Podcasts about Union Square

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Best podcasts about Union Square

Latest podcast episodes about Union Square

Angry Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
333. Senator Ruben Gallego. Is He Running for President? Hegseth Firing 20% of Generals. Mike Waltz is Out. Our Apologies to Canada. SCOTUS Upholds Trump's Trans Purge. Even Trump Won't Cut VA's Budget. 9/11 Health Program Attacked. AGAIN. Go Knicks!!!

Angry Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 62:35


This show is dedicated to helping elevate the heroes and the helpers. And to identifying the people in our government and political arena that don't live up to either of those descriptions. From the consistent cruelty of the Trump administration's attacks on our values and, now, our allies, to our national security being continually degraded by the gutting of the Pentagon ranks, the volume of outrageousness is increasing and the hits keep coming. But every once in a while, even in Washington, there is a brave and bold individual willing to stand up for what's right. If you've listened to the show you know that the Democrats will not save you. But that doesn't mean they can't help. That they can't be a part of the solution. And that's what today's guest wants to do.  Senator Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) hails from the great state of Arizona. He served as a Marine, as a Congressman and now he's a Senator—and his ambitions might even extend beyond that horizon. But for now, he's taking a stand and making an impact. And most importantly, he's fighting back. Against Trump, and for veterans and the good people of his state. And before the conversation starts, Paul Rieckhoff's gonna take you on a fun and illuminating walk through historic Union Square in NYC to run through the latest chaos at Pete Hegseth's Pentagon, Trump firing Mike Waltz and crapping in Canada, the Supreme Court ruling on the trans purge, RFK Jr messing up healthcare for 9/11 First Responders, VA Secretary Collins spinning, and why the surging New York Knicks can teach America a thing or two.  It's an inspiring episode that just might leave you a little more hopeful than you were before you started. So buckle up for Episode 333 folks. And enjoy the ride. It's content for the 49% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. Independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve–and stay vigilant.  Past appearance from Senator Gallego: Episode 113 - May 6, 2021 and Episode 211 - Feb. 23, 2023 Be sure to check out the show now on our YouTube page here. -Watch the full episode here. -Watch the interview here. -Join the movement. Sign up to get our regular breakdowns of the independent news you need to know.  -Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get a cool, new IA hoodie sweatshirt just in time for the start of the cold season.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. America's next great independent media company. Ways to listen: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0F1lzdRbTB0XYen8kyEqXe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff/id1457899667 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/49a684c3-68e1-4a85-8d93-d95027a8ec64/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff TuneIn Radio: https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/Independent-Americans-p1214607/ Ways to watch: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@independentamericans Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/IndependentAmericansUS/ Social channels: X/Twitter: https://x.com/indy_americans BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/indyamericans.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndependentAmericansUS/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only in Seattle - Real Estate Unplugged
San Francisco's DOOM LOOP Continues: Taxpayer Money WASTED While Union Square DIES

Only in Seattle - Real Estate Unplugged

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 18:19


ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Saks Fifth Avenue joins the parade of retailers fleeing San Francisco's Union Square. The luxury store—which already required APPOINTMENTS just to shop—is shutting down in a city where pooping on elevators and smash-and-grab robberies have become the norm. From Bloomingdale's to Nordstrom to Macy's, the $500 jeans crowd is packing up while city officials spin this retail exodus as merely "twists and turns" in their master plan. Is San Francisco's commercial real estate finally hitting rock bottom, or is this just the beginning of the end? And will AI magically save a downtown where knife-wielding addicts are given a free pass? Subscribe now for the unfiltered truth about how government policies are destroying once-thriving urban centers, one poop emoji at a time.

GOOD SHOW!
WE HAD A WORLD with Trip Cullman

GOOD SHOW!

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025 37:28


"Directors are authors of a production," is the vision held by Trip Cullman, director of the play, We Had a World. This beautiful play explores intergenerational relationships in a family with complicated dynamics. Starring Joanna Gleason, Andrew Barth Feldman, and Jeanine Serralles and written by Joshua Harmon. Sarah and Trip discuss the play, queer representation on stage, the importances of live theatre, and more! Trip Cullman (Director). Broadway: Cult Of Love, The Rose Tattoo, Choir Boy, Lobby Hero (Tony nom., Best Revival), Six Degrees of Separation (Tony nom., Best Revival), Significant Other. Select Off Broadway: I Can Get It For You Wholesale (Best Revival, Drama Desk and Outer Critics) (CSC); The Lonely Few, Moscow Moscow…, YEN, Punk Rock (Obie), A Funny Thing Happened… (MCC); Days Of Rage, The Layover, The Substance of Fire, Lonely I'm Not, Bachelorette, Some Men, Swimming In The Shallows (Second Stage); Unknown Soldier, The Pain Of My Belligerence, Assistance, A Small Fire (Drama Desk nom.), The Drunken City (Playwrights Horizons); Significant Other (Roundabout); Choir Boy (MTC); Murder Ballad (MTC and Union Square); The Mother, I'm Gonna Pray For You So Hard (Atlantic); Roulette (EST); The Hallway Trilogy: Nursing (Rattlestick); The Last Sunday In June (Rattlestick and Century Center); Dog Sees God (Century Center); US Drag (stageFARM); several productions with The Play Company. Select regional: Berkeley Rep, McCarter, Geffen, Arena, Alliance, Old Globe, La Jolla, South Coast Rep, Bay Street, Williamstown. Connect with GOOD SHOW! Instagram: ⁠@goodshowpodcast⁠  Tik Tok: ⁠@goodshowpodcast ⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The JV Show Podcast
Justice for the Squirrels

The JV Show Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2025 78:15 Transcription Available


On today's 4.24.25 show we talked about Graham's upcoming little league game, Jess got her real I.d, the place in the Bay Area with the highest rate of people living with their parents, what is happening with Squirrel Week? Major retailer is closing in Union Square, Sydney Sweeney seen hanging out with this person, American Idol nepo babies update, Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman both will be served in a lawsuit, parents getting consent to post their kids on social media, this dating trend that is growing in popularity, themed weddings, John Cena got a procedure done after being bullied by fans, Fyre Fest updates and more!

Get Connected
The Annual Earth Day Festival Returns to Union Square, Thursday, April 17th, 2025.

Get Connected

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2025 14:52 Transcription Available


We discuss congestion pricing, young activists and the impact of anti-climate mandates with John Opperman, Executive Director of Earth Day Initiative. Their Annual Earth Day Festival is a free, public event during a pivotal time for climate justice. For more about the event in Union Square on April 17, visit earthdayinitiative.org.

Crime of the Truest Kind
Case Update: An Arrest! Justice for Charline Rosemond

Crime of the Truest Kind

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 16:20 Transcription Available


Justice is coming for Charline at last! News broke this week in her 16-year-old murder case. The first real hope for justice for Charline and her family. On Thursday, April 10, Middlesex County District Attorney Marion Ryan announced the arrest of Heinsky Anacreon, age 38, of Malden, Mass, who was indicted by a Middlesex County grand jury on charges of murder, willfully misleading a police officer and willfully misleading an attorney, charging him with first-degree murder in this cold case that has haunted Charline's family since the day she disappeared on April 7, 2009. The investigation revealed a heartbreaking betrayal - Charline was lured by so-called friends with the promise of a sweet deal on a car, only to be robbed and killed. Most disturbing perhaps is the evidence that after the murder, her killers celebrated with a bottle of Moet champagne and toasted their windfall. For those who've followed Crime of the Truest Kind, this case has been near to my heart. After sharing her case in a live show in 2024, and interviewing Charline's sister Rose (listen to episodes 71 and 72) last fall and advocating for this case at every opportunity, seeing this development brings joy. Nothing can bring Charline back or erase her family's 16 years of hoping and waiting for her killers to be caught. As we look toward a trial, I will continue following every development. Advocacy is key. After 16 years, there's finally been an arrest in the murder case of Charline Rosemond, a 23-year-old woman from Everett who was shot to death for $4,000 cash in 2009. Middlesex County District Attorney Marion Ryan has announced charges against Heinsky Anacreon, revealing that Charline was set up by someone she considered a close friend, Roberto Jude, who died before facing justice.• Charline disappeared April 7, 2009, she was found on April 13. • DNA evidence on the car's door handle linked Roberto Jude to the scene• Anacreon allegedly admitted to disposing of the murder weapon in a river• Charline's family will be meeting on April 13th at 3pm in Union Square, Somerville – the 16th anniversary of when she was foundMore at CrimeoftheTruestKind.comFacebook.com/justiceforcharlinerosemondSupport the showFollow Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky | TikTok | Threads | YouTube For show notes & source information at CrimeoftheTruestKind.comGive the dogs a bone tip jar: buymeacoffee.com/truestkindBecome a patron: Patreon.com/crimeofthetruestkindThis podcast has minimal profanity but from time to time you get one or some curse words. This isn't for kids.Music included in episodes from Joe "onlyone" Kowalski, Dug McCormack's Math Ghosts and Shredding by Andrew King

Restaurant Owners Uncorked - by Schedulefly
Episode 580: Empathy in Action: The True Meaning of Hospitality with Michael DePaolo, Square Roots Collective

Restaurant Owners Uncorked - by Schedulefly

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2025 39:15


SummaryIn this conversation, Wil and Michael DePaolo explore the essence of hospitality, emphasizing the importance of empathy, connection, and community impact. Michael shares his personal journey in the hospitality industry, from washing dishes to running a nonprofit hospitality vertical. They discuss the challenges faced by the restaurant industry, especially post-COVID, and the lessons learned from working at Union Square Hospitality Group. Wil and Michael delve into the complexities of restaurant ownership, the vital role of restaurants in fostering community, and the cultural nuances of hospitality across different regions. Michael shares personal experiences and insights gained from working in various cities, including New York, Atlanta, and New Orleans, highlighting the importance of empathy.. The discussion emphasizes that success in the restaurant business is not solely about profit but about creating meaningful connections and providing a positive environment for both staff and customers.Takeaways Hospitality is rooted in empathy and connection with people. Making guests feel welcome is the core of hospitality. Successful hospitality requires a genuine love for the industry. Community impact is a vital aspect of hospitality work. Hiring for cultural fit is more important than skills. Treating staff well leads to better customer service. Lessons from Union Square emphasize respect for coworkers. Southern hospitality offers unique insights into guest relations. The hospitality industry should be treated as a profession. The podcast journey deepened the speaker's respect for restaurant ownership. Empathy and a servant's heart are crucial in hospitality. Restaurants play a vital role in community socialization post-COVID. Independent restaurants are essential to the identity of cities. Cultural differences significantly affect staff motivation and guest interaction. Atlanta's food scene has evolved and improved over the years. New Orleans offers a unique education in cocktail crafting. Success in the restaurant industry can be achieved without compromising staff welfare. Building a positive work culture leads to financial stability. Following industry leaders can inspire better practices in hospitality.

Wait...What? #sportsbiz chat with DP & McGhee
Episode 103 (S4:E7): "We'll do it live!"

Wait...What? #sportsbiz chat with DP & McGhee

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2025 30:26


For the first time in the show's history, DP & McGhee recorded the show in front of a live audience. Thank you to the NY Mets who hosted David and Tim at the Mets House in NYC's Union Square.Bobby Clemens, the Mets' VP Creative Content & Creative Director, joined the show to talk about the process he and his team go through to create both on and off field content.And since it's March, your co-hosts talk about the NCAA tournament, MLB Opening Day, the New Era Cap debacle, and the passing of sports writing legend John Feinstein.

The JV Show Podcast
Hurrahs!

The JV Show Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2025 77:51 Transcription Available


On today's 3.24.25 show we address something that has been bothering us, Bethenny Frankel got too high on Tiktok, question for Jess, Justin Bieber is opening up about his mental health, man steals sea lion head, Diddy and Cassie video controversy, companies that are moving in to Union Square, new tiktok feature for teens, join us for our Chug Wheel game, we talk to someone hosting a Selena lookalike contest in San Francisco, Jess is going to Vegas this weekend, day 5 of the VTA strike, Wendy Williams on The View, Zendaya has received a new deal for Euphoria, the crafting community is upset,we get to see Graham's leprechaun trap and more!

