We have a compulsion… getting more stuff. Now we pay for stuff, and we don’t even care what’s in the box. I’ve got a better idea! Plus, an update on my new dog, Lucy!     Links George Carlin on StuffWisdom Panel Doggie DNA TestingDaily Affirmation with Stuart SmalleySubmit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Squarespace (SAVE 10% on your first website subscription when you enter PARTNER10 at checkout!) – Instacart

When losing a loved one, whether a pet or person, there’s no such thing a closure.    I recently lost my dog, Nub, to cancer. It came quick and wasn’t expected. I’m sharing my thoughts on that experience and working through that grief and loss. But there’s hope and Nub’s example reminded me how to cope with it.     Links 20 Keys to Heal After the Loss of a Pet, Mar. 10, 2018 - Humane GoodsWhy Losing a Pet Hurts So Much - August 22, 2016 - Ralph Ryback, M.D. - Psychology TodaySubmit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Squarespace (SAVE 10% on your first website subscription when you enter PARTNER10 at checkout!) – Constant Contact

I’m talking with a former Catholic nun, my aunt, Reneta Webb, about her own story and the source of faith in a messy world.Organized religions are empty corporate entities. For most of my life I’ve not had any faith in them. My aunt, a former nun, and I talk about that. We also talk about her journey, going into the convent at 13, then leaving the sisterhood after 29 years. And most importantly what the source of our faith is, and it’s not in a building, sect, or anything like that.   Submit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Instacart  -  LeftBrainRightBrain Marketing -  Squarespace (SAVE 10% on your first website subscription when you enter PARTNER10 at checkout!) – Constant Contact

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about where we live, and I’ll bet you’re wondering about this place too.I’ve always been patriotic, which is why I’ve been doing a lot of wondering about our country over, well, the last couple decades, and specifically the last few years. I just don’t know about us anymore… is it time to turn over the keys? And, oh yeah, where the hell has humor gone?Links Ep. 44 – How People Buy Into Batshit CrazySubmit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Instacart  -  LeftBrainRightBrain Marketing -  Squarespace (SAVE 10% on your first website subscription when you enter PARTNER10 at checkout!) – Constant Contact

Sensei Miwako Sakabayashi helps young minds blossom by teaching the abacus.In1992, an immigrant comes to America from Japan. She could read and write, but not really speak the language. So, what happens next? In 2000 she launches a Japanese Abacus school of course. Today Sensei Miwako Sakabayashi has made a huge impact in the lives of hundreds of students… it just adds up.  Links JAMS – The Japanese Abacus Math SchoolJAMS Facebook PageWatch a 7 Year old beating the calculator - JAMS Students in ActionEatin’ wit’ a Regular Guy – Ep. 15 - Japanese Curry Chicken with Sensei MiwakoSubmit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Instacart  -  Constant Contact -  Squarespace (SAVE 10% on your first website subscription when you enter PARTNER10 at checkout!) - Hugo Coffee (Enter SAVEDOGS at checkout for 10% off your order!) 

Detective Jim Sherlock chases down a 40-plus-year-old cold case In January 2021 the book, Murder in Canaryville was released. It’s the story of the murder of teenager John Hughes in the spring of 1976. The murder was covered up by Chicago Police, politicians, and judges. I’m talking with Detective Jim Sherlock who’s investigated the cold case for years, about how it happened and where it goes from here.Links Murder in Canaryville – The True Story Behind a Cold Case and a Chicago Cover UpJohn R. Hughes Memorial OpenChicago FBI Field Office (CE6)Chicago Police Department (Cold Case Unit)Submit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Instacart  -  LeftBrainRightBrain Marketing -  Squarespace (SAVE 10% on your first website subscription when you enter PARTNER10 at checkout!) - Hugo Coffee (Enter SAVEDOGS at checkout for 10% off your order!)

A reformed attorney prosecutes a crusade for better coffee and finding forever homes for dogs  Claudia McMullen was burned out… on New York, on being a lawyer, on burnt coffee and on dogs not being able to find forever homes. So what’s a girl to do? She moved to Utah and started Hugo Coffee. Now she’s making great coffee and helping to support dog and animal rescue charities.Links Hugo CoffeeFluffy Cow CoffeeNuzzles & Co. Animal RescueBest Friends Animal SocietySubmit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Instacart  -  LeftBrainRightBrain Marketing  -  Squarespace (SAVE 10% on your first website subscription when you enter PARTNER10 at checkout!) - Hugo Coffee (Enter SAVEDOGS at checkout for 10% off your order!)

Digital media and social networks are programming us exactly how we want to be programmed...You know that person who goes on about crazy conspiracies and fake news? They probably think you’re as crazy as you think they are. And worse, it leads us to cancel each other out, regardless of the bonds we might have. How does it happen? The truth is, we’re all allowing digital media and social networks to program us exactly how we want to be programmed… and it’s widening the divide. Links Information Overload Helps Fake News Spread, and Social Media Knows ItThe Social Dilemma - NetflixSubmit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Instacart  -  Squarespace (SAVE 10% on your first website subscription when you enter PARTNER10 at checkout!) - Hugo Coffee (Enter SAVEDOGS at checkout for 10% off your order!)

It’s at the root of almost everything we count on...There’s a word that most Americans consider dirtier than all others. We’re either on one side of it or another. And even those who are on its side are terrified to drop it. As usual, the word has a whole lot more nuance to it. And nuance isn’t what Americans want these days. Let’s explore, shall we? Links A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town (And Some Bears), by Matthew Hongoltz-HetlingSubmit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Instacart  -  Squarespace (SAVE 10% on your first website subscription when you enter PARTNER10 at checkout!)

There’s plenty of ugliness to find in a team’s name if you look hard enough and want to see it. This week I’m sharing my own thoughts on the sports team renaming controversy, starting with the Redskins. To my reading of history, there are plenty of team names, that when you dig into them, are out of bounds when it comes to political correctness. So there’s that and my ideas on new team names. Links New poll finds 9 in 10 Native Americans aren’t offended by Redskins name (article requires subscription) - May 2016 Debate on Racism Renews Calls for Redskins to Change Name - University of Michigan - June 2020 Unpacking the Mascot Debate: Native American Identification Predicts Opposition to Native Mascots - University of Michigan - February 2020Submit Your Story Idea! This Episode Sponsored by: Constant Contact  -  LeftBrainRightBrain Marketing