Podcasts about Flint

Welcome to a special episode of OHMSPod! Join Jarrod Alberich for a special interview! This episode features an interview with Flint Dille - writer/producer who worked on "Tomorrow Never Dies" on the PlayStation!  Flint give us his insights on the game's production, some additional Bond talk, and even some talk around the production of the Mission: Impossible video game. Be a part of the White Rocket Entertainment family by becoming a patron of the shows-we thank you by name on every episode: https://www.patreon.com/vanallenplexico Brought to you by White Rocket Entertainment and by Audible.com. Find links to everything we do at www.plexico.net

On this episode, Ashleigh, Flint and Alyx explore the finer details of:  Details allegedly 'leaked' from the Civil Service to the Times about the upcoming guidance from the EHRC. It's safe to say that we have one or two concerns about it. The PATHWAYS trial, what it is, what it'll involve and what that stupid backronym* is supposed to mean.  The Levy review, the much-delayed review into adult trans healthcare, featuring details of an FOI we sent and an interview with Chay from TransActual. Plus our regular segments of Pond Hoppin', Loser's Corner and Trans Joy! References: https://whatthetrans.com/ep145 *a real term, I promise I didn't make that up. 

#podcast #politics #progressive #Democrats #MAGA #Republicans #Michigan #MopUpMichigan #CorporateGreed #CorporateCorruption #GovernmentCorruption #DTE #ConsumersEnergy #CorporateDonors #Democracy #Trump #WorkingClass #Jobs #DataCenter #RxKids #Authoritarianism #Democracy #LeftofLansing Here's Episode 158 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast! 00:00-15:38: Trump Regime & Corporate Cronyism/Utilities & MI AG Race Pat Johnston starts this week's episode covering the many ways the Trump Family and the Trump Regime are using the government to enrich their pocketbooks while telling working class Americans they're wrong to say they can't afford to buy things anymore. Pat also shares how individuals from DTE & Consumers' Energy are suddenly engaged in next year's Attorney General race in Michigan. Now, why is that? 15:39-38:00: Melinda Billingsley on Mop Up Michigan Prop. Melinda Billingsley from Voters Not Politicians joins us to talk about the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics ballot initiative. Better known as "Mop Up Michigan," the proposal aims to end corporate influence in the state by banning corporations from making political contributions to politicians if they are doing business with the state. Volunteers are gathering signatures in order to put the question on the ballot for voters in 2026. This gives voters the chance to take a big step in ending the corporate donor grip in Lansing that's infecting both sides of the political aisle. Click to learn more about "Mop Up Michigan." 38:25-42:01: Last Call Rx Kids  In this week's "Last Call," evidence is coming in showing how successful the Flint Rx Kids program has been during its first year of implementation. Pat argues it's time to make this program available statewide. 42:03-44:32: Ending Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can! leftoflansing@gmail.com Left of Lansing is now on YouTube as well! leftoflansing.com NOTES: Michiganders For Money Out of Politics... aka "Mop Up Michigan."  mopupmichigan.org "Bah humbug: Tariffs muffle holiday cheer, raise prices, squeeze margins." By Myesha Johnson of The Detroit News (via The Morning Sun). "Ballot initiative seeks to ban political contributions from monopoly corporations, like utilities." By Kyle Davidson of Michigan Advance "Utility lawyers' donations to Michigan AG candidate raise conflict-of-interest concerns." By Tom Perkins of Michigan Advance "Electricity prices jump after Trump rejects disaster aid for Michigan utilities." By Thomas Frank of Politico "Ballot proposals advance, aiming to get ‘dark money' out of politics." By Georgia Hill of MSU Spartan Newsroom "Study: Rx Kids decreasing infant maltreatment allegations in Flint." By Steve Carmody of WKAR News in Lansing

Discover how young leaders are shaping the future of Genesee County in this episode of Philanthropy Speaks. Host Dan Kildee, President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Greater Flint, talks with Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) members Milana Kia and Elijah Lynch about the power of youth leadership, youth-led grantmaking, and community involvement.Milana and Elijah share how participating in YAC helps high school students identify community needs, make data-informed funding decisions, and develop essential skills such as public speaking, advocacy, collaboration, and strategic thinking. The episode explores the mission of Youth Advisory Committees, their impact on local nonprofits, and how youth philanthropy creates long-term change in Flint and Genesee County.Join us to learn how these young leaders are creating real change and inspiring others to get involved in their communities.Support the show

GuestAdam Mizel Co-Founder & CEO US UnitedWebsitehttps://www.us-united.org/About US UnitedUS United is a not-for-profit media collective building unity through storytelling, service, and human connection. Co-founded by business leader Adam Mizel and Sheriff Chris Swanson, the organization works to prove that Americans share common values and can bridge divides through community engagement. Programs include the Sheriff Unity Network, Holiday Giving Spectacular, and monthly 30 For US unity conversations. To take the Unity Pledge, visit us-united.org. Adam Mizel Bio: Adam Mizel's journey from Wall Street to corporate leader to building a grassroots unity movement wasn't exactly planned. After a successful 30-year business career, from Morgan Stanley, to launching private equity firms and hedge funds, to starting and running public and private companies, he found himself screaming at the news during the chaotic days of May 2020. George Floyd had been murdered, the country was in the midst of a pandemic, politicians and pundits amped up the rhetoric and many of us felt that the fabric of the country was ripping apart. At that moment, his wife Taunya delivered the wake-up call: "No one's hearing you if you scream at the TV." That insight sparked his biggest epiphany yet—instead of just making another donation, Adam was going to DO SOMETHING about America's divisions. He did not have a more developed concept than that, but as a serial entrepreneur, Adam was confident he would figure it out. What happened next surprised even him. Doors started opening in ways they never had during his business career. Through a social justice task force formed with CMO leadership organization PTTOW, he met Ken Nwadike, Jr. (the "Free Hugs Guy"), who in turn introduced him to Sheriff Chris Swanson of Flint, Michigan. Chris made global headlines when 3.2 billion people watched as he and his officers took off their riot gear and marched arm-in-arm with George Floyd protesters on May 30, 2020. Flint was one of the few American cities that did not burn that night. Their instant connection led to the co-founding of US United in 2021 and together they have grown it into a movement for unity that is proving that Americans aren't as divided as politicians and media want us to believe.Today, US United has built a network of close to 100 sheriffs committed to bringing unity into their communities. They have reached thousands of families across the country through giving events like the Holiday Spectacular, broken people out of their bubbles with a unity pledge and national online conversations called 30 For US, and just completed a summer cross-country road trip documenting real stories of unity happening at the grassroots level. Adam went from yelling at his TV to building a movement that's challenging the narrative about American division by empowering Americans with the tools they need to reunite our country – and inspiring others along the way. One voice is loud, millions are a movement. SOCIAL MEDIA INFO: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammmizel/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/USUnitedOrgInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/us_united_org/Twitter - https://twitter.com/US_United_Org

Flint Rasmussen is a former professional rodeo clown/barrelman. Flint was the PBR's exclusive entertainer from 2006-2023 for a total of 26 PBR World Finals – until his retirement at the 2023.Before joining the PBR full-time, Rasmussen was an eight-time PRCA Clown of the Year and eight-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo barrel man, working most of the major PRCA rodeos in the process. Flint was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as a member of its class of 2024.Flint Rasmussen: TikT⁠ok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Enjoy The Jarrod Morris Vibe? Please leave us a review on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Jarrod Morris Vibe Links:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikT⁠ok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠

LONDON CALLING! John watches 'Predator: Badlands' and has his Christmas table sorted out. Flint saw some Coatis at the Arboretum. Rossy isn't here because he's busy picking up Christmas Poohtatoes! All this and the Prog Review!

In this week's Words of Grace broadcast, Pastor Ben Winslett considers a deeply comforting truth from Scripture: we are not only children of God, but Jesus actually calls us His brothers and sisters. Drawing from parallel accounts in Luke 8 and Matthew 12, we explore the amazing and perhaps shocking assertion of Jesus that those … Continue reading "The Brothers and Sisters of Christ"

In this episode of Front Porch Chats, host Natalie Bradley is joined by a few Flint Energies' leaders, Jeremy Nelms (President/CEO), Marian McLemore (VP of Cooperative Communications), Rogie Roberson (VP of Member Solutions), and Blair Brown (Youth & Education Specialist). They discuss what makes electric membership cooperatives (EMCs) truly unique, focusing on the seven cooperative principles. Titled “The Cooperative Difference: Powering Community First,” this conversation goes beyond electricity—it's about people, purpose, and partnerships.Listeners will learn how co-ops like Flint Energies are member-owned, not-for-profit utilities that prioritize people over profits. From capital credit refunds to investments in infrastructure—like Flint's new service center paid for without raising member bills—Flint's commitment to affordability and reliability is evident.The conversation also highlights Flint's impact in the community: youth leadership programs, scholarships and teacher grants, education programs in local schools, economic development through rural murals and grants, and mutual aid during storms. The team shares powerful stories—like how employee-funded initiatives such as Linemen for Little Ones bring joy to families in need, and how former student participants in programs like the Washington Youth Tour credit the experience for changing their life path.This episode is a must-listen for Flint members (and future members!) who want to better understand how co-ops are built to serve—and how you can get involved.You're not just a customer—you're a member, an owner, and a part of a community-first mission. That's the cooperative difference.Important Links Referenced in this Episode:Learn more about our Rural Murals, Scholarships, Operation Round Up®, and Bright Ideas Teacher Grant. Scholarship applications and educational grants. Sign up to participate in Operation Round Up®Apply for a Rural Murals Grant.Flint career opportunities and Follow Flint Energies on Facebook, Follow Flint on Instagram, Follow Flint on LinkedIn. Credits: Intro and outro song "Runnin' On Sunshine" Performed by: ReveilleWritten by: Brendan St. Gelais (BMI 100%)Published by: Boss Soundstripe Productions (BMI 100%)#flintenergies #emc #georgiaemc #georgiacooperative

Laurana, without her consent, is made the Commander of the Knights of Solamnia. Despite her misgivings she accepts the assignment. As part of accepting her new responsibilities, and despite what her heart may want, she also lets go of her love for Tanis. She does not have the time and energy to pursue it and she believes he is lost to the Darkness.  Tas and Flint inspect the fortifications, worry about Laurana, and reveal their thoughts about Kitiara now that they know she is a Dragon Highlord.  The good dragons finally arrive! Gilthanas & Silvara come with them. We learn from them why the metallic dragons have not made themselves before now: the twisted machinations of Takhisis! But through the sacrifice of Gilthanas and Silvara they've finally come out of hiding to help. Gilthanas also knows about Tanis' indiscretions now and shares it with Laurana. She is uninterested.   Content warning - mild swears One More Thing: Jonathon: OpenRCT2 - https://openrct2.io/ Shivam: Home gardening & preserving You can find us at: Jonathon - https://bsky.app/profile/falselogic.bsky.social  Shivam - https://bsky.app/profile/shivambhatt.bsky.social  Casual Magic w/ Shivam Bhatt - https://casualmagic.libsyn.com/  Shivam & Wheeler Love Magic - https://sites.libsyn.com/460224  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1147877956611082  Discord - https://discord.gg/MM7nEwgmZv  We now have a Patreon for those who want to support the podcast! Benefits include seeing the show notes and getting a shout out. Details @ https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofDragonlancePodcast  Our cover art by Josiah Cameron. Find more of his work here: https://josiahcameronart.com/  Intro/Outro music: Shadow Whispers by Alexander Nakarada/Spirits of the Greenwood by Alexander Nakarada  

Health seems to be overcomplicated these days - but does it really need to be? Everywhere you look you see another kind of diet, another 'must-have' exercise machine, a drink that can replace a meal, or a new gym programme that promises to finally solve all your problems. But truly, could the foundation of good health be as simple as a daily walk and eating whole foods? Why do so many people overlook what seem to be the staples of good health, instead going for expensive trends? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Full show: https://kNOwBETTERHIPHOP.com Artists Played: Jake One, DOOM, MidaZ The BEAST, conshus, Beanies and Snapbacks, Soy Is Real, Knaladeus, Yazmin Lacey, Yugen Blakrok, Rochelle Jordan, Amber Navran, Coin Banks, Shingo Suzuki, Thundercat, Funky DL, El Michels Affair, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Oh No, Sadhugold, 49th and Main, Homeboy Sandman, Brand The Builder, TEED, Beautiful Chorus, India Arie, Sankofa, Rokbottom, Mariachi El Bronx, The Pharcyde, DJ Ess, OutKast, GOODie MOb, IMAKEMADBEATS

