Davos in the Desert Podcast Series

This fascinating podcast with Professor Bryant Walker Smith provides great insight into the legal issues surrounding autonomous driving.

The session begins with an overview of the state of autonomous driving. We discuss how autonomous passenger vehicles differ from autonomous trucking. We also explore the additional human resources that will be required to ensure that autonomous vehicles are operated in a safe manner.

The following are among the issues discussed during the podcast:

- Which regulatory authorities need to approve autonomous vehicles?

- How does the governing regulatory framework vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction?

- Who bears liability if an autonomous vehicle is responsible for an auto accident?

- What might be the impact on insurance premiums as autonomous vehicles are more widely diffused?

- To what extent might drivers and accident lawyers oppose autonomous driving?

- What are the risks of cyberattacks on autonomous driving?

- Are EVs or combustion engine vehicles more likely to become the dominant autonomous platforms?

- Will autonomous vehicles weigh more or less than human operated vehicles? How will the answer impact the fatality of accidents and the infrastructure?

SMARTECH Manewfacturing Technologies is a pioneering hi-tech company providing breakthrough solutions that include AI-enabled autonomous manufacturing platform and smart material systems.

LiquidCool Solutions holds 63 patents centered on cooling electronics using single-phase immersion with forced convection. The LCS chassis fits into a standard data center rack, so the transition from air to liquid cooling is inexpensive and seamless. This proprietary technology originally was developed to reduce environmental externalities associated with data centers, and the impact is dramatic: energy usage is reduced up to 40%, water consumption is eliminated, and space requirements are cut by 70%. Now, driven by low latency requirements, computational resources are shifting to the edge of the network, a perfect application for LCS technology because IT hardware can be deployed anywhere there is power and connectivity, even outdoors.

The KoolLogix System is an award-winning data center thermal management solution that delivers improved energy efficiency and lower carbon emission. This is ideal for data center operators and their clients in achieving better operational returns and environmental sustainability goals. With headquarters in Singapore, KoolLogix has successfully deployed its solution to colocation, enterprise, and supercomputer data centers, servicing low to high power density ecosystems. The company is currently on its journey towards global expansion.

Guest Speakers: Dr. Seri Lee is a Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at KoolLogix. Dr. Lee has been a leader in the electronics cooling industry for more than 30 years. He is a former Intel senior thermal scientist and holds 18 patents and has published over 60 technical papers. James Lim is Head of Strategy and International Business Development at KoolLogix.

The size of the endoscopy devices industry was estimated to have reached nearly $55 billion in 2023. Some of the growth drivers for endoscopic medical devices include the less invasive facets of the devices reducing recovery times, the aging population requiring more endoscopic intervention and the trend of seeking to detect cancer at earlier stages. The following are among the issues discussed during this fascinating podcast:

• How do the economics of endoscopic devices disposability compare to the economics of sterilization?
• What are the benefits of using minimally invasive endoscopic devices in terms of the administration of anesthesia and recovery times?
• To what extent can endoscopy devices self-steer? Operate within the confines of blood vessels?
• Where do supply chain vulnerabilities lie in the manufacturing of endoscopy medical devices? 
• What kinds of fast-track programs does the FDA have for endoscopic medical devices?
• Where do the intersections of endoscopic medical devices and pharmaceutical delivery lie?
• To what extent may accounting practices disfavor the procurement of disposable endoscopic medical devices?
• How are minimally invasive devices received by medical insurers?
• What could be the impact of quantum computing on endoscopic medical devices?
• Which medical procedures are not well-positioned for endoscopic intervention?

Guest Speaker:   John Krall has served as a senior medical device executive at OwensCorning, Baxter, Medtronic, Zimmer Biomet, Small Bone Innovations and Luminus.

This impassioned podcast discusses the extent to which China sells weapons to Middle East countries. It also addresses how Chinese arms are making their way to Hamas in Gaza. Other issues broached include:

• What is China doing on the diplomatic front to support Hamas?
• What is China’s end game in terms of siding with Hamas against Israel?
• Why is China supporting the Houthis when Houthi attacks on maritime traffic are detrimental to China’s economic interests?
• What is China doing to win the hearts and minds of Gazans?
• To what extent is Beijing’s vitriol against Israel a function of its commission of genocide against its Uyghur population?
• How has the Chinese drive against corruption impacted the traceability of Chinese arms throughout the Middle East?
• What is the risk of South Africa charging Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice to China?

Guest Speaker:  Carice Witte is the Founder and Executive Director of SIGNAL Group (Sino-Israel Global Network & Academic Leadership), an Israeli policy and organization that specializes on China-Israel and China-Middle East affairs. Ms. Witte has authored articles, research and policy analysis papers on Sino-Israel relations, China’s evolving policy reforms and their impact on Israel and strategic communication. Her research focuses on Israel’s China’s foreign and domestic policy as it impacts Israel and the region, China’s work in the United Nations, China’s Global Security Initiative and Global Civilizations Initiative and China and the Middle East. Ms. Witte is on the board of the Israel Council on Foreign Affairs.

This podcast is bursting with insights into the data center cooling technology industry. Listeners will learn about the considerations that go into placing data centers, such as vulnerability to natural disasters, temperature and humidity, physical security concerns, sourcing bandwidth and power and community opposition. The session covers a variety of cooling technologies that data centers are employing such as cold plate, immersion cooling, water cooling, direct-to-chip cooling and air conditioning. We discuss the impact that AI and quantum computing may have on demand for data centers as well as AI’s sensitivity to reliability. We talk about diverting heat to other applications and destinations. We talk about data center managers’ receptivity to new cooling technologies as well as their procurement criteria.
Guest Speaker:  Nick Hume, Founder & Managing Director of Hume Consulting, which specializes in IT Strategy, Cloud and Data Center Management, Sustainable AI Infrastructure, Process Optimization and Compliance. He has served as Chief Technology Officer and Group CIO at start-up companies in North America, Asia and Europe. He served as Director at Microsoft Azure and leader at Amazon AWS.

