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In this special episode of Unstoppable Mindset, I had the privilege of sitting down with the remarkable Ivan Cury—a man whose career has taken him from the golden days of radio to groundbreaking television and, ultimately, the classroom.   Ivan began acting at just four and a half years old, with a chance encounter at a movie theater igniting a lifelong passion for storytelling. By age eleven, he had already starred in a radio adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk and went on to perform in classic programs like Let's Pretend and FBI in Peace and War. His talent for voices and dialects made him a favorite on the air.   Television brought new opportunities. Ivan started out as a makeup artist before climbing the ranks to director, working on culturally significant programs like Soul and Woman, and directing Men's Wearhouse commercials for nearly three decades. Ivan also made his mark in academia, teaching at Hunter College, Cal State LA, and UCLA. He's written textbooks and is now working on a book of short stories and reflections from his extraordinary life.   Our conversation touched on the importance of detail, adaptability, and collaboration—even with those we might not agree with. Ivan also shared his view that while hard work is crucial, luck plays a bigger role than most of us admit.   This episode is packed with insights, humor, and wisdom from a man who has lived a rich and varied life in media and education. Ivan's stories—whether about James Dean or old-time radio—are unforgettable.     About the Guest:   Ivan Cury began acting on Let's Pretend at the age of 11. Soon he was appearing on Cavalcade of America, Theatre Guild on the Air,  The Jack Benny Program, and many others.  Best known as Portia's son on Portia Faces Life and Bobby on Bobby Benson and The B-Bar-B Riders.    BFA: Carnegie Tech, MFA:Boston University.   Producer-director at NET & CBS.  Camera Three's 25th Anniversary of the Julliard String Quartet, The Harkness Ballet, Actor's Choice and Soul! as well as_, _The Doctors and The Young and the Restless. Numerous television commercials, notably for The Men's Wearhouse.   Taught at Hunter, Adelphi, and UCLA.  Tenured at Cal State University, Los Angeles.  Author of two books on Television Production, one of which is in its 5th edition.    Ways to connect with Ivan:       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 ** 00:16 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 ** 01:20 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. And the fun thing is, most everything really deals with the unexpected. That is anything that doesn't have anything to do with diversity or inclusion. And our guest today, Ivan Cury, is certainly a person who's got lots of unexpected things, I am sure, and not a lot necessarily, dealing with the whole issue of disabilities, inclusion and diversity, necessarily, but we'll see. I want to tell you a little bit about Ivan, not a lot, because I want him to tell but as many of you know who listen to unstoppable mindset on a regular basis. I collect and have had as a hobby for many years old radio shows. And did a radio program for seven years, almost at UC Irvine when I was there on kuci, where every Sunday night we played old radio shows. And as it turns out, Ivan was in a number of those shows, such as, let's pretend, which is mostly a children's show. But I got to tell you, some of us adults listened and listened to it as well, as well as other programs. And we'll get into talking about some of those things. Ivan has a really great career. He's done a variety of different things, in acting. He's been in television commercials and and he is taught. He's done a lot of things that I think will be fun to talk about. So we'll get right to it. Ivan, I want to thank you for being here and welcome you to unstoppable mindset. Thanks. Thanks. Good to be here. Well, tell us a little bit about kind of the early Ivan growing up, if you will. Let's start with that. It's always good to start at the beginning, as it were,   Ivan Cury ** 03:04 well, it's sorry, it's a great, yes, it's a good place to start. About the time I was four and a half, that's a good time to start. I walked past the RKO 81st, street theater in New York, which is where we lived, and there was a princess in a in a castle kept in the front of this wonderful building that photographs all over the place. Later on, I was to realize that that Princess was really the cashier, but at the time, it was a princess in a small castle, and I loved the building and everything was in it. And thought at that time, that's what I'm going to do when I grow up. And the only thing that's kind of sad is it's Here I am, and I'm still liking that same thing all these years later, that's that's what I liked. And I do one thing or another, I wound up entertaining whenever there was a chance, which really meant just either singing a song or shaking myself around and pretending it was a dance or thinking it was a dance. And finally, wound up meeting someone who suggested I do a general audition at CBS long ago, when you could do those kinds of things I did and they I started reading when I was very young, because I really, because I want to read comics, you know, no big thing about that. And so when I could finally read comics, I wound up being able to read and doing it well. And did a general audition of CBS. They liked me. I had a different kind of voice from the other kids that were around at the time. And and so I began working and the most in my career, this was once, once you once they found a kid who had a different voice than the others, then you could always be the kid brother or the other brother. But it was clear that I wasn't a kid with a voice. I was the kid with the Butch boy. So who? Was who, and so I began to work. And I worked a lot in radio, and did lots and lots of shows, hundreds, 1000s,   Michael Hingson ** 05:07 you mentioned the comics. I remember when we moved to California, I was five, and I was tuning across the dial one Sunday morning and found KFI, which is, of course, a state a longtime station out here was a clear channel station. It was one of the few that was the only channel or only station on that frequency, and on Sunday morning, I was tuning across and I heard what sounded like somebody reading comics. But they weren't just reading the comics. They were dramatized. And it turns out it was a guy named David Starling who did other shows and when. So I got his name. But on that show, he was the funny paper man, and they read the LA Times comics, and every week they acted them out. So I was a devoted fan for many years, because I got to hear all of the comics from the times. And we actually subscribed to a different newspaper, so I got two sets of comics my brother or father read me the others. But it was fun reading and listening to the comics. And as I said, they dramatize them all, which was really cool.   Ivan Cury ** 06:14 Yeah, no doubt I was one day when I was in the studio, I was doing FBI and peace and war. I used to do that all the time, several it was a sponsored show. So it meant, I think you got $36 as opposed to $24 which was okay in those days. And my line was, gee, Dad, where's the lava soap. And I said that every week, gee, Dad, where's the lava soap. And I remember walking in the studio once and hearing the guy saying, Ah, this television ain't never gonna work. You can't use your imagination. And, yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 06:52 well, except you really don't use your imagination near especially now I find that everything is way too spelled out, so you don't get to use your imagination.   Ivan Cury ** 07:03 Radio required you to use your radio required you to use it. Yeah, and, and if you had a crayon book at the time, well, and you were 12 or No, no, much younger than that, then it was and that was what you did, and it was fun.   Michael Hingson ** 07:17 So what was the first radio program that you were   Ivan Cury ** 07:20 it was very peculiar, is it New Year's Eve, 19 four? No, I don't know. I'm not sure. Now, it was 47 or 48 I think it was 48 Yeah, I was 11, and it was New Year's Eve, and it was with Hank Severn, Ted Cott, and I did a Jack and the Beanstalk. It was recording for caravan records. It became the number one kids record. You know, I didn't, there was no he didn't get residuals or anything like that. And the next day I did, let's pretend. And then I didn't work for three months. And I think I cried myself to sleep every night after that, because I absolutely loved it. And, you know, there was nothing my parents could do about this, but I wanted, I wanted in. And about three months later, I finally got to do another show. Peculiarly. The next show I did was lead opposite Helen Hayes in a play called no room for Peter Pan. And I just looked it up. It was May. I looked it up and I lost it already. I think, I think I may know what it is. Stay tuned. No, now, nope, nope, nope, ah, so that's it was not. This was May 1949, wow. What was it? Well, yeah, and it was, it was a the director was a man named Lester O'Keefe, and I loved Barry Fitzgerald, and I find even at a very early age, I could do an Irish accent. And I've been in Ireland since then. I do did this, just sometimes with the people knowing that I was doing it and I was it was fine. Sometimes they didn't, and I could get it is, it is pretty Irish, I think, at any rate, he asked me father, who was born in Russia, if we spoke Gaelic at home, we didn't. And so I did the show, and it was fine. Then I did a lot of shows after that, because here was this 11 year old kid who could do all this kind of   Michael Hingson ** 09:24 stuff. So what was no room for Peter Pan about,   Ivan Cury ** 09:27 oh, it was about a midget, a midget who is a young man, a young boy who never grows up, and there's a mind. He becomes a circus performer, and he becomes a great star, and he comes back to his town, to his mother, and there's a mine disaster, and the only one who can save them is this little person, and the kid doesn't want to do it, and it's and there's a moment where Helen Hayes, who played the lead, explained about how important it is the to give up your image and be and be. Man, be a real man, and do the thing, right thing to do. And so that was the   Michael Hingson ** 10:04 story. What show was it on? What series?   Ivan Cury ** 10:07 Electric Theater, Electric Theater, Electric Theater with Ellen Hayes, okay,   Michael Hingson ** 10:10 I don't think I've heard that, but I'm going to find it.   Ivan Cury ** 10:14 Well, yes, there's that one. And almost very soon afterwards, I did another important part with Walter Hughes, Walter Hamden. And that was on cavalcade of America, Ah, okay. And that was called Footlights on the frontier. And it was about, Tom about Joseph Jefferson, and the theater of the time, where the young kid me meets Abraham Lincoln, Walter Houston, and he saves the company. Well, those are the first, first shows. Was downhill from there. Oh, I don't   Michael Hingson ** 10:50 know, but, but you you enjoyed it, and, of course, I loved it, yes, why?   Ivan Cury ** 11:00 I was very friendly with Richard lamparsky. I don't even remember him, but he wrote whatever became of series of books. Whatever became of him was did a lot, and we were chatting, and he said that one of the things he noticed is that people in theater, people in motion pictures, they all had a lot of nightmare stories to tell about people they'd work with. And radio actors did not have so much of that. And I believe that you came in, you got your script, you work with people you like, mostly, if you didn't, you'd see you'd lose, you know, you wouldn't see them again for another Yeah, you only had to deal with them for three or four hours, and that was in the studio. And after that, goodbye.   Michael Hingson ** 11:39 Yeah, what was your favorite show that you ever did?   Ivan Cury ** 11:42 And it seems to me, it's kind of almost impossible. Yeah, I don't know,   Michael Hingson ** 11:51 a lot of fun ones.   Ivan Cury ** 11:54 I'll tell you the thing about that that I found and I wrote about it, there are only five, four reasons really, for having a job. One of them is money, one of them is prestige. One of them is learning something, and the other is having fun. And if they don't have at least two, you ought to get out of it. And I just had a lot of fun. I really like doing it. I think that's one of the things that's that keeps you going now, so many of these old time radio conventions, which are part of my life now, at least Tom sometimes has to do with with working with some of the actors. It's like tennis. It's like a good tennis game. You you send out a line, and you don't know how it's going to come back and what they're going to do with it. And that's kind of fun.   Michael Hingson ** 12:43 Well, so while you were doing radio, and I understand you weren't necessarily doing it every day, but almost, well, almost. But you were also going to school. How did all that work out   Ivan Cury ** 12:53 there is, I went to Professional Children's School. I went to a lot of schools. I went to law schools only because mostly I would, I would fail geometry or algebra, and I'd have to take summer session, and I go to summer session and I'd get a film, and so I'd leave that that session of summer session and do the film and come back and then go to another one. So in all, I wound up to being in about seven or eight high schools. But the last two years was at Professional Children's School. Professional Children's School has been set up. It's one of a number of schools that are set up for professional children, particularly on the East Coast. Here, they usually bring somebody on the set. Their folks brought on set for it. Their professional school started really by Milton Berle, kids that go on the road, and they were doing terribly. Now in order to work as a child Lacher in New York and probably out here, you have to get permission from the mayor's office and permission from the American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children. And you needed permits to do it, and those both organizations required the schools to show to give good grades you were doing in school, so you had to keep up your grades, or they wouldn't give you a permit, and then you couldn't work. PCs did that by having correspondence. So if a kid was on the road doing a show out of town in Philadelphia or wherever, they were responsible for whatever that week's work was, and we were all we knew ahead of time what the work was going to be, what projects had to be sent into the school and they would be graded when I went, I went to Carnegie, and my first year of English, I went only, I think, three days a week, instead of five, because Tuesdays and Thursdays Were remedial. We wrote We were responsible for a term paper. Actually, every week, you we learned how to write. And it was, they were really very serious about it. They were good schools   Michael Hingson ** 14:52 well, and you, you clearly enjoyed it. And I know you also got very involved and interested in poetry as you went along. Too do. Yes, I did well, yeah, yeah. And who's your favorite poet?   Ivan Cury ** 15:07 Ah, my favorite poets. If that is hard to say, who my favorite is, but certainly they are more than one is Langston, Hughes, Mary, Oliver, wh Jordan, my favorite, one of my favorite poems is by Langston Hughes. I'll do it for you now. It's real easy. Burton is hard, and dying is mean. So get yourself some love, and in between, there you go. Yes, I love that. And Mary Oliver, Mary Oliver's memory, if I hope I do, I go down to the shore, and depending upon the hour, the waves are coming in and going out. And I said, Oh, I am so miserable. Watch. What should I do? And the sea, in its lovely voice, says, Excuse me, I have work to do.   Michael Hingson ** 15:56 Ooh. That puts it in perspective, doesn't   Ivan Cury ** 16:00 it? Yes, it certainly does.   Michael Hingson ** 16:03 So So you, you went to school and obviously had good enough grades that you were able to continue to to act and be in radio, yes, which was cool. And then television, because it was a television Lacher, yeah, yeah. It's beginning of television as well. So I know one of the shows that you were on was the Jack Benny show. What did you do for Jack? Oh, well,   Ivan Cury ** 16:28 I'm really stuffy. Singer is the guy who really did a lot of Jack Benny things. But what happened is that when Jack would come to New York, if there was a kid they needed, that was me, and so I did the Benny show, I don't know, two or three times when he was in New York. I, I did the Jack Benny show two or three times. But I was not so you were, you were nice, man. It came in. We did the show. I went   Michael Hingson ** 16:51 home. You were a part time Beaver, huh?   Ivan Cury ** 16:54 I don't know. I really don't know, but I was beaver or what? I don't remember anything other than I had been listening to the Jack Benny show as a kid. I knew he was a star and that he was a nice man, and when he came into the studio, he was just a nice man who who read Jack Benny's lines, and who was Jack Benny, and he said his lines, and I said my lines, and we had a nice time together. And there wasn't any, there wasn't any real interplay between us, other than what would be normal between any two human beings and and that was that. So I did the show, but I can't talk very much about Jack Benny.   Michael Hingson ** 17:32 Did you? Did you primarily read your scripts, or did you memorize them at all?   Ivan Cury ** 17:37 Oh, no, no, radio. That was the thing about radio. Radio that was sort of the joy you read. It was all about reading. It's all about reading, yeah. And one of the things about that, that that was just that I feel lucky about, is that I can pretty well look at a script and read it. Usually read it pretty well with before the first time I've ever seen it, and that's cold reading, and I was pretty good at that, and still am.   Michael Hingson ** 18:06 Did you find that as you were doing scripts and so on, though, and reading them, that that changed much when you went in into television and started doing television?   Ivan Cury ** 18:22 I don't know what you mean by change.   Michael Hingson ** 18:24 Did you you still read scripts and   Ivan Cury ** 18:26 yeah, no, no, the way. I mean the way intelligent show usually goes as an actor. Well, when I directed television, I used to direct a lot of soap operas, not a lot, but I directed soap operas, but there'd be a week's rehearsal for a show, danger, I'm syndicated, or anything, and so there'd be a week's rehearsal. The first thing you do is, we have a sit down read, so you don't read the script, and then you holding the script in your hand walk through the scenes. Sometimes the director would have, would have blocking that they knew you were going to they were going to do, and they say, here's what you do. You walk in the door, etc. Sometimes they say, Well, go ahead, just show me what you'd like, what you what it feels like. And from that blocking is derived. And then you go home and you try to memorize the lines, and you feel perfectly comfortable that as you go, when you leave and you come back the next day and discover you got the first line down. But from there on, it's dreadful. But after a while, you get into the thing and you know your lines. You do it. Soap opera. Do that.   Michael Hingson ** 19:38 The interesting thing about doing radio, was everything, pretty much, was live. Was that something that caused a lot of pressure for you?   Ivan Cury ** 19:51 In some ways, yes, and in some ways it's lovely. The pressure is, yes, you want to get it right, but if you got to get it but if you get it wrong, give it up, because it's all over. Uh, and that's something that's that isn't so if you've recorded it, then you start figuring, well, what can I do? How can I fix this? You know, live, you do it and it's done. That's, that's what it is, moving right along. And this, this comment, gets to be kind of comfortable, you know, that you're going to, there may be some mistakes. You do the best you can with it, and go on one of the things that's really the news that that happens, the news, you know, every night, and with all the other shows that are live every day,   Michael Hingson ** 20:26 one of the things that I've noticed in a number of radio shows, there are times that it's fairly obvious that somebody made a flub of some sort, but they integrated it in, and they were able to adapt and react, and it just became part of the show. And sometimes it became a funny thing, but a lot of times they just worked it in, because people knew how to do that. And I'm not sure that that is so much the case certainly today on television, because in reality, you get to do it over and over, and they'll edit films and all that. And so you don't have that, that same sort of thing, but some of those challenges and flubs that did occur on radio were really like in the Jack Benny shows and burns and Allen and Phil Harris and so on. They were, they just became integrated in and they they became classic events, even though they weren't necessarily originally part of the plan.   Ivan Cury ** 21:25 Absolutely, some of some of them, I suspect some of them, were planned and planned to sound as if they would just happen. But certainly mistakes. Gosh, good mistakes are wonderful. Yeah, in all kinds of I used to do a lot of live television, and even if we weren't live television, when we would just do something and we were going to tape it and do it later, I remember once the camera kind of going wrong, video going wrong. I went, Wait a minute. That's great. Let's keep it wrong like that, you know. And it was so is just lovely that that's part of the art of improvisation, with how   Michael Hingson ** 22:06 and and I think there was a lot more of that, certainly in radio, than there is on television today, because very few things are really live in the same   Ivan Cury ** 22:17 sense. No, there. There are some kinds of having written, there are some type formats that are live. The news is live, the news is live. There's no, you know, there are. There used to be, and there may still be some of the afternoon shows, the kind of morning and afternoon shows where Show and Tell Dr whatever his name is, Dr Phil, yeah, it may be live, or it's shot as live, and they don't, they don't really have a budget to edit, so it's got to be real bad before they edit. Yeah. So do a show like that called Woman of CBS. So there are shows that are live, like that, sport events are live. A lot of from Kennedy Center is live. There are, there are lots of programs that are live, concerts, that are that you are a lot of them. America's Got Talent might as well be live. So there's a lot of that. And certainly things go wrong in the ad lib, and that's the way, because, in fact, there's some lovely things that happen out of that, but mostly, you're absolutely right. Mostly you do show it's recorded. You intend to edit it, you plan it to be edited, and you do it. It's also different when you shoot multiple camera, as opposed to single camera, yeah, single camera being as you say, again and again and again, multiple camera, not so much, although I used to direct the young and the restless, and now there is a line cut which is almost never used. It's it's the intention, but every shot is isolated and then cleaned up so that it's whatever is, whatever is possibly wrong with it gets clean.   Michael Hingson ** 24:03 Yeah, it's, it's a sign of the changing times and how things, everything   Ivan Cury ** 24:09 is bad. It's just, it's different. In fact, that's a kind of question I'm really puzzled with right now for the fun of it. And that is about AI, is it good or bad?   Michael Hingson ** 24:20 Well, and it's like anything else, of course, it depends. One of the one of my, my favorite, one of my favorite things about AI is a few years, a couple of years ago, I was at a Christmas party when there was somebody there who was complaining about the fact that kids were writing their papers using AI,   Ivan Cury ** 24:43 and that's bad   Michael Hingson ** 24:44 and and although people have worked on trying to be able to detect AI, the reality is that this person was complaining that the kids were even doing it. And I didn't think about it until later, but I realized. Is one of the greatest blessings of AI is let the students create their papers using AI. What the teachers need to do is to get more creative. And by that I mean All right, so when children turn in and students turn in their papers, then take a day and let every student take about a minute and come up and defend the paper they wrote. You're going to find out really quickly who really knew the subject and who just let ai do it and didn't have any interaction with it. But what a great way to learn. You're going to find out very quickly. And kids are going to figure out very quickly that they need to really know the subject, because they're going to have to defend their   Ivan Cury ** 25:41 papers. Yeah, no, I think that's fine. I I don't like the amount of electricity that it requires and what it's doing to our to our needs for water, because it has to be cooled down. So there's some physical things that I don't like about AI, and I think it's like when you used to have to go into a test with a slide rule, and they you couldn't use your calculator. When I use a calculator, it's out of the bag. You can't put it back anymore. It's a part of our life, and how to use it is the question. And I think you're absolutely right. I don't even need to know whether. I'm not even sure you need to check the kids if they it. How will you use? How will we get to use? Ai, it is with us.   Michael Hingson ** 26:30 Well, but I think there's a the value of of checking and testing. Why I'm with you. I don't think it's wrong. I think, no, no, but I think the value is that it's going to make them really learn the subject. I've written articles, and I've used AI to write articles, and I will look at them. I'll actually have a create, like, eight or nine different versions, and I will decide what I like out of each of them, and then I will add my part to it, because I have to make it me, and I've always realized that. So I know anything that I write, I can absolutely defend, because I'm very integrally involved in what I do with it, although AI has come up with some very clever ideas. Yeah, I hadn't thought of but I still add value to it, and I think that's what's really important.   Ivan Cury ** 27:19 I did a I've been writing stuff for a while, and one of the things I did, I wrote this. I wrote a little piece. And I thought, well, what? What would ai do if they took the same piece? How would they do it? So I put it in and said, rewrite it. They did. It was kind of bland. They'd taken all the life out of it. It wasn't very Yeah. So then I said, Well, wait a minute, do the same thing, write it as if it were written by Damon Runyon. And so they took it and they did that, and it was way over the top and really ugly, but it I kind of had fun with what, what the potential was, and how you might want to use it. I mean, I think the way you using it is exactly right. Yeah, it's how you use it, when, when you when, I'm just as curious, when you do that, when you said, you write something, and you ask them to do it four or five times or many times. How do you how do you require them to do it differently.   Michael Hingson ** 28:23 Well, there are a couple different ways. One is, there are several different models that can use to generate the solution. But even leaving aside such as, Oh, let's see, one is, you go out and do more web research before you actually do the do the writing. And so that's one thing and another. I'm trying to remember there were, like, six models that I found on one thing that I did yesterday, and but, but the other part about it is that with AI, yeah, the other thing about AI is that you can just tell it you don't like the response that you   Ivan Cury ** 29:09 got. Aha, okay, all right, yep,   Michael Hingson ** 29:13 I got it. And when you do that, it will create a different response, which is one of the things that you want. So, so so that works out pretty well. And what I did on something, I wanted to write a letter yesterday, and I actually had it write it. I actually had it do it several times. And one time I told it to look at the web to help generate more information, which was pretty cool, but, but the reality is that, again, I also think that I need to be a part of the the solution. So I had to put my my comments into it as well, and, and that worked out pretty well. Okay, right? Yeah, so I mean, it's cool, and it worked. Right? And so the bottom line is we we got a solution, but I think that AI is a tool that we can use, and if we use it right, it will enhance us. And it's something that we all have to choose how we're going to do. There's no no come, yeah, no question about that. So tell me you were successful as a young actor. So what kind of what what advice or what kind of thoughts do you have about youth success, and what's your takeaway from that?   Ivan Cury ** 30:36 The Good, yeah, I There are a lot of things being wanting to do it, and I really love doing it, I certainly didn't want to. I wanted to do it as the best way I could Well, I didn't want to lose it up, is what it really comes down to. And that meant figuring out what it is that required. And one of the things that required was a sense of responsibility. You had to be there on time, you had to be on stage, and you may want to fidget, but that takes to distract from what's going on, so sit still. So there's a kind of kind of responsibility that that you learn, that I learned, I think early on, that was, that's very useful. Yeah, that's, that's really, I think that's, I wrote some things that I had, I figured, some of these questions that might be around. So there, there's some I took notes about it. Well, oh, attention to details. Yeah, to be care to be watch out for details. And a lot of the things can be carried on into later life, things about detailed, things about date. Put a date on, on papers. When, when did, when was this? No, when was this note? What? When did this happen? Just keeping track of things. I still am sort of astonished at how, how little things add up, how we just just noted every day. And at the end of a year, you've made 365 notes,   Michael Hingson ** 32:14 yeah, well, and then when you go back and read them, which is also part of the issue, is that you got to go back and look at them to to see what   Ivan Cury ** 32:23 right or to just know that they're there so that you can refer to them. When did that happen?   Michael Hingson ** 32:28 Oh, right. And what did you say? You know, that's the point. Is that when I started writing thunder dog, my first book was suggested that I should start it, and I started writing it, what I started doing was creating notes. I actually had something like 1.2 megabytes of notes by the time we actually got around to doing the book. And it was actually eight years after I started doing some, well, seven years after I started doing writing on it. But the point is that I had the information, and I constantly referred back to it, and I even today, when I deliver a speech, I like to if there's a possibility of having it recorded, I like to go back and listen, because I want to make sure that I'm not changing things I shouldn't change and or I want to make sure that I'm really communicating with the audience, because I believe that my job is to talk with an audience, not to an audience.   Ivan Cury ** 33:24 Yeah, yeah. I we say that I'm reading. There are three books I'm reading right now, one of them, one of them, the two of them are very well, it doesn't matter. One is called who ate the oyster? Who ate the first oyster? And it's a it's really about paleon. Paleological. I'm saying the word wrong, and I'm paleontological. Paleontological, yeah, study of a lot of firsts, and it's a lovely but the other one is called shady characters by Keith Houston, and it's a secret life of punctuation symbols and other typographical marks, and I am astonished at the number of of notes that go along with it. Probably 100 100 pages of footnotes to all of the things that that are a part of how these words came to be. And they're all, I'm not looking at the footnotes, because there's just too many, but it's kind of terrific to check out. To be that clear about where did this idea come from, where did this statement come from? I'm pleased about that. I asked my wife recently if you could be anything you want other than what you are. What would you want to be? What other what other job or would you want to have? The first one that came to mind for me, which I was surprised that was a librarian. I just like the detail. I think that's   Michael Hingson ** 34:56 doesn't go anywhere. There you go. Well, but there's so. There's a lot of detail, and you get to be involved with so many different kinds of subjects, and you never know what people are going to ask you on any given day. So there's a lot of challenge and fun to that.   Ivan Cury ** 35:11 Well, to me also just putting things in order, I was so surprised to discover that in the Dewey Decimal System, the theater is 812 and right next to it, the thing that's right next to it is poetry. I was surprised. It's interesting, yeah, the library and play that out.   Michael Hingson ** 35:29 Well, you were talking about punctuation. Immediately I thought of EE Cummings. I'll bet he didn't pay much attention to punctuation at all. I love him. He's great, yeah, isn't he? Yeah, it's a lot of fun. An interesting character by any standard. So, so you, you progressed into television, if, I guess it's progressing well, like, if we answer to Fred Allen, it's not, but that's okay.   Ivan Cury ** 35:54 Well, what happens? You know, after, after, I became 18, and is an interesting moment in my life, where they were going to do film with Jimmy Dean, James Dean, James Dean. And it came down and he was going to have a sidekick, a kid sidekick. And it came down to me and Sal Mineo. And Sal got it, by the way. Case you didn't know, but one of the things was I was asked I remember at Columbia what I wanted to do, and I said I wanted to go to college, and my there was a kind of like, oh, yeah, right. Well, then you're not going to go to this thing, because we don't. We want you to be in Hollywood doing the things. And yes, and I did go to college, which is kind of great. So what happened was, after, when I became 18, I went to Carnegie tech and studied theater arts. Then I after that, I studied at Boston University and got a master's there, so that I had an academic, an academic part of my life as well, right? Which ran out well, because in my later years, I became a professor and wrote some   Michael Hingson ** 36:56 books, and that was your USC, right? No, Cal State, Lacher State, LA and UCLA. And UCLA, not USC. Oh, shame on me. But that's my wife. Was a USC graduate, so I've always had loyalty. There you go. But I went to UC Irvine, so you know, okay, both systems, whatever.   Ivan Cury ** 37:16 Well, you know, they're both UC system, and that's different, yeah, the research institutes, as opposed to the Cal State, which   Michael Hingson ** 37:23 are more teaching oriented, yeah,   Ivan Cury ** 37:26 wow, yeah, that's, that's what it says there in the paper.   Michael Hingson ** 37:30 Yes, that's what it says. But you know, so you went into television. So what did you mainly do in the in the TV world?   Ivan Cury ** 37:44 Well, when I got out of when I got through school, I got through the army, I came back to New York, and I, oh, I got a job versus the Girl Scouts, doing public relations. I I taught at Hunter College for a year. Taught speech. One of the required courses at Carnegie is voice and diction, and it's a really good course. So I taught speech at Hunter College, and a friend of mine was the second alternate maker man at Channel 13 in New York. He had opera tickets, so he said, Look standard for me, it's easy, men seven and women five, and telling women to put on their own lipstick. So I did. I did that, and I became then he couldn't do it anymore, so I became the second alternate make a man. Then it didn't matter. Within within six months, I was in charge of makeup for any t which I could do, and I was able to kind of get away with it. And I did some pretty good stuff, some prosthetic pieces, and it was okay, but I really didn't want to do that. I wanted to direct, if I could. And so then I they, they knew that, and I they knew that I was going to leave if, if, because I wasn't going to be a makeup I didn't. So I became a stage manager, and then an associate director, and then a director at Channel 13 in New York. And I directed a lot of actors, choice the biggest show I did there, or the one that Well, I did a lot of I also worked with a great guy named Kirk Browning, who did the a lot of the NBC operas, and who did all of the opera stuff in for any t and then I wound up doing a show called Soul, which was a black variety show. But when I say black variety show, it was with James Baldwin and but by the OJS and the unifics and the delphonics and Maya Angelou and, you know, so it was a black culture show, and I was the only white guy except the camera crew there. But had a really terrific time. Left there and went and directed for CBS. I did camera three. So I did things like the 25th anniversary of the Juilliard stringer check. Quartet. But I was also directing a show called woman, which was one of the earliest feminist programs, where I was the only male and an all female show. And actually I left and became the only gringo on an all Latino show called aqui I ahora. So I had a strange career in television as a director, and then did a lot of commercials for about 27 years, I directed or worked on the Men's Warehouse commercials. Those are the facts. I guarantee it.   Michael Hingson ** 40:31 Did you get to meet George Zimmer? Oh, very, very, very often, 27 years worth, I would figure, yeah.   Ivan Cury ** 40:39 I mean, what? I'm enemies. When I met him, he's a boy, a mere boy.   Michael Hingson ** 40:45 Did you act during any of this time? Or were you no no behind the camera once?   Ivan Cury ** 40:50 Well, the only, the only acting I did was occasionally. I would go now in a store near you, got it, and I had this voice that they decided, Ivan, we don't want you to do it anymore. It just sounds too much like we want, let George do this, please.   Michael Hingson ** 41:04 So, so you didn't get to do much, saying of things like, But wait, there's more, right?   Ivan Cury ** 41:10 No, not at all. Okay, okay. Oh, but you do that very well. Let's try.   Michael Hingson ** 41:13 Wait, there's more, okay. Well, that's cool. Well, that was,   Ivan Cury ** 41:18 it was kind of fun, and it was kind of fun, but they had to, it was kind of fun to figure out things. I remember we did. We had a thing where some of those commercial we did some commercials, and this is the thing, I sort of figured out customers would call in. So we recorded their, their call ins, and I they, we said, with calls being recorded. We took the call ins and I had them sent to it a typist who typed up what they wrote that was sent to New York to an advertising agency would extract, would extract questions or remarks that people had made about the stuff, the remarks, the tapes would be then sent to who did that? I think we edited the tapes to make it into a commercial, but the tags needed to be done by an announcer who said, in a store near you were opening sooner, right? Wyoming, and so those the announcer for the Men's Warehouse was a guy in in Houston. So we'd send, we'd send that thing to him, and he'd send us back a digital package with the with the tags. And the fun of it was that was, it was from, the calls are from all over the world. The the edits on paper were done in New York, the physical work was done in San Francisco. The announcer was in Houston. And, you know? And it's just kind of fun to be able to do that, that to see, particularly having come from, having come from 1949 Yeah, where that would have been unheard of to kind of have that access to all that was just fun, kind   Michael Hingson ** 42:56 of fun. But think about it now, of course, where we have so much with the internet and so on, it'd be so much easier, in a lot of ways, to just have everyone meet on the same network and   Ivan Cury ** 43:09 do now it's now, it's nothing. I mean, now it's just, that's the way it is. Come on.   Michael Hingson ** 43:13 Yeah, exactly. So. So you know, one of the things that I've been thinking about is that, yes, we've gone from radio to television and a whole new media and so on. But at the same time, I'm seeing a fairly decent resurgence of people becoming fascinated with radio and old radio and listening to the old programs. Do you see that?   Ivan Cury ** 43:41 Well, I, I wish I did. I don't my, my take on it. It comes strictly from that such, so anecdotal. It's like, in my grandkids, I have these shows that I've done, and it's, you know, it's grandpa, and here it is, and there it's the bobby Benson show, or it's calculator America, whatever, 30 seconds. That's what they give me. Yeah, then it's like, Thanks, grandpa. Whoopie. I don't know. I think maybe there may there may be something, but I would, I'd want some statistical evidence about well, but   Michael Hingson ** 44:19 one of the things I'm thinking of when I talk about the resurgence, is that we're now starting to see places like radio enthusiasts to Puget Sound reps doing recreations of, oh yes, Carl Omari has done the Twilight Zone radio shows. You know, there are some things that are happening, but reps among others, and spurred back to some degree, yeah, spurred back is, is the Society for the Prevention, oh, gosh,   Ivan Cury ** 44:46 not cruelty children, although enrichment   Michael Hingson ** 44:49 of radio   Ivan Cury ** 44:50 drama and comedy, right? Society, right? Yeah, and reps is regional enthusiasts of Puget Sound, Puget   Michael Hingson ** 44:58 Sound and. Reps does several recreations a year. In fact, there's one coming up in September. Are you going to   Ivan Cury ** 45:04 that? Yes, I am. I'm supposed to be. Yes, I think I Yes. I am.   Michael Hingson ** 45:08 Who you're going to play? I have no idea. Oh, you don't know yet.   Ivan Cury ** 45:12 Oh, no, no, that's fun. You get there, I think they're going to have me do a Sam Spade. There is another organization up there called the American radio theater, right? And I like something. I love those people. And so they did a lot of Sam Spade. And so I expect I'm going to be doing a Sam Spade, which I look forward to.   Michael Hingson ** 45:32 I was originally going to it to a reps event. I'm not going to be able to this time because somebody has hired me to come and speak and what I was going to do, and we've postponed it until I can, can be the one to do it is Richard diamond private detective, which is about my most favorite radio show. So I'm actually going to play, able to play Richard diamond. Oh, how great. Oh, that'll be a lot of fun. Yeah. So it'll probably be next year at this point now, but it but it will happen.   Ivan Cury ** 45:59 I think this may, yeah, go ahead. This may be my last, my last show I'm getting it's getting tough to travel.   Michael Hingson ** 46:07 Yeah, yeah, I don't know. Let's see. Let's see what happens. But, but it is fun, and I've met several people through their Carolyn Grimes, of course, who played Zuzu on It's A Wonderful Life. And in fact, we're going to have her on unstoppable mindset in the not too distant future, which is great, but I've met her and and other people, which I   Ivan Cury ** 46:34 think that's part of the for me. That really is part of the fun. Yeah, you become for me now it has become almost a sec, a family, in the same way that when you do show, if you do a show regularly, it is, it really becomes a family. And when the show is over, it's that was, I mean, one of the first things as a kid that was, that was really kind of tough for every day, or every other day I would meet the folks of Bobby Benson and the B Barbie writers. And then I stopped doing the show, and I didn't see them and didn't see them again. You know, I Don Knotts took me to I had the first shrimp of my life. Don Knotts took me to take tough and Eddie's in New York. Then I did another show called paciolini, which was a kind of Italian version of The Goldbergs. And that was, I was part of that family, and then that kind of went away. I was Porsche son on Porsche faces life, and then that way, so the you have these families and they and then you lose them, but, but by going to these old events, there is that sense of family, and there are also, what is just astonishing to me is all those people who know who knows stuff. One day I mentioned Frank Milano. Now, nobody who knows Frank Milano. These guys knew them. Oh, Frank, yeah, he did. Frank Milano was a sound. Was did animal sounds. There were two guys who did animal sounds particularly well. One was Donald Baines, who I worked with on the first day I ever did anything. He played the cow on Jack and the Beanstalk and and Frank, Don had, Don had a wonderful bar room bet, and that was that he could do the sound effects of a fish. Wow. And what is the sound effect of a fish? So now you gotta be required. Here's the sound effect of a fish. This was what he went $5 bets with you. Ready? Here we go.   Michael Hingson ** 48:41 Good job. Yeah, good job. Yeah. It's like, what was it on? Was it Jack Benny? They had a kangaroo, and I think it was Mel Blanc was asked to do the kangaroo, which is, of course, another one where they're not really a sound, but you have to come up with a sound to do it on radio, right?   Ivan Cury ** 49:06 Yes. Oh my god, there were people who want I could do dialects, I could do lots of German film, and I could do the harness. Was very easy for me to do, yeah, so I did love and I got to lots of jobs because I was a kid and I could do all these accents. There was a woman named Brianna Rayburn. And I used to do a lot of shows in National Association of churches of Christ in the United States. And the guy who was the director, John Gunn, we got to know each other. He was talking about, we talked with dialects. He said Briana Rayburn had come in. She was to play a Chinese woman. And she really asked him, seriously, what part of China Do you want her to come from? Oh, wow. I thought that was just super. And she was serious. She difference, which is studied, studied dialects in in. In college not long after, I could do them, and discovered that there were many, many English accents. I knew two or three cockney I could do, but there were lots of them that could be done. And we had the most fun. We had a German scholar from Germany, from Germany, and we asked him if he was doing speaking German, but doing playing the part of an American what would it sound like speaking German with an American accent? You know, it was really weird.   Michael Hingson ** 50:31 I had a history teacher, yes, who was from the Bronx, who spoke German, yeah, and he fought in World War Two. And in fact, he was on guard duty one night, and somebody took a shot at him, and so he yelled back at them in German. The accent was, you know, I took German, so I don't understand it all that well, but, but listening to him with with a New York accent, speaking German was really quite a treat. The accent spilled through, but, but they didn't shoot at him anymore. So I think he said something, what are you shooting at me for? Knock it off. But it was so funny, yeah, but they didn't shoot at him anymore because he spoke, yeah, yeah. It was kind of cool. Well, so with all that you've learned, what kind of career events have have sort of filtered over into what you do today?   Ivan Cury ** 51:28 Oh, I don't know. We, you know. But one of the things I wanted to say, it was one of the things that I learned along the way, which is not really answering your question until I get back to it, was, I think one of those best things I learned was that, however important it is that that you like someone, or you're with somebody and everything is really terrific. One of the significant things that I wish I'd learned earlier, and I think is really important, is how do you get along when you don't agree? And I think that's really very important.   Michael Hingson ** 52:01 Oh, it's so important. And we, in today's society, it's especially important because no one can tolerate anyone anymore if they disagree with them, they're you're wrong, and that's all there is to it. And that just is so unfortunate. There's no There's no really looking at alternatives, and that is so scary   Ivan Cury ** 52:20 that may not be an alternative. It may not be,   Michael Hingson ** 52:23 but if somebody thinks there is, you should at least respect the opinion,   Ivan Cury ** 52:28 whatever it is, how do you get along with the people you don't   Michael Hingson ** 52:32 agree with? Right?   Ivan Cury ** 52:35 And you should one that you love that you don't agree with, right? This may sound strange, but my wife and I do not agree about everything all the time, right?   Michael Hingson ** 52:43 What a concept. My wife and I didn't agree about everything all the time. Really, that's amazing, and it's okay, you know? And in fact, we both one of the the neat things, I would say, is we both learned so much from each other when we disagreed, but would talk about it, and we did a lot of talking and communicating, which I always felt was one of the most important things about our marriage. So we did, we learned a lot, and we knew how to get along, and we knew that if we disagreed, it was okay, because even if we didn't change each other's opinion, we didn't need to try to change each other's opinion, but if we work together and learn to respect the other opinion, that's what really mattered, and you learn more about the individual that way,   Ivan Cury ** 53:30 yeah, and also you have you learn about giving up. Okay, I think you're wrong, but if that's really what you want exactly, I'll do it. We'll do it your way?   Michael Hingson ** 53:42 Yeah, well, exactly. And I think it's so important that we really put some of that into perspective, and it's so crucial to do that, but there's so much disagreement today, and nobody wants to talk to anybody. You're wrong. I'm right. That's all there is to it. Forget it, and that's just not the way the world should be.   Ivan Cury ** 53:59 No, no. I wanted to go on to something that you had asked about, what I think you asked about, what's now I have been writing. I have been writing to a friend who I've been writing a lot of very short pieces, to a friend who had a stroke and who doesn't we can't meet as much as we use. We can't meet at all right now. And but I wanted to just go on, I'm and I said that I've done something really every week, and I'd like to put some of these things together into a book. And what I've been doing, looking for really is someone to work with. And so I keep writing the things, the thing that I wrote just today, this recent one, had to do with I was thinking about this podcast. Is what made me think of it. I thought about the stars that I had worked with, you know, me and the stars, because I had lots. Stories with with people who are considered stars, Charles Lawton, Don Knotts, Gene crane, Maya, Angelou, Robert Kennedy, the one I wrote about today. I wrote about two people. I thought it'd be fun to put them together, James Dean and Jimmy Dean. James Dean, just going to tell you the stories about them, because it's the kind of thing I'm writing about now. James Dean, we worked together on a show called Crime syndicated. He had just become really hot in New York, and we did this show where there were a bunch of probably every teenage actor in New York was doing this show. We were playing two gangs, and Jimmy had an extraordinary amount of lines. And we said, What the hell are you going to do, Jim? If you, you know, if you lose lines, he's, this is live. And he said, No problem. And then what he said is, all I do is I start talking, and then I just move my mouth like I'm walking talking, and everybody will think the audio went out. Oh, and that's, that's what he was planning on doing. I don't know if he really is going to do it. He was perfect. You know, he's just wonderful. He did his show. The show was great. We were all astonished to be working with some not astonished, but really glad to just watch him work, because he was just so very good. And we had a job. And then stories with Jimmy Dean. There were a couple of stories with Jimmy Dean, the singer and the guy of sausage, right? The last one to make it as fast, the last one was, we were in Nashville, at the Grand Ole Opry Opperman hotel. I was doing a show with him, and I was sitting in the bar, the producer and someone other people, and there was a regular Graceland has a regular kind of bar. It's a small bar of chatter, cash register, husband, wife, team on the stage singing. And suddenly, as we were talking, it started to get very quiet. And what had happened is Jimmy Dean had come into the room. He had got taken the guitar, and he started to sing, and suddenly it just got quiet, very quiet in the room. The Register didn't ring. He sang one song and he sang another song. His applause. He said, Thank you. Gave the guitar back to the couple. Walked off the stage. It was quiet while a couple started to sing again. They were good. He started to sing. People began to chatter again. The cash register rang, and I, I certainly have no idea how he managed to command that room to have everybody shut up while he sang and listened to him. He didn't do anything. There was nothing, you know, no announcement. It wasn't like, oh, look, there's Jimmy. It was just his, his performance. It was great, and I was really glad to be working with him the next day well.   Michael Hingson ** 57:56 And I think that having that kind of command and also being unassuming about it is pretty important if you've got an ego and you think you're the greatest thing, and that's all there is to it. That shows too, yeah?   Ivan Cury ** 58:08 Well, some people live on it, on that ego, yeah, and I'm successful on it, I don't think that was what. It certainly   Michael Hingson ** 58:17 wasn't, no, no, no, and I'm not saying that. I'm sure it wasn't that's my point. Yeah, no, because I think that the ultimate best people are the ones who don't do it with ego or or really project that ego. I think that's so important, as I said earlier, for me, when I go to speak, my belief is I'm going to to do what I can to help whatever event I'm at, it isn't about me at all. It's more about the audience. It's more about what can I inspire this audience with? What can I tell the audience and talk with the audience about, and how can I relate to them so that I'm saying something that they want to hear, and that's what I have to do. So if you had the opportunity to go back and talk to a younger Ivan, what would you tell him?   Ivan Cury ** 59:08 Cut velvet? No, there you go. No, what? I don't. I really don't. I don't know.   Michael Hingson ** 59:18 Talk Like a fish. More often   Ivan Cury ** 59:20 talk like a fish. More on there. Maybe. No, I really don't know. I don't know. I think about that sometimes, what it always seems to be a question, what? Really it's a question, What mistakes did you make in life that you wish you hadn't done? What door you wish Yeah, you would open that you didn't? Yeah, and I really don't, I don't know. I can't think of anything that I would do differently and maybe and that I think there's a weakness, because surely there must be things like that. I think a lot of things that happen to one in life anyway have to do with luck. That's not, sort of not original. But I was surprised to hear one day there was a. It. Obama was being interviewed by who was by one of the guys, I've forgotten his name that. And he was talking about his career, and he said he felt that part of his success had been a question of luck. And I very surprised to hear him say that. But even with, within with my career, I think a lot of it had to do with luck I happen to meet somebody that right time. I didn't meet somebody at the right time. I think, I think if I were to do so, if you would, you did ask the question, and I'd be out more, I would be pitching more. I think I've been lazy in that sense, if I wanted to do more that. And I've come to the West Coast quicker, but I was doing a lot of was in New York and having a good time   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:50 Well, and that's important too, yeah. So I don't know that I changed, I Yeah, and I don't know that I would find anything major to change. I think if somebody asked me that question, I'd say, tell my younger self that life is an adventure, enjoy it to the fullest and have fun.   Ivan Cury ** 1:01:12 Oh, well, that's yes. That was the I always believe that, yeah, yeah. It's not a question for me, and in fact, it's one of the things I told my kids that you Abraham Lincoln, you know, said that really in it, in a way a long time ago. He said that you choose you a lot of what you way you see your life has to do with the way the choices you make about how to see it, right? Yeah, which is so cool, right? And one of the ways you might see it says, have fun,   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:39 absolutely well, Ivan, this has been absolutely fun. We've been doing it for an hour, believe it or not, and I want to thank you for being here. And I also want to thank everyone who is listening for being with us today. I hope you've enjoyed this conversation, and I'd love to hear what your thoughts are. Please feel free to email me. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this. Email me at Michael h i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, so Ivan, if people want to reach out to you, how do they do that?   Ivan Cury ** 1:02:10 Oh, dear. Oh, wait a minute, here we go. Gotta stop this. I curyo@gmail.com I C, u, r, y, o@gmail.com There you go. Cury 1r and an O at the end of it, not a zero. I curyo@gmail.com Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 1:02:30 Well, great. Well, thank you again, and all of you wherever you're listening, I hope that you'll give us a great review wherever you're listening. Please give us a five star review. We appreciate it, and Ivan, for you and for everyone else listening. If you know anyone else who ought to be a guest on our podcast, love to hear from you. Love an introduction to whoever you might have as a person who ought to come on the podcast, because I think everyone has stories to tell, and I want to give people the opportunity to do it. So once again, I want to thank you, Ivan, for being here. We really appreciate it. Thanks for coming on and being with us today. Thank you.   1:03:10 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

