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Josh T. Franco is an artist and art historian from West Texas who believes that art history is made by hand. Cultured Magazine included this creative powerhouse in their 2026 list of 12 Art-World Tastemakers We're Most Excited About. Franco actually wears four creative hats: artist, art historian, curator and new Exec Dir of US Latinx Art Forum. He grew up immersed in the ever-evolving wonderland his grandfather created in his backyard in Marfa, TX, full of eclectic found objects, sculptures and whimsical installations. Franco's current exhibition, Where I Learned to Look: Art from the Yard, celebrates the foundational role of yards in shaping contemporary art in America. His forthcoming book, Marfa, Marfa: Rasquachismo and Minimalism in Far West Texas, examines minimalism and the aesthetics that artist Donald Judd brought to Marfa … and how these intersect with "rasquachismo," the sensibility of the oppressed in working class Chicano communities. “I am an artist with an art history PhD. My practice investigates the mechanisms by which knowledge moves intergenerationally,” says. Franco. He's been an art historian with the Smithsonian for over ten years, interacting with some of the most treasured documents ever produced by artists across time. “I believe that every work of art is also a work of art history, because every work of art carries the past.” As the new Executive Director of US Latinx Art Forum, Franco is committed to celebrating and promoting art by US inhabitants of Latinx descent and their communities to foster equity and growth, and support its practitioners. Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us!We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com
Permian Basin oil companies are reporting strong quarterly earnings, as the Iran war keeps prices up and supply restricted. West Texas, formerly in a slump, has seen an uptick in hiring and new rigs. But oil companies are moving cautiously — they want to avoid a bust after the boom. Also in this episode, more caution: Small businesses carefully weigh workforce expansion, the U.S. invests billions to prop up the Japanese yen, and a Colorado peach farmer preps for a water shortage.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today's episode:Why did the U.S. just spend billions to prop up the Japanese yen?What the bond market is trying to tell usHow small- and medium-sized firms are navigating this labor market momentBecoming a freelance court reporter helped this mom find herselfHigh oil prices lift all boats in the Permian Basin, but companies remain cautiousPeaches pay the bills for Western Colorado farmers, but drought makes their future uncertain
Permian Basin oil companies are reporting strong quarterly earnings, as the Iran war keeps prices up and supply restricted. West Texas, formerly in a slump, has seen an uptick in hiring and new rigs. But oil companies are moving cautiously — they want to avoid a bust after the boom. Also in this episode, more caution: Small businesses carefully weigh workforce expansion, the U.S. invests billions to prop up the Japanese yen, and a Colorado peach farmer preps for a water shortage.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.Read the stories in today's episode:Why did the U.S. just spend billions to prop up the Japanese yen?What the bond market is trying to tell usHow small- and medium-sized firms are navigating this labor market momentBecoming a freelance court reporter helped this mom find herselfHigh oil prices lift all boats in the Permian Basin, but companies remain cautiousPeaches pay the bills for Western Colorado farmers, but drought makes their future uncertain
Strange Mysteries with Steve Stockton Episode #20 - What happens when reality doesn't behave the way it's supposed to? From ancient relics that defy our timeline of technology to ghostly lights dancing across the Texas desert, our world is filled with strange anomalies that science still can't fully explain. In Volume #20 of Strange Mysteries, Steve Stockton guides you through 10 true, unexplained tales of the impossible—bizarre phenomena, eerie synchronicities, rogue radio broadcasts, and forgotten historical puzzles that will leave you questioning what we really know about our world. Grab a hot drink, turn down the lights, and let's dive into the unknown. IN THIS EPISODE: The Baghdad Battery: Did ancient civilizations harness electrical power thousands of years ahead of schedule? The Mystery of UVB-76 ("The Buzzer"): What is the true purpose behind Russia's infamous, ghostly shortwave numbers station that has been broadcasting since the Cold War? The Belgian UFO Wave: Re-examining the mass sightings of silent, low-flying black triangles that defied military radar and pursuit. The Jim Twins: A mind-bending case of synchronicity between two identical twins separated at birth who lived eerily identical lives. The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962: The baffling mass psychogenic illness that caused uncontrollable mirth and distress across thousands of people. The Toynbee Tiles Mystery: Who embedded cryptic, apocalyptic messages into the asphalt of city streets across the Americas—and why? The Marfa Lights of Texas: Exploring the nocturnal glowing orbs of West Texas that have mystified onlookers, travelers, and scientists for over a century. ...plus three more strange, forgotten anomalies from the archives! JOIN THE DISCUSSION Which of these 10 mysteries do you think has the most logical explanation—and which one truly defies understanding? Drop your theories in the comments!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/missing-persons-mysteries--5624803/support.
In this series, Jeff & Andy dive into a mix of useless facts, myths, forgotten stories, and strange truths.In this episode, Jeff tells the story of how a small West Texas town came to be and Andy reveals what how tall and how much the average woman in America weighs and he dives into a clothing conspiracy.This series is brought to you by the amazing Cedar Run Decoys.
Kristy and Clayton Williams, a hunting couple out of West Texas, love hunting buffalo, Africa and all around the world. While in camp in Inkulu Adventures in the Northwest Province of South Africa, Clayton and Kristy embarked on a controversial hunt - the White Rhino. If that bothers you, don't just write it off, listen to this and the rest of our series of Rhino conservation podcasts to learn the TRUTH about hunting and conservation of White Rhinos. Get to know the guest: https://www.instagram.com/clayton_w_williams/ Do you have questions we can answer? Send it via DM on IG or through email at info@theoriginsfoundation.org Support our Conservation Club Members! Classic African Hunting: https://classicafricanhunting.com/ DSC South Texas: https://www.dscsouthtexas.org/ Everyone Deserves to Play: https://theoriginsfoundation.org/conservation-projects/everyone-deserves-to-play/ See more from Blood Origins: https://bit.ly/BloodOrigins_Subscribe Music: Migration by Ian Post (Winter Solstice), licensed through artlist.io This podcast is brought to you by Bushnell, who believes in providing the highest quality, most reliable & affordable outdoor products on the market. Your performance is their passion. https://www.bushnell.com This podcast is also brought to you by Silencer Central, who believes in making buying a silencer simple and they handle the paperwork for you. Shop the largest silencer dealer in the world. Get started today! https://www.silencercentral.com Don't forget to go subscribe to our new The Origins Foundation Podcast Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/@TheOriginsFoundationPodcast - who knows, you may be a lucky subscriber who wins some cool stuff from our partner companies! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This edition of The Neil Haley Show opens with a Total Celebrity conversation with Today Show weatherman Al Roker, who walked Neil through the pre-dawn routine behind live morning television. He is up around 3:45, on the phone with his meteorologist comparing models, maps, and notes before heading to the studio by about 5:45 for the two-hour broadcast, and he admitted he never quite manages to get to bed on time. Roker turned to his Hallmark Movies and Mysteries film, The Morning Show Mystery: Murder on the Menu, part of a series drawn from his own mystery novels, in which his chef and morning-show-host character Billy Blessing, reimagined for the screen and played by Holly Robinson Peete, is pulled into clearing a rival celebrity chef accused of murder while navigating a will-they-won't-they with a homicide detective she once dated. He praised Hallmark's family-friendly throwback tone, a nod to Matlock and Murder She Wrote, talked up live-tweeting alongside viewers, and, writing his recent books on an iPad in airports and on planes, reflected on how reading and writing became twin passions. The film airs Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern.Neil then welcomed physician and author Dr. Paul Corona, known as the Doctor for Depression, whose Mind and Body Healing approach argues that mental and physical health are inseparable. He laid out the principles at the heart of his Corona Protocol: recognizing the mind-body connection, and how stress surfaces as real physical symptoms; reading the full spectrum of conditions such as bipolar disorder rather than the popular caricature of it; and aiming for genuine remission, patients feeling fully like themselves again, rather than settling for Band-Aid symptom relief. Corona stressed careful history-taking over rushed prescriptions, close individualized follow-up, and getting to root causes, and he addressed the criticism his outspokenness draws by framing his stance as pro-patient rather than anti-medication. His books range from the Healing the Mind and Body trilogy to The Corona Protocol and its Prescriber's Guide for clinicians, and his reality series The Dr. Paul Show streams on Roku, Amazon Fire, and YouTube. He can be found at drpaulcoronamd.com, and Neil floated featuring the show on Rayd8 Television.The hour continued with author and coach David Chametzky, host of Peace, Love and Bring a Bat, who returned with a health-driven update. What he assumed was simple extra weight turned out to include serious heart blockages, a wake-up call that has him twenty pounds down and refocused on wellness. A ghostwriter with a stack of finished manuscripts now in the edit queue, Chametzky made the case for authenticity over shiny-object promises, urging people to build their own book and brand rather than chase compilation projects and hollow bestseller badges, and framing real leadership as leaving an impact even after you have left the room. He described relaunching his podcast with thirteen episodes at once, partnering with Neil's Media Giant operation, and offering anyone who reaches out a free half hour to map out speaking, a book, or a podcast of their own.The hour also carried a Wounded Sisters simulcast with bestselling author and nurse Mary Shearer Eckert, who encouraged listeners not to let the past define them, to forgive themselves and move forward, chase their bucket lists as she did by skydiving at seventy, and find joy in the journey rather than the destination. Her novel Wounded Sisters, set in the rugged beauty of West Texas, has a sequel she expects to finish by the end of summer. The program closes with a Singularity simulcast where host and author Gary Lyon Otto explored where computing heads next, contrasting digital, quantum, and analog systems and marveling that the human brain does holographic, analog work on a tiny fraction of the power a data center demands.
