Life 2.0

THE WEDNESDAY RANT "THE WALL."

Now and then, I get a request from a subscriber of the Life 2.0 Podcast to have a certain guest or book on the show, but this time the email said "Do a show about compromise" referring of course to the stalemate of "THE WALL" that Mexico er...Americans are being asked to pay for, while 800,000 federal workers, including 41,000 United States Coast Guard are not being paid.

As a veteran of the United States Coast Guard, I am happy to put in my 9 cents.

Compromise of course is defined as "an agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions" which was exactly what was to happen back in December, when The White House showed support for a short-term spending measure that did not contain wall money but would have kept the government open until February 8th.

Then, Rush Limbaugh announced that “It’s a textbook example of what the drive-by media calls compromise,” Limbaugh said. “Trump gets nothing, and the Democrats get everything, including control of the House."

 

Pundit Ann Coulter said " Trump’s White House would become “a joke presidency that scammed the American people” if he didn’t build the wall, adding that “he’ll have no legacy whatsoever.”

 

There it is my friends...the bottom line. The real reason behind..."THE WALL."

 

But fear not, I have a solution to all of this...click to listen. Subscriber exclusive.

 

 

FREE FRIDAY EPISODE #50

Joe McQuillen visits the grave of his son, Christopher, sometimes five days a week.

The robust Irishman will often pull out a lawn chair, light a cigar and talk with his boy, who crossed over after drowning in the early morning hours of January 3rd, 2016. He was with a group of friends that were celebrating the new year at a lake house in southern Wisconsin, when Chris and three of his friends went out for a smoke. It wasn't until the next morning they were reported as missing. Chris and his friends had all drowned after attempting to put a canoe out on the small lake, in 34 degree water.

I clearly remember seeing that tragic news headline, and as a father, wondering how in the world do you survive that kind of heartbreak?

Three years later, I have my answers. You might find some too.

You can purchase "My Search For Christopher- On The Other Side" at Amazon.com

Music Credits 

"Some Days Are Diamonds" -John Denver/Dick Feller-

"I'll Send You Feathers"-Joe McQuillen/Brad Nye

 

 

THE WEDNESDAY RANT 2019

HAPPY NEW YEAR! NINE DAYS LATE! After a brief hiatus, I'm back with a little bit of a review of 2018, a prediction or two about 2019. I also picked up a list of things (along with a case of gout) that every great leader should be doing, from the POTUS to the PTA president- to make the next 356 days a kinder, more gentle trip around the sun for all of us. No I didn't transpose the days...just knocked off nine for you math wizzes.

Its the first Wednesday Rant of 2019...like or not.

FREE FRIDAY EPISODE- JOHN BERRY

For the past 25 years, John Berry has become one of the most powerful and enduring voices in country music. A Grammy award winner, John has placed 20 singles on the county charts, 6 of which went Top 5, with Your Love Amazes Me, scoring a #1 on the Billboard and Radio & Records Country Chart as well as Standing on the Edge of Goodbye and She’s Taken a Shine earning the #1 slot in Radio & Records . He has earned multiple Gold and Platinum records over the years. 

His annual Christmas Songs & Stories Tour is in its 22nd year, and is sold out before it even starts, thousands of fans waiting to hear him hit the high notes on O Holy Night which is a sure standing ovation every performance.

He's also overcome obstacles that would have kept most from reaching the pinnacle of the music industry, including brain and vocal cord surgery. His faith propels him forward come what may, and this impromptu, unplugged conversation with JB reveals the man and his music as a voice for the human family.

You can get his new CD "Thomas Road" at www.johnberry.com 

TBT- DARIUS RUCKER

We roll back the years to 2009 and subscribers of the Life 2.0 podcast are listening to my #TBT conversation with Darius Rucker, lead singer of "Hootie & the Blowfish" since 1986 and a formidable solo artist as well. We cover a lot of ground from his musical influences (Sinatra) to his big break (discovered singing in the shower) to how fortunate he feels to be living "the dream." To subscribe, simply click the "Subscribe to Premium Content" button and follow the prompts. $20 a month, $5 a week, .66 cents a day. Cheaper than a root canal, about the same price as a large pizza but the taste of inspiration lasts a helluva lot longer.

