A Better World with Mitchell J. Rabin

This evening Mitchell interviews the brilliant cellist, Byron Duckwall, who will be performing with romantic, classical pianist, our favorite here at A Better World, Katya Grineva on Sept. 26 at Carnegie Hall.  See below for details.

Byron began his studies with his father at age 7.  He studied with many great teachers including, Joel Krosnick, Dudley Powers, Aldo Parisot, Bernard Greenhouse, Lazlo Varga, Robert Gardner, Daniel Morganstern and most notably George Neikurg. At 17, he won the Greater Chicago Youth Orchestra competition and soloed in Orchestra Hall. Soon after he won a full scholarship to the New England Conservatory. Performing the Vivaldi Double Concerto with Aldo Parisot critics praised Byron’s playing saying his “timing and resonance were exceptional.”

At age 20, Byron became faculty cellist for the Center for New Music, a Rockefeller Foundation group. He attended both Yale Graduate School of Music and San Francisco State University and has received both a bachelors and masters degree in music.

Currently Byron concertizes in the US and abroad. Most recently he launched the MTC “Master The Cello” website revealing the secrets of D.C. Dounis. He recently compiling and edited the most definitive on the Dounis method with his mentor and teacher George Neikrug, called “Notes from my studies with D.C. Dounis.”  Byron was a guest on A Better World TV back in the early 2000’s when we discussed music and its spiritual quality as enhanced and enriched by his own practice through his affiliation with his teacher Adi Da.

Byron will be playing with beautiful romantic pianist Katya Grineva at Carnegie Hall on Sept. 26.  http://abetterworld.tv/mitchell-rabin-interviews-cellist-byron-duckwall/.

Mitchell's guest today is the remarkable Lynne Twist, who has a distinguished career as a global thought leader, having played significant roles in the development of The Hunger Project, co-founding The Pachamama Alliance and founding The Soul of Money Institute.

For more than 40 years, Lynne Twist has been a recognized global visionary committed to alleviating poverty,  ending world hunger and supporting social justice and environmental sustainability.

From working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta to the refugee camps in Ethiopia and the threatened rainforests of the Amazon,  as well as guiding the philanthropy of some of the worlds wealthiest families, Lynne’s on-the-ground work has brought her a deep understanding of  people’s relationship with money.  Her breadth of knowledge and experience has lead her to profound insights about the social tapestry of the world and the historical landscape of the times we are living in.

Lynne was last a guest on A Better World when her book The Soul of Money was published in 2008.  Listen here:  http://abetterworld.tv/?s=lynne+twist&cat=0.

Lynne will be on the panel on Sept. 24 in NYC at the Society for Ethical Culture for the Drawdown Event, moderated by Bill McKibben.  To attend, go to: http://abetterworld.tv/33464-2/.

Mitchell is continuing with the theme of solutions to the profoundest issue of them all, Climate Change.

This week, Mitchell interviews Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, Vice President of Communication & Engagement at Project Drawdown, where she is advancing the organization’s message, reach, and Climate Change Just Ahead sign with bad day on backgroundinfluence around the world. She was lead writer for the New York Times bestseller Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming—the #1 environmental book of 2017.

Katharine’s interdisciplinary background cuts across research, strategy, advocacy, and thought leadership. Previously, she was Director of Strategy at the purpose consultancy BrightHouse. She has taught at the University of Oxford and Agnes Scott College and worked for The Boston Consulting Group and Natural Resources Defense Council. Her first book, Between God & Green: How Evangelicals Are Cultivating a Middle Ground on Climate Change, was called “a vitally important, even subversive, story” by The Boston Globe.global-warming-climate-change-tree_1big_stock2

As an international public speaker, Katharine’s perspective has been featured by Aspen Ideas, Skoll World Forum, Talks    Google, and The Weather Channel. Katharine holds a doctorate in Geography & Environment from Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and a B.A. in Religion from Sewanee—The University of the South. She is happiest on a mountain or a horse or perhaps both!

A Better World is bearing down on the story behind the damage humans have done over hundreds of years to our precious eco-system, the extent of it, and what we have as solutions to reverse Global Warming, which should really be called Global Heating or as Robin Williams called it "Global Grilling".  A Better World is doing all it can to restore equilibrium to our eco-system.

Mitchell’s guest this evening is founder & President of Vital Choice, a sustainable fish company, Randy Hartnell. 

Randy Hartnell is the President of Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics, a leading e-commerce natural foods company that he and his wife, Carla, founded in 2001. Vital Choice provides easy, reliable access to top quality sustainable seafood and much more.

Randy loves sharing his knowledge about the unique benefits of seafood, and especially enjoys ‘myth-busting’ common misunderstandings about seafood quality, authenticity, purity, sustainability and more.

Prior to founding Vital Choice, Randy earned an English degree from UC Berkeley, and spent more than twenty years as an Alaskan commercial fisherman. He and Carla reside in Washington State.

A Better World is making Vital Choice available to on its website next week  www.abetterworld.tv

This evening on A Better World Radio, Mitchell is holding a Roundtable n honor of the 11 Days of Global Unity produced by We, The World, founder Rick Ulfik, who has been a guest on this show numerous times speaking of the remarkable work his organizations are always doing to rally people around the themes of peace, justice, the environment, and on, each day of the 11 represented by a different, vital theme. 

This evening’s theme is the media as this pillar of our nation is being roundly attacked perhaps like never before, here and abroad.  The guests of the Roundtable all play a role in media so tune in for be a lively discussion.  

Rick Ulfik is the Founder of We, The World and the WE Campaign at WE.net which annually connects and promotes thousands of socially conscious organizations and businesses for peace, sustainability and transformation. Rick is the Co-Creator of the annual 11 Days of Global Unity September 11th to September 21st with 11 Ways to Change the World.

