Failing Up
Life is improvisation! Observations from a regular guy on how with world around us impacts who we are and what we perceive. I explore how life is more about asking questions than accepting what is presented. In addition to my own reflections and experiences, I interview guests from the art, literary, music, cultural and political fields to gain insight as to how we all impact the world we share and our joint realities.
We are all failing up!
Episodes
220 episodes
Don't Eat Yellow Snow
As winter's snow blankets the ground with a cold warmth of silent nights, there are a new set of rules to live by. These lifestyle rules apply to how we walk, drive, and even the amount of salt we use. (outside that is) Ah, beautifu...
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Season 5
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Episode 267
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16:20
Release the Hounds!
The tryptophan has worn off, and as we awaken from a peaceful Thanksgiving nap all Hell is breaking loose, it's the holidays! Trees on speeding cars, neighbors houses lit up like a landing strip at LAX, shop until you drop, and get it all...
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Season 5
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Episode 266
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15:11
Thanksgiving "Simply" the Best
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It's foundation, of family, friends, tradition, and food remains for the most part untouched by the stress and rush of other holidays. Unlike Halloween where decorations are up in in stores by Au...
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Season 5
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Episode 265
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13:36
Alice's Restaurant"
In this episode a follow-up to 'This Land is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie, I reflect on The Thanksgiving Day classic," Alice's Restaurant" written by his son Arlo Guthrie. This song which honored the legacy of Woody and ...
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Season 5
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Episode 264
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14:31
This Land is Your Land
With all that is currently going on in our country I found myself searching for inspiration, a sense of connectiveness beyond all the geographic and political boundaries of today. I came across one of the greatest protest songs ever...
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Season 5
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Episode 263
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15:43
Sunday Night Blues
There is something about Sunday Night that can bring on the blues. All the activities of the past week behind and the new week ahead. It is a kind of calm before the storm. Even when I use to work on Sunday Nights there was al...
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Season 5
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Episode 262
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12:50
The Penny Is Out of Luck
After 232 years the penny has been minted for last time. The impact may not be immediate, but over the long run it will be felt. Our friend the penny, with Abraham Lincoln greeting us and giving us a sense of security. Eventfu...
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Season 5
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Episode 261
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15:27
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10th, 1975. Twenty-nine brave souls perished that day in the cold waters of Lake Superior. Later a folk rock ballad was written, composed and p...
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Season 5
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Episode 260
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14:19
RIP Farmers' Almanac
After 208 years the Farmers' Almanac is hanging it up. The 2026 edition will be the last. I never read the Farmers' Alamac, but I always took comfort in knowing it was there, especially this time of year. As the cold breath of November wa...
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Season 5
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Episode 259
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17:53
Intelligent Extinction, ASI
I was listening to NPR, (while we still have it) the other day and the topic was ASI, Artificial Super Intelligence. Now mind you, AI fills a void that has been identified in the majority of our civilized species. A void we won't ge...
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Season 5
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Episode 258
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15:55
Real Cider
Nothing brings autumn to life like a fresh glass of real cider! Not that pasteurized juice you buy a the grocery store. Real apple cider that explodes with the tastes of fall. This takes me back to autumn when pumpkin seeds, w...
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Season 5
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Episode 257
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13:53
The Children Are Watching
I was 9 years old in 1968 during all the chaos of war, riots, assassinations, the space race, a cultural revolution that had a tremendous impact on the misfit I have become and relish. Today information is everywhere and unavoidable, loud...
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Season 5
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Episode 256
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19:27
Tomato Soup
Nothing beats a nice warm bowl of tomato soup on a rainy autumn day in the Northeastern United States. As the rain falls on the vibrant leaves from a gray sky there is a sense of warmth and peace in that familiar bowl of soup. The changin...
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Season 5
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Episode 255
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16:15
A Conversation with Rex Lyons from the Ripcords and Haudenosaunee Confederacy
In this episode I have an insightful and entertaining conversation with former international lacrosse player for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, founding member of the rock band The Ripcords and lecturer/mentor Rex Lyons. We touched on the...
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Season 5
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Episode 254
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51:04
A Conversation with Author Ava Zacardi
In this episode I have a conversation with author and renaissance woman Ava Zacardi. Ava has completed her final book in her Julia trilogy titled, 'Forever Julia, Bella's Journey." Her exploration of family, art and regional beauty ...
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Season 5
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Episode 253
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39:51
Autumn In New York
There is not a place on earth that can compete with Autumn in New York. From Manhattan, to Old Forge, the Great Lakes, the St Lawrence River, and Niagara Falls, Autumn in New York is a different experience to be cherished. Yes diffe...
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Season 5
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Episode 252
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13:54
Dirty Phone Talk
In a day and age when most of us are obsessed with washing hands in the bathroom and not having to touch anything, we carry one filthy item with us after we depart this public space of shared germs and no eye contact. It is our phone that...
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Season 5
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Episode 251
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15:56
A Conversation with Frank Malfitano
In this episode I have a conversation with the one and only Frank Malfitano the founder and Executive Director of the Syracuse, N.Y. Jazz Fest. We explore Frank's vast musical and cultural experiences and reflect on the impact earlier art...
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Season 5
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Episode 250
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50:57
Art Talk with Stephen Butler
In this episode I have a conversation with Stephen Butler the former Executive Director of CNY Arts, actor, and playwriter. Our conversation touched on the impact the arts have played throughout history. We also discussed the evolution of...
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Season 5
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Episode 249
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56:56
The New York State Fair
The end of summer tradition, the New York State Fair. Most states have a fair and in the case of New York it takes place at the end of August and ends on Labor Day. Once the clock strikes midnight a switch is flipped and it is autum...
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Season 5
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Episode 248
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11:55
Job Description for President of the United States of America
Almost all jobs whether it be a counter position at fast food restaurant, or CEO, of a large company, coach, university president, plumber etc.. has a description, qualification for the position sought. They fall into the areas of experie...
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Season 5
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Episode 247
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20:06
Fake History
When the government decides they would like to recommend the displaying and telling of history in a narrative that is beneficial to them, it is no longer history, it is propaganda. Propaganda is intended to communicate a message through m...
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Season 5
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Episode 246
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11:41
Slow the F%#* Down!
Here we are in the Dog Days of summer, and as I approach the grocery store with heat and humidity at 95% I am greeted by a display of ceramic Jack O Lanterns!! What the Hell?? No wonder people say summer a time flies. We are always ...
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Season 5
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Episode 245
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11:40
Knowledge is Power
One of the reasons, an administration will attempt to control universities, media, news, and other messengers is that an informed public is a threat. Instead of addressing the message, they address the messenger to divert from information...
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Season 5
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Episode 244
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17:13
Taking the Public out of Broadcasting
Public broadcasting is truly the last bastion of principles, and services to those they reach. I have always felt that it was on a different plain then the commercial, networks and cable stations. PBS provides world views, and enter...
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Season 5
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Episode 243
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13:12