With a contentious election to sort out, a pandemic to deal with and a general decline in civility, we could all use some gentle reminders to be kinder to our fellow human beings. World Kindness Day on November 13th might be just the thing to bring a divided nation and world together, according to former paraplegic Barry Shore. Invite the author/entrepreneur who has earned the sobriquet the Ambassador of Joy to discuss how to celebrate the holiday and share eleven ways to practice kindness. Listeners will learn how to become a joy generator in as little as 55 seconds and be encouraged to participate in Shore’s worldwide Keep Smiling Movement. Barry Shore is a successful serial entrepreneur who in 2004 became a quadriplegic overnight from a rare disease. Over the past 16 years, he has worked to regain some of his functioning and has become an avid swimmer who logs two miles per day. A motivational, keynote speaker and host of the weekly radio show-podcast “The Joy of Living,” Shore is the founder of the JOY of Living Institute. He’s been featured on CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox and in O Magazine, Forbes, Daily Herald, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and MarketWatch. His upcoming book is “The JOY of LIVING: Healthier Wealthier You.” Contact Barry Shore at (310) 770-4685; barry@barryshore.com
Category: Current Events
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What Makes 2020’s Wildfires the Worst in Modern Memory?
Changing temperatures, rogue winds, drought, and human actions. Are those the reasons for the devastating wildfires across the West that have been killing people and animals, destroying homes, paralyzing the wine industry, and decimating millions of acres in California alone? What can be done to stop or even prevent such destruction? James Moseley, CEO of Sun FireDefense, may be the most impressive wildfire expert you’ll ever interview. His California-based company defends life and property from wildfire every year. Ask him: What keeps so many wildfires burning with such intensity? What role does climate change play? What can people do to protect themselves and bounce back? How can we save firefighters’ lives? Is wildfire season winding down? Contact James Moseley at (818) 486-4662; jmoseley@rtirguests.com
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What’s Behind Biden’s Aviators?
Joe Biden has been wearing aviator sunglasses for most of his life. Some might say he looks cool. But putting style and politics aside, Joe may be onto something. Wearing wraparound aviator sunglasses (but not necessarily pricey Ray-Bans can help you protect your health, especially during COVID-19, reports vision educator Linda Odubayo Thompson. As Linda will tell your listeners, “The eyes are porous, and the optic nerve is a direct extension to the brain. So, it stands to reason that eye protection should be added to the virus protection mix, especially for children,” she says. Linda knows not to take her vision for granted; she has suffered from glaucoma for more than 30 years. Contact Linda Odubayo Thompson at (914) 944-1474; lthompson@rtirguests.com
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Bring Back the Art of Pleasant Conversation
When is the last time you had a conversation that didn’t end up feeling like a negotiation, or worse a fight? “It’s probably been a while since a simple conversation was just that,” says Ivan Obolensky. “It’s become nearly impossible not to talk about emotionally charged topics … because that’s all we’ve got!” Interview Ivan about the art of conversation during COVID-19. He will show your audience how to set better boundaries around who they are talking to and what they are talking about, so that simple conversations don’t feel like negotiations that need to be won! Ask him about the four N’s of negotiating that can help conversations become a win-win! Ivan is an author and Renaissance man. His novel “Eye of the Moon” won “Best First Book (Fiction)” in the IndieReader Discovery Awards. Contact Ivan Obolensky at (818) 495-8731; IObolensky@rtirguests.com
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A Better Way to Fight Wildfires?
While people in the West are suffering through record-breaking heat, wildfires are ravaging many areas, especially in California, and red-flag warnings have been issued from the Northwest into the Rockies. There were at least 77 large complexes of wildfires burning in 15 states across the country as of Tuesday evening — almost a third of them in California. Invite wildfire expert James Moseley on your show to discuss the way we battle these wildfires and why they cause such widespread damage. Moseley can share what factors lead to wildfires and whether climate change is entirely to blame. You’ll learn why we are seeing new wildfire dangers in many states as well as how we can better protect firefighters and save lives. Moseley is the CEO of Sun FireDefense, a company that offers advanced fire defense and home wildfire protection products. Contact James Moseley at (818) 486-4662; jmoseley@rtirguests.com
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Do Pelosi and Trump Have Similar Leadership?
