Podcasts about statistically

•Granola Makes You Run Faster •When Illegals Post "I'm Illegal" on Facebook •America: Open Borders & Taken Land •My Dad's Slave Reciepts •Have You Ever Dug? Digging Sucks! •The Guy That Made Minesweeper Now Makes Butter In A Lab •Doug Is Worth More To Not Talk To •Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Dumb Thought •10 Mosquitoes Dipped In Alpha-Gal •Anthony Is Always Right (most of the time) •I Drink Whiskey. Not Liquor. •Jesus Told Me To Burn This Bush. Check This Out! •Statistically, Everything Sounds Better When Following The Word Statistically …And Much More! Support Us on Patreon Get access to bonus episodes every week, ad free episodes, and join us on our weekly after show chats. https://www.patreon.com/WhosRight Watch us Live Tuesday (Bonus Episodes) and Wednesday on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/c/WhosRightPodcast Our website - https://whosrightpodcast.com/ For superchat sounds, send them over to Doug at doug.whosrightpodcast@gmail.com with "superchat" in the subject line Submit Dear Flabby Questions - https://whosrightpodcast.com/dearflabby/ Don't miss any updates or content. Find all our social media links located in our Linktree: http://linktr.ee/whosrightpodcast Link to our Discord - https://discord.gg/5jkc6NfAW8 Doug's Substack - https://mindofdorg.substack.com/ Deputy Butterbean's Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4BgFV8Gik4pDL4HNiygudW?si=VUiKTlOIRuO7-JtZ5pjJ1Q&pi=0uChhaL3Stq-0 The infamous Beastie Boys episode - https://beastieboysepisode.com/

Jeremy Keil weighs the opportunities and risks associated with giving your money away to your kids and charity. Most retirees I talk with don't worry about whether they can give money away.They worry about whether they should. When you've worked hard, saved diligently, and reached a point where you have more than you need, a new question quietly creeps in:What's the purpose of the extra? In this episode of Retire Today, I walk through what I see every day in real retirement plans — the good, the bad, and the unintended consequences of giving money to kids and to charity. Because while giving can be deeply meaningful, it can also backfire if it's not done intentionally. Giving to Kids: Blessing or Burden? When it comes to kids, I hear two very common philosophies. One group says, “I'm not trying to leave money to my kids. If there's something left, that's fine.”The other says, “I worked hard for this money, and I want to make sure it helps my family.” Both sound reasonable. But what actually happens is often more complicated. In practice, most giving to kids happens by default, not by design — through inheritance. The problem is timing. If you pass away in your 80s or 90s, your kids are likely in their late 50s or 60s. Statistically, that's when incomes and net worth tend to be the highest. In other words, that may be the moment they need your money the least. I've also seen well-intentioned gifts create unintended pressure. Large down payments on homes can raise a child's lifestyle without raising their income — leading to higher expenses, more stress, and sometimes less financial stability. Giving feels generous, but it can quietly shift responsibility away from your kids and onto you. A better rule of thumb?Give in ways that remove a burden, not create one. Education costs, health care needs, or meaningful experiences often help without inflating expectations or expenses. Experiences, especially shared ones, tend to create far more joy — for you and for them — than writing a check and hoping it helps. Giving to Charity: Now, Later, or Both? Charitable giving tends to be more intentional, but still incomplete. Many people plan to leave money to charity someday, yet never think through what that looks like or how it fits into their broader retirement plan. Others give modest amounts each year but leave significant sums later — without ever telling the charities involved. What I've seen repeatedly is this:When people give with intention, their stress goes down and their satisfaction goes up. In fact, people who have clarity around where their money will go often feel lighter — as if a quiet financial worry has been resolved. When charities know they're part of your long-term plan, relationships deepen. You stay informed, feel more connected, and often find joy in seeing the impact of your giving while you're still here. There's also strong evidence that giving makes people happier. Whether happier people give more, or giving makes people happier, may be up for debate — but in practice, generosity consistently shows up alongside fulfillment. The Bigger Question Isn't “How Much?” Most people ask me, “How much can I give?”That's usually the wrong question. The better questions are: Should I give? When should I give? How do I give in a way that actually helps? Giving later through inheritance is easy. Giving earlier — thoughtfully and intentionally — is far more impactful. You get to see the benefit, adjust if needed, and align your money with what matters most to you. In retirement, money isn't just about security.It's about purpose. When giving is done well, it doesn't create regret — it creates meaning. Don't forget to leave a rating for the “Retire Today” podcast if you've been enjoying these episodes! Subscribe to Retire Today to get new episodes every Wednesday. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/retire-today/id1488769337 Spotify Podcasts: https://bit.ly/RetireTodaySpotify About the Author: Jeremy Keil, CFP®, CFA® is a financial advisor in Milwaukee, WI, author of the bestseller Retire Today: Create Your Retirement Master Plan in 5 Simple Steps and host of both the Retire Today Podcast and Mr. Retirement YouTube channel Additional Links: Buy Jeremy's book – Retire Today: Create Your Retirement Master Plan in 5 Simple Steps “Die with Zero” by Bill Perkins Die With Zero by Bill Perkins | Discover the Ultimate Guide to Living Life to the Fullest – Mr. Retirement YouTube Channel “More Than Enough” by Dave Ramsey “The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas Stanley and William Danko How much can I give my kids before paying IRS Gift Tax? – Mr. Retirement YouTube Channel What is the IRS gift tax limit in 2025? – Mr. Retirement YouTube Channel What is the IRS Gift Tax Limit for 2026? – Mr. Retirement YouTube Channel The “I Hate Budgets” Retirement Plan: Retire Intentionally with Zac Larson – Retire Today Podcast Connect With Jeremy Keil: Keil Financial Partners LinkedIn: Jeremy Keil Facebook: Jeremy Keil LinkedIn: Keil Financial Partners YouTube: Mr. Retirement Book an Intro Call with Jeremy's Team Media Disclosures: Disclosures This media is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not consider the investment objectives, financial situation, or particular needs of any consumer. Nothing in this program should be construed as investment, legal, or tax advice, nor as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security or to adopt any investment strategy. The views and opinions expressed are those of the host and any guest, current as of the date of recording, and may change without notice as market, political or economic conditions evolve. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Legal & Tax Disclosure Consumers should consult their own qualified attorney, CPA, or other professional advisor regarding their specific legal and tax situations. Advisor Disclosures Alongside, LLC, doing business as Keil Financial Partners, is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or expertise. Advisory services are delivered through the Alongside, LLC platform. Keil Financial Partners is independent, not owned or operated by Alongside, LLC. Additional information about Alongside, LLC – including its services, fees and any material conflicts of interest – can be found at https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/333587 or by requesting Form ADV Part 2A. The content of this media should not be reproduced or redistributed without the firm’s written consent. Any trademarks or service marks mentioned belong to their respective owners and are used for identification purposes only. Additional Important Disclosures

Introduction: I Want to Belong to Jesus… (John 1:4–13) Because He gives me an UNBEATABLE HOPE. (John 1:4–5) Because He gives me a MEANINGFUL MISSION. (John 1:6–8) Isaiah 40:3 – A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” John 3:30 – He must increase, but I must decrease. Because He gives me a SPOT IN HIS FAMILY THAT I CANNOT EARN. (John 1:9–13) John 3:19–20 – And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead John 1:4-13What was your big take-away from this passage / message?Who or what do you often set your hopes on? Why can't these people and things satisfy you as Jesus can?What excuses are holding you back from bearing witness to the light? How will you bear witness to the light this week and next?How does Jesus give us the right to become children of God? Why can't this right be deserved or earned?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Well, as you turn to John chapter one, I want to ask you the same exact question that youjust heard in the video.I want to ask you a question that Pastor Jeff brought to your attention last week in hismessage.It's probably a question that you're tired of hearing and asking this holiday season.What do you want for Christmas?With Christmas being so close, you have asked and heard the answer to that question manytimes over the past several weeks.The questions you've, the answers you've heard and the answers you've given include an O'Wallahwater bottle.Isn't that popular?That's still popular.I don't really know.A red light therapy mask.Anybody want that?That's popular on Instagram, isn't it?A massive Lego set, a Nintendo switch to new AirPods, a smart ring, which I guess is kindof like an Apple Watch, but a ring on your finger.I don't really know.Or fancy golf clubs.But there are many things that you want for Christmas that you cannot write down on a wishlist.There are many things you want for Christmas that cannot be bought or wrapped.Maybe you want that big promotion.Maybe you want that bonus this year that you aren't sure is coming.Maybe you want healing in your own body or in the body of a loved one.Or here's a big one.Maybe you want to feel like you belong.You want to not be rejected.That is a desire that every single person in this room shares.It's a desire that starts when you're young and it continues on for the rest of your life.As a kid and then a teenager, every single one of us was desperate to fit in and havea group of friends to belong to.Rejection is painful.It leaves lasting memories, especially when you're a kid.You know, growing up, my friends and I used to have a sleepover almost every single Fridaynight.And during 11th grade, there was a month-long stretch where there was no sleepovers.And I was really confused.I didn't know why this routine had been broken.So one day at the lunch table, I said to my friends, "Hey, guys, we haven't had a sleepoverin a while.Do you guys want to come to my house this Sunday?"And whenever I said that, everyone at the table erupted in uncontrollable laughter.And I was, again, just very, very confused.After they were all done and calmed down, I said, "What's so funny?"They then proceeded to tell me that they thought it would be hilarious to not invite me tosleepovers for a while to see how long it would take me to notice and say something.I missed a whole month of sleepovers with my friends.And to be honest, in that moment, externally, I tried to laugh it off.I tried to act like it wasn't a big deal.But internally, I felt rejected.I felt like I didn't belong.You ever felt that way before?A friend stopped talking to you.A family member cut off communication for seemingly no reason.A boyfriend or girlfriend ended the relationship without warning.Your spouse chose to give up on the marriage and leave.You have felt rejected before.You have felt like you don't belong.You feel that way right now?Maybe you couldn't care less about what gifts you're going to get under the Christmas treethis year.Maybe you don't want anything from Amazon or the mall.More than anything this year, you just want to experience that sense of belonging.You want to know that there are people who love you, who care about you, and will neverlet go of you no matter what you do.I can't guarantee you that sense of belonging with your family and with your friends thisChristmas.I wish I could, but I can't.But I can guarantee there is someone infinitely greater who will give you that sense of belonging.I can guarantee there is someone who will not reject you, who will not turn away fromyou if you truly turn to him.That person is Jesus Christ.There is no one better to belong to.There is no one better to be loved by.There is no one with a tighter grip in all of existence than him.I want you to walk out of this service this morning if you're a believer with a greatersense of confidence that you were loved by Jesus Christ.That you are safe and secure in his steady hands.There is no better gift than that.And if you're not a Christian this morning, I want you to know that the invitation hasbeen extended to belong to Christ.He commands you to follow him.He invites you to enjoy his acceptance and not fear others' rejection.More than anything, I want all of you in this room to want to belong to Jesus this Christmas.So before we continue any further, let's go to the Lord and ask for His help.Please pray for me that I will faithfully represent God's Word and I will pray for youthat you will faithfully receive it.Father, we come to you and we bring all of our pain to you.All of our fears are all of our deepest, darkest worries that we're afraid to admit to otherpeople.Lord in this room, I'm sure there's many, many stories of rejection.Many, many stories of feeling like we don't belong and I'm sure if we brought everybodyup on stage to share how they feel that there wouldn't be a dry eye in the house today.Lord, we ask that you bring the comfort that only you can.That you would challenge us, you would tear us down so that you can build us back up again.Lord, I do ask for myself, Lord, your Word is perfect, but I am not.I do not feel up to the task of proclaiming such a glorious passage, but Lord, give meyour strength, give me your wisdom.I pray for everyone in this room that you would give them the faith to receive your Wordtoday.I pray that you would seek and save the lost.Thanks for the rest of us, Lord.We would walk out of this room with a greater sense of confidence in who we belong to.We ask all this in Jesus' mighty name.Amen.Was a quick refresher.Let's reread the verses that Pastor Jeff covered last week.This will set the table and help us to understand the context of our passage this morning.So John chapter one, verses one through three.In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was in the beginning with God.All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.These verses are all about who Jesus is.He is the Word of God who created all things.Without Jesus, this universe would not exist.This world would not exist.You would not exist.Jesus is the source and sustainer of everything that you can see and everything that you cannotsee.Jesus isn't just the Word of God.John says that He is God Himself.Verses one through three focus on who Jesus is, while verses four through thirteen focuson what Jesus gives.If you properly understand who Jesus is and what Jesus gives, you will want to belongto Him.You will want to belong to Him because no one can compare to who Jesus is, and nothingcan compare to what Jesus gives.So outline for this morning, I want to belong to Jesus.I want to belong to Jesus, first reason, because He gives me an unbeatable hope.Because He gives me an unbeatable hope.Let's read chapter one, verse four.In Him, in Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men.Life was and is found in Jesus and Him alone.As we already discussed, Jesus made all things.He is the source of all life on earth.He is the cause of everything.But He's not just the cause of physical life.He is the only supplier of eternal life as well.There is no other viable option to turn to or to search for besides Jesus.But that doesn't stop us from trying, does it?Millions have tried, and billions have failed in trying to find true life apart from Jesus.And you and I have tried our hand at this pointless search as well.Trying to find life in our jobs, in our finances, in our status, our stuff, and even our families.Life cannot be found in your job.You realize that one day you will have to retire.You may let go from that job.One day that job will belong to someone else.Your life is not found in how much money you have.Let me ask you a question.How much of the money in your various accounts will you be able to take with you when youdie?Do we not know the answer?Not a single dime.Life is not found in your status and popularity.There will always be someone bigger and better than you.In 150 or 200 years, how many people on this planet will be thinking about you?The most likely answer is not a single soul.Life is not even found in your family.As great as your spouse, your kids, your relatives might be, they cannot meet the deepest needsof your soul.Can your spouse forgive you of your sins?Can your kids give you that unbeatable hope that you're looking for?No.Can your family guarantee your eternity?No.All of those needs can only be met by Jesus Christ, who is the only source of life.And John goes on to say that this life was the light of men.That sounds pretty cool, right?But what does that actually mean?The life was the light of men.I'm no scientist, but let me give you a quick pop quiz in astronomy.What do all the plants in this solar system orbit around?You're all really tired this morning.What is it again?All right, very, very good.Could we survive without the sun?What does the sun do for us?Is the major source of life because it is the major source of light and heat on thisplanet without the sun shining as it does, we would all freeze to death without the sunshining as it does.We would not be able to see anything.We would be lost in the darkness without the light of Christ shining as it does.We would not be able to see and understand the truth without the light of Christ shiningas it does.We would not know how to be saved.We would not know how to have a relationship, a friendship with God without the light ofChrist shining as it does.We would be hopeless and lost in the darkness of our sin without the light of Christ shiningas it does.None of us would have any spiritual life.Who is the light of the sun offered to?The 8.3 billion people on this planet.Who is the light of the sun of God offered to?Same exact answer, the 8.3 billion people on this planet.As we'll see in a few minutes, many choose to hide from this light and by doing so, theymiss out on the life that he offers.But that does not stop Jesus from shining his light, which we see in verse 5.Read that with me."The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."The word "overcome" in this verse can also be translated as "comprehended" or "understood."And many scholars believe that John picked this word for a very specific reason.He chose this word because it has a double meaning.Each of these words makes sense in context or flip sides of one another.Let's cover one side of the coin first.Let's cover the light, shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.I walk my dog Murdoch almost every single night at 10 p.m. after the family is asleep.And my wife hates this plan because she thinks I'm going to get pan-kicked by a car.It hasn't happened yet, so please just pray for me that this trend continues and I'm ableto be safe.But there is this one house in my neighborhood that fascinates me.This house has a lamppost in the front yard that shines brightly for about 10 to 20 seconds,then it just shuts off.And it comes back on a few seconds later and it happens every single night for the pastyear.And this may sound strange to you, but I think about that lamppost almost every single day.Every single time I exit the house to go take Murdoch on this walk, I wonder, is tonightgoing to be the night when that light is extinguished?Is tonight the night when darkness will overcome that person's yard?Because there's something wrong with that lamppost.There's something wrong with the bulb.There's something wrong with the wiring.It's just a matter of time.I don't have much faith in that lamppost.I don't think you would have much faith in that lamppost if you took a field trip tomy neighborhood and drove past it.But do you know who you should have total and complete faith in?Do you know whose light you should never wonder or worry about being extinguished?Jesus Christ.The light of His glory never flickers.The light of His gracious love never turns off.He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.No matter how dark this world gets, no matter how bleak your life looks, Jesus Christ isshining just as brightly as He always has.Sin, injustice, and evil cannot lower the intensity of who He is and what He has done.Nothing and no one can turn the dimmer switch down on the light of the world.Let's flip over to the other side of the coin.The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not understood it.You know, Satan and his demons are crafty.I'll give them that.They are intelligent.But at the same time, these evil forces are complete morons in comparison to the all-knowingall-wise God of the universe.The devil and his demons are fighting a losing battle because they cannot figure out a wayto extinguish the light of Christ.They're like a bunch of roided-up bodybuilders trying to push over a mountain with theirbare hands.It's just not going to happen.Their attempts to snuff out the light only fan it into flame even more.The harder they try, the harder they fail.No matter what they do, Jesus keeps forgiving more and more people.No matter what they try, the church keeps getting built up.No matter what scheme they hatch, the kingdom of God keeps advancing.Satan and his workers have already been defeated by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.They know that eternal judgment awaits them.Are they going to go quietly without a fight until Jesus returns?No, they are kicking and screaming like bratty children.And I know that they're kicking and screaming causes a lot of pain and hardship to everysingle person in this room.But they cannot change the ending that God has already written.The light will win because the darkness cannot overcome it or understand it.That is certain.That is a fact.Maybe you've been a believer for months, for years, and maybe even for decades.And you know the truths of verses four and five intellectually.You have a very hard time believing these truths emotionally and experientially.You're in a tough season right now and you feel like the darkness is winning.You feel like the light is losing.You feel like the darkness understands how to overcome the light just fine.You feel like you cannot have victory over that sin pattern in your life.You feel like there is more sin in you than there is mercy in Christ.You feel helpless.You feel hopeless.If that's how you feel right now, my heart goes out to you because I've been there before.And I'm sure I'll be there again.If that's how you feel, I want to challenge you to stop looking at you.Stop looking at your circumstances.Fix your eyes on Jesus.Focus your attention on what He has given to you.Root your confidence in the new and everlasting life that has been given to you.Ask the Holy Spirit to re-energize you with the light you see when you open up the pagesof this book during your daily quiet time.You understand your hope is not found in you.You understand that your hope is not even found in your circumstances changing.Your hope is found in belonging to Christ.When you belong to Christ, you are given an unbeatable hope from an unbeatable Savior.I want to belong to Jesus because He gives me an unbeatable hope.I want to belong to Jesus because He gives me a meaningful mission.That's the second reason on your outline, because He gives me a meaningful mission.In verses 4 through 5, John talks about the message of the light.In verses 6 through 8, John talks about the messenger of the light.Let's read these verses together.There is a man sent from God whose name was John.He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through Him.He was not the light that came to bear witness about the light.To be clear, John is referencing a totally different John here.It's kind of confusing.What John is he talking about?John the Baptist.Why couldn't they have had a different name?Why couldn't it have been like Bill the Baptist or Baron the Baptist or whatever?Why did it have to be John?Well, don't worry.We'll make it work.We'll deal with it.John the Baptist was sent by God as a messenger to prepare the way for the promised Messiahand Savior who was prophesied about all throughout the Old Testament.John was prophesied of in the Old Testament as well.Isaiah 40 verse 3, "A voice cries in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord,make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'Malachi 3, 1, 'Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.'"John the Baptist came to roll out the red carpet for the coming king.He didn't come so that others would believe in him and believe in his greatness.He came so that others might believe in Christ through him.John the Baptist's followers once came to him to give him the news that a lot of peoplewere following Jesus.He was getting more popular and his disciples were even baptizing people, which is kindof like John's main thing.It's his name, right?John the Baptist.Like, John, don't you realize that all this is happening?Jesus is getting more popular than you.Is this frustrate John?Was he jealous?Not at all.He was actually really, really excited because he was successfully carrying out the meaningfulmission that God had entrusted to him.Here's the response he gives his disciples.He says, "He, Jesus, must increase, but I must decrease."That was the slogan of John's life in ministry.That should be the slogan of your life in ministry as well.He must increase, but I must decrease.You realize you're not the point of anything.Jesus is.John the Baptist wasn't the point of anything either.Jesus was.His mission was to point everyone to Christ, to bear witness to his light.I know what some of you serious students of the Bible may be thinking right now.You're internally objecting a bit.Hold on a minute, Pastor Taylor.You're saying that Jesus is the light and John the Baptist wasn't.But later on in this gospel, didn't Jesus say that John was like a lamp that was shining?And doesn't Jesus tell us that all Christians are the light of the world?How does this all make sense?Yeah, Jesus does say that in Matthew 5, 14, and then John 5, 35.To help answer those great questions, let me slip on my lab coat again and give you anotherpop quiz in astronomy.When you look up in the night sky and you see the moon shining bright.Does that moon actually have any light of its own?Where does its light come from?The sun, the light of the moon is shared and reflected.It's the same for John and it's the same for you and me.We have a shared and reflected light that is given to us by Jesus Christ.All throughout John chapter one, verses four through 13, the Greek word "phos" is usedin reference to Christ and "phos" is the essence of light.In John 5, 35, the Greek word "looknos" is used to describe John.A looknos is a portable lamp.Jesus is the light while John is the lamp that displays the light.A candle cannot shine on its own.It needs to be given the light of a flame.A lamp in your house cannot shine on its own.It needs to be given the light of a bulb.Jesus Christ is the sun and you are the moon.Jesus Christ is the flame, you are the candle.Jesus Christ is the bulb and you are the lamp.You are here on this earth to display His light to everyone, to shine His light in thedarkness, to bear witness about His light because you have none of your own.And I know what some of you were thinking at this point.Okay, Taylor, I know I need to buckle down and share the gospel.I need to make disciples.I need to shine His light everywhere.I'll do that as soon as the holidays are over.Whatever Christmas is in the rear view mirror, I'll get right on that.No, you won't.And you're thinking, where is your Christmas cheer, Pastor Taylor?What do you mean, no, I won't.I mean, you won't.If you will not bear witness the light of Christ today, what makes you think you'lldo it tomorrow?If you were unwilling to bear witness the light of Christ at the end of 2025, what makesyou think you'll be willing to do it at the start of 2026?Do you understand that Christmas is the perfect time to bear witness to the light of Christ?This is the time when you're around people, you're not usually around.This time of season is all about joy, but most people are miserable.Most people are looking for something that they cannot find because they're looking inthe wrong place.Right now is the perfect time to bear witness to the light.Grab a bunch of the Christmas Eve invite cards at the back table and hand them out as ifyou were given $100 for each one you handed out.I'm not going to give you $100, but the rewards you get in heaven for that will be infinitelygreater.Grab one of those invites, put it in an envelope, put money in that envelope, put a personalnote in that envelope and give it to your mailman tomorrow.Take it upon yourself to read scripture, your family get together this week and talk aboutwhy you're even celebrating Christmas, why Jesus came in the first place.Stop putting off that gospel conversation with that unsafe family member at Christmas.Finally do it.Invite that unbeliever who has no family in the area to your Christmas dinner.Buy them a Bible.Write a note in that Bible and give it to them.I keep going and going and going.There are so many ways to bear witness to the light of Christ this week.Don't make excuses for why you can't.Don't point to your calendar and say you're too busy.This is the reason why you're here, isn't it?To bear witness to the light.If anything, there's other things getting the way of the most important thing on your calendar.Don't justify your fear and laziness by saying you don't want to stir the pot this Christmas.You just want to have a calm Christmas.Shouldn't you care more about sharing the peace of Christ with your family and friends?When you belong to Christ, you recognize that you've been given a meaningful mission.When you belong to Christ, you value your calling way more than your comfort.When you belong to Christ, you make disciples, you don't make excuses.When you belong to Christ, you bear witness to his light because the darkness is everywherethat you go.I want to belong to Jesus because he gives me an unbeatable hope.I want to belong to Jesus because he gives me a meaningful mission.I want to belong to Jesus, final reason, because he gives me a spot in his family that I cannotearn.Because he gives me a spot in his family that I cannot earn.We talked about the message of the light and the messenger of the light.Now we're going to wrap up by talking about the two responses to the message of the light.The first response is in verses 9 through 11.The true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the world.He was in the world and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.He came to his own and his own people did not receive him.As I said earlier, the light of the Son of God is offered to everyone.Anyone is welcome to step into the light.Anyone is welcome to receive the life of Christ and be forever changed.But most choose to step out of the light rather than do it.Most choose to reject the life of Christ that is offered.And this is proven by verse 11.He came to his own people and his own people did not receive him.And this verse has two different focuses.When you zoom out, John is talking about mankind.Statistically and biblically, there are way more non-Christians than Christians.There are way more people who reject Christ than receive him.We all agree on that basic fact of life.But if you zoom in, John is talking about Israel.Many of Jesus' fellow Jews rejected him, hated him, called for his crucifixion.Many of the Jews rejected the message of Christ when it was shared by the apostles.Even to this day, many Jewish people refuse to accept that Jesus is the light.That's not always going to be the case.All does say in Romans that one day all Israel will be saved.Do you have time to talk about that right now?As Pastor Jeff often says, "Buy me some Pantera bread or Chick-fil-A."We'll talk about it across the street sometime.Here's an important question.Why do most people reject Jesus?Why do most people not receive the light of Christ?John gives us a very simple yet sad answer.Later on in this Gospel in chapter 3 verses 19 through 20, he writes, "And this is thejudgment.The light is coming to the world, and people love the darkness rather than the light, becausetheir works were evil.For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light,lest his works should be exposed."Have you ever been sleeping or laying in a dark room and suddenly someone turns thelights on?Are you overjoyed by this?Are you really excited by this?What's your natural human response?What do you do?You close your eyes, you cover your face with your hands and your blanket, you yell, "Turnthat light out!"That is the natural human response, physically and spiritually.It is far more comfortable to lay in the darkness than be in the light.It's simpler to be oblivious and not see yourself for who you really are.It's effortless to do nothing about your greatest problem, which is your sinful nature.It's easy to lash out at those who try to pull you into the light.That is why most people do not receive Jesus.They'd rather lay in the darkness.They love their sin more than Him.That's the first response to the message of the light.John says there's only one other response, and that's in verses 12 to 13, the best partof this entire passage.But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become childrenof God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will ofman, but of God.The first and wrong way to respond to Jesus is rejection.The second and right way to respond to Jesus is receiving and believing.You reach out to receive the gift of eternal life by believing in the name of Jesus Christ.We say that all the time, but what does it mean to believe in the name of Jesus?Well a name represents all of who a person is and all that a person does.When you believe in the name of Jesus Christ, you are believing that He is who the Biblesays that He is.That He has done all the Bible says He has done.You wholeheartedly believe that He is the Word of God who created all things.You have faith that He is the light of the world.He is your only source of hope.You trust that He is the Savior who died on the cross for your sins, who took the punishmentthat you deserve.You submit to the reality that He is the Lord of your life, who has the divine right totell you what to think, say, and do.When you receive Jesus and believe in His name, John says that you are given the rightto become a child of God.There are only two children in this entire world who have the right to claim that theyare my kids.I love all the kids in this church, but I love two of those kids the most.Only two of those kids have a legal right to say that I am their father.Only Samuel and Emmy Brown have that legal right.What's the evidence of this?Well, Kate and I have their birth certificates at home as proof that those kids belong tous.When you belong to Christ, your spiritual birth certificate is signed and sealed by His ownblood.You are given the right to claim God as your father and Jesus as your big brother.You have given the right to declare that you belong to the greatest family imaginable.Can you earn this right?Can you work your way into the family of God?Not according to John at the end of verse 13, he says, "Who were born not of blood northe will of flesh, nor the will of man, but of God."You are not given the right to become a child of God because you're a good person who doesnice things for other people.You are not given the right to become a child of God because your parents are great Christiansand raised you in the church.You are not given the right to become a child of God because you come to church every oncein a while.You pray regularly and do community service projects.You are not given the right to become a child of God because of your track record and yourgood works.You are given the right to become a child of God because of the gracious work of God inChrist.That's it.That's the only source.How do you respond to Jesus?Do you reject Him or do you receive Him?Do you believe in His name, His work, and His reputation, or do you believe in your name,your works, and your reputation?One response leads to eternal destruction while the other leads to eternal life.One response leads to everything being taken away from you and the other leads to everythingbeing given to you.Please don't leave this room without considering who Jesus is and what He is offering you.Everything hinges on your response to Him.What do you want for Christmas?Do you want to belong to the world or do you want to belong to Jesus?Do you want to settle for the flickering hopes of this sinful culture or do you want theunbeatable hope of an unbeatable Savior?Do you want to lead a meaningless existence or do you want to carry out the meaningfulmission of pointing others to the point of life?Do you want to be a child of the devil who absolutely hates you or do you want to bea child of God who unconditionally loves you?If you have not yet believed and received Jesus, now is your chance.Now is your opportunity.You don't know if you're getting another opportunity past this one, so don't waste it.The life of Christ is being offered to you right now.Don't slap the gift away.The light of Christ is shining in this moment.Do not step back into the darkness once again.Now is your time.Now is your chance.You're alive right now.You're not guaranteed tomorrow.Life is hard.Discouragements and disappointments are all around us.It's so easy to lose track of what's important in the darkness.And we need the light of biblical reminders to let us know what is true, what is real,and what is right.This ring I wear on my left hand is a symbol that I belong to my wife.I'm taken.I'm out looking for anybody else to give me that feeling right to belong to.The Lord's Supper is a powerful symbol that you belong to Christ and no one else.You're spoken for by the Son of God and you're not looking for anyone else to give your life meaning.You're not looking to anything else to give your life meaning.

