01. COVID Cases Soar: When Will it End?
02. Real Public Servants: USPS Delivering Free COVID Tests
03. What Smallpox Can Teach Us about Vaccines and Politics
04. The Continuing Crypto Crash Explained
05. What Do Billionaires Owe Society?
06. 150th Anniversary of Yellowstone
07. Narcissism, Psychopaths and the Psychology of America’s Deep Divide
08. Stop Unintentionally Supporting Slavery
09. Simple Habits to Combat Climate Change
10. Will Quitting Your Job Make You Happier?
11. How to Date Better in 2022
12. Is this the Time to Start a Biz? Pitch Your Idea to This Expert
13. You Can (and Should) Fight City Hall
14. Could Your Forgetful Spouse Have Early-Onset Alzheimer’s?
15. Surprising Ways to Lower Student Debt
1. ==> COVID Cases Soar: When Will it End?
Areas that were among the first to get hit hard by the Omicron variant are starting to see their COVID-19 numbers level off or even improve but that’s not the case for much of the country and hospitals are filling up amid severe staffing shortages. Experts say the next few weeks may bring more strain, but some believe things will quickly improve afterward. Invite Dean Fanelli, Ph.D., an expert on pharmaceutical and chemical-related technologies, to answer your vaccine questions. Ask him: Do you foresee another variant emerging this year? What do you think is the driving reason behind why fewer people are now vaccine-hesitant than they were a few months ago? Do you think herd immunity can be achieved if an overwhelming number of Americans get vaccinated? Dean Fanelli is a partner in the intellectual property department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s Washington D.C. office. Contact Ryan McCormick at (516) 901-1103; (919) 377-1200 or ryan@goldmanmccormick.com
2. ==> Real Public Servants: USPS Delivering Free COVID Tests
“Deploying the U.S. Postal Service to deliver (free COVID tests) is an excellent example of how this essential institution can provide needed public services,” says Lisa Graves of the watchdog group True North Research. She highlights how the Post Office would stand in contrast to how companies have conducted themselves, pointing to the example of Abbott Laboratories destroying COVID tests: “Abbott’s shameful and greedy conduct in destroying test components demonstrates yet again why the public cannot depend on such for-profit corporations to prioritize the public health over the company’s quests for higher and higher profits.” Lisa Graves is the executive director of True North Research and leads the BOLD Rethink project. She is a former deputy assistant attorney general in the office of legal policy at the U.S. Department of Justice and former chief counsel for nominations for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Contact Evan Vorpahl at evan@truenorthresearch.org; @itstruenorth
3. ==> What Smallpox Can Teach Us about Vaccines and Politics
For a timely show in light of today’s discussions about the role of vaccines in stopping COVID’s spread in the world’s poorest nations, invite Bee Bloeser to share her experiences in Africa during the CDC’s campaign to rid the world of smallpox. Bee’s new book, “Vaccines and Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War,” details her time in Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea (where she was one of only two American women), including brushes with a brutal dictator and a heartbreaking humanitarian crisis unknown to the outside world. Hear what happened when Bee packed up her kids and headed to Africa when her husband was dispatched to join the global smallpox vaccination campaign in 1969. An award-winning author and engaging public speaker, Bee Bloeser has been featured on NPR’s “Journeys of Discovery” and NPR KCBX Radio’s show, “Issues and Ideas.” Contact her at (520) 214-5971; bbloeser@rtirguests.com
4. ==> The Continuing Crypto Crash Explained
A crypto crash that began Friday afternoon continued over the weekend and picked up the pace on Monday morning. Invite attorney JR Lanis to discuss the current volatility and what to watch for next. He can also explain how cryptocurrency works for consumers and businesses, whether the government is likely to step in and regulate the digital currency, and how the technology is evolving. JR Lanis is one of only a handful of U.S. attorneys who fully understand the rapid development of cryptocurrency and has completed major transactions in this space. He’s frequently quoted and interviewed by national news outlets including “The Wall Street Journal,” Bloomberg, CNBC, and Law360. Contact Cherie Kerr at (714) 271-2140 (cell); cherie@kerrpr-execuprov.com or Shannon Dugger at (303) 619-3949; Shannon@kerrpr-execuprov.com
5. ==> What Do Billionaires Owe Society?
