April 7, 2020
01. ‘Little House’ Cast Reunites for Fans Online
02. China Flexes its Soft Power with ‘COVID Diplomacy’
03. #Masks4All: Mask Up, America!
04. Is it Safe to Go to the Supermarket?
05. Do a Show on the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles Breakup
06. Home Alone? You Wish! Coping with Too Much Family Time
07. Keep Coronavirus from Knocking Out Your Bank Account
08. Addiction to Fear Causes More Suffering than COVID
09. Interview the Singing Tree Lady for Earth Day or Arbor Day
10. How Japan Will Cope with the Canceled Olympics
11. And You Thought the White House Couldn’t Get Any Weirder
12. Bigfoot and Aliens: A Real-Life Adventure Story
13. Consumer Alert: Billions Lost Due to Insurance Policy Lapse
14. Is Honesty Disappearing?
15. Book This Guest If You’ve Ever Crammed for a Test!
16. Can Doing Push-ups Save Your Life?
17. The Real Reason We Self-Sabotage
18. How to Amp Up Your Inner Fountain of Youth
19. The Luckiest Families Have Super-Grandparents
20. Mountain Climber Helps Women Reach Their Peak
1.==> ‘Little House’ Cast Reunites for Fans Online
Just like everyone else, Alison Arngrim is social
distancing because of the coronavirus pandemic. With no
work, and stuck at home, the actress who played Nellie
Oleson on Little House on the Prairie decided she
needed to do something. “I decided to read ALL the
Little House books, the complete works of Laura Ingalls
Wilder, all NINE books,” she says. “I knew it would
make me feel better, but then I thought, why keep it to
myself? I decided to read the books in order, LIVE on
Facebook, a chapter or two at a time, every single day
… while wearing a bonnet!” The response from friends
and fans has been overwhelming with people posting
pictures of themselves in bonnets reading the books.
Many tell her how much they enjoy it and how calming
and reassuring the words of Laura Ingalls Wilder are at
a time like this. Dean Butler, who played Almanzo
Wilder, has already joined her and several cast members
will also appear in the coming weeks. Alison Arngrim
is an author, activist, and stand-up comedian. She
currently serves as the president, national
spokesperson, and founding board member of The National
Association to Protect Children. Contact Harlan Boll at
(626) 296-3757; harlan@bhbpr.com
2. ==> China Flexes its Soft Power with ‘COVID
Diplomacy’
China’s government was criticized for its slow response
to the coronavirus and early attempts to cover it up.
Now, with the disease reportedly under control and
factories reopening, China is exporting vital supplies
to other nations, an effort to rebrand the pandemic
from a disaster of its own making to a symbol of its
leadership and strength. “China is building its soft
power,” says Nouriel Roubini, an economist at NYU who
was an adviser to presidents Clinton and Obama. “They
are going to use this crisis to say, ‘Our political
system is better, our technological model is better,
our economic model is better.’” Roubini says China’s
seemingly rapid rebound provides a powerful message
that could extend the country’s influence. And he says
the crisis may have profound implications for the
global balance of power if the U.S. doesn’t come up
with a suitable counterplay. “The political, economic,
and social model of China is going to be appealing to
many semi-authoritarian countries,” Roubini says.
“Traditional market-oriented democracy is under
threat.” Nouriel Roubini is also CEO of Roubini Macro
Associates, LLC, a global macroeconomic consultancy
firm in New York. Contact him at (212) 998-0886;
nroubini@stern.nyu.edu
3. ==> #Masks4All: Mask Up America!
Research scientist Jeremy Howard argued in a Washington
Post article last week that “we should all wear masks —
store-bought or homemade — whenever we’re out in
public.” He pointed to findings in dozens of scientific
papers that indicate even the most basic of masks can
be an effective tool in reducing virus transmission.