Send us Fan MailInfection control has always been a cornerstone of dentistry—but are today's protocols enough?This week on Humpday Happy Hour™, we're joined by Lane Bourland, Sales & Marketing Manager at MCS – MediClean & Shield. Having grown up in dentistry and managed one of the busiest pediatric dental practices in West Texas, Lane has experienced firsthand the challenges of maintaining consistent infection control in a fast-paced clinical environment.After navigating the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lane became passionate about rethinking traditional infection control protocols. Today, he works with practices across the country to help them move beyond assumptions by focusing on three essential pillars: protection, verification, and documentation.In this episode, we explore the three critical gaps Lane believes exist in many dental practices: protection, verification, and documentation. He explains how long-lasting antimicrobial surface protection, rapid ATP and microbial testing, and CleanCommand™, MCS's compliance portal, work together to help practices move from assumption-based infection control to data-driven verification and real-time documentation. We also discuss why having measurable proof of infection control efforts has become increasingly important for regulatory compliance, patient confidence, and practice accountability.Whether you're looking to strengthen your practice's infection control protocols, better understand compliance, or simply stay ahead of the evolving standards in dentistry, this conversation offers valuable insights for every member of the dental team.Learn more:Website: infectioncontrolpro.comInstagram: @mcsinfectioncontrolsolutionsThank you for joining us for another episode of Humpday Happy Hour™. Join us LIVE every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. ET.#Dentistry #InfectionControl #DentalPractice #DentalTeam #PatientSafety #DentistsInTheKnow #HumpdayHappyHour
Welcome to the award-winning FCPA Compliance Report, the longest-running podcast in compliance. In this episode, Tom welcomes back former Houston Chronicle business columnist Loren Steffy to discuss the business aspects of returning to Venezuela. Loren Steffy has spent much of his career analyzing the energy industry and the challenges of oil and gas development. On Venezuela, he argues that Trump administration moves are unlikely to produce meaningful gains in oil output and are more likely to deepen market uncertainty, especially in West Texas. Steffy says Venezuela's oil sector is effectively too risky and too unstable for major foreign investment because its infrastructure has deteriorated, its legal and political environment remains unclear, and rebuilding production would require major capital, advanced technology, and years of work. Even if some companies were willing to take a chance, he believes the combination of insecurity, weak rules, and Trump-era policy uncertainty makes a broad investment revival in Venezuela highly unlikely. Resources: Loren Steffy on LinkedIn Stoney Creek Publishing Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn The FCPA Compliance Report was recently named the world's Best Business Ethics Podcast by FeedSpot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The reaction to the border opening is mostly positive. Texas dairies produced more than 1.5 billion pounds of milk last month. A federal judge has vacated endangered species protections for the dunes sagebrush lizard in West Texas. Texas A&M Agrilife can help you select wheat varieties for this fall's planting season. Texas FFA members served the Ft. Worth community. Some global tariffs ended Friday, while new ones went into effect. Where you keep your horses can affect their chances of developing asthma.
Episode 100 is one to remember. Tim and Chris celebrate a major milestone before shining the spotlight on two incredible Golfweek Amateur Tour stories from Texas. First, Dallas-Fort Worth's Mason Aldredge shares how he fired a remarkable 9-under through 27 holes before weather shortened the event. Then the conversation shifts to one of the most inspiring young players on the Golfweek Amateur Tour. Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Silva joins the show after shooting a blistering 64 (-7) at Lone Star Golf Club. His journey is anything but ordinary. Just four years ago, his first Golfweek Amateur Tour round was a 105. Today, he's a New Mexico State Champion, one of the top junior golfers in the region, and a player with college golf firmly in his sights. Isaiah opens up about overcoming disappointment, learning patience under pressure, surviving a dramatic three-hole playoff to win the state championship, and why trusting the process has completely changed his game. The episode also highlights the importance of bringing more junior golfers into the Golfweek Amateur Tour, why young Amateur Golf talent is thriving in West Texas and New Mexico, and how Competitive Golf Events help develop the next generation of champions. Whether you're chasing your first tournament win or your next National Championship, this episode is proof that improvement is always possible. In This Episode Celebrating Episode 100 of the Golfweek Amateur Tour - The Podcast Mason Aldredge discusses his incredible 9-under performance in a rain-shortened major The mindset required to go low under tournament pressure Isaiah Silva's unforgettable 64 at Lone Star Golf Club From shooting 105 in D Flight to becoming a State Champion Winning a dramatic three-hole playoff for the New Mexico State Championship Recruiting and developing the next generation of Amateur Golf talent Why patience and trusting the process separate great players from everyone else Chris Rocha shares exciting news about the future of junior golf in the El Paso Tour Why the Golfweek Amateur Tour continues to be one of the best Competitive Golf Events for everyday golfers Featured Guests Mason Aldredge Dallas-Fort Worth Golfweek Amateur Tour Champ Flight competitor Fired 9-under through 27 holes in a rain-shortened tournament Isaiah Silva 17-year-old New Mexico State Champion Shot 64 (-7) at Lone Star Golf Club Rising junior golfer and Golfweek Amateur Tour standout Former D Flight competitor who has become one of the tour's brightest young stars Whether you're competing in Local Golf Tours, preparing for the National Championship, or simply love hearing stories of perseverance and great golf, this episode delivers. Where Amateurs Play Like Pros! Learn more about the Golfweek Amateur Tour at https://amateurgolftour.net. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Somewhere inside a mountain in the West Texas desert, a clock is being built to keep time for ten thousand years. All mechanical. Wound by whoever makes the day-long hike to reach it. Designed so it´s chimes never ring the same sequence twice. Zander Rose has spent nearly thirty years building it. He grew up in a junkyard on the Sausalito waterfront – boat builders, artists, an activist mother who went on to become mayor, and a flea market every Sunday where he and his father took machines apart to see how they worked. Before the clock he was making combat robots that won six world titles, fast machines built to win in seconds. Then he gave half his working life to the slowest object on earth. What he's really after isn't the engineering. It's a question I keep coming back to: Are we being good ancestors – and what would we build differently if we believed the future was watching? In this conversation we get into where that question came from, what it's like to design for someone who won't be born for thousands of years, and what the world's oldest organisations – a hotel run by the same family since the eighth century, temples older than most nations – know about lasting that the rest of us have forgotten. It will leave you thinking about being a good ancestor and building things to last. KEY TAKEAWAYS Trust the future. Build it room to think. Don't take options away from the people who come after you. The forest you don't cut down, the river you keep, the law written simply enough that the next generation can reinterpret it – that's the work. The conditions you grow up in aren't just backstory, they're training. A junkyard, a boatyard, a poor area – these aren't obstacles to a creative life, they're live laboratories. The places you learned to improvise quietly decide what feels possible to you now. Competition doesn't have to mean scarcity or shame. Other people's excellence can become raw material for your own growth, not evidence that you should stop. BEST MOMENTS “Look at what you're making this week and ask who it's really for. Then ask whether you're adding options to the world, or quietly removing them.” “Trust the future. Build it room to think.” “I was only interested in building something that was the first of its kind. I had zero interest in building another one of anything.” “Fail fast is definitely the fastest way to learn.” EPISODE RESOURCES https://rosefutures.com https://longnow.org HOST BIO With over 35 years in the art world, Ceri has worked closely with leading artists and arts professionals, managed public and private galleries and charities, and curated more than 250 exhibitions and events. She has sold artworks to major museums and private collectors and commissioned thousands of works across diverse media, from renowned artists such as John Akomfrah, Pipilotti Rist, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Vito Acconci. Now, she wants to share her extensive knowledge with you, so you can excel and achieve your goals. ** Ceri Hand Coaching Membership: Group coaching, live art surgeries, exclusive masterclasses, portfolio reviews, weekly challenges. Access our library of content and resource hub anytime and enjoy special discounts within a vibrant community of peers and professionals. Ready to transform your art career? https://cerihand.com/membership/ ** Unlock Your Artworld Network Self Study Course Our self-study video course, "Unlock Your Artworld Network," offers a straightforward 5-step framework to help you build valuable relationships effortlessly. Gain the tools and confidence you need to create new opportunities and thrive in the art world today. https://cerihand.com/courses/unlock_your_artworld_network/ ** Book a Discovery Call To schedule a personalised 1-2-1 coaching session with Ceri or explore our group coaching options, simply email us at hello@cerihand.com ** Discover Your Extraordinary Creativity Visit www.cerihand.com to learn how we can help you become an extraordinary creative. This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
What comes to mind when you hear the words Scouting America? For many, it's camping, merit badges, and learning how to tie knots. But today's Scouting America is so much more. In this episode, I sit down with Brad Connel, Assistant Scout Executive with the Buffalo Trail Council, to talk about how Scouting has evolved over the years and why it's continuing to make such a positive impact on young people across West Texas. Brad also shares his own journey into Scouting, what inspired him to dedicate his career to helping others, and the life-changing lessons the program teaches, from leadership and service to confidence, resilience, and character. We also celebrate an incredible accomplishment: the remarkable number of Eagle Scouts our area recognized this year. Becoming an Eagle Scout is one of the highest achievements in Scouting, requiring years of dedication, leadership, community service, and perseverance. Whether you're a parent looking for opportunities for your child, someone interested in volunteering, or simply curious about how Scouting America has changed through the years, this conversation is packed with inspiration and valuable insight. In this episode you'll learn: • How Scouting America has evolved over the years • Why leadership and character development matter more than ever • What it takes to become an Eagle Scout • The impact Scouting is making in West Texas • How families and volunteers can get involved • Brad Connel's inspiring personal story If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who believes in investing in the next generation. Thank you for supporting The Krista Escamilla Show, where we share stories that inspire, inform, and celebrate the incredible people making a difference in our communities. We are so grateful to our Sponsors: Rig-ID Workwear, Omni Midland Hotel, The Preserve at Midland, Thin FR, Midland Cap Co., The Locklin Hotel and www.joincapclub.com Your support is appreciated. Dream Big~Believe~Never Give UP
Episode 95 – Alpine: Where the Mountains Became Home Alpine is often described as the gateway to Big Bend, but its story is far richer than that. In this episode of Hidden History of Texas, we explore a different question: Why did Alpine succeed where so many frontier settlements disappeared? Rather than focusing on dates and famous names, we trace the forces that shaped this remarkable mountain community. We examine how the geography of the Davis Mountains created a more hospitable environment than much of the surrounding desert, why dependable water and grasslands attracted ranchers, and how the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad transformed an isolated settlement into a regional center of commerce. The story doesn't end with cattle and railroads. Alpine found a lasting identity through education with the establishment of Sul Ross State University, bringing students, teachers, and new opportunities to one of the most remote parts of Texas. Later, the creation of Big Bend National Park added another chapter, making Alpine a welcoming base for travelers drawn to the beauty and history of the Trans-Pecos. More than the story of a single town, this episode explores how permanent communities take root. Frontier forts made travel possible, but places like Alpine demonstrated what it took to stay. Geography, transportation, ranching, education, and determination all came together to create a community that continues to thrive more than a century later. Join us as we discover why Alpine is not simply a stop on the way to somewhere else—it is one of the places that helps explain how West Texas became home.
