Ep 17: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 2

You've seen the bazillion billboards along the interstate: "Been injured in an accident? Call (insert law firm name here) and win!" They're plaintiff attorneys; specialists in personal injury law. You get hurt, somebody else pays--namely insurance companies and corporations. It's a huge business, and like most business sectors in the world, technology is leading the way helping these law firms research and acquire vital information to build cases against these companies, and to help litigators determine if a potential case is even worth taking.

To attain this data used to take an incredible investment of time and money with no guarantee the investment would return a profitable outcome for the injured client and the attorney representing them.

But two companies are fast out of the gate building up this data/A.I. technology and bringing it to civil litigation law firms everywhere.

I speak with Ryan Shin, founder of SETTLIT, a case intelligence platform based in Toronto, Canada, and Jay Sarmaz, CEO and co-founder of TRUVE, an A.I. powered analytics company in Atlanta, Georgia.

DATA is the currency in growing a business. Listen and learn from this episode--especially if you're a personal injury lawyer looking for an edge against formidable insurance companies and corporations.

I've got some news I want to share with you...

Jack Davenport opened a diner in south-central Los Angeles specializing in home-style soul food back in 1969 near the intersection of Western Ave. and what is today, Martin Luther King Blvd.

Because he wanted to make it a family business, he named the diner Jack's Family Kitchen.

Well, life throws you curves, and Jack's marriage didn't work out. Luckily for him, a woman named LaFay owned a hair salon right around the corner from Jack's, and he spent the next ten years pursuing her. Fay finally said yes but kept her business and built it into the largest hair salon in Los Angeles with a fancy Wilshire Ave. address.

After Jack passed away in 2012 (and thirty years of marriage to Fay), Fay honored Jack's wishes to keep the popular diner open at all costs--and it hasn't always been easy.

Fay, who is coming up on her 80th birthday, offers her thoughts and insights on a host of topics including:

*Working hard to keep the doors open for the benefit of employees, their families, and the south-central community as a whole.

* Race relations in America.

*Reparations.

*Bad hair.

*A rooster-crowing customer who's in love with her.

*Personal responsibility.

*Her relationship with God.

*Her hope for Jack's and the south-central L.A. community.

I think you'll find Fay Davenport a breath of fresh air; a woman with valuable life experience and a healthy dose of postive-can-do-it attitude.

Diner Info:

Jack's Family Kitchen
3965 S. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA. 90062
323-296-5215
www.jacksfamilykitchen.com

My father-in-law, Marvin, suggested I do a podcast from a deli in L.A. close to where he grew up. It's called Factors Famous Deli which has been around since 1948!  

I saw a woman sitting in a booth wearing scrubs and assumed she was a medical professional, but I had no idea she was a licensed nurse midwife. I wasn't even really aware that midwives were still a thing--my kids were born via C-section with my wife's gynecologist doing the procedure.

The midwife's name is Kerin, and she's been doing it for over twenty years. We get into birthing babies at home in bed, in blow-up pools, and toilet births--you name it! She also discusses how the United States is NOT the best in the world in regard to women's overall healthcare and low infant mortality rates. Kind of shocking considering we have some of the most expensive health care costs in the world.

Kerin also has strong opinions on other issues including reproductive rights, the impact of the reversal of Roe v. Wade, and the ongoing learning curve that is gender/sex identity for newborns.

Thanks for giving this episode a listen.

Factors Famous Deli
9420 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, Ca. 90035
(310) 278-9175
www.factorsdeli.com

Originating from Lou's Diner on Decatur Blvd. in Sin City, Nevada, I talk with attorney Dan Ambrose, a criminal defense lawyer turned trial coach about his company, Trial Lawyer's University. Dan shares his experience as an overworked, underpaid defense attorney in Detroit, Michigan and the pro-bono murder case that changed his life. 

He later pulled up stakes and moved to L.A. to pursue a career as a personal injury lawyer and found out how demanding the job really is--a tedious and expensive process building winning cases against powerful corporations and insurance companies. After a week in Costa Rica on an Ayahuasca retreat, Dan came to the realization that most trial lawyers suck in the art of litigation and decided his mission was to coach lawyers to WIN big.

Dan shows attorneys how to emotionally connect with a jury, present opening and closing statements, as well as effective voir dire, the jury selection process.  Dan's damn good at what he does commanding $10K per day for his consultation services.

Other topics Dan discusses include the myth of "justice"; ninety percent of American's charged with serious crimes can't afford a defense attorney and must rely on a public defender; most cases are plea bargained and DO NOT go to trial; manipulating the media to sway the jury pool in favor of a client is good strategy, and the take for a personal injury lawyer who wins a lawsuit is 33-40%.

Ultimately, Dan's goal is to radically improve the skills of America's public defenders to benefit everyday people facing tough legal issues. If you're in the legal profession and want to learn more about Dan's mission and the Trial Lawyers University, please visit: www.triallawyersuniversity.com
 

When you hear the term "trophy hunter", you might you have a visceral negative reaction, which is understandable when you see social media photos of wealthy individuals, rifle in hand, smiling proudly next to a dead exotic animal they just killed like an elephant, lion, rhino, or giraffe.  Millions of people worldwide condemn this blood sport. I ran into two trophy hunters who were willing to share their story.