The article went viral sparking a nationwide grassroots
movement in the U.S. and created enough buzz that
within days the CDC changed its guidance and now
recommends all Americans wear masks in public. “Masks
are the closest thing we have right now to this kind of
imperfect vaccine,” he says. Howard founded the social
media campaign #Masks4All which encourages people to
make their own face masks at home so that medical
workers have access to personal protective equipment.
Patterns, instructions and information can be found
online at masks4all.co. Jeremy Howard is a
distinguished research scientist at the University of
San Francisco, founding researcher at fast.ai and a
member of the World Economic Forum’s Global AI Council.
Contact him at media@masks4all.co
4.==> Is it Safe to Go to the Supermarket?
Supermarkets throughout the U.S. have implemented
safety measures during the pandemic, but some officials
have recommended cutting back on grocery visits over
the next couple of weeks. We all need food, so how can
we shop safely? Lauren Sauer, director of operations
for Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness
and Response, recommends staying away from busy aisles
and making sure to stand six feet away from the person
in front of you at the checkout line. “When you’re
walking through the store, the hardest part is passing
people in the aisle,” Sauer says. “Really avoid passing
closely by people when you can.” She also advises
bringing an alcohol-based sanitizer to the supermarket
along with some disinfectant wipes, if available.
Contact Lauren Sauer at (410) 735-6469;
lsauer2@jhmi.edu
5. ==> Do a Show on the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles
Breakup
On April 10, 1970, Paul McCartney made it official. He
was leaving the Beatles and the group’s eight-year run
of creating the soundtrack of a generation was over.
While the individual members would go on to create many
top hits of their own — “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Jet,”
“Imagine, “Starting Over,” “My Sweet Lord, “Give Me
Love,” “You’re Sixteen,” and “Photograph” for example —
few would have predicted just how influential the
Beatles would continue to be 50 years later when their
“White Album” made it into the Billboard Top 10 — a
half-century after its release! The Fab Four wrote this
album while on retreat in Rishikesh, India, with
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of Transcendental
Meditation (TM). From baby boomers to millennials, the
Beatles remain a favorite. Susan Shumsky is a rare
insider who spent 22 years in the ashrams and six years
on the personal staff of Maharishi. She can entertain
your audience with stunning, fascinating, unknown facts
and meanings of songs you’ve grown up with. Her Ben
Franklin Book Award-winning tell-all memoir, “Maharishi
& Me: Seeking Enlightenment with the Beatles’ Guru,”
reveals hidden information about Maharishi’s influence
on the Beatles. Susan Shumsky has 17 books in print and
has proven to be an enthralling guest during more than
1,100 media appearances. Contact Susan Shumsky at (917)
336-7184; SShumsky@rtirguests.com
6. ==> Home Alone? You Wish! Coping with Too Much
Family Time
What happens when family members are forced to
congregate together for long periods in small spaces?
Arguments, bickering, door slamming. As communication
expert Raj Girn will point out, nuclear families
weren’t created to handle unlimited close contact with
multiple personality types. With few alternatives for
the moment, what can we do? Raj, who has been working
lately with clients who have been grappling with the
suffocation of being stuck at home with spouses, kids,
grandparents, and even pets, can offer three tips for
boosting your emotional intelligence around effective
communication while being stuck in isolation. Raj is a
well-known media personality in Canada and a serial
media entrepreneur who has worked in many
communication-intensive industries with thought
leaders, celebrities, and multinational corporations.
Contact her at (647) 490-3158; Rgirn@rtirguests.com
7. ==> Keep Coronavirus from Knocking Out Your Bank
Account
The coronavirus has instantly made millions of people’s
financial lives worse. Maybe they’ve been laid off or
are working reduced hours or had to shut down their
businesses. And as we try to “flatten the curve,” bank
accounts are also being flattened. Until life returns
to normal, what can they do to stem the bleeding?