This week on the pod, Seth and Josh welcome Ana Gasteyer! Ana talks about growing up in Washington, D.C., and the road trips and family adventures that shaped her childhood. She shares stories about cross-country drives in a VW Bug, visits to her aunts' Nebraska farm, trips to national parks, and traveling with her own family through New Mexico and West Texas. Plus, Ana discusses her current Broadway run in the Tony-nominated musical Shmigadoon! Watch this episode on the Family Trips YouTube or Spotify, or listen wherever you get your podcasts! Watch more Family Trips episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlqYOfxU_jQem4_NRJPM8_wLBrEEQ17B6 ------------------------- 00:00 Introduction with Seth Meyers and Josh Meyers 05:30 Guest: Ana Gasteyer talks Broadway Mishap: Fainting in Shmigadoon 14:18 Growing Up Three Blocks from the Capitol 17:11 Ulysses' High-Altitude Summer in a Senior Community 25:56 Academic Brother, Dog-Breeding Mom & Gassy Whippet 27:32 VW Bug Road Trips, Spinster Aunts & Nebraska Farm Life 31:56 Great American National Parks & Vista Point Parents 34:35 Clusterfunk Christmas & Holiday Movie Parodies 34:57 Sugar & Booze: Holiday Albums, Live Shows & Symphonies 39:16 New Mexico Field Trips: Caverns, White Sands & Marfa 52:06 Costco Christmas Houses, Puzzles & Game Nights 56:11 Skiing Comeback in Big Sky & Being a Vista Point Family 1:04:40 Dream Bike Trips & Selling Families on DC ------------------------- Support our sponsors: The Breadwinner From Sony Pictures Home Entertainment The Breadwinner. Straight from theaters, the must-see comedy of the summer is now available to watch at home on digital — to enjoy again and again.Grab your family and don't miss the comedy everyone is loving, with an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Get it now on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Fandango at Home. Rated PG. First Leaf Stop settling for wines that don't quite hit the mark. Head to https://TryFirstleaf.com/trips to sign up and you'll get fifty percent off your first box PLUS free shipping for an entire year. Hero Bread Hero Bread is offering 10% off your order. Go to https://hero.co and use code TRIPS at checkout. ------------------------- Family Trips is produced by Rabbit Grin Productions. Theme song written and performed by Jeff Tweedy. ------------------------- About the Show: Lifelong brothers Seth Meyers and Josh Meyers ask guests to relive childhood memories, unforgettable family trips, and other disasters! New Episodes of Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers are available every Tuesday. ------------------------- Executive Producers: Rob Holysz, Jeph Porter, Natalie Holysz Creative Producer: Sam Skelton Coordinating Producer: Derek Johnson Video Editor: Josh Windisch Mix & Master: Josh Windisch Episode Artwork: Analise Jorgensen #familytrips #sethmeyers #joshmeyers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this episode of Americana Podcast: The 51st State, host Robert Earl Keen welcomes acclaimed singer-songwriter, actor, and Academy Award winner Ryan Bingham for a conversation recorded at the legendary Continental Club in Austin, Texas. Before Hollywood recognition and Yellowstone fame, Bingham's life was shaped by the realities of the American West—rodeo circuits, ranch work, and years spent writing songs rooted in lived experience rather than romanticized myth. That authenticity became the foundation of a career that began with his breakthrough album Mescalito and led to an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy for "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart. Bingham joins REK to discuss his long-awaited return with They Call Us the Lucky Ones, his first studio album in seven years. Created alongside longtime collaborators The Texas Gentlemen, the record emerged from relaxed jam sessions rather than meticulously planned studio work, resulting in an album that feels both spontaneous and deeply personal. Together, REK and Bingham explore songwriting, growing up in the American West, finding an authentic creative voice, and the experiences that continue to shape Bingham's music. It's a conversation about resilience, gratitude, and why the most enduring songs are often the ones that simply tell the truth. Episodes and Bonus content available on YOUTUBE!https://www.youtube.com/@robertearlkeenofficial Donate to the show!https://tiptopjar.com/americanapodcastInstagram@robertearlkeen1Have questions or suggestions? Emailcreatedirector@robertearlkeen.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
On this episode of TALKdesign, Adrian Ramsay sits down with celebrated design author Helen Thompson for a captivating journey through the stories, landscapes, and creative minds that shaped American Desert Modernism. Long before writing defining books like Marfa Modern, Texas Made Texas Modern, Santa Fe Modern, and Private Aspen, Helen was an imaginative only child pulling clothes from her closet to build miniature room structures. That early curiosity led her to investigative journalism, where a single magazine assignment inside an Austin home sparked a lifelong passion for discovering what makes people fall in love with built spaces.Throughout their conversation, Helen shares rich stories from her career, including an adventurous eight-hour drive across West Texas with photographer Casey Dunn to capture Marfa's remote architectural gems just as the town was becoming an international art destination. She uncovers the cultural forces behind Western design, from Donald Judd's insistence on site-specific art to the Bauhaus movement brought to Aspen by Walter Paepcke and Herbert Bayer. Adrian and Helen share a mutual appreciation for how rugged terrain, limestone aquifers, and pioneer heritage force designers to drop their ego and listen to what the land has to say.The dialogue turns delightfully personal when Adrian guides Helen through his 'My Emotional Floorplan' approach, discovering why her home bathroom serves as her ultimate private sanctuary for reading, reflection, and creative ideas. They reflect on how true luxury is never about constructing a massive monument to oneself, but about crafting an authentic environment that offers privacy, restoration, and emotional comfort. It is a warm, story-filled conversation celebrating the deep connection between human behaviour, personal history, and the places we call home.✅ EPISODE CHAPTERS:00:02:01 — Introducing Helen Thompson (Marfa Modern, Santa Fe Modern, Private Aspen)00:03:39 — The Global Cultural Impact of Prada Marfa00:04:22 — Helen's Origin Story: From Texas Monthly Reporter to Architectural Writer00:07:27 — Marfa Modern & Site-Specific Design Philosophy00:09:20 — East vs. West: European Status Symbols vs. American Regional Modernism00:10:18 — Frank Lloyd Wright, Donald Judd & Designing for Light and Air00:16:16 — Photography vs. Experience: "Architecture Can't Move; We Get It to Move"00:20:00 — Texas Regional Modernism & The 90-Year O'Neil Ford to Lake|Flato Legacy00:27:18 — Post-COVID Design, Outdoor Living & Dogtrot Breezeways00:37:40 — Emotional Floorplans: Masculine vs. Feminine Energy in Home Design00:45:33 — Land Whispering & The Geology of Site Selection00:51:39 — Santa Fe Modern & Deep Regional Roots in Desert Architecture01:04:32 — Private Aspen & The Bauhaus Migration to the American West01:11:00 — Architecture as Living Art: Creating for Truth Over the Marketplace01:17:28 — The Ideal Client-Designer Partnership: Curiosity, Self-Awareness & Push-and-Pull01:24:28 — Geopathic Lines & The Magnetic Energy of Santa Fe01:29:16 — Helen's Emotional Floorplan: The Bathroom as a Sacred Retreat & Creative Sanctuary01:40:00 — Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Helen's Work
Riley Rodriguez takes on Charles Perry with a populist campaign focused on water, electricity, poverty, housing, and corporate accountability.Subscribe to our Newsletter:https://politicsdoneright.com/newsletterPurchase our Books: As I See It: https://amzn.to/3XpvW5o How To Make AmericaUtopia: https://amzn.to/3VKVFnG It's Worth It: https://amzn.to/3VFByXP Lose Weight And BeFit Now: https://amzn.to/3xiQK3K Tribulations of anAfro-Latino Caribbean man: https://amzn.to/4c09rbE
Throughout 2026, as part of Glasstire's 25th anniversary, the publication is organizing panel discussions in Dallas-Fort Worth, The Panhandle, West Texas, East Texas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and The Valley. Each panel features artists, art critics, and arts professionals from the region discussing the area's art and art writing over the past two-and-a-half decades. Glasstire presented the third Talking Texas Art event at the El Paso Museum of Art on Thursday, June 18. Panelists included Buck Johnston, co-owner of Wrong Marfa and Do Right Hall in Marfa; Rebecca Muñoz, Director of the El Paso Mexican American Cultural Center; and Gaspar Enríquez, an El Paso-born artist and educator. The panel was moderated by Jessica Fuentes, Glasstire's Editor-in-Chief. If you enjoy Glasstire and would like to support our work, please consider donating. As a nonprofit, all of the money we receive goes back into our coverage of Texas art. You can make a one-time donation or become a sustaining, monthly donor here: https://glasstire.com/donate
Tanner Neal didn't grow up dreaming about a career in automotive.In fact, cars weren't really on his radar.His path started with necessity. From damage appraisals across West Texas to becoming a service advisor with $3.5 million in gross sales and a top-rated CSI, to now leading fixed operations at a luxury store, Tanner's story is a reminder that automotive can become a career path for people who are willing to work, listen, communicate, and keep growing.In this episode of The Wrench Turners Podcast, Tanner Neal shares what he learned moving from the appraisal side of the business into the service drive, why communication is the real skill behind great advising, how advisors can build trust without over-talking, and what technicians can do to protect their body, mind, money, and career longevity.We also get into the relationship between advisors and technicians, how poor communication creates chaos in the shop, why service advisors need to listen more than they speak, and why the best fixed ops leaders understand both the customer and the technician experience.This episode is for technicians, service advisors, shop foremen, service managers, and fixed ops leaders who care about getting better at the people side of the business.Negative pushes.Positive pulls.Always clean your toys before you put them away.j.Find Tanner:LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tannerneal1⚠️ Disclaimer:I'm a licensed mechanic. That doesn't mean I know what I'm doing, whether it's fixing things or filming things. Do your own due diligence.Listen to The Wrench Turners Podcast:Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1ScwRP0DFMtDsp83JxPhPK?si=26aeb4be65da45ebInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/mrjoshuataylor/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjtaylor/Chapters00:00 Damage appraisals to fixed ops01:23 Getting into automotive04:54 Baptism by fire07:01 The skill that made Tanner a $3.5M advisor10:08 Promoting a shop foreman14:02 Why service advisors need to stop over-explaining16:15 Service advising is mostly listening21:03 Fixing communication breakdowns26:45 How technicians can train advisors29:50 Tanner's advice for technicians34:43 Why solving upset customers can be rewarding36:03 Final thoughts and closing quote
Haystack Full of Needles: A memoir of research on mechanisms of memory in the decades that defined neuroscience by Louis Neal Irwin https://www.amazon.com/dp/1664140603 Lirwin.org How do we store information in the brain? Is memory a thing in a place, like a specific molecule in a particular cell? Or does learning require a process in a population, like neurons firing in a specific pattern for each experience? This combination of memoir and history tells the story of how the mechanisms of memory were gradually revealed, through biographical vignettes of the scientists who set out to solve the riddle of memory, including the author?s own efforts as he was coming of age as a scientist. It shows how individual goals intertwine with the technologies at hand to push scientific knowledge forward, often erratically, and always in the context of social forces and private ups and downs. Not only a compelling personal story with the war in Vietnam, civil rights movement, and downfall of two presidents as backdrop, this is a lucid explanation of brain function for the nonscientist and valuable contribution to the history of science in the decades that saw neuroscience join molecular biology as the marquee biomedical accomplishments of the twentieth century About the author Writer, neuroscientist, astrobiologist, educator, and political activist. Born in West Texas and raised in San Antonio, now current resident of Denver. Former Professor and Chair of Biological Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso. Previously lived in Lubbock TX, Lawrence KS, New York City, Detroit, and Newton MA, serving four terms there on the Board of Aldermen. Recently a Court Appointed Special Advocate for abused and neglected children, and current chair of the Public Policy Committee of the Democratic Party of Denver. Co-author of “Life in the Universe” and “Cosmic Biology”, and author of “Scotophobin”
