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Send us a textHow often do you sit with a cup of herbal tea and really feel the effects that it has in your body? And if you have experienced this, what did you notice? Traditionally, through many ancient cultures plants have been allies to humans. Meditating with plants and fostering relationship with plants can be a profound way to potentiate both the plants and the meditation practice.In this special episode of The Nourished Nervous System, I am thrilled to welcome David Crow, an expert in herbalism and classical Asian medicine. We dive into an enlightening conversation about the synergy between herbs and meditation, exploring how these practices can potentiate each other. I share my serendipitous journey with David, highlighting key moments that led to deep learning experiences. David elaborates on his path studying Acupuncture, Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicine and his practices in meditation. We discuss practical applications of herbs combined with meditation to enhance healing, introducing the concept of 'illuminated herbalism.' This conversation covers the profound relationship between mindfulness and herbal practices, and I wrap up with details on David's courses and resources for those interested in this integrative approach.In this episode:David Crow's Background and JourneyIntegrating Herbal Medicine and MeditationPractical Applications and Personal ExperiencesMindful Tea Drinking: Unlocking Hidden DimensionsThe Power of Attention in Herbal PotencyUsing Herbs to Enhance Yoga Nidra and MeditationDirecting Herbal Effects with Focused AttentionPractical Applications: Herbs for Different SystemsExploring the Unity of Breath and PlantsConnect with David:WebsiteInstagramFacebookIlluminated Herbalism CourseShop with all courses and booksMy resources:Weekend Nervous System Reset Deep Rest MeditationNourished For Resilience Workbook Book a free Exploratory CallFind me at www.nourishednervoussystem.comand @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
Today, I am delighted to reconnect with Dr. Tyna Moore. She is a naturopathic physician and chiropractor, in addition to being the host of the wildly popular Dr. Tyna podcast, a bestselling author, and an international speaker offering a unique perspective for those seeking a stronger foundation for their health and well-being. In our discussion today, we dive into the importance of strength training, exploring concerns about under-fueling our bodies, and the damaging messages women currently receive about food, body size, and exercise, particularly from the health and wellness community. Dr. Tyna discusses the signs she often sees in women who underfuel their bodies, explaining how underfueling affects key hormones, including cortisol, thyroid, progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone, and the value of strength training. We also explore medications that impact bone health, including SSRIs, hormones, peptides, exosomes, and stem cells. You will not want to miss this delightfully engaging and enlightening conversation with Dr. Tyna Moore. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: Why building muscle mass is essential for avoiding frailty in later life. The cardinal signs of health and vitality for women, as we age Why disordered eating and fear of strength training are common issues among women Dr. Tyna shares her concerns about using GLP-1s for rapid weight loss. The importance of eating enough food to fuel the muscles you are trying to build Why a healthy body fat percentage, strength, mobility, good sleep, and reduced pain are far more important than appearance-based goals How not eating enough can worsen hormonal dysregulation, and how long-term use of SSRIs can significantly increase the risk of osteoporosis. Ways to regulate your hunger and prevent overeating at night The value of doing strength training a few times a week to optimize your central nervous system How peptides, exosomes, and stem cells can be beneficial- but only once you have optimized your lifestyle and foundational health Bio: Dr. Tyna Moore, ND, DC, is a leading expert in holistic regenerative medicine and metabolic resilience, with nearly three decades of experience in the regenerative medicine space. Traditionally and alternatively trained in both science and medicine, she brings a metabolic-first perspective to optimizing health from the ground up. Dr. Moore is the host of The Dr. Tyna Show podcast and an international speaker known for her direct, no-nonsense approach to strength, hormones, and longevity. With a combined following of over half a million across platforms, she has been featured on dozens of top health podcasts and stages worldwide. Through her online education programs and social media presence, Dr. Moore helps the general public and practitioners get the basics right – because without a strong metabolic foundation, no therapy, treatment, or supplement will ever deliver lasting results. Connect with Cynthia Thurlow Follow on X Instagram LinkedIn Check out Cynthia's website Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com Connect with Dr. Tyna Moore On her website The Dr. Tyna Show YouTube Instagram
Struggling with the complexities of indoor farming and looking for innovative solutions to streamline your operations? Join me as I explore groundbreaking ideas with Marcus Comaschi, R&D engineer at Gyroplant, who is revolutionizing the way we think about plant substrates in controlled environment agriculture.Marcus Comaschi, an R&D engineer at Gyroplant, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in design and engineering to the world of indoor farming. With a background that spans from working at Ford Motor to developing hydroponic systems, Marcus has a unique perspective on how to innovate within the agricultural sector. His journey from traditional engineering to creating reusable plant-holding superstructures is a testament to his passion for sustainable and efficient farming solutions.The main focus of our conversation is Gyroplant's innovative approach to eliminating traditional substrates in indoor farming. Marcus shares how his company developed reusable silicone rubber superstructures that hold plants without the need for messy, single-use materials. This advancement not only simplifies the growing process but also addresses issues of cleanliness, cost, and supply chain reliability, making it a game-changer for growers worldwide.Beyond the main topic, we delve into the challenges of standardization in the vertical farming industry and the importance of collaboration among growers and technology providers. Marcus also discusses the role of 3D printing in prototyping and developing custom solutions, highlighting how this technology has been pivotal in Gyroplant's success.Curious to learn how Gyroplant's solutions can transform your indoor farming operations? Click to listen and discover how Marcus Comaschi's insights could help you achieve cleaner, more efficient plant production.Thanks to Our SponsorsCEA Summit East - https://indoor.ag/cea-summit-east-2025/Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag/Key Takeaways0:00 Intro: Marcus Comaschi joins Vertical Farming podcast5:20 Marcus's journey from engineering to food10:41 3D printing's crucial role in prototyping18:29 Eliminating substrate: Drivers and challenges24:38 Need for standardization in vertical farming31:21 Design process for crop-specific superstructures37:42 Balancing focus and opportunities in business42:39 Closing thoughts on indoor farming's futureTweetable Quotes"We don't like to problem solve, but problem eliminate. Traditionally an engineer solves a problem and creates 20 other problems.""There's this great mesh of the engineered and the organic together in one and that's never going to go to plan initially.""I think the indoor farming world is finding its feet and we really would like to say to people to look at some of our case studies online to see how we slightly disrupted the traditional models."Resources MentionedWebsite - https://www.gyroplant.com/LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-comaschi-05b9327b/?originalSubdomain=ukConnect With UsVFP LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticalfarmingpodcastVFP Twitter - https://twitter.com/VerticalFarmPodVFP Instagram -
Send us a text◆ Wendel proves the summer market isn't just for the big boys ◆ Trio of new issues show buoyant market for banks ◆ Private credit's threat to the investment grade bond and loan marketsBoth the investment grade corporate and financial institution bond markets this week hosted stellar new issues, proving that for certain issuers the perceived lack of summer liquidity is a fiction.Wendel broke its usual issuance pattern to price a very successful new issue, proving that it isn't just the biggest blue chips that can get deals done. We ask what Wendel's success has done to the immediate pipeline in that asset class.Meanwhile, there was a hat-trick of well-received new issues from major bank issuers. We look at the options for FIG issuers across the capital stack in light of these trades.Finally, the rise of private credit is one of the hottest topics in finance. Traditionally a source of cash for sub-investment grade companies, investors are now looking to lend to the best rated borrowers. We discuss whether this is a threat to the bond and loan markets.
Climate. Weathers. History.Here's an encore episode to wrap up the mini-series on these themes!This episode on the puzzling origins of farming is one of my all-time favourites on the show. I thought it was a good time to put it out again.You can also read my essay on the topic here.Enjoy!~ORIGINAL SHOW NOTESAgriculture changed everything. Traditionally, this “Neolithic Revolution” was celebrated for opening the gates of civilisation. Recently, it has been compared to the original sin. But whatever our take on agriculture, we should be puzzled by one thing: Why did our ancestors start to farm in the first place? It's not like early farmers had improved lives. Quite the opposite, they worked harder and suffered from worse health. So why did so early farmers stick to it? And why did farming spread so far and wide?Andrea Matranga thinks he has the answer. An economic historian at the University of Torino, Matranga links agriculture to climate change. This is not a new idea — not as such. After all, agriculture developed in lockstep with the end of Ice Ages. For years, this vague link has formed my own pet-theory on the matter. But I never paused to reflect on the obvious problem with it. There was never an “Ice Age” in Sudan. Why didn't humans just farm there? Matranga has the answer to this and many other puzzles. And surprisingly, his answer is linked to the movements of Jupiter. I will let him tell you why.We begin this episode covering some previous theories on the origins of agriculture. Next, we dissect Matranga's theory and the evidence for it. Towards the end, we talk about the spread of farming — peaceful and violent — and note a neglected downside to the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. As always, we finish with my guest's reflection on humanity.LINKSYou can find my summary of Matranga's theory with links to academic articles at OnHumans.Substack.com.Do you like On Humans? Join the group of patrons at Patreon.com/OnHumans!MENTIONSNamesV. Gordon Childe | Jared Diamond | Mo Yan | Alain Testart | Robert J. Braidwood | Milutin Milanković | Feng He | James Scott | Richard B. Lee | Irven DevoreTermsNeolithic | Holocene | Pleistocene | Consumption smoothing | Malthusian limit | Milankovitch cyclesEthnic groupsNatuffians | Pacific Northwestern hunter-gatherers KeywordsAnthropology | Archaeology | Big History | Economic History | Agricultural Revolution | Neolithic Revolution | Homo Sapiens | Sapiens | Climate change | Paleoclimatology | Seasonality | Origins of Agriculture | Neolithic Revolution | Climate Change | Hunter-Gatherers | Human Civilization | Population Growth | Sedentary Lifestyle | Subsistence Farming | Evolutionary Adaptation | State Violence | Agricultural Coercion | Ancient DNA
Traditionally in this country, a bride would have taken her new husband's surname upon marriage. While this doesn't happen as much nowadays, are Gen Z women now taking up the tradition again?Joining guest host Tom Dunne to discuss is Saoirse Hanly, Columnist with the Irish Independent…
Podcast Summary This episode of the Pain Exam Podcast, hosted by Dr. David Rosenblum, discusses an interesting article about Ketorolac injections for musculoskeletal conditions. The podcast covers: Ketorolac is an NSAID that provides analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects through inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis Multiple studies comparing Ketorolac injections to corticosteroids and hyaluronic acid for various conditions Research shows Ketorolac injections are equally effective as corticosteroids for subacromial conditions, adhesive capsulitis, carpal-metacarpal joint issues, and hip/knee osteoarthritis Ketorolac may be a safer alternative to steroids for certain patients, though it has its own contraindications for those with renal, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular disease Dr. Rosenblum considers the potential of using Ketorolac injections directly at pain sites rather than intramuscularly Upcoming Courses and Conferences Ultrasound courses in New York and Costa Rica (check unwrappedpain.org) Private ultrasound sessions available Dr. Rosenblum will be speaking at Pain Week about ultrasound in pain practice and PRP Presenting at a primary care conference in London Teaching ultrasound at ISPN LAPSES conference in Chile (Dr. Rosenblum won't attend this year) Ketorolac Injections: An Effective Alternative for Musculoskeletal Pain Management Musculoskeletal conditions such as bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, and osteoarthritis affect millions and often require injectable therapies to reduce pain and inflammation. Traditionally, corticosteroid injections have been the mainstay treatment. However, concerns over side effects like tendon rupture, cartilage damage, and systemic hyperglycemia have prompted exploration of alternatives. A recent narrative review by Kiel et al. (2024) highlights ketorolac—a parenteral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)—as a promising substitute for corticosteroids in musculoskeletal injections. Warning: OFF Label use of Ketorolac discussed. Please consult your physician. See full article for details. Subacromial Ketorolac Injections for Shoulder Pain Subacromial bursitis and impingement syndrome are common causes of shoulder pain and disability. Several randomized controlled trials have shown that subacromial ketorolac injections provide pain relief and functional improvement comparable to corticosteroids: Goyal et al. demonstrated significant reductions in pain scores after subacromial injection of 60 mg ketorolac versus 40 mg methylprednisolone, with no difference in outcomes between groups. Taheri et al. found similar short-term pain relief at 1 and 3 months with either ketorolac or corticosteroid subacromial injections. Kim et al. reported equivalent clinical improvement in rotator cuff syndrome patients receiving ketorolac or triamcinolone injections. Min et al. noted ketorolac led to better forward flexion and patient satisfaction at 4 weeks compared to corticosteroids. These studies support ketorolac as an effective agent for subacromial injection, offering an alternative for patients where corticosteroid use is limited. Intra-articular Ketorolac Injections for Adhesive Capsulitis and Osteoarthritis Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) and osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and carpometacarpal joint are often treated with intra-articular corticosteroids. Ketorolac injections have shown comparable efficacy in these conditions: Akhtar et al. found intra-articular ketorolac significantly reduced shoulder pain at 4 weeks in adhesive capsulitis compared to hyaluronic acid. Ahn et al. reported similar pain relief between intra-articular ketorolac and corticosteroid injections in adhesive capsulitis, with ketorolac providing superior shoulder mobility at 3 and 6 months. Koh et al. showed that adding ketorolac to hyaluronic acid injections in carpometacarpal osteoarthritis resulted in faster onset of pain relief compared to hyaluronic acid alone. Park et al. observed equivalent functional improvements with intra-articular ketorolac or corticosteroids in hip osteoarthritis. Jurgensmeier et al. demonstrated similar symptom improvement at 1 and 3 months post-injection for ketorolac and triamcinolone in hip and knee osteoarthritis. Xu et al. and Bellamy et al. confirmed ketorolac's comparable pain relief and functional benefits to corticosteroids for knee osteoarthritis, with ketorolac being more cost-effective. Lee et al. noted quicker pain reduction with intra-articular ketorolac combined with hyaluronic acid versus hyaluronic acid alone in knee osteoarthritis. aSafety and Pharmacologic Considerations Ketorolac's anti-inflammatory action stems from cyclooxygenase inhibition, reducing prostaglandin synthesis. Its half-life is approximately 5.2–5.6 hours, and it is metabolized in the liver. Unlike corticosteroids, ketorolac avoids systemic hyperglycemia and cartilage damage risks. Animal and in vitro studies suggest ketorolac may protect cartilage by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines. While gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular risks associated with NSAIDs remain considerations, localized intra-articular and subacromial ketorolac injections may limit systemic exposure and adverse effects. Mild, transient post-injection pain has been reported but resolves without intervention. Conclusion Ketorolac injections, administered intra-articularly or subacromially, are a safe, effective, and economical alternative to corticosteroids for managing common musculoskeletal conditions. Their comparable efficacy in reducing pain and improving function, combined with a more favorable side effect profile, makes ketorolac an appealing option for clinicians and patients alike. Further research is warranted to fully elucidate long-term safety and optimal dosing strategies. FAQS Ketorolac Injections for Musculoskeletal Conditions: Frequently Asked Questions Musculoskeletal pain from conditions like bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, and osteoarthritis often requires injectable treatments. Ketorolac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is emerging as a promising alternative to corticosteroids. Below are common questions and answers based on a recent narrative review by Kiel et al. (2024). 1. What is ketorolac and how does it work? Ketorolac is a parenteral NSAID that reduces pain and inflammation by inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzymes, which decreases prostaglandin synthesis. It can be administered orally, intramuscularly, intravenously, or by injection directly into joints or around bursae. 2. How effective is ketorolac for musculoskeletal conditions? Studies show ketorolac injections provide significant pain relief and functional improvement comparable to corticosteroids in conditions like: Subacromial bursitis and shoulder impingement (subacromial injections) Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) (intra-articular injections) Osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and thumb carpometacarpal joint (intra-articular injections) 3. What evidence supports subacromial ketorolac injections? Randomized controlled trials found: Goyal et al. and Taheri et al. reported similar pain reduction and functional outcomes between ketorolac and corticosteroids for subacromial injections. Kim et al. and Min et al. observed comparable or better patient satisfaction and shoulder mobility with ketorolac versus corticosteroids. 4. How does intra-articular ketorolac compare to corticosteroids for adhesive capsulitis? Akhtar et al. showed ketorolac reduced shoulder pain more than hyaluronic acid. Ahn et al. found ketorolac and corticosteroids equally effective for pain relief, with ketorolac providing better shoulder mobility at 3 and 6 months. 5. What about ketorolac for osteoarthritis? Ketorolac combined with hyaluronic acid provided faster pain relief than hyaluronic acid alone in thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis (Koh et al.). Intra-articular ketorolac had similar efficacy to corticosteroids in hip (Park et al., Jurgensmeier et al.) and knee osteoarthritis (Bellamy et al., Xu et al.). Ketorolac injections were more cost-effective compared to corticosteroids (Bellamy et al.). 6. Are ketorolac injections safe? Ketorolac's side effects are similar to other NSAIDs, mainly involving gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular risks. However, localized intra-articular and subacromial injections may reduce systemic exposure. Animal studies suggest ketorolac does not harm cartilage and may protect against inflammatory damage. Mild, transient local pain post-injection is possible but usually resolves without treatment. 7. What are the limitations of ketorolac use? Ketorolac is not suitable for patients with: Renal impairment Gastrointestinal ulcers or bleeding risk Cardiovascular disease or hypertension NSAID hypersensitivity, especially in asthma or chronic urticaria patients Clinicians should assess individual risks before choosing ketorolac injections. 8. How does ketorolac's pharmacokinetics affect its use? Ketorolac has a plasma half-life of about 5.2 to 5.6 hours and is metabolized in the liver. Pharmacokinetics for subcutaneous or intra-articular administration are less defined but systemic absorption occurs. Its relatively short half-life supports repeated dosing if needed. 9. Why consider ketorolac over corticosteroids? Ketorolac avoids corticosteroid-associated risks such as tendon rupture, cartilage damage, and steroid-induced hyperglycemia. It is also more cost-effective, making it a favorable option for patients and healthcare systems. 10. What further research is needed? More large-scale, long-term studies are needed to fully understand ketorolac's intra-articular effects, optimal dosing, and safety profile compared to corticosteroids and other treatments. Summary: Ketorolac injections, whether intra-articular or subacromial, offer a safe, effective, and economical alternative to corticosteroids for managing various musculoskeletal conditions. This makes ketorolac an important option in pain management and inflammation control. Reference: Kiel J, Applewhite AI, Bertasi TGO, Bertasi RAO, Seemann LL, Costa LMC, Helmi H, Pujalte GGA. Ketorolac Injections for Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Narrative Review. Clinical Medicine & Research. 2024;22(1):19-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3121/cmr.2024.1847 Disclaimer: This Podcast, website and any content from NRAP Academy (PMRexam.com) otherwise known as Qbazaar.com, LLC is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. Professionals should conduct their own fact finding, research, and due diligence to come to their own conclusions for treating patients. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.