NanoScent is an engineering-driven start-up with 17 patents for its proprietary, nanotechnology-based sensing technology.

NanoScent’s expertise is in the development and production of high-precision gas analysis systems for complex environments. Established in 2017 and located in Misgav, Israel, NanoScent is leading the way for innovating gas monitoring technology with its tech know-how and state-of-the-art laboratories.

In NanoScent’s portfolio is VOCID® H2Confirm, a monitoring solution for quantifying hydrogen quality and cleanliness in real-time, ensuring the supply is free of contaminants like humidity and oxygen by providing real time measurements of moisture and oxygen at the ppm level.

CardiacSense, a medical device company, developed and is now selling FDA/CE cleared, wrist-based devices for continuous, accurate monitoring of human health. We enable optimal, rapid, access to actionable medical data, ensuring superior care. Our system detects atrial fibrillation with 99% accuracy.

System includes a smart wristband that continuously monitors physiological measurements, transmitting medical data directly to patients’ smartphones. Data is analyzed using proprietary algorithms and AI and medical alerts are displayed on the wristband, to the nurse-station and emailed to patient/doctor.

We are expanding capabilities to measure absolute blood pressure and CHF deterioration attracting interest from multinational corporations.

SolarWat (SLW) is an Israeli clean-energy start-up company that has developed patent-protected innovative, proven, comprehensive PV technology that consists of:

• Disruptive PV panel technology that provides significantly higher energy yield at a lower panel Cost/Watt 
• An innovative PV panel manufacturing technology that substantially decreases the SLW panel C/W.

The advantages of SLW technology, combined with a partnership with the famous European PV panel manufacturer of production lines, allow us to stand out from the rest of the panel manufacturers and establish a viable PV panel manufacturing plant in Israel and the EU.

Our team is comprised of highly experienced, motivated, brilliant engineers, scientists, and business people.

SAME FIELD, MORE YIELD. With a goal of ZERO% FERTILIZER MORE FOOD. FEWER RESOURCES. CLEANER PLANET.

Breaking the paradigm of conventional fertilization protocol which returns measured loss of dry material.

People all over the world are struggling with the impact of global
warming including food shortages, water scarcity and toxic gas
emissions.

Our differentiated and sustainable solution, is deployed and
implemented across many geographies, increasing yield, saving water, reducing fertilizer usage to zero and improving CO2 absorption in soil.

Established in 2016, NovaSight is a growing pediatric ophthalmology medical device company with a vision to change the lives of millions by introducing eye tracking based vision care solutions and data analytics into fun and engaging medical devices specially designed for the unique needs and attention spans of children.

NovaSight is focused on three main segments: Amblyopia treatment, Myopia prevention and Vision diagnostics.

Through groundbreaking innovative, agro-tech processes, and data-driven curing, Vanilla Vida sets out to provide top-quality, tailor-made natural vanilla. We unlock new possibilities by offering a stable & sustainable vanilla supply chain.

We grow vanilla in zero-carbon footprint greenhouses and operate a novel data-driven indoor curing facility, which allows us to naturally navigate the sensory profile of the vanilla beans in accordance with specific demands. 
By achieving the world's most vanillin-concentrated vanilla – as recognized by leading F&F companies – we help our clients "do more with less" and maximize the cost-efficiency of their vanilla operations.

BetterSeeds, a deep-tech plant genetics company, enables food security with its breakthrough gene editing technology.

BetterSeeds solves two major problems for food supply:  The limited applicability of CRISPR on all crops; and Climate change’s negative effect on crop yields.

BetterSeeds’ unique molecular technology platform, EDGE (Efficient Delivery of Gene Editing), enables the broad crop use of CRISPR, thus providing a wider-range of crops integrated with innovative traits.

Using its technology BetterSeeds enhances cash crops to face climate change, by applying the company's unique traits platform such as drought and heat resiliency.

BetterSeeds solutions enable sustainable food supply.

David Wanetick, Founder and CEO of Davos in the Desert introduces Dima Chernobilski, Co-Founder and CEO of GrowDirector.

The United States is about to surrender its sovereignty to the machinations of the World Health Organization and other internationalist bodies. Once this happens, the WHO will be able to force the United States to acquiesce to its authoritarian demands. 

Simply by deeming anything it wishes (climate change, racism, inequality) as a health emergency, the WHO can require its signatory nations to restrict the prescription of approved and effective medicines, enforce mandatory vaccinations, implement vaccine passports, ram through quarantines, restrict free speech and rewrite border control laws.

Globalists have written that, during times of climate crises, governments can justifiably limit certain democratic institutions and processes. They support “imposing a climate litmus test on those who seek public office.” The Marxists that run the globalist institutions also favor relaxing private property rights.

Our podcasts feature thought leaders in business and public policy. Our sessions are meant to be informative and thought-provoking.

This podcast introduces listeners to Trans Time, a company that is pioneering cryonic suspension services. Our guest is Steve Garan, the Chief Technology Officer of Trans Time.

Nothing in this podcast should be construed as investment advice. Listeners interested in engaging with, or investing in, Trans Time should conduct their own research and/or retain their own advisors. 

Have you heard that new technologies are being developed to decelerate the aging process? Research is even being conducted to revive the dead. In fact, hundreds of Americans have already paid a pretty penny to have their corpses preserved with cryonics? Does this sound intriguing? Then, you really should listen to this fascinating podcast. 

The following are among the issues discussed: 

• Why is slowing down the aging process so difficult?
• Which technologies help researchers understand the aging process? (Hints are data visualization, nanotechnology, CRISPR and quantum computing.)
• Which dead animals have been revived?
• Roughly how many American corpses are in a state of deep freeze, waiting to be resuscitated? 
• How much do cryo preservation companies charge to deep freeze corpses?
• When would be a logical time to unfreeze a corpse?
• Mitochondria have been called the batteries of cells. How might such cellular batteries be recharged?
• What are the prospects for blood filtering? 
• Is cryo preservation regulated by the FDA?
• What precautions are in place so that bad actors do not collect huge upfront fees to cryo-freeze bodies and then abscond with the money?

