01. Putin’s Roulette: Sacrificing Supporters in a Race Against Defeat
02. Is CDC’s Medical Mask Removal too Extreme?
03. Nature/Nurture: Reunited Identical Twins Prove It’s Complicated
04. The Story of Barney Fife’s Sweetheart, Thelma Lou
05. Documentary: Two Actors with Parkinson’s Stage ‘Endgame’
06. How Not to Hire a Hit Man
07. The Game-Changing Benefit Companies Ought to Offer Workers
08. How Abortion Bans Affect More than Women
09. How to Take Your Brain off the Factory Setting
10. The Red Movement: Social Justice in the Aftermath of BLM
11. Inside a Wilderness Program for Digitally Addicted Teens
12. 12 Questions You Should Ask Your Medical Provider
13. Does Writing Your Problems Down Help Them Go Away?
14. This Expert Almost Missed Out on an Incredible Life
15. What Would You Be Willing to Do to Afford to Travel?
1.==> Putin’s Roulette: Sacrificing Supporters in a Race Against Defeat
Despite assurances by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his defense minister that the draft would be limited to 300,000 people, primarily military reservists who had already served in the army and conflict zones, Russians have already witnessed the forced conscription of men of all ages across the country. “The mobilization has turned out to be almost general,” says Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “He can’t win, but he can’t afford to lose either,” he says. “Putin appears to have forgotten that the real source of danger to his regime may not be the political opposition, which has mostly been jailed or otherwise silenced, or representatives of civil society, whose organizations have been systematically shut down and their voices suppressed, but rather ordinary Russians who have long provided the foundations of his rule.” Contact Clarissa Guerrero at (202) 939-2371; pressoffice@ceip.org
2. ==> Is CDC’s Medical Mask Removal too Extreme?
As of last week, the CDC no longer recommends universal masking in health-care settings. Epidemiologist Justin Feldman says the change in guidance is “pretty extreme.” He adds: “It’s hard to know exactly what the effect will be.” Feldman, a social epidemiologist and a visiting scientist at the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University, says, the CDC’s move is “clearly not going to strengthen public health measures. At best, it will be neutral. It probably will weaken them.” A parallel change, Feldman says, was the switch to the CDC’s community level system last February. The community level map dictates that when a community becomes high risk, organizations are supposed to begin mandating masks. But repeatedly, “we see that when counties have high levels, mask mandates don’t follow––and there is no strong messaging from any level of government about masking. So the question here will be about whether institutional policies come into effect amid high levels.” Contact Justin Feldman at feldman@hsph.harvard.edu; @jfeldman_epi
3. ==> Nature/Nurture: Reunited Identical Twins Prove It’s Complicated
Erika Hayasaki spent five years researching Isabella and Hà, identical twins who were born in Vietnam, raised on opposite sides of the world and reunited as teenagers. She spent hundreds of hours interviewing the girls and their families, tracing their diverging childhoods in the suburbs of America and the villages of Vietnam and following them from their reunion through the complicated years that followed. Invite the author of “Somewhere Sisters: A Story of Adoption, Identity, and the Meaning of Family,” to share the girls’ incredible story and challenge listeners’ conceptions about transnational and transracial adoption, Asian and Asian American identity, the nature versus nurture debate, poverty and privilege, and what it means to give a child a good life. Erika Hayasaki is a professor in the Literary Journalism Department at the University of California, Irvine. Contact Johanna Ramos-Boyer at (703) 646-5137 (o); (703) 400-1099 (cell) or Sasha Beatty at (703) 646-5188
4.==> The Story of Barney Fife’s Sweetheart, Thelma Lou
Betty Lynn will forever be Thelma Lou to millions of “Mayberry” fans, but there is much more to learn and love about this truly extraordinary woman. The actor was putting the final touches on her life story when she passed away last year. Released posthumously on what would have been her 96th birthday in August, “Becoming Thelma Lou—My Journey to Hollywood, Mayberry and Beyond” shares a myriad of stories from Betty’s wartime service in India and Burma to how she shared the spotlight with entertainment royalty from New York to Hollywood. Invite coauthor Jim Clark to talk about Betty’s life and her special role in the Mayberry family. Jim Clark is a freelance writer and Presiding Goober Emeritus of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club (TAGSRWC), an organization he co-founded in 1979. Contact him at tagsrwc@aol.com or Ben Ohmart at ben@bearmanormedia.com
5. ==> Documentary: Two Actors with Parkinson’s Stage ‘Endgame’