A new report takes a look at global mega-wealth and the revenues that could be raised from taxing the super-rich. According to “Taxing Extreme Wealth,” there are 2,660 billionaires on the planet with a total combined wealth of $13.76 trillion. The study calculated an annual wealth tax applied to the world’s richest would raise $2.52 trillion a year and “be enough to lift 2.3 billion people out of poverty” as well as “deliver universal health care and social protection for all the citizens of low- and lower-middle-income countries.” According to Morris Pearl of Patriotic Millionaires, “There is no defending a system that endlessly inflates the wealth of the world’s richest people while condemning billions to easily preventable poverty. We need deep, systemic change, and that starts with taxing rich people like me.” Nonprofits involved in the report include the Fight Inequality Alliance, the Institute for Policy Studies, Oxfam and Patriotic Millionaires. Contact Sam Quigley at sam@patrioticmillionaires.org; @PatrioticMills
6. ==> 150th Anniversary of Yellowstone
Each year, nearly four million people visit Yellowstone National Park—one of the most popular of all national parks—but few know the fascinating and complex historical context in which it was established. Invite historian Megan Kate Nelson to shine a light on the creation of our first national park and the tensions of the era that lead to a weakening of the Native American population. Hear how in 1871, the geologist-explorer Ferdinand Hayden led a team of scientists through a narrow canyon into Yellowstone Basin, one of the last unmapped places on the continent, in hopes of proving that tales of majestic landscapes and untold natural wonders, but also incomparable danger—were true. While Hayden saw the mission as a way to secure his place in history, the American government that was funding the expedition had its own goals: to give Americans a sense of achievement and unity. Megan Kate Nelson has written about the Civil War, U.S. western history, and American culture for “The New York Times,” the “Washington Post,” “Smithsonian Magazine” and more. She’s the author of the Pulitzer Prize Finalist “The Three-Cornered War.” Contact Johanna Ramos-Boyer at (703) 646-5137 (office); (703) 400-1099 (cell) or johanna@jrbcomm.com or Briana Caywood at (703) 646-5188 (office)
7. ==> Narcissism, Psychopaths and the Psychology of America’s Deep Divide
“Kiss goodbye the fact-based ‘Age of Reason’ that began in the 18th century—along with democracies—and gave us the sciences that helped us put men on the moon. Welcome instead our strange epoch of pandemics and global warming, where facts are no longer king, though we need them now, more than ever!” Psychologist Gary Rosenthal, author of “Re-Visioning Narcissism: Healing Heresies for Polarized Times,” believes our nation is more divided now than any time since the Civil War, and that our democracy, and the fate of our planet, now hang by a thread. How did we get here—where we can’t even agree on such basic facts as who won the last presidential election? And how do we proceed? Discuss these and other questions with Gary. Find out why he believes the Capitol attack was enabled by narcissism but led by something more perilous. He’ll discuss the traits of a psychopath, why you won’t find them in the official diagnostic manual of American psychiatry, and whether Donald Trump is both a narcissist and a psychopath. Gary Rosenthal has been a clinical psychologist and licensed therapist for nearly 40 years. Contact him at (510) 232-8701; (415) 342-3090 (cell) or garysroses@gmail.com
8. ==> Stop Unintentionally Supporting Slavery
From the coffee that is harvested by Black child slaves in Africa to the clothes that are created by slave labor in India and other parts of the world, The Red Movement increases awareness about how our purchasing power is supporting companies who use slave and child labor every day. Attorney, activist and founder of The Red Movement Shadan Kapri says billions of people are completely in the dark about how their hard-earned money is supporting slavery and its proliferation around the world. She’ll reveal the surprising number of items in your home that are harvested or put together by slave and forced labor, and why slavery is more prevalent now than in any time in history—and why #BLM isn’t talking about it. Shadan Kapri (pronounced Shadawn Capri) has been recognized nationally and internationally for her work in law and human rights. Her book is “The Red Movement: Social and Environmental Justice in the 21st Century.” Contact Shadan Kapri at (509) 720-0278); ShadanKapri@icloud.com
9. ==> Simple Habits to Combat Climate Change
Did you know that agriculture is the second leading contributor to greenhouse gases? How we grow our food and our agricultural practices exert critical burdens on soils, water, and biodiversity and have caused a large part of the environmental degradation and loss of biological diversity. These environmental pressures aggravate the problem of climate change around the world. Invite health coach Ximena Yanez Soto (pronounced He-men-a) to explain how our current diet and lifestyle have contributed to global warming. Ask her: Is what we eat damaging the planet? Have we been manipulated about the importance of animal protein in our diets? What’s so bad about GMO ingredients? Does eating organic produce really matter? Ximena Yanez Soto is the author of “Healthy Planet, Healthy You: Simple Habits to Create a Brighter Future” and the former CFO of an environmental fund. Contact her at (720) 277-8617; xiyaso@gmail.com
10. ==> Will Quitting Your Job Make You Happier?
