The Not Old - Better Show

Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s - Dr. Raphael Cormack Smithsonian Associates, The Not Old Better Show Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show.  I’m Paul Vogelzang.  As part of our Smithsonian Associates Art of Living interview series, our guest today is Dr. Raphael Cormack.   Dr Raphael Cormack has written a new book, Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s and will be introducing and reading a section from his book, which is excellent, getting great reviews and absolutely a winner! One of the world’s greatest 20th-century cosmopolitan cities, Cairo was a magnet for the ambitious and talented. During the 1920s and 30s, a lively music, theater, film, and cabaret scene flourished, dominated by women—as stars but also as impresarios, entrepreneurs, owners, and promoters of the arts industry. Buffeted by crosswinds of colonialism and nationalism, conservatism and liberalism, religious and secular values, patriarchy and feminism, this new generation of celebrities offered a new vision for women in Egypt and throughout the Middle East. Raphael Cormack, an award-winning editor and translator, pulls back the curtain on these boundary-breaking women in entertainment. Dr. Cormack unveils the rich histories of independent, enterprising figures like vaudeville star Rose al-Youssef who launched one of Cairo’s most important literary newspapers.   That was Dr. Raphael Cormack reading from his new book, Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s  Dr. Carmack will be presenting at Smithsonian Associates program, entitled, Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s, May 20, and we have him today.  Please join me in welcoming Smithsonian Asssociate, Dr. Raphael Cormack. My thanks to Dr. Raphael Cormack for joining us today. You’ll find links to Dr. Raphael Cormack’s Smithsonian Associates presentation on our website, along with more details. My thanks to the Smithsonian Associates team for all they do to support the show, and my special thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience. Please be safe, practice smart social distancing, get the vaccine, and Talk About Better. The Not Old Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

CULINASIA Explores the Future of Asian Food in America Smithsonian Associates, The Not Old Better Show Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I’m Paul Vogelzang. As part of our Smithsonian Associates Art of Living interview series, our guest today is talented business owner, writer, restauranteur, Simone Jacobson. Simone Jacobson, a co-owner at award-winning Burmese restaurant Thamee in DC, and is the official curator for CULINASIA Since its introduction to the United States more than 150 years ago, Chinese and Asian cuisine has become an American staple. Its cooking techniques, from stir-frying and smoking to steaming and braising, have grown in popularity over the decades. At the same time, Chinese Americans have been ridiculed, shunned, excluded, and discriminated against. Asian Americans were reportedly targeted at least 500 times in the first two months of this year, according to the advocacy organization Stop AAPI Hate, with nearly 3,800 complaints received in the past year. More than two-thirds of these complaints were of verbal harassment, while 11% involved physical assaults; and the majority of victims have been women and elderly persons. In the COVID-19 era, anti-Asian racism and violence against Asian Americans have been widespread, and many-storied institutions—from small mom-and-pop shops to massive dim sum banquet halls—have permanently closed their doors. Why is the survival of Chinese restaurants so essential to the future of American culture and to the soul of our cities? How do we preserve the legacy of Asian food in America, and why do these efforts matter now? Join me and our guest Simone Jacobson along with Simone’s hand-picked panel of chefs, advocates, and activists who discuss the future of Chinatowns across the country. The panelists include food writer Grace Young, a James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and co-creator of Coronavirus: Chinatown Stories; Brandon Jew, chef and owner of Mister Jiu's, Moongate Lounge, and Mamahuhu in San Francisco, and author of Mister Jiu's in Chinatown: Recipes and Stories from the Birthplace of Chinese American Food (Ten Speed Press); Jennifer Tam and Victoria Lee, founders of Welcome to Chinatown, a grassroots initiative supporting New York City’s Chinatown businesses; Daphne Wu, co-organizer of Save Our Chinatowns, an arts and culture initiative uplifting Bay Area Chinatown communities; and Wellington Chen, executive director of the Chinatown BID/Partnership in New York. Also on the panel are celebrity chefs and restaurateurs Jet Tila, Food Network star and chef-partner in Pei Wei Restaurant Group, and Christine Hà, the first blind contestant of “MasterChef”—and winner of its third season in 2012—and owner of The Blind Goat and Xin Chào in Houston. This will be a wonderful series so please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better S Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Dr. Jessica Bacal - The Rejection That Changed My Life... The Not Old Better Show Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show.  