The Kiribati Project with Robert Kennedy, A look at the Canary in the Coal Mine Island through the eyes of Loyola University, Chicago, filmmakers

It's been eight years that "Pat Gray Unleashed" has been a thing! 20-step plan to fix Gaza, as proposed by President Trump. Vice President Vance explains how the government is still on pace to shut down tonight. President Trump posts a meme that upsets House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). How former FBI Director James Comey lied to and obstructed Congress. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) threatens anyone who made a deal with the Trump administration. Jimmy Kimmel's ratings plummet after his recent return to the air. More information about the shooter of the LDS church in Michigan. Is the photo online of the Michigan shooter photoshopped? Does it matter? Guns being outlawed in Canada. Larry Ellison and Oracle are big fans of having your data. Digital ID storming ahead in Britain. Years ago, Robert Kennedy warned about the government's use of a national ID system. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaking to all of the military generals. Is the U.S. preparing for war with Venezuela? Bill Maher discusses the genocide of Christians in Nigeria. New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani refuses to condemn terrorists and refuses to apologize to New York City police. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tries to redefine Charlie Kirk's legacy. Don Lemon has a message for "white men." Released: Charlie Kirk's letter to Benjamin Netanyahu. Barack Obama's presidential library eyesore. 00:00 Pat Gray UNLEASHED! 00:14 Happy (Belated) 8th Anniversary of Pat Gray UNLEASHED!!! 02:10 20-Step Plan for Eternal Peace in the Middle East? 13:51 Government Shutdown is Imminent?! 17:25 Trump Trolls Hakeem Jeffries & Chuck Schumer 18:35 Hakeem Jeffries is Upset by the Meme 20:26 Chuck Grassley & Ted Cruz VS. James Comey 32:35 New Update on Michigan Church Shooter 44:11 Gun Ownership will End in Canada 49:54 Larry Ellison, Friend or Foe? 55:00 Tony Blair: King of Gaza? 55:53 Digital ID for the UK 59:00 FLASHBACK: RFK Jr. Warns against Digital ID Back in 2022 1:05:28 Generals Meeting with Pete Hegseth 1:06:31 America Invading Venezuela??? 1:10:22 Bill Maher on the Genocide in Nigeria 1:12:06 Michigan Church Shooter HATED Mormons 1:16:32 Zohran Mamdani Refuses to Condemn Hamas 1:20:20 Zohran Mamdani Refuses to Apologize to the NYPD 1:24:52 Dearborn Police Chief on Number of Arab American Officers 1:26:36 Ilhan Omar Refuses to Apologize for her Charlie Kirk Comments 1:28:44 Don Lemon's Message to White Men 1:30:27 5000 Freedom Shirts in Honor of Charlie Kirk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From February 2013, visionary animator Ralph Bakshi joined me to discuss his then-new project Last Days of Coney Island, now streaming on YouTube and Vimeo. The series marked Bakshi's return to gritty 1960s New York, promising raw stories of police corruption, gangs, prostitution, and the decade's disillusionment following the assassinations of John and Robert Kennedy.Bakshi also teased potential new sequences for cult favorites like Wizards, Coonskin, and Heavy Traffic, including a long-imagined Wizards scene where the pacifist hero Peace halts a WWII German-style train full of captives. Bakshi shared candid updates on the rumored live-action remake of his 1983 fantasy Fire and Ice, co-created with Frank Frazetta. According to Bakshi, director Robert Rodriguez was eyeing a Sin City-style adaptation, aiming to begin shooting after wrapping Sin City 2.Along the way, Bakshi reflected on his groundbreaking career, from his early years at TerryToons to his enduring influence on animation. This conversation captures Bakshi at his fiery best—unfiltered, defiant, and still pushing boundaries.

En este programa de Tiempos interesantes jose Figueroa Garcia entrevista al doctor Miguel García Báez médico pediatra y miembro del colectivo de médicos por la verdad acerca de las iniciativas del gobierno de Donald Trump en el campo de la salud con Robert Kennedy junior y lo que eso significa a nivel global.

En una rueda de prensa en la Casa Blanca, Donald Trump, acompañado por el secretario de Salud Robert Kennedy advirtió este lunes sobre la presunta relación entre el acetaminofeno, principal componente del paracetamol, y el autismo. Trump afirmó categóricamente que “tomar Tylenol no es bueno” y recomendó a las mujeres embarazadas evitarlo salvo en casos extremos, como fiebres muy altas. Tylenol es una marca comercial de paracetamol muy popular en EEUU y en otros países del mundo. Aparte de aliviar el dolor, el acetaminofeno es un analgésico muy utilizado también para bajar la fiebre. No es un medicamento de riesgo ya que se puede adquirir sin receta. Kennedy apoyó estas afirmaciones, y anunció que la agencia reguladora de alimentos y fármacos, la FDA, actualizaría las etiquetas del acetaminofeno para advertir sobre este posible riesgo. Junto a eso también pondrán en marcha campaña informativa. Las declaraciones de Trump y Kennedy ha provocado un gran revuelo, ya que contrastan con la postura del Colegio Estadounidense de Obstetras y Ginecólogos, que considera seguro el acetaminofeno durante el embarazo, eso sí, siempre bajo supervisión médica. Kenvue, la empresa que fabrica el Tylenol, rechazó rotundamente las acusaciones recordando que venden ese medicamento desde hace 70 años y que numerosos estudios independientes han sido incapaces de establecer un vínculo causal con el autismo. De nada sirvieron las aclaraciones porque las acciones de Kenvue en Bolsa se derrumbaron tan pronto como concluyó la rueda de prensa. Pasaron de pagarse a 18,50 a 16,90 dólares. Kenvue factura 15.000 millones de dólares anuales, de los cuales unos 1.000 millones provienen del Tylenol. Por si el charco del paracetamol no era suficiente, Trump se metió también en el de las vacunas, uno de los temas predilectos de Robert Kennedy, conocido activista antivacunas. El presidente sugirió espaciar las vacunaciones de la triple vírica en los niños pequeños, pero nadie sabe en qué se basa para recomendar algo así. Kennedy prometió más estudios sobre una supuesta relación entre las vacunas y el autismo, a pesar de que innumerables estudios ya la han descartado. La comunidad científica ha tenido que recordar que las vacunas infantiles han salvado millones de vidas y sus beneficios superan con mucho sus posibles riesgos. En cuanto al tratamiento del autismo, el comisionado de la FDA, Marty Makary, anunció que la leucovorina, una forma activa del ácido fólico usada en quimioterapia, se etiquetará para su uso en personas con autismo. Lo harán basándose en estudios preliminares que indican ciertos beneficios, aunque se necesita mucha más investigación al respecto. Kennedy adelantó que los programas de Medicaid y las aseguradoras privadas cubrirían el medicamento. El autismo, un trastorno del neurodesarrollo que afecta a 1 de cada 31 niños de 8 años en EEUU, tiene causas complejas, principalmente genéticas, y el incremento de diagnósticos se debe a mejores sistemas de detección y criterios más amplios. Trump aseguró de forma errónea que hace 18 años la prevalencia era de 1 por cada 10.000, cuando lo cierto es que era de 1 por cada 150 en el año 2000. No fue la única inexactitud. Prácticamente todo lo que dijeron Trump y Kennedy carece de respaldo científico. Aunque algunos estudios, como uno de 2020 de la UniversidadJohns Hopkins, sugiere una posible asociación entre el acetaminofeno y el autismo, otros más recientes, como uno de 2024 con 2,5 millones de niños, no han encontrado relación alguna. Los médicos recuerdan que que el paracetamol es uno de los pocos analgésicos seguros para mujeres embarazadas, y que la fiebre o el dolor no tratados pueden ser más perjudiciales para el feto. En definitiva, Trump y Kennedy no han hecho más que simplificar un tema de una complejidad notable, han generado confusión y preocupación innecesaria. En La ContraRéplica: 0:00 Introducción 4:22 Trump contra el paracetamol 30:26 Contra el pesimismo - https://amzn.to/4m1RX2R 32:14 Los asentamientos de Cisjordania 42:04 El activismo de Charlie Kirk 49:10 Activismo · Canal de Telegram: https://t.me/lacontracronica · “Contra el pesimismo”… https://amzn.to/4m1RX2R · “Hispanos. Breve historia de los pueblos de habla hispana”… https://amzn.to/428js1G · “La ContraHistoria del comunismo”… https://amzn.to/39QP2KE · “La ContraHistoria de España. Auge, caída y vuelta a empezar de un país en 28 episodios”… https://amzn.to/3kXcZ6i · “Contra la Revolución Francesa”… https://amzn.to/4aF0LpZ · “Lutero, Calvino y Trento, la Reforma que no fue”… https://amzn.to/3shKOlK Apoya La Contra en: · Patreon... https://www.patreon.com/diazvillanueva · iVoox... https://www.ivoox.com/podcast-contracronica_sq_f1267769_1.html · Paypal... https://www.paypal.me/diazvillanueva Sígueme en: · Web... https://diazvillanueva.com · Twitter... https://twitter.com/diazvillanueva · Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/fernandodiazvillanueva1/ · Instagram... https://www.instagram.com/diazvillanueva · Linkedin… https://www.linkedin.com/in/fernando-d%C3%ADaz-villanueva-7303865/ · Flickr... https://www.flickr.com/photos/147276463@N05/?/ · Pinterest... https://www.pinterest.com/fernandodiazvillanueva Encuentra mis libros en: · Amazon... https://www.amazon.es/Fernando-Diaz-Villanueva/e/B00J2ASBXM #FernandoDiazVillanueva #trump #tylenol Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

#entrevista #investigación #contralor La gobernadora despachó con un "hablamos después" a la pregunta de periodistas sobre el allanamiento por segunda ocasión a las oficinas del municipio de Cataño, del PNP, Julio Vasallo. | Entrevistamos a la psicóloga Angeles Acosta sobre cómo cayó la noticia de que el presidente de Estados Unidos y el seccretario de Salud, Robert Kennedy, hablaron de cura al autismo y de medicamentos que lo causan sin traer evidencia científica que sustenten sus expresiones. ¡Conéctate, comenta y comparte! #periodismoindependiente #periodismodigital #periodismoinvestigativo tiktok.com: @bonitaradio Facebook: bonitaradio Instagram: bonitaradio X: Bonita_Radio

Heineken slokt behoorlijk wat belangen van buitenlandse brouwerijen op. Het geeft miljarden uit om te groeien in Midden-Amerika. Om precies te zijn Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica en Panama. In dat laatste land krijgen ze zelfs de volledige eigendom van een brouwerij in handen.Volgens Heineken kopen ze 'voor een goede prijs' belangen in een groeimarkt. We kijken deze aflevering of het ook echt zo'n goede deal is. En we bespreken wat dit met het aandeel doet. Een aandeel dat het al langer niet echt lekker doet. Wordt de kater voor aandeelhouders minder? Hebben we het ook over een andere miljardendeal, de overtreffende trap. Nvidia dat even 100 miljard dollar uittrekt om te investeren in OpenAI. Waar het óók een belang in de ChatGPT-maker voor terugkrijgt.Een teleurstelling komt ook voorbij, namelijk een omzetwaarschuwing van ASM. Al verpakt de chipmachinemaker die met goed nieuws. Waardoor de schade voor het aandeel mee lijkt te vallen.Verder deze aflevering: Xi Jinping en Donald Trump gaan elkaar toch niet zien deze herfst Bij Orsted zijn ze blij: Trumps beslissing wordt teruggedraaid Oeso waarschuwt voor Trumps handelsoorlog See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#entrevista #investigación #contralor La gobernadora despachó con un "hablamos después" a la pregunta de periodistas sobre el allanamiento por segunda ocasión a las oficinas del municipio de Cataño, del PNP, Julio Vasallo. | Entrevistamos a la psicóloga Angeles Acosta sobre cómo cayó la noticia de que el presidente de Estados Unidos y el seccretario de Salud, Robert Kennedy, hablaron de cura al autismo y de medicamentos que lo causan sin traer evidencia científica que sustenten sus expresiones. ¡Conéctate, comenta y comparte! #periodismoindependiente #periodismodigital #periodismoinvestigativo tiktok.com: @bonitaradio Facebook: bonitaradio Instagram: bonitaradio X: Bonita_Radio

Heineken slokt behoorlijk wat belangen van buitenlandse brouwerijen op. Het geeft miljarden uit om te groeien in Midden-Amerika. Om precies te zijn Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica en Panama. In dat laatste land krijgen ze zelfs de volledige eigendom van een brouwerij in handen.Volgens Heineken kopen ze 'voor een goede prijs' belangen in een groeimarkt. We kijken deze aflevering of het ook echt zo'n goede deal is. En we bespreken wat dit met het aandeel doet. Een aandeel dat het al langer niet echt lekker doet. Wordt de kater voor aandeelhouders minder? Hebben we het ook over een andere miljardendeal, de overtreffende trap. Nvidia dat even 100 miljard dollar uittrekt om te investeren in OpenAI. Waar het óók een belang in de ChatGPT-maker voor terugkrijgt.Een teleurstelling komt ook voorbij, namelijk een omzetwaarschuwing van ASM. Al verpakt de chipmachinemaker die met goed nieuws. Waardoor de schade voor het aandeel mee lijkt te vallen.Verder deze aflevering: Xi Jinping en Donald Trump gaan elkaar toch niet zien deze herfst Bij Orsted zijn ze blij: Trumps beslissing wordt teruggedraaid Oeso waarschuwt voor Trumps handelsoorlog See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about the difference between the murder of Charlie Kirk and the killing of  Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. We discuss whether the President should try to calm America rather than stir hatred.

