions. Gary talked about the Millwall Heritage and History tour.Ted gave a heads-up on next week's show and the Lionesses next match.Stan provided ticket news on Millwall U18's cup final at the Den next week. RIP Dave (Mem) MehmetMusic and Audio credits:https://www.FesliyanStudios.com Background Musichttps://www.maritimeradio.co.uk/ Background Music and Reports

Myles Thornton hosted the show this week with his panel of Debbie Julians, Stan Godwin, and Ted Robinson gave their thoughts about the Birmingham game, the result, and the points tally.Our 1st guest this week is former Millwall player, and youth team captain of the FA Youth Cup side of 1979 Paul Roberts who talked about:  Getting to wear an England Cap with 98 other school children;How he came to join Millwall;His progress from the youth team to first team;Winning the FA Youth Cup and thoughts ahead of the current U18s in the youth cup semi-final;Listening to Bryan King;How he became a leader and negotiator;The Moulin Rouge experience;Leaving Millwall for Brentford;Returning to the Den with Brentford and nearly being chinned;Dave Mehmet and his shock hospitalisation; andHis prediction ahead of Leeds v Millwall.Former Lion Phil Coleman brought more tales from his boot room.  Also:  Jeff Burnige talked about Millwall Lionesses' defeat away to Dartford last Sunday; and The team previewed and gave predictions for Leeds v Millwall on Sunday.  Our second guest was Millwall supporter Tamas Kovacs, a Hungarian who lives in London, he spoke about:  How he became a fan;His memorable matches;Favourite players both past and present; andLions Food Hub and Community Trust; andDebbie Julians provided details of the Super Saver Season Ticket sales. Ted Robinson Previewed the show team for next week.  Stan Godwin talked of Dockers Day. Music and Audio credits: https://www.FesliyanStudios.com Background Music https://www.maritimeradio.co.uk/ Background Music and Reports

Was Summerwind in Wisconsin really haunted? No one knows and if they do, they aren't saying. Today, only the foundations, the stone chimneys and perhaps the ghosts remain. (Summerwind: The Most Haunted House In Wisconsin) *** A young woman discovers that it's possible to live a lonely life, yet still not be alone. (Followed By a Child) *** Is it possible that during the years of World War 1, Agnes Whiteland, while peering off her balcony, saw a group of time travelers? (Agnes And The Time Travelers) *** Tituba proved to be a fantastic orator as she talked her way out of slavery using the fear and mass hysteria of witchcraft that paralyzed the people of Salem. (Tituba And the Salem Witch Trials) *** The discovery of a 10-year-old's body at an ancient Roman site in Italy suggests his family, friends, and neighbors thought he was a vampire – and took measures to make sure he wouldn't return from the grave. (The Unearthing of a Child Vampire) *** Authorities placed Gil Perez in jail as a deserter and for the possibility that he may have been in the service of Satan. In Gil's defense though, he said he simply teleported somewhere else. (Teleportation of a Spanish Soldier) *** 
Matthew Weeks was found guilty and hanged for the murder of Charlotte Dymond. Today it is said that the ghosts of both of them roam the countryside – but could it be that Matthew's ghost is lamenting because he was innocent of the crime? (The Murder of Charlotte Dymond on Bodmin Moor) *** A building situated right in the middle of London's swankiest and most historical areas, has long been said to be the lair of something not of this earth. (The Bizarre Nameless Thing of Berkley Square) *** “The Jungle Book” - we are all familiar with the story in some way – either from the classic animated Disney film version from 1967, the live action version in 2016, or the original novel by Rudyard Kipling published in 1894. In fact, yet another retelling of the story is coming in 2019 in a film entitled simply, “Mowgli”. But what many don't know is that the character of Mowgli was, in fact, inspired by a real boy who was raised by wild animals. (The Real Life Inspiration for Mowgli) *** Evil stepmothers, jealous of their stepdaughters' beauty are a classic tome in fantastical stories – but Martha Savcoll was no fairy tale. (Brooklyn Murderess) *** Of all the places in the world you would expect to be safe from the paranormal, it would be a church – but that would not be telling the truth when referring to Adams Grove Presbyterian Church in Alabama. (Haunted Adams Grove Presbyterian Church) *** Outside of Washington, D.C. lies Forest Haven Asylum, an abandoned institution with a thoroughly disturbing past. (The Anguish of Forest Haven Asylum)SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…“Summerwind: Wisconsin's Most Haunted House” by Troy Taylor: https://tinyurl.com/v45gfw7“Followed By a Child”: https://tinyurl.com/rjpjghj“Agnes And The Time Travelers”: https://tinyurl.com/s6ugg2c“Tituba and the Salem Witch Trials” by William DeLong: https://tinyurl.com/y6t486e2“The Unearthing of a Child Vampire”: https://tinyurl.com/yd7mzeju“Teleportation of a Spanish Soldier” by Ellen Lloyd: https://tinyurl.com/ryk3n3y“The Anguish of Forest Haven Asylum” by Gary Sweeney: http://ow.ly/VcsP30mhcSE“The Murder of Charlotte Dymond on Bodmin Moor” by Les Hewitt: https://tinyurl.com/sn8s5ms“The Nameless Thing of Berkeley Square” by Brent Swancer: https://tinyurl.com/sejcemy“The Real-Life Inspiration For Mowgli” by Noelle Talmon: https://tinyurl.com/yya26l9w“The Brooklyn Murderess” by Robert Wilhelm: https://tinyurl.com/y9y2uaat“Haunted Adams Grove Presbyterian Church” submitted to WeirdDarkness.com by Paul Roberts (from Halo Paranormal Investigations: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HPIinternational/)Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library. = = = = =(Over time links seen above may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2024, Weird Darkness.= = = = =Originally aired: October 16, 2018CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/haunting-of-summerwind-mansion-and-anguish-of-forest-haven-asylum/