I’m your host, Paul Vogelzang As part of our Art of Living Author interview series, today’s guest is powerhouse writer and educator Jessica Bacal.  Dr. Jessica Bacal is the author of the best-seller, Mistakes I Made at Work, which ‘FAST COMPANY’ magazine ranked as a "Top 10 Book You Need to Read This Year" that was 2014. Now, in 2021, Jessica Bacal’s new book, The Rejection That Changed My Life: 25+ Powerful Women on Being Let Down, Turning It Around, and Burning It Up at Work is really a ‘handbook.’ In our conversation today, Dr. Jess Bacal shares stories of women professionals and their experiences with rejection and growth.Dr. Bacal tells us about early rejections how, when viewed from the distance of an otherwise successful career, they may end up being, unfortunately, discouraging as they make rejection seem like a low hurdle to be easily overcome. The overarching lessons from Dr. Bacal  are to “see the experience of rejection, including our own reactions to it, as just data” and to practice receiving rejection “like a muscle.” Dr. Bacal’s tips are helpful, her message of normalizing setbacks comes across most powerfully in a conclusion considering universal themes of struggle and renewal. This affirming compilation is perfect for The Not Old Better Show audience and anyone else seeking to find their footing in a complicated new work world, either those of us in ‘second acts,’ or those on their first act, so we don’t avoid rejection but learn from it, and don’t take a first rejection as an absolute. That of course is our guest today, Dr. Jess Bacal, reading from her new book, The Rejection That Changed My Life: 25+ Powerful Women on Being Let Down, Turning It Around, and Burning It Up at Work My thanks to Dr. Jessica Bacal, author of the new book, The Rejection That Changed My Life: 25+ Powerful Women on Being Let Down, Turning It Around, and Burning It Up at Work. Links to Dr. Bacal, her work, and her new book are available in the show notes.  My thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience.  My hope is that you’ve either had your vaccine or you’re standing in line for the vaccine listening to the show, right now!  Please stay safe, practice smart social distancing, and let’s talk about better.  The Not Old Better Show.    Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

David Smith - The Cost of Care Podcast Interview The Not Old Better Show Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show.  I’m Paul Vogelzang.  As part of our Art of Living Interview series, today’s show features my interview with David Smith, host of the new podcast from Lemonada Media, titled ‘The Cost Of Care.’  Today’s interview with David Smith is the perfect antidote for our year of isolation and since the pandemic has impacted us all, we’re all vaccine patients, dealing with COVID, and a community of people thinking about care, what it costs, and the community of all of us. Well, first off, what’s your life worth? Healthcare in the United States can bankrupt you, demoralize you—or actually kill you. Healthcare economist David Smith grew up in a Mormon community in Utah, and lost his father, sister, and brother to the same deadly epidemic. David Smith spent his career exploring whether their deaths were preventable and how we can make health a priority for everyone.  Today on The Not Old Better Show, we discuss David Smith’s new show, ‘The Cost of Care,” David and I chat about patients, medical experts, and policymakers – and David will reveal how the wealthiest nation on earth ended up with one of the most expensive, worst-performing health care systems in the world and provide solutions to fix it, together.  That’s a brief clip from David and his new podcast ‘The Cost of Care,’ from Lemonada Media, and now please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone, David Smith.   My thanks to David Smith for his time today.  Thanks, also, to Lemonada Media for reaching out with such an important new show from them, and this important health subject.  Check out the Cost of Care podcast when it debuts April 15, anywhere you listen to podcasts, and we’ll have links in our show notes today.   Thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience. Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Noah Gittell - The 2021 Oscars: A Year of Drama The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, I’m your host Paul Vogelzang, and this is episode number 529. As part of our Smithsonian Associates, Art of Living interview series, our guest today is Noah Gittell.  Noah Gittell a previous guest on the show, and a fan favorite, is a film critic for the Washington City Paper.  Noah Gittell also writes for publications including The Atlantic, The Guardian, Salon, and the LA Review of Books.  Noah Gittell is a regular on-camera guest on BBC’s “Talking Movies,” program.  Noah Gittell will be presenting at the Smithsonian Associates program entitled,  The 2021 Oscars: A Year of Drama. The Oscars are going to be different this year. With the pandemic having forced many major films to push their release dates to 2021 or beyond, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has made dramatic changes to shift the date of the ceremony to April 26, expand the eligibility window, and allow most streaming films to compete, whether they had a theatrical release or not. In most years, you’d have assembled your own slate of favorites in the Oscar race long before the ceremony. There’s nothing more enjoyable than comparing your picks, talking about the nominated films and performers—and of course, those you felt really should have gotten a nod—with other movie fans. But this year, you might want an expert to help guide you through the process. Washington City Paper film critic, and Not Old Better Show fan favorite, Noah Gittell is back with us for an evening that focuses on all things Oscar, from Academy Awards history and trivia to discussions of this unusual year's nominations and behind-the-scenes stories. He sorts through all the storylines, rumors, and gossip so that when the telecast begins, you'll be the most knowledgeable guest at your virtual Oscar party. Sip something festive and cast your vote for the winners in several major categories, with the most accurate predictions eligible for prizes after the awards are presented. Noah Gittell has covered the film world and Hollywood for the Atlantic, Guardian, Salon, and L.A. Review of Books. He is a regular on-camera contributor to BBC's "Talking Movies."  Please join me in welcoming back to The Not Old Better Show, Noah Gittell. My thanks to Washington City Paper film criti Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Peter Pischke - A painful struggle: Opioids can be dangerous, but restrictions — or a ban — are worse The Not Old Better Show, Author Interview Series... Welcome to The Not Old Better Show.  I’m Paul Vogelzang, and this is episode #528.  Today’s show is brought to you by Feals. Our guest today is Peter Vaughn Pischke, who is an independent journalist covering health and disability, and host of The Happy Warrior podcast, and has just written an investigative journalism piece on the opioid crisis in The New York Daily News, titled: A painful struggle: Opioids can be dangerous, but restrictions — or a ban — are worse. For the last nine years, this country has suffered from a growing overdose crisis caused by illicit fentanyl — aka “the opioid crisis” — which is responsible for killing more than 80,000 Americans in 2020 alone. The crisis started with good intentions by public health authorities.  In 2009, the Obama FDA forced Purdue Pharma to reformulate their popular pain medication, OxyContin, which had been the primary substitute to produce heroin for the user on the cheap. In theory, forcing a reformulation would make conversion impossible, thus pushing users away from abuse and addiction. This turned out to be an enormous mistake. Since the CDC is mentioned in this story, I reached out to contacts at the CDC and have a statement from them at the end of the program. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone, journalist Peter Vaughn Pischke. My thanks to Peter Vaughn Pischke for his generous time and reporting today.  My thanks to Feals for sponsoring today’s show.  Please support our sponsors.  My thanks, as well, to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience.  Please join me next time, be safe, be healthy…I hope you’re listening today as you’re waiting in line for your vaccine, and remember, let’s talk about Better.  The Not Old Better Show.  Thanks, everybody. http://feals.com/notoldbetter CDC's Response to the Opioid Overdose Epidemic A Public Health Crisis Drug overdoses have dramatically increased over the last two decades, with deaths increasing more than four times between 1999 and 2017. In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses, making it a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Of those deaths, about 68 percent involved a prescription or illicit opioid. Adults between the ages of 25 and 6 4 years old have the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths. Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Dr. Rebecca Albright - Coral Reefs: Creative Solutions for Oceans in Crisis The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Inside Science Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show.  I’m Paul Vogelzang, and this is episode #527. As part of our Smithsonian Associates, Inside Science Series, today’s guest is Dr. Rebecca Albright.  Dr. Rebecca Albright is the Coral reef biologist and assistant curator of Invertebrate Zoology and Patterson Scholar at the California Academy of Science  Smithsonian Associate Dr. Rebecca Albright is our guest today, and Dr. Rebecca Albright will be presenting at the Smithsonian Associates program April 15 2021.  The title of Rebecca Albright’s presentation is: Coral Reefs: Creative Solutions for Oceans in Crisis. While they cover less than one percent of the ocean floor, coral reefs support approximately one-quarter of marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of tens of millions of people worldwide. As the world continues to warm and the oceans acidify, coral reef bleaching and erosion are advancing at staggering rates, threatening coastal protection, habitats, cultural services, and tourism. There is no question that today's reefs are facing an unprecedented struggle. Our guest today, coral reef biologist Rebecca Albright, assistant curator of Invertebrate Zoology and Patterson Scholar at the California Academy of Science, talks to us today about the opportunities for exciting new ways to address this crisis. Rebecca Albright and I discuss her overview of challenges that reefs are currently facing and solutions that scientists are exploring. Looking toward the future, Rebecca Albright will offer highlights of the strengths and limitations of current approaches and some of the next steps toward saving these invaluable ecosystems.  On a positive note, Rebecca Albright stresses the important roles of scientists, citizens, and policymakers in the efforts to sustain coral reefs, saying “Coral reefs are unbelievably resilient ecosystems—if we give them a chance.” Please join me in welcoming to the Smithsonian Associates Inside Science interview series from The Not Old Better Show, scientist Dr. Rebecca Albright. My thanks to Rebecca Albright for her generous time today.  Smithsonian Associate Rebecca Albright will be pres Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Chris Gardner - Permission to Dream The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Author Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I’m Paul Vogelzang and this is episode #526. As part of our Smithsonian Associates, Art of Living Series, today’s guest is Chris Gardner.  Chris Gardner is the NYT Best Selling author of the critically acclaimed "Pursuit of Happyness", Chris Gardner is an entrepreneur, Single Parent, Speaker, and Philanthropist. Our guest today, Smithsonian Associate Chris Gardner.  Chris Gardner will be presenting at the Smithsonian Associates program April 13 2021.  The title of Chris Gardner’s presentation is “Finding The Permission to Dream.” Chris Gardner is best known as the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir The Pursuit of Happyness, which became a popular 2006 film starring Will Smith. Both tell Gardner’s rags-to-riches story as he and his young son struggled with homelessness while he vied to become the single trainee out of 20 to be offered a full-time position with the stock brokerage firm Dean Witter Reynolds. After a year on the streets, Gardner—who grew up with an abusive stepfather never went to college—landed the stockbroker spot. He eventually founded his own brokerage firm, became a millionaire several times over, and often shares his story as a sought-after inspirational speaker. In our conversation with Chris Gardner, we’ll talk about his new book, Finding Permission to Dream,’ which is his blueprint for building a dream-come-true life—even during uncertainty. Chris Gardner and I discuss the strategies he learned along the way to achieving a prosperous career, from a method for identifying your ultimate dream to a playbook for becoming world-class at it.  Chris Gardner’s business career provided the basis for his philanthropic work and an important personal philosophy: No matter how much wealth you achieve, true success comes from enriching the lives of others—so all can still have access to the American Dream. Join Gardner as he discusses how he hopes to inspire the next generation of problem solvers and change-makers to claim their version of that dream. My thanks to Chris Gardner for his generous time today.  Smithsonian Asso Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

An Evening on the Bay with Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - Pete Lesher The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show.  I’m Paul Vogelzang, and this is episode #525.   As part of our Smithsonian Associates, Art of Living Series, today’s show is about the amazing, beautiful, functional, and largest estuary in America, the Chesapeake Bay.  Our guest today is Smithsonian Associate Pete Lesher, chief curator of Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.  Pete Lesher will be presenting at the Smithsonian Associates program on April 7, 2021.  The title of Pete Lesher’s Smithsonian Associates presentation is An Evening on the Bay with Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.   Join us today with Pete Lesher, chief curator of Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland, for a virtual exploration of collections that tell stories about the relationship between people and place in the Bay region—revealing how culture has been shaped by the delicate intertwining of land and water around America’s largest estuary. Pete Lesher answers our questions about an overview of the Chesapeake Bay Museum facility’s 12 exhibition buildings and historic structures on the 18-acre waterfront campus and offers detailed looks at the museum’s permanent exhibitions. We’ll explore Oystering on the Chesapeake and Maryland Crabmeat, exhibits in which working lives on the Bay are revealed in the words of mixed-race skipjack crews and African American women who traditionally picked crabs.  Pete and I will discuss the role of the Bay as a maritime highway that connects people and moves commodities are explored in part at the Hooper Strait Lighthouse, a cottage-style historic structure moved to St. Michaels for preservation. And the transformation of the Bay into a place of recreation is told in At Play on the Bay through stories like the racing of sailing log canoes, a living tradition with roots among oyster tongers. The Chesapeake Bay continues to provide meaning and inspiration to residents and visitors, as evidenced in rich art collections from 19th-century painters to contemporary photographer David Harp, who we’ll discuss, and whose environmental photojournalism is shaping the conversation around the impacts of climate change on the Chesapeake and its waterfront communities. Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone,  Smithsonian Associate Pete Lesher, chief curator of Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.   My Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The Windsor Sisters: Elizabeth and Margaret Andrew Morton on a Complex Royal Bond The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series Welcome to The Not Old Better Show.  I’m Paul Vogelzang, and this is episode #524. As part of our Smithsonian Associates, Art of Living Series, today’s show is about the ever-intriguing House of Windsor.  We’ve arranged an eyeopening interview with Royal biographer and Smithsonian Associate Andrew Morton, who’ll be joining us today, and will be presenting at the Smithsonian Associates program on April 6, 2021.  The title of Andrew Morton’s Smithsonian Associates presentation is The Windsor Sisters: Elizabeth and Margaret, A Complex Royal Bond.   They were the closest of sisters and the best of friends. But when, in a quixotic twist of fate, their uncle, King Edward Vlll, decided to abdicate the throne in 1936, the dynamic between Elizabeth and Margaret was dramatically altered. Margaret would have to curtsey to the sister she called Lillibet, and bow to her wishes. Elizabeth would always look upon her younger sister's antics with a kind of stoical amusement, but Margaret's struggle to find a place and position inside the royal system—and her fraught relationship with its expectations—was often a source of tension. Famously, the Queen had to inform Margaret that the Church and government would not countenance her marrying divorcee Peter Townsend, forcing Margaret to choose between keeping her title and royal allowances or her divorcee lover. Andrew Morton’s new book, Elizabeth and Margaret, The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters, explores their relationship from the idyll of their cloistered early life, through their hidden war-time lives, into the divergent paths they took following their father's death and Elizabeth's ascension to the throne. In conversation with us today, Andrew Morton shares his unique insight into these two drastically different women—one resigned to duty and responsibility, the other resistant to it—and the lasting impact they have had on the Crown, the royal family, and the ways it adapted to the changing mores of the 20th century. Royal watchers will be enthralled. Andrew Morton has written extensively on celebrities including biographies of Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, and Madonna, as well as the British royal family.  He has written bestselling biographies of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Prince Andrew, and Meghan Markle.  His #1 New York Times bestselling biograph Talk About Better™ The Not Old Better Show on Radio & Podcast! Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.