Podcasts about summary there

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Best podcasts about summary there

Latest podcast episodes about summary there

Leadership Today Podcast
Episode 154 - The Two Most Common Leadership Mistakes

Leadership Today Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2022 4:11


Summary There are two common mistakes that leaders often make - either over-leading or under-leading.   Transcript Welcome to episode 154 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we bring research to life in your leadership. This week we discuss two common mistakes leaders make. Leadership is tough and it can be hard to know where to start. I think it's helpful to explore what effective leaders actually do day-to-day. I call these leadership practices - sets of leadership behaviours that people apply. Over the next few weeks we are going to explore these leadership practices in more detail. Today we're going to focus on two common mistakes leaders can make - relying on Directing or Avoiding. But first a reminder - leadership is about achieving results through people. A common mistake is when our leadership focuses too much on achieving results, and forgets there are human beings involved. Directing as a leadership practice is driven a desire for control and compliance. The leader uses close direction, monitoring and instruction. This includes telling people how to do things, not just what to do. It's effectively “do it this way” but without an explanation of why. The Directing practice also relies on negative consequences, such as fear of losing your job, or missing out on a promotion. The leader is watching and monitoring - excessively checking in around compliance rather than supporting people. That feels a lot like micromanagement. And what's the impact of this approach? People are clear about tasks, but just may not care. This fear driven compliance reduces motivation and innovation over time. Eventually this approach actually reduces compliance. People leave or just give up. They become passive. Some times Directing makes sense. That could include really simple tasks with little scope for variation. Or perhaps there are inexperienced people and high risk associated with non-compliance. Directing may make sense in emergency situations, or as a last resort for under-performer. However, it is unlikely to be regularly required. The Avoiding leadership practice is at the opposite end of the scale. Avoiding focuses on my own role at the expense of leadership. I just do things myself. I see delegation as a risk - reducing the quality of work and taking longer, therefore not worth trying. The Avoiding leader tends to suck responsibility up, putting their job first before leading others. The end result for others is confusion, misdirected efforts, isolation, and reduced motivation. Sometimes people end up in a leadership position when they didn't want to become a leader in the first place. Or they avoid leading because they just don't know how to lead effectively. Directing and Avoiding are like over-leading and under-leading. What people need instead is right-leading. Over the next few weeks we will explore six leadership practices that are far more effective. It's the perfect time to complete our brand new Leadership Practices Assessment. This assessment covers all eight leadership practices, and provides you with a tailored 13 page report showing which leadership practices you tend to rely on, which ones you don't use as often, along with implications for you and your people. The Leadership Practices Assessment is completely free, and you will find a link to it in the show notes. Have a great week.   Access the Leadership Practices Assessment - https://leadership.today/lpa

Financial Survival Network
Stay on the Sidelines - Angela Sloan #5598

Financial Survival Network

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2022 14:45


Summary: There was a big pullback in the markets right before the holiday, and it seems as if the best move right now is to try and protects ourselves. Angela Sloan, Founder/CEO of Sloan Financial, comes on the show to explain the Fed's next moves. Rates keep rising by more points than ideal, and inflation continues to affect everyone involved. Tune in for more insight on what's to come. Highlights: -We saw a big pullback in the markets right before the holiday -All we can do right now is try to protect ourselves -The Fed is probably going to raise rates another three quarters of a point—which is their only defense against inflation. It is a domino effect, however. -Energy prices have gone down, but not enough. What happens when the reserves run out? -Inflation affects everyone, and especially those on the lower end of the financial spectrum -Look at your big company value stocks, and if it's at a good value, it may be the time to buy in -The market is over 400 points today, so there are people buying right now Useful Links: Finanaical Survival Network Sloan FInancial

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
Standing in the Presence of One's Parent

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2022 2:24 Very Popular


The Shulhan Aruch, in the Yore De'a section (240:7), codifies the Torah obligation to stand in the presence of one's father or mother. The source for this Halacha is a passage in Masechet Kiddushin (31b), where we read that Rav Yosef would say upon hearing his mother's footsteps, "I shall rise for the Shechina [Divine Presence] which is now coming!"The Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204), in codifying this Halacha (Hilchot Mamrim 6:3; listen to audio recording for precise citation), writes that one must stand in the presence of one's parent "as he stands in the presence of his Rabbi." The later scholars interpret the Rambam's comment to mean that this obligation is akin to the obligation to rise before one's "Rab Mubhak" – his primary Torah mentor. Halacha requires standing in the presence of one's "Rab Mubhak" so long as he can be seen; even if the Rabbi is not situated near the student, the student must rise if the Rabbi is within visible distance. Accordingly, in the presence of a parent, too, one must stand even if the parent is at a distance. So long as the child can see his father or mother, he must stand as an expression of honor.This obligation applies regardless of the parent's age, and regardless of the parent's level of Torah knowledge and piety.Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (Russia-New York, 1895-1986), in one of his responsa, bemoans the fact that so many people neglect this Torah obligation. Some suggested that nowadays it can be assumed that parents forego on this expression of honor, and do not demand that their children stand in their presence. Since a child is not required to stand if the parents waived this obligation, nowadays people need not stand, as they can assume that their parents forego on this requirement. However, children who wish to rely on this leniency should receive explicit, verbal consent from their parents not to stand in their presence, so that it is clear that they forego on this display of respect which is due to them.Summary: There is a Torah obligation to stand in the presence of one's father or mother, so long as the parent is within visible distance. Some authorities maintain that nowadays it can be assumed that parents waive this privilege; however, it is proper for one to receive their parents' explicit, verbal consent if he wishes to rely on this leniency.

Financial Survival Network
You Can Profit from the Global Financial Storm - Mariusz Skonieczny #5541

Financial Survival Network

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2022 21:28


Summary: There's a major storm hitting financial markets across the globe. How do you use this as an opportunity rather than fearing it? I sit down and chat with Mariusz Skonieczny, and we focus on the destruction that needs to happen in order for the economy to ever be able to heal. Trying to indefinitely put off economic pain never works. At the end of the day, we have to face things like recession to move forward, which entails fixing the supply chain and lowering prices. Tune in for more insight. Highlights: -This looks like a genuine bear market—many people out there investing have never experienced a bear -It's a matter of who is going to survive the storm -We're experiencing creative destruction; recessions often cleanse the economy, allowing it to heal -Trying to put off economic pain indefinitely never works -As the economy has progressed, there seems to be a belief that we can prevent recessions, but these are inevitable -Look for companies that provide a solution and are useful to society -The economy has to re-allocate its resources so that we can solve supply chain disruptions and stop price increases Useful Links: Financial Survival Network Mariusz Skonieczny YouTube

Markets & Mortgages
Ep. 182 | More Flips But Less Bips In Q1

Markets & Mortgages

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2022 16:10


SUMMARY: There were more housing flips in Q1 but those flipping saw their profit margins fall to the lowest level in 13 years, mortgage rates continue their climb, and the labor market remains tight but are job offers being rescinded a sign it is beginning to loosen up...Sources:Home Flipping Spikes Across U.S. in First Quarter of 2022 But Profits Drop to 13-Year LowMortgage Rates Continue to Rise, Hitting 5.81%U.S. labor market remains tight; business activity slowingMore Companies Start to Rescind Job Offers

Financial Survival Network
Buy an EV to Solve America's Problems - John Rubino #5527

Financial Survival Network

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2022 27:38 Very Popular


Summary: There are numerous negative trends surfacing in the economy, so I sit down with John Rubino to discuss some of the greater issues that need to be addressed, and have yet to be solved by the government. Some of the most pressing problems at the moment lie in energy; we are tight on resources and, as a result, other industries (such as agriculture) are suffering. In this episode we cover resources, public policy, and crises taking place around the country—all of which necessitate awareness and a plan for improvement. Highlights: -There are lots of interesting trends taking place -Stocks are calmer now in terms of headlines, but there is a lot happening under the surface—especially in energy -Natural gas is through the roof and went up almost 10% in one day -We're somewhat tight in energy -The destruction of our food processing plants continues -10% of what we ascribe to supply chain difficulties is actually normal -The last shortage of anything was with oil in the 70s -Biden is raising the amount of ethanol in attempts lower gasoline prices, but this takes corn off the market -We use natgas for a lot more things than we used to -Public policy doesn't seem to be addressing today's problems -We discuss the need for change in law and order
-Big policy is corrupting great cities -We need a program that addresses the mental health crisis in the country Useful Links: Financial Survival Network Dollar Collapse

Death to Life podcast
#22 Kenia Dies to Jealousy and Control

Death to Life podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2022 72:59


Summary: There are two sides to every story — and what a blessing when both sides share the common thread of redemption. This week, we hear Kenia Cano tell her death life story. Kenia is now married to Leif Cano (Season 2, Episode 18), and as you'll listen to, their relationship was not perfect. But first, Kenia shares about her early relationship with intimacy, the pressures of purity culture, and the intimidating perception she had of God — not of love but judgment and unreachable standards. Through all her sin, Kenia saw herself as a good girl, blind to her faults and shortcomings.After cycles of mistrust, romantic infidelity, and putting her romantic partners before God, Kenia was at the end of her marriage. But through miraculous testimony and grace, God showed her how to forgive — and set Kenia free from guilt, pride, and control. Now she lives with a peace that surpasses all understanding.Keywords: Insecurity / Control / Jealousy / Pride / Infidelity / Purity Culture / Counseling / Love / Trust / ForgivenessExternal Resources:Facebook Group: Love Reality | Gospel Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/3768526659826520

#OWNR.LIFE with William Eastman

EPISODE 133: Summary There is not much more to say on the topice we didn't cover in last weeks show - Part VI, it is time to get started. Since this is your first attempt at using an Agile Methodology - take it slow. Topics: Your First SCRUM Targeting Financials First Productive Sprints

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
Does Money Used For A Sefer Torah Count As Ma'aser

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2022 3:20


There is a Torah command upon each and every Jew to write a Sefer Torah (or to hire somebody to write one for him). The Sages inferred this Misva from the verse in the Book of Debarim (31:19), "And now, write for yourselves this Shira [literally, ‘song']." Even if a person inherited a Torah scroll from his father, he is nevertheless obligated to write his own Sefer Torah.One does not recite a Beracha over this Misva. If somebody hires a Sofer (scribe) to write a Sefer Torah for him, he does not recite a Beracha "Al Misvat Ketibat Sefer Torah" when the Sofer completes the Torah. Likewise, one does not recite the Beracha of "Shehehiyanu" on the completion of a new Sefer Torah. Nevertheless, it is customary at a dedication ceremony for a new Sefer Torah that the donor who funded the project wears a new suit and recites "Shehehiyanu" over the suit, having in mind for the Beracha to apply as well to the new Torah scroll.The work "Me'il Sedaka" rules that one may count the money expended on writing a Sefer Torah toward his "Ma'aser Kesafim" (the ten percent of his income given to charity). This ruling, at first glance, seems surprising, given that writing a Sefer Torah constitutes a Halachic obligation, and obligatory expenditures for Misvot generally do not count toward "Ma'aser Kesafim." The "Me'il Sedaka," however, distinguishes between the Misva of writing a Sefer Torah and other Misvot in this regard, and allows using money of "Ma'aser Kesafim" for writing a Sefer Torah, and this ruling is cited as Halacha in the work Yalkut Yosef.If a group of people get together to share in the cost of writing a Torah scroll, do they fulfill their obligation to write a Sefer Torah?Hacham Ovadia Yosef, in one of his responsa, cites many authorities who rule that one does not fulfill the Misva if he joins with partners in sponsoring the writing of a Sefer Torah. As for the final Halacha, however, Hacham Ovadia rules leniently in this regard, based upon the ruling of the Hesed Le'Abraham. The Hesed Le'Abraham notes that according to the Rosh (Rabbenu Asher Ben Yehiel, 1250-1327), the Misva is to write a Sefer Torah from which one will study. (For this reason, the Rosh held that nowadays, we fulfill the Misva through the purchase of Torah study texts, such as Humashim, Gemariyot, works of Halacha, and so on.) When a group of people collectively sponsor a Sefer Torah, the "Hesed Le'Abraham" writes, it is implicitly understood that when any member of the group is called to read from the Torah, the Torah belongs to him at that moment. Thus, since they have each written a Torah from which they can learn, they each fulfill the Misva. Although it is certainly preferable to sponsor a Sefer Torah individually, people who join together as partners in sponsoring a Sefer Torah fulfill the Misva. This is also the ruling of Rav Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor of Kovno (Lithuania, 1816-1895).Summary: There is a Misva to write (or commission the writing of) a Sefer Torah, and one may use money from "Ma'aser Kesafim" for this purpose. This Misva can be fulfilled by getting together with other people to cosponsor the project.

The Renewed Mind with Ashley Varner
The Truth About Glow-Ups

The Renewed Mind with Ashley Varner

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2022 17:06


Summary: There's been a trend all over youtube about glow-ups and being "That girl." So today, I want to share the truth about glow ups and what it really takes to see personal growth in your life. Resources Mentioned: Truth Journaling Workbook: https://ashleyvarner.com/free The Mindset Reset: https://ashleyvarner.com/mindset 180Confidence Mastermind: https://ashleyvarner.com/mastermind

Financial Survival Network
A Congressional Candidate who Gets Cryptos - Matthew Diemer #5468

Financial Survival Network

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 28:33


Summary: There is a new generation of leadership coming into office; digital currency is becoming more prevalent, and here to talk about this is Matthew Diemer—a candidate running for US Congress Ohio. Diemer talks about the importance of having leaders that acknowledge global competition. The United States has the opportunity to lead the tech industry if we play our cards right. Tune in for more insight from a political figure in tune with the future of currency and technology. Highlights: -There is a new generation of leadership coming into office; digital currency is going to become more important -What is the future of impending regulation? -We need people in leadership that are aware of global competition so that we do not fall behind in future American tech -People in Washington need to be straightforward, and hidden investments need to be removed from the political sphere -When you make Bitcoin legal tender in a country, you force businesses to accept this currency, which takes away from free market economy Useful Links: Financial Survival Network Diemer for Congress Matthew Diemer Twitter

Tcast
It's Time: Stop Big Tech from Abusing You Today!

Tcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2022 13:28


Summary There's more to your data than meets the eye. Let's find out how much information has been kept from you. In this episode, Alexander McCaig and Jason Rigby discuss how YOU are a modern-day cash cow for the bigwigs in Big Tech. In the previous episode, we discussed how using TARTLE can help save your life. Now, let's talk about how we can improve your quality of life. One of the most pressing problems we have today is that people don't know the value of their data. We find ourselves giving away a treasure trove of information in exchange for meager services, like access to our ancestry or participation in a social network.   Big tech and other companies make so much money out of our data. It's time we take back what's rightfully ours. You Are A Modern-Day Slave We are allowing big tech to create a captain's log of every human being there is. We are giving them the power to look over our shoulders while we write down our most secret desires, while we report the outcomes of our day to day activities.   It's a violation of our right to privacy and it happens on a daily basis. We need to wake up now, before it gets even worse.   At the rate we're going, we are allowing other companies to take data out of our human body. And then they conceal their intentions behind 200 pages of legal mumbo jumbo, and then they go ahead and make $600 billion off of our human work.   We've got a term for it here: data slavery. Living in the Wild West of Data Era What's extra insidious about this is that it's happening right under our noses, as we speak. We wouldn't let other companies like Walmart get away with slave labor, so why do we let it happen with our personal information?   These companies may not be stealing to your face, but that doesn't make it okay. You deserve to know that you are being farmed for your data and that other people are making money off of you.   You are a unique human being. Throughout your existence, you've created thoughts, actions, and preferences that are valuable to the evolution of humanity. You do not deserve to become a pawn in someone else's convoluted gamble for profit and power. Conclusion TARTLE is designed to allow people to feel a sense of reciprocity. That they're actually getting what they deserve. The platform is a more ethical and sustainable way of sharing data.    On the TARTLE Marketplace, you get to choose how much data you share. You can capture your ancestry, genomic sequencing, social determinants of health, and more. Once you're done uploading that information, you can choose who you sell that data to. That's how important your consent is to us. You are a part of the process every step of the way.   You also get to keep all of the money you earn from TARTLE. We do not take a cut from your hard work.   What's your data worth? Sign up for the TARTLE at tartle.co

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
Shabbat Parah- The Shabbat After Purim

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2022 4:47


On the Shabbat immediately following Purim, we take a second Torah scroll from the ark and read from it the section known as "Parashat Para." Parashat Para, which tells of the laws of the Para Aduma (the red heifer, whose ashes were used to sprinkle on those who had become ritually impure), is the opening section of Parashat Chukat, until the words, "Ve'ha'nefesh Ha'noga'at Titma Ad Ha'arev" (Bamidbar 19:1-22).Tosefot in Masechet Berachot (13) write that the annual reading of Parashat Para constitutes a Torah obligation; this is mentioned by other Rishonim (Medieval Talmudists), as well, including the Rashba (Spain, 1235-1310), the Ritva (Spain, 1250-1330) and Terumat Ha'deshen (Rabbi Yisrael Isserlin, Germany-Austria, 1390-1460). The Shulchan Aruch indeed records this position.Later writers have raised the question of where the Torah introduces such an obligation. If, indeed, this reading is required according to Torah law, this requirement must have a clear Biblical source. The work "Yalkut Ha'gershuni" suggests that this reading is obligated by force of the Torah's admonition to recall the unfortunate incident of the sin of the golden calf (Devarim 9:7). As this incident marks a very sad moment in our nation's history, we prefer not to read the actual narrative of the golden calf, and we instead read about the Para Aduma, which serves to atone for the sin of the golden calf. Indeed, the Sages describe the cow used for this ritual as the mother that comes to clean the mess made by her daughter, the calf. Thus, the reading of the Para Aduma section fulfills the Torah obligation to recall the incident of the golden calf.Others, however, have questioned this explanation. If this is the obligation we seek to fulfill, we can just as easily do so on the Shabbat when we read Parashat Ki Tisa, which contains the narrative of the golden calf. On this Shabbat we could instruct the congregation to have in mind while listening to this reading to fulfill the Torah obligation of remembering the incident of the golden calf. Rather than instituting a special reading, we could fulfill this requirement through the standard, scheduled reading of Parashat Ki Tisa. Furthermore, when all is said and done, the Sages speak of the Para Aduma ritual as a Chok – a Mitzva whose underlying rationale eludes human comprehension. It is therefore difficult to claim that this Mitzva serves solely as atonement for the sin of the golden calf.The Aruch Ha'shulchan (Rabbi Yechiel Epstein of Nevardok, Bielorussia 1829-1888) suggests a different Biblical source of the obligation to read Parashat Para. The Torah instructs in this section, "Ve'hayeta Lachem Le'chukat Olam" – that this law "shall be for you an eternal statute." The Torah here requires that we observe this law "eternally," despite the fact that this Mitzva of purifying oneself with the ashes of Para Aduma applies only when the Temple stands. The Aruch Ha'shulchan therefore suggests that the Torah here refers to an obligation to verbally recall this process by reading the relevant section in the Torah, even when practically the ritual cannot be performed.In any event, other scholars claimed that the reading of Parashat Para originates from Chazal (the Sages), and is not required by Torah law. Some even claim that Tosefot did not, in fact, cast this requirement as a Torah obligation. This theory contends that Tosefot had written the abbreviation "Peh-Peh," referring to "Parashat Purim," the section read on Purim telling of the battle with Amalek, with which one can fulfill the Torah obligation to recall Amalek's hostility. Later editors mistakenly understood the abbreviation as referring to "Parashat Para," and therefore reached the erroneous conclusion that Tosefot viewed this reading as a Torah obligation. However, this theory is difficult to accept in light of the fact that numerous other Rishonim, as mentioned above, side with Tosefot on this matter. It is hard to imagine that they were all misled by a printing error.Are women included in the obligation of Parashat Para?Presumably, this would depend on the two sources mentioned above. According to the "Yalkut Ha'gershuni," as we have seen, we read Parashat Para to recall the incident of the golden calf. If so, then women, who did not take part in the worship of the golden calf, should be excluded from this obligation. According to the Aruch Ha'shulchan, however, who explained that this reading fulfills the obligation of eternally remembering the Para Aduma purification ritual, it should apply equally to women, who are likewise required to undergo purification through the process of the Para Aduma.Therefore, women should endeavor to come to the synagogue to hear the reading of Parashat Para. If this presents a problem given their domestic responsibilities, they may remain at home.It should also be noted that the highest-quality Torah scroll available should be used for this reading, since according to many it constitutes a Torah obligation.Summary: There is a difference of opinion as to whether the reading of Parashat Para on the Shabbat following Purim constitutes a Torah obligation, or was ordained by the Rabbis. Women should make an effort to come to the synagogue for this reading unless it poses considerable difficulty, and the highest-quality Torah scroll should be used for this reading.

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
The Observance of 7 Adar During a Leap Year; Observing a Yahrtzeit During a Leap Year

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2022 4:16


The day of 7 Adar is the day of Moshe Rabbenu's death, and many have the custom to observe a fast on this day. Others have the custom of learning special material in the synagogue on the night of 7 Adar in commemoration of Moshe Rabbenu's passing.In truth, the precise date of Moshe's passing is subject to debate. The Midrashic text Yalkut Shimoni (Yehoshua, chapter 5) cites the view of Rabbi Eliezer who held that Moshe passed away on 7 Shebat, and not 7 Adar. Of course, the accepted view is that he passed away on 7 Adar. However, even within the accepted position we find different views concerning Moshe's death. Rabbi Yehoshua maintained that Moshe died on 7 Adar during an ordinary, twelve-month year, when there was only one Adar. Rabbi Elazar Ha'moda'i, by contrast, claimed that Moshe died during Adar Rishon of a leap year, when there were two months of Adar. The Gemara in Masechet Kiddushin (38a) comments that Moshe died thirty days before Beneh Yisrael began their preparations to cross the Jordan River, which occurred in Nissan. Clearly, then, according to the Gemara, Moshe died either on 7 Adar of a regular year, or on 7 Adar Sheni during a leap year.This debate, of course, will affect the date of the observance of 7 Adar during a leap year. If Moshe died on 7 Adar of an ordinary year, or on 7 Adar Sheni of a leap year, then the observance should be held in Adar Sheni. According to Rabbi Elazar Ha'moda'i, however, Moshe died during Adar Rishon, in which case the observance should be held on 7 Adar Rishon.Practically speaking, those who observe 7 Adar should, in a leap year, observe the occasion twice, both on 7 Adar Rishon and on 7 Adar Sheni, in order to satisfy all views.Regarding the commemoration of a loved one's Yahrtzeit, the Shulhan Aruch rules that if a parent passed away, Heaven forbid, in Adar, then in a leap year the Yahrtzeit is observed during Adar Sheni. If the parent passed away during Adar Rishon in a leap year, then in regular years the Yahrtzeit is observed on that date during the single month of Adar, and in leap years, the Yahrtzeit is observed during Adar Rishon. If the parent passed away during Adar Sheni of a leap year, then the Yahrtzeit is of course observed in a leap year during Adar Sheni.Summary: There are those who observe a fast and conduct a special learning session on 7 Adar, the Yahrtzeit of Moshe Rabbenu. In a leap year, these customs should be observed both on 7 Adar Rishon and on 7 Adar Sheni. An ordinary Yahrtzeit for a loved one who passed away during Adar is observed in a leap year in Adar Sheni. Of course, if the loved passed away in a leap year in Adar Rishon or Adar Sheni, then the Yahrtzeit is observed during a leap year in that same month.

Financial Survival Network
Jordan Roy-Byrne - Inflation to Remain Subdued in '22 #5360

Financial Survival Network

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2021 21:54


Summary: There's two sides to the debate about whether inflation is here to stay, and I talk to Jordan Roy-Byrne to hear his opinion on this topic. He points out that the market action we've been seeing alludes to the fact that inflation has peaked; long term rates have been coming down, bonds have rallied, and the metals are trading below their previous highs. We have to look at each year relative to the previous, so next year we may experience disinflation—where we still see inflation, but at a decreasing rate. Tune in for more. Highlights: -Is inflation here to stay? There's two sides to this argument -Natgas has come down, uranium has come up…what else is ahead? -Long term rates have been coming down in recent months and bonds have rallied -If you look at gold and silver, they're trading well below their previous highs, and the same is true with the mining stocks -Oil has probably peaked for the time being -The market action screams that inflation has peaked -Next year we may see disinflation -Commodities have peaked as well -Gold and silver have been correcting for 17 months now and remain pretty weak -Every time the Fed has tapered in the last 7-8 years, real interest rates start to rise -The picture in the coming months is not bullish for precious metals -Inflation is here to stay, but it's going to come down to a lower level next year -They have to keep the whole system going—it would be catastrophic to let everything fail -Each year is a comparison off of the previous one -Oil and energy prices are big drivers -We have to consider how long the Fed rate-hike cycle will last and what it will look like -There is risk of a correction this coming year, but the market is not at risk of a crash just yet -Precious metals take off when interest rates are higher Useful Links: Financial Survival Network The Daily Gold The Precious Metals Bull Market Has Not Yet Begun with Jordan Roy-Byrne Real Gold Bull Market at Least 12-Months Away Says Jordan Roy-Byrne

Financial Survival Network
5 Reasons Why Gold Prices are Going Higher - Todd "Bubba" Horwitz #5352

Financial Survival Network

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2021 15:22


Summary: There are a number of factors that contribute to the increase in gold prices, so I sit down and speak with Todd “Bubba” Horowitz to discuss some of the possible contributions to this phenomenon. The Fed's decision to increase interest rates has played a large role in this, and so have the decrease in industrial production and the overall decline of currencies. Tune in to hear more about why this is happening, and what to expect in the near future. Highlights: -The Fed is going to increase rates on Wednesday most likely -Typically a raise in interest rates isn't the best thing for precious metals -Energy is twice as much as it was a year ago -Industrial production around the world is going down -The protracted decline of the Euro also plays a role in this -With crypto, people are showing that they don't believe in the value of paper money anymore -We're starting to see increased M&A activity in the sector -This year, 20 times more money went into the stock market than the last 20 years combined -Gold is one of the steadiest assets, even with its ups and downs throughout history -We are showing weakness, which is a concern in the short-term Useful Links: Financial Survival Network Bubba Trading U.S. Economy Headed for Disaster with More Powell, Warns Bubba Horwitz | Stansberry Research Everything is Going Up in Price with Todd “Bubba” Horowitz

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Torah's command of Ma'ake, which requires erecting a fence around one's roof or porch to guard against the risk of people falling, also obligates one to avoid any kind of activity that endangers himself or others. Accordingly, people who drive automobiles are required by Torah law to ensure that the car is in proper working condition and that he drives safely and in strict accordance with traffic laws. Speeding endangers the life of the driver and the lives of pedestrians and other motorists, and is thus strictly forbidden by Torah law. The Minhat Yishak (Rav Yishak Weiss, 1902-1989), in his work Masa Haderech (chapter 1, p. 32), writes that a motorist who drives unsafely has the Halachic status of a "Rodef" – somebody trying to kill others. He must therefore be stopped through any available means. And Rav Shemuel Wosner (contemporary), in his work Shebet Halevi (vol. 6, Siman 112), writes that is plainly obvious that speeding and reckless driving fall under the category of "Safek Resiha" (possible murder) and "Safek Me'abed Asmo La'da'at" (possible suicide).Furthermore, if a person parks his car on the sidewalk, thus compelling pedestrians to walk in the street and expose themselves to danger, he is in violation of the Torah prohibition against endangering people. In fact, the Shulhan Aruch rules in Hoshen Mishpat (18:1) that if a person poured water onto a public area, and somebody slipped on the water and was injured, the one who spilled the water is liable to pay compensation. The Shulhan Aruch also rules (Hoshen Mishpat 427:8) that there is a Torah obligation to remove anything that poses danger, and one who is aware of such an object and fails to remove it neglects a Misvat Aseh (affirmative command) and violates the Torah prohibition of "Ve'lo Tasim Damim Be'betecha" ("You shall not bring bloodguilt into your home" – Debarim 22:8). Certainly, then, people who drive motor vehicles are bound by a Torah obligation to drive and park safely, so as not to endanger themselves or others.Moreover, if a person applies for a driver's license and does not reveal that he suffers from a condition that makes it dangerous for him to drive (such as epilepsy, Heaven forbid), those who are aware of this condition must inform the Department of Motor Vehicles. If his private doctor or family members, for example, are aware of his condition, they should inform the authorities to prevent the prospective driver from obtaining a license. Some people might mistakenly think that they should keep quiet in order not to violate the prohibition of Lashon Hara (negative speech about other people). But this is incorrect. There is nothing "righteous" about withholding information that could save lives, and therefore the authorities should be notified of any medical condition that could make it dangerous for an applicant to drive.Summary: There is a Torah obligation to avoid posing danger to oneself or others, and therefore one who drives a car must ensure to drive responsibly, avoid speeding, and obey all traffic and parking laws. One should also inform the authorities if somebody applying for a license has a medical condition that makes driving dangerous.

Face Forward - Communications, Engagement & Leadership.
81 | Storytelling - much more than a buzzword, with Eoghan Tomás McDermott

Face Forward - Communications, Engagement & Leadership.