Guest Speaker:  Steve Garan, Director of Bioinformatics, Center for Research & Education on Aging

Steven A. Garan is the Director of Bioinformatics at the Center for Research & Education on Aging (CREA) and serves on its Advisory Board. He is also a researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. While at the University of California, Berkeley, he played a major role in the invention and the development of the Automated Imaging Microscope System (AIMS). 

This podcast is bursting with insights into the diamond industry. Listeners will learn about how diamonds are sourced, the geographies where demand is picking up, competition from lab grown diamonds, the impact of artificial intelligence and much more. The following are among the issues discussed: 

• Which countries are the primary sources of natural diamonds?
• How much of an impact might more stringent sanctions on Russian diamonds have on worldwide diamond prices?
• Why is Botswana an important part of the diamond ecology? Is the Wagner Group a threat? What is beneficiation?
• What are the 4Cs of appraising diamonds? Do diamonds lose their positive features over time?
• What role is artificial intelligence playing in standardizing the 4Cs and in demonstrating authenticity?
• Which countries are becoming bigger consumers of diamonds?
• How important is the bridal market in terms of demand for diamonds? How might second marriages and non-heterosexual marriages impact the bridal market?
• To what extent are there diamond trading platforms similar to stock markets? What are the challenges in so commoditizing diamonds?
• How much of an effort has the diamond industry taken to guard against child/slave labor?
• How prevalent are lab grown diamonds?

Guest Speaker:  Avi Krawitz, World-Renowned Diamond Consultant

Mr. Krawitz has been an independent analyst and consultant to the diamond industry for more than 16 years.

This fascinating podcast discusses many reasons why some investors are attracted to the hotel industry. Hotels offer significant leverage, the ability to dynamically adjust rates and a positive passive income profile. Hotel investors gain exposure to the real estate market without being burdened with leases, squatters and evictions.

The following are among the issues discussed:  

• How can accredited investors get involved in investing in hotels?
• What is the definition of cap rates? Average daily rates? Revenue per available room?
• What should investors look for in terms of location when investing in hotels?
• Are robots ready to assume housekeeping chores at hotels?
• How can hotels increase their ancillary revenues?
• What can hotels do to decrease their operating costs?
• Are solar panels a feasible means of reducing energy costs?
• To what extent can hotel developers tap into government programs to reduce development costs?
• How might rewards systems impact a hotel operator’s profits?
• How do refugees impact a hotel’s profits?
• Would declining popularity of temporary office providers be a boon for hotels?
• To what extent could more restrictions on Airbnb-type services impact the hotel industry?

Guest Speaker:  Michael Stohler, Managing Partner, Gateway Private Equity Group

Michael Stohler is a Managing Partner at Gateway Private Equity Group and the host of the Richer Geek Podcast. 

What happens when two of the world’s most brilliant minds collide on the direction of artificial intelligence? Listen to this spirited podcast as the guest and host engage in intellectual fisticuffs on the following issues:

• Is AI a dehumanization tool?
• Can brain-computer interfaces be used by authoritarian governments to achieve mind control?
• Where does the line of demarcation lie between software and AI?
• How do consumer-oriented AI programs like ChatGPT work?
• Is there a kill-switch for AI?
• How would one know if AI programs designed to test other AI programs are meritorious or simply digital snake oil?
• Will AI cause mass unemployment? 
• Which industries are most likely or least likely to be impacted by AI?
• What kinds of fraud will be very easy to commit with AI?
• Will AI be sophisticated enough to write patents and legal contracts?
• How is lie detection AI programmed? 

Guest Speaker:  Steve Garan, Director of Bioinformatics, Center for Research & Education on Aging 

Steven A. Garan is the Director of Bioinformatics at the Center for Research & Education on Aging (CREA) and serves on its Advisory Board. He is also a researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. While at the University of California, Berkeley, he played a major role in the invention and the development of the Automated Imaging Microscope System (AIMS).

This session provides keen insights into trends occurring in the homebuilding industry. Data is provided with respect to sales of existing and new homes as well as trends in average selling prices. Light is shed on the impact of higher mortgage rates, affordability, insurance costs, and building materials costs. We also discuss the trend of smaller houses being built, possible more scrutiny placed on jumbo mortgages and the impact that student loan repayments may have on the housing market. 

Guest Speaker:  Steve Percocco, Securities Analyst, Lark Research

Mr. Percocco is a Securities Analyst at Lark Research and has been covering the homebuilding industry for 30 years.

Are you ready to go on a whirlwind tour of the semiconductor industry? If so, strap yourself in. This highly informative podcast presents interesting insights into many segments of the semiconductor industry such as analog, microprocessors, memory, silicon carbide, gallium nitrite and gallium arsenide. 

The following are among the issues discussed: 

• What are the primary differences between analog and digital semiconductors? Which semiconductor segment can be referred to as the brains of devices?
• What are the primary end markets for analog, microprocessors, memory and silicon carbide?
• How common is licensing in the semiconductor industry? What are the permutations of such licensing?
• How fragmented is the semiconductor industry? Roughly how many skus do various sectors produce?
• Which of the following hot new semiconductor segments face the largest addressable markets—silicon carbide, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide?
• Which of the following hot new semiconductor segments are most likely to be cost competitive with silicon—silicon carbide, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide?
• How transferable is semiconductor equipment from one segment of the industry to another?
• Does the United States have the workforce necessary to receive a wave of semiconductor reshoring? 
• Is adequate private capital available to meet the capital expenditures of the semiconductor industry?
• Which technologies are being used for heat mitigation and power management?
• How important is the CHIPs Act likely to be for the semiconductor industry? What are the possible downsides to receiving CHIPs money? 

Guest Speaker:  Tore Svanberg, Managing Director, Stifel

Tore Stiffel has been covering the semiconductor industry for 25 years. Originally from Norway, Mr. Svanberg is based in Silicon Valley.

