The Bridge

While the show starts out on a different, if not low note (various forms of nasal cleansing and bathroom function and design) Cimcie, BeiBei and John move towards the higher themes of life expectancy, facing our own mortality and the importance of coming to terms with the inevitable, and living in the moment as much as possible. BeiBei offers up her thoughts on the practice of Buddhism, and learning to confront fear as opposed to avoiding it.

In true musical cross-culture form, Heyang and John bring more of their favorite songs to The Bridge. John kicks off the show with his Motown favorites, including Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Temptations and The Drifters. Heyang shares a multi-cultural approach, with folk music from both China and Tibet.

The conversation starts with BeiBei sharing about her father's penchant for collecting just about anything, and his ability to fix just about everything. That leads to a discussion of what humans throw away, and how landfills that once were the answer, might also contain the ability to be re-configured to create power from the methane gas that is a byproduct of our trash. This week's featured "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" is about the decimation of krill, a tiny crustacean that is touted for its health benefits, but is more important as a vital link in the food chain of the ocean.

The inner voice, the nudge, the hunch, the gut feeling-call it what you will, but human intuition is a powerful force. Mary Ann Bohrer, best-selling author of "The Gift Within" joins The Bridge for a riveting conversation with BeiBei & John.  Mary Ann interviewed 33 "intuitives" and shares their stories in the book. John relates a couple personal stories that line up with the theme of the show, and BeiBei shares about how "listening within" is part of the Chinese culture.

First, it's a bit of a retro rollback as John & Heyang discuss some of their early career highlights, which leads to conversation about the value of learning a profession from the "ground up." Both of them feel that there are some fundamental concepts, ideas and actions, that need to be in place to gain any real measure of success and longevity. They shift gears, focusing on the fact that Netflix has officially gone over 200 million subscribers, the pros and cons of the massive delivery of home movies and what the future might hold for more traditional forms of entertainment. Finally, John & Heyang go through a list of possible Netflix watches, and a few that they tune in to-and the ones that are a big-no thanks.

As the new presidential administration begins to establish its agenda, John & Heyang discuss the role of responsibility for citizens no matter who might be in the White House. John brings up the story that the earliest known cave drawing by a human was recently discovered and then somehow the conversation turns to the concept that "Ancient Aliens" once visited Earth. They talk about the concept of getting people to move up the ladder of intelligence as opposed to falling into the abyss of ignorance. Finally, Heyang shares her thoughts about the latest sport growing in popularity of downhill skiing, in preparation for the Winter Olympics in 2022.

It's a direct route to the world of smoked meat in China, especially the concept of smoking large chunks of pork and bacon. BeiBei is struggling with purchasing the highly sought after and delectable dish. In a major change of topics, parenting becomes front and center, as BeiBei shares the story of a Chinese celebrity who came to the USA to use a surrogate to start a family with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, the whole idea blew up when they changed their minds and the resulting fallout to the celebrity's now evaporating career is a matter of discussion.

It's a food-fest right out of the gate, as Cimcie proudly announces she's made BBQ pork buns and pot stickers from scratch! Then BeiBei jumps in with her views on the challenges and glory of creating great meals from home, and then Rice Puffs make their debut prompting much discussion. John adds his memory of his time playing college football, and how the road trips included stops at buffets, that had other patrons a bit worried about keeping food on their plate, as a bus full of large football players descended on the restaurant. Finally, a fairly serious update on the present state of affairs as it pertains to the Covid conditions in both the USA and China.

When he was four, Peter Kater moved with his family from Germany to New Jersey. He studied classical piano at an early age. In 1977 when he was eighteen, Peter moved to Boulder, Colorado, where he spent thirteen years before moving to Virginia and later Los Angeles, building his own studio, and starting his own record label. His debut album, Spirit (Silver Wave, 1983), and those that followed reached the Top 20 New Age Music chart at Billboard magazine.  His first Grammy Award nomination was for the album Red Moon (Silver Wave, 2003) for Best New Age Album. 13 more nominations followed with his first win coming in 2018 for the album Dancing on Water  (Point of Light, 2017). Kater has sold millions of records, scored the music of over 100 television and film productions including 11 On & Off-Broadway dramatic plays and is a proud recipient of the Environment Leadership Award from the United Nations. He joins John & Heyang to discuss his musical journey and the responsibility that comes with being a "conduit" for music that uplifts and inspires the world.

The show begins with a serious discussion over the benefits of John's newest addition to his meal plans-bone broth soup, and then shifts gears to an environmental theme as BeiBei shares the story of a retired couple that is re-planting a desert, over a twenty-year period. The weekly "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" segment is included in the show, with a focus on the use and mis-use of water on earth.