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2021 42:07


Summary: There is a reason that storytelling has been a primal means of communication dating back to our earliest tribal traditions. In this episode of Building Better Cultures, Scott McInnes's guest, Eoghan Tomás McDermott explains why – and how – people across the spectrum of business, sports and public service arenas can benefit from deploying the power of narrative. All it takes is awareness, guidance and practice! Managing Director of The Communications Clinic, Eoghan works with clients to help them put in place the building blocks for compelling communications, both internal and external. His expertise centers around three core competencies: Strategic communications, PR, crisis communications and story placement Corporate training and coaching Careers and job interview preparation But it is storytelling that's the thread that links all of the above.  Since its founding in 2008, The Communications Clinic has helped people at all levels of leadership identify, locate and articulate the personal, memorable details that make for effective communications. It's a skill and rhetorical device that engages audiences with even the most abstract of data or statistics, bringing home the “why we should care.” Eoghan shares compelling anecdotes about clients who have found their voice through articulating vivid details behind what otherwise might register simply as impersonal facts. He and Scott share stories about helping leaders find an authentic voice, one that communicates branding by reaching people in meaningful ways. Whether cultivating loyalty and commitment internally among company ranks or projecting an effective, resonant message outward to clients, the power of connection cannot be underestimated. Find out why – and how to begin building connections today! Key Takeaways: Eoghan shares a bit about The Communications Clinic, its founding and areas of focus. Storytelling as a valuable communications tool – not just a buzz word. Moving things from the conceptual to the real; abstract strategy doesn't have the “stickability” that a narrative does. Written versus Oral: Why there is such a lineage of storytelling in religious and other tribal traditions. The critical elements of storytelling: Moving from general concepts and statistics, to the specific. Vivid detail that enable audiences to fully use their imaginations. A deliberate and satisfying structure: the before, the catalyst, the after. It's the combination of data and story that gives a message credibility. A critical piece: making old things feel new and new things feel familiar. Linking and Labeling: The challenge for leaders to learn how to communicate the big picture that drives and inspires employee commitment. Three mutually reinforcing elements foundational to effective messaging: Substance to back up and elucidate subject matter. Technique to render subjects interesting, understandable and memorable. Clear, compelling communication to draw audiences in. How to help leaders in need of help with their communication style: Establish where you are and hope to go as a corporate entity. Understand your audience and what motivates those you're addressing. Provide a suite of different stories that will resonate in different situations. Case studies can provide the framework for powerfully vivid, relatable stories. Authenticity isn't innate to everyone, but it is a skill that can be cultivated with help and practice. Verbally practicing a pitch or presentation is critical to performing comfortably and effectively. There's no substitute for rehearsing your story! Believing your own story is crucial to communicating confidence and authenticity. Practice makes perfect when it comes to communications fluency from start to finish. Being able to tell a story is a fundamental skill for all people at all career stages, from job applicant to C-suite leadership. To learn more about the Building Better Cultures podcast and related services, visit www.buildingbettercultures.com To discover Workvivo, a workplace communication platform that offers seamless digital integration, please click here. About Eoghan:Company Website: https://communicationsclinic.ie/ Book: "The Career Doctor: How To Get - And Keep - The Job You Want Eoghan @LinkedIn and @Twitter About ScottLearn more about Scott McInnes, Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here. About WorkvivoTo discover Workvivo, a workplace communication and engagement platform that offers seamless digital integration, please click here.

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed
Parsing Immigration Policy: 20 Years After 9/11: Lessons Learned, Improvements Needed (#20)

The Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2021 44:33


Summary There is no more important tool for preventing future attacks on U.S. soil than the nation's immigration system. The 20th anniversary of the attacks that claimed thousands of American lives is an appropriate occasion to reflect on the role immigration failures played in the 9/11 attacks and the progress made in limiting opportunities for […]

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
The Custom to Fast on Ereb Rosh Hashanah

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2021 4:28


There is a custom observed by some people to fast on Ereb Rosh Hashanah. Although there are those who fast every month on the day before Rosh Hodesh – a fast called "Yom Kippur Katan" – the custom to fast on Ereb Rosh Hashanah is mentioned by the Shulhan Aruch, and is thus to be treated with special gravity. The source for this custom is a passage in the Midrash, cited by the Tur, which draws an analogy to a country whose citizens owed an enormous sum of money in back taxes which they could not afford to pay. They decided to send a small delegation to the king, who agreed to cancel one-third of the debt. But as the day approached when the payment was due, the people realized that they still had nowhere near the amount. They therefore sent a much larger delegation to plead their case before the king. Once again, the king relented and waived another third. The day came, and the people still found themselves unable to pay. The entire citizenry – all the men, women and children – came out to greet the king with tears and pleas, and the king accepted their pleas and waived the entire debt. Similarly, the Midrash comments, on Ereb Rosh Hashanah, as we realize that we are unable to "pay our debt" to the Almighty, select individuals volunteer to fast and plead to G-d, who waives one-third of our "debt." During the Aseret Yemeh Teshuba between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as we get even closer, more people come before G-d in fasting to ask for a reprieve, and another third is cancelled. Finally, on Yom Kippur, we all fast and G-d grants us complete forgiveness. It is therefore appropriate for anyone who can – including youngsters above the age of Bar Misva – to observe this fast on Ereb Rosh Hashanah to be part of this initial "delegation" which comes before G-d to ask for forgiveness. Needless to say, those who are frail or elderly, and those who have trouble fasting, should not observe this fast, as it is not strictly required.One might ask how it is possible that the voluntary fast of Ereb Rosh Hashanah can accomplish just as much as the obligatory fast of Yom Kippur. According to the Midrash, both these fasts are capable of atoning for one-third of our sins. Is it conceivable that the fast of Ereb Rosh Hashanah is as significant and effective as the fast of Yom Kippur?Rabbi Hillel Haber explained that the first "reduction" is always the easiest. If a person wants to purchase a piece of merchandise and sets out to negotiate a price reduction, the seller might show some flexibility at first and agree to reduce the price by one-third. But afterward, he will be much less likely to agree to a further reduction. Certainly, he will not likely be prepared to offer the merchandise free of charge. Accordingly, the customary fast of Ereb Rosh Hashanah accomplishes the relatively "easy" task of securing a reduction. But the fast of Yom Kippur accomplishes something far greater – allowing us to earn complete atonement "for free."It should be noted that those who normally fast on Ereb Rosh Hodesh will fast the day before Ereb Rosh Hodesh if the Molad (first appearance of the new moon) occurs before that day. The Yom Kippur Katan fast must be observed before the Molad, and it thus occasionally becomes necessary to fast the day before Ereb Rosh Hodesh. When it comes to the fast of Ereb Rosh Hashanah, however, the time of the Molad is immaterial. Even if the Molad occurs before Ereb Rosh Hashanah, nevertheless, the fast is observed on the day of Ereb Rosh Hashanah.Summary: There is a custom to fast on Ereb Rosh Hashanah, and those who are able to observe this custom without too much difficulty should do so.

Physician NonClinical Careers
PNC Podcast Blast From the Past - No Residency Is No Problem

Physician NonClinical Careers

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2021 36:25


This discussion was first presented in June of 2019. It was in response to one of the most common questions brought up in the Physician Nonclinical Career Hunters Facebook Group. Your MD or DO degree is valuable. It enables you to compete for jobs with PhDs and PharmDs. Remember, too, that these jobs are open to residency-trained physicians, often at slightly higher salary levels to start. 1. Medical Writing For physicians looking for flexibility and work they can do from home, medical writing may be the answer. With a vast range of options, from blog articles to technical writing, discouraged doctors are sure to find something that fits their needs. 2. Clinical Documentation Improvement Medicare regulations have caused an explosion of companies focused on Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI). As a CDI professional, you will be trained in the intricacies of translating chart notes and discharge summaries to appropriate billing codes. This work is extremely important to hospitals because it determines whether appropriate payments are collected and how quality measures are reported. 3. Medical Communications Generally, you'll be working in marketing agencies that deal with pharma and device companies. It's a great role if you enjoy working in a conventional office with a regular schedule. Teamwork and communication skills are important. There are ad agencies that hire medical directors in most major metropolitan areas of the U.S. 4. Consulting Consulting can be an excellent career choice for physicians lacking postgraduate training. Firms sometimes prefer doctors without experience so they can train them to their way of doing things, without the need to break old habits. Depending on the firm and your location, it may require significant amounts of travel. It can be very lucrative, though, with opportunities for advancement. 5. Medical Monitor Doctors with experience working in research or on pharmacy committees are suited to a career as a  medical monitor. Medical monitors support research studies and ensure that they are medically sound. They track adverse drug reactions. And they serve as liaisons between principal investigators and the coordinating Contract Research Organization or pharmaceutical company. 6. Medical Science Liaison An MSL is a good entry-level job in the pharmaceutical space. Ideal candidates must be familiar with the regulatory landscape. This career involves regular travel and meeting new people. The course Introduction to 6 Nonclinical Careers Any Physician Can Pursue will walk you through the process of finding your first MSL position. Summary There are many jobs in the healthcare industry available to physicians without residency training. Since the original episode aired, additional jobs have been presented here on the podcast. In Pharma, there are jobs beyond MSL and medical monitor positions.  In Episode 209, Dr. Marsha Caton described the tactics for landing clinical scientist, clinical research associate, or technical medical writer jobs. And there will be more on that subject in Episode 214 with Dr. Laura McKain. To access the show notes and all of the links for this episode, go to nonclinicalphysicians.com/no-resideny-is-no-problem If you'd like to join my NEW Nonclinical Mastermind Group, you can learn about it at nonclinicalphysicians.com/mastermind. Get an updated edition of the FREE GUIDE to 10 Nonclinical Careers at nonclinicalphysicians.com/freeguide. Get a list of 70 nontraditional jobs at nonclinicalphysicians.com/70jobs. Check out a FREE WEBINAR called Best Options for an Interesting and Secure Nonclinical Job at nonclinicalphysicians.com/freewebinar1

Entrepreneurs IRL
Episode S2-004 – Franziska Spoddig: What it takes to move from idea to launch

Entrepreneurs IRL

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2021 44:13


Summary: There are so many challenges in the beginning stages of entrepreneurship that many never even make it to launch. This week’s guest, Franziska Spoddig, founder of SocialBookers.co shares this part of the journey with us. We talk about everything that goes into developing an idea and protecting the vision while it evolves. This is […]

Web3's Website Workshop
SEO Vs Social Media Marketing

Web3's Website Workshop

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2021 11:45


SEO and social media are two strategies known for attracting new customers to your brand. But there is an ongoing debate outside of Web3 about which strategy should take up the majority of your time and effort. Both strategies work for different businesses and are extremely useful at generating a high return of investment (ROI). In order to fully scope this question, this article will explore the pros and cons of SEO marketing and social media marketing, what makes them unique and which is better for your business.   Search Engine Optimisation Search engine optimisation entails optimising content for search engines to rank your website highly. Ranking high in search for certain keywords brings new and existing customers back onto your website and keeps your brand front of mind of your customer when online.  Benefits of SEO Most people look for businesses on search engines and predominantly turn to google. Think about your own habits. When you want to look for something in particular, do you go to your social accounts or head straight to search? It’s an inbound marketing strategy, meaning they come to you. SEO targets quality, organic traffic.  Organic traffic means you don't need to pay a cent. The only investment you will be making is to create valuable and persuasive content for your website that the algorithm will favour and that will keep your customers on your page.  SEO is a staple marketing strategy as it improves your online presence and moves you ahead of your competition within your industry. If fewer people are on your competitor's site, that means more people are going to be buying your products and services. The fundamental difference for why people generally opt for one over the other is audience and intent. With SEO, you have the ability to know what your users are thinking, based on their search queries. These people are normally in a comparative mindset or are ready to buy.   Think about it… Will you remember a post from yesterday as you were scrolling through your newsfeed or will you recall the brand that showed up in search after you looked for help on a specific topic? SEO means you can attract leads that are searching for something that you offer.  Difficulties of SEO Content for SEO is designed to be research-based, as people are intentionally looking for a specific thing. These can include long-form texts, blogs, how-tos and other articles. SEO content is designed for topics that don’t necessarily trend and that will be common search queries in the long run. As the majority of SEO is organic, that means a large portion of your marketing efforts will be put into churning out keyword-rich content. After a while, you might begin to dream in keywords, as we do. SEO is known to take some time being indexing and can be rather uncertain. Ranking well for specific search queries can take days to come into action, this leads to sometimes taking years for the algorithm to regard websites as authoritative and credible sources. This differs completely from social media, which can go viral in minutes.     Social Media Marketing The term social media marketing refers to social networks connecting with audiences and building your brand. It is a way for brands to engage with existing customers and reach new leads by showcasing their company's culture, values and skills. Social Media’s limitations  Social media can be difficult to measure. Although platforms have put in place some on-page analytics, this does not go into as much depth as platforms that analyse your website traffic. Because it is difficult to measure, this means it's hard to know which customers are coming from social media. These time-consuming networks need a lot of engagement while only seeing a small portion of ROI (return of investment). People on social media also might be less likely to act as they were just scrolling through before they found out about you. Benefits of social media marketing for business A key aspect of deciding which strategy you should put your efforts into is understanding your target audience. If you are wanting to target a younger demographic, it’s quite likely they’re predominantly hanging out on social media. They often use the social media account to actually make judgments of brands before making a purchase decision. These people have less intent to purchase but are more likely to share, follow and engage with your brand.  One huge benefit of social media is engagement. Once followers mention your handle, tags your brand, or even likes your page, their connections will then start to see you. Easily infiltrating your target market will get you discovered easily by more people.  The type of content differs tremendously based on what platform. Social media is used to circulate engaging, visual and emotionally charged content, specifically with trending topics. These trending topics have the ability to go viral within seconds. If you jump on certain bandwagons such as Reels, you can guarantee your brand will be in front of fresh eyes in no time.    Is SEO a part of Social media marketing This debate isn’t just black and white, Social media and SEO actually help each other. Your social media can have an indirect, positive effect on your SEO and ranking. Most of the top positions in Google search have a strong presence on social media as well. This might be a good reason to invest in both strategies.  Search engine optimisation doesn’t just occur on-site. Keyword research can also be useful for your social media marketing strategy. Including specific keywords in your social accounts including your bio, name, hashtags and even location will help to direct your account when people engage in similar content on these platforms. Summary There is no reason to not be investing in both social media and Search engine marketing. If budget is of concern, there are many different routes to go to obtain organic traffic without spending a cent of advertising. Overall, it’s important to have a brand presence where your target market is hanging out online. It is the best way of increasing your conversion rates, generating leads and turning those leads into loyal customers.    Transcript James Banks:Hello, everyone. And welcome to another episode of the Web3 Marketing Debate Show. I'm your host, James Banks. Joseph Chesterton:And I'm your host, Joseph Chesterton. James Banks:And today we'll be firing up an all-time classic marketing debate, SEO versus social media marketing, which one is better? So on this side of the debate, I'll be taking the social media side of the ring. Joseph Chesterton:And of course, I'll be doing the SEO side. James Banks:Alrighty. Without further ado, let's kick things off. So Joseph, why would you say, or why is SEO better than social media marketing for small to medium businesses? Why would you say SEO is better? Joseph Chesterton:All right. Need to ask you a question, when people want to find something, where do they go? James Banks:Well, I guess they could be searching on Google or they could be searching on Facebook or Instagram or YouTube. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world after Google. They could be searching anywhere. Joseph Chesterton:Whose side are you on again? James Banks:I'm on the social media marketing side. But when you're saying SEO, you're referring to search engine optimization to help sites rank better in Google search. That's the angle you're coming from, right? Joseph Chesterton:Yes. James Banks:Okay. Continue on. Joseph Chesterton:Okay. So people go to Google to find what they're after. People go to Facebook to chew and post pictures of their cats. All right. Most popular website in the world, Google, second, YouTube, a handful of Chinese websites, and then the seventh spot is Facebook.  So with SEO, obviously you optimise your website, and then that increases your ranking. And then you get to number one where you can start printing money, because basically when you're at the top, people find you.  About 30% of all clicks on Google is the first position in Google. So when you are there, people will find you. And it's just a massive snowball that builds and builds and builds. James Banks:Yeah, but that's not a guarantee, Joseph. I mean, we've come across many sites, and I've worked with many site owners that have got pages and posts on their website that ranked number one, but there's no clear and immediate ROI from those number one rankings.  Whereas opposed to say, if you have a large active and engaged following on social media that's relevant to the products and services and solutions that you're providing, you have a great quality target audience following a profile on your social media, you could argue to say that that's also will help results in generating more sales and income, and as you said, printing money. It can happen on both sides of the fence. Social media requires not only brand presence optimization, but knowing what your audience wants, providing to them across more than, and this is the key I think, more than one single platform.  If you're putting all the eggs in one basket through SEO and Google, all it takes is Google to change the way that they're thinking and no longer like you anymore. And then you lose all of those results.  Whereas if you have a great social media presence across multiple relevant channels, if one of the channels decides to change its game, at least you have other channels to back up upon, which ultimately means it's a more defensible strategy than just comparing it to SEO. Whatever you have to say to that. Joseph Chesterton:I guess social media marketing requires ongoing maintenance and a commitment to keep social marketing happening. Whereas when you optimise for SEO and you're ranking highly on SEO, then it's just a small, or you don't need to actually maintain that position.  Then the ROI is better, because when customers are wanting to buy a product, they either go on social media posts pictures of their cats, or they go and search for the product that they're wanting to buy instead of actually stumbling upon it on social media that's paid. James Banks:Well, I think I threw you a bone there. So I would argue that it requires less maintenance. It's not like you cannot do any maintenance, but it requires less maintenance when you're dealing with an industry that has low search competition, or there are not many professional SEO marketers trying to optimise the same batch of high-value keywords.  But in a competitive industry where there are active SEO campaigns in place, you have to be active constantly and evolving and monitoring the changes to the market, i.e. doing it on a recurring basis, just as a good social media marketing strategy. So I would say that the commitment is similar. It's not a set and forget solution here, it requires ongoing effort to be able to achieve long-term success on either side of the fence. Joseph Chesterton:Well, when you create content with social media, you post something. It's out there and then it's gone. With SEO, you do the right foundations and the right things, and it lasts years, weeks, months, years, depending on how well you've done it, and how much of a niche your product or service is.  So what's better for smaller businesses?  When smaller businesses don't have huge budgets to continually be spending on more and more advertising, then potentially they can see a massive ROI without any ongoing spend. James Banks:Yeah, I think that's not a bad comment to make at all. But where's the attention online today? It's not like we're in 2005 anymore where the attention online was only on the search engines.  The attention of people is across social media and also search to be fair. But any business, regardless of what size can and should have a presence on social media. Yes, you could argue there are a few French cases where 100% of the audience is absolutely not online. But honestly, when businesses think like that, you only have to push them a little bit further to actually ask who their actual audience is and what they're doing.  Everyone is searching online. Everyone is online. There's no questions about it. But I think ultimately, probably what our listeners want to hear is, when we talk about results, what's going to produce the best results, short long-term and medium-term.  Why would you say SEO is a better long-term strategy or has better results in social media marketing, Joe? Or if you think it doesn't, then that's fine. Joseph Chesterton:Both are going to have a cost associated with it. I think with SEO, there's more chance that when you are at the top, the time that you stay at the top is far greater than with social media where you post something, next minute, it's gone, and then you have to post some other thing.  So there is an initial cost to get the SEO potentially unless you're doing it yourself. If you get the SEO or your product to number one, then the SEO cost is almost infinite. Take for example Web3's website, our web design Brisbane page we built that eight years ago... James Banks:Well, we were optimising for the keyword phrase when we first started the business eight years ago. Yeah, that's right. Joseph Chesterton:And for the first, what, three months we were doing SEO on that pretty consistently, which got us to number one in the search results. It pretty much stayed there. Yes, of course, we've adjusted our strategy and changed the pages and things, which has moved the position around. But if you search for web design, we'll be at or near the top. James Banks:Yeah, absolutely. And I think how we were able to achieve that was really, really doing extremely well without on-page optimization, which is all the technicalities, the code, the quality, the content, all the stuff that makes a great website great, nailing that.  We've done a little bit of content marketing like blog writing. Nothing really, I would say a dedicated content marketing strategy. We're changing that now, hence why you're listening to this podcast.  But the reality is, I think I will say our industry has become much more competitive. And for us to stand out, we need to be able to be firing on all cylinders, such as content marketing. So I think to bring this one home, honestly, we don't see it as a debate here at Web3, SEO versus social media marketing. They are actually similar to our content marketing versus SEO debate. We actually believe they're two in the same things.  Joseph, why would you say that SEO and social media marketing work together?  Joseph Chesterton:They are the same thing, but they are a different thing. In my opinion, it's the context of where they are or what you're trying to achieve. So with SEO, it's website based, whereas, with social media, it's obviously Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, whatever, Twitter, whichever platform you're trying to target.  So you go to where your customers are. And when your customers are on Facebook, then that makes sense. And if it is a case where customers are searching for your product, then they'll probably go to Google. So you need both. James Banks:Yeah. And the reason why you need to have both and the point I'm trying to make is social, although minor, is still a ranking signal. That is if you want to rank well in Google, having a social media presence is one of the signals, albeit minor, that Google looks at to figure out how authoritative and real a business is.  So neglecting a social media presence and wanting to rank well on SEO is almost like an idiot in them. And you can't, you need to be able to be playing both fields. From a social media point of view where SEO can help amplify social media, you can use traditional SEO techniques, such as keyword research, to understand the very basics.  What are the questions my audience is searching for and looking for answers that I could then help educate and answer through my social media content or social media marketing efforts? And not just assuming what those questions are, actually having quantifiable real data to back up the facts, that we know this is how many people per month are searching for this exact question that we can answer. For example, what is better to build a website, Wix versus WordPress? That's a classic one. And there are many variations.  So this is how the two actually work very well together. And combined strategies is where we see not only our business but businesses we work with achieve the greatest results. So that said, Joe, is there any other final closing comments? Joseph Chesterton:Yeah. What are your goals and objectives? I'd say they need to be both. James Banks:Yeah, exactly. It's not 2005. Ladies and gentlemen, newsflash, it has to be playing in both fields. If you need help with your SEO and social media marketing effort, even if you'd like us to do a little bit of a review or rundown, pointing out the gaps, we can show you where you're missing out on opportunities that you could be capitalising on for your business.  Feel free to drop us a line, web3.com.au. And with that said, we’ll conclude today's episode of the Web3 Marketing Debate Show. Tune in next time, where we'll be talking a heck of a lot more social media. So without further ado, thank you very much for listening.  We'll talk to you again real soon. Discover more at: www.web3.com.au

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
Immersing in a Mikveh With Long Nails and Nail Polish (Part 2)

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2021 12:37


The Shulhan Aruch (Yoreh De’a 198:18; listen to audio recording for precise citation) rules that the presence of dirt underneath a fingernail could disqualify a woman’s immersion in a Mikveh. If the dirt is situated underneath the part of the nail that extends beyond the flesh of the finger, then it is considered a Hasisa ("interruption") in between the woman’s body and the water, thus invalidating the immersion. If, however, the dirt is situated in between the skin and the nail, in the part of the nail that lies on the skin of the finger, then the dirt does not disqualify the immersion. The Shulhan Aruch then adds that since the precise spot where the nail begins to extend past the skin cannot always be clearly identified, the custom developed to cut one’s nails before immersion so they do not extend beyond the skin. This way, the woman can know with certainty that she does not have any dirt underneath her nails that could invalidate the immersion.It thus emerges that although long nails do not intrinsically pose a problem with regard to immersion, nevertheless, there is a tradition dating back to the time of Maran (who lived some 500 years ago), and likely even earlier, that women cut their nails before immersing in a Mikveh.Hacham Ovadia Yosef, in Taharat Ha’bayit (p. 107), addresses the situation that often arises in modern times, where a woman insists on keeping her long nails and refuses to cut them before immersing in the Mikveh. In such a situation, Hacham Ovadia writes, it is best for the Mikveh attendant to "look the other way" and allow the woman to immerse. As long as a woman had ensured to thoroughly clean behind the nails, her immersion is valid even if she did not cut them. Therefore, if the woman refuses to cut her nails for the sake of immersing, it is preferable to allow her to immerse with long nails, so that she and her husband would not be in violation of the severe prohibition of Nidda. However, Hacham Ovadia adds, after the woman immerses, the Mikveh attendant should respectfully and warmly explain that there is a time-honored tradition for woman to cut their nails before immersing. She should be told – in a pleasant and friendly manner – that although after the fact the immersion is valid if the nails were not cut, nevertheless, it is proper to follow this ancient tradition. Hacham Ovadia adds that this practice is mentioned already in the Zohar (Parashat Ahareh-Mot) and the R’aya Mehemna (Parashat Pinhas), both of which clearly speak of the need to cut one’s fingernails before immersing (listen to audio recording for precise citation). Hence, although long nails do not, after the fact, invalidate the immersion, one should follow this custom which has its roots in ancient sources. It must be emphasized that we do not cavalierly dismiss accepted customs, especially customs which have been faithfully observed for centuries, as is the case with cutting nails before immersing. Hacham Ovadia’s ruling that a Mikveh attendant may allow a woman to immerse with long nails was explicitly reserved for the specific case of a woman who is unfamiliar with the custom to cut nails before immersing, and who would refuse to immerse if she had to cut her nails. In this particular instance, as mentioned earlier, it is preferable to overlook the custom to cut the nails in order to avoid a violation of the grave Torah prohibition of Nidda. Hacham Ovadia himself emphasized that as a matter of policy, fingernails should be cut before immersion. (We should also mention that fingernails tend to grow rather quickly, and thus cutting them before immersion does not entail a considerable sacrifice on the woman’s part.)The same is true about nail polish, a topic we began discussing in an earlier edition of Daily Halacha. As we saw, several early authorities permitted immersing with polish on the skin or nails, because in their view, a substance qualifies as a Hasisa only if it is unwanted. In the case of polish, the precise opposite is true – the woman specifically applied it for cosmetic purposes. Therefore, technically speaking, unless the polish is cracked and the woman wants it removed, it should not constitute a Hasisa. Nevertheless, the time-honored tradition is to remove nail polish before immersion. As in the case of long nails, if a woman refuses to remove her nail polish before immersion, the Mikveh attendant should allow her to immerse (as long as she can ascertain that there is no dirt underneath the nails). But as a matter of policy, it is certainly proper to remove nail polish before immersing.Summary: There is a time-honored tradition that women remove nail polish and cut their nails before immersing in a Mikveh. In a case where a woman refuses to comply with this custom, and would not immerse if she is forced to, the Mikveh attendants may allow her to immerse with nail polish and long nails, as long as the nails are otherwise thoroughly clean. As a matter of policy, however, one should follow this time-honored custom.

Sabbath School
7.6 Summary - WORSHIP IN EDUCATION | Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A.

Sabbath School

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2020 4:07


Series EDUCATION with Pastor Kurt Piesslinger, M.A. 7.WORSHIP IN EDUCATION What is worshipped by us? Which effects will follow? Memory Text: 1 Chronicles 16:29 - Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. 7.6 Summary There is something in us woven by God that longs to worship. We would like to thank the artist Maximilian Jantscher for his permission to use his paintings for the series EDUCATION. Contact: Email: artgallery3000@gmx.at Website: akm777.at My God bless you today and always. For video recording : vimeo.com/477456166

god lord education worship chronicles my god summary there pastor kurt series education pastor kurt piesslinger maximilian jantscher
Myth Taken: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcat
Episode 41: Dead Man’s Party

Myth Taken: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcat

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2020 119:45


Summary There are some big highs and lows in this episode, from pretty much everything Giles does, to the big fight at the end (and we don't mean the zombies). Thanks for joining us as we discuss Season 3, Episode 2: Dead Man's Party. Listen Links We have a Patreon account where you can support us and … Continue reading Episode 41: Dead Man’s Party →

The Game of Teams
Bruno Doutrelepont: The  Purpose and Value of the Family Office

The Game of Teams

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2020 45:09


Introduction: Bruno Doutrelepont is a Private Investor and CEO at Even Keel Partners Investment Office. He is also a director of Genius Evolve and Non-Executive Director for Winterhaven holdings.  Bruno is a regular keynote speaker at International Conferences for Family Offices and Institutional Investors in places like Monaco, Geneva, London and Dubai. Podcast episode Summary: There exists a lot of confusion about the nature and purpose of a Family Office Business. Bruno shared his definition.  To safeguard the capital of the family business and enhance the quality of life for all members of the family. Essentially Bruno is integrating a very fine balance between the team that is the family and his team at Even Keel along with the many other suppliers who are involved to support the mission of the Family Business. Points made throughout the Episode:   Important to distinguish the purpose and mission of the family office. It is not well known or established here in Ireland. At Even Keel the mission is to safeguard and enhance the capital of the family while at the same time advancing the quality of life for all members. Varied and complex skill set required to serve a family office. It is a finely balanced integration of multiple teams, the Family, the Financiers and many suppliers. Important to have a thorough understanding of Family and group dynamics. Each family is unique. Various and important issues have to be dealt with in the course of managing a Family As an example the wealth creator often finds is hard to “let-go” even when he/she is keen to share wealth with his/her family Habitual story or worry that the first generation will make the money, the second generation will spend it and the third will have none left. Important to remember that the Family takes precedence over almost any consideration. A Family Office has to be able to navigate family values and dynamics There is a definite process and often a long one to establish a rhythm of working with a Family. This often means many and several 1;1 conversations to help all members of family express their desires. The international nature of the World widens the considerations involved especially when Children travel, study abroad etc. This degree of globalisation impacts the selection of services providers and the appropriate investment strategy to be deployed. Extremely challenging to select people to be part of the Family Business. One quality is paramount; Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence supports financiers to be with the varied and sometimes exasperating twists and turns in decision making. Excellent work does not always amount to a decision made The Family has the prerogative to change its mind. It can feel like rejection and it is important that the team within the family office do not take things personally. The business is varied, compelling, complex often with a steep learning curve. It is not for the faint hearted. Covid-19 has meant some investment decisions have been stalled and significant pivoting has been required. The SME sector has been particularly affected. Bruno admires the loyalty and dedication to staff seen by many business owners here in Ireland. Even Keel is used to working remotely. Covid-19 has however contributed to fatigue, exhaustion and emotional overwhelm for some. Important to be able to flexible and allow people determine their own rhythms in these times. Circuit breakers are often required. Humour is too. The conversation pivoted into Leadership. Bruno shared his thinking and practices to ground his approach. Important to disconnect, find nature, taking time out to appreciate small things and enjoy conversations. Every day relations often provide stimulus for ideas. Bruno concluded conversation by sharing story of his two daughters aged 6 and 12. They are burgeoning entrepreneurs in their own right- he shared how they created Christmas Baubles to sell for two charities and raised over €10,000 Family is everything.  