Sir Douglas Flint CBE is chair of Aberdeen, IP Group and the Royal Marsden NHS Trust and former chair of HSBC Group Holdings and NED at BP. Tune in to hear his thoughts on: The most valuable lessons Sir Douglas has learnt from the chairs he's worked with (2:07) How chairs build consensus - the example of BP Chair Peter Sutherland (4:45) How to handle a split board (7:26) Lessons from the boardroom in the BP Macondo crisis (13:11) What the crisis teaches board members about risk (20:37) What it teaches about stakeholder relationships (24:44) What it teaches about how boards can help CEOs during crises (26:44) The board's rationale for the Standard Life Aberdeen to abrdn rebrand (31:21) Why the board decided to rebrand again to Aberdeen (38:13) Advice Sir Douglas would offer to a board member facing a rebranding decision today (39:27) ⚡The Lightning Round ⚡(42:11) Host: Oliver Cummings Producer: Will Felton Editor: Penelope Coumau Music: Kate Mac Audio: Nick Kold Email: podcast@nurole.com Web: https://www.nurole.com/nurole-podcast-enter-the-boardroom

Send us a textThe Flint Sit-Down Strike of 1936–37 wasn't just a labor dispute — it was a turning point in American history. In this short documentary segment, former Genesee County Prosecutor Arthur Busch breaks down what really happened inside the Fisher Body plants, why the strike succeeded, and how Flint became the birthplace of modern union power.This video explores:The strategy workers used to shut down General MotorsHow the UAW was born inside the factory wallsWhy General Motors feared the sit-down tacticThe role of women's brigades and community supportHow Flint's labor victory shaped wages, work, and democracy for generationsThe sit-down strike wasn't about nostalgia — it was about power, dignity, and the fight for the American middle class. Its lessons are still relevant today as workers confront automation, corporate consolidation, and the changing nature of labor.If you want to understand Flint, Detroit, the Rust Belt, or the history of American work, it starts here.About This ChannelThis video is part of Radio Free Flint Podcast, a narrative documentary project exploring how Flint became a mirror for the American working class. For more episodes and deep-dive storytelling, subscribe to The Mitten Channel.“When men and women are united in common purpose, there is no power in the world that can stop the forward march of free people.” — Walter Reuther#UAW #SitDownStrike #FlintMichigan #LaborHistory #WalterReuther #UnionStrong #TheMittenChannel

Should You Move to Lake Fenton Michigan? (The Reality Is This) - There's a lake in Michigan that locals swear by — but almost no one outside Genesee County talks about it. It's where people live like they're on vacation but still make it to work by eight, where pontoon parties collide with paddleboard mornings, and where sunsets look like they've been Photoshopped. That's Lake Fenton. And before you start packing your floaties and checking Zillow, let's talk about what it's really like to live here — the good, the bad, and the stuff you only find out once your neighbor waves at you from their boat at seven in the morning.Lake Fenton sits in Fenton Township, just south of Flint and about fifteen minutes north of downtown Fenton. The township covers roughly thirty-one square miles, with the lake itself being the showstopper — sprawling across about eight hundred forty-five acres of sparkling blue water and surrounded by about fifty-six hundred year-round residents. This isn't one of those sleepy seasonal places that goes silent after Labor Day. Lake Fenton stays active all year, with just as many ice shanties and snowmobiles in January as there are jet skis and pontoons in July. It's not a vacation destination, it's a lifestyle.MENTIONED LINKS ⬇️Fenton Michigan Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1h_-ctKra8Holly Michigan Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-HCBLYj4F4Linden Michigan Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwR5H2tdF7MGrand Blanc Michigan Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNxbj9Nt3M0CONTACT ME

In this week's message, we turn to Luke 7 and the remarkable account of a Roman Centurion whose faith caused Jesus Himself to marvel. While the Jewish elders praised the man's accomplishments and argued for his worthiness, the Centurion felt deeply unworthy—yet fully confident in Christ's authority. His request was simple: “Just speak the word, … Continue reading "An Example of Great Faith"

If you're expectation is that most people will eagerly listen as you attempt to spread God's Word, you're likely to bedisappointed. 

PODCAST BY PIGEON! Arthur Ritus talks about 'Yor'. Flint is grumpy...and John tells us who was nice enough to die before the recording of the Podcast and not after! All this plus the Prog review!

The Gamecocks are set to take on Coastal Carolina for Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day. The guys break it all down, and have a little hoops chat mixed in with Derek Scott live from the Greenbrier in West Virginia before Flint and Strick join for last look at the Coastal game. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us a textOutrage is easy. Unity is a choice—and a craft. I sat down with Adam Mizel, co-founder of Us United, to map out how everyday people can shift our culture from division to respect without waiting on politicians or viral headlines. Adam shares the origin story sparked by Sheriff Chris Swanson's powerful decision during the George Floyd protests to remove his riot gear and walk with the crowd in Flint. That moment reframed what leadership can look like: disarm with respect, listen to lived experience, and turn down the temperature before it spikes.We get practical about building unity as a brand and a habit. Adam breaks down why symbols matter—purple hats, a clear logo, visible rituals—because division already has its own marketing machine. He offers a field-tested playbook from a cross-country listening tour: trade arguments for personal stories, listen to understand, and step back when respect drops. We explore how sports, music, food, and even our dogs create instant common ground, and why a stadium of strangers can model the collaboration our politics often lacks.The episode also introduces National Unity Day, recognized on the second Saturday in December, designed to make action simple and contagious: wear purple, take the Unity Pledge, post a positive story, or call the friend or relative you cut off over politics. These small weekly acts add up, especially when shared. Hope isn't naïve here; it's a system. By making unity visible and easy to join, we give the quiet majority tools to re-engage and reset the tone in their homes, workplaces, and feeds.If you're ready to stop doomscrolling and start doing, this conversation gives you a starting line and a community. Subscribe, share this with someone across your aisle, and leave a review telling us the one unity action you'll take this week. Then grab something purple and tag us to keep the momentum going.Thanks for listening. Please check out our website at www.forsauk.com to hear great conversations on topics that need to be talked about. In these times of intense polarization we all need to find time to expand our Frame of Reference.

In the studio this week with Stephanie K and Jay is Travis Sheffield and Neondra Burrell. Whaley Children's Center, a nonprofit in Flint, MI, provides supportive care and healing for children and teens who have suffered severe abuse or neglect. Through trauma-informed residential programs, education, mental health services, and independent living support, they create a safe environment where youth can heal and thrive.  For more information click here.

In this episode of Words of Grace, Pastor Ben Winslett turns to one of the most moving passages in Scripture: the death and resurrection of Lazarus in John chapter 11. Here we witness the compassion, purpose, and power of Christ. Though He knew Lazarus would live again, Jesus still wept with those He loved. What … Continue reading "When Jesus Wept"

DEATHSTALKER! Flint has dibs on Rossys computer. John looks at the Arizona Real Estate. Rossy want you all to support 'YOR' on Kickstarter. All this and the Prog Review!

The Discipline Edge: How to Stay Focused & Lead with Purpose w Dr. Charles Thomas  Jr.Dr. Charles Thomas Jr. is the son of Mrs. Doris Thomas and Mr. Charles Thomas Sr. He is a #1 Amazon best-selling author, entrepreneur, and storyteller whose work explores the space between ambition, identity, leadership, and legacy. A former Division I student-athlete turned multi-award-winning Co-Founder and CEO, he led a high-growth company through challenges, breakthroughs, and a successful exit.His books, Scars, Exile, and Vindication, Breakthrough, Best Kept Secrets, and Forged From Fire, reflect this ongoing pursuit of purpose, perseverance, and excellence as a demonstration of human potential. Through every endeavor, Dr. Thomas blends discipline with vulnerability and success with soul.Born and raised in Flint, Michigan, he now lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and children. He believes the most important battles are fought within and that the greatest victories are becoming who we are meant to become. Whether in business, sports, or life, Dr. Thomas challenges himself and others to live fully and lead boldly.Links:https://www.amazon.com/Forged-Fire-Charles-Thomas-Jr/dp/B0FRB3DFPWhttps://www.instagram.com/cthomas_jr/Tags:Consistency,Daily Discipline,Desire,Entrepreneurial Mindset,Faith,High Performance,Leadership,Organizational Culture,Perseverance,Resilience,The Discipline Edge: How to Stay Focused & Lead with Purpose w Dr,Live Video Podcast Interview,Podcast,Interview,PodmatchSupport PEG by checking out our Sponsors:Download and use Newsly for free now from www.newsly.me or from the link in the description, and use promo code “GHOST” and receive a 1-month free premium subscription.The best tool for getting podcast guests:https://podmatch.com/signup/phantomelectricghostSubscribe to our Instagram for exclusive content:https://www.instagram.com/expansive_sound_experiments/Subscribe to our YouTube https://youtube.com/@phantomelectricghost?si=rEyT56WQvDsAoRprRSShttps://anchor.fm/s/3b31908/podcast/rssSubstackhttps://substack.com/@phantomelectricghost?utm_source=edit-profile-page

(Episode 359) Mason Dixon, Amanda Jones and Host Rob Byrd get together in the studio to discuss when a boy becomes a man. Scott T calls in for a road report from Flint, Michigan. Dr. Max Masters from Masters Chiropractic and Rehabilitation calls in to talk about the roller coaster weather and it's affect on the body. Scott Whiteford steps in for Gina Johnston Small to talk about his involvement with South Haven Real Estate and Whiteford Wealth Management. On Racin' Mason Dixon's Front Porch Stomp, Mason calls hype man, Big Daddy John Stark from Grundy County Raceway for a chat about their season and the depression of the off season. It's all here, right now and so much more on The Moondog Show.

Kai Ellice-Flint joined Sam Lane and Lehmo on Summer Grandstand after winning the men's longboard world title in El Salvador on a board he shaped himself.

Born in London in 1911, Flint grew up in modest circumstances but claimed to hear voices of the departed from childhood. Those early experiences set him on a lifelong path toward Spiritualism and the exploration of life after death. Unlike trance mediums who spoke on behalf of spirits, Flint's séances were said to produce independent voices, clearly audible to everyone in the room, appearing to come from midair rather than from the medium himself.Sitters described conversations that were intimate, humorous, and deeply emotional. The voices called people by name, shared private memories, and even argued or joked. Among them were recurring personalities such as “Mickey,” a lively Cockney boy spirit, and “Dr. Charles Marshall,” a calm, guiding presence who oversaw communication from the other side.During the Second World War, when grief touched nearly every British home, Flint's séances offered solace. Widows and parents reported hearing the familiar tones of loved ones lost in battle. Others claimed to encounter famous figures, Oscar Wilde, Queen Victoria, Mahatma Gandhi, each speaking in distinct character and style. To many, these sessions felt less like performances than reunions across the boundary of death.Flint was repeatedly tested. Investigators sealed his mouth, filled it with colored water, even bound him to a chair, yet the voices continued. Hundreds of hours of these sessions were recorded and can still be heard today through the Leslie Flint Educational Trust. Whether regarded as genuine spirit communication or an extraordinary unexplained acoustic phenomenon, they remain some of the clearest evidence of voices without visible source ever documented.In this episode, I take you through Flint's life, the atmosphere of his séances, and the enduring mystery of those voices in the dark. Was Leslie Flint truly speaking for the dead, or revealing new dimensions of consciousness still beyond our science? https://www.pastliveshypnosis.co.uk/https://www.patreon.com/ourparanormalafterlifeMy book 'Verified Near Death Experiences' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXKRGDFP Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's a one on one conversation with one of the top media writer/reporters nationally in country on the hot topic of the Youtube TV vs. Disney carriage dispute. And you'll hear it here as part of the "Last Word on Sports Media Podcast."Host T.J. Rives welcomes Joe Flint, senior media writer for the Wall Street Journal, to go over the ongoing dispute with Youtube TV and whether they or Disney will eventually relent and make a deal? Joe has great insight on how a single former ESPN executive may be the key in settling or, as T.J. theorizes will Google/Youtube TV dig in and not settle and why?Plus, Joe has thoughts and insights on President Donald Trump at the Lions-Commanders game in D.C. Sunday and doing a lengthy interview on Fox Sports live during the game. And, there's some 80s nostalgia pop culture about Madonna, Saturday Night Live and Joe Theisman too.Hear it all as T.J. and Joe dive deep into the Youtube TV/Disney mess on this special "LWOS Media Podcast!"