The Current Podcast
Beyond Yoga's Katie Babineau on the power of community

The Current Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 22:46


Beyond Yoga Chief Marketing Officer Katie Babineau joins The Current Podcast on the ground at SXSW in honor of International Women's Day and Women's History Month.  Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript  may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Ilyse Liffreing (00:00):I'm Kat Vesce. And I'm Ilyse Liffreing and welcome to this edition of The Current Podcast. In honor of International Women's Day and Women's Month, we're highlighting exceptional women of advertising at this year's South by Southwest.Kat Vesce (00:18):For this episode, we're thrilled to be joined by Katie Bau, the chief marketing Officer of Beyond Yoga, a brand that's redefining activewear with inclusivity, comfort, and community at its core.Ilyse Liffreing (00:28):That's right, Beyond yoga has been making waves in the industry, not just as a female founded brand, but as one that's rapidly expanding with a devoted customer base and a strong sense of purpose.Kat Vesce (00:39):Katie is approaching her one year anniversary as CMO and she's already led some game changing campaigns like Club Beyond a Full Funnel experiential activation in New York City that brought the brand to life in a whole new way.Ilyse Liffreing (00:51):We'll dive into that campaign and what's next for Beyond Yoga, including its approach to retail, men's expansion and content strategy, as well as Katie's journey as a woman in marketing.Kat Vesce (01:03):Katie, great to have you here. Thanks for joining us.Katie Babineau (01:06):Thanks for having me. I'm very excited to be here in Austin and great day to be here with you.Kat Vesce (01:12):Yeah. So I know we're approaching your one year anniversary as a CMO. Coming from a background largely in consumer tech, what drew you to this opportunity at Beyond Yoga?Katie Babineau (01:22):Well, I would say first and foremost, I was already a Beyond Yoga fan and customer and just fan of the brand. So when I had an opportunity to sit down with Nancy Green, our CEO I was very eager to learn more and I had come from a background in consumer tech, so I was very open at the time to making a pivot in my career and learning and growing about a new industry and apparel active wear to me was very interesting. I grew up as an athlete. Movement is so important to me as an individual and just love working in, I love the thought of working in an industry where I could pair both my professional and personal passion. And so Nancy and I met about a year ago. We hit it off, we talked a little bit about our philosophies and brand building where the business was going and it was just such a fit and so was really happy to move very quickly to make it happen.Kat Vesce (02:20):I love it. And tell me a bit about that philosophy. What's at the core of your marketing strategy for Beyond Yoga?Katie Babineau (02:27):Well, I've been there for about a year, so we've been building very, very quickly. But I will say that what I inherited is a very strong foundation. So part of the excitement in coming to this brand was looking at it through the lens of upholding the great legacy of a female founded brand that's still female led today. And knowing the fandom that the company and the brand has when I started and just scaling that we've got opportunity to broaden our reach and our audience. We hadn't really done the brand marketing that's needed to crack that right open. And so I was very excited to come in to learn a little bit more about the customer, a little bit more about our brand and our product. And so our opportunity is just to scale that love and that fandom. And so we're doing that now. We spent last year really redefining our brand position and strategy and just cracking that right open this year. As we look ahead,Ilyse Liffreing (03:30):I know you guys are a great example of why we're here and doing these podcast episodes to begin with International Women's Day and Women's Month on that strategy, are there any campaigns or moments that really changed the game for you as a marketer to this point in your first 11 months on the job?Katie Babineau (03:48):My upbringing as a marketer, I would say I've never considered myself a traditional marketer because I came up early in my career really as social was developing. And so I started my career in PR and really fell in love with social because of the way that the landscape was changing. And so my background in social pr, editorial and community building really has allowed me to think about the marketing mix a lot differently. And of course beyond what we need is more of a full funnel approach. So what we have done to build that foundation is think about how we bring community through the funnel, how we work with the community to totally shift our content strategy in paid advertising, how we think about community events as new customer acquisition tools. And so the campaign that comes to mind for us really is the New York City experience that we created last year, last October.(04:47):And the goal really was to show up in our number one market with a really delightful experience where people could take a step back from the chaos of the holidays, quickly approaching and really focus on mindfulness, on movement. We brought in some of the best wellness influencers and creators and instructors in the world and programmed for a week long in this incredible space around Union Square. And what we found was because we were able to think about engaging with community a bit differently through different types of content models and activations that really were rooted in value for the customer, we saw about a 50% new customer acquisition percentage. We sold product, so we generated revenue there. We don't have a brick and mortar store in New York, but it's our largest e-comm market. And so we were able to really drive lower funnel performance, but in a way that was deeply emotive and really connecting with our customers in new and different ways. So that comes to mind for me. Obviously we've got a lot planned this year as we key up to big important brand moments for us, so very excited to do more,Kat Vesce (06:03):But what a strong start out of the gate. I mean that was what, six months in on the jump pulled that off.Katie Babineau (06:07):We moved fast. I like to move fast, I think former athlete and me, I love a good pace. And coming from tech, I really loved tech because of the fast innovation and getting to connect with customers in new and different ways. And so I think coming in, I was so excited about the potential of the brand that we really just got to work. So it was fun.Ilyse Liffreing (06:29):And it seems like you hit your KPIs there, at least it generated a lot of interest in the brand and everything. Would you do it again? Are there any other key learnings from the experience?Katie Babineau (06:40):Absolutely. So the Collabion franchise had existed before I even got to the brand. It was a matter of pouring rocket fuel on it and pointing it in the right direction. So we host about one club beyond event every month. We're now doing one high impact a quarter. So we've got this emphasis on always on community building. We're getting a little bit tighter and more strategic in where we show up and which markets where we have retail locations, where we've got really incredible wholesale partnerships, studios that we're working with. So that's the focus now and today it's about continuing that hyperlocal love that we have and being able to show up in Austin in a really authentic way or Chicago where we are in a really authentic way. We're an LA built brand, but we're growing and scalingKat Vesce (07:37):Any surprising results from the large Union Square activation you want to talk about?Katie Babineau (07:43):The biggest surprise to me, I am all about managing expectations, especially as a new CMO within a brand who hadn't done a ton of brand marketing historically. So coming into this event, I was very clear on, hey, this is top of funnel. We are trying to drive brand lift and conversation and built some brand heat in a market that's really important for us. So here are the KPIs. We're going to look at conversation lift, we're going to look at our engagement percentages, we're going to look at virality of content, and those are the key performance indicators that we really should be focused on here for our investment. And knowing in the back of my mind that I've seen these sort of activations work full funnel in the past, like, okay, well, so secondary we're going to sell products so we'll generate revenue and secondary we will track new customers into the brand. So we will watch that. And I think I was just blown away by the such high percentage of new customer acquisition. It's like that's incredible as a secondary, but being able to level set expectations because big on for a campaign, what is the clear role that we're trying to achieve?Kat Vesce (08:56):So with all of this increase in customer acquisition on this campaign, how are you converting them into that lifelong fan or loyalty?Katie Babineau (09:06):Well, it's really interesting right now we've got such fandom among our loyal customer base. We know that if you know us, you really love us. There's deep love for the brand through high product quality. And our customers love the touch the feel of the product. So once you experience that, we see such high repeat purchase behavior. And so we believe we've got to focus on that new customer acquisition because once we get 'em into the door, it's a great place to be and they don't want to leave. So we're excited to continue to focus on lighting that up and bringing more people into the fold because we know we're going to deliver such a strong product experience, which really that's the retention piece. And so being able to continue to activate them is super important. As we look ahead,Ilyse Liffreing (10:01):What advice would you give to other marketers looking to build this within their brand ethos? The idea of community mindset and purpose that are all powerful drivers of brand retention and loyalty?Katie Babineau (10:15):I think the number one mistake that marketers can make right now is the misconception that brand and growth are separate. They have to work together and they can work together. And I think we're doing ourselves a disservice if we believe that these are separate levers, right? So the reason why this campaign was so powerful was because we were able to leverage this full funnel and for our performance needs as well. We used a lot of the content in our lower funnel paid ads from, and we're actually seeing that our creator content is driving a much more efficient cost of acquisition. And so I think we can look at the way that we build the infrastructure a little bit differently and think about brand and growth really coming together to drive high impact.Ilyse Liffreing (11:10):The brand has been around for about 20 years now, which is amazing. It's your first store opened in 2022. How does the brand think about retail moving forward?Katie Babineau (11:21):Retail's a big opportunity for us. Our brand 20 years strong. We started really as a wholesale business, and so we built really strong partnerships across over 1200 different partners. You see us in Nordstrom, you see us in Equinox and studios across the country. And during the pandemic, obviously our.com business really thrived and continues to thrive today. As we look to the future, we believe retail is incredible opportunity for us to connect with customers deeply bring those insights back into our business. And so we are going to be opening many more stores. We are signed and announced on a Greenwich Village store opening early this summer. And then we will also open another store in Marin County this year as well. And so we will expand to nine stores this year for sure. We've definitely got more coming and so it's a really exciting time for us.Kat Vesce (12:22):What do you see as the biggest driver for beyond Yoga's next phase of growth?Katie Babineau (12:27):Product expansion is super exciting for us. So we historically have offered an incredible product in our space dive franchise, which is, and people usually buy it in a set of a legging and a crop tank. And we've been really sort of active wear based, but we've got so much opportunity in product expansion, lifestyle categories. Over the past year we've entered into new product categories like dresses that are fast growing for us, like these trouser pants that are incredible, that are fast growing for us. You look at fleece during the holidays, something we didn't have before, hugely a growth opportunity for us. So as we expand the product lineup, now we're bringing more people into the mix with more full funnel marketing and hopefully creating a bigger, better flywheel.Kat Vesce (13:21):And with that expansion, I know you speak to a lot of different generations, a lot of different types of audiences. How do you cater to that wide range of audiences both in marketing and in product?Katie Babineau (13:34):Yeah, it's really interesting and I love that we've got a multi-gender audience and even we see fast growing men's category for us too. So I think at the core, what we deliver is a really positive outlook on this active wear space. We really focus on bringing a little more levity and fun into the space, which can be a very serious space focused on performance and perfection. And we just want to offer an experience and a product that makes you feel really good and comfortable and really just focus on progress over perfection is sort of what we're all about. And we love that that brings in a diversity of customer base.Ilyse Liffreing (14:12):Amazing. So now let's get into our little rapid fire Q and A we have for you. Great. And these are all female focused questions because of International Women's Day. Tell us what inspired you to pursue a career in marketing and how has your journey been as a woman in this industry?Katie Babineau (14:30):People. I love the interaction with people that you get in marketing. I would also say just the diversity of what you do in marketing. It's so right brain, left brain that I really feel like it gives you an equal balance of creativity and science, which I love.Ilyse Liffreing (14:50):So Katie, how has your journey been as a woman in this industry so far?Katie Babineau (14:53):As a female in our industry, there is more pressure in some industries than others. I'll say my journey, especially coming up in tech and my experience had been being one of the only females in the room. And so I always felt an immense pressure even when I was young in my career, to develop my point of view and perspective and be able to speak up in the room in a way that would cut through. And I think being brought up in tech really trained me to do that in a way that was effective because you got to work so hard to cut through as a female if you're one of the only in the room. And so I felt a great duty to make sure that we were thinking about the female perspective. We were honoring at the time 50% of our customer base and even probably more than that for some of the companies that I was at.(15:50):And I took that on pretty early as something that was really important to me. Now, part of the reason I made this pivot into apparel and active wear was a false thought that I would be moving into an industry that was more female forward. I'm so happy that beyond Yoga's female founded, female led and really a majority of our business is female run, but our industry is still run by men, which I was so surprised to learn. And so I think every industry probably deals with it. And so being able to develop your perspective in the room is very important and being able to find the right partners, advocates and allies to help you build and develop that voice. I have a lot of incredible female and male mentors who have supported me along the way and you have to build your community because there's power in numbers and making sure that you've got the right people in your corner.Ilyse Liffreing (16:49):Amazing. And what would you say are those leadership qualities that really help you strive in the industry as a woman?Katie Babineau (16:58):I'm extremely collaborative and empathetic in my approach. And I think being especially early in my career, getting to bring people into a room and problem solve together and help people see each other's perspective is a bit of a superpower that I've had to develop as a female and early in my career, just finding value in being the connector, the strategic connector in the room I think has been very, very helpful. And sort of a secret weapon, if you will.Kat Vesce (17:31):Similar around that vein, what advice would you give to young women aspiring to make it to the next level in their career, to leadership roles? Ultimately within marketing?Katie Babineau (17:41):Two things I would say don't be afraid to take the risk and build your community because this was a big pivot in my career. For me, it was a big jump from tech industry to three new industries, which apparel, retail, e-commerce. And for me, I was very excited about the opportunity to learn. I think for some that might scary, intimidating, sometimes you really need to take a leap to understand either way, great, that was a great learning and I'm thriving, or that was a great learning and I don't love it and I need to go back. But don't be afraid to take risks. Careers are long hopefully and you can pivot and bob and weave and that's a beautiful thing. And the second is just building your community of people, of hype people, supporters that really can help you in tough times and high five you when things are going well because hopefully it is a long career and you've got some starts and pauses and in between and it makes it more fun to have people in your corner.Kat Vesce (18:49):A former leader of ours used to call that your personal board of directors, soKatie Babineau (18:52):I love that. Yeah, that's great.Kat Vesce (18:53):Do you think marketing today is authentically representing and empowering women?Katie Babineau (18:58):I've seen a lot of progressive change in our industry. I think just and genuine excitement to represent more diverse voices. There's a lot of work that needs to be done. I don't think marketing is the problem, I'll just say that, but I do. Just being deeply involved in this community, all of the marketing leaders that I know want to do the right thing, most of them want to do the right thing. And so I think we've got incredible people who are creative leaders who want to think and care really deeply about making sure that in the position that we're in and the storytelling that we get to do every day, that we really represent that the customer well. And so I look at a couple of brands who I love who are really progressive, creative and effective driving business results and people are always going to want to hear about the results.(19:50):I think you look at Elf Cosmetics, they're very progressive, they're brand forward and they've had, I forget how many consecutive quarters, maybe 20 of consecutive revenue growth. They're really changing the game with a heartbeat and they're driving the business incredible. You look at some of the work that NFL is doing, I think they're trying to reach new audiences in a way and knowing they have the deep duty of changing the model in a very old school industry. And so I love that people in our industry are taking risks and especially now this is a risk. So I think we need to continue to take risks and drive change.Kat Vesce (20:35):I love that. Nice to pay it forward. So Katie, this has been so great. Thank you so much for coming and for having time with us. We really appreciate it.Katie Babineau (20:42):Of course. Thank you.Kat Vesce (20:44):A great south by.Katie Babineau (20:45):Yeah.Kat Vesce (20:47):What a powerhouse Ilyse. That was so much fun. Oh my gosh. I know. I love it. She's great. What are some takeaways for you?Ilyse Liffreing (20:53):So I really liked how Club Beyond the full funnel experiential activation in New York City is bringing the brand to life in its own unique way. I think that's a really a great approach for a retail brand that's hoping to grow their footprint.Kat Vesce (21:10):And the notion of once you bring a customer in, they're a fan for life. And that is a huge customer acquisition driver. You don't always think about that in big branding moments. And so I thought that was such a cool story to hear from her. I also just loved Beyond Yoga is 20 years old, it was acquired by Levi's, it's now a Levi's company. They're really focused on that purpose-driven community culture and pushing now into more men's wear. I really just got the sense that they're a brand we're going to see for another 20 years, and I loved hearing her insights around how she's anchoring that in the community that they're building and that they have.Ilyse Liffreing (21:52):Yeah, and it was really interesting to hear her career trajectory and just noticing how she's really relied on people to help her through each stage of her career was fascinating and good to know that there's women out there that are willing to help other women.Kat Vesce (22:11):Yeah, always good. The power of network and then also the fact that you don't have to be in such a linear path in your career. Anyway, all in all, so inspiring. I'm so glad we got the time with Katie. And what a great start to South by Southwest. And that's it for this edition of The Current Podcast. Be sure to tune in this whole month as we release all the recordings from South by Southwest. See you next time.

Ultim'ora
A New York le donne sfilano per protesta contro Trump e Musk

Ultim'ora

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2025 3:08


NEW YORK (ITALPRESS) - Le strade di New York hanno vibrato di cori e cartelli di protesta sabato, mentre diverse migliaia di manifestanti hanno marciato a Manhattan per celebrare la Giornata Internazionale della Donna—non solo in segno di celebrazione, ma di sfida. Con il ritorno del presidente Donald Trump alla Casa Bianca, attivisti per i diritti delle donne e delle persone transgender avvertono che le libertà conquistate con fatica sono ora sotto assedio. Il raduno dell'8 marzo è iniziato a Washington Square Park, dove una folla eterogenea si è riunita sotto la statua di Giuseppe Garibaldi prima di dirigersi a nord verso Union Square. Se a livello globale la Giornata Internazionale della Donna celebra i successi sociali, economici e politici delle donne, negli Stati Uniti ha assunto un'urgenza rinnovata. I manifestanti hanno espresso timori che l'amministrazione Trump, rafforzata da iniziative dell'estrema destra come il Project 2025, stia smantellando sistematicamente i diritti riproduttivi, le tutele per la comunità LGBTQ+ e l'equità sul posto di lavoro, Durante la protesta tanti i cartelli e slogan contro Trump "il fascista" ma preso di mira anche Elon Musk, accusato di essere "nazista".x09/mgg/gsl (Video di Stefano Vaccara)

Ultim'ora
A New York le donne sfilano per protesta contro Trump e Musk

Ultim'ora

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2025 3:08


NEW YORK (ITALPRESS) - Le strade di New York hanno vibrato di cori e cartelli di protesta sabato, mentre diverse migliaia di manifestanti hanno marciato a Manhattan per celebrare la Giornata Internazionale della Donna—non solo in segno di celebrazione, ma di sfida. Con il ritorno del presidente Donald Trump alla Casa Bianca, attivisti per i diritti delle donne e delle persone transgender avvertono che le libertà conquistate con fatica sono ora sotto assedio. Il raduno dell'8 marzo è iniziato a Washington Square Park, dove una folla eterogenea si è riunita sotto la statua di Giuseppe Garibaldi prima di dirigersi a nord verso Union Square. Se a livello globale la Giornata Internazionale della Donna celebra i successi sociali, economici e politici delle donne, negli Stati Uniti ha assunto un'urgenza rinnovata. I manifestanti hanno espresso timori che l'amministrazione Trump, rafforzata da iniziative dell'estrema destra come il Project 2025, stia smantellando sistematicamente i diritti riproduttivi, le tutele per la comunità LGBTQ+ e l'equità sul posto di lavoro, Durante la protesta tanti i cartelli e slogan contro Trump "il fascista" ma preso di mira anche Elon Musk, accusato di essere "nazista".x09/mgg/gsl (Video di Stefano Vaccara)

Shea Anything
Live from Mets House NYC, talking Jose Iglesias, Francisco Alvarez and Top 30 Prospects

Shea Anything

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 41:14


On the latest episode of The Mets Pod presented by Tri-State Cadillac, recorded at Mets House NYC, the team's new pop up store in Union Square, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo discuss the top storylines coming out of Port St. Lucie, including the starting rotation, the loss of Jose Iglesias, and emergence of Jose Siri. Plus, the two take a closer look at Francisco Alvarez's swing adjustments and Joe breaks down some of the new additions to his top thirty prospects list. The guys finish up with some mailbag questions about Brandon Nimmo, Frankie Montas, and the 2025 bullpen. Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Today's Show:00:00 Welcome to The Mets Pod, live from the Mets House in Union Square, NYC!01:35 The state of the starting rotation04:00 Max Kranick standing out in spring05:55 The Jose Iglesias saga finally ends09:55 Can Jose Siri be a “star?”12:35 Spring swing adjustment: Francisco Alvarez15:05 Connor and Joe get their swings analyzed, and there's video!16:15 Down on the Farm: Joe's new Top 30 Mets Prospects list is out – check it out at www.SNY.tv24:45 Mailbag – how long is too long to hold onto prospects?31:20 Mailbag – playing time for a banged up Brandon Nimmo?34:00 Mailbag – will the Mets trade for more starting pitching?36:16 Mailbag – surprise breakouts in the 2025 bullpen?38:50 Mailbag – better MLB The Show player, Connor or Joe??

Phil Matier
Two SF cafes close after receiving grant of nearly half a million dollars

Phil Matier

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2025 3:16


A celebrity chef whose opening of two cafes in San Francisco's Union Square was hailed by city officials less than a year and a half ago abruptly closed both spaces. Tyler Florence had secured a $440,000 grant from the city as part of efforts to revitalize downtown. But did all that money the city invested go to waste? For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with KCBS insider Phil Matier.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 - News Audio
Union Square Donuts Taking Pre-Orders For Valentine's Day Treats

WBZ NewsRadio 1030 - News Audio

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2025 0:47 Transcription Available


Those who specialize in sweet treats are in high gear as they prepare for Valentine's Day. WBZ's James Rojas is in Somerville with that story.

KQED’s Forum
How Can San Francisco Fill Up Empty Offices and Stores?

KQED’s Forum

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2025 57:52


Once bustling San Francisco neighborhoods such as Union Square and the Financial District have been plagued with high retail and office vacancy rates since the pandemic started five years ago. More than a third of all the office space in San Francisco is now vacant and hybrid schedules mean that even buildings that do have tenants don't fill up with workers each day. Union Square has also lost its luster as a shopping destination with most of its department stores shuttering. San Francisco's new mayor, Daniel Lurie, says he has plans to revive downtown. We talk about what it would take to refill and reuse commercial spaces, and bring people back to downtown. Guests: Robert Sammons, senior research director, Cushman & Wakefield Lauran Waxmann, reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Katie Buchanan, principal, design director and managing director of the San Francisco office, Gensler

Phil Matier
JP Morgan Healthcare conference is a big, big boon for SF businesses

Phil Matier

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2025 3:10


The streets around San Francisco's Union Square were a bit more crowded today as the City hosted its first major conference of the new year. The JP Morgan kicked off at the Westin St. Francis earlier this week and it runs through Thursday. For more on the economic impacts on the conference, KCBS Radio news anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

Vacation Mavens
236: Plan a Swiftie Trip to NYC (at Christmas)

Vacation Mavens

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2025 23:45


Kim and her daughter Amelia went to New York City in December to experience the Big Apple for the holidays. In addition to enjoying the holiday markets, ice skating, and decorations, they went on a quest to find all the of the Taylor Swift related spots in the City. If you have a Swiftie fan, give this episode a listen! Trip Highlights: Kim stayed at the Grayson Hotel near Bryant Park, which has a good location but the rooms are very small and the rooftop bar is pretty loud and crowded They visited from Sunday - Wednesday to avoid the weekend crowds Earlier December is better because the crowds get heavier the closer it gets to Christmas and between Christmas and New Years Ice skating in Bryant Park is much cheaper than skating in Rockefeller Center and if you have your own ice skates, it is free. You need to book your time slot when it opens a week in advance. You get 20 minutes to get your skates and 50 minutes on the ice for your time slot. Kim and Mia used CityPASS New York to see many of the sights. The passes are available digitally and you can book reservations (when needed) from within the CityPASS app. They did Top of the Rock at night and then the Empire State Building during the day. During the holidays, Top of the Rock has a seasonal Christmas pop up bar. There are Christmas Markets at Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, Herald Square, and Union Square to visit. Bryant Park is one of the busiest markets. The storefronts on Fifth Avenue are decorated and Sixth Avenue has a lot of large ornaments and other holiday decorations. They didn't get to visit the lights in the neighborhood of Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. Taylor Swift Spots in NYC: Housing Works - where Taylor Swift filmed part of the "All too well" video House on Cornelius Street Bus Stop Cafe near Cornelius Street Walk on the Highline Chelsea Hotel See more details in Kim's Instagram post

Marcus & Sandy's Second Date Update
Clark And Lacey Enjoyed Coffee In Union Square, But Now She Has Disappeared.

Marcus & Sandy's Second Date Update

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2025 6:38 Transcription Available


Clark met Lacey online. He invited her to get coffee in Union Square. They were able to chat and check out the Christmas decor because it was still up. He thought it was great, however, she is not responding to his texts.

KSFO Podcast
Tales from Union Square

KSFO Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2024 48:01


Relive some these Union Square momentsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hospitality Hangout
REWIND: Union Square Hospitality's Chip Wade | Expanding Daily Provisions & Breaking Barriers in Hospitality

Hospitality Hangout

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2024 58:28


This episode highlights the exciting growth of Daily Provisions, which continues its expansion with its sixth location on the Upper East Side and three additional sites under construction, including Rockefeller Center, Brookfield Place, and Jersey City. The conversation also touches on how Daily Provisions has successfully engaged younger audiences through its grab-and-go format, offering elevated hospitality that attracts repeat visits from this dynamic demographic. Chip Wade dives into the challenges of the “hospitality included” tipping model, addressing disparities in wages, guest confusion over pricing, and the eventual return to traditional tipping during the pandemic.The discussion further explores the hospitality industry as a career, with Chip and the hosts emphasizing the need to shift its perception from a temporary gig to a fulfilling, long-term career path. They also tackle the industry's ongoing wage equity debate, particularly the disparities between front-of-house and back-of-house staff, and stress the importance of collaboration among industry leaders and government intervention to address these issues. Chip sheds light on how Union Square Hospitality Group navigated the challenges of the pandemic, including adapting their tipping model and reopening strategies to meet new demands.Additionally, Chip shares insights into Union Square Hospitality Group's substantial investment in technology, with over $4 million allocated to tools like UKG and Seven Shifts over the past three years, improving operational efficiency and employee satisfaction. Throughout the episode, the hosts and Chip reflect on the importance of maintaining consistency and excellence in a rapidly evolving industry, while also diving into entertaining segments like “What's Hot and Not,” “The Spice is Right,” and “Trivia Tuesday.” This rewind episode offers a mix of valuable industry insights, thoughtful discussions, and plenty of laughs, making it a standout Hospitality Hangout conversation you won't want to miss!

Only in Seattle - Real Estate Unplugged
#2,621 - Luxury store in SF's Union Square attempts to curb retail theft with new tool

Only in Seattle - Real Estate Unplugged

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2024 18:47


A set of barriers were recently installed in front of Dior's Union Square location to prevent thieves from crashing their cars into the building, local officials confirmed — and it's possible that it will soon be one of many stores featuring the odd-looking fixtures. “We are aware of these bollards and a Public Works inspector reached out to the fronting business owner yesterday,” San Francisco Public Works spokesperson Rachel Gordon told SFGATE in an email. The department is working with local stores on installing decorative planters and bollards — or sturdy posts — to prevent cars from plowing into them, she said.

