Entertainment

David Greene: Should the U.S. Ban TikTok?

April 24, 2023 Tim 00:32:06 Comments Off

The Civil Liberties Director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), David Greene, joins Tim to talk about current efforts to ban the social media app TikTok from American users. The EFF describes itself as the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF says its “mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world.” In this episode, David talks about current legislation in the U.S. to ban the popular social media app called TikTok, but it has more far-reaching impacts than just TikTok.

Encore: Walter Iooss, Jr. is Sports Photography’s GOAT

March 20, 2023 Tim 00:43:03 Comments Off

Legendary sports photographer Walter Iooss joins Tim to talk about his life and career that has spanned decades. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated and in many major media outlets and in unforgettable marketing campaigns. If you were to think of an iconic photo from any major American sport from over the past 50 years, there’s a decent chance Walter is the one who captured that image. Walter talks about his life behind the lens, a lens that has captured household names, helped make a few athletes become household names, and even at times when people in his photos were not famous, the image was still…iconic. This episode was first releases April 5, 2021.

Encore: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater

March 13, 2023 Tim 00:29:59 Comments Off

Long-time Director of Fallingwater Lynda S. Waggoner joins Tim to discuss the lasting impact Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece at Bear Run has had on how the nation continues to perceive house and home. This episode was originally released April 30, 2018.

Encore: The American Front Porch

February 13, 2023 Tim 00:46:54 Comments Off

Author and journalist Michael Dolan joins Tim to tell the story of the American front porch. He’s the editor of American History magazine and the author of a book entitled, “The American Porch: An informal history of an informal place.” In this episode, he talks about how the front porch shaped life in America for well over 200 years. You could say that when it comes to our homes, the front porch was the original social media. This encore episode was originally released May 24, 2021.

Encore: Nadine Strossen – Free Speech Over Censorship

January 9, 2023 Tim 00:57:51 Comments Off

Nadine Strossen joins Tim to talk about how to fight “hate speech” or harmful speech without censorship. She’s a best-selling author and a Professor of Constitutional Law at New York Law School. She’s also the first woman national President of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In this episode, she talks about private company censorship, the challenges, some solutions and all of it as addressed in her book “Hate: Why we should resist it with free speech, not censorship. This episode was first released April 12, 2021.

Seven Voices: Your Favorite Holiday Memories

December 19, 2022 Tim 00:34:16 Comments Off

This week is Hanukkah and Christmas. We’re in the peak of the American holiday season, which started at Thanksgiving. So, it is with this in mind that I thought I’d take to the streets of Pittsburgh once again and talk to people about their holiday memories. That’s what this special holiday edition of the Shaping Opinion podcast is about.

Encore: The Story Behind Those Hallmark Keepsakes

November 28, 2022 Tim 00:34:16 Comments Off

Hallmark artist and creator Tammy Haddix joins Tim to talk about one of America’s more lasting holiday traditions, our holiday ornaments and decorating the Christmas tree. Tammy tells her own story as a member of the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Studio, as a mother and a wife, and how all of that comes to play when she helps make the holidays that much more special for Americans across the country. This encore episode was originally released November 30, 2020.

Sal Piacente: Casino Stories

November 21, 2022 Tim 00:52:22 Comments Off

Gaming expert Sal Piacente joins Tim to talk about casino cheaters, scammers, and how casinos watch for and catch them. But that’s just the beginning. Sal has some great stories about his career in gaming. He is a consultant and a trainer for casinos and regulators around the world on gaming security.

Anthony Shore: Who’s In A Name?

November 14, 2022 Tim 00:56:45 Comments Off

Anthony Shore is one of the few people in the world who makes a living at naming things like companies, brands, products or services. He joins Tim to talk about the magic in a name, and the work that goes into creating the right name so that the right brand identity can become a household name. Anthony is an expert in naming products, branding, services and organizations. For the past 30 years, he’s introduced more than 250 product and company names to the world. Many are well-known to this day.

James R. Fitzgerald: Hunting the Unabomber

November 7, 2022 Tim 01:05:25 Comments Off

Former FBI profiler James R. Fitzgerald joins Tim to talk about his key role in cracking one of the most notorious serial killer cases in American history – the Unabomber. James was involved in the pioneering of something called forensic linguistics. The FBI used this profiling approach to identify and capture one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, Ted Kaczynski, otherwise known as the Unabomber.

Larry Csonka: A Football Story

October 17, 2022 Tim 01:08:59 Comments Off

Football legend Larry Csonka joins Tim to talk about his life and what football has done for his life. Larry’s a former fullback with the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants. He was a Super Bowl MVP. He’s an NFL Hall of Famer and a College Football Hall of Famer. He’s a two-time Super Bowl Champion – a cornerstone of the NFL’s only undefeated team – with the Miami Dolphins. And he’s the author of a new book called, “Larry Csonka: Head On: A Memoir.”

Encore: Miss Manners Talks about 21st Century Etiquette

August 22, 2022 Tim 00:39:03 Comments Off

Judith Martin, better known to millions of readers as Miss Manners, joins Tim to talk about good manners, an understanding of etiquette and civility are as important as ever. Judith is an author and a syndicated columnist. In this episode, she talks about her career at the Washington Post, about how etiquette and manners in society have evolved, and about her new book called, “Minding Miss Manners: In an Era of Fake Etiquette.” This episode was first released April 27, 2020.

Encore: Sharyl Attkisson Focuses on “The Narrative”

August 8, 2022 Tim 00:48:22 Comments Off

Sharyl Attkisson joins Tim to talk about her latest book and the current state of the news media in society. Her book, “Slanted: How the news media taught us to love censorship and hate journalism,” centers on that dynamic called “The Narrative,” which appears to drive so much news coverage we see today. Sharyl talks of her many years as a network reporter and the way the media covers news today. This encore episode was first released December 7, 2020.

Seven Voices: Who is Your Hero?

July 11, 2022 Tim 00:38:17 Comments Off

In this episode we hear from seven people who talked with Tim to answer the question, “Who is your hero?” As he’s done before, Tim set out to get the answer to the question on the streets of his hometown, Pittsburgh. You’ll hear from Peter, Estie, Ashley, John, Erin, Mary and Ken. Each person was selected randomly in “man on the street” interviews, and we had no idea what they would say, but all of their answers came from the heart and may surprise you.

Seven Voices: The American Dream

July 4, 2022 Tim 00:47:47 Comments Off

In this episode we hear from seven people who talked with Tim to answer the question, “What is the American Dream?” Tim set out to get the answer to the question on the streets of his hometown, Pittsburgh. You’ll hear from Vidya, Dwayne, Chuck, Leah, Jack, Tamara and Charlie. Each person was selected randomly in “man on the street” interviews, and we had no idea what they would say, but all of their answers were moving, thought-provoking and inspiring. Happy Independence Day!