The Great Resignation shows no signs of slowing, with the government reporting that 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in November, an all-time monthly high. Some are leaving for better pay while others are starting businesses or reevaluating their careers. While experts say the current labor shortage means workers can more easily switch jobs, Oreste D’Aversa says if you’re quitting to be happier, you need a game plan before you hand in your resignation. Invite the author of “Life Beyond the Pandemic: A Practical New Journey Handbook” to share his revolutionary step-by-step blueprint to reinvent your life and thrive in the post-pandemic world. He’ll explain what people get wrong about happiness, prosperity and money to help listeners get unstuck, define their life’s purpose, and have more joy in every aspect of life. Oreste D’Aversa is a life and business coach, corporate trainer, and All-Faiths Minister. Contact him at (201) 949-3002; odaversa@rtirguests.com
11. ==> How to Date Better in 2022
With a shiny New Year here and the third year of pandemic dating ahead many people find themselves in the same situation Dina Rifkin used to be in. Single and looking to find genuine love while avoiding the cheaters, liars and toxic men who can get in the way of finding the good ones. Rifkin, the founder of Love + Qi, and a personal coach and dating coach who is in her mid-thirties, married Nate Rifkin a year ago, after an intensive search involving 71 dates with different men in a single year. She’ll share the lessons she learned along the way that she believes will help other women find their best match. She’ll discuss what to look for and what to look out for when dating, her list of red flags, and post-date practices and questions to ask yourself including whether you liked the person “you” were on that date. Dina Rifkin is the founder of Love + Qi, a women’s coaching company. She is also a priestess, a Chinese Energetic Medicine Practitioner and the author of “Date Better, Darling! Your Sassy, Soulful, Self-Aware Guide to Finding Love.” Contact her at (303) 898-0791; datebetterdarling@gmail.com
12. ==> Is this the Time to Start a Biz? Pitch Your Idea to This Expert
For a lively, fun show, have callers pitch Tawn Holstra Auston their small business ideas; she’ll offer them invaluable advice on what they need to be thinking about. Tawn says, “Most people don’t want to get rich… they just want to get a mortgage, put braces on their kids’ teeth, and be able to afford a prom dress for their child. Starting a business does not have to be so uncertain, hard, scary, or stressful.” Tawn developed “Launch Like a Pro,” an affordable system for helping businesses of one to five people get the support they need to be successful. She’s been advising small business owners for more than 10 years. Ask her: How can people go from vision to first customers in just a few months? What are the top myths that prevent people from acting on their business dreams? Contact Tawn Holstra Auston at (206) 495-6505; tauston@rtirguests.com
13. ==> You Can (and Should) Fight City Hall
Consider the possibility that those who perpetuate the myth that “you can’t fight City Hall,” may very well be corrupt career bureaucrats who run things behind the scenes, regardless of who is elected to office. Ron San Miguel says that while activists and community organizations rightly focus on voting out corrupt career politicians, little attention is paid to corrupt career bureaucrats. A community activist and the author of an upcoming book about why government exists, San Miguel will explain how the U.S. government was designed to work, how it’s working, and what we can do to fix it. Ron San Miguel is a career-long civil servant and a Peace Warrior of Yaqui and Apache blood. Contact him at (415) 894-0785; Ron@RonSanMiguelAuthor.com
14. ==> Could Your Forgetful Spouse Have Early-Onset Alzheimer’s?
It’s one thing to overlook paying a bill, or to misplace your keys, or to be unable to remember a stranger’s name. It’s another thing to become so forgetful that you can’t complete a task you have done a thousand times. Or to forget how to find your way home. When such things happen, especially to a loved one who isn’t even 60, you may wonder if it’s early-onset Alzheimer’s, which can strike as early as 30. Discover more about the disease and how to spot its symptoms when you interview Carlen Maddux. A former reporter who chronicled his family’s 17-year Alzheimer’s journey in the award-winning book “A Path Revealed,” Carlen is determined to help others with information and been-there advice. His wife, Martha, was just past her 50th birthday when diagnosed. Carlen will discuss his family experiences, and what it was like to become his wife’s caregiver. Highly articulate, Carlen has done dozens of media interviews. Contact Carlen Maddux at (727) 351-8321; CMaddux@rtirguests.com
15. ==> Surprising Ways to Lower Student Debt
Graduating with tons of student loan debt has become the norm with rising education costs. But what if you could serve your debts away? Interview education finance experts Daphné Vanessa and Shamil Rodriguez to find out how. Daphné and Shamil will talk about how the student loan crisis prevents people from making major life decisions, such as buying a home, starting a business, and having children. These guests will leave your audience with creative ways that people can tackle education debt and move on with life. Daphné and Shamil co-founded StartNoo.com, where students and alumni can pay for school while helping nonprofits. Ask them: Why are student loans such a big problem today? How can people graduate from their dream college debt-free? Contact Daphné and Shamil at (917) 310-1858; daphne@startnoo.com