Welcome to Conversations with LSN TAP, where we meet interesting people and hear how they are increasing access to justice through technology. Here's your host, Shelly Reid. Hi, thank you for joining us today. My name is Shelly Reid. We're here for the Conversations with LSN TAP podcast. And today we have Carrie Holmes, who is the Executive Director of the Center for Access to Quadros or Qualified Domestic Relation Orders. So welcome, Carrie. Thanks so much for having me, Shelly. I'm happy to be here. Super. Well, tell me a little bit about yourself outside of work. Yeah. So outside of work, I bake a lot of bread. I made some cheese bread yesterday. That makes the house smell great. I play a little bit of piano, not particularly well. And then for some kind of athletic activity or semi-athletic activities. I live on a Dragon Boat team here in San Diego, where I live for women in the LGBTQ community. And we are middling to fair. Well, that sounds like a lot of fun. I think I might rather do some of that than work. So how did you get where you are today? You know, what does your career path look like? It reminds you to the center. Yeah. So my career has been spent almost entirely in kind of the world of family law. And in the last few years, specifically in the world of legal services and family law. I went to UCLA for my undergrad and for law school. Once they let me in, they couldn't get rid of me. So I stuck around. And then I went to work at a boutique family law firm in Beverly Hills in private practice, which was definitely an experience. Those kinds of cases. I learned so much. And I worked for a wonderful attorney named Annie Wishengrad. And then I went into legal services. I worked at the Harriet Bue High Center for Family Law in Los Angeles, which is an IOLTA program here in California, where I was a staff attorney, and eventually became the pro bono director. And then I moved on to San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, where I was the pro bono manager and supervising attorney. And now I'm the executive director, the Center for Access to Quadros. And I love this job. This work is super interesting, really cool, brand new. I know we're going to talk about it some more, but it's a wonderful role. It's really interesting. Interesting background. I love family law. So at one point, that's where I thought I was going to end up in my career before it took a huge right turn. So interesting that that's where you started. So I realize you're a double Bruin, but are you a California native? And yeah, I grew up in the inland empire of California, which is sort of the desert region between Los Angeles and San Diego. Yeah, so I lived in California pretty much my whole life, but I love traveling all over the United States. So now we're going to kind of turn to the Quadros Center. So can you share who started the company and what, what was their purpose? Yeah. So the Center for Access to Quadros was started by the president of our board of directors whose name is Louise Nixon. And she is a quadro specialist attorney. So she used to be a plan attorney for operating engineers. And then she went out on her own into private practice and has been a quadro attorney for over 30 years. So she started volunteering at the Buhay Center where I worked and joined the board of the Buhay Center and started doing quadros for them for free for their clients and realize that this is a really big need that so far no one has really been systematically addressing. There's no program out there that is focused on providing these services specifically for low income family law litigants. So she wanted to make these services available to everyone who needs them and really help enforce the laws that already exist to protect people's interest in retirement benefits and ensure that they can access quadro services as they need them. So it sounds like the Center is a non-profit, is that correct? Yeah, yeah, we're a non-profit. So Louise, when she sort of started realizing she wanted to help make quadros more available to more people, she actually started a technology company to help automate the drafting of these orders. She was sort of downloading her brain and everything she knows after 30 years into a software platform. And so at the Center we're lucky we have an exclusive license to utilize that software. So I'm preparing quadros with the speed that I could never have imagined as the family law attorney because she helped develop this software platform and then has donated it to our nonprofit to make it available to legal services. Organizations and low income litigants. That's really interesting. So what excited you personally about joining the Center? Yeah, I think when I was at the Buhay Center, I realized how powerful this technology is to make the quadro process available to everyone. And we're going to get into it a little in a few minutes about sort of how that all works and what that means exactly. But for me as a family law attorney, I can really see the need. I had a lot of litigants that I worked with who, you know, had a judgment that awarded them these benefits but they could not access them without a quadro. This money that already belongs to them, it's theirs, it's been awarded to them, but they can't get it without this special order. And from what Louise has described, there's only about 40 law firms in the country that even do this for money. That's how specialized it is. So it's really challenging for a lot of our client communities to come up with the funds to have these prepared for them. And people are really losing out on benefits that already belong to them. I was just excited because I could see the need and I can see how this program in particular can fill the need. And I was so excited to join when Louise called me. That's awesome. So what are some of the challenges the company has faced along the way. Yeah, so I think we're really changing how retirement division and how quadros are done in the United States. We're really disrupting this current system where one of our currently partners described it as referring clients to nowhere right somebody comes and they have a retirement benefit there's nowhere to send them. It's a huge problem but it does take time for kind of acceptance of a new solution. And, but we've been working with so many wonderful legal aid partners, and it's growing really fast. So we are thrilled to sort of keep that momentum going. So, can you clarify for the audience, what the center's mission is. So our mission is to close this part of the justice gap by providing access to high quality quadro products to nonprofit legal service organizations, self help centers, as well as qualified individuals in financial distress. So, we've been throwing around this term quadro, multiple times now. So I want to just go into a little more detail for those who might not be familiar. What is a quadro. So quadro stands for qualified domestic relations order. And really what it does is it effectuates whatever division is in a party's divorce judgment or divorce decree of kind of any kind of deferred asset. So pension plans are very common 401ks those kinds of retirement plans, federal military retirement plans. And not all of we sort of use the word quadro to describe all of those things there's some little nuances that I think are two in the weeds to get into. But broadly we describe all of those things as a quadro. And basically, in order for a retirement plan to pay funds to someone who is not the plan participant, not the person sort of named on the 401k or who's a member of the union that offers the pension plan. In order for plans to pay that money out to someone else, they have to have this very special order called a quadro. That's consistent with federal law if applicable and also consistent with the plan's requirements. So, a lot of litigants think they have a judgment that says, you know, you're awarded 50% of the marital interest in this pension, and they think they're done and they reach retirement age, contact the plan and the plan says, Oh, we actually can't pay you any of this money that you have an order that says it belongs to you and you can't pay it to you unless you have a quadro. So it's this really huge significant barrier for people to access funds that they can use, especially in those older years, you know, we think a lot about older poverty, older Americans living in poverty, especially older women the rates of older women living in poverty are really substantial. And so this is such a concrete way to help resolve that and help get these litigants sometimes a stream of money that can last for their lifetime if it's a pension plan. So that's what a quadro is and what it does and why it's important. So, you went into it a little bit, but what are there any other things or is there something that's like truly wrong with the system that you believe that should be changed. Yeah, that's a great question. I think that what's wrong with the way things are done today is that we have these laws on the books that protect people's interest in retirement plans that, you know, require a quadro and that's, you know, sort of from a protective place. But those laws on the books are not being used because quadros are expensive. They are can be overwhelming for litigants, and they're just not accessible. So for us, our mission is really to say, hey, we have these laws that are protecting people's interest in these plans, but they're not being enforced because this is seen as such a specialized rarefied area. We really want to make it accessible to everyone, because functionally right now what we have right is a two tier justice system in lots of ways, but in this area in particular, where if you have the funds to hire a quadro attorney you can access your retirement benefits. But if you don't have the funds to hire a quadro attorney or you're trying to figure it out on your own and you're struggling. There's not support so we really want to resolve that and be that support and provide those services. So, in that are, do you see that judges will create the quadros without being prompted or is it something that the, you know, the participants must be more proactive in. Yeah, the parties really have to be proactive about this. We have not seen a lot of judges preparing these on their own, these specialized orders, they tell the parties okay this plan is going to be divided you have to get a quadro. You have to get a quadro in 30 days, and it's people it just it just doesn't happen. I think because this is seen as kind of a specialized area, and you know not all judges come from family law backgrounds right they're learning lots of things at the same time when they get appointed to the family law bench. And it's