May 11, 2017
01. James Comey Firing Reminiscent of Watergate?
02. Comey Debacle Intensifies Russia Mystery
03. Sinclair Media Buy – Reward from Trump?
04. Velocity TV – ‘Speed is the New Black’
05. Do a Show on May’s Bizarre Festivals
06. Do Happy Mothers have Happy Kids?
07. Mother’s Day – Celebrate Amazing Resilience of Women
08. Is Innovation in Government Possible?
09. Profit from Sweet New Business Trend
10. Will You Get a ‘Paycheck’ When You Retire?
11. This Canadian is a Rising Pop Star in China
12. The Dangerous World of New Grads
13. ‘3 Reasons Why’: A Wake Up Call for Parents of Teens
14. Summer Style Tips for Every Body Type
15. How Sound Can Help Pets Heal
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1. ==> Comey Firing Reminiscent of Watergate?
The obvious is being repeated all over the media: FBI
Director James Comey’s abrupt firing by President Trump
can only be compared to President Nixon’s firing of
Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox in 1973 — the so-
called Saturday Night Massacre. Jim Robenalt says it’s
important to know about the historical reference to
understand its potential significance to current
events. “What everyone knew—as might be the case today
with Trump—is that Nixon was acting in a desperate
manner to stop an investigation that he knew would show
his guilt. The fact that Comey was circling in on the
Russian election-tampering scandal and possible
collaboration with the Trump campaign is a fairly
precise analogue to Nixon firing Archibald Cox.” Jim
Robenalt is the author of three books and lectures
nationally with John W. Dean on legal ethics and
Watergate. Contact him at jim.robenalt@thompsonhine.com
2. ==> Comey Debacle Intensifies Russia Mystery
Journalist David Ignatius says Trump’s abrupt firing of
James Comey will intensify focus on the issue Trump has
been so eager to dismiss — his knowledge of contacts
between Michael Flynn and other associates and Russia.
“Will the next FBI director truly be free to pursue the
investigation that Comey began? Will a bureau already
riven by political divisions and back-biting truly
regain confidence and public trust? Can the Justice
Department oversee the Russia matter? Already,
congressional pressure is building for an independent
counsel — which is the most sensible way to restore a
measure of public confidence after this debacle.” David
Ignatius, a prize-winning columnist for the Washington
Post, has been covering the Middle East and the CIA for
more than twenty-five years. Ignatius has also written
eight spy novels. Contact Rachel Salzman at
rsalzman@wwnorton.com.
3. ==> Sinclair Media Buy – Reward from Trump?
Sinclair Broadcast Group, based outside Baltimore,
announced Monday it had struck a $3.9 billion deal to
obtain dozens of local television stations by acquiring
Tribune Media. Michael Corcoran says the plan is
unsettling for several reasons. “It would be a major
consolidation of the local media market, giving
Sinclair access to a staggering 69 percent of the U.S.
population. This exceeds the 39 percent ownership cap
and was enabled by Trump-appointed FCC chairman Ajit
Pai and his decision to reinstate a needless loophole
that benefits nobody except Big Media.” He adds, “All
of this is made more troubling by the fact that the
Trump campaign and Sinclair previously made ‘a deal,’
as Trump’s son-in-law described it, to provide more
coverage of Trump in exchange for access. Sinclair,
which has long pushed a conservative agenda, has since
hired a former Trump staffer. Now the president appears
to be using his control of the FCC as a way to reward
media companies he likes.
This is one of the many problems that occurs when the
vast majority of the media is controlled by massive
corporations who prioritize profit above all else, even
the public good.” Michael Corcoran is a media critic
and journalist who writes about media policy. Contact
him at corcoran1@gmail.com; @mcorcoran3
4. ==> Velocity TV – ‘Speed is the New Black’
From his massive Classic Car Studio in St. Louis, Noah
Alexander and his crew customize classic cars for
automotive aficionados around the world. Now, Noah is
the star of the new TV series Speed is the New Black on
Discovery’s Velocity network. The show gives viewers an
inside look at the extraordinary custom vehicles —
primarily built for speed — coming out of Noah’s shop.
Noah can discuss some of the wildest custom pieces he’s
ever built, some of his all-time favorite classic car
redesigns, and what viewers can expect from the new
series. Contact John Angelo at john@premieretv.com.
5. ==> Do a Show on May’s Bizarre Festivals
For whatever reason, the merry month of May is home to
some of the world’s strangest festivals. Amuse your
audience by letting Susanna Janssen share some of the
more outrageous ones with them. For example, did you
know that people in India celebrate Buddha’s birthday
with drumming, fireworks and a procession of elephants
that goes on for 36 hours? Or that revelers in Hong
Kong celebrate the Cheung Chau Bun Festival by climbing
60-foot towers covered with sacred buns that can be
eaten for good luck? (Quick, someone tell Homer
Simpson.) In addition, in England hundreds of people
will be chasing five seven-pound wheels of cheese down
a very steep hill, all for the chance to keep them.