Strong Men Strong Marriages
The 3 Levels Of Sex In Marriage

Strong Men Strong Marriages

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2020 18:36


Do you wish you had a better sex life with your wife?Do you have a hard time bringing up sex with your wife…Or does she often say “no” or “I’m too tired” when you do finally ask?In this episode, you’ll learn WHY your sexual advances are unattractive to your wife…And how to make them much MORE attractive…And likely to get a “yes.”Summary:-There are 3 levels of sex in marriage-Physical - orgasm-focused-Emotional - validation-focused-Rational - knowledge-focused-When you are on level 1 or 2, your wife knows you are trying to USE her through sex (which is why she says “no”)-When you are on level 3, your wife and you know that it’s about deep CONNECTION (which is why she will say “yes”)MikeP.S. If you're ready to have more intimacy than you have EVER had in your marriage... guaranteed... come join us in The Strong Man System.

Making Disciples with Robby Gallaty
S2E11: Why The Essenes Matter

Making Disciples with Robby Gallaty

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2020 22:36


SUMMARY: There are four ancient sects that broke off from the Jewish religion. Today Robby and Chris observe why the Essenes started and compare them to religion today. TIME STAMPS: 2:45 (the four sects) 5:40 (who were the Essenes) 15:46 (how they copied the bible) LINKS: Resources for Long Hollow Group Leaders Click here to receive Replicate’s discipleship resources for your home, group, and church If you are a church leader, join our Replicate Network at www.ReplicateNetwork.com

Counselor Toolbox Podcast
Neurobiology of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Co Occurring Mental Health Issues

Counselor Toolbox Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2020 48:50


Summary - There is significant overlap between OCD and other psychiatric disorders - While ERP and SSRIs are the gold standard for addressing OCD behaviors, it is also important to address other underlying issues which may contribute to neurotransmitter disruption. - Trauma history (powerlessness and unsafeness) - Lack of emotional regulation skills - Lack of happiness promoting behaviors - Lack of secure attachment (oxytocin) - Poor nutrition, sleep, iron deficiency - Hormone imbalances (gonadal or thyroid) - Medication side effects (hormones, steroids, thyroid, RLS, antipsychotics)

Anchor Baptist Church
Perplexing Tragedies and Our Future Glory Ecclesiastes 6:1-5

Anchor Baptist Church

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2020 20:00


Summary- There are some tragedies in life that are so perplexing, that we can never fully comprehend them.

Leadership Today Podcast
Episode 96 - Does Being a Jerk Get You Ahead at Work?

Leadership Today Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2020 5:31


Summary There’s a popular mythology in business that being self-centred and cold towards others helps you to get ahead. But does being a jerk get you ahead at work? Research released this month addresses this question.    Transcript Hello and welcome to episode 96 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we explore whether being a selfish jerk helps you to get ahead at work. There’s a popular mythology in business that being self-centred and cold towards others can help you to get ahead. That if I act like an intimidating jerk, it will help me to get ahead at work. The thinking being that operating in this way will help me to amass power and influence.  American baseball player, coach and manager Leo Durocher exemplified this approach well, perhaps not surprisingly given his nickname of Leo the Lip. Some of his more entertaining quotes include “nice guys finish last” and “show me a good loser and I’ll show you an idiot”. His winning ratio was 54%, so I guess he was a self-proclaimed idiot 46% of the time. In the business world, people like Steve Jobs are held up as examples of how being aggressive and intimidating helps you to get things done. That being a jerk helps you to push through the constraints that hold others back. In fact, his close friend and former Apple designer Jony Ive described it like this: “I think honestly, when he's very frustrated, … his way to achieve catharsis is to hurt somebody. And I think he feels he has a liberty and licence to do that. The normal rules of social engagement, he feels, don't apply to him. Because of how very sensitive he is, he knows exactly how to efficiently and effectively hurt someone. And he does do that.” Disagreeable people are driven by self-interest and a lack of consideration for others. So how would this help them to progress more quickly up the corporate ladder? The popular thinking is that the time nice people spend looking out for others might hold them back, giving disagreeable people an advantage. Their intimidation then allows the disagreeable person to amass power and influence. But are disagreeable people actually more likely to get ahead? Research by Anderson, Sharps, Soto and John published just this month explored precisely this question. They identified disagreeable people and then tracked their careers over the next 14 years. Now, I know the question you’re asking - How do you identify a disagreeable person? The researchers used personality patterns associated with the likelihood to be hostile towards others, deceive and manipulate for their own gain, and ignore others’ welfare as indicators for disagreeableness.  So what did they find? Their key finding is that disagreeableness does not predict attainment of power. Disagreeable people are not more likely, but just as likely, to reach positions of power and influence. It didn’t help their career, but it didn’t get in the way either. The researchers described four main ways people can attain power: Dominant-aggressive behaviour - fear and intimidation Political behaviour - building alliances with influential people Communal behaviour - helping others Competent behaviour - being good at your job The key to understanding why jerks don’t get ahead is in the trade-off the disagreeable person makes. The researchers suggested that any assistance being intimidating gave in seeking out power was counteracted by poor relationships with others. Their results suggest that a lack of communal behaviour counteracts any benefits of dominant-aggressive behaviour and self-interest. So being disagreeable doesn’t work. But can the opposite also be true? Can we be overly agreeable? While the researchers didn’t explore this, it’s easy to see how being overly nice might also get in the way - that always focusing on helping others without placing any emphasis on our own needs and interests could also be a problem.  I think the key to striking the right balance is through true assertiveness - having a genuine interest in others’ needs and interests, while also confidently presenting our own needs and interests. If you want to explore that further, then check out episode 6 from way back in August 2018 where we pick apart what true assertiveness looks like. And if you want to go even deeper, check out our Boost Your Assertiveness course at Leadership Today On-Demand. Our On-Demand service is an annual subscription that brings together all of our video content, including online courses, recorded webinars, and quick hits on a broad range of leadership topics. You can sign up today for a free 30 day trial which gives you plenty of time to complete the course and take a look around. Just go to the Leadership.Today website and follow the On-Demand link. Have a great week.   Reference Cameron Anderson, Daron L. Sharps, Christopher J. Soto, and Oliver P. John People with disagreeable personalities (selfish, combative, and manipulative) do not have an advantage in pursuing power at work. PNAS, 2020 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2005088117

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
The Value of Praying Where One Learns, and Praying in the Synagogue

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2020 10:55


The Gemara in Masechet Berachot (8) tells that Abayeh would learn Torah at home and then go to the synagogue for prayers, but he then changed his practice upon hearing the following teaching of Rav Hiya Bar Ami, in the name of Ula: "Since the day the Bet Ha’mikdash was destroyed, all the Almighty has in His world is the four cubits of Halacha." Meaning, after the destruction of the Bet Ha’mikdash, G-d’s presence resides where Torah is studied. Upon hearing this teaching, Abayeh decided that he would pray only where he learned – meaning, at home. Since the Divine Presence rests where one learns Torah, one’s prayers are more powerful and more likely to gain acceptance at that location.The straightforward reading of the Gemara seems to suggest that Abayeh decided to pray privately in the place where he learned, rather than go to the synagogue so he could pray with a Minyan. Accordingly, Rabbenu Yona (Spain, 1200-1263) cites the ruling of the "Hachmeh Ha’Sorfatim" ("French scholars") that it is preferable to pray privately in the place where one learns than to pray elsewhere with a Minyan. An allusion to this view may be found in King David’s cry to G-d in Tehillim (5:2): "Amarai Ha’azina Hashem, Bina Hagigi." Literally, this means, "Listen to my words, O G-d; understand my thoughts." The plain reading of this verse is that David asks G-d to listen to both his words and his thoughts. Not always are we able to articulate our thoughts and feelings. Knowing that Hashem hears not only our voices, but also our silent thoughts and emotions, David begged Hashem to accept both his verbalized prayers and also that which was left unspoken. Additionally, however, Rav Shelomo Zarka (Tunis, d. 1876) suggested that the word "Amarai," which is written in the singular form ("my words"), could be understood as referring to prayers recited privately. David asks G-d to accept the prayers he recited alone, not in the presence of a Minyan, because "Bina Hagigi" – this is where he studies Torah. (The word "Hagigi" can refer to learning, as in the famous verse, "Ve’hagita Bo Yomam Va’layla" – "you shall engage in it day and night"). Following the ruling of the "Hachmeh Ha’Sorfatim," David prayed privately in the place where he learned Torah, rather than pray with a Minyan elsewhere, and so he asked G-d to accept his prayers in this merit.In any event, the Rambam (Rav Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204) understood Abayeh’s practice differently. In his view, Abayeh had a Minyan in his home, and so he decided to pray with a Minyan in his home rather than pray in the synagogue. Rabbenu Yona explains that according to the Rambam, Abayeh preferred praying with a small Minyan, consisting of just 10 men, rather than praying with a large crowd in the synagogue. The principle of "Be’rob Am Hadrat Melech" establishes that we should endeavor to perform public Misvot in large assemblies, as this brings greater honor to Hashem. However, Abayeh felt that the value of praying where one learns overrides the value of "Be’rob Am Hadrat Melech."Halacha follows the Rambam’s view. Therefore, it is preferable to pray with a Minyan than to pray privately where one learns, but it is preferable to pray with a small Minyan where one learns than to pray with a large crowd in the synagogue.The ideal practice, of course, is to pray in a synagogue where one also learns Torah. This way, one receives all three advantages – praying at the place where he learns, together with a large crowd, and in a synagogue, which has special sanctity. Having all three advantages makes our prayers all the more powerful.Further insight into the connection between prayer and Torah learning can be gleaned from the Gemara’s comment, "Somebody who turns his ear away from listening to Torah, even his prayer is an abomination." The Gaon of Vilna (1720-1797) explained this as referring to somebody who "turns his ear away" when the Rabbi begins speaking about a subject which he has already studied. Our Sages teach us that we must be open and eager to review material which we have already learned, as this enables us to learn new material. The Gaon thus explains the Gemara to mean that if somebody is uninterested in listening to Torah material which he has already learned, dismissing it as unnecessarily repetitive, then G-d reacts to his prayers the same way. Each time this person recites the Amida prayer, G-d dismisses the prayer, saying, as it were, that He has already heard this prayer… This insight reinforces for us the link between Torah learning and prayer, as reflected in Abayeh’s practice to pray in the place where he learned.In conclusion, it is worth emphasizing the importance of praying specifically in a synagogue, and the great privilege we are given to have this opportunity. King David says in Tehillim, "Va’ani Be’rob Hasdecha Abo Betecha, Eshtahaveh El Hechal Kodshecha Be’yir’atecha" – "I come to Your home in Your abundant kindness; I bow to Your sacred sanctuary, with fear of You." The ability to come to the synagogue is a "Hesed" – a great act of kindness granted to us by G-d. We do not deserve this privilege; it is given to us as a Hesed. And so when we come, we must, as David says in this verse, "bow" in gratitude and exhibit "fear of You" – conduct ourselves with reverence, as befitting G-d’s home. Certainly, when we invite guests to our home, we do not expect them to sit with their shoes on the couch. By the same token, when we come as guests to G-d’s home, we must conduct ourselves with proper decorum, respect and reverence.Even after the restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic were lifted, many people remained unable to attend the synagogue, either due to legitimate concerns about their health, or because distancing regulations limited the number of people who could pray in the synagogue. As a result, many people have continued praying in yards or porches. While this is understandable under the circumstances, it must be emphasized that praying in a synagogue is a great privilege, one which everyone should relish and should want to take advantage of. Even if praying elsewhere is more convenient, every effort should be made to pray specifically in a synagogue when this is possible.Summary: There is great value in praying in the place where one learns Torah, but if one must choose between praying privately where one learns and praying with a Minyan elsewhere, he should pray with a Minyan. If, however, one must choose between praying with a small Minyan where he learns and praying with a large Minyan elsewhere, he should pray with the small Minyan where he learns. The ideal place to pray is a synagogue where one learns, as he then benefits from three advantages – there is a large Minyan, it is a synagogue, and it is where he studies Torah.

Finance & Fury Podcast
Looking at the factors behind the AUD/USD exchange rate movements.

Finance & Fury Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2020 17:19


Welcome to Finance and Fury. Last Monday – talked about exchange rate basics Summary - There are a number of factors that go into analysis of the fundamental health of economies and the implications for currency movements – and in turn these can affect the exchange rates – Went through indicators that show the flows and trends of supply and demand - like the balance of payments (capital and current accounts) and the level of foreign reserves a country has – including economic indicators like inflation, interest rates, GPD – all go towards affecting the exchange rate movements – but these are only at a cross currency level when looking at say the AUD to USD Today – Look at some of the reasons behind movements of AUD to USD Major things to look at: Central bank policy – interest rates, inflation expectations – influence trading behaviours Trading positions – what professionals are betting on The trade markets – current account and capital accounts – historical data No way to accurately predict the movements minute to minute – reading tea leaves – so what do the leaves say   Starting with central bank policy - The AUD/USD exchange rate has been retracing some of its decline -   However – a small Reversal of this trend started following the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Minutes being published - The Federal Open Market Committee- group within the Federal Reserve System responsible for overseeing the nation's open market operations - makes key decisions about interest rates and the growth of the United States money supply Shows the power of central bankers over currency – even based around their statements (not actions) currency exchange rates can move - AUD/USD pulled back from a fresh 2020 high of 0.7276 – this was due to that in the FOMC Minutes – the Fed foreshadowed a change in the monetary policy outlook- said they would employ an outcome-based approach versus a calendar-based forward guidance  Under ‘calendar-based guidance’, the central bank makes an explicit commitment not to increase interest rates until a certain point in time. Under ‘state-based guidance’ or outcome-based approach the central bank says that it will not increase interest rates until specific economic conditions are met. Feds reasoning - “a number of participants noted that providing greater clarity regarding the likely path of the target range for the federal funds rate would be appropriate at some point.” – but not at this stage Forward guidance is what markets respond to here – what central banks are pointing at for the decisions So the current market conditions may keep the exchange rate afloat as the crowding behaviour in the US Dollar looks poised to persist over the remainder of the month However, it seems as though the FOMC is in no rush to alter the course for monetary policy the committee vows to “increase its holdings of Treasury securities and agency residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities at least at the current pace,” Chairman Jerome Powell said that they will stick to the status quo at the next interest rate decision on September 16 as the central bank extends its lending facilities through the end of the year Back with Australia - At the same time, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Minutes suggest Governor Philip Lowe  will also retain the current policy at the next meeting on September 1 as “the downturn in the first half of the year had been smaller than predicted,” and the central bank may carry out a wait-and-see approach throughout the remainder of the year – so they have a outcome/state based approach as well The RBA is waiting for the likely effects now that the government’s fiscal stimulus programs like the Jobkeeper Payment have been extended for a further six-months. Looking at the interest rates - the RBA may continue to rule out a negative interest rate policy (NIRP) for Australia as “members agreed that the Bank's policy package was continuing to work broadly as expected,”  the limited scope for additional monetary stimulus may provide a backstop for AUD/USD as the FOMC shows little intentions of scaling back its non-standard measures in 2020. As a result, the Australian Dollar may continue to outperform its US counterpart as AUD/USD approaches the 2019 high (0.7295) – now the currency is above this – gone to 0.7366 and current market conditions may keep the exchange rate afloat as the crowding behaviour in the Greenback looks poised to persist for a little while yet – Everyone was jumping into safe investments – either USD or USD backed securities like treasuries – look at this late with the capital account RBA Governor Phillipe Lowe stated that “The Australian economy is going through a very difficult period and is experiencing the biggest contraction since the 1930’s. As difficult as this is, the downturn is not as severe as earlier expected and a recovery is now underway in most of Australia”.  When looking at the Aus interest rates - At the last RBA rate decision on August 4, officials chose to hold the overnight cash rate at 0.25 percent Also - maintained that same yield target for 3-year bonds – a few weeks ago, officials said they are prepared to adjust the stimulus package if the circumstances warranted it So policymakers believe that additional fiscal and monetary support may be necessary for some time However - if economic improvement continues better than expected – the need to introduce additional stimulus will reduce This may then push AUD higher if investors focus on swift recovery expectations But many things could upheave this – such as heightened geopolitical tensions between Australia and China – which could cap the currency’s gains The other thing that is being looked at - Economic Stabilization efforts As the statement by RBA Governor Phillipe Lowe states: “The outlook remains highly uncertain. The recovery is expected to be only gradual”. However – if the Governments re-imposes more aggressive lockdown measures – may create additional negative sentiment – affect things like current account This being said - may be offset may renewed risk appetite and signs of global stabilization. For a country like Australia – that has a cycle-sensitive currency based around trade and that is tied to an outward-facing or export economy - early signs of improvement in global trade is re-assuring The data to watch here are trading reports– such as PMI reports (Purchasing Managers' Index - shows prevailing direction of economic trends in the manufacturing and service sectors) – so if this is increasing and is coming out of developed and emerging markets – reinforces the notion of improvement, the Australian Dollar may rise However – if it is lower than anticipated or starts to decline – then the AUD may decline Major thing about economic stabilization – effect on currency movements will be to the magnitude of aggressive support by central banks But this come from flow on effect – such as how this affects business confidence and risk appetite – if this goes up - adds another upwards pressure on the AUD. Looking at Deutsche Bank’s Australian Dollar currency index compared to an AUD inflation swap zero coupon (10Y) shows price growth expectations rising in tandem Shows at the moment there is an underlying expectation that future economic activity will rise, and with it, price growth in the form of inflation – not hugely – back to around 2% So a change of tone in the RBA’s sense of urgency may magnify AUD’s gains - particularly if economic data domestically and in China – Australia’s largest trading partner – shows a brighter outlook and geopolitical tensions simmer down Traders – what is happening in currency markets between AUD/USD Sentiment reports - shows retail traders have been net-short AUD/USD since April – latest update showing 44.00% of traders are net-long the pair – which went up slightly – as there was a small decline in the net-short positions The recent rise in net-long position comes as AUD/USD bounces back from the previous low - while the decline in net-short interest could be indicative of stop-loss orders being triggered as the exchange rate trades to a fresh yearly highs – now at 0.7366 However - Overall – 26% of traders are bullish whilst 74% are bearish – but these traders are short termed focused – looking at the day/week price more so than a longer term trend Looking at the technical data - but the Relative Strength Index (RSI) – indicates if an asset is overbought or oversold – showing currency is slightly in the overbought territory. Keep in mind, the advance from the 2020 low (0.5506) gathered pace as AUD/USD broke out of the April range, with the exchange rate clearing the January high (0.7016) in June as the Relative Strength Index (RSI) pushed into overbought territory. AUD/USD managed to clear the June high (0.7064) during the previous month even though the RSI failed to retain the upward trend from earlier this year, with the oscillator pushing into overbought territory for the fourth time in late-July. The RSI started to indicate that there was an establishment of a bullish trend in July as AUD/USD traded to fresh yearly highs, but the indicator continues to deviate with price as it snaps trendline support after failing to push into overbought territory.   The trade markets – current account and capital accounts – historical data Balance of payments Current account – was positive for Aus – large exports being around $8.5bn worth next minus imports US – no shocker is still a mass importer – negative $50bn – so this is in Aus favour Capital Account – capital flows - negative $11.5bn for AUS – so some capital flight has been occurring AUs not going on holidays – more money being spent here – less overseas – may be a factor for exchange rates US saw a massive capital inflight in March – was close to $350bn in a month – since then has been on the decline as well Foreign reserves – AUD has declined – since March gone down from $90bn to $60bn USA – has risen – Went from $128bn in March to just under $140bn last month But still the major contributing factor seems to be the central banking policies at this stage   So in summary – Expect the currency to be volatile – Likely to go through periods of movements upwards above over time – but will have reversals along the way Central banks are playing a wait and see game – But this can be in Australia’s favour - with the Federal Reserve doing absolutely nothing to save the US dollar anytime soon, the AUD rising relative may be a trend that should continue to have legs going forward for the near future – obviously – if the US all of a sudden wish to raise their currency on the floating markets – they have deeper pockets – Alternatively – if conditions change – which they will – currency could go anywhere Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you want to get in contact you can do so here: http://financeandfury.com.au/contact/

Finance & Fury Podcast
Understanding currency markets and exchange rates.

Finance & Fury Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2020 22:06


Welcome to Finance and Fury. I’ve seen news about the AUD being at a 15-month high Today – wanted to do an episode on exchange rates and look at some of the fundamental driving factors in the price movements – next week put this together and look at the current trend and factors behind it In the modern financial world – most exchanges are floating exchange rates (excluding some nations – like china that have a semi pegged currency to the USD – or others that just use it outright) What are floating exchange rates - A floating exchange rate refers to a currency where the price is determined by supply and demand factors relative to other currencies These are traded on foreign exchange markets – or called forex for short - allow for 24/7 trading in currency pairs – actually the world's largest and most liquid asset market But it is the largest traded market in the world – only a relatively small number of currency pairs are responsible for the majority of volume and activity – essentially 20 – As of 2019 numbers with countries ranked in volume – US no 1 with 44%, EU no 2 with 16%, Yen – 8.5%, Pound with 6.5%, AUD number 5 with 3.5% - top 5 close to 80% In this market - Currencies are traded against one another as pairs – for example – when people talk about the AUD being at its 15 month high - against what? Well the reserve currency -USD – but what about other currencies Can have the USD/EUR, YEN/Frank - each pair is typically quoted in what is called pips (percentage in points) out to four decimal places While AUS to USD has gone to its 15 month high - return over the past 12 months has been 6% - against other currencies we are at a lower point – example – compared to the pound – down by about 0.71% over 12 months – Euro – about the same – 0.12% up over 12 months What does this say? Is it that the AUD is becoming more in demand, or the USD less – That is where it gets more complicated – as the movement of these pares is relevant to the factors that affect the price of each currency   How are the prices of these cross pairs affected – supply and demand of each currency The AUD might have more supply, or less demand compared to the USD – so the cross-currency pair gets pushed down in price Or when the world demands more US dollars - the value of the dollar increases and when there are too many dollars circulating without the demand to soak it up - the price drops It sounds relatively simple -   But What affects supply and demand – A whole range of factors - Currency prices can fluctuate based on the economic situation of each individual country involved in the pair – including things like geopolitical risk and instability, trade & financial flows, among other factors –   These are some major indicators of the state of supply and demand that can be looked at - Balance of payments – flows of foreign exchange – The balance of payments is a country's record of currency transactions across national borders – essentially payment data that comes out on a monthly or quarterly basis by a country's central bank The data is customarily divided into two main components: the current account, and the capital and financial account Current account – The current account balance measures the commercial transactions of goods and services It also includes any net foreign investment earnings and net international transfers of cash It is a representation of a national foreign trade balance showing total imports and exports- which is the net exchange of cross-border services Can include any import/export market – goods purchased, travel & tourism, payments for international shipments and transportation in a general - the flow of foreign trade is considered a key component of the current account balance - a country that is importing more than it exports from month-to-month will have a widening deficit on their current account The trend toward a current account deficit is considered an indication that foreign money is flowing out of a country and that a currency will likely weaken over time So if a country is a major importer from another nation – with everything else being equal (supply of money and no other trade partners) – then their currency will likely decline Capital Account – which is the other major component of the balance of payments basically a register of investments flowing in and out of a country - include direct investments and portfolio investments Direct investments - investments made in physical capital – can be real estate and property – natural resources - production facilities like factories, and machines and equipment Portfolio investment - investment in financial assets - like shares and government or corporate debt falls into categories of short- and long-term investment – referred to as "hot-money" This can increase the volatility of a currency – especially liquid investments like shares – imagine if the majority of the balance of payments was in shares – then foreign investors dump these shares – that is a lot of AUD converted back to other currencies and the demand for AUD drops - For both of these and why it affects demand – if you are going to be buying goods or services in AUD – you need to exchange your currency for AUD – similar to buying property or shares here – therefore you need to exchange your currency for AUD to make the purchase – which results in an increased demand for AUD Think about this in reverse – say you wanted to buy Apple or Amazon shares directly – you would need USD to buy these – so on an online exchange your AUD would be converted into USD – this would count towards the Capital account of the US These are all mostly on the demand side – sentiment and the amount of demand of currency changing hands Foreign reserves - balance of foreign money that has accumulated within a country because of goods and services transactions – is a good measure of if a countries currency is in demand or not If there is a large accumulated balance in foreign reserve - there is a positive sum of the current account and capital account balances These reserves can then be invested in bonds or other assets – such as with China – accumulated $3trn USD in reserves over the years – and turns around and uses this to buy US bonds – However – an accumulating reserve means you are normally receiving incoming foreign money – hence your currency will likely be on a strengthening trend – like china – but they can use this balance of reserves to defend against volatility and speculative attacks against their currencies by selling portions of the reserves – and help them to maintain their peg   Other major factors – these are more of economic indicators – which affect the demand and supply of a currency Inflation - is technically defined as an increase in the price of goods and services in an economy- however a high domestic inflation is generally considered to be a factor that prompts a weakening of currency over time against its peers - because of the economic principle of purchasing power parity is declining – so once you make for adjustments in an exchange rate – the real value of your currency relative to its international purchasing power of a currency is declining - Therefore - currencies in countries with higher than its peers inflation rates are considered to be good candidates to depreciate - Inflation in most developed economies that are considered "stable" is generally between 1 and 3% - however the exchange rates for currencies with much higher inflation will likely depreciate heavily Interest rates –this can be an indicator that influences currency trends – First – can affect the capital account – either increases or reduces the demand for investing in other nations capital markets -such as government and corporate debt securities – where the returns are determined by interest rates So if a central banks was to raise interest rates – they are likely going to be attracting incoming foreign money from investors who are seeking higher returns – this puts upwards pressure on the local currency The reverse is also true - when central banks lower interest rates, money may flow out of their economies and currencies may undergo weakening International fisher effect - Think about AUD to USD back between 2011 and 2013 – in 2011 was almost 5% - by 2013 – dropped to 3% - since then has kept declining – But in 2011 – to 2016 it was 0.25% in US – hence there was a higher demand for AUD Also – interest rate policy affects the supply of a currency – by the nature of central bank policies – OMO and even now QE – the amount of money introduced into the financial system and economy to keep rates low increases the supply of a currency – if it is tied up – not a problem – but if it is in either trade (current account) – or in investments (capital account) – and flows out of the country – can put a downwards pressure on the local currency Economic Activity - GDP Growth – the metrics that reflect an individual economy and the output – which is ultimately determined by the productivity of a country's private sector Looking at the GDP growth – can see an indicator of the level of economic activity in an economy – if the economy is growing – can attract investment and is a potential sign of currency strength But there isn’t much correlation here – can a weak currency can help to promote investment or exports as it is now cheaper -   This is just a few of the major factors – But when you add them all up – you can get an idea about likely trends – but there is no magic number working really forecasting a currency trend Can take the weight of all these factors together to show a path Hence why this data mentioned is constantly under review by analysts who trade these markets – and these large financial institutions do have the capacity to influence trends As they affect demand through buying or selling a particular currency Currency conditions and the demand/supply factors can change quickly – currency is very volatile – it is open 24/7 and the Other intangible factors – like currency wars – that is where this is outside of any pure economic indicator   Summary - There are a number of factors that go into analysis of the fundamental health of economies and the implications for currency movements – and in turn these can affect the exchange rates – Indicators like the balance of payments (capital and current accounts) and the level of foreign reserves a country has – including economic indicators like inflation, interest rates, GPD – all go towards affecting the exchange rate movements – but these are only at a cross currency level when looking at say the AUD to USD   Next episode on Monday – look at some numbers and factors that are in play with the AUD at the moment. Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you want to get in contact you can do so here: http://financeandfury.com.au/contact

The Michael Yardney Podcast | Property Investment, Success & Money
13 Things Higher Achievers Do Differently | Build a Business, Not a Job Podcast

The Michael Yardney Podcast | Property Investment, Success & Money

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2020 35:39


Do you ever secretly wish that you could achieve more with your time?  You are not alone. Most people want more from their lives but simply don't know where to start. Science says that only 8 percent of people actually achieve their goals. The good news is that learning to accomplish greatness in your life is totally possible if you learn to study other successful high achievers. In today's Build a Business, Not a Job podcast that I record each month with Mark Creedon, the founder of Business Accelerator Mastermind, we are going to discuss the things that high achievers do differently to become successful. What high achievers do that others don't I've found high achievers, be they property investors, businesspeople or entrepreneurs do things in a certain way and think in a certain way. Recently, I read a number of rules that I read on a blog by Abayomi Jegede. After looking at the lives of certain great men, Jegede was able to come up with 13 rules that he says high achievers never break. He suggests that if you obey these rules, you will become a high achiever too. So let's look at them... Don't compare your life to others and don't judge them; you have no idea what their journey is all about Be yourself always and become the best version of yourself. Don't act the way you are feeling - Instead, act the way you want to feel High achievers get disappointed a lot because they fail many times, but since they are highly-optimistic people, they see an advantage in adversity and make the best of every situation. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up your present  High achievers don't go around beating themselves up for the mistakes they have made. Forgiveness is the first step to progress and only those with a strong heart can forgive themselves and those who have hurt them. Don't answer ads that promise get-rich-quick schemes because it won't be you who gets rich quick Believe me when I say this: apart from bonanzas, lottery, promos, or TV shows, there is nothing you can do in this world that gets you rich in a jiffy. You can't do everything yourself, so get help along the way Make meaningful relationships and help others get what they want.  Don't envy what others have; you don't know how they got it The truth is that you don't know how he got what he has or the price he had to pay in exchange for it. Think about this before you envy somebody. If you can't say anything nice, don't say   High achievers don't talk just because they have to say something; they talk because they have something to say. Learn to talk less and listen more. Be comfortable only outside of your comfort zone Do something every day that scares you, and break your own records each day. If you are going to jump off a bridge, make sure you know how deep the water is Many great men today are college dropouts, but they knew what they wanted and the understood the implications, so they went all-out. So, before you quit your job or quit college, and before you jump off that bridge, ask yourself this very important question: “how deep is the water?” Change only what you can change and let go of the rest You can't change everything you want to change. No matter how important it may be, sometimes it's better to do your own part and leave the coming generation to do theirs. What others think of you is none of your business  People will always talk about you, and if they don't, then you are probably not worth much. Ignore whatever anyone has to say about you and hold firm what you know and what you believe. Never test the depth of the river with both feet Spread out your risks in life. There is no way to succeed without taking risks, but it's wiser and safer to take calculated risks. Honesty is a very expensive gift. Do not expect it from cheap people The sooner you learn this, the better. Do not expect too much from people–only a few men have that virtue called integrity. Summary: There is one secret that almost every successful person knows.  This secret is very important because it's the reason they are successful in the first place.  This big secret can be summed up in the words of the mighty Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Successful people have gone through the painful process of forming successful people's habits, and you can become successful financially prosperous as well if you make up your mind to do the same.  Links and Resources: Why not join Metropole's Business Accelerator Mastermind Learn more about Mark Creedon – Business Coach to some of Australia's leading entrepreneurs  Some of our favourite quotes from the show: “I think with social media, it's so hard not to do that. Because unfortunately, you see their highlight reel, you don't see all the bits on the cutting room floor.” – Michael Yardney “I guess the lesson is to forgive yourself for the mistakes that you've made. They got you to where you are now, and now you've moved forward and can take advantage of the lessons you've learned.” –Michael Yardney “If you're not hanging around with the right people, you'd better get a new tribe of people around you.” – Michael Yardney PLEASE LEAVE US A REVIEW Reviews are hugely important to me because they help new people discover this podcast. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, please leave a review on iTunes - it's your way of passing the message forward to others and saying thank you to me. Here's how.