Most people don't fail because they lack motivation or ambition. They fail because they're trying to win the year with willpower instead of systems. Setting big goals, feeling fired up in January, and then wondering by February why the momentum disappeared. What finally changed everything for me wasn't more goals. It was one habit. Then another. And suddenly, success stopped feeling forced and started feeling inevitable.In this solo episode of The Happy Hustle Podcast, I break down why habits beat goals every single time and how you can use two specific habits to make 2026 your most aligned, productive, and fulfilling year yet. This isn't theory. It's a simple, repeatable process rooted in behavioral science, real-life experience, and what I've seen work consistently for high-performing entrepreneurs who actually follow through. No guest this time, just me pulling back the curtain on the exact habit framework I use to create momentum in both my personal life and business.This episode matters because most people are doing goal-setting backwards. Statistically, over 80% of goals are abandoned by February, not because people don't care, but because goals rely on motivation while habits rewire identity. Habits are responsible for nearly half of our daily behavior, and when you focus on systems instead of outcomes, long-term success becomes two to three times more likely. If you're tired of setting intentions that never stick, this conversation will hit home.One of the biggest takeaways is the shift from goal setting to habit building. Goals excite your ego, but habits train your nervous system. Instead of obsessing over outcomes, you choose micro-actions that make success unavoidable. When you commit to the habit, the result takes care of itself. You don't rise to the level of your goals—you fall to the level of your habits.Another key lesson is the power of simplifying your focus. One personal habit. One professional habit. That's it. For your personal life, I recommend a non-negotiable morning alignment routine—30 to 60 minutes, five days a week, before the world gets a vote. For your professional life, it's a daily impact block—around 90 minutes of focused, uninterrupted work that compounds revenue, relationships, or impact. When you win the morning and protect your impact block, everything else starts to align.The episode also dives into identity-based habits. Consistency beats intensity every time. When you keep small promises to yourself daily, you start seeing yourself as someone who follows through—and that identity drives behavior automatically. Environment matters too. Your surroundings either reinforce your habits or sabotage them, so removing friction and temptation is part of the work.One of the most important pieces I share is accountability and consequence. Habits stick when there's something at stake. That might be a financial penalty, an accountability partner, or a rule that rewards only come after the habit is complete. When you attach real consequences to inaction, discipline stops being optional.At the end of the day, 2026 doesn't need more pressure, more grind, or more resolutions. It needs alignment. It needs you to keep your word to yourself. One personal habit. One professional habit. Done consistently. That's how you build momentum, confidence, and a life you actually love living.If you want the full breakdown, the science, the stories, and the exact framework I use to make habits stick, listen to the full episode of The Happy Hustle Podcast. Lock in the habits now and let the results take care of themselves.Connect with Cary!https://www.instagram.com/caryjack/https://www.facebook.com/SirCaryJackhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/cary-jack-kendzior/https://twitter.com/thehappyhustlehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDNsD59tLxv2JfEuSsNMOQ/featured Get a free copy of his new book, The Happy Hustle, 10 Alignments to Avoid Burnout & Achieve Blissful Balance https://www.thehappyhustle.com/bookSign up for The Journey: 10 Days To Become a Happy Hustler Online Coursehttps://thehappyhustle.com/thejourney/Apply to the Montana Mastermind Epic Camping Adventurehttps://thehappyhustle.com/mastermind/“It's time to Happy Hustle, a blissfully balanced life you love, full of passion, purpose, and positive impact!”Episode Sponsors:If you're feeling stressed, not sleeping great, or your energy's been kinda meh lately—let me put you on to something that's been a total game-changer for me: Magnesium Breakthrough by BiOptimizers. This ain't your average magnesium—it's got all 7 essential forms that your body needs to chill out, sleep deeper, and feel more balanced. I take it every night and legit notice the difference the next day. No more waking up groggy or tossing and turning all nightIf you're ready to sleep like a baby, calm your nervous system, and optimize your recovery, go grab yours now at bioptimizers.com/happy and use code HAPPY10 for 10% OFF.

Statistically, it's terrifying. All the things that can go wrong. But you need to remember that statistics are about averages.

Gen Z was never the problem child of the workplace as much as a mirror showing leaders how our parenting and leadership habits shaped the next wave of employees. In this conversation, Amy talks with psychologist and author Dr. Andrea Mata about why the gentle parenting movement has unintentionally fueled the youth mental health crisis and how that shows up as “the American corporate tsunami” inside our teams. You'll hear how overfocus on feelings, avoidance of consequences, and treating kids like peers can create adults who crumble after feedback, call in sick after small mistakes, or expect promotion on day one. Dr. Mata walks leaders through a better path built on high expectations with high support, frequent coaching style check-ins instead of once a year reviews, and scaffolding that builds emotional strength instead of enabling fragility. You'll also hear how to respond when someone calls in sick after a breakup, how to work with parents who step into workplace conversations, and how to turn your own anger and frustration into a clear sense of passion and purpose in your career.Key Takeaways:Why Gentle Parenting Backfired - See how overfocus on feelings and partnership parenting can weaken emotional strength in young adults at work.Inside the Gen Z “Corporate Tsunami” - Learn why managers fire Gen Z faster, struggle with basic expectations, and feel blindsided by new workplace norms.High Expectations With High Support - Explore how clear behavior standards plus real coaching create confident, capable Gen Z employees instead of collapse.Feedback Without Fragility - Hear how to replace yearly reviews with short cycles, normalize discomfort, and use “exposure” to build feedback muscles.Scaffolding Skills Instead of Saving People - Get simple tell show do steps for teaching presentations, ownership, and independence without throwing people to the wolves.Turning Heartbreak and Hard Days Into Growth - Discover how to honor mental health days with empathy while still protecting results, planning, and team trust.About the Guest: Dr. Andrea Mata, PhD, is on a mission to throat-punch the youth mental health crisis and equip parents, educators, and leaders with the tools they need to raise emotionally strong kids and build resilient communities. Statistically, she shouldn't be where she is today, growing up as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant in a gang-infested neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago. But Dr. Mata transformed her challenging upbringing into a source of strength, becoming a nationally recognized psychologist and speaker.She is the author of The No. 2 Parenting Book: Practical Tips for the Pooped-Out Parent and a leading voice in promoting authoritative parenting: a research-backed approach that combines high expectations with emotional warmth. Her insights have been featured on CNN, The Tamron Hall Show and in The Wall Street Journal, where she offers real-world strategies for navigating parenting, behavior, and mental health with clarity and confidence.With advanced degrees from Valparaiso University and Kent State University, Dr. Mata founded BrightSpot Families and partnered with the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Toledo. Known for her direct, relatable style, she delivers practical tools with just the right mix of science, humor, and real-life grit.https://www.andreadmata.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/drdremata/ https://www.instagram.com/drdremata/ About Amy:Amy Lynn Durham, known by her...

For years, federal audit contractors have treated statistical extrapolation as the unassailable engine driving massive overpayment demands. The premise sounds reasonable enough: review a small sample of claims, calculate an error rate, and multiply across the entire population to produce a "statistically valid" overpayment figure.In a perfect world, this approach might hold up. But healthcare isn't a perfect world. It's a domain where coding is inherently subjective, documentation varies dramatically by provider, and even seasoned experts routinely disagree on the same chart. In this environment, extrapolation doesn't multiply truth—it amplifies uncertainty. Join us Monday during the long-running Monitor Monday when senior healthcare analyst Frank Cohen returns to the broadcast to debunk long-held beliefs regarding auditing, auditors and extrapolation. Broadcast segments will also include these instantly recognizable features:·      Monday Rounds: Ronald Hirsch, MD, vice president of R1 RCM, will be making his Monday Rounds. ·      The RAC Report: Healthcare attorney Knicole Emanuel, partner at the law firm of Nelson Mullins, will report the latest news about auditors. ·      Legislative Update: Cate Brantley, legislative affairs analyst for Zelis, will report on the news happening at the intersection of healthcare and congressional action.·      Risky Business: Healthcare attorney David Glaser, shareholder in the law offices of Fredrikson & Byron, will join the broadcast with his trademark segment.

It's my 50th birthday. And I'm not here to give you a load of bullshit about how excited I am, or how 50 is the new 40.The late 40s have been TOUGH.And that's true for most people.Statistically, 47 is the most unhappy age. (Yes, actual scientists have studied this.)It's the collision of parenting, elder care, and peak work responsibilities.Your time has never been more constrained.You feel urgency to trek to Mt. Everest Base Camp while you're still healthy — but you're working 60 hours a week and supporting multiple family members. You worry that your happiest years are past — and it just gets worse from here.Bestie, if this is you, you really need this week's episode of the Climb Your Mountain podcast.Because it is going to give you HOPE.It's going to reassure you that greater happiness is coming.You don't have to work for it.It's going to happen naturally.And.You can also move toward happiness NOW.Not by quitting your job and walking across Mongolia with twenty dollars in your pocket. (Although that would be a totally iconic midlife crisis thing to do.)You get to start reclaiming happiness right here, one small step at a time.Here's how.Enjoy ❤️ RESOURCES MENTIONEDThe Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50 (book) (aff. link)WORK WITH SARAHCurious about how life coaching can help you? You can schedule a free consultation by:Clicking here and grabbing some time on my calendarEmailing me at sarah@missadventurepants.com

The Packers are about three quarters of the way through their season. What do the numbers say about how they've done so far?GET IN TOUCHLeave us a voicemail and hear yourself in a future episodehttps://www.speakpipe.com/thepowersweepPrefer more old-school contact? Reach out here:https://thepowersweep.com/contactSUPPORT BLUE 58Donate to our Patreon - For as little as $1 per month, you can access Patreon-only content and get access to our private Discord server.https://www.patreon.com/thepowersweepSubscribe to The Power Sweep's Substack to stay in touch and get content beamed straight to your email inboxhttps://thepowersweep.substack.com/Buy a T-Shirt or Sweatshirt - Look good while supporting The Power Sweep.https://www.teepublic.com/stores/the-power-sweep?ref_id=25927Leave us a 5-Star Review on iTunes - It helps more people find the show!Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/blue-58. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Surveys show there are more people in therapy than ever. On one hand I feel there is more benefit in talking with someone than not. And on the other hand I'm concerned whether all the therapy is paying off. Statistically, mental health continues on a decline. So when I heard about SFBT therapy, I intrigued myself. SFBT is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, defined as a goal-oriented, short-term approach that focuses on identifying a client's strengths and resources to find solutions to their problems, rather than dwelling on the problems themselves. My guest today is one of the foremost experts on Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. Elliott Connie is a respected author, top psychotherapist, and thought leader in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), takes a fresh approach. He has a book, Change Your Questions, Change Your Future: Overcome Challenges and Create a New Vision for Your Life Using the Principles of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy. In his book, Elliott challenges readers to rethink their questions and the thinking behind them, and I resonate with the concepts very much. The idea is using powerful, forward-focused questions that are designed to help you shift your mindset and create meaningful change. The highlights for me were the realization of how much more powerful it is when we think for ourselves and ask questions, rather than be told something. When we are told something by someone else, we can often push back against it. When we consider and come up with an answer to a question ourselves, we listen. We also got deep into the power of knowing and living in accordance with our core values. But not the “big picture core values,” as Elliott points out. We tend to think of beliefs and morality, but where he finds it most powerful is in the day to day values that actually support who we are and want to be. Elliott's book, Change Your Questions, Change Your Future, is available now, and you can connect with him and SFBT at elliottconnie.com Sign up for your $1/month trial period at shopify.com/kevin Go to shipstation.com and use code KEVIN to start your free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 721 - 2026 doesn't magically change your life - you do.Statistically, 92% of people will repeat the same patterns, same identity, same results… all because they try to drag their old self into a new year.In this podcast, I unpack:• Why most people fail with their goals• The real reason change doesn't stick• Why identity beats motivation every time• How to create clarity around your desired reality• The steps to actually transform in 2026If you're ready to stop drifting through life and start designing it… this is your wake-up call.Ready to Get Unstuck? Apply for 1:1 coaching here: https://www.heatherhakes.com/breakthrough-callMY PRODUCTS AND COACHING:

I am Rolf Claessen and together with my co-host Ken Suzan I am welcoming you to episode 169 of our podcast IP Fridays! Today's interview guest is Prof. Aloys Hüttermann, co-founder of my patent law firm Michalski Hüttermann & Partner and a true expert on the Unified Patent Court. He has written several books about the new system and we talk about all the things that plaintiffs and defendants can learn from the first decisions of the court and what they mean for strategic decisions of the parties involved. But before we jump into this very interesting interview, I have news for you! The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is planning rule changes that would make it virtually impossible for third parties to challenge invalid patents before the patent office. Criticism has come from the EFF and other inventor rights advocates: the new rules would play into the hands of so-called non-practicing entities (NPEs), as those attacked would have few cost-effective ways to have questionable patents deleted. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reports a new record in international patent applications: in 2024, around 3.7 million patent applications were filed worldwide – an increase of 4.9% over the previous year. The main drivers were Asian countries (China alone accounted for 1.8 million), while demand for trademark protection has stabilized after the pandemic decline. US rapper Eminem is taking legal action in Australia against a company that sells swimwear under the name “Swim Shady.” He believes this infringes on his famous “Slim Shady” brand. The case illustrates that even humorous allusions to well-known brand names can lead to legal conflicts. A new ruling by the Unified Patent Court (UPC) demonstrates its cross-border impact. In “Fujifilm v. Kodak,” the local chamber in Mannheim issued an injunction that extends to the UK despite Brexit. The UPC confirmed its jurisdiction over the UK parts of a European patent, as the defendant Kodak is based in a UPC member state. A dispute over standard patents is looming at the EU level: the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) of the European Parliament voted to take the European Commission to the European Court of Justice. The reason for this is the Commission’s controversial withdrawal of a draft regulation on the licensing of standard-essential patents (SEPs). Parliament President Roberta Metsola is to decide by mid-November whether to file the lawsuit. In trademark law, USPTO Director Squires reported on October 31, 2025, that a new unit (“Trademark Registration Protection Office”) had removed approximately 61,000 invalid trademark applications from the registries. This cleanup of the backlog relieved the examining authority and accelerated the processing of legitimate applications. Now let's jump into the interview with Aloys Hüttermann: The Unified Patent Court Comes of Age – Insights from Prof. Aloys Hüttermann The Unified Patent Court (UPC) has moved from a long-discussed project to a living, breathing court system that already shapes patent enforcement in Europe. In a recent IP Fridays interview, Prof. Aloys Hüttermann – founder and equity partner at Michalski · Hüttermann & Partner and one of the earliest commentators on the UPC – shared his experiences from the first years of practice, as well as his view on how the UPC fits into the global patent litigation landscape. This article summarises the key points of that conversation and is meant as an accessible overview for in-house counsel, patent attorneys and business leaders who want to understand what the UPC means for their strategy. How Prof. Hüttermann Became “Mr. UPC” Prof. Hüttermann has been closely involved with the UPC for more than a decade. When it became clear, around 13 years ago, that the European project of a unified patent court and a unitary patent was finally going to happen, he recognised that this would fundamentally change patent enforcement in Europe. He started to follow the legislative and political developments in detail and went beyond mere observation. As author and editor of several books and a major commentary on the UPC, he helped shape the discussion around the new system. His first book on the UPC appeared in 2016 – years before the court finally opened its doors in 2023. What fascinated him from the beginning was the unique opportunity to witness the creation of an entirely new court system, to analyse how it would be built and, where possible, to contribute to its understanding and development. It was clear to him that this system would be a “game changer” for European patent enforcement. UPC in the Global Triangle: Europe, the US and China In practice, most international patent disputes revolve around three major regions: the UPC territory in Europe, the United States and China. Each of these regions has its own procedural culture, cost structure and strategic impact. From a territorial perspective, the UPC is particularly attractive because it can, under the right conditions, grant pan-European injunctions that cover a broad range of EU Member States with a single decision. This consolidation of enforcement is something national courts in Europe simply cannot offer. From a cost perspective, the UPC is significantly cheaper than US litigation, especially if one compares the cost of one UPC action with a bundle of separate national cases in large European markets. When viewed against the territorial reach and procedural speed, the “bang for the buck” is very compelling. China is again a different story. The sheer volume of cases there is enormous, with tens of thousands of patent infringement cases per year. Chinese courts are known for their speed; first-instance decisions within about a year are common. In this respect they resemble the UPC more than the US does. The UPC also aims at a roughly 12 to 15 month time frame for first-instance cases where validity is at issue. The US, by contrast, features extensive discovery, occasionally jury trials and often longer timelines. The procedural culture is very different. The UPC, like Chinese courts, operates without discovery in the US sense, which makes proceedings more focused on the written record and expert evidence that the parties present, and less on pre-trial disclosure battles. Whether a company chooses to litigate in the US, the UPC, China, or some combination of these forums will depend on where the key markets and assets are. However, in Prof. Hüttermann's view, once Europe is an important market, it is hard to justify ignoring the UPC. He expects the court's caseload and influence to grow strongly over the coming years. A Landmark UPC Case: Syngenta v. Sumitomo A particularly important case in which Prof. Hüttermann was involved is the Syngenta v. Sumitomo matter, concerning a composition patent. This case has become a landmark in UPC practice for several reasons. First, the Court of Appeal clarified a central point about the reach of UPC injunctions. It made clear that once infringement is established in one Member State, this will usually be sufficient to justify a pan-European injunction covering all UPC countries designated by the patent. That confirmation gave patent owners confidence that the UPC can in fact deliver broad, cross-border relief in one go. Second, the facts of the case raised novel issues about evidence and territorial reach. The allegedly infringing product had been analysed based on a sample from the Czech Republic, which is not part of the UPC system. Later, the same product with the same name was marketed in Bulgaria, which is within UPC territory. The Court of Appeal held that the earlier analysis of the Czech sample could be relied on for enforcement in Bulgaria. This showed that evidence from outside the UPC territory can be sufficient, as long as it is properly linked to the products marketed within the UPC. Third, the Court of Appeal took the opportunity to state its view on inventive step. It confirmed that combining prior-art documents requires a “pointer”, in line with the EPO's problem-solution approach. The mere theoretical possibility of extracting a certain piece of information from a document does not suffice to justify an inventive-step attack. This is one of several decisions where the UPC has shown a strong alignment with EPO case law on substantive patentability. For Prof. Hüttermann personally, the case was also a lesson in oral advocacy before the UPC. During the two appeal hearings, the presiding judge asked unexpected questions that required quick and creative responses while the hearing continued. His practical takeaway is that parties should appear with a small, well-coordinated team: large enough to allow someone to work on a tricky question in the background, but small enough to remain agile. Two or three lawyers seem ideal; beyond that, coordination becomes difficult and “too many cooks spoil the broth”. A Game-Changing CJEU Decision: Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte v. Electrolux Surprisingly, one of the most important developments for European patent litigation in the past year did not come from the UPC at all, but from the Court of Justice of the European Union. In Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte v. Electrolux, the CJEU revisited the rules on cross-border jurisdiction under the Brussels I Recast Regulation (Brussels Ia). Previously, under what practitioners often referred to as the GAT/LuK regime, a court in one EU country was largely prevented from granting relief for alleged infringement in another country if the validity of the foreign patent was contested there. This significantly limited the possibilities for cross-border injunctions. In Bosch, the CJEU changed course. Without going into all procedural details, the essence is that courts in the EU now have broader powers to grant cross-border relief when certain conditions are met, particularly when at least one defendant is domiciled in the forum state. The concept of an “anchor defendant” plays a central role: if you sue one group company in its home forum, other group companies in other countries, including outside the EU, can be drawn into the case. This has already had practical consequences. German courts, for example, have issued pan-European injunctions covering around twenty countries in pharmaceutical cases. There are even attempts to sue European companies for infringement of US patents based on acts in the US, using the logic of Bosch as a starting point. How far courts will ultimately go remains to be seen, but the potential is enormous. For the UPC, this development is highly relevant. The UPC operates in the same jurisdictional environment as national courts, and many defendants in UPC cases will be domiciled in UPC countries. This increases the likelihood that the UPC, too, can leverage the broadened possibilities for cross-border relief. In addition, we have already seen UPC decisions that include non-EU countries such as the UK within the scope of injunctions, in certain constellations. The interaction between UPC practice and the Bosch jurisprudence of the CJEU is only beginning to unfold. Does the UPC Follow EPO Case Law? A key concern for many patent owners and practitioners is whether the UPC will follow the EPO's Boards of Appeal or develop its own, possibly divergent, case law on validity. On procedural matters, the UPC is naturally different from the EPO. It has its own rules of procedure, its own timelines and its own tools, such as “front-loaded” pleadings and tight limits on late-filed material. On substantive law, however, Prof. Hüttermann's conclusion is clear: there is “nothing new under the sun”. The UPC's approach to novelty, inventive step and added matter is very close to that of the EPO. The famous “gold standard” for added matter appears frequently in UPC decisions. Intermediate generalisations are treated with the same suspicion as at the EPO. In at least one case, the UPC revoked a patent for added matter even though the EPO had granted it in exactly that form. The alignment is not accidental. The UPC only deals with European patents granted by the EPO; it does not hear cases on purely national patents. If the UPC were more generous than the EPO, many patents would never reach it. If it were systematically stricter, patentees would be more tempted to opt out of the system. In practice, the UPC tends to apply the EPO's standards and, where anything differs, it is usually a matter of factual appreciation rather than a different legal test. For practitioners, this has a very practical implication: if you want to predict how the UPC will decide on validity, the best starting point is to ask how the EPO would analyse the case. The UPC may not always reach the same result in parallel EPO opposition proceedings, but the conceptual framework is largely the same. Trends in UPC Practice: PIs, Equivalents and Division-Specific Styles Even in its early years, certain trends and differences between UPC divisions can be observed. On preliminary injunctions, the local division in Düsseldorf has taken a particularly proactive role. It has been responsible for most of the ex parte PIs granted so far and applies a rather strict notion of urgency, often considering one month after knowledge of the infringement as still acceptable, but treating longer delays with scepticism. Other divisions tend to see two months as still compatible with urgency, and they are much more cautious with ex parte measures. Munich, by contrast, has indicated a strong preference for inter partes PI proceedings and appears reluctant to grant ex parte relief at all. A judge from Munich has even described the main action as the “fast” procedure and the inter partes PI as the “very fast” one, leaving little room for an even faster ex parte track. There are also differences in how divisions handle amendments and auxiliary requests in PI proceedings. Munich has suggested that if a patentee needs to rely on claim amendments or auxiliary requests in a PI, the request is unlikely to succeed. Other divisions have been more open to considering auxiliary requests. The doctrine of equivalents is another area where practice is not yet harmonised. The Hague division has explicitly applied a test taken from Dutch law in at least one case and found infringement by equivalence. However, the Court of Appeal has not yet endorsed a specific test, and in another recent Hague case the same division did not apply that Dutch-law test again. The Mannheim division has openly called for the development of an autonomous, pan-European equivalence test, but has not yet fixed such a test in a concrete decision. This is clearly an area to watch. Interim conferences are commonly used in most divisions to clarify issues early on, but Düsseldorf often dispenses with them to save time. In practice, interim conferences can be very helpful for narrowing down the issues, though parties should not expect to be able to predict the final decision from what is discussed there. Sometimes topics that dominate the interim conference play little or no role in the main oral hearing. A Front-Loaded System and Typical Strategic Mistakes UPC proceedings are highly front-loaded and very fast. A defendant usually has three months from service of the statement of claim to file a full statement of defence and any counterclaim for revocation. This is manageable, but only if the time is used wisely. One common strategic problem is that parties lose time at the beginning and only develop a clear strategy late in the three-month period. According to Prof. Hüttermann, it is crucial to have a firm strategy within the first two or three weeks and then execute it consistently. Constantly changing direction is a recipe for failure in such a compressed system. Another characteristic is the strict attitude towards late-filed material. It is difficult to introduce new documents or new inventive-step attacks later in the procedure. In some cases even alternative combinations of already-filed prior-art documents have been viewed as “new” attacks and rejected as late. At the appeal stage, the Court of Appeal has even considered new arguments based on different parts of a book already in the file as potentially late-filed. This does not mean that parties should flood the court with dozens of alternative attacks in the initial brief. In one revocation action, a plaintiff filed about fifty different inventive-step attacks, only to be told by the court that this was not acceptable and that the attacks had to be reduced and structured. The UPC is not a body conducting ex officio examination. It is entitled to manage the case actively and to ask parties to focus on the most relevant issues. Evidence Gathering, Protective Letters and the Defendant's Perspective The UPC provides powerful tools for both sides. Evidence inspection is becoming more common, not only at trade fairs but also at company premises. This can be a valuable tool for patentees, but it also poses a serious risk for defendants who may suddenly face court-ordered inspections. From the perspective of potential defendants, protective letters are an important instrument, especially in divisions like Düsseldorf where ex parte PIs are possible. A well-written protective letter, filed in advance, can significantly reduce the risk of a surprise injunction. The court fees are moderate, but the content of the protective letter must be carefully prepared; a poor submission can cause more harm than good. Despite the strong tools available to patentees, Prof. Hüttermann does not view the UPC as unfair to defendants. If a defendant files a solid revocation counterclaim, the pressure shifts to the patentee, who then has only two months to reply, prepare all auxiliary requests and adapt the enforcement strategy. This is even more demanding than at the EPO, because the patentee must not only respond to validity attacks but also ensure that any amended claims still capture the allegedly infringing product. It is entirely possible to secure the survival of a patent with an auxiliary request that no longer covers the defendant's product. In that scenario, the patentee has “won” on validity but lost the infringement case. Managing this tension under tight time limits is a key challenge of UPC practice. The Future Role of the UPC and How to Prepare Today the UPC hears a few hundred cases per year, compared with several thousand patent cases in the US and tens of thousands in China. Nevertheless, both the court itself and experienced practitioners see significant growth potential. Prof. Hüttermann expects case numbers to multiply in the medium term. Whether the UPC will become the first choice forum in global disputes or remain one pillar in parallel proceedings alongside the US and China will depend on the strategies of large patentees and the evolution of case law. However, the court is well equipped: it covers a large, economically important territory, is comparatively cost-effective and offers fast procedures with robust remedies. For companies that may end up before the UPC, preparation is essential. On the offensive side, that means building strong evidence and legal arguments before filing, being ready to proceed quickly and structured, and understanding the specific styles of the relevant divisions. On the defensive side, it may mean filing protective letters in risk-exposed markets, preparing internal processes for rapid reaction if a statement of claim arrives, and taking inspection requests seriously. Conclusion The Unified Patent Court has quickly moved from theory to practice. It offers pan-European relief, fast and front-loaded procedures, and a substantive approach that closely mirrors the EPO's case law. At the same time, national and EU-level developments like the Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte v. Electrolux decision are reshaping the jurisdictional framework in which the UPC operates, opening the door for far-reaching cross-border injunctions. For patent owners and potential defendants alike, the message is clear: the UPC is here to stay and will become more important year by year. Those who invest the time to understand its dynamics now – including its alignment with the EPO, the differences between divisions, and the strategic implications of its procedures – will be in a much better position when the first UPC dispute lands on their desk. Here is the full transcript of the interview: Rolf Claessen:Today's interview guest is Prof. Aloys Hüttermann. He is founder and equity partner of my firm, Michalski · Hüttermann & Partner. More importantly for today's interview, he has written several books about the Unified Patent Court. The first one already came out in 2016. He is co-editor and author of one of the leading commentaries on the UPC and has gained substantial experience in UPC cases so far – one of them even together with me. Thank you very much for being on IP Fridays again, Aloys. Aloys Hüttermann:Thank you for inviting me, it's an honour. How did you get so deeply involved in the UPC? Rolf Claessen:Before we dive into the details, how did you end up so deeply involved in the Unified Patent Court? And what personally fascinates you about this court? Aloys Hüttermann:This goes back quite a while – roughly 13 years. At that time it became clear that, after several failed attempts, Europe would really get a pan-European court and a pan-European patent, and that this time it was serious. I thought: this is going to be the future. That interested me a lot, both intellectually and practically. A completely new system was being built. You could watch how it evolved – and, if possible, even help shape it a bit. It was also obvious to me that this would be a complete game changer. Nobody expected that it would take until 2023 before the system actually started operating, but now it is here. I became heavily interested early on. As you mentioned, my first book on the UPC was published in 2016, in the expectation that the system would start soon. It took a bit longer, but now we finally have it. UPC vs. US and China – speed, cost and impact Rolf Claessen:Before we go deeper into the UPC, let's zoom out. If you compare litigation before the UPC with patent litigation in the US and in China – in terms of speed, cost and the impact of decisions – what are the key differences that a business leader should understand? Aloys Hüttermann:If you look at the three big regions – the UPC territory in Europe, the US and China – these are the major economic areas for many technology companies. One important point is territorial reach. In the UPC, if the conditions are met, you can get pan-European injunctions that cover many EU Member States in one go. We will talk about this later in more detail. On costs there is a huge difference between the US and the UPC. The UPC is much cheaper than US litigation, especially once you look at the number of countries you can cover with one case if the patent has been validated widely. China is different again. The number of patent infringement cases there is enormous. I have seen statistics of around 40,000 infringement cases per year in China. That is huge – compared with roughly 164 UPC infringement cases in the first year and maybe around 200 in the current year. On speed, Chinese courts are known to be very fast. You often get a first-instance decision in about a year. The UPC is comparable: if there is a counterclaim for revocation, you are looking at something like 12 to 15 months for a first-instance decision. The US can be slower, and the procedure is very different. You have full discovery, you may have juries. None of that exists at the UPC. From that perspective, Chinese and UPC proceedings are more similar to each other than either is to the US. The UPC is still a young court. We have to see how influential its case law will be worldwide in the long run. What we already see, at least in Germany, is a clear trend away from purely national patent litigation and towards the UPC. That is inside Europe. The global impact will develop over time. When is the UPC the most powerful tool? Rolf Claessen:Let's take the perspective of a global company. It has significant sales in Europe and in the US and production or key suppliers in China. In which situations would you say the UPC is your most powerful tool? And when might the US or China be the more strategic battleground? Aloys Hüttermann:To be honest, I would almost always consider bringing a case before the UPC. The “bang for the buck” is very good. The UPC is rather fast. That alone already gives you leverage in negotiations. The threat of a quick, wide-reaching injunction is a strong negotiation tool. Whether you litigate in the US instead of the UPC, or in addition, or whether you also go to China – that depends heavily on the individual case: where the products are sold, where the key markets are, where the defendant has assets, and so on. But in my view, once you have substantial sales in Europe, you should seriously consider the UPC. And for that reason alone I expect case numbers at the UPC to increase significantly in the coming years. A landmark UPC case: Syngenta vs. Sumitomo (composition patent) Rolf Claessen:You have already been involved in several UPC cases – and one of them together with me, which was great fun. Looking at the last 12 to 18 months, is there a case, decision or development that you find particularly noteworthy – something that really changed how you think about UPC litigation or how companies should prepare? Aloys Hüttermann:The most important UPC case I have been involved in so far is the Syngenta v. Sumitomo case on a composition patent. It has become a real landmark and was even mentioned in the UPC's annual report. It is important for several reasons. First, it was one of the first cases in which the Court of Appeal said very clearly: if you have established infringement in one Member State, that will usually be enough for a pan-European injunction covering all UPC countries designated by the patent. That is a powerful statement about the reach of UPC relief. Second, the facts were interesting. The patent concerned a composition. We had analysed a sample that had been obtained in the Czech Republic, which is not a UPC country. Later, the same product was marketed under the same name in Bulgaria, which is in the UPC. The question was whether the analysis of the Czech sample could be used as a basis for enforcement in Bulgaria. The Court of Appeal said yes, that was sufficient. Third, the Court of Appeal took the opportunity to say something about inventive step. It more or less confirmed that the UPC's approach is very close to the EPO's problem-solution approach. It emphasised that, if you want to combine prior-art documents, you need a “pointer” to do so. The mere theoretical possibility that a skilled person could dig a particular piece of information out of a document is not enough. For me personally, the most memorable aspect of this case was not the outcome – that was largely in line with what we had expected – but the oral hearings at the appeal stage. We had two hearings. In both, the presiding judge asked us a question that we had not anticipated at all. And then you have about 20 minutes to come up with a convincing answer while the hearing continues. We managed it, but it made me think a lot about how you should prepare for oral hearings at the UPC. My conclusion is: you should go in with a team, but not too big. In German we say, “Zu viele Köche verderben den Brei” – too many cooks spoil the broth. Two or three people seems ideal. One of them can work quietly on such a surprise question at the side, while the others continue arguing the case. In the end the case went very well for us, so I can speak about it quite calmly now. But in the moment your heart rate definitely goes up. The CJEU's Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte v. Electrolux decision – a real game changer Rolf Claessen:You also mentioned another development that is not even a UPC case, but still very important for European patent litigation. Aloys Hüttermann:Yes. In my view, the most important case of the last twelve months is not a UPC decision but a judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU): Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte v. Electrolux. This is going to be a real game changer for European IP law, and I am sure we have not seen the end of its effects yet. One example: someone has recently sued BMW before the Landgericht München I, a German court, for infringement of a US patent based on acts in the US. The argument is that this could be backed by the logic of Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte v. Electrolux. We do not know yet what the court will do with that, but the fact that people are trying this shows how far-reaching the decision might be. Within the UPC we have already seen injunctions being issued for countries outside the UPC territory and even outside the EU, for example including the UK. So you see how these developments start to interact. Rolf Claessen:For listeners who have not followed the case so closely: in very simple terms, the CJEU opened the door for courts in one EU country to rule on patent infringement that took place in other countries as well, right? Aloys Hüttermann:Exactly. Before Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte v. Electrolux we had what was often called the GAT/LuK regime. The basic idea was: if you sue someone in, say, Germany for infringement of a European patent, and you also ask for an injunction for France, and the defendant then challenges the validity of the patent in France, the German court cannot grant you an injunction covering France. The Bosch decision changed that. The legal basis is the Brussels I Recast Regulation (Brussels Ia), which deals with jurisdiction in civil and commercial matters in the EU. It is not specific to IP; it applies to civil cases generally, but it does have some provisions that are relevant for patents. In Bosch, a Swedish court asked the CJEU for guidance on cross-border injunctions. The CJEU more or less overturned its old GAT/LuK case law. Now, in principle, if the defendant is domiciled in a particular Member State, the courts of that state can also grant cross-border relief for other countries, under certain conditions. We will not go into all the details here – that could fill a whole separate IP Fridays episode – but one important concept is the “anchor defendant”. If you sue a group of companies and at least one defendant is domiciled in the forum state, then other group companies in other countries – even outside the EU, for example in Hong Kong – can be drawn into the case and affected by the decision. This is not limited to the UPC, but of course it is highly relevant for UPC litigation. Statistically it increases the chances that at least one defendant will be domiciled in a UPC country, simply because there are many of them. And we have already seen courts like the Landgericht München I grant pan-European injunctions for around 20 countries in a pharmaceutical case. Rolf Claessen:Just to clarify: does it have to be the headquarters of the defendant in that country, or is any registered office enough? Aloys Hüttermann:That is one of the open points. If the headquarters are in Europe, then it is clear that subsidiaries outside Europe can be affected as well. If the group's headquarters are outside Europe and only a subsidiary is here, the situation is less clear and we will have to see what the courts make of it. Does the UPC follow EPO case law? Rolf Claessen:Many patent owners and in-house counsel wonder: does the UPC largely follow the case law of the EPO Boards of Appeal, or is it starting to develop its own distinct line? What is your impression so far – both on substantive issues like novelty and inventive step, and on procedural questions? Aloys Hüttermann:On procedure the UPC is, of course, very different. It has its own procedural rules and they are not the same as at the EPO. If we look at patent validity, however, my impression is that there is “nothing new under the sun” – that was the title of a recent talk I gave and will give again in Hamburg. Substantively, the case law of the UPC and the EPO is very similar. For inventive step, people sometimes say the UPC does not use the classical problem-solution approach but a more “holistic” approach – whatever that is supposed to mean. In practice, in both systems you read and interpret prior-art documents and decide what they really disclose. In my view, the “error bar” that comes from two courts simply reading a document slightly differently is much larger than any systematic difference in legal approach. If you look at other grounds, such as novelty and added matter, the UPC even follows the EPO almost verbatim. The famous “gold standard” for added matter appears all over UPC decisions, even if the EPO case numbers are not always cited. The same is true for novelty. So the rule-based, almost “Hilbertian” EPO approach is very much present at the UPC. There is also a structural reason for that. All patents that the UPC currently deals with have been granted by the EPO. The UPC does not handle patents granted only by national offices. If the UPC wanted to deviate from EPO case law and be more generous, then many patents would never reach the UPC in the first place. The most generous approach you can have is the one used by the granting authority – the EPO. So if the UPC wants to be different, it can only be stricter, not more lenient. And there is little incentive to be systematically stricter, because that would reduce the number of patents that are attractive to enforce before the UPC. Patent owners might simply opt out. Rolf Claessen:We also talked about added matter and a recent case where the Court of Appeal was even stricter than the EPO. That probably gives US patent practitioners a massive headache. They already struggle with added-matter rules in Europe, and now the UPC might be even tougher. Aloys Hüttermann:Yes, especially on added matter. I once spoke with a US practitioner who said, “We hope the UPC will move away from intermediate generalisations.” There is no chance of that. We already have cases where the Court of Appeal confirmed that intermediate generalisations are not allowed, in full alignment with the EPO. You mentioned a recent case where a patent was revoked for added matter, even though it had been granted by the EPO in exactly that form. This shows quite nicely what to expect. If you want to predict how the UPC will handle a revocation action, the best starting point is to ask: “What would the EPO do?” Of course, there will still be cases where the UPC finds an invention to be inventive while the EPO, in parallel opposition proceedings, does not – or vice versa. But those are differences in the appreciation of the facts and the prior art, which you will always have. The underlying legal approach is essentially the same. Rolf Claessen:So you do not see a real example yet where the UPC has taken a totally different route from the EPO on validity? Aloys Hüttermann:No, not really. If I had to estimate how the UPC will decide, I would always start from what I think the EPO would have done. Trends in UPC practice: PIs, equivalents, interim conferences Rolf Claessen:If you look across the different UPC divisions and cases: what trends do you see in practice? For example regarding timelines, preliminary injunctions, how validity attacks are handled, and how UPC cases interact with EPO oppositions or national proceedings? Aloys Hüttermann:If you take the most active divisions – essentially the big four in Germany and the local division in The Hague – they all try to be very careful and diligent in their decisions. But you can already see some differences in practice. For preliminary injunctions there is a clear distinction between the local division in Düsseldorf and most other divisions. Düsseldorf considers one month after knowledge of the infringement as still sufficiently urgent. If you wait longer, it is usually considered too late. In many other divisions, two months is still viewed as fine. Düsseldorf has also been the division that issued most of the ex parte preliminary injunctions so far. Apart from one special outlier where a standing judge from Brussels was temporarily sitting in Milan, Düsseldorf is basically the only one. Other divisions have been much more reluctant. At a conference, Judge Pichlmaier from the Munich division once said that he could hardly imagine a situation where his division would grant an ex parte PI. In his words, the UPC has two types of procedure: one that is fast – the normal main action – and one that is very fast – the inter partes PI procedure. But you do not really have an “ultra-fast” ex parte track, at least not in his division. Another difference relates to amendments and auxiliary requests in PI proceedings. In one recent case in Munich the court said more or less that if you have to amend your patent or rely on auxiliary requests in a PI, you lose. Other divisions have been more flexible and have allowed auxiliary requests. Equivalence is another area where we do not have a unified line yet. So far, only the Hague division has clearly found infringement under the doctrine of equivalents and explicitly used a test taken from Dutch law. Whether that test will be approved by the Court of Appeal is completely open – the first case settled, so the Court of Appeal never ruled on it, and a second one is still very recent. Interestingly, there was another Hague decision a few weeks ago where equivalence was on the table, but the division did not apply that Dutch-law test. We do not know yet why. The Mannheim division has written in one decision that it would be desirable to develop an autonomous pan-European test for equivalence, instead of just importing the German, UK or Dutch criteria. But they did not formulate such a test in that case because it was not necessary for the decision. So we will have to see how that evolves. On timelines, one practical difference is that Düsseldorf usually does not hold an interim conference. That saves them some time. Most other divisions do hold interim conferences. Personally, I like the idea because it can help clarify issues. But you cannot safely read the final outcome from these conferences. I have also seen cases where questions raised at the interim conference did not play any role in the main oral hearing. So they are useful for clarification, but not as a crystal ball. Front-loaded proceedings and typical strategic mistakes Rolf Claessen:If you look at the behaviour of parties so far – both patentees and defendants – what are the most common strategic mistakes you see in UPC litigation? And what would a well-prepared company do differently before the first statement of claim is ever filed? Aloys Hüttermann:You know you do not really want me to answer that question… Rolf Claessen:I do! Aloys Hüttermann:All right. The biggest mistake, of course, is that they do not hire me. That is the main problem. Seriously, it is difficult to judge parties' behaviour from the outside. You rarely know the full picture. There may be national proceedings, licensing discussions, settlement talks, and so on in the background. That can limit what a party can do at the UPC. So instead of criticising, I prefer to say what is a good idea at the UPC. The system is very front-loaded and very fast. If you are sued, you have three months to file your statement of defence and your counterclaim for revocation. In my view, three months are manageable – but only if you use the time wisely and do not waste it on things that are not essential. If you receive a statement of claim, you have to act immediately. You should have a clear strategy within maybe two or three weeks and then implement it. If you change your strategy every few weeks, chances are high that you will fail. Another point is that everything is front-loaded. It is very hard to introduce new documents or new attacks later. Some divisions have been a bit generous in individual cases, but the general line is strict. We have seen, for example, that even if you filed a book in first instance, you may not be allowed to rely on a different chapter from the same book for a new inventive-step attack at the appeal stage. That can be regarded as late-filed, because you could have done it earlier. There is also case law saying that if you first argue inventive step as “D1 plus D2”, and later want to argue “D2 plus D1”, that can already be considered a new, late attack. On the other hand, we had a revocation action where the plaintiff filed about 50 different inventive-step attacks in the initial brief. The division then said: this does not work. Please cut them down or put them in a clear hierarchy. In the end, not all of them were considered. The UPC does not conduct an ex officio examination. It is entitled to manage the case and to tell the parties to limit themselves in the interest of a fair and efficient procedure. Rolf Claessen:I have the feeling that the EPO is also becoming more front-loaded – if you want to rely on documents later, you should file them early. But it sounds like the UPC is even more extreme in that regard. Aloys Hüttermann:Yes, that is true. Protective letters, inspections and the defendant's perspective Rolf Claessen:Suppose someone from a company is listening now and thinks: “We might be exposed at the UPC,” or, “We should maybe use the UPC offensively against competitors.” What would you consider sensible first steps before any concrete dispute arises? And looking three to five years ahead, how central do you expect the UPC to become in global patent litigation compared to the US and China? Aloys Hüttermann:Let me start with the second part. I expect the UPC to become significantly more important. If we have around 200 cases this year, that is a good start, but it is still very small compared to, say, 4,000 to 5,000 patent cases per year in the US and 40,000 or so in China. Even François Bürgin and Klaus Grabinski, in interviews, have said that they are happy with the case load, but the potential is much larger. In my view, it is almost inevitable that we will see four or five times as many UPC cases in the not-too-distant future. As numbers grow, the influence of the UPC will grow as well. Whether, in five or ten years, companies will treat the UPC as their first choice forum – or whether they will usually run it in parallel with US litigation in major disputes – remains to be seen. The UPC would be well equipped for that: the territory it covers is large, Europe is still an important economy, and the UPC procedure is very attractive from a company's perspective. On sensible first steps: if you are worried about being sued, a protective letter can make a lot of sense – especially in divisions like Düsseldorf, where ex parte PIs are possible in principle. A protective letter is not very expensive in terms of court fees. There is also an internal system that ensures the court reads it before deciding on urgent measures. Of course, the content must have a certain quality; a poor protective letter can even backfire. If you are planning to sue someone before the UPC, you should be extremely well prepared when you file. You should already have all important documents and evidence at hand. As we discussed, it is hard to introduce new material later. One tool that is becoming more and more popular is inspection – not just at trade fairs, where we already saw cases very early, but also at company premises. Our firm has already handled such an inspection case. That is something you should keep in mind on both sides: it is a powerful evidence-gathering tool, but also a serious risk if you are on the receiving end. From the defendant's perspective, I do not think the UPC is unfair. If you do your job properly and put a solid revocation counterclaim on the table, then the patentee has only two months to prepare a full reply and all auxiliary requests. And there is a twist that makes life even harder for the patentee than at the EPO. At the EPO the question is mainly: do my auxiliary requests overcome the objections and are they patentable? At the UPC there is an additional layer: do I still have infringement under the amended claims? You may save your patent with an auxiliary request that no longer reads on the defendant's product. That is great for validity, but you have just lost the infringement case. You have kept the patent but lost the battle. And all of this under very tight time limits. That creates considerable pressure on both sides. How to contact Prof. Hüttermann Rolf Claessen:Thank you very much for this really great interview, Aloys. Inside our firm you have a nickname: “the walking encyclopedia of the Unified Patent Court” – because you have written so many books about it and have dealt with the UPC for such a long time. What is the best way for listeners to get in touch with you? Aloys Hüttermann:The easiest way is by email. You can simply write to me, and that is usually the best way to contact me. As you may have noticed, I also like to speak. I am a frequent speaker at conferences. If you happen to be at one of the conferences where I am on the programme – for example, next week in Hamburg – feel free to come up to me and ask me anything in person. But email is probably the most reliable first step. Rolf Claessen:Perfect. Thank you very much, Aloys. Aloys Hüttermann:Thank you. It was a pleasure to be on IP Fridays again. Some of your long-time listeners may remember that a few years ago – when you were not yet part of our firm – we already did an episode on the UPC, back when everything was still very speculative. It is great to be back now that the system is actually in place and working. Rolf Claessen:I am very happy to have you back on the show.