On this week-in-review, Crystal is joined by Chair of Sierra Club Seattle, long time communications and political strategist, Robert Cruickshank! Crystal and Robert dive into the open machinations of the big corporate donors to appoint their preferred candidate to a Seattle City Council vacancy and how the messy process has leached its way into Seattle School Board politics. They then discuss the qualification of a right-wing initiative to dismantle the state's plan to take on the climate crisis. Robert gives a rare kudos to The Seattle Times for their presentation of a debate over homeless encampments, they both are dismayed at the depressing and infuriating news that the Tacoma officers in the Manuel Ellis case are getting paid $500k each to voluntarily leave the police department, and the show rounds out with analysis of some media's treatment of AG Ferguson's lawsuit to block a merger between Kroger and Albertsons. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Robert Cruickshank, at @cruickshank.   Resources RE-AIR: The Big Waterfront Bamboozle with Mike McGinn and Robert Cruickshank from Hacks & Wonks   “Harrell Administration Consultant Tim Ceis Urges Businesses to Back Tanya Woo for Open Council Seat” by Erica C. Barnett from PubliCola   “Business, labor lobby for open seat on Seattle City Council” by David Kroman from The Seattle Times   “Seattle City Council candidate has residency conflict in School Board role” by Claire Bryan from The Seattle Times    “Initiative 2117 (repealing Washington's Climate Commitment Act) gets certified” by Andrew Villeneuve from The Cascadia Advocate   “‘Should Seattle remove encampments?' Advocates debate” by Greg Kim from The Seattle Times   “Tacoma cops acquitted in death of Manuel Ellis will get $500K each to resign, city says” by Peter Talbot from The News Tribune    “Kroger-Albertsons merger would hike grocery prices, create near monopolies in some Washington communities, AG says” by Helen Smith from KING 5   “WA suit to block Kroger-Albertsons merger gets cheers, raised eyebrows” by Paul Roberts from The Seattle Times   Find stories that Crystal is reading here   Listen on your favorite podcast app to all our episodes here   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy walks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get full versions of our Tuesday topical show and our Friday week-in-review delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, we're continuing our Friday week-in-review shows where we review the news of the week with a co-host. Welcome back to the program, friend of the show, one of our audience favorites, and today's co-host: Chair of Sierra Club Seattle, longtime communications and political strategist, Robert Cruickshank. [00:01:12] Robert Cruickshank: Hey - thanks for having me on again, Crystal. [00:01:14] Crystal Fincher: Hey, excited to have you on again - here in 2024. Well, we've got a lot to talk about - things are getting spicy in the City of Seattle, with regards to this upcoming Seattle City Council appointment to replace Teresa Mosqueda's seat. Because Teresa was elected to the King County Council, which created a vacancy - so now it needs to be filled. So what happened this week? [00:01:38] Robert Cruickshank: Well, I think a lot has happened with the machinations around this appointment process - and in fact, things we're learning about how the new regime at City Hall is conducting itself - and they come together. I think this is basically Tim Ceis - who is former deputy mayor to Greg Nickels back in the 2000s, corporate lobbyist, close to established power in Seattle - and Council President Sara Nelson, who, of course, just became council president after the new council with a bunch of her allies got sworn in at the beginning of the month. They seem to be conducting a purge of anyone progressive in the City Hall, in City staff, and are determined to consolidate power around what is actually, I think, a fairly radical agenda for the city that most voters didn't really actually select, especially when it comes to cutting taxes for big businesses and slashing public services. But in order to try to achieve that, they know that they need to try to push out and keep out anyone who might disagree, anyone who might even be remotely progressive on anything. I think it's a pretty significant misreading of the results of recent elections in Seattle - their candidates won often narrowly on questions of public safety, not on cutting taxes for big businesses. In fact, most of their candidates hedged on the questions of taxes when they were asked during the campaigns. But I think you see a real desire to consolidate power around a small group of loyalists, no dissent allowed. And this is a approach to governance that I don't think Seattleites expect or want. I mean, most people in Seattle assume and want a fairly technocratic, go-along-to-get-along government where everyone is sort of driven by data, gets along with each other, and try to do things in the public interest. Now, you and I, a lot of our listeners, know that's not really how the city operates. But what we're seeing now is, I think, a much more aggressive and - in some ways, unprecedented for Seattle - attempt to impose a radical agenda on the city from the right. [00:03:26] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, this isn't what voters thought they were signing up for. This isn't what anyone campaigned on. Voters are looking at what the candidates are saying, they're looking at the mail, the commercials - again, definitely talked about public safety, talked about homelessness. But what we saw in Sara Nelson's first statement was austerity - we're cutting taxes for business. But voters didn't weigh in on this at all. And I don't think people are going to have a great reaction to this. [00:03:55] Robert Cruickshank: When Seattle voters weigh in on questions of taxes, Seattleites pass almost every tax put in front of them. When it comes to state ballot initiatives to tax the rich - they might fail statewide as they did in 2010, but they pass with wide support in Seattle. When it comes to money in politics, Seattleites approved taxing themselves - raising their property taxes slightly - to create the Democracy Voucher program. This is a city that does not want corporate money in politics and yet, that is exactly what's happened here. The reason we're talking about all this right now is not just because there's a council appointment, but because Tim Ceis, this aforementioned corporate lobbyist, sent out an email at the beginning of the week urging all of the people - whether they're wealthy individuals or from big corporations - who donated to the independent expenditure campaigns to help get a lot of these councilmembers elected