kind of seen as like oh there's some real specialized person who's going to handle this so I don't have to. And what that often ends up resulting in is nobody deals with it. And those benefits get lost or those benefits don't get access they get returned to the plan, or the participant withdraws all the money. And so we're really seeing a huge loss of income for people that could make such a huge difference. So, yeah. And I can imagine if it's, you know, 10 or five, even five years, you know, three years after the divorce to realize that you should have gotten this quadro and must be exceedingly more difficult at that point, then it would have been, if it had it been done during the divorce process. My goal long term dream is everybody does quadros at the same time as the judgment, because so many things can happen right if it's in if the funds are in a 401k or some other type of retirement benefit where there's like a pot of money that money can all be withdrawn by the participant and maybe they withdraw it and move away and we can't find them and we don't know where the funds are. And so where people can retire or make an election when they retire that affects the, what we might call the outspouts for the alternate pays benefit. Sometimes pensions will allow people to elect a lump sum buyout when they retire. So that those funds might be totally gone. There's like such a huge benefit that is currently sort of not being handled. And we really want to make sure that people are getting those benefits that they're entitled to that they've often already been awarded. Wow. So, definitely a good, a good work and fighting the good fight out there. So what are some other myths and misconceptions about quadros that you encounter. The only big one is, oh, we don't have those in our cases are like communities don't have retirement benefits. And I really, I can see where that is coming from but I think there's a couple of ways in which that's a myth and a common misconception. The first is a lot of our clients, a lot of our legal service organization clients are married to someone who does have a retirement benefit, who wasn't a union who was a public employee who was in the military, who's a male carrier and has a federal pension. And then a huge number of organizations offer retirement benefits. Walmart has a 401k available to its associates. So these are far more common than I think most people realize but we may not be screening for them because we haven't had any resources to deal with them anyway, you know what I mean. And one thing I found really when I was at the Buhay Center where we had Louise on our board able to do these quadros is that once word kind of got out that we were able to provide the service that you know we had a resource. We started seeing them a lot more often I think both because we were you know screening for them more now that we knew we could actually do something about it. And because other organizations around us heard and knew that we had this resource. And then I think the other misconception is that's too hard. And I think that it has been quadros have been talked about as this you know like I said really rarefied ivory tower type of service. And what I think makes family law attorneys, and I've certainly thought this too. So anxious about them is that every plan is going to have a different requirement, right. Walmart wants different stuff and it's 401k then Costco wants and it's 401k quadro. That's just, and they get to decide that pursuant to federal law. So, but one of the things that we have available to us at the Center for Access to quadros is a really robust database of over 155,000 plans and what they need and what they want. So that information that we have that exists that's really robust and I can go in and look and see. Alright here's what Costco wants and it's 401k quadro. And really makes this process that can be much more streamlined and much easier to do than I think people are familiar with because they just see oh quadro oh so scary. Everyone wants to think different I don't know what it means. But it is understandable and it's doable. And we really want to support and empower legal service partners to provide this service with our in partnership with us and empower them to really run this part of their case the way they want to run it. That's really exciting and I know that there are people out there thinking, wow, I want access to this database. And we talked just a moment here about the center and who is the client for the center. That's a that's a great question so we started about two years ago with it's sort of seed funding from the California Access to Justice Commission. And what we and we were that funding was specifically to train legal services and self help center attorneys on how to do this work. And that everybody every organization, every attorney really needs a different level of support from us. Right. Some people are like, yes, I want to get on this platform. I want to draft quadros. I'm so excited. Other people are like, oh, absolutely not. I would like someplace to refer my litigants or my clients, but I don't. I'm not going to do it myself. What we've ended up doing is sort of coming up with three levels of service based on what our partner organization wants. So, if what our partner organization wants is just somewhere to send people just a referral pamphlet a QR code, we provide that service and right now we are screening those clients for income eligibility. They come in, we prepare the quadro for them, we get it pre approved by the plan and then provide them instructions about the next step. Some, some of our partners have wanted it to sort of be involved still they want to be copied on correspondence they want to communicate with their client, but they still want us to do the quadro drafting and communication with the plan. So we've done that we're calling that guided quadros and that has been super popular with a lot of our legal service organization partners. And then for those who are super excited about technology and really want to dive right in. We are providing free access to the Quadro Council platform that was developed by Elise Nixon and leading quadro attorney and leading valuation experts as well. So, and again that's with help from us and guidance from us and if you run into a problem you can call us. The important thing for us is that our partners are not on their own they know that we're there to support them every step of the way no matter how they want to incorporate this quadro work into their normal workflow. So I know that the program is active in California. Can you talk about that and whether the program is available in other areas of the country. Yeah, so because there are some, you know, family laws fairly state specific right, but a lot of this retirement benefit law is federal it's a Rissa it's military pension federal pension. So there are some small differences to date by state in terms of maybe when the marital period ends or what their pleadings look like. But for the most part, we believe very strongly that this can be a national program and that we can be providing services in all 50 states. I'm sure you've never heard that on your podcast where you talk to. So right now we have funding from the California Access to Justice Commission, as well as from the Nevada bar foundation to provide some trainings. So if people are listening to this and they're like oh my gosh I would love this I really want to, you know, start providing this service it's such a gap, such a that we really need to fill. I would encourage them to reach out to me and let's talk about ways we can partner together and get some funding because we would love to provide services everywhere because we know it's a problem right and it's a problem that doesn't just exist in California. I really want to partner with organizations who are experienced in what their client communities need. They don't want, we would never want it to seem like we're coming in with this big solution we have a lot of resources and we have knowledge and we want to share it. But we want to collaborate and work together to design a solution that is going to be workable and right sized for our partner organizations. It's going to be interesting and you know now we're moving into the technology improvement grant application period so this is a great time to have the podcast air you know who knows you may find a partner through it. So, as we met at the innovations and technology conference I had to think there it's just been a whirlwind two weeks since the conference, but so I know that you're also using social media. And social media played a huge role in my career path. So I have to ask, you know, is the center using social media. And how are you using it. Yeah, so we, I maintain a fairly active LinkedIn presence. I have, I love using technology to solve these problems. I struggle sometimes in a way that I think a lot of people do with like, let me talk about myself on social media. That's tough. But it's so much easier always to talk about the work right so we are using social media. We have blog posts about quadro issues. We have. That's where we advertise a lot of the free trainings that we give on quadro topics. Everything from quadro basics to specifics about how you can use a quadro to get a litigant or your client paid for back do support. So quadros are these really powerful things that we really want to make more known and more accessible and kind of democratize the access to them. Yeah, we use technology all the time and we are absolutely interested in a TIG with an LSE field grant recipient we really think that this technology can be designed specifically for use by a partner organization for their state their client community their staff. And we are really invested and interested in kind of exploring that with a partner. Awesome. So the blog you mentioned is that on your website the QuadroCenter.org that's QDROCenter.org. Yes, yes. And we have links there as well to the Quadro Council website, which also has blogs on it. So now is kind of a fun time. Do you have any success stories that you can share with the audience? I do. I do. That has been one of the just like such an enjoyable part of this is helping people resolve a problem. Look I'm getting like emotional. Resolve a problem that they've had for sometimes a very long time like we're seeing a lot of older women come to us having been divorced for like 15 or 20 years. The other participant may have been getting money all this time, have been receiving their pension all this time, and she was never able to access it because she didn't have a Quadro because this special, you know, five page order was what she needed in order to access that money and it's just such a fix that we can do, you know. So yes, a specific success story. We did have one litigant who was a woman who lived in Los Angeles she was unhoused she was living in her car with her kids, and her former husband was a teenster. And, you know, a lot of the litigants and the legal service organization partner clients that we see are survivors of domestic violence so a big part of that often involves financial abuse they don't tend to have a ton of information or know even that they might have a right to a retirement benefit. But if we're trained on these issues and we know how to spot them. As soon as somebody says teamster, all the little lights in our heads are going off about a union pension. And so we were able to prepare the Quadro for her, get it pre approved by the teamsters, and she started receiving a monthly benefit of $3,000 a month. And that's going to go on for her whole life that she's going to have this income stream. I mean that's going to put her in an apartment. That's going to, you know, assist with those monthly bills that's going to this is the difference that these orders that we can prepare in a short period of time can make in someone's life. So it's been really rewarding to do this work and sort of remove this barrier that so many people experience. You know, just that one story that was absolutely life changing for you know for the woman in that example. And I know that, you know, I, I may be my generation may be on the tail end of, you know, women staying at home, but for those women.  