The Bridge

Wrapping up conversation on International Women's Day, Liu Yan introduces the book "Invisible Women" by celebrated feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez that investigates the shocking root cause of gender inequality by diving into women’s lives at home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more. John brings up the example of the late Maggie Thatcher, who was the driving force behind the Montreal Protocol.

The first few minutes of the show has John & Liu Yan finding common ground as broadcasters. While they are different culturally, they are very much the same in their respect of the microphone and radio careers. Liu Yan is the official tennis aficionado on The Bridge, and he shares the incredible journey of Novak Djokovic who has held the No. 1 ranking in men's tennis for 311 weeks now, surpassing the previous all-time record held by Roger Federer (310 weeks). John and Liu Yan discuss how Djokovic is from war-torn Serbia, and has had to overcome some nearly insurmountable odds, that top names like Roger Federer or Rafel Nadal never faced. Finally, the connection between sports and fans is explored, as well as the concept of a "tribal" mentality.

After catching up from 7,000 miles apart, BeiBei brings up the topic of methane gas, that adds to global warming, but is not generated by humans, but rather, cows. With billions of cows on the planet, the amount of gas they expend is a serious contributing factor to climate change. John shares a solution that has been developed by one of the world's most popular fast-food chains-Burger King-by adding lemon grass to cattle feed, greatly diminishing bovine flatulence. The conversation moves to how solutions are built into the problems we create as humans, and another episode of "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" is part of the program. In a serious shifting of gears, BeiBei asks for an encore performance of Air Supply-and John drops the needle on another million selling song "All Out of Love." Finally, don't miss the end of the show discussion on... dung.

As the seasons begin to change in both Chicago and Beijing, John & BeiBei chat about the magnolia blossoms in China, the emerging buds in the USA, and the promise that spring brings with it. Shifting gears, the conversation goes to a more serious tone about the burden of debt that transcends our finances and pushes down on our energy and creates stress. John brings up the lessons of "Pandora's Box" and how it pertains to the problems we face, and the conversation goes deeper to the differences between how the governments in both America and China are different, and perhaps the same on some level.

The worldwide pandemic totally changed the way people interact with each other, especially when it comes to business and manufacturing. BeiBei cites an article by an industry expert who is cautioning about the downturn in manufacturing, and an uptick by a younger generation to stocks in an attempt to get rich and retire at a young age. John points out that there are cycles in all aspects of the goods and services, and that history is the greatest predictor of the future.

It's a rousing conversation as Super Producer Cimcie makes her weekly appearance on The Bridge. The conversation covers everything from the advent of MTV to International Woman's Day to the challenges of raising young children in the 21st century to the concept of "First World Problems." The first official voicemail caller to the show makes its debut and Cimcie also recalls life in March of 2020 as the Covid began to take hold in Los Angeles one year ago.

Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell met in 1975 while performing in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar. They would go on to form the rock group Air Supply. They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-ten hits in the United States in the early 1980s, and sold millions of albums. Songwriter and guitarist Graham Russell joins John & Heyang for an in-depth conversation about the incredible journey of one of rock music's most enduring duos. Also, John drops the needle on a few of the biggest Air Supply hits including "Lost in Love" (song of the year in 1980), "Even the Nights Are Better," "Here I Am" and "Making Love (Out of Nothing at All)."

The 2021 Golden Globe for Best Picture was awarded to Nomadland, and best director to Chloé Zhao, making Zhao the second woman, and first Asian woman to win the category. As it turns out, she's from Beijing, which has John and Liu Yan discussing her route to success, and then on to the AFI list of "100 Years 100 Movies" list, and various movies that they have enjoyed, including JAWS, Psycho, Oh, God! and The Shawshank Redemption.

He's steeped in pop culture, is a mental health expert and as a long-time listener of the show, is a fan who has become our new weekend host. The Bridge continues to grow, and we welcome Liu Yan to the show to discuss his background, interests and experiences.

Thousands of delegates from across the country are in Beijing, for the annual meeting of parliament, where China will announce goals for 2021 as well as its next five-year plan for economic development. Heyang also shares the recent announcement by Chinese President Xi Jinping-of the accomplishment of poverty alleviation, that has lifted all rural poor people, under the current standard, out of extreme poverty, with 832 counties, 128,000 villages, and nearly 100 million poor people lifted from the level of abject poverty. John adds his thoughts as to the different factors that contribute to poverty in the USA, and Heyang counters with her insights into how poverty is measured, especially in rural China. It's a heartfelt discussion about how much the human family is in need of understanding and encouragement.