Life 2.0

The Newsman & More

Working off the trusty, dusty Dell this morning (that spends most of its time packed away) has me once again realizing how unadaptable I've become when the keyboard is in a different location. But mushing on, I'm so excited to support a true pioneer in American music-John McEuen-one of the founding members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (and the guy who gave Steve Martin banjo lessons) in his latest audio effort "The Newsman" that is a rare spoken word just released CD. I've got a cut off that album as well as another episode of "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" and to wrap up the whole enchilada, Phil Lynch has a new song out that is all about listening first, and seeing each other as human beings, not political punching bags.

Another deep dive into common sense for uncommon times.

Another Solar Eclipse!

Everyone knows (or should know) that a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. That's stuff I learned in Mr. Andler's 5th-grade science class. Even so, there are some myths surrounding this celestial event, and I thought it might be important to separate fiction from fact. Add in an episode of Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis, an homage of sorts to my biggest environmental influences, and a text message from the greatest sports writer in America about the book "IRONMAN" and you have another episode of common sense for uncommon times.

Dr. Jane's 90th!

Dr. Jane Goodall is known the world over as an ambassador for the natural world, and the foremost expert on chimpanzees after 60 years of studying wild chimpanzees' social and family interactions. Goodall first visited Tanzania to observe its chimpanzees in 1960.

She is the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots program and has worked extensively on conservation and animal welfare issues. In April 2002, she was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Goodall is an honorary member of the World Future Council and today is her 90th birthday.

I went into the vast audio archives and pulled up my conversation with Dr. Jane from a few years ago. Her messages are more relevant than ever. 

NO KETCHUP!

Easter is just hours away, but my attention has been diverted to a breaking news story in Chicago that is putting the city on edge! Heinz is building "Ketchup Relief Stations" around the city near hot dog joints, to push back on the "No Ketchup" tradition that has made mustard king for decades. But where did this all start? It's time for a history lesson that rolled back to 1893 and the World's Fair as my German relatives brought sausages to the Windy City. But, the reason for Easter Sunday is not lost on me, as I have a few thoughts on the concept of resurrection, and I have a little help from country music icon John Berry to get my point across. 

Old Superman

Once upon a time, I was Superman! But my cape took a serious hit when I tried out for the men's 65+ baseball league last week. I haven't swung a bat in 8 years, and Father Time gave me some serious reminders about the inevitability of growing older. And, I was close to just going fishing for the rest of my natural days after I got an email that seemed to be the biggest stroke of luck ever, which turned out to be another attempt from lower life forms to raid my stuff. But we end on a high note (pun intended) as millions of people around the world have watched a group of middle schoolers sing "Country Roads" on Tik-Tok much to the amazement of their teacher. 

The Habit of Winning

After 40+ hours of audio work this past week, I was ready to watch something and not just hear it. I came across a video from the early 1970s featuring my longtime pal and Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer titled "The Habit of Winning." JK was interviewing some of his former Packer teammates about how their time under Vince Lombardi and his "teachings" had followed them off the field into the game of life. I called Jerry after I finished and our conversation was another reminder for me that discipline, perseverance and dedication to your calling are timeless principles that apply to everyone... but not everyone applies them. 

The Prayer Memo

Does prayer work? If so, what happens to the theory that it does, and you pray for an outcome, and it doesn't happen or turn out like you think it should, hoped it would, or prayed that it would?

Then what?

A lunch with old friends had us taking a deep dive into the well of faith and when I came across a long-forgotten memo I wrote on prayer, I knew it was fodder for this week's podcast. Add to that a great version of a well-known tune that was written as a love song, but became a prayer over time, and you have another outing in audio excellence. 

The Prison Bars of Belief

It's been another busy week at the Aurora Media studios, so I've implemented a mandatory lunch break away from my desk, which put me in front of a Netflix documentary series about the most dangerous prisons in the world. I've been in prison six times (as a guest not resident) and the show took me back to some of the memories of when I spoke to prisoners over the years, and how the rudder of our belief systems will always put us in the direction we believe in most-for better or for worse. Add to that a free haircut (first time ever!) and a great song from my gal-pal Lisa Bradshaw, and it's another audio outing with common sense for uncommon times.

Wednesday with Weigel

Jenniffer Weigel is a prolific author, Emmy Award-winning journalist, respected radio host, and truth-seeking force of nature. She's also a seasoned stage performer who is bringing her one-woman show "I'm Spiritual, Dammit!" to the Chicago area in March.  It's another deep-dive conversation into the human condition, as we solve the problems of the world on "Wednesday with Weigel."

How May I Serve?

There I was, minding my own business editing an audio project on Thursday afternoon when a "ding" went off in my ear, signaling a message in the landfill of Facebook. It was Lieselle Elliot checking from France, where it was nearly midnight. She sent me a song from an old friend, which started a flurry of activity, as we shared music videos from 2,000 miles apart, for about 45 minutes. So, we decided to move all that to this episode of the Life 2.0 podcast, and what a gift to spend time with this force of nature, poet, and humanitarian who is followed by over one million people on Instagram. With music from Alessandro Frosali, John Denver and Colin Hay.