Latest news with #Wenk
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
You're Not Just Imagining the Munchies. Here's What Marijuana Is Really Doing to Your Brain.
If you just smoked some weed or eaten an edible, it probably doesn't take long before you're scarfing down all the junk food in sight. Well, you're not alone. One of the most talked about effects of marijuana is the spike in appetite, better known as the munchies. The term munchies comes from Charles T. Tart's famous 1971 study, 'On Being Stoned,' where 150 marijuana users were observed and their cravings for sweets were noted by researchers. So, what exactly is happening to your body—and your appetite—when you're high? The two most common components of cannabis are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is the most psychoactive component in cannabis and ultimately the cause of the munchies. And researchers believe there are two possible reasons why. One, in order for a drug to work, it has to find receptors in the body. 'The receptors that THC interacts with are located in our central nervous system, essentially the brain and the parts of the brain that stimulate appetite,' says Rachna Patel, MD, who counsels patients on medical CBD and cannabis use. The THC triggers your appetite whether you're hungry or not. Two, you could also be feeling hungry because weed may have an impact on a hormone secreted from your stomach called ghrelin. This hormone signals the brain that your body is hungry and stimulates your appetite. And marijuana has the capability to release ghrelin, according to Gary Wenk, PhD, psychology and neuroscience professor and academic research representative for Ohio's Medical Marijuana Advisory Board. How hungry you feel depends on the amount of marijuana you had and how you consumed it. When you smoke a joint, the level of THC in the blood is much higher and leads to more munchies than if you were to eat an edible. Because edibles have to be digested, whatever food is already in your system is going to slow down the absorption of THC until it finally reaches the brain. Patel says that inhalation can take five to 10 minutes to take effect while ingestion can take up to two hours. But if you're looking for a way to control your munchies, there is an option—control the amount of THC you consume. At state-regulated dispensaries, many products are required to be lab-tested and labeled with the amount of CBD and THC they have. 'You need to figure out an amount of THC that's right for you,' said Patel. 'You want to hit a sweet spot in terms of the amount where it's giving you the effect you're looking for, but not the munchies.' According to Wenk, study after study has shown yes, you get the munchies but you don't actually gain weight. 'Marijuana receptors live on your mitochondria, the power plants that give us energy. It turns out that they have THC receptors and they're involved in regulating your energy use,' explains Wenk. 'What we speculate is that marijuana is getting in there and altering your ability to burn through calories, in spite of the munchies.' But that's not necessarily a free pass to eat all the junk food in the world. When you get the munchies, experts say the marijuana tends to enhance the rewarding nature of food you eat. Our brains love high-calorie fats, salts and sugars. And we release dopamine in response to those foods more than anything else. This is why when the munchies hit, you're always reaching for that bag of chips or slice of pizza. Ideally, you should be eating fruits, vegetables, and grains. But to satisfy those cannabis-induced cravings, try choosing healthier options that still have sugars or salts like greek yogurt with fruit or baked chips instead of fried. When you're high, it might seem impossible to stop wherever your stomach leads you, but Wenk suggests being preemptive and setting out your snack options ahead of time so you don't choose the most unhealthy food options. Get the Plan Get the Plan Get the Program Get the Plan Get the Program Get the Plan Get the Program Get the Program Get the Program You Might Also Like The Best Hair Growth Shampoos for Men to Buy Now 25 Vegetables That Are Surprising Sources of Protein
Business Wire
23-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Altruist Launches Bold Rebrand, Further Separating Itself From Legacy Custodians
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Altruist, the modern custodian built exclusively for RIAs, today announced a significant rebrand and overhaul of its advisor platform and client portal. Now supporting over 4,900 advisors, Altruist is the fastest-growing RIA custodian according to the 2025 T3 Software Study. The platform has tripled assets under management for two consecutive years and is increasingly attracting larger, more sophisticated high-growth firms, with average firm size up 43% year-over-year. 'Log in to any legacy custodian portal and you might think you've been transported back in time,' said Jason Wenk, Founder and CEO of Altruist. 'Good design makes products more accessible. It makes using those products more intuitive. Consumer finance apps have been charging ahead in this area. Advisors and clients deserve a platform experience that's aligned with the impact of the work getting done.' Key updates include a new logo, color palette, fonts, photography, illustration, and motion guidelines. According to Wenk, the only elements that were off-limits were the name and mission statement. 'Our goal was to create a brand that communicates big ideas with clarity and conviction. We stripped away unnecessary complexity to reflect the optimism and humanity of the people working to improve this industry,' says Creative Director Daniel Haire. 