shaping opinion

Seven Voices: Who is Your Hero?

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.

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Shaping Opinion Unplugged: Take Your Podcast to the Next Level

In this episode we introduce something new to our schedule. It’s in addition to our regular Monday interview episodes, which will not be changing. Every Monday, we’ll continue to serve up interesting interviews with interesting guests.  But during the week, we’re going to add something new to our schedule. We’re calling these episodes “Shaping Opinion Unplugged.”

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Adam Carroll: Managing Your Moolah

Financial literacy expert Adam Carroll joins Tim to talk about all things money, from financial freedom, managing your own finances, and the current trend towards a cashless society.  Adam is the author of “Winning The Money Game,” “30 Days To $1K,” and “Mastery of Money for Students.”  He is a two-time TED talk speaker, with one of his talks surpassing 4 million views.

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Remembering AOL Instant Messenger

Aja Romano, a culture staff writer for Vox, joins Tim to discuss the impact AOL Instant Messenger had on the way we communicate and on many peoples’ formative years. The two talk about those colors, those sounds, the dos and don’ts of AIM ands the legacy it left for social media habits we carry on today.

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2018: Moments to Remember

In this episode of the Shaping Opinion Podcast, we’re doing something different. This is our Year in Review episode. 2018: Moments to Remember. We’ll go back and highlight some of the great moments we’ve had so far in our first year.

 

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Politics: Ads that Changed History

Historian, author and college dean John Geer joins Tim to discuss the long history of political advertising, from negative attack ads, to a few positive ones that may have changed the course of history. John is the Dean of the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University. He has published several books and articles on presidential politics and elections. One of them is called In Defense of Negativity: Attack Ads in Presidential Campaigns.

 

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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.

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The Man Behind the Emoticon :-)

Artificial Intelligence pioneer and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) researcher Scott Fahlman joins Tim to discuss how a few minutes of humor turned into a worldwide phenomenon when he created the first Internet emoticon. Actually, it all started before the Internet was a thing.

 

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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.

 

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Bob Hope’s USO Legacy

Journalist Kurt Jensen joins Tim to discuss Bob Hope and his USO legacy. The Hollywood legend literally delivered ‘hope’ to generations of troops stationed overseas from World War II to Desert Storm in the early 1990s.  For all that he achieved in Hollywood, perhaps his most lasting legacy is coming to define what it means to “support our troops.”

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Ronald Reagan’s Lady in Red

Sheila Tate, First Lady Nancy Reagan’s Press Secretary and Press Secretary for candidate and President-elect George H.W. Bush in 1988, joins Tim to discuss her new book “Lady in Red” about Nancy Reagan, her impact on Ronald Reagan’s presidency and her own legacy.

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C-SPAN: Window to Washington

Jeff Cohen joins Tim to take a closer look at how C-SPAN opened the door to a 24/7 window to Washington, D.C., changing the way Americans see Congress and, in some instances, how Congress presents itself to the country.

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“Boom Boom” Mancini: Triumph & Tragedy

Gayle Lynn Falkenthal joins Tim to talk about the boxing match that changed the course of professional boxing in America – when Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini faced Duk-Koo Kim in Las Vegas for the world lightweight championship.  It’s the story of triumph and tragedy. No one could foresee that this would be a fight to the death, and it left many wondering about the very sport of boxing. Perceptions changed.

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Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater

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.

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About Us

This is our “About Us” episode.  One of our goals is simply to make the time you spend during your commute or during your workout a little bit more fun and interesting. The premise of the Shaping Opinion podcast is simple. It’s about the people, events and things that have shaped the way we think.

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