last year, telling them - Hey, we need you to mobilize right now to stop Vivian Song, who is currently on the Seattle School Board, who's seeking the appointment - Ceis says, We got to stop her. She held a fundraiser for Teresa Mosqueda. She endorsed Ron Davis. She's friendly to unions. And gosh, we can't have that on our council. And the way Ceis put it was to basically act as if these wealthy interests had bought the council. They now own the council - it is theirs, not ours. Not ours in the sense of "we the people." And they can do whatever they want with it. So Ceis' attitude - and I think Sara Nelson shares this - is that it's theirs now, nobody else can tell them what to do with the city council. They have the absolute right to pick whoever they want to and impose this agenda on the city. I think both that attitude and a policy agenda they want are not what the city wants at all, and they are going to run into a big backlash real fast. [00:05:30] Crystal Fincher: Real fast. And the brazenness with which he stated this was wild. This is from the email that Tim Ceis sent - "While it's been a great two weeks watching the outcome of our effort as the new City Council has taken office, the independent expenditure success earned you the right to let the Council know not to offer the left the consolation prize of this Council seat." Okay, they're just admitting that they bought this seat. They're just admitting that - Hey, yeah, it was our effort that got these people onto the council. And we spent a million dollars plus in this independent expenditure effort and that gives us the right - he said the "right" - to tell the council what to do, which I don't recall seeing something this overtly stated before. [00:06:17] Robert Cruickshank: There's an important contrast we can draw - both Bruce Harrell and Eric Adams, mayor of New York, were elected in 2021. And at the time, Eric Adams was hailed as some sort of future of the Democratic Party - center right, tough on crime, pushing back against progressives. Well, here we are at the beginning of 2024 - Eric Adams has a 28% approval rating in New York - highly unlikely to win a re-election at this point. There are a lot of reasons for that, but one of the primary reasons is cuts to public services - libraries, schools, parks, all sorts of things. And the public is just clearly rejecting that. Bruce Harrell is up for re-election next year. And I think Harrell's going to have to decide for himself - does he want to be the one to get all the blame for this? Or maybe he just thinks Sara Nelson takes all the blame. Who knows? Maybe there's a good cop, bad cop approach being planned here - with Sara Nelson being the bad cop pushing austerity and Harrell's try to be the good cop, try to bring everybody together. Who knows? But I think what you see in New York is what you're going to see in Seattle - a significant backlash. I also want to mention - you quoted Ceis' letter talking about giving a prize to the left. Vivian Song is not a leftist. This is the part that just blows my mind about all this. She's as mainstream a Seattle Democrat as it gets. If you read her application letter for the council appointment, she talks about hiring more cops, being careful with city spending. She's honestly probably a little bit to the right of most of the previous city council that just got voted out. But to Ceis and Nelson, she's unacceptable because she's friendly with unions, was friendly with some progressives - what that shows me is that they only want extremists like themselves or who will just do their own bidding. And I think they're setting themselves up for a significant backlash. [00:07:58] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and the final point - in looking at this, there were so many applicants to this - all across the spectrum, right? There weren't just progressive applicants for the seat. There were dozens and dozens of people from across the spectrum - and good choices - people who had experience, who have the right intentions from across the spectrum. This isn't about - Well, we just don't want an extreme leftist from these corporate interests. This is about - You're going to pick our person. Because there are several other choices on there - they're talking about Tanya Woo. Why aren't they talking about Phil Tavel, right? Why aren't they talking about anyone else that seems to align with their interests? They want loyalists - that's the bottom line. It goes beyond what the ideology is. It's - are you going to be loyal to me? Are you going to back me on what I'm doing? And without that assurance - We're not backing you. With that assurance, you're in and we're going to fight. And hey, we spent a million plus to get these other folks in. Now we're using our muscle to get you in too. And we're telling people - Hey, this was our show. We elected these people. It was our effort and that gives us the right to dictate what's going to happen. When you have the primary concern, the primary litmus test being loyalty and not is this going to help the residents of the city? Do they have experience? Can they credibly lead and do this? Wow, we get into a lot of trouble if it's just - Are you going to back me? Are you not going to question anything I'm doing? Are you going to rubber stamp this? So this appointment process is really going to be an opportunity to see where the loyalties lie. Are they serving their constituents or are they serving the business community? Because again, there are lots of picks if they wanted to go with a conservative person, right? I think they probably will. But the point is, it's got to be the one handpicked by business. This is going to tell us a lot about where the heads of these new councilmembers are at. Yeah, it [00:09:49] Robert Cruickshank: will. And I think it's also setting up 2024 - not just in terms of the policy discussions we'll see in City Hall, but the campaigns. This seat that gets filled in this appointment process later this month will be on the November 2024 ballot citywide. And I think Tanya Woo would likely run for that seat if she's appointed to it. If so, then she's going to have to go to voters - not as someone picked for her qualifications, at least in the way the public will see it. The public will see it as - she was picked by business because she's loyal to business. Vivian Song may want to run for that seat too - last night got endorsed by the