I mean, and even as enlightened and educated as he is, you know, there definitely is that feeling that, you know, even though I stayed home with our kids for many years. Like, that that's his funds. I mean, so this sounds really bad about my husband. But I think I think that's not not untrue of many people from our generation, for example. So, you know, it just it's just a change in attitude and a change in how we view the world and just, you know, a number of people who this can help, you know, so absolutely great story. Yeah, and I think that that is it's, it's, you know, there's something like there's millions of divorces in the United States every year. How many of those people getting divorced are low income and unable to afford an attorney a significant number a huge percentage. And as we talked about earlier, it's incredible misconception that our client communities don't have retirement benefits they absolutely do. Even if our particular client maybe isn't the participant they might have an interest in someone else's pension in the their former spouses pension plan or retirement plan. I'm going to say this does also protect the plan participant, because if a plan is put on notice that someone else has an interest in the retirement plan, some plans will not allow the participant to retire until the quadros enter. I spoke to a gentleman on Friday who said I got divorced in 1990. I didn't realize that my purse had been joined to the divorce. I tried to retire, I'm no longer working. I thought I was going to have my retirement payment start in January. And I haven't had any income because I they won't process my retirement application until I have the quadro prepared. So it really affects both sides. But I think in particular for who might call the outspouse which in the quadro world we call the alternate payee. It can really be hugely life changing. So that gets into it a little bit what else needs to or what needs to change in the way retirement funds are distributed in divorce. I mean, do you have you thought of that. Yeah, I mean, I think what needs to change is, we have to be utilizing these laws that already exist, right, that say, okay, if you're going to, if you're divorced and you have an interest in a retirement benefit, you have to have this special order prepared. And I think for a long time we've sort of said, we don't have the resources, which is 100% accurate, we really haven't. We don't have the resources that's too hard and scary. So for us what really needs to change is, we want to utilize the technology to end this incredibly robust database I mean for me as a family law attorney, my client would come in and say, I don't really know what the other person has here's where they work, but I don't have the information. And so just being able to go in the database and be like put in Walmart and have all the information, the Walmart 401ks itself incredibly powerful. And then be able to draft a quadro for that plan in about 10 minutes is just a huge economy of scale that we can realize in providing these services. I think what we really want to do is sort of help automate the drafting of this because, you know, we're experiencing economies of scale now but I'm still, we're still doing them our staff is still doing them. If we could design, you know, an SRL system where we have people answer certain questions because we don't really need that much information in order to draft a quadro. I need to know like the name of the employer, and the court case number and everybody's address but I really don't need a ton of information. And if someone's listening to this, please send me an email or give me a call and I'll show you the software and how fast I can do it. But we really don't need a ton of information so if we could design some kind of web or mobile based application for an SRL to answer a few questions and get a quadro done and prepared and entered so that they're not facing this problem in 15 or 20 years when they desperately need an income stream in those older years. I think we could really prevent a lot of suffering and prevent a lot of uncertainty and instability, especially for our older populations. That's really interesting. So just for our audience just if you aren't aware SRL stands for self represented litigant. And that just means someone who is representing themselves in the court process. So what information because we don't want to dispense legal advice on the podcast but what information would you give to someone who is struggling with this problem. Yeah, that's a, that's a great question. Um, I mean, I think if we're talking about a litigant who is struggling with this issue. The sad answer is that in most places there, there is not a lot of resources for them. And that's really what we're here to fix and to change. You know, at ITC I was talking to attorneys from a state on the East Coast, and they said, there's one guy in their whole state that prepares cocktails. There's one guy. I'm sure he's great and wonderful, but you know, providing these services is is really where we're at. If you're a legal services attorney or a self help center staff member, reach out to us that that's what I think those people who are struggling with this issue can do and talk to us about ways that we can partner together and make these services available to you, because I have seen in the time that I've been at the center the incredible power that they have to make really positive changes for people. So, in doing this and working with your partner organizations. Are there other resources or tools that you've come across that you can use or that attorneys can use or that you would recommend in helping to create that fair distribution of assets. Yeah. So, one of the parts of the software platform that Louise helped develop that we have access to is the creation of judgment language. And I think there's one of the misconceptions about quadros right is oh they're so hard and scary. They're really not. And part because all we're doing when we're drafting the quadro is effectuating the language that's in the judgment. So if the language in the judgment is not fair or vague or not, or silent on an issue like survivor benefits which is huge. And the kids can run into a really huge problem down the line. So we do have resources to provide planned specific judgment language, because the judgment language you're going to need for say a military pension is going to be different for a 401k plan. And so I think that is among the most powerful things we can do because if somebody doesn't get their quadro done right away. Okay, I would love for them to do it at the same time as the judgment. But if they don't do it right away. They're still enough language in the judgment or in the divorce decree to protect them. So I would encourage people who are thinking about how to divide this and how to make it fair to give us a call. And what I would say is, and this is a little bit specific, I guess, but for a lot of these pension plans right which are not a pot of money in an account like a 401ks it's more like a right to receive an amount of money every month or so for the rest of your life. A lot of those pension plans will send out a statement that says here's the value of the employee contributions. The value of the plan that plan needs to be actuarially valued, because it's not just, you know that $100,000 and an account it's really that's what's been contributed to this right to receive. Because the platform that we use was developed not just by Louise but by leading valuation experts, I can actually run an actuarial present value calculation and prepare that for our legal service partners, so that when they're engaging with in negotiations about how to, you know, divide this or offset it. They have all the information that they need, and they have the most accurate information. It's really interesting because you know, it would be so easy to look at that statement think okay well we just divide that number in two. Yeah, but that's not. I started saying that in all of my training so like don't be misled by the statement from Perz or from whoever, because it doesn't include the employer contributions which sometimes are two thirds as much as what the employee has put in because those are primarily funded. So, it's definitely misled a lot of people, and I always, I always feel very sad when I see, you know, the value of CalPERS as reflected on this statement is, you know, $100,000 so we're splitting it and I'm like no. And that's part of why right when people are like oh quadros are so scary. I'm worried about malpractice. For us what we see is that that really attaches at the judgment right the judgment language has to be good the judgment terms have to make sense. Because what the quadro is doing is just effectuating what's already in the judgment. And I think that's the actuarial examination is huge because retirement plans count on the interest that gets you know added to over years and you know years and years there's so many more things that you have to think of that we as a busy attorney. That's not our specialty. That's awesome that that's all built into the system I think that's, that's great to hear making it attainable for those of us who don't have you know that accounting experience and that specialized experience that to to examine that those funds.  