Menu Feed
Virgil's 30th anniversary, happy hour at Mermaid Inn and Christmas decorations at Pete's Tavern

Menu Feed

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2024 22:22


On this week's podcast, Pat Cobe, senior menu editor of Restaurant Business, and Bret Thorn, senior food & beverage editor of Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, discuss recent tasting adventures as the holidays approach.  Pat went to Pete's Tavern near Union Square in Manhattan, which decks itself out in Christmas regalia every year. She went early with friends to beat the crowds and enjoyed well-made fish & chips while her friends had burgers and nachos. The festive décor and negronis made up for the pouring rain. On another day, Pat and her friends went to Mermaid Inn's Times Square location, which has an “amazing” happy hour from 4-5:30 p.m. every day. That includes $12 cocktails and a bunch of appetizers, highlighted by particularly good oysters.  Bret went to the 30th anniversary celebration of Virgil's, also in Times Square. It's a barbecue restaurant run by the same people who operate neighboring Italian-American landmark Carmine's. Both are among those rare places in Midtown Manhattan where you can usually show up with a large crowd and get a table, and also eat your fill for a reasonable price. A guest at the celebration was Shaw-naé Dixon of Shaw-naé's House on Staten Island, who served her Savage Fries, which are fries topped with braised oxtail, four cheese mac & cheese and collard greens. Bret recommended that highly. Bret also shared an interview with Chris and Megan Curren, who operate Graceful Ordinary, a restaurant in St. Charles, Illinois, that opened at the tail-end of the pandemic and serves satisfying and slightly cheffed-up food from its wood-burning hearth. Give a listen.

In Love with the Process | Filmmaking | Photography | Lifestyle |
EP325 | I Love New York City (w/ Host Mike Pecci)

In Love with the Process | Filmmaking | Photography | Lifestyle |

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2024 51:32


Take a trip to the city that never sleeps with host Mike Pecci as he returns to Union Square in NYC, the place where his journey into filmmaking began 25 years ago. In this reflective episode, Mike shares stories of his first days in film school, the career path he chose, and wonders how life might have been different if he had stayed in New York. Immerse yourself in the sounds and energy of one of the greatest cities on Earth on this nostalgic and inspiring episode of In Love with the Process. ------------->
 Go to inlovewiththeprocess.com to see trailers and clips! ►Mike Pecci's IG: instagram.com/mikepecci ►ILWP's IG: instagram.com/inlovewiththeprocesspod 
 ------------->
 Featuring Music from:
 Mitch Murder The Episode is Sponsored by 
 ► Puget Systems: puget.systems/go/ILWTP ► Blackmagic Design: www.blackmagicdesign.com ► Cinepacks Studios: https://www.cinepacks.studio ► Porta Brace: https://www.portabrace.com/ Promo code: ILWP ► Freestyle Cinema Rentals: www.freestylecinemarentals.com ► Fotodiox: https://fotodioxpro.com ► FujiFilm: www.fujifilm-x.com ► FujiFilm Shop: bit.ly/3Q2zTHw ► FujiFilm Refurb: bit.ly/3I9NLh4 ► FujiFilmX-H2S: bit.ly/3i22hN

Destination I Do
Best of Both Worlds - Destinations to Host A Wedding & Honeymoon

Destination I Do

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2024 30:28


Have you ever thought how much easier it would be to select a destination that serves as both your wedding AND your honeymoon? If that sounds like a great option for you, we've got some helpful tips! In this episode, our host, Jennifer Stein, discusses the benefits of finding a destination that does double duty. She's joined by Jenevieve Beaulieu, Event Manager for The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square. They discuss the benefits of hosting your wedding and honeymoon in the same place, ways you can make it feel one way for guests and totally different for your honeymoon, how to transition your experience from the wedding to the honeymoon seamlessly, and much more. From budget saving tips to do's and don'ts for the big day and beyond, this is a must listen!  About Marriott Bonvoy Weddings and Events: At Marriott Bonvoy, we take every event “a step beyond.” Our events let you break away from the traditional toward meaningful experiences for guests. Our hotels and resorts reframe events as high-impact getaways hosted at incredible indoor and outdoor spaces, with catering menus that leave a lasting impression and local flavors inspired by the destination – while keeping sustainability in mind at each venue.Marriott Bonvoy hotel and resort teams help to reimagine the complete event experience with personalized service for seamless celebrations that spark genuine connections among guests. There are countless benefits of hosting your wedding and honeymoon at Marriott Bonvoy Hotels. Among them are room upgrades, resort credits and special promotions for your honeymoon when you plan your wedding at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel, plus earn bonus points on member-exclusive deals. Join Marriott Bonvoy to start earning, redeeming and reaping the benefits of membership.For more about Marriott Bonvoy Weddings and Events, log on to https://experiencemarriott.com/weddings or follow @marriottbonvoyMore about Destination I DoDestination I Do was established in 2004 and has been publishing real destination weddings, helpful content about planning your wedding away (or honeymoon) and giving advice and inspiration for every couple who is dreaming of their perfect celebration away from home. To learn more about Destination I Do, log on to https://destinationido.com/ and follow us on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinationido/ or @destinationido on any other social media platform.

Blood Money
The Body in the Trash Chute

Blood Money

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2024 34:10


SOURCES:Woman found in trash chute had an affair with a wealthy CEO before her deathWrongful death lawsuit filed 5 years after Lara Prychodko was found dead at the bottom of Manhattan trash chutehttps://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcivil/FCASCaseInfo?parm=Motion&index=XeR4S%2FNEGaX6VF1JhmDXPA%3D%3D&county=no0zzGNbQjIrmvHkt3Kk%2Fg%3D%3D&civilCaseId=_PLUS_3ZD76yFDOyoLQEhEoeykA%3D%3Dhttps://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcivil/FCASCaseInfo?parm=CaseInfo&index=wq7NWE8XOkE2YnDRi3KNRg%3D%3D&county=no0zzGNbQjIrmvHkt3Kk%2Fg%3D%3D&motion=M&docs=&adate=11/06/2024&civilCaseId=bXmKrJVgFOwJcRJn_PLUS_X9YSA%3D%3D

Film at Lincoln Center Podcast
#562 - Robinson Devor, Jason Reid, Bob Fink, and Charles Mudede on Suburban Fury

Film at Lincoln Center Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2024 38:14


Director Robinson Devor and co-writers Jason Reid, Bob Fink, and Charles Mudede joined NYFF Artistic Director Dennis Lim for the world premiere of Suburban Fury at the 62nd New York Film Festival. In September 1975, Sara Jane Moore fired two shots at President Gerald Ford on a crowded sidewalk in San Francisco's Union Square. Moore holds the center of this fleet and compelling nonfiction drama from protean filmmaker Robinson Devor, who lends it the feel of a 1970s thriller. All NYFF62 feature documentaries are sponsored by HBO.

Crime of the Truest Kind
Unsolved: The Murder of Charline Rosemond, Somerville, Massachusetts | Part Two

Crime of the Truest Kind

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2024 41:16 Transcription Available


In part two, we continue our conversation with Charline's sister, Rose, as we look closely at the events surrounding her 2009 murder in Somerville, Mass, and the suspicion among people known to her. We look at whether there was a plot to lure Charline to a familiar location under the guise of a great deal on a nice car, and rob her of the money she had for the purchase.  Anyone with information about Charline Rosemond's murder, please call the Middlesex District Attorney's Office at 781-897-6600.Follow Justice for Charline RosemondSomerville Police Anonymous TipsMassachusetts Missing and Murdered Advocacy CoalitionBoston Globe Cold Case Files story about Charline by Emily SweeneyBoston.com versionSomerville, the bustling city of arts and culture that borders Boston is a safe place to be. And the fact that Charline Rosemond was murdered, found in Union Square behind the Mid Nite Convenience Store, which is still there to this day, tells me a few things. We've established Charline was offered a car that was for sale at a crazy great deal. Let's add it up: A Lexus with a reported value around $6,000 was offered to Charline for the sum of $4,000, money Charline had and had quick access to, the sum of money Charline had with her when she left her parents' house in Everett for the last time on April 6, 2009. Charline knew the people who made her this too-good-to-be-true offer. The sum of money that was not in her pocketbook when she was found in her dad's Honda six days after she went missing. The car was found in a parking lot in a very busy area of the city. Was she there the whole time?An anonymous post about "should I snitch or mind my own business" indicates that people aren't being quiet about this crime. A crime that cannot be the only crime committed by whoever set Charline up to rob her. A local man was arrested and charged with perjury in the weeks after Charline's murder.More at crimeofthetruestkind.comSend a message to the showSupport the showLive show! Thurs 10/10 at Off Cabot in Beverly, Mass - Get Tickets Follow Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | Threads | YouTube For show notes & source information at CrimeoftheTruestKind.comThis podcast has minimal profanity but from time to time you get one or some curse words. This isn't for kids.Become a patron: Patreon.com/crimeofthetruestkindMusic included in episodes from Joe "onlyone" Kowalski, Dug McCormack's Math Ghosts and Shredding by Andrew King

Crime of the Truest Kind
Unsolved: Charlene Rosemond, Somerville, Massachusetts (part one) with Rose Rosemond

Crime of the Truest Kind

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2024 52:35 Transcription Available


Charlene Rosemond, a vibrant 23-year-old woman who dreamed big and lived bigger. With help of her sister, Rose, we unravel the haunting details of Charlene's life and tragic end, in April 2009, and get to understand what families like the Rosemonds must face as they continue to seek justice through their grief and frustration.We explore the emotional landscape of Charlene's case, painting a vivid picture of her dreams, her last day, and the unknowing, then the unbearable agony her family faced when they learned she was dead. Murdered. Through Rose's eyes, we experience the anguish of being dismissed by authorities and the family's efforts to keep Charlene's story in the public eye for 15 years. more...Send a message to the showSupport the showLive show! Thurs 10/10 at Off Cabot in Beverly, Mass - Get Tickets Follow Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTok | Threads | YouTube For show notes & source information at CrimeoftheTruestKind.comThis podcast has minimal profanity but from time to time you get one or some curse words. This isn't for kids.Become a patron: Patreon.com/crimeofthetruestkindMusic included in episodes from Joe "onlyone" Kowalski, Dug McCormack's Math Ghosts and Shredding by Andrew King

Transformative Principal
Rally to Read with Jodi Rubin Transformative Principal 628

Transformative Principal

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2024 30:13


Welcome to our National Literacy Month series of podcasts, presented in partnership between the Be Podcast Network and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).In this episode of Transformative Principal, Jodi Rubin, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Partnerships at Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), discusses the "Rally to Read 100" initiative. Launched in response to declining reading frequency and motivation among children, this initiative aims to encourage children to read 100 books by the end of March. Anyone can participate, and there are incentives for schools and individuals, including book giveaways and social media contests. RIF provides various resources to support the initiative, such as videos, activity sheets, and purposeful questions for each book. Rubin emphasizes the importance of early reading experiences, reading aloud, and community involvement in fostering a love of reading in children. She also highlights the "RIF Literacy Central" website, which offers over 30,000 resources for educators and families.Rally to Read 100Frequency and motivation of reading was way down100,000,000th B&N storytime pick and Random House partnershipsRead 100 books by the end of the month of March. Anyone can participateWhy community is so important! Competition in individual groups. Motivation - giving away 10,000 books. 100 schools to win 100 books. Social media contestsEvery month 2 new videos will appear for the month's theme (community, nature, changemakers, and more).Packets, coloring sheets, and more activities for students to do and use. 12 titles for read-alouds - Maxine Gets a Job and Built to Last, for example.Purposeful questions for each book they read. The power of early reading experiences.Importance of reading aloud. Enter to get your classroom sets. Celebratory event live at Union Square in NY. RIF Literacy Central - over 30,000 resourcesPlease add your bio here: Jodi Rubin is a marketing strategy and project management leader with more than 25 years of experience in the areas of strategic marketing, brand management, partnership marketing, communications, and strategy development. Jodi currently serves as RIF's Senior Vice President Marketing & Partnerships and is responsible for the organization's marketing strategy, communications, and partnership marketing to drive awareness and engagement with the RIF brand and its programs.Prior to RIF, Jodi was with Discovery Communications serving in a variety of strategic marketing roles in Domestic Distribution and Discovery Education. Jodi oversaw international educational marketing initiatives, new content provider partner efforts, and worked with Discovery's various networks to bring key initiatives to teachers and students with unique educational content and resources to inspire and engage students.Jodi also held prior positions at Comsat International, W.B Doner Advertising, and Booz Allen & Hamilton.Jodi holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. We're thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. IXL's comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:Simplify and streamline technologySave teachers' timeReliably meet Tier 1 standardsImprove student performance on state assessments

Hospitality Hangout
Union Square Hospitality's Chip Wade on Expanding Daily Provisions and Breaking Barriers in Hospitality

Hospitality Hangout

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2024 58:07


Chip Wade shares his inspiring journey from Dunkin' Donuts to becoming a CEO, highlighting the significant upward mobility within the hospitality industry and how it can represent the American dream. Chip brings a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry sharing insights into his journey and the dynamic nature of fine dining.Key Takeaways:• Breaking News: Daily Provisions is expanding with its sixth location on the Upper East Side of New York City. This location is part of a broader expansion, with three more locations under construction, including sites at Rockefeller Center, Brookfield Place, and Jersey City.• Daily Provisions' appeal to a younger demographic that visits multiple times a day, praising the brand's elevated hospitality and service despite its small, grab-and-go format.• Chip talks about the challenges that led to the implementation of the "hospitality included" model - key issues such as foreign guests not accustomed to tipping and the disparity in wage increases between front-of-house and culinary staff due to annual menu price hikes.• Chip explains that after implementing the HI model many experienced servers left because they preferred to bet on themselves through tips rather than rely on a fixed service charge and how guests struggled to understand the higher menu prices without tipping.• Union Square Hospitality Group closed its locations and the reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic – the group returning to a tipping model in mid-2020• Chip and hosts discuss resolution to the challenges of tipping culture in the U.S. and its impact on staff wages and the inequality between front and back-of-house staff. They believe this issue requires collaboration among industry leaders and government intervention to address labor laws and industry standards.• The hosts and Chip mention how the industry is often seen as a temporary gig rather than a long-term career. They discuss efforts to change this perception, emphasizing the importance of reshaping the narrative around hospitality as a viable and fulfilling career path.• Changing the perception of hospitality - a viable and rewarding career path.• Over the past three and a half years, Chip discusses an over $4 million tech investment on software and hardware, implementing tools like UKG and Seven Shifts.Chip, Schatzy, and Jimmy join in with fun segments like "What's Hot and Not," "The Spice is Right," "Branded Quickfire," and "Trivia Tuesday."

Phil Matier
Unexpected shooting of Ricky Pearsall becomes a political flashpoint

Phil Matier

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2024 3:55


It's time for our daily chat with KCBS Insider Phil Matier. Phil joined KCBS Radio anchors Patti Reising and Bret Burkhart. The shooting of San Francisco 49er Ricky Pearsall in Union Square over the holiday weekend has become a political topic, as the candidates for mayor weigh in on what happened, and what needs to be done. 

KSFO Podcast
Will a High Profile Shooting in Union Square Shake up SF's Mayoral Race?

KSFO Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2024 48:01


Plus, John and Randy open up the Oakland crime blotterSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Work with Barrett Brooks
Emily McDowell on Reclaiming Creativity, Navigating Burnout, and Finding Balance

Good Work with Barrett Brooks

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 110:40


Emily McDowell is an advisor, thought partner, and coach to creative entrepreneurs in the product space, helping to save their time, money, and sanity. As founder of the stationery and gift company Em & Friends, she inspired a sea change in the greeting card industry with Empathy Cards, a more honest and supportive alternative to traditional sympathy cards, and for nearly a decade, some element of her work was in a constant state of “viral.” In 2022, Em & Friends was acquired by Union Square & Co / Barnes & Noble, and Emily exited the business. She is also the co-author and illustrator of There Is No Good Card for This: What to Say and Do When Life Gets Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love (HarperOne, 2017), and offers unsolicited advice and cautionary tales in her newsletter, Subject to Change, a Substack Featured Publication of 2023. This week, Barrett talks with Emily about their mutual experiences of burnout, identity loss, and recovery after leaving significant professional roles. Emily shares her journey from a high-stress advertising career to creating a company focused on empathy cards, driven by her experience surviving cancer. Emily and Barrett discuss the rapid growth and subsequent burnout she experienced, the emotional and mental toll of such high stress, and the importance of reconnecting with one's authentic self amidst professional pressure. They cover a wide range of topics, including personal stories of financial insecurity, the search for purpose, self-acceptance, and the balance of ambition with self-care, emphasizing the significance of internal work and the healing power of genuine human connections and new beginnings. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (05:19) - Emily's advertising background and first viral card (11:30) - Navigating business growth and challenges (18:42) - Merging with Knock Knock and burnout (27:04) - Barrett's story of burnout (32:06) - The aftermath of leaving a successful role (39:14) - Embracing quitting and self-discovery (55:53) - Facing setbacks and choosing a new path (01:01:55) - Redefining success and ambition (01:13:53) - A shift in self-perception (01:16:21) - Embracing vulnerability (01:18:25) - Letting go of burdens (01:22:14) - Rediscovering self-worth (01:24:58) - Navigating new ambitions (01:40:55) - Emily's beautiful future (01:41:48) - Who Emily is becoming (01:45:41) - Barrett's poem Get full show notes and links at https://GoodWorkShow.com. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@barrettabrooks.

The Steve Gruber Show
Scot Bertram, 49ers rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall to miss first four games of NFL season as he recovers from a gunshot wound

The Steve Gruber Show

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 11:00


Here are 3 big things you need to know—   One — Hundreds of anti-Israel demonstrators set off smoke bombs at a protest in New York City this afternoon. They assembled at Union Square and began marching toward Grand Central Terminal.  The protesters demanded a ceasefire in the Israel/Hamas war in Gazas. Two ----  One person is in custody after four sleeping passengers were shot and killed on a Chicago-area train.  Authorities say three of the victims died at the scene, while the fourth was pronounced dead at the hospital.  Chicago Police were able to locate the suspect on a different train and said a firearm was recovered.  The case remains under investigation. And number three — San Francisco 49ers rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall will miss at least the first four games of the NFL season as he recovers from a gunshot wound.  The 23-year-old was released from the hospital on Sunday after he was shot in the chest over the weekend during a robbery attempt.  The 49ers placed him on the non-football injury list.

Tomi Lahren is Fearless
Kamala Harris Wears Headphones To Avoid Taking Questions

Tomi Lahren is Fearless

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 37:58


Tomi Lahren reacts to Kamala Harris avoiding the press with headphones, Joe Biden's beach vacation, and their Pittsburgh rally. Then, Democrat attorney Ethan Bearman joins for a news of the day roundup. 49ers rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot during an attempted robbery in San Francisco's Union Square by a 17-year-old thug, Tomi gives her Final Thoughts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phil Matier
Police presence increased in Union Square, how does the rest of SF fair?

Phil Matier

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 3:08


The shooting of 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall in Union Square this weekend has prompted more police pretense in the area, as well as some rekindled political back-and-forth. For more, KCBS Anchors Margie Shafer and Eric Thomas were joined by KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

TED Talks Daily
Why do Americans and Canadians celebrate Labor Day? | Kenneth C. Davis

TED Talks Daily

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2024 5:13


In the United States and Canada, the first Monday of September is a federal holiday, Labor Day. Originally celebrated in New York City's Union Square in 1882, Labor Day was organized by unions as a rare day of rest for the overworked during the Industrial Revolution. Kenneth C. Davis illustrates the history of Labor Day from Union Square to today.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TED Talks Daily
Why do Americans and Canadians celebrate Labor Day? | Kenneth C. Davis

TED Talks Daily

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2024 5:13


In the United States and Canada, the first Monday of September is a federal holiday, Labor Day. Originally celebrated in New York City's Union Square in 1882, Labor Day was organized by unions as a rare day of rest for the overworked during the Industrial Revolution. Kenneth C. Davis illustrates the history of Labor Day from Union Square to today. 