About this episode: The FDA has long convened scientifically rigorous advisory committees to review data and offer recommendations for regulating a range of food and drug products. However, it has recently pulled back and leaned heavily into ad-hoc “expert panels” that are not held to the same standards. In this episode: Caleb Alexander, an epidemiologist and drug safety expert who has served on over a dozen FDA advisory committees, raises concerns about the lack of transparency and accountability in these new panels and suggests that their lax standards might undermine the agency's credibility. Guest: Dr. G. Caleb Alexander, MS, is a practicing internist and drug safety expert at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Host: Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for Expert Insights, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Show links and related content: The FDA's pivot from ad comms to ‘expert' panels is bad medicine—STAT An FDA panel spread misinformation about SSRI use in pregnancy, alarming doctors—NPR Learn About FDA Advisory Committees—FDA Transcript Information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

Health Affairs' Jeff Byers welcomes Health Affairs's Akilah Wise to discuss the recent CDC executive changes, HHS staff culture clashes with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., changes in federal vaccine recommendations, and research examples where health policy influences health care behavior. Health Affairs released a new theme issue focusing on insights from the opioids crisis. Subscribe to the journal to never miss out on an upcoming issue.Join us for these upcoming events:9/17: Lunch & Learn: The Current Opioids Policy Landscape & What's Ahead (FREE TO ALL)9/23: Prior Authorization: Current State and Potential Reform (INSIDER EXCLUSIVE)Become an Insider today to get access to our trend reports, events, and exclusive newsletters.Related Articles:Disparities In County COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Linked To Disadvantage And Hesitancy (Health Affairs)Guaranteed Cash Incentives Boosted COVID-19 Vaccinations Of Young Adults: Evidence From West Virginia (Health Affairs)HHS schedules next vaccine panel meeting after CDC director ousted (Politico)Concerned about federal vaccine policies, states are crafting their own (NPR)Modeling Reemergence of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination in the US (JAMA)HHS employees demand RFK Jr. resign for ‘compromising the health of this nation' (CNN)At Senate hearing, lawmakers express dissatisfaction with RFK Jr.'s vaccine moves (Healthcare Dive)Trump admin agrees to restore public health webpages (Axios)1 in 5 US workers say they're ignoring return-to-office rules (HR Dive)

We'll ask Dr. Kristin Lyerly about Not-a-Dr. Robert Kennedy, Jr. and the misinformation he's spreading about autism, Tylenol, and folate deficiencies, causing more angst among pregnant women. And Mike Clemens will help us review last night's Packers game against Washington and whether the short-week pressure will be worth it by having ten days until the next game. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Dr. Kristin Lyerly, Mike Clemens

200 episodes ago, I had a simple dream: put life-changing information on a platform for free, and watch humanity transform. Today, that vision has created the world's leading health and wellness podcast, featuring conversations with RFK Jr. outlining his $1.9 trillion plan to end FDA corruption, Dana White sharing how his life was saved through basic keto principles and methylated vitamins, and even being invited to the White House with Max Lugavere to continue fighting for health advocacies. The movement to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) isn't just a slogan, it's a science-backed revolution; and we, at The Ultimate Human, continue to fight for this mission! Join the Ultimate Human VIP community for Gary Brecka's proven wellness protocols!: https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg Thank you to our partners H2TABS: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg BODYHEALTH: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV BAJA GOLD: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa EIGHT SLEEP: SAVE $350 ON THE POD 4 ULTRA WITH CODE “GARY”: https://bit.ly/3WkLd6E COLD LIFE: THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp WHOOP: JOIN AND GET 1 FREE MONTH!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW MASA CHIPS: 20% OFF FIRST ORDER: https://bit.ly/40LVY4y VANDY: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/49Qr7WE AION: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD A-GAME: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: http://bit.ly/4kek1ij CARAWAY: “ULTIMATE” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3Q1VmkC HEALF: 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S BIOPTIMIZERS: “ULTIMATE” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/4inFfd7 RHO NUTRITION: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: https://bit.ly/44fFza0 GOPUFF: GET YOUR FAVORITE SNACK!: https://bit.ly/4obIFDC GENETIC TEST: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9 Watch  the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9AM EST: YouTube: https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8 Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3RQftU0 Connect with Gary Brecka Instagram: https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs TikTok: https://bit.ly/4coJ8fo X: https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf Facebook: https://bit.ly/464VA1H LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2 Website: https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU Merch: https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1 Newsletter: https://bit.ly/47ejrws Ask Gary: https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG Timestamps: 00:00 Intro of Show 01:23 Best of The Ultimate Human Podcast 02:17 Corruption behind Big Pharma with US Sec. Robert Kennedy, Jr. 04:06 Steve Harvey's Health Journey 5:45 Dr. Carrie Carda on female health 06:53 Childhood Obesity with Dr. Mark Hyman  08:45 Overcoming Lyme Disease with Dr. Christina Rahm 09:50 Health Advocacies and Movements at the White House with Max Lugavere 12:28 Revealing the Real Intention of American Food Supply with Courtney Swan  13:14 Dave Asprey on Toxic Mold and Mitochondria 15:14 Joe Rogan's Journey from Fear Factor to Podcasting 16:50 Dana White's Health Journey with Gary Brecka 18:32 The Real Cause of Heart Disease with Dr. Aseem 19:52 The Number 1 Way to Beat Addiction with Divinia Taylor 20:22 Paul Saladino on What Your Gut is Telling You 20:43 Mario Lopez and His Secret of Staying Young 21:07 Prioritizing Health for Better Business with Daymond John 22:21 Patrick Bet-David on Living an Authentic Life 23:03 The Ultimate Human's Mission Continues The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka Podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user's own risk. The Content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Financial Guys Podcast, Mike Lomas, Glenn Wiggle, and Mike Sperrazza dive into Robert Kennedy's controversial stance on SSRIs, transgender health, and chemical additives, and why Democrats are calling for his resignation. The conversation shifts to crime and law enforcement, with the hosts blasting lenient judges, Soros-backed DAs, and repeat offenders being let back on the streets to commit violent crimes. They call for real judicial accountability and tougher sentencing. Later, they break down the latest examples of mail-in ballot fraud and stress the urgent need for voter ID laws to protect election integrity. From crime to elections, the guys don't hold back in their critique of failed liberal policies and their impact on American communities.(00:01:11) Controversial Health Stance: Robert Kennedy's Influence(00:09:09) Impact of Gun Seizures on Crime Rates(00:10:30) Ensuring Accountability for Repeat Offender Releases(00:14:58) Unregistered Firearms Consequences in New Jersey(00:21:29) Public Safety Accountability in Judicial Decisions(00:31:47) Pet Voter Registration Highlighting Election Integrity(00:33:20) Ineligible Voters Reinstated in Broward County(00:44:34) Three Strikes Policy and Forgiving Violent Offenders(00:46:57) Accountability in Releasing Repeat Offenders(00:51:35) Promoting Safety by Addressing Root Causes(00:52:45) Border Control Measures to Combat Drug Problem

This is Frank Gaffney with the Secure Freedom Minute. Big Pharma sure is furious with Robert Kennedy, Jr. The pharmaceutical industry wants him terminated as Health and Human Services Secretary. That was the unmistakable takeaway from Bobby's hours-long grilling yesterday before the Senate Finance Committee. He was relentlessly attacked by Democratic members for his insistence that the impact of the COVID and other vaccines on public health must be scientifically scrutinized. One of them, Vermont's Marxist Senator Bernie Sanders, actually copped to Secretary Kennedy's observation in response that such critics were recipients of immense campaign contributions from Pharma, admitting that every Senator takes money from the industry. That's also true of the media, academia and key government agencies. Politicians will discover their constituents increasingly support Bobby Kennedy, not Big Pharma. President Trump rightly wants the facts out about vaccine safety, and so do the American people.  This is Frank Gaffney.

The Government is said to be at risk of "wiping out" post offices in Clare unless it moves towards a sustainable operating model for the postal service. The contracts for both Shannon and Carrigaholt's post offices have gone to tender following the resignation of their postmasters. In a statement to Clare FM, An Post says it has "two opportunities to partner with An Post in providing post office and financial services to the people of Shannon and Carrigaholt". The vacancies, it says, "arise out of the resignation of the current Postmasters", and its hopes to "attract suitable candidates for both contracts". It's not the first time the threat of a post office closure has loomed for a Clare community this year. Five months ago, doubt was cast over the future of Lahinch Post Office until local business owner Robert Kennedy stepped in to take the postmaster's reins. With Shannon and Carrigaholt now in a similar position, concerns have been raised that if the two facilities closed, it could result in job losses and contribute to rural isolation. Sixmilebridge Fine Gael Councillor John Crowe insists it can't be allowed to happen.

As is normal, today's show presents actions occurring across the nation that impact most of the country. The debacle of what to do in the face of rampant crime in Chicago, the mayor of the city joins Illinois' governor in verbally attacking the President for warning those leaders that if they do not take necessary actions to reduce the massive crime in Chicago, the White House will send the National Guard to stop the murders that have flooded the city.Private payroll numbers were released today. Though the payroll counts went up, they fell short of forecasts. They were below expectations. Why? Details in the show.As the Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy, Jr., testifies before Congress, news hits that mRNA vaccines appear to be impacting cancer among those who are vaccinated. These are NOT absolute statements being made, but "probable" investigation results.

L'Équateur exporte davantage d'or qu'il n'en produit officiellement. D'après la Chambre des mines du pays, entre 50 et 60% de l'or exporté depuis l'Équateur est d'origine illégale, et souvent contrôlée par les bandes criminelles. Le correspondant de RFI a rencontré, dans le nord du pays, des mineurs artisanaux et d'autres plus industriels qui essaient d'échapper aux rigueurs de la loi. Reportage d'Eric Samson. Près de la frontière colombienne, l'Équateur fait face à une explosion de l'activité minière illégale. À Minas Viejas, par exemple, les pelleteuses rouillées rappellent des années d'extraction clandestine qui ont détruit les rivières et l'environnement. Pourtant, des mineurs continuent d'exploiter l'or, malgré les risques de saisie de leurs machines par la police ou l'armée. L'or se vend facilement et, pour beaucoup, cette activité est la seule source de revenus dans une région où l'agriculture ne suffit pas. Mais la dépendance à l'or fragilise le tissu social : la destruction de pelleteuses par l'armée a déjà plongé des milliers de familles dans la misère. En plus de cela, des organisations criminelles contrôlent le secteur, imposant extorsion et taxes aux mineurs. La violence culmine en mai dernier avec le meurtre de 11 militaires équatoriens. En réaction, l'armée a renforcé son contrôle à la frontière, déployant drones et avions de reconnaissance pour détruire les sites illégaux. Aux Gonaïves, malgré la crise et l'insécurité, des jeunes multiplient les initiatives culturelles et sportives pour offrir à la population des espaces de détente Le 16 août, près de 400 personnes ont assisté au Village des Dattes à la 4e édition de Zetwal Ciné, une projection de films en plein air. L'événement, organisé par les collectifs Lapag'Art et Créa-Culture, vise à combler l'absence de salles de cinéma dans la ville et à répondre au besoin urgent de loisirs. Les organisateurs rappellent que le cinéma est aussi un outil pour recréer du lien social et maintenir une vie culturelle. En parallèle, la Team Populaire organise régulièrement des courses collectives vers Mapou Chevalier, pour aider les habitants à gérer le stress et améliorer leur santé mentale. Ces loisirs d'été n'ont pas toujours reposé uniquement sur la jeunesse… Dans le passé, la mairie organisait des festivals, tournois et concours culturels. Mais selon un responsable local, l'inaction des autorités actuelles et l'insécurité ont entraîné la disparition de ces initiatives En Haïti toujours, un phénomène prend de l'ampleur... Il s'agit de la production de fausses cartes d'identité, fabriquées et imprimées de manière artisanale. Les Haïtiens les utilisent, entre autres, pour recevoir des transferts et faire des transactions bancaires. Comment les Haïtiens en sont-ils venus à fabriquer de fausses cartes d'identité et à pouvoir les utiliser ? Le journaliste Junior Legrand d'Ayibopost nous parle de Jean. Il est devenu professionnel de la pratique après avoir attendu en vain pendant des mois la réimpression de son unique carte d'identité, volée par des bandits lors d'un braquage en 2022. Mais les conséquences de la fabrication de fausses cartes sont très graves, beaucoup d'individus se font voler leur identité et se retrouvent victimes d'extorsion d'argent. Selon le journal, les institutions en Haïti n'ont pas les moyens nécessaires pour faire des vérifications. Une grande inquiétude plane donc autour des élections à venir. Et s'il était possible de voter avec une fausse identité ? Aux États-Unis, la presse s'alarme suite au départ forcé de la directrice du Centre pour le contrôle et la prévention des maladies (CDC), la principale agence de santé américaine Oui, l'agence sanitaire se retrouve « plongée dans le chaos », s'alarme le Time. Le New York Times, lui, rappelle ce qu'il s'est passé en début de semaine aux États-Unis, quand le ministre de la Santé anti-vaccins Robert Kennedy a convoqué Susan Monarez, la directrice de l'agence de santé, pour lui imposer un ultimatum. Il lui a demandé de limoger certains de ses collègues et de s'engager à le soutenir s'il recommandait de restreindre l'accès à certains vaccins sous peine d'être elle-même licenciée. Résultat : Susan Monarez a refusé et a été mise à la porte par la Maison Blanche. Le départ forcé de la directrice a déclenché une vague de démissions dans l'agence. Elle est désormais « décimée », écrit le Washington Post. Il rapporte l'inquiétude de plusieurs experts en santé publique, qui se demandent si l'agence pourrait s'en remettre. « Que va-t-il se passer en cas de pandémie ou de crise sanitaire ? », questionnent-ils. La chaîne CNN, elle, s'inquiète de la politisation de la médecine par l'administration Trump, au risque de mettre en danger la santé publique. À lire aussiÉtats-Unis: Donald Trump limoge Susan Monarez, directrice de la principale agence sanitaire américaine Aux États-Unis toujours, le secrétaire d'État Marco Rubio a annoncé retourner en Amérique latine la semaine prochaine pour des visites au Mexique et en Équateur... Oui, ce sera sa troisième visite dans la région, note le Washington Post. Au programme, des discussions notamment autour de la lutte contre l'immigration illégale, le crime organisé et les cartels de la drogue... Le Washington Post s'est entretenu avec une source anonyme du département d'État. Elle lui a confirmé que des accords d'expulsion allaient être noués avec pratiquement tous les pays d'Amérique latine, sauf le Nicaragua. L'un des objectifs de cette visite est aussi de contenir l'influence chinoise dans la région. Marco Rubio s'était déjà rendu au Panama pour tenter de restreindre le pouvoir grandissant de la Chine sur le canal. Selon la source anonyme du Washington Post des progrès ont été faits dans ce sens-là. Le Panama serait en train de reprendre le contrôle de ses installations portuaires et de se retirer de l'initiative de développement de la Chine des « nouvelles routes de la soie ».  Au Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro s'est exprimé devant des centaines de soldats pour les inciter à se préparer contre une prétendue invasion américaine Alors faut-il vraiment s'inquiéter, jusqu'où Donald Trump est-il prêt à aller ? On se penche sur une analyse réalisée par plusieurs chercheurs sud-américains. Oui, c'est le consortium de journalistes ​​​​​​​Connectas qui a publié cette analyse ce matin. Elle rappelle l'escalade progressive entre Nicolas Maduro et Donald Trump. Elle a atteint un point critique cette semaine alors que le président américain a envoyé, entre autres, des navires de guerre et un sous-marin nucléaire dans les Caraïbes. Pour un ancien diplomate américain interrogé par Connectas, l'épisode entre les deux dirigeants n'est qu'une « démonstration de force performative ». Il dénonce la stratégie paradoxale de Donald Trump qui provoque le Venezuela tout en concluant des accords pétroliers, notamment celui avec la compagnie Chevron le mois dernier.  Et du côté de Maduro, la situation pourrait bien tourner à son avantage, selon l'historienne et journaliste brésilienne Sylvia Colombo. C'est l'occasion pour le président vénézuélien de jouer la carte de la défense de la souveraineté nationale. Une stratégie qui a déjà prouvé son efficacité dans le passé pour des gouvernements faibles et en baisse de popularité. Journal de la 1ère  Une association dédiée à la recherche médicale dans la Caraïbe va avoir son siège en Martinique. Elle s'appelle CariBioparc et rassemble plusieurs pays de la zone, mais aussi des institutions, comme la Sorbonne à Paris. 

An interview with director Peter Jones and producer Taylor Vracin-Harrell about their moving new documentary Fortunate Sons on PBS. The film is an intimate, unguarded portrait about friendship, love, loss, redemption, and the lasting bonds between the men of Los Angeles' Harvard School for Boys, class of '74? While The Beatles rocked a generation, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy shocked the nation – seventy-two 12 year-old boys entered the 7th grade at Harvard School for Boys, an elite, private military academy. Born into privilege and groomed to lead, they spent the next 50 years individually navigating their place in the world and the continuous cultural revolutions taking place around them, only to find themselves reconnecting by Zoom five decades later during the isolating months of the Covid pandemic. What began as casual video calls between former classmates, quickly evolved into rare and vulnerable conversations about their dreams and fears, family dysfunction, addiction, ambition, failure, and achievement. Beneath these conversations they collectively explored larger narratives about friendship, masculinity, privilege and mental health. Reality Life with Kate Casey What to Watch List: https://katecasey.substack.com Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/katecasey Twitter: https://twitter.com/katecasey Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/katecaseyca Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itskatecasey?lang=en Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/113157919338245 Amazon List: https://www.amazon.com/shop/katecasey Like it to Know It: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/katecaseySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

CLICK HERE! To send us a message! Ask us a Question or just let us know what you think!The mystery of what happened to President Kennedy's body after his assassination stands as one of the most disturbing chapters in American history. In this riveting conclusion to our JFK series, historian Jack Stanley unravels the ghoulish and bewildering events surrounding Kennedy's autopsy that suggest a sophisticated cover-up of the truth.Stanley meticulously details how Kennedy's body apparently traveled in two different caskets—the bronze casket seen by the public and a shipping casket that arrived at Bethesda Naval Hospital via helicopter. Drawing on decades of research and newly released documents, he explains how the autopsy itself was compromised from the start, with evidence suggesting the body was altered before formal procedures began to support the official narrative of shots fired only from behind.The infamous "magic bullet" theory comes under particular scrutiny as Stanley demonstrates its physical impossibility. "Houdini couldn't have done this better," he notes of the bullet that supposedly changed direction multiple times while causing seven wounds between two men. Even more disturbing is his compelling case that Lee Harvey Oswald never fired a shot, but was instead set up as a "patsy" who was conveniently silenced before trial.Perhaps most chilling is the fate of Kennedy's brain and other crucial evidence that mysteriously disappeared, likely dropped into the North Atlantic inside the bronze casket on Robert Kennedy's orders—a final act of protection by a brother determined to preserve JFK's legacy.Stanley connects the assassination to Kennedy's peace initiatives that threatened the military-industrial complex, including his American University speech that Khrushchev had printed in Pravda and the subsequent nuclear test ban treaty. These represented a dramatic shift in Cold War relations that ended abruptly with his death.Ready to dive deeper into history's greatest mysteries? Subscribe now and join us for our next presidential exploration.