How are you measuring the impact of the center's work. Yeah, so I think we are measuring the impact in a couple of different ways. So the first is we have a robust training program for all of our partners. So I'm putting on webinars, all the time about quadro topics, which are free to attend. And right now those are funded by our access to justice grants in California and Nevada so those are, you know, for attorneys working there, but I would love to do them for other places. So how many attorneys are trained, how many are coming to trainings on different topics related to quadro issues, and then sort of anecdotally one recently a supervising attorney at one of our partner organization said, Yeah, after that last training I feel like I'm starting to understand like, Yes, that's the best that's exactly what I want. And I think coming from a family law background right, I sort of can think about what what do we actually need to know in order to like negotiate the end case what we actually need to know. And then the other way we're measuring our impact is how is our litigants our partner organization clients actually receiving money, how much are people getting we're trying to follow the cases through. It turns out it can be a little hard if we're helping somebody who's like 45 with her quadro for a pension plan. We're not going to know for a while how much they're going to get. But just recently we had a partner organizations client, we prepared the quadro for her, and the plan had been withholding a portion of the participants benefit after he retired, because they knew she had an interest. So once the quadro was done she got a lump sum of $25,000. Because he had been withholding for so long while she couldn't get it quadro done she couldn't access those funds. So it's hers. It's sitting in account it's ready for her. She got this lump sum and then on top of that she's going to get an amount every month for the rest of her life. So those are really in terms of dollars that can make a huge impact on our clients. That's how we're measuring our success as well. That's really awesome that you know we're seeing the benefits of companies who are doing the right thing up to a limit. They just can't give them to her until the quadro is done. So it's sitting there it's ready for her whenever she can get the quadro done and that's what's so I think frustrating for a lot of the litigants is they say I have this judgment, and the plan says they're withholding money for me, and but what's this extra step that I need to take. So we really want to resolve that because it's that money that the 25,000 that was hers already, you know, we just had to provide this order so that the plan could pay it out to her. So I think I think that this may have been your story may have been I know we'd plan to talk about other success stories, and this this that the one you just told us was huge. But are there any others that really touched you and let you know that you are on the right path or, you know, that the company was on the right path. I think, you know, one part of the work that is perhaps a little bit less measurable is the ways in which we are providing legal education to not just our partner organizations and the attorneys that work there, but also to the litigants that we work with and really empowering them so we had recently a litigant who was a survivor of domestic violence, and was not able to find assistance with the family law part of her case. We were referred by an organization that wasn't able to take her for her whole family law case. And so she was working with her former husband's attorney essentially negotiating the their divorce judgment negotiating their settlement their marital settlement agreement.  So we'll buy you out for, you know, sense on the dollar of what she would have actually been entitled to. And I think, you know, even a year or two years ago she wouldn't have had any record like she just would have had to take that because she didn't have any resources or power to say no actually can get one done.  And we helped her do as well as sort of current calculation for what the the retirement benefit was worth and so she was able to negotiate from a place of knowledge and from a place of empowerment, and from a place of knowing that there was someone who could assist her and she didn't just have to take that first offer she was able to actively participate in her case, and actively participate in the negotiation, which was so challenging for her and in a lot of different ways. And of course we couldn't help every part of it we were only providing this small piece, but I think that that did make a huge difference that she was able to say no actually I do have the resources to do this, and I have the knowledge that this is what I'm entitled to So that that was really powerful for me as well. That's beautiful, you know, so many don't have the resources and don't have the information so to be able to turn around and provide that is just, you know, it's just a beautiful thing that the center is able to do. It's the coolest job in the world. It's so neat and so needed. And I just like I feel so strongly about it that that this is for the clients that need it such a life changing service, and it can make such a huge difference. And it's a problem that exists everywhere. And I really think we can help address it. Absolutely. And, but I would have to differ a little bit on the best job in the world. For each other we have our own best job. So, I know throughout the interview we've been talking about you mentioned several things of goals and your hopes and dreams. Are there any others that we that you haven't mentioned that you want to put out into the world that sometimes you know, tell, you know, putting it out there just makes it tangible. Yeah. I think ultimately what I really want is everybody who needs a quadro gets a quadro. That that's really at the risk of sounding like pithy, I guess. But, you know, this is such a barrier that we can take down that doesn't need to be there. And the solution using the technology that we have. I really feel very strongly that that we can make a big difference. So I think for the real long term goal is everybody that needs a quadro to access their money that belongs to them that they've already been awarded. Everybody that needs a quadro gets a quadro. That's awesome. So, now to another fun question. What is one question that you wish you would be asked in interviews. That's a great question. Um, I mean, can I please give you a large sum of money to assist you with your work. Absolutely. Yes, 100%. But I think just realistically, more realistically, how can I, how can I help how can, how can I, you know, make the service I see the need I get where you're coming from I can see what you're saying. How can I help. And I think for any like field grant recipients are listening to this we really think a tag is a very good fit for us. And we really want to make these services available to the lit against and clients served by really every organization across the country because we can do it and you know how powerful it is. Let's let's help with people who want to ask those questions and tell people how they can get in touch with you. So, the center's phone number is<PHONE_NUMBER> and we are small but mighty so the chances that you get me when you answer the phone or not zero. And they can reach out to me by email. It's Carrie C a r i e at quadro q d r o center.org. And I'd really love to talk to anyone who's even slightly interested in this work, even just wow quadros are so much cooler than I thought they were that would be very exciting email. Yeah, I think that that's those are probably the best ways to get in touch with us by email or by phone and then I'm on LinkedIn to if you want to reach out there. Great. So, I know we've talked about ways throughout again but I'm going to give you another opportunity. What can people do to support the center and get involved with the mission. I would say as kind of a first step. Think about ways in which retirement benefits do come up in your cases. And, you know, I think, because we're often not looking out for them, because there's not been anywhere to send people or any way to assist we don't see them. So I would encourage people to sort of keep an eye out for these kinds of issues. And then, you know, if there are any grants available in your area that you think would be good to help provide the services we're already providing in California and a little bit in Nevada as well. We would love to pursue those with you we're all about collaboration and partnership, because we really see our role as supporting the legal aid staff attorneys and I've been illegally accepted so I know how busy you are. I know your case will look like. So that that's really our, our role is to sort of be the support be the help be the expertise that you can rely on to assist you in this part of your case. That's a really great suggestion you know we kind of think well what can I do to help you know I don't either. Yes, definitely seeing a grant that's available and you think oh, I just heard a podcast about that let's let's look that back up and maybe send that information so yes sending on information is a huge help you may not have the money yourself, but passing that along can be a great way to support so great great answer. Welcome to the end of the interview and I really appreciate you being here carry this has been really fascinating interesting, you know I learned some things. I got challenged on some things so that's awesome, but we always give our guest one last question and it is, what is your favorite app right now, and why, or what tech tip do you have for our listeners. Well, the New York Times puzzle app gets a lot of use on my phone. I love crosswords. But I think really the, the best app that like I'm really excited about is one that we can see ourselves creating with a partner for take. And really the thing that I'm so thrilled about thinking about and talking about is how can we design something that's going to help resolve this issue. So it's a two part answer. One is the word all the size. Long we're going to work on, hopefully with a partner and help resolve these big issues. I love it taking every opportunity to get the plugs in there. I think that's great. So thank you again carry I really have enjoyed this. This chance to talk and I know that our audience is going to enjoy hearing about the center and learning a little bit more about you as well. So thank you for being here. And we'll talk to you next time.