King County Labor Council to hold that appointment. It sets up a very interesting - not just 10 days between now and when this appointment gets made, but 10 months between now and the November election, where I think you're going to see real contests over the future of the city. [00:10:35] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. Another interesting dimension with this about Vivian Song is about her residency and her existing Seattle School Board position. What's going on here? [00:10:45] Robert Cruickshank: Yeah, so we'll go back to 2021 - where there was an article that appeared in The Stranger when Vivian was running for the school board, questioning her residency - that she had changed residencies and changed voter registration - and questioning whether she was eligible to run for the District 4 seat for the school board. Now, the school board districts don't line up exactly with the city council districts, so listeners should keep that in mind - but Vivian won, won citywide. Because in school board, you are first elected out of the primary in just the district. Then the top two from that district go on to a citywide election in the school board. So Vivian won citywide in 2021. Last summer, it emerges that some of her critics and opponents on school board were questioning where she lives now - that she might not actually live in the district she technically represents. This is brought to the school board legal department, which looked at it and did not see a need to kick her off the school board, or declare her seat vacant and force an election. People move around for personal reasons, and they don't have to be told to tell those personal reasons in public. But Vivian is not someone who is manipulating the system for political gain - there are legitimate reasons she was moving. And yet this comes out in a Seattle Times article this week and gets mentioned at a board meeting last night - the only board meeting during this entire council appointment process. This has been under discussion behind the scenes at the school district for months. But why does it emerge now? I think it's the obvious reason why it emerges now - because some of Vivian's critics on the school board, whether they're working directly with Tim Ceis and Sara Nelson or not, are certainly helping Tim Ceis and Sara Nelson try to torpedo Vivian Song's candidacy. Now, from a progressive perspective, this doesn't necessarily mean that Vivian's the right pick for the appointment process. We should take a look at everybody. But I think the relentless efforts to destroy her, both in her position on the school board and to keep her out of the city council, suggest to me some real problems with the way both the city council and the school board are now being governed by small little cliques determined to hold on to their own power, to push austerity, unfriendly to labor, and hostile to public input. I think it's a really shocking and disturbing development that we're seeing in our city. Away from small-d democratic governance. I think everyone in the city should be really concerned about these developments. [00:13:05] Crystal Fincher: Completely agree. And statewide news - big news - it's going to impact our November 2024 ballot. The second right-wing initiative qualified for the 2024 ballot. What does this do and what does this mean? [00:13:21] Robert Cruickshank: So background here is that the far right chair of the state Republican Party, State Representative Jim Walsh - hardcore MAGA Trump guy - became State Party Chair last year and is working with a wealthy mega-donor, a guy named Brian Heywood, to try to repeal the main accomplishments of the Democratic majority in the legislature of the last few years. So we've got six initiatives so far that they've submitted to the state to qualify - two of them have made it to the ballot. One of them you just mentioned, which will be Initiative 2117 to try to destroy our state's climate action plan. They want to repeal the carbon pricing piece of it - sometimes known as cap and trade, cap and invest, whatever you want to call it. Their argument is - Oh, it's why gas prices are so high in Washington state. Well, no. One, we on the West Coast have always had higher gas prices than the rest of the country. And in fact, the reason Washington has high gas prices is because of King County. I did an analysis a few weeks ago that shows - if you cross the river from Portland to Vancouver, Washington, the average cost of gas is the same. If you are in Tacoma, you're paying less than you pay in Portland, Oregon. So if carbon pricing was causing gas prices to soar across Washington state, you'd see it everywhere - but you don't. What that suggests to me is you might actually be seeing oil companies gouging King County - that's worth investigation, which the oil companies don't want. But point being - Jim Walsh, who's a Trump guy, Brian Heywood, who's the wealthy funder, want to destroy our ability to tackle the climate crisis. They want to destroy our ability to fund the things that are needed to help people get off of fossil fuel. And so they're putting this on the ballot. They're going to put some other initiatives on the ballot to try to repeal our capital gains tax on the rich, that funds schools and early learning. And this is going to be one of the big battles that we're seeing this year - an effort to impose, again, a far-right agenda on the state of Washington. And I think that progressive organizations, the State Democratic Party are maybe a little slow to respond to this - I think they will engage, but now's the time to start letting people know what's happening here, what this attack is, how dangerous it could be, and the importance of stopping all six of these initiatives. [00:15:30] Crystal Fincher: We've seen Republicans have an increasingly hard time winning statewide and legislatively over the past few years - they've lost power, they tried the courts. The Supreme Court actually just rejected a case trying to come to the Supreme Court about the capital gains tax. So this is their only recourse now. And unfortunately, because of the way our political system is, money gets you really far. And so if you have these multi-hundred millionaires, these billionaires who come in and say - You know what, this is what I want - they're able to basically make us go through this whole charade. And so we have to fight against it. It's here. We