Has social credit scoring arrived in the United States? Some say it has. 

ESG scoring has metastasized all over corporate America. Politically correct companies are rewarded with lower interest rate loans. In some cases, conservative Americans are being cut off from social media, banks and payment platforms. Democrat lawmakers tried to place siting Republican Senators on the no-fly list in January of 2021. Woke America is allowed to contest elections. When Republicans do so, they are charged with criminal behavior.

This fascinating session discusses breaking issues such as the subjectiveness of ESG scoring, so-called predictive ESG modeling and wokeness being programmed into AI technologies. We discuss the adequacy of Congressional investigations into biases being baked into AI.

We also broach technologies that the woke mob wants to roll out. One such technology is climate tracing with satellites. A truly frightening bioengineering technology could insert genes into people that would cause them to dislike meat.

Guest Speaker:  Donald Kendal, Podcast Host, The Heartland Institute

Donald Kendal is the host of the Heartland Institute’s In The Tank Podcast. He is also a Research Fellow for the Socialism Research Center. Donald was a contributor to Glenn Beck's latest two books - Arguing With Socialists and The Great Reset.

This highly insightful session discusses the policies the World Health Organization is pursuing to control many aspects of the worldwide populace’s daily lives. Inasmuch as can be determined, the WHO is preparing to dictate which drugs should be administered and which medicines doctors will be forbidden to prescribe. The WHO is developing policies with respect to vaccine passports, quarantining, requiring states to surveil their media and proscribing border closures. The WHO (together with the United Nations) wants to have wide latitude to declare a health risk—so-called Climate Change, racism, global inequality and developments occurring in outer space are being teed up as pretenses to implement global authoritarian practices.

Dr. Nass discusses how the WHO is degrading humans to the level of animals and plants in its self-proclaimed stewardship of the Earth. She talks about how 85% of the WHO’s budget is privately funded, and therefore beholden to individuals, businesses and foundations who look at the WHO as a conduit to implement their own self-serving policies. Dr. Nass sheds light on consequences countries may face for failing to comply with WHO mandates and illuminates the fact that countries that adopt WHO mandates will be locked in the WHO framework for at least three years.

Dr. Nass also discusses how vicious and vindictive state board medical licensing regulators caused her to have her medical license suspended.

Guest Speaker:  Dr. Meryll Nass, Internist, Practices in Maine

Dr. Nass is a board-certified internist and a biological warfare epidemiologist and expert in anthrax. She testified to Congress in November 2001 on “Preparing a Medical Response to Bioterrorism”. 

Producing the rare earth minerals necessary to build electric vehicles is not easy or inexpensive. Mining by nature is a dangerous business. Deadly accidents occur and long-term health issues arise from mining. Tremendous amounts of diesel fuel and electricity are used in mineral extraction. A bottleneck largely exists in getting these rare earth minerals to market as processing is expensive and is largely controlled by Chinese companies.

Listen to this podcast and gain insight into issues such as: 

• Which rare earth minerals are in abundant supply? Which rare earth minerals are extracted as byproducts of other mining activities?
• What is being done to build more processing capacity throughout the world?
• How viable is it to extract rare earth minerals from the depths of the oceans?
• Are mineral rich countries more interested in charging royalties or requiring foreign mining companies to build infrastructure?
• What kinds of post-mining obligations do mining companies have?

Guest Speaker:  Henry Sanderson, Author, Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green.

Henry covered commodities and mining for the Financial Times for seven years. Prior to that he lived and worked in Beijing, where he was a correspondent for Bloomberg.

This highly informative session discusses the policies the federal government is taking to seize control of an increasing amount of America’s land used by farmers and ranchers. For instance, under the Conservation Reserve Program, the government pays farmers to refrain from developing portions of their land. Then, when endangered species are found on such land, the owners are forbidden to utilize lands that host such critical habitats. No further compensation is directed at landowners who are forbidden from developing critical habitats. Expensive studies must be conducted to disprove the government’s contentions as to the presence of endangered species.

This podcast discusses the Biden Administration’s 30 by 30 program, under which the government will control 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030. There are no guarantees that the federal government will be satiated with control of 30% of our nation’s lands and waters. This 30 by 30 landgrab should be viewed in the context of other efforts to displace farmers and ranchers around the world, thereby further threatening the food supply.

Listen to this program to glean insight into the motivation of some of the wealthiest people in world who are buying up vast tracks of farmland. Further, dispossessing farmers and ranchers from their land reduces all of their rights, and risks sending them into serfdom.

Guest Speaker:  Margaret Byfield, Executive Director, American Stewards of Liberty

Margaret was raised on a large cow calf operation in central Nevada purchased by her parents, Wayne and Jean Hage in 1978. Her family experienced unprecedented regulatory pressures that eventually led to Hage v. United States, the first federal lands grazing case filed in the United States Court of Federal Claims.  The case was in litigation for 27 years. 

At the American Stewards of Liberty, Margaret works directly with policy leaders at the local, State and Federal level helping to advance strategies that protect the production of America’s food, fiber, minerals and energy. She runs the national “Property Rights Task Force” and “Multiple-Use Alliance” that confront the agendas eroding property rights in America. Margaret has guided and participated in numerous government-to-government coordination meetings dealing with a variety of issues including federal resource management plans, endangered species, transportation corridors, power lines, high speed rail and many other concerns.

Kevin Kirchman caught the European Space Agency red-handed. The ESA tried to pull the wool over our eyes by reporting record temperatures. How did they do this? The ESA switched the temperature reporting standards from two meters above land surface to land surface. The ESA reportedly explained that “…actual temperature of the land’s surface is significantly hotter than air temperatures."

This session lays waste to the notion that research exists to demonstrate rising temperatures over the last several centuries. There is no reliable data to support such contentions. Measuring devices were variable and inaccurate and there were no computers to record whatever data was supposedly captured. At best, some guys here and there recorded some temperatures every now and then. They probably lost some of their papers. In other cases, some of their papers probably got destroyed, by wind and by fire. Even in current times, researcher frequently lie. As recently as mid-July 2023, the President of Standford University resigned in the wake of gross research fraud committed at that institution. 

