The Debbie Nigro Show

While there are a ton of chocolate bunnies lining up on the runway this week there were also a bunch of chocolate stories in the news.

Like is chocolate good for you? The FDA said KINDA. Kinda?  You can decide for yourself how many bunnies you'll eat this week after you read the story from NPR,  "Is chocolate good for your heart? Finally the FDA has an answer - kind of"

Also in chocolate news this week was a this story from Harvard Health, "Heavy metals found in popular brands of dark chocolate. ".  Wasn't dark chocolate supposed to be good for your heart? 

But there was one great happy and healthy chocolate story this week and it involves my really great friend Chef Steve Amaral and his partner Ann Corley of The North Fork Chocolate Company with 2 new locations in Mattituck and Riverhead Long Island.

They are awesome people and make really healthy and delicious chocolate from scratch. Yes by hand one by one. You can even go there and see how they make the chocolate in person. They welcome you.

The North Fork Chocolate Company is committed to using local ingredients to enhance everything they make. They’ve been making some of the best chocolate bunnies anywhere and more choclate treats for weeks now. 

News 12 Long Island thought theirs was a worthy story too. When I caught the News 12 story,I invited Alanah Ivans, North Forks Chocolate Company's  'Chief Chocolatier' to join me to give them all a big chocolate shout out.

When my pal Steve Amaral told me back in 2012 after being a top chef in the Hamptons with a top catering company - that he was gonna make chocolate - I thought he was nuts. Now I’m so proud of him and his team.

Stop by and say hello if youre out that way in Long Island. Feel free to mention his buddy Debbie Nigro sent you. He'll smile. You can also order choclate online for any occasion. Check out The North Fork Chcolate Company they're unique. 

Plants Scream Like Us When Under Stress? Geez Who Knew?

Now that I know I’ll try and be more sensitive, but truthfully, thank God I can’t hear them or I’d be drinking a lot more lol.

Pal Jill Brooke Editor In Chief of Flower Power Daily got my attention with a piece she posted on the subject by Rebecca Ann Hughs titled 'Plants "Scream" When Under Stress - Just Like Us'

Jill joined me to talk about the latest research on this phenomenon right on time for plant season.

It's true. Although they might not be audible to human ears, plants do make noises.

"Researchers in Israel found that plants make a high-frequency clicking sound when placed under stress. Their findings were published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Press."

Those researchers spent 6 years listening to plants like tomatoes, grapevines, tobacco and wheat. The plants made noises when they were cut or when they were thirsty and appranelty the sound is like a pop of popcorn or bubble wrap. 

Also just because we can’t hear plants, it doesn’t mean that they are silent to other forms of life. Insects like moths, or mammals such as mice bats, can hear plants. Who Knew? 

Whats interesting about these findings is that scientists now want to apply this knowledge to agriculture and farming to better care for crops. Think 'sensors' that tell growers when plants need watering.

According to the study, “more precise irrigation can save up to 50% of the water expenditure and increase the yield.”  Wow it does pay to listen!

Enjoy this friendly screaming plant update podcast with Jill Brooke Editor In Chief of Flower Power Daily from out fun live conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show. 

I’m a champion of people getting back out in the world and connecting ‘in person’. It matters. That's how relationships get made, right? Life is easier with people you trust. The more you know about somebody authentically, the more apt you are to trust them. And you never know who knows who.

 We all lost a lot in the category of relationships as a result of the pandemic induced virtual world, we now live in. To change it back up for myself, I’m now on a personal mission to reconnect with people I like ‘in person’. I’m known to be fun, and I like to make my interviews fun. People share more when they’re comfortable and having a good time.  

 I have the pleasure of broadcasting my live radio show from the studios of WGCH radio in Greenwich Ct., a town known worldwide for its beauty, location, amenities and well-run government. Founded in 1640, it’s one of the oldest towns in the United States, home to many multigenerational families and has been a worldwide destination for over a century.

 I’ve known my engineer Bob for decades and we work well together and produce high level content that gets heard around town, around the country through the digital livestream and around the world through podcasting.

 During the pandemic, I started to work from home and do my radio show remotely. I got used to broadcasting from my house sometimes in my pajamas and got a little lazy about returning to the studio. But there’s nothing like ‘live’ in-studio energy, and so I’m back and trying some new ‘in studio’ things.

 Fred Camillo, who's the First Selectman of Greenwich (their version of a mayor) also has a show on this radio station. I’d always enjoy running into him except he’d bring his big dog who would scare the hell out of me because I’m scared of big dogs so our conversations would always get cut short by me hiding behind a desk.

 Fred and I didn't see each other for a while so I decided to invite him to sit in and do my show live without his dog (big dog lovers please forgive me).