This race for the cheese routinely sends people to the
hospital with serious injuries. Susanna isn’t making
this stuff up. She is the author of “Wordstruck!: The
Fun and Fascination of Language.” The book contains a
chapter on May festivals. Reach her at (707) 272-1351
or sjanssen106@gmail.com
6. ==> Do Happy Mothers have Happy Kids?
As we celebrate motherhood this weekend, the spotlight
is on Mom and Emily Slingluff says it’s important to
understand how important a happy mother is to having
happy children. Invite her to talk about the importance
of raising happy children, and how mothers—and
fathers—can change the equation. She says, “The
formative years of life are called formative for a
reason. And the main influence in those first years is
the parent.” Slingluff says parents have more influence
than anyone in raising a kinder, happier generation.
She’ll discuss clear and easy ways to help kids be
happy with life. Emily Slingluff is the author of
several parenting books including “Peace” and
“Parenting without Punishment.” Contact her at (757)
428-6167; emilyslingluff@aol.com
7. ==> Mother’s Day – Celebrate Amazing Resilience of
Women
Strength, courage, and resilience are attributes women
have in great abundance when confronted with some of
the worst circumstances that life has to offer,
concludes female empowerment expert and entrepreneur
Connie Rankin. Invite her to share the compelling and
inspiring stories of women like Oprah Winfrey and Keo
Chan, a Laotian girl who traveled over 10,000 miles to
find her life’s purpose. Rankin says it’s her desire
that all women identify their own hidden strengths as
they overcome their fears that hold them back. Her new
book “God Gave Us Wings” features the stories of nine
very different women whom Rankin interviewed and drew
inspiration from as well as her own story of how she
overcame childhood injury, abandonment by her father
and even homelessness to become a commercial realtor,
entrepreneur and founder of Bridge Literacy Now, a
nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of women and
children. Rankin is an experienced media guest who has
appeared on CBS, Fox 26 News, and on the cover of
Business Today magazine. Contact Megan Salch at (713)
864-1344, ext. 1; MeganSalch@TellYourTale.com
8. ==> Is Innovation in Government Possible?
The word “innovation” can make people think of
everything from new developments in kitty litter and
Chia Pet designs to electric cars, algae as biofuel and
Fitbits. Governments around the globe – including ours
and Canada’s – are creating “Departments of Innovation”
the same way they create specialty departments around
topics like transportation, energy and education. Is
“innovation” something tangible that a department – and
entire careers – can be created around? And what does
the study of innovation by a government or corporation
mean for the average consumer and citizen? Dr. Brett
Trusko, one of the world’s leading experts on
innovation and president of the International
Association of Innovation Professionals, offers a fun
overview and real-life examples of how innovation can
be studied, taught and how it is changing the lives of
everyone on the planet. Contact The Zephyr Group at
(505) 466-2770; info@groupzephyr.com.
9. ==> Profit from Sweet New Business Trend
There’s a sweet new trend going on in C-suites, the
executive offices of CEOs, CFOS and COOs. Your
listeners will want to know about it and Spunk Burke is
the right man to share it with them. Upper-level execs
are increasingly comfortable using contractors to get
work done that they used to do in-house. The idea has
spread beyond IT and engineering to many other
departments and it presents many opportunities for baby
boomers and other people who are willing and able to
work by the project to meet these business needs. Spunk
is a staffing veteran who links companies to
contractors who can address their needs and helps
individuals get started with this kind of work. Being
able to address the topic from both sides makes him the
perfect guest. Spunk can be reached at (978) 801-9010;
spunk@thegigsolution.com
10. ==> Will You Get a ‘Paycheck’ When You Retire?
Have you hit your “number”? That is, is your net worth
large enough that you can afford to retire? If you are
in the minority of Boomers who can, congratulations.
But you have a new challenge: Organizing your portfolio
to pay you income after your employer stops paying you.
Even if you’ve done a good job accumulating assets,
spending them requires planning, so that they last at
least as long as you do. Invite Philip Romero and
Riaan Nel to demystify retirement finances, and offer
candid comments about when a range of investments
should—and shouldn’t—fit in your plans. You’ll hear
about how the “envelopes” strategy uses intuitive
techniques to create predictable income from your
investments to replace your paycheck. Philip Romero is
a finance professor and former business dean at the
University of Oregon, and California chief economist.
