The Bridge

John is all about blocking out commercials, and using the mute button to maintain some sort of sanity when it comes to the over commercialization that we are bombarded by on hundreds of channels. Liu Yan adds that the average adult attention span is 50 minutes, and the conversation goes to John being up early to connect from Chicago to Beijing for the show, and how amazing the very early morning is, and the importance of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.

First off, Cimcie does a short report on the Olympics, including the fact that break dancing will be an Olympic sport in the near future. Then switching gears, one of the hottest movies out is "Pig" starring Nicolas Cage, which prompts a lengthy conversation about the many movies that Cage has starred in, with Cimcie and Liu Yan handling a bulk of the movie talk, but John chimes in with a couple of quotes from "Con Air." Finally, it's all about the favorite movies from each of the Bridge team members, and John gets to drop the needle on "Sweet Home Chicago" from one of his favorites, The Blues Brothers.

Record breaking heat along with massive flooding in China and Europe, has BeiBei sharing her thoughts about the mounting challenges of climate change, from a very personal perspective.  John interjects with an "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" clip, that uses the movie JAWS as a metaphor for global warming and they both discuss the role humans play in the unfolding future of Planet Earth.

He's got 40 years as a healer, therapist and is trained in numerous modalities designed to free the body of pain and maintain a healthy structural alignment. Ron Lemire is also proficient in the art of hands-on therapy as well as homeopathy, herbal medicine and nutrition. But that's just the tip of the iceberg for Ron, who also traveled the world with the late singer/songwriter John Denver as his personal cook, therapist and bodyguard. John and BeiBei welcome Ron back for another episode of healing strategies, memories of Denver, and the ways we can find balance in our very chaotic lives.

While working out to keep his gym time a priority, John ruptured a tendon in his elbow, effectively putting him on the injured reserve list-and sidelined from most physical activity for three weeks. The conversation goes to the mind/body/spiritual aspect of life and healing, BeiBei adds the importance of "Chi" in Chinese medicine. A shift in gears brings a serious discussion about some of the major environmental challenges that are taking place in the world today, including unprecedented floods in Germany and record-breaking heat in the Western USA.

She's the Super Producer of The Bridge, and Tuesday is always made a little bit better when Cimcie checks in from Los Angeles. BeiBei is having some difficulty because of an allergic reaction and her speech is a bit challenge, but true to form, she overcomes to bring the latest news from a pig in China, that lives with its master, that now eats from the table using a spoon. John introduces BeiBei to Porky The Pig, and since it's less than six months to Christmas, the timing is right to play "Blue Christmas" from Seymour Swine and The Squealers. The conversation turns to other animal stories and the connections humans have (for better or for worse) with cats, dogs, squirrels and other assorted beasts.

It's another episode of Music Monday and Heyang kicks it off with a rocking tune from The Killers, then Cobra, Maniac Street Preachers along with The Chainsmokers & Daya. John drops the needle in a very different direction with B.W. Stephenson, Perry Como, Kermit The Frog and The Tarney Spencer Band.

John is just back from a trip north, where he checked in on his elderly aunt and uncle, who have endured great loss in their lives, which kicks off a conversation with Liu Yan about the important decisions in life. After a music break with Bonnie Raitt, Liu Yan introduces the concept of "Snow Clone" and then John airs one of the "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" vignettes about the difference one person can make when it comes to the environment, as a nod to the breaking news that Indonesia is preserving rainforest at the highest rate in 30 years.

As the Olympics have kicked off in Tokyo, John & Liu Yan discuss the impact of the games in the past, and how very different it will be without fans and supporters in attendance. John switches gears and gets feedback from Liu Yan about the "billionaire space race" that is taking place, and how people think those with great wealth, should (or should not) spend their money. After a music break from Carly Simon, John shares the numbers from a new Gallup Poll that find nearly 60% of Americans surveyed feel highly optimistic, and consider themselves "thriving" as the pandemic begins to wane.

Following up on the previous conversation about mushrooms, John has dug up more info on the fungi. As it turns out a study of mice given a serious number of mushrooms helped them to alleviate depression. If that's not enough, another study in Singapore shows great promise in offsetting memory MCI (mild cognitive impairment) when 600 Chinese seniors ate copious amounts of various mushrooms and finally, John shares the story of the guy who has created coffins from mycelium (the fibrous part of mushrooms) that can biodegrade within two months. The coffin allows for burials that don't involve wood, steel, and toxic chemicals. Eco-friendly burials are becoming more popular, with two out of three Americans preferring a green burial. As it turns out BeiBei isn't a fan.