Another revelation from this podcast was the recent discovery of 19,000 undersea volcanoes which account for a great deal of any rising ocean temperature. Finally, if carbon dioxide is radically reduced, human life will become much more tenuous because plants will struggle to exist.

This highly informative session discusses which companies should and should not seek to become publicly traded. It also imparts insight into the costs of going public and remaining public. A variety of paths a private company can take to become a public company are thoroughly explored. The following are among the issues discussed during this session:

• How much revenue are companies required to generate in order to go public?
• Are accountants required to review their publicly traded clients’ quarterly financial statements?
• What is the minimum number of shareholders required to become an OTC company?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a public company by way of merging into a SPAC versus the traditional IPO route?
• What are the differences in raising capital under Regulations 506 (C), CF and A?
• What are the obligations of capital raising companies in terms of determining that their investors are accredited investors?
• What is the impact of Rule 419?
• What could be some of the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a public company in terms of winning government contracts?

Guest Speaker: Andrea Cataneo is a partner in MSK's Corporate & Business Transactions Practice Group in the firm's New York office. She is also a member of the Capital Markets & Securities as well as its Crypto Assets & Blockchain Technology team. Andrea’s practice focuses on preparing companies for capital raises, structuring secured and unsecured equity and debt financing transactions for early and late stage companies, and taking private companies public via self-registration statements and IPOs.

Andrea represents publicly held companies with respect to 1934 Act reporting obligations to the Securities and Exchange Commission. She performs a variety of corporate transactions for her clients, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, proxy contests, restructurings and corporate governance, NASDAQ and NYSE-American listing applications and all related compliance matters. Her practice covers domestic and international transactions, and she has been active in Italy, Mexico, Argentina, Canada, China, Israel and Kenya. Andrea has also been a leading voice in the Cannabis space, helping private and public clients navigate the developing legal landscape.

We are told to unquestioningly believe that mankind is solely responsible for so-called climate change. To ask any questions is said to be anti-science. But skewering people for asking questions about a scientific matter is anti-science.

The climate change chest beaters are clearly becoming unhinged. The face of the climate change movement has been led by then 14-year old Greta Thunberg who has no academic credentials to support her claims. It is said that racism is a driver of climate change. (If 50% of the white men responsible for climate change identified as black women, how much would climate change be reduced?) Banks decry the coasts being washed away within the next three years but originate as many 30-year mortgages for those houses as they can.

Many climate change warriors have admitted that climate change is nothing more than a farce to seize control of just about every aspect of industry and our personal lives. Climate change jihadists want to dictate where you drive, what kind of car you have to drive, what kind of stove you have to use, what kinds of foods you can eat and more. 

Fortunately, some prominent scientists are speaking up. Dr. John Clauser, co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Physics prize, called the “climate emergency scare a dangerous corruption of science that threatens the world’s economy and the well-being of billions of people.” The World Climate Declaration has been signed by around 300 climate professors and declares: “There is no climate emergency.” The leading nuclear physicist, Dr. Wallace Manheimer, warned that Net Zero would end modern civilization.

Guest Speaker:  James R. Gorrie is an author, speaker, political consultant, film maker, marketer and expert on the geopolitics of China. He is the author of The China Crisis: How China’s Economic Collapse Will Lead to a Global Depression.

Brad Dacus provides insight into the nature of some of the hundreds of cases that the Pacific Justice Institute is pursuing in its attempts to provide justice to those mistreated during the reign of terror waged during the COVID pandemic. Many thousands of members of the military were delisted because of their aversion to becoming vaccinated with an untested concoction. The PJI is working to get many of these soldiers reenlisted with back pay and the same rank. Hundreds of employers summarily dismissed their unvaccinated employees. The health care establishment waged medical apartheid against the unvaccinated, relegating them to medical Bantustans. 

Mr. Dacus discusses the extent to which the PJI works with outside litigators, attempts to reach settlement, wages class-action suits, and structures contingency fee arrangements. He also talks about how the PJI is educating legislators about the folly of overreaching in times of crises. 

 Among the many interesting nuggets of information to arise out of this highly informative podcast were:

• The Red Cross is quietly soliciting blood donors among the unvaccinated.

• Of the 34 pregnant women that were administered Pfizer’s anti-COVID vaccine, 26 had miscarriages.  

Guest Speaker:    Brad Dacus is the President of the Pacific Justice Institute. The Pacific Justice Institute handles more case matters—always free of charge—defending faith and family coast to coast more than any other legal organization of its kind with hundreds of volunteer attorneys. Before founding the Pacific Justice Institute in 1997, Brad Dacus served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Phil Gramm, and went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Texas, School of Law.

The World Health Organization is not what it used to be. The World Health Organization should not be confused with the Red Cross.

A growing incidence of the WHO’s budget hails from directed funding, many of whose contributors have axes to grind and drugs to promote. The WHO is largely influenced by China which contributes less money to the WHO than Nigeria.

It is unclear how much funding is directed to the WHO’s administration and no organization has the authority to audit the WHO’s books. The WHO is an undemocratic organization whose Director General has complete control, without being burdened with the risk of appeal.

Now the WHO wants to force every country to implement its draconianly restrictive policies whenever it declares a health emergency. Oh, and the WHO is deleting the following line from its official policy positions: “full respect for dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons.”

Guest Speaker: David Bell, Senior Scholar at Brownstone Institute, is a public health physician and biotech consultant in global health. He is a former medical officer and scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), Programme Head for malaria and febrile diseases at the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) in Geneva, Switzerland, and Director of Global Health Technologies at Intellectual Ventures Global Good Fund in Bellevue, WA.

Should Elon Musk be classified as an African American? Why are Afghans classified as white? Is an Argentinian of direct German descent a Latin American or a European? Should anyone care?

Listen to Professor David Bernstein speak about the illogic of classifying Americans by race especially as there are more mixed-race marriages and adoptions. There are no standard definitions of race and bi-racial people are often unable to choose multiple racial classifications. 