A fire at a rural chemical distribution plant northeast of Houston was contained by 1 p.m. Central Daylight Time. A county emergency services official said on November 8.County officials told residents within one mile of sound resource solutions located 61 miles northeast of Houston to shelter in homes and businesses as crews sprayed foam to extinguish burning chemicals contained in trucks and buildings in a rural area near Shepherd, Texas, schools north of the fire kept students inside during the morning because of the large black column of smoke that rose from the blaze. The shelter in place zone was originally five miles, but was later reduced in size. The fire began following an accident involving a forklift, said Jeff Harfield, owner of Sound Resource Solutions. The forklift operator was being treated at Houston Hospital for burns, Harfield said.


members statements member from Davenport. Mr. Speaker a student tweeted at the member from Parkdale High Park last night asking her to end the college strike. The student wrote and I quote please Ontario NDP and MPP Sherry De Novo for the love of God let's go back let us go back to school. The member's response that a college degree is worthless that's right Mr. Speaker worthless. The student wrote back asking and I quote respectfully I'm interested to hear why you say my degree is worthless. Mr. Speaker every member on this side of this house is interested too. We want to know why the NDP is busy calling college degrees worthless instead of voting to get students back to class. We want to know why the NDP is choosing ideology over pragmatism and we want to know why the NDP is refusing to pass this bill today so students can go back to class. I would tell the member I'm not particularly enamored when other members mention other members in their writings and if it happens again I'll ask them to refrain from doing so I've told everyone that I'm not enamored by that it will not happen. Further members Davis the member from the PN Carlton. Very much speaker I'm honored to be here today in this emergency session on behalf of the Progressive Conservative Caucus in Unison with the government to ensure the five hundred thousand college students across Ontario will get back into their classrooms at the quickest and the most immediate time that they might be able to do so. A speaker as you know Algonquin College Services my community and my students Association at Algonquin is very much in favor of this legislation so to them I say we stand with you. Thank you. Further members Davis the member from Trinity's Podina. Thank you speaker I'm honored to also share some of the tweets we've seen from students in reaction to the NDP's stalling this very important vote. Like us they're clearly unhappy that NDP is stalling this legislation and blocking blocking students from being back in class. Natalie writes it's been five weeks already without a deal we need to get back in class support the back to work legislation we have already lost enough time. Brian writes how about instead of playing politics you consider what's the best for students they had five weeks and get to get it done. Sarah writes I want to get back in the classroom to get my life back on track. Forget about the politics it isn't about weighing isn't about students lives students life it's about students life in future please just support the legislation. Mike writes you blocking is shameful you put ideology ahead of students. Phil added what have you done in the last five weeks to help end the strike. Absolutely nothing by blocking the legislation you're clearly showing that you do not care for the students at all. The NDP do not care about Ontario college students time and money. Mr. Speaker we agree action speaks louder than words and the NDP's refusal to support this bill shows that they're more concerned with political games than getting the student back. Senator please. Senator please. Further members statements the member from beaches short. I'm pleased to lend my ear to this debate as well because we know why we're here and the only reason we are here is because the NDP party is blocking students from going back to school and this is a shameful display speaker even from a party that has done many horrible things in the past but this is a shame because they're playing politics with students and they're not putting students first. It's also surprising from a party speaker that has supported this legislation in the past even the current leader of the party in 2008 she and many of her colleagues voted to send striking Toronto transit workers back in one day and the same type of legislation the NDP supported during the 2002 strike by garbage workers. So speaker at that time NDP Howard Hampton the leader of the time said this is a legislation we have voted for before it is fair it is balanced and we can support it today given the record of the NDP in the past because I asked why and what has changed what has changed to make the NDP think it's right to block students from going back to school what has changed to make them think they should employ delay this important legislation I don't have that answer but the leader of the third party does have an obligation to answer to all the students who are here all the students are watching answer to them and their parents and their grandparents why is it you will not allow these kids to go back to school? Why are you blocking them? Do you see it please?


10 megaprojects driving Ethiopia's economy to a new height. Ethiopia is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa that is divided by the Great Rift Valley. Ethiopia has recently completed a number of incredible projects, including airports, dams, highways, railways, tunnels, bridges, and other infrastructure. According to the IMF, Ethiopia has the largest economy in East Africa and the third largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa after Manchuria and South Africa, with a GDP of more than $126 billion. The infrastructure networks of Ethiopia are largely disconnected from those of its neighbors. A reasonable road corridor connecting Addis Ababa and neighboring Djibouti provides access to Ethiopia's major landlocked port. The projects have not only changed the landscape of the East African country, but they have also had a positive impact on the economy by creating jobs, improving infrastructure, and improving the living conditions of the people who live there, as well as supporting the country's rapid economic growth. Stay with us today to learn about some of the major projects that are changing Ethiopia's face. Please like this video and subscribe to our channel if you are new. 10. Unity Park Unity Park, located within Ethiopia's National Palace, embodies Ethiopia's and Ethiopian's generational legacy. Since the 1870s, the Grand National Palace has housed and served as the office of successive Ethiopian leaders. The National Palace was built over a century ago by Emperor Menelik, the second and sits on 40,000 square meters of land. The park includes a banquet hall, Throne Hall, a palace complex, and a zoo, where Ethiopia's monarchs would meet to discuss local issues and make important decisions. This park's one-of-a-kind natural attraction includes a zoo with 37 mammals and 9 different types of animals. Inside the park, visitors can see giraffes, zebras, kudu, impalas, land, wild beasts, and other animals up close, as well as 13 species of fish and indigenous birds and plants. 9. Mescal Square This is a public square in Addis Abiba, Ethiopia's capital. The area is frequently used for public gatherings, demonstrations and festivals, particularly the Mescal Festival, from which it gets its name. The square took about 10 months to build and was built by China Communications Construction Company under the supervision of the Addis Ababa City Administration. The square includes cutting-edge integrated facilities such as an underground parking lot that can accommodate 1,400 vehicles at a time, 40 shops, 140 restaurants, 6 LED advertising screens, 20 washrooms and bike lanes for electric bikes. Mescal Square exists to support the government's efforts to provide modern services to city residents as well as the country's tourism sector. 8. Boll International Airport, New Airport Terminal Ethiopia opened its new passenger terminal at Boll International Airport in Addis Abiba in August 2020. The new passenger terminal is the world's first post-pandemic structure designed with biosafety and biosecurity in mind. The terminal has 60 check-in counters, 30 self-check-in kiosks, 10 self-bank drop, 16 immigration counters with more e-gate provisions, and 16 central security screening areas for departing passengers, as well as three contact gates for wide-body aircraft and 10 remote contact gates with travelators, escalators and panoramic lifts, as well as 32 arrival immigration counters, with 8 e-gate provisions on the Mezzanine IV level and 32 arrival immigration counters with 8 e-gate. Ethiopia's position as Africa's aviation hub is strengthened by the construction of a new passenger terminal at Boll International Airport. The new terminal is unique in that it is the world's first terminal to be completed after COVID-19. 7. Friendship Park Friendship Park is a landmark development within Prime Minister A.B. Ahmed's beautifying Shag Air project, which was launched in 2019. Friendship Park is an exuberant park in Addis Ababa, built as part of the beautifying Shiger Project. It is located in the heart of Africa's political capital, Addis Ababa, close to the Sheridan Addis Hotel, and the newly built magnificent state-of-the-art museum, the Ethiopia Science and Art Museum. A government-sponsored project in Ethiopia that aims to clean rivers and create public works in the capital city. The park contains an artificial lake and a plaza that can accommodate tens of thousands of people at a time, making it one of the most beautiful public parks in Africa. Restaurants, a wedding garden, a children's park, avenues of sports, amphitheaters with water fountains and flower belts fountains that move like water dancers, open spaces, bikeways, walkways, and many other amenities are provided by this park. 6. Addis Ababa Light Rail In 2015, the Ethiopian government commissioned a new urban metro designed to alleviate traffic congestion, provide an alternative mode of transportation to city residents, and reduce travel time in Africa's political capital, Addis Ababa. Sub-Saharan Africa's first light rail system, the Addis Ababa Light Rail, is an inner city tram that can transport up to 60,000 people per hour. The double-track electrified light rail system spans approximately 31.6 kilometers, with two lines in full operation, one running from the city center to industrial areas, and the other stretching from Menelik, the second square, to Kaladi. When the project is completed, Addis Light Rail will cover the majority of the city's suburbs, providing residents with a safe and modern transportation system. 