NPR, Mayor Frm Legislator, Councilman, U.S. Presidential Appointee, AmbassadorFord got his start in politics working for U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign, and he later worked for the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service.A native of the great State of Alabama, Johnny Lawrence Ford grew up in Tuskegee, the home of Tuskegee University, “the Pride of the Swift-Growing South,” also the home of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. He graduated from Tuskegee Institute High School and received his B.A. degree in history and sociology from Knoxville College, Knoxville, Tennessee, and a Masters of Public Administration from Auburn University at Montgomery. He also received 5 honorary degrees including The Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Alabama A & M University in 2004.Elected as the 1st African-American Mayor of the City of Tuskegee in 1972, Mayor Ford served six consecutive terms from 1972 – 1996 and was again elected to that office in September, 2004 and 2012. In 1998, he was elected Representative from District 82 to the State Legislature, where he served on the County and Municipal Government Committee, the Lee County Legislation Committee, the Health Committee, and the Tourism and Travel Committee. The Honorable Ford retained his legislative position until his return to office as mayor of Tuskegee.As Founder of the World Conference of Mayors, Inc., The Honorable Ford also serves as Secretary General. He is a Founder and President-Emeritus of the National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc., and a former member of the Alabama Foreign Trade Commission and the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority. While Mayor, Banjul, The Gambia was designated as the Tuskegee Sister City; therefore, he has worked closely with the country, The Gambia, for many years. Furthermore, he has served as Co-Chairman of the National Policy Alliance, which is an arm of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The National Policy Alliance Center for Political and Economic Studies is comprised of The National Bar Association, The Congressional Black Caucus, The World Conference of Mayors, The National Conference of Black Mayors, The National Association of Black County Officials, The National Black Caucus of School Board Members, Blacks in Government, The National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, as well as the Joint Center For Political and Economic Development.The Honorable Ford has served as a former U.S. Presidential Appointee to the National Advisory Committee on Federalism, and the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee on Trade. He is a past President of the Alabama League of Municipalities, and the first African-American in Alabama History to be elected to this statewide position.He is married to the Honorable Judge Joyce London Alexander, Retired, Former Chief U. S. Magistrate Judge, of the District of Massachusetts. She was the First Female Chief United States Magistrate Judge in the USA. She is Past Chair of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association, and of the Board of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.He is also the proud father of three adult children…John, Christopher, and Tiffany…The Honorable Ford has four grandchildren. The Fords have a second home on Garden Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.© 2025 Building Abundant Success!!2025 All Rights ReservedJoin Me on ~ iHeart Media @ https://tinyurl.com/iHeartBASSpot Me on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yxuy23baAmazon Music ~ https://tinyurl.com/AmzBASAudacy:  https://tinyurl.com/BASAud

 בעוד חיסוני ה-mRNA הבטיחו להציל מיליוני חיים - מקורונה ועד סרטן - החלטת שר הבריאות של ארה״ב רוברט קנדי ג׳וניור להפסיק את המימון למחקר ופיתוחם היא מהלך אסוני שיטלטל את עתיד הרפואה. חיסוני mRNA, שזיכו את מפתחיהם בפרס נובל, כבר הוכיחו את עצמם ככלי אפקטיבי במאבק במחלות זיהומיות, וכעת גם כפתרון פוטנציאלי למחלות קשות כמו איידס, מלריה, מחלות אוטואימוניות ואף סוגי סרטן שונים. בפרק זה, דניאל אדר מפרק את ההשלכות הקשות של ההחלטה – מהפגיעה במוכנות למגפה הבאה, דרך אובדן פרויקטים פורצי דרך, ועד ההשלכות על חזרת מחלות שנחשבו “מוכחדות” כמו חצבת ופוליו - כפי שכבר קורה. נשמע על נתוני התפרצויות עדכניים, נבין את ההשפעות של ירידה בהתחסנות, ונראה כיצד שקרי קונספירציות הזויות ואינטרסים פוליטיים מבישים דוחקים הצידה את המדע ומסכנים את כולנו.  

Unnatural celebrity deaths and unnaturally celebrated murders pockmark the history of Los Angeles, looming as large in the public imagination as the Hollywood stars themselves. Death in Paradise is the first authorized history of the Los Angeles Coroner's Office, revisiting the most culturally significant and forensically complex cases of accidental death, suicide or murder of the famous. It documents the notorious deaths of Senator Robert Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, Sharon Tate, Janis Joplin and many others, providing an unflinching view of Tinseltown's dark, even perverse underbelly.Brad Schreiber, who wrote the original hardcover for book packager Tony Blanche, has updated many of the fascinating cases in Death in Paradise and added new photographs for this e-book edition. Schreiber, who created the truTV series North Mission Road inspired by this book, also presents some of the lesser-known but most puzzling deaths in the history of Hollywood. Did 1930s comedy film star Thelma Todd accidentally die of carbon monoxide poisoning in her own garage, commit suicide or was she killed by the jealous lover who locked her out of her own house? Death in Paradise highlights the bizarre as well as the renowned. There's the story of a funhouse dummy that got broken during a TV show filming, only to reveal the mummy of a Wild West gunslinger underneath. Or how about the murderer of a woman who was caught, based upon the ingredients in the exotic cocktail found in his victim's stomach?In addition to these mind-bending investigations, Death in Paradise summarizes the surprising origins of early historical medical examiners, the development of forensic science and, of course, the rise of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, the most technologically advanced in the world…and the only one with its own gift shop. https://amzn.to/4mcilYBBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

About this episode: The Department of Health and Human Services has cancelled nearly $500 million in funding for the development of mRNA vaccines, including for vaccines against potential new pandemic threats. In this episode: Professor Bill Moss delves into the misinformation surrounding mRNA vaccines, explains their potential to treat diseases like cancer and HIV, and warns of the national security threats posed by cuts to development. Guest: Dr. Bill Moss, MPH, is an infectious disease specialist and the executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs. Show links and related content: Johns Hopkins expert speaks on ripple effect of federal cuts to mRNA vaccine contracts—WBAL-TV 11 How Cuts to mRNA Vaccine Development Will Set the U.S. Back—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health What to know about mRNA vaccines as Trump admin pulls funding—Axios For mRNA Vaccines, COVID-19 Is Just the Beginning—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @‌PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Instagram @‌JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @‌PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.

Envíanos un mensaje!En este episodio he decidido abordar un tema un poco más liviano de lo habitual, pero igual de fascinante que los que normalmente exploramos en este podcast. A finales de la década de los 60 y principios de los 70, llegó a Puerto Rico un fenómeno influenciado por el movimiento de contracultura que surgió en los Estados Unidos durante esa época. La Guerra de Vietnam, junto con los asesinatos de figuras como John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy y Martin Luther King Jr., provocaron una transformación social y cultural que se extendió por todo el mundo. Dentro de este contexto, surgió un grupo identificado como los “hippies”, y en Puerto Rico comenzaron a formarse varias comunas juveniles inspiradas en esa corriente.Fuentes de información y documentos adicionales disponibles en Patreon.Background Music: CO.AG MusicEnd Credits Song: Entre tu amor y mi amorSi estás buscando un cambio de carrera o escalar al próximo nivel gerencial o ejecutivo, un buen resumé y buen perfil para LinkedIn será crucial. Los servicios de Career Branding son personalizados y conllevan una reunión telefónica para discutir la experiencia e identificar información que añada valor. Todo de manera confidencial. También trabajan resumés para el gobierno federal.  Comunícate con Career Branding al 787.300.7777 para más detalles o visita www.resumeprofesional.com.Este episodio también es traído a ustedes por Jabonera Don Gato. Los jabones Don Gato son hechos a mano, sin químicos dañinos ni detergentes. Elaborados con aceites naturales, esenciales y aromáticos, seguros para la piel. Pruébalos y siente la diferencia. Visítalos en jaboneradongato.com y utiliza el código "Crimepod" para obtener un 10% de descuento en tu compra.Puedes llamar a Fernando Fernández Investigador Privado y Forense con más de 17 años de experiencia a nivel local e internacional al 787-276-5619 o visítalo en: Fernando Fernandez PIEste episodio es traído a ustedes por Libros787.com. Ordena tus libros favoritos escritos por autores puertorriqueños desde la comodidad de tu casa. Utiliza el código promocional: CRIMEPODPR para que recibas envío gratuito en tu primera compra. Envíos a todas partes de Puerto Rico y Estados Unidos.Career Branding, Don Gato, FF & 787Support the show

Rich breaks down the Texas redistricting uproar and the mass exodus of House Democrats with former Army Officer and Border Patrol Agent Ammon Blair. Then, Dr. Peter McCullough joins to examine vaccine risks and effectiveness, revisiting COVID-era mandates and Robert Kennedy's vaccine agenda. Finally, political commentator Brandon Brice sounds off on the Democratic Party's leadership crisis and what it means for the 2024 race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America Out Loud PULSE with Dr. Vaughn & Dr. Tankersley – Let's compare the perpetual time warp that individuals like Dr. Peter Hotez are stuck in versus that of our Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and FDA Director, Dr. Marty Makary. We begin with a radio interview where Dr. Hotez gave a ludicrous response to a caller...

America Out Loud PULSE with Dr. Vaughn & Dr. Tankersley – Let's compare the perpetual time warp that individuals like Dr. Peter Hotez are stuck in versus that of our Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and FDA Director, Dr. Marty Makary. We begin with a radio interview where Dr. Hotez gave a ludicrous response to a caller...

This is Part 15 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. It's also the final episode of the Bobby Baker series and the final episode on Don Reynolds. It's a deeper dive into Reynolds and includes the insightful thoughts brought to us by his nephew Bob Nelson who wrote a book entitled LBJ's Mortal Wound: The Don Reynolds Story.  This mini-series is part of a larger series covering Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle. All of these men were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President. The story is extraordinary.  Once these and other scandals were  revealed during investigation by the Senate Rule and Administration committee's investigation and the work of senator John Williams,  the scandal threatened to take the Vice President down politically. Perhaps, if the tragic events of November 22nd had not occurred, these events might have sent Johnson to jail as other indiscretions were also being investigated. Rumors of Johnson's involvement in the assassination began to swirl almost immediately after the President's  murder and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. 

Rose Kennedy (geboren am 22.7.1890) begründet eine mächtige Politikerfamilie. Die Mutter von "JFK" muss Schicksalsschläge verkraften - und lange ein Geheimnis hüten. Von Kolja Sand.

This is Part 14 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. We are nearing the end (finally) of the tale  of Bobby Baker and the story of the Carousel motel is most appropriate. It was his dream to build and operate  this coastal travel experience and yet it turned out to be a financial anchor that materially contributed to his personal and political  demise. He would commit fraud along the way to obtain financing for the hotel in a desperate moment after his partners passing and the devastating impact of a coastal storm. And he would misappropriate government resources to put on the  gala grand opening party for the Carousel. One thing after another that seemed small at the time and then magnified under the microscope of the overall Senate Rules and Administration Committee investigation of Bobby Baker. The mysterious death of his business partner also adds to the intrigue of this story. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle. All of these men were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President. The story is extraordinary.  Once these and other scandals were  revealed during investigation by the Senate Rule and Administration committee's investigation and the work of senator John Williams,  the scandal threatened to take the Vice President down politically. Perhaps, if the tragic events of November 22nd had not occurred, these events might have sent Johnson to jail as other indiscretions were also being investigated. Rumors of Johnson's involvement in the assassination began to swirl almost immediately after the President's  murder and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series.

Last Resort Beyond Last Resort: The JFK Assassination, The Need to Protect West Berlin, and Why a Second Invasion of Cuba Never HappenedJohn F. Kennedy was an embattled president. He was consistently at odds with the Joint Chiefs, the CIA, the radical-right, and Fascist groups in America and Western Europe, who considered him too weak to contain the spread of communism. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, the animosity for the young President grew as JFK cracked down on right-wing Cuban exile groups in America by preventing them from running sabotage raids against the Cuban mainland. Confusion reigned, for at the same time, Robert Kennedy was putting together a coalition of left-wing Cuban exiles to launch a second invasion of Cuba at the end of 1963. Meanwhile, a right-wing Cuban exile group operating independently of the Kennedys was looking to assassinate JFK, which they believed would be a catalyst to compel the United States to invade Cuba with its military in retaliation. The plan could have worked because of Lee Harvey Oswald. He was a Marxist and Castro supporter who had defected to the Soviet Union in 1959, had renounced his citizenship, and had revealed military secrets to the Russians. He allegedly tried to shoot right-wing General Edwin Walker, was a member of the pro-Castro Fair Play for Cuba Committee, and in the summer of 1963, he was arrested in New Orleans for handing out pro-Castro literature in public. He traveled to Mexico City and tried to reach Havana two months before the JFK assassination. He wrote a letter to the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C. upon his return, saying he used an alias while he was in Mexico. He was measured as 5'-9" tall during his autopsy, which was two inches shorter than when he left the Marines four years before. All this made him the perfect patsy to be used to justify a second invasion of Cuba. So, why didn't the United States invade Cuba after the JFK assassination when they had the opportunity to do so once and for all? The answer to that question is West Berlin, the gateway to Western Europe and a city President Kennedy was determined to protect at all costs, even if it meant sacrificing Cuba to the Communists. And a second invasion of Cuba placed Berlin in jeopardy, so it could not be allowed to happen. Another group came together in the spring of 1963, made up of CIA right-wing Cold War veterans like Allen Dulles, James Angleton, Henry Hecksher, William Harvey, and Tracy Barnes. These men had fought the Nazis during World War but came to consider them the lesser of two evils compared to the Soviet Union when the war was over. And they were hell-bent on keeping communism out of Europe by any means possible. For over a decade leading up to JFK's Presidency, they had collaborated with ex-Nazis, European Monarchists, and French military Fascists in the war against communism to keep Europe safe. So, it was not surprising that they all came together once again to assassinate President Kennedy – not to justify an invasion of Cuba but to prevent that from occurring. They knew that if a second invasion of Cuba were to happen, the Soviets would take West Berlin, which would almost certainly have led to World War III. So, as a Last Resort Beyond Last Resort, this group inevitably concluded that the only choice they had was to remove JFK from power before it was too late. And mixed up in the middle of it all was Lee Harvey Oswald.https://amzn.to/452QKmkBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.

This is Part 13 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. Today we continue  to tell the story of Don Reynolds, the Maryland insurance broker who who made Bobby Baker a nominal partner in his insurance agency and engaged in other business with Baker. Today, we tell the story of the performance bond related to the D.C. stadium build, with Baker's portion of the commissions  disguised and paid in the form of a loan to avoid questions surrounding his conflict of interest in the commission split. Baker  would receive $4,000 from Reynolds commissions which totaled   around $10,000.   Baker's decision  to have the receipt of his  portion of the commissions take the form of  a loan from Reynolds to Baker, was an attempt at  further obscuring the nature of the payment and also turning it into a  a scheme to avoid income taxes on the receipt. In its ugliest vernacular, it was simply a kickback that Baker received related to the commissions on the performance bond insurance premium. The story gets more complicated as Reynolds agrees to overbill on the insurance bond and collect an additional $35,000 over the original price of the bond, disguising what turned out to be an illegal campaign contribution to the Democratic party.  $25,000 of that amount was allegedly  intended to be delivered to the Kennedy Johnson campaign fund but was never proven to have arrived there. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle. All of these men were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President. The story is extraordinary. We began the story of Don Reynolds in Episode 11 whereby Reynolds crafts an arrangement whereby Baker became a nominal VP of his insurance agency (with a non-voting stock interest) in exchange for Baker's help in expanding  sales and profits. Commission payments for referrals were also a part of the deal.  Reynolds would become friends with Baker and travel on lavish junkets to New York and Miami, living the high life all while cultivating clients made available through Baker's contacts. His tight relationship would lead him to be a bagman too for Baker.  Once these and other scandals were  revealed during investigation by the Senate Rule and Administration committee's investigation and the work of senator John Williams,  the scandal threatened to take the Vice President down politically. Perhaps, if the tragic events of November 22nd had not occurred, these events might have sent Johnson to jail as other indiscretions were also being investigated. Reynolds testimony regarding the stereo and the television advertising kick backed to Johnson  were taking place in closed session at a senate office building literally at the moment that the shots rang out in Dealey Plaza.  Informed of the president's assassination as the meeting was finishing up, Reynolds shook with the gravity of the situation and the fact that the man he had just accused of engaging in graph...Lyndon Johnson, had just become the most powerful man in the world.  Rumors of Johnson's involvement in the assassination began to swirl almost immediately after the President's  murder and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series.