have to do this. But it really is important to talk to people about - not to fall for these cheap lines that, Oh, this is another gas tax. It's the hidden gas tax, as they say. But we've had this price gouging conversation before - I think more people are seeing it, which is encouraging. But we're going to have to go through this whole campaign. [00:16:29] Robert Cruickshank: Yeah, and I think that it's worth noting there are reasonable discussions to be had about how to do carbon pricing right and what it should fund. And there were very intense conversations and disagreements about that when this was passed in 2021. And I think it makes sense to take a look and say - Okay, how do we make sure we're doing this right? That's not what this initiative does. This initiative uses voter concern about gas prices to totally destroy our ability to tackle the climate crisis. This is coming from people who don't believe the climate crisis is real. Or if they do believe it's real, they don't really want to do anything to stop it because they think driving and keeping oil companies happy is more important. We see wild weather all across the region - we remember that super hot heat wave from the summer of 2021, we remember the long droughts of 2022 - this is not a time to mess around. If we want to look at how to address needs to ensure that carbon pricing works - great. If we want to take a look at what it's funding - great. But to totally destroy the system entirely because a bunch of right-wingers and wealthy donors want it, I think, is a disaster. [00:17:30] Crystal Fincher: Absolute disaster. I was certainly one of those people who had criticisms of the Climate Commitment Act. There are certainly tweaks that should be made. There are some better ways that we can go about some of these processes. But the option isn't - do nothing. That's unacceptable. It isn't just dismantle and repeal everything. Just like with Social Security, just like with Medicare - these big, important pieces of legislation - that do come with benefits. We're going to have to tweak them. We're going to have to get information back, get data back, and respond to that with some technical fixes, some tweaks to make sure that we steer it onto the best path that it can be. But wow, we cannot afford to do nothing. We can't afford to dismantle this at this point in time. This is one of the most hopeful opportunities we have - really in the country - to show how states can lead and come together to get this done. We can't dismantle this at this point in time. Also want to talk about a debate that we saw, on the pages of The Seattle Times, among homeless advocates that reflects a lot of the conversation going on in communities about how to handle encampments. What was talked about here and what's important to understand? [00:18:42] Robert Cruickshank: Yeah, I want to do something I don't always do, which is give credit to The Seattle Times for hosting this discussion. I think it was a really good way to do it - between two people - Tim Harris, who used to be the executive editor of Real Change, and Tiffani McCoy, a leader in the Initiative 135 House Our Neighbors Now social housing effort here in Seattle. These are two progressive people who have long records of advocacy for housing and for the needs of the homeless. So they didn't do the usual thing that media will do - is pit a progressive against some crazy right winger. These are two people, who I think come at this with the right intentions and the right values. And they both made some pretty good points about how we handle this issue of sweeps and encampments. Sweeps - I believe they're awful. They're also popular. The public likes them. We saw the 2017 mayoral race, we saw in 2021 mayoral and city council races, city attorney race. We saw it last year in the city council races. Candidates who back sweeps almost always defeat candidates who oppose them - we're getting nowhere, and the people who are living in these encampments aren't getting help. Now, this doesn't mean we should embrace sweeps. And I thought that Tiffani McCoy did a really good job of laying out, again, the damage that sweeps do to not just the possessions of people who are living in tents, but to their own psychological state. And it often makes it harder for them to escape addiction, harder for them to find stability they need to get a home. I thought Tim Harris, though, made some good points about the problems that happen if you leave an encampment in place - how drug dealers eventually find it. And even the best managed encampments - it just takes one or two people with bad intentions to show up and the whole place kind of falls apart into violence. So leaving an encampment out there doesn't help the people who are living there, especially now we're in the extremely cold winter season. But what happens is, too often, this gets framed as a discussion between - do we sweep or do we leave encampments indefinitely? And when that's the terms of the discussion, sweeps will win every single time. And we've seen that for years now. And I think progressives need to realize that that's the case. We are not going to stop sweeps by trying to argue against sweeps alone, and to argue essentially for leaving encampments indefinitely. We have to get out of that binary that we're losing and the people in those encampments are losing. And I think the only way out is to go to the solution, right? We need to build housing for people immediately. Bruce Harrell took office on a promise to build 2,000 units of housing for folks - homes, shelter, tiny homes, whatever - to get people out. Did that happen? Where did that go? You know, there are some tiny home villages that are out there. They do a great job. But why aren't we massively expanding those? Where are the safe RV sites? Where are other forms of shelter? Where's the permanent supportive housing that we need? Where are the new SROs that we need? I think that's where progressive energy needs to focus - is on getting people out of tents now - into real housing with a roof, with a door that locks that they like, where they can bring all their possessions, including their dog and their partner. And I think that's where the emphasis needs to go. I think if we get stuck in this sweeps versus indefinite encampments, we're just going to keep losing. The people who need help aren't going to get it. And so I thought that this debate that The