It's a one on one conversation with one of the top media writer/reporters nationally in country on the hot topic of the Youtube TV vs. Disney carriage dispute. And you'll hear it here as part of the "Last Word on Sports Media Podcast."Host T.J. Rives welcomes Joe Flint, senior media writer for the Wall Street Journal, to go over the ongoing dispute with Youtube TV and whether they or Disney will eventually relent and make a deal? Joe has great insight on how a single former ESPN executive may be the key in settling or, as T.J. theorizes will Google/Youtube TV dig in and not settle and why?Plus, Joe has thoughts and insights on President Donald Trump at the Lions-Commanders game in D.C. Sunday and doing a lengthy interview on Fox Sports live during the game. And, there's some 80s nostalgia pop culture about Madonna, Saturday Night Live and Joe Theisman too.Hear it all as T.J. and Joe dive deep into the Youtube TV/Disney mess on this special "LWOS Media Podcast!"

On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations about celebrations of major road and bridge projects completed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in communities across the state.This week, a focus on the expansion of the U.S. 131 interchange with the U.S. 131 Business Route that links the freeway with downtown Kalamazoo. Jill Bland, executive vice president at Southwest Michigan First, talks about her decades of advocacy for the project and what it will mean to businesses her organization supports, as well as commuters.Later, Trevor Block, manager of  MDOT's Transportation Service Center (TSC) in Davison, talks about a celebration of another phase of rebuilding a segment of the I-475 corridor in Flint. This phase rebuilt approximately three miles of I-475 from the Flint River to Carpenter Road as part of a $141 million investment.Next week, the focus on project completions with conversations about a new bridge carrying Fruit Ridge Avenue over I-96 west of Grand Rapids and a roundabout replacing the traditional intersection of M-72 and M-22 just outside Traverse City.

Originally broadcast November 13, 2025 What if health care for moms and babies came with a cash prescription for them? In this Conversations on Health Care episode, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter welcome back Dr. Mona Hanna, the Flint pediatrician whose research exposed the city's water crisis and sparked a national reckoning on environmental justice. Now, Dr. Hanna returns to share powerful results from Rx Kids, the nation's first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program. By providing unconditional... Read More Read More The post “Cash for Moms and Babies”: How it Works & Why   appeared first on Healthy Communities Online.

It's still a BIG standoff between Youtube TV and Disney over their programming and we're ready to talk about it, plus we get some insight on broadcasting the NFL on national radio week to week, too on the "Last Word on Sports Media Podcast!"Host T.J. Rives returns with guests to go over it all. First, he talks the weekend in college and NFL football and some of the TV numbers from it.Then, he welcomes Joe Flint, senior media writer for the Wall Street Journal, to go over the ongoing dispute with Youtube TV and whether they or Disney will eventually relent and make a deal? Joe has great insight on how a single former ESPN executive may be the key in settling or, as T.J. theorizes will Google/Youtube TV dig in and not settle and why?Plus, Joe has thoughts and insights on President Donald Trump at the Lions-Commanders game in D.C. Sunday and doing a lengthy interview on Fox Sports live during the game. And, there's some 80s nostalgia pop culture about Madonna, Saturday Night Live and Joe Theisman too.Next, T.J. welcomes national football p x p broadcaster Josh Appel of Sports USA to talk about the ins and outs of his job calling the NFL. He was at the Lions-Commanders game last week and has more on his broadcast locale' being less than ideal and the crazy security around President Trump early and often. Josh is alos a USF in Tampa grad/broadcasting alum and there's talk of the Bulls and the possible American Conference football championship game in Tampa Bay and how Josh's first baby on the way soon is definitely a factor on him coming to see his team play or not?!It's all part of the "Last Word on Sports Media Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.! 

It's still a BIG standoff between Youtube TV and Disney over their programming and we're ready to talk about it, plus we get some insight on broadcasting the NFL on national radio week to week, too on the "Last Word on Sports Media Podcast!"Host T.J. Rives returns with guests to go over it all. First, he talks the weekend in college and NFL football and some of the TV numbers from it.Then, he welcomes Joe Flint, senior media writer for the Wall Street Journal, to go over the ongoing dispute with Youtube TV and whether they or Disney will eventually relent and make a deal? Joe has great insight on how a single former ESPN executive may be the key in settling or, as T.J. theorizes will Google/Youtube TV dig in and not settle and why?Plus, Joe has thoughts and insights on President Donald Trump at the Lions-Commanders game in D.C. Sunday and doing a lengthy interview on Fox Sports live during the game. And, there's some 80s nostalgia pop culture about Madonna, Saturday Night Live and Joe Theisman too.Next, T.J. welcomes national football p x p broadcaster Josh Appel of Sports USA to talk about the ins and outs of his job calling the NFL. He was at the Lions-Commanders game last week and has more on his broadcast locale' being less than ideal and the crazy security around President Trump early and often. Josh is alos a USF in Tampa grad/broadcasting alum and there's talk of the Bulls and the possible American Conference football championship game in Tampa Bay and how Josh's first baby on the way soon is definitely a factor on him coming to see his team play or not?!It's all part of the "Last Word on Sports Media Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.! 

In this weekend's broadcast of Words of Grace, Pastor Benjamin Winslett turns to Luke 6 to consider Jesus' encounter with the heavy hand of legalism. In these familiar passages, the Pharisees condemn Christ and His disciples for plucking grain on the Sabbath and later challenge Him for restoring a man's withered hand on another Sabbath. … Continue reading "Jesus’ Encounter with Legalism"

FROM DEATH TO FLAGPEGGED! Kickstarter Korner: Get 'YOR' copy. 'This Comic is Haunted #6'. Uncle Pats 'Hellbreaker'. Support them all! Flint loves Gizmo Del Toros 'Frankenstein'. Plus the Prog Review!

Behind the Mitten is Michigan's premier radio show and podcastROADTRIP!On Episode 725, co-hosts John Gonzalez and Amy Sherman stop in St. Clair, Imlay City and Davison as they navigate I-69 from Port Huron to Flint. This show was recorded Nov. 3, 2025. It aired across the state of Michigan the weekend of Nov. 8-9.The stops:Ted's Coney Island in St. Clair where Gonzo and Amy have saganaki - OPE!Steveo's Bar & Grill in Imlay City, which back in the 1980s was am American Legion Hall and the site of John's high school graduation party. (John re-tells the story how this was his one and only gig as the lead singer of his country-punk band, TCT & The Punkers.)MoJoe's Wings in Davison, where Amy shares a story about what it's like to eat wings at 40 stops over a two-week period. Amy and Gonzo did this 7 years ago while on the search for best wings. Amy also shares how she barley survived a "suicide wings" challenge the day before where she had to sign a waiver before the challenge.And at Whitey's, an historic restaurant in Davison celebrating 70 years in business with tasty seafood.Listen to Behind the Mitten this weekend on 22 radio affiliates across the state at amyandgonzo.com.

To listen to the full bonus show, subscribe at Patreon.com/Gaslit for ad free shows, all bonus shows, exclusive events, support independent journalism, and more at Patreon.com/Gaslit.  "We can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves."  – Zohran Mamdani Welcome to the Gaslit Nation Election Super Special – a block party celebrating the proud American tradition of punching Nazis. Election Day 2025 will go down in history as D-Day for democracy. Terrell Starr joins Andrea to break down what these nationwide victories mean for the future, from the midterms and beyond. It's clear who Americans blame for the government shutdown. The blue tsunami showed up and reshaped the map, literally. In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger made history as the state's first woman governor as Democrats swept the governorship, lieutenant governorship, and attorney general, with nearly every county shifting blue. In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill became the first Democratic woman to lead the state, with Democrats gaining seats across the legislature. Our people-powered victories weren't a "blue bubble" story as Donald Trump wants you to believe. Democrats flipped two seats in Mississippi, two statewide offices in Georgia, won the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and wiped GOP control off the Bucks County school board. Colorado voted to feed kids, Charlotte funded transit, Maine rejected voter suppression, progressive D.A.s Larry Krasner in Philadelphia and Alvin Bragg in Manhattan won re-election, and California overwhelmingly voted for redistricting self-defense against GOP autocracy. More on the redistricting battle in future episodes. And in New York City, Zohran Mamdani, just 34, the city's first Muslim mayor and the youngest since 1982, the first candidate to get over 1 million votes since 1969, delivered a victory speech so electric it could light up Times Square, reminding us that unity and humanity are the real antidotes to greed and fear. The fascists forced a fight, and democracy punched back. This is only the beginning. Thank you to every Gaslit Nation listener who voted, who showed up for your community, for our shared livable future that we will build together, and who kept hope alive on our darkest days. We will overcome with our moral force and defiance. To listen to the full episode, join the Gaslit Nation community. Want to hear Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes:   Zohran Mamdani announces all-female transition team as he prepares for New York mayoralty: Team includes Lina Khan, the FTC commissioner under Biden, and other Democratic former city officials https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/05/zohran-mamdani-transition-team   From Michael Moore's 2018 Trump-era epic, Fahrenheit 11/9. In this scene, President Obama comes to Flint amidst the poisoned water crisis. His appearance left the residents of Flint stunned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvlcI2TmfdI   Nearly all Virginia counties shift blue as Democrats win big across commonwealth: Democrats won Virginia's top three offices and expanded their majority in the House of Delegates. https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/politics/elections/virginia-democrats-republicans-elections-balance-of-power/65-2dd07df2-7f70-4a03-b965-f22f39292c9b   Election 2025: A Blue Wave in Bucks County as Democrats Sweep Row Offices, Dominate Races Across the County (LIVE Results) https://buckscountybeacon.com/2025/11/election-2025-bucks-county-and-statewide-pennsylvania-live-results/   The Candidates Who Made History In The 2025 Elections From New York City to Detroit, five candidates broke the glass ceiling. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/historic-firsts-2025-elections_n_690b3976e4b09953a605f0ed?origin=home-zone-b-unit   Clip: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQjxCjZAK1k/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link   Clip: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQqgszTDD6k/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link   Clip: https://bsky.app/profile/kendrawrites.com/post/3m4uzjgs6tk2m   'Absolute terror': Day care teacher detained by ICE agents on Chicago's North Side https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/video-daycare-teacher-detained-by-ice-agents-on-chicagos-north-side/   Voters Soundly Reject Trump's Plot to Rig the Next Election On Tuesday, Democrats passed new congressional maps, defeated GOP attempts to make it harder to vote, and protected pro-democracy judges. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/11/election-trump-newsom-california-redistricting-gerrymandering-pennsylvania-judges-maine-voter-id/   Beshear: Let me be clear. The president has both the funding and the authority to fund snap during a shutdown. In fact, every other president in every other shutdown has done so. People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made. https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3m4vioc3kvg2f   How Zohran Mamdani Beat Back New York's Elite and Was Elected Mayor The 34-year-old assemblyman won the Democratic primary by defying the city's all-powerful establishment. He secured the mayoralty by delicately disarming it https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/nyregion/how-zohran-mamdani-won-nyc-mayor.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare   Mamdani Did All the Things the Establishment Hates. He Won Anyway. There's a growing appetite for something new and innovative growing among the electorate—and an opportunity for Democrats to grow that electorate, as well. https://newrepublic.com/article/197247/mamdani-versus-establishment-democrats-cuomo   A Little-Noted Element Propelled Mamdani's Rise: Gen Z Loneliness Members of Gen Z found something unexpected in the mayoral race: a chance to hang out. Their enthusiasm turned into real votes. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/nyregion/mamdani-young-voters.html?unlocked_article_code=1.y08.95dX.Kxm_9AhFCK5b&smid=url-share   The Billionaires Who Failed to Stop Zohran Mamdani, and How Much They Spent https://time.com/7331119/zohran-mamdani-billionaires-ackman-bloomberg/   Va. House pushes through last-minute redistricting amendment as GOP cries foul The 51-42 vote follows fiery debate over whether the General Assembly should re-draw congressional lines mid-decade to counter actions in other states. https://virginiamercury.com/2025/10/29/va-house-pushes-through-last-minute-redistricting-amendment-as-gop-cries-foul/   Daniel Nichanian. Editor in chief of @boltsmag.org provide an election results overview: https://bsky.app/profile/taniel.bsky.social/post/3m4uhevs76k2n   FULL SPEECH: Zohran Mamdani's victory speech following historic NYC mayoral win https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOQT_4A1eb8  