Sometime ago I had the pleasure to have as a guest a gentleman named Rob Wentz. Rob appeared in episode 212 on March 8, 2024. Recently Rob introduced me to a man he described as amazing and definitely unstoppable. That introduction led to me having the opportunity to have today, Ken Kunken, the man Rob introduced me to. Ken's story is atypical to most. He had a pretty normal childhood until he went to Cornell. Rob was pretty short, but he loved all things sports and active. In his junior year he participated in a lightweight football game against Columbia University. On a kickoff he tackled an opponent but broke his neck in the process. Immediately he became a quadriplegic from the shoulders down. As he tells us, his days of physical activity and sports came to an abrupt end.   I asked Ken how he dealt with his injury. As he tells me, his family rallied around him and told him they were all there to help with whatever he needed to continue in school and to move on with his life. They were true to their word and Ken did continue to attend school after nine months of hospitalization. He secured a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering. He went on to get a Master's degree from Cornell in Industrial Engineering and then a second Master's degree this time from Columbia University in Psychology as he decided he really wanted to “help people especially those with serious disabilities” rather than continuing in the Civil Engineering arena. Ken then secured a job that led to him becoming a successful rehabilitation counselor in New York.   Ken wasn't done growing nor exploring. After two years working in the rehabilitation field through circumstances and advice from others, he went to Hofstra school of law where he obtained a Juris Doctor degree in 1982. He then went to work in the office of a district attorney where, over 40 years he progressed and grew in stature and rank.   Ken tells us how his life changed over time and through the many jobs and opportunities he decided to take. Twenty-two years ago, he married Anna. They ended up having triplet boys who now all are in school at the age of Twenty.   Ken is as unstoppable as it gets. He refused to back down from challenges. He is now retired and loving the opportunity to be with his family and help others by telling his story.     About the Guest:   In 1970, while a junior in Cornell University's College of Engineering, Ken Kunken broke his neck making a tackle on a kick-off in a lightweight football game against Columbia University. Ken sustained a spinal cord injury at the C 4-5 level, rendering him a quadriplegic, almost totally paralyzed from the shoulders down. Ken spent more than 9 months in various hospitals and rehabilitation facilities. While still a patient, Ken testified before a United States Senate Sub-Committee on Health Care, chaired by Senator Edward Kennedy. In 1971, almost 20 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Ken returned to the Cornell campus, where he completed his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering. Ken estimates that he had to be pulled up or bounced down close to 100 steps just to attend his first day of classes.   Ken is the first quadriplegic to graduate from Cornell University. Upon graduation, Ken decided to change his career goal. He wanted to work with and help people, particularly those with disabilities. Ken went on to earn a Master of Arts degree at Cornell in education and a Master of Education degree at Columbia University in psychology. Ken is the first quadriplegic to earn a graduate degree from Cornell University. In 1977, Ken was hired by Abilities Inc. in Albertson, NY to be its College Work Orientation Program Coordinator. Ken coordinated a program which provided educationally related work experiences for severely disabled college students. He also maintained a vocational counseling caseload of more than 20 severely disabled individuals.   While working at the Center, Ken became a nationally certified rehabilitation counselor and made numerous public presentations on non-discrimination, affirmative action and employment of the disabled. In 1977, Ken was named the Long Island Rehabilitation Associations “Rehabilitant of the Year” and in 1979 Ken was the subject of one of the Reverend Norman Vincent Peale's nationally syndicated radio broadcasts “The American Character”. Wanting to accomplish still more, Ken enrolled in Hofstra University's School of Law, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1982. Ken then went to work as an assistant district attorney in Nassau County, Long Island.   Ken was promoted a number of times during his more than 40 years with the District Attorney's Office, eventually becoming one of the Deputy Bureau Chiefs of the County Court Trial Bureau, where he helped supervise more than 20 other assistant district attorneys. In addition, over his years working in the Office, Ken supervised more than 50 student interns.   In 1996 Ken received the Honorable Thomas E. Ryan, Jr. Award presented by the Court Officers Benevolent Association of Nassau County for outstanding and dedicated service as an Assistant District Attorney. In 1999, Ken was awarded the George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service Award presented by the Hofstra Alumni Association, Inc. Beginning in 2005, for nine consecutive years, “The Ken Kunken Most Valuable Player Award” was presented annually by The Adirondack Trust Allegiance Bowl in Saratoga Springs, NY, in recognition of Ken's personal accomplishments, contributions to society and extraordinary courage.   In 2009, Ken became a member of the Board of Directors of Abilities Inc., and in 2017 he became a member of the Board of Directors for the parent company of Abilities Inc., the Viscardi Center.   In 2020, Ken was inducted into “The Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame,” as a member of the class of 2019.   In December 2023, “The Kenneth J. Kunken Award” was presented by the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, for the first time, to an outstanding Nassau County Assistant District Attorney who personifies Ken's unique spirit and love of trial work, as well as his commitment and dedication, loyalty to his colleagues and his devotion to doing justice. The Award will be presented annually.   In March 2024, Ken was named one of the Long Island Business News Influencers in Law. Ken retired from full-time employment in 2016, but continued to work with the District Attorney's Office for the next eight years in a part time capacity, providing continuing legal education lectures and litigation guidance.   For years, Ken has tried to inspire people to do more with their lives. In October 2023, Ken's memoir “I Dream of Things That Never Were: The Ken Kunken Story” was published. In 2003 Ken married Anna and in 2005 they became the proud parents of triplet boys: Joey, Jimmy and Timmy. On June 23, 2023 the triplets graduated from Oceanside High School, fifty-five years after Ken had graduated from the same school. Ways to connect with Ken:   https://www.facebook.com/ken.kunken https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566473121422 https://www.instagram.com/ken.kunken/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-j-kunken-b4b0a9a8/ https://www.youtube.com/@Ken.Kunken https://bsky.app/profile/kenkunken.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 ** 01:20 Well, hello once again, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. I am your host, Michael hingson, and today we have a fascinating guest, I believe. Anyway, his name is Ken. Kuan, kunken. Am I pronouncing that right? Yes, you are. Oh, good. And Ken, in 1970 underwent a problem when he was playing football and doing a tackle on a kickoff. Namely, he broke his neck and became a quadriplegic, basically from the shoulders down. I'm sort of familiar with the concept, because my wife, from birth was in a wheelchair. She was a paraplegic, paralyzed from the t3 vertebrae down, which was like right below the breast, so she was able to transfer and so on. So not quite the same, but a lot of the same issues, of course, and we're going to talk about that basically, because when you're in a wheelchair, like a lot of other kinds of disabilities, society doesn't tend to do all they should to accommodate. And I can, can make that case very well. Most people are light dependent, and we have provided reasonable accommodations for them by providing light bulbs and light on demand wherever they go, wherever they are, whatever they do, while at the same time for people who are blind, we don't get the same degree of access without pushing a lot harder. And people in wheelchairs, of course, have all sorts of physical issues as well, such as stairs and no ramps and other things like that. And I know that Ken's going to talk some about that from university days and my wife Karen face some of the same things. But anyway, we'll get to it all. Ken, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. And I think your wife, Anna is visiting with us also, right, right? Thank you. Michael, so Anna, welcome as well. Thank you so Ken. Why don't we start if we could by you telling us sort of about the early Ken, growing up and all that from being a child, and tell us a little bit about you.   Ken Kunken ** 03:40 Okay, well, if you're going back to my childhood area, Yeah, it sure is. It's quite a while ago, but I was born in 1950 and that happened to be in the midst of the polio epidemic, and unfortunately, my mother contracted polio and died when I was less than one month old. So I have an older brother, Steve, who's two years older than me, and my father brother and I ended up moving in with my grandparents for a few years before my father remarried when I was four years old. A long shot. But what's your birth date? Right? My birth date is July 15, 1950 on   Michael Hingson ** 04:23 February 24 1950 So, okay, was was just kind of hoping there was the possibility, right? Anyway, go ahead.   Ken Kunken ** 04:30 So, um, during my father's second marriage, that's when my sister Merrill was born. She's 10 years younger than I am, but unfortunately, that was not a happy marriage, and it ended in a divorce. And when I was 18, my father married for the third time. So you know, growing up in a household with a number of individuals seemingly coming and going was a little different than most people's   Michael Hingson ** 04:57 households when they were growing up. How. Was that for you?   Ken Kunken ** 05:01 Well, you know, it was nice in the sense that I got involved with a lot of different family members in my extended family. I'm very close, growing up with my grandparents, with aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as my sister and brother. And you know, I had the opportunity to interact with a lot of different people. It was difficult during my father's second marriage, because it was not a happy marriage, and, you know, it worked out in everybody's best interest when that ended in divorce. But I look back at my childhood, and I just basically call it as a very happy childhood?   Michael Hingson ** 05:42 Oh, good. Well, so no real major traumas, certainly differences, but no real harrowing kinds of things that just threw you into a complete topsy turvy at least as far as you're concerned, right? Yeah. Well, then you decided to go to Cornell, as I recall, and I know Cornell has a, I think it's a master's program, but an advanced program in hospitality. So did they feed you well at Cornell?   Ken Kunken ** 06:13 Yes, they had a very good system and fed us very well. And they have a program in hotel management, right, which I was not involved in, but there was a lot of good food at Cornell when we were there.   Michael Hingson ** 06:28 Well, that's that's always important, you know, you got to have good food at UC Irvine. We were okay. Food wise. I was on the food committee for the dorms, actually, and the food was all right, but when they had steak night that they always made a big deal about the steak was usually pretty tough, and so we we had sometimes that the food wasn't great, but they had a great soft serve ice cream machine, so lot of people took advantage of that. But anyway, so when you were at Cornell, you played football,   Ken Kunken ** 07:01 right? I was on their lightweight football team. It's for people that were smaller than the heavyweight team. When I was playing, you had to weigh 154 pounds or less two days before the game. So most of the people had played on their high school teams was too small to play on the varsity college team, but it was a varsity sport. Most of the people were very good athletes and very fast, and it was very competitive sport.   Michael Hingson ** 07:35 So tell us about that and what happened.   Ken Kunken ** 07:38 Well, during my junior year, I was injured making a tackle on a kickoff in a game against Columbia University, and when I tackled the ball carrier, I broke my neck and damaged my spinal cord, and as a result, I'm a quadriplegic. I'm almost totally paralyzed from the shoulders down,   Michael Hingson ** 08:01 and so, what kind of effect? Well, that clearly that that was pretty bad news and so on. So what kind of effect did that have on you, and how did that shape what you did going forward?   Ken Kunken ** 08:15 Oh, it totally changed my perspective on everything about myself. I mean, growing up, my life seemed to center around sports. In high school, I played on the varsity football team. I wrestled on the varsity wrestling team. I played on four different intramural softball teams. I worked on the summer as a lifeguard. Everything in my life revolved around athletics and being physically active. Now, suddenly, I couldn't be physically active at all. In fact, I am totally sedentary, sitting in a wheelchair, and I need assistance with all my activities of daily living now.   Michael Hingson ** 08:54 So what did you do when the injury happened and so on? So how did you deal with all of that?   Ken Kunken ** 09:01 Well, it was a really difficult adjustment to make. I mean, suddenly I became dependent on everybody around me, because there was not one thing I could do for myself. So it was very difficult knowing that now not only was I dependent on others, but I had to be more outgoing to be able to have asked for help when I needed it, which was difficult for me, because I had always considered myself a bit of shy person, a bit of an introvert, and now I needed to be more vocal with respect to all of my needs. So I swear, go ahead. Well, I spent the next nine months and 20 days in various hospitals and rehabilitation centers, and it was really, really difficult getting used to my new physical condition.   Michael Hingson ** 09:52 But at the same time, you could have taken the position that you just hated yourself and you just wanted to I. Make life end and so on. And it doesn't sound like that was the approach that you took.   Ken Kunken ** 10:04 Mike, I was so fortunate that I had a very supportive family who were with me and helped me every step of the way. In fact, they basically assured me that they would act as my arms and legs to make sure I could still do everything I wanted to do in my life   Michael Hingson ** 10:22 doesn't get much better than that, having a real supportive village, if you will.   Ken Kunken ** 10:27 Right? I was so fortunate, and you know, I think that helped me be able to do many things in my life that most people thought would not be possible for someone in my condition, and I was able to do it because of the help I received from my family.   Michael Hingson ** 10:44 So what did you major in at Cornell? Let's say, before the injury.   Ken Kunken ** 10:50 I before my injury, I was majoring in industrial engineering, okay? And you know, after my injury, I went back to school and continued my studies in industrial engineering and actually obtained my degree, a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering.   Michael Hingson ** 11:08 Now, what primarily is industrial engineering?   Ken Kunken ** 11:12 Well, you know, it's kind of a technical aspect of dealing with men, material, machines, and, you know, most likely working at a business where there are a lot of different people working there, where you would try and find out what the best way of people to operate, whether it be in a factory or just in a large business setting, when you're dealing with technical aspects of the job. But I never actually worked as an engineer, because, following my degree, based on the recommendation of one of my psychology professors, I stayed at Cornell and pursued a career in counseling. And I find that a lot more suitable to not only my physical condition, but what I really wanted to do. Because, following my injury, I knew that what I really wanted to do was to devote my life and career to helping others.   Michael Hingson ** 12:08 So you very well could have made the same switch and made the same choices, even if you hadn't undergone the accident,   Ken Kunken ** 12:17 absolutely and hopefully, I would have, because I found it a lot more enjoyable, and I believe it taught me a lot about dealing with people, and it made me feel very good about myself to know that I was still in a position, despite my disability, where I could help others.   Michael Hingson ** 12:40 So you stayed at Cornell and got that master's degree in counseling, which, which really gave you that opportunity. What did you do after that?   Ken Kunken ** 12:50 Well, to increase my counseling credentials, I then went to Columbia University, where I obtained my second degree. This one was also in counseling. That degree was in psychological counseling and rehabilitation, and I decided to look for a job in the rehabilitation counseling field. And now that I had two degrees from Cornell and one from Columbia, three prestigious Ivy League degrees, two master's degrees, I didn't think I'd have much difficulty securing employment, but to my dismay, no one would hire me. This was in the mid 70s, and everyone seemed to feel I was just too disabled to work.   Michael Hingson ** 13:32 Now, why did you go to Columbia to get your second degree, your masters in rehabilitation,   Ken Kunken ** 13:39 you know? And incidentally, it that was the school I actually was injured against during the football   Michael Hingson ** 13:44 I know that's why I asked the enemy, right?   Ken Kunken ** 13:47 Yeah, but I actually applied there for my doctorate, doctorate in counseling psychology. And initially I didn't get into that program, but they invited me to participate in their master's program, and said that they would reconsider my application when I finished that degree. Now, I thought that was a special letter that I got from them because of my injury, and I thought they just wanted to see me that I could do graduate work. As it turned out, virtually everybody that applied for that program got a similar letter, and when I first met with my advisor there at Columbia, he said, you know, if you didn't get in the first time, you're probably not going to get in even when you graduate. So since I had nothing else to do at that point, I enrolled in the master's program, and I completed my second master's degree. And you know, at the time, even my advisor was pessimistic about my work prospects, wow, just because of my ability, because of my disability, and despite. Fact that here they were training people to be rehabilitation counselors and encouraging people to go into that field, they felt that due to my disability, I would still have a very difficult time gaining employment,   Michael Hingson ** 15:14 which is as ironic as it gets,   Ken Kunken ** 15:17 absolutely, absolutely and I was just very fortunate that there was a facility on Long Island called abilities Incorporated, which was part of what was then called the Human Resources Center. Is now called the Viscardi Center, after its founder, Dr Henry Viscardi, Jr, and they hired me to work as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for other individuals who had severe disabilities.   Michael Hingson ** 15:46 I'm a little bit familiar with the buscardi Center, and have found them to be very open minded in the way they operate.   Ken Kunken ** 15:54 They were terrific, absolutely terrific. And I was so fortunate to get involved with them, to be hired, to work for them, and, you know, to be associated with all the fine work they were doing it on behalf of helping other individuals with disabilities.   Michael Hingson ** 16:13 So was it primarily paraplegics and quadriplegics and so on, or did they do blind people and other disabilities as well.   Ken Kunken ** 16:21 They did a lot of different disabilities, but they did not work with people that were visually impaired. For that in New York state, there was a special agency called the commission for the visually handicapped that helped people with visual impairments, but we dealt with all different types of disabilities, whether people were hearing impaired or had not just spinal cord injuries, but other disabilities, either from birth or disabilities that they developed through diseases. And as it turned out, I was probably one of the most severely disabled of the people that I dealt with.   Michael Hingson ** 17:02 Well, but you were also, by any definition, a good role model.   Ken Kunken ** 17:06 Well, I was fortunate that I was able to help a lot of different people, and I felt that when they looked at me and saw that I was able to work despite my disability, I know it encouraged them to do their best to go out and get a job themselves.   Michael Hingson ** 17:24 And of course, it really ultimately comes down to attitude. And for you, having a positive attitude had to really help a great deal.   Ken Kunken ** 17:34 I think it made all the difference in the world. And I was very fortunate that it was my family that instilled that positive attitude in me, and they gave me so much help that after a while, I thought I'd be letting them down if I didn't do everything I could do to make something out of my life.   Michael Hingson ** 17:53 So what did you do? Well, not only   Ken Kunken ** 17:57 did I go back to school and complete my education, but I went to work and, you know, got up early every day, and with the aid of a personal care attendant, I was able to go to work and function as a vocational counselor and help others in trying to achieve their goals.   Michael Hingson ** 18:17 Now, were you going to school while you were doing some of this?   Ken Kunken ** 18:20 No, I finished my second okay, and now was able to work full time.   Michael Hingson ** 18:27 Okay, so you did that, and how long did you work there?   Ken Kunken ** 18:32 Well, I worked there for a little over two years, and you know, my duties and responsibilities kept expanding while I was there, and one of my duties was to speak at conferences before groups and organizations concerning affirmative action and non discrimination for people with disabilities. And often after my talks, I would be asked questions, and while I would do my best to respond appropriately, I was always careful to caution the question is that they should really consult with a lawyer about their concerns. And I guess it didn't take long before I started to think, you know, there's no reason why I couldn't become that lawyer. So after a little over two years, I decided to leave the job, and I went to Hofstra University School of Law.   Michael Hingson ** 19:20 So now what? What year was this?   Ken Kunken ** 19:24 I left the job. I started the job in 77 I left in 79 when I started law school.   Michael Hingson ** 19:32 Okay, so you went to Hofstra,   Ken Kunken ** 19:35 right? And while I was at Hofstra through my brother's suggestion. My brother was working as a public defender at the time, he suggested I do an internship at the district attorney's office. So after my second year of law school, I did an internship there during the summer, and I found a new way. I could help people and serve the community as a whole, and I really enjoyed that work. So when I was in my third year of law school, I applied for a full time position with the district attorney's office, and I was very fortunate that the district attorney was a very progressive, self confident individual who based his hiring decision on my abilities rather than my disability.   Michael Hingson ** 20:27 Wow, that had to be, especially back then, a fairly, as you said, progressive, but an amazing thing to do, because even today, there are so many times that we get challenges and too many things thrown in our way, but you had someone who really thought enough of you and obviously decided that your abilities were such on the job that you could do   Ken Kunken ** 20:51 it. I was very fortunate to have come in contact with the district attorney at the time. His name was Dennis Dillon, and he seemed to know that when I'd go to court, a jury was not going to base its verdict on my inability to walk, but rather on my skill and competence as an attorney. And thanks to the training and guidance I received in the office, I became a very confident and competent, skilled trial attorney   Michael Hingson ** 21:22 well, and it had to be the way you projected yourself that would convince a jury to decide cases in the right way. So again, kudos to you.   Ken Kunken ** 21:33 Thank you. Well, I certainly did my best to do that, and at the time that I applied for this job, I didn't know of any quadriplegics that were trial attorneys. May have been some, but I didn't know of any. Certainly there were none on Long Island, and certainly no assistant district attorneys at the time that I knew of who were quadriplegics.   Michael Hingson ** 21:59 Now, of course, the question that comes to mind is, so was the office accessible?   Ken Kunken ** 22:05 No question. And you know, let me just go further by telling you that my first day in court, I couldn't even fit through the swinging doorways in the courtroom. They were too narrow to let me get through to get to the prosecutor's table, because my electric wheelchair was too wide.   Michael Hingson ** 22:24 What did you do? Or what happened?   Ken Kunken ** 22:27 Well, eventually they had to take off the swinging doorways and the screws and bolts that kept them in place, but usually I had to go very roundabout on a long way to get to the back of each courtroom and go through the back, which was really difficult. And one of my assignments happened to be to our traffic court Bureau, which was in a neighboring building on the second floor, and unfortunately, there the elevator was broken. So after three days, I was actually received my first promotion, because they didn't know when it would be fixed. But eventually I was able to get into court, and I did a lot of litigation while I was   Michael Hingson ** 23:10 there. How did judges react to all of this?   Ken Kunken ** 23:15 You know, it was very new to them as well. And you know, there are times when you needed to approach the bench and talk very quietly, you know, to so the jury wouldn't hear you, and it was very difficult, because benches are elevated, yeah. And I had difficulty approaching the bench or even turning my head side enough to look up at the judges and then for them to hear me. And sometimes they would have to get off the bench, and, you know, meet me on the side of the courtroom to have conferences and but for the most part, I thought they were very supportive. I thought they appreciated the hard work that I was doing, and I think they tried to be accommodating when they could.   Michael Hingson ** 23:58 Did you ever encounter any that just were totally intolerant of all of it,   Ken Kunken ** 24:02 sure, you know, many of them were very impatient. Some of them had difficulty hearing and when I was trying to look up and talk to them without the jury hearing, some of them had trouble hearing me because, you know, they were much higher up than I was in my wheelchair. So it was very challenging.   Michael Hingson ** 24:23 I was involved in a lawsuit against an airline because they wouldn't allow me and my guide dog to sit where we wanted to sit on the airplane, which was in direct violation of even the rules of the airline. And when it went to court, the judge who was assigned it was a federal judge, and he was like 80, and he just couldn't hear anything at all. It was, it was really too bad. And of course, my and my wife was was with me, and of course, in her chair, so she wasn't sitting in a regular row. And he even grilled her, what are you doing? Why aren't you sitting in a row? And she said, I'm in a wheelchair. Oh, yeah, it's amazing that hopefully we are we have progressed a little bit from a lot of that the last thing. So, yeah, the lawsuit was 1985 so it was a long time ago, and hopefully we have progressed some. But still, there are way too many people who don't get it, and who don't understand nearly as much as they should, and don't internalize that maybe we're not all the same, and we can't necessarily do everything exactly the same every single time,   Ken Kunken ** 25:35 right? And you know, I had the added misfortune of having my injury 20 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, and that made an enormous difference for not just people in wheelchairs, but people with all different types of disabilities.   Michael Hingson ** 25:53 So how did you, in general, learn to deal with people's perceptions of you, rather than the reality? Well, that is a lot. Yeah, there are lots of perceptions, right?   Ken Kunken ** 26:07 You know, many people think that because you have a physical disability, that you must also have an intellectual disability. And people would often come into my room and wherever I was, whether it was when I was first in the hospital or later at the office and speak to the person next to me and ask them questions about me, as if I couldn't speak for myself, yeah, even as if I wasn't even there. And it took a while for me to be more outgoing and convince people that, yes, they can deal with me. You know, I can still talk and think. And I think whenever a jury came into the courtroom for the first time, I think they were very surprised to see the prosecutor as somebody with a disability who was sitting in an electric wheelchair.   