SUBSCRIBER SATURDAY- JEAN CHATZKY

Jean Chatzky, the financial editor of NBC’s TODAY show, is an award-winning personal finance journalist, AARP’s personal finance ambassador and host of the podcast HerMoney with Jean Chatzky on iTunes. Jean is also a best-selling author. Her newest book, AgeProof: Living Longer Without Running Out of Money or Breaking a Hip, which she wrote with Dr. Michael Roizen, is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. But that's just all the high end stuff. When Oprah Radio launched in 2006 on SiriusXM Radio, I was the Senior Producer and official side-kick for "The Jean Chatzky Show" to millions of loyal listeners and there isn't anyone I respect more in the media when it comes to "Making Money Make Sense" than Jean. This is a retro conversation from 2016 on everything from student loans to credit cards, to health insurance (along with a free download of her eBook Operation Money for those in the military and veterans) to grilled shrimp. Subscriber Saturday Exclusive.

THE WEDNESDAY RANT-SCHITT CREEK

While hard numbers are difficult to obtain, one study asserts that some 41 % of Americans believe that dinosaurs and humans roamed the Earth at the same time during some period in history. According to multiple studies conducted by a range of establishments, it’s been suggested that upwards of 12 million Americans (about 4% of the population) believe that interstellar lizard-men secretly run the world. While 50% of Americans believe Global Warming is real and caused by humans (President Trump however believes it was created by the Chinese) the same people think that somehow they are exempt from the effects of climate change. Another canoe trip up Schitt Creek.

BREAKING HATE- CHRISTIAN PICCIOLINI

This might just be the most important and powerful Life 2.0 episode you will listen to. In a time when hate crimes are grabbing the headlines, we are often left with no way to make sense of the senseless. That's where Christian Picciolini comes in. At age 14 in 1987, Picciolini was recruited to join the Chicago Area Skinheads (CASH.) Two years later, he became the group's leader at age 16. After years of furthering the neo-Nazi agenda, Christian renounced his ties to any and all white supremacist organizations in 1996 at the age of 22. He has spent the last two decades repairing the pain he inflicted on himself and others, along with being an advocate for other extremists to leave their lives of hatred and find better lives. Christian is the author of "White American Youth: My Descent into America's Most Violent Hate Movement-and How I Got Out"

Photo Credit Britton Picciolini

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THE WEDNESDAY RANT- VETERAN'S DAY EDITION

The bottom line is that Veteran's Day is every single day. Sometimes lost in all the mattress sales, tire sales and free chicken dinners, are the stories of those who served. My cousin Rich "The Sarge" Hoffman has been a great influence in my life, I have clear memories of tracking his movements on a map of Vietnam in my bedroom as a kid, when he put in two tours as a young Marine back in 'Nam. In all the years I've known him, we have never talked about his experiences there, and so when I reached out and asked if he would be part of this episode of Life 2.0- and he said "YES" I knew his would be a powerful perspective on a very difficult time for him personally and for our country. Thank you for your service Sarge.

THE TEACHINGS OF TRUMP

There is an old adage that states "That which hurts, instructs." Since Donald Trump became the 45th POTUS, there are a lot of people in pain, as their belief systems get put in a bench vise and squeezed as never before. There are other people who think DJT is a Superman of sorts, battling on their behalf for truth, justice and the American way. For me, the former (and current) reality star is a teacher, someone who embodies much of what has been hidden from view, but is now on full display. The lessons aren't fun, but they are more like a refresher course than new material. Class is in session for subscribers of the Life 2.0 Podcast.