5. Intodo Natural Park This is a natural park that exudes serenity and joy. The park is located on the southeastern slopes of Mount Intodo, with its trail running along the mountain ridge at an elevation of approximately 3,200 meters above sea level. To provide tourists with a world-class experience, the Ethiopian government initiated a mega-development project that will introduce several infrastructure into the park. Intodo Natural Park is home to a paintball arena, outdoor archery, an adult and child horse backriding ranch, a large outdoor amphitheater, and other supporting infrastructure. 4. Science and Art Museum A few miles from Ethiopia's capital, Addis, Ababa's central business district, two cutting-edge structures house a Science and Art Museum, the first of its kind in Africa. The circular shape of the two architectural design buildings represents perpetual development, human wisdom, and Ethiopia's commitment to the future of technology. The two massive buildings have over 4,000 indigenous trees, plants, and colorful flowers on 80% of their land. The Art Museum occupies a 50,000 square meter plot of land. Its main building stands 9 meters tall and has two floors, with the first housing a visitor center and two large exhibition centers, an amphitheater, offices, cafeterias, and a VIP lounge, and the second housing solar panels, a roof garden, library, designed laboratory, shops, and sound studios. The dorm theater, located next to the main museum building, is a three-dimensional cinema with a height of 24 meters and 450 square meters of square space that can accommodate up to 200 people at a time. 3. Abrahat Grand Library Abrahat Library is an Ethiopian public library in Addis, Ababa. On January 1, 2022, Prime Minister Abi Ahmed and other Ethiopian officials dedicated a new library. The city administration first unveiled the library construction plan in 2019, which included the construction of a new library on 386787 square meters of land in the parliament building, about 3 kilometers from the city center. The facility is designed to meet Ethiopia's political capital's critical need for libraries and related resources, and it is a testament to the government's efforts to make the capital more appealing. Prime Minister Abi Ahmed initiated the project as part of his efforts to improve the education sector. The cutting-edge library has separate sections for adults and children, as well as three meeting rooms. There are halls, theaters, a parking lot that can hold up to 115 cars, an amphitheater, shops, cafes, reading, and play areas for children. It has a capacity of up to 4,000 people and over 1.4 million books. The library also has infrastructure for the development of digital libraries, allowing up to 30,000 people to access library materials at the same time. This library is one of the largest in Africa. 2. Addis Ababa Djibouti Railway Africa's first cross-border electrified railway. The Addis Ababa Djibouti railway line connects Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, and the port of Djibouti over a distance of 753 kilometers. The SDR railway has 45 train stations and runs parallel to the old abandoned one-meter gauge railway, which was built over a century ago. As a landlocked country, the line serves as Ethiopia's main transport corridor to its gateway port of Djibouti, which handles more than 90% of Ethiopia's international trade. The project has a budget of $5.1 billion. 1. Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is Ethiopia's largest dam currently under construction. Located on the Blue Nile, about 15 kilometers east of the Sudanese border. When completed, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa and one of the largest in the world, with a capacity of 6.5 gigatomes. After the first and second Francis turbines were installed, the dam began semi-scale operations in 2021. The dam's primary purpose is to generate electricity to alleviate Ethiopia's acute energy shortage and to export electricity to neighboring East African countries. These are just a few of the major projects in Ethiopia that when completed will not only change the face of Ethiopia positively, but will also foster economic growth and improve standards of living for Ethiopians and East Africans. Thanks for watching all the way to the end. Tell us in the comments section what you think of these projects and do not leave without subscribing to our channel. Also, remember to like this video and turn on the notification icon to get notified of our new videos.


Sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 supported their sister's school during a community relations event at Simon Sanchez High School in Jigo. Projects like these are always important. It's just like that community outreach, showing the community that we are part of the community, we're part of the system, and you know, it's always that networking. It's giving back to the community, number one, that's what it's all about. We are very appreciative of the fact that they took time of their schedule to come and join us. It's a great partnership that the military personnel have with the public schools, especially because yes, the students can see them, talk to them, engage in conversation. Even when it comes to career choices, many kids are curious about what they do, where they work at, and so it really benefits our students as a whole. Reporting for Joint Region Marianas, I'm Joanna Dolphin.


If you're travelling around the state this summer, make sure you check fire danger ratings before leaving home. On severe extreme or code red days, it's better to be in the city or town. Never travel in the bush on a code red day. Check fire warnings by tuning into local radio, going to the Vic emergency website or calling the Victorian bush fire information line. You can also download the Fire Ready app for warnings and advice. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne.


Hello friends. This is Satish Paryani working as an assistant professor in Department of Mechanical, Volchian Institute of Technology, Sholapur. Today we are discussing on the topic called industrial engineering. Learning out them. At the end of this session students will be able to understand productivity, its importance to society and the problems associated with productivity. What are the contents? Contents are productivity and standard of living, need to measure productivity, what is partial productivity, what is total productivity, what are objectives of productivity and the references used. Now let us come to the topic productivity and standard of living. Engineering. From engineering point of view effective utilization of resources is the major theme used around. The resources are man, material, method and money. Second, why this is productivity is important? It is important because of to increase or to have the better standard of living of the people. Availability of materialistic item or sustaining enjoying life is one of the basic theme which is used for increasing the productivity. Still many are living with acute shortage of basic needs. Now we have recently seen the Venezuela crisis. From where? From bridges to racks. Now people are even suffering to have the basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. So the security is also a very big question mark. Now standard of living is increased or improved if the greater amount of consumable goods better the standard of living if the consumable goods are improved. Then the standard of living of the people increases. This can be done basically in two ways. First, there is increasing employment. Now increasing employment can be done if unemployed are increased or given the chance to have a job so that increase from unemployed to employed. Second, the underemployed is suppose somebody is working at lower level then he has to improve his standard of living or he has to be increased his employment from that level to higher level. He should know from where he has to work it and finally the employed. This increasing productivity is the only way of increasing the standard of living. And finally the increasing productivity. Both the options are used for increasing availability of goods. Now we come to the topic goods versus society. Now we know if productivity of agriculture more the quantity then we know the more the quantity then cheaper the food will be available at a very cheaper rate from industrial point of view more the quantity then cheaper will be the clothing and shelter because there will be competition and then the person who is able to give at a very cheap rate or what he can say at a very competitive rate will able to sustain the industry. Overall increase in productivity is more security and essential service for public use. As we explained in the last slide, Venezuela if they are not able to have the good amount of food or clothing or shelter then their security was in quite big question mark. Still there is big question on security the need to measure productivity. Security has been a very important thing which has to be utilization of resources was always in focus. The resources are man, material, method, money. How they are being utilized is always in focus. This can be done through measures on performance of system. Productivity is one such measures. Productivity is operationalized ratio of output to input in a very simple terms. It means output to input. Aiming at how efficiently our resources are being used in productivity desired output. It aims how efficiently our resources are being utilized in terms of many times the resources are maximized to have the maximum productivity means output should be maximum from the given input or if we increase the input the output also increases but the percentage also has to be increased more so that means productivity is more in that case or keeping the input same if the output increases then it is best productivity improvement. Now we come to the topic of partial and total productivity. What do you mean by partial productivity? Partial productivity shows how efficiently an individual type