Michael Hingson ** 26:56 I know once we went to a restaurant, and of course, having a family with two people in two different disabilities, went to this restaurant, and we were waiting to be seated, and finally, Karen said the hostess is just staring at us. She doesn't know who to talk to, because I'm not making eye contact, necessarily. And Karen, sitting in her chair is way lower. And so Karen just said to me, Well, this lady doesn't know who to talk to. So I said, Well, maybe we can get her to just ask us what what we want and what help we need. Are carrying on the conversation. Got this, this nice lady to recognize. Oh, you know, I can talk with them. And so she said, Well, how can I help you? And we both kind of said we'd like to sit and have breakfast. Oh, okay, and it went well from there. But it is, it is a challenge, and people have crazy perceptions, I know, going down the stairs at the World Trade Center on September 11, when I encountered the firefighters coming up for a while, they blocked me from going because they decided that I needed help, and they would, they would ask me questions, like, we're going to help you. Is that okay? And I said, No, it's not. But they always talked loud, because if you're blind, you obviously can't hear either, right? And it was difficult to get them to deal with all of that. And finally, I had to just say, Look, I got my friend David over here, who can see we're working together. We're fine, and they let us go because I had a sighted person with me, not that I had the ability to go downstairs, even though I had to help keep David focused sometimes, and also, there's no magic for a blind person to go downstairs. You know, you go down the stairs, you hold the rail, you turn left there, in this case, and you go down the next batch of stairs. But people don't recognize that. Maybe there are techniques that we use to deal with the same things that they deal with, only in a different way.   Ken Kunken ** 29:03 Absolutely, and that applies to work as well. I mean, people assume that if you can't do a job the way most people seem to do it, who don't have a disability, they automatically assume you're not going to be able to function at all at the job. Yeah, and a lot of times, it takes a lot of convincing to show people that there are other ways of approaching a problem and handling a work situation.   Michael Hingson ** 29:27 One of the common things that we as blind people face, and it happens in schools and so on, is, Oh, you don't need to learn braille that's outmoded. You can listen to books that are computer generated or recorded and so on. And the reality is, no we need to learn braille for the same reason the sighted people learn to read print, and that is, it's all about learning to spell. It's learning about sentence structure and so on, and it's learning about having better ways to be able to truly enter. Interact with the text as I tell people, I don't care what anyone says, you will not learn physics as well from recordings as you can by truly having access to everything in a braille book, because you can refer back easier, and they've done some improvements in recording, but it's still not the same as what you get when you do Braille, which is the same thing for you reading print, or any other sighted person reading print. You read that print because there are various reasons why you need to do that, as opposed to learning how to just listen to books recorded anyway,   Ken Kunken ** 30:36 right? Well, I had the added misfortune of being injured well before they had laptop   Michael Hingson ** 30:41 computers. Yeah, me too. Well, I yeah, not. I wasn't injured, but yeah,   Ken Kunken ** 30:46 right. So trying to do my schoolwork or later work at a job, you know, it posed even more challenges. Now, of course, having ebooks and being able to use a computer, it's made a big difference, not just for me, but for many individuals.   Michael Hingson ** 31:04 Sure, do you use like programs like Dragon Naturally Speaking to interact with the computer?   Ken Kunken ** 31:10 You know, I tried that, and I had a lot of difficulty with it. I know you need to train it. And when I first tried it, which was in its infancy, it just wasn't responding well to my voice, so I don't use that. I've been fortunate with that with advancements in wheelchairs, my wheelchair now has a Bluetooth device connected to my joystick, and I could actually move my left arm a little bit where I could work the joystick and move the mouse on my computer, moving my joystick. You   Michael Hingson ** 31:45 really might want to look into dragon again. It is just so incredibly different than it was years ago. I remember when Dragon Dictate first came out, and all of the challenges of it, but they have done so much work in developing the language models that it's it's a whole lot better than it used to be, and, yeah, you have to train it. But training isn't all that hard nowadays, even by comparison to what it was, and it gives you a lot of flexibility. And I am absolutely certain it would recognize your voice without any difficulty?   Ken Kunken ** 32:22 Well, it's good to hear that they've made those advancements,   Michael Hingson ** 32:26 and it's not nearly as expensive as it used to be, either. Well, that's good   Ken Kunken ** 32:30 to hear. I know when I first tried it, it was incredibly frustrating, yeah, because it wasn't responding well to my voice, and   Michael Hingson ** 32:38 it was like $1,500 as I recall, it was pretty expensive right now, it's maybe two or $300 and there's also a legal version of it and other things like that. Yeah, you really ought to try it. You might find it makes a big difference. It's worth exploring Anyway, okay, but be that as it may, so you you dealt with people's perceptions, and how did you, as you continue to encounter how people behave towards you, how did you keep from allowing that to embitter you or driving you crazy?   Ken Kunken ** 33:15 Well, you know, certainly at work, I needed to go in a jacket and tie, and I found that when you're wearing a jacket and tie, many people treated you differently than when you're just wearing street clothes. So I think that certainly helped that work. But I later became a supervisor in the district attorney's office, and people saw that, you know, not only could they talk with me on an intellectual level, but they saw I was supervising other assistant district attorneys, and I think that convinced a lot of people pretty quickly that I knew what I was doing and that they should treat me no different than they would any other lawyer, Assistant District Attorney.   Michael Hingson ** 33:59 Yeah, well, and it is projecting that confidence in a in a positive way that does make such a big difference,   Ken Kunken ** 34:08 absolutely. And I think when people saw me at work, one of the things that I appreciated was I never even needed to mention again that somebody with a disability could work, and not just at an entry level position, that a very responsible position. I was convinced them, just by showing them, without ever having to mention that somebody with a disability could do this kind of work.   Michael Hingson ** 34:35 I never bring it up unless it comes up, and a lot of times, especially when talking on the phone and so on, it never comes up. I've had times when people eventually met me, and of course, were themselves, somewhat amazed. I'm a blind person and all that I said, nothing's changed here, folks. The reality is that the same guy I was when you were just talking to me on the phone. So let's move forward. Word. And mostly people got it and and dealt with it very well.   Ken Kunken ** 35:08 Well, I used to have a lot of people, when they meet me for the first time, were very surprised to see that I was in a wheelchair. I never would say, Boy, you didn't sound like you were disabled. Yeah, right. And I think they were very surprised when they met me.   Michael Hingson ** 35:23 I've had some people who've said that to me, Well, you didn't sound blind on the telephone. And so depending on how snarky I feel or not, I might say, Well, what does a blind person sound like? And that generally tends to stop them, because the reality is, what does a blind person sound like? It doesn't mean anything at all, and it's really their attitudes that need to change. And I know as a keynote speaker for the last 23 years, just by doing the things that I do, and talking and communicating with people, it is also all about helping to change attitudes, which is a lot of fun.   Ken Kunken ** 36:03 You know, Michael, when I first went back to college, I was approached by a student on campus, and when he asked if I was Ken kunken, and I responded that I was, he asked, aren't you supposed to be in the hospital? Now, you know, I was very tempted to say yes, but I escaped. Please don't tell anyone. But you know, it even took a while to just show people, somebody with a disability does not need to be permanently in a rehab facility or a hospital or staying at home with their families, that there's an awful lot somebody could do and to be seen out in public and show people that you can work, you can go to school, you can do basically what everybody else does once you're given the opportunity.   Michael Hingson ** 36:55 Of course, being spiteful, my response would have been, well, yeah, I should still be in the hospital doing brain surgery, but I decided that I didn't want to be a doctor because I didn't have any patients, so I decided to take a different career, right? Oh, people, yeah, what do you do? And we all face it, but the reality is, and I believe very firmly and have have thought this way for a long time, that like it or not, we're teachers, and we do need to teach people, and we need to take that role on, and it can be difficult sometimes, because you can lose patience, depending on what kind of questions people ask and so on. But the reality is, we are teachers, and our job is to teach, and we can make that a very fun thing to do as we move forward, too.   Ken Kunken ** 37:44 You know, Michael, I found most people really want to be helpful. Yeah, a lot of times they don't know how to be helpful or how to go about it, or what to say or what to do, but most people are really good people that want to help. And you know, the more they come in contact with somebody with a disability, the more comfortable they will feel   Michael Hingson ** 38:04 right, and they'll learn to ask if you want help, and they won't make the assumption, which is, of course, the whole point.   Ken Kunken ** 38:14 You know, Michael, when you leave the job the district attorney's office, you would go through what they call an exit interview, where they would ask you what you thought was the best part of the job, what you thought could be improved. And I'm so happy and proud to say that I was told that a number of assistant district attorneys said that one of the best parts of their job was meeting and getting to know and working with me. And the reason why I wanted to highlight that was I know they weren't talking about me being Ken kunken, but me being somebody with a disability. Because unless they had a close relative with a disability, people rarely came in daily contact with somebody with a disability, and for them, it was often a revelation that they found helped motivate and inspire them to work harder in their job, and they were very appreciative of that,   Michael Hingson ** 39:12 but they also learned that the disability wasn't what defined you. What defined you was you and your personality and what you did not necessarily exactly how you   Ken Kunken ** 39:24 did it, absolutely. And I think it was also a revelation that working with me did not involve additional work for them, right? I was able to carry my own weight, and often was more productive than many of the people I was working with. Right?   Michael Hingson ** 39:42 Well, and I think that's a very crucial point about the whole thing. When you became a lawyer, did that change your view of yourself? I mean, I know it was a kind of an evolution that got you to being a lawyer. But how did becoming a lawyer and when go. Answer, and getting the law degree and then working in a law office. How did that change your perceptions and your attitudes and outlook?   Ken Kunken ** 40:06 You know, it really changed it a great deal, because I had people look at me with a very different eye when they were looking at me. You know, I enjoyed my work as a vocational rehabilitation counselor very much. And I encourage people to do that work. But I felt that there were people that looked at me and thought, you know, he has a disability. Maybe he could only work with other people had disabilities. And I was very proud of the fact that when I became a lawyer, I was working with very few people that had disabilities. Most of them were able bodied. And I wanted to show people that you're not limited in any way with who you're going to work with and what you could do. And I think it's so important for people to keep their perceptions high, their expectations high when they're dealing with individuals, because just because somebody has a disability does not mean they cannot perform and do as much as virtually anybody else on the job   Michael Hingson ** 41:14 well, and you clearly continue to have high expectations of and for you, but also I would suspect that the result was you had high expectations for those around you as well. You helped them shape what they did, and by virtue of the way you functioned, you helped them become better people as well.   Ken Kunken ** 41:38 Well, I certainly tried to and from the feedback that I've gotten from many of the people I worked with, that seemed to be the case, and I'm very proud of that. In fact, I might add Michael that two years ago, the district attorney, now her name is Ann Donnelly, actually started an award in the district attorney's office that's given out annually that they named the Kenneth J kunken award. They named it for me because they wanted to recognize and honor the outstanding Assistant District Attorney each year who displayed the work ethic and the loyalty and devotion to the office as well the person in the wheelchair, right? And I'm very proud of that,   Michael Hingson ** 42:25 but I will bet, and I'm not trying to mitigate it, but I will bet that mostly that award came about because of the things that you did and your work ethic, and that the wheelchair aspect of it was really somewhat second nature. And far down the list,   Ken Kunken ** 42:41 I'm very proud of the fact that that seems to be the case and and one of the aspects of that award was they talked about the effect that I had on my colleagues, and the beneficial effect that that was Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 42:56 because the reality is, it ultimately comes down to who you are and what you do and and I'm not, and again, I'm not mitigating being in a wheelchair or having any kind of disability, but I really, truly believe ultimately the disability isn't what is not what defines us, it's how we are and what we do and how we behave in society that really will be what helps us make a mark on whatever we're involved with,   Ken Kunken ** 43:28 right? And I think for some, as I say, it was a revelation to see that somebody with a disability had the same needs, wants and desires as everybody else. We were certainly no different with respect to that right.   Michael Hingson ** 43:43 So how long did you work as a lawyer and in the district attorney's office?   Ken Kunken ** 43:49 Well, I worked there full time for more than 33 years, and then I worked there in a part time capacity for an additional eight years. So all told, more than 40 years I worked there, and in fact, I'm one of the longest serving Nassau County assistant district attorneys that they've ever had.   Michael Hingson ** 44:09 Now, why did you go back to part time after 33 years?   Ken Kunken ** 44:15 Well, there are a number of reasons. You know, I I thought that due to some health issues, I wanted to play it safe and make sure that I locked in my pension, because I thought there would be a bigger payout if I retired while I was still working than if I died while I was working on the job. As it turned out, my health issue seemed to resolve itself, but I decided that, you know, retiring, when I did, gave me some more time to spend at home with my family, and I really appreciated being able to do that.   Michael Hingson ** 44:53 That's a very admirable thing. Can't complain about that. So what keeps you going?   Ken Kunken ** 45:00 What keeps me going now is my family. Just so your listeners know, I'm married to the wonderful woman that's actually sitting to my right right now. My name is Anna, and we're actually the parents of triplet sons. We have three incredible boys, Joseph, James and Timothy. They're now 20 years old, and they're currently sophomores at three separate colleges in upstate New York, and they're the light of my life. I couldn't be more proud. And they're what keeps me going these days.   Michael Hingson ** 45:33 What colleges?   Ken Kunken ** 45:36 Well, James is going to the State University of New York at Morrisville, where he's studying renewable energy. Timothy is pursuing a dual major at the SI Newhouse School of Communications in the Maxwell School of Public Policy at Syracuse University. And my son Joseph is actually attending my alma mater, Cornell University, where he's majoring in mechanical engineering.   Michael Hingson ** 46:06 And do they all go watch football games on the weekend? I mean, given the fact that least a couple of those are at schools with good football   Ken Kunken ** 46:13 teams, right? But you know what? They never wanted anything to do with football. But they are all physically active, in great shape, and in fact, all of them have pursued the martial arts, and all three of them are second degree black belts in Taekwondo. And they've all even worked as instructors in the Taekwondo studio here in Long Island.   Michael Hingson ** 46:35 So dad has to be careful, though they'll take you out, huh?   Ken Kunken ** 46:39 You bet. In fact, I've got my own three personal bodyguards when   Michael Hingson ** 46:43 I got right, you can't do better than that. And and Anna, which I'll bet is more formidable than all of them   Ken Kunken ** 46:53 on, is incredible. I mean, she is just a force that is unstoppable. She's incredible.   Michael Hingson ** 47:01 Well, that's cool all the way around, and it's, it's great that you, you have a good neighborhood around you to support you, and I think we all need that. That's that's pretty important to to deal with. So with your job and all that, now that you are retired, I don't know whether you have much stress in your life, but how do you deal with stress? And how does stress affect you and or does it make any difference with a disability?   Ken Kunken ** 47:30 It sure does. It's an interesting question, because before my injury, one of the ways I would deal with stress would be out of the football field, yeah, you know, being physically active, running into an individual, you know, to tackle or block, that was a great way to relieve some of my stress. Once I had my injury, I no longer had that outlet, so I had to find different ways of dealing with it. One of my ways was, you know, trying to sit outside and sit in the garden or by water and, you know, just enjoy nature and try and relax and clear my mind. But now my best stress relievers are my three children. I'm spending time with them, watching all that they're doing. I find that the best way of me to be able to relax and relieve any anxieties that I have?   Michael Hingson ** 48:23 Well, I think there's a lot of value in doing things that keep you calm and focused. I think that is the best way to deal with stress. All too often, we don't think or be introspective about ourselves and our lives, and we don't really step back and get rid of that stress mentally, and that's where it really all comes from. I mean, I know people have physical manifestations of stress and so on, but I would submit that typically, stress is so much more an emotional thing because we haven't learned how to deal with it, and you clearly have   Ken Kunken ** 49:02 it took a while, but yeah, now I have my family to help every step of the way, and that includes relieving the stress that I've under.   Michael Hingson ** 49:10 Yeah, and stress is important to get rid of and not have around. It will help you live a whole lot longer not to have stress I just went through a week ago and op was, you know, an operation to change a heart valve. And people keep asking me, well, Weren't you worried? Weren't you stressed over that? And my answer was, No, I had no control over it really happening to my knowledge, I don't think that I've been a very poor eater, and all of my arteries and everything were good. And so no, I wasn't stressed, even when I first learned that there was an issue and wasn't an emergency room for over 24 hours, mostly sitting around, I chose not to be stressed, and it was a choice. And so I just listened to things around me and became quite entertained at some of the people. People who were in the emergency room with me, but being stressed wasn't going to do anything to help the process at all. So I refuse to get stressed.   Ken Kunken ** 50:09 That's great. And you know, I think this finally retiring has helped me deal with stress as well, because working as an assistant district attorney, there can be a lot of stressful situations in the office, and it's, it's nice to finally be retired and be able to enjoy all of my activities outside of the office.   Michael Hingson ** 50:33 What would you say is probably the most stressful thing that you had to endure as an attorney? You were, I mean, you did this for 40 years, or almost 40 years? So what? Well, actually, yeah, for 40 years. So what would you say is the most stressful thing that you ever had to deal with?   Ken Kunken ** 50:50 Well, I had to rely on, you know, my memory, because it was difficult for me even turning pages of a book or pulling, you know, pieces of paper out of a file, and there was a lot of paperwork that you get to be familiar with, whether they be grand jury testimony or prior witness statements. And I had to rely a lot of my memory and through the help of student interns or paralegals or secretaries, and it was very difficult. And I might add, you know, just to give you one anecdote, one day after I had convicted a defendant of, you know, felony, you know, he was a person with a lot of prior involvement with the criminal justice system, and I was about to go down for his sentencing, he jumped in the elevator with me, and now we're alone in the elevator riding down, and here I am with this person that I convicted of a serious case, and I'm about to recommend that he go to an upstate prison. And he approaches me and says, I have a proposition for you. If you don't send me to jail, I'll agree to work as your personal care attendant for a year, which really struck me as odd. I mean, he must have thought that working for me for a year would be the equivalent of going to prison for a few years. But fortunately, the elevator door opened and I politely turned down his request and went to court, and he was sentenced to two to four years in an upstate prison.   Michael Hingson ** 52:28 Still was creative,   52:30 right?   Michael Hingson ** 52:33 So in all of your life and all the things you've done, what are you most proud   Ken Kunken ** 52:36 of, well, but definitely most proud of my family life? I mean, as I indicated, I'm married now, married for more than 21 years now, my three boys are sophomores in college and doing absolutely great, and make me proud every single day. But I'm proud of the fact that I was able to go back to school, complete my education and work at a job and earn a living where I was able to support myself and able to purchase a house and live now with my wife and children and lead as just about as normal a life as any other family would lead.   Michael Hingson ** 53:18 Now being married to Ana is that your first marriage? It sure is. So there we go. Well, I hear you and but you guys met late, and I'm going to step out on a limb and say it proves something that I've always felt, which is, you'll get married when the right person comes along, especially if you're mature enough to recognize it,   Ken Kunken ** 53:41 you're right. And I was very fortunate that the right person came along in my life, and we have a very happy marriage that I cannot picture life without him right now,   Michael Hingson ** 53:56 my wife and I got married when I was 32 she was 33 but we knew what we wanted in a partner, and when we first met each other, it just sort of clicked right from the beginning. We met in January of 1982 and in July, I asked her to marry me, and we got married in November of 1982 and so we were married for 40 years before she passed. And you know, there are always challenges, but, but you deal with it. So it must have been really an interesting time and an interesting life, suddenly discovering you have three boy triplets.   Ken Kunken ** 54:31 You know, it really was well, you know, when I decided to get married, she told me that she wanted to have my baby, and not just any baby my baby, she said she wanted to see a little pumpkin running around our home. And this really seemed impossible at the time. I had been paralyzed for more than 30 years, and I was already in my 50s, but we looked into various options, including in vitro fertilization and. And we're very excited, excited to learn we could still, I could still father a child. So we pursued it. And you know, through good fortune, good luck, and I guess somebody smiling on us from above, Anna became pregnant with triplets, and I couldn't be happier to have these three wonderful boys in my life.   Michael Hingson ** 55:21 So did becoming a father change you? Or how did you evolve? When that all happened,   Ken Kunken ** 55:26 it sure did. I mean, you know, it went from me being number one in honors life to suddenly being number four after all, three boys got the attention they needed, but it was wonderful for me to be able to help shape their lives and guide them so that they would develop the right character and values and learn the importance of helping others throughout their lives, which they do, and It's I think it's made me a better person, being able to help and guide them. That's cool.   Michael Hingson ** 56:07 Well, the the other thing I would ask is, if you had a chance to go back and talk to a younger Ken, what would you say? What would you teach them so that they would maybe make mistakes that you made?   Ken Kunken ** 56:18 Well, I'd say there's an awful lot you could still do in life, even without your physical movement, and sometimes it takes a lot of patience and a lot of self reflection, but to realize there's an awful lot you can do and that they need to keep their expectations high for themselves as well as for others, and to realize that just because something has not been done before doesn't mean they cannot do it now. They've got to find different ways of approaching problems and handling it and developing some self confidence in themselves and their ability to deal with difficult situations.   Michael Hingson ** 57:03 How did the Americans with Disabilities Act improve all that you did and make your life, especially on the job, better?   Ken Kunken ** 57:12 Well, it, you know, made facilities so much more accessible. When I first went back to college, there was not one ramp or curb cut on the entire campus. On my first day back in school, I had to be either pulled up or bounced down close to 100 steps just to attend my classes, and as I indicated, in the DAs office, I couldn't even fit through the swinging doorways to get in the courtroom. So it made it tremendously easier to not have to deal with all the physical challenges, but it also made it better for dealing with other people and their attitudes about dealing with people with disabilities, because thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, you see more people with disabilities out in public. So people are more used to seeing, dealing, interacting with people, and seeing what they can do and that they're just like everybody else. And as a result, people's attitudes have been changing, and I think that's helped me as well, in many different ways.   Michael Hingson ** 58:20 Cool, well, you have written a book about all of this. Tell me about the book.   Ken Kunken ** 58:27 Okay, I actually started writing a book when I was still in the rehab facility. Not long after I was hurt, a friend of my aunt Lorraine's by the name of Albert meglan visited me in the hospital and thought that one it may help me deal with my depression by talking about what I was going through, but also inform other individuals what a spinal cord injury was like and what's involved with rehabilitation. So he used to visit me in the rehab facility one day a week for a number of weeks for me to start writing a book about my experiences. And then when I went back to school, I started working on it on my own, but I would pick it up and stop and start and stop again over the course of 50 years. And then once I retired, I had more time to sit down with my wife, and I would dictate to her, and she would type it on her laptop computer until we finally finished my memoir, which is called I dream of things that never were, the Ken kunken story, and it's published by a company called 12 tables Press, and they could learn more about my book by going on my website, which is kenkunkin.com and I might add that where I got the title of my book was six months after my injury. I was asked to testify before a United States Health subcommittee chaired by Senate. Senator Edward Kennedy. And eight days after my testimony, Senator Kennedy sent me a glass paperweight in the mail that had an inscription on it that the senator said his late brother Robert Kennedy liked very much. And the inscription read, some men see things as they are and say, Why I dream of things that never were. And say, why not? And that's where I got the title of my book. I dream of things that never were.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:28 Yeah, that's cool. And where can people get the book?   Ken Kunken ** 1:00:35 Well, it's available on Amazon. It's also available at the Cornell bookstore, and if they go on my website, Ken kunken.com spellkin For me, please. It's K U N, as in Nancy. K e n that tells of a number of ways that they could purchase the book, both the hardcover book, it's also available as a Kindle version as an e book, and just recently, we put it out as an audio book as well. And they could learn all about it by going to the website, but certainly it's available on Amazon. If they wanted to order in bulk, they could contact my publisher directly, and he could help them fulfill that type of order. Cool.   Michael Hingson ** 1:01:22 That is great. So now the real question is, are there any more books in Ken to come out?   Ken Kunken ** 1:01:28 Well, this book took me 50 years to I know you got to go a little bit faster. So no, I think I wrote down everything that I wanted to convey to people in that book, and now I'm actively just promoting the book like you. I've spoken at a number of different events as a motivational speaker, and you know, the book has given me a way to get m

This is Part 12 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle. All of these men were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President. The story is extraordinary. We began the story of Don Reynolds in Episode 11. Today we continue  to tell the story of Don Reynolds, the Maryland insurance broker who who went into business with Baker, crafting an arrangement whereby Baker became a nominal VP of his insurance agency (with a non-voting stock interest) in exchange for Baker's help in expanding  sales and profits. Commission payments for referrals were also a part of the deal.  Reynolds would become friends with Baker and travel on lavish junkets to New York and Miami, living the high life all while cultivating clients made available through Baker's contacts. His tight relationship would lead him to be a bagman too for Baker.  The end came when the Senate Rules and Administration committee began its investigation and came upon Reynolds, who had sold $200,000 worth of life insurance to Lyndon Johnson as a result of the introduction provided by Baker. But Johnson's insistence on kickbacks on the cost of the insurance premium would prove to be perilous. The kickbacks would come  in the form of a stereo thinly disguised as a gift along with the purchase of television advertising on Johnson's Austin TV station. Once revealed by the committee's investigation and the work of senator John Williams,  the scandal threatened to take the Vice President down politically and perhaps, if the tragic events of November 22nd had not occurred, might have sent Johnson to jail as other indiscretions were also being investigated. Reynolds testimony regarding the stereo and the television advertising were taking place in closed session at a senate office building literally at the moment that the shots rang out in Dealey Plaza.  Informed of the president's assassination as the meeting was finishing up, Reynolds shook with the gravity of the situation and the fact that the man he had just accused of engaging in graph...Lyndon Johnson, had just become the most powerful man in the world.  The characters, setting and details around this story make it an essential example of one more bad choice of association by Baker which eventually led to his demise and, as mentioned, came close to bringing down Vice President Johnson as well. Rumors of Johnson's involvement in the assassination began to swirl almost immediately after the President's  murder and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series that was spawned by the recent release of the Billy Sol Estes and Cliff Carter tape that the two recorded in 1971. Folks, you just can't write this stuff. Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over  the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it,  were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government's stated narrative from the very beginning. This  real-life story is more fascinating than fiction.  No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as  we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the natio

This is Part 11 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle. All of these men were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President. The story is extraordinary. Today we begin to tell the story of Don Reynolds, the Maryland insurance broker who who went into business with Baker, crafting an arrangement whereby Baker became a nominal VP of his insurance agency (with a non-voting stock interest) in exchange for Baker's help in expanding  sales and profits. Commission payments for referrals were also a part of the deal.  Reynolds would become friends with Baker and travel on lavish junkets to New York and Miami, living the high life all while cultivating clients made available through Baker's contacts. His tight relationship would lead him to be a bagman too for Baker.  The end came when the Senate Rules and Administration committee began its investigation and came upon Reynolds, who had sold $200,000 worth of life insurance to Lyndon Johnson as a result of the introduction provided by Baker. But Johnson's insistence on kickbacks on the cost of the insurance premium would prove to be perilous. The kickbacks would come  in the form of a stereo thinly disguised as a gift along with the purchase of television advertising on Johnson's Austin TV station. Once revealed by the committee's investigation and the work of senator John Williams,  the scandal threatened to take the Vice President down politically and perhaps, if the tragic events of November 22nd had not occurred, might have sent Johnson to jail as other indiscretions were also being investigated. Reynolds testimony regarding the stereo and the television advertising were taking place in closed session at a senate office building literally at the moment that the shots rang out in Dealey Plaza.  Informed of the president's assassination as the meeting was finishing up, Reynolds shook with the gravity of the situation and the fact that the man he had just accused of engaging in graph...Lyndon Johnson, had just become the most powerful man in the world.  The characters, setting and details around this story make it an essential example of one more bad choice of association by Baker which eventually led to his demise and, as mentioned, came close to bringing down Vice President Johnson as well. Rumors of Johnson's involvement in the assassination began to swirl almost immediately after the President's  murder and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series that was spawned by the recent release of the Billy Sol Estes and Cliff Carter tape that the two recorded in 1971. Folks, you just can't write this stuff. Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over  the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it,  were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government's stated narrative from the very beginning. This  real-life story is more fascinating than fiction.  No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as  we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the nation and changed the world forever.

June 5th, 1968 - the night America's future was stolen by a single bullet in a Los Angeles hotel kitchen. Robert F. Kennedy wasn't just another political candidate - he was the one man who could have dismantled the military-industrial complex, ended the Vietnam War, and exposed the truth about his brother's assassination. But the shadow government that killed JFK wasn't about to let another Kennedy reach the White House. In this devastating investigation, we expose the real story behind RFK's assassination and reveal why his death marked the end of American democracy as we knew it.Prepare to have everything you believed about that tragic night completely shattered as we uncover the mountain of evidence proving Sirhan Sirhan was just a mind-controlled patsy in a sophisticated CIA operation. We'll expose the impossible ballistics that prove multiple shooters, the witnesses who were silenced or died under mysterious circumstances, and the LAPD cover-up that destroyed crucial evidence within hours of the shooting. From the girl in the polka dot dress who was never found to the security guard whose gun matched the fatal bullets, from the hypnotic programming techniques used on Sirhan to the intelligence connections of everyone in that kitchen - this wasn't a lone gunman, this was a professional hit.But here's what they've hidden from you for over 50 years: RFK knew who killed his brother and was planning to reopen the JFK investigation the moment he became president. He was going to expose the CIA's role in Dallas, end their illegal operations worldwide, and bring the military contractors to justice. The deep state couldn't allow it. We'll reveal RFK's secret files on the JFK assassination, his plans to dismantle the intelligence agencies, and why his death guaranteed decades of endless wars and corporate control.Robert Kennedy didn't just lose his life that night - America lost its last hope for true leadership. And the forces that killed him are still in power today.

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service, all related to trains and journeys which have helped to shape our world.Our guest Nicky Gardner, travel writer and co-author of Europe by Rail: the Definitive Guide, discusses the origins of train travel. The first story involved the hijacking of a train in 1950s communist Czechoslovakia which was driven across the border into West Germany.We also hear about Senator Robert Kennedy's funeral train in 1960s America, and Italy's "happiness train", which took children from the poverty stricken south to wealthier families in the north.Contributors - Archive interview with Karel Ruml. Frank Mankiewicz - Robert Kennedy's former press secretary, and Rosey Grier, his former bodyguard. Bianca D'Aniello - a passenger on the “happiness train”. June Cutchins - received gifts from the Gratitude Train. Tomas Andreas Elejalde - general manager of the Medellin Metro.(Photo: People stand near railroad tracks as a train carries the body of Robert Kennedy on June 8, 1968. Credit: Steve Northrup/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

This is Part 10 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle. All of these men were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President. The story is extraordinary. Today's episode continues the story of Bobby Baker's Bad Boy friend and business partner Ed Levinson. Today we hear a taped telephone conversation from the Whitehouse between President Lyndon Johnson and  U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark. The discussion addressed Baker and the Levinson connection and it took place about 20 minutes before midnight on July 13th, 1966. It reveals much in the way of Johnson's insight and thinking about the case and the implications are apparent. And they reinforce the impact that Levinson's involvement had on the circumstances that affected Baker directly...and that were  (continuing) to potentially affect the President himself. Levinson was a major player in the Vegas casino scene, and top associate in the mob of Meyer Lansky. He was also a shareholder and investor in Serve-U Corporation. Bobby Baker's vending company. This bad boy would enter into other business partnerships with Baker including both becoming shareholders in the Washington National Bank, of which Baker was influential in obtaining the charter. Explaining some of the men around Baker helps to explain the circumstances that he would later find himself in, when trouble came knocking. The characters, setting and details around this story make it an essential example of one more bad choice of association by Baker which eventually led to his demise and came close to bringing down Vice President Johnson as well. Rumors of Johnson's involvement in the assassination began to swirl almost immediately after the President's  murder and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series that was spawned by the recent release of the Billy Sol Estes and Cliff Carter tape that the two recorded in 1971. Folks, you just can't write this stuff. Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over  the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it,  were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government's stated narrative from the very beginning. This  real-life story is more fascinating than fiction.  No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as  we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the nation and changed the world forever.

In June 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy was killed during his campaign for the American presidency.There was nationwide mourning with huge crowds lining the tracks for his funeral train, as it travelled from New York to Washington DC. In 2012, Simon Watts spoke to Kennedy's former press secretary Frank Mankiewicz and to his former bodyguard Rosey Grier. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic' and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy's Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they've had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America's occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.(Photo: Robert Kennedy funeral train. Credit: Getty Images)

Back to the Bobby Baker series! This is  Part 9 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering  Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle.  All of these  men  were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They  were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President.  The story is extraordinary.  Today's episode tells the story of   Bobby Baker's Bad Boy friend and business partner Ed Levinson. Levinson was a major player in the Vegas casino scene, and top associate in the mob of Meyer Lansky. He was also a shareholder and investor in Serv U. Bobby Baker's vending company.  This bad boy would enter into other business partnerships with Baker including the Washington National Bank, of which Baker was influential in obtaining the charter for. Explaining some of the men around Baker helps to explain the circumstances that he would later find himself in, when trouble came knocking. The characters, setting and details around this story make it a quintessential example of influence peddling at it's finest and that was in essence declared by the Senate committee during their investigation.Rumors of Johnson's involvement in the assassination began to swirl almost immediately after the President's  murder and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series that was spawned by the recent release of the Billy Sol Estes and Cliff Carter tape that the two recorded in 1971. Folks, you just can't write this stuff. Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over  the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it,  were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government's stated narrative from the very beginning. This  real-life story is more fascinating than fiction.  No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as  we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the nation and changed the world forever.

To hear the full episode and gain access the entire archive of deep historical research, subscribe to American Exception on Patreon!   Internet pioneer Ken McCarthy joins us to discuss his two books on the anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist foreign policies of John and Robert Kennedy.   Check out: 'JFK and RFK's Secret Battle Against Zionist Extremism' 'John F. Kennedy Anti-Imperialist: His Character and Intentions Revealed in Five Speeches and One Telegram' Brasscheck TV

Hour 3 for 6/10/25 Jennifer Sey joined Drew to discuss the X dust-up between Riley Gaines and Simone Biles (1:00) and the politics of men in women's sports (13:57). Then, Dr. Robert Kennedy covered the 4 Day Work Week proposal (27:56). Topics: Caller: I used to work 4 days a week (42:50) and remote work (47:24). Link: Thetruthfits.com https://cas.stthomas.edu/departments/faculty/robert-kennedy/

This is  Part 8 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering  Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle.  All of these  men  were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They  were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President.  The story is extraordinary.  Today's episode tells the story of the deal that Bobby Baker brokered to import meat form Haiti to Puerto Rico and he parlayed that into more than a finder's fee...he would gain a 10% profits interest in the Haitian slaughterhouse without any indications as to why the profits interest was granted. And the money would flow long after the initial transaction  was done and over with. Sound puzzling to you, well guess who owned that slaughterhouse...the Murchison's of Texas fame.  The Senate Rules committee investigated these transactions as part of their hearings in 1963 and 1964 and never got to the bottom of why these transactions were constructed the way they were or what Bobby Baker was supposed to do in return for the profits interest. The characters, setting and details around this story make it a quintessential example of influence peddling at it's finest and that was in essence declared by the Senate committee during their investigation.Rumors of Johnson's involvement in the assassination began to swirl almost immediately after the President's  murder and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series that was spawned by the recent release of the Billy Sol Estes and Cliff Carter tape that the two recorded in 1971. Folks, you just can't write this stuff. Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over  the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it,  were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government's stated narrative from the very beginning. This  real-life story is more fascinating than fiction.  No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as  we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the nation and changed the world forever.

This is  Part 7 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering  Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle.  All of these  men  were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They  were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President.  The story is extraordinary.  Today's episode tells the story of the Quorum Club. Dubbed by Baker himself as one of his least notable accomplishments, it turned out to be a lightening rod in his own investigation.  It was more than a watering hole, and it surely was a place to do business privately...regardless of what sort of private business you were planning to do. It would be a principal focus during the FBI investigation of Baker and Ellen Rometch and remain front and center in the overall corruption investigation conducted by the Senate of Bobby Baker.From Lyndon Johnson's vantage point, here was Bobby  Baker who was known as Little Lyndon and was perhaps the second most powerful man in the senate. He was  Bobby Baker the Secretary to the Majority, the right hand man of Lyndon Johnson in the senate....and just months before the assassination, allegations of wrong doing by Baker begin to surface. Baker declined to meet with Senators, and alternatively chose to resign his position as majority secretary of the  Senate.   Baker's resignation from one of the most powerful positions in the country happened just prior to the President's assassination and created a growing rumor that the scandal would lead back to Johnson and result in his political demise or more...  The Republicans smelled blood in the water.  Join us in this seventh   episode of what is sure to be a fascinating series on another  incredible story that envelopes around Lyndon Johnson at the time of the Kennedy assassination.  Rumors of Johnson's involvement began to swirl almost immediately after the President's assassination and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series that was spawned by the recent release of the Billy Sol Estes and Cliff Carter tape that the two recorded in 1971. Folks, you just can't write this stuff. Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over  the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it,  were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government's stated narrative from the very beginning. This  real-life story is more fascinating than fiction.  No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as  we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the nation and changed the world forever.

This is  Part 6 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering  Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle.  All of these  men  were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They  were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President.  The story is extraordinary.  Today's episode covers Bobby Baker' affinity for the girls...and how it led to the Ellen Rometsch affair. She went to work at the Quorum Club and quickly was introduced to President Kennedy. Soon a scandal would be brewing around her and an FBI investigation would lead to her deportation. Was she a spy or just a party girl...the story of her steaming relationship with the President lurking in the background in this intriguing story of three dimensional chess. The stir around Rometsch  added to the pressure on Bobby Baker, but it also in the end, provided cover, because, after all, it was the President for God sake that had the affair, a relationship arranged through Bobby Baker. From Lyndon Johnson's vantage point, here was Bobby  Baker who was known as Little Lyndon and was perhaps the second most powerful man in the senate. He was  Bobby Baker the Secretary to the Majority, the right hand man of Lyndon Johnson in the senate....and just months before the assassination, allegations of wrong doing by Baker begin to surface. Baker declined to meet with Senators, and alternatively chose to resign his position as majority secretary of the  Senate.   Baker's resignation from one of the most powerful positions in the country happened just prior to the President's assassination and created a growing rumor that the scandal would lead back to Johnson and result in his political demise or more...  The Republicans smelled blood in the water.  Join us in this sixth   episode of what is sure to be a fascinating series on another  incredible story that envelopes around Lyndon Johnson at the time of the Kennedy assassination.  Rumors of Johnson's involvement began to swirl almost immediately after the President's assassination and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series that was spawned by the recent release of the Billy Sol Estes and Cliff Carter tape that the two recorded in 1971. Folks, you just can't write this stuff. Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over  the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it,  were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government's stated narrative from the very beginning. This  real-life story is more fascinating than fiction.  No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as  we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the nation and changed the world forever.

Picking Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine sceptic, as the Secretary for Public Health might not be the most ‘out there' thing the Trump administration has done but it certainly raised some eyebrows. Since his appointment Kennedy has been on a mission to ‘Make America Healthy again' and has set his sights on finding ‘the cure' for Autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that can affect how someone communicates, socialises, learns and behaves. In the 1980's one study estimated that 4 in 10,000 (1 in 2500) children in Wisconsin had an Autism diagnosis. Recent data from the Centres for Disease control states that 1 in 31 eight year olds in the US have the condition. Why have the numbers gone up? Is it due to environmental toxins as Robert Kennedy suggests or does the answer lie in the counting? Presenter/Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Studio Manager: Andrew Mills Editor: Richard Vadon

This is  Part 5 of the mini-series that covers the story of Bobby Baker. This mini-series is part of a larger series covering  Billy Sol Estes, Mac Wallace, Bobby Baker and other members of Johnson's Texas inner circle.  All of these  men  were quite intertwined around Johnson at the time of the assassination. They  were involved in circumstances that were closing in on Johnson too and that provided him great motive in the killing of the President.  The story is extraordinary.  Today's episode covers Bobby Baker's  investment in the Mortgage Guaranty Investment Corp ("MGIC") or Magic as it was known. This Wisconsin based company was the original source of Bobby Baker's wealth and from the earnings that came from this stock  investment, there was much  more to come with Bobby Baker. The investment, among other things, was the basis for a budding financial relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Novak, who eventually invested on Bobby's behalf in MGIC stock, made a profit and then   parlayed all of that into a partnership with Baker  to build the Carousel motel. The Carousel was Baker's ill fated attempt at building a resort in Ocean City.  The partnership would  take Mr. Novak down, but the question still lingers...did he die of suicide, or was he murdered...and did that murder result from the transaction gone awry  related to the Carousel.From Lyndon Johnson's vantage point, here was Bobby  Baker who was known as Little Lyndon and was perhaps the second most powerful man in the senate. He was  Bobby Baker the Secretary to the Majority, the right hand man of Lyndon Johnson in the senate....and just months before the assassination, allegations of wrong doing by Baker begin to surface. Baker declined to meet with Senators, and alternatively chose to resign his position as majority secretary of the  Senate.   Baker's resignation from one of the most powerful positions in the country happened just prior to the President's assassination and created a growing rumor that the scandal would lead back to Johnson and result in his political demise or more...  The Republicans smelled blood in the water.  Join us in this fifth   episode of what is sure to be a fascinating series on another  incredible story that envelopes around Lyndon Johnson at the time of the Kennedy assassination.  Rumors of Johnson's involvement began to swirl almost immediately after the President's assassination and there is a defined school of thought within the JFK assassination research community that staunchly believes in Johnson's involvement. His involvement  in both the assassination and its cover up. Join us in one of the most fascinating story tells of the Kennedy assassination and stick around as we will be returning to the Mexico City series right after we complete this min-series that was spawned by the recent release of the Billy Sol Estes and Cliff Carter tape that the two recorded in 1971. Folks, you just can't write this stuff. Even as early as 1964, rumors and serious concerns over  the lone gunman theory and the evidence that might contravene it,  were becoming a major concern for the government and the commission. Conspiracy theories were contrary to the government's stated narrative from the very beginning. This  real-life story is more fascinating than fiction.  No matter whether you are a serious researcher or a casual student, you will enjoy the fact filled narrative and story as  we relive one of the most shocking moments in American History. An event that changed the nation and changed the world forever.