Officers' row (ruins), looking west, before the National Park Service acquired Fort Davis National Historic Site. The Frontier Forts: Guarding West Texas Hello friends, and welcome back to Hidden History of Texas. Last time, we crossed the Pecos River and entered one of the most remarkable landscapes in our state, the Trans-Pecos. We discovered a Texas of mountains instead of rolling hills... deserts instead of forests... vast distances instead of crowded settlements. It is a beautiful country. But it could also be a dangerous one. Today, I'd like to answer a simple question. How did people safely travel through this immense wilderness? The answer lies in a network of frontier forts that stretched across West Texas. Their purpose wasn't to conquer the land. It was to connect it. When we hear the word fort, many of us picture thick stone walls, cannons, and soldiers preparing for battle. The reality on the Texas frontier was often much different. Most frontier forts weren't castles. They were working communities. Soldiers lived there. Families lived there. Blacksmiths, teamsters, doctors, cooks, laundresses, merchants, scouts, and civilians all played a role in keeping these isolated outposts alive. In many ways, a frontier fort was less like a military base and more like a very small town whose primary mission happened to be protecting the frontier. By the 1850s, more settlers, ranchers, and merchants were moving westward. Stagecoaches carried passengers and mail. Freight wagons hauled supplies. Ranches expanded into new country. Yet the farther west people traveled, the farther they moved from established communities. Water became scarce. Distances became immense. Travelers could spend days crossing country where there were few signs of civilization. For many, reaching the next fort meant safety. Among the most important of these posts was Fort Davis. Nestled in the cool elevations of the Davis Mountains, the fort occupied one of the most strategic locations in West Texas. It guarded the San Antonio–El Paso Road, one of the principal overland routes across the Southwest. If you've ever driven Interstate 10 across West Texas, you're following a path not terribly different from the one travelers depended upon more than 150 years ago. The landscape may look timeless. But for generations, this road represented connection. Mail. Commerce. Communication. Hope. Fort Davis also tells another important story. Following the Civil War, many of its soldiers belonged to the African American regiments that history remembers as the Buffalo Soldiers. These men escorted wagon trains... protected mail coaches... constructed roads... and patrolled enormous stretches of difficult country. Their assignments often took them across hundreds of miles of mountains and desert. The work was demanding. The conditions harsh. Yet their contributions became an essential part of opening West Texas to settlement and commerce. Today, Fort Davis remains one of the best-preserved frontier military posts in the nation, allowing visitors to walk through the very buildings where these soldiers lived and served. Farther east stood another important outpost. Fort Stockton. If Fort Davis owed its existence to mountain passes and transportation routes... Fort Stockton owed its existence to something even more valuable. Water. Specifically, Comanche Springs. Long before there was a military fort... long before Texas became a state... Native peoples knew these springs well. Spanish explorers depended upon them. Travelers crossing the desert planned their journeys around them. In the Trans-Pecos, water wasn't simply convenient. It was survival. The Army recognized the importance of Comanche Springs almost immediately. A fort built near reliable water could protect travelers while providing soldiers with the resources they needed to remain in one of the harshest environments in North America. Like Fort Davis, Fort Stockton became an important stopping point for stagecoaches, freight wagons, mail carriers, and settlers moving across West Texas. It represented more than military protection. It represented certainty. After days of dust, heat, and uncertainty, travelers knew there would be fresh water ahead. One thing I've come to appreciate while studying these frontier forts is that they weren't isolated places. They formed a network. Each supported the others. Each protected a different section of the transportation routes that connected San Antonio with El Paso and points beyond. Without that network, settlement across much of West Texas would have been far slower and far more dangerous. The forts helped make the frontier accessible. Not easy... but possible. Today, many visitors stop at Fort Davis or Fort Stockton because they enjoy history. Others simply happen to pass through on their way to Big Bend or El Paso. Yet these quiet places remind us of something important. The highways we drive today didn't simply appear. Long before there were interstates... before paved roads... before automobiles... there were wagon trails. Mail routes. Stagecoaches. Horse patrols. And frontier forts that made those journeys possible. As I travel through West Texas, I'm always struck by the silence. The distances remain enormous. The mountains still dominate the horizon. The desert still commands your respect. It's not difficult to imagine a soldier standing watch here 150 years ago, looking out across the same landscape and understanding that help was many miles away. Perhaps that's why these forts continue to capture our imagination. They remind us that courage isn't always found in dramatic battles. Sometimes courage is found in showing up each day... doing your duty... and standing watch in a place where few others were willing to go. Next time, we'll leave the forts behind and visit the communities that grew around them. We'll travel to Alpine, where the cool mountain air helped shape a ranching community that would become the gateway to the Big Bend. Until then, remember that history isn't only written in great cities or famous battlefields. Sometimes it's written beside a mountain pass... or around a spring in the desert... where ordinary people quietly made extraordinary journeys possible. I'm Hank Wilson, and this has been Hidden History of Texas. Until next time... keep asking questions... because history always has another story waiting just down the trail.
On the Contacts Coaching Podcast, Justin interviews Kevin Fox, a Salinas native and longtime Midland, Texas resident who serves as character coach for Grant McCasland at Texas Tech. Fox shares his path from UC Davis and early ministry work to building relationships in junior college basketball at Midland College, where he connected with coaches like McCasland, Ross Hodge, and others. They discuss West Texas sports culture, the importance of encouraging multi-sport athletes, and how character coaching works best through organic relationships, clear boundaries, and accountability. Fox addresses how NIL has increased pressure and outside pull on athletes, the value of JUCO coaching experience for today's roster turnover, and practical ways teams define and measure culture, including tracking “positive touches.” He also reflects on humility, continuous learning, and stepping out from behind the scenes.00:00 Welcome and Introductions01:06 From Salinas to Midland01:53 Hoops to Coaching Network04:38 Character Coach Role05:15 West Texas Football Culture07:06 Multi Sport Debate10:37 Organic Mentorship Model14:40 NIL Pressures and Protection17:39 JUCO Mindset at Tech21:16 Calling to Ministry25:16 Teaching Faith and Coaching28:44 Coaching Meets Ministry30:21 Learning to Say I Don't Know31:53 Humility and Adaptation34:26 Boundaries and Accountability39:03 Preacher vs Minister41:15 Coaching Across Levels47:12 Defining Character Culture51:12 Changing Minds and Showing Up53:57 Closing Story and Farewell
After recapping the Weekend in Fun, Dave and Will fill us in on their electric finish at the West Texas Invitational, then the UFC debacle and we have an old man getting upended by a bison in Yellowstone. Support us on Patreon and receive weekly episodes for as low $5 per month: www.patreon.com/circlingbackpodcast Watch all of our full episodes on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6GWLSnyJKGMDIWsYC0RBG2?si=f9e2bcc01d2a4573&nd=1&dlsi=dd35daf7973642a1 Watch all of our full episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/washedmedia Shop Washed Merch: www.washedmedia.shop • (00:00) Fun & Easy Banter • (11:50) Recapping This Weekend in Fun • (25:20) Will and Dave's electric WTI story • (1:06:00) UFC • (1:15:10) Bison & Cobras on the loose Support This Episode's Sponsors: - BetterHelp: Start therapy with BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% at https://betterhelp.com/circling - Poncho: Go to https://ponchooutdoors.com/STEAM for $10 off your first order and free shipping. - Squarespace: Check out https://squarespace.com/steam for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch, use OFFER CODE: STEAM to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. - Lola Blankets: Head to https://lolablankets.com/ and use code STEAM to get 40% OFF your order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oil prices. Oil prices are back, baby. At the moment, West Texas crude is sitting near US$74 a barrel, while Brent crude is around US$79. Prices are up slightly, rebounding as tension continues between the United States and Iran. Looking at the oil trading charts, West Texas crude has fallen to almost its lowest point in quite some time. But if you look at the futures markets, the expectation is that prices will rise. Some analysts say that could very well happen when US markets open tomorrow - Monday in the United States, which is Tuesday for us. So, where are we with oil prices? Geopolitically, the ceasefire signed on June 17 has effectively collapsed. The United States has struck more than 170 Iranian military targets across Tehran and key locations in the south. Iran has retaliated with missile and drone strikes on US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, causing casualties across multiple areas. Donald Trump has warned that 1,000 missiles are "locked and loaded", while US intelligence, backed by Israel, says Iran has developed fresh plots to assassinate Trump on US soil. Trump says the Strait of Hormuz is open. Iran says it isn't. Does that sound like peace to you? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For most of 2026, the story at the Waha hub in West Texas was a grim one of negative pricing, with Permian producers paying offtakers to clear out their natural gas. The narrative flipped in mid-June when Kinder Morgan's Gulf Coast Express Pipeline expansion came online, propelling prices back to positive territory. As the market balances the first in what is expected to be a massive wave of pipeline capacity additions against an evolving, gassier production mix, the big question remains: Has the notorious Permian boom-and-bust cycle finally met its match? In this episode of Hub & Flow, NGI sits down with East Daley Analytics Senior Director Jack Weixel to unpack the structural shifts redefining West Texas energy infrastructure. The conversation covers how systems, such as the Blackcomb and Matterhorn Express pipelines, are extending Waha's fuse, why skyrocketing data center demand and LNG expansions mean producers are suddenly “playing with house money,” and how a lack of storage infrastructure could still trigger regional operational chaos during a major Gulf Coast storm.
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Did you know the first carbon capture and injection project happened in West Texas back in 1972? On this episode of TXOGA Talks, we're sitting down with Dr. Alex Bump of UT Austin's Gulf Coast Carbon Center, a geologist who has worked over 50 basins across 5 continents, to explore the technology poised to anchor a trillion-dollar global industry: Carbon Capture and Storage. From the mile-deep rock formations that lock CO2 away for millions of years to why Texas is positioned to lead, tune in for a fascinating look at how the same expertise that powers our energy economy is building what comes next.