He and investment adviser Riaan Nel are the authors of
“It’s the Income, Stupid! 7 Secrets of a Stress-Free
Retirement.” Contact Romero at (541) 346-5099;
promero@uoregon.edu.
11. ==> This Canadian is a Rising Pop Star in China
As a rising pop star in China where he has regularly
appeared on TV, in newspapers, and on radio,
singer/songwriter Carlo Aspri makes for a fascinating
interview in North America. Carlo, 31, grew up in
Canada, and has a catchy new single, “Without You,” in
which he is backed by the same musicians Celine Dion
uses. Carlo will send you an MP3 you can play during
your interview with him. Among the topics he can talk
about are ways pop stars are treated like royalty in
China; what it is like to perform for wealthy Chinese
VIPs; how Chinese millionaires view western culture;
and how he came to focus on music after being diagnosed
with testicular cancer and overcame OCD and childhood
bullying to get where he is. Carlo’s music can be
compared to that of Adele, Elton John and James Blunt.
He sang at the closing ceremonies of the 2014 Nanjing
Olympics in China for more than 62,000 spectators and
500 million viewers worldwide. Reach him at (514)
608-8610 or casprimusicauthor@hotmail.com
12. ==> The Dangerous World of New Grads
Graduation season is coming and a flock of millennials
will be seeking their fortunes. The problem is, we
aren’t doing enough to protect them from their own poor
judgment, suggests Akram Alashari, a 31-year-old trauma
surgeon known as the Peak Performance Doctor. Akram is
saddened by seeing young people arrive at his hospital
with life-threatening injuries because they texted and
drove, got in a car with a drunk driver, car surfed,
dove out of a tree and did other immature things simply
because they thought they were invincible. Akram, who
became a doctor at 23, wants to reach young people’s
parents to help them better prepare their graduates for
a safe future. He’ll reveal what parents can do to
ensure that their children will be goal oriented and
less likely to be swayed by peer pressure. His views
make up the “graduation speech” today’s graduates and
parents need to hear. He is the author of “The Power of
Peak State: Massively Enhance Your Personal Potential.”
Contact him at (407) 617-4795 or
thepeakperformancedoctor@gmail.com
13. ==> ‘3 Reasons Why’: A Wake Up Call for Parents of
Teens
Every teen in America knows about this controversial
Netflix series and has probably binge watched it. It is
about a high school student named Hannah Baker who
reveals through her 13 Reasons Why she killed herself.
Parents and mental health professionals are extremely
concerned because of its graphic depictions of suicide
and also date rape. Teens think the show is realistic
because “it’s what High School is like.” Colleen
O’Grady a licensed family therapist and leading expert
on mother and teen relationships say this is a wake-up
call for parents. Colleen will share practical tips on
how to know what’s really going on with your teen and
how to have a close relationship. Colleen is the author
of “Dial Down the Drama: Reducing Conflict and
Reconnecting with Your Teenage Daughter” Reach her at
(713) 408-6112; colleen@dialdownthedrama.com
14. ==> Summer Style Tips for Every Body Type
The popularity of cosmetic procedures clearly
illustrates how unsatisfied many women are with their
bodies, but what if a few simple style tips could
transform you into becoming more confident and
attractive? Internationally celebrated wedding dress
designer and author Rani St. Pucchi, who has styled
countless celebrities and over 15,000 brides, says you
can learn to flatter your figure if you know the style
secrets of the professionals. St. Pucchi says that
there are simple tricks on how to dress in a way to
enhance your best features and camouflage those you’re
not so fond of. By dressing strategically, you can
boost your self-confidence and present yourself to the
world in the way you want to be seen. For three decades
Rani St. Pucchi has been an internationally recognized
and award-winning designer of wedding dresses and the
founder of St. Pucchi Bridal House. Her designs have
been embraced by an all-star roster of celebrities,
actresses, athletes, and singers and have been featured
by global media. She’s the author of several books
including “Your Body, Your Style.” Contact her at (310)
990-3912; rani@ranistpucchi.com
15. ==> How Sound Can Help Pets Heal
We love our pets and when they are in pain or out of
sorts it’s tough on us, too. Sound healer Dawn Crystal
uses her voice to heal dogs, cats and other animals—and
their people—and can demonstrate her art live on the
air. She can use her decade long experience in the
holistic healing art to eliminate the pain of animals
by rebalancing their bodies, eliminating energy
blockages. For a fun show, let Crystal demonstrate how
it is done. She will explain that animals are more
receptive to sound healing than people are, having
quicker recoveries. Crystal’s human clients include
CEOs and celebrities who typically book her for 30-
minute sessions. She has a collection of MP3s for sale
on her website that let people release their own
blockages. Reach her at (808) 268-6242;
dawncrystalmaui@gmail.com
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