Phil Matier
Who is really at fault for the shooting of 49ers' rookie Ricky Pearsall?

Phil Matier

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2024 4:31


As we've been reporting, San Francisco 49ers' rookie Ricky Pearsall has been released from the hospital after being shot during an attempted robbery in Union Square on Saturday. For more, KCBS Radio news anchors Eric Thomas and Margie Shafer spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier. You can listen to this entire interview and past Phil Matier interviews on the Audacy App. Download the app on your smartphone and favorite KCBS Radio. The interviews are posted in the Phil Matier section. 

Sugar Coated
She Leads Live 2024: 10th Anniversary Conference for Women Entrepreneurs

Sugar Coated

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2024 35:54


Join me for an exciting preview of the She Leads Live 2024 conference, celebrating our 10th anniversary! This two-day event in New York City is designed to inspire and connect high-level women entrepreneurs. Key highlights include:Dates: October 18-19, 2024Location: Civic Hall, Union Square, NYCFeatures: Celebrity keynote speakerInteractive workshopsPitch the Media panel Women's health panel sponsored by WinonaVIP networking eventsFinancial and business growth sessionsSpeakers include Alycia Huston, Diane Forster, Suzanne Evans, Pam Jordan, Alexis Caldicott, Dr. Paula Fellingham, and more industry experts. This conference is specifically designed for women entrepreneurs who are serious about breaking through the $1 million mark in their business.  The 2 days will offer super-practical advice, networking opportunities, and expert strategies for business growth and funding.Early bird tickets end August 31st. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with driven, high-vibe women entrepreneurs from around the world!For tickets and more information, visit www.SheLeadsMedia.com or search "She Leads Live 2024 New York City" on Eventbrite.  Can't wait to see you all there!! Show Notes: 

Connecting the Dots with Dr Wilmer Leon
Is America Really the Empire of Freedom? Maupin Challenges Everything!