 Some university and job applicants have great latitude when identifying as particular races. Many choose the races that are reported to be the most deprived. Does this set low expectations?

 Is the race-baiting behind ubiquitous racial classification more pernicious? There are always groups that will fare less well economically than others. Race baiters use such differences to gin up resentment to other groups. This is a good racket as no one, except for Michael Jackson, can change his race.

Guest Speaker:  David E. Bernstein holds a University Professorship chair at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, where he has been teaching since 1995. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Michigan, Georgetown University, William & Mary, Brooklyn Law School, the University of Turin, and Hebrew University. Professor Bernstein teaches Constitutional Law, Evidence, and Products Liability. A prolific author, Professor Bernstein often challenges the conventional wisdom with prodigious research and sharp, original analysis. He is the author of five books, and coauthor of two more. Columnist George Will praised Professor Bernstein’s most recent book, Classified, The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America, as “perhaps the most consequential American book of 2022.”

Listen to this podcast to learn about the messaging that Free North Korea Radio is broadcasting into North Korea. Discover how North Koreans are listening to such broadcasts and how targeted the messaging has become. Also, learn about the effectiveness of leaflet drops and rice bottles floating in rivers in spreading the message of human rights in North Korea.

The following are among the other issues discussed during this fascinating webinar:

·        The whole world is sympathetic to the plight of North Koreans, except for 30% of South Koreans. 

·        Why could an End of War Declaration be ruinous for the United States to maintain military bases in South Korea? 

·        How much influence does China have in directing North Korea’s nuclear weapons program? Why would China like to see North Korea invade South Korea?  

·        Are there any influential figures in North Korea with whom regime change can be negotiated? Is there an Idi Amin option for the North Korean regime?

·        What is the current plight of North Koreans? Is daily life getting slightly better or worse?

Guest Speaker: Suzanne Scholte is President of the Defense Forum Foundation and Chair of the North Korea Freedom Coalition. She is also a Seoul Peace Prize Laureate.

Ralph Lorigo successfully litigated scores of cases against hospitals throughout 40 states. What was the common complaint? Hospitals refused to administer Ivermectin, a drug that has been prescribed about 3 billion times over the past 35 years, with almost no reported adverse effects. At costs of many tens of thousands of dollars per litigation, hospitals hired the best law firms to use every litigation stall tactic (motions to dismiss, stays, appeals) to prevent patients from gaining access to life-saving Ivermectin (which costs less than $1 per pill). Hospitals even appealed cases when the patient received Ivermectin and lived, just to prevent precedent.

Why did the medical establishment wage war against Ivermectin? Because COVID vaccines would not be able to gain emergency use authorization if a suitable remedy were readily available.

The following are among the other issues discussed during this illuminating podcast:

• How hospitals became pushers of Remdesivir (and received hefty bonuses for doing so) and were quick to push patients on life-compromising ventilators despite satisfactory oxygen levels. 
• How hospitals practiced medical kidnappings by refusing to release patients even when patients were willing to sign releases “against medical advice.” 
• Similarly, how hospitals reported child abuse to Child Protective Services when patents wanted their children released from hospitals. 
• How hospitals practiced medical apartheid by refusing to treat (or poorly treat) non-vaccinated patients.
• How medical professionals were threatened with loss of hospital privileges or loss of licensure if they even mentioned Ivermectin. 
• How “right to try” states and Catholic hospitals were a little more amenable to making Ivermectin available. 
• The difficulty of suing hospitals. 

Guest Speaker:  Mr. Lorigo is the founding member of The Law Office of Ralph C. Lorigo, which is based near Buffalo, NY. Over nearly four decades, Mr. Lorigo’s law firm has assisted clients with legal matters ranging from buying homes, estate planning, civil disputes, personal injury, criminal matters and divorce.

During this podcast, George Khalaf discusses how he and his team use data to target candidate messaging and tweak candidate messaging so as to resonate with various audiences without compromising underlying policy positions. George also discusses the limitations of running a data-centric campaign.

The program explores the reliability of surveys, how they should be best crafted and the related expenses. We chat about the extent to which some survey companies may intentionally skew survey results so as to affect the motivation of campaign staffers and contributors as well as cause the misallocation of rival candidates’ campaign resources.

Despite Arizona’s and the nation’s compromised elections, George remains resolute. He is as optimistic and as hard-working as ever. He is dedicated to using his talents to ensure that America remains a vibrant democracy as well as a beacon to people from the world over. 

Guest Speaker:  Mr. Khalaf is the Managing Director of the Resolute Group and President of Data Orbital. For more than a decade Mr. Khalaf has leveraged his political instincts, data expertise and strategic relationships to advance conservative clients and causes throughout Arizona and a growing number of states. With a strong grassroots and data background, George has worked at the local, state and national levels. Under George’s leadership, Data Orbital is a top ranked survey research and data visualization firm that is known for its accuracy and transparency. 

Senior Helpers is a nation-wide franchise that sends caregivers to the residences of the elderly. These well-trained and well-screened caregivers help clients with daily living tasks, driving them to appointments and social events, and reminding them of complying with prescriptions. 

The following are among the issues discussed during this informative podcast: 

• The recruitment, training, screening and supervision of care givers.
• Range of services provided. 
• Availability of caregivers. Related fees and interaction with third-party payors. 
• How caregivers help clients socialize. 
• Use of portal to keep family members abreast of clients’ treatments and activities. 
• Potential use of technology and robots to monitor clients and deliver services.
• Benefits of delivering senior services through a franchise model versus a standalone business. 
• Importance of a senior care provider being properly bonded and insured. 

Guest Speaker: Mr. DeVary is the Co-Owner of Senior Helpers of Gilbert and Chandler (AZ). James is also a Managing Director at A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners and a Board Member at the United War Veterans Council.

This chilling podcast sheds light on the Biden Administration’s war on Catholics.

