Society

Encore: A Hershey Story

Pamela Whitenack, Director Emeritus of the Hershey Community Archives, joins Tim to talk about the story behind Hershey, the iconic candy brand, the company and the small town in Pennsylvania, all the vision of one man, Milton S. Hershey. This episode is an Encore Presentation of another one of our listeners’ favorite episodes. It was originally released on April 22, 2019.

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China: Should We Be Worried?

Charles Lipson joins Tim to talk about the current place China has on the world stage and what this means to America. He’s Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he has taught international relations and studied international cooperation and conflict with an emphasis on political aspects of the global economy. He’s also authored books and has been a regular contributor to major academic journals and news publications.

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Abe Unger: Rethinking the Liberal Arts

Abe Unger joins Tim to talk about the current state of liberal arts schools, how he says many are failing and how to turn things around. He’s got some concrete ideas and some real-life, proven examples of how it can work pretty quickly. Abe is the Director of Urban Programs and Associate Professor of Government and Politics at Wagner College and the Executive Director of the Gender Equity Network.

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Entering a New Era: Paying College Athletes

David Ridpath joins Tim to talk about some recent court rulings, rule changes and other decisions that have cleared the way for college athletes to get paid. Dave is a Sport Management professor at Ohio University, and he’s an expert on NCAA governance, academic issues and athlete rights. The focus of this conversation is how paying athletes will change the NCAA  landscape for athletes, fans, universities and marketers.

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Eugene Volokh: Is Big Tech a Common Carrier?

UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh joins Tim to talk about a unique way to approach Big Tech and its increasing exercise of power and control over the national dialogue. It’s the “common carrier” approach. In this episode, Eugene gives his thoughts on the First Amendment and Big Tech. This episode is part of our increased focus this year on your right to freedom of speech.

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Encore: Ralph Cindrich, Going Head to Head with the NFL

Former college All-American, NFL linebacker, and one of the NFL’s most prominent player agents Ralph Cindrich joins Tim to give his unique perspective of the NFL. Ralph spent 40 years in locker rooms, on fields and in negotiations with the owners during the league’s meteoric rise.  This episode is an Encore Presentation of another one of our listeners’ favorite episodes. It was originally released on October 1, 2018.

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Would You Pass the U.S. Citizenship Test?

Professor Greg Jackson joins Tim to talk about what it takes to pass the American citizenship test, what’s on it, and what all means. Do you think you could pass the test? You may be surprised. You may know Greg from previous episodes where we discussed George Washington, the history of the American Flag, or the history of the U.S. Capitol building. Greg is a historian and history professor at Utah Valley University. And he’s the host of the very popular podcast called, “History that Doesn’t Suck.” In this episode, we explore the test to become an American citizen.

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Encore: Unanswered Questions about the JFK Assassination

Dr. Cyril Wecht, a world-renowned forensic pathologist joins Tim to talk about his long experience with his study of the John F. Kennedy assassination. Dr. Wecht was among the first to raise concerns over the investigation of the assassination. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Wecht about the events of November 22, 1963, the story that was told to the world, and the story that has started to emerge in the 55 years since.  This episode is an Encore Presentation of one of our listeners’ favorite episodes. It was originally released on February 18, 2019.

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A Century of Respect: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Gavin McIlvenna joins Tim on the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Gavin is president of the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He had a long and distinguished career in the U.S. Army, but one of the more unique experiences he’s had is the time he spent guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. In this episode, Gavin tells the story behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the symbolic and real significance of one of the most hallowed places on American soil.

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Encore: The Battle of Little Bighorn Changed Everything

Historian Andy Masich joins Tim to discuss the battle of Little Bighorn, one of the most well known and possibly misunderstood battles in the history of the American West.  An author, speaker and college educator, Andy also serves as CEO of the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. In this episode he puts the story of Little Bighorn into perspective for today and how America changed afterward. This episode is an Encore Presentation of one of our listeners’ favorite episodes. It was originally released on July 9, 2018.

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Memorial Day: A Gold Star Mother’s Story

Marlyn Shipley joins Tim for a special Memorial Day episode where she tells her own story. Marlyn is a Gold Star Mother, which means she lost one of her children in service to the U.S. military. Marlyn’s son Michael was a specialist in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne. He died on December 12, 1985 when the plane that he and 247 other fellow troops were aboard, crashed in Gander, Newfoundland. Marlyn talks about what Memorial Day means to her, about the life of a Gold Star mother, about her son Michael.

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The Story Behind the American Front Porch

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.

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Should We Ban Political Talk from the Workplace?

Steve Paskoff joins Tim to talk about whether it’s a good idea for employers to ban discussion of politics in the workplace. Steve is CEO of an Atlanta-based firm called ELI, Inc. That’s a company that provides workplace culture training for employers. In this episode, Steve explains how to handle the touchy issue of employees talking about politics and other sensitive topics at work.

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SCOTUS: Is 9 a Good Number?

Mike Davis joins Tim to talk about the current debate over whether or not to expand the size of the U.S. Supreme Court, otherwise known as “court packing.” Mike is president of the Article 3 Project. That’s an organization that focuses on the U.S. Constitution and the judicial branch of government. Mike explains how important it is to preserve the apolitical nature of the judicial branch of government, and the U.S. Supreme Court, in particular.

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Surveillance: You’re Being Ranked

Kelley Vlahos joins Tim to talk about how big tech companies are starting to use your data to grade you in ways that may surprise and shock you. The focus of our discussion is your Social Credit Score and how China may be illustrating just how alarming its applications can be. Kelley is a senior advisor at the Quincy Institute and editorial director at Responsible Statecraft. She’s written about this population monitoring tool that before now was unthinkable in America. That’s the focus of this episode.

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