Prof. David Flynn on State Owned Banks

After one of our recent 4 PM shows we had several callers suggest that Minnesota should have a public, state government owned bank. So Brett Johnson then spoke with University of North Dakota economics professor David Flynn about how North Dakota, despite being heavily Republican, has a state owned bank. They discuss the history of…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – September 23, 2019

This week’s show starts with remembering the 9/11/71 death of Margaret Ann Knott in Choctaw County, Alabama and how it’s taken local leaders 48 years to acknowledge her sacrifice. The Big Interview is with Richard Johnson of Auto Technical Inc., a nonprofit that repairs automobiles and donates them to people in need; the catch is…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – September 16, 2019

It’s another hodgepodge show; we start off featuring Dorothea Lange, a 20th century photographer who used her camera as a tool for social change. The Big Interview is with Dan O’Neil, the executive director of PeaceMaker Minnesota, which is working to eliminate bullying and violence in schools. In my C-Block, I talk about upcoming talks…

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David Schultz (MN Progressive Repartee 9/4/19)

Brett Johnson was recently joined by Hamline University political science professor David Schultz. They discussed parallels on how the DFL is trying to drive young voter turnout in 2020 with legalizing recreational marijuana to what the DFL did in 2012 getting young voters to the polls to vote against the anti-marriage amendment. They also talked…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – September 9, 2019

We cover enslaved people, historical and modern day. I feature Cudjoe Lewis, the second-to-last formerly enslaved African to die in the U.S. (in 1935); he had been abducted from his West African village and smuggled into Alabama in 1860. The Big Interview is with Marshall Tanick re: how enslaved people were brought to Minnesota with…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – August 19, 2019

Our idealist is Judge Damon Keith, the grandson of slaves, who was appointed to the federal bench in 1967 and ten years later elevated to the Court of Appeals. Judge Keith wasn’t afraid to speak truth to power and told both Richard Nixon and George Bush II that they had violated the Constitution. The Big…

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Scotty Herold Of Rock The Cause

Our historical idealist is Vera Connolly, a cutting edge investigative journalist of the 1920-50’s who wrote about Native children, immigrants and girls working in sweatshops. The Big Interview is with Scott Herold, who works to empower youth and humans through music and video. My C-Block covers something I witnessed at this year’s Pride event at…

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Jack Rice (MN Progressive Repartee 7/5/19)

Brett Johnson speaks with lawyer and former CIA officer Jack Rice about Iran. They discuss how the Trump administration has escalated tensions between the US and Iran and what an all-out war between the two countries would look like.

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I’m Awake – June 29, 2019

Robert Pilots Guest: Winona LaDuke Mary Kunesh-Podein Jamie Edwards Roy Taylor Hour 2 Lori Jump is Sault Ste. Marie Ojibwe StrongHearts Native Helpline Assistant Dir. Interviewing some native youth Along with Wendy Pilot speaking on our sacred animals and Curtis West speaking on Native events..

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Creating a Buzz Frenzy – June 16, 2019

Meet Dan Stocke, CEO and founder of Buzz Frenzy, a social media marketing company out of Duluth with an innovative product to help small business owners more easily navigate the confusing world of Facebook Ad Manager. Dan helps us to understand Facebook advertising policies and how Buzz Frenzy can turn your posts into highly effective…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – June 10, 2019

Today’s a mixture of idealists; we begin with Scott Warren of the organization, No More Deaths—he’s on federal trial in Tucson for smuggling undocumented humans simply because he provided food and shelter to two men who crossed the border; the Big Interview is with Elizabeth Brenner of Protect Students Abroad, whose idealism was borne out…

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The Matt McNeil Show – May 24, 2019

Matt talks about the latest Republican shenanigans at the legislature as they complain about transparency and won’t pass things like gun reform, funding for the census, and gay conversion “therapy” bans. Then Matt brings up how senate Republicans probably would help individual people who need emergency insulin but are comfortable denying care to “generic” people…

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Jared Yates Saxton – May 7, 2019

Doug Pagitt spoke with Jared Yates Sexton, author of The Man They Wanted Me to Be. They discuss how toxic masculinity led to the rise of Donald Trump and Jared’s personal experiences growing up with father figures who had similar personality traits as Trump.

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – April 29, 2019

We start talking about systemic racism and historical trauma in the context of constructing I-94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul and how it destroyed much of the Rondo neighborhood, which was predominately populated by black-color persons. The Big Interview is with two idealistic students (Angelo Bush and Jasmine McBride) and their idealistic instructor (Scott Herold)…

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15. Brain Education Systems Training

Meet Master Hong Kim, the owner of Body and Brain Yoga in Maple Grove. We discuss the unique mind-body practices based on ancient Korean training techniques that he teaches at the center, in particular, the five stages of the Brain Education Systems Training, or BEST method. Master Hong is offering a 45-minute private introductory session…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – April 22, 2019

An Ellie’s Talking Head show, the theme is about engineering change—societal and personal. In the A-Block, I talk about protests over the 1968 Miss America Pageant for its lack of color diversity and unfair representation of women, spawning the first-ever Ms. Black America Pageant. The B-Block has stories about LeBron James’ I Promise School in…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – April 8, 2019

The theme for this show is forgiveness and redemption. I highlight Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project, who curated an exhibit, “The F Word,” with personal stories about forgiveness and healing. The Big Interview is with John Anderson, an idealist who helped bring “The F Word” to Grace Lutheran Church in Andover MN. In…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – April 1, 2019

An Ellie’s Talking Head show, we learn about Peter Buttigieg, the 37-year-old gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana who is considering a presidential run; he’s an idealistic out-of-the-box thinker who is making people notice. I also share about how crowdfunding mechanisms are ways for us to exercise our empathetic hearts. Finally, in the C-Block, I…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – March 25, 2019

Our idealist this week is Carrie Ann Lucas, a disability rights activist who blazed an idealistic trail in Colorado before dying earlier this year at age 47; the Big Interview is with Susan Robertson, who is working to make the Presbyterian Church more LGBTQ-friendly. The C-Block has me talking about a keynote, “Bridging Divides,” that…

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Kevin Featherly (MN Progressive Repartee 3/11/19)

On the Minnesota Progressive Repartee, Brett Johnson spoke the capitol reporter for MinnLawyer, Kevin Featherly, about the latest legislative news. They talked about the Senate hearing on legalizing marijuana, some “interesting” arguments Republicans made against a proposed equal rights amendment, and possible changes to Minnesota’s parole system.