The FBI issued a memo that called for the deracination of “Radical-Traditional Catholics.” This was to be accomplished by “developing sources with access to places of worship.” The faulty logic behind the memo hailed from the Southern Poverty Law Center which has essentially suggested that the entire Roman Catholic Church should be considered a hate group.

Since the leak of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision on abortion, roughly 200 Catholic churches and pro-life centers have been attacked. The Justice Department and the FBI almost unequivocally refuse to pursue the attackers. However, the FBI wastes no time in sending more than a dozen gun-pointing agents to the homes of people that harmlessly assembled in the vicinity of abortion centers.

The Biden administration threatened Oklahoma’s Saint Francis Health System with withdraw of access to Medicare and Medicaid as well as loss of federal accreditation. Why? Because that Catholic hospital posted sanctuary candles, symbols of eternal flames, that posed no fire hazard.

The Biden Administration is also taking measures to force Catholic hospitals to perform abortions and to dismember children by performing transgender procedures. The Biden administration inhibits the growth of Catholic schools by impeding school choice. Some Democrat Representatives have even threatened to deprive the Catholic church of its tax-exempt status.

If the Biden Administration can wage war against the Catholic church, it can wage war against any other religion.

Guest Speaker: Mr. Michael McDonald is the Communications Director at the Catholic League. Previously, Mr. McDonald served in the Trump Administration in a variety of communications and faith-based outreach initiatives.

This fascinating session covers a wide array of issues. We begin by discussing recent tension points between the United States and China. Among these sources of strife are the propagation of COVID from China, China’s role in the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States, and China’s collection of a multitude of datapoints on tens of millions of Americans.

Mr. Cropsey opines as to the extent that the U.S. military is weakened by de-enlistment due to vaccination mandates, critical race theory brainwashing and the supply of enormous munitions to Ukraine. He explains how U.S. technical superiority in weaponry is marginalized by the quantity of Chinese military hardware.

We discuss the readiness of the United States, Taiwan and coalition forces to repel a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Mr. Cropsey reveals the relative quality of the navies, submarines, aircraft carriers and repair facilities as well as the mining of Taiwan’s waters. He answers questions about possible reactions to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan on the part of India and Russia. Mr. Cropsey handicaps the risk of a direct confrontation between China and the United States, outside of the Chinese theater. 

Guest Speaker:  Mr. Seth Cropsey is the President of Yorktown Institute. He served as deputy Undersecretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration and acting assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict in the George H. W. Bush administration. Confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he became director of the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau in the George W. Bush administration. 

Peter Gallo discusses how his investigations into corruption at the United Nations were stymied at every turn. Investigators must wait 21 days before traveling abroad. Mr. Gallo was threatened with contract non-renewal for asking questions that were not pre-approved. Investigations are thwarted by the siloing of departments at the UN, where investigators lack inter-department authority. There is no investigatory authority at the UN’s Human Rights Commission. 

Worse than monetary mismanagement is that the misuse of UN coffers may be propping up dictators. For instance, the UN spent $100 million at the Damascus Four Seasons which was run by a crony of Bashar al-Assad. Such expenditures cause local inflation to spiral out of control. UN officials have an incentive to aggrandize strife because they receive first-world compensation in places where the costs of living are extremely inexpensive. 

This fascinating podcast discusses issues such as: 

• UN peacekeepers may stage or fabricate skirmishes at least once a month so as to receive danger pay.
• The UN charter has no amendment mechanism and there is no mechanism for member states to leave the UN.
• Approximately 50 countries pay minimum United Nations dues of $55,000 per annum. 
• UN peacekeepers enjoy functional immunity and proving crimes committed by UN forces is nearly impossible.
• The UN has taken many unsavory actions. For instance, Saudi Arabia was recently elected to the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women. Also, the UN rejected debate on China’s treatment of Uyghurs and actually informed China of the identity of Uyghur human rights activists.

Guest Speaker: Peter Gallo served as an investigator in the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services and is now the Director of Hear Their Cries, a privately funded NGO established specifically to hold the UN accountable for its willful blindness towards the estimated 60,000 women and children raped by UN personnel over the last 10 years.

The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history. Altogether, over 600,000 died in the conflict—more fatalities than World War I and World War II combined. A soldier was 13 times more likely to die in the Civil War than in the Vietnam War. There may have been as many as 60,000 excruciatingly painful amputations performed during the Civil War. 

As gory as the Civil War was, Professor Brettle explains that the United States was on the brink of the internecine strife boiling over into a world war. Bringing an international perspective to the Civil War, Professor Brettle discusses how the Caribbean, Britain, France, Spain, and Russia shaped events of the era. 

Among the fascinating revelations to arise out of this podcast were the following: 

• There were no Republican slave owners
• The Ku Klux Klan was established to restore the rule of white Democrats
• How other oppressed peoples—such as the Irish and the Chinese—were viewed by the Confederacy 
• What happened to slaves as they reached retirement age
• The extent to which slaves were used for breeding
• How slaves were leased out to others during slack times
• The incidence of slaveholders relocating to points south of the border

Guest Speaker: Professor Adrian Brettle lectures at Arizona State University and is the author of Colossal Ambitions: Confederate Planning for a Post-Civil War World. He earned his BA and MA from Cambridge and a doctorate from the University of Virginia.

Topic:   The Evils of Critical Race Theory

Donna Jackson pulls no punches in taking to task the pernicious promoters of critical race theory. She discusses how relentless CRT-driven race baiting sews strife among the populace. She explains how white communities, such as East Palestine, Ohio, are largely overlooked when tragedy strikes. Donna educates the listener on how the warped notion of “equity” de-incentivizes people of all races to achieve their potential.

She goes on the tell us how CRT causes children to hate their parents, especially when at least one parent is of a different race. She relates how CRT precipitates gender confusion, and thus their dismemberment when attempting to transition to the other gender. Donna declares that a mission of the CRT movement is to bring anarchy. How so? By casting all laws as racist, laws no longer need to be obeyed.