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
Lighting a Candle in Memory of the Deceased

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2020 9:55


There is a widely-accepted, time-honored custom to light candle in memory of a loved one, or of a Sadik, during the Shiba mourning period, and each year on the Yahrtzeit.Although this practice is not mentioned explicitly anywhere in the Talmud, it might be alluded to in two places. First, the Gemara relates that before Rebbi (Rabbi Yehuda Ha’nasi) passed away, he gave his sons a number of instructions, one of which was that there should be a candle lit by his place. Rashi explains that Rebbi’s soul returned to his home every Friday night to be with his wife, ad so he asked that there would be a candle lit by his place in honor of Shabbat. But the Yabetz (Rav Yaakob Emden, Germany, 1697-1776) suggests that this might be a basis for the custom to light a candle in honor of one’s deceased parent, as Rebbi’s instruction could be understood to mean that he wanted his children to light a candle in his honor.Another possible source is the Gemara’s discussion in Masechet Berachot (53) of the Beracha "Boreh Me’oreh Ha’esh" recited over a flame on Mosa’eh Shabbat. The Gemara states that this Beracha may be recited only over a candle that was lit for illumination purposes, as opposed to "Ner Shel Metim" – "the candle of the deceased" – which is lit in honor of the deceased, and not for illumination. This would certainly indicate that there was a practice to light candles in honor of the deceased. However, this might refer only to candles lit around the deceased before burial, as opposed to our practice to light candles during Shiba and on the Yahrtzeit.In the writings of the Rishonim, we find mention of this concept in the Kolbo (by Rav Yehonatan of Lunel, Provence, late 13th-early 14th century), in the section discussing the laws of Yom Kippur. He writes that it is customary to light candles on Ereb Yom Kippur in memory of one’s deceased parents. This custom is brought by the Rama (Rav Moshe Isserles, Cracow, 1530-1572) in his glosses to the Shulhan Aruch. The Mishna Berura (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) writes that even the deceased are, in a sense, judged on Yom Kippur, and so we light candles in their memory as a source of merit for them.What’s the explanation of this practice? How does lighting a candle benefit the soul of the deceased?One explanation is that lighting a candle in itself brings no benefit to the deceased, but when candles are lit in the synagogue, this fulfills a Misva which brings merit to the deceased’s soul. Generations ago, candles were needed for illumination, and so lighting candles in the synagogue was a very important Misva. Indeed, it was customary years ago for people to donate oil for the lights in the synagogue in merit of a deceased parent. More generally, lighting candles enhances the atmosphere of the synagogue, and this, too, constitutes a Misva which brings merit to the deceased. (Interestingly, one contemporary work suggested that it would be appropriate to donate towards the synagogue’s electric bill as a merit for the deceased, just as years ago people would donate oil for the lights.) According to this explanation, the value of lighting candles is only when it is done for a Misva, meaning, when the candles are lit in the synagogue.However, the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in his Torah Li’shmah, writes that the lighting itself brings comfort and joy to the soul of the deceased. He explains that a soul is like a candle, and similar entities are attracted to one another. Therefore, when a candle is lit at a place where the soul is present, the soul experiences some degree of enjoyment. However, the Ben Ish Hai emphasizes that this is relevant only in the place where the soul is present – namely, in the deceased’s home during the Shiba period, or at the grave. According to the Ben Ish Hai, then, there is no purpose to light a candle in memory of the deceased in his or her home after the Shiba, or even during the Shiba if the mourning is observed somewhere other than the deceased’s home.Regardless, the Poskim accorded great importance to this custom. It is mentioned in the major works on mourning (Gesher Ha’haim, Ma’abar Yabok). In fact, the Mishna Berura (261) writes that during the period of Ben Ha’shemashot after sundown on Friday afternoon, when it is permissible to ask a gentile to perform a Melacha (forbidden activity) on one’s behalf when there is a great need, one may ask a gentile to light a Yahrtzeit candle. Meaning, if one forgot the light the candle before Shabbat, he may ask a non-Jew to do so during the period of Ben Ha’shemashot, because this is considered a matter of great need.Likewise, Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Israel, 1924-1998) writes that if one has Yahrtzeit on Yom Tob and forgot to light the candle before Yom Tob, he may light it on Yom Tob (from a preexisting flame). This is considered a significant enough need to permit lighting a candle on Yom Tob.When lighting the candle, the Ben Ish Hai writes, it is proper to declare that the candle is being lit for the "Menuhat Nefesh" ("rest of the soul") or "Iluy Nefesh" ("elevation of the soul") of the deceased, mentioning the deceased’s name. It is also proper to give some charity at the time the candle is lit.Some opinions say it is preferable to use oil for this candle, because the word "Shemen" ("oil") has the letters of "Neshama," whereas others say wax should be used, because the letters of the word "Sha’ava" ("wax") represent the verse, "Hakisu Ve’ranenu Shocheneh Afar" – "Awaken and rejoice, those who lie in the earth," the verse which speaks of the resurrection of the dead in the future.Summary: There is a time-honored custom to light a candle in memory of a deceased loved one during the Shiba mourning period, and on the Yahrtzeit. According to one view, the candles are lit in the synagogue as a merit for the deceased, whereas others explain that a candle lit in a place where the deceased’s soul is present brings joy and comfort to the soul. Therefore, according to many opinions, the candles should be lit only in the deceased’s home during Shiba, at the grave, or in the synagogue.

Counselor Toolbox Podcast
Counseling Tools (Life Hacks) for Chronic Pain Management

Counselor Toolbox Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2020 58:28


Summary ~ There are many similarities between Pain, mood and addictive disorders ~ Integrated, concurrent, biopsychosocial treatment is vital ~ Mood impacts pain which impacts life satisfaction ~ Recovery supports realistic beliefs and identifies controllable factors Eenhanced outcomes ~ Patients with current addictions or mental health issues need concurrent treatment

Fitness Marketing Mastery
How to Gather the Best Fitness Testimonials and Use Them

Fitness Marketing Mastery

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2020 24:32


Fitness testimonials are still one of the best ways to connect to your next customer. If you can get your customer to create a video answering these questions I'm going to share with you – whether they do it on their phone or you record it on yours or in the social distancing Zoom or Skype recordings of the moment, video is gold. If not video, then get them to write it and ask if you can use their picture with it. If not their picture, their full name. If not their full name first name and last initial. And age is also relevant when you're gathering fitness testimonials. Another strategy is to ask a question in your Facebook group. Your paid program probably has a private Facebook group. Ask questions: How has _____ helped you? How has _____ helped you the past few months get through COVID19? How were you feeling before you got started? What almost stopped you from doing _____? How to Edit You can ask permission of these people to use their posts OR you can screenshot them and block out their name and profile image. It still shows in real time and in a believable representation, someone else- not you – took time to add a comment and we've come to believe that if it's from Facebook it's legit. What doesn't work? Fitness testimonials you're talking about what someone else said. You can make that up and whether you would, you did, or you didn't, if your customer really doesn't believe enough in your services to do a video, write a letter, send some kind of tangible proof they are raving fans and recommend you, then it's probably not a good fitness testimonial. The more like your ideal client the subjects you choose for your fitness testimonials are the better. If you're choosing to ask clients that aren't like your ideal clients you're wasting your time. Outstanding Examples There's definitely a reason you might want to choose someone people aspire to be, someone in the public eye that people know and respect. Maybe they show how someone as busy as the mayor or the president of the university can do it, so the watcher will think, I can too. But if they're too different, too eccentric, they aren't in the same income category or educational status as your ideal customers, then it won't do you as much good.  How to Get Started with Your Fitness Testimonials So, you want to first go to any of your prior clients, the ones who got great results – and remember great results aren't always a before and after picture. Sometimes it's reducing or stopping medications or gaining confidence and not something as visible as losing 25 lbs. Then you want to make sure you ask for what you really want – video first. If you don't get it, at least, you'll have a default if they won't do video, you can ask for a written or social media fitness testimonial instead. Let them know you'll send them the questions you'd like them to answer so you make it really easy for them. That way you do make it easy for them and you take control of the content you're going to get. Tell your client that you'd really appreciate it if they use the question to start their statement. So, if you ask, What almost stopped you from starting with this online membership? They would say I almost didn't join the membership because…. Personalize Focus on problems you help in your questions, too. If you work with people who have back pain, or fibromyalgia, or osteoporosis, get specific with your questions. How were you feeling in regard to your back pain before you started? How was your strength before you began personal training? Then once they answer, you may prompt them with… How is life different for you now? It's really nice if you're there with them and doing video but if you can't be try to either write it or use a voice message. You can create a voice message on your phone and just have them pause and record their responses. They can send them all to you and you can edit them to create one video or keep the short clips to use in a variety of ways. Summary There you have it. It's easy to do. If you have a little more time than you wanted right now, it's a perfect time to get these. Update your old ones. Fitness testimonials are important to people finding you. Remember the greatest value though is in that next customer finding someone in your prior customer – as well as you – being like them. It's not just that they need to know, like, and trust you. They need to feel that you are like them. More on that in an upcoming podcast. Resources: Flipping 50 Fitness Specialist Try Speak Pipe for audio recordings

Counselor Toolbox Podcast
Behavioral Health Services for American Indians and Alaskan Natives SAMHSA TIP 61

Counselor Toolbox Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2020 52:42


Summary - There is no one right way. Providing direction on how something should be done is not a comfortable or customary practice for American Indians and Alaska Natives. For them, healing is interconnected with others and comes from within, from ancestry, from stories, and from the environment. RESPECT - Respect communication styles and how respect is shown in the culture - Explanatory model: Understand how clients perceive/understand their presenting issues - Sociocultural context affect treatment - Participation expectations for treatment may be different than mainstream. (family, community, faith healers etc.) - Empathy - Concerns and fears should be elicited (at the beginning and at points of resistance) - Trust is based on who you are not what you accomplished.

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
Praying at the Graves of the Righteous

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2020 10:12


We find in the Talmud and Midrash two sources showing that praying at the graves of the righteous is beneficial. The first is the Sages’ remark that Kaleb, one of the spies sent by Moshe to tour Eretz Yisrael, prayed at the graves of the patriarchs in Hebron. The Torah tells that when the spies went on their excursion, "Va’yabo Ad Hebron" – "He came to Hebron," implying that just one of the spies went to that city. The Talmud explains that this refers to Kaleb, who went to pray at Me’arat Ha’machpela to beseech G-d to give him the strength he would need to oppose the scheme of his fellow spies. (Rav Hai Havita Ha’kohen of Djerba noted that the letters of the word "Va’yabo" represent the phrase "Be’kibreh Abraham Yishak Ve’Yakaob" – "at the graves of Abraham, Yishak and Yaakob.")Secondly, the Midrash tells that at the time when G-d destroyed the Bet Ha’mikdash, he urged the prophet Yirmiyahu to go to Hebron and beg the patriarchs to plead to G-d on behalf of their descendants, and Yirmiyahu indeed went to Me’arat Ha’machpela to pray.The Rama (Rav Moshe Isserles of Cracow, 1530-1572) writes that it is customary to visit the graves of righteous people on Ereb Rosh Hashanah and pray there. The Be’er Heteb commentary explains that the gravesites of pious people are sacred, and prayers recited at those locations are more readily accepted. Therefore, before Rosh Hashanah, it is appropriate to pray at these sites to beseech G-d for a favorable judgment.Rav Nissim Peretz (Bnei-Brak, 1946-2012) was asked whether there is value in going through the trouble to visit the graves of Sadikim, instead of just staying in one’s place and learning Torah. He explained that the special sanctity of these gravesites makes such visits exceedingly impactful, and therefore, at the right times, this is something which is very significant and worthwhile for one to do.Two different opinions exist as to how precisely a person should pray at the grave of a Sadik. The Be’er Heteb, in the aforementioned passage, writes that one should not address the Sadik while praying at his gravesite. The concept of praying at a righteous person’s grave is that we invoke his merit as we beseech G-d to help us and grant us our wishes. By contrast, the Peri Megadim (Rav Yosef Teomim, 1727-1793) writes (581), citing the work Ma’aneh Lashon, that when we pray at a righteous person’s grave, we should ask the Sadik to intercede on our behalf. According to this opinion, we indeed speak to the Sadik, asking him to serve as our advocate before G-d. Before praying at the gravesite, it is proper to give some charity and pray for the benefit of the righteous person’s soul.Rav Eliezer Papo (1785-1828) writes in his work Hesed La’alafim that according to Kabbalistic tradition, it is proper to put one’s left hand on a righteous person’s grave, and not the right hand.Among non-Jews, it is customary to place flowers on a person’s grave. Hacham Ovadia Hedaya (1889-1969), in his Yaskil Abdi, strongly opposes this practice, arguing that it was brought to Israel by the Europeans, and actually constitutes Kefira (heresy). Adorning the grave with flowers, he writes, expresses the view that death is joyous and festive like a wedding, when in truth a person who passes on faces judgment for his conduct during his life. Placing flowers on a grave gives the impression that there is no judgment, and that everyone goes straight to the bliss of the Gan Eden, without being judged. Hacham Ovadia Yosef, on the other hand, writes that this practice is not forbidden, though it should be discouraged. He found two sources in the Gemara indicating that there was once a custom to place Hadasim (myrtle branches) on graves, thus proving that this is not a strictly gentile practice that is thus forbidden. Nevertheless, since it is not customary among Jews, Hacham Ovadia writes that we should politely and respectfully try to convince people not to observe this practice.A number of Poskim addressed the question of how reconcile the widespread practice to pray and learn at the gravesites of Sadikim with the explicit ruling of the Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 71) forbidding performing Misvot in a cemetery. Performing Misvot in the presence of the deceased is considered "Lo’eg La’rash" ("taunting the pauper"), as though we’re showing that we are capable of performing Misvot and they aren’t, and is thus prohibited. How, then, is it permitted to pray and study Torah at gravesites of righteous people?Different theories have been proposed to answer this question. The Minhat Elazar (Rav Haim Elazar Spira of Munkatch, 1868-1937) suggests that the prohibition of "Lo’eg La’rash" applies only at the graves of people who were obligated to perform Misvot during their lifetime. Therefore, it does not apply to the graves of the patriarchs, and of our matriarch Rachel, who lived before Matan Torah and were thus not obligated in Misvot. (Of course, this does not justify praying and learning at the gravesites of other Sadikim, who lived after Matan Torah, such as Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai and Rabbi Meir.) The Minhat Elazar adds that in most cases, the area where people pray is distant from the body, which is usually far below the place where visitors come and stand, and so their prayers do not violate the prohibition of "Lo’eg La’rash."Others explain that anything done for the purpose of the soul of the deceased does not violate "Lo’eg La’rash." In fact, tradition teaches that after the passing of King Hizkiyahu, a yeshiva was built at his gravesite in his honor. Learning and praying for the benefit of the deceased’s soul helps him, and thus is not considered "taunting" in any way. However, this fails to explain why it is permissible to pray Minha, for example, at a gravesite, as this is a standard prayer, and not a special prayer for the deceased’s soul.Interestingly, it is told that when Rav Shmuel Salant (Jerusalem, 1816-1909) was present at a gravesite and a Minyan was formed for prayer, he would move off to the side, so as not to pray right next to the grave.In any event, as Hacham David Yosef notes in his Halacha Berura, the practice to pray at the gravesites of Sadikim is widely accepted, notwithstanding the potential issue of "Lo’eg La’rash."Summary: There is a longstanding, well-documented tradition to pray at the gravesites of righteous people, which are considered sacred places, such that prayers at these sites are especially powerful and effective. According to some opinions, when praying at the gravesite of a Sadik one should ask G-d for help in the merit of the Sadik, and according to others, one should ask the Sadik’s soul to advocate on his behalf before G-d. Before praying at a Sadik’s gravesite, it is proper to give charity and learn Torah for the benefit of the Sadik’s soul. One should not place flowers on a gravesite.

Fit to Succeed
Workplace wellness for highly productive people - Episode 49 with Dr John Briffa

Fit to Succeed

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2020 59:42


Summary:There is no doubt that successfully managing the health and wellbeing of the human body has plenty of benefit for the workplace for all types of employment. However, the question is whether an employer or corporate organisation have the right to interfere with their employee's lifestyle and health-related habits? Also what realistic actions can be taken to make a difference in workplace productivity and efficiency? Dr John Briffa, a leading voice within corporate health and wellness, joins us on today's show to answer these important questions. Guest biography:Dr John Briffa is a practising medical doctor, author and international speaker. He is a prize-winning graduate of University College London School of Medicine, and also holds a BSc degree in Biomedical Sciences. Dr Briffa is a former columnist for the Daily Mail and the Observer newspapers in the UK, and former contributing editor for Men’s Health magazine and is a previous recipient of the Health Journalist of the Year award in the UK.Dr Briffa has authored nine books including A Great Day at the Office (Harper Collins 2014), a practical guide to optimising energy and performance for business professionals. He is the director of Dr Briffa Wellness, a specialist consultancy that provides speaking and training services to organisations and business professionals around the world. Clients include Deloitte, PwC, HSBC, Barclays, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Allen and Overy, Gowling WLG, the BBC, Tesco and Schroders.Episode content:In this discussion, John shares some great perspectives, insights, and health tips that will benefit your working habits and lifestyle more broadly. John's gift for communication and personable style make this a great, easy listening episode that is well worth your listening time! 1:48 What motivated Dr Briffa to work within the field of corporate wellness7:44 The responsibility of the employer and employee in personal wellbeing10:46 Workplace rights to interfere versus the personal right to choose17:54 The workplace as an option to reach individuals and affect health change22:43 The cause and a potential solution to mid-afternoon fatigue30:10 How poor sleep can impact productivity and performance37:37 Managing stress load within the work environment52:50 Quick-fire questions: sunlight exposure, breathing techniques, & music at workRate the show:If you enjoyed this episode, then please rate the show, give a short review, and share it with your friends so they can benefit from this free expert information. Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or the video series on YouTube so you will receive each update immediately upon release.For other great episodes and expert guests on the Fit to Succeed show, visit our podcast library at www.nordicfitnesseducation.com

Strong Men Strong Marriages
How To Get Better Communication In Marriage

Strong Men Strong Marriages

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2020 30:19


Are you struggling with communication in your marriage?Do you feel like you just don't understand your wife, or that she just doesn't understand you?In this episode, you'll find out EXACTLY how to reach the DEEPEST levels of communication.This type of communication brings the PASSION and INTIMACY back into your marriage...Even if that spark has been missing for YEARS.Summary:-There are 3 levels of communication in marriage...-Level 1: Superficial communication (business items)-Level 2: Emotional communication (sharing of feelings, hopes, dreams, fears, getting to know each other at a deep level)-Most marriages stop here (or get stuck at superficial level)-Level 3: Intimate communication-This is COURAGEOUS communication that is TRUE to you, but that your wife probably WILL NOT LIKE-This type of communication is what can make your marriage EXPLODE to new levels of intimacy and passionIf you enjoyed this episode, leave a review and share it with a friend, so we can create stronger men and stronger marriages across the world.If you are ready to take your communication and your marriage to the next level, visit StrongMenStrongMarriages.com to learn how.I'll see you there!

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Tur (Rabbenu Yaakob Ben Asher, Germany-Spain, 1269-1343), in Orah Haim (419), draws three proofs to the fact that one is obligated to have a special Se’uda (meal) on Rosh Hodesh. His first proof is from the comment of the Talmud Yerushalmi (Megilla) that one is allowed to "delay the Rosh Hodesh meal." The Korban Ha’eda commentary to the Yerushalmi (by Rav David Frankel, Germany, 1704-1762) explains this remark to mean that if Rosh Hodesh falls on Shabbat, such that one eats special meals in honor of Shabbat, and there is no indication that one eats a meal in honor of Rosh Hodesh, he delays the Rosh Hodesh meal until Sunday. Somewhat similarly, the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) writes that the Ya’abetz would add a special portion of food to the Melaveh Malka meal on Mosa’eh Shabbat when Rosh Hodesh fell on Shabbat, in honor of Rosh Hodesh. The Ben Ish Hai writes that this is a proper practice to follow. In any event, the Yerushalmi clearly works off the assumption that there is a requirement to eat a special Se’uda on Rosh Hodesh.The second proof comes from the story told in the Book of Shemuel I (20) which is read as the Haftara on Shabbat Ereb Rosh Hodesh. We read that King Shaul was hostile to David, and so David decided that he would not be present at Shaul’s table on Rosh Hodesh. He asked his friend, Yehonatan – Shaul’s son – to tell Shaul that David could not be present because he had a family feast that day. The Tur notes that this appears to indicate that it was customary for families to have special feasts in honor of Rosh Hodesh. (The Bet Yosef clarifies that if it were not customary for families to have a special Rosh Hodesh meal, then this would not have been a plausible excuse for David’s absence from the royal palace on Rosh Hodesh.)The Tur’s third proof is a verse in the Book of Bamidbar (10:10) which requires blowing the Hasoserot (trumpets) "Be’yom Simhatchem U’be’mo’adechem U’be’rosheh Hodshechem" – "on your days of joy, on your festivals, and on your Rosh Hodesh days…" This verse clearly links Rosh Hodesh with the Yamim Tobim, suggesting that just like there is an obligation to have a special meal in honor of Yom Tob, one is similarly obligated to have a special meal in honor of Rosh Hodesh.Interestingly enough, the Shulhan Aruch sets aside an entire Siman (chapter) – Siman 419 – to tell us this brief Halacha, that one is required to have a special meal on Rosh Hodesh. The Shulhan Aruch similarly makes a special Siman earlier – 300 – to teach us the obligation to eat a Melaveh Malka meal on Mosa’eh Shabbat. It seems that these two meals were commonly neglected, and so the Shulhan Aruch found it necessary to make a special Siman for each Halacha, in order to impress upon us the importance of having a meal on Mosa’eh Shabbat and a meal on Rosh Hodesh. (When Eliyahu confronted the prophets of the idol Ba’al at Mount Carmel, he turned to the people and asked, "Ad Matai Atem Posehim Al Sheteh Ha’se’ifim" – "Until when will you be straddling both sides of the fence?" (Melachim I 18:21). One Rabbi said that this could also be read as, "Until when will you skip the two Se’ifim" – referring to the two Se’ifim (passages) in the Shulhan Aruch that talk about these two meals, Melaveh Malka and the Rosh Hodesh Se’uda…)The Mishna Berura (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) writes that one is not required to eat bread with his Rosh Hodesh meal, whereas the Kaf Ha’haim (Rav Yaakob Haim Sofer, Baghdad-Israel, 1870-1939) writes that one must eat bread, and one should even use two loaves as "Lehem Mishneh," like on Shabbat.The Pesikta comments that on Rosh Hashanah, G-d determines a person’s livelihood "from Tishri until Tishri" – for the entire coming year – except for "Tishri," meaning, except for "Torah," "Shabbat," "Rosh Hodesh" and "Yamim Tobim." That is to say, the money we spend for Torah education, and for our meals on Shabbat, Yom Tob and Rosh Hodesh, are on "G-d bill," so-to-speak. These funds are not taken from the amount we are decreed to have, and we are guaranteed to be fully reimbursed for whatever we spend to fulfill these Misvot.Summary: There is a requirement to eat a special meal on Rosh Hodesh. According to some views, one is not required to eat bread with the Rosh Hodesh meal, whereas other require having two loaves of bread, like on Shabbat. Some Poskim ruled that when Rosh Hodesh falls on Shabbat, it is proper to add a portion of food to the Melaveh Malka meal on Mosa’eh Shabbat in honor of Rosh Hodesh.

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
May Expectant Parents Find Out the Fetus' Gender?