In today's episode, we sit down with Gray Thornton, CEO of The Wild Sheep Foundation. We discuss the biggest threats to wild sheep populations, how Aoudad are competing for Bighorn sheep habitat in West Texas, and how you, the average guy, can plan to hunt a sheep in their lifetime. The Wild Sheep Foundation has raised over 70 million dollars over the last decade for wild sheep conservation. Wild Sheep are some of North America's most desired big game animals, with lottery tags often selling for $1,000,000+ dollars. Their populations in the early 1800s were well over a million sheep, with today's numbers sitting around 150,000. Please leave a rating and review if you enjoyed the episode. - Get Tactacam Cameras for 15% off use code HA152026 - https://www.tactacam.com/- Get 20% Off Pnuma Outdoors Gear here: https://pnumaoutdoors.com/?rfsn=8534842.ba528a- Use code HNTA15 for 15% off Out On A Limb MFG products! https://outonalimbmfg.com/ - Use code HA10 for 10% VPA Broadheads: vparchery.com - Check out Alberta Professional Outfitters Society for Hunting Alberta: https://www.apos.ab.ca/ -Follow our socials: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@huntersadvantage Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunters_advantage Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thehuntersadvantage Gmail: thehuntersadvantage@gmail.com
Mountain lions are recently one of the more debated predators in Texas, and few people have spent as much time observing them on the ground as this week's guest, Brandt Buchanan. For the past decade, Brandt has closely monitored mountain lion activity while managing ranches in west Texas, giving him a unique perspective on their behavior, distribution, and impact on wildlife. In this episode, we discuss his experience with Texas mountain lions, how they impact other game populations, and some of the biggest misconceptions surrounding these apex predators. We also dive into the current state of mountain lion management in Texas and why Brandt believes mandatory harvest reporting is a critical step toward gathering better data and making informed wildlife management decisions. Whether you're a hunter, landowner, wildlife manager, or simply interested in one of Texas' most fascinating predators, this episode offers an honest, boots-on-the-ground conversation about mountain lions and the future of their management in the Lone Star State.Fall Obsession Podcast is sponsored by:Hoot Camo Company (https://hootcamo.com/) - use code "fallobsession15" to save with HootBear River Archery (https://www.bearriverarchery.com/) - use code "fallobsession" when shopping online with Bear RiverTactacam Reveal Cameras (https://www.tactacam.com/)The Outdoor Call Radio App (https://www.theoutdoorcallradio.com/)
Texas Fourth of July Heat HEAT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT It’s going to be a hot Independence Day across the Lone Star State! Afternoon highs will climb into the 90s for most of Texas, with 100°+ temperatures across parts of West Texas. Add in the humidity across East and Southeast Texas, and it will feel even hotter. If you’re celebrating outdoors, attending FIFA events, grilling, or watching fireworks, remember to: Stay hydrated Wear sunscreen Take breaks in the shade or air conditioning Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing Have a safe and happy Fourth of July! #TexasWeather #TXwx #FourthOfJuly #IndependenceDay #HeatSafety #WeatherInsights #FIFA2026 The post ☀️
Jennie Nash interviews author Meghan P. Browne about her journey from picture-book nonfiction to selling her first middle-grade novel, after participating in the 2022 Blueprint Challenge. Browne began the project in 2019, drafted it during her MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts, then used the Blueprint framework to “reverse engineer” the manuscript and discover it lacked plot; the inside outline helped her connect scene events to emotional meaning. After tragedy and other commitments, she returned to revise intensively, resubmitted to her agent, and the novel later sold. Browne also describes submitting pages to the podcast's First Page Lab and learning to absorb both critical and positive feedback. Visit Meghan on her website: https://meghanpbrowne.comThanks for reading #AmWriting! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Join the Blueprint Summer ChallengeStarting a book? Stuck in a draft? Planning a revision?The Blueprint Summer Challenge is designed to help you make meaningful progress on your manuscript this summer.Over six weeks, beginning July 10, you'll use the Blueprint—a proven framework for developing stronger books with greater clarity, purpose, and reader impact—to move your project forward, wherever you are in the process.Whether you're writing nonfiction, memoir, fiction, or another genre entirely, the goal is simple: spend six focused weeks making your book stronger.Start with the Blueprint CourseWe're offering an all-new Blueprint course in Teachable, which includes:* The full text of The Blueprint* Fourteen video lessons covering every step of the framework* Real coaching examples that show writers applying the Blueprint to their own projects* Practical guidance you can use immediatelyThe course is designed to help you develop a stronger foundation for your book—whether you're beginning from a blank page, working through a draft, or planning a revision.Course enrollment: $19
This week Roger explores the idea of "digging where your feet are" and how focusing on what you can do today can reduce anxiety about the future and regret about the past. In the Retirement Toolkit, he explains the basics of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), including when they begin, which accounts they affect, how they're calculated, and strategies for managing them through retirement. Listener questions cover Roth conversions, 401(k) rollovers, donor-advised funds versus direct charitable giving, and healthcare costs before Medicare. Roger closes the episode with a Fourth of July story about unexpected kindness from strangers in rural Texas.OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN(00:00) Roger introduces the idea of "dig where your feet are" and explains why focusing on today's actions leads to better retirement planning than living in the future or the past.RETIREMENT TOOLKIT(04:06) Roger breaks down Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), explaining what they are, when they begin, which retirement accounts are affected, how they're calculated, and strategies for minimizing their long-term tax impact.LISTENER QUESTIONS(17:10) Michael asks whether Roth conversions are worthwhile with only a short window between retirement and the start of Required Minimum Distributions.(23:10) Lynn asks how to minimize market risk when rolling a 401(k) into an IRA and worries about being out of the market during the transfer.(28:19) Sandy shares concerns about donor-advised funds and encourages earlier conversations around charitable giving. Roger discusses both the advantages and criticisms of donor-advised funds.(32:52) John shares concerns about healthcare costs before Medicare. Roger discusses replacing vague fears with concrete planning and evaluating the trade-offs of retiring early.SMART SPRINT(38:01) Roger's challenge this week: estimate your future Required Minimum Distribution using an online calculator to better understand how RMDs may affect your retirement income and taxes.CLOSING THOUGHTS (38:54) Roger shares a Fourth of July story about his daughter receiving help from several strangers after experiencing car trouble in rural West Texas, reflecting on kindness, generosity, and the spirit of America.REFERENCESSubmit a Question for RogerSign up for The NoodleCharles Schwab Required Minimum Distribution CalculatorNote: The opinions expressed are for informational purposes only and should not replace personalized advice from licensed professionals.
Happy 250th! The bulls are bubbling up! Yentervention – it is a thing. Labor market predictions. PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? PayPal.Donation.Button({ env:'production', hosted_button_id:'JJJHP2GDEJC7J', image: { src:'https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif', alt:'Donate with PayPal button', title:'PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!', } }).render('#donate-button'); Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter Warm-Up - 250 Years! - We have the scorecard - Bulls are on the loose! - Kevin Hassett - what a putz - RAM JOB! Markets - Google's first day in the DJIA - a good one - SpaceX bonds already losing -Yen slips to 1986 levels - Yentervention? WHAT A PUTZ! - Trump Accounts launch July 4, with the NYSE and Nasdaq set to ring the opening bell from the Oval Office. - Program gives a $1,000 Treasury-funded investment account to U.S. children born from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2028. - Kids under 18 can have accounts, but only newborns in that four-year window get the federal seed money. - Parents, family, employers, nonprofits, and governments can add money, with a general $5,000 annual contribution cap. - Money is invested in index funds and generally locked up until the child reaches adulthood. - Kevin Hassett pitched it as a way to teach kids about markets, ownership, saving, and compounding. His argument is that the more young people get exposed to investing early, and market ownership becomes less of an upper-income club. - However - > the government is handing out taxpayer-funded brokerage seed money while selling it as capitalism. - Also odd: the benefit may skew toward families who already know how to file forms, open accounts, and add more money. - So basically it is a forced financial-literacy experiment wrapped in a political brand name, with a socialist starter check to teach capitalism. First-Half Winners and Losers - S&P 500 finished the first half up roughly 7% to 8%, with the rally led by AI hardware, chips, memory, and data-center infrastructure. - Biggest winners were the shovel sellers: Sandisk up about 780%, Micron up about 296%, Western Digital up about 240%, Seagate up about 226%. - Overseas AI hardware ripped too: South Korea's Kospi up 123%, helped by Samsung up 169% and SK Hynix up 303%. - Semiconductor ETFs had a monster Q2: iShares Semiconductor ETF up 86.8%, VanEck Semiconductor ETF up 64.8%. - Japan's Nikkei rose about 38%; FTSE 100 gained about 5.8%. - Losers were the software/platform names that could not prove immediate AI payoff. - Microsoft was down about 24% despite being one of the biggest AI spenders. - Momentum stocks had one of their worst stretches in two decades as the Magnificent Seven slipped on capex worries. - Crypto and gold also lagged the AI-infrastructure trade. - Equity BULLS are running like it was San Fermin, Spain... MORE.... - Gold biggest quarterly loss since 2013 - Japan best quarter ever - Oil starts and ends - Kospi best quarter in 30 years - Stoxx 600 best Q in 5 years Something is going to break! - When Micro announced earnings, and we see that companies are panicking (News about existential threat to smaller tech players).. We said something is going to break - MU shares lifted to ATH on the news - big big beat - Micron's latest quarter showed a dramatic acceleration from the year-ago period, with revenue rising from $9,301 to $41,460 and EPS increasing from $1.91 to $25.11. - HUGE uptick in guidance - Apple increased pricing, Dell is increasing prices next week (17%), Microsoft raised price on XBox, HP across the board increase, Lenovo/Xiaomi increases, - NOW: Apple is lobbying the Trump administration for clearance to buy memory chips from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies Korea Goes All-In On AI Memory - Samsung and SK Hynix are backing a huge South Korea chip buildout tied to AI memory, HBM, advanced DRAM, packaging and data centers. - Samsung's plan includes hundreds of trillions of won for new fabs, including HBM facilities in Cheonan and Onyang. - SK Hynix is expanding Yongin and planning a major new chip base as it rides demand from Nvidia-linked HBM supply. - Government angle: Seoul wants domestic chip capacity treated like national infrastructure, not just corporate capex. - The state is trying to lock in supply-chain control before China, Taiwan, Japan and the U.S. pull more production into their own subsidy zones. - Market wrinkle: AI memory is hot now, but memory companies have a long history of overbuilding into strong pricing cycles. - Governments are no longer just subsidizing chips — they are helping plan semiconductor cities. RAM Job? - Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron were hit with a U.S. antitrust class-action lawsuit over alleged DRAM price fixing. - Allegation: the big three coordinated supply cuts while shifting capacity away from regular DDR3/DDR4 memory and into high-bandwidth memory for AI servers. - Plaintiffs say the three companies control roughly 90% of the DRAM market. - Conventional DRAM prices allegedly jumped about 700% over four years. - Complaint argues that in a normal commodity market, at least one supplier would usually increase production when prices spike. - Instead, the lawsuit says all three moved in the same direction at the same time. DRAM: We Have Seen This Movie Before - Yes, there was a similar DRAM price-fixing scandal in the 2000s. - DOJ investigation covered alleged DRAM price fixing from roughly 1998 through 2002. - Hynix pleaded guilty in 2005 and agreed to pay a $185 million criminal fine. - Samsung pleaded guilty in 2005 and agreed to pay a $300 million criminal fine. - Infineon pleaded guilty earlier, in 2004, and agreed to pay a $160 million fine. - Micron was involved in the investigation but received amnesty/cooperation treatment rather than the same criminal fine path. - Several executives were also charged or pleaded guilty. - State AGs and private plaintiffs later pursued civil cases tied to overpayment claims. - Difference now: the new case is not yet proven and appears focused on alleged coordinated supply restriction during the AI/HBM boom. Chevron and Microsoft - Chevron Corp signed 20-year deal with Microsoft for data center power. - Agreement supplies natural-gas fired generation for massive West Texas facility. - Project Kilby expected online 2028, ramping to 2.67 gigawatts. - Full output enough to power more than 530,000 Texas homes. - Chevron partnering Engine No. 1, final investment decision planned later. - Deal follows prior reports of exclusive long-term power negotiations. More Oil News - Drill baby Drill - Interior Department cutting federal drilling bonds by 95% to spur exploration. - Required bond drops from $500,000 to $25,000 for leases. - Bonds ensure cleanup costs don't fall on taxpayers if wells abandoned. - Policy change aims to encourage more oil and gas development. - Proposal subject to 60-day public comment after Federal Register publication. Dow 52,000 and the Tech Bounce - Dow closed above 52,000 for the first time Monday, finishing at 52,182.74. - S&P 500 gained 1.18%; Nasdaq jumped 2.07%. - S&P and Nasdaq snapped five-session losing streaks. - Alphabet rose 4.8% on its first day as a Dow component. - Tesla gained 8.5%; SpaceX rose more than 7%. - The bounce came after last week's tech selloff, with investors rotating back into mega-cap and AI names. Comcast Breaks Itself Up - Comcast plans to split media and connectivity into two separate companies. - NBCUniversal and Sky would be spun off in a tax-free deal; Comcast keeps broadband, wireless, and cable. - Completion expected within a year. - Shareholders would own both Comcast and the new NBCUniversal. - Comcast shares rose on the news; Charter also jumped as investors speculated Comcast could eventually pursue a broadband-scale deal. AI Trade Gets a Warning Label - Bank for International Settlements flagged the AI boom as a financial-stability risk. - The main concerns: elevated valuations, investor complacency, complex funding structures, and debt financing across the AI supply chain. - BIS also warned that record public debt and leveraged hedge-fund activity in sovereign bonds could amplify shocks. - Quote from BIS General Manager Pablo Hernandez de Cos: "Policy actions must reinforce each other." - The interesting part: central bankers are not saying AI is fake; they are saying the financing stack may be fragile. Inflation Back Above 4% - BEA's PCE price index rose 4.1% year over year in May. - April was 3.8%; March was 3.5%; February was 2.9%. - This keeps pressure on the Fed because PCE is the Fed's preferred inflation gauge. - Core PCE may later be revised lower because of BEA methodology changes. - Goldman estimated May core PCE could be trimmed to 3.2% from 3.4%; JPMorgan expected 3.3%. - Funny-but-real detail: part of the potential revision comes from how BEA prices portfolio management, legal services, and computer software. Jobs Report Becomes Bad-News-Is-Bad-News - June payrolls are due Thursday because markets are closed Friday for Independence Day. - The setup is awkward: strong jobs could mean stronger economy, but also higher odds of Fed hikes. - Looking back - May payrolls were hot at 172,000 versus an 85,000 forecast, with unemployment steady at 4.3%. - Remember - after the June Fed meeting, policymakers were clearly focused on inflation, not rescue cuts. Oil, Iran, and the Market's New Weird Routine - Oil stayed volatile around renewed U.S.-Iran tensions and peace-talk headlines. - Brent rose 1.6% Monday to $73.15; WTI rose 2.2% to $70.75. - Markets rallied anyway, helped by signs talks would resume and shipping routes were stabilizing. - The odd market behavior: geopolitical escalation keeps getting followed by de-escalation headlines and risk-on rallies. - This is now part of the trading pattern: weekend war scare, Monday relief rally, repeat. --- New attacks by USA on Iran happened at approx 4:30PM on Friday (markets closed) and then a halt to the fighting on Sunday - before the futures opened. Odd : Wendy's Becomes a Meme Stock - Wendy's became the latest retail-trader short-squeeze target. - Stock surged 25% last Wednesday, then gained another 9% Thursday. - Barron's said the move followed a CFO shakeup and WallStreetBets attention. - New CFO Steve Cirulis came from Potbelly and is also taking the Chief Strategy Officer title. - Wendy's had fallen 47% over the past year before the rally. - Short interest was nearly 30% of the public float, making the stock easier to squeeze. - Trian, Nelson Peltz's firm, owned nearly 15 million shares valued around $93 million. SpaceX Bonds Slip After Big Debut - SpaceX sold $25 billion of investment-grade bonds, its first major public debt deal. - Demand was huge, with roughly $85 billion to $98 billion of orders. - The 10-year tranche priced about 1.4 percentage points over Treasurys. - Bonds weakened quickly after pricing. - The 10-year yield rose near 6%, with the spread moving above 1.6 percentage points. - Longer-dated 2046 and 2056 bonds took the most pressure. - The pushback: bond buyers want more yield for a company still funding rockets, Starlink, AI/data-center spending, and Mars ambitions. - Clean read: equity investors bought the story; bond investors immediately marked it down. Yentervention - Yen weakened again, pushing toward the 162-per-dollar zone and near its weakest level in about 40 years. - Japan keeps warning it is ready for "decisive action" or to respond "at any time." - Market does not seem scared for long. - Japan already spent heavily defending the yen, including a roughly $73 billion yen-buying operation after the currency broke past 160. - U.S. rates are still high, the Fed is not rushing to cut, and the Bank of Japan is still moving slowly. - That keeps the carry trade alive: borrow cheap yen, buy higher-yielding dollars. - Japan's foreign reserves fell 5.6% in May after intervention, showing the defense is expensive. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? PayPal.Donation.Button({ env: 'production', hosted_button_id: 'JJJHP2GDEJC7J', image: { src: 'https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif', alt: 'Donate with PayPal button', title: 'PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!' } }).render('#donate-button-2'); THE CLOSEST TO THE PIN for SpaceX (SPCX) Winners will be getting great stuff like the new "OFFICIAL" DHUnplugged Shirt! FED AND CRYPTO LIMERICKS See this week's stock picks HERE Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter
This week, Jessica sits down with Cynthia Rodriguez, a San Diego-based educator with over 20 years in the classroom, proud Cindy from the South Side of San Antonio, and now a thriving empty nester whose kids are taking Manhattan by storm. They pour a glass, skip the agenda entirely, and just talk. What We're Drinking: Cynthia: Cabernet Franc from Familia Leone Aragoni, Valle de Uco Mendoza, Argentina (a limited-edition pull from the wine fridge) Jessica: Seis Soles Albariño from Lodi, CA, courtesy of her good friend Chris at Wine and Wax in downtown Orange, CA Timestamps: 0:00 — Welcome, Cynthia's bio, and what's in the glass tonight 10:00 — From San Antonio to San Diego: comparing cities, surviving Texas heat, and why California weather is not a small thing when you've lived through South Texas summers 20:00 — Raised to be independent: what it looks like when your dad raises three daughters like three men, and the complicated gift of not needing anyone once you're finally in a relationship 30:00 — Tejana identity, Texas politics, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, and why if you're pissed off about what's happening, you already know what to do 40:00 — Aunt Carmen, a Tinder match, a forgotten wallet, and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving 2015 that changed the whole plan 50:00 — A text in the middle of the West Texas desert, two weeks to pack up a life, and two kids who had to trust their mom knew what she was doing 1:00:00 — Empty nesting as a reframe: who was Cynthia before she was a mother, a teacher, a wife? And how do you find her again? 1:10:00 — Salsa and bachata at the Rosin Box in Liberty Station, passion projects, and what it means to finally be present for the people who've been waiting Connect with Cynthia: TikTok: @DiaryOfAnEmptyNester Connect with Wine & Chisme: Instagram: @thewineandchisme TikTok: @thewineandchisme Latiné Wine Brand Directory: https://www.thewineandchismepodcast.com/latine-owned-wine-brands
Episode 132 - Midland, Texas, may be known around the world as the heart of the Permian Basin, but its story is evolving far beyond oil and gas. In this episode of the Latino Business Report, we explore how one of the world's most productive energy regions is diversifying its economy, attracting new investment, supporting entrepreneurs, and building the workforce needed for the future. Our conversation examines the opportunities and challenges shaping Midland's next chapter, the critical role of small businesses and Latino entrepreneurs in driving economic growth, and why the city is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for business expansion and innovation. If you're interested in economic development, entrepreneurship, workforce trends, or the changing face of West Texas, this is an episode you won't want to miss.