Donna discusses that perhaps the Final Solution of the CRT movement is depopulation, at least of unfavored races. Medical students are now being taught to allocate medical care based on the racist rants of the CRT community. Euthanasia is being normalized and incentivized. The CRT community is clamoring for the staging ground for their depopulation efforts to take place in congested urban areas, where disease and pandemics most rapidly spread.

Guest Speaker:  Donna Jackson is a director of the Project 21 black leadership network, an initiative from the Nation Center for Public Policy Research.

Donna was a political operative in the state of Arkansas. She worked on the successful campaigns of Governor Mike Huckabee, Senator Tim Hutchinson and Representative (later Governor) Asa Hutchinson. She was active in campaign recruiting and communications. She played a vital role during the Huckabee governorship in recruiting black candidates for executive-appointed boards and commissions in addition to helping create job-training programs at a local community college and the Arkansas Office of Workforce Development.

Donna currently serves as an advisory board member for the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) Center for Energy and Conservation, an advisory board member of the 2025 Project and a member of the Board of Directors of The Conservative Caucus.

Topic:   Arizona’s Compromised 2022 Elections

Mark Sonnenklar served as a roving attorney in Maricopa County during Arizona’s 2022 primary and general elections, published a comprehensive report regarding the experiences of eleven of the seventeen roving attorneys in Maricopa County on general election day, and was an important member of Kari Lake’s legal team during her election contest. Mark discusses the pervasive malfeasance of Maricopa County election officials during the 2022 general election.

For example, nearly 60% of the vote centers in Maricopa County had material problems getting the tabulators to tabulate the printed ballots on election day (when Republican voters outnumbered Democrats by three-to-one). This problem persisted throughout election day, despite disingenuous assertions by elections officials to the contrary. Second, Maricopa County’s elections officials admitted that they violated Arizona’s chain of custody laws and the Arizona Secretary of State’s Election Procedures Manual when they did not count the mail-in ballots that arrived at election headquarters on election day. Third, tens of thousands (and potentially hundreds of thousands) of mail-in ballots were plagued with signatures that egregiously or likely did not match the signatures in the applicable voter files, indicating the ballots were not filled out by actual voters.

Kari Lake filed an election contest in early December 2022 in an effort to have the court order a new election. However, before the election contest trial even began, the trial court judge dismissed eight of Kari’s ten legal claims. The timeline to collect evidence and to prepare Kari’s legal case was compressed. Discovery was not allowed. To make matters worse, the trial court judge required Kari Lake to prove that Maricopa County election officials engaged in intentional misconduct that was intended to change the results of the election even though historical legal precedents relating to election contests have never applied such a high standard and intentionality is nearly impossible to prove under the time constraints of an election contest.

Many of Kari Lake’s lawyers have been sanctioned and required to pay opponents’ legal costs in connection with a separate lawsuit. The 65 Project has filed bar complaints against four members of Kari Lake’s legal team. Shortly after Mark’s roving attorney report was released, his email account was suspiciously and maliciously hacked. Needless to say, Kari Lake’s legal team is under attack.

Guest Speaker:   Mark Sonnenklar is a corporate lawyer with a broad-based practice that includes mergers & acquisitions, equity financings, fund formation, strategic partnerships, licensing, and almost any other kind of commercial transaction. He acts as outsourced general counsel for many of his clients.

He cut his teeth as a corporate lawyer working at a large law firm, Morrison & Foerster LLP, during the dotcom boom. That experience shaped his disciplined work ethic and attention to detail.

Mark has also worked as outsourced general counsel for a variety of companies.  As a result, he has developed an understanding of the business and operational needs of companies, translating into a practical approach to advising his clients.

Topic:   Lessons in City Management with the Honorable Kevin Hartke

Chandler, AZ is one of the nation’s best run cities. Taxes are low and the quality of living is high. It is one of the few cities that has an AAA rating from all of the credit rating agencies and crime is about as low as it has been since the late 1980s, when Chandler was only about a quarter of its current population.

Listen to this intriguing podcast to learn how Chandler manages its finances, is reducing the incidence of homelessness, civilianizing elements of its police force so that officers can spend more time policing and recycles every drop of water multiple times.

You will also hear about the quality of schools in Chandler, hotel and airport capacity and expansions, testing autonomous driving in Chandler and the diligent planning for a casino.

Guest Speaker:   Chandler, AZ Mayor Kevin Hartke began his second term in January 2023. Before serving as Mayor he previously served for nine years on the City Council. Mayor Hartke served as Vice Mayor twice, in 2015 and 2017. Mayor Hartke and his wife, Lynne, have been married for 41 years and have lived in Chandler since 1985. He served as Lead Pastor at Trinity Christian Fellowship in Chandler where he worked from 1985-2018. He has a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from University of Missouri, Columbia; and a master’s degree in Theology with Fuller Theological Seminary. He served nine years as the statewide director of For Our City, which is a collaborative effort of government, business, nonprofit, and faith leaders gathered to find solutions for needs in a community.

Topic:   Legal Issues That Arise in Acquisitions

The role of transactions lawyers is to structure and de-risk deals for clients. Transactions lawyers are instrumental in facilitating due diligence, structuring deals to address payment terms, tax treatment, and risk allocation, and managing deal logistics. One of the nation’s preeminent corporate lawyers shares keen insights, relates common mistakes made in preparing for acquisitions and imparts war stories during this highly informative session.

The following are among the issues discussed during this insightful podcast:

• How to prepare for due diligence
• Hiring interim CFOs and investment bankers
• Differences between asset and stock sales
• Obtaining consents
• Risks of distributing equity to employees
• The role and risks of earn-outs
• Setting terms for calculating post-closing adjustments
• Duration, extent and release of escrows

Guest Speaker:   Brian Burt is a Partner and Chair of the Emerging Business Group at Snell & Wilmer. Snell & Wilmer is a full-service business law firm, with 500 attorneys practicing in 16 locations.  Brian has almost 25 years of experience representing businesses and their owners in all types of sale transactions. He been named to The Best Lawyers in America® list since 2015 and earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School.