The Bridge

With a chorus of cicadas providing the background from Beijing, BeiBei and John discuss how each of us are the "common denominator" in our lives, and spending time pushing our responsibilities on others is a waste of time and that life flows better when we accept that fact. John switches gears, and brings up the fact that there are more jobs than people to fill them and the conversation goes to work ethic and priorities, and the concept of contributing to the greater good.

After John explains the phenomenon of Bruce Springsteen aka "The Boss" to BeiBei, the conversation turns to the recent Covid outbreak in China, and the ripple effects of protocols not being followed which has led to this new virus challenge. Cimcie and BeiBei have quite the discussion over Covid impact, planning and possible prevention. Finally, there is some conversation over the recent Olympics and what the future might hold for the games in 2024.

Heyang is on assignment, and John has invited Emmy Award winning journalist and broadcasting legend Linda Yu to be a guest "DJ" for this episode of Music Monday. Linda has brought some of her favorite songs, including "Rolling in The Deep" from Adele, "Don't Know Why" from Norah Jones, Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man" and "You Raise Me Up" from Josh Groban. John drops the virtual needle on "Summer Wind" from Frank Sinatra, "Unforgettable" from Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole, "Something to Talk About" from Bonnie Raitt and "Rocky Mountain High" from John Denver. John and Linda take a look "behind the music" and share some of their thoughts about the impact of the songs. The show concludes with Linda's request that "Imagine" from John Lennon, just might be the unofficial theme song for The Bridge.

A trip to the zoo is a fascinating and educational experience for John, and he shares some of the highlights from his most recent visit. Liu Yan shares a bit about the world-famous Beijing Zoo, and the concept of environmental stewardship comes up, and John adds one of the "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" clips that speaks to the major challenges we face as a species, disposing of plastics.

John kicks off the show talking about the world-wide phenomenon of saying "I'm Sorry" for just about everything, and uses an example from his time working at Oprah Radio and getting a host to stop apologizing all the time. Liu Yan agrees that we are constantly apologizing, perhaps the meaning is lost when it might be needed most. The conversation goes to how important perspective is, and that history is our greatest teacher.

As natural disasters continue to roll across the headlines, John & BeiBei are in deep discussion about how the worst of times can often bring out the best of human behavior. The concept of grass roots leadership is a deciding factor in times of crisis, and finally the conversation turns to the power of perspective and how much chaos humans cause without even being fully aware of the damage we do.

There is an old saying that goes like this "The grandfathers plant the trees, so the grandchildren can have shade." The power of being prepared before a disaster often takes place long before there is indication of problems. BeiBei shares stories from the recent flooding in China, where precautionary measures taken years ago helped to lessen the impact on the citizen of two small towns. John points out that humans are really good at fixing things after a disaster, but for the most part hindsight is usually the norm, rather than foresight.

In the wake of severe weather and flooding in China, BeiBei shares the story of a clothing business that was struggling but donated quite a sum of money to the recovery effort, prompting a boomerang effect in a very positive direction, pushing the once fairly obscure business into a much more stable economic situation. It's the power of giving, with no thought of return, that often creates abundance on many levels.

It's time for Super Producer Cimcie to make her weekly appearance, and the conversation with John and BeiBei is a walk down memory lane of fads from the 70s, including pet rocks, mood rings, earth shoes and disco. John's agreed to use his 8th grade graduation picture from 1973, as evidence of a time that included bell bottoms, platform shoes, over the top plaid jackets and giant bow ties. Both BeiBei and Cimcie share memories of the 80s growing up, and how something as simple as playing jump rope, can mean so much years later.

Heyang kicks off Music Monday with an Olympic theme, a duet from Liu Huan and Sarah Brightman, "The Power of the Dream" from Céline Dion, Björk performs "Oceania" and "One Moment in Time," from Whitney Houston. John sticks with the sounds of summers past, with "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" from John Denver, "I Want A New Drug" from Huey Lewis & The News, "Keep Pushing" from REO Speedwagon and wraps it up with "Summer Time" from The Jamies. The Bridge, bringing the world together, one song at a time.