More than a million Americans have Parkinson’s disease, including veteran Broadway/TV actors Dan Moran and Chris Jones, who have taken on the challenge of performing Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame.” Written after he spent months at his dying brother’s bedside, the play posits, “there’s nothing funnier than unhappiness.” Director Jim Bernfield’s documentary, “Me to Play,” follows the actors through the staging process of the off-Broadway production as they undertake their swan song to the decades-long artistic and professional lives they’ve led. It becomes the perfect metaphor for their real lives and allows us to sympathize with both the actors and the idiosyncratic characters. “Me to Play” has screened at more than 30 film festivals and is currently streaming on Fandor. For interviews, contact Kelly Hargraves at kellyhargraves@gmail.com
6. ==> How Not to Hire a Hit Man
Melisa Schonfield was a successful psychotherapist and a respected pillar of her community, who had never been in trouble. But when her daughter’s boyfriend began abusing her daughter and young grandson, Melisa decided to take matters into her own hands, by hiring a hit man to dispose of the boyfriend. The hit man she attempted to hire turned out to be an undercover cop. Melisa spent more than three years in prison. “When my grandson was five days old, my daughter’s boyfriend threatened to punch him if he didn’t stop crying,” she says. “He [the boyfriend] never got into trouble because he fooled the police.” Melisa can share the details of her harrowing journey, and how the justice system failed her. She is the author of “Bitter or Better: The Melisa Schonfield Story.” Contact her at (305) 424-7507; mschonfield@rtirguests.com
7. ==> The Game-Changing Benefit Companies Ought to Offer Workers
What benefit should companies offer employees that would be a win-win for everyone? Get the surprising answer from Beverly Williams, J.D., an employment professional, arbitrator, and former HR executive. She’ll explain why paying for employees’ childcare would lead to better outcomes for children and their parents, workplace productivity, and even lower income disparities. She’ll say that offering a free daycare benefit to employees would be more impactful than paying off their college debt, benefitting society in many ways. Ask her how would free daycare be paid for? Can most companies afford to do this? Would this be the end of living paycheck to paycheck? Williams is the author of “Your GPS to Employment Success: How to Find and Succeed in the Right Job.” She is a partner at Wong Fleming PC in Princeton, N.J., where she specializes in labor and employment law. She also hosts the Your Employment Matters with Beverly Williams podcast. Williams earned an M.P.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Rutgers Law School. Contact Beverly Williams at (973) 576-5841; bwilliams@rtirguests.com
8. ==> How Abortion Bans Affect More than Women
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this summer and now some Republicans are talking about enacting a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks. The issue directly affects women and their health care but denying access to abortion has wider implications. Richard Villasana, the founder of the nonprofit Forever Homes for Foster Kids, says this will also have a profound impact on our already broken foster care system. “Hundreds of children die in foster care annually,” he says. “Tens of thousands of children are physically and sexually abused while in foster care. Foster care is not a safety net for more children. That net is in shreds and in crisis without adding children from forced pregnancies.” Richard is the author of the upcoming book “Do No Harm.” He is a former university professor who is a leading international authority on immigration and foster families. He has been featured on CNN International, ABC and many more. Contact him at (619) 648-4729; rvillasana@rtirguests.com
9. ==> How to Take Your Brain off the Factory Setting
We’re used to purchasing new technology that comes with presets. But what we don’t know is that our brains also come with factory settings. And as Steven Feinberg, Ph.D., will tell you, this factory setting that lets us operate on autopilot can falter when confronted with chaos and uncertainty. He calls this the Shutdown Syndrome. Dr. Feinberg, a top 1% business consultant who has worked with Google, Visa, Apple, and more, will reveal how to elevate your thinking the same way exceptional leaders do by unlocking the hidden game of patterns, seeing options on the game board that most people miss, defying expectations and raising your game. Dr. Feinberg taught for nearly 30 years at the University of San Francisco School of Management and leadership and has guest lectured at Stanford, Cal Poly and the UC Berkeley Extension. His latest book is “Do What Others Say Can’t Be Done … Play The Meta-Game,” and features interviews he conducted with 50 world-class leaders and entrepreneurs. Contact Dr. Steven Feinberg at (650) 374-4540; sfeinberg@rtirguests.com
10. ==> The Red Movement: Social Justice in the Aftermath of BLM