What does it mean to be the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in a world where shared language about faith, salvation, and community seems to be slipping away? In this roundtable episode of the Future Christian Podcast, host Martha Tatarnic is joined by Loren Richmond Jr., Dennis Sanders, and David Emery for a deep conversation on the past, present, and future of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Together they wrestle with what “No Creed but Christ” means today—and how this historic movement can renew its theological identity in a rapidly changing culture. This conversation explores: Why “No creed but Christ” was once revolutionary—and what it might mean now How Disciples' emphasis on inclusion and open communion can recover deeper theological grounding The tension between progressive activism and theological clarity The role of preaching, formation, and leadership in shaping discipleship Why local churches—and not denominational structures—are key to renewal Signs of hope and new life emerging in Disciples congregations across North America If you've ever wondered how denominations can stay rooted in the Gospel while adapting to modern realities, this episode offers an honest, hopeful look at faithful innovation and renewal in the mainline church. Dennis Sanders is an ordained Disciples of Christ minister and lead pastor of First Christian Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.  A native of Flint, Michigan and big fan of the Detroit Tigers and Lions, Dennis is also a communications specialist for a Lutheran congregation in the Twin Cities and is the host of the Church and Main podcast, which tries to live out Karl Barth's quote of reading the Bible and the newspaper and interpreting the news through the Bible.  Dennis lives in Minneapolis with his husband Daniel and their cats. David Emery is the Lead Pastor of Harvard Avenue Christian Church in Tulsa, OK. David is a passionate preacher, compassionate pastor, and adept leader whose understanding of the Gospel and vision for the church help our congregation fulfill our mission to live and love like Jesus. David has a reputation for growing churches, reaching new people, and transforming lives in every church he has served throughout his ministry, which includes congregations in Arkansas, Texas, and Kentucky. He holds a Master's of Divinity from Vanderbilt. If you were to ask David what his favorite scripture passage is, he would tell you: “Whatever I'm preaching on this week!” An avid runner and multiple-marathoner, when David isn't on the trail or in the pulpit, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Teresa, and their children and grandchildren.   Mentioned Resources:

This week on Purple Political Breakdown, we sit down with Adam Mizel, co-founder of US United, a not-for-profit media collective that's challenging the narrative of American division through grassroots action and community engagement.Adam's story is anything but typical. After a 30-year career spanning Morgan Stanley, private equity, hedge funds, and running public companies, he found himself at a turning point in May 2020. Like many Americans, he was screaming at his TV as the country seemed to tear itself apart following George Floyd's murder and amid pandemic chaos. But when his wife Taunya told him, "No one's hearing you if you scream at the TV," Adam decided to transform his frustration into action.What followed was a series of unexpected connections that led him to Sheriff Chris Swanson of Flint, Michiganthe sheriff who made global headlines when he and his officers removed their riot gear to march with George Floyd protesters, reaching 3.2 billion people worldwide. Together, they co-founded US United in 2021, building a movement that now includes nearly 100 sheriffs committed to fostering unity in their communities.LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammmizel/Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/USUnitedOrgInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/us_united_org/Twitter - https://twitter.com/US_United_OrgWebsite - https://www.us-united.org/Standard Resource Links & RecommendationsThe following organizations and platforms represent valuable resources for balanced political discourse and democratic participation: PODCAST NETWORKALIVE Podcast Network - Check out the ALIVE Network where you can catch a lot of great podcasts like my own, led by amazing Black voices. Link: https://alivepodcastnetwork.com/ CONVERSATION PLATFORMSHeadOn - A platform for contentious yet productive conversations. It's a place for hosted and unguided conversations where you can grow a following and enhance your conversations with AI features. Link: https://app.headon.ai/Living Room Conversations - Building bridges through meaningful dialogue across political divides. Link: https://livingroomconversations.org/ BALANCED NEWS & INFORMATIONOtherWeb - An AI-based platform that filters news without paywalls, clickbait, or junk, helping you access diverse, unbiased content. Link: https://otherweb.com/ VOTING REFORM & DEMOCRACYEqual Vote Coalition & STAR Voting - Advocating for voting methods that ensure every vote counts equally, eliminating wasted votes and strategic voting. Link: https://www.equal.vote/starFuture is Now Coalition (FiNC) - A grassroots movement working to restore democracy through transparency, accountability, and innovative technology while empowering citizens and transforming American political discourse FutureisFutureis. Link: https://futureis.org/ POLITICAL ENGAGEMENTIndependent Center - Resources for independent political thinking and civic engagement. Link: https://www.independentcenter.org/ Get Daily News: Text 844-406-INFO (844-406-4636) with code "purple" to receive quick, unbiased, factual news delivered to your phone every morning via Informed ( https://informed.now) All Links: https://linktr.ee/purplepoliticalbreakdownThe Purple Political Breakdown is committed to fostering productive political dialogue that transcends partisan divides. We believe in the power of conversation, balanced information, and democratic participation to build a stronger society. Our mission: "Political solutions without political bias."Subscribe, rate, and share if you believe in purple politics - where we find common ground in the middle! Also if you want to be apart of the community and the conversation make sure to Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/ptPAsZtHC9

When Jesus first called His disciples into the gospel ministry, he met them not in a religious house, but in their place of employment as they were fishing in the Sea of Galilee. In this episode of Words of Grace, we turn to Luke chapter 5 and Jesus’ instruction to Peter to cast his net … Continue reading "Fishers of Men"

This week, on another packed episode, Ashleigh, Alyx and Flint rake over the coals about: Esther Ghey, mother of Brianna Ghey, has launched a campaign called Phone-Free Education and the team consider its implications. Multiple organisations have submitted evidence to the Global Alliance of National Human Rights institutions showing that the EHRC is, to put it lightly, not really fulfilling its stated role. A symphony of statistics from two new GLP-instigated YouGov polls.  Labour backbenchers warn of "chaos" if the EHRC's guidance is implemented as is, but not for the reasons you might be expecting.  Before moving on to the meat of the episode, which we've developed alongside https://www.wearequeeraf.com/ and Claire Prosho (https://linktr.ee/CTransTalks). This final part in our series about the UK's Gender Clinic system looks at potential future outcomes, including: The upcoming -although much delayed- Levy Review. Suggested ways for the GIC's to deal with their extreme backlog of patients. The numerous failures of the "specialist clinic" model as it stands. A lack of consistent data standards across the clinics and why this presents a problem.  References: https://whatthetrans.com/ep143 Action Alley:  Widnes Bridge Walk: Walk in solidarity for Transgender Awareness Week If you've been affected by the Virgin active ban on trans people in bathrooms and changing  rooms, as either a member or a staffer, then the Good Law Project would like to hear from you: Post by @goodlawproject.bsky.social TransActual's MP emailing tool: Scrap the Bathroom Ban - Action Network Amnesty's emailing tool to ask the government to remain in the European Convention on Human Rights: Defend our Human Rights – Tell Your MP to Back the ECHR

In this segment, Mark is joined by Joe Flint, a Media and Entertainment Reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He explains what we know about the standoff between YouTube and Disney and if there is an end in sight.

Send us a textFLINTOWN STAND UP!!!  WE ARE BACK!! After a couple week hiatus, we are back with Flint Michigan's own Jon Connor. Jon Connor is an American rapper and record producer from Flint, Michigan, known for his intricate lyricism, storytelling, and prolific output of mixtapes and albums. He gained significant recognition for his "Best in the World" mixtape series and his ability to tackle socially conscious themes in his musicFollow The Dan Levely Show Here:Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thedanlevelyshowYouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@thedanlevelyshow/streamsX: http://www.X.com/danlevelyshowFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/thedanlevelyshowFOLLOW JON CONNOR HEREhttps://www.facebook.com/JonConnorMusic/https://www.instagram.com/jonconnormusichttp://www.youtube.com/JonConnorMusichttp://open.spotify.com/artist/JonConnorhttp://music.apple.com/us/artist/jon-connorSupport the show

We, and Raistlin, meet Astinus of Palanthas, the immortal chronicler of the world of Krynn and keeper of Palanthas's library. Raistlin's escape to Palanthas worked though it has left him very weak and close to death. He hopes to find a means to save his life within the library. Raistlin struggles to find what he seeks, near death he is visited by Astinus. Their conversation inadvertently reveals to the young wizard that he is not alone, and leaves Astinus troubled. Laurana, Tas, and Flint are also in Palanthas, Tas even saw Raistlin arrive but does not realize it. They, and we, learn the dark history of the city's Tower of High Sorcery.  One More Thing: Jonathon: Agatha Christie's Poirot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agatha_Christie%27s_Poirot) Shivam: Steven Brust Vlad Taltos Series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Brust#The_Series) You can find us at: Jonathon - https://bsky.app/profile/falselogic.bsky.social Shivam - https://bsky.app/profile/shivambhatt.bsky.social Casual Magic w/ Shivam Bhatt - https://casualmagic.libsyn.com/ Shivam & Wheeler Love Magic - https://sites.libsyn.com/460224 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1147877956611082 Discord - https://discord.gg/MM7nEwgmZv We now have a Patreon for those who want to support the podcast! Benefits include seeing the show notes and getting a shout out. Details @ https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofDragonlancePodcast Our cover art is by Josiah Cameron. Find more of his work here: https://josiahcameronart.com/ Intro/Outro music: Shadow Whispers by Alexander Nakarada/Spirits of the Greenwood by Alexander Nakarada  