Podcast Summary This episode of the Pain Exam Podcast, hosted by Dr. David Rosenblum, discusses an interesting article about Ketorolac injections for musculoskeletal conditions. The podcast covers: Ketorolac is an NSAID that provides analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects through inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis Multiple studies comparing Ketorolac injections to corticosteroids and hyaluronic acid for various conditions Research shows Ketorolac injections are equally effective as corticosteroids for subacromial conditions, adhesive capsulitis, carpal-metacarpal joint issues, and hip/knee osteoarthritis Ketorolac may be a safer alternative to steroids for certain patients, though it has its own contraindications for those with renal, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular disease Dr. Rosenblum considers the potential of using Ketorolac injections directly at pain sites rather than intramuscularly Upcoming Courses and Conferences Ultrasound courses in New York and Costa Rica (check unwrappedpain.org) Private ultrasound sessions available Dr. Rosenblum will be speaking at Pain Week about ultrasound in pain practice and PRP Presenting at a primary care conference in London Teaching ultrasound at ISPN LAPS conference in Chile (Dr. Rosenblum won't attend this year) Ketorolac Injections: An Effective Alternative for Musculoskeletal Pain Management Musculoskeletal conditions such as bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, and osteoarthritis affect millions and often require injectable therapies to reduce pain and inflammation. Traditionally, corticosteroid injections have been the mainstay treatment. However, concerns over side effects like tendon rupture, cartilage damage, and systemic hyperglycemia have prompted exploration of alternatives. A recent narrative review by Kiel et al. (2024) highlights ketorolac—a parenteral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)—as a promising substitute for corticosteroids in musculoskeletal injections. Warning: OFF Label use of Ketorolac discussed. Please consult your physician. See full article for details. Subacromial Ketorolac Injections for Shoulder Pain Subacromial bursitis and impingement syndrome are common causes of shoulder pain and disability. Several randomized controlled trials have shown that subacromial ketorolac injections provide pain relief and functional improvement comparable to corticosteroids: Goyal et al. demonstrated significant reductions in pain scores after subacromial injection of 60 mg ketorolac versus 40 mg methylprednisolone, with no difference in outcomes between groups. Taheri et al. found similar short-term pain relief at 1 and 3 months with either ketorolac or corticosteroid subacromial injections. Kim et al. reported equivalent clinical improvement in rotator cuff syndrome patients receiving ketorolac or triamcinolone injections. Min et al. noted ketorolac led to better forward flexion and patient satisfaction at 4 weeks compared to corticosteroids. These studies support ketorolac as an effective agent for subacromial injection, offering an alternative for patients where corticosteroid use is limited. Intra-articular Ketorolac Injections for Adhesive Capsulitis and Osteoarthritis Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) and osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and carpometacarpal joint are often treated with intra-articular corticosteroids. Ketorolac injections have shown comparable efficacy in these conditions: Akhtar et al. found intra-articular ketorolac significantly reduced shoulder pain at 4 weeks in adhesive capsulitis compared to hyaluronic acid. Ahn et al. reported similar pain relief between intra-articular ketorolac and corticosteroid injections in adhesive capsulitis, with ketorolac providing superior shoulder mobility at 3 and 6 months. Koh et al. showed that adding ketorolac to hyaluronic acid injections in carpometacarpal osteoarthritis resulted in faster onset of pain relief compared to hyaluronic acid alone. Park et al. observed equivalent functional improvements with intra-articular ketorolac or corticosteroids in hip osteoarthritis. Jurgensmeier et al. demonstrated similar symptom improvement at 1 and 3 months post-injection for ketorolac and triamcinolone in hip and knee osteoarthritis. Xu et al. and Bellamy et al. confirmed ketorolac's comparable pain relief and functional benefits to corticosteroids for knee osteoarthritis, with ketorolac being more cost-effective. Lee et al. noted quicker pain reduction with intra-articular ketorolac combined with hyaluronic acid versus hyaluronic acid alone in knee osteoarthritis. aSafety and Pharmacologic Considerations Ketorolac's anti-inflammatory action stems from cyclooxygenase inhibition, reducing prostaglandin synthesis. Its half-life is approximately 5.2–5.6 hours, and it is metabolized in the liver. Unlike corticosteroids, ketorolac avoids systemic hyperglycemia and cartilage damage risks. Animal and in vitro studies suggest ketorolac may protect cartilage by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines. While gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular risks associated with NSAIDs remain considerations, localized intra-articular and subacromial ketorolac injections may limit systemic exposure and adverse effects. Mild, transient post-injection pain has been reported but resolves without intervention. Conclusion Ketorolac injections, administered intra-articularly or subacromially, are a safe, effective, and economical alternative to corticosteroids for managing common musculoskeletal conditions. Their comparable efficacy in reducing pain and improving function, combined with a more favorable side effect profile, makes ketorolac an appealing option for clinicians and patients alike. Further research is warranted to fully elucidate long-term safety and optimal dosing strategies. FAQS Ketorolac Injections for Musculoskeletal Conditions: Frequently Asked Questions Musculoskeletal pain from conditions like bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, and osteoarthritis often requires injectable treatments. Ketorolac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is emerging as a promising alternative to corticosteroids. Below are common questions and answers based on a recent narrative review by Kiel et al. (2024). 1. What is ketorolac and how does it work? Ketorolac is a parenteral NSAID that reduces pain and inflammation by inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzymes, which decreases prostaglandin synthesis. It can be administered orally, intramuscularly, intravenously, or by injection directly into joints or around bursae. 2. How effective is ketorolac for musculoskeletal conditions? Studies show ketorolac injections provide significant pain relief and functional improvement comparable to corticosteroids in conditions like: Subacromial bursitis and shoulder impingement (subacromial injections) Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) (intra-articular injections) Osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and thumb carpometacarpal joint (intra-articular injections) 3. What evidence supports subacromial ketorolac injections? Randomized controlled trials found: Goyal et al. and Taheri et al. reported similar pain reduction and functional outcomes between ketorolac and corticosteroids for subacromial injections. Kim et al. and Min et al. observed comparable or better patient satisfaction and shoulder mobility with ketorolac versus corticosteroids. 4. How does intra-articular ketorolac compare to corticosteroids for adhesive capsulitis? Akhtar et al. showed ketorolac reduced shoulder pain more than hyaluronic acid. Ahn et al. found ketorolac and corticosteroids equally effective for pain relief, with ketorolac providing better shoulder mobility at 3 and 6 months. 5. What about ketorolac for osteoarthritis? Ketorolac combined with hyaluronic acid provided faster pain relief than hyaluronic acid alone in thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis (Koh et al.). Intra-articular ketorolac had similar efficacy to corticosteroids in hip (Park et al., Jurgensmeier et al.) and knee osteoarthritis (Bellamy et al., Xu et al.). Ketorolac injections were more cost-effective compared to corticosteroids (Bellamy et al.). 6. Are ketorolac injections safe? Ketorolac's side effects are similar to other NSAIDs, mainly involving gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular risks. However, localized intra-articular and subacromial injections may reduce systemic exposure. Animal studies suggest ketorolac does not harm cartilage and may protect against inflammatory damage. Mild, transient local pain post-injection is possible but usually resolves without treatment. 7. What are the limitations of ketorolac use? Ketorolac is not suitable for patients with: Renal impairment Gastrointestinal ulcers or bleeding risk Cardiovascular disease or hypertension NSAID hypersensitivity, especially in asthma or chronic urticaria patients Clinicians should assess individual risks before choosing ketorolac injections. 8. How does ketorolac's pharmacokinetics affect its use? Ketorolac has a plasma half-life of about 5.2 to 5.6 hours and is metabolized in the liver. Pharmacokinetics for subcutaneous or intra-articular administration are less defined but systemic absorption occurs. Its relatively short half-life supports repeated dosing if needed. 9. Why consider ketorolac over corticosteroids? Ketorolac avoids corticosteroid-associated risks such as tendon rupture, cartilage damage, and steroid-induced hyperglycemia. It is also more cost-effective, making it a favorable option for patients and healthcare systems. 10. What further research is needed? More large-scale, long-term studies are needed to fully understand ketorolac's intra-articular effects, optimal dosing, and safety profile compared to corticosteroids and other treatments. Summary: Ketorolac injections, whether intra-articular or subacromial, offer a safe, effective, and economical alternative to corticosteroids for managing various musculoskeletal conditions. This makes ketorolac an important option in pain management and inflammation control. Reference: Kiel J, Applewhite AI, Bertasi TGO, Bertasi RAO, Seemann LL, Costa LMC, Helmi H, Pujalte GGA. Ketorolac Injections for Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Narrative Review. Clinical Medicine & Research. 2024;22(1):19-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3121/cmr.2024.1847 Disclaimer: This Podcast, website and any content from NRAP Academy (PMRexam.com) otherwise known as Qbazaar.com, LLC is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. Professionals should conduct their own fact finding, research, and due diligence to come to their own conclusions for treating patients. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.
Podcast Summary This episode of the Pain Exam Podcast, hosted by Dr. David Rosenblum, discusses an interesting article about Ketorolac injections for musculoskeletal conditions. The podcast covers: Ketorolac is an NSAID that provides analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects through inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis Multiple studies comparing Ketorolac injections to corticosteroids and hyaluronic acid for various conditions Research shows Ketorolac injections are equally effective as corticosteroids for subacromial conditions, adhesive capsulitis, carpal-metacarpal joint issues, and hip/knee osteoarthritis Ketorolac may be a safer alternative to steroids for certain patients, though it has its own contraindications for those with renal, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular disease Dr. Rosenblum considers the potential of using Ketorolac injections directly at pain sites rather than intramuscularly Upcoming Courses and Conferences Ultrasound courses in New York and Costa Rica (check unwrappedpain.org) Private ultrasound sessions available Dr. Rosenblum will be speaking at Pain Week about ultrasound in pain practice and PRP Presenting at a primary care conference in London Teaching ultrasound at ISPN LAPSES conference in Chile (Dr. Rosenblum won't attend this year) Ketorolac Injections: An Effective Alternative for Musculoskeletal Pain Management Musculoskeletal conditions such as bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, and osteoarthritis affect millions and often require injectable therapies to reduce pain and inflammation. Traditionally, corticosteroid injections have been the mainstay treatment. However, concerns over side effects like tendon rupture, cartilage damage, and systemic hyperglycemia have prompted exploration of alternatives. A recent narrative review by Kiel et al. (2024) highlights ketorolac—a parenteral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)—as a promising substitute for corticosteroids in musculoskeletal injections. Warning: OFF Label use of Ketorolac discussed. Please consult your physician. See full article for details. Subacromial Ketorolac Injections for Shoulder Pain Subacromial bursitis and impingement syndrome are common causes of shoulder pain and disability. Several randomized controlled trials have shown that subacromial ketorolac injections provide pain relief and functional improvement comparable to corticosteroids: Goyal et al. demonstrated significant reductions in pain scores after subacromial injection of 60 mg ketorolac versus 40 mg methylprednisolone, with no difference in outcomes between groups. Taheri et al. found similar short-term pain relief at 1 and 3 months with either ketorolac or corticosteroid subacromial injections. Kim et al. reported equivalent clinical improvement in rotator cuff syndrome patients receiving ketorolac or triamcinolone injections. Min et al. noted ketorolac led to better forward flexion and patient satisfaction at 4 weeks compared to corticosteroids. These studies support ketorolac as an effective agent for subacromial injection, offering an alternative for patients where corticosteroid use is limited. Intra-articular Ketorolac Injections for Adhesive Capsulitis and Osteoarthritis Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) and osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and carpometacarpal joint are often treated with intra-articular corticosteroids. Ketorolac injections have shown comparable efficacy in these conditions: Akhtar et al. found intra-articular ketorolac significantly reduced shoulder pain at 4 weeks in adhesive capsulitis compared to hyaluronic acid. Ahn et al. reported similar pain relief between intra-articular ketorolac and corticosteroid injections in adhesive capsulitis, with ketorolac providing superior shoulder mobility at 3 and 6 months. Koh et al. showed that adding ketorolac to hyaluronic acid injections in carpometacarpal osteoarthritis resulted in faster onset of pain relief compared to hyaluronic acid alone. Park et al. observed equivalent functional improvements with intra-articular ketorolac or corticosteroids in hip osteoarthritis. Jurgensmeier et al. demonstrated similar symptom improvement at 1 and 3 months post-injection for ketorolac and triamcinolone in hip and knee osteoarthritis. Xu et al. and Bellamy et al. confirmed ketorolac's comparable pain relief and functional benefits to corticosteroids for knee osteoarthritis, with ketorolac being more cost-effective. Lee et al. noted quicker pain reduction with intra-articular ketorolac combined with hyaluronic acid versus hyaluronic acid alone in knee osteoarthritis. aSafety and Pharmacologic Considerations Ketorolac's anti-inflammatory action stems from cyclooxygenase inhibition, reducing prostaglandin synthesis. Its half-life is approximately 5.2–5.6 hours, and it is metabolized in the liver. Unlike corticosteroids, ketorolac avoids systemic hyperglycemia and cartilage damage risks. Animal and in vitro studies suggest ketorolac may protect cartilage by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines. While gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular risks associated with NSAIDs remain considerations, localized intra-articular and subacromial ketorolac injections may limit systemic exposure and adverse effects. Mild, transient post-injection pain has been reported but resolves without intervention. Conclusion Ketorolac injections, administered intra-articularly or subacromially, are a safe, effective, and economical alternative to corticosteroids for managing common musculoskeletal conditions. Their comparable efficacy in reducing pain and improving function, combined with a more favorable side effect profile, makes ketorolac an appealing option for clinicians and patients alike. Further research is warranted to fully elucidate long-term safety and optimal dosing strategies. FAQS Ketorolac Injections for Musculoskeletal Conditions: Frequently Asked Questions Musculoskeletal pain from conditions like bursitis, adhesive capsulitis, and osteoarthritis often requires injectable treatments. Ketorolac, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is emerging as a promising alternative to corticosteroids. Below are common questions and answers based on a recent narrative review by Kiel et al. (2024). 1. What is ketorolac and how does it work? Ketorolac is a parenteral NSAID that reduces pain and inflammation by inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzymes, which decreases prostaglandin synthesis. It can be administered orally, intramuscularly, intravenously, or by injection directly into joints or around bursae. 2. How effective is ketorolac for musculoskeletal conditions? Studies show ketorolac injections provide significant pain relief and functional improvement comparable to corticosteroids in conditions like: Subacromial bursitis and shoulder impingement (subacromial injections) Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) (intra-articular injections) Osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, and thumb carpometacarpal joint (intra-articular injections) 3. What evidence supports subacromial ketorolac injections? Randomized controlled trials found: Goyal et al. and Taheri et al. reported similar pain reduction and functional outcomes between ketorolac and corticosteroids for subacromial injections. Kim et al. and Min et al. observed comparable or better patient satisfaction and shoulder mobility with ketorolac versus corticosteroids. 4. How does intra-articular ketorolac compare to corticosteroids for adhesive capsulitis? Akhtar et al. showed ketorolac reduced shoulder pain more than hyaluronic acid. Ahn et al. found ketorolac and corticosteroids equally effective for pain relief, with ketorolac providing better shoulder mobility at 3 and 6 months. 5. What about ketorolac for osteoarthritis? Ketorolac combined with hyaluronic acid provided faster pain relief than hyaluronic acid alone in thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis (Koh et al.). Intra-articular ketorolac had similar efficacy to corticosteroids in hip (Park et al., Jurgensmeier et al.) and knee osteoarthritis (Bellamy et al., Xu et al.). Ketorolac injections were more cost-effective compared to corticosteroids (Bellamy et al.). 6. Are ketorolac injections safe? Ketorolac's side effects are similar to other NSAIDs, mainly involving gastrointestinal, renal, and cardiovascular risks. However, localized intra-articular and subacromial injections may reduce systemic exposure. Animal studies suggest ketorolac does not harm cartilage and may protect against inflammatory damage. Mild, transient local pain post-injection is possible but usually resolves without treatment. 7. What are the limitations of ketorolac use? Ketorolac is not suitable for patients with: Renal impairment Gastrointestinal ulcers or bleeding risk Cardiovascular disease or hypertension NSAID hypersensitivity, especially in asthma or chronic urticaria patients Clinicians should assess individual risks before choosing ketorolac injections. 8. How does ketorolac's pharmacokinetics affect its use? Ketorolac has a plasma half-life of about 5.2 to 5.6 hours and is metabolized in the liver. Pharmacokinetics for subcutaneous or intra-articular administration are less defined but systemic absorption occurs. Its relatively short half-life supports repeated dosing if needed. 9. Why consider ketorolac over corticosteroids? Ketorolac avoids corticosteroid-associated risks such as tendon rupture, cartilage damage, and steroid-induced hyperglycemia. It is also more cost-effective, making it a favorable option for patients and healthcare systems. 10. What further research is needed? More large-scale, long-term studies are needed to fully understand ketorolac's intra-articular effects, optimal dosing, and safety profile compared to corticosteroids and other treatments. Summary: Ketorolac injections, whether intra-articular or subacromial, offer a safe, effective, and economical alternative to corticosteroids for managing various musculoskeletal conditions. This makes ketorolac an important option in pain management and inflammation control. Reference: Kiel J, Applewhite AI, Bertasi TGO, Bertasi RAO, Seemann LL, Costa LMC, Helmi H, Pujalte GGA. Ketorolac Injections for Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Narrative Review. Clinical Medicine & Research. 2024;22(1):19-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3121/cmr.2024.1847 Disclaimer: This Podcast, website and any content from NRAP Academy (PMRexam.com) otherwise known as Qbazaar.com, LLC is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. Professionals should conduct their own fact finding, research, and due diligence to come to their own conclusions for treating patients. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.