On a recent trip to San Antonio, Texas to visit the Alamo, I checked out the Buttermilk Cafe in nearby New Braunfels, and met a recently married couple, Tom and Marisa Snyder. 

Tom grew up very poor, and despite only having a high school education, he grew a very successful insurance business and decided to give back to those in need by providing free scholarships for kids of all ages to experience the great outdoors on a charitable ranch he founded called Trinity Oaks. The program became so successful, Tom was approached by numerous veterans organizations to host special hunts for the disabled, as well as "dream hunts" for the terminally ill.

One of those dream hunts was for Marisa's husband, Jason, who was dying of cancer.  Jason went on his dream hunt but didn't get to harvest the animal on his wish list. When Tom learned this, he invited a family member to complete the hunt in Jason's honor, which Marisa accepted, and bagged an exotic Axis deer. Marisa was so impressed with Trinity Oaks' ability to transform lives, she volunteered to help out, was soon offered a fulltime position, and began working with Tom directly. They fell in love and married last year.

Since then, they have followed their passion for hunting all the way to Africa to harvest the Big Five and Dangerous Seven animals of the world. They defend their hunting trips which fund anti-poaching programs and feed thousands of people by donating 100% of the meat to local villages.

Listen to their story and make up your own mind regarding the ethics of trophy hunting. If you would like to learn more about Tom's charity organization near San Antonio, please visit: www.trinityoaks.org.

If you're in the San Antonio area, enjoy some great food at:

Buttermilk Cafe
1324 Common St.
New Braunfels, Texas
78130
830-625-8700
www.thebuttermilkcafe.com

My 2023 Fourth of July episode! America's 247th birthday. So, how are we doing?

I decided to get some different perspectives on the topic, and since I wasn't able to get to Philadelphia, PA. where the Declaration of Independence was ratified and signed on July 4th, 1776, I went to the next best place...San Diego, CA!

Why? Well, first, it's a very patriotic town. I mean, the west coast home of the U.S. Marines, Camp Pendelton, is just up the road. The U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet has a huge operation there, not to mention the Naval Air Station on Coronado Island in San Diego Bay. "Top Gun: Maverick" was both set and filmed there.

San Diego has a high level of academic institutions including, UCSD, USD, and the Scripps Research Center, and it's a very diverse place with Mexico's border only a few miles to the south, and the influx of people from all over the world because of the industries related to the Armed Forces based there.

I spoke with four people: A Puerto Rican ER doc; a former Navy radar tech who now works for a defense contractor; an Afro-Latina woman whose grandfather fled an island dictatorship for a chance at real freedom in America; and a gay man from east Texas who is planning a wedding with his partner. Listen and find out what they think. 

Hit me back with your feedback @ patreon.com/dinerverse.

Welcome to season two of the podcast! Very excited to profile new people and new stories, and this week is pretty incredible. Coming to you from the small, idyllic town of Sierra Madre just below the San Gabriel mountains in Southern California, this episode originates from a diner/restaurant affectionately called "The Only Place in Town." They've been in business since 1945 and specialize in traditional American fare, but they do it very well. "The Only Place in Town" is a fave and is always packed.

I met Jack there, the son of an Armenian family who immigrated to America from Lebanon in 1969.  His father found work pretty quickly and saved up his money to buy his first business--a gas station. One gas station soon turned into many and Jack was groomed to take over someday.

Alas, today's gas station biz model is far different from when his father started in the 1970's, and Jack shares all the dirty little secrets that go on behind the scenes when it comes to prices, taxes, middlemen, property ownership, government regulations to ruin stations, excessive permits and fees--and how it all gets passed on to the customer.

Jack also takes a deep dive into the hype and economics driving electric and hydrogen powered cars. How green are they? How robust is their infrastructure? In Jack's opinion, the e-model has a long way to go, and hydrogen is a total bust!

Jack lays it out from first-hand experience as a station owner who took a flier on hydrogen pumps and has seen nothing but failure--everywhere.

Jack doesn't think he'll be in the gas station business much longer. The economic forces at play and the downward pressure on smaller companies are too strong to fight forever.

Listen and learn...

My youngest daughter Cameron (I'm blessed with two!) pitched the idea of interviewing me about being a girl dad for this new Father's Day podcast.  I thought, what the hell, might as well reveal some hard truths about being her poppa and share some of the best and worst moments of my fatherhood journey. Maybe some new, younger dads will learn something.

The first new podcast of season two. Hope you enjoy it and aren't too shocked by my past exploits--it all turns out good in the end!

John

One of most popular episodes from season one, recorded in Grand Junction, CO.

After I recorded an earlier podcast, I checked into a local hotel and hit the lounge for a night cap. I started talking to a guy in the bar, told him what I do and why I was in Grand Junction. He just laughed and said, "I got a story for you." 

This is Keth's harrowing tale of being kidnapped by his father and living on the run for thirteen years. Unbelievable what your own family is capable of doing! 

Back with a brand-new episode next week when my daughter, Cameron, interviews ME about being her dad--the good, the bad and the ugly. Just in time for Father's Day weekend...lucky me.

Until then,
John