At first glance, Donald Trump and Nancy Pelosi would appear to have little in common. Sure, they both have their fans and detractors. But apart from that, both leaders depend on others because they can’t do everything themselves and need to rely on people who have the expertise they lack. For a fascinating show, talk to Steven Mays about how we often confuse style and personality with leadership and why much of politics is just persuasion, neither truth nor lies, and nothing to get upset about. Mays is the author of “Power of 3 Leadership, Lessons in Leadership.” A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis who served on nuclear submarines, he was a mathematician, electrical engineer and nuclear engineer who worked in private industry and at the Nuclear Regulation Commission. Contact Steven Mays at (703) 552-5672; smays@rtirguests.com
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Why Wildfires Are So Destructive
More than 85 major fires are burning up and down the West Coast, from northern Washington to Southern California and have killed at least 17 people in three states. The fires have caused unprecedented damage in Washington and Oregon and exacerbated what has already become California’s biggest wildfire season ever. Invite wildfire expert James Moseley on your show to discuss the way we battle these wildfires and why they cause such widespread damage. Moseley can share what factors lead to wildfires and whether climate change is entirely to blame. You’ll learn why we may see new wildfire dangers in many states as well as how we can better protect firefighters and save lives. Moseley is the CEO of Sun FireDefense, a company that offers advanced fire defense and home wildfire protection products. Contact James Moseley at (818) 486-4662; jmoseley@rtirguests.com
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Why are Trump Supporters So Loyal?
Donald Trump’s presidency has been marked by disruption and turmoil, but his support has remained remarkably stable. How can that be? Political observers believe American voters are shifting away from transitory measures of performance like traditional metrics of peace and prosperity, and toward bedrock attitudes about demographic, cultural and economic change. “That is certainly what gives Trump a floor: By stoking those cultural war fires you are going to win over a certain share of the electorate that has this more racist and sexist and xenophobic views,” says Brian Schaffner, a Tufts University political scientist who has extensively studied the correlation between political preferences and cultural attitudes. “When your identity and view of (the nation’s) identity overlaps with your partisan identity so much, it’s hard to ever consider shifting sides,” Schaffner says. Some political observers believe that stability, paradoxically, points to years of polarization and rising turbulence in American politics and life. Brian Schaffner is co-author of several books including “Campaign Finance and Political Polarization: When Purists Prevail.” Contact him at (617) 627-3467; brian.schaffner@tufts.edu
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Great Election Show: Running for Local Office
New York Times bestselling author Heather Lende has been writing about her hometown — Haines, Alaska — and about what community means for more than a decade. After the 2016 elections, she was inspired to take a more active role in politics and decided to run for office in Haines. And … she won! For a great election season show, invite Heather to share the funny and entertaining story of her first term on the small-town assembly, and how the political, social, and environmental issues her community faces are not so different from the issues being played out on the national stage. Heather Lende’s new book, “Of Bears and Ballots: An Alaskan Adventure in Small-Town Politics,” could serve as a “how-to guide” for anyone thinking of beginning a career in local politics. She says, “I think that social justice and public health are very much in the realm of local governments, and so much of what happens going forward will fall on the shoulders of people like me — elected to local councils and commissions — and how we interact with the community and the pressure from different interest groups.” Contact Johanna Ramos-Boyer at (703) 991-8328; jboyer@rtirguests.com
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COVID Has Laid Bare the Faults of America’s Higher Education
As the pandemic continues to impact all facets of American life it’s a great time to talk about the failures of the U.S.’s higher education system and how they might be fixed. This issue is much larger than the much talked about one of whether institutions of higher learning should offer classes online or in-person and former college professor Glen Dunzweiler wants to have that discussion now. Glen says, “This virus is an opportunity for instructors and students to redefine what school is and how learning is achieved. I hope that our harsh realities on health complications and the sale of incomplete products (online classes) will inspire more to forge a thoughtful path but unfortunately, the reluctance for change, and the need for institutions to continue to make income will make the school experience limp along as people try to regain the glory of the university mythos.” Glen will explain why a traditional college education does not lead to a secure future for most students, why trade schools and work experience can be a better option and ways students can monetize their skills once they graduate. Glen is a former college professor, a documentarian, and the author of two books. His latest is “A Degree In Homelessness? Entrepreneurial Skills For Students.” Contact Glen at (702) 703-2219; GDunzweiler@rtirguests.com