Can you do better than Chris in today's edition of the Two Grand Slam

What does it take to keep your voice—and your purpose—strong through every season of life? In this episode of Unstoppable Mindset, I sit down with my friend Bill Ratner, one of Hollywood's most recognized voice actors, best known as Flint from GI Joe. Bill's voice has carried him through radio, animation, and narration, but what stands out most is how he's used that same voice to serve others through storytelling, teaching, and grief counseling. Together, we explore the heart behind his work—from bringing animated heroes to life to standing on The Moth stage and helping people find healing through poetry. Bill shares lessons from his own journey, including losing both parents early, finding family in unexpected places, and discovering how creative expression can rebuild what life breaks down. We also reflect on 9/11, preparedness, and the quiet confidence that comes from trusting your training—whether you're a first responder, a performer, or just navigating the unknown. This conversation isn't just about performance; it's about presence. It's about using your story, your craft, and your compassion to keep moving forward—unstoppable, one voice at a time. Highlights: 00:31 – Hear the Flint voice and what it takes to bring animated characters to life. 06:57 – Learn why an uneven college path still led to a lifelong acting career. 11:50 – Understand how GI Joe became a team and a toy phenomenon that shaped culture. 15:58 – See how comics and cartoons boosted classroom literacy when used well. 17:06 – Pick up simple ways parents can spark reading through shared stories. 19:29 – Discover how early, honest conversations about death can model resilience. 24:09 – Learn to critique ads and media like a pro to sharpen your own performance. 36:19 – Follow the pivot from radio to voiceover and why specialization pays. 47:48 – Hear practical editing approaches and accessible tools that keep shows tight. 49:38 – Learn how The Moth builds storytelling chops through timed, judged practice. 55:21 – See how poetry—and poetry therapy—support grief work with students. 59:39 – Take notes on memoir writing, emotional management, and one-person shows. About the Guest: Bill Ratner is one of America's best known voice actors and author of poetry collections Lamenting While Doing Laps in the Lake (Slow Lightning Lit 2024,) Fear of Fish (Alien Buddha Press 2021,) To Decorate a Casket (Finishing Line Press 2021,) and the non-fiction book Parenting For The Digital Age: The Truth Behind Media's Effect On Children and What To Do About It (Familius Books 2014.) He is a 9-time winner of the Moth StorySLAM, 2-time winner of Best of The Hollywood Fringe Extension Award for Solo Performance, Best of the Net Poetry Nominee 2023 (Lascaux Review,) and New Millennium "America One Year From Now" Writing Award Finalist. His writing appears in Best Small Fictions 2021 (Sonder Press,) Missouri Review (audio,) Baltimore Review, Chiron Review, Feminine Collective, and other journals. He is the voice of "Flint" in the TV cartoon G.I. Joe, "Donnell Udina" in the computer game Mass Effect, the voice of Air Disasters on Smithsonian Channel, NewsNation, and network TV affiliates across the country. He is a committee chair for his union, SAG-AFTRA, teaches Voiceovers for SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Media Awareness for Los Angeles Unified School District, and is a trained grief counsellor. Member: Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA, National Storytelling Network • https://billratner.com • @billratner Ways to connect with Bill: https://soundcloud.com/bill-ratner https://www.instagram.com/billratner/ https://twitter.com/billratner https://www.threads.net/@billratner https://billratner.tumblr.com https://www.youtube.com/@billratner/videos https://www.facebook.com/billratner.voiceover.author https://bsky.app/profile/bilorat.bsky.social About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well on a gracious hello to you, wherever you may be, I am your host. Mike hingson, and you are listening to unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to have a voice actor, person, Bill Ratner, who you want to know who Bill Radnor is, go back and watch the old GI Joe cartoons and listen to the voice of Flint.   Bill Ratner ** 01:42 All right. Lady Jay, you better get your battle gear on, because Cobra is on their way. And I can't bring up the Lacher threat weapon system. We got to get out of here. Yo, Joe,   Michael Hingson ** 01:52 there you go. I rest my case Well, Bill, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Bill Ratner ** 02:00 We can't rest now. Michael, we've just begun. No, we've just begun.   Michael Hingson ** 02:04 We got to keep going here. Well, I'm really glad that you're here. Bill is another person who we inveigled to get on unstoppable mindset with the help of Walden Hughes. And so that means we can talk about Walden all we want today. Bill just saying, oh goodness. And I got a lot to say. Let me tell you perfect, perfect. Bring it on. So we are really grateful to Walden, although I hope he's not listening. We don't want to give him a big head. But no, seriously, we're really grateful. Ah, good point.   Bill Ratner ** 02:38 But his posture, oddly enough, is perfect.   Michael Hingson ** 02:40 Well, there you go. What do you do? He practiced. Well, anyway, we're glad you're here. Tell us about the early bill, growing up and all that stuff. It's always fun to start a good beginning.   Bill Ratner ** 02:54 Well, I was a very lucky little boy. I was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1947 to two lovely people, professionals, both with master's degree out at University of Chicago. My mother was a social worker. My father had an MBA in business. He was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. So I had the joy of living in a better home and living in a garden.   Michael Hingson ** 03:21 My mother. How long were you in Des Moines?   Bill Ratner ** 03:24 Five and a half years left before my sixth birthday. My dad got a fancy job at an ad agency in Minneapolis, and had a big brother named Pete and big handsome, curly haired boy with green eyes. And moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was was brought up there.   Michael Hingson ** 03:45 Wow. So you went to school there and and chased the girls and all that stuff.   Bill Ratner ** 03:54 I went to school there at Blake School for Boys in Hopkins, Minnesota. Couldn't chase the girls day school, but the girls we are allowed to dance with certainly not chase. Michael was at woodhue dancing school, the Northrop girls from Northrop girls school and the Blake boys were put together in eighth grade and taught the Cha Cha Cha, the waltz, the Charleston, and we danced together, and the girls wore white gloves, and we sniffed their perfume, and we all learned how to be lovers when we were 45   Michael Hingson ** 04:37 There you are. Well, as long as you learned at some point, that's a good start.   Bill Ratner ** 04:44 It's a weird generation. Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 04:46 I've been to Des Moines before. I was born in Chicago, but moved out to California when I was five, but I did some work with the National Federation of the Blind in the mid 19. 1970s 1976 into 1978 so spent time at the Iowa Commission for the Blind in Des Moines, which became a top agency for the Blind in well, the late 50s into the to the 60s and so on. So   Bill Ratner ** 05:15 both my parents are from Chicago. My father from the south side of Chicago, 44th and Kenzie, which was a Irish, Polish, Italian, Jewish, Ukrainian neighborhood. And my mother from Glencoe, which was a middle class suburb above Northwestern University in Evanston.   Michael Hingson ** 05:34 I Where were you born? 57th and union, north, south side, no, South   Bill Ratner ** 05:42 57th union is that? Is that west of Kenzie?   Michael Hingson ** 05:46 You know, I don't remember the geography well enough to know, but I know that it was, I think, Mount Sinai Hospital where I was born. But it was, it's, it's, it's a pretty tough neighborhood today. So I understand,   Bill Ratner ** 06:00 yeah, yeah, my it was tough, then it's tough now,   Michael Hingson ** 06:03 yeah, I think it's tougher, supposedly, than it was. But we lived there for five years, and then we we moved to California, and I remember some things about Chicago. I remember walking down to the local candy store most days, and had no problem doing that. My parents were told they should shut me away at a home somewhere, because no blind child could ever grow up to amount to anything. And my parents said, You guys are you're totally wrong. And they brought me up with that attitude. So, you   Bill Ratner ** 06:32 know who said that the school says school so that   Michael Hingson ** 06:35 doctors doctors when they discovered I was blind with the   Bill Ratner ** 06:38 kid, goodness gracious, horrified.   Michael Hingson ** 06:44 Well, my parents said absolutely not, and they brought me up, and they actually worked with other parents of premature kids who became blind, and when kindergarten started in for us in in the age of four, they actually had a special kindergarten class for blind kids at the Perry School, which is where I went. And so I did that for a year, learn braille and some other things. Then we moved to California, but yeah, and I go back to Chicago every so often. And when I do nowadays, they I one of my favorite places to migrate in Chicago is Garrett Popcorn.   Bill Ratner ** 07:21 Ah, yes, with caramel corn, regular corn, the   Michael Hingson ** 07:25 Chicago blend, which is a mixture, yeah, the Chicago blend is cheese corn, well, as it is with caramel corn, and they put much other mozzarella on it as well. It's really good.   Bill Ratner ** 07:39 Yeah, so we're on the air. Michael, what do you call your what do you call your program? Here I am your new friend, and I can't even announce your program because I don't know   Michael Hingson ** 07:48 the name, unstoppable mindset. This   Bill Ratner ** 07:51 is unstoppable mindset.   Michael Hingson ** 07:56 We're back. Well, we're back already. We're fast. So you, you, you moved off elsewhere, out of Des Moines and all that. And where did you go to college?   Bill Ratner ** 08:09 Well, this is like, why did you this is, this is a bit like talking about the Vietnam War. Looking back on my college career is like looking back on the Vietnam War series, a series of delusions and defeats. By the time I the time i for college, by the time I was applying for college, I was an orphan, orphan, having been born to fabulous parents who died too young of natural causes. So my grades in high school were my mediocre. I couldn't get into the Ivy Leagues. I got into the big 10 schools. My stepmother said, you're going to Michigan State in East Lansing because your cousin Eddie became a successful realtor. And Michigan State was known as mu u it was the most successful, largest agriculture college and university in the country. Kids from South Asia, China, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, South America all over the world came to Michigan State to study agricultural sciences, children of rich farmers all over the world and middle class farmers all over the world, and a huge police science department. Part of the campus was fenced off, and the young cadets, 1819, 20 years old, would practice on the rest of the student body, uniformed with hats and all right, excuse me, young man, we're just going to get some pizza at eight o'clock on Friday night. Stand against your car. Hands in your car. I said, Are you guys practicing again? Shut up and spread your legs. So that was that was Michigan State, and even though both my parents had master's degrees, I just found all the diversions available in the 1960s to be too interesting, and was not invited. Return after my sophomore year, and in order to flunk out of a big 10 University, and they're fine universities, all of them, you have to be either really determined or not so smart, not really capable of doing that level of study in undergraduate school. And I'd like to think that I was determined. I used to show up for my exams with a little blue book, and the only thing I would write is due to lack of knowledge, I am unable to complete this exam, sign Bill ranter and get up early and hand it in and go off. And so what was, what was left for a young man like that was the theater I'd seen the great Zero Mostel when I was 14 years old and on stage live, he looked just like my father, and he was funny, and if I Were a rich man, and that's the grade zero must tell. Yeah, and it took about five, no, it took about six, seven years to percolate inside my bread and my brain. In high school, I didn't want to do theater. The cheerleaders and guys who I had didn't happen to be friends with or doing theater. I took my girlfriends to see plays, but when I was 21 I started acting, and I've been an actor ever since. I'm a committee chair on the screen actors guild in Hollywood and Screen Actors Guild AFTRA, and work as a voice actor and collect my pensions and God bless the union.   Michael Hingson ** 11:44 Well, hey, as long as it works and you're making progress, you know you're still with it, right?   Bill Ratner ** 11:53 That's the that's the point. There's no accounting for taste in my business. Michael, you work for a few different broadcast entities at my age. And it's, you know, it's younger people. It's 18 to 3418 years to 34 years old is the ideal demographic for advertisers, Ford, Motor Company, Dove soap, Betty, Crocker, cake mixes and cereals, every conceivable product that sold online or sold on television and radio. This is my this is my meat, and I don't work for religion. However, if a religious organization calls, I call and say, I I'm not, not qualified or not have my divinity degree in order to sell your church to the public?   Michael Hingson ** 12:46 Yeah, yeah. Well, I, I can understand that. But you, you obviously do a lot, and as we talked about, you were Flint and GI Joe, which is kind of cool.   