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Presented by Lauren Stibgen When I think of a servant leader, I think of someone who always places others before themselves—giving to others perhaps when they may not even seem like they can give anything more. Giving without any expectation of something in return. This self-sacrificing giving was embodied by our Lord and Savior Jesus. I think all of us have likely been on the other end of this—someone has done something for us and now they are seeking a favor in return. It's what you would call a quid pro quo or a tit for tat style of giving. I give, and then I want something in return. It feels like a transaction, because it is. This is not servant leadership. This is a transaction. Jesus gave his life for us! For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18). He sacrificed himself for our sins once and for all! It is a one-way selfless gift that gives us the joy of eternity with our Lord in heaven! What are ways you can give to others? How are you a good steward of your time, treasure, and talent to the benefit of others? Time. More than anything, women at all stages of their career need mentorship. Statistically, women are less likely to receive mentoring, and it is also a fact that those who receive mentoring are five times more likely to progress in their career in the form of a promotion! Perhaps someone needs encouragement. Can you take time to pray with them or have a cup of coffee? Perhaps even taking time to send an encouraging text or a Bible verse would be just what they need. Treasure. This isn't just money; it is the spiritual and eternal riches you have from your salvation. The greatest gift. Giving of your tangible treasure could look like taking a colleague to lunch or buying them a small token of appreciation for a job well done. Perhaps it is preparing a meal for someone in need, which is a combination of using your time, treasure, and hopefully talent! What about your spiritual treasure? How are you giving of this selflessly? Are you telling people about Jesus? Maybe praying for people? Simply being hopeful and being able to give an answer for what your hope is in can be one way to share your spiritual treasure with a colleague. Talent. Are you amazing at something? Maybe you are super organized or love planning a meeting. Offer to help someone else when they need it most!

0:00 - Statistically, the Avs are already the best team in the NHL. And they still don't even have an effective power play. It's crazy to think this team will get even better!14:26 - Shedeur Sanders will make his first NFL start with the Cleveland Browns this weekend. They're facing the Raiders in Vegas. That game is MUST WATCH. The funny thing is...whether or not Sheduer looks great, Kevin Stefanski still looks bad. He's truly put himself in a lose-lose situation.33:25 - This is Brett's last show for awhile...we're bored on the Broncos bye week...it's a Friday...that means...IT'S TIME TO PLAY THE FEUD!

Hello Everybody!On this episode, I look ahead to the Tennessee Volunteers visiting the Swamp in late November to take on the Florida Gators. Tennessee is 7-3 and Florida is 3-7, but I'm not sold that the records are what will make a difference in this game. Statistically, this is the worst defense the Gators have faced and could that be a cure for some of the offensive woes? And what factors could help the Gators stop the Vols top 3 in the nation offense? Check out this episode to find out.Find me on X @ GatorPodcast. Also, follow on Youtube for exclusive videos being sure to like, share and subscribe. Thank you for Listening and As Always, Go Gators!

Everything went wrong before this interview even started: lagging audio, frozen screens, “Can you hear me?” chaos… which, honestly, became the perfect metaphor for today's topic: women being told to accept dysfunction as normal.And fittingly, this conversation marks a huge milestone — our 200th episode! Two hundred episodes of unlearning, reframing, and giving women permission to trust their bodies. And today's guest delivers exactly that kind of truth.Because once Nicole Jardim (women's health coach + author of Fix Your Period) finally got connected, she dropped a truth bomb most women never hear:

 They put in their cover letter, “Honestly, we're just gonna go up to Yellowstone around that time and we would love to swing by and show the movie.”Rudi Womack is the Director of the Wyoming International Film Festival and the creator of the YouTube channel The Film Festival Guide.In this conversation, Rudi talks about:* What watching thousands of film festival submissions has taught him about good storytelling* The biggest mistake filmmakers make when they submit to festivals* Why transparency matters and why he published all of the submission and acceptance stats for the Wyoming International Film Festival * The importance of a compelling poster and thumbnail* How to write a good description of your movie* The most important questions filmmakers must askHere is a link to Hiike, the new film festival submission platform that Rudi mentioned.If you enjoyed this episode please forward to a friend.Here is an AI-generated transcript of my interview with Rudi. Don't come for me.79. Film Festival Director Rudi WomackBEN: Hi everyone. This is Ben Guest and this is The Creativity Education and Leadership Podcast. My guest today is Rudy Womack, who is the director of the Wyoming International Film Festival, and also Rudy has a fantastic YouTube page called The Film Festival Guide. So for all my filmmakers out there who are interested in submitting to festivals in this interview and on Rudy's YouTube page, he breaks it down. Enjoy.Rudi, thank you so much for joining us.RUDI: Hey, it's my pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me.BEN: So I always start off with a fun question, and we're entering the holiday season, so very important holiday question. Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?RUDI: Absolutely. A hundred percent. Come on.BEN: I love it. So I, I told you this off Air, I found you through the Rate YouTube channel.You have the Film Festival Guide. Is that the right name? I wanna make sure I get the name right. Yeah. The filmRUDI: festival guide. Yep.BEN: On YouTube Film Festival Guide on YouTube. Please. Any filmmakers out there go and subscribe. The information is so helpful. What, why did you start the this YouTube page?RUDI: I, as a filmmaker have gone through the festival circuit several times and I made a lot of amateur mistakes. I didn't know what I was doing. Definitely fell on my face a couple of times, but I also had some successes. And as I did more film festivals, I started learning more about the circuit.I got invited by a film festival to become a programmer, and so I started reviewing a lot of films and seeing a lot of the submissions. And I think instantly that made me a better filmmaker just because I saw what was working, what wasn't working, and how other filmmakers really brought to, brought their stories to life on the screen.And it, it was truly inspirational. Very long story short, the Wyoming International Film Festival was started by a gentleman named Alan Oi, and he's a, he's a documentarian out of Wyoming, which is where I'm from. I'm from Wyoming. So Alan had the film festival and he had run it for some years and it was going great and everything.But then Alan retired and now he's retiring. He wants to move outta Wyoming and he doesn't wanna run a live event. ‘cause it is a lot of work in his words. And I quote, it's a young man's game. And at the same time, COVID hit and he didn't wanna do the whole online thing and it was just a big mess.So Alan was like, I'm done with the festival, it's done. I'm just gonna let it die. And I was begging him, no, Alan, you can't do it. It's so important for indie filmmakers. And at the time I'm just finding my feet in the festival circuit as well as both a filmmaker and now I'm a programmer.I'm begging him like don't let it die. It's important, maybe I can help out. And he was like, why don't you run it? And I was like, absolutely not, man. What are you talking about? That's crazy. No way. No way. And I was like, I'm going to be your director of programming. That's what I'm going to do.I'm gonna help you get films in so you don't have to do that work. Very long story short, I ended up running it. I ended up taking over the festival from Alan. I did so reluctantly. But when I started working with the festival, working with the community, working with my hometown filmmakers and my home state filmmakers, and just seeing how important a film festival can be for a local community to uplift indie filmmakers to help them along the way I fell in love with it and here I am now, I run the film festival.And your question was, how did I start the YouTube channel? Sorry, I'm getting there. But I got a lot of questions from filmmakers about festivals, like how to navigate ‘em. And there's just so much mystery behind film festivals ‘cause it's so opaque. There's not a lot of transparency from film festivals.Film festivals are sketchy about which films they do select and which they don't. And frankly, there's a lot of misinformation out there about festivals. So I started answering a lot of questions and I started repeatedly answering the same question again and again and again. And I had some friends who told me, you should write a book.But I was like, yeah, but books, there are books, like people have already written books, bluntly, frankly, people far more experienced and knowledgeable than myself have written books. And so if you're not reading those books, then you're probably not gonna read my book. So that's when I decided, you know what, the YouTube channel is a great way to just do very easy outreach.Take one single topic, break it down for 10 minutes, and hopefully help filmmakers along on their film festival journey.BEN: I love it. And you said something for all the filmmakers who are listening. I'm gonna come back to it. Don't worry. You said something about once you started programming and watching so many films, you got a good sense of what works and what doesn't.So I definitely wanna come back to that. I know the filmmakers listening want to hear that. But before that you mentioned 10 minute videos. You strike me as somebody who, does research and takes time to Yes. Before they do something. What did you discover about running a YouTube page?What things work, what things don't work?RUDI: I'm still very early on in my own YouTube development. I'm still trying to learn what does and doesn't work. So I'm probably the worst person on earth to give advice. Definitely that first 32nd hook is so important on YouTube, just like it is on a film that, that intro, how we come into the story, whatever, on YouTube, you can see a massive drop off and apparently it's that way on every channel.Again, I'm not a YouTube guru, so I don't give advice, but that first 32nd hook is a big deal, but also just my presence on camera. I come from the post world. I'm an editor, so I'm not just behind camera. I'm behind, behind the camera. So I'm very much not used to an on-camera presence, so I'm developing that and learning it as well.What kind of energy I can bring. How to make it engaging. But also I don't wanna be zany and too quirky or anything because I am trying to give good guidance to filmmakers, but I also don't want to lecture them and bore them to death. So it's finding that balance of information that's valuable, but also entertaining enough that people don't wanna click off.And it's actually quite a complex thing that I'm still unraveling one video at a time. But the best advice that I saw was some YouTube guru who is just focus on getting 1% better on every single video. So is that little bit better graphics or better delivery, or better audio, or better editing or whatever it is.And after a hundred videos, you're now a hundred percent better. So that's what I've been focusing on. Just very small baby steps.BEN: Yeah, that's such a great way to break it down, right? It just makes it bite-sized, get 1% better.RUDI: I think you can apply that to life in general. There's a lot of things in life just today be 1% better.That's it,BEN: so you mentioned once you start a programming scene, get enough feel for what works, what doesn't, especially with short films, both narrative and docs. What are you seeing that works and doesn't work?RUDI: In the shorts world I'm seeing a couple of things. One, a self-contained story, and this is something that I had a problem with because oftentimes I would go for more of a quote unquote scene instead of a full beginning, middle and in, in a story.So a self-contained story typically is gonna make your short film much more successful. This can be hard for some filmmakers because they're trying to make a proof of concept short film that they're gonna go and get financing for their future. So one of the things that they often do is they just take a scene outta their feature and then just shoot that, which has mixed results.And the problem is the films that have gotten financed and been made from shorts that have done that are the ones that you see. So it's actually a survivor bias, where it's like it, it works for those particular films and therefore everybody thinks it's gonna work for their film. But obviously the films that it doesn't work for, you're never going to see.So you don't understand, actually for the majority of films, it doesn't work. So if you have a proof of concept, I actually say, don't pull a scene outta your feature. I say write its own scene, or sorry, your own short film. That exists in the same world and universe with the same characters as what your feature film is.And I think that's gonna have much more success on the film festival circuit. And that will lean you or lead you to whatever your goal is, financing or distribution or whatever. So that's a big thing with short films that makes ‘em successful is make sure it is actually a self-contained story and it doesn't have any loose ends, so to speak.What doesn't work is something that I myself struggle with, ironically as an editor. And that's things being too long and you need to parse them down. Now a lot of people will say, shorter, the better, which is true, but I actually think that's a result of actually getting to the core of the problem.And that's make your film as concise as possible. Get the idea. The emotion, the story out as concise as you can. And what that does by happenstance is it makes your film shorter. So it's not that shorter is better. I know there's it almost sounds like I'm just splitting hairs here, but I've seen plenty of five minute films that didn't work.I've seen plenty of 10 minute films that board me to death. So shorter isn't necessarily better. It's more concise of your story is better. And sometimes that still manifests as a 20, 30, 40 minute film. But if it's a very interesting 20, 30, 40 minutes, that's not gonna matter.BEN: It's such a great point. And for me, when I get to a certain point in the edit, I like to just bring in a couple friends and have them watch it. And then I just sit there and watch them watch it and whatever feedback they're gonna provide afterwards. 95% of what I need, I can just tell from Body Language as they're watching the film.RUDI: Yep.BEN: You come fromRUDI: theBEN: Go ahead.RUDI: Oh I was just gonna piggyback off that and just say, audience feedback is worth its weight and goal.BEN: Yeah.RUDI: And every filmmaker when you hit that fine cut stage, like you said, get your friends and family together, buy everybody some burgers and fries or whatever.Get ‘em all together. Gather ‘em up in a room, watch them, watch your film. That's gonna tell you more than anything else. We'll be able to about the success of your film and where it's strong, where it's weak, where you can still fix things. And I always suggest do it in your fine cut stage because nothing's locked in and you can still move things around and adjust, or whatever it is you need.BEN: Love it. And I think earlier what you are really getting at is telling a good story. Yes. And I'm amazed at, not amazed, but maybe a little disappointed, especially in today's world, the technical side of filmmaking. Even for an amateur, even for an indie filmmaker that you can, things can be d done so well technically, but there's no story.RUDI: Yes. All the time. So when I get onto Reddit, ‘cause you mentioned Reddit earlier if I go onto our filmmakers, right? Yeah. I don't have to look far to see people just geeking out over the newest Camerons. It's, and it's always cameras. Everybody always talks about. This camera is so fancy and it has so many stops above and this lens can do this and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.It has this big bit rate, whatever. Everybody gets so excited about cameras and I always say to myself, man, if they got this excited about audio, I wouldn't have to reject half the films that we have to reject because the audio is just blah. So if we're gonna talk tech, if we're gonna talk about the quote unquote quality of the filmmaking, I think what filmmakers need to understand is there are so many films out there we're that is just the foundation.It is the base level, it is the bare minimum that the film looks good. It sounds good. It feels good. So for us, festival guys, we see so many of these films. You're super gorgeous cinematography, you're really fancy, VFX, whatever it is that you think really separates your film from the pack. I don't wanna discourage you, I don't wanna sound jaded or anything, but it's not as impressive to us as you might believe it is, simply because we see hundreds and sometimes thousands of films like that.So for us it constantly falls back to originality and the story. Is the story well done? Is it well told? Is it a new and interesting story that we've never seen before? Is it a story that we've seen before but told in a very unique way, from a specific point of view, that is what is going to move us as festival people.‘cause when I put it into the theater and my audience walks in and they pay a ticket. My audience is used to going down to the theater and seeing a hundred million dollar movies. So for them, quality is just a given. It's just assumed they're not going to be thinking about it for them. They go and watch a movie ‘cause they're interested in, and I think if more filmmakers really dialed in on their story, they're going to find more success.BEN: So many great points there and a hundred percent agree with what you were saying about people get excited about the camera. And so I did my MFA at USC and there were three different times where I was on a set that, that I felt was unsafe. Not that I felt it was unsafe, what they were doing. Geez. And I walked off and it was always to get the cool shot.Like no one's ever hanging off a balcony to get room tone. You know what I mean? It's just, it's always to get the cool shot that, again, if you're not telling a good story, it doesn't matter. And to your point, I've always felt good audio is more important than good video.RUDI: Good image.BEN: Yeah.RUDI: Look at the documentary. Look at the nonfiction world. We see verite stuff all the time. We see stuff people recorded on their phone or, security camera footage or whatever, like at the end of the day in the nonfiction world is a great example of the quality of the shot doesn't necessarily matter so much as the quality of the story and how it's being told and how it's being revealed to us.And the audio is always gonna be very clean, very top notch, even if it's quote unquote found footage or. Veritate footage or whatever, the audio is always peak. I saw that Netflix doc recently, it was super heartbreaking. The perfect neighbor. And most of it is police body cam footage, but the audio is clean so we're able to follow the story so no one sits back and thinks of themselves this isn't a good shot.Of course it's not, it's police potty cam footage. Like it doesn't look good and it's not meant to,BEN: but it sounds good. And so you can follow it.RUDI: Yes.BEN: What what are some tropes that you think you've gotten tired of seeing in, especially in short films?RUDI: So every year it's a little bit different.You would be surprised what things pop up and what don't. The one trope that kind of rubs me the wrong way, I, I don't know how to describe it any other way than filmmaker self therapy. Like they, they're definitely going through something at the moment and they're not focused on creating a good story.They're more focused on using their art form to emotionally process whatever it is they're going through, which fine, you are an artist that makes sense to do, but also I can't sell my audience on that. So while I don't wanna discourage someone from making a film that is very near and dear and personal to them, at the end of the day, it might not be a good fit for film festivals.And so I, I would really think twice about whether or not that is a story that an audience, frankly, needs to see. Filmmaker cell therapy is one that when I get it, I'm always eh I don't know what to do with it. I just, I don't know what to do. Some other tropes that we see very commonly are like.Obviously right now, tech and AI and stuff like that gives a lot of people anxiety. So there's a lot of like evil robot takes over or the big reveal at the end of the movie, they were a robot the whole time, or the whole thing was a simulation or whatever. That's being very well tread right now.For me, I'm I am not a political person and anytime some big thing is in the news, we see tons of films on it. So I understand politics do affect people's day to day and their lives, so I understand that manifest. But man, I probably have a hundred immigration films right now and that's a lot. And I'm not gonna screen that many, so I'm only gonna pick like one, maybe two, so that's a tough one to do.Anything that's like a hot button political issue. We always see a big wave of those come in. And then honestly, romance dramas get tough. It isn't evergreen. We do have an audience for it. We usually do have some kind of a selection of them. Romance dramas have existed since the beginning of time.It's always been a thing. But filmmaker broke up with his girlfriend, so now he has a character who breaks up with his girlfriend. It gets it, it doesn't get very original. I, it just it gets exhausted. So those are some of the kind of general tropes I would avoid. I have heard other festival directors talk about like cancer films and Alzheimer's films and stuff like that.This year I'm not seeing so much of those, but I have seen those in the past. So tho those are some other. Tread stories we'll see.BEN: One of the things that I appreciate about. Your series of videos is your transparency, and you have one video where you literally break down. Here are all the films the number of films, Wyoming International Film Festivals received. Here's how it breaks down, here's how many we, we accepted, et cetera, et cetera.You have another one where you literally show the viewer, this is what we see as a programmer on our film freeway portal. Here's the scoring sheet. I think it's a little bit different from the one you guys use internally, but basically here's what the scoring sheet on film freeway looks like. Why is transparency so important to you?RUDI: Because I'm a filmmaker, because I've been to so many festivals where I have no idea what the hell's going on. I've been to festivals where I think my film is gonna be a good fit. I think based on what I've been able to investigate on my own, digging through their website, digging through their archive.Seen what they've programmed before. I think I'm a good fit, but I don't actually know. And I've submitted to festivals where later on, I see what they programmed or I got rejected or even accepted and then gone to the festival itself and have been a little disappointed when was like I this festival didn't fit my goals the way that I thought it would, or, this festival wasn't going to do the things for me.Or this festival, like really promoted themselves very heavily as this big event. And then you get there and then it's not, and that's a little bothersome. So when I stepped into my role at the Wyoming International Film Festival, I made a whole bunch of changes. But one of the changes that I made was, we are going to be transparent.I don't ever want a filmmaker to submit to our festival, get in, get accepted to the festival, drive all the way out to Wyoming and be disappointed. I don't want them to do that. That's not good for them. It's not good for us. It's not good for the community. It's not good for indie film at large.What's better is if we just be what we are in Wyoming, we're straight shooters. We just say it as it is. So I'm going to tell you exactly how many films were submitted, which films we accepted, what the percentage rates are, how many shorts versus features, how many docs versus narratives, how many music videos, all of this stuff.And we've been releasing the data for the past couple of years. This year, like we went all out with the data it was much more thorough than what we've done in years past. And even me, the director of the festival, I sit back, I look at the data and I can see some weak spots in it. I can see where we need to improve as a festival, where we need to start, bringing in a certain type of film or where other films might be overrepresented or how we can give more of an experience to our filmmakers.Just by boiling it down to numbers and looking at it. I can start seeing some of our weak spots and I want to improve on that ‘cause I want to have a good festival. And I think if more festivals were to do that, I think the filmmaking community at large would be much more appreciative. And I think film festivals need to understand.That if you have fewer submissions, that's not a bad thing because the submissions that you are going to get are filmmakers that really want to be in your festival and that's good for the health of your festival, the community, the filmmakers, everything. So I, I think the only way we get there is by being transparent.And thankfully there are other festivals that are publishing their data, which is great. And that makes me very happy to see. And I hope that trend continues and I hope even more festivals start publishing more of their data and showing how they review films, what their scorecards look like, what they're looking for.‘cause ultimately I genuinely believe that just serves the filmmakers better and ultimately makes everybody have a better experience on the film festival circuit, including the festivals themselves.BEN: When you took over as directorWhat were the biggest challenges?RUDI: So our biggest challenge to this day is our venue.So there's only one movie theater in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is owned by a company outta Casper, Wyoming. They own pretty much a monopoly of movie theaters across the state, like most of them. And they don't allow anybody into their theaters at all. They don't allow her private screenings or corporate events or, in individuals who wanna screen their film or film festivals.I'm not the only film festival in Wyoming. I talk with other festival directors. They can't get in either. It's funny, the film commissioner of the state can't even get in. You would think the movie theater would at least want to partner with the state film Commission, but no. So for us, the challenge has been a venue and luckily our partners over at Laramie County Community College.Have graciously allowed us to use their facilities for the last couple years. They have a beautiful auditorium that we do some of our screenings in, but we also have screening rooms in a black box theater that they have as well as a conference room. And when I say conference room, most filmmakers like their heart drops a little bit.They're like, oh man, I'm just, I'm going into a conference room. It's not a proper movie theater. And that's fine. We publish that data on our film freeway page on hike. We are transparent about that. So when you submit, you might be in the conference room. But ironically, I think it has some of the best audio and it has some of the best projection.So even though it's the quote unquote least movie theater, like I actually think it has some of the best projection, best color. But venue is probably one of our biggest challenges and we continue to develop that. We continue to. Trying to innovate. We're trying to build our own screening room there on the campus.Like we're trying to use one of their big classrooms for it. And what we wanna do is we wanna turn it into a lounge. We wanna bring in like couches and sofas and comfy chairs where it's like much more of a chill environment in there. And that's the type of film we wanna screen in. There's some you can literally sit back, settle in and relax.So there's things that we're doing to create a better environment for our filmmakers and of course our audience, our guests at the festival.BEN: I love it. What's been the biggest reward?RUDI: The, I get to meet you. That's what the biggest reward is. I get to meet so many filmmakers. I get to hear their stories.I get to be inspired. I get to learn stuff. I was talking with a festival director a couple of days ago. Who asked me about how we do our audience award scores and how we process that and what they do. And I just like I lit up, I'm like, oh my God. It's such a better way, it's more efficient, it's easier on the staff.It's more representative of how the audience actually feels about the film, the way the scores are aggregated and counted. It's so great. I get to meet so many people in this world of film and every single day it's like a new, whole new world is opened up to me and I get to hear so many fantastic points of view.I get to see so many awesome films, like just how many great movies are out there is a cinephile. It's like the most rewarding thing in the world. I'm an addict. I'm totally addicted to it. It's so great.BEN: I love it. I remember I used to coach basketball in my first year as a head coach. I was like, yeah, everybody's gonna be pretty competitive, other coaches and so forth.And they were, and I was. But at the same time, when coaches would get together, it was just so supportive. And people are sharing, this is what I'm doing in practice. I'm looking at this offense, this defense. And I imagine it's the same with other film festival directors and programmers. Oh, yeah. Just a supportive environment comparing notes.RUDI: It is. And the more that I meet, the more I truly do understand. 99% of festival directors out there are programmers, people who work in it. They have some tie to cinema. Most of them are filmmakers. Those who aren't, have a deep passion and love for cinema and for storytelling, and.Everybody's a volunteer. Everybody has a day job. Nobody makes money on this. They do it from the love of their heart. They truly do. And the way that they serve their communities, the way that they serve their filmmakers, some of the cool ideas they come up with there's some really neat festivals out there with like very interesting hooks or events or whatever.And I think it is such an incredible ecosystem and I think I'm truly privileged to be part of it.BEN: What are some lesser known or maybe mid-tier festivals or local festivals that you love to attend?RUDI: Okay, so one of my favorite festivals I guess you said lesser known. This one is not lesser known, but Film Quest over in Provo, Utah, damn man, pe like festival people talk about building community. They're on a different level. They've built a family. Like everybody who goes to that festival is just so tight knit there. There's no other festival like Provo or sorry, film Quest in Provo. It is just, it's on another level. And how well they treat their filmmakers is fantastic.Some years ago I was invited to be a jury member at the Fair Film Festival, which is in Ferazi Kosovo. So that is in southeastern Europe. It's a landlocked country, just a little bit above Greece, a little bit north of Greece and north of Macedonia. And Fari is a small town. And I went to that festival and first off, wow.What a great festival. I strongly suggest you submit your film to fair film. It's so good. But the cool part of being in this European festival, and frankly a small European country, most of the films are international, obviously. And so there's filmmakers coming in from like Jordan and Spain and Germany and Slovakia and Slovenia and like all over the place, Greece, Turkey, you name it.And how interesting it is to have this incredible cross section of languages and cultures and peoples, but we're all united by this one singular thing. And that's our love for storytelling and our love for movies. It had to be one of the most incredible experiences of my life. And the next movie I make, taking it back to cosBEN: Fantastic.Just had a question. What was it? Oh okay. So with the huge caveat of besides making. A good film, a film that tells a story. Besides that, are there any tips or tricks, things on the margins that filmmakers can do when they're applying to festivals to be aware of? Sometimes festivals. Ask for a cover letter orRUDI: Yes.BEN: Press kit, things like that. Okay.RUDI: So with, sorry, my phone is loud. I should turn that down. So obviously with a huge caveat of make a good film or whatever, what's the easiest way to get it? All of the stuff on film Freeway, and I do have a video on this, on my YouTube page if you wanna check it out, where I give you a tour of film, freeway from the festival side of things like what the festival can see and how we see it and how we navigate it.On the festival end of things. We can see your cover letter, your screenings and awards your. Cast and crew information, your director's bio, your director's statement, your photographs, your EPK, that's your electronic press kit your trailer, all of that. All of that. As much of that as you can possibly make, you should make it.It's very important. And you never know which piece is gonna be more important to a particular film festival. For instance, here's something crazy. I was meeting with some of my programmers last night. They had a whole bunch of films that they wanted to recommend to go to the next level programming.And we require films. Tell us where in the world or where in the United States the film was made. And every single one of ‘em was California. California. California. California. California. Which fine, whatever. California has a big film industry. That's, it's a very big state, population wise. Makes sense, right?But I am sitting back thinking, okay. I don't want it just to be a bunch of California movies. We have a big country here. I would like to see something else. And something caught my attention. One of the filmmakers, their address was in Birmingham, Alabama, but the film was shot in California, so I am suspicious.I haven't dug into it myself. I'm suspicious either that filmmaker's from Alabama and they have moved to California, or that filmmaker lives in Alabama and they shot their film in California. So they're answering where it was shot correctly. But for me, I'm like, there you go. When everybody's from California.I want that unique perspective. I wanna see someone's from Alabama and what their perspective is now. I haven't watched the film yet. I don't know if it's what we're looking for. Obviously it's a good film if my programming team has recommended it, there's no doubt in my mind it's good film. Now there's other considerations we're gonna have, but.That alone was something, even my, like I myself did not know that I would be looking for. So filling out all of that data on film, freeway, all of your information that you possibly can, your cover letters your screenings, your awards, whatever it is, the more information you give us as a festival, the more we have to make our selections.And it only benefits you. It only helps you out. So filmmakers don't get lazy. Fill out all of that information. We need it. We use it. It's important. Just do it.BEN: You mentioned a meeting with your programmers last night. Take us inside that conversation. What does that look like? What do you discuss, et cetera.RUDI: So there's. There's a big programming team and it's divided up into two different groups. There's our kind of first round screeners and then there's our senior programmers and the senior programmers pretty much review the films that have gone through that first round of screening that are getting recommended to go onto the next one.So typically when I'm talking with my screeners and everything, it's a very different conversation on the bottom end of it where they're just sorting through all of the submissions versus a different conversation I have with the senior programmers who are on the top end of it. We're now trying to decide how to block films together, how we're gonna organize it, what's the schedule maybe look like, what's the overall tone and vibe of the festival going to be, okay.If we wanna have a sci-fi block, do we even have enough sci-fi films? If we don't. Where else can we find homes for ‘em? Stuff like that. So those conversations are a little bit more high end, if you will. And it tends to be less about the story of the film itself and more about how that film is going to fit into the festival.Whereas when I'm talking with the screeners, it's much more on the story end. Like what about the story did you like or you didn't like? Or what was the unique point of view? Or whatever. So depending on which group I'm talking to it, it's gonna be different. And then of course that divides out further on features and shorts and documentaries and narratives and music videos.So like obviously my conversation with the music video people are gonna be much different than my like short documentary people.BEN: Shout out to short documentary people as a documentarian primarily makes shorts I'll ask a question for us folks. In one of the videos, as I mentioned, you literally show here's what the scoring sheet looks like.Yes. And that was for narrative with, I think one of the categories was acting and so forth. So for a documentary or documentary shorts, what does that scoring sheet look like? What do those discussions entail?RUDI: Film freeway does not allow us to have more than one scoring sheet.So unfortunately, there's just this one scoring sheet that's for everything. What I tell my screening team, and we definitely double check everything, like there's multiple people who look at something. So it's not just one person's opinion. You have at least two, oftentimes three, pretty often four.So for something like documentary they skip over that. That's what they do. So if there's no acting in the film, they skip over that. They don't rate acting if there is no acting. But you'd be surprised. There are documentaries that have acting in ‘em. There are like docudramas or documentaries with recreation In the recreation is like actual scenes and performances and stuff like that.So in those cases, even though it's a nonfiction and a documentary, yeah, we'll still judge it for the acting ‘cause that's what it has. I get the question. I'm gonna hijack your question for a second, but it is applicable. I get the question, do we accept AI in our film festival, we do not have any official policy for or against ai, which scares some filmmakers.But we do rate AI on the same standards as we would anybody else. So when it comes to creativity and originality, guess what, you're getting a nothing. ‘cause AI didn't create it. AI is not original. AI just mashes together a bunch of information from other people. So that's no creativity and originality.Same thing for something like, I don't know, art design. If you have a AI character walking through a scene or whatever you're getting zero on your art design. Nobody built those sets. Nobody costumed that actor. Nobody was the makeup artist or the hair or whatever other art deck or, PD or anything on the set.So we will accept ai. We have accepted one single AI film so far because despite all of its quote unquote handicaps, and it was a music video. It still was successful in other categories that had a good enough score. We as a team sat down, said Yes, that it still is a good film. The audience is still gonna enjoy it.The filmmaker definitely had a vision with it. They wrote out a whole thing on like why they chose to use ai. ‘cause they're also an experimental filmmaker, so it made sense for them and everything. So we were like, you know what? That's legit. Let's put it in. But other AI submissions, like I got an AI children's animation the other day and I'm like they didn't animate it themselves.They didn't voice act it themselves. It's not getting good scores on any of these. So we'll see. We'll see. We'll see if it gets through or not, but already you're shooting yourself in the foot. So don't do ai.BEN: Okay. Couple little. I don't know, around the edges or micro questions. One of the things that you talked about in one of your recent videos was having a good poster and you talked about designing your poster for your film prudence.RUDI: Yeah.BEN: Talk, talk to me about,RUDI: I specifically gave my posters an example, not a great poster,BEN: But talk to me about that.For the no budget or low budget filmmaker that can't afford to hire a a designer to make a poster. Talk to me about poster design and how that impacts the presentation of the film for festivals.RUDI: So I strongly believe that a big part of filmmaking and marketing and packaging your film together, all of that is psychology.And as much as we want to sit back and say, Hey, don't judge a book by its, cover it, that literally goes against human psychology. People are not hardwired to do that. It, it is. In our DNA, it's not just a bad habit, it is literally a survival mechanism. So if you want to stand out, you do need to have everything put together.Your cover letter, your synopsis, your photographs, all of that, and of course all of your key art. That's your poster. That's any banners that you have, that's how you're going to be promoting the film. And you have to understand it's not just about making your film look pretty to get filmmakers to go, or sorry your programmers go, Ooh, and ah, it's a pretty film.We are looking at that as a mechanism for us to advertise the festival. You gotta understand if I have 150 films in the festival, I have to get an audience for those films. And the easiest way for me to do that is through your marketing materials. We don't have the capacity. To design marketing materials for 150 different films.We are relying on the filmmakers to do that so we can go out and promote the festival. So people show up to your screening, which I would presume is what you want if you're going to a film festival. So anything you're trailer, any photographs that you can provide, which some filmmakers only provide BTS photographs, BTS is fine.It's great. Give me some good key art I can also use, please. That's what newspapers, that's what the local news that's what podcasters, whatever, that's what they want to see. So that's what I can provide. And of course, your poster. Now, there are a lot of online tools to help in poster design, frankly, I don't have an excuse for making a bad poster like I did, which is one of the reasons I use it as an example is I am shaming myself being like, this could be better and it should be. But there's a lot of online resources that can help with poster design. And also for filmmakers who are a little bit strapped for cash, you would be surprised what people will do for in kind, service for service.So if you have a friend or if there's someone that you can find that's Hey, they'll design your poster if you can design whatever their website or whatever it is that your skills might be there, there's a lot of exchange that you can do on that part. So yeah your marketing, your packaging, all of that together is actually quite important.BEN: Such a great point. And I've written and published a memoir and through that, I've worked with other authors on, on. Both writing and marketing their books, editing and marketing their books. And I tell people the exact same thing. People judge a book by its cover all the time. And in this day and age, they judge it for listeners, I'm holding my thumb and forefinger part as a thumbnail on a computer screen.Yeah, that's the size. So even for a programmer or a festival director watching it on film freeway through their platform, they're not gonna see the poster like we see it in the movie theater. They're gonna see it as a thumbnail image. Yeah. So it has to work as a thumbnail image. And if you can't read the title as a thumbnail or can't make out what's on the image, what's on the poster as a thumbnail, then you've failed that part of the process.RUDI: One, one of the things that like really clued me into how important a poster is, I went to a film festival, I believe it was Kansas City Film Festival. Some years ago, and they had a bunch of posters of films out, but there was one that was like bright pink. It was like super bright pink and had like very eye popping design and everything on it.And it was like in a whole field of like dark drama posters that are all like gritty and everything. And I'm like that stands out. That really drew my eye to it. And I think that was like my big light bulb moment of like how important this stuff actually is. And one of the things that I've been saying for some years, I've said it on the channel, I think, I don't know, some, sometimes I record things and edit out.So I don't know what I've said on the channel sometimes but one of the things that I say is making a film is half of film making. The other half is marketing, the other half is getting butts in the seats. The other half is getting eyeballs on your movie. The other half is selling your film to an audience or a film festival or a distributor or a programmer or whatever you're trying to do with it.It's getting it out there. So making a film is half a filmmaking. The other half marketing, that's what it is.BEN: I'm just nodding along with everything you're saying and I've always felt both with films and with books, with art in general, you're trying to make an emotional connection from what's in your head and your heart to the audience.And if you don't do your job, getting your film out there and helping an audience come and see your film. Then you're not helping that connection. You're missing sort of the point of making this, unless it's just for yourself. It's for, it's to connect with other people and for other people to connect with your work.And that is marketing.RUDI: It's valid. If you're just making a film for yourself, that's absolutely valid. It's in art form. You can make a film for yourself, but if you're sending it to me at a film festival, you're not you're literally trying to find an audience. So these are the things you need to consider.BEN: I love it. I got two more just in the weeds detail questions.RUDI: Alright, let's do it.BEN: Let's talk description. And what I've seen ‘cause I'm in the middle of applying to festivals. And by the way just for. Listeners, this might interest you. So I discovered Rudi's YouTube page and I was like, this is so helpful.And then I went to the Wyoming International Film Festival page and all the transparency and statistics that, that Rudi puts out, that the festival puts out. And I realized, okay, so the short documentary I have is not a good fit for this festival. Exactly what Rudi's saying. So just for anybody listening, thank you for doing research.RUDI: Thank you. That's good. That's not a bad thing, right? That means it saves you time, it saves you money, it saves you heartbreak. It's so good. Do research before you submit. I'm sorry, but I, it's in, in almost every single one of my videos, I tell filmmakers, do your research before you submit. Find the festivals that gel with your film.And if it, if they don't screen the type of movie that you have, don't submit to ‘em. You're wasting your time, you're wasting your money. And the festival, like the programmer behind the screen, might love your film. They truly might love your film, but they're programming for a very specific audience and they know what that audience's taste is.So that's why they're driving specific films to that audience. So even if they love it, they might not include it, which is why you should always do your homework and do your research before you submit. I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's so importantBEN: And yes. And the flip side of that coin is now I also know what the Wyoming International Film Festival looks for.So in the future, if I have a doc or a film, I'm like, oh, this would be a great fit for this festival.RUDI: Yes.BEN: It helps both ways.RUDI: It does. And it helps you dial in. Which festivals you should target, which festivals are gonna help you with your specific goals. Whatever your goals are with the film it's gonna help you with your budgeting and your travel plans and your own personal calendar.It's gonna help with your mental health. It just, it helps on so many different aspects. And on the film festival side of things, I appreciate it when I hear from filmmakers say, Hey man, I looked into your festival looks good, but you don't have the kind of film that I have. And I'm like, not a problem man.Maybe I can point you in the right direction. Maybe I know some film festival programmers, I can make a recommendation, on your behalf too, that's not a bad thing. We love movies and we want to see them successful, but not every single fest or film and story is going to be successful in every single market.So it's very important to find your audience. And believe me, we are going to be cheering you the whole way.BEN: I want get back to my kind of in the weeds questions, but you've mentioned something that is big picture, that's so important. I feel like I've buried the lead here. And you mentioned this you've mentioned this multiple times in your videos.Is that a Phil, it's key. Maybe the most important part of this process is of the film festival submission process is a filmmaker needs to understand what are their goals in applying to a festival. Yes. So can you just talk a little bit about that?RUDI: So film festivals are a tool. And they can be a tool for many different things, but they are a tool.And just every single tool is not right for every single job, every film festival is not gonna be right for every film and vice versa. So before you go out to film festivals, you just need to ask yourself why? Why am I going out to film festivals? Why am I spending the money, the time, the energy, the effort?What do I want out of film festivals? And that's where you need to identify your goal. And the more specific you can be with the goal, the better it's going to be you going on your film festival journey. So for many filmmakers, a common reason they go out to film festivals is networking. So I'm gonna use that as an example.So let's say your goal is I want to network, I want to meet other. Filmmakers, I wanna meet, directors of photography and producers and other people that I can hire for my projects, or they're gonna hire me for their projects, and I want to build that network and I want to meet more filmmakers.Fantastic. Great. That's your goal. So the first thing that you need to do is you need to be looking at festivals that have networking events. And in this particular instance, you need to ask yourself two things. One, does it have networking? Is there in-person networking parties or networking events?And two, do the types of people that I want to meet actually attend those networking events. So us at the Wyoming International Film Festival, we have a pretty broad spectrum. We have filmmakers that are just beginning their journey. They're totally new, wet behind the ears. They're green they're just starting their journey.That's great. All the way up to every year we have multi Emmy award-winning filmmakers. Like people who do this professionally they're in unions or professional organizations, or they're a member of the academy, motion picture Arts and sciences or the TV Academy or sometimes like the Grammys and stuff like that.I, myself, I'm a professional editor, so there's people like me who professionally work, but they're like below the line. They're cinematographers editors, gaffers, what have you. So if your goal is to meet some like high-end producer that's gonna throw, a million dollars at your movie our festival is not the festival that's gonna help you with your goal.So you should skip over us because we don't have that kind of person in attendance. But if your goal is to meet other filmmakers at your level that you can collaborate with or get hired by or whatever. We're a great festival. We have tons of networking, and we bring in a ton of those filmmakers.We're a great event for you. So when you identify what your goal is and you're very specific about it, it's easier to identify which festivals you should start targeting. I take that one step further, and then once you've narrowed down which festivals are gonna help you with your goal, then you look into their history and see which of them have screened movies like yours in the past.So if you have a, you know I use the example, if you have a seven minute comedy coming of the age film, now you know which festivals have good networking, which festivals have the kinds of people you want to network with. Now you look at which ones have screened short coming of age comedy films in the past, and have a history of doing that.So that's gonna help you filter it even further. And by doing that, you're gonna really start to develop your film festival strategy. Now I do have some exciting news. There is something coming now, it's called Hike, H-I-I-K-E. It's hike with two I. And what Hy is doing, it's a submission platform similar to film Freeway, but among many of the tools that they're giving filmmakers, they're giving filmmakers customized festival strategies and they're scraping all of that data from film festivals, what they've programmed in the past.And when you as a filmmaker, join Hike, you take a little quiz, you tell them what your goals are, what your film is, you know how long it is, what the genre is, tell them about yourself. And they literally have. Data scientist who's built this like machine learning algorithm that pairs the data from the film festival to what the filmmaker provides.That literally gives you a compatibility score. So it's, it comes out and tells you, if you want to network with, professional filmmakers but not mega producers and you have a short comedy coming of age film Wyoming International Film Festival has that crowd screens those types of films and you would have a 90% compatibility.So it actually helps you develop your festival strategy for you.BEN: It's so needed. And Rudi has a great video on how to spot scam film festivals. Yes. That's something that is just prevalent these days. So for filmmakers who are getting ready to submit, I encourage you to watch that video. I'll link to it in the show.I'll link to everything that we're discussing in the show notes. The. So Rudi talked about one goal a filmmaker can have is to network other goals at various points in my, film festival my limited film festival career I've applied to festivals ‘cause I wanted to go to that city, new Orleans Fest, new Orleans Film Festival.TravelingRUDI: is totally legitimate reason to go.BEN: People apply because they want distribute, they wanna meet distributors or financiers for the next film. Although, that's what everybody wants. SoRUDI: you, you would be surprised. So in, in 2018, I had a feature film and my, my goal like most feature films was to land a distribution deal.But I was like, that's not specific enough. There are many steps to land a distribution deal. So what I need is I need good press on my film. So that was a goal. So I wanted to target festivals that had press. I wanted laurels. I wanted to win some awards with it, but I also knew my film was. Small and kind of small scale.So it wasn't gonna win laurels at big festivals. So I was like, okay, I need festivals with press. I need festivals that are legitimate and above board, but also small enough where I'm gonna be competitive. And then I wanted to actually meet distributors. And I know they only go to big festivals, so I actually had to target three different kinds of festivals.‘cause I had three, let's call ‘em conflicting goals with my own film. So that's what I did. I did a split strategy. I targeted festivals where I was gonna be this tiny little fish in a very big pond. And no one's really gonna notice me, but I'm just happy to be there. I targeted festivals where I know that I was going to get very good press and very good reviews on the film.And I targeted festivals that were small, still legitimate, but I was gonna be competitive and maybe bring home some trophies. And so that was my strategy and it worked, and I landed a distribution deal.BEN: That's so great. I, I'd love to do a part two at some point we can talk distribution deals and all of the, yeah.Things like that. But I think for people listening, the big takeaway is even with this multi-pronged goal, three different goals connected to each other. Once you identify what your goals are, then you work backwards and you create your strategy to Yes, to achieve those. Okay. Back to the two in the weeds.Two more in the weeds questions. Yeah. So description, and as I'm looking at other film descriptions, and I saw this at USC all the time as well, and we talked about earlier, filmmakers wanting to sit in emotion or sit in something traumatic and have the audience experience that I notice a lot of times in descriptions of short films.Can so and so come to terms with this? Can, and just as someone who has a little bit of experience marketing stories, where's the action? What's the active what's this person actively trying to accomplish, rather than can they just come to terms with something? Can you talk a little bit about film description, just three or four lines.What pops?RUDI: So just like your poster, just like your marketing and everything, a film description is your way to reach through the screen, grab the audience, grab the programmer, and pull them into your movie. Keep in mind, your whole entire goal is to get people to watch your film, get them excited about your film.And so if you just have a very drab, like description that's just yeah, has to face consequences for a decision they made or come to terms with something when I, that's a good V one, that's a good place to start, but that's not going to get an audience excited about your film.I saw film, I don't know if it was at my festival. It wasn't at my festival. We didn't screen it, but I'm saying, I don't know if it was submitted to my festival or if I saw it at another festival, but I remember one of the descriptions it was great. It was whatever the two character names were, John and Jane, I forget what the characters are, but like John and Jane are on a date, there's a bomb in the other room.I I hope the date goes well, or something like that. Let's hope the date goes well. And I'm like, what is this movie? That gets you really excited for it. You're. It, it creates so much mystery. And also just the cavalier way that it was written immediately tells me this is gonna be a comedy, or it's not taking itself too seriously.It's not some like gritty, dive into the underworld or whatever. Like just how blunt it was about the dis of the film and just that like small little description. I know I'm paraphrasing what it was, but it stuck with me for years at this point. ‘cause I'm like, that is how you write a description for a film.That is how you get someone excited to see what is this movie about? Let's jump in. Piggybacking off a description. Titles are another great way to do that. In, in my own repertoire of films I've had film called Prudence. Okay, fine, whatever. Prudence doesn't really tell you much about that film.I had a film that I'm very proud of. It's artsy, it's a little bit magical realism and it's called in this gray place, and it has that artsy mystique around it in this gray place. And I love that title. I did it, I did a film back in film school. It's terrible, but the title's great.It's called Back to Fort Russell. It was a Western and I, to this day, it's one of my favorite titles that I've ever had. But it tells you something. It clues you into what this film is going to be, what the journey of this movie is going to be. And some films do that better than others. And some films, yeah, it's not necessary.But I, I get more excited when I hear something like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre than I do something that's just like love. Or mom or something.BEN: I think this is the last question. So again, with all these little details, cover letter, talk to me about cover letters.RUDI: It's so interesting you asked me that question ‘cause hearing about four or five days, I'm posting a video on the YouTube channel about cover letters. It's short, it's only four or five minutes long, but cover letters are so important.Should absolutely write a cover letter. And a couple of days ago I was talking with programmers at dances with films, and if you don't know dances with films, look ‘em up. They are an incredible film festival. They are in the big leagues for sure. And I was talking with a couple of programmers and I asked them about covert letters and they said, it's so important it.How the filmmaker is going to put an audience in the theater is very important for their festival. How they're going to get people to attend is very important for them and they're like, a good indication in a cover letter is when they, the filmmaker indicates how they're going to market their film and they use the example of football.Let's say it's a movie about football. They're like, if it's a movie about football and you tell me in the cover letter that you're part of several like football organizations, or you're gonna be reaching out to sports organizations or youth organizations for sports or something like that, to attend the film.That's a very good indication for them in the cover letter. For me, I think a cover letter is very important in that it shows. You're going the extra mile to show the festival you care. You're not just submit and quit. We're not just one festival on a list of 50 that you're submitting to. There is a reason you want to screen with us, and that's a specific reason.Either you feel that your film is good fit for our audience, or there's something that you want to connect with. In Wyoming, I had one cover letter and we did accept this film and it was really funny. They put in their cover letter like their film was a comedy, so their cover letter was also very comedic, but they're like, honestly, we're just gonna go up to Yellowstone around that time and we would love to swing by and show the movie.And I laughed. I laughed so hard at that and I'm like. But that shows me they care. Like they want to be there. And the film was good and it was funny and we screamed it and they were there. So it's a way to show a film festival enthusiasm and it's way to inform the festival about yourself, about your film, and how that's gonna gel with their particular event and their audience.BEN: I love it. And that reminds me, I got one more, I got a bonus question. Yeah. Can you talk about applying early?RUDI: Yes. Statistically, when I look at our own data, statistically, it does seem to be that the earlier you apply, the better chance that you have. And so I don't want to give the impression that if you applied late.You have no chance. I think in the video where I literally broke down the data and the statistics, I think at our festival we had a one in five chance of getting in on the late deadline, which is about a 20% acceptance rate. But it was much higher the earlier it came in. So just with the raw data taking out my opinions, my emotions on it, whatever, just the data itself shows earlier is better.Now, here's where my opinions and my feelings towards it come from. I think it's a couple of things. One, when you get in early, you set the pace for the rest of the festival, you're telling us, okay, it's a drama. We're gonna compare your film against others. Like you have now become the benchmark that we're gonna compare other films to when it comes to like dramas or whatever.What it also does. It's something I'm going to discuss in my video and cover letters, but it also engages something, what's called mere exposure effect in psychology, which is essentially the more that you are exposed to something, the more preference you have towards it. Which means if you get in early, you are exposing yourself, your film, and your story to the programmers more often and more readily than late submissions are.So it's more likely that the programmers form some attachment to your film, and that's just human nature, that's just psychology. There's some practical reasons for it as well. Obviously, earlier submissions, earlier deadlines are cheaper, so it's better to get in. It's just gonna cost you less money to do and then lastly, there are many festivals that are developing their program as they go. So as films are coming in, they're shaping. We got a ton of dramas. Maybe we need two drama blocks, or, we, we don't have enough sci-fi for a sci-fi blocks, we gotta spread it out or whatever. So if you come in late, you're now trying to elbow some other film out of the way in order to find your screening slot.Which don't get me wrong, there are plenty of programmers that are absolutely gonna go to bat for you. They're gonna fight hard to get you in. Doesn't matter if you come in early or late or whatever, but the chances are just better. And the data shows that if you get in early. All that said, a couple of years ago, the very last film that came in with only two hours left in our deadline, we ended up programming it.So it, it is possible.BEN: Rudi, I cannot thank you enough. I can't tell you how helpful this has been. There's so much great information for filmmakers. Filmmakers submitted to festivals, people just interested in going to festivals. So thank you so much for taking the time.RUDI: Hey it's always a pleasure.I always love talking film festivals and for any filmmakers out there, head on over to YouTube hit up the Film Festival Guide. That's my YouTube page. I'm coming out with videos every two or three weeks. That's about what I put ‘em out there for. So if you need any guidance or any, I don't know, insight for film festivals that's where I am.BEN: Film Festival Guide. I'm a subscriber. I can't recommend it enough. Any other social media where people can find you?RUDI: Oh no, I'm terrible on social media. YouTube's enough for me right now.BEN: So Film Fest.RUDI: I will probably expand in the future and I'll probably make some announcement on the YouTube channel.Got it. But for right now, I'm just trying to get good information out there to as many filmmakers as possible.BEN: Thank you so much for doing that. It's such a huge benefit for film.RUDI: Thank you very much for the support and thank you very much for having me on. I enjoyed this. This was a lot of fun.BEN: Me too. This was great. Thank you. And that was my interview with Rudy Womack, director of the Wyoming International Film Festival and creator of the great YouTube page, the Film Festival Guide. Hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please forward it to one person. Thank you and have a great day. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit benbo.substack.com