of input resource is being utilized. Now let me explain with you one example. Example is like now we consider three different types of products n number of inputs are being used and total output is the same in that case. So let us assume that product A how much the improvement is there in product A with use to overall input this is called partial productivity similarly in many industries the partial productivity like department productivity is also being even of the example of partial productivity how PPC department is performing how HR department is performing how materials department is performing let us take this example to explain further it is a ratio of aggregate output to individual input resource used for production what has explained you is the same it indicates specific areas of deficiencies where work is got to be done means if the product A is performed with the same input if the product A is having the less output it means its productivity is less so we can attack on that bottleneck resource and to improve the productivity in HR terms many times their performance appraisals are being done with the help of the same this department is performing good so there can be more appraisal for them this department is performing less so there is a less department less appraisal for them for this year partial productivity is with respect to some specific but total productivity is respect to total overall of the system as we can say overall system total productivity is therefore as a ratio of aggregate output to aggregate input now when you see in the balance sheets when you read the balance sheet there you can understand these figures are for total productivity we can use for total productivity rather than partial productivity so total productivity is acting as overall at the system and the partial productivity is overall acting at a local level like a department wise and total productivity as a company wise total productivity therefore shows performance of the system as a whole productivity measurement what are the objective first its basic objective is to study performance of system over a period of time second to compare performance of different system for a given level as I already explained you life if HR want to appraise if HR want to give some performance appraisal to different departments then is able to compare from this department to this department this plan to second plan so this is very important to compare actual versus planned productivity of the system here when we see when any company or any system is being launched there is some simulation method or there is some simulation planned productivity what is assumed what is put as a theoretical way so this productivity measures can also be used to compare actual versus planned productivity of the system please observe this note even though concept of productivity is simple measurement is a serious very serious problem industry per industry phases industry produces different types of output of different inputs now let us think here two minutes first when the there are n number of products suppose now we take an example of LG electronics electronics giant there TV has been produced refrigerator has been produced AC has been produced there copper has been used as a same item throughout different products now how will measure the productivity with this system so data collection if the person is working for three different streams how you will use his time utilization whether he's utilized his two hours for AC department two hours for refrigerator department two hours for something this data collection is a very big question mark so even though productivity concept is very simple output to input but this data collection is very very difficult secondly this is for one a human when it is working for three different streams now if there are n number of products like product AC wash and AC is there then second refrigerator is there then washing machine is there n number of products then how will measure the productivity if the resources are being same has been utilized this generally happens a big question mark in batch type of productions or where a medium scale found medium scale industry where n number of industry n number of things are being utilized similarly the out there is a case is if the output is different this is again productivity measurement is different so it requires a precise control over data data has to be challenged every time now think list down some cases of partial productivity which you see around or which you have thought which you have thought references please refer to NPTEL references and introduction to work study ILO thank you


Hey guys shiver 1000 here today. We're going to be doing a review on the turtle beach stealth 600 gen 2 series Wireless headphones Works with the new Xbox. We'll get into all that, but I'm gonna be using it on the PC I'm gonna tell you a story about that Hang tight and we'll get into it. Okay guys. You might remember When I did a review on these these are the wired The turtle beach There's the ear force recon 50p gaming headset. This is a wired one So my personal ones I like this because of the mic this mic is removable but Monkeys been stealing these and Using them and I have a hard time getting back off of her She likes them and she likes them because they're blue. So we went to Walmart the other day. I Said, you know, she was listening to Listening to different headphones.  It's got superhuman hearing We'll get into that here in a minute but So she said well I'll get you these if you give me your old ones Well, I really like the mic on the one I'm using the ones I'm I'm using the mic right now on these is what I'm using so So she really wants them and I said well you can have these and she she don't like the green so now in order To get this to work On your PC You have to have One of these okay, that's what you got to have And I'll show you how to hook this up, but you have to plug this in so this can communicate with that Okay, so it can send you know the information for your headphones into that and The mic can send information back into this into you into your PC. Okay, so I had to get one of these things so We'll get into that and I'll show you how to hook it up and hopefully it'll pair up nice So let's go ahead and open these up. I do like the way turtle beach packages Everything You've always got good packaging now I gave 30 bucks for these online These were 80 and I had to now I had to get this okay Now Walmart sells them now these these things used to come with this stuff, but Walmart sells all this stuff Now our Walmart don't carry these It's 20 bucks. I had to order it online Okay, so I Mean we could have drove around looking for different places that may have them But this is a button you got to press that may have them and use $20 worth of gas I just went ahead and got online. I mean it's just like they sell lanterns You know Coleman fuel lanterns, but they do not sell the accessories. They do not sell The mantles or anything like that all they sells the fuel for it So they don't sell these so I had to order this Well, at least ours didn't carry them. So You know yours might I don't know Okay, so here Still 600 gen 2 all all their If you guys are interested in getting us a pair of these headsets all of them have good reviews all of them So there's another sticker like we got with the other one And we've got here we've got nice little packaging for that and Our quick start guide Okay Now it goes through and tells you everything about About this in two different languages. So that's good So here is our Charging cable now this cable is different. You can't just use like a phone charger on it This is a special cable. So don't lose this. It is nice and is a nice and heavy cable Okay So We'll go ahead and take this out scoot this over here Get these out of the packaging like I said, they really package these things always packaging nice So this will be the second set now What I almost bought a set of these when I bought the other ones But I didn't because I liked the way that this one Has the removable mic on it that just pops out This one does not This one Folds down Like this Okay Now your mic's unmuted. It's active now once you go up here like this. It's muted It'll make different sounds and stuff like that. Okay, and I just fold it by the way But also like the way this one Kind of comes around to my mouth You know, so I don't know how this is going to work out for me We'll just have to see but they do have a good sound These things are really adjustable, you know Soft they're very comfortable. Okay. Now we've got a couple different Settings on here. All right this one. I can't hardly see it Okay One of these is for the mic and One is for the headphones There's your mode. There's your power button. There's the button you're used to pair it up with There's the USB port that you plug in to charge it. Okay I've already charged these up some but we'll get into that. I'll show you which ones which on there also on here it tells you about the The storage on these always charge your headset before storing it for any extended period of time Greater than three months never store unit in temperatures above 113 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 45 degrees Celsius Okay, so they want you to charge it now. We'll go over this to the The the knobs here, okay, so This around here So this knob here Is your game volume? Or your music or whatever this knob here is your chat volume. That's for your mic and again This is your your mode button You can cycle audio presets. Okay, so also The superhuman hearing what that's for is use superhuman hearing mode To pinpoint quiet audio cues like enemy footsteps and weapon reloads and stuff like that So that's that's great for gaming which I don't game. So I do play games, but I don't gain So, you know, I won't be using that but it's kind of cool I might be able to use it on different things, you know, if I'm watching something and This is your LED meanings here. Okay, you're Your headset LED now your LED is Right there, that's your LED Okay Solid green means The headset and console are paired Breathing green it's like going in and out While charging the batteries full Double blank green means not paired. Let's go. It's jjin jjin. Okay solid red while charging batteries charging Breathing red the battery is low. That's pretty much Pretty much all they tell you now Like I said, this is the thing you got to get to plug into your PC. Okay. This is a connection Setup for PC use right here. Okay, so we're going to do that If you have a computer that's built-in Xbox wireless which mine is supposed to have but apparently it does not Okay, and I know this because I tried to pair it so We need to find the one for the PC Where's that? Right here's the instructions for that What you'll do is on your PC go to settings devices connect devices Choose add a device window searches for the headset press the connect button on your headset Windows finds and adds the headset when your stel 600 appears in The list under other devices. It is ready to use Select playback devices That's when you got to go in and we'll get into that first thing.  