Dr. Paul Zeitz, author of ‘Waging Justice’, has clearly defined the role of the doctor as to take on the public health issues that affect each person around the globe.  His memoir discusses how he spearheaded a global charge against AIDS and climate change. His journey includes a personal transformation which led to global activism and is a blueprint for our times.  He feels that those in his profession, and all of us really, must make a choice: to ‘see’ injustices before us and seeks solutions. Or not. In the process, we explore the great public health challenges in the period ahead. It’s a clarion call to action in this episode.

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How many times have we heard that America took out the third in command of Al Qaeda in Iraq and yet nothing seems to change on the ground as it relates to terrorism(except, of course, for that slain terrorist).  Perhaps, America’s vision of how we destroy the command and control of these groups is out of sync with the ways in which they operate. Katherine Zimmerman, of the American Enterprise Institute, explains the disconnect between how the Salafi-Jihadi movement has shifted its priorities to local control over global objectives. Our analysts wrongly have perceived this change as a weakening of these groups.  And as attacks in the West have diminished in the recent period, our counter terrorism efforts against a dynamic enemy have been to maintain an irrelevant and outdated strategy. Please listen to this episode to update your own thinking on this important topic.

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If your faith in a higher being isn’t shaken today by the earthly frailties of those leading some major religious institutions, at least some level of doubt and uncertainty about God is the essence of the human condition.  Passions run hot when it comes to this subject, both among believers and non-believers. And then there are those who honestly don’t know what to make of the concept of God and others who go back and forth about the existence of a higher being.  For these reasons, and just the mystery of it all, a philosopher, like Dr. William Irwin, who writes a book entitled ‘God Is a Question, Not an Answer’ may have said it all in that one phrase. As you can imagine, there’s much more to discuss on this, the ultimate topic, and that’s what we do on this episode.

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For so many people in our society, their future rests on jobs which may, or may not, exist going forward.  Questions abound on many levels and pertain to technology displacement, corporate disruption, skills acquisition and longevity gains imagined which will increase the time spent in the workforce.  All of this presents great challenges in trying to plan a career path. Dr. Tracey Wilen in her latest book, ‘Career Confusion: 21st Century Career Management in a Disrupted World’ sets about to provide approaches to determine where you fit and how you prepare for the turbulence ahead.  She offers strategies to help you get unstuck, if the dilemmas described earlier are already affecting you, and how to plan for the imagined careers of the future. It’s a must listen, particularly for younger folks.

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What Is The Value Of A Good Question In Success And Innovation?

Thoughtful questioning is really an art form and critical to advancing our decision-making, creativity, leadership and relationships.  So, I ask you, who better to discuss this with than America’s unquestioned leading questionologist, Warren Berger? His latest book, ‘The Book of Beautiful Questions’, continues to blaze a path in determining how the right questions(often starting with ‘why’)can provide new ways of unlocking ideas that change the way we live and do business. New companies and technologies often share the same genesis: a good question.  Science even points to four year old girls whose innocent and honest search for a reason might be a model for all of us. Oh, we had lots of questions as we turned the tables on Mr. Berger in this episode.

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We all have been touched by cancer.  And while our family and friends still die from its many forms, seemingly resistant to a cure, at the same time we read many stories about the potential for a cure, using personalized gene therapy, as opposed to the crude tools of chemotherapy and radiation.  So, what are we to believe? As laymen, we are not alone. In his book, ‘Cancerland’, Dr. David Scadden, professor of Medicine at Harvard University, ponders the question “when the rewards are so elusive, how do you know whether you are engaged in something meaningful or caught up in folly’?

The frustrations about cancer are shared by our entire society, including sensitive practitioner, like Dr. Scadden, but are we doing enough to slay this medical beast? Find out on this episode.

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In an era when trust in institutions of all kinds is slipping, the blockchain offers a new hope: shared ledgers of information that no one controls but everyone can believe.  What could go wrong? Kevin Werbach of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and author of ‘The Blockchain and the New Architecture of Trust’ maps the often confusing landscape and shows how technology that rests on foundations of mutual mistrust can become trustworthy.  In fact, the blockchain has spawned hundreds of companies, billions of dollars in investment and adoption by companies ranging from the New York Stock Exchange to Walmart since its emergence about a decade ago. Let’s unlock the mystery and the potential of blockchain in this episode.

https://www.amazon.com/Blockchain-Architecture-Trust-Information-Policy/dp/0262038935

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Gerald Celente, whose publishes ‘TrendsJournal’ and oversees the Trends Research Institute, has developed the Globalnomic(R)methodology to identify, track, forecast and manage trends.  He puts all data in his own blender and analyzes the current events which form future trends. His motto is ‘think for yourself’ and his pulsating style will have you riveted to this podcast to find out what is in our future.  Hint: his newly released Top 10 MegaTrends for 2019 reveals changes across a broad range of fields and issues. He is deeply concerned about storm clouds over this economy on a worldwide basis. You’ll be better prepared for the rocky road ahead if you listen to this episode.

https://trendsresearch.com/trends-journal/

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When you consider the fact that America ranks 31st among 34 developed nations in voter turnout, you realize that many reforms are needed in our electoral system.  We disenfranchise people in many ways–making registration difficult, gerrymandering districts so that people don’t think voting matters, limiting voting to a weekday in many states and not offering options, like ranked choice voting.  Reforms are taking place in various municipalities and states which will emerge nationally in the period ahead. FairVote.org is a group dedicated to electoral reforms that make democracy work better for everyone.  Drew Penrose, chief counsel at FairVote, discusses what those reforms are and what role they began to play in 2018 and will play going forward.

https://www.fairvote.org/

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Leading politicians in both parties, including the President, rockers who still fill stadiums and cultural icons in business, technology and the arts are at a stage of life we are hard pressed to describe.  Are they senior citizens or perennials? We have a hard time defining this generation in the process of aging because they are breaking the rules once again, just as they did in the 1960’s. AARP is focused on the way that this ‘disrupt aging’ movement is affecting all aspects of life in America, as 10,000 people a day turn 65.  Leave your stereotypes at the door as this podcast focuses on the folks in our society who while growing older are finding new meaning, purpose and fulfillment. We discuss this age wave with Tia Murphy, state president of AARP in Connecticut and gerontologist, Donna Fedus, who founded the group ‘Borrow My Glasses’.

https://www.aarp.org/

http://www.borrowmyglasses.com/

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