Bill Ratner ** 13:01 Flynn GI Joe was very cool. Hasbro Corporation, which was based in Providence, Rhode Island, had a huge success with GI Joe, the figure. The figure was about 11 and a half inches tall, like a Barbie, and was at first, was introduced to the public after the Korean War. There is a comic book that was that was also published about GI Joe. He was an individual figure. He was a figure, a sort of mythic cartoon figure during World War Two, GI Joe, generic American soldier, fighting man and but the Vietnam war dragged on for a long time, and the American buying public or buying kids toys got tired of GI Joe, got tired of a military figure in their household and stopped buying. And when Nixon ended the Vietnam War, or allotted to finish in 1974 Hasbro was in the tank. It's got its stock was cheap, and executives are getting nervous. And then came the Great George Lucas in Star Wars, who shrank all these action figures down from 11 and a half inches to three and a half inches, and went to China and had Chinese game and toy makers make Star Wars toys, and began to earn billions and billions dollars. And so Hasbro said, let's turn GI Joe into into a team. And the team began with flint and Lady J and Scarlett and Duke and Destro and cover commander, and grew to 85 different characters, because Hasbro and the toy maker partners could create 85 different sets of toys and action figures. So I was actor in this show and had a good time, and also a purveyor of a billion dollar industry of American toys. And the good news about these toys is I was at a conference where we signed autographs the voice actors, and we have supper with fans and so on. And I was sitting next to a 30 year old kid and his parents. And this kid was so knowledgeable about pop culture and every conceivable children's show and animated show that had ever been on the screen or on television. I turned to his mother and sort of being a wise acre, said, So ma'am, how do you feel about your 30 year old still playing with GI Joe action figures? And she said, Well, he and I both teach English in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania school system, and last year, the literacy level of my ninth graders was 50% 50% of those kids could not read in ninth grade. So I asked the principal if I could borrow my son's GI Joe, action figures, comic books and VHS tapes, recordings of the shows from TV. And he said, Sure, whatever you want to try. And so she did, and she played the video tapes, and these kids were thrilled. They'd never seen a GI Joe cartoon in class before. Passed out the comic books, let him read comics. And then she said, Okay, you guys. And passed out notebooks and pens and pencils, and said, I want you guys to make up some some shows, some GI Joe shows. And so they said, Yeah, we're ready. All right, Cobra, you better get into the barber shop, because the barber bill is no longer there and the fire engines are in the way. And wait a minute, there's a dog in the street. And so they're making this up, using their imagination, doing their schoolwork, by coming up with scenarios, imaginary fam fan fiction for GI Joe and she raised the literacy level in her classroom by 50% that year, by the end of that year, so, so that was the only story that I've ever heard about the sort of the efficacy of GI Joe, other than, you know, kids play with them. Do they? Are they shooting each other all the time? I certainly hope not. I hope not. Are they using the action figures? Do they strip their guns off and put them in a little, you know, stub over by the side and and have them do physical battle with each other, or have them hump the woods, or have them climb the stairs, or have them search the trees. Who knows what kids do? Same with same with girls and and Barbies. Barbie has been a source of fun and creativity for lots of girls, and the source of of worry and bother to a lot of parents as   Michael Hingson ** 17:54 well. Well, at the same time, though, when kids start to react and relate to some of these things. It's, it's pretty cool. I mean, look what's happened with the whole Harry Potter movement and craze. Harry Potter has probably done more in the last 20 or 25 years to promote reading for kids than most anything else, and   Bill Ratner ** 18:17 that's because it's such a good series of books. I read them to my daughters, yeah. And the quality of writing. She was a brilliant writer, not only just the stories and the storytelling, which is fun to watch in the movies, and you know, it's great for a parent to read. If there are any parents listening, I don't care how old your kids are. I don't care if they're 15. Offer to read to them. The 15 year old might, of course, say mom, but anybody younger than that might say either, all right, fine, which is, which means you better do it or read, read a book. To me, sure, it's fun for the parent, fun for the kid, and it makes the child a completely different kind of thinker and worker and earner.   Michael Hingson ** 19:05 Well, also the people who they got to read the books for the recordings Stephen Fry and in the US here, Jim Dale did such an incredible job as well. I've, I've read the whole Harry Potter series more than once, because I just enjoy them, and I enjoy listening to the the voices. They do such a good job. Yeah. And of course, for me, one of the interesting stories that I know about Jim Dale reading Harry Potter was since it was published by Scholastic he was actually scheduled to do a reading from one of the Harry from the new Harry Potter book that was coming out in 2001 on September 11, he was going to be at Scholastic reading. And of course, that didn't happen because of of everything that did occur. So I don't know whether I'm. I'm assuming at some point a little bit later, he did, but still he was scheduled to be there and read. But it they are there. They've done so much to help promote reading, and a lot of those kinds of cartoons and so on. Have done some of that, which is, which is pretty good. So it's good to, you know, to see that continue to happen. Well, so you've written several books on poetry and so on, and I know that you you've mentioned more than once grief and loss. How come those words keep coming up?   Bill Ratner ** 20:40 Well, I had an unusual childhood. Again. I mentioned earlier how, what a lucky kid I was. My parents were happy, educated, good people, not abusers. You know, I don't have a I don't have horror stories to tell about my mother or my father, until my mother grew sick with breast cancer and and it took about a year and a half or two years to die when I was seven years old. The good news is, because she was a sensitive, educated social worker, as she was actually dying, she arranged a death counseling session with me and my older brother and the Unitarian minister who was also a death counselor, and whom she was seeing to talk about, you know, what it was like to be dying of breast cancer with two young kids. And at this session, which was sort of surprised me, I was second grade, came home from school. In the living room was my mother and my brother looking a little nervous, and Dr Carl storm from the Unitarian Church, and she said, you know, Dr storm from church, but he's also my therapist. And we talk about my illness and how I feel, and we talk about how much I love you boys, and talk about how I worry about Daddy. And this is what one does when one is in crisis. That was a moment that was not traumatic for me. It's a moment I recalled hundreds of times, and one that has been a guiding light through my life. My mother's death was very difficult for my older brother, who was 13 who grew up in World War Two without without my father, it was just him and my mother when he was off in the Pacific fighting in World War Two. And then I was born after the war. And the loss of a mother in a family is like the bottom dropping out of a family. But luckily, my dad met a woman he worked with a highly placed advertising executive, which was unusual for a female in the 1950s and she became our stepmother a year later, and we had some very lovely, warm family years with her extended family and our extended family and all of us together until my brother got sick, came down with kidney disease a couple of years before kidney dialysis was invented, and a couple of years before kidney transplants were done, died at 19. Had been the captain of the swimming team at our high school, but did a year in college out in California and died on Halloween of 1960 my father was 51 years old. His eldest son had died. He had lost his wife six years earlier. He was working too hard in the advertising industry, successful man and dropped out of a heart attack 14th birthday. Gosh, I found him unconscious on the floor of our master bathroom in our house. So my life changed. I My life has taught me many, many things. It's taught me how the defense system works in trauma. It's taught me the resilience of a child. It's taught me the kindness of strangers. It's taught me the sadness of loss.   Michael Hingson ** 24:09 Well, you, you seem to come through all of it pretty well. Well, thank you. A question behind that, just an observation, but, but you do seem to, you know, obviously, cope with all of it and do pretty well. So you, you've always liked to be involved in acting and so on. How did you actually end up deciding to be a voice actor?   Bill Ratner ** 24:39 Well, my dad, after he was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in Des Moines for Meredith publishing, got offered a fancy job as executive vice president of the flower and mix division for Campbell within advertising and later at General Mills Corporation. From Betty Crocker brand, and would bring me to work all the time, and would sit with me, and we'd watch the wonderful old westerns that were on prime time television, rawhide and Gunsmoke and the Virginian and sure   Michael Hingson ** 25:15 and all those. Yeah, during   Bill Ratner ** 25:17 the commercials, my father would make fun of the commercials. Oh, look at that guy. And number one, son, that's lousy acting. Number two, listen to that copy. It's the dumbest ad copy I've ever seen. The jingles and and then he would say, No, that's a good commercial, right there. And he wasn't always negative. He would he was just a good critic of advertising. So at a very young age, starting, you know, when we watch television, I think the first television ever, he bought us when I was five years old, I was around one of the most educated, active, funny, animated television critics I could hope to have in my life as a 56789, 1011, 12 year old. And so when I was 12, I became one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of radio stations with my friends John Waterhouse and John Barstow and Steve gray and Bill Connors in South Minneapolis. I named my five watt night kit am transmitter after my sixth grade teacher, Bob close this is wclo stereo radio. And when I was in sixth grade, I built myself a switch box, and I had a turntable and I had an intercom, and I wired my house for sound, as did all the other boys in the in the B, O, R, S, and that's brotherhood of radio stations. And we were guests on each other's shows, and we were obsessed, and we would go to the shopping malls whenever a local DJ was making an appearance and torture him and ask him dumb questions and listen obsessively to American am radio. And at the time for am radio, not FM like today, or internet on your little radio tuner, all the big old grandma and grandpa radios, the wooden ones, were AM, for amplitude modulated. You could get stations at night, once the sun went down and the later it got, the ionosphere would lift and the am radio signals would bounce higher and farther. And in Minneapolis, at age six and seven, I was able to to listen to stations out of Mexico and Texas and Chicago, and was absolutely fascinated with with what was being put out. And I would, I would switch my brother when I was about eight years old, gave me a transistor radio, which I hid under my bed covers. And at night, would turn on and listen for, who knows, hours at a time, and just tuning the dial and tuning the dial from country to rock and roll to hit parade to news to commercials to to agric agriculture reports to cow crossings in Kansas and grain harvesting and cheese making in Wisconsin, and on and on and on that made up the great medium of radio that was handing its power and its business over to television, just as I was growing As a child. Fast, fascinating transition   Michael Hingson ** 28:18 and well, but as it was transitioning, how did that affect you?   Bill Ratner ** 28:26 It made television the romantic, exciting, dynamic medium. It made radio seem a little limited and antiquated, and although I listened for environment and wasn't able to drag a television set under my covers. Yeah, and television became memorable with with everything from actual world war two battle footage being shown because there wasn't enough programming to 1930s Warner Brothers gangster movies with James Cagney, Edward G   Michael Hingson ** 29:01 Robinson and yeah   Bill Ratner ** 29:02 to all the sitcoms, Leave It to Beaver and television cartoons and on and on and on. And the most memorable elements to me were the personalities, and some of whom were invisible. Five years old, I was watching a Kids program after school, after kindergarten. We'll be back with more funny puppets, marionettes after this message and the first words that came on from an invisible voice of this D baritone voice, this commercial message will be 60 seconds long, Chrysler Dodge for 1954 blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I watched hypnotized, hypnotized as a 1953 dodge drove across the screen with a happy family of four waving out the window. And at the end of the commercial, I ran into the kitchen said, Mom, mom, I know what a minute. Is, and it was said, it had suddenly come into my brain in one of those very rare and memorable moments in a person's life where your brain actually speaks to you in its own private language and says, Here is something very new and very true, that 60 seconds is in fact a minute. When someone says, See you in five minutes, they mean five times that, five times as long as that. Chrysler commercial, five times 60. That's 300 seconds. And she said, Did you learn it that that on T in kindergarten? And I said, No, I learned it from kangaroo Bob on TV, his announcer, oh, kangaroo Bob, no, but this guy was invisible. And so at five years of age, I was aware of the existence of the practice of the sound, of the magic of the seemingly unlimited access to facts, figures, products, brand names that these voices had and would say on the air in This sort of majestic, patriarchal way,   Michael Hingson ** 31:21 and just think 20 years later, then you had James Earl Jones,   Bill Ratner ** 31:26 the great dame. James Earl Jones, father was a star on stage at that time the 1950s James Earl Jones came of age in the 60s and became Broadway and off Broadway star.   Michael Hingson ** 31:38 I got to see him in Othello. He was playing Othello. What a powerful performance. It was   Bill Ratner ** 31:43 wonderful performer. Yeah, yeah. I got to see him as Big Daddy in Canada, Hot Tin Roof, ah, live and in person, he got front row seats for me and my family.   