 I always thought Fred was sweet, but I don’t talk politics on my show and didn’t know much about him personally. I thought this would be a nice opportunity to have an authentic conversation that others could enjoy too.

 I wanted to know about Fred Camillo the guy. A lot of people have said some beautiful things about him as they’ve have watched him grow up in the area and are proud that he became the guy who's running the show in this very interesting place in the world.

 Did Fred want to grow up to be the First Selectman (mayor)?

 Nope, found out he wanted to play center field for the Yankees. Sadly, that didn't work out. He also wanted to be Joe Frazier but he was only a lightweight so that didn’t work out either.

 Fred does works out a lot and he’s in great shape. Every morning early, he’s out walking his two dogs and he walks to the gym.

 Instead of a baseball uniform or boxing shorts Fred’s daily uniform is now a suit. How many suits does the First Selectman of Greenwich own? Four. Mostly he wears the dark blue ones (Yankee blue), but he also has a light gray and a dark gray. When he was young, he had a beige one for the summer.

 I wondered does Fred ever do like I do, change clothes like Superman did in a phone booth to get from one occasion to the next dressed appropriately?

“Rarely but It’s happened”.

 Does Fred wear cologne? Nope. How about jewelry? Only watches. And a Fitbit to count his steps. (Roughly 20,000 steps a day!) BTW, he wears them both on the same wrist and people always ask why he has two watches.

 As a result of his job as First Selectman of Greenwich, CT some weeks Fred’s out every single night. But he’s really a homebody and loves to hang home and watch sports. Who's his team this year? “I'm still a Yankee fan but I even root for the Mets. The Cohens are great people. They're living in Greenwich.”  Great! I’m a big Met fan lets get him in for an interview.

 What about hockey? “I grew up a Ranger fan, but the owners of the Islanders are here in Greenwich, and they are terrific people. Jon Ledecky actually worked here at WGCH in the 70s. He brags about working here. Great! Let's get him in sometime for an interview.

 Do you like tennis? “I don't play tennis, but I will watch it once in a while. I grew up watching Jimmy Connors and Chrissy Everett. But I will watch a good match”. What about Pickleball? “We’re going to get hopefully four new courts.”

 So Fred I asked, “If you're going to the electric chair, what would be your last meal? You get one call, and you can have anything you want” Fred’s last meal is going to be a big one. Lots of pasta, probably a couple slices of pizza, Italian cheesecake, gorgonzola salad and a bottle of wine. (Good to know Fred and I could have a lot of fun eating together)

 Fred Camillo’s father was a marine drill sergeant. The rules in his house growing up included that you had to work so Fred worked every day when he was a kid. For a couple weeks back when he was 8 or 9, he even used to have a little shoeshine box and shined shoes outside a local store. Fred said his drill sergeant father was funny funny guy with a great voice. A crooner, just like Frank Sinatra and for fun Fred and his siblings used to tape him. “But he had a temper”, Fred said, so you had to be careful. Adding, “But it was funny. It was in an era, you know, that things were different. And I kind of miss those days.”

 Does Fred remember people's birthdays? Yes. Does he remember people's phone numbers? Yes. He knows at least 25 or 30 peoples phone numbers by heart. Does Fred still have dead people in his phone like I do? Yup, He said, “I think it’s about holding on to a memory and it's something that's personal and to erase it, would mean kind of, it's that finality. It’s silly, but it's just something that we do.”

 I asked Fred another one of my signature questions? What's your genius?” That thing that comes naturally to you that you take for granted.

 “Nothing, that's gonna make me any money”, said Fred laughing. “I can tell you the starting line up with the 1978 Yankees. I can tell you who the third string catcher was on the 1961 world champion Yankees. As my father used to say back when soda was cheap, that and 50 cents will get you a soda. I can easily recall Baseball trivia mostly but also a lot of historical stuff. I taught history in high school a long time ago, so I remember dates and numbers.”

 Has Fred been on every single block in Greenwich, CT? Probably. Greenwich is the second biggest landmass in the state of Connecticut and yes Fred’s been on every street around the 67 square miles, 48 of which are land.

 What hasn’t Fred Gotten around to doing yet that’s still on his bucket list?

He hasn’t been to Italy.

Fred’s currently involved with ‘Paws for A Cause’, a leukemia fundraiser in honor of his sister Donna Marie who died from leukemia at the age of 11. Sadly, Fred’s mother also passed away just six months after his sister at the age of 34. “Unfortunately, said Fred, back in 1968 medicine and science weren’t where they are today.”

 How many people ask Fred for favors in the course of the day as a First Selectman.  A lot. “When you say favor you mean help, aid, attention to their cause, whatever. And you do what you can do, if it's legal and you're not doing anything that's, you know, against the law or out of order”.

