Jeff Schechtman's "Talk Cocktail"

"To discover to the world something which deeply concerns it, and of which it was previously ignorant; to prove to it that it had been mistaken on some vital point of temporal or spiritual interest, is as important a service as a human being can render to his fellow creatures..." John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty"

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Dissecting the Silicon Valley Bank Debacle: A conversation with Dean Baker and Brad DeLong

It has been a momentous week for banks and markets. What some have dubbed an “extinction-level event” was, at its core, the failure of a cou...

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Spies in Hollywood: A conversation with Jonathan Gill

The hacking of Sony Pictures back in 2014, by North Korea, made us all wonder about spies in Hollywood. Today, our paranoia tells us that th...

Friday, February 24, 2023

A Real Life "Succession" Drama: The Story of Sumner and Shari Redstone

The constantly changing landscape of business, finance, entertainment, and medicine is influenced by technological advancements and cultural...

Monday, February 13, 2023

Joe Biden Fought To Get To The White House. Is He the President We Need Now?: My conversation with Chris Whipple

Joe Biden is the oldest President to take office in the past 234 years. He has a long public life, and has grown into the person and politic...

Thursday, February 9, 2023

We Have No Democracy Without Good Citizens: My conversation with Richard Haass

A recent Gallup survey of American concerns showed that foreign policy is nearly at the bottom of the list, with inflation and prices near t...

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

We Each Have the Personal Answer to Our Larger Divisions: A Conversation with Pico Iyer

Division and conflict have been the default setting for civilization. It’s what wars, shifting alliances and even relational conflict is all...

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Citizenship Is Just A Commodity: A Conversation with Atossa Abrahamian

Citizenship used to be a cherished status, taken seriously by those who held it. But in today’s globalized world, it has become a commodity ...

Friday, January 13, 2023

In Spite of Many Problem, Flying is Safer Than Ever...Why?: A conversation with John Nance

In spite of deregulation, airline and air traffic control systems in need of updates, pilot shortages, airport overcrowding and even a pande...

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Another New Year, and More Promises to Sweat: A conversation with Bill Hayes

Even if you didn’t know the full story, just judging by the number of gyms on every corner, and the number of retailers selling high priced ...

Thursday, December 29, 2022

Art vs. Cable News: My Conversation with Amy Herman

In 2023, let us resolve to look at more art than cable news. Perhaps it is art, more than news, that will help us see around corners, solve ...

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

How Much HBO Did You Watch This Holiday Break? A conversation with Felix Gillette

From the days of beat up motels offering HBO as a special amenity to the metaphorical "creative destruction" of today, HBO has bee...

Thursday, December 22, 2022

How Governance Was Saved During the Trump Years: A Conversation with David Rothkopf

While January 6th and the attempted coup may have been the final trigger at the end of the Trump presidency that could have brought down dem...

Monday, December 19, 2022

The New Age of DNA Investigation: A Conversation with Edward Humes

Think of all the true crime stories you’ve watched or read. The image of a dogged or even sometimes fumbling detective usually lies at the c...

Thursday, December 8, 2022

Presidential Words Matter: My Conversation with Cody Keenan

Language has always been an important tool in American politics. It allows politicians to communicate their ideas and visions to their const...

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

The Life and Death of Anthony Bourdain: A Conversation with Charles Leerhsen

Somewhere in the magic formula that makes great art is the internal potential for pain. Someone once said of artists that they were like the...

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

When Legendary CEOs Can't Find a Successor: A Conversation with William Cohan

Herbert Hoover said that “the business of America is business.” And for decades no business better defined that than General Electric. An in...

Thursday, November 17, 2022

War As A Nonviolent Struggle: A conversation with Thomas Ricks

Not just here in America, but throughout the world, the forces of liberty are battling the forces of authoritarianism. These forces are glob...

Monday, November 7, 2022

Democracy Will Likely Be Voted Out on Tuesday: A Conversation With Robert Draper

On Tuesday we will have our first election since January 6. There is every reason to believe that things will get worse. That January 6 was ...

Monday, October 31, 2022

Of Boys and Men: A Conversation with Richard V. Reeves

Almost since the beginning of time, men have shaped society. From ancient times to Mad Men, patriarchy was the defining framework of our so...

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Where Immigration and Education Come Together: A Conversation with Jessica Lander

Few subjects engender more reaction and discussion in our politics and our culture than immigration and education. When the two come togethe...

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About

Jeff Schechtman: Napa, California, United States; I grew up during the Kennedy Presidency. It was a time when the best and the brightest sat center stage in the nation's psyche. I've always remembered the story, that at an arts gala at the White House, Kennedy looked around the room and proclaimed it "the greatest gathering of talent since Thomas Jefferson dined alone." Without the benefit of such trappings, I've had the opportunity, for the past nineteen years, to have a seat at an international banquet of ideas and history. My radio program provided me a unique opportunity to "travel" around the world and speak to thousands of the most imaginative thinkers and leaders in the arenas of politics, religion, journalism, business, popular culture, academics, science, economics, history, and medicine. During these years, I have taken many people with me on this journey. It has been a momentous time. The trauma of politics, the onslaught of technology, the insights of science, and the changes in the human condition make this a period almost unequaled in history. I'm excited that technology has now made it possible for me to take more of you along with me on this journey.

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