Michael Hingson ** 31:53 Yeah, we weren't in the front row, but we saw it. We saw it on on Broadway,   Bill Ratner ** 31:58 the closest I ever got to James Earl Jones. He and I had the same voice over agent, woman named Rita vinari of southern Barth and benare company. And I came into the agency to audition for Doritos, and I hear this magnificent voice coming from behind a closed voiceover booth, saying, with a with a Spanish accent, Doritos. I thought that's James Earl Jones. Why is he saying burritos? And he came out, and he bowed to me, nodded and smiled, and I said, hello and and the agent probably in the booth and shut the door. And she said, I said, that was James Earl Jones. What a voice. What she said, Oh, he's such a nice man. And she said, but I couldn't. I was too embarrassed. I was too afraid to stop him from saying, Doritos. And it turns out he didn't get the gig. So it is some other voice actor got it because he didn't say, had he said Doritos with the agent froze it froze up. That was as close as I ever got to did you get the gig? Oh goodness no,   Michael Hingson ** 33:01 no, you didn't, huh? Oh, well, well, yeah. I mean, it was a very, it was, it was wonderful. It was James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer played Iago. Oh, goodness, oh, I know. What a what a combination. Well, so you, you did a lot of voiceover stuff. What did you do regarding radio moving forward? Or did you just go completely out of that and you were in TV? Or did you have any opportunity   Bill Ratner ** 33:33 for me to go back at age 15, my brother and father, who were big supporters of my radio. My dad would read my W, C, l, o, newsletter and need an initial, an excellent journalism son and my brother would bring his teenage friends up. He'd play the elderly brothers, man, you got an Elvis record, and I did. And you know, they were, they were big supporters for me as a 13 year old, but when I turned 14, and had lost my brother and my father, I lost my enthusiasm and put all of my radio equipment in a box intended to play with it later. Never, ever, ever did again. And when I was about 30 years old and I'd done years of acting in the theater, having a great time doing fun plays and small theaters in Minneapolis and South Dakota and and Oakland, California and San Francisco. I needed money, so I looked in the want ads and saw a job for telephone sales, and I thought, Well, I used to love the telephone. I used to make phony phone calls to people all the time. Used to call funeral homes. Hi Carson, funeral I help you. Yes, I'm calling to tell you that you have a you have a dark green slate tile. Roof, isn't that correct? Yes. Well, there's, there's a corpse on your roof. Lady for goodness sake, bring it down and we laugh and we record it and and so I thought, Well, gee, I used to have a lot of fun with the phone. And so I called the number of telephone sales and got hired to sell magazine subscriptions and dinner tickets to Union dinners and all kinds of things. And then I saw a new job at a radio station, suburban radio station out in Walnut Creek, California, a lovely Metro BART train ride. And so I got on the BART train, rode out there and walked in for the interview, and was told I was going to be selling small advertising packages on radio for the station on the phone. And so I called barber shops and beauty shops and gas stations in the area, and one guy picked up the phone and said, Wait a minute, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Are you on the radio right now? And I said, No, I'm just I'm in the sales room. Well, maybe you should be. And he slams the phone on me. He didn't want to talk to me anymore. It wasn't interested in buying advertising. I thought, gee. And I told somebody at the station, and they said, Well, you want to be in the radio? And he went, Yeah, I was on the radio when I was 13. And it just so happened that an older fellow was retiring from the 10am to 2pm slot. K I S King, kiss 99 and KD FM, Pittsburgh, California. And it was a beautiful music station. It was a music station. Remember, old enough will remember music that used to play in elevators that was like violin music, the Percy faith orchestra playing a Rolling Stone song here in the elevator. Yes, well, that's exactly what we played. And it would have been harder to get a job at the local rock stations because, you know, they were popular places. And so I applied for the job, and   Michael Hingson ** 37:06 could have lost your voice a lot sooner, and it would have been a lot harder if you had had to do Wolfman Jack. But that's another story.   Bill Ratner ** 37:13 Yeah, I used to listen to Wolf Man Jack. I worked in a studio in Hollywood. He became a studio. Yeah, big time.   Michael Hingson ** 37:22 Anyway, so you you got to work at the muzack station, got   Bill Ratner ** 37:27 to work at the muzack station, and I was moving to Los Angeles to go to a bigger market, to attempt to penetrate a bigger broadcast market. And one of the sales guys, a very nice guy named Ralph pizzella said, Well, when you get to La you should study with a friend of mine down to pie Troy, he teaches voiceovers. I said, What are voice overs? He said, You know that CVS Pharmacy commercial just carted up and did 75 tags, available in San Fernando, available in San Clemente, available in Los Angeles, available in Pasadena. And I said, Yeah. He said, Well, you didn't get paid any extra. You got paid your $165 a week. The guy who did that commercial for the ad agency got paid probably 300 bucks, plus extra for the tags, that's voiceovers. And I thought, why? There's an idea, what a concept. So he gave me the name and number of old friend acquaintance of his who he'd known in radio, named Don DiPietro, alias Johnny rabbit, who worked for the Dick Clark organization, had a big rock and roll station there. He'd come to LA was doing voiceovers and teaching voiceover classes in a little second story storefront out of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. So I signed up for his class, and he was an experienced guy, and he liked me, and we all had fun, and I realized I was beginning to study like an actor at 1818, who goes to New York or goes to Los Angeles or Chicago or Atlanta or St Louis to act in the big theaters, and starts acting classes and realizes, oh my goodness, these people are truly professionals. I don't know how to do what they do. And so for six years, I took voice over classes, probably 4050, nights a year, and from disc jockeys, from ex show hosts, from actors, from animated cartoon voices, and put enough time in to get a degree in neurology in medical school. And worked my way up in radio in Los Angeles and had a morning show, a lovely show with a wonderful news man named Phil Reed, and we talked about things and reviewed movies and and played a lot of music. And then I realized, wait a minute, I'm earning three times the money in voiceovers as I am on the radio, and I have to get up at 430 in the morning to be on the radio. Uh, and a wonderful guy who was Johnny Carson's staff announcer named Jack angel said, You're not still on radio, are you? And I said, Well, yeah, I'm working in the morning. And Ka big, get out of there. Man, quit. Quit. And I thought, well, how can I quit? I've always wanted to be a radio announcer. And then there was another wonderful guy on the old am station, kmpc, sweet Dick Whittington. Whittington, right? And he said at a seminar that I went to at a union voice over training class, when you wake up at four in the morning and you swing your legs over the bed and your shoes hit the floor, and you put your head in your hands, and you say to yourself, I don't want to do this anymore. That's when you quit radio. Well, that hadn't happened to me. I was just getting up early to write some comedy segments and on and on and on, and then I was driving around town all day doing auditions and rented an ex girlfriend's second bedroom so that I could nap by myself during the day, when I had an hour in and I would as I would fall asleep, I'd picture myself every single day I'm in a dark voiceover studio, a microphone Is before me, a music stand is before the microphone, and on it is a piece of paper with advertising copy on it. On the other side of the large piece of glass of the recording booth are three individuals, my employers, I begin to read, and somehow the text leaps off the page, streams into my eyes, letter for letter, word for word, into a part of my back brain that I don't understand and can't describe. It is processed in my semi conscious mind with the help of voice over training and hope and faith, and comes out my mouth, goes into the microphone, is recorded in the digital recorder, and those three men, like little monkeys, lean forward and say, Wow, how do you do that? That was my daily creative visualization. Michael, that was my daily fantasy. And I had learned that from from Dale Carnegie, and I had learned that from Olympic athletes on NBC TV in the 60s and 70s, when the announcer would say, this young man you're seeing practicing his high jump is actually standing there. He's standing stationary, and the bouncing of the head is he's actually rehearsing in his mind running and running and leaping over the seven feet two inch bar and falling into the sawdust. And now he's doing it again, and you could just barely see the man nodding his head on camera at the exact rhythm that he would be running the 25 yards toward the high bar and leaping, and he raised his head up during the imaginary lead that he was visualizing, and then he actually jumped the seven foot two inches. That's how I learned about creative visualization from NBC sports on TV.   Michael Hingson ** 43:23 Channel Four in Los Angeles. There you go. Well, so you you broke into voice over, and that's what you did.   Bill Ratner ** 43:38 That's what I did, darn it, I ain't stopping now, there's a wonderful old actor named Bill Irwin. There two Bill Irwin's one is a younger actor in his 50s or 60s, a brilliant actor from Broadway to film and TV. There's an older William Irwin. They also named Bill Irwin, who's probably in his 90s now. And I went to a premiere of a film, and he was always showing up in these films as The senile stock broker who answers the phone upside down, or the senile board member who always asks inappropriate questions. And I went up to him and I said, you know, I see you in everything, man. I'm 85 years old. Some friends and associates of mine tell me I should slow down. I only got cast in movies and TV when I was 65 I ain't slowing down. If I tried to slow down at 85 I'd have to stop That's my philosophy. My hero is the great Don Pardo, the late great   Michael Hingson ** 44:42 for Saturday Night Live and Jeopardy   Bill Ratner ** 44:45 lives starring Bill Murray, Gilder Radner, and   Michael Hingson ** 44:49 he died for Jeopardy before that,   Bill Ratner ** 44:52 yeah, died at 92 with I picture him, whether it probably not, with a microphone and. His hand in his in his soundproof booth, in his in his garage, and I believe he lived in Arizona, although the show was aired and taped in New York, New York, right where he worked for for decades as a successful announcer. So that's the story.   Michael Hingson ** 45:16 Michael. Well, you know, I miss, very frankly, some of the the the days of radio back in the 60s and 70s and so on. We had, in LA what you mentioned, Dick Whittington, Dick whittinghill on kmpc, Gary Owens, you know, so many people who were such wonderful announcers and doing some wonderful things, and radio just isn't the same anymore. It's gone. It's   Bill Ratner ** 45:47 gone to Tiktok and YouTube. And the truth is, I'm not gonna whine about Tiktok or YouTube, because some of the most creative moments on camera are being done on Tiktok and YouTube by young quote influencers who hire themselves out to advertisers, everything from lipstick. You know,   Speaker 1 ** 46:09 when I went to a party last night was just wild and but this makeup look, watch me apply this lip remover and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, no, I have no lip.   Bill Ratner ** 46:20 You know, these are the people with the voices. These are the new voices. And then, of course, the faces. And so I would really advise before, before people who, in fact, use the internet. If you use the internet, you can't complain if you use the internet, if you go to Facebook or Instagram, or you get collect your email or Google, this or that, which most of us do, it's handy. You can't complain about tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. You can't complain about tick tock or YouTube, because it's what the younger generation is using, and it's what the younger generation advertisers and advertising executives and creators and musicians and actors are using to parade before us, as Gary Owens did, as Marlon Brando did, as Sarah Bernhardt did in the 19 so as all as you do, Michael, you're a parader. You're the head of the parade. You've been in on your own float for years. I read your your bio. I don't even know why you want to waste a minute talking to me for goodness sakes.   Michael Hingson ** 47:26 You know, the one thing about podcasts that I like over radio, and I did radio at kuci for seven years when I was in school, what I really like about podcasts is they're not and this is also would be true for Tiktok and YouTube. Primarily Tiktok, I would would say it isn't as structured. So if we don't finish in 60 minutes, and we finish in 61 minutes, no one's gonna shoot us.   Bill Ratner ** 47:53 Well, I beg to differ with you. Now. I'm gonna start a fight with you. Michael, yeah, we need conflict in this script. Is that it The Tick Tock is very structured. Six. No,   Michael Hingson ** 48:03 no, I understand that. I'm talking about podcasts,   Bill Ratner ** 48:07 though, but there's a problem. We gotta Tone It Up. We gotta pick it up. We gotta there's a lot of and I listen to what are otherwise really bright, wonderful personalities on screen, celebrities who have podcasts and the car sucks, and then I had meatballs for dinner, haha. And you know what my wife said? Why? You know? And there's just too much of that. And,   Michael Hingson ** 48:32 oh, I understand, yeah. I mean, it's like, like anything, but I'm just saying that's one of the reasons I love podcasting. So it's my way of continuing what I used to do in radio and having a lot of fun doing it   Bill Ratner ** 48:43 all right, let me ask you. Let me ask you a technical and editorial question. Let me ask you an artistic question. An artist, can you edit this podcast? Yeah. Are you? Do you plan to Nope.   Michael Hingson ** 48:56 I think conversations are conversations, but there is a but, I mean,   Bill Ratner ** 49:01 there have been starts and stops and I answer a question, and there's a long pause, and then, yeah, we can do you edit that stuff   Michael Hingson ** 49:08 out. We do, we do, edit some of that out. And I have somebody that that that does a lot of it, because I'm doing more podcasts, and also I travel and speak, but I can edit. There's a program called Reaper, which is really a very sophisticated   Bill Ratner ** 49:26 close up spaces. You   Michael Hingson ** 49:28 can close up spaces with it, yes, but the neat thing about Reaper is that somebody has written scripts to make it incredibly accessible for blind people using screen readers.   Bill Ratner ** 49:40 What does it do? What does it do? Give me the elevator pitch.   Michael Hingson ** 49:46 You've seen some of the the programs that people use, like computer vision and other things to do editing of videos and so on. Yeah.   Bill Ratner ** 49:55 Yeah. Even Apple. Apple edit. What is it called? Apple? Garage Band. No, that's audio. What's that   Michael Hingson ** 50:03 audio? Oh,   Bill Ratner ** 50:06 quick time is quick   Michael Hingson ** 50:07 time. But whether it's video or audio, the point is that Reaper allows me to do all of that. I can edit audio. I can insert, I can remove pauses. I can do anything with Reaper that anyone else can do editing audio, because it's been made completely accessible.   Bill Ratner ** 50:27 That's great. That's good. That's nice. Oh, it is. It's cool.   Michael Hingson ** 50:31 So so if I want, I can edit this and just have my questions and then silence when you're talking.   Bill Ratner ** 50:38 That might be best. Ladies and gentlemen, here's Bill Ratner,   Michael Hingson ** 50:46 yep, exactly, exactly. Now you have won the moth stories. Slam, what? Tell me about my story. Slam, you've won it nine times.   