Interview Lorri Craig, a Certified Financial Planner
with a master’s degree in finance, to find out. She can
talk about ways to save money on everything from cell
phone plans to TV subscriptions, how to negotiate with
credit card companies and landlords and talk about why
the last place you want to cut back is at your kitchen
table. She’ll also share little-known legitimate ways
you can make money from home. Contact Lorri Craig at
(484) 453-1742; LCraig@rtirguests.com
8. ==> Addiction to Fear Causes More Suffering than
COVID
With increased isolation and crisis-filled news cycles,
many Americans are living in a self-imposed fear frenzy
but remain oblivious to the long-term consequences.
Boredom has set in, and the need to fill the void is
intensifying. Psychotherapist and addiction counselor
Donna Marks says addiction to fear is causing more
suffering than the coronavirus. “Fear creates chemical
releases in the body that mask the void. It´s at the
root of most addictions,” Dr. Marks claims. Invite the
author of “Exit the Maze – One Addiction, One Cause,
One Cure” to discuss how some people get so excited by
the sensations of being afraid that they become
addicted to it. She’ll also explain how that internal
uneasiness creates the need for sedation. You’ll learn
how staying glued to bad news, herding to the grocery
store, and obsessing about contracting the illness can
exacerbate an addiction to fear and ways to keep a
peaceful state of mind in spite of the real external
challenges we now face. Dr. Donna Marks has been in
private practice for more than 30 years. She helps
clients break unwanted patterns of behavior by
combining psychoanalysis and spirituality. Contact her
at (561) 436-9360; drdonnamarks@gmail.com
9. ==> Interview the Singing Tree Lady for Earth Day or
Arbor Day
Laurie Marshall is a two-for-one guest who can help you
celebrate Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 24)
in a year in which environmental holidays are more
important than ever. Laurie is capable of discussing
everything from fascinating facts about trees (did you
know that tree-like structures show up in lungs,
brains, arteries, and rivers or that trees communicate
with each other?) to how to talk to kids about the
overwhelming issues of the pandemic and climate change
by involving them in finding solutions. Laurie is a
cutting-edge educator whose many books include “Beating
the Odds Now” and “Singing Trees: A Growing Forest.”
Known as The Tree Lady, Laurie is a project-based
learning and arts integration specialist who has worked
with underserved youth for over 30 years. Her partners
include FEMA and Project Drawdown, the World’s Leading
Resource for Climate Solutions. She has trained over
6,000 teachers in project-based learning and
facilitated 125 nature-based murals with over 25,000
people in schools, nonprofits, and government agencies.
Contact Laurie Marshall at (415) 360-3304;
lmarshall@rtirguests.com
10. ==> How Japan Will Cope with the Canceled Olympics
For the first time in its nearly 125-year history, the
Summer Olympics have been canceled in peacetime. And
that’s a big deal. The Olympic Games are always a
bright spot in the lives of people all over the world,
for the athletes, spectators and those watching at home
as men and women push their bodies to their limits for
silver, gold and bronze medals. This year’s
cancellation of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, while
necessary to avoid contagion, is a blow to Japan and
the athletes who have been training so hard. But if we
cannot watch the Summer Olympics at least we can talk
about them. Interview Lynn Matsuoka, an artist and
authority on Japan and Japanese life and culture who
spent 40 years living in that country documenting the
traditional worlds of sumo and kabuki in drawings and
paintings. She can talk about what’s happening on the
ground in Japan and what people living in Tokyo are
thinking and feeling about the postponement. Well-known
worldwide as a TV sumo color commentator, Lynn has done
hundreds of interviews. One of her upcoming books is
“The Secret World of Sumo.” Contact her at (808)
479-5966; artist@hamptonsartist.com
11. ==> And You Thought the White House Couldn’t Get
Any Weirder
Did you know John Quincy Adams used to enjoy swimming
nude in the Potomac River? Or that doctors once held a
press conference to announce Dwight Eisenhower moved
his bowels? Or that Calvin Coolidge often conferred
with a raccoon? Or that First Lady Florence Harding
gave press interviews in her negligee? Or that George
H.W. Bush took showers with his dog? Author Hal
Marcovitz can talk about the many strange stories that
have been circulating around the White House since John
and Abigail Adams occupied the Executive Mansion,
including some very odd stories about the current
occupant. Marcovitz, a longtime journalist, is the
author of the novel “Painting the White House,” which
tells the story of an ordinary house painter who finds
himself at the center of White House intrigues and
misadventures. Contact him at (215) 718-6807 or
hmarcovitz@aol.com
12. ==> Bigfoot and Aliens: A Real-Life Adventure Story
When she was 22, Patti Houtz was paid by an archeology
society to be part of an expedition that went in search
of Bigfoot. Also in the group were a National
Geographic photographer; her boyfriend John; and a
fisherman who was the latest person to see Bigfoot in
Big Cypress Swamp in the Everglades. What occurred
during the two days they spent in the swamp was
unforgettable and, in Patti’s opinion, life-changing,
and she is only now willing to share the experience on
your show. She’ll detail what happened and what she
thinks it means, and how her boyfriend ended up being
featured on the front page of The National Enquirer.