'The system pairs bold typography, narrative-rich artwork, and clean, concise data to break from the tired look of legacy institutions—and the overly slick feel of typical fintech. It's a bold shift. And it feels deeply true to Altruist.' The rebrand comes on the heels of two major teasers from the company: a new subscription bundling premium features across the platform known as Altruist One, and the debut of Altruist's flagship AI product, Hazel. To learn more about how Altruist can help advisors build better businesses and stronger client relationships, visit the rebranded and contact the Altruist team for a personalized demo. ABOUT ALTRUIST Altruist is the platform of choice for RIAs who want better outcomes, responsive service, lower fees, and more time to do the real work of advising clients. The company offers intuitive software for account opening, trading, reporting, billing, and over 22 integrations, empowering advisors of all sizes to grow and scale client-centric practices. Altruist is the third-largest custodian by advisors served, supporting nearly 5,000 advisors. Learn more at and follow Altruist on LinkedIn. Keep in mind, other brokerage fees, Model Marketplace fees and related expenses may apply on your client's assets. Please see the Altruist Financial LLC and Altruist LLC Fee Schedules and Subscription Pricing on to learn more. Altruist Corp ("Altruist") offers technology and tools designed to help financial advisors achieve better outcomes. Advisory and certain other services are provided by Altruist LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser, and brokerage-related products and services are provided by Altruist Financial LLC, a member of FINRA/SIPC. Nothing in this communication should be construed as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation to buy or sell any security. Additionally, Altruist or its affiliates do not provide tax advice and investors are encouraged to consult with their personal tax advisors. Clearing and custody of securities provided by Altruist Financial LLC. © 2025 Altruist Corp 3030 S La Cienega Blvd Culver City, CA 90232.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Gaithersburg residents beat the heat with a pool day
GAITHERSBURG, Md. (DC News Now) — Thursday was the first day this year temperatures reached the 90s. And it was a scorcher as many tried to find ways to beat the heat. DC News Now talked to some families at a neighborhood pool in Gaithersburg who were staying cool by swimming. Matt Michelson brought his kids to take a dip. 'On a hot day like today, when it's 94 degrees outside, it is important to stay cool, and we have this nice pool in the neighborhood, and we brought our family to take a dip to stay nice and cool and relax as a family,' Michelson said. Summer Street Festival returning to Downtown Hagerstown 11-year-old Ellie Simpson and her friends also spent time swimming to beat the heat. 'I think the hot weather is nice, but it's so hot. I also think it's good to come to the pool because we can cool off, and it feels good to be in the pool,' Simpson said. Dr. Jonathan Wenk says that with the humid and hot conditions, people should be drinking enough water and taking breaks during the day. Wenk is the Medical Director of the Emergency Department at White Oak Adventist Medical Center. 'In general, you want to try to stay indoors where it's cool. You also need to be drinking enough water, 8-10 glasses of water per day, or more if you are going to be outside in the heat. But going to the pool or a splash pad is a good way to stay cool,' explained Wenk. Wenk also encourages elderly citizens in the DMV to stay indoors during this heat wave as a precaution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Yellowstone, Rushmore, Badlands superintendents say DOGE wiped out a generation of leaders
(Illustration by Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight) If Dan Wenk had been fired during his first year in a permanent job with the National Park Service, the agency would've lost his many later accomplishments. He would not have gone on to help lead a public-private partnership that raised $75 million to redevelop visitor facilities at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, or a $300 million negotiation to improve amenities at Yellowstone National Park with private funds, or the acquisition of the United Flight 93 crash site in Pennsylvania for a national memorial. Wenk worked on those and other momentous projects during a four-decade career that began with his first permanent job as a landscape architect at Yellowstone. Now he wonders how many potentially decades-long careers were extinguished on Feb. 14. That's when the Trump administration fired 1,000 park service employees — about 5% of the agency's workforce — who had yet to complete the probationary period for new hires. Another 700 employees reportedly accepted buyouts that were offered before the firings. 'The feeder groups are being devastated in terms of future leaders of an organization,' Wenk said. Wenk and fellow former park service superintendents Cheryl Schreier and Mike Pflaum recently visited South Dakota Searchlight to express their concerns about the Trump administration's mass firings and spending cuts, carried out largely by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. The actions have affected many federal agencies and programs, resulting in a reported 75,000 employee buyouts, 30,000 firings, and trillions of dollars in frozen or canceled federal grants, loans and foreign aid. Wenk, Pflaum and Schreier each retired in South Dakota's Black Hills after decades-long careers culminating in the leadership of major park service sites, including Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone for Wenk, Mount Rushmore for Schreier, and Badlands National Park for Pflaum. Wenk's other postings included a stint as acting director of the park service. Schreier is now the vice chair of The Coalition to Protect America's Parks, and Pflaum is the president-elect of the Association of National Park Rangers. All three started as seasonal park service employees, like some of the recently fired workers did. Wenk said starting as a seasonal worker is a common park service career path, and it's an important thing to know about the probationary workers who lost their jobs. 'They may have been in the park service for many, many years,' Wenk said, 'and had finally gotten a permanent position.' Schreier's first permanent job was working as a protection ranger, securing the Liberty Bell and other historical treasures at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. Pflaum got his first permanent job at Yellowstone, where he worked as a telecommunications operator in the dispatch center. Recently fired employees in those types of positions might never get back on a career track that could have led to leadership. That includes Lydia Jones, who was fired from her first permanent park service job last month at Badlands National Park after working as a seasonal ranger in multiple parks for several years. 'I'm devastated,' Jones wrote on social media, adding 'my career is over.' Pflaum formerly worked with Jones at Badlands National Park. 'She was obviously a rising star,' Pflaum said. 'She was very good, very articulate, doing interpretive programs and managing the visitor center desk. And she got fired for 'poor performance,' which is absolutely untrue.' Pflaum said he's spoken with many current and retired park service employees in the past few weeks, and employees who were fired. 'There's absolutely an atmosphere of stress, anxiety and fear throughout the ranks,' he said. 'And that's not a good thing for mission accomplishment.' In the short term, mission accomplishment means hiring seasonal employees to staff many of the 433 park service sites that cover 133,000 square miles across the country. In South Dakota, park service locations include such well-known destinations as Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument and Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. The Trump/DOGE cuts have introduced chaos into the typically predictable seasonal hiring process. Trump ordered a federal hiring freeze in January, reportedly resulting in rescinded job offers for some seasonal park service workers. After the mass firings on Feb. 14 and a public outcry, the Trump administration said it would hire back at least 50 of the park service jobs and authorize 5,000 seasonal positions, which would've been a reduction from recent years. Then the administration relented again and authorized 7,700 seasonal workers. Wenk, Pflaum and Schreier said the confusion and delays will make filling seasonal jobs difficult. They said many seasonal workers may have been scared away or taken other jobs by now. Those that are hired could end up behind schedule with background checks and training. And they might lack permanent employees to train them because of the mass firings. Wenk said visitors could suffer the consequences. Park service sites collectively receive more than 300 million visits per year. 'I think it is going to have an impact this summer,' Wenk said, 'especially as people start arriving in parks in the numbers that they traditionally do, and they expect the same kind of experience. It's not going to be there for them.' One of the experiences that could fall away is programming. At Mount Rushmore, summer programs include ranger talks, presidential reenactors and Native American dancers. The mountain carving receives more than 2 million visitors per year, and on some days, the crowds are overwhelming. Wenk said parks could be overwhelmed more often this summer due to staffing shortages. 'If it got crowded, we used to put a sign out — 'cut the programs' — because we've got to get people through here faster,' Wenk said. 'So there aren't going to be programs available for them to take advantage of.' Other problems could range from insufficiently cleaned bathrooms to inadequate emergency response times, the former superintendents said. Pflaum worries about safety. 'Lots of people, unfortunately, become ill or injured or lost or need rescue in our parks,' he said. 'I don't think those things will be non-existent, but will they be somehow delayed because of fewer rangers? Could lives hang in the balance? I don't know, but I think those are potential impacts.' Schreier said additional problems might be less visible and longer-term in nature, but ultimately devastating to the park service. They could include reductions in the scientific research that goes on behind the scenes in many parks, on topics ranging from geology and paleontology to invasive and endangered species. 'So if you don't have those individuals who are working on that, or the inventory and monitoring of those resources,' Schreier said, 'there may be years of data, and all of a sudden they're not collecting that data anymore.' The most serious danger is to the parks themselves, Wenk said, from having fewer people protecting the treasures they contain. 'A lot of the resources in the National Park Service are fragile, whether they be natural resources or cultural resources,' he said. 'And if you don't have the people to protect them, you could lose something forever.' South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. South Dakota Searchlight maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seth Tupper for questions: info@
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Yellowstone, Rushmore, Badlands superintendents say DOGE wiped out a generation of leaders
(Illustration by Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight) If Dan Wenk had been fired during his first year in a permanent job with the National Park Service, the agency would've lost his many later accomplishments. He would not have gone on to help lead a public-private partnership that raised $75 million to redevelop visitor facilities at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, or a $300 million negotiation to improve amenities at Yellowstone National Park with private funds, or the acquisition of the United Flight 93 crash site in Pennsylvania for a national memorial. This is part of a series on the impact of mass federal firings, funding freezes and grant cancellations in South Dakota. For future and prior reporting, see Searchlight's DOGE in SD page. Wenk worked on those and other momentous projects during a four-decade career that began with his first permanent job as a landscape architect at Yellowstone. Now he wonders how many potentially decades-long careers were extinguished on Feb. 14. That's when the Trump administration fired 1,000 park service employees — about 5% of the agency's workforce — who had yet to complete the probationary period for new hires. Another 700 employees reportedly accepted buyouts that were offered before the firings. 'The feeder groups are being devastated in terms of future leaders of an organization,' Wenk said. Wenk and fellow former park service superintendents Cheryl Schreier and Mike Pflaum recently visited South Dakota Searchlight to express their concerns about the Trump administration's mass firings and spending cuts, carried out largely by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. The actions have affected many federal agencies and programs, resulting in a reported 75,000 employee buyouts, 30,000 firings, and trillions of dollars in frozen or canceled federal grants, loans and foreign aid. Wenk, Pflaum and Schreier each retired in South Dakota's Black Hills after decades-long careers culminating in the leadership of major park service sites, including Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone for Wenk, Mount Rushmore for Schreier, and Badlands National Park for Pflaum. Wenk's other postings included a stint as acting director of the park service. Schreier is now the vice chair of The Coalition to Protect America's Parks, and Pflaum is the president-elect of the Association of National Park Rangers. All three started as seasonal park service employees, like some of the recently fired workers did. Wenk said starting as a seasonal worker is a common park service career path, and it's an important thing to know about the probationary workers who lost their jobs. 'They may have been in the park service for many, many years,' Wenk said, 'and had finally gotten a permanent position.' Schreier's first permanent job was working as a protection ranger, securing the Liberty Bell and other historical treasures at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. Pflaum got his first permanent job at Yellowstone, where he worked as a telecommunications operator in the dispatch center. Recently fired employees in those types of positions might never get back on a career track that could have led to leadership. That includes Lydia Jones, who was fired from her first permanent park service job last month at Badlands National Park after working as a seasonal ranger in multiple parks for several years. 'I'm devastated,' Jones wrote on social media, adding 'my career is over.' Pflaum formerly worked with Jones at Badlands National Park. 'She was obviously a rising star,' Pflaum said. 'She was very good, very articulate, doing interpretive programs and managing the visitor center desk. And she got fired for 'poor performance,' which is absolutely untrue.' Pflaum said he's spoken with many current and retired park service employees in the past few weeks, and employees who were fired. 'There's absolutely an atmosphere of stress, anxiety and fear throughout the ranks,' he said. 'And that's not a good thing for mission accomplishment.' In the short term, mission accomplishment means hiring seasonal employees to staff many of the 433 park service sites that cover 133,000 square miles across the country. In South Dakota, park service locations include such well-known destinations as Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument and Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. The Trump/DOGE cuts have introduced chaos into the typically predictable seasonal hiring process. Trump ordered a federal hiring freeze in January, reportedly resulting in rescinded job offers for some seasonal park service workers. After the mass firings on Feb. 14 and a public outcry, the Trump administration said it would hire back at least 50 of the park service jobs and authorize 5,000 seasonal positions, which would've been a reduction from recent years. Then the administration relented again and authorized 7,700 seasonal workers. Wenk, Pflaum and Schreier said the confusion and delays will make filling seasonal jobs difficult. They said many seasonal workers may have been scared away or taken other jobs by now. Those that are hired could end up behind schedule with background checks and training. And they might lack permanent employees to train them because of the mass firings. Wenk said visitors could suffer the consequences. Park service sites collectively receive more than 300 million visits per year. 'I think it is going to have an impact this summer,' Wenk said, 'especially as people start arriving in parks in the numbers that they traditionally do, and they expect the same kind of experience. It's not going to be there for them.' One of the experiences that could fall away is programming. At Mount Rushmore, summer programs include ranger talks, presidential reenactors and Native American dancers. The mountain carving receives more than 2 million visitors per year, and on some days, the crowds are overwhelming. Wenk said parks could be overwhelmed more often this summer due to staffing shortages. 'If it got crowded, we used to put a sign out — 'cut the programs' — because we've got to get people through here faster,' Wenk said. 'So there aren't going to be programs available for them to take advantage of.' Other problems could range from insufficiently cleaned bathrooms to inadequate emergency response times, the former superintendents said. Pflaum worries about safety. 'Lots of people, unfortunately, become ill or injured or lost or need rescue in our parks,' he said. 'I don't think those things will be non-existent, but will they be somehow delayed because of fewer rangers? Could lives hang in the balance? I don't know, but I think those are potential impacts.' Schreier said additional problems might be less visible and longer-term in nature, but ultimately devastating to the park service. They could include reductions in the scientific research that goes on behind the scenes in many parks, on topics ranging from geology and paleontology to invasive and endangered species. 'So if you don't have those individuals who are working on that, or the inventory and monitoring of those resources,' Schreier said, 'there may be years of data, and all of a sudden they're not collecting that data anymore.' The most serious danger is to the parks themselves, Wenk said, from having fewer people protecting the treasures they contain. 'A lot of the resources in the National Park Service are fragile, whether they be natural resources or cultural resources,' he said. 'And if you don't have the people to protect them, you could lose something forever.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
