Better Than Monkeys

So, totally normal question: how many close encounters of the third kind  have YOU had? And have you ever peered up at the night sky and seen  something that looked, well, . . . a little odd? Author, TV & radio  personality, and researcher Stan Gordon shares his extraterrestrial  insights in this out-of-this-world episode.

If there's one field in which we humans have hands-down beat those  precocious monkeys, it's SPACE TRAVEL - even if that means stargazing  from a comfy terrestrial chair. Jim Gavio, director of the Yahn  planetarium at Penn State Erie: The Behrend College joins us for a chat  about the stars and beyond in this starry-eyed spaced-out episode.

How can Johnny Cash change your life today? More important, what's your  favorite song - and doesn't it make you feel... simply great? Board  certified neurologic music therapist Brittany Barko tells us all about  her very specialized field and how it integrates into patient care as  non-pharmacological pain management, psychological treatment, physical therapy and more.

The conversation continues with master magician Bobby Borgia! We delve again into the mysterious, the mystical, and the magical behind the  science, art, business, and craft of modern magic.

Modern magic predates ancient Egypt. Don't believe your eyes? Get your  bewildered bearings as master magician Bobby Borgia delves into the  mysterious, the mystical, and the magical in an enchanting chat about  the science, art, business, and craft of his boundary-pushing and  intriguing form of entertainment.

". . . [He] is so charismatic he may change your mind about an ultimate destination in the afterlife." (London Financial Times)

Back for part 2, award winning poet Anna Rose Welch, Erieite and  author of the new collection “We, the Almighty Fires”, gives a  mini-reading from the sexy reliquary that will whisper in your ear for  the rest of the day. She talks with host Brian Hannah about finding her  voice, juggling her day job with her creative pursuits, and her best  advice for aspiring writers (Hint: The infinite monkey theorem won’t  hack it.).

This episode was produced in support of PBS’s The Great American Read.

A poet to make you swoon, make you dream, and make you reconsider the  benefit of imposing creative limitations – it’s Erie’s own Anna Rose  Welch, Alice James Award winning poet, sharing the magic behind her new  collection "We, the Almighty Fires". Anna Rose discusses the symbiosis  of wordplay and our humanity including.

DISCLAIMER!!! – some saucy language that may not be appropriate for young’uns. (It’s near the end  of this episode – between the 28 and 29 minute mark.)

Our slightly loosey-goosey math tells us that only one out of every  600,000 Americans is an orchestra conductor! As a wee one, Bradley  Thachuk dreamed of growing into this rare art profession, and the dream  realized took him around the globe. Could a monkey have done it? No,  OBV. In this episode, hear Thachuk’s reflections on this  dream-come-true.

We humans are rock stars among our mammalian class-mates. But what's it  like to be a REAL rock star? From gigs with Sinatra to rubbing elbow  with The Beatles, local music legend, composer . . . and ROCK STAR Walt Slivinski has covered it all in his quest for more meaningful humanity.