Bill Ratner ** 51:00 The Moth was started by a writer, a novelist who had lived in the South and moved to New York City, successful novelist named George Dawes green. And the inception of the moth, which many people listening are familiar with from the Moth Radio Hour. It was, I believe, either late 90s or early 2000s when he'd been in New York for a while and was was publishing as a fiction writer, and threw a party, and decided, instead of going to one of these dumb, boring parties or the same drinks being served and same cigarettes being smoked out in the veranda and the same orders. I'm going to ask people to bring a five minute story, a personal story, nature, a true story. You don't have to have one to get into the party, but I encourage you to. And so you know, the 3040, 50 people showed up, many of whom had stories, and they had a few drinks, and they had hors d'oeuvres. And then he said, Okay, ladies and gentlemen, take your seats. It's time for and then I picked names out of a hat, and person after person after person stood up in a very unusual setting, which was almost never done at parties. You How often do you see that happen? Suddenly, the room falls silent, and someone with permission being having been asked by the host to tell a personal story, some funny, some tragic, some complex, some embarrassing, some racy, some wild, some action filled. And afterward, the feedback he got from his friends was, this is the most amazing experience I've ever had in my life. And someone said, you need to do this. And he said, Well, you people left a lot of cigarette butts and beer cans around my apartment. And they said, well, let's do it at a coffee shop. Let's do it at a church basement. So slowly but surely, the moth storytelling, story slams, which were designed after the old poetry slams in the 50s and 60s, where they were judged contests like, like a dance contest. Everybody's familiar with dance contests? Well, there were, then came poetry contests with people singing and, you know, and singing and really energetically, really reading. There then came storytelling contests with people standing on a stage before a silent audience, telling a hopefully interesting, riveting story, beginning middle, end in five minutes. And so a coffee house was found. A monthly calendar was set up. Then came the internet. Then it was so popular standing room only that they had to open yet another and another, and today, some 20 years later, 20 some years later, from Austin, Texas to San Francisco, California to Minneapolis, Minnesota to New York City to Los Angeles. There are moth story slams available on online for you to schedule yourself to go live and in person at the moth.org as in the moth with wings. Friend of mine, I was in New York. He said, You can't believe it. This writer guy, a writer friend of mine who I had read, kind of an avant garde, strange, funny writer was was hosting something called the moth in New York, and we were texting each other. He said, Well, I want to go. The theme was show business. I was going to talk to my Uncle Bobby, who was the bell boy. And I Love Lucy. I'll tell a story. And I texted him that day. He said, Oh man, I'm so sorry. I had the day wrong. It's next week. Next week, I'm going to be back home. And so he said, Well, I think there's a moth in Los Angeles. So about 15 years ago, I searched it down and what? Went to a small Korean barbecue that had a tiny little stage that originally was for Korean musicians, and it was now being used for everything from stand up comedy to evenings of rock and roll to now moth storytelling once a month. And I think the theme was first time. And so I got up and told a silly story and didn't win first prize. They have judges that volunteer judges a table of three judges scoring, you like, at a swim meet or a track beat or, you know, and our gymnastics meet. So this is all sort of familiar territory for everybody, except it's storytelling and not high jumping or pull ups. And I kept going back. I was addicted to it. I would write a story and I'd memorize it, and I'd show up and try to make it four minutes and 50 seconds and try to make it sound like I was really telling a story and not reading from a script. And wish I wasn't, because I would throw the script away, and I knew the stories well enough. And then they created a radio show. And then I began to win slams and compete in the grand slams. And then I started submitting these 750 word, you know, two and a half page stories. Literary magazines got a few published and found a whole new way to spend my time and not make much   Michael Hingson ** 56:25 money. Then you went into poetry.   Bill Ratner ** 56:29 Then I got so bored with my prose writing that I took a poetry course from a wonderful guy in LA called Jack grapes, who had been an actor and a football player and come to Hollywood and did some TV, episodics and and some some episodic TV, and taught poetry. It was a poet in the schools, and I took his class of adults and got a poem published. And thought, wait a minute, these aren't even 750 words. They're like 75 words. I mean, you could write a 10,000 word poem if you want, but some people have, yeah, and it was complex, and there was so much to read and so much to learn and so much that was interesting and odd. And a daughter of a friend of mine is a poet, said, Mommy, are you going to read me one of those little word movies before I go to sleep?   Michael Hingson ** 57:23 A little word movie, word movie out of the   Bill Ratner ** 57:27 mouths of babes. Yeah, and so, so and I perform. You know, last night, I was in Orange County at a organization called ugly mug Cafe, and a bunch of us poets read from an anthology that was published, and we sold our books, and heard other young poets who were absolutely marvelous and and it's, you know, it's not for everybody, but it's one of the things I do.   Michael Hingson ** 57:54 Well, you sent me pictures of book covers, so they're going to be in the show notes. And I hope people will will go out and get them   Bill Ratner ** 58:01 cool. One of the one of the things that I did with poetry, in addition to wanting to get published and wanting to read before people, is wanting to see if there is a way. Because poetry was, was very satisfying, emotionally to me, intellectually very challenging and satisfying at times. And emotionally challenging and very satisfying at times, writing about things personal, writing about nature, writing about friends, writing about stories that I received some training from the National Association for poetry therapy. Poetry therapy is being used like art therapy, right? And have conducted some sessions and and participated in many and ended up working with eighth graders of kids who had lost someone to death in the past year of their lives. This is before covid in the public schools in Los Angeles. And so there's a lot of that kind of work that is being done by constable people, by writers, by poets, by playwrights,   Michael Hingson ** 59:09 and you became a grief counselor,   Bill Ratner ** 59:13 yes, and don't do that full time, because I do voiceovers full time, right? Write poetry and a grand. Am an active grandparent, but I do the occasional poetry session around around grief poetry.   Michael Hingson ** 59:31 So you're a grandparent, so you've had kids and all that. Yes, sir, well, that's is your wife still with us? Yes?   Bill Ratner ** 59:40 Oh, great, yeah, she's an artist and an art educator. Well, that   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 so the two of you can criticize each other's works, then, just   Bill Ratner ** 59:52 saying, we're actually pretty kind to each other. I Yeah, we have a lot of we have a lot of outside criticism. Them. So, yeah, you don't need to do it internally. We don't rely on it. What do you think of this although, although, more than occasionally, each of us will say, What do you think of this poem, honey? Or what do you think of this painting, honey? And my the favorite, favorite thing that my wife says that always thrills me and makes me very happy to be with her is, I'll come down and she's beginning a new work of a new piece of art for an exhibition somewhere. I'll say, what? Tell me about what's, what's going on with that, and she'll go, you know, I have no idea, but it'll tell me what to do.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:33 Yeah, it's, it's like a lot of authors talk about the fact that their characters write the stories right, which, which makes a lot of sense. So with all that you've done, are you writing a memoir? By any chance, I   Bill Ratner ** 1:00:46 am writing a memoir, and writing has been interesting. I've been doing it for many years. I got it was my graduate thesis from University of California Riverside Palm Desert.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:57 My wife was a UC Riverside graduate. Oh, hi. Well, they   Bill Ratner ** 1:01:01 have a low residency program where you go for 10 days in January, 10 days in June. The rest of it's online, which a lot of universities are doing, low residency programs for people who work and I got an MFA in creative writing nonfiction, had a book called parenting for the digital age, the truth about media's effect on children. And was halfway through it, the publisher liked it, but they said you got to double the length. So I went back to school to try to figure out how to double the length. And was was able to do it, and decided to move on to personal memoir and personal storytelling, such as goes on at the moth but a little more personal than that. Some of the material that I was reading in the memoir section of a bookstore was very, very personal and was very helpful to read about people who've gone through particular issues in their childhood. Mine not being physical abuse or sexual abuse, mine being death and loss, which is different. And so that became a focus of my graduate thesis, and many people were urging me to write a memoir. Someone said, you need to do a one man show. So I entered the Hollywood fringe and did a one man show and got good reviews and had a good time and did another one man show the next year and and so on. So But writing memoir as anybody knows, and they're probably listeners who are either taking memoir courses online or who may be actively writing memoirs or short memoir pieces, as everybody knows it, can put you through moods from absolutely ecstatic, oh my gosh, I got this done. I got this story told, and someone liked it, to oh my gosh, I'm so depressed I don't understand why. Oh, wait a minute, I was writing about such and such today. Yeah. So that's the challenge for the memoir is for the personal storyteller, it's also, you know, and it's more of a challenge than it is for the reader, unless it's bad writing and the reader can't stand that. For me as a reader, I'm fascinated by people's difficult stories, if they're well   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:24 told well, I know that when in 2002 I was advised to write a book about the World Trade Center experiences and all, and it took eight years to kind of pull it all together. And then I met a woman who actually I collaborated with, Susie Florey, and we wrote thunder dog. And her agent became my agent, who loved the proposal that we sent and actually got a contract within a week. So thunder dog came out in 2011 was a New York Times bestseller, and very blessed by that, and we're working toward the day that it will become a movie still, but it'll happen. And then I wrote a children's version of it, well, not a children's version of the book, but a children's book about me growing up in Roselle, growing up the guide dog who was with me in the World Trade Center, and that's been on Amazon. We self published it. Then last year, we published a new book called Live like a guide dog, which is all about controlling fear and teaching people lessons that I learned prior to September 11. That helped me focus and remain calm.   Bill Ratner ** 1:04:23 What happened to you on September 11,   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:27 I was in the World Trade Center. I worked on the 78th floor of Tower One.   Bill Ratner ** 1:04:32 And what happened? I mean, what happened to you?   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:36 Um, nothing that day. I mean, well, I got out. How did you get out? Down the stairs? That was the only way to go. So, so the real story is not doing it, but why it worked. And the real issue is that I spent a lot of time when I first went into the World Trade Center, learning all I could about what to do in an emergency, talking to police, port authorities. Security people, emergency preparedness people, and also just walking around the world trade center and learning the whole place, because I ran an office for a company, and I wasn't going to rely on someone else to, like, lead me around if we're going to go to lunch somewhere and take people out before we negotiated contracts. So I needed to know all of that, and I learned all I could, also realizing that if there ever was an emergency, I might be the only one in the office, or we might be in an area where people couldn't read the signs to know what to do anyway. And so I had to take the responsibility of learning all that, which I did. And then when the planes hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building, we get we had some guests in the office. Got them out, and then another colleague, who was in from our corporate office, and I and my guide dog, Roselle, went to the stairs, and we started down. And   Bill Ratner ** 1:05:54 so, so what floor did the plane strike?   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:58 It struck and the NOR and the North Tower, between floors 93 and 99 so I just say 96 okay, and you were 20 floors down, 78 floors 78 so we were 18 floors below, and   Bill Ratner ** 1:06:09 at the moment of impact, what did you think?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:13 Had no idea we heard a muffled kind of explosion, because the plane hit on the other side of the building, 18 floors above us. There was no way to know what was going on. Did you feel? Did you feel? Oh, the building literally tipped, probably about 20 feet. It kept tipping. And then we actually said goodbye to each other, and then the building came back upright. And then we went,   Bill Ratner ** 1:06:34 really you so you thought you were going to die?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:38 David, my colleague who was with me, as I said, he was from our California office, and he was there to help with some seminars we were going to be doing. We actually were saying goodbye to each other because we thought we were about to take a 78 floor plunge to the street, when the building stopped tipping and it came back. Designed to do that by the architect. It was designed to do that, which is the point, the point.   Bill Ratner ** 1:07:02 Goodness, gracious. And then did you know how to get to the stairway?   Michael Hingson ** 1:07:04 Oh, absolutely. And did you do it with your friend? Yeah, the first thing we did, the first thing we did is I got him to get we had some guests, and I said, get him to the stairs. Don't let him take the elevators, because I knew he had seen fire above us, but that's all we knew. And but I said, don't take the elevators. Don't let them take elevators. Get them to the stairs and then come back and we'll leave. So he did all that, and then he came back, and we went to the stairs and started down.   Bill Ratner ** 1:07:33 Wow. Could you smell anything?   Michael Hingson ** 1:07:36 We smelled burning jet fuel fumes on the way down. And that's how we figured out an airplane must have hit the building, but we had no idea what happened. We didn't know what happened until the until both towers had collapsed, and I actually talked to my wife, and she's the one who told us how to aircraft have been crashed into the towers, one into the Pentagon, and a fourth, at that time, was still missing over Pennsylvania. Wow. So you'll have to go pick up a copy of thunder dog. Goodness. Good. Thunder dog. The name of the book is Thunder dog, and the book I wrote last year is called Live like a guide dog. It's le

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