01. Behind the US Rail Freight Crisis
02. EPA Protests Highlight Military Water Toxins
03. Movie Critic on Fall Film Fests and Oscar Buzz
04. Shipping Giant Shifts Lanes to Save Blue Whales
05. How a Monty Python Joke Inspired an Art Form
06. What Bookies Can Teach You about Life (and Business)
07. How Indigenous Wisdom Can Save the World
08. Your Secret Weapon for Overcoming Challenging Times
09. Abortion Bans Affect More than Women
10. Polio’s Back. Could Smallpox Return Too?
11. How to Prepare Your Kids for STEM Careers
12. What Was It Like to Work on the ‘Golden Girls’?
13. Why We Should Care about Happy the Elephant
14. This Expert Almost Missed Out on an Incredible Life
15. What Really Happens in the Afterlife?
1. ==> Behind the US Rail Freight Crisis
A tentative agreement has been reached to avert a US rail strike that experts warned would be the largest of its kind since 1992 and would snarl a wide range of goods transported by rail, from food to metal and auto parts. The deal still faces several steps before it is formally ratified, and the unions must still vote on it. According to reporting by The Real News Network, “The rail industry is experiencing a self-induced crisis as a result of decades of cost-cutting, profit-maximizing executive decisions that have driven rail workers and the supply chain into the ground.” Real News journalist Mel Buer can discuss what the issues are and how things got to this point. Mel Buer is an Omaha, Nebraska-based contributor to The Real News Network. Contact her at mel.buer.reports@gmail.com; @mel_buer
2. ==> EPA Protests Highlight Military Water Toxins
Families, firefighters, and military members from around the country who have been sickened by a host of environmental toxins will descend on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) next week. Amanda Feindt will be there. She’s one of 93,000 military members and their dependents who have been affected since 14,000 gallons of jet fuel at the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility leaked into the U.S. Navy’s drinking water on Oahu, Hawaii, in November 2021. She and her husband and two children have all suffered severe ongoing health issues since being exposed to the fuel-tainted water. Feindt is quoted in the recent “USA Today” report “Hawaii families sue U.S. over tainted drinking water from jet fuel at Navy’s Red Hill facility.” She also wrote the piece “My kids landed in the hospital after exposure to contaminated drinking water on a Navy base. I’m still dealing with the medical fallout” For Yahoo News. SAFE — Scientists, Activists, and Families for Cancer-Free Environments has organized Tuesday’s protest at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. Contact Amanda Feindt at amandafeindt@gmail.com
3. ==> Movie Critic on Fall Film Fests and Oscar Buzz
The fall film festival season has begun and so has this year’s Oscar talk. Movie critic Ty Burris is currently at the Toronto Film Festival and says there’s a lot of buzz about Cate Blanchett’s performance in “Tar” and director Martin McDonagh’s new film “The Banshees of Inisherin.” Invite him to discuss the most anticipated movies this fall and the best performances of the year so far. He can also discuss whether there are any true “movie stars” anymore, how streaming is affecting awards season and whether DVDs are (and should be) making a comeback. Ty is a former “Boston Globe” movie critic and creator of the newsletter Ty Burr’s Watch List. Contact Lissa Warren at (617) 233-2853 (cell); LissaWarrenPR@gmail.com or @lissa_warren
4.==> Shipping Giant Shifts Lanes to Save Blue Whales
The world’s largest shipping and logistics conglomerate, MSC, is adjusting its shipping route south of Sri Lanka to reduce the collision risk with endangered blue whales. Sharon Livermore of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) says the company’s container ships will now avoid the international shipping lanes where the majority of the northern Indian Ocean blue whales populate. “Whales often die as a result of collisions and this population is at risk. Ship strikes are both a conservation and a welfare problem,” she says. While the shift is supported by major shipping organizations and environmental groups, the Sri Lankan government has yet to address the issue and the majority of shipping still transits through the core whale habitat. Recent scientific surveys found that if shipping were to move 15 nautical miles south of the current routes, the risk of ship strikes to blue whales would be reduced by 95%. Request an interview with Sharon Livermore at press@ifaw.org
5. ==> How a Monty Python Joke Inspired an Art Form
Whether you know Monty Python best from their “Flying Circus” TV show, their movies (“And Now for Something Completely Different,” “Life of Brian,” “The Meaning of Life”), their Broadway play “Spamalot) or their comedy albums, there’s probably still something you don’t know about the irreverent comedy team of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam. Interview retired teacher Arlene Duane Hemingway to learn how a joke in the group’s “Big Red Book” spawned a literary art form called Drabble. Learn what drabbling is, why she is so passionate about it and why your audience can gain increased problem-solving abilities, clarity, and relaxation by practicing this concise form of writing that uses just 100 words to tell a story. Arlene will be happy to share some of her drabbles with your audience leading to their better appreciation of the empowerment of 100 words. 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
6. ==> What Bookies Can Teach You about Life (and Business)
As the son of a big-time bookie, Steven Feinberg, Ph.D., learned a lot about the world as he watched his father’s 24/7 gambling lifestyle unfold before his eyes, the wins and the losses including the equivalent of $90,000 lost on a single football game. “My life was a training ground for the handling and mishandling of uncertainty,” Dr. Feinberg observes. Now, Steven is ready to share with your audience stories about his father and how Steven managed to see the film “The Godfather” with an actual wise guy at his side. He’ll also share the three steps he learned about winning more from life by utilizing the Bookie vantage point. A one-of-a-kind guest, Steven is a top 1% executive consultant who 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
7. ==> How Indigenous Wisdom Can Save the World
There are more than 476 million indigenous people living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2% of the global population. At best, they have been misunderstood. At worst, they have been subjected to violent persecution throughout history. According to scholar and author Dr. Sousan Abadian, we can all benefit greatly from embracing these people and the spiritual and cultural practices they have long honored. “Indigenous wisdom can help us to connect with the deepest aspects of ourselves, in order to come into the right relationship with the natural world and the interconnected planet that we all call home.” Sousan is the author of the forthcoming book “Free Me to Love.” She has a Ph.D. in political economy and government from Harvard University. Contact her at (617) 860-2785; sabadian@rtirguests.com
8. ==> Your Secret Weapon for Overcoming Challenging Times
Amidst the ongoing chaos in the world, many of us are feeling more anxious and uncertain about the future than ever. Best-selling author and intuition expert Kim Chestney says that turning to your inner guidance is the best way to reclaim your personal power. “With so much confusion in the world, it is getting harder to be sure of our path forward,” she says. “But there is a part of you that can see from a higher perspective.” Kim is the author of the book “Radical Intuition: A Revolutionary Guide to Using Your Inner Power” and the founder of IntuitionLab. Contact Kim at (412) 214-9502; KChestney@rtirguests.com
9. ==> Abortion Bans Affect More than Women
The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade earlier 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
10. ==> Polio’s Back. Could Smallpox Return Too?
