The Not Old - Better Show

A History of Pandemics - Dr. Allen Pietrobon The Smithsonian Associates Art Of Living Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Assocaites Interview Series. I'm Paul Vogelzang and as part of our Art of Living and Science Awareness programs with Smithsonian Assocaites, we are joined by returning guest, Dr. Allen Pietrobon. Dr Allen Pietrobon will be appearing via Zoom at Smithsonian Associates, Wednesday March 30, but we have Dr. Pietrobon today and our subject of conversation, and the title of Dr. Pietrobon's upcoming Smithsonian Associates presentation is 'A History of Pandemics." More information is available during our interview and on the website, so stay tuned for a very informative interview. The saying goes that history repeats itself. True to form, epidemics have been a near-constant feature in human life. Up until the 1960s, recurring epidemics were simply a normal fact of daily life, always lurking in the background. Joining us today is award-winning historian Allen Pietrobon, an assistant professor of global affairs at Trinity Washington University. We will be talking to Dr. Pietrobon about some of the lesser-known pandemics and epidemics, revealing how people throughout history dealt with such sudden disease outbreaks. We'll learn from Dr. Pietrobon where these epidemics and pandemics originated. Whom did they most affect? What was learned in how to treat or prevent them? And how did societies evolve in the wake of deadly pandemics? Dr. Pietrobon explores the cholera epidemics that ravaged 19th-century New York City and the terrifying polio epidemic that first struck America in the 1840s and killed thousands during each generational recurrence. Please join me and Dr. Allen Pietrobon to discover how epidemics indiscriminately affected lives, killing presidents and paupers alike; and learn about the medical and technological advancements that have helped people to continue living, post-pandemic. My thanks to Dr. Allen Pietrobon for his expertise and generous time. Dr Allen Pietrobon will be appearing via Zoom at Smithsonian Associates, Wednesday March 30. More information is available on the website, noted-better.com. My thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks, of course, to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience…please be safe, be well, let's remember Ukraine, and let's remember to talk about better…the Not Old Better Show. Thanks, everybody and I'll see you next time. Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Celebrate Your Family History - Jenny Ashcraft The Not Old Better Show, Backstory Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. We're talking genealogy today, family history, and some families like my own, are from far-flung places all over the world, but I'm here in America now. We will be talking about my family today and I'm Paul Vogelzang. As part of our Back Story Family History interview series, we have an excellent interview with returning guest, and audience favorite Jenny Ashcraft, who is a genealogist, a researcher, a lover of the written word, and who'll join us today to talk about family history, new technology and resources available at Newspapers.com Our guest today, Jenny Ashcraft is a family history enthusiast. She works at Ancestry where she writes a blog at Fold3HQ. Jenny Ashcraft loves uncovering stories about ancestors and finds great joy in helping others to do the same. She feels completely at home immersed in dusty archives, pouring through manuscripts, or finding hidden gems in the pages of historic newspapers. Alex Haley, author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family puts it this way: "In all of us, there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage—to know who we are and where we came from. Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning." The psychological benefits of genealogy are significant and plentiful: among them are basic needs like acceptance and friendship, ego needs like achievement and status, and self-actualization. These psychological benefits and more, like knowing your roots boosts older adults' mental wellbeing in positive ways, giving us: a sense of accomplishment, especially if you do the research yourselves; the perspective that we belong to a family which leaves a legacy for future generations; a sense of self-worth and belonging to ancestors with whom we can participate to play our part in history; meaningful things, and of course, as we age acceptance of the concept of death and mortality. Older people who have paid attention to our family health history are better able to contribute to their own wellbeing, and better prepared to affect the wellbeing of their descendants. The grandparents, great-aunts, and great-uncles of our audience here on The Not Old Better Show also have the duty to relate the lessons their ancestors taught, and the moral principles that kept them focused. We'll talk about that, some wonderful new resources for family search, and more on our packed show today so please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show genealogist Jenny Ashcraft. Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