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Minnesota Progressive Repartee – February 26, 2019

Brett hosts today’s Repartee and gives the latest updates on the Cal Bahr controversy and the Clay County GOP Facebook page posting content comparing Bernie Sanders to Hitler. Also Graeme Wood of the Atlantic talks about Amy Klobuchar’s employee abuse allegations and her chances in 2020. Plus your calls on Klobuchar.

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – February 25, 2019

I talk about last week’s (Feb. 19) Day of Remembrance for Japanese Americans re: internment during WW2, including the only elected official to speak up against internment, Ralph Lawrence Carr, the Republican governor of Colorado; the Big Interview is with Jacki Trelawny of Family Tree Clinic in St. Paul; in my C Block, I talk…

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20. Perception: Illusion, Reality, or Somewhere Inbetween?

How do our perceptions influence our life, as well as a dive into what affects the development of those perceptions to begin with.  There is a connectedness in more areas of our lives than one might expect in our perceptions.

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – February 18, 2019

We start this week’s show with a report about two artist-idealists, photographer Sally Mann and Cameron Rowland, a conceptual artist. Both artists tackle issues around race-based cruelty and systemic racism. The Big Interview is with Tom Nelson, a Minneapolis attorney who’s used his leadership roles in local bar associations to push for greater diversity and…

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Adam Duininck (Matt McNeil Show 2/5/19)

Matt McNeil speaks with Adam Duininck, director of government affairs for the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters. Matt discusses with Adam why his union endorsed a Republican candidate (Jason Rarick) in Tuesday’s special Senate district 11 election.

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Andrew Yang (Democratic Presidential Candidate)

Hunter Hawes speaks with 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Yang is an entrepreneur and founder of Venture for America. Its mission is “to revitalize American cities and communities through entrepreneurship” by training recent graduates and young professionals to work for startups in emerging cities throughout the United States. Hunter and Yang discuss his background…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – January 28, 2019

The theme is idealists who unify rather than divide. We start with Larry Itliong, who organized Filipino farm workers in California’s Central Valley and joined with Cesar Chavez to win grape grower recognition in the mid-1960s; the Big Interview is with Brad Hart, the idealistic and nonpartisan mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa whose optimism and…

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Liberal Arts Media – Full Circle Theater

Liberal Arts Radio featuring:  Rick Shiomi Co-Artistic Director of Full Circle Theater,  Discussing “Caught”, a play by Christopher Chen being produced at Full Circle Theater & The Mikado adapted and produced by the Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company. Special Segment – an interview mixed with a selected reading of Caught by Christopher Chen

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Phil Wolgin – Minnesota Progressive Repartee (1/22/19)

Brett Johnson of the Minnesota Progressive Repparte spoke with Phil Wolgin, managing director immigration policy at the Center for American Progress. They tackled a big question that sometimes gets missed in the border wall debate. Do border walls actually work? They also talk about some of the poison pills that were put in the so-called…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – January 14, 2019

An Ellie’s Talking Head show highlighting Hollywood idealists—Ellen DeGeneres and Tom Hanks. In Block C, I talk about an interaction with a grandmother and her grandson on a Minneapolis street; I found it in me to have compassion and overcome my fear of being panhandled.

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – January 7, 2019

This week’s idealist is St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who’s ushered in a new era of imagination and energy to create a “St. Paul for everyone”; the Big Interview is with Hadeel Abouhasira, a young Richmond VA attorney of Palestinian descent who’s trying to give back; and in Block C, I talk about visiting beautiful…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – December 3, 2018

Our idealist for this early December show is Eartha Kitt, famous for “Santa Baby,” who worked to help at risk youth and who wasn’t afraid to speak truth to power; for this Ellie’s Talking Head Show we’ll also talk about white journalist Ray Sprigle, who in 1948 posed as a black man while on a…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – November 26, 2018

Our idealist for this week is Belva Davis, the first woman of color to be a new anchor on the West Coast—in the early 1970s; the Big Interview is with Tom Dzik, who has been “giving back” to the community all his life in remarkable ways—as Tom say, “Just do it.” In Block C, I…

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Ellie 2.0 Radio – November 19, 2018

Part of our theme this week is about prisons and those who are willing to “see” confined persons as human. Our idealist is the one and only Johnny Cash, whose many prison concerts (all for free) led him to champion prison reform in the early 1970s; the Big Interview is with Tonen O’Connor, a Buddhist…

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Irish Pumpkin Spiced Rum with guest Molly McGinnis

International tour guide Molly McGinnis from Tauck Travel shares her insights on travel and drinking in Ireland. The start of a new series, Drinking Around The World, Gregory and Molly begin drinking invasion of Europe by landing in the Emerald Isle. The question – Ghosts – the unluckiest people ever? Is asked but not necessarily…

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Leslie Wood With The Stores At Hope Chest For Breast Cancer

Leslie Wood, the Director of Stores for Hope Chest for Breast Cancer talks about Hope Chest’s donation-based home furnishing stores. Learn the best times to hit the shops for the newest arrivals and more!

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