Connecting the Dots with Dr Wilmer Leon

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2024 63:57


Get ready for a game-changing episode of Connecting the Dots! Dr. Wilmer Leon and Caleb Maupin dive into the seismic shifts happening worldwide—where the U.S. is no longer the sole superpower and what that means for our future. They explore a growing movement challenging America's global influence and break down what the 2024 election could mean for the future of U.S. politics. If you care about where our country is headed, this is a must-listen. Don't miss out on insights that could change how you see the world!     Find me and the show on social media. Click the following links to find @DrWilmerLeon on X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Patreon and YouTube!   Hey everyone, Dr. Wilmer here! If you've been enjoying my deep dives into the real stories behind the headlines and appreciate the balanced perspective I bring, I'd love your support on my Patreon channel. Your contribution helps me keep "Connecting the Dots" alive, revealing the truth behind the news. Join our community, and together, let's keep uncovering the hidden truths and making sense of the world. Thank you for being a part of this journey!   Wilmer Leon (00:00:00): As we are living through a pivotal moment in world history, the shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world, anti-imperialism is at the core of this global movement as the US is at the center of this global shift. How did anti imperialism take hold in the us? Let's find out Announcer (00:00:27): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge. Wilmer Leon (00:00:35): Welcome to the Connecting the Dots podcast with Dr. Wilmer Leon and I am Wilmer Leon. Here's the point. We have a tendency to view current events as though they happen in a vacuum, failing to understand the broader historical context in which these events take place. During each episode, my guests and I have probing, provocative, and in-depth discussions that connect the dots between these events and the broader historical context in which they take place. This enables you to better understand and analyze the events that impact the global village in which we live. On today's episode. The issue before us, the issues before us, are the shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world. How is this happening and what does it mean? As well as the developing 2024 US presidential political landscape to help me work through these issues. Let's turn to my guest. He's an author, independent journalist, political analyst and reporter for RT, and his latest book is entitled “Out of the Movement to the Masses, Anti-Imperialist Organizing in America”. And he's also the author of Kamala Harris and The Future of America, an essay in Three Parts. He is Caleb Maupin, my brother. Welcome back! Caleb Maupin (00:01:53): Sure. Glad to be here. Wilmer Leon (00:01:55): So first of all, your thoughts on my introduction, is that a hyperbole or is that a fairly accurate description of the dynamics that we find ourselves dealing with? Caleb Maupin (00:02:13): Trying to stop the rise of a multipolar world would be a lot like trying to stop the sun from rising in the morning, maybe trying to stop gravity. That's the way the world is moving. But our leaders are committed to trying to keep the world centered around Wall Street and London and they are going to fail. The question is how much of a cost in terms of human lives, in terms of the economy, in terms of political repression, are we going to have to endure before they come to the terms of reality, which is that we're going to have a world where there are other centers of power and countries trade with each other on a different basis. So I would agree with you, Wilmer Leon (00:02:54): And so as we look at this changing dynamic from the unipolar to the multipolar, we've got China, we have Russia, we have India. There are a number of countries that over the years have been targets of American sanctions, regimes and all other types of pressure from the United States. With all of that or from all of that, we now have the rise of the BRICS nations, we've got Brazil, we've got Russia, we've got India, we've got China, we've got South Africa, and now what about how many, I've lost track now about 15 or 17 other countries that have joined this organization, this economic organization, which also seems to be an anti imperialist organization. Caleb Maupin (00:03:49): Sure. I mean, if you understand imperialism in the economic sense, imperialism is a system rather than a policy, right? Kind of layman's terms imperialism is when one country is mean to another country or attacks another country. But we're referring specifically to imperialism as an economic system when the world is centered around financial institutions, trusts, cartels and syndicates centered in the Western countries that dominate the world through the export of capital, sending their corporations all over the world to dominate the economies of developing countries, to hold back economic development, to keep countries as captive markets and spheres of influence. That process whereby countries are prevented from lifting themselves up, from electrifying, from building modern education systems, developing modern industries, developing their own economies, and just kind of used to dump the excess commodities of Western countries and have their economy dominated by a foreign country and a foreign monopolies and big corporations from another country from the west. (00:04:55): That process refers to, that's what I mean when I say imperialism. I'm referring to a global economic setup, and that economic setup is on its way out. And that's been pretty clear and a lot has gone on, went on in the 20th century to kind of erode imperialism. And in the 21st century, imperialism continues to be in the decline, and there is this new economy rising around the world, centered around the two U superpowers, Russia and China. They are kind of at the center, the linchpin of a global network of countries, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba. But then there's even other countries that are willing to trade and are kind of on the one hand friendly to the United States, but on the other hand are happy to work with Russia or China if they give them a better deal. The shape of global politics is changing, the world is changing, and this is just something we need to embrace. The world is not going to be centered around the West as it was for so long during the age of colonialism and sense. Wilmer Leon (00:05:54): In fact, what we're finding out is that on the 27th and the 28th of August, Moscow is hosting the sixth annual, the sixth International Municipal BRICS Forum. And what might surprise a lot of people is there are delegations from 126 countries that are expected to take part, more than 5,000 participants from 500 cities around the world. This isn't getting very much attention or coverage here in the western media, but folks need to understand, as we talked about the shift from the unipolar to the multipolar, this is a perfect example of that shift isn't happening, that shift HAS happened. Caleb Maupin (00:06:45): Sure. When I was at the Valdi Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia in the mountains near the city, I saw Ael Togi, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, and he pointed out that in the Eurasian subcontinent and outside of the Western countries, this is like a golden era. The amount of electrification that's going on, the amount of roads and railways that are being constructed, I mean, there is a whole exploding new economy happening in the world. And I saw that when I was at the Yalta Economic Forum in Crimea in 2018, and other people have seen it when they go to the Vladi Stock Economic Forum in the Russian Far East. People have seen it with the Belt and Road Initiative and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that China is building. There is this whole new economy in the world now that is focused on development and growth, building power plants, building schools, building universities, building hospitals, and it's a really, really big part of the global economy. And our leaders are being very foolish by trying to just barricade it and blockade it and oppose it because they're locking the United States out of that economic growth. When somebody's growing economically, they have more money to spend, they have more products they can buy, and we could be benefiting from this new economy that's rising, but instead, our Western leaders are committed to maintaining their monopoly at all costs. And so we are getting locked out of an explosion of growth. It's just a very, very mistaken approach. Wilmer Leon (00:08:18): And I want to, with that intro shift to shift to your book out of the movement to the masses, anti-imperialist organizing in America, because as I said in the intro, one of the major elements I believe of this shift from the unipolar to the multipolar is anti imperialism. And you write in the second paragraph of your introduction, what made the Communist party USA important was that it was the first anti-imperialist organization to take hold in the country. There were certainly anti-war organizations such as Mark Twain's, anti-Imperialist League. There had been pacifists and socialists like Eugene Debs, who opposed War on a Class basis, but the Communist party of USA was founded on the ideological breakthroughs of the Bolshevik Revolution and Russia specifically the teachings of Vladimir Lenin. So I wanted to use this book out of the Movement to the Masses, which is a textbook, and wanted to start the conversation with what motivated you to write this book and what motivated you to write this as a textbook? Caleb Maupin (00:09:33): Well, it's important to understand that I think the ultimate interest of we the American people is in a society free from imperialism. I don't think that helping ExxonMobil and BP and Shell and Chevron dominate the global oil markets really benefits American working people in the long run. There might be some short-term bonuses, but those things are fading and that there is a long Wilmer Leon (00:09:57): Short-term bonuses such as, Caleb Maupin (00:09:59): Well, we've had a higher standard of living at least in the past, but that standard of living is in decline, and the future of the United States is not in this decaying western financial system. It's in a new order where we're trading with countries on the basis of win-win cooperation. And the reason I wrote the textbook is because I wanted people to be aware of the fact that there has been a strong anti-imperialist movement in this country, and that we can learn from these struggles of the past and these organizations that existed and what they achieved as we figure out in our time how we can build an anti-imperialist movement to rescue our country from the nightmare of the emerging low wage police state and the drive toward World War iii. And I mean, really, you don't have anti imperialism as we understand it, right? You don't have the rise of Russia and China. (00:10:50): You don't have the bricks. You don't have any of that without the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. That was a pivotal moment. That was a country that broke out of the Western imperialist system during World War I and started on an independent course of development. And it came out of the Bolshevik started out as part of the Marxist movement. Marxism was the ideology of the labor movement, right? The worker versus the employer. But there was a division in the labor movement increasingly between wealthy labor union bosses and higher paid skilled trade jobs that increasingly became supporters of empire and supporters of their country, colonizing countries in Africa and countries in Asia, et cetera. And the lower levels of the labor movement of more oppressed workers, the American Federation of Labor, the A FL was the big labor federation in the United States. And the people who started it, like Samuel Goer's, they were socialists or Marxists, but they were not anti-imperialist. (00:11:55): And by the time World War I came along, the A FL was a union that largely was for whites only. Most of the unions that were part of it banned black people from joining, banned people not born in the United States from joining, banned people who did not speak English as their first language from joining. And they were big supporters of World War I when it happened. And there was a divide in the labor movement and Marxism that had been the ideology of the labor movement got very much divided. And you had parties like the British Labor Party, the ruling party of Britain today. It originated as a Marxist party of labor organizers, but it became a pro imperialist party. Well, Bolshevism and the people who took power in Russia, the Bolsheviks, they were a breakaway from the Marxist movement that had developed this new theory of imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism. (00:12:48): And they said, we're not just fighting against regular capitalism. We're fighting against the monopolistic capitalism of Britain and France and Germany and America, and that means that we support nations, right? Originally, Marxists and the labor movement said, there are no nations workers of the world unite. It's just the workers versus the bosses. No borderers in our struggle. Well, Lenin says, actually, we do support nations in their fight against imperialism. And after the Bolsheviks took power in Russia, one of the first things they did is they called a conference in Baku in Azerbaijan. And at that conference, they invited all kinds of people from all over the world and they said, we will support you as long as you're fighting imperialism. And one of the people that came to that conference and was given military support by the Bolsheviks was the Amir of Afghanistan. And the Amir of Afghanistan was a conservative monarchist. (00:13:40): He was not a Marxist, not a socialist of any stripe. He was a conservative monarchist, a very conservative Muslim, but the Bolshevik said, you're fighting imperialism and so and so, we support you. And he gave them support. And many people around the world were inspired by the anti-colonial and anti-imperialist message that the Bolsheviks had, which was kind of a breakaway from the standard Marxist movement. The understanding was we're not just fighting capitalism, we're fighting against imperialism, and we support nations and colonized people of all different classes, workers, capitalists, whoever who are struggling against imperialism. That is the basis of this new movement that we are trying to build. And the Communist Party of the United States was the incarnation of that movement, and that's why it was embraced by many different sections of the population, most especially the black community in America, because they viewed black people as a colonized people, an oppressed nation within US borders. Marcus Garvey had been leading the black nationalist movement in the United States, the Back to African movement, and many black people saw African-Americans as a colonized people within the US borders. And the Communist Party agreed with that, and that was a winning point that they had with many people in the United States. And the Communist Party was supportive of anyone around the world who was struggling against British American or French imperialism. Wilmer Leon (00:15:04): And as we look at that history and we bring it forward to the current moment and the Russia phobia that we find ourselves subjected to, I submit, and please if I'm wrong, correct me that one of the things that's at the crux of this Russia phobia is the fact that America is an imperialist nation and a neo-colonial power, and Russia has the Soviet Union and then into Russia has been anti-colonialism, which is one of the reasons why we find now Russia gaining so much traction with countries on the continent of Africa. Caleb Maupin (00:15:53): Well, I got to tell you, just a few weeks after the special military operation in Russia began a couple of years ago, I was in New York City with Tanner, 15 of my friends, and we were marching around with American flags and Russian flags chanting, Russia is not our enemy, Russia is not our enemy. And we chanted this in Union Square, and then we went up to Grand Central Station, we marched around Grand Central Station chanting that, and while we were doing that, we got thumbs up from a lot of different people. Now, many people did not agree with us, but the people who did give us thumbs up, many of them were people that were not from the United States. New York City is a big international center. You have the United Nations that's there. You have Wall Street that's there. And I would say the majority of the people who gave us thumbs up and gave us support were from the continent of Africa. (00:16:40): They were people from West Africa, from Nigeria. They were people from South Africa. And that the economy of Africa is very tied in with the Russian economy, and Russia provides fertilizer to many countries. Russia has partnerships with many countries to help them develop their state run mining industries or their state run oil and natural gas industries. So support for Russia on the African continent is widespread. Now, this doesn't match the narrative of liberals. Liberals would have us believe that Russia is a white supremacist country, and that's why they rigged the elections in 2016 to get white supremacist. Donald Trump elected, and that just does not match reality. The Soviet Union, which modern Russia is built on the foundations of the Soviet Union, was the best friend of anti-colonial and liberation movements on the African continent, and those relationships still exist. When I was in Russia, I sat down with people from various African countries. (00:17:43): I sat down with people from Namibia. Well, the ruling party of Namibia is the Southwest People's Organization, which was a Soviet aligned, Soviet funded organization that fought for Namibia to become independent. The ruling party of South Africa, the African National Congress was armed and funded by the Soviet Union. If you go to Ghana, the man who created modern Ghana was Kwame Nkrumah, who was a big friend of the Soviet Union and was called himself an African socialist and developed his own interpretation of the Marxist philosophy that was specific to the African continent. I mean, there was Julius Nire, there was Gaddafi who built Libya into the most prosperous country on the African continent. There are just so many examples of how Russia is intimately tied in with the struggle against colonialism on the African continent with the struggle of African countries to pursue their own course of development. (00:18:43): And that is rooted in the foundation of the Bolshevik Revolution. And the Bolshevik ideology, which I will emphasize was a break with the standard Marxist view. Marx himself, he believed that the first communist revolution would happen in Germany, and it would be the European countries that had the communist revolution first because they were the most advanced. And it was Lenin who came along and said, well, actually, that's wrong. The center of revolutionary energy is going to be in the colonized and oppressed countries of the world. And the working class in the imperialist homeland is largely being bought off, and it's going to be the division between what we now some academics talk about the global north and the global south. It's going to be that division that brings socialism into the world. And that is kind of the defining aspect of what Lenin taught. And as much as the global anti-imperialist movement is not explicitly Marxist Leninist in the Soviet sense, they don't exactly follow that Soviet ideology. That understanding of imperialism and what happened in the 20th century with the Soviet Union, with later the Chinese Revolution, the Vietnamese revolution, the Cuban Revolution, all of that laid the basis for what exists today. And that understanding is important, and that's why I wrote this textbook. Wilmer Leon (00:19:55): And to your point about all of these myths and stories and fictions about Russia being involved in our election and all of this other foolishness, mark Zuckerberg just wrote a letter to Jim Jordan saying that he apologizes for having purged stories from Facebook regarding the Hunter Biden laptop and some of the other stories, because he has now come to understand that that whole narrative was not Russian propaganda as the FBI had told him, he now has come to understand that those stories are true. And I bring that up just as one data point to demonstrate how so much of this rhetoric that we've been hearing, so much of this propaganda that we've been hearing about China being involved in our elections and Russia being involved in our elections, and Iran, mark Zuckerberg, the head of Facebook, just sent a letter to Jim Jordan laying all this out, that it was bs. It was a fiction created by the FBI, Caleb Moin. Caleb Maupin (00:21:14): Well, we've been through this before, right after the Russian Revolution, just a few years later in London, in Britain, there was a scandal called the Enovia of letter. And the British people were told, oh my goodness, the Russians are meddling in our elections. They're trying to get the Labor Party to win the election. And Lloyd George, who was the conservative military leader, was playing up the idea that the Labor Party was being funded and supported by Russia, and they held up this piece of paper they said was the smoking gun. It was the proof, the Enovia letter, this letter supposedly from the Russian government official of Enovia to the Labor Party. Well, it was later proven to be a complete hoax. It was fake, right? But that was happening back in the 1920s. And we've been through this over and over and over again. When Henry Wallace ran for president, he was the vice president under Roosevelt, and then when Truman was president, he ran against the Democrats as they became a pro-war party, the party that was leading us into the Korean War, et cetera. (00:22:12): He ran as an independent candidate in 1948, and they acclaimed his campaign was a big Russian conspiracy, and it was a communist conspiracy. There's a whole history of this and the FBI, if you look at the number of investigations they've done into supposed Russian influence in American elections, it's endless, but it's always a hoax, right? American elections happen because of events in America, not because of Russia. However, there is no question that many people in the United States do want peace, and they do want peace with the Soviet Union or with modern Russia, and they may vote for candidates who they think are more likely to bring about that peace, but that's not a conspiracy. That's doing what you're supposed to be able to do in a democracy expressing yourself at the ballot box. And what they're really worried about is Americans thinking wrong. They're really worried about not having a monopoly over the information that we receive. They're really worried about us questioning what we're told and not marching in lockstep behind their agenda of war and dividing the world into blocks and isolating certain countries. And this story has happened over and over and over again in American politics. We've been through it so many times. Wilmer Leon (00:23:25): Final point on this, I don't want to get back to the book. As you just said, events happen in American elections due to America. Well, all of this chicken little, the sky is falling and the world is interfering in our elections. Well, there was a story in the New York Times about what, three months ago, about APAC spending $100 million to unseat what they consider to be left-leaning Democrats, whose position on Israel was not consistent with the Zionist ideology. I'm going to say that again. This was in the New York Times. I'm not making this up. This is an anti-Semitic dialogue. It was in New York Times APAC spending $100 million on primary campaigns to remove Democrats that they consider to be anti-Israeli. What happened in New York with Jamal Bowman? That's what happened in Missouri with, what's her name? I think she's in St. Louis, the Congresswoman. I'm drawing a blank on her. Anyway, and they were successful in a number of campaigns. So we're running around chasing ghosts, chasing Russian ghosts, and Chinese ghosts when the real culprits are telling you right upfront in the New York Times what it is they're doing and why it is they're doing it. With that being said, you can either respond to that or how did you organize your textbook and why is it organized in the manner in which it is? Caleb Maupin (00:25:16): Well, I went over like case studies of three different anti-imperialist movements or organizations in the United States. I started with probably the most successful, which was the Communist Party of the United States, which at one point had a huge amount of influence During the Roosevelt administration, they entered an alliance with Roosevelt, and in the late 1930s, the Communist party controlled two of the city council seats in New York City. They had a very close ally in the US Congress representing Harlem named Veto Mark Antonio. They also had a member of Congress in Minnesota who was their friend and ally and read their newspaper into the congressional record. They had meetings at the White House with President Roosevelt. On multiple occasions, members of the Communist Party or the Young Communist League were brought to the White House to meet with Roosevelt, and they led the CIO, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, which was a new labor federation they had created as an alternative to the American Federation of Labor. (00:26:14): And they were a very influential group in the labor movement among intellectuals in Hollywood. And they put forward an anti-colonial, anti-imperialist message, and their successes are worth studying. There were certainly mistakes that were made, and they were very brutally crushed by the FBI in the aftermath of the Second World War with the rise of McCarthyism. But there were studying then from there, I talked about the Workers' World Party, which was a Marxist Leninist political party that really came into prominence in the late sixties and really kind of peaked in its influence during the 1980s. And they were a party that took inspiration, not just from the Soviet Union, but from the wave of anti-colonial movements that emerged. They were sympathetic to Libya and Gaddafi. They were sympathetic to North Korea and others, and they did a lot of very important anti-war organizing, building anti-war coalitions. They were very close to Ramsey Clark, the former US Attorney General who left the Lyndon Johnson administration and became an international lawyer and an opponent of the International Criminal Court in his final years and such. (00:27:17): And then I talked about the new communist movement of the 1970s, which was a number of different organizations that emerged during the 1970s that were trying to take inspiration from China. They wanted to take guidance from the Chinese revolution. China had argued that the Soviet Union had kind of abandoned the global anti-colonial, anti-imperialist struggle. They felt it was holding back revolutionary forces, but China was at that point presenting itself as a bastion of anti imperialism. And so there were a number of new political parties formed during the 1970s that modeled themselves on China. And all three of these case studies, all three of these groups made big mistakes, but also had big successes. The most successful was the Communist Party prior to it being crushed by the FBI during the McCarthy period. All of them had big successes and were able to do big important things, and I studied all of them. (00:28:08): And then from there, the fourth chapter talked about divisions in the ruling class, and why is it that we see, at this point, we're seeing a big all-out fight between Donald Trump and those who oppose him. And when you talk about the Watergate scandal and you talk about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, what was really going on behind closed doors? And then in the final chapter, I tried to kind of take from all of that what we could take and what we could learn when trying to build a movement in our time. One thing I made a point of doing in the book is that every chapter is accompanied by a number of original texts from the period discussed. I have a number of texts from the Communist Party, from the Workers' World Party, from the new communist movement of the 1970s, so that we can hear from the horse's mouth, so to speak, what these people were preaching and what they believed as they were building their organizations. Wilmer Leon (00:29:01): So how does this history, how relevant is this history you just mentioned Donald Trump? How relevant is this history to where we find ourselves today with our politics? Caleb Maupin (00:29:15): I would argue it's extremely relevant. And if you look at Roosevelt and who opposed him, and if you look at the Kennedy assassination, and if you look at the Watergate scandal, there has always been a divide among the American elite between what you can call the Eastern establishment, the ultra rich, the ultra monopolies, the Rockefellers, the DuPonts, the Carnegies that are now at this point aligned with Silicon Valley, the tech monopolies, bill Gates and Jeff Bezos and others. There's always been a divide between these entrenched ultra monopolies and a lot of lower level rich people who are not part of the club and feel that those entrenched monopolies are kind of rigging things against 'em. And I quote, there's a very good text called the Anglo-American Establishment by Carol Quigley that talks about this divide. I think he was one of the first people to talk about it. (00:30:06): But then from there, you also have a great book by Carl Oglesby called The Yankee and Cowboy War that talks about this and specifically applies that analysis to what went on with the Watergate scandal, with the assassination of JFK and the political crisis in the 1960s and seventies. And I would argue that in our time, this is the fight that kind of defines things when we talk about trying to build a movement against colonialism and imperialism in the United States, these lower level capitalists would gain if America had paved roads, if America had a stronger economy, and if we were doing business with the countries around the world that are growing right now in alliance with China, right? If we were trading with them and some of that wealth was flowing into our economy, we would be benefiting. However, it is the ultra monopolies that are very much tied in with the intelligence apparatus, the people who brought us, Henry Kissinger, the people who brought us z, big new Brozinsky. (00:31:01): They are determined to keep the United States at the top and keep Western imperialist this financial system at the top of the world at all costs, even if that means kind of playing a long geopolitical game and if it means dramatically decreasing the standard of living and kind of collapsing the domestic economy of the United States. And so when Trump talks about America first and his supporters rail against globalists, this is really what they're getting at is the lower levels of capital are fighting against the Eastern establishment. And that creates an opening for those of us who want to build an anti-imperialist movement in this country to intervene. And I talk about that, and unfortunately, it seems