Times hosted did a good job of really laying out why we need to go in that direction. [00:21:59] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. I think this is another area where - just the classic communications issue - you can't just argue against something. You have to argue for the vision that you want - because it doesn't translate - what people do here is exactly what you said. Well, okay - if we aren't going to sweep, then they're going to just stay there and that's unacceptable too. And it's unacceptable to a lot of people for a lot of different reasons, right? Some people are those crazy right wingers who just, you know - Get them out of my sight type of thing. But there are people who are saying - We need to get these people into a better place. We have lethal cold in the winter. We have lethal heat in the summer. We have public safety concerns. People who are unhoused, who are in these encampments, are more likely to be victims of crime than just about anyone else. This is a hazard to their health, to everyone's health. This is a big challenge. We need to get them into housing. We need more shelter options. We can't have this conversation while we know there isn't the infrastructure to get everyone indoors. Until we have that infrastructure, what are we talking about? We have to build. We have to build more transitional housing. We have to build more single residence occupancy, or those SROs. We have to move forward with housing. And I do believe in a Housing First approach. There's also this preemptive kind of argument that we're hearing from right wingers - Oh, we already tried that. Oh, we so have not tried that. We've never come close to trying that - on more than a trial with 20 people basis - that has never been a policy that the city has pursued overall. We have pursued these encampment sweeps and you can see they aren't getting us anywhere. The problem has actually gotten worse while we're doing this. So we have to make sure that we're speaking with unity and articulating what we want to see, what we're pursuing, what needs to get done. [00:23:50] Robert Cruickshank: Yeah, and I think there is another reason for urgency here. Sweeps, under rulings of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals - federal - in the case against the City of Boise, Idaho, and a similar case against the City of Grants Pass, Oregon. The appeals court ruled that you cannot sweep an encampment without offering shelter to the people living there. A lot of cities, including San Francisco and others, have wanted to get out of that. They appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in the last few days. The Supreme Court has said - Yes, we will take up those cases. It is highly likely then, perhaps by this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court will say - You can sweep whenever you want to. You can eliminate an encampment without having to offer shelter at all. And I think a lot of advocates will point out that those offers of shelter, you know, are maybe a fig leaf at best. That fig leaf is going to go away very soon. So I think that just creates even more urgency to push really hard to get the city and the state to step up and provide housing, whether it's, you know, buying more hotels to get people out of tents or put up more tiny home villages. Whatever it takes, we have to do it, and we have to do it now because there is now an actual ticking clock at the U.S. Supreme Court on this. [00:24:57] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And you know what? I do want to recognize what Dow Constantine has been doing with leaning on this issue - with the buying the hotels, working in concert with different cities in the county, offering - even in the Burien debacle, it was really the county who provided the light at the end of the tunnel and real tangible assistance to actually deal with the issue and get people into housing. So, you know, more of that - more of what we've seen from Dow Constantine, more of focusing on getting people housed. Absolutely want to see it. And just absolutely dejecting news - where I wasn't shocked, but certainly dismayed. The Tacoma cops from the Manuel Ellis case are getting $500,000 to voluntarily leave the department. What are your thoughts on this? [00:25:47] Robert Cruickshank: I mean, it's unsurprising and appalling that they're getting half a million dollars after killing Manuel Ellis and getting away with it. I mean, getting away with it was bad enough - the way that the jury ruled in that case a few weeks back. Now they're literally getting money in their pocket after this - being waved goodbye. And I'm sure that this does not come with any stipulations that would make it difficult for them to get a new job anywhere else. I remember when McGinn was mayor in the early 2010s, the Ian Birk case. Ian Birk, the Seattle officer who shot and killed Native American woodcarver John T. Williams. Birk was not really prosecuted. There was an inquest. But Birk left the department, got a job somewhere else. Well, one of the things McGinn did was pursue legal remedies to make it impossible for Birk to get another job as an officer. I do not see any such thing happening here in the Tacoma case. These officers are getting a payday and getting away with it. But I think what this shows, yet again, is the importance of having real teeth in police accountability. And I think it also shows that the criminal justice system is not a substitute for that. We can't assume that the criminal justice system alone is going to hold cops accountable, as we saw in this case - yet again, it didn't. We need reforms at the state level to remove officer accountability from bargaining. We need to make it easier for cities to hold cops accountable who break the law, who commit murder, things like that. And that's where this needs to go, because what has happened here is injustice upon injustice upon injustice. And if this doesn't spur us to act, then what's going to? [00:27:32] Crystal Fincher: There's currently a federal review going on by the U.S. attorney for Western Washington. The family of Manny Ellis is calling for a consent decree for the City of Tacoma's police department with this. So those levers are turning. This issue to me is really - my goodness, this is not a pro-cop or an anti-cop thing, right? How do we hold people accountable who violate the standards that we set for them, who violate