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2020 6:49


It is standard medical procedure for expectant mothers to undergo periodic ultrasound examinations, during which the physicians see the fetus so it can be carefully examined to ensure it is developing properly. During this examination, the doctor can easily identify the fetus’ gender, and doctors generally pass on this information to the parents. The question arises whether it is proper, from a Torah perspective, for the parents to learn the fetus’ gender during pregnancy. The Torah commands, "Tamim Tiheyeh Im Hashem Elokecha" ("You shall be innocent with Hashem your G-d" – Debarim 18:13), which is understood as an obligation not to concern ourselves with the future, to conduct ourselves the way we see fit, placing our trust in Hashem, without trying to access information about the future. Does finding out a fetus’ gender violate this principle?We do not find any clear-cut basis in Halachic literature to forbid such a practice, and it would appear that learning a fetus’ gender does not indicate a lack of faith in G-d or an inappropriate attempt to access information about the future. There is, however, one interesting passage in the Midrash which perhaps leads us to discourage this practice. The Midrash (Kohelet Rabba) lists several pieces of information which G-d withheld from human beings. For example, nobody knows when he will leave this world, and, quite obviously, G-d arranged this intentionally so that we will always conduct ourselves properly, rather than wait and repent shortly before we die. As we do not know when we will leave this world, we have no choice but to approach every day as potentially our last, and conduct ourselves accordingly. The Midrash also includes in this list the thoughts of other people. G-d does not empower us to read other people’s minds, because if people could access each other’s thoughts, the world would be overrun by animosity. The Midrash lists a fetus’ gender as one of the pieces of information which G-d withholds from us. No reason is given, but we can reasonably assume that if the Midrash includes a fetus’ gender in this list, there must be a valuable reason for this information to be denied to us. Perhaps, if the mother was hoping for one gender, then knowing that the infant is the other gender could cause her distress, which might be detrimental to the child. Or, perhaps to the contrary, knowing the gender during pregnancy diminishes from the excitement when the baby is born. In any event, the Midrash clearly indicates that it is for our benefit that G-d conceals from parents their child’s gender during pregnancy.While this Midrash certainly does not suffice to establish a Halachic prohibition against finding out a fetus’ gender, it would seem that this is something which should be discouraged, unless there is a particular reason to obtain this information. In some situations, the parents need to know ahead of time whether a Berit Mila must be arranged, and there might be circumstances where for purposes of Shalom Bayit (harmony between husband and wife) this information is valuable. When such a need arises, it is certainly acceptable to be told the gender, as this does not violate any Halachic prohibition.We should add that if the father is a Kohen, there might actually be value in the parents’ finding out the fetus’ gender. The Mishna Berura (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) addresses the question of whether a woman who is married to a Kohen may come in contact with Tum’at Met (the impurity generated by a human corpse) during pregnancy, such as by visiting a cemetery or entering a home where a corpse is present. All male Kohanim, including infants, are included in the prohibition which forbids Kohanim from coming in contact with Tum’at Met, and the question thus arises as to whether a pregnant wife of a Kohen should avoid Tum’at Met, in case she gives birth. The Mishna Berura rules that this is permissible, because it is a situation of "Sefek Sefeka" – where two uncertainties are involved. First, it is uncertain whether the fetus is a boy, who is forbidden from coming in contact with Tum’at Met, or a girl, who is not forbidden. Second, it is possible that the infant will be stillborn, Heaven forbid, in which case, of course, there is no prohibition. On this basis, the Mishna Berura permits the pregnant wife of a Kohen to go to a place where there is a human corpse.However, in a situation where Halacha permits something because of a "Sefek Sefeka," if it becomes possible to resolve one of the uncertainties, there is an obligation to do. Therefore, in the case of a wife of a Kohen who is pregnant, there is value in determining the gender in order to resolve the first uncertainty. Then, if she is carrying a boy, she would be required to avoid exposure to Tum’at Met, and if it is a girl, this would not be necessary.It should be noted that the Magen Abraham (Rav Abraham Gombiner, 1633-1683) maintained that the pregnant woman in any event would be permitted to go to a place where there is Tum’at Met, because the prohibition does not apply in such a case. Therefore, in consideration of this opinion, we would not go so far as to require a Kohen’s pregnant wife to determine the child’s gender.(Parenthetically, we should note that a Kohen’s wife is certainly allowed to go to a hospital to deliver the child, despite the high probability that there is a human corpse in the hospital, because this is a situation of Pikua’h Nefesh – a potentially life-threatening circumstance. Additionally, the spread of Tum’a from one room to another and one floor to another in the hospital likely occurs only Mi’de’rabbanan (on the level of Rabbinic enactment), such that there is greater room for leniency.)Summary: There is no Halachic prohibition against finding out a fetus’ gender during pregnancy, though it is preferable not to, unless there is a particular need, or if not knowing could compromise Shalom Bayit. If the father is a Kohen, it might, according to some opinions, be preferable to find out the gender, so that the mother will avoid places of Tum’at Met if it’s a boy, and will not have to avoid such places if it is a girl. If the couple does not know the gender, the woman is nevertheless allowed to visit places where there is Tum’at Met.

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
May Expectant Parents Find Out the Fetus' Gender?

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2020 6:49


It is standard medical procedure for expectant mothers to undergo periodic ultrasound examinations, during which the physicians see the fetus so it can be carefully examined to ensure it is developing properly. During this examination, the doctor can easily identify the fetus’ gender, and doctors generally pass on this information to the parents. The question arises whether it is proper, from a Torah perspective, for the parents to learn the fetus’ gender during pregnancy. The Torah commands, "Tamim Tiheyeh Im Hashem Elokecha" ("You shall be innocent with Hashem your G-d" – Debarim 18:13), which is understood as an obligation not to concern ourselves with the future, to conduct ourselves the way we see fit, placing our trust in Hashem, without trying to access information about the future. Does finding out a fetus’ gender violate this principle?We do not find any clear-cut basis in Halachic literature to forbid such a practice, and it would appear that learning a fetus’ gender does not indicate a lack of faith in G-d or an inappropriate attempt to access information about the future. There is, however, one interesting passage in the Midrash which perhaps leads us to discourage this practice. The Midrash (Kohelet Rabba) lists several pieces of information which G-d withheld from human beings. For example, nobody knows when he will leave this world, and, quite obviously, G-d arranged this intentionally so that we will always conduct ourselves properly, rather than wait and repent shortly before we die. As we do not know when we will leave this world, we have no choice but to approach every day as potentially our last, and conduct ourselves accordingly. The Midrash also includes in this list the thoughts of other people. G-d does not empower us to read other people’s minds, because if people could access each other’s thoughts, the world would be overrun by animosity. The Midrash lists a fetus’ gender as one of the pieces of information which G-d withholds from us. No reason is given, but we can reasonably assume that if the Midrash includes a fetus’ gender in this list, there must be a valuable reason for this information to be denied to us. Perhaps, if the mother was hoping for one gender, then knowing that the infant is the other gender could cause her distress, which might be detrimental to the child. Or, perhaps to the contrary, knowing the gender during pregnancy diminishes from the excitement when the baby is born. In any event, the Midrash clearly indicates that it is for our benefit that G-d conceals from parents their child’s gender during pregnancy.While this Midrash certainly does not suffice to establish a Halachic prohibition against finding out a fetus’ gender, it would seem that this is something which should be discouraged, unless there is a particular reason to obtain this information. In some situations, the parents need to know ahead of time whether a Berit Mila must be arranged, and there might be circumstances where for purposes of Shalom Bayit (harmony between husband and wife) this information is valuable. When such a need arises, it is certainly acceptable to be told the gender, as this does not violate any Halachic prohibition.We should add that if the father is a Kohen, there might actually be value in the parents’ finding out the fetus’ gender. The Mishna Berura (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) addresses the question of whether a woman who is married to a Kohen may come in contact with Tum’at Met (the impurity generated by a human corpse) during pregnancy, such as by visiting a cemetery or entering a home where a corpse is present. All male Kohanim, including infants, are included in the prohibition which forbids Kohanim from coming in contact with Tum’at Met, and the question thus arises as to whether a pregnant wife of a Kohen should avoid Tum’at Met, in case she gives birth. The Mishna Berura rules that this is permissible, because it is a situation of "Sefek Sefeka" – where two uncertainties are involved. First, it is uncertain whether the fetus is a boy, who is forbidden from coming in contact with Tum’at Met, or a girl, who is not forbidden. Second, it is possible that the infant will be stillborn, Heaven forbid, in which case, of course, there is no prohibition. On this basis, the Mishna Berura permits the pregnant wife of a Kohen to go to a place where there is a human corpse.However, in a situation where Halacha permits something because of a "Sefek Sefeka," if it becomes possible to resolve one of the uncertainties, there is an obligation to do. Therefore, in the case of a wife of a Kohen who is pregnant, there is value in determining the gender in order to resolve the first uncertainty. Then, if she is carrying a boy, she would be required to avoid exposure to Tum’at Met, and if it is a girl, this would not be necessary.It should be noted that the Magen Abraham (Rav Abraham Gombiner, 1633-1683) maintained that the pregnant woman in any event would be permitted to go to a place where there is Tum’at Met, because the prohibition does not apply in such a case. Therefore, in consideration of this opinion, we would not go so far as to require a Kohen’s pregnant wife to determine the child’s gender.(Parenthetically, we should note that a Kohen’s wife is certainly allowed to go to a hospital to deliver the child, despite the high probability that there is a human corpse in the hospital, because this is a situation of Pikua’h Nefesh – a potentially life-threatening circumstance. Additionally, the spread of Tum’a from one room to another and one floor to another in the hospital likely occurs only Mi’de’rabbanan (on the level of Rabbinic enactment), such that there is greater room for leniency.)Summary: There is no Halachic prohibition against finding out a fetus’ gender during pregnancy, though it is preferable not to, unless there is a particular need, or if not knowing could compromise Shalom Bayit. If the father is a Kohen, it might, according to some opinions, be preferable to find out the gender, so that the mother will avoid places of Tum’at Met if it’s a boy, and will not have to avoid such places if it is a girl. If the couple does not know the gender, the woman is nevertheless allowed to visit places where there is Tum’at Met.

5 Minute Kevius with Rabbi Avigdor Milller
*22.6 Makkos Daf 14 B (6 lines Up)*

5 Minute Kevius with Rabbi Avigdor Milller

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2020 346:03


*22.6 Makkos Daf 14 B (6 lines Up)**Today’s learning sponsored as a zechus for the speedy recovery of Rochel bas Reizel*Sponsor a day's learning (thousands of minutes!) for only $50 *click here:*https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/ODUwOTUAccording to Reish Lakish, the _azhara_ for an individual who consumed _kodesh_ while in a state of _tumah_ is from “She must not touch _kodesh_ [nor enter the _mikdash_ ]”.Rabbi Yochanan derived it from a _gezeirah shaveh_ .*Summary*There is a Beraisa that *supports the opinion of Reish Lakish.**Beraisa:* “She must not touch any _kodesh_ ”. *This is an _azhara_ forbidding a tamei from eating _kodesh_ .**Perhaps it prohibits touching?*The possuk says “She must not touch _kodesh_ nor enter the _mikdash”._ *Entry to the _mikdash_ is a capital crime.*Since touching _kodesh_ is not known to be a capital crime, only eating _kodesh,_ we understand that *the _possuk_ refers to eating _kodesh_ .* (22.4)_[Some Torah prohibitions are categorized as a lav hanitak l’eseh; a lav that gets moved over, and becomes an eseh (5.3). For instance “do not leave over from kodesh meat”, “any meat that is left over should be burned”. By means of the added eseh, the Torah is telling us how to remedy transgression of the lav, and such a lav is not liable for malkos.]_*Rabbah bar bar Chanah amar Rabbi Yochanan: An eseh that precedes the lav*¤, does not make it a _lav hanitak l’eseh,_ and *carries a _malkos_ penalty.*¤It is written earlier in the possuk. This follows the explanation of *Ritva* (23.1). For *Rashi’s explanation,* see separate audio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

5 Minute Kevius with Rabbi Avigdor Milller
*22.6 Makkos Daf 14 B (6 lines Up)*

5 Minute Kevius with Rabbi Avigdor Milller

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2020 4:07


*22.6 Makkos Daf 14 B (6 lines Up)* *Today’s learning sponsored as a zechus for the speedy recovery of Rochel bas Reizel* Sponsor a day's learning (thousands of minutes!) for only $50 *click here:* https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/ODUwOTUAccording to Reish Lakish, the _azhara_ for an individual who consumed _kodesh_ while in a state of _tumah_ is from “She must not touch _kodesh_ [nor enter the _mikdash_ ]”.Rabbi Yochanan derived it from a _gezeirah shaveh_ . *Summary* There is a Beraisa that *supports the opinion of Reish Lakish.* *Beraisa:* “She must not touch any _kodesh_ ”. *This is an _azhara_ forbidding a tamei from eating _kodesh_ .* *Perhaps it prohibits touching?* The possuk says “She must not touch _kodesh_ nor enter the _mikdash”._ *Entry to the _mikdash_ is a capital crime.* Since touching _kodesh_ is not known to be a capital crime, only eating _kodesh,_ we understand that *the _possuk_ refers to eating _kodesh_ .* (22.4) _[Some Torah prohibitions are categorized as a lav hanitak l’eseh; a lav that gets moved over, and becomes an eseh (5.3). For instance “do not leave over from kodesh meat”, “any meat that is left over should be burned”. By means of the added eseh, the Torah is telling us how to remedy transgression of the lav, and such a lav is not liable for malkos.]_*Rabbah bar bar Chanah amar Rabbi Yochanan: An eseh that precedes the lav*¤, does not make it a _lav hanitak l’eseh,_ and *carries a _malkos_ penalty.* ¤It is written earlier in the possuk. This follows the explanation of *Ritva* (23.1). For *Rashi’s explanation,* see separate audio. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
Minors Eating Before Kiddush on Friday Night; Eating During Ben Ha'shemashot

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2020 2:50


As discussed in a previous edition of Daily Halacha, it is forbidden to eat or drink anything from the time Shabbat begins on Friday afternoon until one recites (or hears) Kiddush. Even water is forbidden. This prohibition begins when a person accepts the onset of Shabbat, or at sundown, whichever comes first.We noted there the lenient ruling of Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Israel, 1923-1998) that this prohibition does not pertain to minors – boys or girls below the age of Misva obligation. In his view, parents are permitted to feed their children before Kiddush without restriction. It must be noted, however, that Hacham Ovadia Yosef disagreed with this position. He ruled that once children reach the age of Hinuch (training in Misvot), which is generally assumed to occur at around age six, their parents should train them not to eat or drink from the time Shabbat begins until Kiddush. If a need arises, and a child is hungry and thirsty and finds it very difficult to wait, then the child may be fed, but unless this is necessary, Hacham Ovadia maintains that children should not be given food or drink before Kiddush.Hacham Ovadia also addresses the case of a person who feels very thirsty during Ben Ha’shemashot – the 13.5-minute period immediately after sunset. He writes that if the person did not expressly accept the onset of Shabbat, then he may drink during this period to quench his thirst. The rationale for this ruling is that two Halachic uncertainties are involved. First, it is uncertain whether the period of Ben Ha’shemashot should be treated as nighttime – in which case Shabbat has begun and thus drinking is forbidden – or as daytime – in which case Shabbat has yet to begin, and drinking is still permissible. Secondly, this period may not even be Ben Ha’shemashot at all, as Rabbenu Tam (Rabbi Yaakob Ben Meir, France, 1100-1171) maintained that Ben Ha’shemashot begins later than this period. Given these two uncertainties ("Sefek Sefeka"), drinking may be allowed during this period when necessary. It must be emphasized, however, that if a person had accepted the onset of Shabbat, then he may not drink even during this time.Summary: There is a difference of opinion among the Halachic authorities as to whether one may feed children (who have reached the age of training in Misvot) before Kiddush once Shabbat has begun. According to all views, however, this is allowed in situations of need, such as if a child finds it very difficult to wait. Although eating and drinking are forbidden once Shabbat has begun before Kiddush, if one is very thirsty within 13.5 minutes after sundown on Friday afternoon, and he had not accepted the onset of Shabbat, then he may drink.

Finance & Fury Podcast
Are Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares a wise investment for long term capital growth?

Finance & Fury Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2020 17:37


Welcome to Finance and Fury, the Say What Wednesday edition. Today’s question comes from Mario. “With the success of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway would it be wise to invest in their Class B shares? It is often said that Berkshire Hathaway is one of most successful investment houses and so I wonder if it’s a really good long term horizon investment? Class A shares are so high and out of the reach of most people but I note Class B shares are more accessible but come with risk of changes and further dilution from Berkshire Hathaway. Also from a yield perspective I was unable to understand if they actually pay consistent dividends but then given Berkshire Hathaway view is about value investing am correct in thinking this stock is more growth oriented?” Thanks so much for your thoughts and views - Mario   In this episode – Look at difference between class a and b shares – long term growth prospects and dividends, then the difference between growth and value Berkshire – Difference between class A and B The primary difference between Berkshire Hathaway Class A stock and Class B stock is one of price. Class A – current $267,080 – was $342,122 Class B – current $178 – was $228 – both have had about a 22% loss Because of the price difference, Class B shares offer increased flexibility for investors because Warren Buffett has declared that the Class A shares will never experience a stock split because he believes the high share price attracts like-minded investors, those focused on long-term profits rather than on short-term price movements Imagine owning just one share of Class A share – if you need $50k, need to sell the whole thing as opposed to selling a chunk of your class b shares – Where did they come from – and how do they operate - In 1996, Buffett created Class B shares (BRK-B) Initially offering investors the ability to invest in Berkshire Hathaway for one-thirtieth the price of a Class A shares Then a 50-to-one stock split in 2010 sent the ratio to one-1,500th. Does this mean that you are at risk of further dilution? Yes and no – yes the shares can be further diluted – but unlike say share placements – which are issued to the public – the shares are split and you retain ownership – so your 1 share turns into 50 shares – then over the years people sell off and the ownership spreads around Class B shares carry correspondingly lower voting rights as well. Buffet stated that the purpose of creating the Class B shares was to give smaller investors the opportunity to invest directly in Berkshire Hathaway, rather than only participating indirectly through mutual funds that mirror Berkshire Hathaway’s holdings. One final difference is that Class A shares can be converted into an equivalent amount of Class B shares any time a Class A shareholder wishes to so do. The conversion privilege does not exist in reverse. Class B shareholders can only convert their holdings to Class A by selling their Class B shares and then buying the equivalent in Class A shares. Summary - There's no substantive difference between the two, except that a share of Class B stock has 1/1500th the value of a Class A share and a corresponding fraction of its voting power. A and B: Pros and Cons – for those investors who are able to either choose between investing in a smaller number of Class A shares or a much larger number of Class B shares, there are a few pros and cons of each to keep in mind. pure performance – there is normally no difference between Class A and Class B shares (represent stakes in same company) – but there can be due to market dynamics and differing pools of investors -mainly due to liquidity however – those investors in class A shares may spot this and jump across – so isnt really a factor Flexibility – Class B is obviously better – but for same voting rights, would need to own 1,500 b shares for one A share   Difference between the type of internal investing style versus the Berkshire shares Value investing – Value investing is an investment strategy that involves picking stocks that appear to be trading for less than their intrinsic or book value. Value investors actively ferret out stocks they think the stock market is underestimating High-profile proponents of value investing, including Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett, have argued that the essence of value investing is buying stocks at less than their intrinsic value. The discount of the market price to the intrinsic value is what Benjamin Graham called the "margin of safety". buying securities that appear under priced by some form of fundamental analysis Growth Investing – Growth investing is a style of investment strategy focused on capital appreciation. Those who follow this style, known as growth investors, invest in companies that exhibit signs of above-average growth, even if the share price appears expensive in terms of metrics such as price-to-earnings or price-to-book ratios. Internally – they buy companies based on Value – They buy out whole companies – but only if they see value – metrics can be based on synergies or restructuring – as a conglomerate can act differently to an individual or institutional growth investor But Berkshire shares don’t really trade like value – they are Growth One metric is the PE ratio – sitting at about 43 – which is in the growth territory   When it comes to Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares, they are definitely a long-term growth focus as they don't pay any dividends. Why don’t they pay dividends  - Reinvesting is Top Priority - reinvest profits in the companies he controls for a number of reasons – can be to expand their reach, create new products and services, etc Rather than pay investors income – wants to pay them back in capital growth Major uses of cash - he has said that he has three priorities for using cash that are ahead of any dividend:  Reinvesting in the businesses making new acquisitions – may be preparing for a major acquisition - hadn't made one in nearly four years recently sold out of airlines and other companies the company having a record amount of cash on hand - $130 billion – more than enough to buy out CBA twice over with the currency exchange buying back stock when he feels that it is selling at "a meaningful discount to conservatively estimated intrinsic value." It purchased $700 million of its own stock in the third quarter of 2019   Also – total returns needs to be remembered – income + growth = total BRK shares look like they grow a lot (and they do when compounding) – because no income is passed back on to individuals – Comparison in total returns - Look at Vanguard International index (hedged so all in USD) – has almost the same returns assuming income is reinvested – 10y 9.02% vs 8.45% for BRK 5y 3.97% vs 4.02% for BRK But – what BRK does well is tax deferral investing – they are the master at this – you pay no tax along the way – and internally nor do they really – so no cuts to reinvestments – that is how they truly perform well – good for investors as well until they sell – and get CGT   However, when it comes to the long-term focus on the company, Warren is 89 so his longevity in the business may be limited. The future success of the business comes down to how well the company is managed without his presence, but I think it will be just fine I can imagine that this is on the companies mind as well – as well as the major institutional investors – There might be a bit of a panic when he passes – especially as he has 30% of voting rights and 16.45% of direct ownership – so this may be split up or given to trusts – probably wont cause a spike in supply - Summary – little difference from class of shares – just at a fraction Thank you for listening to today's episode. If you want to get in contact you can do so here: http://financeandfury.com.au/contact/

Counselor Toolbox Podcast
*Special Episode* CBT & Life Hacks to Cope with Public Health Threats

Counselor Toolbox Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2020 47:56


Summary • There are many unknowns with the current coronavirus situation • The flu is widespread and catastrophic for tens of thousands of people in the US each year and we do not panic. • High levels of stress and anxiety however will reduce immunity and make people more susceptible to all types of illnesses • Steps to reduce anxiety • Get accurate information • Limit your exposure to negative media • Practice mindful acceptance of your reactions • Use belly breathing to help de-escalate the physical anxiety reactions • Identify proactive, positive ways to cope with the situation • Regularly evaluate your beliefs against the FACTS at that time

Agency Exposed Podcast
Ep 7: Selling an Agency, Behind the Curtain with Hannah Paramore Breen

Agency Exposed Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2020 71:49


Summary: There are only 2 ways to gain wisdom: 1) learn from your own experiences and failures or 2) learn from the experiences of others. In this episode we discuss the reality of building and selling an agency with Hannah Paramore Breen, founder of Paramore Digital and author of Business Ownership- The Joy, The Pain, The Truth: A Survival Guide. This is a topic on the mind of any business leader. It’s something that’s often idealized, but rarely understood.    Resources Mentioned:    Business Ownership- The Joy, The Pain, The Truth: A Survival Guide by Hannah Paramore Breen     Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode: Understand from the beginning that you’re building an asset that will help create a life that you want to live in the future. Run your business with the intention of building a healthy business that will provide the life you want! As a business owner, the process of selling can be exhausting and emotional. The importance of relationships and mentors is more important in this season than ever. If you’re a business owner, get a hobby! Something that will take up brain space and ensure that you have a life outside of the office- this work-life balance is absolutely necessary to mental health.   About Our Guest: Hannah Paramore Breen: Former CEO of Paramore Digital, a digital agency she ran from 2002- 2016. Through the years she navigated the world of business ownership- including the highs and lows that inspire you to achieve and make you want to quit. Fast Company, Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg business week, and the New York Times have all profiled Hannah’s candid, no-nonsense style and approach to leadership and the daily struggles that come with owning a high growth digital agency. She also has a 12.3 handicap on the golf course!   About The Guys:  Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on Bob:  Bob on LinkedIn twitter.com/BobHutchins instagram.com/bwhutchins Bob on Facebook Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on Brad: Brad on LinkedIn Anthem Republic twitter.com/bradayres instagram.com/therealbradayres facebook.com/Bradayres Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team for some of the world’s most influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel (not really). More on Ken:  Ken on LinkedIn Metacake - An Ecommerce Growth Team Growth Rebel TV twitter.com/iamKenOtt instagram.com/iamKenOtt facebook.com/iamKenOtt   Show Notes: [3:38] Bob asks Hannah: What was the motivation behind writing your new book? “Adam Bryant wrote the foreword of the book, his first line… says there’s too much happy in business. And I agree with that…. It’s hard to get your peers to tell you the truth.” [5:00] Hannah: “I feel like I have something to say, particularly to business owners who want to know what to do with what they’ve built, because that was my big question the last three years or so… have I become the limiting factor to the company?” [7:33] Bob asks Hannah to speak on business being “a process of continual shedding” The positive side of this shedding process is that eventually all owners begin to shed their responsibility and delegate to others, allowing growth to be broad instead of deep. This allows the company to be structured The negative side of this shedding is that eventually you do transition away from direct 1-on-1 relationships with the staff and instead hand those roles over to managers and directors, etc.  “It took me a long time to learn the difference between a CEO and a President of the company… If I had found that President for my company in time, maybe I would have had an additional choice.” [10:05] Bob asks: “In your book you discuss trying to find your #2 within the first 5 years- is that what you’re talking about here?” Hannah: When you’re a business owner in any type of business round table, they always want to know what your exit plan is and who your number two is.  “When I got to the point that I knew I needed it (a President), it was hard to hire it because we had a legacy of promoting from within… to hire outside felt like that would be really disruptive to the culture of the company.” Had she had a partner in this, the process would have been a lot less lonely.  [13:00] Ken asks: “Where did you go outside of your company, or could you go anywhere to find those peers?” Hannah: “I had been in business for four years or so by the time I got an EO… that was good for me in a lot of ways.The good thing about EO is that it’s non competitive… the bad thing is that it’s non competitive,” meaning that while you can learn from people there, the lack of competition means learning is slower paced and not exact. [14:35] Bob asks: “Being early in the digital agency space and seeing this whole world transform and being a part of it- What was it like engaging and interacting with generational differences?” As the age gap between herself and the people she was hiring got wider and wider, “...there was just a huge disconnect… I cared about them as people, but I couldn’t take the time to get to know them at that many years in business… it’s hard on relationships and especially on the owner when you feel alone… you begin not to trust.” [15:42] Hannah: “You begin to not trust your staff because you know that at that age, you’re a pit stop on their way to somewhere else and turnover is very hard on project work.” [15:50] Ken asks: “It seems more often than not in the agency world or even maybe other service businesses as well… you might end up in business without wanting to be in business, is that right? And so you don’t have that ‘thing’ that pulls you through.” [16:41] Hannah: “Exactly… people get into marketing or creative jobs because it seems like fun… a good place to start… and I do think in the agency world you have a lot more turnover. And the thing is… clients expect it.” “I think that there’s also a lot of misconceptions on their side or just… wrong expectations on the employee’s sides that it will always be fun...they expect to continue their college years inside the business...there will come a point where it’s just work, man, it’s time to run a business.” [18:35] Ken asks Hannah why she chose to start an agency [18:52] Hannah: “I was a classical piano major in college. My dad was a preacher, and my mother was a housewife… I didn’t have any kind of career aspirations… I was just on the borderline when women took off in the 70’s… some things happened that sent me off on a different path. I worked a lot of soul-sucking jobs in my career… so I’ve never had a business class or a marketing course in my life.” Eventually she was laid off in a large corporate restructuring and a headhunter offered her a job at Citysearch, an online city guide. She understood the company’s mission quickly and flourished there.  [20:36] “I loved that job and that job changed my life. And it was so early in the industry that you were just learning on warp speed every single day.” She was with Citysearch for 3 years, and because her role there was high profile she had no problem getting other jobs- the difficulty was keeping them through the recession of the late 2000’s.  [22:35] Ken: “So would you say, the reason you got into your agency was because of the excitement and the freedom?” The industry was inherently exciting because it was so new.  The process of finding a job that was sustainable that also offered her the freedom she wanted and allowed her to truly trust the people running the agencies- this lasted through 4 jobs. Meanwhile, she built contacts and knowledge in a niche market and was acutely aware of the holes in the market. [23:30] “The core values of my company that I eventually wrote like three years in, they reflected so much of frustration from the industry.” One of those things was 100% delivery on the promises made to clients. At the time, it was hard to get that result because “Traditional agencies had the clients, but they did not have the digital talent and they didn’t understand it… they couldn’t get good digital people to work for them because even if they grew digital to be 20% of their revenue, it was only 20% of their revenue. So it was always disrespected. It was given the short sheet… and you can’t get good talent to work for you like that… So that was the hole in the market that I saw. And so I really thought that I would consult for a while… but that frustrated me because I want to see the ideas finished.” [25:00] “So I hired a project manager, and then I hired a developer, and I needed two, and then it’s over. Then you have a company.” [28:30] Bob asks: “What was it like being a woman-owned digital agency starting back then?” Hannah speaks on how natural it was. In the beginning she won “woman in the industry” awards but eventually stopped applying for them because “I don’t want anything in front of business owner… it offends me to be called a woman business owner. Anything else just lowers the bar… I wanted to just compete.”  She speaks on understanding the reality of being a “woman in the industry” but just never paid attention to it.  [31:00] Ken asks about the process of actually selling her business. “So from the outside, you start a business, you grow it to $5, $6 million, which is awesome. And you sell it. That looks awesome and exciting- and I guess a lot of people would idealize that. But talk about some of the ups and down in that?” “In our industry that is so project-focused, it can be hard to find a place to celebrate… it felt the same selling the business. I sold it fast, I was not marketing it out. But in the back of my mind...I’d love to sell but I didn’t think it was possible.” [32:30] Ken and Bob ask where that lack of belief came from. “... because of the fact that it’s a project oriented industry and there aren’t any longterm contracts… so what’s the value? I couldn’t understand how to quantify that value… but there are strategic buyers out there.” “I had a strategic buyer who… saw the value that I couldn’t see in the business… they wanted to be in Nashville, and wanted the diversity in their client base, and they needed digital talent.” “Most of these deals fall apart… like in the last few weeks. It is extremely scary.” [34:15] Bob: “Was that something that kept you up at night? Like… this is either a home run or it’s going to fall flat.” Hannah: “Yes. Because you cannot do it in secret.” Hannah speaks on the risks of letting other in on the process of selling. Bringing VP’s into the discussion leaves room for them to doubt your commitment to the business if the deal doesn’t go through.  [36:00] “You spend months going down that road to sell, which means that you are choosing to not engage in business development like you normally would… so your business development pipeline starts to dry up… everything makes you angry, you’re emotionally wrung out… it’s not fun anymore… If you have a vision for something else, if you have the opportunity to sell your business and make good money and good multiple on your business… it takes serious consideration at least.... Because there are very few times in your life that you have the opportunity to do a deal of that size… and in the kind of industry which changes so rapidly, your skillset can be antiquated.” She met her buyer in December and the papers were signed the following November 31st. She had a 2-year workout process. Tip: Negotiate a shorter workout! [38:14] Brad asks about the relationship with her staff and what their response was to her.  The process of deciding to sell, telling her staff, and then working out her tenure with the company was a challenging process. It took her 6 months to truly accept that the business was no longer hers after the papers were signed.  “Whether someone wants to work for new owners is the question.” [43:00] Ken asks Hannah: “Are there any things you would do differently? What are the top 3?” #1: “I would work longer on understanding that I was building an asset that was supposed to enable my life… I didn’t have high enough expectations for that, so I gave everything to the business… If you are 35 years old and own business, when you are 45 years old, you’re going to feel differently about that business than you do now.” You are GOING to want to spend your days differently, so make sure you’re building a business with that reality in mind and enable that life rather than keeping you sucked in. [45:51] Ken reiterates 2 awesome points: “Number one, make sure you’re enjoying what you’re doing… we spend more than half our lives in business, so it has to be something you enjoy… And number two… you’ve got to build it so that it’s a smart business. It creates a profit. It’s built assets… so that ultimately, like you said, it can not only fulfill your destiny where you need to be but also everyone who works for you… this business has to be on the rails.” [46:41] Hannah: “A lot of time the right reason for making decisions is a financial reason. The company needs to make profit.”  The most fun part of owning a business is watching people grow, along with watching your bank account grow. It’s necessary! [48:00] Bob asks: What one thing could 60 year old Hannah tell 42 year old Hannah?  Hannah: “I was told that every agency owner should have a hobby that takes a lot of time, that’s expensive, and that’s preferably dangerous…. The danger meaning that it needs to be something that if you don’t concentrate on it absolutely to the exclusion of everything else, you can’t do it well.” “I got a passion that made me impatient with overwork. You need to love this hobby so much that it makes you impatient to get out of the office because that creates the balance in your life because your business is going to take from you anyway. You’re going to spend a lot of time there, it’s going to get the best of your thought process. It’s going to get the best part of your time, and you have to have something that competes against that.” [51:23] Bob asks: “What are the things you see… starting new digital agencies these days. What are some things that you’re seeing and want to advise them about?” [52:02] Hannah: “The lack of business acumen… there’s no way in life that a 20 something year old is right around a business… young owners are too altruistic by nature and aren’t ready to navigate the waters you get into when you start doing real business… Lean into humility.” [54:00] Ken mentions mentoring as a way to open yourself up to be the shortcut for new people in the industry. “There’s two ways to gain wisdom, by other experiences or your own experiences. The normal way is to make your own mistakes, which is great… but the smarter way is to find other people who have done it and learn from them.” [55:43] Hannah: “I’d love for my legacy to be to change the relationships between business owners so that we have a much more collaborative culture.” [56:07] Bob adds: “That’s our dream. And I think… you’ve got to get beyond the business principles and you’ve got to be willing to and be vulnerable into the personal, the psychological, the emotional, because that is the emotional intelligence around business ownership.” [1:06:55] Hannah: “... a strong spiritual foundation for me is a reason outside of what we see every day… we’re supposed to leave the world a better place. Accepting that you’re not going to have perfect balance in your life every day is a process… so you have to let go of your own expectations of what your life is supposed to be like and reframe that for yourself.” It can be sad and even scary to think that your company will run just fine and even expand without you, but it’s also a really great thing. Because if you sell your company and it immediately fails, you haven’t built a very stable company.

Counselor Toolbox Podcast
Case Management for Chronic Pain

Counselor Toolbox Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2020 59:29


Summary • There are many similarities between Pain, mood and addictive disorders • Integrated, concurrent, biopsychosocial treatment is vital • Mood impacts pain which impacts life satisfaction • Recovery supports realistic beliefs and identifies controllable factors àenhanced outcomes • Patients with current addictions or mental health issues need concurrent treatment

Counselor Toolbox Podcast
Art Therapy Part 2

Counselor Toolbox Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2020 42:06


This is part 2. Both parts cover: Summary • There are endless things you can do with art therapy to: • Express emotions • Enhance mindfulness and self-awareness • Increase happiness • Improve interpersonal communication • Enhance fine and gross motor skills • Develop self-esteem • Teach teamwork

Counselor Toolbox Podcast
Art Therapy Part 1

Counselor Toolbox Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2020 56:17


Part 1 and Part 2 teach: Summary • There are endless things you can do with art therapy to: • Express emotions • Enhance mindfulness and self-awareness • Increase happiness • Improve interpersonal communication • Enhance fine and gross motor skills • Develop self-esteem • Teach teamwork

Trahant Reports
TR123019NativePrimary

Trahant Reports

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2019 3:00


Summary: There is really no reason for a presidential candidate to spend much time on tribal issues in Iowa or New Hampshire. The problem is not the candidates; it’s the process itself. What if there were an Indian Country primary? This story originally aired on Feb. 25, 2019.

Peachtree Corners Life LIVE
Peachtree Corners, Fitness & Friendships for the Win!

Peachtree Corners Life LIVE

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2019 49:20


Summary: There's more to fitness than just getting healthy, especially when you're in one of the three amazing groups that are featured in today's episode of Peachtree Corners Life. Join Rico Figliolini and Patrizia Winsper, and our many guests from the fitness groups; the Renegade Runners, Black Girls Run, and PC3. Hear about the commonalities and personal bonds that come from pushing the boundaries of fitness. Guests:Renegade Runners: John FervierBlack Girls Run: Prudence FranklinPC3: Randy Bailey

Directly to You
Is Luigi's Mansion 3 DLC a GOOD or BAD Idea? & MORE!

Directly to You

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2019 144:50


On this week's episode of our weekly Nintendo gaming podcast Directly to You, AJ & Parker were joined by Pete Imbesi from LootPots to discuss the existence of paid DLC in Luigi's Mansion 3, their predictions for the success of the Nintendo Switch line during the 2019 holiday season with the help of Nintendo Switch Lite, the reveal of Farfetch'd newly announced Galarian evolution Sirfetch'd, critical reception for Link's Awakening, Q&A from the community & MORE! Check out Pete! ➡️ https://www.lootpots.com ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/lootpots ➡️ https://www.twitter.com/lootpots ➡️ https://www.twitter.com/loud_pete TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Housekeeping 2:01 - What we’ve been playing 18:27 - Paid DLC in Luigi’s Mansion 3 33:30 - Switch Lite - Supreme Sales or Lite Success? 46:09 - Sirfetch’d 55:40 - Link’s Awakening Reviews & Release 1:00:10 - AJ’s Video Comments 1:08:15 - Parker’s Video Comments 1:35:22 - Q&A Headline: Paid DLC in Luigi’s Mansion 3 Source: https://nintendoeverything.com/paid-dlc-confirmed-for-luigis-mansion-3/ Summary: There will be DLC in the Scarescraper and Scream Park modes. What do we expect it to be? How do we feel about Nintendo’s DLC strategy so far and moving forward? ------------------------------------------- Headline: Switch Lite - Supreme Sales or Lite Success? Source: https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1174705258037043200 Summary: Switch Lite just came out and has been getting great reviews, for exactly what it is. Sales Analyst Mat Piscatella expects this to contribute tremendously to the Holiday Switch Sales 2019, what do we expect? ------------------------------------------- Headline: Sirfetch’d Source: https://nintendoeverything.com/pokemon-sword-shield-sirfetchd-official-announcement-screenshots-and-art/ Summary: Sirfetch’d was teased last week and now announced! Thoughts and all? ------------------------------------------- Headline: Link’s Awakening Reviews & Release Source: https://nintendoeverything.com/zelda-links-awakening-reviews-roundup/ Summary: It’s getting some good reviews! Let’s chat about it/our impressions, even though we haven’t played it yet. ------------------------------------------- AJ's last video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Parker's last video: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Watch an Action Point ► https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dty/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dty/support

Steve reads his Blog
Power Platform - Architecting 101

Steve reads his Blog

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2019 9:08


The Power Platform is on fire! Lot's of partners, developers and citizens are all creating all kinds of things at a rapid pace, it all seems so easy. Unfortunately many of them will get down the road and realize they should have taken a fork a few miles back. Let's see if we can map out the right path from the jump. Whatcha gonna do? Before thinking about where to start, you should have clear idea of where you want to end up. Depending on the problem you are trying to solve, some choices will become obvious. If you are just looking to be notified when a new file is uploaded to a SharePoint folder? Microsoft Flow is probably all you need. Not much "Architecting" required. For this post, I want to talk about bigger things you may want to do, like building a robust sales application for your team for example, or any other function for that matter. Sure, for my Sales example, the Dynamics 365 Enterprise Sales application is one option to consider, but again, here I will go for the Platform approach. Foundation Canvas apps are great for point solutions, Power BI doesn't do anything without data and Microsoft Flow is great for connecting existing things, but for most customers we recommend starting with a model-driven app on CDS. It's not the app that is the foundation, it's the Common Data Service (CDS). CDS is the heart of all things to come, and allows for everything you start to do now, to have a full future later. The App The model-driven app you will be provided with by default is fairly scant. It does include Accounts and Contacts as a common starting point for most business applications, although for a B2C scenario you may not even need Accounts. It is a nice "rolodex" at this point, but way more powerful in it's potential. From here you can "model" your data and processes that are required to solve your initial needs. To shorten this process significantly you may want to look at our RapidStart Accelerator Applications on AppSource. Regardless of your starting point, you will likely need some further development by yourself or a Microsoft Partner who specializes in Business Applications. The good news is, the effort required is significantly less than it has ever been before. Apps As you work on your model-driven CDS environment, you may see a need for more than one use case. Maybe your sales department needs something, but you also want something for the warehouse, or whatever. By the way I am just using "Sales" as an easy-to-grasp concept, but the app(s) could be for any business need. You have a decision to make with potential monetary consequences. Do you build two separate apps, or one and control access with security roles? Microsoft is launching a per/app/user license that is only $10, and it would be awesome to utilize just that. If your users are pretty segregated, and few or none of them  would have need to access both apps, you are fine. But if many of them need to access both, it will cost $10 X 2 apps. If many have to access 3 apps, it would be $30 for them. This maxes out at $40 for that 4th app as you would buy the unlimited app licenses at that point for $40/user. Still a bargain compared to past costs and other platforms. Architecting for License Cost As I said you could consider building a single app for all the different users needs and controlling who sees what, with security roles. It is more complex way to approach it, and could get unwieldy if you have many unrelated use cases, so you would have to weigh the costs of doing it that way vs. effort to make it that way. Again, this would only apply to users who wear multiple hats. Next Steps Let's say you now have a nice model-driven business application. Notice I did not say "basic", that's because it can actually be as complex and advanced as you need it to be over time. Are you done? Not even close. Now is when some of those other tools come into play on top of the foundation you have built. You have several options to go to next, one that is already covered in your $10 is a Canvas App, but this canvas app will take advantage of the CDS database you already built your model-driven app on, so all of that data is available. Also, Microsoft Flow, Power BI and Portals can be bolted on as well. So let's take a look at what these can add to your ultimate application to change the world, or at least your organization's world. Canvas Apps Canvas Apps are Task-Specific. The name Canvas comes from the design surface that you build them on, it looks a lot like PowerPoint. It is primarily a mobile application for those types of tasks that would be logically done on a mobile device. For example, adding a barcode scanner and tracking inventory in a warehouse, or a Check-in/Check-out app for corporate laptops. If this does not relate to your CDS environment, you would probably just make that Canvas App freestanding, but I'm keeping in the lanes of business applications here. Remember that the Model-Driven app you already built has full mobile capabilities also, so you will want to explore that before you complicate things with yet another app to maintain, but for the right scenarios, Canvas is awesome. Microsoft Flow Let's say your organization has some other app they are using for other things. Let's also say that it could be advantageous to have your new app talk to that app. Maybe it would be nice to pass some data back and forth when certain things happen. Microsoft Flow is your bridge to over 250 other apps and growing. Microsoft Flow sits between your new model-driven app and any of those 250+, and can pass things back and forth based on triggers or conditions. It sounds more complicated than it is. Trust me, it's not. Not long ago, to accomplish this would have required a significant development project, all gone now. Power BI Power BI is Microsoft's industry leading Business Intelligence tool. Of course you have charts and dashboards in your model-driven app, but if you really need to go deep, or mash several sources up, Power BI is the tool for that. Of course it's primary source in your case is... you guessed it... your CDS. You can create advanced visualizations in Power BI to share with anyone, and you can even embed them into your existing app's dashboard. Is it easy? Well, it's not as easy as Flow, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist either. Another option to consider is a new offering called AI Builder. This is more of a "citizen" level tool-set that is actually quite easy to use. Not as powerful as Power BI, but it can handle a lot of AI needs. Again, sitting on your CDS. Portals Things are going quite well, and you realize there would be some efficiencies gained from having customers, vendors or partners do somethings themselves. You don't really a want to give them access to your application, but some highly filtered level of access would be real handy. This is one example where Portals come into play. A web based representation of your business application, tailored for your audience, so they can interact with you touch-free. The scenarios are limitless, but take for example a case management solution. A place where your customers could create and review cases you are working on with them in your business application. A way they can be engaged with what is going on 24/7, without having to call you for an update. All running on top of the same CDS you started with. Accelerators Let's say you are in one of the industries that Microsoft has built accelerators for, and there are several and more to come. But, for example, let's say you are in the Banking business. Your path just got shorter. Microsoft offers pre-built data models at no cost to help you get to where you need to easier. Our RapidStartCRM for Banking Accelerator is actually built on top of Microsoft's Banking Accelerator giving you...umm... double acceleration! Between these two, you may already be done before you started! Summary There are other ways to approach it, but this I my recommended path that eliminates any backing up and restarting later. Regardless of where you want to get to, Microsoft has made it exponentially easier today. Start with a model-driven app on CDS, and the sky is the limit. If you want to explore how you can move a spreadsheet based process for example, onto a platform, listen to my recent podcast with a large customer who just did exactly that.    

Ultimatesuperfoods
How Can I Fight Inflammation 🙅? Find Out The BEST CURE!

Ultimatesuperfoods

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2019 1:20


Inflammation is a very common sign in almost all diseases. Summary: – There are so many ways to avoid the risks of inflammation. – Inflammation... The post How Can I Fight Inflammation

Music From the Goddess' Vault Podcast
Voodoo and Hoodoo Episode

Music From the Goddess' Vault Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2019 46:00


Summary: There are elements of Voodoo and Hoodoo that are in Paganism. For example, the poppet. Some practitioners of Voodoo and Hoodoo might not consider themselves pagan, which I can understand. Some people come into Paganism and want to explore their Voodoo and Hoodoo roots, which is understandable too. The Spirit Guide of the Week is Madame Brigitte and the Dream Symbol is Wall. Songs Featured: Voodoo Bayou by Spiral Dance Zulu Voodoo by Kalya Scintilla Maid of Orleans by KIVA Invocation to Free Women by Ruth Barrett Why Did You Hoodoo Me by Savoy Brown - I might have accidentally mispronounced "Savoy" in the audio. Please accept my apologies for that. Wailing Wall Wail by Holly Tannen Hunt the Blarney Cat by Avalon Rising Witchy Feelin' by Savoy Brown Links Mentioned: Events: Harvest Fest 2019 Pagan Fires 2019 Australian Wiccan Conference 2019 Other: Chapter 1: The Origins of Voodoo The Origins of Voodoo, the Misunderstood Religion Voodoo: Facts About Misunderstood Religion An Introduction to the Basic Beliefs of the Voodou (Voodoo) Religion What is Voodoo? What is Hoodoo and what magic does it involve? Hoodoo (Folk Magic) Difference Between Hoodoo and Voodoo The Difference Between Hoodoo and Voodoo Voodoo vs. Hoodoo: Differences Explained Haitian Folktales and Proverbs

Music from the Goddess' VaultPodcast
Voodoo and Hoodoo Episode

Music from the Goddess' VaultPodcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2019 46:00


Summary: There are elements of Voodoo and Hoodoo that are in Paganism. For example, the poppet. Some practitioners of Voodoo and Hoodoo might not consider themselves pagan, which I can understand. Some people come into Paganism and want to explore their Voodoo and Hoodoo roots, which is understandable too. The Spirit Guide of the Week is Madame Brigitte and the Dream Symbol is Wall. Songs Featured: 1. Voodoo Bayou by Spiral Dance 2. Zulu Voodoo by Kalya Scintilla 3. Maid of Orleans by KIVA 4. Invocation to Free Women by Ruth Barrett 5. Why Did You Hoodoo Me by Savoy Brown - I might have accidentally mispronounced "Savoy" in the audio. Please accept my apologies for that. 6. Wailing Wall Wail by Holly Tannen 7. Hunt the Blarney Cat by Avalon Rising 8. Witchy Feelin' by Savoy Brown Links Mentioned: Events: - Harvest Fest 2019 - www.wiccanfest.com/harvestfest.html - Pagan Fires 2019 - sabbatentertainment.com/pagan-fires/?…45bUNBr_Z6270 - Australian Wiccan Conference 2019 - www.wiccanconference.org/wordpress/co…current-awc/ Other: - Chapter 1: The Origins of Voodoo - www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/webpro…Voodoo/chap1.htm - The Origins of Voodoo, the Misunderstood Religion - www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancie…ligion-002933 - Voodoo: Facts About Misunderstood Religion - www.livescience.com/40803-voodoo-facts.html - An Introduction to the Basic Beliefs of the Voodou (Voodoo) Religion - www.learnreligions.com/vodou-an-intr…ginners-95712 - What is Voodoo? - futurism.media/what-is-voodoo - What is Hoodoo and what magic does it involve? - www.icysedgwick.com/intro-to-hoodoo/ - Hoodoo (Folk Magic) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(folk_magic) - Difference Between Hoodoo and Voodoo - www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneou…-and-voodoo/ - The Difference Between Hoodoo and Voodoo - knowledgenuts.com/2013/12/26/the-d…odoo-and-voodoo/ - Voodoo vs. Hoodoo: Differences Explained - www.magicalrecipesonline.com/2018/01/vo…ained.html - Haitian Folktales and Proverbs - faculty.webster.edu/corbetre/haiti/…re/folktale.htm

Ultimatesuperfoods
There’s A Reason Why 💚 Green Foods Are The Healthiest!

Ultimatesuperfoods

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2019 1:12


Green foods are so popular, but exactly WHY and WHAT makes them so popular? Summary: – There are so many healthy foods in the market,... The post There’s A Reason Why

Finance & Fury Podcast
Assets that will survive a financial correction

Finance & Fury Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2019 19:01


Welcome to Finance and Fury. Today’s we’ll be talking about what assets will survive a financial correction. The assets that that people still have confidence in. Confidence is key! In any asset, confidence is what is required.     Why is confidence important? If a lack of confidence/panic is what causes prices on assets to drop heavily then the solution is in assets that, while their prices may be impacted (short term volatility) they will not go to zero.   Human behaviours/emotions pay a significant role Bubbles (and FOMO) – you see the price going up, you jump in because you fear missing out. This can create overpricing. Works in both directions – Crash – when people fear a share crash, they sell their shares in a panic, and the crowd follows dropping the price quickly The fundamentals/intrinsic values of things don’t matter in a financial collapse. People aren’t looking at Fair Value when all they can focus on is 40% losses – they only see the losses Subjective values – do people value it regardless of intrinsic values   Never sell after the fact Hubris to think you can sell out before the market crashes – ‘timing the market’ You have to own assets that will survive or become more valuable   Asset goes down in value – so what? Depends on type of asset and what you do, and what those investments are to you I think of TLS, bank shares are volatile term deposits – not expecting great growth off them, the valuations are almost like a Utility company – but decent dividends   When shares do go down in value   If you sell, you crystallise or realise the loss They keep going to zero   The Solution Avoid selling early and crystallising losses or losing 100% of the investments that you have Step 1 - Buy good companies, diverse business models, diverse markets and lot of different companies, across asset classes (Diversification) Step 2 - Don’t panic sell   Buy alternative asset classes Gold/Silver/Palladium/Platinum Not on futures contracts or derivatives, but one that holds the underlying asset Not enough gold/silver etc. in world to cover size of ETFs/funds with positions in gold Water I’m looking into this one, I just find it interesting 1lr of petrol is cheaper than buying a bottle of water from the gas station Don’t collect too much – The Government might tax you   The Worst Case – you are in a position that you have to sell Most common cause is leverage /debt – this applies across asset classes Two-fold The lender wants their money back – they may have someone else to pay, or have lost confidence themselves in getting money back Cashflows – The cost of the debt is too great compared to what you can cover   Types of assets to watch out for Shares with Margin Loans LVR levels Run up of leverage causes a lot of bubbles, then corrections Property that is highly leveraged Not PPR – not forced to sell that hopefully But if people are losing jobs, rents may come down or be non-existent Mortgages – MBS, Managed funds marketed as ‘Income Funds’ Other ‘debt instruments’ Corporate notes/hybrid securities Credit – short term 90-day bank bills – used for short term funding Derivative exposure Warrants (do play some part)   Summary – There are assets that, while not retaining the value like you might want (drop in price), if you hold them you can survive Have a range of investments (not just bank shares) Some physical assets – Gold Shares in companies that people will still use – not fad companies or ones built on people’s discretionary spending Property – ensure that you can hold this long term and not need to sell Make sure they are quality assets Don’t sell It sounds easy – though it’s not easy seeing the value of your assets drop – but it is better than selling out and missing the rebounds due to emotions

It's A Mimic!
E019 - Worldbuilding - Prep School

It's A Mimic!

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2019 112:16


This episode focuses on Dungeon Master preparation and the different techniques used by each member of the panel. The DM's discuss their own preparation methods for Dungeons & Dragons, the concept of agency, and which of each of the official adventures speaks to them and why, both as Dungeon Masters and as players. SUMMARY: There are many different methods when it comes to prepping, and this week starts with a proper look at the methods each of the Dungeon Masters use, but Adam is quick to point out that everyone preps for D&D even when they don't mean to.. Terry then steers the conversation to plotline agency, and the panel looks at how difficult it is to work within a living world, analysis paralysis, and whether DM's prepare the past, present, future. And finally, the Dungeon Masters discuss which modules they like, which doesn't interest them, and what they'd like to see more of. Find out why Dan is the bravest DM, what tips "Uncle Terry" has for you, and why Adam quits the podcast! Brought to you by: WILDBOT3D.COM Your online home for 3D printed table top gaming accessories and terrain. On-Air Shoutout: @incdndpodcast Available On:iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen! Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Email: info@itsamimic.com Intro/Outro Music by: Cory WiebeSponsor Music by: Isaac CallenderLogo by: Kate Skidmore

Mastering Your World Through Frequencies
Getting To The Heart Of The Matter

Mastering Your World Through Frequencies

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2019 46:28


Learn the distinction between emotions and feelings, and how to gain space from them so you're not overwhelmed by them and you can use them to accelerate forward. SUMMARY: - There is a difference between emotion and feeling - Emotion is a purely natural, instinctual response to a situation. There is no mind involved. A true emotion lasts only a few seconds to a couple of minutes. - A feeling is an emotional state perpetuated by the mind. We no longer are in the situation that caused the emotion but our minds put us back in that situation and we continue to emotionally react and live as if that same situation is happening even though it happened hours, days, months and sometimes years ago. - A feeling can further distort and become so rigid that it becomes our identity - Distortion patterns can perpetuate the same emotions over and over again which then conditions what kinds of thoughts we have and what we’re willing to experience - The “negative” emotions (the ones that we tend to try to avoid like fear, anger, worry, anxiety) can be extraordinarily beneficial − either because they can be a catalyst or because they are a signpost of what we need to pay attention to and see in ourselves. - Emotions can be a change agent.

It's A Mimic!
E011 - Lore - Forgotten Realms: Fantasizing with Friends

It's A Mimic!

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2019 105:57


With the discussion about pillars of Dungeons & Dragons wrapped up, the panel of DM's decides to look into WHY people play D&D as opposed to other games.  The first broad topic is determining what defines the fantasy genre, what it makes it so attractive, and what draws the hosts to this roleplaying game, specifically the Forgotten Realms setting.  As the conversation moves to the details of Forgotten Realms, the Dungeon Masters discuss what the most interesting pieces of the Forgotten Realms lore actually are, and what they find the most inspiring about them.  From nostalgia and inspiration to comparing the differences between gritty campaigns, high fantasy campaigns, and low fantasy campaigns, this episode covers a wide variety of topics and often goes completely off the rails! SUMMARY: There is a lot to unpack in the fantasy genre, D&D, and Forgotten Realms, and as Terry and Adam drill Dan on the specifics, they learn a few shocking details about Dan's improv poetry skills and his preference for vampire sex games. The Dungeon Masters touch on fantasy inspirations, including Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian, A Song of Ice and Fire, Dracula, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Magic the Gathering, Anne Rice novels, Lord of the Rings, Critical Role, World of Warcraft, Star Trek, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, The Dark Tower, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion Warhammer, Harry Potter, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Norse, Celtic, and Greek mythologies, Pathfinder, Scott Lynch novels, The Belgariad, Discworld, Piers Anthony books, The Dresden Files, D&D video games, R. A. Salvatore novels, and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.  The conversation then moves on to D&D specifically, covering some books and campaign settings (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Storm King's Thunder, Tyranny of Dragons, Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Tomb of Annihilation, Tales of the Yawning Portal, Death House and Curse of Strahd, Dark Sun, Greyhawk, Eberron, and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks), and then taking a look at the Forgotten Realms, specifically The Spellplague, the two Sunderings, Elminster, Drizzt Do'Urden, Mordenkainen and The Circle of Eight, Toril, Faerun, Evermeet, Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter, Undermountain, The Underdark, Netheril, Lolth, Mystra, Cyric, The Many Arrows Clan, The Lord's Alliance, the Elf/Drow conflict, Thay/Rashemen conflict, Szass Tam, Acererak, Vecna, The Regalia of Evil, The Star Stone, The Deck of Many Things, The Sunsword, Dragons, Mindflayers, and Halflings. Shout Outs: @dungeons_and_maps Available On:iTunes | Spotify | Podbean | YouTube Don’t forget to Like/Follow/Subscribe/Whatever when you listen! Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Email: info@itsamimic.com Intro/Outro Music by: Cory WiebeShout Out Music by: Isaac CallenderLogo by: Kate Skidmore    

"The Connector" Podcast - Episode 1

"The Connector" Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2018 33:39


“The Connector” Podcast – Network Effects Topic: Network Effects Guest: John Kelley – CEO Craftpeak Discussion 1: What are Network Effects Question #1: John – What is your definition of Network Effects? https://www.nfx.com/post/network-effects-manual “As you probably know, the simplified definition of network effects is that they occur when a company’s product or service becomes morevaluable as usage increases.” “72 years after Vail first described direct network effects, the father of the Ethernet standard, Robert Metcalfe, took the concept a stepfurther by proposing that the value of a network is proportional to the number of connected users squared (N^2). This is now known as Metcalfe’s Law.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect Discussion 2: Why are network effects important to business results· Deep understanding of the needs of their users · Defensibility· Buzz· Brand Value – Goodwill (Facebook example) Discussion 3: What are the network effects you are seeing in your business· Gain a deeper understanding of the challenges our breweries (All Breweries are facing) - Flows into our product development and our offerings· Technology Improves with increased users and Feedback· We act as a node that understands the challenges in the industry from a unique vantage point. While our customers are focused on the challenges facing their single brewery, we are able to aggregate insights from brewery owners across dozens of breweries. There is a lot of value in the collective insights.· We all get better together!· Marketing - Breweries acknowledge that they want to be part of the Craftpeak Team and what we are doing· Beer Enthusiasts (not our direct market) are fans of ours because of who we are working with· Mentors, Advisors, Peers, - We get better through the mind-share of the networks we have developed and rely upon – I would even throw our competitors in there Discussion 4: How network effects can benefit a company’s sales strategy· Much easier to say we are working with sixty amazing breweries, than two. Jim Collins “Good to Great” Get the massive fly-wheel moving· Increases sales velocity, and provides 3rd party validation of our value· I feel like it is something that we continue to help cultivate, but at this point in our trajectory we are move focused on bringing lots of value for our customers, serving them well, and developing technology that is going to help them compete. Summary: There are several different types of Network Effects and being aware of them is the first step to understanding how to use them toimprove your business and increase competitive advantage. Close: Thanks to John Kelley for joining me on this initial episode of "The Connector" Podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Covenant Community Church
Songs of Ascents: Psalm 128

Covenant Community Church

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2018 34:05


Preacher: Tom Strode. Summary: There is a blessing in fearing God that is found in obedience and delivered by grace.

Trahant Reports
TR072318VotingRights

Trahant Reports

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2018 3:00


Summary: There are more than a hundred days until the next election and there remain many questions about the structure and integrity of elections. Native Americans are less likely to be registered and more likely to face significant obstacles, such as a two hour drive to a polling station.

Covenant Community Church
Songs of Ascents: Psalm 128

Covenant Community Church

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2018 34:05


Preacher: Tom Strode. Summary: There is a blessing in fearing God that is found in obedience and delivered by grace.