like really since the 1970s and since kind of the end of the 1960s and seventies, political upsurge, much of the left has kind of just deteriorated into being the foot soldiers of that Eastern establishment. (00:31:56): They see those lower level capitalists as being the most hawkish and warlike as being the most anti-union and the most authoritarian. So they think, okay, we're going to align with the Eastern establishment against them. And I argue that that's not the correct approach because right now it is those lower level capitalists who feel threatened, and it is among them that you found support for Julian Assange that you find interest in being friendly with Russia and with China and anti-establishment sentiment, you find opposition to the tech monopolies and their censorship. And that really we're in a period where those of us who are anti-imperialist need to pivot into trying to build an anti-monopoly coalition. And that's what the Communist Party talked about at the end of the Second War as the Cold War got going, as they were being crushed by the FBI, they said their goal was to build an anti-monopoly coalition to unite with the working class, the small business owners, even some of the wealthy against the big monopolies in their drive for war. (00:32:54): And I would argue that's what we should be aiming to do in our time, is build an anti-monopoly coalition. And that's what I've pulled from that textbook and from that history going over what has been done and what has been successful and that the Communist Party really gained from having an alliance with Roosevelt that was very strategic on their part. And I would argue that similar alliances are necessary, but the main thing is that there needs to be a network of people that are committed to building anti-imperialist politics in America. We need a network of people who can work together, who can rely on each other and can effectively carry out anti-imperialist operations. And there are examples of this. I'm about to go to Florida to support the Yahoo movement, the Yahoo movement, the African People Socialist party. They are an anti-colonial, anti-imperialist organization, and they're doing it. And if you go to St. Louis, Missouri, and if you go to St. Petersburg, Florida, Wilmer Leon (00:33:50): Who, Cory Bush, I'm sorry, her name you said St. Louis, Cory Bush, sorry, is the other congresswoman that was defeated by the, sorry, I had to get it out. Go ahead. Okay. Caleb Maupin (00:34:01): But you'll see the huge community centers that they've built, the farmer's markets that they've built, I mean, they have built a base among the African-American community in these two cities where they are providing services to people while teaching an anti-colonial, anti-imperialist ideology. Now, I don't necessarily agree with their entire approach on everything, but I see why they're being targeted because they are laying the foundations of building a broader anti-imperialist movement. And what they are doing is a great model to look at. They are building a base among the population. The title of the book is Out of the Movement to the Masses. I've been going to anti-war protests, and I've been going to socialist and communist spaces, and very rarely did I ever encounter the African People's Socialist Party, but they were organizing where it counted not in these kind of obscure academic bohemian spaces. (00:34:54): They were organizing in communities and they were providing real services, and they were building community centers and having classes for pregnant mothers and having organic farmer's markets. And they were doing things among the masses of people, not among the, so-called movements of people that like to read books about communism or whatever. And that is why they're being targeted, because they are actually building the kind of movement that needs to be done. They're doing what the Communist Party did during the 1930s. They're doing what the new communist movement of the 1970s attempted to do and was pretty unsuccessful because of global circumstances, et cetera. They are doing what needs to be done to build a real anticolonial movement. And that's kind of what I'm in the text is we have to have a reevaluation and we have to figure out how we can reach the bulk of the American people and not confine ourselves to kind of left academic and intellectual spaces. Wilmer Leon (00:35:50): Is it too simplistic to, when you look at this battle between the elites, is it too simplistic to categorize it as the financials versus the industrialists? Caleb Maupin (00:36:01): Yes. It's a little bit too simplistic because there is a lot of financialization, a lot of the lower levels Wilmer Leon (00:36:07): Of capital. Caleb Maupin (00:36:09): Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's not exactly right, but you're pointing to a certain trend that there is one faction that favors economic growth because economic growth will mean more money for them. There's another faction that is not concerned about economic growth so much as they're concerned about maintaining their monopoly. And in order to maintain their monopoly, they need to slow down growth around the world, and they're actually pushing degrowth or slow growth economics. So that's probably the primary divide is pro-growth and anti-growth, right? You would think that every businessman would be pro-growth, but the ultra monopolies that are heavily involved in finance at this point, they're blatantly talking about degrowth as a way to stay at the top. Wilmer Leon (00:36:51): In fact, one of the ways that they maintain their position is through consolidation. One of the ways that the banks control their monopoly is by buying smaller banks and bringing the or. So that's just one example. Caleb Maupin (00:37:10): Sure, sure. I mean, we live in a time where at the end of the day, the issue is technology is that it is human labor that creates all wealth, right? It is only human labor that creates value at the end of the day, and it is the value that workers create that lays the basis for the profits that capitalists can make, et cetera. And we are in a period where the technological revolution is reducing the role of workers at the assembly line. There's a lot of jobs that are no longer in existence because of technological advancement. And in a rational society that would be great. But in our society where profits are in command, that's leading to an economic crisis. Great example is self-driving cars, self-driving cars should be a great thing. It should be great that this job called driving this chore, this human labor of driving cars is no longer necessary. (00:38:02): But if they introduce self-driving cars, you would immediately in this country have millions of truck drivers unemployed, millions of Uber drivers unemployed, millions of traffic court employees unemployed. You would have riots in the streets. And Andrew Yang talked about how if self-driving cars came to the United States, we would have a society-wide crisis of unemployment and chaos like we never seen. How is that rational? Why should technological advancement lead to greater poverty? And that is the problem that we are facing. Human creativity and brilliance has outstripped the narrow limits production organized to make profit. We need a rationally planned economy so that economic growth can continue and technological advancement leads to greater prosperity for all Wilmer Leon (00:38:46): That sounds like China. Caleb Maupin (00:38:47): Yeah. And China, by controlling their economy and by having the state assigned credit based on their five-year plans and having state controlled tech corporations that are in line with the Communist party's vision, they're able to continue having growth despite having technological advancement. And that's ultimately what we need to have. And that is what Marx wrote about. One of the writers I quote extensively from is a brilliant thinker from the new communist movement named Nelson Peery and his autobiography, black Radical, which is very good, talks about his involvement in the Communist Party and then getting kicked out of the Communist Party and FBI infiltration of the Communist Party and then starting the Communist Labor Party during the 1970s. But also his very important book that he published before he died, I believe in 2004, called The Future Is Up To Us, which really gets into this contradiction of technology leading to impoverishment. (00:39:42): And he's saying this like during the Bush administration before ai, before any of what we're saying now he's laying out how this is going to lead to a big economic crisis that's going to necessitate a new economic system. Nelson Period is a brilliant thinker who had this kind of understanding. I also draw from Fred Goldstein, from Sam Marcy from some of the other writers who said the same thing. But this has always been kind of the understanding is that technological advancement should not lead to impoverishment, it should lead to greater prosperity. I often quote, there's an old story called the coal miner's riddle, the coal miner. He's sitting in his house with his son. The son says, father, why is it so cold in the house? And he says, because I can't afford to buy any coal. And he says, well, why can't we afford to buy any coal? (00:40:30): And he says, because I lost my job at the coal mine. I was laid off. And he says, father, why were you laid off from the coal mine? Why did you lose your job? He says, because there is too much coal. That's capitalism, but that's not rational. It's poverty created by abundance. I keep hearing our politicians talk about a housing shortage. Have you heard this? A housing shortage in America, there's no housing shortage. I live in New York City, there's four empty apartments for every homeless person. There's millions of empty housing, there's no housing shortage in America. There's a shortage of affordable housing black, because the national economic system, Wilmer Leon (00:41:06): BlackRock bought up a lot of the housing stock and instead of putting those houses back on the market, they held those homes off the market and then put 'em out for rent. So in many instances, it's not a matter of oh, $25,000 credit to those first time home buyers allegedly to lower the price of housing or to make housing more affordable. No, all that's going to do is raise the price of houses by $25,000. What you need to do is get that housing stock that BlackRock has as bought up and put that on the market, make that available. Because if you look at the Econ 1 0 1 supply and demand, you put more houses on the market, chances are the price of houses is going to decline. Caleb Maupin (00:42:02): Absolutely. Absolutely. When we talk about imperialism and we talk about anti-imperialist movements, one great example is the situation with Yemen, right? Yemen right now, this is one of the poorest countries in the world, and right now, this country that has a big movement called the Houthis or Anah, they're shaking the world. But if you go and listen or read the sermons or the founder of the Houthis movement, Hussein Al Houthis, what he's fighting for is economic development because he points out that Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world, but yet it has a huge amount of oil. It has a huge amount of arable land to grow food, but the people there are very, very poor. And the Houthis movement that is now at this point, stopping ships in the Mediterranean and standing with the Palestinians and sending drones to the Indian Ocean and just shaking the world. (00:42:56): That was a movement of very, very poor people in one of the poorest countries in the world that demanding to take control of their natural resources and take control of their economy. My understanding of imperialism and such very much had a lot to do with the fact that in 2015, I participated in a humanitarian mission attempting to deliver medical aid to Yemen after the upsurge of 2015 when the Houthis movement and their revolutionary committee took power, I went on a ship from the Islamic Republic of Iran with the Red Crescent Society, and we tried to deliver medical aid to Yemen, and we were blocked in doing so. And reading about this anti-colonial movement that was formed in Yemen, a very religious Shia Muslim movement, demanding economic development, demanding, taking control of their resources, reading about that was very inspiring in the aim of building an anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movement in the United States. (00:43:54): Now to see what the Houthis are doing as they're blocking ships to support the Palestinians as they're withstanding us attack, this is a movement of impoverished people fighting for their economic development and fighting to build a new country. This is a mass anti-colonial movement that is worth studying. And the fact that they align themselves with Russia and China, they're not blocking ships from Russia, they're not blocking ships from China. They are blocking ships from Israel and any country that trades with them, that shows you that this global anti-imperialist movement that is about mobilizing millions of people to fight for their rights, this global movement has a real strength. Wilmer Leon (00:44:34): Let's shift now to the 2024 presidential election. We've come out of the Republican Convention, we've now come out of the Democratic Convention and the Democratic Party convention, and Donald Trump was shocked when Joe Biden stepped down, Kamala Harris stepped in. That has changed the dynamic, at least in terms of the dialogue, and we're starting to see some shift in the numbers. Your thoughts on where we are now with this landscape. Caleb Maupin (00:45:09): I think that Kamala Harris is a completely manufactured candidate. She was created by the people who brought us the Hillary Clinton State Department when it was made clear that Hillary Clinton couldn't run for president once again in 2020, all of Hillary Clinton's financial backers put their money behind Kamala Harris. She was not popular with the American people, but yet powerful forces twisted Joe Biden's arm and put her on the ticket as vp. She has not been popular or successful as vp, but she is the candidate that the forces that are committed to regime change and all out efforts to oppose Russia and China at all costs. She is the one that they have invested the most in supporting. And I don't think she's going to win. I think that Trump will win the upcoming election. And that doesn't mean everything about Trump is good or I endorsed Donald Trump. (00:46:03): I'm just telling you that I think Trump is going to win. But I also believe that there are very powerful forces that see Kamala Harris as their best bet at getting what they want, which is more regime change wars, more destabilization around the world. I did write a book in 2020 about Kamala Harris four years ago, and I thought it was very odd that right after she got the Democratic nomination, this book that had been on sale for four years on Amazon suddenly got removed from Amazon. And for seven days my book was banned from Amazon and then restored with no explanation seven days later. I thought that was very, very odd. It raised a lot of eyebrows, but it also points to the amount of power the tech monopolies really have. It seems like everything was being done to support Kamala Harris. What I also thought was interesting is that in my book, I talked about Tulsi Gabbard and how Tulsi Gabbard kind of represents forces in the Pentagon that are really worried about another Arab Spring and what Kamala Harris and the Hillary Clinton State Department forces people like Samantha Power, people like Anne-Marie Slaughter, what they might engineer if they come back to office. (00:47:11): My book highlighted Tulsi Gabbard as being kind of a faction that is opposed to Kamala Harris. And the very same day that my book was pulled from Amazon, Tulsi Gabbard was added to the Quiet Sky's terrorism watch list by the American government. When she tried to board a plane, she found out she was accused of being a terrorist. And I thought that was interesting as well. And it just kind of points to, and there was all kinds of weird stuff going on in terms of social media and Google searches that was being manipulated around that time. But the book that I wrote about Kamala Harris and who has backed her and the ties that she has getting pulled from Amazon, it was interesting to see the timing, Wilmer Leon (00:47:52): The position of the Democratic Party as it relates to Gaza. And I was at the DNCI was also at the RNC conventions, but there were protestors in Chicago demanding a change in the US policy as it relates to the genocide in Gaza. Then you had uncommitted delegates that were able to have a sit-in at the DNC right outside the front door of the entrance to the United Center, demanding that a pro-Palestinian spokesperson be added to the speaker's list. And none of that was agreed to. In fact, it was basically dismissed summarily. So your thoughts on the dangers that the Democrats are playing with taking that position as it relates to the general election? Caleb Maupin (00:48:55): Well, if the Democrats are going to win this election, they're going to need lots of votes in Minnesota, lots of votes in Wisconsin and lots of votes in Michigan. And what do all three of those states have in common? Those swing states, Wilmer Leon (00:49:06): Large Arab populations. Caleb Maupin (00:49:08): That's right. Lots of Muslim Americans, lots of Arab Americans, and with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris giving a blank check to Israel to do what they're doing. I think it's very unlikely to see those folks lining up to vote for them. Now, Kamala Harris has made some noise about this or that, but she's basically the president already. If she was going to do something, she could do it right now. I mean, she's the vice president, but Joe Biden doesn't seem to be as actively involved in the political running of the country as some people might expect. That said, I will say that Donald Trump, I mean his position on Israel Palestine, I mean, is pretty reprehensible, and he continues to play up the idea that Kamala Harris and the Democrats are somehow anti-Israel, which they are not. What I think is interesting though, and I noticed that it seems like anti-Israel voices in the Trump camp, they may not be on the front stage, but they do have a lot of influence. (00:50:03): And I'm not saying all these people are doing what they're doing for necessarily good reasons, but I noticed when Elon Musk was interviewing Donald Trump in the chat, it just exploded. And all over Twitter, it exploded. The phrase, no war on Iran that came from Nick Fuentes. Now, Nick Fuentes is somebody that I don't agree with on many, many things and find a lot of his views and just his presentation style to kind of reprehensible and gross, but he, for his own reasons says no war with Iran. I also noticed that Candace Owens, who is a conservative and was very pro-Israel at one point, she was not pro-Israel enough. Now she's kind of moved for interesting reasons that are very different than anything I would say. She's moved into an anti-Israel direction and she has also got a lot of people in the Trump camp who listen to her and she is making noise, no war in Iran and urging Trump supporters not to support Israel. And this points to the fact that opposition to Israel, I think is much more widespread in both parties than anyone wants to recognize. (00:51:07): It's an element of the emperor has no clothes. Both parties pretend that everyone in their camp just supports Israel. But anyone who talks to a typical Democrat, you were at the Republican Convention and the Democrat Convention, and you could probably confirm that opposition to what Israel is doing is boiling beneath the surface, amid both political parties and amid all sections of this country. And that there is a lot of growing outrage about the influence and power of Israel and American politics, even among people who might support Israel otherwise, but just don't appreciate the arrogance and grip that they seem to have over policymaking. Wilmer Leon (00:51:46): And some people just help me understand why, but some people just have a problem with genocide. It's a bit os there are growing groups, Republicans for Harris, and there are those who are positing that this is because she's a stooge of the elite and this represents how she who's truly backing her. What about the argument that many of those in those types of organizations see her as an opportunity to reclaim the Republican party by getting rid of Donald Trump? And it's almost a any port in the storm kind of mentality, they see her as the stalking horse. If they can back her, if she can defeat Trump, they then can, the old school, the traditional Republicans can regain control of their party. What say you Caleb Opin? Caleb Maupin (00:52:58): Well, I would say that the Bush era Republican party is gone. It's never coming back. And Donald Trump is a symptom of that. And that's very clear. And that Donald Trump's recent embracing of Tulsi Gabbard and RFK, that indicates that Donald Trump is taking his campaign in an anti-establishment direction. Now, that doesn't mean that he's going to necessarily do good things as president. That just means that he's increasingly realizing that his appeal is to people that are opposed to the establishment. And I think that means the establishment is going to fight him a lot harder. There's no question about that. And that there are your regular traditional neo-conservative Republicans, my country, right or wrong, if you don't like it here, move to some other country, support the military, support the wars, support America dominating the world, and showing the world about our great American way of life. (00:53:51): Those folks are increasingly finding the Republican party to not be their home. And this is all very interesting. I noticed in Kamala Harris's DNC speech, she attacked the Republicans for denigrating America. And that made me smile because it reminded me of what I always heard about the far left, right? It was the far left. They hate America. They're always saying things are bad. Why are you always running down our country? And a lot of things that Kamala Harris said in her speech almost sounded like Neoconservatism. She attacked Donald Trump for meeting with Kim Jong-Un. She said he was cozying up to tyrants and being friendly with tyrants. And it seemed to me like there was very much the Republican Party, I believe over time is going to become more of a catchall populist, anti-establishment party, whereas the Democratic party is more and more becoming the party of the establishment of the way things are supposed to be. I think that what I would call the late Cold War normal in American politics is being flipped. It used to be the Republican party was the party of the establishment, and the Democrats were the party of opposition. Not very sincere opposition in many cases, but they were the party of, if you didn't agree with what you're supposed to think necessarily, if you're a little more critical, you become a Democrat. Well, Wilmer Leon (00:55:05): If you were proc civil rights, if you were pro-environment, if you were anti-war, that's where you went. Caleb Maupin (00:55:12): Yeah. And I think it's being flipped. And that doesn't mean that Republicans and the MAGA base that are talking a certain way are sincere at all. That just means who they're appealing to. The Republican party has an anti-establishment appeal more and more every day. The Democratic party has a ProE establishment appeal. And I think this Republicans for Harris is a great example of that. Wilmer Leon (00:55:32): So as we move now, spiraling towards November 5th, you've already said you believe that Donald Trump is going to win the election. One of the things that I find very, very telling, and I check it every day when you go to the Harris website, there's still no policy positions stated. There's no policy tab. In fact, when I asked that question a couple of times at the DNCC, I was told, oh, you don't understand. She hasn't had time. There hasn't been. I said, wait a minute. She ran for president four years ago. So she had to have, we hope she had established some policy positions as a candidate. She was the vice president going on four years now, we hope during those four years she could have figured out some policy and it's now been almost a month. You can't tell me that she couldn't pick up the phone and call a bunch of people in the room and say, Hey, I need policies on education, on defense, on the economy, on these five positions. I need policy in 10 days. Go get it done. Caleb Opin. Caleb Maupin (00:57:00): Well, I think there are three possible outcomes for the election. In my mind, probably the worst case scenario would be Kamala Harris winning. And I think that would be followed by a number of, there'd be chaos in the streets. A lot of Trump supporters will not accept it as a legitimate election. And I expect there will then be a big crackdown on dissent, and I expect there'll be a lot of provocations, et cetera. And that will be used by the establishment to crack down on dissent. Wilmer Leon (00:57:26): Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. And people need to understand the crackdown on dissent has already started by looking what's being done to who's being platformed from social media sites. Look at what's happening to folks who are getting arrested, the guy that started Instagram and all of these folks, the three Scott Ritter, your book taken off of taking all of these things are data points to support your position that the crackdown on descent has already started? Caleb Maupin (00:58:02): No, I mean the Biden administration has already indicted. Sue me, Terry, who was the top advisor to Obama and Bush on South Korea. And I mean the fact that she's been indicted as a foreign agent of South Korea just because South Korea wants to have mattered negotiations with North Korea. I mean, it looks like blatant retaliation. Wilmer Leon (00:58:22): And South Korea is an ally. Caleb Maupin (00:58:23): Yeah, their closest friend in Washington dc Sumi Terry has now been accused of being a foreign agent. She's facing decades in prison. I mean, this is craziness. This is a top CIA person who's been a top advisor on career matters. So that would be kind of what I think the worst case scenario would be. The most likely scenario is that I think Donald Trump will win. But all the negative things about Trumpism will amplify. I think the pro-Israel stuff, the pro-police stuff, the anti-immigrant stuff will amplify Wilmer Leon (00:58:55): Project 2025. Caleb Maupin (00:58:56): Yeah, the government will try to, the powers that be will try to ride the wave of Trumpism to push forward their own agenda, which is not good But I do think there is a third possible scenario, which is a real long shot. It's a real long shot, which is that Donald Trump takes office in a completely defensive position. And under those circumstances, he may be compelled to do a lot of good things because he's just at odds with the establishment and needs popular support. So much so we shall have to see. But those are my three predictions. But in all of those circumstances on anti-imperialist organization, a network of people that are committed to anti imperialism and building a new America beyond the rule of bankers and war profiteers is going to be vitally important. And at the end of the day, what really matters is not so much who is in office, it's what the balance of forces is in the country and around the world, and what kind of movement exists, what kind organizations. (00:59:58): There are people that are involved in the political process and to change the world and taking responsibility for the future of their country. And I wrote the book as a textbook for the Center for Political Innovation. My organization as we try to do just that, as we try to build a network of people who can rely on each other and build an anti-imperialist movement in the United States to support the Hru three, to study these ideas to be out there. That is one thing we aim to do. If Donald Trump wins the election, one thing that we aim to do is and intend to get that picture of Donald Trump shaking hands with Kim Jong-un and get it everywhere and say that this election is a mandate that the peace talks on the Korean Peninsula should continue. And that could be a way to nudge the discourse toward a more peace oriented wing of Trumpism. (01:00:46): That's one thing that we intend to do. We have other operations that we intend to carry out with the aim of nudging the country in an anti-colonial direction. One thing that I think is very important is Alaska, right? Alaska is right there close to Russia and there's the bearing Strait that separates Russia and Alaska and Abraham Lincoln had the idea of building a bridge to connect Alaska to Russia. And a lot of great people have had the idea of doing that since. And I think popularizing the idea of building a world land bridge to connect Alaska to Russia and pivot the US economy toward trading with the Russian Far East and with the Korean Peninsula and with China that could nudge the world and a direction of Multipolarity pivot away from Western Europe and towards the World Land Bridge and the bearing Strait and all of that. (01:01:36): So there are various things that we can do to try and influence discourse, but I must say the explosion is coming, right? I mean, you can feel it rumbling in the ground. The avalanche is going to pour, the volcano is going to go off. It's only a matter of time. Those of us who study these ideas and understand things, we have the job not of making the explosion come, but rather of trying to guide it in the right direction. The conditions in this country are getting worse. Americans are angry at the establishment. Things are going to change. But what we hope to do is guide that change and point it in a good direction toward a better world. And that's all we can really hope to do. I quote Mao the leader of the Chinese Revolution. He said The masses are the real heroes and at the end of the day, it will be the masses of the American people and their millions who determine what the future of this country will be. I think they are going to awaken and take action. The question is only what type of action will that be? And I think guys like you and I have a role to play in shaping what kind of action they might take when they do awaken. Wilmer Leon (01:02:39): Well, thank you for putting me in that group. And if we are able to build a bridge across the bearing strait between Alaska and Russia, I'm sure Sarah Palin will be the first one. Should be operating the toll booth. My brother. Alright, my brother Kayla mopping. Man, thank you so much for being my guest. Thank you so much for joining the show today. Caleb Maupin (01:03:05): Sure thing. Always a pleasure Wilmer Leon (01:03:07): Folks. Thank you so much for listening to the Connecting the Dots podcast with me, Dr. Woman Leon. Stay tuned for new episodes every week. Also, follow us on social media. The Patreon account is very, very important. That helps to support the effort. You can find all the links below in the show description and remember that this is where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge talk without analysis is just chatter. And we don't chatter here on connecting the dots. See you again next time. Until then, I'm Dr. Wilmer Leon. Have a great one. Peace. I'm out Announcer (01:03:50): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge.    