It’s been decades since a case of polio has been recorded in the United States but a health emergency has been declared in New York after one man was paralyzed by the potentially deadly disease and additional poliovirus samples were found in the state’s wastewater. Adults are now double-checking their vaccination status and making sure their own kids are up to date. But should they also worry about smallpox and other long-forgotten viruses resurfacing? Luckily, health experts say the smallpox situation is very different thanks to a successful 10-year global campaign that Bee Bloeser knows well. Bee and her family moved to West Africa in 1969 when the CDC dispatched her husband to join the effort. She’ll discuss the vaccination issues faced then, the role politics played, and how barriers were overcome in finally eradicating a disease that had plagued humanity for as many as 3,000 years. She can compare that experience with our challenges from COVID and the resurgence of other preventable diseases. An award-winning author and engaging public speaker, Bee Bloeser has been featured on NPR’s “Journeys of Discovery,” NPR KCBX Radio’s show “Issues and Ideas” and on numerous other radio programs and podcasts. Her book is “Vaccines and Bayonets: Fighting Smallpox in Africa amid Tribalism, Terror and the Cold War.” Contact her at (520) 214-5971; bbloeser@rtirguests.com
11. ==> How to Prepare Your Kids for STEM Careers
Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills are very much in demand. Now that kids are in the midst of the new school year, educator and college professor Chris A. Goldberg recommends that parents encourage their kids by engaging in STEM-related activities at home, to prepare them for bright futures. “Encouraging young children to get involved in making a difference at an early age is crucial to building their awareness and self-esteem in the surrounding community,” he says. Chris can share fun, educational activities the whole family can enjoy. He is the author of the soon-to-be-published book “Aliyah and The STEMsational Problem-Solvers: What’s Cooking?” Contact Chris at (973) 576-5841; cgoldberg@rtirguests.com
12. ==> What Was it Like to Work on the ‘Golden Girls’?
Millions of Americans love “The Golden Girls,” an iconic network television staple that featured a unique premise, a mesmerizing cast, and the tendency to tackle groundbreaking social issues that few sitcoms at the time dared to incorporate. But what was it really like on the set of this treasured show? Interview Jesse Fiedor to find out! An author and inspirational speaker, Jesse overcame a serious disability to achieve his dream of working in Hollywood. He’ll not only regale your guests with tales of meeting stars like Betty White, one of America’s most beloved actresses, but also help them find the motivation to overcome their own obstacles and succeed in life. Ask him: What was Betty White like in person? Did you meet anyone else? What did you do on the set of the show? How did you overcome your disability, and how can others do the same? Why do you say, “If I can do it, anyone can”? Contact Jesse Fiedor at (714) 683-2353; jfiedor@rtirguests.com
13. ==> Why We Should Care about Happy the Elephant
Bronx Zoo resident Happy the elephant was recently in the news when the animal advocacy group the Nonhuman Rights Project filed a writ of habeas corpus to have her declared a person. Although Chief Judge Janet DiFiore acknowledged that elephants are intelligent and deserve compassion, she decided that they do not have the same rights as humans. Animal welfare activist Georja Umano disagrees. “Happy and other captive elephants don’t deserve this treatment,” she says. “They deserve to live in accredited sanctuaries where they have room to walk where they want, roll in mud, choose their own companions and have as much freedom as possible – given that they have lost their families, herds and homelands.” Georja spent two years living and working in Kenya. She is the author of “Terriers in the Jungle.” Contact her at (213) 568-1764; gumano@rtirguests.com
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 literally make his nose bleed and was suicidal before the age of 30. 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 Really Happens in the Afterlife?
After experiencing a traumatic brain injury due to falling at home, author Jennifer Maag realized this was a blessing in disguise. “I became extremely empathic, which was a gift,” she says. One of those gifts was developing an understanding of what happens after we die. “When we pass over, we go to a ‘soul hospital’ and then ‘soul school’ where we learn valuable lessons. Those who have passed over often communicate with us through our dreams.” Jennifer, a licensed massage therapist, and her son, Alexander Maag are the co-authors of the critically acclaimed book “Take on God,” which explores how to transform our inner battles into healing tools to live our best lives. Contact her at (419) 969-3259; jmaag@rtirguests.com
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