the standards that are already in place? This reminds me of what happened in the City of Kent with the assistant chief who had Nazi memorabilia, Hitler mustache, Nazi signs at work - and then got paid a ton, got rich to leave voluntarily. What are we doing when there's no mechanism to fire a Nazi in the workplace? For people who are absolutely in favor of more police, why are you tolerating this? That's my question. Why are we allowing this to fall into the - Well, either you love cops or you hate cops and you're evil if you want to do anything attached to accountability. What are we even doing? I could go on about this for a long time, but this just falls into - What are we even doing? What is the point of anything if we have to pay people who violate our standard to leave? [00:28:53] Robert Cruickshank: Yeah. I mean, we've been told since the summer of 2020 - Oh, we can't defund the police. Okay, then what are we going to do? Because we can't allow this sort of behavior, whether it is Nazi memorabilia in the actual work office in Kent or killing Manuel Ellis on the streets of Tacoma to continue - which is what I fear is actually what critics of police accountability want. They just want cops to be able to do as they please without consequences because in their minds - and these are mostly white folks like me who are saying these things - they don't think they're ever going to have to face those consequences. They want to maintain their hierarchy, their place at the top as much as they can. They see police as part of that. It's really toxic. And I think that it just shows, once again, the urgency of fixing this - including at the state level, to get the legislature out of this idea that some legislators have that - Oh, somehow it undermines labor unions and labor rights if we take accountability out of police bargaining. Well, military soldiers can't bargain, they can't form a union. They have a strict uniform code of military justice. They're held, in many cases, to much higher standards than police officers. I think we could point out ways in which even the military needs to be held to higher standards, but at least there are some. They exist and they operate. Police - they are convinced that they have the right to do as they please and to get away with it - and to be paid well for it, even when they do horrific things. And that is what we have to reject. And I think at this point - cities, we need to hold them accountable and push them. But the state needs to step in and we need to see changes to state law to make it easier to have real accountability at the local level. [00:30:25] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. Final thing I want to talk about today is a lawsuit announced by Attorney General Bob Ferguson to stop the Kroger-Albertsons merger that they have announced their intention to do, saying that this is going to be bad for competition, creating grocery monopolies. Grocery prices are already sky high - this would make it worse. What do you think about this? [00:30:49] Robert Cruickshank: Yeah, I think it's absolutely the right thing to do and well within Attorney General Ferguson's right to protect local business and to protect consumers. And people notice that Fred Meyer and QFC are owned by the Kroger company already, and there's not enough competition there - prices there are higher than they should be. You add in Albertsons to the mix, and that's even less competition. I think people understand that more competition helps bring prices down, it's good for consumers. More local ownership - good for consumers. And this is popular, right? I think the public likes it. What's interesting to me is the way this gets covered. There's an article in The Seattle Times today about Ferguson's lawsuit. And to read the body of the article, it makes it very clear that the public loves it, that there's a legitimate reason for Ferguson to sue to protect the particular needs of Washington businesses and Washington consumers - because our grocery market industry is not always the same as other states. And we need to have our attorney general in there fighting for our interests. People get that. The Federal Trade Commission under Lina Khan is doing a great job really finally reinvigorating antitrust law and taking on mergers like this. And she's fantastic. But the article opens with this weird frame, questioning whether this is all a political stunt and saying - Oh, well, Ferguson jumped out and filed a lawsuit before the FTC did. Maybe he's trying to undermine the FTC or going rogue. Maybe it's just a political stunt. Yet the rest of the article makes it super clear that that's not the case at all. The article shows that the FTC says - No, we can work with Washington. They don't seem to be worried about this. In fact, the FTC regularly works with attorneys general around the country in multi-state lawsuits, in partnership with the federal government. So it struck me as a case where the second two-thirds of that article was really useful, but the top of it seemed to be The Times going out of their way to try to spin this against Ferguson. And I think it's a real lesson to the State Democratic Party and to Ferguson's campaign that they cannot trust the media to give him a fair shake here in 2024. The media is going to be hostile. The media is going to try to take things that look potentially helpful for Ferguson and spin them against him. So they're going to have to be ahead of that game and prepare for that, as well as make sure they're doing their own comms, using social media really well to get the story out there. Because the public gets it - the public doesn't want to see Albertsons, Fred Meyer, QFC all owned by the same company. They know it's either going to raise higher prices, fewer staff in stores, or fewer stores outright. We've already seen some stores close across the region. You're going to get more of those bad outcomes. So thank you, Bob Ferguson, for stepping up. And Bob, watch your back, because the media is coming for you. [00:33:28] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. This is a positive thing. This is consumer protection. This is what we ask him to do as our attorney general. We have seen the direction that things go when there's consolidation. There's a lot of people who order delivery now. I don't know if many people have been in stores lately, but it is a miserable experience because they've