From the coffee that is harvested by Black child slaves in Africa to the clothes that are created by modern-day 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 labor 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 modern-day slavery is more prevalent now than at any time in history. 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 her at (509) 720-0278; ShadanKapri@icloud.com
11. ==> Inside a Wilderness Program for Digitally Addicted Teens
As a police officer and entrepreneur in the 1980s Chicago area, Trace Embry never imagined that his path would lead him to start a place like Shepherd’s Hill Academy (SHA). Invite the host of the nationally syndicated radio program “License to Parent” and author of “The Miracles of Shepherd’s Hill” to discuss the unlikely 30-year odyssey that defied all odds and resulted in a globally recognized healing program that helps troubled teens and families. Embry can discuss parenting issues in our tech-driven society, the issue of digital addiction and teens and SHA’s wilderness-style therapeutic program where teens undergo a one-year “digital detox” and live in a primitive environment without electricity or the internet. Shepherd’s Hill Academy is a Christ-centered therapeutic residential boarding school for teens in crisis. Contact Daniel Fazzina at (631) 463-7359; fazzinapr@use.startmail.com
12. ==> 12 Questions You Should Ask Your Medical Provider
The time you spend with your physician is crucial. Along with any wellness check-up, diagnostic tests, and planned procedures, you will want to make the most of every appointment to ask key questions and ultimately keep a record of the answers. Invite retired nurse practitioner Anne McAwley-LeDuc whose career included 43 years of varied experience in the medical field, to educate audiences about making the most of any conversation with any doctor — from one’s family physician to specialists. Anne will talk about what to listen for, so your listeners can understand their doctor’s answers and know how to follow their instructions. Anne McAwley-LeDuc is the author of “Personal Health Organizer.” Contact her at (860) 300-1603; AMcAwley@rtirguests.com
13. ==> Does Writing Your Problems Down Help Them Go Away?
Can writing your problems down help you to solve them? It may sound like wishful thinking, but Arlene Duane Hemingway says that yes, writing down your problems works and she’ll explain why this is so. Arlene is an expert on a literary art form for the masses, something called Drabble that lets ordinary people tell concise and complete stories in as little as 100 words. Arlene can read some examples of drabbles to get your audience started and has even created a Drabble on Drabbles. She is the author of “A Twist of Lemon: 100 Curious Stories in Exactly 100 Words” and has a master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music. She was a respected piano and vocal music teacher in a Long Island public school system, and a professional organist, choir director, and vocalist. She performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Radio City Music Hall and launched a composer’s original work at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Contact Arlene at (828) 684-9840; adh7@att.net
14. ==> This Expert Almost Missed Out on an Incredible Life
Rick Smith was a professional hockey player with an amazing life – from the outside. But his battle with substance abuse took a heavy toll. He snorted enough cocaine to make his nose bleed and was suicidal before the age of thirty. Ultimately, his addictions cost him his hockey career and nearly killed him. Rick eventually overcame his addictions and rebuilt his life. Clean and sober for more than 19 years, he’s an award-winning athlete, author, behavior change expert, and world traveler who has helped thousands of people transform their lives. Interview Rick today for a powerfully motivational show that will inspire your audience to overcome addiction or any other obstacle they face. Ask him: Why doesn’t going “cold turkey” work? What was it like playing professional hockey? How can people who struggle with substance abuse avoid passing their problems to the next generation? What was the low point that made you decide to change? Contact Rick Smith at (313) 351-7037; rsmith@rtirguests.com
15. ==> What Would You Be Willing to Do to Afford to Travel?
Despite delays and personnel shortages in the airline industry, more people are traveling or dreaming about it. Let Dror Kfir inspire your audience to do whatever it takes to get on the road again just as he did beginning as a teenager when he made jewelry, picked oranges, fished for tuna and found other unique ways to make a buck so he could travel the world. Born on a kibbutz in Israel, Dror (which means “freedom” in Hebrew) can talk about the adventures he had in Greece, Switzerland, Ecuador, Columbia, and Bolivia. He can also talk about how and where he ended up in prison where he learned the true meaning of freedom. Dror Kfir’s new memoir is “Freedom.” Contact him at drorkfir60@yahoo.com