This episode was the moment Dolores fell in love with the show, but what did she and Wells think of the controversial win?! Dolores is one of the few who have made it to the fire of truth, so she tells us everything behind the scenes… Plus, Wells reveals that this game is based off of a Russian case study. Statistically speaking, what should be the outcome of the next few seasons?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Statistically speaking, more of us have done it than we'd like to admit. Chicago’s best morning radio show now has a podcast! Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and remember that the conversation always lives on the Q101 Facebook page. Brian & Kenzie are live every morning from 6a-10a on Q101. Subscribe to our channel HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@Q101 Like Q101 on Facebook HERE: https://www.facebook.com/q101chicago Follow Q101 on Twitter HERE: https://twitter.com/Q101Chicago Follow Q101 on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/q101chicago/?hl=en Follow Q101 on TikTok HERE: https://www.tiktok.com/@q101chicago?lang=enSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carl and Zinno come back have more Falcons talk as they discuss why the Falcons statically beat the Patriots, however still found a way to lose, to which Zinno states there are no good reasons for what took place on Sunday.

On this week's episode of AvTalk, we discuss two statistically improbable events — an airACT 747 veered off the runway and struck a vehicle before ending up in the sea and a United Airlines 737-8 MAX struck something at 36,000 feet. We walk through the most likely scenario at this point. Lack of communication (literally) […] The post AvTalk Episode 342: Two statistically improbable events appeared first on Flightradar24 Blog.