Aviation News Talk podcast
67 Top Ten Lessons from Delta 192 – Naked Man on the Runway at Atlanta Airport

Aviation News Talk podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2018 25:55


67 Top 10 Lessons from Delta 192 – Naked Man on the Runway at Atlanta Airport Your Cirrus Specialist. Call me if you're thinking of buying a new Cirrus SR20 or SR22. Call 1-650-967-2500 for Cirrus purchase and training assistance. Send us an email - http://www.sjflight.com/Forms/inquiry.htm Follow us on Instagram If you have a question you'd like answered on the show, let listeners hear you ask the question, by recording your listener question using your phone. Summary There are many lessons that pilots can learn from the incident in Atlanta in which a man climb up on the wing of an arriving airliner, jumped off, and ran naked onto the runway. 1. There’s always something new that happens you’ve never seen before. 2. Early information is often is often incorrect. 3. When something very out of the ordinary happens, Stop immediately. 4. Shut down your engine. 5. Don’t start up again until you’re absolutely sure everyone is clear the area. 6. Relay information about things you see that others may not see. 7. If there’s any doubt about the condition of the plane, don’t start up without having someone inspect the aircraft, and consider having it towed. 8. Re evaluate your original plan based on what has just happened. 9. Defer to tower to sort things out….that’s their job 10. Be patient, its going to take time for things to get unsnarled. 11. Enjoy the show! Question of the Month Send us your audio recordings by July 31, 2018 answering this question: What did you learn after you got  your private pilot certificate that you wished you learned while working on your private certificate? Click here to record  your answer.  If you love the show and want more, visit my Patreon page, where I post breaking news in the Blog section. If you sign up to support the show by contributing a few dollars each month, you'll get an email notifying whenever I post a new story of Patreon. If you donate at least $8/month, you can see my original scripts and the list of news stories I had to cut each week. Check out our recommended ADS-B receivers, and order one for yourself. Yes, we'll make a couple of dollars if you do.  Check out our recommended Aviation Headsets, and order one for yourself! Mentioned in the Show Aviation News Talk dedicated app - iOS Aviation News Talk dedicated app - Android Live ATC app for iOS Live ATC app for Android

Tower View Baptist Church Media
Two Stages of Coming to Christ - Mark 8:22-26

Tower View Baptist Church Media

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2018


Summary: There's no rebellion too great, no weakness too deep, no blindness too profound that God's grace can't conquer.

The Dan Bongino Show
Ep. 730 Mutually Assured Political Destruction

The Dan Bongino Show

Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2018 60:35


Summary: There is only one way to stop the liberal weaponization of our government: the employment of mutually assured destruction. In this episode I address what this means going forward. I also address the terrible economic and job advice given to our next generation.    News Picks: Despite all of the police-state Democrats’ conspiracy theories, they still can’t explain why the government spied on the Trump team.    Andy McCarthy explains the government’s hypocrisy on Spygate.   Did this key figure in Spygate admit it’s all bunk?   A great piece about liberals’ culture wars against us and how we may be winning.   The media tried to attack President Trump yet inadvertently attacked Obama.    Copyright CRTV. All rights reserved.

The Legendary Marriage Podcast
Episode 064: Demystifying Kink & BDSM | Veronica Yanhs

The Legendary Marriage Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2018 57:02


Summary: There is more to sex than what we learned in school, and that's where kink & BDSM come in. If you've ever felt like your sex life needs a bit more spice, but it's too scary or embarrassing to talk about, then this episode is for you! It turns out many people have a […] The post Episode 064: Demystifying Kink & BDSM | Veronica Yanhs appeared first on Legendary Marriage: Build a life, a love, and a legacy together..

The Infamous Podcast
Ru-Ru-Run-Run-Runaways! – Episode 131

The Infamous Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2018 60:42


Powers, The Pride and Old Lace! This week on the show Johnny and Brian are talking about the Hulu Original Marvel TV series Runaways. The show is based on the wildly popular comic series of the same name by Brian K Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. Plus we learn more about the Incredibles 2, Where is Dan Slott going to after Amazing Spider-Man, and the 2018 Oscar Nominations! And don’t forget to use the code ‘Infamous‘ at comiXology.com to get $5 off when you spend $15 on digital comics! News Bites Incredibles 2 Voice Cast and Character Descriptions Dan Slott Leaving Amazing Spider-Man Will Write Iron Man Series The 2018 Oscar Nominations Have Been Announced Runaways (2017) Summary There are times when pretty much every teenager thinks his or her parents are evil — but what if it was actually true? That’s the situation six Los Angeles teenagers find themselves in when they stumble upon a terrible secret and realize that their parents have been lying to them for their entire lives. The offspring begin an investigation to try to figure out what their guardians are after, while the adults wonder if their kids are hiding secrets of their own. The...

School of Podcasting
Should You Make Your Guests Jump Through Hoops?

School of Podcasting

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2017 46:14


Last week I explained how I learned of a strategy from Doug Sandler of the Nice Guys on Business show where the goal is to bring on guests who would be a good client for you (assuming you're podcasting as part of your business). Doug's business is Turnkey Podcast. There is little focus on your audience and more emphasis on your guest. The presenter also requires that their potential guest subscribes, to their podcast and gives them a five-star review to be considered. This was the part that I thought was a little "black hat."  I wanted to reserve my judgment until I spoke with Doug. Today I have Doug Sandler on the show to share his insights into his strategy. Because Of My Podcast I'm Much Better at Public Speaking: Bill Huchison 1:45 Bill Hutchison is a full-time missionary and has a podcast  every now and then Bill is asked to speak in churches. Today Bill shares how he had to think on the fly when he hit a technical snag, anbecausese of his podcast he was able to pull it off.  Preparing for Episode 600 4:55 I'm doing an "Ask Dave Anything (except podcasting questions)" will be the topic for episode 600. Send in your questions (with the title Episode 600) by January 1st, 2018 Your Target Customer as Your Guest Part II Doug Sandler Interview 7:00 Feedback from last week's show In today's discussion you hear: 9:23 Doug did his podcast for 16 months without making a dime. He went from 20,000 downloads to 1.2 million in the second 16 months. His guests are his target clients How does his stop his guests from being boring? Why his potential guests MUST give him a five-star review and subscribe to the show Does having guests on your show ensure 1.2 million downloads? Doug didn't get into podcasting to make friends Summary: There are no rules in podcasting? Will I look into using my podcast to get clients? I already do. The whole point of the School of Podcasting is to exhibit my expertise, and show you I know how to create a show that engages your audience. I might try this strategy in the future and do something like Natalie Ectal from BizChix.com where she records coaching calls and uses them as episodes. While I force potential guests to subscribe, rate, and provide a five-star review? No. Where Is Dave Going? 35:09 Podcon in Seatle Dec 9-10 Podfest in Florida Feb 8-10 Social Media Marketing World  2/28- 3 /2 San Diego Fixing a Podcast Episode After Your Published It 36:07 There is nothing worse than waking up to an inbox full of emails from listeners letting you know there is a mistake in your latest episode. This could be silence, or an edit point that you thought you took out (but didn't). You panick. Oh No! What do I do? Here is what you do. Do NOT Create a New Episode If you're using Libsyn.com go to Content > Previously Published and edit the Episode. There you can use the replace option to upload the repaired version of the episode. I strongly suggest you use the exact same file name. This way you don't have to wait for your episode to propagate across the Internet. Your feed has the name of the file, and when someone who didn't download the episode with the mistake presses download, they get the repaired version. If you're using Blubrry, you can go into PowerPress and upload your repaired file (and it will replace the old file). Again, I strongly urge you to use the exact same file name. Who Gets the File? When someone gets the first (wrong) version of your file, the app they use doesn't know there is an issue. Consequently, the app won't download the new version (because to the app, it's the same file). But I Want Everyone to Get the New Version! The only way to have all of your audience to get new version is to create a completely new episode (and delete the old episode). This might annoy your subscribers (who typically are the people who get your episode first as it's automated). They may have already listened to and delete the episode, and then all the sudden here it comes again. What's the Best Solution? The best solution is to ALWAYS listen to the ENTIRE episode before uploading it to your media host. In other words, the best way to fix the mistake is to not make it in the first place. With that in mind, we are all human and it will happen. I personally just replace the old version and if someone tells me about the mistake I apologize to them and explain they now have a collectors edition. How Can I Help You Need one on one conslting? Schedule Some Time Learn at your own pace at the School of Podcasting Podcasting in Six Weeks Group Coaching Mentioned in Today's Show Scott Johnson From the Computer Tutor Show Podcast Review Show Podcast Rodeo Show  

Change Your POV Podcast
HST012: 6 Signs that Things are Spinning Out of Control

Change Your POV Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2017 16:48


SUMMARY: There is one barrier to seeking mental health treatment that veterans seem to face. That barrier is often the one that is most difficult to overcome. It’s the barrier inside each of us, the internal stigma against seeking treatment. The whole “suck it up and drive on” mentality. The “I can handle this” mindset that binds us until we can’t handle it any more. So here are six warning signs that things are getting out of control.   In this episode, Duane talks about six things that he has seen in veterans that he works with that indicate that things are spinning out of control. If any of these things, or most of these things, are present in you or veterans in your network, find a mental health professional to talk to! IN THIS PARTICULAR EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: Six signs that things are spinning out of control: 1. You just don’t give a crap anymore (about things you used to enjoy). 2. You just don’t give a crap anymore (about life in general). 3. You give too much of a crap about things (little things become huge). 4. Something in your life has more control over you than you have over it (like substance abuse). 5. Something in you has more control over you than you have over it (like emotions). 6. Someone else brings it to your attention (like a friend, family member...or the cops). LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Head Space and Timing Blog Post: 6 Signs that Things are Spinning Out of Control for Veterans   Hey, It's Eddie and Bennett! Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section or you can leave me a message about this episode by going to http://ChangeYourPOV.com/AskEddie   If you enjoy the show I sure hope you'll subscribe and download a bunch of episodes on iTunes. All these shows are free to download and listen to and we don't ask for donations or anything to create this show. But if you'd like to totally make our day... we would be forever grateful if you would be so kind as to leave an honest review on iTunes.   If you are new to reviews and need a little help, you can go to LEAVE A REVIEW and we will walk you through that step-by-step. Thank you in advance for doing that!  – plus, we read each and every one of them! Please share this episode with your friends and family!

Head Space and Timing Podcast
HST012: 6 Signs that Things are Spinning Out of Control

Head Space and Timing Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2017 16:47


SUMMARY: There is one barrier to seeking mental health treatment that veterans seem to face. That barrier is often the one that is most difficult to overcome. It’s the barrier inside each of us, the internal stigma against seeking treatment. The whole “suck it up and drive on” mentality. The “I can handle this” mindset that binds us until we can’t handle it any more. So here are six warning signs that things are getting out of control.   In this episode, Duane talks about six things that he has seen in veterans that he works with that indicate that things are spinning out of control. If any of these things, or most of these things, are present in you or veterans in your network, find a mental health professional to talk to! IN THIS PARTICULAR EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: Six signs that things are spinning out of control: 1. You just don’t give a crap anymore (about things you used to enjoy). 2. You just don’t give a crap anymore (about life in general). 3. You give too much of a crap about things (little things become huge). 4. Something in your life has more control over you than you have over it (like substance abuse). 5. Something in you has more control over you than you have over it (like emotions). 6. Someone else brings it to your attention (like a friend, family member...or the cops). LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Head Space and Timing Blog Post: 6 Signs that Things are Spinning Out of Control for Veterans   Hey, It's Eddie and Bennett! Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section or you can leave me a message about this episode by going to http://ChangeYourPOV.com/AskEddie   If you enjoy the show I sure hope you'll subscribe and download a bunch of episodes on iTunes. All these shows are free to download and listen to and we don't ask for donations or anything to create this show. But if you'd like to totally make our day... we would be forever grateful if you would be so kind as to leave an honest review on iTunes.   If you are new to reviews and need a little help, you can go to LEAVE A REVIEW and we will walk you through that step-by-step. Thank you in advance for doing that!  – plus, we read each and every one of them! Please share this episode with your friends and family!

The Three Month Vacation Podcast
Three Ways To Write A Stunning Report Overnight

The Three Month Vacation Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2017 40:32


Writing a report for your website can be quite a nightmare How are you supposed to put 20-30 pages together? And what system should you follow to get great results? That answer is remarkably simple, and plainly effective. And instead of just one way, why don't we look at three ways you can put together a great report! Let's go into report-land, shall we? Read this episode on the website: Three Ways To Write A Stunning Report Overnight ---------------- Rice. Curry. Meat, Fish. Papad. Pickle. Vegetables. Many, if not most of the meals we'd have when I was growing up, consisted of a what you'd easily call a well-rounded meal. But as a teenager, I couldn't wait for dinner. I was ravenous by the time I got back from school at 4 pm. I'd head to the pantry, and pick out my favourite noodles: Maggi Masala. Boil the water, toss in the noodles and the tastemaker and “two minutes” later, I'd be well on my ate to satisfaction-land. When creating information, it's easy to get lost in a “rice, curry, pickle, papad land”. However, complexity is the last thing you need, because it slows you down. What you need is something that's quick, yet effective. Something you can put together for your website, or as goodies to attract clients. In this series, we're going to look at three ways to create a report, seemingly overnight—if you have a small or even disconnected content. And we'll also look at what to do when you don't have any content at all. It might not take “two minutes” but you can put together a report that will create a solid impact. Let's take a look at the three types of reports you could put together. Type 1: Report that goes from C to A Type 2: Diverse, Disconnected Topic Report Type 3:One Topic, Many Angles Report Type 1: Report that goes from C to A How do you make a delicious rice dish in under five minutes? Step 1: Take a cup of cooked rice. Step 2: In a frying pan, pop a teaspoon of mustard seeds and some dry red chillies in oil. Step 3: Pour the oil, mustard seeds and red chillies over the rice and add 1 ½ cup of natural yoghurt. Notice where we started? We didn't start with the cooked rice. Our goal was to make a delicious rice dish in under five minutes. And then we worked our way backwards, didn't we? We didn't go from A to B to C. Instead we started with the goal in mind, then rewound the steps and it wasn't very difficult to get a very tasty result. When writing a report, it's easy to feel like you have to cover a lot of information When I started writing marketing articles back in the year 2000, I had no idea what to write about. I'd read a book about positioning, and then borrow some of the ideas and write my own version of positioning. I'd talk to someone about how they needed to brand their product or service and then rush home to work my way through an article. These were early days. I was struggling just to get 500 words on a page. I wasn't exactly worried about which articles got more attention than others. Even so, it was hard to ignore how some articles got far greater views than others. One such article was about how to write headlines in three steps. Another winner seemed to be how to tell if your business card was too busy. Again, three steps. At which point we had this bizarre idea to turn one of the articles into a report. We did nothing more than put the very same information into a PDF. We added some graphics, made the report look all pretty and then put it on the website as an incentive to sign up to the newsletters. If you've ever subscribed to the Psychotactics newsletter, you're likely to have seen and read this report. The reason why it works is because it's short, but more importantly it starts with Point C. It shows you how to build a headline in a few minutes, that's what it does. With the goal firmly in mind, it walks you through Step A, Step B and then in a matter of 8-10 pages you're at Step C. It's not unlike the method used to make the yoghurt rice, is it? You're not creating a complex document. All you're really doing is getting a client to get to a specific point, no matter how small the point. We might believe a report needs to be more detailed, certainly more complex to be taken seriously Instead what you'll quickly realise is that clients want the quick wins. And if the quick win is small, so much the better. If I were to give you a recipe of a biryani (another rice dish), with 30 ingredients, you're not likely to make that dish, are you? Yet, a 5-minute shot at yoghurt rice couldn't go so terribly wrong, could it? In the worst possible scenario you'd waste five minutes, wouldn't you? Having a simple report that starts at C and works its way backwards in about three steps is what makes it easy to create a ton of reports—if you want to do so—that is. But why create a ton of reports? Let's say your site covers different topics, or has different products or services. Let's say you get to the Psychotactics site and land on a page about resistance. Would you be more likely to sign up for a report on resistance or on a topic like consumption? And if you were to land on a page about consumption, would you want more information on consumption or suddenly be fascinated with the topic of resistance? Having multiple pages with reports embedded in them helps a client land on a page, read an article, and then find a report that's closely matching up with the article itself. Best of all, that report doesn't promise a tonne of information, but instead has three tiny steps to get the client to a result. If you're wondering if you have to create a report for every page, no you don't. We have topics such as websites, article writing, consumption, uniqueness, etc. And if you have five-seven broad topics, you can create five-seven quick reports on each individual topic. But back to the headline report That report itself has been responsible for getting tens of thousands of clients over the years. When I put up a figure, I say it's been downloaded over 55,000 times, but that's being overly conservative. That headline report has been downloaded at least over 100,000 times and possibly a lot more. What's important is that the report didn't take time to put together. And when you look back, it didn't even have much of a strategy. If you're teaching Photoshop, show your clients how to get from A-C in three steps. If you're selling blue-tac, show your clients how to use it in three-steps. Almost any product or service can be quickly reduced to a specific subset, and then you can show the client how to get to that result quickly and consistently. Try the yoghurt rice. It takes five minutes. It takes three steps. It would make a good report, that's for sure. A one page report, but the moment you tried it, you'd be hooked. You'd want more, wouldn't you? And that's the magic of a C-A report. It's quick to put together and the client loves it. But that's only one way to create a report. What if you wanted some variety, instead? Let's look at the second option where you have a report with content that's diverse and seemingly completely disconnected. Type 2: Diverse, Disconnected Topic Report “Bring a plate”. Sometimes, when you go to a party in New Zealand, you're told “bring a plate”. For anyone born in Kiwi land, such an expression isn't very odd. But you have no idea how many immigrants think it's a crockery problem. They somehow think the host must have just a few plates, and bringing a plate along will help ease the dinnerware issue. “Bring a plate” just means bring some food along, because we're having a potluck party And if there's anything I detest when it comes to food, it's a potluck party. Barbecue chicken mingles with wontons, and chickpeas with some tomato-ketchup concoction. For me, it's a culinary nightmare. The textures, colours, and especially the tastes are a complete mishmash. But really, no one cares about me They're having too much fun with their chickpeas and tomato-concoction. And sometimes being a little stuck up at a party, is similar to being stuck up when creating a report. It's easy to believe that a report has to go from C to A, or has to work with a single topic. In reality, reports just do fine, potluck style. We tried this in the membership site at 5000bc One of the perks of 5000bc is something called the Vanishing Reports. At first, I was an absolute stickler about the reports. They all had to have a sequence. They all had to somehow take you from one point to another. Then, I realised that's hardly the way I read anything. At this very moment, I'm reading about the “butterfly effect”, “the moons of Jupiter,” “creativity” and “confidence”. That sounds very mishy-mashy, doesn't it? Which is why we trialled reports that had a combination of “pricing, conversion, starting up, and a whole bunch of topics that seemingly didn't sit side by side with each other. And it worked! Sometimes the report will have super-duper-ultra focus. Like Report No. 59: The Magical Time-Saving Powers of Evernote. Or Report No.6: Three Core Steps To A Viral Campaign. But Report No.60: How To Keep Learning and Growing for Success, or Report No.45: Good Business Habits ,can have a bit of bacon baguettes jostling with the wontons. This revelation shouldn't have surprised me because that's how I read, and how a lot of people tend to read. A newspaper, for instance, is a bit of a mishmash, isn't it? A magazine, that's definitely all over the place. Blogs, podcasts, videos: they all seem to follow a slightly random pattern without us so much blinking an eye. What does this mean for you, however? It means that you may not have ten articles on a single topic. You may run a yoga site, and some articles might be about stretching, some may be about shavasana, some may be about what the client needs to do on a full moon night. They're seemingly disconnected, but it still makes for a splendid report, doesn't it? And better still, you don't even need ten articles. Just three-four, okay five articles. That's just fine because every article will probably span 2-3 pages and if you slip in the introduction and a bit of an epilogue, you're looking at a decent fifteen to seventeen pages of content. And despite the mishmash, you can create a strong feeling of cohesion within the report There are two elements that create a connection. The first point of focus is the title. If you're going to put together a bunch of unconnected pieces of content, the title must somehow tie the content neatly together. Interestingly, you can veer down the non-specific route when creating a title. E.g. How to create “hidden magic” in your business. Or “Good Business Habits”. As I veer my chair to my left to look at the titles of some books, I see a title like “The Non-designers Design Book” by Robin Williams. Or “Design it Yourself” by Chuck Green. Or “Scientific Advertising” by Claude Hopkins. All of these books may, on the face of it, look incredibly focused, but one look within the pages and they're a disparate bunch of articles that have a workable title and one other element that is probably more important. In most of the books—and this applies to reports as well—there's a bridge between the chapters. This second element isn't utterly crucial, but it's nice to have Notice how this piece of content connected from the first type of report to the second? A bit earlier in this piece, you read about the report that goes from C to A. And then as we got to the end, we could just stop dead, or create a bit of a bridge. The last few lines spoke about how the C to A report is potent, but what if you wanted more variety? And then it suggested that there was a second kind of report—the report that had diverse, disconnected topics. It's the kind of thing you should be doing: creating a bridge As you come to the end of your piece in the report, build up the anticipation for the second piece. As the second piece winds to a close, it's time to shine the spotlight on the third, and so on. A simple set of lines at the end of the content create enough of glue to bind seemingly random topics together. We're not talking about mixing auto-repair and gardening in a report on business, but you get the point, don't you? That isn't to say I like potluck parties. I guess I never will. Yet, as we've seen, it works just fine with reports. Are we done, yet? Not quite. There's still one more kind of report. Which as you might have guessed is the most obvious one of all. It's the report that consists of a single topic. It seems pretty self-explanatory, doesn't it? Still, let's take a look at why that kind of report is much-loved and how to go about creating it in a way that is pretty magical. Type 3: One Topic, Many Angles Report On 29th March 1974, farmers in the Xi'an district of China stumbled on a treasure that was to rival the Great Wall of China. The farmers real goal was to find water for their crops, when they stumbled on a beautifully sculpted head. The more they began to dig, the more they found hundreds, and then thousands of soldiers—terracotta soldiers. This was the army of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of unified China. Over 8000 terracotta warriors, cavalry, charioteers, foot soldiers and archers, were built to accompany the emperor into the afterlife. These terracotta soldiers were created using moulds and seem to have an early assembly-line construction. And this is where the story gets really interesting Most of the hands of the Terracotta Army appear identical. Yet, when you look closer ever single soldier seems to have completely unique facial features. Every one it seems came from similar moulds, but somehow got tweaked just a little bit to create a high level of uniqueness. When creating reports, a single mould; a single topic can be tweaked in dozens, possibly thousands of ways as well Which is why a report on a single topic can be so very powerful. The information that seems to emanate from one source suddenly creates a wealth of sub-topics that become very attractive to the reader. What is being suggested here, is that you can you have a single topic and have dozens of sub-topics. Each sub-topic represents an article and several such articles become a fascinating report. To get the one-topic report going, all you have to do is first start with the topic and add a few sub-topics. Let's take a topic like headlines, for starters. What kind of sub-topics could we generate? Testimonial Headlines: How To Get Your Clients To Write Your Headlines Bottom-Up Headlines: How To Use Headlines As Email Signatures Keywords And headlines How To Avoid Potluck Headlines Why Unclear Topics Lead to Unfocused Headlines How To Use The Attraction Factor of Knew and New (When Writing Headlines) How to Write Intensely Powerful Headlines Without Using Keywords What you're experiencing is the creating of a Terracotta Army The topic, in this case, headlines, is pretty mundane. Even so, if you leave your computer, and your Internet connection behind and head to the cafe, you're likely to be able to come up with several sub-topics for any given topic. You may not end up writing great headlines right at the start, but you'll have a bunch of topics nonetheless. Let's take an example from Photoshop, for instance. Let's not get lost in the Photoshop universe, however. If you've done just a bit of homework, you'll quickly figure out that you can just pick one sub-topic in Photoshop. Let's say for instance, that sub-topic is “Selections and Layer Masks in Photoshop”. Ready, let's run through the sub-sub-topics, shall we? Okay, Selections and Layer Masks, here we come! Using the Marquee and Lasso tools Combining selections Converting a selection into a layer mask Using the Quick Selection tool Selecting soft-edged objects using Refine Edge Touching up a layer mask with the Brush tool Granted that all of the above topics may seem alien to you at this point, but just talking about Photoshop does bring up an interesting story. When I first got to New Zealand I had a job as a web designer Within six months, I was made redundant and needed to get some work as a cartoonist. This took me to several ad agencies, and in these ad agencies you tend to deal with art directors. As they were leafing through my portfolio, I would tell them how I used photoshop to do my illustrations. And how I would use Photoshop without the toolbar and double my speed and productivity. This little nugget would get them instantly interested and at least a few of them asked whether I could teach them how to speed up their own use of photoshop. It led to jobs where I would charge $60 an hour training them individually. However, it's not like I was outstanding at Photoshop. For instance, all of the points that we have just covered with layer masks would have been beyond my reach. Even so, I would be able to watch the videos several times, get fluent at the skill, and then in turn be able to teach it. Any topic quickly cascades into sub-topics And sub-topics in turn become a bit of an avalanche as you dig just below the surface. What's extremely exciting when you sit down to write a report, is that you don't need the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang. A report can be extremely powerful with just three-four articles. However, it's still an excellent idea to go into caffeine-land and brainstorm the topics and sub-topics needed. You may use the bare minimum needed for a report, but you can use the others to create more single focus reports in the future. All of this brainstorming has a wonderful series of side effects When you sit down to brainstorm the topics and sub-topics, you realise that you know quite a lot and can write about several topics for your report in detail. However, this very same brainstorming session may be a cause for intimidation. When I was called upon to teach those art directors, I knew a bit of Photoshop, but by no means was I well versed in every facet of the program. For instance, “Selection Layers and Masks” were definitely something that I hadn't learned about. This exposed my weakness and there are two ways to handle any weakness. You can pretend that you were not born with innate Photoshop skills, or you can simply pick up a book or video and learn the skills. I have no inborn skills, as far as I know, so I just learned and taught and learned an taught. To this day, a decent chunk of what I do is something that I've learned along the way. If I find any gaps, well that's what learning is all about isn't it? I learn and then I teach and that is the lesson you can use for your report as well. This learn and teach method is slower, no doubt However, we are all beginners at some point in time and having information to share is not going to be at our fingertips. In such a scenario, it's a better idea to simply use the “learn and teach” method. It's more tedious, but I can assure you that almost everyone has to go through an almost identical method when they run into new material. Not knowing enough about a topic is pretty normal, but what's also normal is that a lot of people intimidate themselves and give up. If you're made of sterner stuff, you'll quickly realise that you can put together a report just by learning about the topic, trying it out yourself and then tying it all together in a nice little PDF, or even a video or audio report. Having a single topic is a great way to focus, if you're creating new material If you've already created content in the past, it's easier to find as well. For instance, if I needed to write about topics like pricing, planning, productivity, etc, it would be quite an easy task to go digging through the archives and finding three-four articles on just one topic. And there you have it You might have to slog a bit if you aren't familiar with the topic or sub-topics, but it's not an earth-shattering task. For instance, I still don't know a lot about layer masks, and that list I got from the Lynda.com site. If I wanted to move deeper into the world of layer masks, I'd have to have access to the site (which I do) and about 43 minutes of learning. Even if I were to go over the videos thrice over, that would still require fewer than two hours of work. But that scenario only arises if you're a complete newbie. If you've been creating content for a while, it's really a matter of collation, some tea or coffee-drinking and you've got yourself a report that's pretty single-minded. It's no army but you don't need an army do you? You don't even need a corps or division, no brigade, regiment, battalion or company. Not even a platoon, squad. Just a section—just 3 or 4 little foot soldiers will do the job just fine, don't you agree? And that brings us to the end of “how to create a report”. Let's review what we've just learned. Summary There are three ways to cook up a quick report. 1) Report that goes from C-A 2) Diverse, Disconnected Topic Report 3) One Topic, Many Angles Report The report that goes from C-A starts at the very end—and yes, three steps are usually enough of a journey for the client. Start with C and work your way back to A because it ensure a result. Anything that you can achieve in three quick steps is a good enough target. Ideally it needs to pertain to something you're selling. For example, if you're in the business of gardening then your report would consist of three steps to get something done quickly and effectively in the garden. You don't want to name the report: “3 steps to a better blah-blah-blah”. It's better to give it a curious title, instead. E.g. The title of the headline report on the Psychotactics site is “Why Headlines Fail” and then it goes on to give three steps within the report, anyway. The C-A report is powerful because it has an end point. However, the diverse, disconnected report seeks no such end-point clarity If anything, it's a bit of a potluck party. You put in various pieces of content that seemingly don't have any sequence or relation to each other, but come under the broad umbrella of a topic. For instance, the podcast series at Psychotactics is called the “Three Month Vacation”. One episode of the podcast can be about pricing, the second about productivity and the third about software. Even though they're quite diverse topics, they're still bound under the topic of “marketing and business”. The concept of potluck that you hear on the podcast can just as easily be a sure-fire method of creating reports. Finally we looked at one topic and many angles Or let's call it topics and sub-topics. Or even sub-sub-topics. A bit of a brainstorm session, and time away from the office can do wonders. Even if you're no pro at the topics or sub-topics, you can quickly spot where you're weak. You can then learn and master the topics, and pass on the knowledge in your own style, tone and language to someone else. In case you're wondering, this isn't plagiarism. Plagiarism is when you simply “photocopy” someone's work and pass it off as your own. This method of learning and teaching is what everyone needs to follow, and it's simply a form of “tracing” or “copying” and then using your own method to get it to your eventual client. It's why yoga teaching aspirants go to yoga training centres, or why we attend workshops and seminars. We learn, so we can teach. Which brings us right back to the yoghurt rice. Remember the recipe? Step 1: Take a cup of cooked rice. Step 2: In a frying pan, pop a teaspoon of mustard seeds and some dry red chillies in oil. Step 3: Pour the oil, mustard seeds and red chillies over the rice and add 1 ½ cup of natural yoghurt. Go try it. You'll love it. Oh, and if you like, keep it in the fridge for an hour or so. It's delicious when it's cold. Bon appétit! Next Step: With tens of thousands of similar products or services in the market, it seems impossible to make your product stand out.But is there a way to make your product/service irresistible—and without looking cheesy? Find out how here: The Two Psychological Techniques To Creating An Irresistible Product/Service (And Increased Sales) Oh and before I go If you enjoyed this episode: Please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post. Or click here to tell your friends. If you haven't yet subscribed: Here are the links to get all the Psychotactics articles and podcasts automatically. iTunes   |  Android   |  E-mail (and get special goodies)   | RSS Would you be kind enough to leave a review? You can do this from your phone or your computer. Here's a graphic, if you need any help.  

Encounter Church Elkhart
Unleashing Joy - Part 6 - Hospitality

Encounter Church Elkhart

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2017 34:26


Summary: There are currently more anti-depressants prescribed than any drug in America.  More and more people are lonely, isolated, and looking for something. It doesn't help that we've been trained to not trust strangers, assume the worst about one another, and as a whole distrust people.  It doesn't have to be that way, It shouldn't be that way.  Join us as we discover what it means to open our lives to one another through hospitality and unleash joy. Show Notes: http://bible.com/events/239886  Encounter Church Elkhart - Encounter a people and a place to belong Join Us Sundays @ 10:30 AM  23830 CR 106 Elkhart, IN 46516 Encounter Church Website

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast
Podcast #770: Ultimate Home Theater in a Box for 2016

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2016 41:45


Ultimate Home Theater in a Box for 2016 Each year we design a Home Theater setup that is considerably better than a typical home theater in a box. We have seen complete setups for less than $500 from manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic that quite frankly do not sound good. While our system costs more than a name brand HTIB your satisfaction will be dramatically more. Plus we include EVERYTHING you need to actually setup a home theater.  Minimum components for our system are a HDTV, Blu-ray Player, Receiver, and 7.1 speakers. For this feature we choose components that we either have direct experience with or have experience with a similar model made by the same manufacturer. This year we have set a maximum price of $5,000. The amount we paid for our first HDTVs.  We are defining a system that can had by anyone who is serious about home theater. These systems will look and sound great by anyone's definition! Rodney: Sony XBR65X850D 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart TV (2016 model) $1,498.00 You'll be hard pressed to find a more capable 4K TV at this size and price.  It uses Sony's X1 processor which provides some of the best color, contrast, and clarity. It's also equipped with Android TV with Voice Search and Google Cast. Yamaha RX-A760BL 7.2 Channel Network AV Receiver $649.95 This receiver has everything you need to support 4K content and to listen to music streamed from your phone or off the internet. It supports 4K Ultra HD video upscaling with HDCP 2.2, HDR and BT.2020 support. Its features Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound processing. It also has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, Spotify Connect, Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM, vTuner, NAS support. BIC Acoustech PL-980 7.1 Home Theater System-NEW!! PL-200II Sub  $1,699.00 BIC America isn't as well known as Klipsch, but they've been in the speaker business for over 20 years and have a fan following. This 7.1 set comes with floor standing speakers that incorporate a 3-way multi-driver design rather than the standard 2-way design. The 4 surround speakers also have three way design and are angled so they can add more depth of sound. This set also includes a front-firing 12 inch long-throw subwoofer with BASH amplifier.  Xbox One S 500GB Console - Battlefield 1 Bundle $249.00 Instead of throwing in a standard Blu-ray player or a set top box, getting a 4K gaming system that supports HDR is way more versatile. You can watch UHD Blu-ray movies and stream 4K content on Netflix and Amazon Video. You can also play games that will utilize the home theater and put you right in the middle of the action. Logitech Harmony Companion All in One Remote Control for Smart Home and Entertainment Devices, works with Alexa $129.99 Of course a remote is needed to control all the awesomeness. So why not get a remote that can work with home automation and smartphones? You can use your Smartphone or Harmony Remote for one-touch control of your entertainment system and home automation devices. Plus it also works with Alexa. Summary With a grand total of $4,225.94 you will be the envy every man, woman, and child on your block. For that price you've got a complete 4K HDR system, with bombastic audio, gaming entertainment, and a remote that supports home automation. All that and you'll still have money leftover to buy a lots Blu-ray movies and video games.  Ara: My theme this year has been 4K HDR and Wide Color Gamut so there is no reason to move away from that now. My Ultimate Home Theater in a Box will serve you well for years to come! LG Electronics 65UH8500 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV $1697 My first HDTV was a 50 inch DLP capable of 720p. This LG gives you 15 more inches and more than 4 times the resolution for less than than half the cost. Not only that, you get better color and contrast! It's a smart TV featuring WebOS 3.0 so you'll be able to stream your 4K content from Amazon and Netflix. We have come so far since 2002.  UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Player $549 This year I have gone back to Oppo for my Blu-ray player. We have increased our budget this year and since Oppo just released this product we felt why not include it in an ultimate HTiB setup. Since most of your library probably Blu-ray at this time you need a player that can upconvert well. The UDP-203 does just that with a custom developed quad-core processor. On the audio side the player features a 8 channel 32-bit DAC from AKM that will easily handle any hi-resolution format you throw at it. All the latest sound formats are supported. Suffice it to say this is the ultimate UHD Player on the market today! Yamaha RX-A1050 7.2-Channel MusicCast AV Receiver with Built-In Wi-Fi and Bluetooth $898 I went with a receiver from this years receiver buying guide. I kind of cut costs on the receiver this year because I felt it necessary to not skimp on the speakers.  From the buying guide: Plenty of power (110W), Auto Calibration, Multidimensional sound, and wireless connectivity. I went with this model over the A850 because in addition to Dolby Atmos you also get  DTS:X and and Advanced HDMI switching! You can watch different sources in different zones. Yamaha says that this receiver employs “audiophile grade design that incorporates a rigid chassis and symmetrical amp layout with the latest ESS SABRE DACs”. RSL CG3 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System - Special Edition $1270 There are so many choices when it comes to speakers. This year I decided to go with RSL CG3s. We had Howard and Joe Rogers from RSL speakers on our show a few years ago and have since been really impressed with the company's speakers. They are some of the best speakers you will listen to, and at $1270 for a complete 7.1 system, and incredible value! What struck me was how much effort the guys put into making their speakers accurately reproduce the sound of live music. No need to upgrade these in the future. This set will pretty much last you forever! Miscellaneous You will need a remote control to tie everything together. There are many options out there and rather than specify one, I'll just allocate $250 and let you choose between Harmony, Simple Control, or iRule. The last thing to consider are cables, power strips, and connectors. We will allocate an additional $200 for these items as well. Summary There you have it! An ultimate home theater in the box for less than I spent on my first HDTV. Last year my system came in at $2,995 plus tax, this year the grand total is $4,864 plus tax. Last year's system was not future proof. This system is! Well for the next few years anyway.  

Grains from Gutteridge Podcast
026 Grains from Gutteridge – The Law of the Firstfruits

Grains from Gutteridge Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2015 65:53


Bible Teaching by Rev. Percy Gutteridge Shownotes for episode #26: The Law of the Firstfruits  Scripture Reading: Leviticus 23:9-14 Summary: There is much significance in the fact that the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Pentecost were to be celebrated on the first day of the week. It signifies God’s law of firstfruits. The Lord […]

Keep Singing: a Bethyl Walking Dead Podcast

Summary: There’s a girl - of course there is. There’s always a girl. And she’s bright and she’s beautiful and her eyes are like the sky and her voice like air. There’s a girl, and she’s everything. And then she's gone. Audio version of this: http://archiveofourown.org/works/4656291 Music courtesy of Chris Zabriskie, dustmotes, and Kai Engel.

Internet History Podcast
80. Founder of CBS Sportsline Mike Levy

Internet History Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2015 56:37


Summary:There was a time, early on in the web era, where things were very much wide open. An entrepreneur could survey the scene and say, "No one has done a great sports site yet. Why don't I build one?"Mike Levy did just that, taking on deep-pocketed incumbents like ESPN to build Sportsline (eventually, CBS Sportsline) into a lasting and powerful brand. Mike recounts Sportsline's initial incarnation as a dialup service, its partnerships early on with major sports celebrities, as well as being present for the foundations of the modern fantasy sports industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Affluent Entrepreneur Show
TES 001 - Creating a Business of Meaning

The Affluent Entrepreneur Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2015 23:03


SUMMARY: There are societal rules like finishing college, taking a job in a large firm and working hard to get promoted. Following these may mean a lot of hectic schedules and an unhealthy lifestyle. Not everyone can follow these rules of the society. So in life, you may come across the question: Do I follow my dream or do I take the easy road? People do business for different reasons. Some do it to make a profit, some do it to steal money, and others do it because they care and want to have an impact, make a difference for people that their business influences. My Analyst Framework Being an entrepreneur, doing business on some levels is easy. There are only two things that you have to manage in life:  To manage, minimize and eliminate as much downsize risk as possible. To maximize potential and boost opportunities that comes in the picture. These are below the line stuffs that answer "The How" and "The What". Above the line is where you'll find a more important question and that is: Why are you doing what you do or want to do? All the challenge lies here. You might get the "below the line stuff" right, but managing the things that lie above the line—giving meaning to your business— is not simple. The lifestyle that you have because of the business and the legacy that you build is your meaning. These inform all the decisions that we make below the line. It is necessary to have our stuff above the line, right. Otherwise, it can negatively impact the things that we have below the line: like being unable to make the correct business decisions or allowing our businesses suck the life out of us. We may dedicate our time and resources to building something, but it ends up being an empty build. There are four things we need to ask ourselves to build the above the line stuffs:   What are you dedicated to in the context of higher purpose, the meaning and everything that you are doing? What are you devoted to or who are the people that you are devoted to? What are you prepared to do and how much discipline are you prepared to bring to this game, this world called entrepreneurship? What is the energy that is driving you and the thing that wakes you up in the morning? Answer these four sets of questions, write them down, journal them the old pen and paper way. Reflect and act on them to refine and define your "Why".  Remember to subscribe and share this show. ____________________ ABOUT MEL ABRAHAM Mel is the founder of Business Breakthrough Academy and Thoughtpreneur Academy where he helps entrepreneurs bring their businesses to the world and build the lifestyle that they want. Mel is one the most sought after entrepreneurial mentor and strategic thinkers of our time. Unlike many other so called “business coaches”, Mel has lived everything he teaches and continues to do so. Mel has built, bought and sold numerous multimillion-dollar businesses for himself as well as his clients. As the author of The Entrepreneur's Solution: The Modern Millionaire's Path to More Profit, Fans & Freedom Entrepreneur, Mel's strategies have helped build thousands of businesses and have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients, ranging from large corporations to startups and small family-owned businesses. Mel is a true believer in the entrepreneurial way of life and says that this “new frontier” is the paradigm that will shift society from simply existing to living life bigger, bolder and on their own terms. Meet Mel at http://melabraham.com/ ____________________ THE ENTREPRENEUR'S SOLUTION The Entrepreneur's Solution is a weekly entrepreneur, business, wealth and lifestyle show where entrepreneur, speaker and author Mel Abraham reveals all of his business and entrepreneur building strategies. Mel is one of our time's most sought after mentors and speakers that not only teaches but also lives what he teaches. Discover how to design, create and build your business so it gives you the life and lifestyle you want. Subscribe to the free entrepreneurial podcast here: http://bit.ly/1AViEfx The Entrepreneur's Solution Blog on Tumblr: http://melabraham.tumblr.com/ ____________________ SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW Join Mel's FB Fans: https://www.facebook.com/melhabraham Tweet Mel: http://twitter.com/MelHAb Instagram: http://instagram.com/legacyentrepreneur LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/melhabraham   Website: http://MelAbraham.com

The Affluent Entrepreneur Show
TES 002 - The 5 Keys to Mastering Your Business

The Affluent Entrepreneur Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2015 32:12


SUMMARY: There are basic fundamental principles about business that you need to understand. Mastering your business requires mastering the basics. It will drive your business and escalate your success. There will be changes and shifts in market dynamics, legislation, preferences and other factors that influence a business. If you build a strong foundation for a business, we can easily respond to the changes that enable us to handles the downslopes and take advantages of new opportunities. Business Mastery Roadmap Framework When it comes to business, five basic things must be figured out. 1. Marketing: Every business needs marketing and sales process. This is the process by which you will reach out to your customers. For marketing, these are required:   ·       Customers: Who are your customers and what do they really want? We need to identify their habits, demographics, location and every other specific detail. ·       Communication: Create messages that allow you to communicate with your target market from a logical as well as an emotional stand point. ·       Connection: Understand how you will connect with your market. It is necessary to connect with them at a visceral emotional level by understanding every little detail about them. 2. Mechanics: Mechanics is about the business and how you run it? It is about the roles, rules and reporting around your business.   ·       Roles: When you start a business as a solopreneur, you play all the roles but after a certain point—even if you don't want to—you will have to let go of control and transfer your roles and it might be difficult. It is very important to know how to delegate the right roles to the right person. ·       Rules: There are several rules for play in a business. You will have to understand and know all the legal rules and they are different everywhere. ·       Reporting: These reports tell how good the business is doing, your accounts receivable and your profit and loss reporting. 3. Money: If we do business correctly, money will just follow. It deals with: ·       The Flows: How cash is flowing in and out from your business. ·       The Financial Statements: Understanding the financial end of a business. Learn financial terms, ratios and how to read financial statements like the balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and the cash flow statement. ·       The Finale: Know your end game. Do you want to sell, pass on, continue to run or let go of your business at some point? 4. Mindset: Mindset is all about- Why we do business? It is about three things: ·       Identity: Who are we and where do we stand in the marketplace? ·       Influence: Understanding the dynamics between customers, team members, vendors and other people. ·       Impact: The higher purpose of your business. Having impact with your product and services, creating a value that is greater than just goods and services, and creating something mission driven for the community. 5. Model: This is the business model itself. It is how you create, capture, campaign and cultivate value. Value is created by exchanging products and services. Create value for your customers, team, vendors, staff, management, executives, investors and for yourself. ____________________ ABOUT MEL ABRAHAM Mel is the founder of Business Breakthrough Academy and Thoughtpreneur Academy where he helps entrepreneurs bring their businesses to the world and build the lifestyle that they want. Mel is one the most sought after entrepreneurial mentor and strategic thinkers of our time. Unlike many other so called “business coaches”, Mel has lived everything he teaches and continues to do so. Mel has built, bought and sold numerous multimillion-dollar businesses for himself as well as his clients. As the author of The Entrepreneur's Solution: The Modern Millionaire's Path to More Profit, Fans & Freedom Entrepreneur, Mel's strategies have helped build thousands of businesses and have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients, ranging from large corporations to startups and small family-owned businesses. Mel is a true believer in the entrepreneurial way of life and says that this “new frontier” is the paradigm that will shift society from simply existing to living life bigger, bolder and on their own terms. Meet Mel at http://melabraham.com/ ____________________ THE ENTREPRENEUR'S SOLUTION The Entrepreneur's Solution is a weekly entrepreneur, business, wealth and lifestyle show where entrepreneur, speaker and author Mel Abraham reveals all of his business and entrepreneur building strategies. Mel is one of our time's most sought after mentors and speakers that not only teaches but also lives what he teaches. Discover how to design, create and build your business so it gives you the life and lifestyle you want. Subscribe to the free entrepreneurial podcast here: http://melabraham.com/podcast The Entrepreneur's Solution Blog on Tumblr: http://melabraham.tumblr.com/ ____________________ SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW Join Mel's FB Fans: https://www.facebook.com/melhabraham Tweet Mel: http://twitter.com/MelHAb Instagram: http://instagram.com/legacyentrepreneur LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/melhabraham   Website: http://MelAbraham.com

APOSTLE TALK  -  Future News Now!
TRENDS, TIMES AND TONGUES

APOSTLE TALK - Future News Now!

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2014 23:00


 UNIVERSITY OF EXCELLENCE WWW.UOFE.ORG  Prince Handley President / Regent TRENDS, TIMES AND TONGUES END TIME SECRETS FOR GLOBAL OUTREACH~ A MIRACLE PODCAST PRODUCTION ~ You can listen to this podcast NOW. Click the center of the Libsyn pod circle at top left. Listen now ... or download for later Or, you and listen here: LISTEN NOW  After you listen to this message, you can scroll down for all previous messages in the LibSyn Archives.  Email this message to a friend!  24/7 release of Prince Handley blogs, teachings, and podcasts >>> STREAM   Text: "follow princehandley" to 40404 (in USA)  Or, Twitter: princehandley  Subscribe to THE APOSTLES E-zine newsletter: princehandley@gmail.com  _________________________________________________  DESCRIPTION  Learn KEY demographics to help you plan mass evangelism and world outreach. Distinguishing elements for these times with suggestions for outreach. World outreach from your own home. YOU can reach the world for Messiah Jesus. PLUS:  Two of the most effective cutting edge tools for reaching the whole world for Christ. You can know the End Time secrets for global evangelism and starting new churches. Two new books from Prince Handley to help YOU do the job of world missions outreach.  _________________________________________________ TRENDS, TIMES, AND TONGUES God is eternally young. He is NOT some old man with a long beard sitting in a rocking chair! The Gospel is not only cross-cultural ... it is omni-cultural. There is always ONE benchmark to apprise whether we are effectively reaching any culture: the cross-stake. One time, after preaching to the usual mega audience, Billy Graham felt discouraged because he sensed a lack of power during the message. A close associate told him, "Billy, you forgot the cross!" In the world, and nations in particular, there are many cultures and sometimes micro cultures. Within each culture there are subcultures. Sometimes these subcultures overlap national and ethnic boundaries. For example, age stratification: a specific example of which would be youth. The micro cultures within these sub cultures constantly change; some over long periods of time, usually in less civilized, less advanced societies. TRENDS An example of a micro culture would be the age groups in Western and some European cultures labeled Generation Y(or those attempting to emulate them). Baby Boomers were born in the post WW II years of 1946 thru 1955, with a later generation from 1955 through 1965 referred to as Generation Jones (which was the first wave of Generation Y.) . They are also referred to as the Echo Generation or Millennium Generation. Generation X'ers were born after the Post WW II baby boom, from the early 1960's through early 1980's. Generation Y, also known as the Milllennials were born somewhere between the early 1980's through the early 2,000's. However Generation Y is extremely different. Many are from single parent families, or from families with two working parents ... or a grandparent who is taking care of them. As a result they are usually financially responsible and more independent. Generation Y spends more on consumer goods than Generation X, and because of their numbers, are the targets of major marketing strategies. They are STIMULATED by more information, and more options, and situations that require decision making. They are often accused of growing up too fast. What a PERFECT segment of society to reach with the message of the CROSS and then train to reach the world in these days before the return of Messiah. GEN 13 (also referred to as The Millennials) define a core of beliefs as to life style and generally fall into the age group of 25 to 35 (during 2014 through 2017). Many in this group grew up in their grandparents homes as a result of their parents' divorce. They know how to make a fast decision based upon pragmatics, especially in the area of economics and money … but can easily perceive the truth and value of the Good News when presented to them with love and sincerity. Prince Handley believes this is a KEY segment to evangelize for entry into the Last Days. Also, Prince Handley believes the greatest segment to evangelize NOW and in the future is under 15 years of age. The mass of the population (over 50 percent) in nations is under the age of 15. If you reach the young people, you will effectively: Reach the next generation and future leaders; Reach those who will have the longest lifetime of service for the LORD. Reach the greatest amount of people. NOTE: Use the Wordless Book. TIMES Sometimes culturally diverse societies have a commonality of access. For example, the Internet. As oppressive countries like Iran, China, North Korea and Islamic nations find that Internet access is NOT optional if they want to do business in the global market, they have begun bringing the Internet into their geopolitical borders. Countries like China try to control free speech and thought on the Internet but that's like trying to hide sugar from ants. Dictators who have tried to control the dissemination of information via the Internet have NOT developed an effective counter measure ... and are NOT likely to do so. The technology gap between keeping the Internet out of an oppressive regime and that regime surviving in the global market is fast closing. Check this out. The Internet is ridiculed for its ability to quickly disseminate a "lie" ... consider all the Spam hoax emails you've received. As helplessly as we try to eliminate Spam, so oppressive governments will NOT be able to"filter" out the TRUTH! Another PERFECT segment of society to reach with the message of the CROSS and then train to reach the world in these days before the return of Messiah. Think about it ... and I suggest: ACT EXPEDITIOUSLY! _________________________________________________ SUGGESTIONS 1. SEND EMAIL TO GOVERNMENT, TRADE, AND UNIVERSITY OFFICES ALL OVER THE WORLD TELLING THEM ABOUT THE WEBSITE AT WWW.UOFE.ORG FOR EMAIL ADDRESSES, LOOK IN TRADE JOURNALS, MAGAZINES, OR NEWSPAPERS. THE INTERNET IS ALSO A GOOD SOURCE. YOU MAY RECEIVE EMAIL ADDRESSES THAT ARE SENT TO YOUR WORK OR HOME, ALSO, THAT YOU MAY REPLY TO. NOBODY IS GOING TO BITE YOU. PLUS, YOU DON'T KNOW WHO IS GOING TO READ THE EMAIL ON THE OTHER END: IT MAY BE A SECRETARY … OR THE OWNER OF A BUSINESS … WHO IS READY TO COMMIT SUICIDE OR GIVE UP ON LIFE. IT MAY ALSO BE THE NEXT GREAT END TIME PROPHET! USE YOUR FAITH. DON'T BE AFRAID TO “COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES!” >>>>> SUGGESTION: SEARCH FOR EMAIL ADDRESSES IN ISRAEL >> MIRACLES, HEALING, PRAYER, AND HELP FOR YOU: WWW.HEALING.LIBSYN.COM >>> STRATEGIES FOR LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS: WWW.UOFE.ORG 7. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA: YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, SNAPCHAT, TWITTER AND OTHERS. YOU CAN DIRECT THEM TO: WWW.TWITTER.COM/PRINCEHANDLEY _________________________________________________   TONGUES For creativity, power, wisdom, and direction pray in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit knows HOW to reach the cultures and micro cultures. He is their Creator! Also, the Spirit of God will anoint your project(s). The Bible tells us, "Not by power nor by might, but by my Spirit says the Lord." The Baptism in the Holy Spirit may provide a person with a special spirit of ability or talent, such as: A spirit of craftsmanship; A spirit of music; A spirit of art; A spirit of creativity. In Exodus 31, verses 1-11, a man named Bezaleel was filled with the Spirit of God in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. He was enabled by the Spirit to work in gold, silver, and brass; in cutting and setting stones, and in carving wood: to help in the building of the tabernacle. Another example ... about 500 years later, King David said that the pattern of the temple which his son, Solomon, built was given to David "by the Spirit". "All this," said David, "the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern." [I Chronicles 28:12-19] Many times you will also need protection as you work on projects like we have discussed in this newsletter. I knew of a high school teacher who was a wonderful witness for the Jesus Christ. One day a group of students who were Satanists or witches had a curse placed on a recording. They called the teacher on his telephone to play the recording to him. Before the teacher answered the phone, the Spirit impressed him to speak in tongues when he answered the phone. The teacher obeyed the Holy Spirit – spoke in tongues – and the recording device (the player) on the other end of the line blew up (exploded). The next day at school this group of students told him they wanted what he had (about 10 of them as I remember) and he prayed with them to receive Christ! In a school of ministry where I was Dean the host pastor related a story of a Christian girl who was abducted by a group of young men. They took her in a car with the intent of raping her. The girl was a Christian, from a Christian home. Her parents were Spirit-filled; however, she had never received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly she decided it might help if she had this Power. She prayed to be baptized in the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came upon her, she spoke in tongues. The young men let her out of the car unharmed. I prayed for an aunt of mine who was in the hospital more than 1,000 miles away. I had not seen her in years. I did NOT know what was wrong with her; only that the Lord told me to call her and pray for her in tongues. I did NOT know but she had an abdominal cancer as big as a person's fist and was to have surgery the next day. When I prayed for her in tongues, the language of the Spirit, the cancer dissolved (disappeared) and she was healed instantly and did NOT have to have the surgery. Praise God! A good friend of mine, John Garlock, was raised as an MK (missionary kid) in Africa. His father, H.B. Garlock was a tremendous man of God and wrote a book named Before They Kill and Eat You. You may special order it at any most Christian book stores or from CFNI (Christ for the Nations Institute) in Dallas, Texas USA. Deep in the interior of a jungle region he encountered a tribe who had tied a native to a stake or tree and was preparing to burn him alive. The elder Garlock attempted to intercede for the man, pleading with the tribal leaders to let the man go and have mercy on him. His plans failed and they then tied up Garlock next to the native, preparing to burn them both. Garlock prayed and began to speak in tongues, the language of the Spirit. Whatever the Holy Spirit uttered through him so scared the attackers that they ran away and left the men unharmed. The Holy Spirit will also guide you as well as anoint you for creativity, power, and wisdom. Jesus said, "He [The Comforter] will guide you into all truth" ... AND ... "He will show you things to come." The Spirit will not only guide you into spiritual and scriptural truth, especially the knowledge of salvation in Jesus the Messiah, but He will guide you into truth and protect you from deception in earthly matters if you seek Him and wait on Him. He will show you things to come, not only in spiritual and scriptural issues, but also in your life ... many times warning you ahead of time of impending danger or an unwise move if you seek Him and wait on Him. The Apostle Paul received a prophecy NOT to go up to Jerusalem, but He did because the Spirit led him to. Another time he attempted to go into areas that he was constrained by the Spirit to NOT enter ... until the Spirit directed him to another place where God wanted him. Let God's Spirit guide you in the projects and fields of labor where HE wants you. He knows what is BEST for you and the people to which you are to minister! SUMMARY There are different TRENDS throughout the years and throughout your lifetime and ministry. There are different TIMES of refreshing as well as seasons of opportunity. There are different ministries as well as gifts of the Holy Spirit ... but only ONE LORD. Appropriate what He has made available to you … pray in TONGUES for direction … and never forget to communicate the MESSAGE of the CROSS: the POWER of God unto salvation!   BONUS: PLUS OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE You can reach LOTS of people for Christ by doing a “Review” on Amazon for me about these NEW two books):New Global Strategyand The Art of Christian Warfare.  The Art of Christian Warfareis a companion book toNew Global Strategy.It is much more focused on church planting and building disciples ... and also includes "tips and suggestions" for the Christian worker: on and off the field. NOTE 1: "New Global Strategy"is ONLY available in e-Book format because I placed LOTS of links (probably weeks of study in it) to help train the Christian missions director or worker. (Less pages - 37 - but lots of links). NOTE 2: "The Art of Christian Warfare"is a manual and guide for global missions:  it will get the job finished. See the contents. This book has the LARGEST amount of free pages view (for a book of this size) of any book I have ever seen on Amazon. It is 95 pages and available in BOTH e_book AND Print format. A Review for both books will be appreciated. These books will effectively prepare Christian workers for global outreach in the last days. Thanks for your help! P.S. - I did a perusal of the available books on "Missions" online and they are generally too long, too expensive and too NOT Spirit Baptism oriented.       The Art of Christian Warfare New Global Strategy  Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai Your friend, Prince Handley President / Regent University of Excellence   Copyright 2014 Prince Handley All rights reserved  ______________   24/7 Prince Handley BLOGS, teachings, and podcasts Click the Dove above _______________ World Services Box A Downey, California 90241 USA   Prince Handley Ministry Portal: www.princehandley.com Prince Handley Books: Both Print Editions and e-BooksUniversity of ExcellenceThe Believer's Intelligencia: www.uofe.orgSubscribe to The Healing and Miracle Podcasthere: SUBSCRIBESubscribe to Apostle Talk Podcasthere: SUBSCRIBE Subscribe to The Voice of Israel Podcasthere: SUBSCRIBE FREE onlineNew Testament Bible Studies in French, Spanish & English: http://www.uofe.org/bible_studies.html Apostle Talk Podcast(advanced teaching): www.apostle.libsyn.com Healing and Miracle Podcast: www.healing.libsyn.com Voice of Israel Podcast: www.podcastsatellite.libsyn.com Rabbinical Studies: www.realmiracles.com/rabbinical.htm Israel News and Prophecy: www.podcastsatellite.com If you need healing, deliverance, or prayer, email to: princehandley@gmail.com