The Bigfoot story is just one of the adventures Houtz
shares in her upcoming memoir “Solo By Choice.” Contact
her at (775) 451-3191; PHoutz@rtirguests.com
13. ==> Consumer Alert: Billions Lost Due to Insurance
Policy Lapse
Imagine if you could receive cash for that life
insurance policy you or your parents don’t need
anymore! Did you know that $70 billion of life
insurance policies go to waste annually? Simply because
consumers don’t know a little-known secret that, if you
qualify, you could receive up to 75% of your death
benefits in CASH! Many professional advisors such as
attorneys and CPAs are now becoming aware of this and
trying to help their clients avoid this waste and turn
it into cash. David Kottler, the Insurance Doctor™,
will educate your audience and tell you what life
insurance companies don’t want you to know! David
combines his legal and business experience with a
passion for philanthropy. His book, “The Best Kept
Money Secret in Your Insurance Policy,” details
everything your audience needs to know to get that
insurance policy working for them. Contact David
Kottler at (216) 532-1221; DKottler@rtirguests.com
14. ==> Is Honesty Disappearing?
In a recent Gallup Poll on honesty, respondents said
that just 13% of senators were honest and ranked
governors’ and business executives’ honesty at 20%.
With the press (28% honest) routinely fact-checking
everything the president says it makes you wonder
whether honesty has become a relic of the past. And if
it is, author and leadership expert Steven Mays says,
“Why are we surprised when we get terrible results from
our leaders? It’s our own damned fault.” He’ll reveal
why talent is important in people who serve as leaders,
but developing it at the expense of character and
honesty is an all too common mistake. 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 him at (703) 552-5672;
smays@rtirguests.com
15. ==> Book This Guest If You’ve Ever Crammed for a
Test!
Have you ever crammed for a test? How about your kids?
Chances are the answer is yes. But did you know that
cramming almost never leads to learning? It’s true!
Most students cram to get that “A” on Friday … but they
have forgotten vital information by Monday. The “Cram
Plan” just doesn’t work long-term. Interview Lee
Jenkins, educator, administrator and author of “How to
Create a Perfect School,” so he can explain how a
“perfect school” is possible when we take away the
cramming game that teachers and students play.
According to Lee, it’s easier than you think to solve
the educational dilemma in this country by getting rid
of cramming, once and for all. Lee Jenkins has been an
educator and administrator both in public schools and
universities. Contact him at (484) 306-8784;
LJenkins@rtirguests.com
16. ==> Can Doing Push-ups Save Your Life?
Can it be true that push-ups — the same exercise you
learned in gym class — have more to offer your
listeners than you might imagine? With research-based
upper-body fitness expert Kristen Carter as your guide,
you’ll learn why this free exercise could likely save
your life and, surprisingly, is a more accurate way to
assess cardiovascular health than the usual treadmill
test. Ask her what is the significance of the Harvard
study of male firefighters? Does muscle strength
correlate with lower mortality? Kristen is a Certified
Precision Nutrition Coach with a master’s degree in
exercise physiology. She is the author of “Lose Weight?