 Hiring in industrial water is slow, specialized, and expensive to get wrong. In this conversation, executive advisor Randi Fargen explains how a two-question, 5–7 minute Culture Index survey becomes an ongoing management and coaching system—not just a hiring screen—so owners cut turnover risk, speed onboarding, and improve day-to-day communication.    From “assessment fatigue” to a usable language  Most teams dread long assessments. This survey takes minutes and measures four primary traits—autonomy, sociability, pace/patience, conformity—plus three sub-traits (logic, ingenuity, mental stamina). Leaders get a shared vocabulary for why projects stall, what information different people need, and where the team is over-weighted in “gas” (vision/growth) or “brake” (quality/process).    Objective data where interviews fail  Resumes can be embellished, references are curated, and interviews are where candidates most modify behavior. The survey provides objective, EEOC-compliant data to align role demands with how a person is wired—a first pass for “right person, right seat,” followed by skills and experience checks. Trace shares a driver-hire example where data prevented a costly misfit and made the interview process smoother and more targeted.    Turnover, onboarding load, and the health check  Randi highlights research she cites with clients: 66% of employees have accepted roles they knew weren't a fit, and 50% of those left within six months—burning cash and team morale. The fix isn't one-and-done. Teams re-survey every 3–6 months to read dynamic “job behavior” shifts, diagnose disconnects early, and adjust coaching, workload, or process before problems harden.    Coaching at scale, not weaponization  Culture Index works best when deployed top-down and organization-wide (not just managers). Teams adopt simple practices—e.g., bringing pattern cards to meetings or adding patterns to email signatures—to reduce friction. A guardrail: never “weaponize the dots.” Use the data to maximize strengths and support challenges; never to excuse behavior or limit someone's potential.    Industry relevance and next steps  Because industrial water roles are niche and ramp time is long, using objective behavioral data helps retain talent you've already invested in. Randi closes with a free team diagnostic offer for companies that want to “test drive” the approach and leave with actionable insights—regardless of whether they proceed further.  Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!    Timestamps    02:01 - Trace Blackmore shares a Legionella Awareness Month recap (most listened yet, high sharing), shout-outs to some guests, note that the CDC recognized Legionella Awareness Month, the origin story from 2020 lockdowns, a call to keep challenging what we “know”  07:52 - Upcoming Events for Water Treatment Professionals   12:51 - Interview with Randi Fargen, Executive Advisor with Culture Index  13:27 - Randi's self-intro: role and how she helps businesses (“right people, right seats”)  17:02 – Hiring Win; interviews get sharper when profiles guide questions  22:13 – Cost of Turnover  33:42 - What's measured: four primary traits (A/B/C/D) + three sub-traits (logic/ingenuity/stamina)  41:06 - Gas vs. brake; turning productive tension into quality control  52:51 - Guardrail: never “weaponize the dots”; use data to support, not to excuse or exclude  01:12:21 - Water You Know with James McDonald    Quotes  “Fully exploited strengths are a far greater value than marginally improved weaknesses.”  “Statistically speaking, 98% of the population has less autonomy than you do.”  “The second this is weaponized; the program is dead within your organization.”  “This isn't something, it's not a magic wand, it's not a magic bullet… This is a marathon, not a sprint.”    Connect with Randi Fargen Phone: 1(303) 242 0346  Email: rfargen@cultureindex.com   Website: www.cultureindex.com     LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randi-fargen/     Guest Resources Mentioned   Culture Index Program  Randi Fargen (Executive Advisor) Free Team Diagnostic   Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink   How Not to Age: The Scientific Approach to Getting Healthier as You Get Older by Michael Greger    Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned  AWT (Association of Water Technologies)  Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses  Submit a Show Idea  The Rising Tide Mastermind  446 Leveraging the Culture Index for Business Success with Danielle Scimeca and Conor Parrish    Water You Know with James McDonald   Question: What is the molar mass of water?    2025 Events for Water Professionals  Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we've listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.   

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Albert Burgess-Hull, the Scientific Director of SUDx and Head Data Scientist at MATClinics, US. The interview covers a short report examining treatment retention in opioid use disorder comparing subcutaneous injectable versus sublingual buprenorphine. · What is buprenorphine and what it is used for? [01:00]· The benefits and drawbacks of sublingual versus subcutaneous injectable buprenorphine [01:38]· An overview of the study [04:41]· Statistically matching sublingual buprenorphine patients with subcutaneous injectable buprenorphine patients [06:05]· The main findings of the study [08:34]· The contrast of Albert's findings with findings in previous literature [10:03]· The implications of the findings for clinicians [12:28]· The take home messages of the study [14:03]About Elle Wadsworth: Elle is an academic fellow with the Society for the Study of Addiction. She is based at the University of Bath with the Addiction and Mental Health Group and her research interests include drug policy, cannabis legalisation, and public health. Elle is also a senior analyst at RAND Europe, working on projects focusing on national and international drug policies. About Albert Burgess-Hull: Albert is an addiction scientist and machine-learning researcher, and is currently the Scientific Director of SUDx and Head Data Scientist at MATClinics. His research focuses on the development and deployment of digital health frameworks to improve medical decision-making, operational efficiency, and the delivery of substance use disorder treatments. Dr Burgess-Hull received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed postdoctoral fellowship training at the National Institute on Drug Abuse IRP at the National Institutes of Health. Declarations of interest: Dr Burgess-Hull is employed by MATClinics Services LLC. MATClinics are clinics serving outpatient treatment for opioid, alcohol and stimulant use. Original article: A comparative study of treatment retention in opioid use disorder: Subcutaneous injectable versus sublingual buprenorphine https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70105 The opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the host and interviewees and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official positions of the SSA or Addiction journal.The SSA does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

JOIN US NEXT WEEK, YOU NERDS. 7PM PST. :) Live on Twitch Wednesdays! http://www.twitch.tv/TheUglyMugs https://discord.gg/RvE6TVANRF https://throne.com/theuglymugs http://bit.ly/UglyMugsGlasses https://www.humblebundle.com/ Email us stuff! Uglymugspodcast@gmail.com Joint Twitter: @TheRealUglyMugs https://www.heroforge.com/tap/?ref=uglymugs Justin Twitter: @CliffxThurst Tiktok: @cliffxthurst Quincey Threads: https://www.threads.net/@quinceyroberson?invite=0 Tiktok: @qballscollectables Socky: @sockysquidrings Twitch: @sockysquid

The Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers will face off in Primetime Sunday night. With both teams battling Injuries, here's some key advantages on both ends that could decide the outcome. The league's numbers usually reveal which teams and players are actually the best at what they do this season. Stats don't lie, but they tell a few surprising stories about the narrative in the NFL for this season.--Voicemail call in: (219) 413-9405Instagram: @TheRunPodcastFacebook: PodcastTheRunYouTube: The Run with Manny WilsonTheRunUSA.com--Use the Promo Code: THERUNPODCAST for $20 OFF your first ticket purchase with SeatGeek. https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/teamseatgeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Packers Total Access Hour 2 : Packers vs Bengals Overview Continued + Where Packer Players Rank Statistically

Packers Total Access Hour 2 : Packers vs Bengals Overview Continued + Where Packer Players Rank Statistically

Montana State is riding a four-game winning streak after a 34-10 beatdown of No. 13 Northern Arizona. The Bobcats have allowed 34 points in regulation to FCS opponents so far this 2025 season. Former Bobcat player & coach Mike Rider joins Colter Nuanez to break down how Montana State's defense has been so stout so far this campaign. 

How Does Nebraska Match Up with Maryland Statistically?Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

1 out of 10  Hi everyone, Carl Gould here with your #70secondCEO. And one of the things that we did was we taught people And we've since trained 7,000 people on how to launch their consulting, coaching, speaking, training business in 80 countries, okay? And here's what we found out. Statistically, if we gave you something to do and you do it for the next 10 times, you know what your chances of being successful at it is? One out of 10. Your results will be low. So you're gonna come out of here, you're gonna be like, I love this, it's great, here we go, right? And you're gonna be like, oh, that campaign underperformed by a lot, right? Number two, not so much. Number three, maybe not so much. One out of 10 is statistically where you'll likely have your success. Like and follow this podcast so you can learn more. My name is Carl Gould, and this has been your #70secondCEO.  

Looking 4 Healing Radio with Dr. Angelina Farella – The pharmaceutical industry has overtaken many of the institutions of higher learning. Research is also being corrupted with the pharmaceutical companies paying for their own research, and the bias of the research is in favor of whatever medication is being analyzed. Statistically speaking, the numbers are being manipulated to make the...

Looking 4 Healing Radio with Dr. Angelina Farella – The pharmaceutical industry has overtaken many of the institutions of higher learning. Research is also being corrupted with the pharmaceutical companies paying for their own research, and the bias of the research is in favor of whatever medication is being analyzed. Statistically speaking, the numbers are being manipulated to make the...

QAnon-style trafficking myths are hurting real victims and helping nobody. Nick Pell separates trafficking fact from fiction here on Skeptical Sunday.Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we're joined by writer and researcher Nick Pell!Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1215On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:The math doesn't add up. That viral "800,000 missing children" claim? Pure statistical sleight of hand. Most are runaways or parental custody disputes, not shadowy trafficking rings. The reality is that stranger abductions account for just one percent of kidnapping cases.Forget the Hollywood playbook. Real trafficking isn't a panel van at Walmart waiting for the perfect victim to whisk away — it's the slow burn of grooming. Predators pose as boyfriends, exploit trust, and use psychological manipulation over months.Privilege blinds us to real victims. That suburban soccer mom convinced she's a trafficking target? Statistically safer than she thinks. Actual victims tend to come from marginalized communities, LGBTQ+ youth, immigrants, and kids in foster care — people society already overlooks.Moral panic creates real harm. Trafficking hysteria spawned laws like SESTA/FOSTA that pushed sex work underground, making it more dangerous. When we chase fictional threats, we abandon real victims who need unsexy, long-term support — not rescue fantasies.Real solutions work through boring, beautiful basics. Want to actually help? Support organizations like Polaris Project that provide housing, mental health care, legal aid, and job training. One person at a time, one life rebuilt — that's how you dismantle trafficking networks for real.Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course!Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom!Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger!This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors:Rag & Bone: 20% off: Rag-Bone.com, code JORDANWayfair: Start renovating: wayfair.comBetterHelp: 10% off first month: betterhelp.com/jordanLand Rover Defender: Build yours: landroverusa.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Statistically, your odds of becoming an astronaut are close to zero. You have to make some pretty extreme sacrifices to reach the stars, and that's the thrust of a new novel about the first Cherokee astronaut. To the Moon and Back is Eliana Ramage's debut novel and the September pick for Reese Witherspoon's book club. It's a book about ambition and astronauts, but it's also about what it means to be Indigenous … in the past, present, and future. This week, Eliana tells Mattea about loving the story of science, writing frustrating characters and why she's taking Cherokee identity to Mars. Liked this conversation? Keep listening:Taylor Jenkins Reid is among the stars — on and off the page For Indigenous players, ice hockey is a ceremony of its own

Looking for more DTP Content? Check us our here: www.thereadinesslab.com/dtp-linksIn Part 2 of this three-part series, host John Scardena continues his conversation with Jim Balthazar, drawing on Jim's background in law enforcement, ATF Special Response Teams, and faith-based security leadership to unpack lessons from high-profile incidents and what they mean for community safety today.Topics Covered in Part 2The Charlie Kirk incident — rooftop vulnerabilities, the difference between local security resources and federal protective standards, and how evolving threats require new approaches such as counter-sniper teams, drones for observation, and protective design changes.Historical parallels — from JFK to modern-day open-air events, how notoriety and visibility create unique risks.Schools and safety drills — why “run, hide, fight” isn't always effective, the role of barricading, and why empowerment strategies can make a difference for students and staff.The role of parents and families — parents as the first line of defense, age-appropriate conversations with children, and the importance of monitoring online influences.Mitigation and risk management — balancing statistical rarity with catastrophic impact, and how organizations can prepare without creating paranoia.Key TakeawaysHigh-profile figures and open-air venues face unique risks that demand proactive security planning.Statistically rare events can still have catastrophic consequences, making risk management essential.Training and age-appropriate preparation for schools and families are more effective than fear-based approaches.Parents play a critical role in monitoring, guiding, and shaping safe environments for kids.Security must adapt as threats evolve — from rooftops to classrooms to community gatherings.Part One: Leadership in the FieldPart Three: Church SecurityMajor Endorsements: ImpulseBleeding Control Kits by Professionals for Professionalshttps://www.impulsekits.com Doberman Emergency Management Subject matter experts in assessments, planning and training https://www.dobermanemg.com The Readiness Lab Trailblazing Disaster Readiness through podcasts, outreach, marketing, and interactive eventshttps://www.thereadinesslab.com For Sponsorship Requests contact@thereadinesslab.com 314-400-8848 Ext 2#DisasterToughPodcast #EmergencyManagement #CrisisLeadership #DisasterResponse #ActiveShooterAwareness #PublicSafety #Resilience #SchoolSafety #IncidentCommand #SecurityLeadership #RiskManagement #CharlieKirk #UVU #ChurchSecurity

Notre Dame travels to Arkansas to face the Razorbacks in an ABC-televised game kicking off at 11 Central in Week 5 of the 2025 college football season. Jay Greeson and Chris Lee preview the game, with topics including: Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green is a one-man wrecking crew who can win games with outstanding performances. But the Razorbacks have to stop shooting themselves in the foot with turnovers and untimely penalties. Notre Dame was torched by Texas A&M's Marcel Reed in the passing game two weeks ago, providing some hopes for an Arkansas upset. The Razorbacks were also awful against the run vs. Memphis, and now face one of the country's top running backs in Jeremiyah Love. Statistically, Arkansas's defense is better than Notre Dame's in some categories, but the Fighting Irish's schedule has included Miami and Texas A&M. With coach Sam Pittman on the hot set, is a home game here the best or worst thing that could happen to Arkansas? And how much are the Razorbacks bought into playing for Pittman? Finally, the Irish have to win this one to stand any chance to make the Playoff. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode: Built Not BornGuest: Guy Kawasaki - Former Apple Chief Evangelist, Author of "Wiser Guy"Host: Joe CiccaroneRelease Date: September 22, 2025

Why Bureaucracy, Hollywood, and the NRA Helped Serial Killers ThriveWhy does America remain the global epicentre of serial killers? In Part Two of Psycho Killer: Shocking True Crime Stories, Simon Ford and Jacques Morrell uncover how bureaucracy, pop culture, and gun culture shaped the rise of American serial murderers.From the FBI's behavioural profiling to the National Rifle Association's influence, from Hollywood's romanticisation of killers to the chilling question of whether Millennials and Gen Z will break the cycle, this episode digs deeper into America's darkest shadows.We examine cases where red tape let killers roam free, the dangerous glamorisation of Bundy and Dahmer, and how easy access to firearms made serial murder uniquely lethal in the United States.Support us on Patreon for just £5 a month.TranscriptWhat if the system that's meant to protect you is the very thing that lets a killer slip through the cracks? What if the weapons are legally bought and the warning signs ignored? What if Hollywood's obsession with serial murder isn't just entertaining, but prophecy? In Part Two of 'Why Does The United States Have More Serial Killers Than Any Other Country On Earth?' we ask: has America created the perfect breeding ground for serial murderers and psychopaths? And as we race towards 2030, is there still time to stop the next one? But before we dive in, a quick shout out to our friends at Podcast Today, that's podcast dot today. They featured our Ian Huntley episode, 'A Psychopath at School', in their Quick Listens category. If you love discovering new true crime stories, head to podcast dot today and see what else they've lined up. It's free, it's daily and it's curated just for you. Welcome back to Psycho Killer: Shocking True Crime Stories. I'm Simon Ford and I'm Jacques Morrell. If you haven't heard part one yet, hit pause and listen to that first. We explored the growth of suburbia, the aftershocks of war, and the cracks in American policing. Today, in part two, we widen the lens. Bureaucracies that enable killers. Pop culture that glorifies them, guns that empower them, and a generation that might just change everything. Welcome to NBC News Daily. This Tuesday, we're going to start with breaking news. Quadruple murder suspect Austin Drummond is in custody after an intense days long manhunt in Tennessee. Drummond was wanted for the killings of four people, all members of the same family. We've talked about fragmented law enforcement. We've examined the challenges of jurisdictional chaos and under-resourced police departments. But there's another, less visible force at play in the story of America's serial killers. Something deeper, something colder. Bureaucracy? Yeah. Killer bureaucracy. It might sound like the title of a dystopian novel, but in real life, it's one of the quiet enablers of mass murder. Behind many of America's most notorious cases, you'll find crucial opportunities missed, not through lack of intelligence or even intent, but because the gears of the system ground too slowly or didn't turn at all. I think Mr. Little will get his final judgment. Before he died at 80 year old Samuel Little sketched the faces of the women he killed. And I'm sure these jurisdictions will go and try to connect the dots to deal with what he's come to. Take Samuel Little, for example. Officially recognised as America's most prolific serial killer. 89 confirmed victims, possibly over 90. He operated across state lines from the 1970s into the 2000s, murdering vulnerable women, mostly women of colour. And yet, for decades, law enforcement agencies failed to connect the dots. Why? Well, part of it is what we've already discussed decentralised policing. But even what agencies did have the information, there was no unified system compelling them to share that information in a usable way. For much of Little's killing spree. His victims weren't even being recorded as linked cases. And here's the irony. In 1985, the FBI launched ViCAP, the violent criminal apprehension program designed specifically to catch serial offenders by identifying patterns in unsolved cases. But ViCAP was optional. Local departments weren't required to use it. Many didn't. There are 60 confirmed victims so far. Authorities will continue the hunt for the dozens of others. It won't stop, even though little is dead. You know, you just take in for what it's worth. And people like me live with that. And that's bureaucracy for you. A powerful tool. Locked in a cupboard. Because nobody mandate the key. The FBI is still actively searching for information to connect the dots in several of Little's murders. If you have any information, call this number one 800. Call FBI. The weekend I picked up a woman backpack, I weighed. And Matthew was next to me in the seat, and she hopped in. And then two and three. And my son was there, and I killed her. They'll. Sure my son didn't see it, but that only happened one time. So why didn't you do it again? I didn't want my son to see it. And that brings us to something that should chill. Anyone listening to this? In the case of Gary Ridgeway, the green River killer, dozens of women died while multiple police departments worked in silos hoarding information. Detectives even suspected Ridgeway early on. But internal politics and procedural rigidity meant he slipped through their fingers. He kept getting interviewed, kept passing polygraphs. He even gave a cheek swab DNA sample in 1987, but they didn't have the resources to process it properly. Not until the early 2000. That delay. It wasn't because no one was working the case. It was because the system was working exactly as designed, just too slowly. And there's something tragic about that. These weren't rogue officers. This wasn't corruption. This was paperwork. Process. Budgetary constraints. Misalign and incentives. In short, bureaucracy. Now, let's be fair. There have been improvements.   ViCAP is more widely used now. DNA databases are better integrated, but there's still no national mandate for data sharing in violent crime investigations. You've still got over 18,000 separate law enforcement agencies in the United States, and no centralised leadership structure. Compare that to the U.K., where a single body like the National Crime Agency can operate across the country. Or Canada's RCMP. In the US, you've got sheriff's departments, city police, state bureaus, federal agencies all working side by side, just not always together. And it's the gaps in those seams where monsters slip through. The killer may be holding the knife. But too often the system is holding the door. So what can be done? That's the million dollar question. Reform, decentralisation,  improved training, cross-agency collaboration. These are all part of the conversation. But until bureaucracy becomes more nimble, more coordinated, and more accountable, serial killers will keep finding places to hide. And we'll keep digging into the stories. The stories that reveal just how much damage can be done when no one is steering the ship. It's a firearm in the course of that murder, which is a violation of Penal Code section 12-0-22.5. Do you admit or deny that? I admit. It is further legend in counts 2 through 13... Now we're going to talk about the elephant in the room. The Second Amendment. It's just 27 words long and ratified in 1791. A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. At the time, the fledgling United States didn't have a standing army. The founders feared tyranny from without and within. The idea was that every able bodied citizen could take up arms to protect the Republic. But here in the 21st century, bearing arms has morphed into something far more removed from that original context. You don't need to be in a militia. You don't need to register your guns. In many states, and in some places, you don't even need a background check at a gun show. That's not what George Washington had in mind. And if you think we're anti-gun, then hold that thought, because there is an irony here. In a country with a disproportionate number of serial killers, maybe owning a .38 revolver for home defence is, well, just plain common sense. Let's get forensic. Do serial killers actually use guns? Statistically, no. Most serial killers prefer up close and personal methods. Strangulation, blunt force knives. Because for many of them, it's not about killing. It's about control. Exactly. Ted Bundy used a crowbar. Jeffrey Dahmer drugged his victims, then strangled them. John Wayne Gacy, he used rope, torture and pain. A lot has happened in just the past 24 hours as the sniper manhunt literally went nationwide. It began with a task force phone tip from someone claiming responsibility for the sniper killings. One of the few exceptions was the D.C. sniper case. In 2002, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo. They used a Bushmaster .223 rifle hidden inside the trunk of a blue Chevy Caprice. Random, distant, terrifying but isolated. Don't forget that most serial killers want that proximity. They want intimacy. And that's what makes them so disturbing. They're not looking to pick off targets at a distance. They want to look you in the eye. Police in Nashville are releasing this chilling surveillance video showing the terrifying moments the shooter blasted their way into the small, private Presbyterian school. But while serial killers themselves rarely rely on guns, the wider epidemic of gun violence in America is impossible to ignore. The video also shows the armed person entering a church office and later stalking the halls with an AR-style weapon drawn. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/psycho-killer-shocking-true-crime-stories--5005712/support.