Okay guys. We're here at the computer My first thing we're gonna want to do is We're gonna want to hit the power button Right here. We're gonna hold this till this comes on And it's on It's our lights blinking Okay, now we're gonna go up here and This here Bring up here with me. This is our little adapter wireless adapter We're gonna plug this in To my port there because all this runs into the computer because there's only so many back there Okay, see that came on now Okay, see they paired up. All right, see they're paired up now they should be working Okay Let's check this out now if that doesn't work If your adapter doesn't work what I had to do was I had to go in to task manager Just type type in task Manager right there No, no, no, no. It was device manager Okay There it is right there because I use it just type in device manager in your little search bar You come up here. Oh, let me slide this over here a little bit and I found the And I'm not sure where I found it at Now It was other devices. I found it in here and I had to I thought I was under Can't remember where there it is sound Video and game controllers. You'll see the Xbox controller. All right now if it's got like a little question mark or explanation point there Double-click on it or right click on it now see this device is working properly, but If it's not I can go to update driver. That's what I had to do Mine actually said that the drivers weren't weren't installed Okay, so I just installed the drivers and Everything paired up the way it was supposed to so if it doesn't work Try that and then like I said this thing just pretty much paired up itself. Okay, so I've got on here And I was checking online too.  All right, so let's see And also what I forgot to mention was These things when you have these Working with your PC you can't use your PC volume. You have to use the volume on the side here The top one is the mic volume the top one is is the Is the headset volume and the bottom one is the mic volume Okay, so you got to use them for your mikes and stuff Let's put something on here Shut the other headsets off Now if it doesn't work and It is if it doesn't work you may have to go into Let me show you down here.  You'll see Sound control panel. Okay, click on that And right over here, let me bring it over here so you guys can see it better Right on here. Just make sure That your headphones It'll say, you know headphones Xbox controller default device make sure that's on default device Now you can click that double click it. You can click your levels. See it's all the way up But that that has nothing to do With it now, but just make sure it is just in case then you're recording under recording Make sure you know if you want to use this microphone make sure that it's the same way it's on default You know, and I'm gonna put levels all the way up. Okay, so that's that's all you got to do there If it doesn't pick it up, but this picked it up.  Here's how you test your microphone right over here Right down here. It says Test your microphone. So what I want to do Yes I want to bring down the microphone. You should hear it in here, too Okay, go on now check the microphone check check check one two one two check check check one two and You can turn them the volume up and down on your microphone. You also have presets on your mode button These are presets equalizer presets on your mode button. So Right there So you can get different rock pop and all that you won't know which one it is But you can tell by the sound of it. Okay. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna hook this camera up Here on here Here on here anyway, and I'm gonna do some recording and we're gonna see how the mic sounds Okay, cuz I'm not sure how it sounds yet. So that's what we're gonna do next. We're gonna check out the microphone Okay, guys, so I'm trying out the mic now It seems like I have to talk louder when the mics way over here.  So I don't want to talk real loud You know monkeys watching TV or something or moms or they're trying to sleep, you know what I mean So I don't know how well this is gonna sound but This I mean like I said the music and stuff the presets sounds awesome But I'm not sure what the mic sounds like. So I'm gonna listen to it right now And I'll be back with you and I'll let you know What I think of the sound. Okay guys, so I have I Have played played it back and the mic sounds pretty good It just seems like I have to talk a lot louder because the mic's so far away from me And I do like to talk low, but I wish these had one of this one of these mics on it As far as playback these things are phenomenal. They sound great And they'll jam they'll really crank And also, you know, I can't turn volume up and down with the computer I have to do it right here like for the mic and You know what I'm doing now For the mic and the The sound, you know, I gotta use it up here now Other than that, I mean it is decent. I Do like them. I just wish this was a little different because I don't like to talk loud like when it's late at night I don't like to bother people So I like to use these where I can get them up closer to my mouth. So I don't have talks alone So it seems to be all right One more test and we'll do that During editing of this video, I'll do a voiceover a quick voiceover or something you can you can hear and I Did use I did use these When we was doing the intro so You know, you'll be able to tell which ones are which As far as the sound for the mic it it sounds okay, it sounds pretty good It just I don't like to have to talk, you know real loud and also when I flip this mic up watch it. It'll mute Okay, so it muted, but when you do that it makes a real loud beep beep noise in your ears very loud So yeah, they're all right I Don't think they're worth 80 bucks or probably worth 60 65 in my opinion. I suppose if I was a gamer You know using them more it'd be a little different but still again, you know, I'd like I know I don't like to talk as loud, you know, that's why I like to get my voice up there Because I do talk a little low anyway, so all right guys, so Like I said, I'll do an outro on an overdub on a voice over so you can hear what it sounds like there and See what you guys think let me know in the comments below do you guys have a pair of these or you think about getting a pair? You know, let me know and see what you guys think so let's go to the voice over Okay, guys, so here's what the voice over is going to sound like whenever I have to speak over something or Whenever I want to explain something over top of the videos, so this is the voice over this is exactly what it's gonna sound like Just like this like I said it sounds You know it just I feel like I got to talk really loud. I'm actually not And the more I listen to it the more I like them it does have a pretty smooth sound to it the mic and again the This the audio the playback is just phenomenal. It's awesome. They will crank they will jam and They have a great sound a very smooth sound. They don't break up, you know, so it's a very good sounding pair heads a headset Like I said, I just wish Mike was a little different Because usually see I feel like I'm talking really now But usually this is where I like to talk about like right here So, you know when I play this back on know more about if it picks up good or not I mean I can hear you know Monkey and her mom out there talking through this mic. So it's probably pretty sensitive She's making a video So I think she's doing an unboxing or something But anyway, so but yeah for 80 bucks.  Now this computer was supposed to have been I really got screwed on this computer It's junk. I will get another one eventually. I hope so and But anyway guys, yes, I do like them And I think it'll help out a lot like when I'm doing a live stream and I invite you guys to come on camera with me If I'm by myself, I can put these on I can hear you better and I think they're going to be just fine Of course, they are rechargeable. So that's good. So right now, you know, I'm gonna give it a Four and a half star, you know, I mean, I think I gave the other ones a five star But right now I think I am going to give these a four and a half star They are very comfortable and I do like them and I'll get used to them You know, you gotta get used to anything. I do like the the issue of not not having, you know, the wire So I do like that I can get up walk around while I'm you know doing my voice over if I wanted to stretch my legs and But you know, this is what it's going to sound like on voice over. So I do think the mic sounds really smooth. It sounds really good The turtle beach these things these things are great. I really do like them I do like turtle beach products. This is the second pair of headsets we bought. I like them both So I like the other ones There's frozen coins like the other one has the cord. I don't like that but it has the mic I like this one is wireless. I Do like that, but I'd rather have the mic that I can put closer to my mouth or away from my mouth Depending on like my back the background noise and stuff like that. It does have Like a building equalizer or so, but yeah, they're they're pretty awesome. So if you guys are gamers and you're looking for a set of these Yeah, go for it. I think you would really like them because because I do and I'm not a gamer It's just from for you know for my PC So that you know It's it's just going to be be for that kind of thing So it does sound a little a little tinny right now But I think as as time progresses I'll get you know, I'll tweak it a little bit more and I'll get used to using them and I'll you know right now they're four and a half stars. So, you know with that being said I'm gonna say Thanks again guys for watching appreciate it. Shea bearer the myth man legend I'm gone for now. Hope you enjoyed the video and y'all stay safe. Enjoy the rest of your week