Exercise More? I Don’t Think So! What to Do When Your
Doctor Tells You to Make Changes for Your Health.”
Contact her at (267) 930-2547; kacarter@rtirguests.com
17. ==> The Real Reason We Self-Sabotage
We do things we shouldn’t … from eating too much fast
food to smoking cigarettes and dating unsuitable
people. We know these things are wrong for us but we do
them anyway, often not knowing why. Elana Davidson is a
happiness and mental health coach who can tell you how
to figure out why your subconscious is getting in your
way and how to talk it down. Elana’s professional
training spans decades of exploration and study in the
fields of consciousness, psychology, personal
development and kinesiology. Elana will tell your
audience members how they can get a free copy of her
eBook, “Finding Your Own Happy: The Soul-Searchers
Guide to Peace and Happiness in Everyday Life,”
published by Morgan James. Contact Elana at (413)
225-4758; elanadavidson@rtirguests.com
18. ==> How to Amp Up Your Inner Fountain of Youth
It’s spring, a time of rejuvenation for the world and
you. It’s also time to pick up simple tips from Diana
Ruiz that can turn your inner fountain of youth on
high. Diana is a wellness and stress relief coach who
approaches health from a mind, body, and water
perspective. She’ll share her favorite health hacks —
including what to eat, think and feel — to help you to
feel better and look younger. She can answer such
questions as what is the single most powerful thing you
can do to supercharge your body’s natural rejuvenation?
And what is the mind, body, and water connection?
Diana is the author of “Healing Your Life with Water:
How to Use Your Mind Body and Water Connection to
Awaken Your Inner Fountain of Youth.” She can offer
your audience a free download that complements the
show’s subject matter. Contact her at (360) 550-9436;
DRuiz@rtirguests.com
19. ==> The Luckiest Families Have Super-Grandparents
Whether you call them Pap-pap or Grandfather, Meemaw or
Grammy, our grandparents play an important role in
preparing younger generations for a happier and more
successful life. But sometimes “super” grandparenting
is required, as Dr. Oliver Akamnonu and his wife
discovered. They left their high-powered careers and
significantly changed their lives to help their
daughter, Nena, throughout her pregnancy, while she was
in medical school! Once baby Lydia arrived, the
Akamnonus continued to demonstrate their super
grandparent skills. Invite them on your show and hear
what they learned about helping one’s family and how
that affects health, education, income, relationships,
and society overall. You’ll learn five things super
grandparents always do (and never do,) why financial
support and childcare are only the beginning of the
best grandparenting, and why you needn’t live nearby to
be super grandparents. Listeners will leave with great
advice on how to make sure children and grandchildren
always remember you with gratitude and love. The
Akamnonus co-authored “Little Baby Lydia, Grandma,
Grandpa and Student Mom: Saga of Family Role Reversal
and the New Times.” Contact them at (413) 206-6753;
oakamnonu@rtirguests.com
20. ==> Mountain Climber Helps Women Reach Their Peak
International retreat leader, author, attorney, and
mountain climber Mozella Perry Ademiluyi has helped
thousands of women globally to achieve their biggest
goals. Invite her to reveal why times of turmoil are
the best times for female leaders to make positive
change. She can also share why barriers and boundaries
make good targets for reaching success and how to
establish the attitudes that help women reach their
peak potential. Ademiluyi is a successful international
speaker and author who reached Mount Kilimanjaro’s
19,341-foot peak at the age of 60. She now teaches
professional women how to boldly embrace the steps that
help them reach their summit. Her book “Rise!” reveals
how each person can successfully climb her own
mountains. Contact her at (301) 437-7607;
mozella@mountainpeakstrategies.com
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through past RTIR Newsletters and find hundreds of show
ideas and possible guests at www.rtironline.com