Traditionally in this country, a bride would have taken her new husband's surname upon marriage. While this doesn't happen as much nowadays, are Gen Z women now taking up the tradition again?Joining guest host Tom Dunne to discuss is Saoirse Hanly, Columnist with the Irish Independent…
In this episode of the Building PA Podcast, co-hosts Jon O'Brien and Chris Martin dive into a significant legal case that has captured the attention of the construction industry in Pennsylvania, the Clearfield County Jail case. Joined by legal expert Mike Pascoe from Ice Miller, the discussion centers around the implications of a legal doctrine known as "nullum tempus" and its potential application to the statute of repose in construction law.The episode begins with Jon and Chris introducing Mike Pascoe, who provides a brief overview of his background in construction litigation. Mike explains that the Clearfield County case involves a renovation of a jail built 40 years ago, during which it was discovered that critical structural elements were missing. The county is now facing an estimated $4 million in costs to rectify these issues. Traditionally, contractors and design professionals would not be held liable for problems arising after such a long period, but the county is arguing that the nullum tempus doctrine should allow them to pursue legal action indefinitely.As the conversation unfolds, Mike elaborates on the differences between the statute of limitations and the statute of repose, emphasizing that the latter provides a definitive end date for legal claims. The Clearfield County case is significant because it challenges the long-standing understanding of these legal principles, potentially allowing public entities to sue contractors and designers long after the completion of a project.Jon and Chris express their concerns about the ramifications of this case for the construction industry, particularly regarding the burden it could place on contractors who may be held liable for work completed decades ago. They discuss the practical implications of maintaining extensive documentation for projects that could be scrutinized many years later, highlighting the challenges of record-keeping in an industry where practices have evolved significantly over the decades.The episode also touches on the financial implications of storing project data over long periods, with Mike providing eye-opening statistics on the costs associated with data management. The discussion underscores the importance of finality in construction contracts and the potential chaos that could ensue if public entities are allowed to pursue claims indefinitely.As the episode wraps up, Mike shares insights into the current status of the case, including the timeline for briefs and the potential for oral arguments before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The co-hosts express their commitment to keeping their audience informed about the developments in this case, recognizing its far-reaching impact on the construction industry.
Traditionally divers took on risky tasks in the aquaculture industry like pressure cleaning and repairing nets.
After subscribing to a few Continued ProfessionalDevelopment newsletters and seeing the option for Single Session Therapy on my university's counselling form, I finally decided it was time to investigate this type of psychotherapy in more detail. Traditionally, we know that psychological therapy can take months of therapy sessions to be fully effective and to improve a client's life for the better. Yet some therapists and researchers argue that a single session of psychological therapy is more than enough for some clients. Therefore, in this clinical psychology podcast episode, you'll learn what is single session therapy, what is the evidence base for single session therapy and how might Single Session Therapy be used in the future. If you enjoy learning about mental health, psychotherapy and psychological treatment then this will be a great episode for you.In the psychology news section, you'll learn about the "big problem paradox" and why the bigger the problem, the smaller it seems, why it's important to capture the realities of chronic illness, and how children can spot the kindness in inclusive language too. LISTEN NOW!If you want to support the podcast, please check out:FREE AND EXCLUSIVE 8 PSYCHOLOGY BOOK BOXSET- https://www.subscribepage.io/psychologyboxsetCBT For Depression: A Clinical Psychology Introduction To Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Depression- https://www.connorwhiteley.net/cbt-for-depression Available from all major eBook retailers and you can order the paperback and hardback copies from Amazon, your local bookstore and local library, if you request it. Also available as an AI-narrated audiobook from selected audiobook platforms and libraries systems. For example, Kobo, Spotify, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Overdrive, Baker and Taylor and Bibliotheca. Patreon- patreon.com/ThePsychologyWorldPodcast#SingleSessionTherapy #clinicalpsychology #mentalhealth #clinicalmentalhealth #clinicalpsychologist #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthsupport #mentalhealthadvocate #psychology #psychology_facts #psychologyfacts #psychologyfact #psychologystudent #psychologystudents #podcast #podcasts
Episode SummaryIn this poignant episode of Journey of Hope, host Elio Constantine welcomes Milad, lead pastor at Hope Evangelical Church in Southern Lebanon and field manager for Heaert For Lebanon's Ministry Center. They delve into the lives of two often-overlooked and marginalized groups in Lebanon: the Bedouins and the Gypsies (Dom and Raja).Milad, who has worked with these communities for years, sheds light on their distinct cultures, histories, and the severe challenges they face, including deep-seated societal discrimination, poverty, and lack of access to essential services like education and healthcare. The conversation highlights the heartbreaking realities these communities endure, such as forced temporary housing, children leaving school early, and limited employment opportunities.Despite the immense difficulties, Heart For Lebanon is actively working to bring hope and transformation. Milad shares how the organization offers educational opportunities through their Hope Center, provides mobile learning experiences with the "Hope on Wheels" truck, distributes essential relief packages, and conducts awareness workshops on legal rights, health, and dignity.A powerful testament to their work is the story of Hassan, a Dom community member who, despite lacking official documents and facing severe discrimination, found employment, education, and spiritual transformation through Heart For Lebanon, eventually getting baptized and becoming a beloved staff member. The episode underscores Heart For Lebanon's commitment to making disciples and extending Christ's love to all, regardless of societal standing, and invites listeners to support their mission through prayer and investment.Show NotesUnderstanding the BedouinsIdentity: Nomadic, desert-dwelling Arab groups known for loyalty, welcoming guests, and oral storytelling traditions.Origin & Lifestyle: Historically from the Arabian Peninsula and Syrian Desert, they followed cattle for grazing. Many now live in valleys or city edges in Lebanon while maintaining their way of life.Economic Activities: Traditionally raised animals and traded along routes. Today, many engage in seasonal work like olive picking due to changing circumstances.Challenges: Difficulty accessing official services like healthcare and education. Face significant societal discrimination, making it hard for Bedouin men to marry Lebanese locals. Children often experience discrimination in public schools.Understanding the Gypsies (Dom, Raja, and Ti)Identity: A small group with roots in South Asia, related to the Romani people. Approximately 8,000 live in Lebanon.Language & Religion: Speak Bari and Arabic; most are of Sunni Muslim background.History & Culture: Arrived in Lebanon centuries ago from South Asia via the Middle East and North Africa. Known for rich musical traditions, crafts, and storytelling. Traditionally performed at celebrations, did seasonal jobs, or made metal goods.Economic Activities & Stigma: Often associated with begging, sex trafficking, and illicit trade. Face severe societal distrust and are rarely hired by Lebanese locals. Girls are sometimes sent to work as dancers in other countries.Challenges: Face extreme social exclusion, low school attendance (even in private schools), poverty, and bias in services. Often forced to live in temporary housing on government or municipal land.Heart For Lebanon's Response and ImpactDignity and Love: Heart For Lebanon treats members of both communities with dignity and Christ-like love.Education: Offers education at their Hope Center, teaching reading, writing, math, and science, along with kindness and respect. Operates "Hope on Wheels," a mobile truck bringing fun and learning directly to camps and tent areas.Relief and Support: Regularly distributes food packages, cleaning supplies, and hygiene kits through their family care and relief program.Awareness Workshops: Provides sessions on legal rights, health, hygiene, dignity, and family issues (e.g., harm of early/child marriage).Spiritual Support: Staff regularly visit homes and tents, leading small Bible study groups and encouraging worship. Churches in the Bekka Valley and Southern Lebanon are welcoming places for both communities.Call to Action:Pray for Heart For Lebanon's work and the communities they serve.Join the Heart For Lebanon prayer ministry: Hartford Lebanon | Prayer.Your support helps expand kingdom work and brings love to those deemed irrelevant by society.Join our email list to stay up-to-date on how God is moving in Lebanon:Email Elio: podcast@heartforlebanon.org https://heartforlebanon.org/emailsignup/ Like, comment & subscribe to stay updated with the latest content!FOLLOW Heart For Lebanon:Website: https://heartforlebanon.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartforlebanon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartforLebanonTwitter: https://twitter.com/HeartForLebanon #HeartForLebanon #Lebanon #Missions
The Rod and Greg Show Daily Rundown – Friday, August 1, 20254:20 pm: Jason Hopkins, Immigration Reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation, joins the show to discuss his recent piece on how Latinos living on the southern border are pleased with President Trump's increased immigration enforcement.4:38 pm: John Daniel Davidson, Senior Correspondent at The Federalist, joins the show for a conversation about his recent piece on why it's time to get women out of men's spaces.6:05 pm: Corey DeAngelis, Senior Fellow at the American Culture Project and a Visiting Fellow for the American Institute for Economic Research, joins the show to discuss his Fox News piece about what was revealed in a leaked National Education Association handbook. 6:20 pm: Hans von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, joins the show for a conversation about his piece on the 85th birthday of Bugs Bunny, and how the cartoon character's antics of yesteryear wouldn't go over well with today's woke generation.6:38 pm: We'll listen back to this week's conversations with Jonathan Freedman, Chief Executive Officer of World Trade Center Utah, about how the trade deal Donald Trump has worked out with the European Union could affect Utah, and (at 6:50 pm) with Chris Talgo, Editorial Director for The Heartland Institute, on President Trump's plan to rescind some of the Obama-era's anti-fossil fuel EPA regulations.
The one and only WR? Podcast is back for a brand new rendition! Welcome to episode 265! This week's "open" covers the recent passing of Hulk Hogan, Happy Gilmore 2, and a two-night WWE Summerslam Preview! Then it's back to the movies. Welcome back to a F@12AM "Double Feature" with 2 newer releases! We take a look at "Until Dawn" and one of A24's latest, "Death of a Unicorn". Traditionally, we head on down to the lagoon and waterfall to close everything out for the week. Please enjoy responsibly!Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro: The recent passing of Hulk Hogan, Happy Gilmore 2, and a two-night WWE Summerslam Preview00:58:10 - Friday's at Midnight: Until Dawn (2025)01:08:43 - Friday's at Midnight: Death of a Unicorn (2025)01:18:00 - Goofs R GoofsThanks for Listening!PRESENTED by CHURCHILL PICTURES
At the conclusion of this Shabbat, the Jewish community will commemorate Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av. It's a day steeped in mourning and reflection. Traditionally, it commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples—the first attributed to the ancient Israelites' idol worship, immorality, and bloodshed; the second to Sinat Chinam, or baseless hatred. In each case, it was not divine vengeance that brought about devastation, but the maleficence of mere human beings. Jewish tradition is quite blunt on this point: man's own moral failings unraveled the fabric of society and led to catastrophe.Each week, a member of the clergy offers their personal perspective on a topic of their choice, such as the week's Torah portion, a Jewish holiday, ritual, custom, or history. Facebook: Wilshire Boulevard TempleWebsite: wbtla.orgYoutube: Wilshire Boulevard TempleInstagram: wilshireboulevardtemple
August 1st marks a powerful turning point on the Wheel of the Year - Lughnasadh, the first of the three harvest festivals and the midpoint between summer and autumn. Traditionally a celebration of ripened grain and community feasts, Lughnasadh also invites us modern witches to turn inward and ask:What am I harvesting in my own life right now?In this episode of Stay Magic, we're exploring the spiritual magic of Lughnasadh and how this season invites reflection, gratitude, and intentional planning for the months ahead. We'll talk about:
My fellow pro-growth/progress/abundance Up Wingers,The innovation landscape is facing a difficult paradox: Even as R&D investment has increased, productivity per dollar invested is in decline. In his recent co-authored paper, The next innovation revolution—powered by AI, Michael Chui explores AI as a possible solution to this dilemma.Today on Faster, Please! — The Podcast, Chui and I explore the vast potential for AI-augmented research and the challenges and opportunities that come with applying it to the real-world.Chui is a senior fellow at QuantumBlack, McKinsey's AI unit, where he leads McKinsey research in AI, automation, and the future of work.In This Episode* The R&D productivity problem (01:21)* The AI solution (6:13)* The business-adoption bottleneck (11:55)* The man-machine team (18:06)* Are we ready? (19:33)Below is a lightly edited transcript of our conversation. The R&D productivity problem (01:21)All the easy stuff, we already figured out. So the low-hanging fruit has been picked, things are getting harder and harder.Pethokoukis: Do we understand what explains this phenomenon where we seem to be doing lots of science, and we're spending lots of money on R&D, but the actual productivity of that R&D is declining? Do we have a good explanation for that?I don't know if we have just one good explanation. The folks that we both know have been both working on what are the causes of this, as well as what are some of the potential solutions, but I think it's a bit of a hidden problem. I don't think everyone understands that there are a set of people who have looked at this — quite notably Nick Bloom at Stanford who published this somewhat famous paper that some people are familiar with. But it is surprising in some sense.At one level, it's amazing what science and engineering has been able to do. We continue to see these incredible advances, whether it's in AI, or biotechnology, or whatever; but also, what Nick and other researchers have discovered is that we are producing less for every dollar we spend in R&D. That's this little bit of a paradox, or this challenge, that we see. What some of the research we've been trying to do is understand, can AI try to contribute to bending those curves?. . . I'm a computer scientist by training. I love this idea of Moore's Law: Every couple of years you can double the number of transistors you can put on a chip, or whatever, for the same amount of money. There's something called “Eroom's Law,” which is Moore spelled backwards, and basically it said: For decades in the pharmaceutical industry, the number of compounds or drugs you would produce for every billion dollars of R&D would get cut in half every nine years. That's obviously moving in the wrong direction. That challenge, I don't think everyone is aware of, but one that we need to address.I suppose, in a way, it does make sense that as we tackle harder problems, and we climb the tree of knowledge, that it's going to take more time, maybe more researchers, the researchers themselves may have to spend more time in school, so it may be a bit of a hidden problem, but it makes some intuitive sense to me.I think there's a way to think about it that way, which is: All the easy stuff, we already figured out. So the low-hanging fruit has been picked, things are getting harder and harder. It's amazing. You could look at some of the early papers in any field and it have a handful of authors, right? The DNA paper, three authors — although it probably should have included Rosalyn Franklin . . . Now you look at a physics paper or a computer science paper — the author list just goes on sometimes for pages. These problems are harder. They require more and more effort, whether it's people's talents, or whether it's computing power, or large-scale experiments, things are getting harder to do. I think there's ways in which that makes sense. Are there other ways in which we could improve processes? Probably, too.We could invest more in research, make it more efficient, and encourage more people to become researchers. To me, what's more exciting than automating different customer service processes is accelerating scientific discovery. I think that's what makes AI so compelling.That is exactly right. Now, by the way, I think we need to continue to invest in basic research and in science and engineering, I think that's absolutely important, but —That's worth noting, because I'm not sure everybody thinks that, so I'm glad you highlighted that.I don't think AI means that everything becomes cheaper and we don't need to invest in both human talent as well as in research. That's number one.Number two, as you said, we spend a lot of time, and appropriately so, talking about how AI can improve productivity, make things more efficient, do the things that we do already cheaper and faster. I think that's absolutely true. But we had the opportunity to look over history, and what has actually improved the human condition, what has been one of the things that has been necessary to improve the human condition over decades, and centuries, and millennia, is, in fact, discovering new ideas, having scientific breakthroughs, turning those scientific breakthroughs into engineering that turn into products and services, that do everything from expand our lifespans to be able to provide us with food, more energy. All those sorts of things require innovation, require R&D, and what we've discovered is the potential for AI, not only to make things more efficient, but to produce more innovation, more ideas that hopefully will lead to breakthroughs that help us all.The AI solution (6:13)I think that's one of the other potentials of using AI, that it could both absorb some of the experience that people have, as well as stretch the bounds of what might be possible.I've heard described as an “IMI,” it's an invention that makes more invention. It's an invention of a method of invention. That sounds great — how's it going to do that?There are a couple of ways. We looked at three different channels through which AI could improve this process of innovation and R&D. The first one is just increasing the volume, velocity, and variety of different candidates. One way you could think about innovation is you create a whole bunch of candidates and then you filter them down to the ones that might be most effective. Number one, you can just fill that funnel faster, better, and with greater variety. That's number one.The candidates could be a molecule, it could be a drug, it could be a new alloy, it could be lots of things.Absolutely, or a design for a physical product. One of the interesting things is, this quote-unquote “modern AI” — AI's been around for 70 years — is based on foundation models, these large artificial neural networks trained on huge amounts of data, and they produce unstructured outputs. In many cases, language, we talk about LLMs.The interesting thing is, you can train these foundation models not just to generate language, but you can generate a protein, or a drug candidate, as you were saying. You can imagine the prompt being, “Please produce 10 drug candidates that address this condition, but without the following side effects.” That's not exactly how it works, but roughly speaking, that's the potential to generate these things, or generate an electrical circuit, or a design for an air foil or an airframe that has these characteristics. Being able to just generate those.The interesting thing is, not only can you generate them faster, but there's this idea that you can create more variety. We're usefully proud as humans about our creativity, but also, that judgment or that training that we have, that experience sometimes constrains it. The famous example was some folks created this machine called AlphaGo which was meant to compete against the world champion in this game called Go, a very complex strategic game. Famously, it beat the world champion, but one of the things it did is this famous Move 37, this move that everyone who was an expert at Go said, “That is nuts. Why would you possibly do that?” Because the machine was a little bit more unconstrained, actually came up with what you might describe as a creative idea. I think that's one of the other potentials of using AI, that it could both absorb some of the experience that people have, as well as stretch the bounds of what might be possible.So you come up with the design, and then a variety of options, and then AI can help model and test them.Exactly. So you generate a broader and more voluminous set of potential designs, candidates, whether it's molecules, or chemicals, or what have you. Now you need to narrow that down. Traditionally you would narrow it down either one, through physical testing — so put something into a wind tunnel or run it through the water if you're looking at a boat design, or something like that, or put it in an electromagnetic chamber and see how the antenna operates. You'd either test it physically, and then, of course, lots of people figured out how to use physics, mathematical equations, in order to create “digital twins.” So you have these long acronyms like CFD for computational fluid dynamics, basically a virtual wind tunnel, or what have you. Or you have finite element analysis, another way to model how a structure might perform, or computational electromagnetic modeling. All these ways that you can use physics to simulate things, and that's been terrific.But some of those models actually take hours, sometimes days, to run these models. It might be faster than building the physical prototype and then modeling it — again, sometimes you just wait until something breaks, you're doing failure testing. Then you could do that in a computer using these models. But sometimes they take a really long time, and one of the really interesting discoveries in “AI” is you can use that same neural network that we've used to simulate cognition or intelligence, but now you use it to simulate physical systems. So in some ways it's not AI, because you're not creating an artificial intelligence, you're creating an artificial wind tunnel. It's just a different way to model physics. Sometimes these problems get even more complicated . . . If you're trying to put an antenna on an airplane, you need to know how the airflow is going to go over it, but you need to know whether or not the radio frequency stuff works out too, all that RF stuff.So these multiphysics models, the complexity is even higher, and you can train these neural nets . . . even faster than these physics-based models. So we have these things called AI surrogate models. They're sort of surrogates. It's two steps removed, in some ways, from actual physical testing . . . Literally we've seen models that can run in minutes rather than hours, or an hour rather than a few days. That can accelerate things. We see this in weather forecasting in a number of different ways in which this can happen. If you can generate more candidates and then test them faster, you can imagine the whole R&D process really accelerating.The business-adoption bottleneck (11:55)We know that companies are using AI surrogates, deep learning surrogates, already, but is it being applied as many places as possible? No, it isn't.Does achieving your estimated productivity increases depend more on further technological advances or does it depend more on how companies adopt and implement the technology? Is the bottleneck still in the tech itself, or is it more about business adaptation?Mostly number two. The technology is going to continue to advance. As a technologist, I love all that stuff, but as usual, a lot of the challenges here are organizational challenges. We know that companies are using AI surrogates, deep learning surrogates, already, but is it being applied as many places as possible? No, it isn't. A lot of these things are organizational. Does it match your strategy, for instance? Do you have the right talent and organization in place?Let me just give one very specific example. In a lot of R&D organizations we know, there's a separate organization for physical testing and a separate organization for simulations. Simulation, in many cases, us physics-based, but you add these deep-learning surrogates as well. That doesn't make sense at some level. I'm not saying physical testing goes away, but you need to figure out when you should physically test, when you should use which simulation methods, when you should use deep-learning surrogates or AI techniques, et cetera, and that's just one organizational difference that you could make if you were in an organization that was actually taking this whole testing regime seriously, where you're actually parsing out when the optimal amount of physical testing is versus simulation, et cetera. There's a number of things where that's true.Even before AI, historically, there was a gap between novel, new technologies, what they can do in lab settings, and then how they're applied in real-world research or in business environments. That gap, I would guess, probably requires companies to rewire how they operate, which takes time.It is indeed, and it's funny that you use the word “rewiring.” My colleagues wrote a book entitled Rewired, which literally is about the different ways, together, that you need to, as you say, rewire or change the way an organization operates. Only one of those six chapters is around the tech stack. It's still absolutely important. You've got to get all that stuff right. But it is mostly all of the other things surrounding how you change and what organization operates in order to bring the full value of this together to reach scale.We also talk about pilot purgatory: “We did this cool experiment . . .” but when is it good enough that the CFOs talks about it at the quarterly earnings report? That requires the organization to change the way it operates. That's the learning we've seen all the time.We've been serving thousands of executives on their use of AI for seven years now. Nearly 80 percent of organizations say they're regularly using AI someplace in the business, but in a separate survey, only one percent say they're mature in that usage. There's this giant gap between just using AI and then actually having the value be created. And by the way, organizations that are creating that value are accelerating their performance difference. If you have a much more productive R&D organization that churns out products that are successful in the market, you're going to be ahead of your competitors, and that's what we're seeing too.Is there a specific problem that comes up over and over again with companies, either in their implementation of AI, maybe they don't trust it, they may not know how to use it? What do you think is the problem?Unfortunately, I don't think there's just one thing. My colleagues who do this work on Rewired, for instance — you kind of have to do all those things. You do have to have the right talent and organization in place. You have to figure out scaling, for instance. You have to figure out change management. All of those things together are what underpins outsized performance, so all those things have to be done.So if companies are successful, what is the productivity impact you see? We're talking about basically the current technology level, give or take. We're not talking about human-level AI, superintelligence, we're talking about AI more or less as it exists today. Everybody wants to accelerate productivity: governments around the world, companies. So give me a feel for that.There are different measures of productivity, but here what we're talking about is basically: How many new products, successful products, can you put out in the market? Our modeling says, depending on your industry, you could double your productivity, in other words, of R&D. In other words, you could put out double the amount of products and services — new products and services — that you have been previously.Now, that's not true for every industry. By the way, the impact of that is different for different industries because for some industries you are dependent — In pharmaceuticals, the majority of your value comes from producing new products and services over time because eventually the patent runs out or whatever. There are other industries, we talk about science-based industries like chemicals, for instance. The new-product development process in chemicals is very, very close to the science of chemistry. So these levers that I just talked about — producing more candidates, being able to evaluate them more quickly, and all the other things that LLMs can do, in general, we could see potential doubling in the pace of which innovation happens.On the other hand, the chemicals industry — let's leave out specialty chemicals, but the commodity chemicals — they'll still produce ethylene, right? So to a certain extent, while the R&D process can be accelerated a great deal, the EBIT [Earnings Before Interest and Taxes] impact on the industry might be lower than it is for pharmaceuticals, for instance. But still, it's valuable. And then, again, if you're in specialty chem, it means a lot to you. So depending on where you sit in your position in the market, it can vary, but the potential is really high.The man-machine team (18:06)At least for the medium term, we're not going to be able to get rid of all the people. The people are going to be absolutely important to the process.Will future R&D look more like researchers augmented by AI or AI systems assisted by researchers? Who's the assistant in this equation? Who's working for who?It's “all of the above” and it depends on how you decide to use these technologies, but we even write in our paper that we need to be thoughtful about where you put the human in the loop. Every study, the conditions matter, but there are lots of studies where you say, look, the combination of machines and humans — so AI and researchers — is the most powerful combination. Each brings their respective strengths to it, but the funny thing is that sometimes the human biases actually decrease the performance of the overall system, and so, oh, maybe we should just go with machines. At least for the medium term, we're not going to be able to get rid of all the people. The people are going to be absolutely important to the process.When is it that people either are necessary to the process or can be helpful? In many cases, it is around things like, when is it that you need to make a decision that's a safety-critical decision, a regulatory decision where you just have to have a person look at it? That's the sort of necessity argument for people in the loop. But also, there are things that machines just don't do well enough yet, and there's a little bit of that.Are we ready? (19:33). . . AI is one of those things that can produce potentially more of those ideas that can underpin, hopefully, an improved quality of life for us and our children.If we can get more productive R&D, and then businesses get better at incorporating this into their processes and they could potentially generate more products and services, do we have a government ready for that world of accelerated R&D? Can we handle that flow? My bias says probably not, but please correct me if I'm wrong.I think one of the interesting things is people talk about AI regulation. In many of these industries, the regulations already exist. We have regulations for what goes out in pharmaceuticals, for instance. We have regulations in the aviation industry, we have regulations in the automobile industry, and in many ways, AI in the R&D process doesn't change that — maybe it should, people talk about, can you actually accelerate the process of approving a drug, for instance, but that wasn't the thing that we studied. In some ways, those processes are applied now, already, so that's something that doesn't necessarily have to changeThat said, are some of these potential innovations gated by approval processes or clinical trials processes? Absolutely. In some of those cases, the clinical trials process gait is not necessarily a regulation, but we know there's a big problem just finding enough potential subjects in order to do clinical trials. That's not a regulatory problem, that's a problem of finding people who are good candidates for actually testing these drugs.So yes, in some cases, even if we were able to double the amount of candidates that can go through the funnel on a number of these things, there will be these exogenous issues that would constrain society's ability to bring these to market. So that just says, you squeeze the balloon here and it opens up there, but let's go solve each of these problems, and one of the problems that we said that AI can help solve is increasing the number of things that you could potentially put into market if it can get past the other necessities.For a general public where so much of what they're hearing about AI tends to be about job loss, or are they stealing copyrighted material, or, yeah, people talk about these huge advances, but they're not seeing them yet. What is your elevator optimistic pitch why you may be worried about the impact of AI, but here's why I'm excited about it? Why are you excited by it?By the way, I think all those things are really important. All of those concerns, and how do we reskill the workforce, all those things, and we've done work on that as well. But the thing that I'm excited about is we need innovation, we need new ideas, we need scientific advancements, and engineering that turns them into products in order for us to improve their human condition, whether it's living longer lives, or living higher quality life, whether it's having the energy, whether it's to be able to support that in a way that doesn't cause other problems. All of those things, we need to have them, and what we've discovered is AI is one of those things that can produce potentially more of those ideas that can underpin, hopefully, an improved quality of life for us and our children.On sale everywhere The Conservative Futurist: How To Create the Sci-Fi World We Were PromisedMicro Reads▶ Economics* The Tariffs Kicked In. The Sky Didn't Fall. Were the Economists Wrong? - NYT Opinion* AI Disruption Is Coming for These 7 Jobs, Microsoft Says - Barron's* One Way to Ease the US Debt Crisis? 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Traditionally, headcount equals scale. But in the age of AI, is this still true? In this episode, we're joined by Amos Bar Joseph, the co-founder of Swan AI, the first autonomous business. Their goal? Reaching $30 million in ARR with just three founders and a powerful fleet of AI agents. Amos explains how he is building an enterprise-level business with just three employees, and how Swan AI's autonomous business model is different from traditional AI-powered businesses. While most companies simply bolt AI onto existing workflows to automate repetitive processes, Swan AI is designed around agentic workflows, where AI agents operate with memory, goals, and decision-making capabilities. It's not just automation; it's intelligent delegation. Amos is quick to clarify: this isn't about replacing humans, it's about giving small teams superpowers. He explained how each agent is purpose-built to make their founders 100x more effective, by designing agents around them, rather than 1:1 replacing a hire. Amos explains how to ensure your agents stay accurate and aligned with business objectives, avoiding ‘hallucinations' and maintaining customer trust. He also shares when to stick with classic workflows and when to switch to agents for higher-level tasks. We also tackle the provocative question: Is a one-person unicorn possible? If you're interested in building a smarter, leaner business using AI, this episode will challenge how you think about scale. Enjoy! Topics Discussed in this episode: What is an agentic workflow? (03:48) Amos's background and the origins of Swan AI (04:48) How an autonomous business is different from an AI-powered business (08:45) Why adding AI agents helps enhance employees, not replace them (13:43) How Amos is building an enterprise-level business with just 3 employees (18:26) How to control the AI agents' context and accuracy (23:33) The difference between AI automation and AI agents (28:44) When to use automations and workflows vs AI agents (35:12) The best resources for building your own AI agent (42:36) Is a one-person unicorn possible? (45:08) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Swan Amos's LinkedIn Amos's Autonomous Business Playbook Amos's Avatar Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to scale your business without bloat, using AI agents.
This episode was recorded at the 2025 Western Dairy Management Conference in Reno, Nevada.Dr. Lock begins with an overview of his presentation, discussing nutrition and genomics impacts on the speed of progress in milk fat production. He also talks about historic differences in milk fat production in Europe compared to the US. With the reduction in generation interval that genomics provides, a more complete understanding of rumen and mammary metabolism will continue to be imperative. How do we supply the nutrients she needs to meet her genetic potential? (3:34)Can we feed too much 16:0? The panel discusses how palmitic and other fatty acids are incorporated into milk fat. They emphasize that no matter what, milk fat will remain a liquid at body temperature, so that does provide some limitations. Processors can alter their protocols to account for increased palmitic acid in milk fat and for increased milk fat in milk overall. (8:35)There is a gene called DGAT that can explain about 50% of the variation in milk fat content. Dr. Lock discusses some research looking at more vs less favorable DGAT profiles and how feeding palmitic acid interacted with those profiles in milk fat production. (13:04)The panel discusses whether there is a physiological limit for how much milk fat a cow can produce. Traditionally, when milk yield increased, fat yield decreased, but that is not the current case. We are learning more all the time about altering rations and using new oilseed ingredients like whole cottonseed and high-oleic soybeans. Dr. De Souza emphasizes that understanding de novo fatty acid synthesis is really important to keep pace with genomic progress. (16:08)Amino acid supplementation has recently been linked with milk fat production, with the assumed mechanism of action being increased mammary gland enzyme synthesis and activity. Dr. Lock describes a study assessing amino acid-fatty acid interactions in fresh cows. The amino acid (metabolizable protein) effect was greater for fat yield than feeding fatty acids, which was interesting. But perhaps more exciting was the effects were additive. Feeding both high metabolizable protein and 2% palmitic:oleic acid blend resulted in 9.5 kg more energy-corrected milk and a carryover effect after supplementation ceased. (22:41)Dr. Lock summarizes some of his group's work on using oilseeds in dairy diets.(28:24)Dr. De Souza and Dr. Lock give some perspective on just how much we have learned about milk components over the last several years. (34:38)Panelists share their take-home thoughts, including practical advice on increasing milk fat production and what's on the horizon for fatty acid nutrition research. (37:15)Please subscribe and share with your industry friends to invite more people to join us at the Real Science Exchange virtual pub table. If you want one of our Real Science Exchange t-shirts, screenshot your rating, review, or subscription, and email a picture to anh.marketing@balchem.com. Include your size and mailing address, and we'll mail you a shirt.
Traditionally, headcount equals scale. But in the age of AI, is this still true? In this episode, we're joined by Amos Bar Joseph, the co-founder of Swan AI, the first autonomous business. Their goal? Reaching $30 million in ARR with just three founders and a powerful fleet of AI agents. Amos explains how he is building an enterprise-level business with just three employees, and how Swan AI's autonomous business model is different from traditional AI-powered businesses. While most companies simply bolt AI onto existing workflows to automate repetitive processes, Swan AI is designed around agentic workflows, where AI agents operate with memory, goals, and decision-making capabilities. It's not just automation; it's intelligent delegation. Amos is quick to clarify: this isn't about replacing humans, it's about giving small teams superpowers. He explained how each agent is purpose-built to make their founders 100x more effective, by designing agents around them, rather than 1:1 replacing a hire. Amos explains how to ensure your agents stay accurate and aligned with business objectives, avoiding ‘hallucinations' and maintaining customer trust. He also shares when to stick with classic workflows and when to switch to agents for higher-level tasks. We also tackle the provocative question: Is a one-person unicorn possible? If you're interested in building a smarter, leaner business using AI, this episode will challenge how you think about scale. Enjoy! Topics Discussed in this episode: What is an agentic workflow? (03:48) Amos's background and the origins of Swan AI (04:48) How an autonomous business is different from an AI-powered business (08:45) Why adding AI agents helps enhance employees, not replace them (13:43) How Amos is building an enterprise-level business with just 3 employees (18:26) How to control the AI agents' context and accuracy (23:33) The difference between AI automation and AI agents (28:44) When to use automations and workflows vs AI agents (35:12) The best resources for building your own AI agent (42:36) Is a one-person unicorn possible? (45:08) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Swan Amos's LinkedIn Amos's Autonomous Business Playbook Amos's Avatar Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to scale your business without bloat, using AI agents.
As the NFU hosts an on-farm water summit, we find out more about an innovative project in Shropshire to manage water. It aims to prevent excess run-off from urban areas which floods farmland and destroys crops.Out and about with the Agricultural Chaplain for Suffolk who's helping farmers cope with the pressures of running a farm business. He says they're especially concerned about changes to inheritance tax reform.Scientists are working with farmers to find a high-tech way of tackling one of the most voracious pests farmers face - slugs. Traditionally, producers have used ferric phosphate pellets to kill them, or taken a more expensive but eco-friendly route, using nematodes to eat the pests. Now the British On-Farm Innovation Network or BOFIN for short, is using artificial intelligence as part of a "Slimers" project to work out where slugs are hiding. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney
This episode features my conversation with Tom Sherwood, the owner and winemaker of BXT Wines in California. BXT is an exploration of Californian viticulture through the lens of traditionally made sparkling wine. The idea of “Bubbles by Tom“ (BXT) is to take a grower-Champagne mentality and apply it to hand-crafted sparkling wines from grapes grown throughout California, and Tom seeks out interesting vineyard sites to work with for producing his small batches of these wines. He started this project in 2018 inspired by grower Champagne, but he grew up in Australia where he says he stumbled into wine making when he attended Adelaide University and studied Viticulture and Enology. He not only discovered a love for this career but he also me his now wife, Britt, who also works in the wine industry as the Director of Winemaking for Lawrence Wine Estates in Napa, CA. Tom was not afraid to get a little nerdy while talking about the details of his grape growing and winemaking practices, and you'll appreciate his transparency during our discussion about wine pricing and the state of the market for domestic sparkling wine. You can visit www.bxtwines.com to learn more about the portfolio, and you can connect with Tom by following @bxtwines on Instagram.Recorded July 20, 2025
On this episode of the "Personal Injury Marketing Minute," the spotlight is on how to make PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns and landing pages click with the right audience. While PPC campaigns can sometimes feel like a tough nut to crack in crowded markets, they can be a game-changer for the right law firm—if they're done the right way. Mary Blackiston joins the conversation to share her tips, tricks, and personal experiences in creating PPC ads and landing pages that actually convert. In this episode, we cover: How PPC ads and landing pages work together Data to look at when creating language for PPC ads and Worst PPC/Landing Pages Mistakes Visit Mary online here: www.thryvedigitalmarketing.com or https://www.linkedin.com/in/marybblackiston/. See all episodes or subscribe to the Personal Injury Marketing Minute here: https://optimizemyfirm.com/podcasts/. https://youtu.be/GxvgwMLWUmg Transcript: Lindsey: Welcome to the Personal Injury Marketing Minute, where we quickly cover the hot topics in the legal marketing world. Traditionally, we steer clear of talking about PPC campaigns. For many attorneys in saturated markets, PPC campaigns haven't produced a great ROI. However, they can be incredibly useful for the right firms, but only if they're done right. So today, we're going to take a deep dive into the art of creating PPC ads and corresponding landing pages that convert. Mary: joins us today. to discuss her approach to creating PPC ad language and landing pages that are backed by research and data, increasing conversions based on the user. Thank you so much for joining us today. Mary: Thank you for having me. Lindsey: Well, tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into marketing. Mary: Yeah, so I started working in marketing about 8.8 and a half years ago now. I started working as a content marketer at a digital agency, and I stayed there for about four years. While I was there, started to kind of dip my toes into copywriting, and that's when I realized, hey, this is a lot of fun. I really like doing this, but I didn't really get into it until I broke off to do my own thing. So that was about four and a half years ago that I, you know, became freelance, and I started to Basically to learn everything I possibly could about copywriting. I went through copy school, which I'm not sure if you'll are familiar with that, but basically the most comprehensive copywriting training on the internet today. Got certified in a bunch of their courses, read as much as I could about marketing and psychology and copywriting. And yeah, they just started putting everything into practice, working with clients. Over the last two years, I started working more and more with law firms in particular, and that work felt really meaningful to me. I really enjoyed it, and I felt like I was making a positive impact by helping those firms. So that's why I decided to specialize in legal marketing. Lindsey: And so how did you end up working with PPC ads and landing pages for PPC ads? Mary: Yeah, so I had one client in particular that we worked on a Google ads campaign for him, and we got some... Amazing results. And I felt like, you know what, there's, as I looked at more and more PC campaigns, I was like, there's a lot that I can do to help optimize these campaigns to help these firms bring in more qualified leads. And we can talk about that a little bit more later, some of the biggest mistakes I see. But yeah, I saw a lot of room for opportunity there. And it's something I really enjoy doing is kind of digging through that data and, you know, figuring out, okay, what can we do to bring in not only more clicks, but more, you know, qualified leads. And yeah. Lindsey: And PPC is so complicated. And you're right, there are so many things that can go wrong with it.
Title: Rare Earths to Truffles: Diversified Investments You've Never Heard Of with Louis O'Connor Summary: In this episode of Raise the Bar Radio, Seth Bradley welcomes back Lou, an international investor, to discuss diversification, rare earth metals, and a unique agricultural investment opportunity. Lou, who splits his time between Europe and Latin America, emphasizes the importance of global diversification for peace of mind and flexibility. He highlights the geopolitical dynamics affecting rare earth metals, where China dominates the refining process, and discusses the increasing demand due to restricted exports. Transitioning from metals to agriculture, Lou introduces his truffle farm investment. Leveraging agri-science and Ireland's favorable climate, the project offers investors ownership of inoculated truffle trees with professional farm management. Returns are projected to begin in year 4-5 and continue for up to 40 years, offering IRRs between 14% to 69% based on historical truffle prices. Risks include mismanagement and natural elements, though strong biosecurity and proven success mitigate concerns. Lou finishes with a valuable mindset tip: improve by 1% daily to compound results over time. Bullet Point Highlights: Diversification across countries and industries provides flexibility and peace of mind China's control of rare earth refining and export restrictions create scarcity and opportunity Truffle farm investment offers strong IRR potential, with returns starting in years 4-5 and lasting 30-40 years Minimum $30K investment includes 400 saplings and full farm management with a 70/30 profit split Primary risks are mismanagement and nature, mitigated through biosecurity and replacement guarantees Lou's golden nugget: Focus on improving 1% daily to unlock exponential long-term growth Transcript: (Seth Bradley) (00:02.062) What's up, builders? This is Raise the Bar Radio, where we talk about building wealth, raising capital, and all in all, raising the bar in your business and your life. This is the No BS podcast for capital raisers, investors, and entrepreneurs who are serious about scaling their business and living life on their own terms. I'm Seth Bradley, securities attorney, real estate investor, and entrepreneur, bringing you world-class strategies from the best in the game. If you're ready to raise more capital, close bigger deals, build a better you and create true financial freedom, you're in the right place. Let's go. Lou, what's going on, brother? Welcome back to the show. Thank you very much Seth. Thank you. I'm very happy to be here. Good to see you again. Yeah, absolutely man. Great to catch up with you. Are you tuning in from where? Well, in Europe still, you know, I'm back and forth between Ireland, Germany, mostly, a little bit of time in Panama as well, because my wife's from there, but I'm in temporary in Ireland, horse breeding country and agricultural heartland actually of Europe. And at the moment anyway, yeah, so in Europe. (Seth Bradley) (01:16.664) awesome, awesome. That's the beauty of being on a video conference call that you can talk to anyone from anywhere in the world now. That's the one good thing that came out of COVID is it made it normal to do it. Yeah, it's funny, unbelievable. Just yesterday I was contacted actually by CNBC in the US, I'm in Europe, about the metals. We're not talking about metals today, but I've spoken with you before about the rare earth metals. And I guess the US chamber, secretary chamber of commerce is in China this week because China is restricting the export of certain technology metals and that's their area. And within a day, there's like an hour after I speak with you, I'm doing an interview with CNBC on, I think it's Power Launch or something they call it. So it's fascinating really how quickly you can sort of ping around the globe and find somebody and do this. Yeah, yeah, very cool, very cool, man. Well, thanks for taking the time to tune in with us today. And we've got a brand new thing to talk about and we'll jump into that. But before we do, just for listeners who didn't listen to your previous episode, give us a little bit about your background and your story. Just a general synopsis, Sure, thank you. Yeah, so I'm obviously, you can tell from the accent, I'm Irish or Scottish or Australian, but it's Irish. And I suppose you could say I'm bit of a world traveler who has come back home specifically for this project we're going to talk about. Ireland is known as sort of the breadbasket of Europe. But yeah, I lived in Germany for 10 years, lived in Central America and traveled extensively in South America during that time. (Louis O'Connor) (03:05.422) But my niche, if you will, you know one other business we're involved in. And my niche, what I'm looking for is always what I call, I don't know what you might call it in the US, but we sort of call it a path of progress play here, which is if you sort of look at an industry or a product, what's happened in the last 10 years, or even a country or even a business for that matter, if you look at what's happened in the last 10, you can sort of have a look at likely what's going to happen in the next 10. So I'm always looking for somewhere where demand is increasing and supply is either going to be limited or subject to disruption and somehow, and that's what we will be talking to an agricultural product and we'll talk more about it. But I like to be diversified in every way. So I have business in Germany, this agricultural product is in Ireland. I do my banking in Belize and Panama and different parts of Europe. So just trying to be as diversified as possible. Right, right. And that's part of your kind of plan as well, right? Like to be kind of this international man of mystery, right? Like you have different ties to a couple of different countries, which gives you flexibility in case something goes wrong in one of them, right? Like, you know, I think a lot of people were worried here for a while and I think it's still in the back of people's minds in the United States about, you know, the strength of the dollar and You know, people were talking about getting a second citizenship and things like that. Can you speak to that a little bit about kind of, you know, how you've done that and what your kind of thoughts and feelings are around that? (Louis O'Connor) (04:46.552) Sure, sure. Well, you my feeling always has this peace of mind, you know, I just want peace of mind. I want to be at peace with myself and the world around me. that's, I mean, I'm probably talking about more philosophically and spiritually as well, but also, you know, in business or residencies or banking. I suppose it's because I left Ireland quite young and I did live. I didn't just go on a vacation somewhere. lived in Germany for 10 years. I learned the language. Ireland is an island, even though we're part of Europe, continental Europe is completely different. And then I went to Latin America, which is a completely different kettle of fish altogether. And I suppose it was those experiences that the perspective that gave me was that, that sounds very simple, really, root of entry, but there's... there's good and bad, know, you we do certain things in Ireland very well, and maybe other things not so well in Germany, they do, you know, they've made better cars and better roads. And we do and you know, Latin America, I think they dance better and drink better maybe than you know, but so yeah, what I learned is, you know, you know, you can pick is a bit like life can be a bit like a buffet, and you can pick what you like, and you know what you don't like leave behind, you know, so and the idea, I suppose the point I should make is that What I've learned is it's not expensive or difficult to be diversified. Like have your banking in different jurisdictions really doesn't cost anything. Having a second or third residency if you do the right homework on I'll go into more detail if you want. have residency still in Panama and I three passports. I'm working on the fourth and it has been a little bit of effort but not expensive or costly. And will I ever use it? I worried that the world's going to end? No. But it's just that peace of mind you have when you've got these other options that, God forbid if something did happen here in Ireland or Europe, I have a residency in Panama, I banking there. So it's just that, suppose it's like having a parachute or a safety net that's always there. (Seth Bradley) (07:00.13) Yeah, yeah, I agree. mean, that's, you know, especially the way that things are today and people kind of just worry about things generally, right? If you have that peace of mind and you have that, you know, second or third option, it's just something that can kind of let you sleep at night a little bit better. It's like having a nest egg or, you know, having a second, third, fourth, fifth stream of income. things like that that can let you sleep at night and while other people are panicking and worrying and making, you know, maybe even bad decisions based on that, you know, based on those worries, you can sleep soundly and make decisions that are best for you. Yeah, yeah, and you're not limited, know, if you're just, you know, like, I mean, it's funny though, as well, I think it's timely. I think the time has come. I you see people, you know, we were chatting earlier, you know, being involved in multiple different industries and, you know, with technology, we're allowed to do that. We can reside in one country, we can do our bank in another, we can do our tax responsibility somewhere else, we can do our business. So it's probably just in the last 20, 30 years that we can move so freely. with all this stuff, know, you know, only maybe 25, 30 years ago, I wanted to, I couldn't really do business in Germany, but live in Ireland, it'd have to be one or the other. There was no internet, you know, everything. So, so yeah, I think, I think we're heading in that direction anyway. And it's just, yeah, there's great freedom in it and great peace of mind, even though, you know, I mean, I'll be in Ireland for, you know, my two kids are, there's another six or eight years. before they finish school. So I plan to be here, but I just have other options as well, you know. (Seth Bradley) (08:41.42) Yeah, yeah, that's fantastic. And speaking of diversification, mean, your investments are very diverse, right? I mean, in the previous episode, we jumped into rare earth metals. And then in this episode, we're going to jump into something new. Before we jump into the new thing, though, give us a little update on what has changed in your business with the rare earth metals or if anything has changed or how those things are going. Yeah, well, thanks. Thanks for asking, Seth. Since we spoke, actually, the big news is just in the last 60 days, I think I mentioned to you that China pretty much sort of dominates the rare earth industry. it's, I think really, it's possible and we understand now that China sort of saw before the EU and maybe before the US or they understood at least that rare earths would become the backbone of manufacturing in the 21st century and they've been, you know, they've taken action on that. So we're in a situation now and it's not really an economic strategy. It's more of a geopolitical strategy that China has big plans for electric cars, big plans for solar, big plans for wind. you know, they, they've hundreds of million people, they're, taken out of the poverty, into the middle class all the time. So sort of thinking strategically and long term, they rightfully secured their supply of rare earths. And what happened just in the last 60 days is the US sort of initiated a sort of a block. Now it was also supported by Holland and Japan and they're blocking sort of the latest sort of semiconductor technology from going to China. And in retaliation for that, China You know, they have, you know, an ace up their sleeve, which is where it hurts. So the West has the technology and China has the raw materials. And just in the last 60 days, China has said they're going to, well, effective August 1, which is a month ago, they're restricting the export now of gallium and germanium, which is two of these technology metals, and that China, you know, is responsible for 95 % of the global production. so we're seeing the prices go up and this is sort of. (Louis O'Connor) (10:57.826) what I talked to you about that these metals are in demand on a good day, you know, you will make a nice return. But if something like this happens where China sort of weaponizes these metals economically, then you'll see prices increasing quite dramatically, which they are. Yeah, that's that's what's happening there. It's basically a market where there's surging demand and you have sort of political landscapes affecting as well. So It makes for interesting investment. Yeah, yeah. Are these rare earth metals, are they not something that we can mine or is it something we're not willing to mine, like let's say in the West? (Louis O'Connor) (11:44.142) Yeah, good question actually. that actually gets right to the heart of it, Seth, because despite the name rare earths, they're not all that rare. Some of them are as sort of common as copper and stuff, but there's about eight or ten of them that are rare and they are available in the US. But this is what's changed dramatically in the last 30 years is the rare earths don't occur naturally. So they always occur as a byproduct of another raw material. They're sort of, they're very chemically similar. they're, sort of all stuck together. So they have to be extracted and separated and then refined and processed into, you know, high purity levels for jet engines or smartphones or whatever the case might be. what's happened where China dominates is, is China is responsible for 95 % of the refining. Now there's about 200 or sorry, $390 billion available in subsidies in the U S. from the Inflation Reduction Act, which despite the name is all about energy transition. And that's all very well, except the human capital and the engineering expertise to refine rare earths is depleted in, it doesn't exist in Europe, and it's very much depleted in the US. Just to give you some context, there's 39 universities in China, where they graduate degrees in critical minerals. So the Chinese are graduating about 200 metallurgists a week, every week for the last 30 years. I think the US has a handful of universities. I'd say there's probably 300,000 metallurgists in China and there might be 400 in the US and probably none in Europe at all. So it's not just a question of if they're there, it's how do we get them into 99.99 % purity? Without the engineering expertise, we can't, not anytime soon anyway. Wow, yeah, yeah. mean, that just alone sounds like a recipe for a pretty good play for an investment. you know, there's these bottlenecks, right? Whether that's people that can refine it or the actual element itself or willingness to mine it, you know, all these different things come into play to make it a good investment. All right, let's switch over a little bit here. Let's talk about the new investment vehicle. (Seth Bradley) (14:06.99) that you talked to me about. It's an agricultural play, correct? we're talking about truffles, talking about mushrooms, right? Tell me a little bit about it just to get started here. Okay, well, you probably I mean, you know, truffles are in the culinary world, they're known as the black diamond of the kitchen, you know, they're, they're a delicacy going back to, you know, thousands and thousands of years. Traditionally, the black perigord, which is the Mediterranean truffle would have originated in France, but for the last sort of, you know, the last 100 years or so, they've been growing abundantly in sort of South, Southwestern France, Northern Spain and Italy. So traditionally, you know, that's where they grow and they sort of, know, because the truffle, as you said, it's a mushroom that has a symbiotic relationship with a a native tree, an oak tree or hazel tree or sometimes beech. So it's a very delicate balance, you know. And although I have invested in agriculture before, we started, we, I mean, a collective does not just me involved here, and I don't want to sound like I take credit for any of this really. I was just a part of a team where we had some agri-science people, and we had sort of four generational farmers involved. But we were looking at, it is no question that climate, there's a climate change, right? It doesn't matter to me whether people, whatever the causes of that are, the reality is if you talk to an olive grower or a truffle grower in Italy or France, they'll tell you the climate has changed because their harvests have been decreasing for about the last 30 to 40 years actually, but really more so in the last 10. So we were sort of, I'll tell you basically the AgriScience partner involved in this. (Louis O'Connor) (16:10.958) As a test back in 2005, they started to plant and the trees inoculated, the baby trees inoculated with the truffle sort of in the root system as a test all over different countries, not just Ireland, England, UK, also the US. So this has been in sort of research and development since about 2005. And we got seriously involved in about 2015 when history was made and this Mediterranean truffle was grown here in the British Isles for the first time. we then with our agriscience partner in 2015 planted a thousand trees in five different locations in Ireland where I am. and one of them is about 20 minutes away from me here. They're all secret locations. I won't even tell you where they are because they really are. They're highly valued or highly prized. And so it takes about four or five years to see if you're a business. So yeah, we now are growing the Mediterranean truffle, not just in Ireland, but in other parts of the UK. But the real interesting thing, Seth, it's just now ready for scale. And all of the farmers, who were involved in the original research. None of them are going to take it to scale. The one that's local to me is a lovely gentleman. in his 60s and he planted a thousand trees really just as a retirement. His daughter works in banking in Switzerland and so there's nobody really to take over the farm. So we're the first to do it with scale. So we're inviting in... a portion of some investors in as well. (Seth Bradley) (18:05.87) Gotcha. Are there specific, I assume there are, are specific growing conditions where these things can prosper? Like I can't, I'm in San Diego, I can't just plant them in my backyard and wait five years and be a millionaire. Well, if you you if I hear you're growing truffles death, you know, we should assign an NDA we should assign. You could try but no, they wouldn't grow in San Diego because I mean, there's a very delicate balance and you're what you're you're what you're using here is agri science and nature. You're working with nature. And because the reason they've grown so well in demand is No way. (Louis O'Connor) (18:48.738) just because of that balance up they get a sort of a dry season or sort of they got to get a lot of rain and then they get the dry season and what's happened is they're getting more drought and less rain and it's just upset the balance. So it's a very, very delicate balance. But what people wouldn't know, I think, is that truffles have always grown wild in Ireland. There was a time five or 600 years ago when Ireland was 85 % forest and our native tree is the oak and the hazel tree, is the tree that's also where the fungus grows. And what happened was when the Brits were before, you know, when shipbuilding was the thing and the British Navy were, you know, the Spanish were, so the Brits sort of chopped down a lot of the forest for the wood for shipbuilding. you know, our forests were depleted. But to this day, Truffles do still grow wild here, but we're doing it differently. know, we're only planting on land where you have like certain protein and pH levels and limestone. And then we're planting baby saplings that are already two years old that were inoculated with the truffle fungus like at birth, like in the root system. And we only plant them after we see that the root system and the fungi are already thriving. So if you get into the right soil and it's already thriving, then two, three, four years later, you'll get truffles. (Seth Bradley) (20:17.216) the interruption, but we don't do ads. Instead, know that if you're raising capital for real estate, my law firm, RaiseLaw, is here to give you the expert legal guidance you need to raise capital compliantly and structure and close your deal. And if you're looking for a done-for-you fund-to-fund solution, Tribest is the industry's only all-in-one setup and fund administration solution. Visit Raise.Law and Tribest.com to learn more. That's awesome. just, I think about like wine and like, you know, you can grow it, you know, vines in different places. Some places they grow, some places they don't, some places they grow and the result isn't good and some places they grow and the result is awesome. It's probably a very delicate balance between, you know, environment plus how they're raised, how they're taken care of and all those sorts of things. It is 100%. I mean, first and foremost, mean, because of angry science and technology today, you know, I mean, we can plant baby saplings that are already and not, I mean, we're playing God a little bit with nature, but you know, I mean, it's just amazing, you know, like you could do it. And then, you know, the biggest threat is actually mismanagement. You know, if you don't then manage it correctly. If you have a root system inoculated with the fungus and you have the right soil conditions, after that and it's management and it's sort of bio security meaning they have a very pungent smell. mean, squirrels and pigs and they love them. They love to eat. So you have to, mean, you're literally it's like protecting a bank, know, you have a bio security fence. You've you know, you limit visitations to the farm, you've, know, special footwear and cleaning and stuff. so yeah, it's serious stuff, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. That's awesome. Well, let's dive in a little bit to the kind of the investment itself. Like what does that look like for an investor? Like what are your projected returns? You know, what, how does it all kind of, how does it all shape out? Like you've grown these wildly valuable truffles and now I guess the first step would be what's the business plan? Who are we selling these truffles to? What makes them so valuable? And then get into kind of the investor (Seth Bradley) (22:33.794) portion like how would someone get involved in whether projector returns. Okay, so we sell, first of all, the estate that the farm is, it's called Chan Valley Estate. People can Google it, it's beautiful. It's 200 acres of north-temporary farmland. The estate itself, it's a bit like a smaller version of Downton Abbey. It's a Georgian. a three story Georgian home, it's over 200 years old. It's also a museum and we have events there and it's also a working farm. And it's a herbal farm. So we grow plants and herbs there that we then we have our own, we work the value chain where we also sell those herbs for medicinal purpose and we convert them into medicinal oils and things like that. So the location is already up and running. And what we're doing with the truffles is for every acre, we can plant 800 trees. And so what we're doing is we're offering investors, well, a client, the minimum investment is $30,000 and the investor for that price gets 400 baby saplings already inoculated with the truffle fungus. And then they get the farm management included up to the first four to five years. takes about, there'll be truffles after, bearing in mind that the sapling, the baby tree is two years old. So after three years in the ground, it's already five years old and there'll be truffles then and the returns don't begin until then. But what's included in the price is all the farm management, know, all the, you know, the, (Louis O'Connor) (24:23.508) implementation of the farm, the irrigation, the electricity, the hardware that's needed. So all the management right up until there is production and then when they're producing, the investor gets 70 % of the growth and the farm management company, we get 30%. So it's a 70-30 split. Now the great thing about the oak and the hazel is they'll produce for 30 to 40 years. it's a long term, it's a legacy investment, you might call it, because you won't see returns until the fourth or fifth year. But once you do, you'll see returns then for another 30 to 35 years. And they're very, very good. mean, we have three numbers in the brochure. We looked at what's... price half the truffles never dropped below. So we have the very low estimate, which is they've never gone below this price. That brings in an IRR, which would be from day one of about 14%. And then the highest that they've sold for, you're looking at about 69%, but the average is about 38%. So the returns will be very, very good once production kicks in and then they'll maintain. We've included an inflation for 30 to 40 years. I hope, I think I answered everything there. Yeah, definitely. sorry. I gave you about six questions there to answer in a row. But yeah, I think you covered everything. And having an IRR, which is time-based on something that has this long of a horizon and even takes four or five years to even start producing, those are really, really strong numbers. (Louis O'Connor) (26:23.63) Yeah, well, again, even the, you know, one of the reasons obviously we like truffles because they're very, very expensive. mean, they're a luxury product. You know, we're about an hour from Shannon Airport here, which is the transatlantic hub between Europe and the U.S. So we can have truffles in U.S. or anywhere in Europe or even the Middle East or the Far East, for that matter, in less than 24 hours. that's important as well. But they're a luxury item. There's huge demand for them. mean, You know how the world is. mean, there are, unfortunately, you know, there's always sort of, people are getting richer and some people maybe are getting poorer. But the luxury, you know, high end market and the culinary, international culinary explosion means that, you know, there's huge demand for truffles. And also you have to factor in the fact that the harvests in the Mediterranean are less and less every year. And I mean, very, very sadly, I mean, it's an opportunity for us, but very sadly that they've done very specific scientific studies and it's going to over the next 50 years, the truffle harvests in the Med will go will decline between 73 and 100%. So literally, they will not be growing truffles there in 50 plus years from now. So that's an opportunity for us. you know, again, We've been working on this really since 2015. And it was only, you know, it was only 2019, 2020 when we began to get to truffles we knew because there was no guarantee, you know. But yeah, now that we're growing them, we just need to scale up. Gotcha. Gotcha. what's kind of the I see that you know, for that minimum investment, you get X number of baby saplings. How many was that again? 400. That's what I Okay, 400. What's kind of the survival rate, I guess, of those saplings? Do you have kind of a percentage on that? Is it like? (Louis O'Connor) (28:17.102) 400 (Louis O'Connor) (28:27.086) Yeah, well, we expect you got what's happening so far is within in about year three, which is actually year five, because the sapling, you should get three of the five trees producing. But once you have production, once that fungi is thriving, it will just continue to grow. So in year four, you should have four of them. In year five, you should have all of them producing. Now we also put a guarantee in the farm management contract that if any tree, you know, if it dies or if it's not, you know, producing truffles, we'll replace it free of charge at any time. in the event, you know, for some reason, I mean, we put a tree in that's inoculated and it doesn't take, then we just replace it. So either way, over the first four to five years, we get them all. And the great thing is if you protect that soil from pests and diseases and other sort of unwelcome sort of mycorrhizal or fungi, then it will thrive. It will thrive. It'll keep, you know, it'll spread, you know, it's a symbiotic relationship underground between the tree and the fungi. Got it. Yeah, that's awesome to know. like survival is not one of the things that we should consider because if for some reason it wouldn't survive or is not producing, then it just gets replaced. So you actually are getting those full 400 saplings turning into trees that will be producing. almost they mature and produce and you know as I said barring you know any pests or diseases or you know interference then they just continue you just protect them you just allow nature then to do its work. (Seth Bradley) (30:18.848) Yeah, yeah. So what are some of the risks then? What are the downsides that you can foresee if something were to go wrong? What would it be? Well, the greatest threat is mismanagement, literally. I obviously we're doing this with scale, so it's a professional endeavor, you know, people from time to time, know, I mean, some of the test sites here, mean, I don't know, it seemed like a good idea at the time, and they're not that hard to manage, but people just lose interest, or the younger kids don't want to farm. But the greatest threat is mismanagement. So as long as you put in these biosecurity measures, and manage, you know, there's got to be some clearing done, there's got to be some pruning done, there's got to be tree guards. So there is a process involved in bringing them to nurturing them along and then keeping everything, you know, neutral, if you will. that's first, weather is always, you know, factor in agriculture. We don't feel it's as much of a threat here, because although we're for the first time, growing the Mediterranean truffle. Truffles have grown, they grow here wild anyway. So the climate is right and has been right for thousands of years in Ireland. So, you know, and again, we'll have irrigation as well. You know, we get a lot of rain here. It's not likely we'll need any more rain, but yeah, we, you know, the agri-science will kick in there as well. And then, you know, as I said, like, you know, biosecurity we call it, which is, you know, very, very serious fencing, limited visits to the farm, know, special footwear if people are going up to the area and sort of rinse. We have a pool area where they have to disinfect before they go into, you know, it's a very, very, very protected area from pests and from diseases or anything, you know, that could be brought in from the outside on whether that's machinery or humans. (Louis O'Connor) (32:22.892) So yeah, it's almost like a laboratory. mean, you keep it very, very delicate balance and keep it very limited on who visits and, you know, people are a visit, but they have to be properly, you know, the feet have to be cleaned and footwear has to be worn and stuff like that. So, but, know, at the end of the day, Seth, it's, you know, well, any investment really, but agriculture, you know, the final say is in nature's hands, you know, not ours. mean, we... We like to think, suppose, we're in the results business, but the reality is we're not. in the planning business and all we can do is plan everything as well as we can. It's just like, you if you planted a rose, you know, bush out in your backyard there today, you wouldn't stand outside and will it to grow, right? You know, grow quicker. You know, we have to allow nature and the cosmos to do its work. so yeah, nature has the final say, you know. Yeah, yeah, no, totally, totally understand. And any investment has its risks, whether you're investing in truffles or real estate or any of the above. Quick question on this. Don't want to paint you like in a bad way at all, but we have had and it's not you, of course, of course, but we've had an influx of bad sponsors and people that are anything from mismanaging investor capital on one end, which can happen pretty easily. And there's not a whole lot of Not a lot of bad blood there. Things happen. And then on the other side of the spectrum, we've seen everything from fraud to Ponzi schemes and all kinds of stuff lately. One thing that I tell investors is to make sure you know who you're investing with and make sure your investing dollars are actually getting invested where they're supposed to. Could an investor invest with you and actually go to the farm? and see their saplings or see the farm and see this business. (Louis O'Connor) (34:24.654) 100 % in fact, we would rather people do I mean, I it's not always possible. Right. But Shan Valley Estate, I mean, I'll give you the website and stuff after Shan Valley Estate. It's a 200 acre farm. It's already a museum. have events there. It's a herb dispensary as I said, as I said, it's our our manage our farm management partner is the Duggan family, their fourth generation farmers and they're being in temporary, you know, longer than that even. absolutely, you you know, of course, there's legal contracts. mean, people get a legal contract for the purchase of the trees and then we have a legal contract for the farm management that we're responsible for implementing the project, we're responsible for bringing the hard, the trees to truffles to harvest. But we do, we just beginning, we just had our first tour, but it was sort of Europe from Germany. Last, sorry, the 18th, 19th of August. But we will be having tours every quarter. And if anybody wants to come at any time, we'd be delighted to have them because it's like I said, it's like a smaller version of Downton Abbey. And we've accommodated, we converted the stables into accommodation, you know, because we have weddings and events and stuff there as well. It's not just a field that we bought. Yeah. And so it's a big deal. I'll give you the website. The location is spectacular and clients can, you know, stay the night, you know, and there's a three story Georgian estate house and the bottom floor is a museum. So it's like walking into a pharmacy from 1840, all the bottles and the counter is 200 years old, you know, and then the middle level, we've an organic vegetarian restaurant, all the (Louis O'Connor) (36:17.24) food is grown on the farm. There's an old walled garden that they used to wall the gardens years ago to keep out the pests. And all the food that's served is grown on the farm. And then the top floor is accommodation as well and the stables have been converted. look, it's all about trust, Seth. And, you know, I would say to anybody, you've I mean myself, if I have any doubt about anything, don't do it. And it might not be that somebody's a scam or a fraud, it's just if you're not 100 % sure about it, don't touch it. But what I would recommend is people do their due diligence because we've done ours. We've eight years invested in it, put a lot of time and effort into it. And at the very least, we'd like people to check it out and see it all the way through. for what it is. yeah, we'll be, we're hoping to, we have a partner in Europe and we're to connect with somebody in North America. I don't want name anybody here because it might not come off, but there's a few sort of marketers and there's plenty obviously that we might sort of do a sort of an agreement with where they'll, you know, I mean, we could even have sort of investment real estate conferences on the farm. you know, and do farm tours as well. so definitely 100 % we'd love for people to visit and, and they get to drink some Guinness and they're really brave, they can swim in the Irish sea. Yeah, and I'm looking at the website right now. We'll drop that in the show notes, but it is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, it's making me want to get on a plane right now and check it out. It's incredible. (Louis O'Connor) (38:00.046) Yeah, that's the estate, shambali.ie. I mean, what I love about it's 100 % organic or members of the Irish Organic Association, track ref, fourth generation. You know, this is not me, I'm a part of this, but the farm management team are, you know, they're already like growing herbs and plants and converting them to medicinal, you know, oils and things. And this is just another, it's more of a farming enterprise, I suppose, than a farm. And then the other partner is the Agri Science Partner, which is this team of scientists who basically made history by growing for the very first time eight years ago, the black, the Mediterranean truffle in Ireland, you know, so there's a lot of professionalism and thought and effort being put into a chap. Love that. Love that man. Is there anything else about this type of investment that I didn't ask about that I should have? I think you know Seth, you should be on CNN or something because I you did. I'm pretty sure you did, you definitely covered it. I mean I may have left something out but I think it's a good foundation for somebody if they're interested, I'll give them my email and you know it's not that expensive to get to Europe and it's a great way to mix a holiday and you know come to the farm and stuff you know. Absolutely, absolutely. Well, since you're repeat guest of the guest of the show, we won't go into the freedom for but you have one last golden nugget for our listeners. (Louis O'Connor) (39:34.446) You know, I knew you were going to ask me that, Seth, you caught me off guard. So I have one ready and I stole this from someone else. So I'm not going to take it. But I was listening to a guy last week and he, sort of a big operation in Europe. And he was talking about a phrase they have in the office and it's 1%. And they always look at each other and when you pass them, they go 1%. And I love what it's about. It's about the idea that in a way it sort of comes back to what we talked about earlier, which is forget about. Yeah. (Louis O'Connor) (40:04.664) the fact don't think you're in the results business. You're in the planning business. And the 1 % is every day, try and improve every little action. I'm not just talking about work. I'm talking about family, your spiritual practice, if you have one, increase it by 1 % every day. And you know, it's like compound interest, isn't it? That in a way, then you don't have to worry about the big picture. And the results will just look after themselves then, you know. Yeah, yeah, I love that man. Always improve. mean, you you've got to take small steps to get to those big goals. And a lot of times you just need to ask yourself, did I improve 1 % today? If the answer is yes, then it was a successful day. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And it's great because, you know, if I was to try and think now, or you were to try and think now, everything you have to do in the next three weeks, right, you just be overwhelmed, right. And sometimes my head is like that, you know, I mean, I've got meditation practice and stuff, but I watch my thoughts and you know, I mean, it's it's a fact. I mean, it's a human condition. I don't know, some disestimates of how many thoughts do we have a day? How many are repetitive and how many are useless? A lot of them are repetitive, a lot of them are useless. So it's good just to narrow it right down to what's the next thing I can do right now and can I do it 1 % better than I did yesterday, you know? Absolutely. Love that man. All right, Lou, we're gonna let us find out more about you. (Louis O'Connor) (41:34.954) Okay, so they can email me. It's Truffle Farm Invest. Sorry, it's a new website www.trufflefarminvest.com or they can if somebody from your your audience wants to email me directly, it's louis at trufflefarminvest.com Alright, perfect man. We'll drop all that in the show notes. Thanks again for coming on the show. Always a pleasure, brother. Thank you very much, Seth. A pleasure. (Seth Bradley) (42:08.088) Thanks for tuning in to Raise the Bar Radio. If you enjoyed today's episode, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Keep pushing, keep building, and keep raising the bar. Until next time, enjoy the journey. Links from the Show and Guest Info and Links: Seth Bradley's Links: https://x.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.youtube.com/@sethbradleyesq www.facebook.com/sethbradleyesq https://www.threads.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.instagram.com/sethbradleyesq/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbradleyesq/ https://passiveincomeattorney.com/seth-bradley/ https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sethbradleyesq https://medium.com/@sethbradleyesq https://www.tiktok.com/@sethbradleyesq?lang=en Louis O'Connor's Links: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054362234822 https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-o-connor-a583341b8/ https://www.cnbc.com/video/2023/08/30/strategic-metals-founder-louis-oaconnor-breaks-down-china-u-s-rare-metal-wars.html
Kevin Caldwell, CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Ossium Health, discusses the opportunities for regenerative stem-cell therapies and the challenges of obtaining bone marrow from donors for bone marrow transplants. Ossium Health is collecting bone marrow from healthy, young donors and utilizing a cryopreservation process that enables long-term storage and on-demand availability of these cells. Ongoing clinical trials using allogeneic bone-marrow-derived cells to treat patients with acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome are showing promising results. Kevin explains, "Our mission is to improve the health, longevity, and vitality of human beings through bioengineering. We believe that regenerative therapeutics, which involve cell and gene therapies that can permanently and positively improve human biology, will be fundamental to the prevention of disease and the preservation of health as we age. One of the most powerful tools we have in achieving this goal is engineering the immune system. And in particular at Ossium, we develop therapeutics that enable us today in the clinic to treat life-threatening malignancies of the immune system, like leukemia, in patients with dire need. Into the future, the goal is to make it possible to reconstitute, reprogram, and replace a blood and immune system in a manner that can treat patients with chronic diseases and ultimately do so in a preventive manner." "Traditionally, the major application of bone marrow in the clinic is bone marrow transplants for patients with blood cancers like leukemia. And so the patient's native immune system is ablated or annihilated and replaced with a bone marrow infusion from a healthy donor, related or unrelated. And if that bone, new bone marrow from the donor in grafts in the patient, then it replaces or it constitutes their blood and immune system." "And so one of the things that we're working on at Ossium is, okay, how do we address these problems? How do we make bone marrow more available to deliver and deploy on demand and easily, without needing to track down a volunteer donor? What can we do to reduce the risk of rejection so that the transplant is safer? What can we do to improve the likelihood of engraftment the first time and the speed of engraftment so the patients aren't immunocompromised for as long? All of these are things that we're working on to really make it possible to bring this lifesaving procedure to more patients." #OssiumHealth #StemCellTherapy #RegenerativeMedicine #BoneMarrowTransplants ossiumhealth.com Listen to the podcast here
Kevin Caldwell, CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Ossium Health, discusses the opportunities for regenerative stem-cell therapies and the challenges of obtaining bone marrow from donors for bone marrow transplants. Ossium Health is collecting bone marrow from healthy, young donors and utilizing a cryopreservation process that enables long-term storage and on-demand availability of these cells. Ongoing clinical trials using allogeneic bone-marrow-derived cells to treat patients with acute leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome are showing promising results. Kevin explains, "Our mission is to improve the health, longevity, and vitality of human beings through bioengineering. We believe that regenerative therapeutics, which involve cell and gene therapies that can permanently and positively improve human biology, will be fundamental to the prevention of disease and the preservation of health as we age. One of the most powerful tools we have in achieving this goal is engineering the immune system. And in particular at Ossium, we develop therapeutics that enable us today in the clinic to treat life-threatening malignancies of the immune system, like leukemia, in patients with dire need. Into the future, the goal is to make it possible to reconstitute, reprogram, and replace a blood and immune system in a manner that can treat patients with chronic diseases and ultimately do so in a preventive manner." "Traditionally, the major application of bone marrow in the clinic is bone marrow transplants for patients with blood cancers like leukemia. And so the patient's native immune system is ablated or annihilated and replaced with a bone marrow infusion from a healthy donor, related or unrelated. And if that bone, new bone marrow from the donor in grafts in the patient, then it replaces or it constitutes their blood and immune system." "And so one of the things that we're working on at Ossium is, okay, how do we address these problems? How do we make bone marrow more available to deliver and deploy on demand and easily, without needing to track down a volunteer donor? What can we do to reduce the risk of rejection so that the transplant is safer? What can we do to improve the likelihood of engraftment the first time and the speed of engraftment so the patients aren't immunocompromised for as long? All of these are things that we're working on to really make it possible to bring this lifesaving procedure to more patients." #OssiumHealth #StemCellTherapy #RegenerativeMedicine #BoneMarrowTransplants ossiumhealth.com Download the transcript here
A new report by London's Victims' Commissioner, Claire Waxman, says that victims are being forced to quit the criminal justice system in huge numbers amid record court delays and traumatic process. She joins Nuala McGovern in the Woman's Hour studio to explain why they are saying 'there is a near total failure in seeing offenders brought to justice'.What are your attitudes towards money and specifically saving it, rather than spending it? Are you confidently playing the markets or are you still tucking it away under the mattress for a rainy day? Traditionally women have been thought of as risk-averse when it comes to putting their money into stocks and shares. Is that about to change? And is there such a thing as the 'gender investment gap'? To discuss women's attitudes towards investing we hear from Dr. Sara Reis, deputy director and head of policy and research at the Women's Budget Group think tank. Actor Miranda Raison has played numerous stage, screen and TV roles including the iconic Jean Seberg and Anne Boleyn but now takes on the role of the legendary Victorian actress Ellen Terry in a new play by David Hare - Grace Pervades at the Theatre Royal Bath. It tells the story of her relationship with Henry Irving, played by Ralph Fiennes, the greatest stars of the Victorian stage. Miranda discusses her latest role.News of fresh guidance from the government for relationships, sex and health education in schools. Responding, to what it says, is an increase in the harmful and misogynistic content, children are exposed to online. According to recent research, when asked about just the past week, over a third of pupils aged 11-19 had heard comments that made them worry about girls' safety, and more than half witnessed comments they would describe as misogynistic. The BBC's Education Editor Branwen Jeffreys updates us.Despite making up almost half of gaming audiences, just 30% of games industry workers are women. In the next part of our series on women and gaming, we're finding out why this is and what can be done to get more women into the industry. Charu Desodt, who was the first female engineer at Sony's London studio in 1999, and Tara Mustapha, founder of Code Coven, discuss. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Kirsty Starkey
Traditionally, the Indian civil services have been a male bastion. Back in the 1950s, when the first woman IAS officer was appointed, a woman could be disqualified from service for getting married. Seven decades later, 1 out of 5 secretaries serving in the Government of India is a woman. From corporate to economic affairs, health to legal affairs--women officers are at the helm in several central ministries. At the level of recruitment, in the last few years, 27-30 percent of those who qualify for the civil services have been women.
Kelly Gibney talks through her divine sounding meatball recipe. She says the meatballs stay incredibly moist and tender with the addition of grated carrot. Chickpeas are an economical addition to the smoky tomato sauce, that brings texture and added nutrition. Traditionally this dish might be served with crusty bread, roast potatoes or a green salad but rice also works really well.
Until recently, the prospect of an IIM offering a standalone undergraduate degree seemed unlikely. Traditionally known for their elite postgraduate programs, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have long been synonymous with MBA excellence. That image is now undergoing a significant shift.IIM Sirmaur is among the many who have introduced a bachelor's program. IIM Kozhikode and IIM Sambalpur have followed suit. IIM Bangalore and IIM Lucknow are also preparing to launch similar courses. After decades of focusing solely on postgraduate education, the IIMs are moving into new academic territory.What's driving this transformation? And why now? Tune in. To apply to The Ken's podcast team, click hereDaybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India's first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories. Want to attend The Ken's next event—How AI is Breaking and Remaking the Way Products are Built?
Read Online“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27A scribe asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked the scribe what the Law of Moses taught. The above line was the scribe's response. He was essentially quoting Deuteronomy 6:4, which was a common prayer prayed by the Jews and seen as a summary of the entire Law of Moses as found in the Ten Commandments.Notice that this summary of the Law does not present a negative prohibition such as “Thou shalt not…” Instead, it is a positive command stating, “Thou shalt love…” Love is the fulfillment of the Law of the Old Testament, as well as the fulfillment of the New Law of Christ. When we love God with our whole being, that love overflows upon all of God's creatures, including our neighbor.In this Gospel, the scribe goes on to ask Jesus who His neighbor is. Jesus responds by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In that parable, there was a man beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite passed by and ignored the man. But a Samaritan passed by and took care of the man, bringing him to an inn and vowing to pay for his recovery. The story concludes by the Samaritan being identified as the one who acted as a neighbor to the victim.Traditionally, the victim of the robbers in this story has been seen as Adam. Adam represents fallen humanity. The Samaritan represents Jesus who cared for fallen humanity, healed us of sin and provided for our every need. Therefore, according to this parable, Jesus has acted as a neighbor to us, and we must love Him as we love ourselves. But Jesus also says, “Go and do likewise.” This is a commission to fallen humanity, now healed of sin, to go forth to others, acting as Jesus Himself, bringing the healing grace they have been given and bestowing it upon others generously.Sometimes we can see love as a feeling or emotion. Though love is often accompanied by certain emotions and feelings, love is much more. It is an action. In this parable, if the Samaritan simply looked upon the victim and felt sorry for him, had compassion for him but then moved on, he would not have shown love. The love of charity is an action and requires much of us. If we are to fulfill this first and greatest commandment of love of God and neighbor, then we cannot wait until we feel like loving to act. Instead, we must act now and not hesitate. This is love.Reflect, today, upon the true nature of love. Love, in its most elevated form, is the choice to do what is best for others—to help free them from sin and to be an instrument of God's providence in their lives. It's a participation in the very love that God has shown us in Christ Jesus by giving His life for our salvation. We are all called to devote ourselves to this same form of selfless and sacrificial love. Doing so is a requirement for the glorious sharing in eternal life.My loving Lord, You have given everything to fallen humanity. You have freed us from sin and provided for all of our needs. You have acted as a true neighbor in every way. Please give me the grace I need to imitate You and to participate in the love You have for others. May I truly act and never hesitate to bestow on others the charitable love to which I am called. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: African depiction of "The Good Samaritan" by Tim Kubacki, license CC BY 2.0Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Hey everyone, it's a fresh week and a fresh episode of the Dub R! This week, we bring back some pro wrestling talk in the open. It's a wrestling show double preview as we look at AEW's "All In: Texas (2025)" and "WWE Saturday Night's Main Event". Up next, our favorite film segment is back again, with yet another "Double Feature". This week's "F@12AM" covers "Sinners" and "George A. Romero's Resident Evil: A Documentary". Traditionally, come on down to the Lagoon and waterfall of G's to close the show and join us for some laughs! Please enjoy responsibly!PRESENTED by CHURCHILL PICTURESTimestamps:00:00:00 - Intro: Wrestling Previews: AEW's All In: Texas (2025) and WWE Saturday Night's Main Event00:29:04 - Friday's at Midnight: Sinners (2025)00:42:05 - Friday's at Midnight: George A. Romero's Resident Evil - Documentary (2025)01:02:56 - Goofs R GoofsThanks for Listening!
SEO Optimizing Websites: SEO, AI, for High Market Authority with SEO Expert, Favour Obasi-ike, MBA, MSFrom this episode, Favour had audio Marketing Clubhouse audio roundtable session, where we discuss crucial aspects of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for websites, particularly focusing on new and established online presences. He emphasized the need for a strong web presence in today's digital landscape, despite the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, as these AI systems often pull information from well-optimized websites.Key topics include understanding Google's new "MUVERA" algorithm (Multi-Vector Retrieval Algorithm), the importance of technical SEO elements like H1 tags and schema markup, and the value of local SEO strategies. The discussion also highlights the utility of screen recording tools like Loom and Vimeo for business communication and sales, and the significance of conversion rate optimization (CRO) to ensure website effectiveness.FAQs on New Website SEO Optimization for Businesses1. Why is having a website crucial for a business, even in the age of AI and platforms like ChatGPT?In today's digital landscape, a website remains an indispensable asset for any business. While AI tools like ChatGPT are powerful for information retrieval, they primarily draw content from existing websites. If your business doesn't have an online presence that these AI models can access, it becomes challenging to be discovered and gain long-term visibility. A website serves as your digital storefront, your authoritative profile, and a valuable asset that allows AI to pick up on your offerings, ensuring your brand is seen, heard, and remembered.2. What is Google MUVERA, and how does it change the way Google's algorithm functions?Google MUVERA, which stands for Multi-vector Retrieval Algorithm, is a new algorithm launched by Google. It signifies a shift in how Google processes information. Traditionally, Google acted like a library, providing direct results based on keywords. With MUVERA, Google's algorithm goes beyond simple keyword matching.3. What is the "ABC of SEO" and why are all three components essential for a website's visibility?The "ABC of SEO" outlines three fundamental aspects for a website's online visibility:A - Crawling: This refers to whether search engine bots (like Googlebot, Bingbot, or AI bots) can access and read your website's pages. If your pages cannot be crawled, they cannot be discovered by search engines.B - Indexing: This is the process where bots analyze your content and decide whether to include it in their search results listings. For content to be indexed, it must meet quality standards and be relevant to potential searches. It's like a library deciding if a book is valuable enough to be put on a shelf for readers.C - Serving (Search Results): This is the final stage where your content is presented to users in search results. This involves not only basic links but also rich snippets, FAQs, and other optimized elements.Looking for Business Inquires with SEO Services > Book A CallMore Resources:>> Join our exclusive SEO Marketing community>> Latest blogs on SEO optimization and Online Marketing>> Book your Complimentary SEO Discovery Call>> Book Paid Marketing Consultation Call>> Subscribe to We Don't PLAY Podcast>> Start Your Email Marketing 14-Day Trial with FlodeskBrands We Love and SupportLoving Me Beauty | Buy Vegan-based Luxury ProductsZetvaa | Buy Premium Human Hair Extensions Online
Workleap, a leading Canadian software company building the AI-powered talent management platform teams actually love to use, has acquired Barley, an end-to-end compensation management solution. This acquisition marks a significant step forward in unifying two critical components of talent strategy: performance and compensation. Traditionally managed in isolation through disconnected systems and workflows, these functions are now brought together in one unified platform, enabling HR teams to improve transparency, consistency, and alignment in how they recognize and reward employees. https://hrtechfeed.com/workleap-acquires-compensation-management-platform/ PHILADELPHIA—-Phenom, an applied AI company that helps companies hire faster, develop better and retain longer, will host its Industry Week 2025 livestream July 28 – August 1. The five-day, SHRM-accredited program addresses the unique talent acquisition and management challenges facing six critical industries — retail, hospitality and travel, healthcare, financial services and manufacturing — through real-world use cases and proven progressive AI implementation strategies. https://hrtechfeed.com/phenom-to-host-industry-week-july-28-august-1/ Deel, the leading global payroll and HR platform, today introduced a major wave of AI-powered features in its quarterly product showcase, The Deel Drop: Summer Edition. The update includes more than 500 improvements across onboarding, payroll, HRIS, and client experience, focused on simplifying day-to-day operations for global teams. Deel's all-in-one platform now embeds intelligence at every step, from talent strategy and financial operations to compliance and support. This quarter, the company introduced new capabilities that anticipate customer needs, reduce back-and-forth, and help organizations make better decisions about how and where to scale. At the same time, it continues to reduce operational friction through self-serve payroll features, built-in financial tools, and clearer HR workflows for global teams. https://hrtechfeed.com/deel-adds-built-in-artificial-intelligence-pay-flexibility-and-global-hiring-tools/ Lightcast, a global leader in labor market intelligence, has acquired UK-based Rhetorik—marking a major expansion in people and company data to offer one of the most comprehensive views of the global labor market. The acquisition strengthens Lightcast's position by combining demand-side signals with deeply curated supply-side data to power workforce planning, talent acquisition, sales prospecting, and more. https://hrtechfeed.com/lightcast-acquires-labor-market-intelligence-tool/ WANTED: An entrepreneurial role for an executive in the HR Tech industry to help run the GTM and daily operations of Jobstream. What happens to the 99% of candidates who don't get the job? Jobstream is an AI-technology platform helping employers build long-lasting candidate relationships by referring recommended jobs, even after they get rejected. https://hrtechjob.com/jobs/145495964-business-strategy-operations-gtm HR Tech Job of the Week: Business Strategy & Operations – GTM @Jobstream
Tyna Moore, ND, DC, has nearly three decades experience in the medical world. She made her mark as a leading expert in holistic regenerative medicine and resilient health. Traditionally and alternatively trained in both science and medicine, Dr. Moore brings a unique perspective to those wishing to build a more robust foundation in their health and well-being. She is the host of The Dr. Tyna Show Podcast, #1 best-selling author, and international speaker. She helps others improve their resilience and metabolic health through multiple online offerings.https://www.drtyna.com/https://www.instagram.com/drtynahttps://youtube.com/@drtyna_______________________________________________________________________________________Come check out the Buff Muff Community!www.buffmuff.comThank you so much for listening! I use fitness and movement to help women prevent and overcome pelvic floor challenges like incontinence and organ prolapse. There is help for women in all life stages! Every Woman Needs A Vagina Coach! Please make sure to LEAVE A REVIEW and SUBSCRIBE to the show for the best fitness and wellness advice south of your belly button. *******************I recommend checking out my comprehensive pelvic health education and fitness programs on my Buff Muff AppYou can also join my next 28 Day Buff Muff Challenge https://www.vaginacoach.com/buffmuffIf you are feeling social you can connect with me… On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VagCoachOn Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vaginacoach/On Twitter https://twitter.com/VaginaCoachOn The Web www.vaginacoach.comGet your Feel Amazing Vaginal Moisturizer Here
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Monique Strong. President of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC). Here's a breakdown of the key highlights and takeaways:
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Monique Strong. President of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC). Here's a breakdown of the key highlights and takeaways:
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Monique Strong. President of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC). Here's a breakdown of the key highlights and takeaways:
This episode of Convo By Design is scheduled for the week of July 8th, 2025. Intentionally so we can begin thinking about what's coming. It's hard to forget trauma, like what we saw in Pacific Palisades and Altadena earlier this year. But not impossible. Traditionally, “fire season” in California begins in August and ends around the end of October. Over the decades, there has been a creep into July, then June on the front end and then into November and December on the back end. Sadly, now, there is no longer a fire season, only an ongoing threat. Part of a recent California tour that started in the Bay Area and ended in Pasadena, I got an earful, and, because the mics are always on, so will you. In this special episode, you're going to hear an extraordinary panel conversation in its entirety—one that explores the very real and immediate design challenges and opportunities facing architects, builders, designers, and manufacturers when creating residential projects in fire-prone areas. This conversation was recorded live and it's one of the most practical, informative, and emotionally resonant discussions we've had about fire-resilient design. This was recorded live from Golden State Lumber in Concord, CA. It features amazing professionals from design, landscape design and architecture. We have industry insiders and those on the front lines, literally. Designer Resources Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise. Design Hardware - A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home! - Where service meets excellence TimberTech - Real wood beauty without the upkeep Today, you are going to hear from; Caroline Nassif | Studio Ovo Mary Ann Schicketanz | Studio Schicketanz Ian Cox | Devlin McNally Construction Amy Wolff | Ceara Studio John Davis | John Davis Architect Robby Myer | Golden State Lumber Jay Williams | The AZEK Company Dustin Moore | Strata Landscape Architecture This episode features the full conversation in four parts and here are some important ideas to listen for: Setting the Context—Urgency, Evolution, and Mindset Shifts We open with a candid discussion about the evolving nature of wildfire—how modern firestorms are not the slow-moving ground fires of the past, but fast, intense, and unpredictable events that demand a complete rethinking of how homes are sited, designed, and built. Listen for how the professionals on the panel are redefining “resilience”, not as a post-disaster reaction, but as a forward-thinking design responsibility. There's discussion about the emotional component—how clients are now asking for homes that not only reflect their aesthetic desires but also protect their families and investment. You'll hear the beginnings of a common theme: that collaboration across disciplines—architecture, landscape, materials, policy—is essential to progress. Materials, Methods, and Design Strategy This section dives into the specific building systems and material choices that can help defend a home against wildfire. Pay close attention to the comparisons between wood vs. non-combustible materials, and the increasing use of metal roofs, cementitious siding, and Class A-rated assemblies. There are valuable insights into decking, fencing, vents, and eaves—often overlooked but critical components in fire resistance. The discussion touches on building codes and certifications, and how understanding these nuances can inform smarter material selection and design detailing. Design Solutions in Action This is where we get into real-world case studies. Panelists share examples of how they've adapted fire-resilient strategies in current projects and how clients are responding to new realities. Listen for examples of reimagining exterior spaces—gravel moats, Mediterranean-inspired gardens, and drought-tolerant landscapes that are also fire-resistant. There's a growing theme of creative compromise—how to...
SpaceTime with Stuart Gary | Astronomy, Space & Science News
In this episode of SpaceTime, we uncover remarkable insights into Mars, Mercury, and the latest developments in space exploration.Hidden Martian Volcano: Jezero MonsScientists have identified a previously overlooked volcano, Jezero Mons, located on the rim of Jezero Crater, where NASA's Perseverance rover is actively collecting samples. This discovery could provide vital clues about Mars' volcanic history and habitability, suggesting that the region may have supported life due to the interplay of volcanic heat and water. The findings, published in Communications Earth and Environment, highlight the need for further exploration of Mars' geology, as volcanism plays a crucial role in understanding the planet's past.Tidal Forces Shaping Mercury's CliffsA new study published in Geophysical Research Planets proposes that tidal forces from the Sun may have contributed to the deformation of Mercury's towering cliffs. Traditionally attributed to cooling and contraction, this research indicates that the planet's unique orbital dynamics could also influence its geological features. The BepiColombo mission, scheduled to arrive at Mercury next year, aims to gather data that could validate these findings and enhance our understanding of the planet's evolution over billions of years.Axiom Space's AX4 Mission Arrives at the ISSThe Axiom Space AX4 mission has successfully docked at the International Space Station for a 14-day stay. This mission, featuring a diverse international crew, aims to conduct over 60 scientific and commercial experiments, furthering Axiom's goal of establishing a private space station in low Earth orbit. Despite facing multiple delays, the mission underscores the growing role of private companies in space exploration.www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com✍️ Episode ReferencesCommunications Earth and Environmenthttps://www.nature.com/commsenv/Geophysical Research Planetshttps://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/24701343Axiom Spacehttps://www.axiomspace.com/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support.
In the past few days, Russian callousness and casual racism has led to conflicts with Azerbaijan on an unprecedented scale. Traditionally viewed as one of Kremlin's closest allies, Baku is now fed up with how it's imperialist neighbour is treating Azeri nationals and Aliyev is striking back. A lot of what's happening is amoral, dirty and outright petty - but it hits Kremlin straight into national pride.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theeasternborder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
PREVIEW TIBET: Colleague Charles Burton recounts the likely scenario when the CCP moves to replace a traditionally chosen Dalai Lama with Beijing's obedient choice. More.
Jupiter entered Cancer on June 9 and it will remain there until it enters Leo on June 29, 2026. In keeping with the planet's benign reputation, its twelve-year orbit conveniently gives it about one year in each sign. Traditionally, Jupiter brings luck, and there's some truth in that notion – with a few provisos. First, what exactly do we mean by luck? During a big Jupiter transit, maybe someone wins a large pile of money. They feel lucky. Everybody calls them lucky. But how happy are they a year later? Did that money actually bring them joy? Well . . . possibly. Not to rain on Jupiter's parade, but one secret with “luck” lies in actually knowing what is good for you. The first obstacle we must overcome in achieving that goal is that everybody thinks they are already there! We all know luck when we see it, right? I mean, how would you feel if you won that lottery? Are you going to give that money back? Put on your wisdom hat – and you wouldn't be reading this newsletter if you didn't have one. Something deep inside you knows that money can bring troubles as well as joy. It's just hard for us humans to remember that. We get dazzled by glitter sometimes and mistake it for gold. And of course it's not always about money. There are many other Jupiter “glamours” in this world, ready to beguile us: fame, sex, power – even being widely touted as “a deeply spiritual person.” Every one of those traps can breed attachment and blindness.
Read OnlineAs Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. Matthew 8:23–24This experience had quite an impression upon the disciples, which is evidenced by the fact that it is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels. We also see this in the concluding words of the story after Jesus calmed the storm: “The men were amazed and said, ‘What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?'”Traditionally, this story has been interpreted as both an image of the Church as a whole, as well as the individual soul. The boat is an image of the Church through which we Christians navigate the perils of this life. We must remain in the Church to survive. Each person within the boat represents each one of us who is a member of the Church. The violent storm is an image of the many personal struggles we endure in life, as well as the persecutions that the Church has endured and will continue to endure until the end of time.As the storm took hold of the boat, Jesus was asleep. But He was asleep for a reason. As we look at human history, especially the history of the Church, we find many times when God has seemed absent or “asleep” when turmoil, persecution, and hardship have arisen. Many people, if not all, have had the same experience at one time or another in life. As the disciples experience this storm, they offer us an ideal way to pray when we are tempted to despair in life. They wake Jesus and say, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And though Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith and their fear, He also responds to their pleas and calms the storm.What should the disciples have done in this case? Should they have trusted and allowed Jesus to remain asleep? Though our Lord did rebuke them for lacking faith, this story is primarily a revelation about God's mercy when we are tempted to fear. God knows that at times we will all feel overwhelmed and find ourselves tempted in this way. He knows our faith is not perfect, and so He allowed His disciples to set this example for us. Thus, whenever we do find ourselves overwhelmed and fearful in life, we should cry out to Him to save us. He wants us to turn to Him. Reflect, today, upon this prayer of the disciples. If you find that you are facing some personal crisis, or a larger family difficulty that remains unresolved, or are increasingly aware of other struggles afflicting the Church or society as a whole, then try to imitate this prayer of the disciples: “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” Though these words, at first, may seem to be words of despair, they are actually words of hope and trust. They point us to Him Who is the only source of the peace we seek in our souls, families, the Church and our world. Look for the many ways that you and others experience the feeling of “perishing,” and cry out with all your heart to our Lord to save you and all who are in need.Most powerful Lord, I am amazed at Your divine power and ability to perfectly calm the storms that afflict Your people. Please fill me with hope and humility so that I will never hesitate to turn to You in my need and to also cry out to You for Your continuous intervention in the lives of others. Awake, oh Lord, and save Your people, for we will truly perish without You! Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Karemin1094, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Telepylos and Homer's Odyssey In Homer's Odyssey, Telepylos is described as the city of the Laestrygonians, a race of giants who ambush Odysseus and his crew. The vivid depiction includes towering cliffs, a narrow harbor entrance, and dramatic landscapes, suggesting a location of strategic maritime importance. Traditionally dismissed as myth, these detailed descriptions raise the question: could Telepylos have been a real place, its memory preserved through oral storytelling? By analyzing Homeric texts alongside physical data from the region between Malta and Sicily, this study investigates the plausibility of identifying Telepylos as a submerged site.Spanning approximately 80 square kilometers, the site lies at a depth of 250 meters between Sicily and Malta and features striking geometric formations. A central mound, comparable in scale to the Great Pyramid of Giza, and an encircling canal—529 meters wide and 50 meters deep—underscore the engineering sophistication of this ancient settlement. These features suggest a city of immense scale and importance, potentially serving as a waypoint for ancient mariners. Through a recalibration of sea-level models using datasets from EMODnet and GEBCO, this study proposes that the Mediterranean basin, isolated from the Atlantic during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), experienced a localized sea-level drop to approximately -250 meters, exposing vast landscapes suitable for human settlement. This stable plateau, lasting nearly 3,000 years, likely provided the conditions for Telepylos and similar civilizations to thrive before a gradual sea-level rise submerged the city by 8,600 BC. Unlike Atlantis, Telepylos's submersion was not sudden but marked by centuries of encroachment as nature slowly reclaimed the city. The findings challenge conventional paradigms about LGM sea levels and ancient Mediterranean civilizations.André Chaisson is a seasoned civil engineering designer with over 25 years of CAD experience, including five years as a senior designer shaping large-scale infrastructure projects. With a knack for crafting plans and maps—honed through work on urban designs, municipal systems, and bathymetric surveys—he built a career grounded in pragmatism. Yet beneath the surface, a lifelong fascination with the mysteries of the past, from Atlantis to the Great Pyramids, simmered quietly. Self-taught with years of college education, including naval architecture, he's now channeling his skills into a bold new chapter. Already, he's uncovered the lost city of Telepylos, a discovery he's determined to bring to the world's attention. With sights set on revealing Atlantis next, André is on a mission to rewrite the history of humankind. Humble yet driven, he aims to spark a renaissance in archaeology, blending meticulous expertise with an adventurer's heart to inspire future exploration.https://grahamhancock.com/author/andre-chaisson/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.
What happens when you stop thinking of satellites as data collectors and start thinking of them as data analysts? That is precisely the shift we explore in today's episode of Tech Talks Daily with Michael Bartholomeusz, CEO of NOVI. Traditionally, Earth observation has relied on satellites to capture massive volumes of raw data, which is then transmitted back to Earth for processing. However, this model presents several significant challenges: cost, latency, and complexity. NOVI is flipping this model on its head. Instead of sending terabytes of data back down, their satellites analyze it in orbit and only transmit the results. That means smaller data packets, faster insights, and drastically reduced costs. Michael and I dig into how NOVI's space-based edge computing infrastructure is opening new opportunities in defense, agriculture, mining, and more. With multiple sensors onboard each satellite and a proprietary AI processing platform, NOVI enables organizations to fuse and process Earth observation data in real time. It is a shift from intelligence as a feature to intelligence as the foundation. We also discussed NOVI's evolving roadmap as it transitions from Department of Defense projects to a dual-use model that includes commercial services. Their commercial constellation is set to launch in early 2026 aboard SpaceX Transporter missions, and the company is already onboarding early adopters who are building custom inference models in preparation for this launch. What stands out in this conversation is NOVI's goal of democratizing Earth observation. Their open-access platform enables users to retain full ownership of their data, marking a significant departure from the closed systems that currently dominate the industry. Lower cost, faster processing, and open access could change who benefits from space data and how. So, what does it take to process AI in orbit? How do we reimagine satellites as part of the compute layer, not just the sensor layer? And what happens when access to real-time Earth intelligence becomes available to more than just governments and large enterprises? Listen in to find out.
Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Monique Strong. President of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Black Women in Construction (NABWIC). Here's a breakdown of the key highlights and takeaways:
Last week before Trump decided to bomb three nuclear sites in Iran Fox News was more than happy to encourage him to start a new war in the Middle East - something he vowed he would avoid during his 2024 presidential campaign.When Fox News hosts weren't standing in front of maps of Iran or going over various animated displays of bunker busting bombs, they were downplaying anti-Trump protests, demonizing Democrats and ignoring the fact that their glorious leader's approval rating was dropping in multiple polls.Traditionally the American public tends to sour on foreign wars quickly even if they were far more popular when they started. Fox News hosts seemed determined to sell Trump as a president dedicated to peace while pummeling Middle East countries with 30,000-pound bombs. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit decodingfoxnews.substack.com/subscribe