united states america american new york amazon new york city donald trump chicago english google israel hollywood china peace man freedom washington france future americans british challenges french germany new york times west war project africa russia michigan chinese joe biden european elon musk russian western minnesota movement barack obama brazil class south africa wisconsin congress african americans white house african afghanistan connecting uber fbi world war ii empire iran harris human missouri alaska silicon valley wall street republicans britain muslims democrats labor cuba nigeria cia radical venezuela bush kamala harris united nations south korea jeff bezos democratic israelis gaza workers john f kennedy mark zuckerberg cold war yahoo ghana moscow north korea hillary clinton pentagon folks palestinians soviet union mediterranean world war mccarthy abraham lincoln soviet maga belt democratic party cio communists republican party west africa vietnamese yemen econ dnc marx hunter biden blackrock mark twain bp julian assange petersburg libya roosevelt watergate rt liberals marxist kim jong un marxism rnc yankee masses namibia chevron truman semitic brics azerbaijan dots israel palestine us congress henry kissinger rockefeller western europe crimea mao candace owens korean war lenin rfk baku houthis tulsi gabbard apac indian ocean congresswoman kim jong communist party zionists exxonmobil arab spring trumpism sarah palin jim jordan sochi international criminal court strait american federation marxists lyndon johnson mccarthyism bolsheviks russian revolution eurasian muslim americans islamic republic muammar gaddafi road initiative arab americans union square democratic conventions united center british americans korean peninsula nick fuentes marcus garvey labor party republican convention vladimir lenin wilmer cuban revolution grand central station anah bolshevik revolution three parts samantha power african national congress socialist party us attorney general maupin kwame nkrumah world party hru marxist leninist shia muslims anne marie slaughter bolshevism scott ritter african people eugene debs russian far east democrat convention second war chinese revolution shanghai cooperation organization neoconservatism multipolarity carnegies caleb maupin cory bush industrial organizations anglo american establishment wilmer leon and south korea young communist league norwegian nobel institute dncc fred goldstein nelson peery
The Restaurant Guys

Subscriber-only episodeThe BanterThe Guys share a funny review of their restaurant, Catherine Lombari, that was rated in “gold chains.”The ConversationThe Restaurant Guys are joined by Jon Ross, former employee, Master Sommelier now wine importer and author. They reminisce about time together early in Jon's career and follow his path that led him to where he is today including a nearly-forgotten and surprising connection to The Restaurant Guys Podcast. The Inside TrackThe Guys hired Jon as a young adult and nurtured his interest in wine and hospitality. He rose up through their organization while experiencing professional wine tastings, the Union Square green market and a Tales of the Cocktail convention. Through the years they have kept in touch (The Guys proudly witnessing Jon's accomplishments) and were happy to interview Jon about his book shortly before they hosted a consumer wine tasting of Jon's portfolio. On having Mark & Francis as mentors:“I've always felt that your mentors are people who show you what you want to become, not tell you what you want to become,” Jonathan Ross on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024BioJonathan was a member of the award-winning wine team at Eleven Madison Park and held the title of Head Sommelier. In 2017, Jon passed the prestigious Master Sommelier exam. He makes his own wine in Australia under a label called Micro Wines, which is sold in Australia and the United States. Jon co-authored How to Drink Australian with wife Jane Lopes, a definitive modern guide to Australian wine. InfoLegend Importshttps://legendaustralia.com/John's book is available on the Legend pageReach out to The Restaurant GuysOur Places Stage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/ Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/ Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/ To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life:https://www.instagram.com/restaurantguyspodcast/https://www.facebook.com/restaurantguys**Become a Restaurant Guys Regular and get two bonus episodes per month, bonus content and Regulars Only events.**Click Below! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2390435/support

The Restaurant Guys
Jon Ross (Master Sommelier and Stage Left Alum): Comes Home From Australia

The Restaurant Guys

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2024 33:11


The BanterThe Guys share a funny review of their restaurant, Catherine Lombardi, that was rated in “gold chains.”The ConversationThe Restaurant Guys are joined by Jon Ross, former employee, Master Sommelier now wine importer and author. They reminisce about time together early in Jon's career and follow his path that led him to where he is today including a nearly-forgotten and surprising connection to The Restaurant Guys Podcast. The Inside TrackThe Guys hired Jon as a young adult and nurtured his interest in wine and hospitality. He rose up through their organization while experiencing professional wine tastings, the Union Square green market and a Tales of the Cocktail convention. Through the years they have kept in touch (The Guys proudly witnessing Jon's accomplishments) and were happy to interview Jon about his book shortly before they hosted a consumer wine tasting of Jon's portfolio. On having Mark & Francis as mentors:“I've always felt that your mentors are people who show you what you want to become, not tell you what you want to become,” Jonathan Ross on The Restaurant Guys Podcast 2024BioJonathan was a member of the award-winning wine team at Eleven Madison Park and held the title of Head Sommelier. In 2017, Jon passed the prestigious Master Sommelier exam. He makes his own wine in Australia under a label called Micro Wines, which is sold in Australia and the United States. Jon co-authored How to Drink Australian with wife Jane Lopes, a definitive modern guide to Australian wine. InfoLegend Importshttps://legendaustralia.com/John's book is available on the Legend pageReach out to The Restaurant GuysSupport the Show.Our Places Stage Left Steakhttps://www.stageleft.com/ Catherine Lombardi Restauranthttps://www.catherinelombardi.com/ Stage Left Wineshophttps://www.stageleftwineshop.com/ To hear more about food, wine and the finer things in life:https://www.instagram.com/restaurantguyspodcast/https://www.facebook.com/restaurantguys**Become a Restaurant Guys Regular and get two bonus episodes per month, bonus content and Regulars Only events.**Click Below! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2390435/support

Only in Seattle - Real Estate Unplugged
#2,460 - Last Denny's in San Fran that was once California's most expensive has closed

Only in Seattle - Real Estate Unplugged

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2024 14:08


The last remaining Denny's in San Francisco has shuttered after nearly 25 years. The 24-hour diner chain's 816 Mission St. location closed Aug. 1, franchise owner Chris Haque told SFGATE. As of Aug. 12, the Denny's sign has been painted over. “We're the only store left, and we operated until the last day that we could,” Haque said. “The cost of doing business is tremendous. There's vandalism, and people come and eat and walk away, and there's no one to stop them.” Haque claimed that dining and dashing was a big issue at the Denny's near Union Square, which he said cut into the restaurant's profit margins. He also pointed to the lack of conventions in San Francisco over the past few years, which the restaurant typically depended on for business. Haque used to be the franchise owner of a Denny's location in San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf as well, which closed in 2019, and still runs a Denny's in Tacoma, Washington.

1010 WINS ALL LOCAL
MTA announces a crack down on clearing bus lanes...Staten Island team plays in Little League world series...Street vendors hold a rally in Union Square to urge for easier permitting process

1010 WINS ALL LOCAL

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2024 8:41


The Goddess Complex
What It Takes To Run A Successful Spiritual Business with Shawn of Witchy Wisdoms

The Goddess Complex

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2024 48:36


Hello hello and welcome back to The Goddess Complex with Ashley Michelle! Today Ashley is joined by Shawn Engel, owner of Witchy Wisdoms! Shawn is a somatic shadow work expert, professional witch, and published author. She has been featured in multiple publications including Cosmopolitan, Forbes, and Time Out New York, and most recently authored Mushroom Magick via Union Square & Co publishing. Ashley and Shawn get deep into it today so pop in those headphones, grab a drink and a snack, sit back and listen!Connect with Shawn: You can find her and tens of thousands of her followers @witchywisdoms on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. Witchywisdoms.com----Join the Siren Waitlist now to be the first to know when it reopens! You don't wanna miss this! Click here.Take the quiz for a witch on a weightloss journey!Book a Witchy Weightloss Clarity CallGet on the email listBook a Soul SessionBook a Clarity CallFind me on InstagramFind me on TikTok Get a video from me!

Get Rich Education
513: Finding Hidden Opportunities in Beaten-Down Commercial Real Estate with Dolf de Roos

Get Rich Education

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2024 47:31


The King of Commercial Real Estate joins us to discuss office, hotels, apartments, retail, industrial and warehouse real estate. Many office building values are down 80%+. Is it headed straight to purgatory? According to Moody's, the national office vacancy rate is 20%.  Offices have the double-whammy of higher interest rates and lower demand. Learn how feasible office to residential conversions are. For two years now, momentum has swung from Airbnbs to hotels. More apartment syndications will blow up from forthcoming interest rate resets. Commercial real estate often has higher prices than residential. Learn from our guest, Dolf de Roos, on creative ways to make low down payments.  Learn how to vet commercial tenants. We discuss adding carports to residential RE. Rich people are often vilified. They're called “filthy rich” or “stinking rich”. Resources mentioned: Attend Dolf's free live training: www.DolfLive.com For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  You get paid first: Text FAMILY to 66866 For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review”  GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREmarketplace.com/Coach Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation   Complete episode transcript:   Automatically Transcribed With Podsqueeze   Keith Weinhold 00:00:01  Welcome to GRE! I'm your host, Keith Weinhold. There are many commercial real estate sectors. Large apartments, office, hotel, hospitality, retail, warehouse, industrial. Well, what's thriving? What's been beaten up so bad and is never coming back? And what's in a dip that's ripe for opportunity? Also creative deal structuring if you don't have a lot of money. It's the debut of the King of Commercial real estate here today and get rich education. When you want the best real estate and finance info, the modern internet experience limits your free articles access, and it's replete with paywalls. And you've got pop ups and push notifications and cookies. Disclaimers are at no other time in history has it been more vital to place nice, clean, free content into your hands that actually adds no hype value to your life? See, this is the golden age of quality newsletters, and I write every word of ours myself. It's got a dash of humor and it's to the point to get the letter. It couldn't be more simple.   Keith Weinhold 00:01:13  Text gray to 66866. And when you start the free newsletter, you'll also get my one hour fast real estate course completely free. It's called the Don't Quit Your Daydream letter and it wires your mind for wealth. Make sure you read it. Text gray to 66866. Text gray 266866.   Corey Coates 00:01:41  You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold 00:01:58  What does your read? From Tuscarora, Pennsylvania, to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Whitehill, and you're listening to get Rich education. Today's guest, the king of commercial real estate, is talented, dynamic, global, articulate, has both a wide range of knowledge and an expansive palette of creative strategies in both commercial and residential, where you can buy with little out of pocket. And he's going to share that with us today. That's coming up here shortly. Now, when we think about residential real estate, of course, that is a really wide world in itself.   Keith Weinhold 00:02:38  From condos to single family homes to tiny studio apartments. You could also divide it into short term and mid-term and long term rentals. And then you could also parse it by all of the geographic markets. Well, of course, the commercial real estate world has a ton of segments too, one of which is office, which I want to talk about because it's probably been the most downtrodden and beleaguered since 2020. But there are still some things that are misunderstood within office and even dividing things up that much. Let's take care not to broad brush stroke office real estate itself some smaller segments of office might be in decent shape today. Other office segments are in real trouble. Like we're talking about tall concrete and glass, office towers and a lot of business parks, too. Yeah, business park, sort of a campus like areas, like maybe what the comedy The Office had. He had Dunder Mifflin was in a business park.   Steve Carell 00:03:43  I'm just helping you invest in your future, my friend.   Oscar Nunez 00:03:46  It sounds like a get rich quick scheme.   Steve Carell 00:03:48  Yes. Thank you. You will get rich quick. We all will.   Keith Weinhold 00:03:52  yeah. I guess that's what Steve Carell's character. What Michael Scott from The Office says about prudent investing. Let's talk about office real estate and how that intersects with the housing market. And really a lot of this comes down to the office vacancy rate. Moody's tells us that 1 in 5 office spaces in this economy are empty. And that is the highest ever. And a lot of people think that it's going to go higher right now. Dayton, Ohio is the highest in the nation at 28%. These are office vacancy rates. Charleston, West Virginia's 27. Tulsa, Oklahoma 26. And Houston, Dallas and Austin are all in the top ten for the worst office vacancy rates. Now, a lot of city officials, they want to turn that into housing, and they want government funding in order to make that transition happen from office to residential. This is most attractive to cities if you can partially convert a building to have housing on upper floors, and then you just maintain some offices on lower floors and see that mix right there, that makes for a vibrant, lively downtown community, because that way you don't have downtowns that go quiet at 5:00.   Keith Weinhold 00:05:10  But a lot of these renovations, they just aren't that feasible. They call them ritzy conversions. That's kind of what this is known as. So office to residential. I mean that means you often got to deal with huge floor plates, overhaul mechanical systems, and you've even got to consider things like the fact that windows don't open in office buildings. And they've often got to for resin conversions. Well, with this prolonged high vacancy in offices. Well, where do these people that would have been in offices spend their time instead? Well, of course at home in their residential real estate. And oftentimes it is a one for one. You have one less person occupying an office for lots of that waking day, and that means one more person occupying their home. Well, that's one reason that people are increasingly willing to spend and pay more for homes because they're spending more time than ever there. And ever since the work from home movement and zoom from home movement, if you will, since that became commonplace for urban workers coming off the pandemic, you soon saw the hashtag auto.   Keith Weinhold 00:06:27  The return to office movement that began is where you've got to come into the office 2 to 3 days a week, and then a lot of companies try to ramp it up to 4 to 5 days per week. Some companies even said, yeah, come on in here. You've got to in order to be eligible for promotions. Well, a lot of people don't want to come into the office. We found that out now, especially younger workers. In fact. Did you ever hear of the term coffee bagging? Yes. Some workers are trying to game the system. Coffee bagging. That is the art of returning to the office to a quick hit. Just have a quick hit. You only badge in, get coffee, chat and peace out of there. Well, more people are doing this or they're staying at home than what you're often led to believe. So despite the RTL movement that you hear about the share of employed persons that work their average day from home, last year it rose to 35%, up from 34%, and that's per the BLS.   Keith Weinhold 00:07:31  Well, that's a little interesting to know, but it all comes down to that office vacancy rate, which is, like I said, a stubbornly high all time record 20% nationally, and it could go higher. If you're going to invest in office real estate today, I mean, you've really got to have some insider knowledge and invest smart.   Donald Trump 00:07:55  Did you use the word smart? so you said you went to Delaware State, but you forgot the name of your college. You didn't go to Delaware State. You graduated either the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. Don't ever use the word smart with me. Don't ever use that word. Oh, give me a break. Because you know what? There's nothing smart about you, Joe.   Keith Weinhold 00:08:16  oh, dear. Oh, one of those two men is our current president, and the other could be our next president. Oh, well, love him or hate him, I guess the Trump. Hey, he is the Art of the deal author. And when you think about the Trump name, you should think about seeing those letters on tall office buildings in hotels coming up on the show here in future weeks.   Keith Weinhold 00:08:39  We are stacked with great guests an NFL All-Pro, the president of the Mississippi Institute, the return of the tax free wealth author Tom Wheelwright, and also the incomparable financial firepower of Garrett Gunderson. That's all coming up here in future shows. Let's talk to the king of commercial real estate. This week's guest is a former high tech engineer turned real estate mogul and New York Times best selling author of the book Real Estate Riches. He is globally renowned for his ginormous real estate ventures and his mentorship. But his approach to real estate isn't just transactional, it's about strategic creativity and leveraging property investment for financial independence. Known as the King of commercial real estate. Hey, welcome here for your great debut. Joining us from Malta today. It stopped the roost.   Dolf de Roos 00:09:38  Thank you very much. It's my absolute pleasure to be here.   Keith Weinhold 00:09:41  Oh it's great to finally speak here on the show. And I know that a good segment of our international audience has been anticipating this episode. And often we think about commercial real estate today. Problems come to mind immediately, like the large apartment space with interest rates blowing things up over there, and then the office sector, which just seems to be dying and never coming back.   Keith Weinhold 00:10:03  So first of all, why don't you give us an overview on how various commercial sectors are doing today?   Dolf de Roos 00:10:09  There's always the things that you see on the surface, what you read in the newspapers and what you lead yourself to believe just on the sheer balance of probability. And then there's the reality of what is truly going on. And I'm always amused at the chasm between them. There's a big difference. And in fact, your ability to do well in real estate is largely dependent on the arbitrage between the markets perception of where things are at and the reality. Now, if we all follow the trends, you know, real estate doesn't go up linearly as mathematicians would say. It goes up in fits and starts with each peak a bit higher than the previous peak and each trough a bit higher than the previous trough. But in addition to that, real estate markets always overshoot so that when things are going well, when the public perception is that things are going well, Interest rates are low. There's good capital growth.   Dolf de Roos 00:10:59  People think it's going to go on forever. It will never end and they pay way too much for properties. We have the greater fool theory where no matter how big a fool you are to pay too much for a property, it doesn't matter, because next year they'll be an even bigger fool to pay even more for it. So everyone jumps into the market, overshoots, and then there's a strong correction. A bit like the 2008 GFC. It was on the cards. It was. The writing was on the wall, as they say, and then it corrects. But instead of correcting back to where it should be, it overshoots on the downside as well. And in Phoenix, where I'm based, at one stage we had 90,000 homes into foreclosure simultaneously, and they were selling them on the courthouse steps at the rate of one every 56 seconds for initially 20,020 5000, and people thought, why are these fools buying these properties? The market's crashed. It will never recover. And yet when you live long enough, which unfortunately I have to say, I've done now like I've been around a while, I've seen a few cycles.   Dolf de Roos 00:11:59  No, I'm serious though, Keith, because when you experience your first downturn, you think it's the end of the world. But when you've been through three and you've seen that despite all the bad press and saying it's doomsday to never recover, it not only recovers, but it actually far exceeds where it was before it crashed last time, then you know that the time to take action is when everyone else is panicking. You have to be countercyclical when everyone else is jumping on the bandwagon and paying too much for properties. That's when you should get on a plane and read some good books on a beach somewhere, preferably in a foreign location. Why a foreign location and being disloyal to the home country? Note just explore something. Expand your mind. And you know, I know I'm waving around a bit from topic to topic, but one of the great things about reading books on foreign beaches is that you get to see different ideas of real estate that you can bring back home. So when you bring back these ideas that can help correct the market, then you almost you don't wish for a crash, but you think when it happens, well, there's got to be some good aspect to this and you can actually find some stunning deals from people who are too scared to think it might recover well.   Keith Weinhold 00:13:05  So those places where you might find stunning deals are in some of those commercial real estate sectors that are suffering today. Tell us a bit more about some of those sectors in their health. We're talking about five plus in the department's office, hotel, hospitality, retail, warehouse, industrial. Let us know what's going on with some of those sectors.   Dolf de Roos 00:13:27  In a state of flux. And it's a very good question. Let's talk about hotels for a moment. When the pandemic set in, we were all told to do this thing called to be socially distant. We've almost blissfully forgotten that expression. But social distancing was the thing. So hotels fell out of favor because you're in a foyer with a concierge and a reception area and hundreds of other hotel guests checking in and checking out. So Airbnbs became very popular and the value of hotels plummeted. Many couldn't meet their mortgage obligations because their revenue from room sales did not cover their own loan commitments, so they were being sold off at ridiculously cheap prices. I know of one hotel in the Atlanta area, admittedly a very old hotel.   Dolf de Roos 00:14:09  It was converted into a storage facility. When you think about it, hotels are all compartmentalized and have good little cubicles for story. Yeah, and Airbnbs took off. And we all know people, and people wrote books about it and had courses on it. I know in Phoenix, one statistic in a 12 month period from July 22nd to July 23rd, the availability of Airbnb's went up by 23% and all would have been good and well if demand had kept on escalating. But as the pandemic sort of wound down and people realized they did need to be socially distant anymore. And what's more, when you went to an Airbnb, what you found is that there was a long laundry list of items you had to do, but the sheets through the washing machine no more than one bed at a time. Well, four beds worth of sheets is going to take you three hours and do this and do that. People thought hotels are much easier, so there was a massive swing by tenants of rooms back to hotels, and the value of hotels went back up.   Dolf de Roos 00:15:04  And in the meantime, the value of houses used as Airbnb's, it sort of peaked a bit and it's going down rapidly. How far it will go down? I'm not so sure. So my point is, with hotels in a very short period of time, like three years, the values plummeted and then they came back up again. Office space is suffering a bit of a longer cycle downturn. It's fair to say, I think, that offices are in a very dire straits. Something like $785 billion of mortgages secured against commercial office space that is coming up for renewal, and there's not enough revenue to cover them. There is a pair of hotels on Union Square in San Francisco, for instance, the park Renaissance and the Renaissance itself. They had $745 million of mortgage funding, and the operators of those hotels handed the keys back to the bank and said, we can't make this cash flow. There's a lot of commercial space that is being sold off a ridiculously cheap prices. So there are two ways of looking at this, Keith.   Dolf de Roos 00:16:02  One is if you happen to own office space right now, unless it's boutique space, I've got quite a bit of office space, but it's a very much a boutique classification, and they'll always be demand for boutique office space from unique operators like interior decorators and people like that. But for the general concrete and glass office towers, demand for that has plummeted. The values have gone down and I know of one building in Chicago. It's sold for 315 million. It's on the market at 60 and dropping, and there's not a buyer in sight. And you might say, well, it's got to be a bargain. But no. Here's the challenge. With commercial real estate. Unlike residential, residential is valued on the basis of comps. We all know that if you have a four bedroom, three bathroom home, certain age, certain size, certain condition in a certain suburb, then and if it's sold for, say, $480,000, then a similar sized and aged house up the road, down the street around the corner is going to sell for about the same amount.   Dolf de Roos 00:17:02  Whether it's tenanted or not, that doesn't even matter. But when it comes to commercial real estate, the value of a commercial property is literally a multiple of its rental income. Technically, is the rental income divided by the cap rate? Which cap rate is short for capitalization rate? It literally means the rate at which you capitalize the rental to arrive at the value. So if we can figure out a way of doubling the rental, then we've doubled the value. And by the same token, of course, if you lose the tenant and you have your rental, then you have the value. And that's why the value of so many of these commercial office buildings has plummeted, because there are no tenants for them.   Keith Weinhold 00:17:40  Yeah, well, there's a lot there. And back to the Airbnb thing. Yeah. About two years ago, there seemed to be this well well-documented Airbnb bust. And my gosh, I personally had awful Airbnb experiences recently, including checking into an Airbnb where it hadn't been turned over, it hadn't been cleaned yet, and that I can never unsee what I saw.   Keith Weinhold 00:18:00  Then I had to stay there. That was really rough. I think what you're getting at here is once you hit a bottom, that's where the opportunity is. So there are going to be some of those opportunities somewhere in the commercial real estate sector, commercial real estate syndicators, many of them imploded from high rates. So when we talk about finding the bottom link with these large apartment buildings, how many more apartment syndicator implosions do we expect from the higher mortgage rates?   Dolf de Roos 00:18:27  Many. I'm indifferent to it. I'm not saying I don't have sympathy for the people who own them, and I'm not gleeful for those who buy a bargain. But here's why I'm indifferent. I think it's fair to say that I've made most of my money in real estate by finding either vacant or semi vacant buildings, and that goes against the grain. Most people think they need to look for a building with a good tenant, because it's the tenant that pays the rent, and that's not incorrect. That's accurate. And then if you've got a building that you buy and say 8% return and your mortgage interest is 7%, hopefully that 1% margin covers your property taxes and your insurance and your maintenance.   Dolf de Roos 00:19:05  And then you just wait for time to do this thing where slowly, over time, the rents creep up and the property value creeps up. I don't have the luxury of waiting that long, and I never had the cash to buy properties like that, so I literally sought out semi vacant or even vacant buildings. Now, I didn't buy them because if I bought a vacant building, I still have to pay property tax and insurance. But what I would do before buying it is see if I can find a tenant, and I can give you a specific example. I came across a vacant building that was a funeral parlor, and most people don't like to think of what goes on in a funeral parlor. But they have these stainless steel trays where they put the product of their business on, and they insert these hollow stainless steel tubes and suck up the blood and replace it with formaldehyde and all kinds of things we don't want to think about.   Keith Weinhold 00:19:52  That's even worse than my Airbnb experience.   Dolf de Roos 00:19:55  No one knew what to do with it.   Dolf de Roos 00:19:57  So I found it. And it was being sold for a song because it was vacant. And what I did is I employed someone at the then going hourly rate of $8 an hour to phone every funeral director, going further and further from this place until she found someone who said, oh my gosh, I've always wanted to operate there. And I was just open and honest. And I said, well, there's a funeral parlour premise for sale. Go and check it out if you want to buy it, buy it. Why would I offer it to him, Keith, when I really wanted to buy it? Because the last thing I want is a tenant to be gracious. The fact that the only reason he's paying me rent is that I'd beat him to it. But I knew that in all probability, he didn't want to buy real estate. That's not his gig. And he said, no, I don't have the money or the inclination he had to look at. He said, listen, I love it.   Dolf de Roos 00:20:40  I want to operate there. What would it take? And I said, well, if you're willing to sign up a heads of agreement, an alloy, we're subject to me buying it. You will become the tenant, then I'll have a crack at buying it. And his response was, were not so fast, I need you. I'll only do it if you give me a long term lease. Well, that's exactly what I want. So I'd found a tenant by adding the tenant to this otherwise vacant building. The value of it doubled. And when I went to the bank to apply for a mortgage, they said, well, we're only going to give you 50%. Well, guess what? 50% of double the value was the purchase price. They lent me all but the last $10,000 to buy that property. So the magic sauce here is finding the tenant. Could anyone else have gone through at the time? This is before the internet, the Yellow pages and phoned every funeral director going for. Of course they could, but no one thought of doing it.   Dolf de Roos 00:21:33  And that comes to part of what you had in your title, that this is all about creative real estate. The thing I love about real estate is it's about the only investment vehicle where you can actually use your creativity. I mean, if you're a really creative person and you buy a portfolio of stock, IBM stock and Microsoft and biotech, what.   Keith Weinhold 00:21:53  Can you do to improve it?   Dolf de Roos 00:21:54  Can you deploy your creativity? How can you deploy what you've seen in your travels to make your stock portfolio worth more? Zero. Absolutely nothing. Not with stocks, not with bonds, not with futures. Options, certificates of deposit, Treasury bills, nothing. But with real estate, the sky's the limit, I love that.   Keith Weinhold 00:22:13  Well, you talked about getting into commercial real estate sectors with little or none of your own money. That's part of the creativity. A lot of our audience is interested in investing in residential property, a single family home. You might still be able to get one for 150 K now, 20 to 25% down payment on that 30 K plus.   Keith Weinhold 00:22:34  I mean, that's still pretty manageable for a lot of people, but many are somewhat intimidated by commercial real estate. I think one of the first things they think about is how do I come up with the money? So we talk about creativity in funding that down payment. Tell us more about some good strategies for doing that, and kind of overcoming that daunting feeling of higher commercial real estate prices.   Dolf de Roos 00:22:52  You're absolutely right. Most people think commercial real estate is more expensive, where you might be able to buy a home in a cheaper market, a cheaper price point at one 20,000, say the commercial property is going to be half a million, or if homes are $1 million and a fancy suburb and the commercial properties at 3 million. That's true, but not all properties are like that. My smallest commercial building was a little corner shop. It was a wet fish supply shop, so they sold fish but not cooked fish. And it was a horrible looking thing. But I paid all of $79,000 for it and it's been rented on a full commercial lease from the day I bought it, so it needn't be liked.   Dolf de Roos 00:23:31  In fact, we tend to only notice the big ones for the For Sale sign. You're in the downtown of some city and you see a big one of the big firms, CB Richard Ellis or Jones Lang LaSalle or something for lease or for sale sign, that's for sure. And you don't tend to notice the small ones. The trick in finding good value real estate. Be it commercial or residential, again, has to do with the fact that it's not an automated market like the stock market. You buy stocks through computers on a share market. Everyone pays the same price. But when it comes to real estate, the seller may choose to go through a real estate agency. It might be a national one, and then it's vetted by many agents. But we have a thing known as fizzbuzz or for sale by owner. And why would a seller choose to circumvent a real estate agent? Well, probably because he's hoping to save on the 6% commission. By the way, that's the highest in the world.   Dolf de Roos 00:24:21  And the rest of the orders? 2 or 1 and a half or 3%, it soon to be lowered in the States. But even so, they want to save on that commission and more sinisterly. Perhaps some of them think, why should I entrust my property, the sale of my property to some snooty, nosed 22 year old kid just out of school who doesn't even live in the suburb. I have lived here for 59 years or whatever, he says. And I know what it's worth. And in pricing it, he's either way too high or way too low. Now, if he's way too high, you and I aren't going to buy it because it's just way too high. We know that. But what if it's 100,000 below market value? It happens every day of the week, and if we stumble across one of those, then we might just make 100,000 that day. Not in terms of cash, not in terms of folding hard cash, but in terms of equity. And we could sell it the next day for a hundred thousand more.   Dolf de Roos 00:25:08  But we don't because we want to invest in it. And these things are real key. These happen. That's why I encourage people don't take the same route home from work every day. If you've finished work, get in your car, take a different route, keep your eyes peeled, look for visible signs of a sale by owner, or look for abandoned properties, ones where the grass is a bit high in this litter blown up against the fence and the windows are a bit grimy, and then do some research to find out who owns it.   Keith Weinhold 00:25:34  Sometimes the greater the crisis, the greater the opportunity. But often we talk about, say, if one has overcome the money in the down payment thing, you know, in effect, when we go ahead and get a loan, whatever sector we're investing in, the bank underwrites either us or the bank underwrites the property. But in a sense, us as the investor is we're sort of underwriting the tenant that's in there. Now, when we buy a residential building, you know, we can look at the tennis credit scores and their work history.   Keith Weinhold 00:26:00  You know, we know that the residential tenant is going to pay us to live there. We have a good sense of faith about that. But when it comes to commercial real estate investing, say, I want to buy a plaza with eight businesses in it. I think a lot of investors feel overwhelmed because they're like, oh my gosh, like, how do I study the validity of these eight businesses? And how do I know that they're going to be solvent and sustainable going forward? And do I need to understand all this, or can you speak to that and help break that down for us a bit? Basically the investor underwriting the tenant.   Dolf de Roos 00:26:31  That's all true. And yet there isn't that much to learn. Because if we take your imaginary shopping plaza with eight tenants. Yeah, I think we'd all agree that if one of those tenants was a Gloria Bean coffee and tea or whatever it's called, or Seattle's Best or Peet's Coffee, not to mention Starbucks, that's a global change, but one of those lesser brands.   Dolf de Roos 00:26:51  I think we would be pretty comfortable that they can pay the rent every month. And similarly, the bank underwriting that loan was like, well, a Peet's Coffee or Gloria, that they're a good tenant And, you know, just to name others at random rosters for less, that's a nationwide chain store. I think if we had them as a tenant, that would all go well. And you might get a couple of independents, but they would have a track record. They've leased those same premises for the previous eight years, and they moved there from other premises, which ended up being too small for them. That means they're expanding where they were for 12 years, things like that. Give a picture to any novice in this game to say, wow, they're probably going to be here for the long haul. And beyond that, what happens when you develop the skills to attract new tenants? You don't worry about that even because you know that when you lose a tenant, it's easy to get one lesson.   Dolf de Roos 00:27:42  I've got 101 ways of getting tenants for buildings, and I'm blown away that people don't deploy even one of them. And I'll give you an example from last week. I was with a client in the UK in Bournemouth, which is way in the south of the country, and we were looking at a commercial office building there and it had been vacant for 18 months. And I said to the agent what seems to be the trouble with getting a tenant? And he shrugged his shoulders and said, well, I don't know. It's been on the market for 18 months. And I said, has it ever occurred to you to put a sign outside the property? A big canvas sign hanging on the side of the building signs, and the grass verge saying, this building is for lease. Enquire within or go to this website. And he was stupefied by that thought. He said, what an amazingly good idea. You have to let people know. They think that they're going to go to their office because they're looking for office space.   Dolf de Roos 00:28:34  So now, would they be guaranteed to get a tenant within a week by putting a canvas sign on the building? Of course not. But I know we won't reduce the chances. And that's why if I can find a tenant before committing to buy the building, I'm pretty confident we'll get there. And I've got all these other techniques, Keith, of doing it like one that I really love is, let's say you've got a vacant warehouse and it's an ugly, horrible warehouse in a sea of similarly ugly and vacant warehouses. If you and I bought that, I would hesitate to suggest that we would have a tenant within a month. And here's how we'd do it. We would spend no more than $10,000, and we would go to the manager's office, because ultimately, the person who decides whether to lease our warehouse as opposed to another one, is not the CEO and the head office in New York or LA or wherever. It's not the cleaning lady or man who's going to sweep the floor. It's going to be the manager is going to manage it.   Dolf de Roos 00:29:28  So I get rid of the linoleum and I put in commercial grade carpet. I put in triple glazed or dual glazed windows. Keeps the noise out and the warmth in. I replace the fluorescent tubes with LED lights and replace the locks with electronic locks so he can never forget his keys. I put on an 80 inch LCD screen and tell him it's good for corporate training videos. We know he's never going to watch corporate training videos on it, but those TVs you can buy for $500 now, I put on a little coffee machine and make sure it's brewing when it looks, and have a fridge for end of week drinks, celebrations, and our unsuspecting manager, who's looked at seven ugly warehouses so far that day when he comes to our ugly warehouse and he opens that door to the manager's office subconsciously, or maybe consciously, he thinks, oh my gosh, if I lease this one, this is where I'm going to be packed for 40 hours a week for Lord knows how many years. He says I'll take it.   Dolf de Roos 00:30:17  And he hasn't even asked the rental. You might say that's bribery and corruption, but I think it's just offering a better product than the competition. No one else does this.   Keith Weinhold 00:30:27  Oh well. This is another brilliant example of using creativity in real estate investing. We're talking with the king of commercial real estate, Dolph Thomas More. We come back including some of his psychology and insights from the rich. This is general education. I'm your host, Keith Whitehall. Hey, you can get your mortgage loans at the same place where I get mine at Ridge Lending Group Nmls 42056. They provided our listeners with more loans than any provider in the entire nation. Because they specialize in income properties, they help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire. With leverage, you can start your prequalification and chat with President Ridge personally. Start now while it's on your mind at Ridge Lending group.com. That's Ridge Lending group.com. And your bank is getting rich off of you. The national average bank account pays less than 1% on your savings.   Keith Weinhold 00:31:31  If your money isn't making 4%, you're losing your hard earned cash to inflation. Let the liquidity fund help you put your money to work with minimum risk. Your cash generates up to an 8% return with compound interest year in and year out. Instead of earning less than 1% sitting in your bank account, the minimum investment is just $25. You keep getting paid until you decide you want your money back there. Decade plus track record proves they've always paid their investors 100% in full and on time. And I would know, because I'm an investor, to earn 8%. Hundreds of others are. Text. Family 266866. Learn more about Freedom Family Investments Liquidity Fund. On your journey to financial freedom through passive income. Text family to 66866. What's up everyone? This is HGTV Star Kombucha. Listen to get Rich education with Keith Wine hold and don't quit your day dream. Welcome back to Get Syndication. You're listening to episode 513 of the show that's created more passive income for busy people just like you than nearly any show in the world.   Keith Weinhold 00:32:55  I'm your host, Keith Whitehall. We're at the king of commercial real estate, Dolph Durst. Just like he has a lot of creative, proven types of things that you can do to improve commercial real estate. He also has a lot of those ideas for residential because he's been around the game for so long. So tell us about some more of those creative ways to add value to residential real estate.   Dolf de Roos 00:33:17  Well, probably. Like most people who end up focusing on commercial real estate, I got started in residential and that's where I first deployed some of my creativity. And I noticed, for instance, that I'd have a rental property that had no garage and no carport. And when you think about it, a tenant's biggest asset because it's not their home, it tends to be their car. One could argue that because they waste money on expensive cars every two years, that's why they can't afford to buy a home. But we won't go there. So if it's their car, if there's no carport and no garage, that means their biggest asset is in the rain.   Dolf de Roos 00:33:49  The sleet, the sun, the shine, the hail, you name it. So by building a carport, we can protect their biggest asset and it's worth a lot more to them by any means. If you have a carport on a house, that house will rent for about $80 a month extra. An 80 a month times 12 is 960. Call it $1,000 extra, a rent in a year. And Keith, I can build a carport for $1,000 easily. It's simply for one in each corner and then a roof with a bit of a slope. Why the slope? Well, if it rains, the rain falls off. If you're really cheap, you can get away with three posts. It still stands, you know. But no. And I'm being silly, but we sometimes make them with two posts and cantilever them. They're a bit more expensive, but then there are no posts out front so I can build a carport for $1,000, and then I get $1,000 extra a year coming in. And when you think about it again, which other investment can you think of that once you've consummated the deal, once you own it, you can spend an extra thousand dollars and then get 100% return on that money.   Dolf de Roos 00:34:49  And as they say in the infomercials. But wait, it gets even better. Because think about it. Let's say we have that carport built, but we haven't paid for it yet. And so we've got our thousand dollars a year extra of rental coming in. We go back to the appraiser and say, we want a new appraisal With an extra $1,000 coming in, he's likely to appraise it at $10,000 more. With that increased appraisal of 10,000, we go back to the bank and say, Mr. Bank manager, remember I got a 70 or 80% more. I've got now got an appraisal for 10,000 more. Will you give me a modest 70% loan on that? Well, banks are in the game of lending money and making a profit. So they say yes. So you get 7000 from the bank. Let's use 1000 of that 7000 to pay for the carport. It's now paid for. That leaves us with $6,000 cash. And the question is, is it earned income? And the answer is no, it's not earned income.   Dolf de Roos 00:35:42  There's no income tax on it. Is that the sale of something? Nope. Didn't sell it. No sales tax, no capital gains. It's tax free money. And you might say but hang on, you've now borrowed $7,000 that you have to be interested. Even at a ridiculously high 10%, that would only cost 700 a year. But we're collecting an extra thousand a year. So when you build this carport, you have two choices. One is pay cash for it and get 100% return on your money. Or the second one is don't pay any money for it, but $6,000 of tax free money in your pocket and get $300 a year surplus cash flow index for inflation for the rest of your life. Like, why would you not do that?   Keith Weinhold 00:36:25  Well, and it's a terrific example of how to accidentally improve the property. And it's so interesting that you bring this up, Dolph, because just a few weeks ago here on the show, I talked about garage real estate. I mentioned how adding a carport can often be more cost effective for a landlord from an ROI standpoint, than constructing a garage.   Keith Weinhold 00:36:43  I also talked about the future with autonomous cars. If people are going to need garages as much as they will, but that's into the future, and that's another subject in itself. All for one really important thing. I know that probably even more important than the actual investing is getting people in the right mindset to do this in the first place. You've studied this in really unexpected psychology behind wealth creation. I think a lot of it is counterintuitive, but it kind of makes sense because if you come from a scarcity and conventional mindset and you just do mediocre stuff, you're only going to get a mediocre outcome. So why don't you talk to us more about breaking down that psychology that most Americans and most residents of everywhere in the world really struggle with?   Dolf de Roos 00:37:28  Well, my pleasure. I had been teaching real estate for about 15 years and I decided why? I don't know, but I decided to run a survey to find out how many of my students became a millionaire within 18 months. That was my expected time frame of reasonableness.   Keith Weinhold 00:37:43  Is that I was actually wealthy.   Dolf de Roos 00:37:45  Right? And I was pretty confident. But when the results came in, I was devastated because it was fewer than 4%. And in my mind, 4% wasn't even statistically significant. Meaning if you take a thousand people, a random 4% are going to become millionaires. One's going to marry into money, one's going to win the lottery, one's going to win at a casino, and the fourth one's going to fall over a paper bag and looks inside. And we just believe that there's a million bucks there. So I vowed to stop teaching until I'd cracked the nut, because my dilemma was, how is it that when you give people all the tools you think they need to become fabulously wealthy, they still don't do it right? And what I found is that it had nothing to do with my rate of speech or my accent. Not that I have one, of course, or the content of my information or the sequencing of it. It had everything to do with the subconscious mind of the student, the fear.   Dolf de Roos 00:38:38  And he has that stance. You're a young kid and you say, hey, mom or dad, I want a bicycle. And they say, well, what do you think, kiddo? That money grows on trees and I know where the parents coming from. Hey, money's not that easy to come by. Temper your expectations of what you'll get for your bet. But this kid is. Our money doesn't grow on trees. Meaning money's hard to come by. And how often have we been told money can't buy you happiness. And money is the root of all evil. And when I say that, someone always points out no, the full saying in the Bible is for the love of money is the root of all evil. There's a big difference. And I'll say, yes, there is a big difference. But to the subconscious mind, it's still here's money and evil in the same sentence, and it's unconsciously makes that association. And the religious even say that it is easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven.   Dolf de Roos 00:39:24  In other words, if you're rich, you're condemned to hell. And that's a nice, strong belief system to take on board, even subconsciously. And by the way, most people don't know what the eye of the needle is. The eye of the needle was the entrance to East Jerusalem and even camels. And I've been there. I've said the camel said to get down on their knees as a sign of respect before they could enter. So there's a reason behind all these things, but the subconscious mind takes aboard. Money can buy you happiness. Money's hard to come by if you work hard for it. You don't deserve that money's root of lever. You won't get to heaven. You condemned to hell. And how do we describe the rich kids? We say they are so rich. That filthy rich. They're so rich. That stinking rich we associate being rich with filth and stench. So that is why in the United States and every Western nation, when someone wins the lottery and we no longer win 10 or $20,000, it's 300 million or 800 million or 1.2 billion when people win the lottery within five years of winning, 80% of the winners are back to where they were before they won.   Dolf de Roos 00:40:25  Right? And why is that? I discovered that it's because subconsciously, even though they're happy they won it and they going to tell their boss they're going to quit and they're going to buy their parents a nice home and they're going to get a new car. But subconsciously they feel they don't deserve it because they haven't worked hard for it. They're not going to be happy. They're now evil people. They're not going to go to heaven, and they're filthy and they stink. And the only way to overcome that is to get rid of the source of the problem, which is the money. And you'll see it happen again and again and again. So what we do is we dissolve what's in the subconscious mind, all these things that we've been saying without realizing it over and over and over again and replace them with more empowering beliefs. And the great thing about the subconscious mind is, initially, you don't even have to believe the thing that you're going to say over and over again to replace those old ones, but it could be something as simple as money is good or a bit more sophisticated.   Dolf de Roos 00:41:18  My poverty helps no one, but my wealth can help a lot of people.   Keith Weinhold 00:41:22  The more you have, the more you can give.   Dolf de Roos 00:41:24  Exactly as the reverend says, I'm a magnet for money. And so when we get into this mode of thinking differently, then all of a sudden people find that the money starts flowing and we give people specific exercises to do. And it's you think by how is that going to make difference? But it does. And so what I found when I introduced these concepts into my real estate teaching, the success went from under 4% to over 80%. And if that's not evidence enough that this works, I don't know what is.   Keith Weinhold 00:41:56  Yes, it really takes changing that mindset to break down these old stereotypes and have the confidence to say and act upon things like financially free beats debt free. But if you raise to think that money is a scarce resource, you think that retiring debt is a good thing, or don't focus on getting your money to work for you. Focus on getting other people's money to work for you.   Keith Weinhold 00:42:17  A lot of people don't even know what that means. But yeah, it takes breaking down some of these simple things that we all began to learn when we were age five or something like that. Golf is we're winding down here. You operate globally. You play globally. That intimidates a lot of people. They don't really know how to do that. But it's giving you this wherewithal to say that real estate is the only profession that can truly be played globally. Tell us about that.   Dolf de Roos 00:42:44  Well, when you think about it, if you study to become, say, an attorney, you can't just up and leave the US and go to Germany or Peru or Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to practice, you've got to study their local laws and set the bar exam. If you're a physician, you can't just go to another country and conduct frontal lobotomies on patients. You've got to study and hit the bar exam. I had a friend who was a dermatologist, a skin doctor from Austria. He moved to Australia after eight years of study to get his qualifications.   Dolf de Roos 00:43:13  They wouldn't accept them here to start all over again. And he said that's ridiculous. And he became a farmer and was very happy doing that. But when you think about it, not only our real estate investors welcomed all over the world, but they think that you're going to bring money with you. You don't have to, of course. In fact, if you're going to invest as a US citizen in another country, I would not recommend bringing U.S. dollars with you. I'd recommend borrowing locally, because if you bring U.S. dollars with you, then you're subject to exchange rate fluctuations. So just borrow locally and then you've got no risk from that at all. But despite the fact that the other countries, the host countries think that you're an investor, you're going to bring money. So they welcome you with open arms. I think it's the only profession where you are never discriminated against. Your welcomed. You're made to feel welcome. They want more of you. They encourage you to come with delegations of other investors.   Dolf de Roos 00:44:05  It's kind of good gig to be on.   Keith Weinhold 00:44:08  Make the World Yours. The UN recognizes 193 world nations. Get out and see them and invest outside your own home country if you have the ability to. Well, Duff, you've got this interesting combination of commercial real estate focus, a great grasp of the mindset and how to help people with the wealth mindset. And then thirdly, you also operate globally. So it's been really interesting to speak with you. You help people in so many ways with a lot of your teaching resources. So why don't you let our audience know how they can engage with that?   Dolf de Roos 00:44:41  We have a lot of programs that we run from time to time. I mentioned I saw a client in the UK. He was an example of someone we did a fly out for. I'd spend three days just with that one client to help him with his portfolio. But the thing I've got coming up is a live training and people can get a free seat to attend and learn more at my website called Dolf Live.   Dolf de Roos 00:45:03  So Dorfman and Dolf and then live Live.com golf Dolph Live.com. You can see what we've got coming up there. It's entirely free to attend. And then, you know, once that event's gone, I'm sure we'll post other things there, but that's the best way of staying informed with what I've got going. Part of my passion, Keith, is sharing it. You know, it's pretty boring doing it on your own. And one of the biggest thrills I get is when you get feedback by email or however, from someone who said, well, when I heard this or saw that or read this, I wasn't even sure if it would work and I certainly wasn't sure if it would work for me. But look at what I've done since then, and that gives you a feeling that you can't describe in words. That's pretty cool. You change someone's life and you don't even really know who they are, then that's kind of that's fun stuff.   Keith Weinhold 00:45:48  The ruse has been helpful to me in our audience today. The King of Commercial Real Estate, thanks so much for coming on to the show.   Dolf de Roos 00:45:55  Hey, thank you so much for the opportunity. I really enjoyed it.   Keith Weinhold 00:46:04  Check out Dolph Live.com. It looks like he's got a live event coming up this Thursday night, and if you missed that more afterward, like I was saying earlier, a ton of great episodes coming up here on the get Rich education podcast, just stacked. As always, you'll get lessons from me when I'm going to break down. Is any debt worth paying off? Which debts are which are not and why? That's going to help you know what to do with every debt for the rest of your life. And that's besides what I mentioned earlier, both new guests and very popular returning guests. I hope that you learned something today. I'll run it back next week when we meet again. Until then, I'm your host, Keith Weintraub. Don't quit your daydream.   Speaker 8 00:46:54  Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own.   Speaker 8 00:47:05  Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss the host is operating on behalf of get Rich education LLC exclusively.   Keith Weinhold 00:47:22  The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building. Get Rich education.com.

Celebrity Book Club with Steven & Lily
Constance “Sex Quirkster” Wu

Celebrity Book Club with Steven & Lily

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2024 52:04 Transcription Available


What if I told you Hollywood isn't all it's cracked up to be? This week we read award-winning actress Constance Wu's memoir “Making a Scene” and it's, dare we say, pretty random. We discuss her time as a struggling actress, sex in Union Square, canceling a “Fresh Off the Boat” producer (and co-star backlash), owning a bunny, Mormon-owned coffee shops, not really talking about “Crazy Rich Asians,” theater kid drama, Michelle Yeoh dictating texts to her iPad, and Constance's many, many ex-boyfriends. Buy tickets to our NYC live show at Bowery Ballroom on 6/5 HERESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.