God: An Anatomy - Francesca Stavrakopoulou The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates interview series here on our radio shows and podcasts. I'm Paul Vogelzang and we have a really fantastic show today on what is among our most popular subjects: God. and with a new guest, you'll find fascinating: Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou, who'll be appearing at Smithsonian Associates, Thursday, March 10, and more details in our show notes today and on our website. Christianity teaches us that the biblical God was without a body, only revealing himself in the Old Testament in words mysteriously uttered through his prophets, and in the New Testament in the body of Christ. The Bible's frequent portrayal of God as corporeal and masculine is seen as a metaphorical, figurative, or poetic construct. But in a talk that draws on her revelatory studies, ancient religions expert Francesca Stavrakopoulou presents a vividly corporeal image of the biblical God: This is a human-shaped deity who walks and talks and weeps and laughs; who eats, sleeps, feels, and breathes; and who is undeniably male. Stavrakopoulou, a graduate of Oxford University and a professor of Hebrew Bible and ancient religion at the University of Exeter, has closely examined and researched the portrayal of God's body in the Bible, and shown how this deity was originally understood by His worshippers in the biblical world. God was created in the image of the people who lived then, a product of a particular society at a particular time, and shaped by their own circumstances and experience of the world. This reclaimed image of God may change how we think about religion, our bodies, and our humanity. Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou has written a fascinating new book, "God: An Anatomy," which we'll be discussing today at length, as well as all aspects of Dr. Stavrakopoulou's upcoming presentation at Smithsonian Associates. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show Smithsonian Associates interview series, Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou My thanks to Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou for her generous time today. My thanks, as well to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks to you my wonderful Not Old Better Show au Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Brain Training for Everyone - Stanley Newman Smithsonian Associates - Art of Living Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates interview series here on our radio shows and podcasts. I'm Paul Vogelzang and we have a really fantastic show today on one of my favorite subjects, and with a new favorite guest, Stan Newman. Ready to muscle-up your brainpower? Dive into many techniques of mental calisthenics in an enjoyable interactive program led by Stanley Newman, crossword editor for Newsday, and put them to practical use with numerous real-life examples. Newman leads lateral-thinking exercises that can help you get past mental roadblocks to find solutions to everyday challenges. (Sample puzzle: A truck driver is going south on a northbound one-way street. A police officer sees the driver doing this but makes no attempt to stop her. Check out the answer in today's interview! Stan Newman and I discuss creativity builders, which can lead your brain to places it's never gone before by asking yourself the right questions. (Here's one to ponder: If you could invent something that would make your life easier or more fun, what would it be?) Stan Newman tells us about rounds of enhanced Twenty Questions (it's not just animal, vegetable or mineral anymore), and challenges you to learn to make optimal use of your resources (besides spending it, how many different uses can you think of for a dime?). Finally, he reveals why you should watch "Jeopardy!" with your finger on the remote's pause button. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show Smithsonian Assocaites interview series, game creator, editor, and Newsday's Crossword Puzzle creator, Stan Newman. My thanks to Stan Newman for his generous time today. My thanks to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show. My thanks to you my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience…please be well, stay safe and remember, let's talk about better…The Not Old Better Show. Check out our website for details about our radio shows and all other free resources and recordings! Thanks, everybody. Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World The Not Old Better Show, Fitness Friday Interview Series... Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I'm Paul Vogelzang and am excited to be with you today, following another great week of talk, music, and community here on radio shows and podcasts. For many of us in The Not Old Better Show audience, exercise and fitness is a way of life. That's definitely the case for me and my family. I like to exercise, stay fit, creatively try new exercises, and even read about exercise. Our guest today, journalist Danielle Friedman, has written a new book about the history of exercise and fitness, titled, 'Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World.' (Available HERE at Apple Books) For many women today, working out is as accepted as it is expected, fueling a multibillion-dollar fitness industrial complex. But it wasn't always this way. For much of the twentieth century, sweating was considered unladylike and girls grew up believing physical exertion would cause their uterus to literally fall out. It was only in the sixties that, thanks to a few forward-thinking fitness pioneers, women began to move en masse. In her new book, Let's Get Physical, our guest today, journalist Danielle Friedman reveals to us the fascinating hidden history of contemporary women's fitness culture, chronicling in vivid, cinematic prose how exercise evolved from a beauty tool pitched almost exclusively as a way to "reduce" into one million have harnessed as a path to mental, emotional, and physical well-being. That of course is our guest today, journalist Danielle Friedman, reading from her new book, 'Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World.' We will discuss with Danielle Friedman the women who led the way of the fitness revolution, the tremendous gains women have made in obtaining the 'right' to exercise, and Danielle Friedman will share lots of stories of people who went to fitness classes because of how they wanted to look but stayed because of how those classes made them feel: strong, supported, and empowered. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone, journalist Danielle Friedman, author of the new book, 'Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World.' My thanks to Danielle Friedman, author of the new book, ''Let's Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World.' Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How Dementia is impacting Black America The Not Old Better Show - Black History Month Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I'm Paul Vogelzang and it's great to be with you again this week on the radio show and our podcast. Remember, you can find more information about the show at NotOld-Better.com. Well, February is Black History Month, and we are honoring the contributions of Black supporters, advocates, and organizations who are working to empower Black communities throughout America. Our guest today, Brandi Alexander, National Director of Community Engagement, at Compassion & Choices, a nonprofit organization, whose mission is to improve healthcare, expand healthcare options, and empower all of us in The Not Old Better Show audience, irrespective of race to chart their end-of-life journey. But, for Black Americans, health inequities can prevent individuals and their families from experiencing end-of-life outcomes that align with their values and priorities. This is especially true when faced with a dementia diagnosis. Dementia is the general term for a group of diseases or conditions that cause impairment to a person's thinking, memories, or decision-making. Research has shown that people in the Black community often face barriers to their care for dementia, including delays in diagnosis. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. Around 60–80%Trusted Source of people with dementia have Alzheimer's. According to the Alzheimer's Association, older Black Americans are twice as likely to have dementia than older white Americans. Today we are focused on how dementia is impacting the Black community. Brandi Alexander and her team at Compassion and Choices are hosting a virtual event with first-hand expertise and speakers on this subject, which we have the privilege of learning more about today. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show, Black History Month series, Brandi Alexander Compassion & Choices My thanks to Bran Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Hiking and the Great Outside - Journeys North author Barney Mann The Not Old Better Show, Author Interview Series... Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, I'm Paul Vogelzang. Today's episode is brought to you by Ritual. As my audience here on the Not Old Better Show knows my wife Gretchen and I are avid hikers. Because of our love of being on the trails in nature, Gretchen and I read hiking books, trail guides, and all manner of "Best Of" lists when it comes to best hikes. We like medium length, like 15 - 20 mile hikes a day, 50 miles over a weekend, but I have long harbored a secret desire to hike the country's longest trails – and around here, that's the Appalachian Trail, knowing that there are parts and subparts relatively easy to tackle. But, the big national trails: Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, as well as the Appalachian Trail are so long, arduous that it would take a few months to as our guest today Barney Scout Mann phrases it "through-hike them" and the fact is both Gretchen and I are self-employed so these hikes will have to wait, at least for us. But, we'll live vicariously today because our guest, avid hiker Barney Scout Mann, is one of a handful of people who've hiked all three of the US' longest trails. Barney Scout Mann is one of the rare individuals who have hiked America's Triple Crown – The Appalachian, Continental Divide, and Pacific Crest trails. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these trails, they are the longest trails in the country. The Pacific Crest Trail is 2650 miles long and covers 26 national forests, 7 national parks, 5 state parks, and 3 national monuments. It takes 5 months at an average of 20 miles a day. Well, today we get a fabulous pleasure to hear stories from Barney – trail name Scout – Mann about the Pacific Crest Trail and his book Journeys North. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show, Barney 'Scout' Mann. My thanks to Ritual for sponsoring today's show, and please support our sponsors by checking out the show notes for details. You can find a lot more in the show notes about our guest Barney Scout Mann, his new book, 'Journeys North,' and trail resources from Barney. Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

WINNING IN REVERSE - NASCAR'S Bill Lester The Not Old Better Show Interview Series, Black History Month Welcome to The Not Better Show. I'm Paul Vogelzang and we'll be talking to NASCAR winning driver Bill Lester today. The amazing and dramatic story of Bill Lester, one of the most well-known NASCAR drivers in history—and a pioneer whose determination and spirit has paved the way for a new generation of racers. Bill Lester has written a new book on his life in NASCAR, Winning in Reverse, which tells the story of Bill Lester whose love for racing eventually compelled him to quit his job as an engineer to pursue racing full time. Blessed with natural talent, Bill still had a trifecta of odds against him: he was black, he was middle aged, and he wasn't a southerner., and everything Bill Lester did in racing, he did in reverse! That, of course, is our guest today, author Bill Lester, reading from his new book, 'Winning In Reverse,' and in our conversation today with Bill Lester, we talk about how he rose above it all, as did his rankings, and how Bill Lester made history time and time again, becoming the first African American to race in NASCAR's Busch Series, the first to participate in the Nextel Cup and the first to win a Pole Position start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Whether you are contemplating a late in life change, a career or lifestyle change, challenging social norms, or struggling against prejudice or bigotry, Winning in Reverse is a story for sports fans and readers everywhere about the power of perseverance in the face of adversity. You'll love Bill Lester's story of determination and perseverance and is our feature Black History Month Moment on The Not Old Better Show. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone, NASCAR winning driver, and author of the new book, 'Winning In Reverse,' Bill Lester. My thanks to Bill Lester, author of the new book, "Winning in Reverse.' My thanks to you my dear Not Old Better Show audience for your company today, and I hope you'll join me next time. Be safe, be healthy, and please practice smart social distancing, and remember, Let's talk about better. The Not Old Better Show. Thanks, everybody. Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Local Democracy is Working - Mayor Sue Zwahlen The Not Old Better Show, Leadership Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I'm Paul Vogelzang. So great to be with you today, following another great week of talk, music, and community for our older adult audience. We have an excellent show today, jam-packed for our Not Old Better Show audience. Our guest today is Modesto California, Mayor Sue Zwahlen. We're talking about local government, its power, effectiveness, and what it means to govern in US cities today. Everybody in The Not Old Better Show audience who watched it remembers what Ronald Reagan did to Jimmy Carter in the closing moments of their 1980 presidential debate. Reagan stared straight into the camera and asked the voters a simple question: "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" Enough of them answered in the negative to give the challenger Reagan a decisive victory over the incumbent Carter at the polls that November. I was working in the House of Representatives at the time, for local congressmen Bernie Sisk, and then his successor Tony Coelho, and I remember that time, and that question well. It was a fair question. Most of us have a clear enough memory of the recent past to provide a meaningful answer, at least in regard to our own lives. But what if we ask ourselves about a much longer period of time -- say 40 years? Then many of us become unreliable witnesses. The warm glow of nostalgia begins to take over. The current period of widespread public discontent has made "are you better off?" into a more urgent question. The one thing I won't say, and it's clear "we are NOT better off,' when it comes to the political process getting better. Conventional wisdom alone tells us differently. Unyielding partisanship, legislative gridlock, incessant name-calling, and the overall corrosion of public discourse give most people the impression that we have been living through a period of demoralizing decline. But, what if we took a different view. What if the national political culture is just as bad as most of us believe, but another corner of the political system is steadily getting stronger? Our guest today, Mayor of Modesto California, Sue Zwahlen, will tell us just that, in so many words. I'll introduce Mayor Zwahlen in a moment, but for our national audience, Modesto, California is located in the Central Valley of California, a city, really of 219,000 people, a city built on agriculture, and famous as George Lucas' hometown, while not filmed in Modesto, was based on Lucas' life growing up there. Mayor Sue Zwahlen was elected Mayor of Modesto in February 2021 and is a former two-term member of the Modesto City Schools Board, who was first elected in 2009, re-elected in 2 Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Not Dead Yet - Barbara Ballinger & Meg Crane The Not Old Better Show Author Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show on KSCW/KCBP. I'm Paul Vogelzang, so great to be with you today, following another great week of talk, music, and community for our older adult audience. We have an excellent show today, very timely and thrilling for our Not Old Better Show audience here on KSCW/KCBP community radio. Life moves really fast these days. With stresses all around us, health, unexpected emergencies, and everything else, we in The Not Old Better Show audience may feel like we've done so much living, but not had a full life, and we may not have a plan for the rest of our lives. How do you find the time now to plan for your future so that when you get there, it's there for you, too…a future? And a future you can really enjoy. Remember the title of our guest's book today, Not Dead Yet and all will be well… With people living longer, they are faced with decisions about finances, health, and emotional and social well-being. In the new book, which is really wonderful, titled NOT DEAD YET: Rebooting Your Life After 50, Barbara Ballinger and Margaret Crane, and our guests today, are two long-time, seventysomething journalists, friends, and writing partners. They'll share how they and all of us in The Not Old Better Show audience can navigate this new stage of their lives. Filled with optimism, energy, humor, honesty, and compassion, NOT DEAD YET will take you through the journeys, decisions, failures, losses, and successes of people as they age and try to live joyfully. Whether sharing that shivas, wakes, and funerals might be good places to meet new friends and potential dates or sharing their riff on an imagined co-housing arrangement for their final years, Ballinger and Crane will make readers laugh, cringe a little, think hard, and realize they are not alone in figuring out life as they get older and become age-defiers." Barbara Ballinger is an award-winning freelance journalist, author, and reporter. Margaret Crane is a nationally known freelance writer focusing on business, food, wine, fashion, home furnishings, and real estate. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone, Barbara Ballinger and Margaret Crane. My thanks to NYT Best Selling authors Barbara Ballinger and Margaret Crane. Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.