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"

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Happy 10th Anniversary

The Economist recently said about the iPhone, that “no product in recent history has changed people's lives more . Without the iPhone, r...

Monday, June 26, 2017

Why 1967 Still Matters

It is indeed a very tired cliche, with apologies to Kierkegaard, to say that “life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived fo...

Friday, June 23, 2017

The 70% Of The Planet That We Overlook.

When most of us look at a globe or map of the world, our eyes are drawn to some combination of the 196 countries that make up that world. Ev...

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Shouldn't We Have Objective Standards for Judging Movies?

It used to be said that everyone was in two business, their own and show business. As such, everyone wants to be a critic. It's not su...

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

How Did Republicans Get So Mean?

Think about how crazy our politics has become. Representatives from poor and lower middle class districts want to eliminate labor unions, l...

Monday, June 19, 2017

Can American Health Care Be Saved:

One thing the health care debate has taught us is that American medicine today is like snowflakes. No two are the same. From the no wait ...

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Video Games Matter

It always interesting how so many aspects of our society reflect the entertainment of the times. Just as the success of Roosevelt reflected ...

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Is It Time For an Autopsy on American Democracy?

Last week in a debate between the two candidates running in the special election in Georgia’s 6th district, Karen Handel, the Republican can...

Monday, June 12, 2017

UBER'S Wild Ride

There is an ongoing debate in the world of sports, as to whether marketing and success is about the team, or about the celebrity power of in...

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Our Complicated Relationship With Money

In the movie, Wall Street , Oliver Stone through his character Darien Taylor, played Daryl Hannah, reminds us that “when you've had mon...

Thursday, June 1, 2017

Is Fascism Already Here?

We are living through complicated political times. It’s a time when ideas like “post truth,” and “alternative facts” are seriously debated ...

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

We Are What We Read

Lately, in the world of journalism, we are seeing that we truly are the news that we consume. It probably defines our politics, our social...

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Frank Deford was an American treasrue R.I.P.

As a writer, journalist and commentator Frank Deford was a national treasure. He helped us understand so much of what really makes America ...

Monday, May 29, 2017

"Happy Birthday, Mr. President"

Today we mark the 100th birthday of John F. Kennedy. When we do that, our first instinct is to look for the single achievement that defines...

Friday, May 26, 2017

Janesville: A Very Human Story

We are nine years out from the great recession and still the consequences are impacting cities and towns across America. In spite of all th...

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Why Is American Health Care So Sick?

We’ve all heard the old adage that what can be done, can be undone. Well maybe we need to try that with our healthcare system. In just ...

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

A Previous Golden Age of Journalsm

It’s hard to believe today, but there was time when magazines were an important source of news and images and information. LIFE and Time s...

Saturday, May 20, 2017

"There Are No Nations, Only Corporations"

Back in 2010, with the Citizens United decision, we thought we were witnessing a new dominance of corporations and corporate power. But in ...

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

How N.Y.'s Fiscal Crises of the '70s Has Shaped So Much Of Our Politics Today

Many of you may remember that back in the mid 70’s, the City of New York had fallen into a kind dystopian horror...crime and graffiti were...

Monday, May 15, 2017

Criminal Justice Reform and Crime in Black Communities

In spite of everything that Jeff Sessions is doing to stand in the way, reform of our criminal justice system is perhaps one of the most imp...

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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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