It's In the News.. a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: kids' A1C and tech access correlation, first generic GLP-1 for weight loss approved, Metformin cuts long covid risk, Tandem Diabetes & Eversense updates, and more! Find out more about Moms' Night Out  Please visit our Sponsors & Partners - they help make the show possible! Learn more about Gvoke Glucagon Gvoke HypoPen® (glucagon injection): Glucagon Injection For Very Low Blood Sugar (gvokeglucagon.com) Omnipod - Simplify Life Learn about Dexcom   Check out VIVI Cap to protect your insulin from extreme temperatures The best way to keep up with Stacey and the show is by signing up for our weekly newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter here Here's where to find us: Facebook (Group) Facebook (Page) Instagram Twitter Check out Stacey's books! Learn more about everything at our home page www.diabetes-connections.com  Reach out with questions or comments: info@diabetes-connections.com Episode transcription with links:   Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I'm Stacey Simms and every other Friday I bring you a short episode with the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now. XX Accessibility to modern diabetes technology directly correlates with A1c among children with type 1 diabetes globally. Big, cross-sectional study, conducted in 81 pediatric diabetes centers in 56 countries, found that a greater extent of reimbursement for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), insulin pumps, glucose meters, and insulin was associated with lower A1c levels. Partha S. Kar, MD, Type 1 Diabetes & Technology lead of the National Health Service England, told Medscape Medical News, “As is now being shown in countries such as UK with widespread uptake of technology, there is now population-wide shift in A1c not seen before.”   He added, “If policymakers are serious about bringing A1c at a population level to sub-7.5% - 8% levels, then without technology it would be incredibly difficult to achieve, in my experience and opinion. Leaving the median A1c of a population at above 7.5%-8% goes with complications so that's a decision regarding investment many will have to make in the near future.”   In an accompanying editorial, Elizabeth R. Seaquist, MD, professor of diabetes, endocrinology, and metabolism and co-director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, called it “striking” that access to technology in and of itself was associated with improved glycemic control, given that multidisciplinary team care is also needed to provide education and behavioral or psychological support.     https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/diabetes-tech-access-linked-a1c-kids-t1d-globally-2025a1000nn6 XX A man with type 1 in Illinois has received the first FDA-approved islet-cell replacement treatment, Lantidra, and  he is now producing his own insulin. The treatment works by restoring the body's beta cells, potentially eliminating the need for insulin injections.   The FDA approved Lantidra (donislecel) in 2023. Lantidra uses donor cells and requires lifelong immunosuppressive drugs.     Lantidra is only available at University of Illinois Chicago Health. Other universities, such as the University of Pennsylvania, continue to do islet cell transplants as part of clinical trials. Early data has shown that a majority of participants in the Lantidra clinical study were able to achieve some level of insulin independence, but it's unclear whether the benefits of donislecel outweigh the treatment's safety risks. Nearly 87 percent of participants reported infection-related adverse events, and post-operation complications included liver lacerations, bruising of the liver (hepatic hematoma), and anemia. One patient died of multi-organ failure from sepsis, which Lantidra maker CellTrans stated was “probably related” to the use of either immunosuppression or study drugs.   In addition, some industry leaders have raised the question of whether it's ethical to commercialize the use of deceased donor islet cells. https://diatribe.org/diabetes-research/first-fda-approved-islet-cell-transplant-performed?utm_campaign=feed&utm_medium=social&utm_source=later   XX Patients in the U.S. now have access to the first generic GLP-1 treatment approved for weight loss as Teva has launched its copycat of Novo Nordisk's injected Saxenda (liraglutide).   The compound, which is a GLP-1 forerunner of Novo's semaglutide products Ozempic and Wegovy, has been approved by the FDA to treat adults with obesity and those who are overweight and have weight-related medical problems.     Saxenda also is endorsed for pediatric patients ages 12 through 17 who are obese and weigh at least 60 kg (132 pounds). The treatment is for both triggering and maintaining weight loss. Saxenda is not the first GLP-1 drug that is available as a generic. In June of last year, Teva also was the first company to launch a knockoff version of Novo's Victoza, which is the same compound as Saxenda but has been approved only for patients with Type 2 diabetes. Sales of the branded versions of both Victoza and Saxenda have declined significantly in recent years as demand for Novo's semaglutide and Eli Lilly's tirzepatide products have skyrocketed. In addition, marketers of compounded products have been aggressively competing for market share in the GLP-1 space. https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/saxenda-knockoff-teva-launches-first-generic-glp-1-obesity   XX Metformin could cut the risk of Long COVID by 64% in overweight or obese adults who started the drug within 90 days of infection. The large observational study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, analysed health records of over 624,000 UK adults with COVID-19 between March 2020 and July 2023. Among these, nearly 3,000 patients who began metformin treatment soon after diagnosis were tracked for a year. Compared to non-users, their likelihood of developing Long COVID, defined as persistent symptoms 90 days or more after infection, was dramatically lower. https://www.ndtv.com/health/metformin-cuts-risk-of-long-covid-by-64-why-the-diabetes-pill-is-not-for-everyone-9242332 XX Forty-four percent of people age 15 and older living with diabetes are undiagnosed, so they don't know they have it, according to data analysis published Monday in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. The study looked at data from 204 countries and territories from 2000 to 2023 in a systematic review of published literature and surveys. “The majority of people with diabetes that we report on in the study have type 2 diabetes,” said Lauryn Stafford , the lead author of the study.   “We found that 56% of people with diabetes are aware that they have the condition,” said Stafford, a researcher for the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. “Globally, there's a lot of variation geographically, and also by age. So, generally, higher-income countries were doing better at diagnosing people than low- and middle-income countries.” People under 35 years were much less likely to be diagnosed if they had diabetes than people in middle age or older. Just “20% of young adults with diabetes were aware of their condition,” Stafford said. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/08/health/diabetes-undiagnosed-half-of-americans-wellness XX A team of Hong Kong scientists is developing an injectable treatment that could potentially improve blood flow in diabetes patients' feet, in the hopes that it will reduce the need for amputation by rebuilding tissue in the arteries.   They also hope to apply the treatment to peripheral artery disease or PAD, a condition caused by the build-up of fatty deposits in arteries that affect blood circulation in the feet. “Traditional treatments for people suffering from poor blood flow in their legs are stent implantation or bypass surgery, which is invasive,” said Wong, who is also the co-founder of a biotechnology company called NutrigeneAI. He said it was his dream to turn research in the academic field into actual clinical treatments. But he added that the team still needed three to four years for further research on the treatment.   https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3324671/hong-kong-scientists-developing-new-blood-flow-treatment-aid-diabetes-patients XX   Tandem Diabetes announces Health Canada authorization for distribution of the Tandem t:slim mobile application for Android and iPhone users. The Tandem t:slim mobile app allows users to deliver a bolus from their compatible smartphone, and to wirelessly upload their pump data to the cloud-based Tandem Source platform.1 The app is expected to be available later this year.   The Tandem t:slim mobile app will be available for compatible smartphones in the Apple App Store and Google Play store later in 2025. Once available, Tandem will email eligible customers with instructions on how to download and use the app.  https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250904665715/en/Tandem-tslim-Mobile-App-Now-Authorized-by-Health-Canada-for-iPhone-and-Android-Phones   XX Some changes to how the Eversense CGM will be rolled out.. right now it's being distributed by Ascensia Diabetes Care.  Senseonics will take back commercial control of the year long implantable CGM on January 1 in the US and expanding worldwide throughout 2026. The change was a mutual decision, according to the two companies, which said they have signed a memorandum of understanding before a definitive agreement is hammered out by the end of the year. To get started, Senseonics is also set to acquire members of Ascensia's commercial staff—including its CGM president, Brian Hansen, who is slated to become Senseonics' new chief commercial officer. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/senseonics-retake-eversense-cgm-commercial-control-ascensia-diabetes-care XX Utrecht-based medical device company ViCentra has closed an $85 million Series D round of funding led by Innovation Industries, along with existing investors Partners in Equity and Invest-NL. The round also drew support from EQT Life Sciences and Health Innovations.   The recent capital injection will be used to expand ViCentra's manufacturing capabilities, support regulatory approvals, and strengthen commercial rollout across Europe.   The funds will also be used to launch the next-generation Kaleido 2 patch pump in Europe and prepare for entry into the U.S. market.   The global insulin delivery market is growing quickly due to the increasing number of diabetes cases and demand for effective and user-friendly solutions. The market for insulin pumps is projected to exceed $14 billion by 2034. Patch pumps are the fastest-growing segment, signalling a trend toward compact and wearable devices. And here's where ViCentra is positioned to meet this need, offering a user-friendly, sleek design-led alternative to traditional systems.   Kaleido: design-led insulin delivery Kaleido is the smallest and lightest insulin patch pump developed as a lifestyle product with a particular focus on usability and personalisation.   Designed to feel more like personal technology than a traditional medical device, Kaleido features premium materials, and users can select their own favourite aluminium shells from a range of ten preset colour options.   It integrates with Diabeloop's hybrid closed-loop algorithms (DBLG1 and DBLG2) and is compatible with Dexcom CGM sensors, positioning it within the next generation of automated insulin delivery systems.   “Kaleido is a true disruptor — small, discreet, featherlight, and beautifully designed. It empowers people with diabetes by offering a more personal and distinctive choice in both function and style. Built with empathy and precision, it honours those who live with diabetes every day. With this funding, we can now meet surging European demand and fast-track our entry into the U.S. market. This is a pivotal moment — for ViCentra, and for the community we serve,” said Tom Arnold, Chief Executive Officer at ViCentra.   Improving the quality of life for diabetic patients ViCentra, led by Tom Arnold, is on a mission to improve the lives of those with diabetes.   The company reported that demand for Kaleido in Germany, France, and the Netherlands has already exceeded initial expectations.   ViCentra will present updates on Kaleido at the 61st Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), taking place September 15–19, 2025, in Vienna.   The company plans to engage with clinicians, investors, and strategic partners to further its role in the evolving diabetes care landscape.   “ViCentra is redefining insulin pump therapy with a platform that truly centres the user experience – combining clinical performance with design simplicity and wearability,” commented Caaj Greebe, Partner at Innovation Industries. “At Innovation Industries, we invest in pioneering companies that blend world-class technology with clear commercial potential. ViCentra exemplifies this by delivering a next-generation system addressing the urgent need for better treatment options in diabetes care. We're proud to lead this investment round and partner with Tom and the team as they deepen and expand their presence in Europe and prepare for U.S. entry.”   https://techfundingnews.com/dutch-vicentra-secures-85m-to-bring-insulin-patch-pump-to-more-markets/ XX Luna Diabetes announces they've raised more than 23-million dollars in early venture capital to help continue clinical trials and build out its capacity. This is the company that wants to offer a night time only, tiny, temporary insulin pump – to supplement insulin pen use. According to the company, more than 80% of the improvements in blood sugar from automated insulin delivery systems occur while the user is sleeping. Luna launched a pivotal trial late last year. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/nighttime-insulin-patch-pump-maker-luna-diabetes-raises-236m   XX Following 15 days and 150 fingerpricks, they're here. The results of the “9 sensor samba“. And what a set of a results…   Well maybe that's overplaying it a little.   Let's just say that the outcome of this n=1 experiment wasn't quite what I expected. One of the established players came out much worse than expected, while a newcomer did a lot better.   Let's dig in, and take a look at the variation. https://www.diabettech.com/cgm/the-nine-sensor-samba-results-revealed/   XX Hard work and perseverance define ranch life, but one man in eastern Montana takes it to another level. At 90, he's still living independently on the ranch he built from the ground up. Even more remarkable? He's a type 1 diabetic.   Bob Delp still begins each day just like he did decades ago, waking up on his ranch near Richey, Montana.   “I always thought if I could ever get a ranch and run a hundred cows, that's what I wanted to do from the time I was a kid,” said Delp.   He made that dream real, the hard way; after coming home from the army, he taught school, hayed for seven cents a bale and saved every cent he could.     “I worked at it real hard because I always felt like it was going to be part of getting me to that ranch that I always wanted,” said Delp.   He did it all while managing type 1 diabetes, a diagnosis that came with few answers and little hope back in the 1950s.   “The doctors tell me being a type 1 diabetic for 66 years isn't supposed to happen. Back then, it was a real challenge,” added Delp.   Statistically, it's almost unheard of. Fewer than 90 people in the world have lived more than 70 years with type 1 diabetes.     Bob credits his late wife, Donna, for helping him beat the odds.   “She has been key in that I always ate on time.”   They've faced their share of storms, both in health and out on the land. Not long after moving to Richey, a heavy snowstorm nearly tore everything apart just after they'd stepped out for dinner.   “If Donna hadn't said it was time to eat, we wouldn't have made it out of there. I guess that's one time that made me happy to have diabetes. And I think that saved us,” said Delp.     Now, he still checks his blood sugar daily but trusts his hands more than high-tech insulin pumps.   “I'm not satisfied with the sensors they have today. I just don't think they're accurate.”   To many, Bob's survival is extraordinary. To him, it's luck.   “The genes are there already, I can't change that so I guess I would have to say just lots of good luck,” said Delp.     And through it all, optimism has been his compass.   “You might fumble the ball, but if you're determined to be a winner, you'll recover that fumble someday,” said Delp.   He still welds nearly every day. Not because he has to, but because it keeps him going.   “As long as I keep doing something like this, I will not be in the nursing home,” said Delp.   https://www.kfyrtv.com/2025/08/09/against-all-odds-montana-man-thrives-with-type-1-diabetes-90/ XX Today, Dexcom is building on this belief and breaking new ground with the launch of its first open call across the U.S. and Canada in search of the next diabetes advocates—giving people with all types of diabetes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to raise awareness and share their voice on a global scale in the company's World Diabetes Day campaign (Nov. 14) and beyond.  Who is eligible?: Anyone age 2+ living with all types of diabetes or prediabetes can be nominated by themselves or by someone who knows them. Selected candidates will embody strength, advocacy and pride in living with diabetes or prediabetes. Where and how can I nominate myself or someone I know?: Visit Dexcom.com/WorldDiabetesDay When is the deadline to submit a nomination?: Nominations are open from September 10 through September 19 at 12pm PT. What will the selected candidates experience?:   An invite to participate in a World Diabetes Day photoshoot in Los Angeles to have their unique story featured in Dexcom's World Diabetes Day campaign The ongoing opportunity to attend events, connect with community, and raise diabetes awareness around the world XX The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2025 Annual Meeting will feature major clinical trial results in type 2 diabetes (T2D), type 1 diabetes (T1D), obesity, several new clinical practice guidelines, and much more. The 61st annual EASD meeting will take place on September 15-19, 2025, in Vienna, Austria.   

Send us a textPerforming billing and documentation audits & reviews are important for an effective compliance program. In this episode, Captain Integrity Bob Wade explains what a probe review is and when you need to keep digging for a statistically valid review. Hear how to design your probe review using the RAT-STATS program, when you can treat your probe review as an educational review, when you need to do a statistically valid review, the history of RAT-STATS, and the origin of the “keep on digging” idiom. Learn more at CaptainIntegrity.com 

If you've saved more than a million dollars, that puts you ahead of 90% of your peers. Statistically, that makes you a super saver. But one of the biggest challenges super savers face is this: it's hard to spend your own money. In this episode, I share one exercise that can help break some of those old habits and open the door to a more fulfilling retirement. A Practical Exercise  Think back over the last year or two and pick a trip that you really enjoyed. Itemize all the spending decisions you can remember:  Where did you go? How did you get there? How long did you stay? What did you eat? What souvenirs did you buy?
 Take each line item and triple it. Then think of two or three ways you could possibly spend that new tripled amount.  Listen to the rest of the episode and learn how we can rewire our brains from saving mode to spending mode.   Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Work with Benjamin: https://retirementstartstoday.com/start Follow Retirement Starts Today in:Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or iHeart  Get the book!Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement  

3HL - 8-14-25 - Hour 2 - Can the Titans Offense Improve Statistically in 2025? + Greg Cosell joinsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3HL - 8-14-25 - Hour 2 - Can the Titans Offense Improve Statistically in 2025? + Greg Cosell joinsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway, the highly touted former five-star recruit and centerpiece of the Gators' offense, is currently dealing with a lower-body injury sustained ahead of fall camp. Seen wearing a walking boot, Lagway's injury has been described by team insiders as a minor calf strain, and he's expected to be fully ready for the 2025 season. As Florida eyes a bounce-back year under Billy Napier, Lagway's health remains critical to offensive success. Meanwhile, Florida's 2025 defensive line is shaping up as one of the SEC's most formidable units. Anchored by veteran stars like Caleb Banks and Tyreak Sapp—both with NFL aspirations—the line blends size, explosiveness, and disruptive ability across the front. Sophomore standout LJ McCray brings elite pass-rushing potential, while rotational depth from George Gumbs Jr. and new arrival Mbatchou bolsters the unit's versatility. Under the aggressive 4–2–5 scheme led by rising defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, the Gators' D-line looks poised to be a game-changing force. Statistically, Florida's defense made major strides in 2024, including a +17 increase in sacks and +18 in total turnovers gained. The returning personnel and emerging talent position the 2025 line to be among the best in the SEC, with national analysts ranking it just behind powerhouses like Alabama and Oklahoma. With DJ Lagway expected back soon and the defensive front projected to dominate, Florida fans have every reason to be optimistic heading into the 2025 season.

What happens when you mix statistics with orgasms? You get this deliciously naughty episode! I'm reacting to a new survey about how often we're all getting off—and let's just say I have thoughts.

Angel Studios https://Angel.com/ToddJoin the Angel Guild today and stream Testament, a powerful new series featuring the retelling of the book of Acts. Alan's Soaps https://www.AlansArtisanSoaps.comUse coupon code TODD to save an additional 10% off the bundle price.Bioptimizers https://Bioptimizers.com/toddEnter promo code TODD to get 10% off your order of Berberine Breakthrough today.Bizable https://GoBizable.comUntie your business exposure from your personal exposure with BiZABLE.  Schedule your FREE consultation at GoBizAble.com today.  Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/toddThe new GOLDEN AGE is here!  Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comHear directly from Zach Abraham as he shares insights in this FREE “Halftime” Webinar, THIS Thursday, July 24th at 3:30 Pacific.  Register now at Know Your Risk Podcast dot com. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddLISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeRussia Hoax: The Neurological Crime. // Journalism's Illness In One Tweet. // Andrew Tate was right to become a Muslim.  Episode   Links:President Trump accused President Obama of committing treason earlier today. That's not an insignificant thing…Obama can claim all day long that he didn't push the fake Russia Hoax, but apparently he's not aware of the existence of the internet, which makes it possible for everyone to go back and watch him do it with their own eyes:"Nobody ever said 'the Russians hacked the election!'" - Except, of course, they ALL said "the Russians hacked the election"CNN's Jake Tapper Joins Russia Hoax Declassification FirefightAfter the 2016 election, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Amy Klobuchar traveled to Ukraine together. After the trip they held a press conference and declared that Russia attacked the USA by hacking the 2016 election. It was all lies“Monogamy is not natural for men.  Statistically only 20-30% of men have ever reproduced, while 80-90% of women have reproduced…” 

HT2328 - Thoroughly Ironic Pixels I don't see how anyone could disagree with the notion that we are seeing more small images than ever before. Statistically speaking, I'll bet most images you see these days are smaller than 8x10" because most of them you've seen on your phone, your tablet, or your laptop. And this is in the age of ever increasing megapixel cameras. My new camera, for example, has a 200 megapixel sensor ,um, in my phone! Really? Show your appreciation for our free weekly Podcast and our free daily Here's a Thought… with a donation Thanks!

My husband Tim joins me for this honest, refreshing, and hope-filled conversation with Brian and Emilie McCormack. Together they lead Breakaway Ministries along with their 5 kids out of College Station. Whether you're an Aggie or just want to hear some incredible news of what's going on at one of the biggest college campuses in the US, the McCormacks give us a unique perspective of revival and discipleship taking place at Texas A & M. This one hits close to home for us, and today you'll hear a little about how this ministry has had a direct impact on our family. Today we pick up with Brian sharing the history and timeline of how Breakaway got started…Social media handle: @brianmccormack, @emiliemccormack, @breakawaymin Breakaway MinistriesShow Notes/Quotes:“When we're asked, 'What do we see?' The answer's always the same, it's just that we see hunger. There's a wild hunger among this generation and among college students right now.” “The opportunity is incredible, but the need and the urgency is just as big.”“And she said - ‘I don't know what happened, but I encountered God, and something in me changed.'”“It's God who's doing the heavy lifting, we just get to plant the seeds and then, man, sometimes we get to see the fruit.”“Statistically most people are deciding are they in or are they out when it comes to following Jesus in this 18-24 year old range.” “When I tell a couple thousand 20-year-olds, 'You are God's primary delivery mechanism for the grace and hope and healing of God in this day and age and there is no plan B', they kinda straighten up and are like, ‘Ok, what are we gonna do about that?'”“Two words come to mind - questions, and confession.” “I think the best thing a man can do is give his son a category for a man who is fully known by a few other men, and who are seeking God together.”Reflections on seminary, “I feel more certain that Jesus is the hope of the world, and I feel like I know less than I started.”“You have to have the living Word pouring into you.”“It's not just about information, but rather about transformation, and that transformation happens in God's nearness…proximity is the remedy.” 

Attention: The first clinical trial testing creatine for Alzheimer's just dropped, and the results are absolutely mind-blowing. In this episode, I've sat down with Max Lugavere at The White House to discuss the new research on creatine. This pilot study gave 20 Alzheimer's patients 20 grams of creatine daily for 8 weeks. The results? Statistically significant improvements across nearly every cognitive measurement.  Join the Ultimate Human VIP community and gain exclusive access to Gary Brecka's proven wellness protocols today!: https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg Get Max Lugavere book, “Genius Foods”: https://theultimatehuman.com/book-recs Want to dive deeper into brain health? Watch Max's documentary "Little Empty Boxes" here: https://bit.ly/47Qf8Y9 Listen to Max Lugavere's "The Genius Life" podcast weekly on all your favorite platforms: https://bit.ly/47MyoWK Connect with Max Lugavere: Website: https://bit.ly/3XLOGdN YouTube: https://bit.ly/4eJc6r7 Instagram: https://bit.ly/3BsEf7y Facebook: https://bit.ly/3Y4QkZr TikTok: https://bit.ly/3Y8ov2w X.com: https://bit.ly/3ZMQgPk LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4eGVrEw Thank you to our partners: H2TABS - USE CODE “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg BODYHEALTH - USE CODE “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV BAJA GOLD - USE CODE "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa EIGHT SLEEP - SAVE $350 ON THE POD 4 ULTRA WITH CODE “GARY”: https://bit.ly/3WkLd6E COLD LIFE - THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp WHOOP - GET 1 FREE MONTH WHEN YOU JOIN!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW MASA CHIPS - GET 20% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER: https://bit.ly/40LVY4y VANDY - USE CODE “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/49Qr7WE AION - USE CODE “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD HAPBEE - FEEL BETTER & PERFORM AT YOUR BEST: https://bit.ly/4a6glfo CARAWAY - USE CODE “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3Q1VmkC HEALF - GET 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S BIOPTIMIZERS - USE CODE “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4inFfd7 RHO NUTRITION - USE CODE “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/44fFza0 GENETIC TEST: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9 Watch  the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9AM EST: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8 Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RQftU0 Connect with Gary Brecka: Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8fo X.com: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2 Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:30 Getting Back to the Basics 02:17 Clinical Trial on Creatine  05:57 Impact of Creatine on Health 11:26 Spreading Awareness on Positive Healthcare Choices The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The Content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices