Podcasts about UHM

Prova GRATIS Finom - https://openinapp.link/lp3ud Quando sei in viaggio...non ti è mai capitato di pensare.: " Uhm questa CocaCola ha un sapore diverso dal solito"? Forse hai ragione Ascolta il podcast STORIE di BRAND - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://spotify.openinapp.co/zp15q⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Entra nel Canale TELEGRAM - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://t.me/storiedibrand⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Storie su YOUTUBE - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@StoriediBrand⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Seguici su INSTAGRAM -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/storiedibrand/?hl=it⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nadat Oekraïne afgelopen week een verrassingsaanval uitvoerde op Rusland, sloeg het Russische leger hard terug met de grootste droneaanval in de oorlog tot nu toe en lanceerde het een nieuw offensief - Oekraïne ontkent dat. Ondertussen zegt Trump dat Oekraïne en Rusland misschien maar even een tijdje moeten doorvechten om tot een oplossing te komen.En Israël hield een schip met activisten tegen, dat op weg was naar Gaza om hulpgoederen te leveren - onder hen Greta Thunberg en een Nederlandse stuurman. Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Operatie Spinnenweb: schijnbaar uit het niets viel Oekraïne diep in Rusland met kleine drones militaire vliegvelden aan en vernietigde zo een deel van de Russische strategische bommenwerpers. En dat aan de vooravond van nieuwe vredesgesprekken tussen beide landen in Istanbul. En in Nederland is het kabinet gevallen, nadat PVV-leider Geert Wilders dinsdag de stekker eruit trok. Wat betekent dat voor de Defensieplannen en de opbouw van de Nederlandse krijgsmacht? Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John Marvin grew up in Kansas as a member of a family with significant medical experience. John's father, for example, was a family physician in a small Western Kansas town. John describes some about his life and how his thoughts and attitudes were greatly influenced by his father. Late in his high school career John told his dad that he did not want to grow up to be a doctor because, as he put it, he didn't want to work as hard as his father worked. John will explain that to us. As he also put it, his comment came from a young naïve boy.   In college John settled on securing a marketing degree. After college he ended up going deeply into marketing and eventually he entered the optical industry specializing in optometry.   John and I have some wonderful discussions about self growth, leadership and how to help people and companies grow. I got, and I think you will get, many great ideas from John's experiences and that we all will be the better for what John has to say and teach us.       About the Guest:   John D. Marvin is an entrepreneur and dynamic leader with a proven track record of success in healthcare, wellness, and the eyecare industry. As President and CEO of Texas State Optical (TSO), he has transformed the organization into one of the largest and most respected networks of independent optometrists in the United States, generating upwards of $110 million in annual revenue. With over two decades of experience at TSO, John has cultivated a member-owned cooperative that empowers optometrists to operate independently while benefiting from robust centralized support. His leadership has been pivotal in fostering a culture of innovation, professional growth, and exceptional patient care. John's career spans over 40 years, during which he has held executive roles across various industries, including marketing, consulting, and healthcare. His entrepreneurial spirit is evident in his strategic leadership during TSO's transition from a retail chain to a cooperative network in 2001. Under his guidance, TSO shifted its focus from product-driven services to comprehensive medical eyecare, reinforcing its reputation as a patient-centered organization. Beyond TSO, John serves as President of Texas Eyecare Partners and Health and Wellness Consulting. As a lifelong advocate of personal growth, John has studied the transformative power of mindset and the “inner game” of success. His insights into leadership, achievement, and business management have made him a sought-after speaker and certified John Maxwell Professional Coach. John passionately shares his experiences to inspire others to unlock their potential, offering actionable strategies to overcome challenges and drive meaningful change. John's dedication to education and collaboration is evident in his efforts to support emerging professionals in the field of optometry. He has fostered strong relationships with the University of Houston's College of Optometry and the Texas Optometric Association, contributing to scholarships, professional development programs, and initiatives that promote medical optometry. Through his vision and unwavering commitment to excellence, John D. Marvin exemplifies the principles of leadership, empowerment, and innovation, making a lasting impact on the eyecare industry and beyond. Ways to connect John:   https://www.facebook.com/jdmarvin  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdmarvin/  https://www.instagram.com/jdmarvin/ https://tso.com/   About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/   https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hello, everyone. Once again, wherever you happen to be, I'm your host on unstoppable mindset, Mike Hingson, or you can call me Mike, whichever you prefer. And our guest today is John D Marvin. John is an entrepreneur. Has been an entrepreneur for quite a while, and he has been involved in a number of different kind of endeavors over his life. And he's worked, worked in the eye care industry a bunch, and is now in charge of Texas State Optical. We're going to learn more about that and and all the other things I don't know whether I care, does me a whole lot of good directly, but it's fun to talk about anyway. No, no doubt. So John, I want to really welcome you. I'm glad we finally made this work. I'm glad we got a chance to connect. So welcome to unstoppable mindset.   John D Marvin ** 02:13 Well, thank you, Mike. It's a real pleasure to be here.   Michael Hingson ** 02:15 Well, I'm glad that we we get a chance to really talk. We haven't really done too many podcasts on eye care and optical stuff, so I'm glad to be able to do it. But I'd like to start, as I'd love to do so often, tell us about kind of the early John growing up, and go from there.   John D Marvin ** 02:33 Okay, I was born and raised in Kansas. I that that's northern Texas, right? That's northern Texas. That's right, yeah, I actually grew up in western Kansas. I was born in Kansas City, but I grew up in western Kansas, and my father is a family physician, and had the kind of stereotypical country doctor practice small town, 2000 people, and my mother was his office manager for a number of years. And so it was a kind of a family business. And I have three siblings, sisters, and so we grew up in a small Mayberry type town, and it was great riding bicycles till the street lights came on at night, and catching fireflies and all that kind of good stuff. And then I decided to go to school. I chose to go to school in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated, it's an emphasis in marketing and marketing and business administration, and ended up in the ad agency business for a little bit of a time, and just kind of really decided that wasn't for me, and ended up from there going into pharmaceutical sales. And really enjoyed that, and enjoyed the the outside sales aspects of it and calling on doctors. And my territory was western Kansas, so I used to say, and still refer to it as my territory looked like my high school football schedule. So we would go to these small towns. And of course, most everyone out there knew my father, and so the typical problem of trying to get past the front desk was made a little easier because people knew my family, and from that, I ended up taking an administrative, marketing administrators position with a group of surgeons in in Wichita, and that led to introduction and eating some ophthalmologists in Houston. Them and followed a job opportunity I had with them and came to Houston in 1989 I've been here ever since, but it was after four years of working with them, I ended up going out on my own and started my own business, which was Marketing Management Group, which did consumer research, and then we would develop marketing strategies based on that. And one of my clients, early clients, was Texas State Optical. And because of my background in eye care, both in Wichita, Kansas and in Houston, I had a better I got some insight into the consumer. And so the work I did with Texas State Optical was a lot we did a lot of work, and did several studies with them, and that kind of introduced me to the whole group of franchisees that made up the Texas State Optical organization. Subsequently, I helped them organize, the franchisees organize, and in the late 90s, 1999 I was hired by the franchisees to put together a Franchise Association, and through that, ultimately help them acquire the company, purchase it, and from that during that process, was asked if I would be willing to come on board as the new president of the company once they purchased it. And that was in 2001 and I've been president ever since. So here you go. It kind of takes you from Small Town Living to big city operations and a network of about 100 optometry offices.   Michael Hingson ** 06:47 So what exactly is Texas State Optical? Or maybe first, what was it and how is it morphed over time?   John D Marvin ** 06:56 Well, originally it was founded by four brothers in 1936 in Southeast Texas, little town called Beaumont, and famous for a lot of things in that part of the state. One of them is Janis Joplin, the others, Big Bopper and George Jones and but it also was the birthplace of Texas State Optical. And they grew a network of privately owned they owned them all over 300 locations throughout Texas, Mexico, Oklahoma and Arkansas, Louisiana and and then in the early 70s, they sold it to a pharmaceutical company, ironically, the same one that I had worked for when I was calling on western Kansas. But when they sold it, it got converted to a traditional franchise model, and it stayed that way until the franchisees purchased it in 2001 when we I was involved, and we turned it into a brand license business, taking that iconic license that had been around Texas optical since the 30s, 1930s and and then turning around and licensing the use of that brand to young optometrist who wanted to own their own practice, but saw the use of that brand as kind of instant credibility, because a lot of people were familiar with that brand.   Michael Hingson ** 08:40 So what does it provide? What did one of the organization provide under the brand? Well,   John D Marvin ** 08:46 we use the use of the brand, and so you got immediate notoriety in terms of just people's awareness of it, but also we put together kind of a la carte menu of optional services and support and resources that licensees could either take advantage of or not, and it was a really hands off model. We didn't have any, and still don't have any operational control over the way business was done. We We influenced that through best practices and sharing of information, but certainly we didn't require have any requirements of the way that they would operate. Reality is most private practice optometrists operate pretty well, and so we were there to kind of coach and help, but mainly it was them using our brand name, which had a really strong consumer value to it.   Michael Hingson ** 09:44 And so what kind of changes when the franchisees all joined together and bought the company and so on? How have you and they changed it over the years.   John D Marvin ** 09:59 I. I think the biggest change from 1999 to 2001 when they bought it, and to this day, has been the culture of the company. And that is, you know, it's something of a franchise opportunity, yeah, and a lot of your listeners probably either own franchises. Thought about franchises, and you know, it might you and I spent the next year trying to decide we were going to own a franchise. And we'd go out and do all sorts of research, and we'd look into this one and that one, and what kind of industry we want, and we'd finally select one that we were really impressed with. Thought about for great opportunity. We'd pay our $50,000 franchise fee, and about the second or third day of owning that franchise, we would decide that these people don't know anything about this business that we're in, and there's just this inherent adversarial relationship that exists between a franchisee and a franchisor. Some for good reason, some just because of the independent, entrepreneurial nature of a franchisee. Well, when the franchisees owned the company, they owned the franchise, or that adversarial dynamic kind of left. And so now there's nobody to kind of blame except yourself, and people are inclined not to do that as much. And so there was a greater tendency to kind of work together, work through things, come up with solutions to problems or resources that were needed. And it just created a much more homogeneous type of culture, and to the point where our annual meeting we host every year is referred to as our family reunion. And so we gather everyone together. It's really an atmosphere of all of us being as one family, sharing the same kind of core values, and all out to do the same thing, and that is just provide great quality eye care for our communities. And so that, that is a big change. Of course, there's always the things like collective purchasing, education and training. The main difference in those areas are engagement. When you are asked by a franchisor to engage in certain activities, there's that inherent reluctance to do that in our organization. There's an inherent acceptance of it because it comes from a colleague, it comes from others and doctors are more leading doctors than they are being led by some set of suits someplace in the Northeast.   Michael Hingson ** 12:50 Yeah, and that is such an extremely important thing to be able to really make it a family, a disciplined family, but still a family nevertheless, which is kind of cool. I'm curious about something being blind, and having been blind my whole life, and involved with blindness consumer organizations, one of the things that we have found often is that most people in the eye care industry, primarily in the ophthalmological industry, which is kind of a little bit more relevant to us, but tend not to really have a lot of knowledge about blindness and blind people. And so, for example, there are so many stories of a person going into the office of an ophthalmologist, for example, maybe they're losing their eyesight, but the ophthalmologist examines them and for whatever reason, will say things like, you're going blind. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do, and walk out and never provide any other kinds of resources or knowledge to help the person who's losing eyesight. I don't know whether you see that, given where you are or what your thoughts are on that, but I'd be interested to get your thoughts because it seems to me that there's a lot of opportunity to do significant education about blindness and low vision to recognize that the reality is, blindness isn't the problem. It's people's attitudes traditionally that are the problem.   John D Marvin ** 14:28 That's an excellent point. Mike, I you know my first thoughts are the profession of optometry is really involved in preventing right blindness, and so it's kind of one of the few areas of healthcare that is more prevention oriented than other areas. Most areas are treatment oriented. In other words, you become sick. And then we treat you right, and the profession of optometry is all about we talk to people all the time about protecting your vision and preventing problems from happening. Now, as we see patients that end up either through glaucoma or some form of pathology, retinal issues, start to lose their vision. There comes a point early in that process where they are, frankly, they are outside of the scope of care that an optometrist can provide. So they end up being referred to an ophthalmologist. That being said, there are several optometrists across the country that have decided to devote themselves to low vision, and that's kind of a form of blind and what I would call blindness care, and where it's not complete, there is some level of vision there, but it needs a lot of enhancement, either through equipment or through other types of therapeutics practices. And there are optometrists who say, I'm not going to sell glasses. I'm not going to focus on contacts. I'm going to just provide a low vision clinic. And they're not not there's not a large number of them, but there are some, and what I've experienced in that is it does take a particular type of practitioner to be successful with that. And when I say successful, I mean, to be able to establish the type of patient doctor relationship that actually produces some really positive outcomes and helps people better manage their loss of vision, either whether that's progressive and eventually will become complete, or whether It's stalled at a point where they just cannot function without special aid, like I said, equipment, or some type of therapeutics. And there's just not a lot of people go into Optometry for the refractive side of things, and and so there's, there's not that motivation, really, to learn much about it. We do as an organization. We're very involved with prevent blindness as a national organization, and we'd also have some involvement with low vision clinics that are in the Houston Medical Center. But outside of that, you're right. There's not a whole lot of folks that understand it, probably, or maybe it's just they don't have the patience for it, because it does require a different kind of patient care approach, even   Michael Hingson ** 17:55 so what I wonder is, if there is an opportunity, maybe to provide additional education, so that if your your franchisees, for example, encounter a person who's losing eyesight and they and they realize that that they can help refer them to sources or resources that can assist because part of the problem is that, typically in society, blindness is viewed as such a horrible, devastating thing. And I understand that eyesight is a very wonderful thing, and people want to have it, but the reality is for a variety of reasons that doesn't work for everyone. The problem is that we have so much fear of blindness that we don't tend to deal with and I just wonder if there might be a way to provide some sort of a system or program that would help teach your people that blindness isn't really the end of the world, which is not to say, don't try to prevent it if you can, but when you can't, you can also be an additional source. To say, here are places where you can go, or here are some things that you can learn.   John D Marvin ** 19:16 Well, I do think that it's important, and I'm aware of many, keeping in mind that our members who own locations that use our brand are independent, we have provided them local organizations, clinics, things like that, which help them in referring people that need that kind of help and in education, I think also an important factor is that it's not just the patient that can use that it's the patient's family, because it, while it's perceived as something that you know you. I know that people value their sight, and the thought of losing it and becoming blind is is frightening the individual, but it also is frightening and disruptive to family, who father, mother, wife, husband, son or daughter, to deal with the changes in lifestyle that are required to accommodate that. Loss of vision is significant. You mentioned you've been blind since birth, and that's certainly one group of people, but there's an awful lot of people that end up experiencing blindness when they're in their 30s or 40s, after they've had a large portion of their life with vision. And it's, I don't want to say it's easier by any means. I first of all, I have no right in even suggesting that, but it's a different experience, for sure, not ever having had vision, versus having had it for a number of years and then losing it. And sometimes it might be as scary and frightening for the family around that person as it is the patient themselves. And so we do place a high value on getting people the kind of help and resources they need to better adjust to those changes.   Michael Hingson ** 21:28 Well, when I was born, I actually became blind because of what we now call retinopathy or prematurity, which originally was retro enterofibroplasia, which is harder to spell, but I love the term anyway. At about four months of age, it was discovered that I was blind, and the doctors told my parents they ought to just send me off to a home, because no blind child could ever grow up to be a contributor to society, and all I would do would be a drain on the family and then later on society. And my parents were very unusual in taking the stand that, no, you're wrong. He can grow up to do whatever he wants, and we're going to give him that opportunity. And that was, and really to a very large degree today, still is, a very unusual attitude to take, because we fear blindness so much, and while I appreciate the reality of eyesight is very important for most people, what I would love to see are ways to create more of an understanding so that People understand that blindness isn't the end of the world, and that's what what we see all too often in society in general, which is unfortunate, and you're right. I don't know whether it's easier if you're blind from the outset or become blind later in life. I know any number of people who became blind later in life, who went to programs where philosophically, they were taught blindness was not a problem, and they learned that they could continue to be contributors to society, and they tend to intend to Do that, as opposed to many others from both camps and from birth or not who never understand. Blindness isn't going to be the end of the road if people let it be. So it's it's just one of those conundrums that we end up having to deal with on a regular basis.   John D Marvin ** 23:38 The name of your podcast dealing with mindset, right? A lot of it is exactly that. And if you're find yourself in a you know, the child who's born blind can either have a support system and family and parents that impact his his or her mindset in a way that creates the expectation and understanding that it it doesn't have to be limiting. And same goes with someone who's blind later in life, right? It's a matter of how you look at and decide for yourself. I mean, we all know people that, whether it's a loss of a one of the most five senses, the important senses, sight or hearing, so forth, there is a natural mind. There's one set of mind people that have a mindset that, oh, poor you. Now you've got insurmountable challenges in your life, and this is going to be difficult the rest of your life. And then the other mindset that many parents have recognizing their opportunity they have with their child is to say, yes, that's you. But that doesn't have to define you, that doesn't limit you. You can overcome those things and and I think that that is even in our business, where you have someone who comes into the office and through some type of diagnostic testing, it's determined that they are losing their sight, and that the natural outcome of this progression of pathology will be the total loss of sight. We have the opportunity there, at that point, to affect their mindset, yeah, and to either tell them this is a circumstance that will not limit you or define you, and here are some resources and education materials and opportunities in that area that can help you better understand what you're living with and how that you can overcome that, just from the census standpoint, because It doesn't have to be something you have to overcome in life, per se. It just has to be an accommodation you make, because you can't see when other people can right. And it is all about mindset.   Michael Hingson ** 26:13 It is all about mindset. No doubt about it, you're absolutely correct in that regard. And it is, it is something that we'll all be dealing with for a while, but hopefully over time, the mindset of people will change to recognize that there are always alternatives. Being a Star Trek fan, I love Spock and Kirk who are always talking about there are always options, and there are always ways to get around doing things or to accomplish things that you might not think about, but you have to be multi dimensional in your thought process.   John D Marvin ** 26:52 Well, the other exciting aspect of all of this is the the fact that those with growth mindsets are working diligently on technologies that can actually supplant the deficiency and come up with ways to correct blindness. And so there we may even, in our lifetime, live to a point where the pathological condition that you were born with doesn't have to be permanent. It can be reversed using technology that provides you with as good, if not better, vision than people who weren't born in that same situation.   Michael Hingson ** 27:33 Yeah, the only people who never will come out of it are politicians, because they take dumb pills when they become politicians. So we can pick up them.   John D Marvin ** 27:40 Well, listen, just you could be blind and still be able to see, right? Yeah, that   Michael Hingson ** 27:47 leaves them out. Yeah. No, I understand. I understand they're fun to pick on. But you what? What really made you decide to go into the eye care industry, into that, that whole environment, what, what attracted you to it, or was it just sort of so natural? Well, obviously, that's a mindset. Yeah,   John D Marvin ** 28:10 there's a couple of things. Think the thing that attracted me to kind of eye care in general, and put ophthalmology and Optometry in the same bucket for this. What attracted me to was this whole area of health care that I kind of grew up in with my father and family practice in a small town. Because, you know, my family practice in the 60s and 70s was a whole different discipline than it is today. Oh, I know, you know, especially in a small town where the closest specialist, if you would, is 90 miles away. And so my father had to be what we call today, functionally, you know, a functional medicine, meaning that he had to be able to kind of treat the whole person. I mean, he used to be very proud of the fact that a large percentage of the kids that were in the school that I grew up in, he delivered and so, you know, there was no obstetrician in this small town. So if a woman became pregnant, then he provided her prenatal care. He gave, he delivered the child, and then he gave the provided the pediatric care afterwards. And so having that sense of kind of the global care of of someone kind of gave me a real appreciation for the kind of the system, the the systemic aspects of health. And when I was given an opportunity to get into the eye care business. Because I saw it more as getting into the healthcare business, and even though it was very narrow, defined in eye care, it gave me a connection. And I I'm a big believer that you start down a path and you follow it. And what maybe forest and trees and gardens, they may turn into desert or mountains or valleys or otherwise. So when I started, I really didn't know necessarily where it would go. And I guess you could even back it up and say that my whole entry into the pharmaceutical industry kind of started me down that path and and then that led to being in the practitioner side, which ultimately led to going from ophthalmology into Optometry. I frankly think that all of that background best prepared me to do what I'm doing today, and understanding the whole system of eye care, not just refractions and glasses and contacts, right?   Michael Hingson ** 31:11 Well, you know, and you started out in in the whole marketing world, as opposed to going off and becoming a doctor directly, which which gave you a different perspective. So it really makes sense as to what you're saying and it but you've had exposure to both sides, and that has to really help you in terms of doing the job that you've chosen to do.   John D Marvin ** 31:38 Yeah, I think you're right. I remember having the discussion with my father because as I was like a junior in high school and, and as most juniors you know, you start thinking about what you're going to do when you graduate high school and, and I was graduating high school at a time that I had a draft number given to me, there was a war over in Vietnam that was still going on, and so I, you know, there for a period of time, I didn't know whether I would even have a choice. Yeah, it turns out by the time I actually that last year between junior and senior, the war had really started to wind down. And while I got a draft number, it was very high, and the likelihood of me actually being drafted into service was very low. And so I made some decisions about what I was going to do post high school, and I remember having the discussion with my father about would he be disappointed if I decided I didn't want to be a physician? And he assured me that he wouldn't be disappointed, but he was curious as to why I was not interested in doing that, and I told him, I said, just to be candid, I don't know if I want to work as hard as you do, because at that time, I had spent many Christmases with him, not at home, even though, our town, I mean, you could almost walk to the hospital. Our Town was small enough that, but he was taking care of people in the hospital on Christmas Day or delivering a baby on Christmas Day, and he just, you know, it was clear that in that profession, the way he practiced it in those days was that the patients came first, and the family understood that. And we were all in the doctor business to in that respect, and this whole concept of work life balance was, you know, no one looked at things like that. I mean, everyone understood that this was a commitment that had been made, and it involved the entire family. So I told him, I said, I don't know if I'm willing to do that or not. And so I thought at that time, I decided that I was going to pursue a career in theology, and so that determined where I went to school. And about after my first year in school, I the university I had chosen, their whole theological department was more pastoral, and I wasn't interested in that. I was more evangelical. I was more interested in being an evangelist and and so I not having that in front of me. I decided that it switched to a marketing degree. And it turns out that to be a pretty good evangelist, you got to be a little bit of a marketing person yourself. Anyway, true. So, so I ended up going down that path.   Michael Hingson ** 34:53 Well, I would say if you had chosen the pastoral approach, you would have been working just. Just hard as a doctor. Oh, very much. So, yeah, but I guess I would also ask this whole issue of not working as hard given what you do today, how's that working out for you? Well,   John D Marvin ** 35:14 those were words of a very naive young guy. Yeah, because I didn't take I didn't understand the fact that if you're going to accomplish anything, it's going to require hard work, and you need a family that understands what your what your passion is, and what you've decided to do, and because it is, I mean, no one builds a career by themselves. They they build a career with the involvement and support of other people, and if, if they, if those beliefs aren't aligned, then you're going to end up in conflict and be constantly be torn between what it is you believe you're wanting to do with your life, versus your obligations, your other obligations. And put it   Michael Hingson ** 36:04 that way, well, you've been involved in the whole mindset and activity of being a business leader for a long time. What kind of key lessons have you learned along the way about personal growth?   John D Marvin ** 36:21 I think the thank you for that question. I think the one thing that I have learned, that I've tried to pass on to people is start, begin we I think that we naturally have this reluctance to take risk, because we don't want to fail at anything and and so we kind of take the approach that, well, if I want to pursue something, whether it be personal development or growth or even some profession, I need to know everything there is to know about it before I start it. And that is just not true. The only way you learn is by starting I have a friend and acquaintance who his career and his profession is leading people on climbs of Mount Everest. So that's his job. If you want to climb Mount Everest, I can hook you up with a guy that will help you do it. And it's a fascinating profession that he's in. And I asked him one time, how do you learn how to climb mountains. You know, how do you learn this? He said the only way to learn how to climb mountains is by climbing   Michael Hingson ** 37:46 mountains. I was gonna say, to do it, yes. And   John D Marvin ** 37:49 so I think the number one thing is to start. And if you're committed to it and you start, you'll figure it out. The rest of it, because there are no failures, there's maybe a setback or two, but as long as you keep focused on where you want to be and moving forward and getting better and learning, you'll figure things out. And I think so personal growth is really a decision and a commitment to continual learning, continual improvement and and you're never too late to get started. It's never too late, even if you're at 80 some years of age and maybe limited health wise, you can still start because there's so much, there's so many different resources today that are available to people. I mean, I got an iPad Mike, that's, I bet you I've got three 400 books on it. And, you know, used to be you couldn't have three or 400 books without a library in your house. Now you can have one iPad on a memory card. And I was just, I had a doctor's appointment earlier today, and while I was waiting in the reception, I pulled out my phone and I started reading a book that I'm reading, you know, and I had, didn't have to carry the book The lot of people do, lot of people have, but I was able to do that. And then there's what's available in terms of resources, of books to read are just unlimited. So I think that there's, there's all sorts of opportunities, just a matter of getting started and doing it. Second is consistency. Everybody can start. Few people can be consistent, or few people are consistent. We all know the classic, never if you're if you're someone who goes to a gym and works out, you know. Avoid that gem the first month of the year in January, because it is overrun with people who are starting their new year, and then by February, you also know that you're back to normal, because most people don't stay consistent. So starting and then becoming consistent are the two things that are probably most important, that I've learned   Michael Hingson ** 40:25 well, and that kind of leads to something I was thinking about, and that is the connection between mindset and long term achievement. Because it would seem to me that, as you point out with the gym, the people who create the mindset that I'm going to do this and really decide that that's what they're going to do, are more likely to have analyzed it and made that decision intelligently and then we'll stick with it, than people who just go off and say, I'm going to do it, but really haven't established A mindset, right?   John D Marvin ** 40:59 That's exactly true. And you know, people tend to focus on volume as opposed to continuity. And what I mean by that is people go to the gym and they they put all this intensity into the first day they haven't worked out in weeks or months, or even maybe a few years, and then the next day they're so sore they can't get out of bed and they can't so they decide they're going to take the next day off rest, and then that turns into a week off. And I'm a student of John Maxwell, the author, and he talks about what he calls the rule of five, and he illustrates it by saying that if you have a tree in your backyard that you're wanting to take out, you can take an ax and you can go out there and you can swing that Ax five times, and put down the ax and come back tomorrow morning, hit it five times. Come back tomorrow morning, hit it five times. And over a period of time, that tree will come down, or you can go out there and just try to chop and chop and chop, and that tree will defeat you, because you will run out of energy and you'll be too tired to finish it, but if you'll just be consistent over a time with the rule of five, and he talks about it in any profession, if you want to get good at it, figure out what are the five things you need to do every single day to grow in that direction and to accomplish what you need to accomplish. And so I think that you're right that over a period of time, long term success is not done through intensity. It's done through consistency. And he also says, you know, you're never going to change anything in your life until you change what you do daily? And that is very, very true.   Michael Hingson ** 43:09 I know I haven't really been the greatest at doing a lot of exercising and so on, and a lot of walking, and especially here in the winter, it gets really cold, and so I tend not to do it. But what I figured out, actually, a couple of years ago was we have a wonderful, great room with an island in the middle of it, and I will just put on a book and listen to it and do laps around the bar, and I'll get up to 10 and 15,000 steps a day just walking around the bar. Now it's not going uphill and downhill, but still a lot of good exercise. And I find that not only does that work, but I enjoy it, because I get to read at the same time or do other things. Of course, my dog probably thinks I'm nuts, and my cat, my cat avoids me. But by the same token, you know, it is exercise, and I found that I have no problem really doing that every day, absolutely.   John D Marvin ** 44:12 And you know, we we live in a gym, yeah, and whether it's your room, your great room with an island, or whether it's a backyard or your neighborhood, we lived in a gym. I think that was illustrated in one of the Rocky movies really well when he was held up in northern Russia and just worked out using the materials that were with him. And so there really is no excuse to doing something, and doing something is better than doing nothing at all, and doing something every day will deliver unbelievable results over time.   Michael Hingson ** 44:59 It's a. All about establishing the mindset. Yes, it is. Well, you know, you've done this work for a long time. What kind of advice would you give to people starting out to help them get the mindset and achieve what they want to do with their goals?   John D Marvin ** 45:19 Well, first of all, I think developing and writing a personal growth plan, and I mean writing, setting down and starting, for instance, I made a decision several years ago that I wanted to get better at communication. So that was a decision. And the side of all the things that I wanted to try to commit to developing or growing in or learning, I picked communication. Why did you want as one of it? Because I felt like it was extremely important that you never accomplish, or I didn't believe that I was going to accomplish what I wanted to in life without the ability to communicate well with others, whether that be my spouse or whether it be the people I work with the customers I serve. I wanted to be good at communicating. I wanted to become good at that. I also had a friend tell me one time said, you know, if you will read five books on any subject, you'll know more about that subject than 99% of the people. And so I decided, Okay, I'm going to find five books on communication, and I'm going to commit myself to reading those over the course of the next year. And I just, you know, went out and started trying to determine what are really good books about communication. Some of them I kind of knew, like How to Win Friends and Influence People. That was one that I knew. Okay, I'm going to put that one on the list. Now I need four more, and one of them I knew that John Maxwell had written. So I you know, everybody communicates, but few people connect, and I said, Okay, I'm going to be another one. So I just kind of put together my little library of five books, and I started so I had developed very narrow and limited, but I had developed my own personal growth plan as relates to communication. So as I would tell my grandson, or I would tell a friend, if you want to start on developing a mindset and developing personal growth, sit down and make a plan for what you're going to do. And it's interesting, because if you'll ask people, tell me about your and I do this with people who work for me, and when I'm hiring, tell me about your personal growth plan. What is your personal growth plan? And you know, most people don't even know what I'm talking about, so they start making stuff up, and it becomes real obvious that they don't have one. From my employees, I require that as a part of their job and their annual performance review, we go over their personal growth plan. I want them to become more valuable over the course of this next year, because to themselves, because if they do, then they become more valuable to the company, right? And so I would instruct somebody to sit down and start and make a plan and identify something you want to be better at and and start growing in those areas that that described as starting with communication, has grown now to seven different areas in my life, and I've got at least five, in some cases, more books in each of those areas. And so I've got a very busy personal growth plan that I I work on each year.   Michael Hingson ** 49:12 Do you find that, as you read books on these subjects, as you're dealing with your personal growth, that in reality, you know a lot of the stuff already, at least to a degree. But by the same token, reading what others have written tends to drive the point home a whole lot more. And I ask that from the standpoint of common sense.   John D Marvin ** 49:40 Well, I think so. I mean how to win, which   Michael Hingson ** 49:42 doesn't mean that you don't learn things from the books, but, but a lot of it is, is stuff that you Intuit   John D Marvin ** 49:50 Yeah, I think that you know, a great example that comes to mind is How to Win Friends And yes, people that book, if you read it, it's like, well, yeah, naturally. Of course, but if you read it and you focus, you know, if you read it with the attitude, I want to learn something from this, then you begin to internalize what you're reading. And as you internalize it, you develop more cognitive, a cognitive awareness of it. And what I find super interesting is that book is on my list every year, so I commit myself to read that book every year. So now you know, this year will be probably my 15th, 16th time reading it. What I find fascinating is, I'll read the same chapter I've read, and I'll learn something new, something new, yeah, each time. Because, much like the saying about you can't step in the same stream twice, because it's not the same stream and you're not the same person. Same goes with reading material. You can read that book a second time, and you'll get something out of it, because you're not the same person that you were the first time you read it. And as you mature in your understanding, you get more knowledge out of the reading. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 51:17 Which? Which makes perfect sense, which also says a lot about the quality of the author. But you're right. You will always, if you look for new things to learn, you'll find new things to learn absolutely, which is what makes it so cool. And I I tell people all the time, and I'm not sure they always understand it. If I'm not learning at least as much as anybody else by being involved in this podcast, then I'm not doing my job. Because I believe every episode gives me as much, if not more, of an opportunity to learn as guests or all the people who listen, which is why I think it's so much fun, because I think that learning is as fun as it gets.   John D Marvin ** 52:05 It is, I mean, you're absolutely right, you know, they also, there's a you never learn anything quite as well as when you have to teach it, yeah, you know. And in a way, by hosting a podcast, your your preparation for it, you're setting down, your concentration on it forces you to absorb from every interview that you do, and you can't help but walk away with being different than it was when you sat down to start it. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 52:42 one of my favorite books is a science fiction book written by Robert Heinlein. It's called the Moon is a Harsh Mistress. And I don't know whether you read my science fiction. I   John D Marvin ** 52:52 don't, but that sounds interesting. So   Michael Hingson ** 52:54 the basic premise is, it takes place in 2075 there's a hint, and it's all about the moon, which is being controlled by the lunar authority on earth. And it really parallels the American Revolution. The difference is that a computer on the moon, as they put it, wakes up and helps in doing the revolution that eventually gets Moon free from the earth, but one of the major characters is Professor Bernardo dela Paz, who is a teacher. And one of the things that the that the storyteller describes on a regular basis is how Professor dela Paz can teach on basically any subject, as long as he stays at least one lesson ahead of the people who he's teaching, which often does. So he teaches so many different things, but all he does is works to stay just a little bit ahead of the people that he's teaching, so that he can go back and teach it, and of course, as as you and I would say when he's teaching it, he also learns a whole lot more. But I think it's such a clever book.   John D Marvin ** 54:11 It sounds like it science fiction, but if I if that, when that strikes me that'll be one I put down to read.   Michael Hingson ** 54:23 I think it's the I believe it's high lines better. His best book. A lot of people talk about another one called Stranger in a Strange Land, which is about Mars and the earth. But I think that the Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Was his best book, most imaginative book, which is kind of fun, yeah, but you know, it's, it's, it's just one of those things that I've just it's always stuck with me that dela Paz did that well. So over the time, being the president and CEO of Texas State Optical, i. Uhm, how has that shaped or changed your your views on leadership? Because I'm sure you've, you've had lots to do and lots to think about. I'm sure it's had an effect on you.   John D Marvin ** 55:12 Yeah, I, I think the biggest impact has been it's, it's of what it's required of me in in developing my leadership abilities and deep and making those abilities effective towards an outcome. And let me try to shed on that I mentioned earlier. I'm a student of Maxwell, and Maxwell has a definition of leadership is influence, and and he said leadership is is influence. It's nothing more than that. And, and so at first I didn't know what that meant. And then, as he goes on to explain, and it makes sense, oftentimes, you will, the leadership is not a matter of title. It's not a matter of position. Leadership is influence and the ability to influence. And you can walk into a room and you will observe the group, and in one corner, maybe somebody that is obviously the focus of the attention of the others, and that person is exerting leadership influence. They may not be the may not have title, and they may not be in any position of authority over the others, but the others will follow that person, because that person has influence on them. And so I've in my understanding of that, and then trying to live that I've seen that develop in my own ability. And then I have to sit down and say, okay, if I'm going to be a leader of my team, my executives that will report to me, how am I going to provide that influence. And so you begin to break that down and try to figure out because everyone's different. I mean, I I have four people that report to me, each one of them, I will have to affect and influence those people differently. And it starts with understanding them. And so what it's done is it's helped me to really understand that principle that offered by Maxwell, and then how to incorporate that into my life, so that I feel now confident in my ability to be a leader of any group or situation I find myself in, and I've just agreed to accept a new responsibility in a trade association, and I have confidence that I can provide a strong level of leadership, not because I'm the smartest person in the room, but because I have the ability of providing influence over that organization or in that group through better understanding of others that I Have a position over, so to speak. But you know, it's like the best arenas to develop leadership is a volunteer organization, because that's the only way you're going to get anything done, is to have influence, because these people don't have to do anything that you say. And so oftentimes, if you have the authority, you misuse it, and you provide nothing in the way of leadership to a group. That happens all the time.   Michael Hingson ** 59:13 I think that too many, and I use the term in quotes, leaders, think that the whole idea is that they're the boss. Well, bosses are not necessarily leaders, and you're right. Leaders are not necessarily bosses. Directly. It is all about influence. And unfortunately, all too often, the people who have influence may not be the designated leader, but then the leaders or bosses get jealous of those people, which is also extremely unfortunate they don't get it.   John D Marvin ** 59:45 It's a it can be threatening if you're a boss and you've got people that are supposed to report to you and they're listening or being influenced by someone else who may not be. Intentionally trying to subvert the boss. It's just they, they're more effective in that and so that's threatening. And so oftentimes, given that authority, they misuse it. And   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:15 the good leaders, however, when they see that happening, will try to go and understand from in part, the person who's the real influencer, what it is that they need to improve on to be able to be more effective. But that happens so rarely, by comparison to the number of people who are out there.   John D Marvin ** 1:00:38 Yeah, it's too often politics, and I don't mean that in the government sense, but corporate politics determines positions of authority, and you end up with a bunch of very ill equipped people with an awful lot of leadership responsibilities, but lacking in any kind of real leadership skill,   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:02 yeah, which is something that we need to devote more time to teaching, but people also need to be willing to learn it, and that gets to be a challenge. Well, I have to tell you, this has been fun, and I know you have other things to do in the course of the day and enjoying the weather down there, so I want to let you go, but I really have enjoyed having you on and I've enjoyed all the different insights that you've brought. So I really appreciate you being here to do all of that. So maybe we'll have it again. That would be kind of fun.   John D Marvin ** 1:01:41 Well, my I've thoroughly enjoyed this as I mean, you make it so easy to visit. You're You're a tremendous host and good interviewer, good questions. You threw a couple at me there that I had to really stop and think about. And so anytime you'd be willing to have me back. I'd love to join you again sometime.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:02 Well, I want to thank you, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us today. We really appreciate you being here. I'd love to hear your thoughts on today and what we've talked about. You're welcome to email me. It's easy. It's Michael, M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I, at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, I V, e.com, or go to our podcast page, which is at www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast, and Michael hingson is spelled M, I, C, H, A, E, L, H, I N, G, S O, n.com/podcast, if you know anyone else who you think ought to be a guest on our podcast, love to hear from you. We're always looking for more people to chat with. And in part, my motivation is I want to learn too. But the more people who come on, the more people we get to learn about who themselves are unstoppable. So please don't hesitate to refer people to it. And you know, John, you as well. We really value that wherever you listening, give us a five star rating. We value that. We appreciate your ratings and and love them. But once again, John, I want to thank you. This has been absolutely fun, and I'm glad you came   John D Marvin ** 1:03:13 well. Thank you. Thank you very much.   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:20 you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Oekraïne moet zich voorbereiden op een zomeroffensief, zeggen militaire experts. Want Rusland lijkt voorlopig geen interesse in vrede te hebben, blijkt ook wel uit de hevige bombardementen elke week. Dit weekend noemde Trump Poetin daarom zelfs ‘'gestoord''. Wel krijgt Oekraïne nieuwe mogelijkheden: alle beperkingen op het gebruik van westerse langeafstandswapens worden opgeheven. En dat betekent dat Oekraïne vanaf nu doelwitten nog dieper in Rusland kan raken.Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de KruifZie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Het gaf een beetje hoop, maar de gesprekken tussen Oekraïne en Rusland van afgelopen week hebben niet geleid tot een wapenstilstand. Dat werd dit weekend ook wel duidelijk, toen Rusland de grootste droneaanval op Oekraïne uitvoerde sinds de start van de Russische invasie in 2022.Israël is een nieuw offensief in Gaza begonnen. Europese leiders zijn diep geschokt over de situatie van de Palestijnen in dat gebied en roepen Israël op om te stoppen met de nieuwe aanval. Ondertussen komt de NAVO-top eraan. De thema's: de Russische dreiging en defensiebudgetten. Want, hoeveel gaat Nederland straks uitgeven aan defensie?Jos de Groot bespreekt het met generaal buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en minister van Defensie Ruben Brekelmans.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Voor het eerst in ruim drie jaar zou er vandaag direct tussen Oekraïne en Rusland worden onderhandeld. Locatie: Turkije. Grote afwezige: Poetin. Wat betekent dit voor de onderhandelingen? En een half miljoen Palestijnen dreigen te verhongeren. Het Israëlische leger blijft humanitaire hulp blokkeren. Nu al moeten 70.000 kinderen en 17.000 moeders acuut worden behandeld vanwege ondervoeding. Dat en meer bespreekt Lauren Fabels met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif. Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oekraïne slaat terug aan het front: het heeft de aanval ingezet bij Kursk en zegt dat het zelfs het initiatief bij Pokrovsk in handen heeft. En Rusland, dat blijft grote aantallen soldaten verliezen. Israël zegt dat het overgaat tot een nieuw offensief in Gaza en dat het redden van de gijzelaars niet meer de eerste prioriteit is. Wat staat Gaza te wachten? En we hebben een jubileum - het is de 100ste aflevering van Veldheren. Zoals altijd gaat Jos de Groot voorbij de frontlijn met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Misschien wel dé foto van het jaar: in Rome spraken Zelensky en Trump een kwartier met elkaar over een mogelijk vredesbestand met Rusland. Kort daarna haalde Trump online fel uit naar Poetin, naar aanleiding van grootschalige drone-aanvallen op Kyiv. De Amerikaanse president vraagt zich nu openlijk af of Poetin überhaupt bereid is om de oorlog te beëindigen — een opvallende verandering van toon.Afgelopen week deden de V.S. een voorstel voor een staakt-het-vuren, waarop Europa en Oekraïne met een tegenvoorstel kwamen. Rusland kondigde op zijn beurt opnieuw een eenzijdig staakt-het-vuren af.Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast segment unpacks rising GSE repurchase risks and the cultural landmines facing major mortgage industry mergers.------------------------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Donald Trump wil deze week een bestand tussen Oekraïne en Rusland en lijkt daarvoor bereid tot grote concessies. Ook Poetin beweegt, hij zou ermee akkoord zijn om de huidige frontlijn te bevriezen. Afgelopen week kwamen Oekraïense, Amerikaanse en Europese functionarissen bij elkaar, nadat de Verenigde Staten Europa en Oekraïne wekenlang buiten de onderhandelingen met Rusland hielden. Deze week het vervolg. En Nederland is gewaarschuwd. De MIVD schrijft in haar jaarverslag dat de Russische dreiging richting Europa de komende jaren zal toenemen, óók bij een bestand tussen Oekraïne en Rusland. Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast segment covers a recent federal court ruling against Texas Capital Bank over reverse mortgage tail securities has sparked concerns about systemic risk to warehouse lending and Ginnie Mae's role in protecting lender interests.------------------------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Een bombardement op de Oekraïense stad Soemy met grote gevolgen, maar volgens de Amerikaanse president Donald Trump was het een vergissing van de Russen. Op de grond is Rusland aan een voorjaarsoffensief begonnen, zegt de Oekraïense legerbaas Syrsky.Onze eigen krijgsmacht moet zo snel mogelijk paraat staan voor een eventuele inzet. Dat heeft Commandant der Strijdkrachten Onno Eichelsheim gemeld via een zogenoemde dagorder. Het is, aldus onze hoogste militair, tijd voor ‘een volgende versnelling.'Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast segment covers a recent federal court ruling against Texas Capital Bank over reverse mortgage tail securities has sparked concerns about systemic risk to warehouse lending and Ginnie Mae's role in protecting lender interests.------------------------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Wednesday was the rare reprieve from Wall Street hemorrhaging so naturally President Donald Trump felt the need to take a victory lap. Thank goodness Trump saved us from Trump when he put the pause on most tariffs, after realizing people were "getting yippy." So what's wild about all the suffering Americans and their 401(k) accounts are enduring is, it may all come down to Trump leaning on advisor Peter Navarro's belief in tariffs. Okay, no, what's really wild about that is that Navarro was a Jared Kushner "find" from writing books on trade policy while citing an expert named 'Ron Vara.'Ron Vara doesn't exist. The name itself is just an anagram using the letters from "Navarro."Oh, and while he was out celebrating his one day blip in the green, it's important to point out the damage done the days before wont' be simpy undone anytime soon - if ever. Because we're enduring (still!) the first '100 days' of another Trump presidency, there's naturally going to be discussion of Donald and those in his orbit profiting off of a situation. Such is the case as Trump himself took to Truth Social to implore his followers to snap up stocks hours before he paused his tariff rollout. Or when Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) "bought the dip" and snapped up some plum stocks at a timely moment. As he's good at doing, Jay Bookman brought the damage closer to home in his latest op-ed explaining how the tariff uncertainties will be felt in Georgia. ------Uhm, an unknown number of international student visas are being revoked at Georgia schools and apparently in South Carolina, too. Oh, at Purdue University, now, too.

Zelensky bevestigt dat Oekraïne actief is in de Russische regio Belgorod, in de week waarin Rusland zijn geboortestad bombardeerde. Ondertussen is het nog altijd wachten op Rusland, dat tot dusver geen aanstalten maakt om serieus over vrede te praten.Netanyahu reisde met een omweg naar zijn vriend Trump in de Verenigde Staten, terwijl hulporganisaties in Nederland meer actie van het Nederlandse kabinet eisen tegen Israël. Vorige maand nam Israël een konvooi hulpverleners in ambulances onder vuur en begroef de lichamen in het zand - nu blijkt dat Israël loog over de aanleiding daartoe.Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast segment covers the Senate's pushback on the CFPB's overdraft rule, ongoing leadership changes at the Bureau, and renewed efforts to regulate trigger leads at the state level amid broader industry uncertainty.------------------------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Rusland bereidt nieuwe aanvallen voor in verschillende Oekraïense regio's en dat lijkt een lenteoffensief te worden, zegt Zelensky.De Oekraïense luchtverdediging - die draait overuren. F-16 piloten proberen de Russische barrages af te weren en vallen ook aan, want met de westerse vliegtuigen voert Oekraïne nu ook grondaanvallen uit. Ook Nederland leverde F-16's, maar hoe worden deze toestellen nou precies ingezet? Hoe staat het eigenlijk met onze eigen luchtmacht en heeft de F-35 nou een ‘'Kill Switch'' of niet? Jos de Groot bespreekt het met met commodore en vlieger buiten dienst Frans Osinga en generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Final: HPU 8, UHM 10

This podcast segment covers the CFPB proposing two changes to the Fair Credit Reporting Act: one to regulate data brokers by requiring consumer consent for data use, and another to classify coerced debt under identity theft protections.------------------------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

De Amerikaanse minister van Defensie deelde oorlogsplannen in een groepsapp - en een journalist las de hele tijd mee. Oekraïne en Rusland hebben bijna een staakt-het-vuren op de Zwarte Zee. De Russen zeggen akkoord te gaan als een paar westerse sancties tegen hen worden opgeheven. Europa - dat moet in 2030 een geloofwaardige defensiemacht zijn. De Nederlandse krijgsmacht wil daarom het aantal militairen verhogen naar 200.000 en begint aan de misschien wel grootste reorganisatie sinds het opschorten van de opkomstplicht en de omslag van dienstplicht naar een beroepsleger. Gaat dit lukken? En waar moeten al die soldaten vandaan komen?Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast segment discussion examines the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac amid ongoing conservatorship debates, the financial and political barriers to privatization, and the potential impact of converting commercial properties into residential housing as a response to market shifts and urban vacancies.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Rusland en Oekraïne staken voor dertig dagen de aanvallen op elkaars energiesector en infrastructuur. Dat is de uitkomst van het langverwachte telefoongesprek tussen Trump en Poetin. En dat terwijl Rusland in de regio Kursk in hoog tempo terrein terugwint. Europese leiders denken ondertussen na over de herbewapening van ons continent - die moet over 5 jaar voltooid zijn, zegt commissievoorzitter Von der Leyen. Israël schond het staakt-het-vuren met een zwaar bombardement op Gaza dat honderden mensen het leven kostte. Was Netanyahu ooit van plan zijn troepen terug te trekken? Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast segment covers as Congress considers slashing CFPB funding to zero, mortgage industry experts discuss the potential compliance chaos, the shift toward state oversight, and the broader implications for lenders navigating evolving regulations.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Zo zetten de Verenigde Staten hun militaire steun aan Oekraïne stop, en zo wordt die ook weer hervat. En niet alleen dat: de VS en Oekraïne zouden het eens zijn over een wapenstilstand en leggen de bal bij de Russen. En nu ons bondgenootschap met de Amerikanen wankelt, dringt zich een cruciale vraag op die we vandaag in Veldheren proberen te beantwoorden: kan Europa zichzelf verdedigen zonder hulp van Amerika?Daar hebben we hulptroepen voor ingeschakeld: generaal buiten dienst Ton van Loon is te gast.Jos de Groot bespreekt het zoals altijd met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This podcast segment covers key developments, including the passage of HR695 for Medal of Honor recipients, proposed SBA loan restrictions, ongoing budget negotiations, and the broader economic concerns surrounding rising debt and government spending.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

04 Mar 2025. Wissam Breidy, CEO of HRE Development, joins us to talk real estate with a purpose. Plus, CEO Dino Varkey told Reuters that the UK is a key source market for the UAE, after Britain put 20% tax on private school fees. And energy demand in Dubai climbed 5% last year, according to DEWA. We get the thoughts of economist Daniel Richards on his estimate/assumption for UAE population growth last year and in 2025.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Een nieuw, treurig jubileum: drie jaar oorlog in Oekraïne. Geen reden voor Donald Trump om zijn toon te matigen: hij noemde Zelensky, de gekozen president van een belaagd land, een dictator. Diezelfde Zelensky snakt naar vrijheid en veiligheid, en wil zijn presidentschap best opgeven in ruil voor NAVO-lidmaatschap voor Oekraïne. Wat zijn de geleerde lessen na drie jaar oorlog op ons continent? En hoe staat onze eigen krijgsmacht ervoor? Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Waldman counts down the days until our national apocalypse, yet with so many tied down the backstretch, this race is a tough call! For supposed “auditors”, nothing about DOGE adds up. Monday, Elon gave federal workers until three to… Uhm, today Elon gave federal workers until three to… Tomorrow, Elon will give federal workers until three to… Trump could barely get a semi-fired up today, as his EO has ED. Musk was able to cut 20 DOGE staff today who couldn't look themselves in the mirror anymore. Meanwhile, “fired” staffers keep finding themselves “unfired”. Those who did send in responses will have the answers fed into AI and anyone determined to be funnier than Musk will be dismissed immediately… (Those people would also be expected to be more liberal, naturally.) DOGE's dealings are illegal and even unconstitutional, but now the challenge is determining who is DOGE's head douche. Trump is so opposed to leaving a paper trail that he skips on chances to cover his own ass. DOGE was designed to attack liberals, but it terrifies the ever-loving crap out of Democrats, which was “Job One” for Donald K. Trump. Donald can now leave the Lib cleanup operation to Don Bongino and Don Jr.'s “hunting buddy” who will instruct the FDA to move infant formula by the kilo from this point on. With the US out of the way it is now time to Make Axis Great Again for our new conquest over our old allies. With such colossal corruption, who's to notice the little stuff, like a Florida congressman assaulting women at night along the Wharf? At least that's what the U.S. Attorney's Office thought when they tossed his warrant into the trash.

This podcast segment covers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's latest memos, highlighting appraisal improvements, the growing importance of asset validation for underwriting, and the need for strong business continuity and information security policies.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Uhm...that's not my baby. Hour 3 2/19/2025 full 2149 Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:00:00 +0000 rei2Zf0SJqRZVxQn2NyfHn0bXUwhQLnm news The Dana & Parks Podcast news Uhm...that's not my baby. Hour 3 2/19/2025 You wanted it... Now here it is! Listen to each hour of the Dana & Parks Show whenever and wherever you want! 2024 © 2021 Audacy, Inc. News False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=h

Op de grond in Oekraïne gaat het nog elke dag hard tegen hard: afgelopen zaterdag was volgens de Oekraïeners de zwaarste dag van 2025.En dat te midden van een geopolitiek schaakspel dat zijn weerga niet kent. Nu al zegt Amerika dat Oekraïne geen lid zal worden van de NAVO, en het verdere lot van Oekraïne bespreken Trump en de zijnen met de Russen - Europa zit niet aan tafel.Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode unpacks the CFPB's $700 million budget debate, HUD's push for efficiency, and the broader impact of government oversight on housing policy and lending programs.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Oekraïne is een nieuwe aanval begonnen in de Russische regio Koersk, zegt Zelensky. Maar daar stuit het Oekraïense leger wel weer op meer verzet, want de Noord-Koreaanse soldaten zijn terug op het slagveld. Trump zegt dat hij al met Putin heeft gesproken over de oorlog. Deze week is Zelensky aan de beurt. Maar volgens experts wil Putin nog helemaal niet over vrede praten. En in het Midden-Oosten lopen de spanningen weer op: waar Israël het bestand schendt, dreigt Hamas deze week geen krijgsgevangenen vrij te laten. Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week's Legislative Update covers key government nominations, the CFPB leadership shake-up, and potential housing policy changes that could impact the mortgage industry.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Een kleine overwinning voor Oekraïne: Noord-Koreaanse soldaten hebben zich teruggetrokken uit Kursk na grote verliezen daar. Zelensky laat wel weten dat hij bereid is tot vredesonderhandelingen met Poetin. Ondertussen meldt de VN dat het aantal Oekraïense soldaten dat wordt geëxecuteerd door Rusland zorgwekkend is gestegen.In Brussel was er deze week een EU-top en die ging eigenlijk maar over één ding: defensie. Bereidt Europa zich voor op oorlog? En president Donald Trump? Die wil de Gazastrook overnemen.Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This segment discusses recent legislative updates, including the CFPB's non-bank reporting rule, potential FHA MIP reductions, and the ongoing housing affordability crisis, highlighting modular home manufacturing as a possible solution to supply shortages.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Ook deze week verliest Oekraïne terrein. Dat zou onder meer komen - zegt een Oekraïense commandant - door gebrekkige training die soldaten zouden krijgen in het westen.Trump verhoogt de druk op Poetin om de oorlog te beëindigen. Maar hij verhoogt ook de druk op Denemarken, want hij wil Groenland - reden voor Denemarken om haar militaire aanwezigheid in het Noordpoolgebied te verhogen.En deze week kwam het rapport van de Commissie-Sorgdrager, waaruit blijkt dat een gebrek aan inlichtingen leidde tot veel burgerslachtoffers bij een luchtaanval op een bommenfabriek in de Iraakse stad Hawija.Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump is officieel de nieuwe president van de Verenigde Staten. Poetin liet meteen weten dat hij wil praten over Oekraïne en nucleaire wapens. Wat kunnen we van toekomstige onderhandelingen verwachten en hoe onderhandel je eigenlijk? Daar gaan we vandaag dieper op in - al lijken die onderhandelingen op slagveld in Oekraïne nog ver weg.In het Midden-Oosten resulteerden onderhandelingen inmiddels al wel uit in een akkoord. Na 15 maanden strijd en leed werden Hamas en Israël het eens over een staakt-het-vuren.Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oekraïne verdedigt nog altijd met man en macht de frontlinie en het weet zo nu en dan toch ook nog een tik uit te delen. Deze week voerde het een massale droneaanval uit diep in Rusland. En door nieuwe Oekraïense acties blijft Kursk een hoofdpijndossier voor de Russen.Over minder dan een week is Donald Trump weer president van de Verenigde Staten, maar zijn belofte om de oorlog in Oekraïne binnen 24 uur te stoppen, lijkt hij nu al te verbreken.Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Een nieuw jaar, waarin oorlog – vooralsnog - voort woedt. En hoe: de Oekraiëners intensiveren hun aanvalskracht in Kursk, maar de omsingeling van Pokrovsk door de Russen lijkt ook dichterbij te komen. Ondertussen lopen de politieke hoofdrolspelers zich warm voor de naderende onderhandelingen.Ook in het Midden-Oosten een voortzetting van geweld: Israël bombardeerde een ziekenhuis in Gaza. Maar toch zou er ook een deal met Hamas aan zitten te komen.Dat en meer bespreekt Jos de Groot met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Ball Drops For SindyBy Baztrachian.  (edited) Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. She makes room for him over the holidays.In her freshman year at Northwestern Sindy had started working at a local coffee shop where she met Ryan. Ryan was five years older than Sindy, on the verge of graduating and merely looking at him made Sindy's pulse race faster. Ryan for his part was initially unaware of Sindy's interest in him. But over the course of the year he'd come to the coffee shop to study and he gradually started to notice the cute girl with the blonde hair always staring at him. He found himself appreciating the graceful curve of her modest breasts and her almost ever-present smile.It was a few days before the end of September when Ryan asked Sindy if she'd like to go out for a date sometime. Naturally she said yes. Sindy's parents were not wealthy but they were well off and when Sindy went to college they made sure she had her own apartment. It was just a one bedroom affair with another room that was her kitchen, dining room, and living room all in one. Where Ryan shared his cramped dormer with two other young men that meant that his dates with Sindy frequently took place at her apartment. Despite the circumstance their relationship was rather chaste. Sindy was always careful to make sure that things never got out of hand and that often left Ryan feeling frustrated. Still, he loved the girl and felt she was worth waiting for. But at the same time he longed to feel her bare skin against his own. Sindy of course had similar feelings for Ryan but she was constrained by her conservative spiritual upbringing and her parent's expectation that she wait until marriage before getting physical with a young man. Fate stepped in and late in the week before Christmas break one of Ryan's roommates had left an electric hot plate unattended in close proximity to their pathetic little Christmas tree. Fortunately the ensuing fire took place during the day when almost all of the dorm residents were off at class. The remaining few who were in the dorm at the time safely made it out when the fire alarms went off. Unfortunately the dorm was an old wooden structure and by the time the fire department arrived the building was a total loss. The fire department had no pretensions about saving the building and instead focused their efforts on preventing damage to other nearby dorms. That afternoon Ryan got word that he was now out of a home and that what few clothes he owned had been consumed in the conflagration. The only spare clothes he still had were in his gym locker and these were suddenly much more important than they had been the day before. Ryan texted Sindy and let her know about the fire. It turned out that Sindy had heard about the fire and she was of course pleased that Ryan was safe. But he had nowhere to live for the moment. The two of them agreed to meet for coffee to discuss the matter. With the Christmas break only a day away Sindy asked Ryan if he could handle sleeping on her futon couch while she was away at home. The futon couch was one of those that went from being a couch into being a bed in moments. Naturally Ryan agreed to her terms that he keep his distance while living with Sindy and with only the things in his backpack he went home with Sindy. That evening the two young people went out to gather a few sundries for Ryan to replace the things he lost. Sindy found it to be an intimate experience to shop for toiletries for her boyfriend and she also found herself desiring a more domestic lifestyle. Fantasies of marriage danced around her mind on the walk back to her apartment and she allowed herself a satisfied smile as she realized that it was now ‘their' apartment. The two of them stayed up later than usual due to the circumstance. They shared a late take out dinner and then got the couch set up as a bed for Ryan. Sindy excused herself to get ready for bed and Ryan listened as she did her evening grooming in the bathroom. He didn't see her when she went into her bedroom and closed the door. His turn in the bathroom followed and then for lack of anything else to wear he just shucked his clothes and put on a clean pair of sweat pants for the night. Sitting on his improvised bed Ryan caught his breath when Sindy returned to the room. She was wearing a simple silk nightshirt that buttoned down the front, her legs were temptingly bare, and the silk fabric readily betrayed the fact that Sindy's breasts were tantalizingly unconstrained by a bra. For her part Sindy felt flushed when she saw Ryan. It was the first time she'd seen him bare above the waist and he was everything she'd hoped for. He was well toned but not overly detailed like the narcissists she'd see in the weight rooms for hours on end. His chest had a proper tuft of hair unlike the fey boys who'd shave themselves hairless. And her eyes could not help but drift down to where she saw his sweat pants notably tented. Being a relatively cloistered girl Sindy was naïve to Ryan's erection and she merely thought it impressive. Still, the sight of her boyfriend half naked flustered the girl and she said a quick good night before retreating to the safety of her bedroom. It ended up being more than an hour before either of the two of them slipped into a slumber. The following morning saw Ryan waking up early. He started a pot of coffee and then took a shower. As he was washing himself he felt his morning hard-on and decided to do something about it. His fist wrapped around the hard cock and started working it. Trying to choke back his moans Ryan quickly spewed four strong streams of cum into the steaming water. When he came out to the main room Sindy was already there, sipping her cup of coffee. The two young people were quite awkward as they tried to make conversation and it was the welcome fact of an early train for Sindy that put an end to the moment. A chaste kiss was exchanged and then Sindy ran off to catch her train. Ryan watched her from the window as she ran down the street and when she turned the corner he saw her look back and wave. He smiled and waved at her as she walked out of sight. Arriving at home Sindy somehow managed to get through the holiday without letting her parents know about Ryan or how he was currently living in her apartment. Images of Ryan's bare chest replayed in her mind all through Christmas. At the church Christmas Eve service she found herself thinking about the birth of Jesus and how maybe someday she'd have a baby of her own. Her mind drifted back to Ryan and she snorted back a small giggle as she realized she didn't want to have an immaculate conception. Christmas came the next day and Sindy managed to slip away from her family long enough to call Ryan and wish him a Merry Christmas. The sound of his soothing voice was music to her ears and she found herself eager to get back to Evanston. Her parents were actually impressed when Sindy told them she wanted to get back to school early. Her logical reason was that she wanted to be safe back at her apartment on New Year's Eve instead of trying to travel with so many other people on New Year's Day. That particular year New Year's Day fell on a Sunday and that made the following day a work day. Even the news media predicted chaos for travel that day what with a massive snowstorm on the way for New Year's Day. It was just before lunch time when Sindy got back to the apartment. Ryan was out somewhere but she knew he'd be back because he was expecting her home. Sure enough she had just doffed her jacket and hat when Ryan came in the door. He set down a bag of groceries and the two of them shared a passionate kiss. Sindy didn't care that Ryan's hand cupped one of her boobs as they kissed. No, she realized she liked it. They broke their kiss and laughed that they were so much more passionate with each other. Sindy for her part was glad that Ryan hadn't gone any further because she didn't trust herself after having such lustful thoughts recently, for him. The two of them chatted and caught up with each other as they put away the groceries. Ryan had splurged and bought the makings for Sindy's favorite cocktail which was a Mai Tai. Sindy didn't care for champagne because it gave her headaches, so Ryan had thoughtfully planned on the Mai Tai to toast in the new year. It was just after nine when the expected snow started to fall. It wasn't long after that when Ryan poured a fifth of white rum into a pitcher and then added pineapple juice, sweetened lime juice, grenadine, and a generous amount of dark rum to round off the drink. Now Ryan could drink pretty hard, like most senior college men; but to be fair to him he wasn't planning on drinking the whole pitcher of Mai Tai that one night. The thing was that he only knew the recipe one way and that was how he made it. He expected the pitcher of the cocktail would be sipped on for a few days. At eleven the two young people sat in front of their TV and watched as the new year was welcomed in New York City. They toasted each other and Sindy finished her second Mai Tai of the evening. When she set down her glass she excused herself to get ready for bed and suggested that Ryan do the same thing. In her bedroom she pulled off her winter travel outfit of blue jeans and a flannel shirt and put on her favorite silk nightshirt. As was her habit, she dispensed with her bra for the night and felt a bit of relief as her size C globes were freed from their modest restraints. It was then that Sindy noticed her panties were moist. She sighed with irritation because this was typical around the second week after her period, each month. She didn't like that her panties would get wet with the same clear stringy fluid every ovulation. Taking off her panties she tossed them in her dirty laundry basket and grabbed a tissue to clean herself. When she was finished, she tossed the tissue in her waste basket and then opened a drawer to find a fresh pair of panties. The first pair she found were her favorite linen panties she'd bought for herself at Nordstrom. She held them in her hand and shook her head at the thought of ruining them with all the ‘snot' coming out of her pussy. “Maybe he won't notice”, she said to herself. Looking in the mirror to make sure her nightshirt covered her down to just above her knees she decided it would be okay to go without panties for the next hour. She absently nodded her head as if to approve this decision. Returning to the living room she found Ryan bare chested as usual and wearing only his sweat pants. He'd converted the futon to a bed while she was busy and was under the blankets on his makeshift bed when she returned. He invited her to join him and share his warmth. She didn't hesitate and she also didn't hesitate to help herself to the Mai Tai glass that had been refilled while she'd been changing. Ryan somehow managed to behave himself as a nearly naked Sindy sat next to him. He'd seen her profile as she walked into the room and he instantly noticed the lack of panty lines under her silk nightshirt. He felt his balls roll with anticipation when the girl got under the blankets with him. He also did his best to convince his cock to settle down as he wrapped his arm around her; both of them watching the TV which was on her side of the futon. The hour went by and soon enough there was a countdown and then the TV showed the fireworks at the Navy Pier in Chicago as the new year arrived. Ryan pulled Sindy over close and kissed her to celebrate their first new year's celebration together. The two of them were warm and tense when Sindy broke their kiss to suggest they toast the new year. Sindy's glass was empty again so Ryan got up and refilled it from the pitcher on the kitchenette counter. Returning to her, he saw her sitting up, her bare feet on the carpet and then saw the silly smile on her face. She was sitting on the edge of the futon and he thought she might be thinking about going to her bedroom. He realized she wasn't drunk but she wasn't far from it. He put the two glasses down on a side table and then knelt down on the carpet in front of Sindy. Leaning into her as she sat on the bed he gently kissed her. Her arms came up around him as she kissed him back. A few minutes went by as the two of them kissed and explored each other's bodies. The music from the celebration on TV created a very romantic tone for the moment. Sindy didn't notice when Ryan deftly undid the buttons on her nightshirt. Her whole universe at that moment was consumed with the sensations of kissing, being kissed, and feeling the strong bare shoulders of her man. She also didn't notice as Ryan gently parted her knees with his hips. “Oh.” Ryan heard her say as she felt him suckle on one of her nipples. She kissed the top of his head and her hands went to his waist as she felt him grinding himself into her crotch. Remembering that she wasn't protected by the flimsy fabric of her panties her hands went further down his waist to find the reassuring presence of Ryan's sweat pants right where they should be. Ryan pulled away from her for a moment and shut off the TV. They were now in darkness save for the light that came in from the street outside. It was also unusually quiet what with the sounds of the city muffled by an ever intensifying snow storm. In the darkness she saw him stand up and when he took her hand she obliged and stood up as well. She complied when he eased her nightshirt off of her shoulders even though she wasn't truly cognizant of the situation. The presence of his sweat pants made her feel that it was okay if one of them was naked. He guided her back to the bedroom, helped her into bed, and pulled the warm blankets over her. Then he went to the other side of the bed and climbed in. Her brief exposure to the cold air of the apartment made her welcome the warmth when Ryan moved partly on to her and kissed her again. She felt his hand explore her body and she didn't complain. His big warm hand moved around feeling her neck, her breasts, her waist, her hips, and then he slowly moved it to her pussy. She tensed when he first touched her down there but then relaxed as he gently explored and then found her button. Sindy was overwhelmed with sensation and alcohol as Ryan ministered to her needs. Ryan was no virgin nor was he a philanderer. He'd had just one girlfriend in high school and after three years of experience he knew his way around the female body. Sindy responded to his touch just like his old girlfriend used to. Her legs relaxed as he rubbed and teased her button and after some time he chanced to let a finger explore her cleft. “Omigawd” he heard as his finger easily slipped into Sindy's body. She was so wet for him. She was ready. He moved himself over on top of her and gently parted her legs. The soft underside of his cock brushed against the fine blonde hair of her pubes as the two of them adjusted to their new position. Sindy didn't give it any thought when she had to spread her legs for Ryan's legs above her. It was just the natural thing to do and she loved how his body was now pressing her down into the soft mattress. the bed that was cold a few minutes ago, was now warm and soft.  She felt him moving and adjusting as they kissed. Then she felt something warm, firm, and yet soft brush against her lower belly. The alcohol made this sensation into something quizzical but not alarming. She was horny, but buzzed. She's never been in bed with a man until tonight. the entire experience was surreal and wonderful. Ryan moved himself down on the virgin and started sucking on her nipples and lightly biting them. She moaned in approval and then reflexively pulled her legs back and rested the soles of her feet against the backs of his thighs. Sindy herself was surprised when she did this. It seemed so lewd! Yet something had made her do this and it seemed like it was the right thing to do. She also felt more comfortable this way. Her primal nature directed her responses. Sindy loved feeling Ryan suckling and biting her nipples and when he started kissing his way up her chest she had a moment of longing, wishing he'd suckle her some more. His lips moved to her ear and lightly tugged at her earlobe. Then he moved his lips back to hers and she felt his tongue move into her mouth. It was her first French kiss and somehow it didn't feel new or strange to her. It felt good to have part of him inside her body. Letting him into her body was, well; was just what her body knew to do. In the midst of kissing him Sindy felt Ryan's pelvis moving on her and she became aware of something very warm pressing against her pussy. She felt her pussy lips part and then the something moved between them rubbing back and forth. It felt nice. Very nice. She knew she wanted more of this feeling. “What are you doing to me?” she whispered into the night air. “I'm making love to you.” was what she heard in reply. Her mind struggled to process the import of what they were doing and what she had just heard. 'We couldn't be having sex, right? We're just making out! And besides', she thought to herself, 'he still has his sweat pants on.' Her hands moved from his shoulders to his waist. And then she moved them to his bare ass that was moving in synch with the sensation she felt between her legs. Sindy was torn as she realized that he was naked. She realized that the thing so wonderfully sliding back and forth in her furrow was Ryan's thick and stiff bare cock. Part of her wanted him to stop. But it felt so good! 'It's safe so long as he doesn't actually go inside me' she told herself. Ryan moved and put one arm around her with his hand holding her left shoulder. His other hand snaked around her waist and held her tight. She wasn't going anywhere now and they both knew this. Ryan withdrew his cock from running between Sindy's pussy lips and for a moment Sindy felt relief that he was done and at the same time she felt a pang of loss that it was over. She couldn't help herself but to feel giddy when she felt him press into her. It wasn't the same feeling as the rubbing but she wanted it all the same. Her cunt was hot, swollen, oozing, and hungry. She felt him press into her with a kind of urgency. The blunt tip of his cock was now searching for her opening in earnest. She felt it press and then slip away from her. Then she felt his body move back and try again. “Oh, I'm not so sure…” she said as Ryan's blunt tip finally found the right spot and she felt that tip press into the mouth of her pussy. Her hands went to Ryan's waist as if to push him away. Ryan felt Sindy tense as his cock pushed past the threshold of her pussy. He felt her try to lift his body off of hers. He paused for a moment as she said something. In that brief moment Sindy understood that Ryan's mind had checked out. The same primal instincts gave him a course of directives, which his body was destined to accomplish without needing his brain to direct. He was holding her so tight and if she didn't get him to stop it would be too late! She struggled just a bit and realized her mistake as her movement got his cock into the exact right position to penetrate her body. Ryan had felt his cock push past her pussy lips but then it wasn't going any further. Then Sindy's pelvis instinctively moved around and suddenly his cock moved deeper into her pussy. Sindy caught her breath as she felt Ryan's cock slip into her pussy. She was about to ask him to stop when his strong arms held her tight and he started thrusting into her. She wasn't yet aware that her own hips were already beginning to move in sync with his primal mission. In a few moments she felt him deep inside her body and she felt his warm balls coming down, resting on her ass. “Ohmigod.” she said. Ryan felt a sense of relief with his cock finally buried into the object of his desires. He hadn't had his cock in a pussy for almost six years and the feeling was exquisite. Part of him wanted to fuck her hard and get his rocks off. A more sensible part of him reminded him that he loved this girl. “Are you okay?” he said to Sindy. “Yeah.” she whispered, “We're having sex aren't we?” He gave her a gentle thrust and replied playfully, “Yeah, I think we are.” Ryan kissed her and slowly started thrusting himself into the girl. She took a little time to relax but eventually she did and so did Ryan. He raised up slowly, dragging his engorged cock along the rippled inner walls of her deep pussie canal; only to feel his shaft switch it's polarity and drive back, deep into her deep canal again, dropping his balls again, on her awaiting ass. He paused every now and again as he fought back the urge to fuck her hard and cum. His body wanted to fuck her body, but his heart & soul wanted to become one with her heart & soul. For her part Sindy was in awe of the amazing things happening to her. She had never imagined sex would feel so wonderful and intimate. It seemed surreal that for all of the years she had imagined what this moment would be like the moment was now upon her. She loved Ryan but at this moment he was simply the man who was finally fucking her. She surrendered her intellect, over to her body. ‘Don't think,' she instinctive told her mind. ‘Don't discuss. Don't blow this moment!' ‘Your body knows what to do. So does his. Now celebrate this marvel!' It was perhaps a therapeutic benefit that she'd been more than tipsy. She played with his hair and ran her fingernails on his scalp as he fucked her. She loved that he moaned in response. She loved the heavy male scent she smelled on him. She was a little bashful about the wet squishing sound coming from between her legs but she didn't think Ryan cared. As the lovers gently fucked Sindy's mind remembered sitting in church the week before. She remembered thinking about Jesus and his mother Mary. And the immaculate conception. Sindy kissed Ryan on the tip of his nose as he fucked her. She remembered being a smartass thinking she didn't want an immaculate conception. The three Mai Tai's and the cock sliding back and forth in her pussy made it easier for her to dismiss her own thoughts. And then it registered that what she and Ryan were doing could create a baby. She heard his breath coming faster. He was moaning every now and then and she realized that she was too. Maybe she should ask him to stop? “Uhm, fuck.” he grunted. She felt him start to move a little faster. His quickly rose from her while keeping his cock inside her body. His hands went to her knees and then, scooping her legs with his arms, he raised them up to her shoulders and pressed down on her again. Her feet were now on either side of his head. She hadn't thought it possible but now he was all the way inside her pussy. He kept his cock inside of her and thrusted over and over. She felt like she was getting beaten from the inside as his cock tried to punch its way up into her belly! He slammed into her repeatedly and yelled, “Ah, ah, ah!” Sindy grimaced as his cock pressed painfully into her cervix. Then she felt his cock swell up and start fluttering inside of her belly. The realization that she was being inseminated at that moment was mind blowing for her. Something inside of her responded and Sindy found herself feeling like something was building. She felt liquid blasts deep within her, and her vaginal reflexes triggered a euphoria which flooded every cell of her body, like a strong intoxicant invading all her 5 senses. Ryan fucked her hard and managed to get a few more squirts of cum into her. It was enough that Sindy felt her body tremble and tingle. Her toes curled and she held Ryan tight. He knew what was happening to her and started giving her a steady fucking. “Hunuhh!” she uttered and then collapsed spent from her first serious orgasm. Ryan let himself fall to the side while still laying over her hips; keeping his softening cock deeply embedded inside of Sindy. Caressing her exposed breasts he spoke, “That was amazing.” She brushed back some hair from her face. “Yeah, it was. We're gonna need to talk about this tomorrow.” There was a more serious tone to her voice. “True.” he said. They both knew not to kill this sacred moment with intellectual interactions. They didn't say anything else. Sindy got up and went off the bathroom to clean up and when she came back Ryan held the blankets up to welcome her back. She spooned up to him with her back to him and they held each other as they fell asleep. Around four in the morning Ryan woke up and quickly realized that very naked and very available Sindy was cuddled up with him. His cock was quickly hard again. He kissed Sindy's bare shoulder and got no response. She was sleeping off three cocktails and a vigorous fucking after all. He let his hands explore the girl and managed to provoke a murmur of approval from her when he fingered one of her nipples. He pulled her ass towards him a few inches and then swabbed his cock at her pussy. She was sticky from their earlier exertions but when he got her pussy lips to open a bit her moisture called to him. With his hand on her hip he gently pushed into her and in a few strokes was inside of her again. She stirred and looked over her shoulder at him. “Ryan?” “Yeah, it's me.” “Oh, okay” she said pushing back on his cock. This time wasn't about Sindy. Ryan needed to nut and he found himself fucking her. Not making love to her but just plain fucking her. When he got there he held her tight and pushed deep which elicited a whimper of complaint from Sindy. His cum spewed into her again and when he was done he held himself inside of her. When they awoke it was well past seven yet it was still kind of dark out. Sindy kissed Ryan and then went off to take a much needed shower. When she was done she put on a robe and she and Ryan exchanged pleasantries as he took his place in the shower. Neither of them had yet fully comprehended the fullness of what happened to them within the past few hours. Looking out the window Sindy saw the snow coming down and when she looked at the street it was covered in white. There were the telltale lumps of parked cars but it was obvious the snowplows had other priorities. She got the coffee going and started making breakfast. She was damned hungry and that called for eggs. Ryan was finished just in time for breakfast and the two of them sat on the futon watching local news cover 'The Storm of the Century'. He had on the sweat pants and a t-shirt. When breakfast was finished Sindy refilled their coffee cups and sat back on the futon with Ryan. “So.” she said. “Yeah.” he said with resignation, preparing himself for what was to come. “I wanted it, too.” she said as she sipped her coffee. “Really? You're okay with it all?” She demurely nodded. “Yeah, I wanted you and the alcohol was just an excuse. It's not the fairy tale way to lose my virginity but it really isn't far from it. We have a warm bed and a snowstorm outside on New Year's. It's kind of romantic really.” “Sindy, what are we going to tell your parents? It's not like you can keep me a secret after this.” She looked him in the eye. “What if we have a baby? That's more important to me right now.” Sindy expected a lot of things but she didn't expect Ryan to smile. “I'd love to have a baby with you, Sindy. I'd be crazy not to.” The two had become one. Not because of a license, not because of a priest, but because the forces of nature, and nature's God had consumated their hearts and bodies. Just as the biblical patriarch, Isaac; had simply taken Rebecca into the tent and began a marriage with a mutual commitment and intercourse, God still keeps things simple. Mankind finds ways to complicate things. The tears started to flow. Ryan pulled her close to comfort her and she told him she was happy and not sad. They sat there together for a couple hours discussing ideas for a house maybe up in Wisconsin somewhere. They talked about a modest wedding ceremony. They talked about babies. They had an early dinner that night and Sindy had just finished doing the dishes when Ryan came up to her and put his arms around her. One his hands came across bare flesh under her robe. “What are you wearing under there?” he asked. “Nothing.” “You've been naked under there all day?” She smiled. “Yup. Care to do something about it?” A few moments later Sindy had her hands on the kitchen counter while Ryan was busy fucking her from behind. Looking down at her feet she wondered if she was going to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. “I hope so.” she said out loud. Society didn't know they got married during the snow storm, but the two became one in the purest, most natural sense. By Baztrachian for Literotica

Bijna drie jaar is het nu oorlog in onze achtertuin. Op 24 februari 2022 viel Rusland Oekraïne binnen en nog altijd wordt er hevig gevochten. Dit jaar verraste Oekraïne vriend en vijand door een stuk Russisch grondgebied te bezetten. Rusland boekte alsmaar meer terreinwinst, maar ten koste van gigantische verliezen. In de geopolitieke arena rommelt en schuift het als het gaat om westerse wapensteun - en wie daar een centrale rol in is gaan spelen is Mark Rutte, inmiddels secretaris-generaal van de NAVO.In het Midden-Oosten heeft Israël nog altijd haar door Hamas gegijzelde burgers niet terug, terwijl de Palestijnse burgerbevolking in Gaza extreem lijdt door het Israëlische oorlogsgeweld - oorlog die zich uitbreidde naar Libanon, Iran en Syrië.Jos de Groot bespreekt het met generaals buiten dienst Peter van Uhm en Mart de Kruif.Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

They'll frolic and play, fucking in a winter wonderland. By RejectReality. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Josh finished off his meal before half of the other employees had even made it through the queue. He came from a poor family with three kids, and whoever ate the fastest got dibs on seconds, so he'd been in the habit of wolfing down his food all his life. Thankfully, the company had learned from the previous year's fiasco. The food had been bad enough that they'd stopped going super cheap on company meals, and had found a caterer that seemed to do everything right. It wasn't a proper family Christmas dinner, but it was as close as one could get on a mass catering scale. The caterer's track record with good food was the tipping point that had convinced him to make the long drive to the Christmas party. The door prizes were nice, but a long shot. The food was a sure thing.Pleasantly full, he chatted with a couple of the other loading dock workers he was friendly with for a few minutes, and then went to refill his iced tea. So much for that idea, he thought as he approached the beverage dispensers. There were several people on the dock he wasn't fond of, but Anthony he absolutely couldn't stand. From the looks of him, he was ranting about something, and he was standing right next to the dispensers. The guy was lazy, full of himself, and bitched constantly about how he was being singled out and treated unfairly, by everyone and everything. Another glass of tea wasn't worth the aggravation. Josh glanced at his phone and saw that it was going to be over an hour before they started announcing door prizes. He decided to throw on his coat and head to his car in the parking lot for a while, where he had tunes that weren't Christmas music, and a bottle of Coke. It was a sunny winter's day with no wind, and so felt far warmer than it actually was. When he climbed in his car on the back side of the hotel, he found that the sun streaming through the windows had kept it warm enough that he didn't even need the heater to feel comfortable. He drank his Coke, listened to music, and took in the view. The hotel where the company had rented the banquet hall wasn't part of the ski resort proper, but still had a great view of the snow-blanketed mountains. According to the signage, there were hiking trails through the pines and picnic shelters as well. Beyond the mounds pushed up by the plows were pristine natural drifts guided by the lay of the land and whim of the wind. Snow hung thick on the boughs of the pines rising out of those drifts. Above them was the majesty of the mountains. It was a far different view than at home, where the mountains were a distant vision, most often blocked by buildings, and the snow was a dingy grey. He knew he could get an even better look if he took advantage of the slight discount the company had arranged on the slopes of the resort. The key word was slight, and he had never been on a pair of skis or a snowboard. That was something he didn't want to try to learn in front of coworkers he would class as acquaintances rather than friends. After only a few minutes of sitting, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and glanced toward the back door of the hotel, where he'd just exited. A woman was standing there in the open door, facing inside. She had a great ass and long dark hair hanging in pigtails from a white knit cap. He thought he knew her, and when she turned slightly, it confirmed his guess. Leigh was fresh out of high school, hot as hell, and worked in one of the outlying departments of the warehouse. She was also Anthony's girlfriend. Maybe not for long, Josh thought rather smugly when he realized she was gesturing angrily at him, where he stood just inside the door. It served him right as far as Josh was concerned. He had no idea what any woman saw in the jackass, let alone a sweet little hottie like Leigh. Leigh turned and walked away from the hotel, and Anthony didn't follow. As she approached, he could see that she was red-faced and had misty eyes. Her expression was likewise a mixture of anger and sorrow. He assumed she was heading for her car, but when she reached the back of the lot, she stepped onto the snow-covered trail leading into the pine forest. It didn't seem like a particularly good decision, but he was torn. If he followed after her, he could very well come off as a creeper. On the other hand, she was obviously upset and not thinking clearly. Wandering into an unfamiliar, snowy forest in that state was a recipe for potential disaster. He agonized over the decision for a minute or so, until she actually vanished into the trees. That was what finally encouraged him to get up and follow her. Hers were the only footprints in the inch or so of snow that had fallen the night before, making her easy to track. Catching up was a different matter entirely. She was moving quickly along the curving path, and paying no mind to where the snow had drifted a couple of inches deeper here and there. Josh increased his pace when he realized just how far ahead she must be. He caught up after a bend in the trail near one of the picnic shelters to see her looking warily over her shoulder. She visibly relaxed when she recognized him. "You okay, Leigh?" he asked. "I'm okay, I guess," she answered. He could see where her previously unshed tears had rolled down her cheeks as she walked. "I was worried when I saw you walking back here alone. I'll leave you alone if you want, but I wanted to check on you." "No, it's okay. I should really go back. I wasn't thinking about how stupid it was until I heard you behind me and didn't know who was following me." "Sorry to scare you." He noticed that one of the picnic tables beneath the shelter had avoided being covered in snow thanks to thick, overhanging pine boughs. He pointed and asked, "You want to sit down?" "I..." She hesitated and fidgeted for a moment before continuing, "Sure." Josh shuffled his feet, making a path through the snow over to the shelter. They both stomped the snow off their shoes near the table, where only a dusting covered the concrete. He then climbed up to sit on the table, rather than the seat, and she did the same. "You work on the dock with..." She trailed off, leaving the name unsaid. "It's Josh, right?" she asked. He nodded. "Can I ask you something?" "Go ahead." "Does Anthony talk about me? About us?" Josh hesitated, knowing that what her boyfriend said about her probably wasn't something she wanted to hear. "Well, we don't really talk much." "But you hear him, I'm sure," she said with a slight roll of her eyes. "Be honest. What does he say about me?" He had no reason whatsoever to protect Anthony, and though he knew it would be hard to hear, she probably suspected the truth anyway. So he answered, "It's mostly about sex, and complaining about anything else you want to do as smothering him." "He doesn't call me his girlfriend, does he?" "It's mostly my bitch." She clenched her teeth and let out a little growl. "Has he ever talked about cheating on me?" "Like I said, we don't get along... But I have seen things that make me think he might." "That skank Jennifer?" Rumor was that Jennifer had slept with at least a dozen men from the warehouse and a couple of supervisors, one of whom was married. Her suspicions were hardly without evidence, and he told her, "I've seen him talking to her a few times after work in the parking lot." "I knew it. I am so tired of his shit." She then sighed, caught his gaze, and said, "Thanks for telling me the truth." Damn, she's beautiful, Josh thought as her eyes softened. "You're welcome." Leigh said, "I almost didn't come today. I'm glad I did now." She then looked around and said, "It's really pretty out here." Though he much preferred to enjoy the scenery right in front of him, he took in their surroundings as well. "Yeah. No tracks in the snow, and the snow hanging on all the pine boughs. The little beams of light that sneak through and light up patches of snow. It's nice." "Just far enough away that you can pretend the hotel isn't just over there, because you can't see it." "Peaceful, and quiet," he agreed. Leigh made eye contact with him again. She was smiling, and her deep brown eyes were alight, once again entrapping him. "I don't know why I can't find a nice guy, like you." "I'm a guy like me," he said before his brain could catch up with his mouth. He instantly winced and looked away, knowing how ridiculous it sounded. Leigh laughed, though it had none of the mocking tone he expected after delivering such a cheesy line. She then reached up, cupped his chin, and guided him to look at her. "Sorry. That..." He couldn't finish. His face felt so hot from embarrassment that he was surprised he didn't see water pouring off the roof from the snow melting away. She smiled and said, "It's okay. It was kind of cute, and sweet actually." He nearly gasped from the sparks flying between them as they looked into each other's eyes. The next thing he knew, she was scooting closer to him, and then leaning in. He didn't hesitate in the slightest to return her soft, sweet kiss. Leigh let out a quiet moan when their lips parted. They locked eyes, and simultaneously sought each other's lips once more. Josh's tongue slipped over hers, and he lifted his hand to caress her face. She tousled his hair and stroked his arm. Her kisses grew steadily more passionate, and he eagerly matched her. He wondered what she was doing when she reached up between them and unzipped her coat. She didn't leave him guessing for long, and guided his hand to her breast before reaching between his legs. She moaned into their hungry kiss when she felt his hardness. She was still squeezing his erection through his pants when she once again redirected the hand exploring her breasts. She guided it beneath her gray and black mottled sweater, and then back to the firm mounds again. No bra impeded his access to her, and he squeezed her left breast while running a thumb over her stiff nipple. Leigh broke from the kiss, but stayed close enough for him to continue fondling her firm, eighteen-year-old breasts. She bit her lower lip for a moment, and then began unbuttoning his pants. "What are you doing?" he asked in disbelief. "What do you think?" she countered as she made quick work of the button and zipper. She fished his cock out into the crisp winter air, but it wasn't exposed long. He turned his hand as she leaned into his lap, never losing contact with her breast, and settled the other on the back of her head. Josh groaned when she took him in her hot little mouth. Anthony is a fucking idiot, Josh thought as she worshiped his cock with slow, deep sucks. "That feels so good, Leigh," he encouraged her in a voice barely above a whisper. Leigh moaned around him, adding a new layer to the incredible sensation. After a few more sucks, she released him, blew out a long, slow breath over his saliva-slick member and said in a husky voice, "I need you." He began, "Do you want to go back to my—" She cut him off by sitting up and saying, "I need you right now." She lifted her foot and began sliding off one of her black, fur-topped boots. Josh instinctively looked back toward the trail. They were out of sight of the hotel, but they weren't that far away. Leigh didn't seem to be the slightest bit concerned. She'd already pulled off one of her boots, and removed the other as soon as he turned back. "This is crazy," he said. "Uh huh," she agreed even as she began popping open the buttons of her pants. Crazy or not, there was no turning back as she stood on the seat and began to wriggle out of her pants. A groaning sigh escaped him as the material slipped down to her thighs, revealing her shaved pussy. "Awe!" Leigh exclaimed when her bare bottom hit the cold wood of the table, but it didn't deter her. She nodded over her shoulder and said, "Lay down," while she finished removing her pants. Josh unzipped his bulky coat, slipped his arms out of the sleeves, and reclined atop it as he drank in the sight of her, naked from the waist down, quickly rolling up her pants. She placed them atop his coat by his chest, and then reached for his pants. He lifted his ass so she could wrestle them down to his thighs. A second later, she stepped over him to a reverse-cowgirl position. Leigh looked back over her shoulder as she squatted over his lap and quickly asked, "Is this okay?" He nodded and then dropped his eyes back to the sight of her tight little ass. She didn't waste any time reaching down to stand his cock up straight and lowering her pussy to it. A moment later, the chilly kiss of the wind was replaced by her warm, velvety walls engulfing him. Leigh gasped, and he groaned. Josh grabbed her waist when she began to ride him. Leigh undulated, letting out little moans as her pussy slid up and down his cock. Her right hand moved from his leg to in front of her, and she whimpered when she began to rub her clit. "Oh god, yeah," he groaned. "S-so good," she whimpered in response. "So big." Her strained tone was practically screaming bigger than that dickhead Anthony, which brought a grin to his face. She moved a little faster, and her sounds of pleasure rose in volume to match. The dark fans of her pigtails began to sway across the white of her jacket. "Ah fuck," he exclaimed while shuddering from the feeling of her tight, wet pussy milking his cock. She seemed to agree when she responded, "Uh huh. Oh yeah." After a few more sweet gyrations, she said, "Warn me if you're going to come." Josh let out a growl and said, "Okay, I will." Leigh leaned forward, allowing her hips to move at an even faster pace. It also let him see his cock sliding into her pretty pink pussy. She was soaking wet, and his erection glistened in the dappled light with her juices. Josh let his hands glide over her hips, her quivering ass, and up her waist beneath her sweater. Beneath the wool, her skin was hot, in sharp contrast to the slight chill where she wasn't covered. "Oh my god," she exclaimed after half a minute or so, and then began to bounce hard on his erection. Her ass clapped against his skin, the sound echoing back from the roof above and the surrounding trees. Josh dug his fingers into her hips, pulling down when she descended and bucking his hips at the bottom of the stroke. The smacks of colliding flesh grew even louder, and he could hear the wet crackle of his cock penetrating her. Wrong as it was, having his cock buried in Anthony's girlfriend was an incredible thrill. On top of that was the dangerous excitement of possibly being caught. It made him throb hard in her tight, slippery embrace. "Ah! Oh! Ah! Ah! Ah!" she cried as her pleasure mounted. "Yeah, ride me," he encouraged her. "So fucking hot." "So full. So good. Oh, Josh..." "Leigh, you're so sexy." She looked back over her shoulder, and her ecstasy was plainly written on her face. "My pussy feel good?" "Incredible. God, you're beautiful." Leigh whimpered and a smile merged with her tightened features. She looked at him for a second or two longer before gasping and wiggling her ass with him balls deep inside her. Then her hips rose and slammed back down on him again. "Oh, baby," he groaned. "Yes." "I want you to come." "Oh yes. Yes!" He could see how fast her hand was moving between her legs, and even hear the skitch skitch sound of her fingers flashing over her folds, between the slaps of flesh on flesh. She whimpered, "Feels so good. Gonna... Gonna make me come." Josh growled and gripped her hips even tighter. "Oh yeah. Come." "So close. Oh god!" she cried, and then went absolutely wild. Leigh impaled herself on his hard cock with reckless abandon. Her feminine grunts of exertion were incredibly sexy, and triggered an itch in the head of his cock that was quickly swelling. The skin beneath his hands felt nearly as warm as it had beneath her sweater as the effort raised her body temperature. He likewise no longer noticed the chill of the air on his skin as his pleasure mounted. "Yes. Do it. Do it. Come for me," he growled while fighting off an eruption. Leigh was beyond words. She serenaded him with increasingly, almost alarmingly, considering the situation, loud sounds of pleasure. Josh closed his eyes, as he was careening toward an orgasm as well. Not being able to see her did little to curb the urgency, however. He was on the verge of warning her that he was going to come when he felt her jerk, and then slam down over his hips one final time. She yelped as her walls clenched around him in orgasm. "C-coming!" she squealed a moment later. Josh bucked his hips up into her climaxing pussy and grunted, "Yeah. Yeah. Fuck!" Leigh twitched, jerked, and whimpered atop him as the throes took control of her. Josh clenched his teeth and stiffened. Her canal squeezing around his cock was nudging him closer to the edge by the moment. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer. "Shit. Gonna come. Gonna come," he warned her in clipped grunts. Leigh lurched off his cock with a pained whimper that warbled when she was left empty. She drew in noisy breaths as she dropped forward onto her hands. Then she haltingly pushed back toward him. He could see steam curling from her hot flesh where sweat and her juices were evaporating into the cold, dry air. His eyes snapped closed a fraction of a second later when she took his cock in her mouth. Leigh bobbed her head in short strokes, and it didn't take long. She croaked when his hips thrust upward of their own accord as he surrendered to orgasm. Josh grunted and gasped, pumping cum into Leigh's eager mouth. She sucked hard and worked her lips around his pulsing shaft, milking out every drop he had to offer. His ejaculations were so powerful that he started to feel light-headed from the intensity. He both heard and felt her long, satisfied moan when the last few dribbles oozed onto her tongue. She kept sucking. His head cleared in a flash as he grew sensitive. For a second, all he could do was pant through clenched teeth. Then he grunted, "Shit. Ah, god damn." Leigh's next moan was a devilish chuckle. She kept her lips locked around him for a few agonizing seconds, and then finally let him slip free. His sigh of relief was premature, because she wasn't done. She tongued the head of his cock, causing him to grip the edge of the table and thrash beneath her. Finally, she had mercy and rested her head on his leg. "I came so hard," she said in a languid voice. "God, Leigh. Me too." She moaned, but then they both simultaneously shivered as the heat of their orgasms ebbed, letting them feel the bite of the cold air once more. Leigh was the first to move, as she was far more exposed. She sat up over her knees with her teeth chattering, and snatched up her pants. As soon as she moved to pull them on, he was quick to do the same. Josh zipped up his coat, watching her wrestle her pants back up. She continued to shiver even after zipping up her coat, so he curled a hand around her back, and pulled her into an embrace. A soft moan marked the change in her shiver from one of cold to something entirely different. Their eyes met. They both smiled, laughed, and moved in for a kiss. She had a look of surprised delight on her face when their lips parted. "Anthony would never kiss me after I sucked him off." Josh kissed her again, proving it didn't bother him in the slightest. "We should probably get back, huh?" she said as they caressed each other's faces. He nodded. "So... Uhm... What are you going to do?" "Tell him its over. He probably won't care." "Fucking moron." Leigh giggled. "Let's go. I want to get this over and done." They walked together down the trail, across the parking lot, and then into the hotel. Once in the banquet hall, they split up so Leigh could break up with the jackass. Josh watched out of the corner of his eye, and felt a surge of anger when Anthony did little more than wave his hand and walk away from her. What a fucking prick, he thought. The anger evaporated in an instant when Leigh walked toward him wearing a beatific smile. When she reached him and took his hand, he caught a glimpse of Anthony. The smug, dismissive look on the asshole's face turned to one of pure rage. Josh only looked for a fraction of a second before redirecting his attention to Leigh. "So, he was my ride," she said. "Give me a ride home?" He nodded, and couldn't help but feel a little smug when she lifted up onto her toes to kiss him. She then whispered into his ear, "And give me a ride at home?" They completely ignored the announcement of the first door prize as they walked toward the door hand-in-hand, both content with the treasure that was already theirs. By RejectReality for Literotica

The segment discusses proposed FHA loss mitigation changes, including increased loan limits and revised policies, urging industry feedback by December 23rd, while highlighting concerns over tight deadlines and the need for experienced leadership in housing policy.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

The discussion covered FHA's proposed rental income flexibilities, insights on HUD's new leadership under Scott Turner, and the ongoing need for modernized housing policies and technology improvements at HUD and Ginnie Mae.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

This segment explores the FHA's actuarial report, its implications for MIP premiums, and how evolving market dynamics are impacting borrowers and lenders in the mortgage industry.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

The FHFA has proposed a new rule to enhance governance within Federal Home Loan Banks by modernizing board requirements, clarifying expertise standards, and implementing conflict of interest policies, with a public comment period open until February 3rd.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!

Welcome back to Oddities the podcast where no topic is too *~*StRaNgE*~*! Another week another interesting episode!!! First up the very beautiful tradition of Día De Los Muertos, sit back and learn how one laughs in the face of death and honors their loved ones that pass away. Up next the very vey spooky legend of Hanako-san...Uhm...Japan...Are you okay??Support the showFollow along on social media:FacebookInstagramWebsiteEmail: Oddities.talk@gmail.comHuge shout out to Kyle Head for our awesome new intro! Check out his amazing Music! Thank you Mana Peach for our adorable prattling cows! Check out her designs!Check out Lindsey Bidwell's designs (merch and new logo!)Check out the Moose Cottage! Check out our merch!

This week's highlights three FHA mortgagee letters open for feedback, covering extended cyber incident reporting requirements, guidelines for nonjudicial foreclosures on secretary-held liens, and proposed changes allowing DE underwriters to work part-time while still being employed by a single company.----------------------------------------------------Alice Alvey, Master CMBVice President Partner Education and Training at Union Home MortgageShe handles development of their World Class Training program designed to support UHM partners and organizational effectiveness.Prior to UHM, Alice served as Senior Vice President at Indecomm leading the Indecomm-Mortgage U division, Internal QA and Compliance and SaaS technologies. Indecomm acquired Mortgage U in 2013, where Alice was President/Co-founder, providing training and consulting since 1996. Prior to MU she served as SVP of Operations at a national bank overseeing operations for wholesale, retail and correspondent from underwriting through servicing, and compliance.She has been in the trenches of mortgage lending operations from application through servicing for over 30 years. Her authoring work in training content, policies and procedures and the FHA/VA Practical guides illustrates her ability to bridge regulatory requirements with day-to-day operations.Alice has been a weekly contributor to the Lykken on Lending show since its beginning in April 2009 and has made her weekly contributions to 450+ episodes!