Kathryn Davis has been co-host and producer of Health Action since 1995 and producer of Heart Of Mind since 2000. Heart Of Mind  features guests, music, meditation and conversation, with a focus on consciousness, spirituaiity, health, the soul’s journey and spititual activism.

Jon Ramer is Founder and “First First Follower” of Compassion Games International, Ramer was moved by the events of Sept. 11, 2001 to focus his entrepreneurial energies on non-profit community organizing. In 2008,

Karen Palmer is the “Mindful Media Mom” who made a wish that started a kindness revolution. She is the founder of The #Globalkindness Revolution with many networks to co-create a kinder and more loving world.

Today, Mitchell interviews environmental scientist, Guy McPherson, about the true seriousness of our environmental plight this very moment.  Based on unfiltered science, Guy interprets the findings of global dimming, greenhouse gas overwhelm of our atmosphere and the presence of nuclear power plants throughout the world as painting a very dark future for humankind.

Guy R. McPherson is an American scientist, professor emeritus of natural resources and ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona. He is best known for promoting the idea of near term extinction (NTE), a term he coined about the possibility of human extinction as soon as 2030.

In May 2009, McPherson began transitioning to living on an off-grid homestead in southern New Mexico. McPherson authors a blog called "Nature Bats Last", that focuses on global climate change, energy decline and the possibility of imminent human extinction due to the increasing accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. On November 1, 2015, McPherson was interviewed on National Geographic Explorer with host Bill Nye.

Regarding his NTE views, Andrew Revkin in The New York Times said McPherson was an "apocalyptic ecologist ... who has built something of an 'End of Days' following".Michael Tobis, a climate scientist from the University of Wisconsin, said McPherson was out of his depth and "is not the opposite of a denialist. He is a denialist, albeit of a different stripe."

The Earth, Gaia and life itself are wondrous, awe-inspiring and draw us to bow in obeisance, in reverence for their majesty.  One of the many life-forms to emerge from her majestic intelligence is an odd mix of features, called homo sapiens.  The jury remains out on this unusual mix of DNA as it continues to seek to coordinate its many gifts of intelligence and powers, along with the highest intelligence of Gaia, Pachamama.

To discuss this with me today is Elly Lessin, long-time environmental advocate. Elly is leading the Drawdown Event in NYC for the Pachamama Alliance, co-led with the Society for Ethical Culture.

Elly is a seasoned professional Executive Producer of large-scale global and national events, both for corporations and non profit organizations.  While currently semi-retired, her last event in the wake of the #Me Too and #Up To Us movements was the commemoration of International Women’s Day for the United Nations in the UN’s iconic General Assembly Hall.

She played a part with many teams and  movements.  A few are: Intel’s Celebration of the Minds Behind Mobile Computing, Planned Parenthood, the inaugural event of one of the Newest UN agencies: UN Women, World Team Sports honoring achievements of Disabled Athletes, Ms. Foundation for Women, and The Women’s Sports Foundation bringing forth the rise of women athletes.

Her environmental work involves being a Climate Reality Leader, leading Pachamama Alliance programs, including upcoming Drawdown Programs, being on her local Environmental Committee in rural Green Township, NJ.  Her passion for environmental work is born from being the daughter of a remarkable man who created and presented programs on science and astronomy for young people.  He taught her the love of the earth and the power of science.

This week Mitchell holds a Roundtable on Urban Farming.   Not only is the subject in itself fascinating and of ‘growing interest’, but in the case of this project in particular, called UPAG, it is being funded by a crypto-currency-based token, a new way of funding meaningful and much-needed projects such as this.

To fund this global project is its own project.  Using crypto-currency, which is gaining traction and acceptance as a form of global currency, this health education, healthy food, empowerment project is also providing potential financial benefits as well.

A Better World has been watching this project grow (no pun intended)! over the past number of months and has been in some advisory role during this time.  Learn more and become involved:  https://www.urbanpureag.com/signup/abw. 

To discuss the project are the following guests:

Jon Hart has vast farming and agriculture expertise, having been involved personally and professionally in the industry. An Organic Certification Specialist and Plant Supplement Adviser for a private manufacturer in Ohio, Jon has valuable knowledge and experience in healthy, nutritious eating. 

Gail Rahill is an integrated communications specialist responsible for helping direct UPAG’s marketing communications initiatives. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications from St. Bonaventure University, and her Master’s Degree in Public Relations from Syracuse University. She’s directed many major advertising and public relations campaigns for her clients during her 30-year career. Gail resides in Rochester, NY, and has two daughters.

Lynette Artin has a been a life long entrepreneur working in the pet industry as the owner and operator of multiple pet grooming salons, full line pet supplies store and boarding and kenneling facilities.

In order to establish a better world, we know that we need a clear, balanced mind and compassionate heart.  Mitchell’s guest this week, author, teacher and Abbot, Roshi Joan Halifax, helps us understand and access this state of being and heightened perspective.

Teacher Joan Jiko Halifax is an American Zen Buddhist teacher, anthropologist, ecologist, civil rights activist, hospice caregiver, and the author of several booksroshi Joan

She currently serves as abbot and guiding teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a Zen Peacemaker community which she founded in 1990. Halifax-roshi has received Dharma transmission from both Bernard Glassman and Thich Nhat Hanh, and previously studied with the Korean master Seung Sahn. In the 1970s she collaborated on LSD research projects with her ex-husband Stanislav Grof, in addition to other collaborative efforts with Joseph Campbell and Alan Lomax. She is founder of the Ojai Foundation in California, which she led from 1979 to 1989. As a socially engaged Buddhist, Halifax has done extensive work with the dying through her Project on Being with Dying. She is on the board of directors of the Mind and Life Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated in exploring the relationship of science and Buddhism.