reduced staff to untenable amounts where you have to wait for someone to unlock half the thing or stand in a special section and a special line. It's just - this is the wrong direction that we're going in. We've already seen this as a result of consolidation. We don't want to see any more. [00:34:03] Robert Cruickshank: Yeah, and you can look at another act of consolidation that I wish someone had sued to stop, which is when Rite Aid bought Bartell Drugs in 2020. Everyone knows that's been a disaster. Bartell, locally owned store - you had great locally owned products for sale. You could go and get your prescription filled really quickly and easily. Once that merger happened, all of a sudden people's prescriptions got lost, lines got really long, took you hours to get your prescription filled. And then all of a sudden, stores started closing all over the place. Now Walgreens is closing stores because there's not a lot of competition. There's no incentive for them to keep these stores open. And now we're going to see the same things happen with grocery stores - those trends that are already kind of lurking, accelerating if this merger goes through. So kudos to Bob Ferguson, but he's got to watch out for the people who are coming for him, especially in the media. [00:34:52] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for listening to Hacks & Wonks on this Friday, January 19th, 2024. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Shannon Cheng. Our insightful co-host today is the Chair of Sierra Club Seattle, longtime communications and political strategist Robert Cruickshank. You can find Robert on Twitter, or X, @cruickshank. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter. You can find me on all platforms - BlueSky, Threads, anything - @finchfrii. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review shows and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

Seattle Times reporter Paul Roberts joins Soundside to talk about WA State Attorney General Bob Ferguson's lawsuit aiming to block the merger between Kroger & Albertsons.We can only make Soundside because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/soundside

Ross & Paul Roberts (filling in for a sick Steve Fezzik) break down their bets for all the games across the NFL during the divisional round including: Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens: 13:10 Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers: 16:20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions: 19:40 Kansas City Chiefs @ Buffalo Bills: 23:15 Download the DraftKings Sports Book App and use code ROSS for a sign up bonus up to $1,000 Connect with the Pod Website - https://www.rosstucker.com Become A Patron - https://www.patreon.com/RTMedia Podcast Twitter - https://twitter.com/RossTuckerPod Podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rosstuckerpod/ Ross Twitter - https://twitter.com/RossTuckerNFL Ross Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rosstuckernfl/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A journey on foot (soundtrack included). Donations, Merchandise, Newsletter, more: https://www.podrunner.com Steve Boyett - Groovelectric: Downloadable Soul https://www.groovelectric.com PLAYLIST 01. Lloyd Barwood - Day Dreamer (Sunrise Mix) 02. Dliteone & Luis Loowee R Rivera - The Spirit of Freedom (Lenny Fontana Club Instrumental Remix) 03. Domingo+ & Loveclub - Firmament (Briccio Remix) 04. Nicolas Giordano - Constellations (Peshta Gora Extended Remix) 05. Robyn Balliet - My Heart 06. DJ Soulstar - Gold 07. Kay-D - Eridu (Zy Khan Remix) 08. Anza, B33tle, Techdrone - Imagination 09. Techcrrasher - That's Disco 10. Paul Roberts & Dennis Wonder - Good Times (Club Instrumental Mix) 11. Redspace, Phaéthon - Inflorescence (SkyTop) 12. Yusuke Teranishi - Moments (Starlit Night Mix) == Please support these artists == Podrunner is a registered trademark of Podrunner LLC. Music copyright © or CC the respective artists. All other material ©2006, 2023 by Podrunner LLC. For personal use only. Any unauthorized reproduction, editing, exhibition, sale, rental, exchange, public performance, or broadcast of this audio is prohibited.

Downtown Seattle was arguably the hardest-hit area during Seattle's lockdown as workers fled offices. As the rest of the city returned to its normal bustle, downtown lagged behind.City and county officials made it a priority to revitalize the area. But how well is that revitalization going?Seattle Times Business reporter Paul Roberts gives us a temperature check on the state of downtown. Read Paul's story:Dine-In or Take Out Thanksgiving: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/seattle-area-restaurants-open-for-thanksgiving-dine-in-or-takeout/We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/seattlenowAnd we want to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at SeattleNowPod, or leave us feedback online: https://www.kuow.org/feedback

When nine-year-old George Weyerhaeuser went missing, his family panicked. Kidnappings weren't commonplace, but in 1935, wealthy families were on guard for them. The Great Depression was in full swing, and just a few years earlier, the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby captured the nation's attention. So, when the Weyerhaeuser's son didn't make it home for lunch, they feared the worst. And now for a note about our process. For this episode, Brandi copy and pasted from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases. In this episode, Brandi pulled from: “Weyerhaeuser Kidnapping” by Daryl C. McClary, historylink.org “The Kidnapping of George Weyerhaeuser | USA” podcast episode, The Evidence Locker “Deep in the Woods” by Bryan Johnston “1935 kidnapping revealed 9-year-old timber heir's mettle, led to ‘greatest manhunt in history of Northwest'” by Douglas Perry, Oregon Live “History: How the Seattle P-I played a pivotal role in the kidnapping case of George Weyerhaeuser” by Alec Regimbal, SeattePI “George Weyerhaeuser Sr., great-grandson of timber company founder and kidnapped as a child, dies at 95” by Paul Roberts, Seattle Times YOU'RE STILL READING? My, my, my, you skeezy scunch! You must be hungry for more! We'd offer you some sausage brunch, but that gets messy. So how about you head over to our Patreon instead? (patreon.com/lgtcpodcast). At the $5 level, you'll get 51+ full length bonus episodes, plus access to our 90's style chat room!