In this episode of The Krista Escamilla Show, I sit down with Liz McCormick and Stevie Young from First Tee of West Texas to talk about how they're helping young people develop confidence, leadership, resilience, and life skills—both on and off the golf course. We discuss: • How First Tee impacts youth throughout West Texas • Why golf teaches lessons that last a lifetime • Building confidence, honesty, perseverance, and respect • Opportunities for kids of every skill level • The importance of mentors, coaches, and community • How families can get involved. Whether your child has never picked up a golf club or dreams of playing competitively, this conversation highlights why First Tee is about so much more than the game. Subscribe for more inspiring conversations with leaders making a difference in West Texas. Follow The Krista Escamilla Show for new episodes featuring community leaders, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, athletes, and inspiring stories. Dream Big • Believe • Never Give Up Produced by: Escamilla Media
A whiskey episode, the non-format format where we catch up, work the live chat, and let it fly. Ted spots a pair of Canadair Super Scoopers fighting fires over Utah and IDs them on ADS-B in about ten seconds. Brian preps a 4:30 a.m. departure for West Texas to end-around a brutal heat dome, Tango 82 for a couple nights, then Marfa. Ted lays out the fatigue math of flying high for smoother air and better fuel burn, and when the oxygen comes out.We read an invite to Ed-Air, a Part 137 ag operation in Southern Indiana with a pilot house, six beds, and an 80-year-old founder. Ben recounts his annual five-mile hike up to the Len Foote Hike Inn near Springer Mountain and the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, 19 miles over a weekend that doubles as Oshkosh training. Version two of the website is live at midlifepilotpodcast.com, with the Midlife Pilot Tape Machine and a VU meter that actually works, so go yell into it. Plus the long road to turning Nashville's Super Charlie into a Bachelorette Bravo, a Challenger pilot caught on the wrong frequency, the grace controllers extend to student pilots, bush wheels on a Cessna 140, and a shout-out to everyone with a checkride coming up. Don't scud run, people.Mentioned on the show:Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadair_CL-415T82 airport: https://www.airnav.com/airport/t82I20 Ed-Air Inc. airport: https://edairinc.com/location.htmlI20 info: https://www.airnav.com/airport/I20Len Foote Hike Inn: https://hike-inn.com/Springer Mountain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springer_MountainGita's Calm Cockpit Podcast: https://calmcockpit.com/Capt'n Todd's "portapilot" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR2HrQGf454www.midlifepilotpodcast.com
In the third part of our series "The Kingdom of God" Bill & Roger teach that the gospel of the Kingdom includes salvation, healing, deliverance, freedom, and the authority Jesus gives every born-again believer. They emphasize that when Jesus said "All authority has been given unto me…go therefore", He means you can speak to sickness and circumstances rather than asking God to do what He has already done. Reading from Matthew 9:35 and Matthew 10:7 Roger explains how Jesus preached the Kingdom and healed every sickness, and commanded disciples to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Roger shares stories of opposition from religious tradition during a planned West Texas revival, encouragement from a Spirit-filled Methodist pastor, and people changed by miracles, urging you to resist religion, trust the Word, and rely on the Holy Spirit as a real helper and person. EPISODE HIGHLIGHHTS: 00:00 Authority to Speak 00:31 Kingdom Commission 02:21 Prosper and Bless 05:22 Rejected Revival Story 12:52 Bold Healing Faith 16:46 Gospel of the Kingdom 18:29 Beware Religious Leaven 19:58 Heal the Sick Command 22:32 Holy Spirit Personhood 27:04 Ministry Resources Outro Connect with Bill & Roger Ministries: www.billandroger.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064668460680
Buster McLaury figures he has started nearly 10,000 colts under saddle. Before becoming a full-time trainer and clinician, he cowboyed in the thick brush country of West Texas. He says there's nothing he loves more than working cattle horseback, and for many years he made a living working for legendary outfits such as the Four Sixes, the Triangle and the JA. However, his career shifted about 30 years ago when he began training horses for ranches such as the Moorhouse and Pitchfork. He also began teaching horsemanship clinics, inspired by gentler methods he learned from renowned horseman Ray Hunt. McLaury and his wife, Sheryl, have traveled throughout the country and hosted many horsemanship clinics at their home in Paducah, Texas. They have started colts for legendary ranches such as the Haythorn in Nebraska, the Muleshoe in Texas, the Parker in Hawaii, the Stuart in Oklahoma, and the Waggoner in Texas. Today, McLaury continues to start colts, teach horsemanship, and work cattle whenever he gets the chance. A big thank you goes out to our sponsor, 100th Meridian Ranching 100thmeridianranching.com
Greetings, Lowdowners — Deanna here!Friday we told you what was coming: Hightower on the main stage at the Texas Democratic Party Convention, introducing Clayton Tucker, the Lampasas rancher carrying the populist torch into this year's fight for Texas Agriculture Commissioner.Well, it happened. And it's everything we hoped it would be!Listen to that crowd roar as Hightower names the “six Bs” — bosses, bankers, billionaires, big shots, b******s, and bullshitters. That clip has been tearing up social media all weekend! Here's the full five-minute speech: the introduction, the history, and Jim handing the mic to Clayton with the kind of send-off that doesn't happen unless you've been in the fight together for a long, long time.This is the kind of thing you get every week as a Lowdown subscriber: not just the clip everyone's sharing, but the full context behind it. Consider upgrading today if you can!PS—I think my personal favorite moment is watching the ASL interpreter figure out how to translate “greedheads and boneheads.” Chef's kiss!TranscriptAnnouncer: Let's welcome our former Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Jim Hightower.Hidey ho! As one former Texas Agriculture Commissioner, who came out of a progressive campaign with Ann Richards and Jim Mattox and Garry Mauro, a unity ticket. Now to the next era of victories by progressive forces, led by Clayton Tucker, James Talarico, Gina Hinojosa, right on down the line, a lineup of winners.It just makes me happier than a flea at a dog show to be standing up here, looking out at all you Democratic Party champions of economic fairness, you corporate greedwhackers, you Republican butt-kickers, as we rally to take Texas back from the GOP, from the GOP autocrats and plutocrats, so our team of grassroots Democrats can move Texas forward. We don't want to go back. We want to go forward and forward with all the people of our state, not just the rich elites. And this November fight is a landmark populist battle, putting pitting the greedheads and boneheads who are the powers that be against the powers that ought to be, the ordinary work of day people of our state, the workers, the farmers, the teachers, the consumers. The everyday Texans who do the everyday work that makes Texas work. Now you might say, well, Hightower, what do you by the powers that be? Well here's what I mean. I call ‘em the six Bs. They are the bosses, the bankers, the billionaires, the big shots, b******s and bullshitters.They've been running roughshod over us. They're thinking they're the top dog and we're just a bunch of fire hydrants out here in the countryside. That's why Clayton Tucker is so important. So important to this election, so important to the Democratic ticket, so important to Texas, a true son of Texas populism, a rancher raising goats out in Lampasas County. The very place where populism began, by the way, it was born in Lampasas County in the 1870s. He's a rancher, been a kindergarten teacher. That'll help him when he deals with the legislature.He's a grassroots organizer, battling the data center billionaires. He even puts it right on his campaign button here. “Stop AI data centers.” Clayton Tucker. He battles the monopolists and the extremists. I'm gonna tell you that Clayton Tucker is gonna drive the Republican leaders crazy. Of course, that's a pretty short drive for some of them.Most important, as Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Clayton will make us proud again, as so few office holders these days do. He comes out of West Texas. West Texas ranchers and the old cowboys out in West Texas used to have a saying. They said, “speak the truth, but ride a fast horse.”Clayton is going to speak the truth to the powers that be. And they're going to call him, just as they're calling Talarico and Gina Hinojosa and our whole Democratic lineup, they're going to call them agitators. Agitators. What the hell is wrong with being an agitator? Agitation is what built America.So I'm here to ask you to join me in welcoming the People's Agitator, Clayton Tucker, from Lampasas, Texas.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe
Announcing the CTP for SpaceX. MahJong Craze gone wild. Goodbye to Alan Greenspan – The Maestro. Have you seen RAM prices? PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? PayPal.Donation.Button({ env:'production', hosted_button_id:'JJJHP2GDEJC7J', image: { src:'https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif', alt:'Donate with PayPal button', title:'PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!', } }).render('#donate-button'); Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter Warm-Up - Announcing the CTP for SpaceX - MahJong Craze - Goodbye to Alan Greenspan - The Maestro - Have you seen RAM prices? Markets - Economic Collapse Imminent? - Breathe is narrowing again - chips chips chips are the only play - Spacex coming back down to earth? What is that sucking sound? -- Markets getting weird..... 3% down for NASDAQ 100 today - 8% for SMH and 14% for Memory ETF - Just announced - Alphabet (Google) will replace Verizon in DJIA DEDICATION: Alan Greenspan - Died Monday at age 100 Google Enters DJIA - High priced shares - Moves tech to 22% of DJIA from 17% or so - very meaningful move - Every $1 move for Google = $7 move on DJIA - Tech: S&P 500 (~30%+), Nasdaq (~50%+) Computer Pricing - What as $2,000 a year ago for a nice desktop is not like $4,000 - Dell not holding pricing quotes - and even if they do, back ordered so prices could go up after order - Will IPOs put more money in the pocket of tech companies to buy gear at any price? Endless - SpaceX recently finalized two massive, multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence contracts: a $6.3 billion computing power agreement with Reflection AI and a $60 billion acquisition of the AI coding startup Cursor. - AI Compute Deal with Reflection AI - - - - The Terms: Reflection AI agreed to pay SpaceXAI $150 million per month from July 2026 through the end of 2029. - - -- - - The Infrastructure: The startup will tap into hardware and GB300 chips housed at SpaceX's Colossus 2 data center in Memphis, Tennessee. More SpaceX - SpaceX shares were as high as $220 post IPO. - Sharea ahve been down over the past 3 days. - Most that got in POST IPO probably bought in at about $162-$165 - Newsline: SpaceX shares slipped for a third straight day, shedding hundreds of billions of dollars in market value, after the company said it is selling investment-grade bonds for the first time. - The stock fell 16% Monday to close at $154.60, the lowest level since the company's first day of trading, pushing its three-day loss to 23% and erasing over $600 billion in value over that period. - SpaceX is seeking to raise at least $20 billion from the first bond offering to fund its artificial-intelligence ambitions. Missed Opportunity - Short the Mattress companies he said...... ----- Got squeezed out....Never to return Swing and a Miss Maybe Because this can happen... - Shares of Getty Images Holdings Inc. soared as much as 145% on Monday after it announced a licensing deal with OpenAI. - Getty said that images from its library will appear in the search and discovery features of ChatGPT, marking a key reversal for the firm. - The partnership with OpenAI could improve “licensing optics” and shift the narrative on the stock, according to analyst Mark Zgutowicz. - Getty shares were up 118% to $1.32 as of 12:44 p.m. in New York, putting them on track for the best session since July 2022. The stock had fallen about 55% this year to close at 61 cents on Thursday before the Juneteenth holiday weekend began. KOREA - SK Hynix - New #1 in South Korea: SK Hynix surpassed Samsung Electronics on Monday to become the country's most valuable listed company. - Remarkable turnaround: A striking reversal for a chipmaker that nearly collapsed under heavy debt roughly two decades ago. (CYCLES) - AI memory leader: Now the dominant supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips powering AI systems. - Marquee customers: Key buyers include Nvidia (NVDA) and Alphabet's Google (GOOGL). - Massive 2026 rally: Shares are up more than 340% year-to-date, fueled by the global AI boom. - Market cap milestone: Valuation now exceeds both Samsung and Micron (MU). Markets Get Chopped - Questions being asked about if AI spend boom producing fast enough return - Back to earth on valuation scare - (all of a sudden?) - KOSPI down 11% - Chips getting hit - 12% for Memory ETF - MU down 9%, Intel 4%, ASML 7% RAM Prices... - Looking at some additional RAM today for some office computers .... --- ARE THEY KIDDING? RAM Prices Imminent Collapse???? - President Donald Trump said the prospect of global economic collapse was a big reason he signed an interim peace deal with Iran. - According to sources, the deal reopened the Strait of Hormuz and set in motion waivers for sanctions on Iran's oil sales to the international market, with the effect being an immediate drop in oil prices and a rise in US stocks. - The agreement has been seen as skewed in Iran's favor, giving the country broad gains before the next round of talks, and has prompted pushback and anger from Republican lawmakers. - MOU signed lat Wednesday - also now more waivers of sanctions on sale of Iranian oil - 60 day reprieve. China - Weak economic conditions - H Shares about to enter bear market - Hong Kong - Close to a technical bear market, dragged down by weak domestic consumption, a struggling property sector, and an exodus of funds fleeing "old tech" for AI plays elsewhere in Asia. - A-shares are listed in mainland China (Shanghai/Shenzhen) and primarily target domestic investors. H-shares are listed in Hong Kong and are freely available to international investors More China - Retail sales declined for the first time since December 2022, dropping 0.6% from a year earlier. - China's urban fixed-asset investment contracted 4.1% as of end-May, dragged by real estate and manufacturing. - Manufacturing fixed-asset investment contracted for the first time since December 2020. - Industrial output was the lone bright spot, rebounding from April's near three-year low. - The national unemployment rate fell to 5.1% in May, compared with 5.2% in April. Marrrr Jonggg - Mahjong can be highly addictive due to its rewarding blend of strategy, luck, and social interaction. The rapid tile-drawing, need for pattern recognition, and "just one more round" mentality trigger dopamine releases. If compulsive play disrupts your finances or daily life, it can become a behavioral addiction requiring intervention. - Tactile and Auditory Appeal: Many users on community forums like Reddit agree that the physical weight, texture, and distinct clinking sound of shuffling tiles provide soothing, sensory satisfaction. - There has been a 70% surge in mahjong content on TikTok in the past year - Yelp recently named the Chinese tile game a top trend of 2026, noting that searches for mahjong clubs surged 4,467% year over year for the period from September 2024 to August 2025 and that searches for mahjong lessons rose 819%. Alphabet - WHAT>????*&*^ - Alphabet shares slid 7%, on track for the search giant's worst day in a year. - Alphabet's Google has seen consecutive high-profile researchers leave in the last several days. - The company also has exposure to the market's concerns around commoditized AI and ballooning capital expenditures. - The share slide also came on the heels of a Sunday Wall Street Journal interview with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who called for less dependence on “AI Giants” and said the AI market was commoditized. Back to Oracle - Oracle reduced workforce by 21,000 employees over past twelve months. - Cuts broader than previously disclosed, driven by artificial intelligence adoption. - Global headcount fell from 162,000 to 141,000 full-time employees year-over-year. - Workforce reductions generated $1.8 billion in restructuring costs, company reported. - Company warned AI deployment may continue resulting in workforce reductions. NVDA - Underperforming - Nvidia shares slipping recently despite remaining up about 12% in 2026. - Stock down roughly 3% past month, underperforming semiconductor peers. - SMH ETF surged 84% year-to-date, gaining 15% last month. - Traders predict Nvidia chip pricing power is beginning to decline. - Wall Street focus shifting toward memory and infrastructure AI buildout. - Micron and Sandisk shares jumped nearly 60% over past month. Gloom and Doom - JCD sent interesting take from Chris Bloomstran - Traditionally asset light companies with all sorts of revenue, high margins now.... ---- Converting into asset heavy with no real understanding of what the profitability or even revue will be in the future ----- Here are the highlights of his commentary we can explre: ------------AI buildout shifting markets from asset-light toward capital-intensive infrastructure cycle - Hyperscaler capex surge reflects move into heavy, long-duration asset base - Massive capital requirements challenge economics versus prior asset-light models - Depreciation burden rising sharply as infrastructure scales across AI ecosystem - Returns depend on utilization of expensive, long-lived physical compute assets - Asset-heavy cycles historically lead to overbuild, weak returns, eventual consolidation - Infrastructure spending absorbing nearly all operating cash flow for hyperscalers - Off-balance-sheet financing masking true scale of capital intensity shift - AI economics hinge more on physical capacity than software-driven scalability - Echoes of past asset-heavy booms with eventual oversupply and value destruction Amazon Day - Today - June 26th - US consumers will spend $26.3 billion online at Amazon and other retailers during the four-day sale, up 9% from last year's event in July, according to Adobe Inc. - About 201 million Amazon shoppers in the US were Prime subscribers as of March, up about 3% from a year earlier - Amazon will capture about 60% of all US online spending during Prime Day, its highest market share since 2019, according to estimates from EMarketer Inc. Chevron and Microsoft - Chevron Corp signed 20-year deal with Microsoft for data center power. - Agreement supplies natural-gas fired generation for massive West Texas facility. - Project Kilby expected online 2028, ramping to 2.67 gigawatts. - Full output enough to power more than 530,000 Texas homes. - Chevron partnering Engine No. 1, final investment decision planned later. - Deal follows prior reports of exclusive long-term power negotiations. More Oil News - Drill baby Drill - Interior Department cutting federal drilling bonds by 95% to spur exploration. - Required bond drops from $500,000 to $25,000 for leases. - Bonds ensure cleanup costs don't fall on taxpayers if wells abandoned. - Policy change aims to encourage more oil and gas development. - Proposal subject to 60-day public comment after Federal Register publication. FedEx Earnings - FedEx posted strong fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Tuesday in the company's last quarter that included the freight business before its spin off. - FedEx Freight spun off into a separate publicly traded company on June 1. - The company said it saw a 3% year-over-year increase in domestic volume. - Stock down 6% A/H Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? PayPal.Donation.Button({ env:'production', hosted_button_id:'JJJHP2GDEJC7J', image: { src:'https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif', alt:'Donate with PayPal button', title:'PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!', } }).render('#donate-button'); ANNOUNCING the THE CLOSEST TO THE PIN for SpaceX (SPCX) Winners will be getting great stuff like the new "OFFICIAL" DHUnplugged Shirt! FED AND CRYPTO LIMERICKS See this week's stock picks HERE Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter
In Midland, Texas, prosecutor Lisa Borden took a different approach with Cybercheck. After closely questioning Adam Mosher and finding Cybercheck lacked peer review and proper authentication, she refused to use it in court, concluding the technology was not scientifically reliable. Sam Mullins' gets to sit down with Cybercheck creator Adam Moser. Mosher tells him his backstory as a movie buff. He explains that the technology was inspired by crime TV and movies and built with the help of government grants and technology students. And then just as COVID hit, Moser says, cyber check started reaching out to its first potential clients. But he wasn't prepared for what happened next.Binge all 9 episodes of this season on our YouTube page, or get them ad-free on CBC True Crime Premium on Apple Podcasts.A listener's guide to Uncover: Where to go next
Plus: Vice President JD Vance says Iran has agreed to allow United Nations nuclear inspectors back into the country. And Chevron strikes a 20-year deal to power one of Microsoft's AI data centers in West Texas. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter. An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Carl Quintanilla, David Faber and Sara Eisen led off the show with market reaction to positive comments by Vice President Vance about the U.S.-Iran negotiations. AI in the spotlight: Chevron announced it signed a 20-year agreement with Microsoft to provide power for the tech giant's massive West Texas data center project. The anchors remembered the influential former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan, who died Monday at the age of 100. Also in focus: President Trump's comments on Anthropic and national security, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's message for companies leading the AI boom, SpaceX shares on track for a three-day losing streak, AbbVie agrees to buy immunology drugmaker Apogee Therapeutics for $10.9 billion in cash. Squawk on the Street Disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Why does West Texas continue to thrive and what role does ranching really play in it?In this Ag Spotlight, a new feature from Heartland College Sports, Pete Mundo sits down with Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association's Peyton Schumann to break down the biggest challenges facing ranchers today, the importance of the cattle industry, and why agriculture remains a driving force across Big 12 country.We also dive into the cultural side of the industry — including how shows like Yellowstone (and others like Landman) have influenced interest in ranching, land ownership, and life in West Texas, and what that means for the real world.Plus, we discuss the growing impact of programs like Texas Tech's veterinary school and what it means for the future of ranching.The Heartland College Sports Ag Spotlight highlights the people and industries powering the heartland — from agriculture to the connection between rural communities and sports.Subscribe for more content at the intersection of the Big 12, the heartland, and the industries that make it go.
Cybercheck has spread across the U.S. through aggressive cold-email marketing, word of mouth, and partnerships with law enforcement agencies eager to solve cold cases. Journalist Todd Feathers uncovers questionable claims in Cybercheck reports, including supposed access to dark web accounts and the ability to retroactively place phones at crime scenes decades earlier. Despite producing few verifiable results, respected agencies like Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation still promoted the tool to other departments, helping expand its reach. Is there anyone willing to put this tech under the necessary scrutiny? Maybe in West Texas. Binge all 9 episodes of this season on our YouTube page, or get them ad-free on CBC True Crime Premium on Apple Podcasts.A listener's guide to Uncover: Where to go next
When local river guide-turned small-town investigative reporter Sam Karas discovers that the Trump administration has been quietly waiving environmental regulations to expedite the building of a new border wall, she knows that they'll be coming for the Big Bend soon. This remote corner of West Texas is widely beloved for its rugged beauty, dark skies, and unique wildlife, and now, locals are coming together across party lines to protect the way of life they know and love along the Rio Grande. Thin Green Line Chandra Brown, river guide and writing coach, led a 5 day retreat canoeing the Rio Grande. On their final night, Mother Nature erupted. Support comes from Kuat Racks Oboz Darn Tough Free shipping on any order with code DIRTBAG Ka'Chava Go to https://kachava.com and use code DIARIES for 15% off your next order. Diaries+ Members-- Their support is powering the Diaries- thank you! You can join today.