 During Fred’s day is he more likely to be texting, emailing, or calling somebody? “I'd rather talk to somebody.”

 Here’s another ‘signature’ Debbie Nigro question because I’m aware that everybody has something going on in their head all day long. “How Does Your Head Work Inside? How's it working in there I always wonder?

“Well, a lot of people will tell you there's nothing going on”, said Fred.

I guess, music. I'll walk out of the gym in the morning, and what was playing usually what I hear in the morning, it stays in my head.”

Finally, I wondered does Fred worry about a lot of things? “Oh, yeah, big worrier said FRED.  So how does Fred relax?  

“Red wine, but I don't have it every night and watching sports. I'm not a big TV person, but I just started watching the old Sopranos. I wanted to go through the whole thing. So, I'm almost on season five now and that's kind of relaxing. It makes me laugh.

Enjoy this full show podcast of my live 'in person' conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show with Fred Camillo the man, who also happens to be The First Selectman of Greenwich Ct.It was really fun to get to know him authentically. 

Sara Smida’s post on linked in caught my attention. I extended an invitation to share her message to a wider audience on my NY/CT based radio show.

Sara’s a talented content pro and mom of now 15-month-old baby girl twins living in Saratoga NY. She had a high-risk pregnancy during the pandemic and started working remotely from home. She and her husband tried valiantly before their twins were born to find trustworthy and affordable childcare. That did not work out, so they both worked from home.

Sara has been working remotely from home ever since. Recently her company announced a hybrid work policy which would require her to go back into the office a few days a week. For Sara that’s a deal breaker.

Sara’s reality reflects the monumental childcare challenge all the fabulous working moms in America still struggle with in 2023 but should not have to. This is a MAJOR issue and a major problem I started speaking about years ago that has yet to get fitting attention.

Working moms know some days are harder than others and most struggle with the balance of being home enough to raise their beloved children and leaving them behind with a qualified caregiver for their own important occupational needs.

Knowing there’s no solution to this gigantic problem today the least we women can do for one another is if it’s in our power – is extend a hand when we hear another woman in need. So, Sara needs a new remote job, so that she can work from home while caring for her 15-month-old twins. I’m sharing her message in the hope someone knows someone who has a job opportunity for her.

Sara has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication rhetoric and public relations. She started off working at agencies, and now she does account management, social media management, writing posts, publishing posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, you name it. She also writes tailored pieces of content for brands that will resonate with their audience.

If you ask me, she’s a HOT commodity. Take a listen to this podcast of our live radio conversation and get to know her for yourself. If you can use her skills here’s her email. [email protected]

Yes Prince Edward island is famous for those PEI Mussels sought out on every US restaurant menu, but there’s a whole lot more to lure you to this all season vacation destination.

It's an Outdoor Adventure Lovers Paradise, and It's really calling my name this year.

Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada has endless opportunities for outdoor adventure, hands on experience, or just a peaceful walk on the beach. 

With over 45 harbors scattered throughout the 700 miles of jagged coastline, colorful fishing villages, lighthouses, antique shops, and restaurants serving up the freshest Island cuisine, there’s always a reason to stop and explore.

I love road tripping along coastal roads and exploring small towns and Laura Lund, travel expert and Prince Edward Island enthusiast says, you can easily hop from small town to small town.

Laura's lived there all her life and joined me on The Debbie Nigro Show to share her favorite PEI destinations and why they should be on your trip itinerary. She's known as the 'itinerary queen' when it comes to discovering the island and the hidden gems you should visit. She was born and raised on the island and went off to the University of Prince Edward Island to get her degree in applied tourism and hospitality. It's no surprise Laura was selected to become the Media Realtions Officer for Tourism PEI.

If you've always wanted to go to Prince Edward Island be sure to listen to Laura Lunds' insider tips during our fun podcast conversation. 

By the way Laura has also assured me there are still places to stay on PEI where I can take a bath! Great news for bath lovers like myself who've been getting really annoyed at how many hotels have been killin' off bathtubs to make room for more rooms. Someone should really take a stand against hotels with standing room only showers. No fair. LOL 

 We've all been a little weirded out by the recent news of odd stuff flying in the sky getting shot down. What the heck is going on up there? And who knows what else is in the sky?

 I don't know. But Rob Reis does. He's the CEO and founder of Higher Ground the inventors of SatPaq, which is one of those compact devices that you always wish you had on you while you’re walking in the woods and can’t get any signal on your cell phone. It’s a very compact device that enables a smart phone to send and receive messages over a geo-stationary satellite, they're known as GEO satellites and they’re 23,000 miles above earth. 

 Higher Ground is expanding this technology initially created for consumers, with NASA now and the Department of Homeland Security. 

 I was reading a LinkedIn post by my gal pal, Lois Whitman, who is very close to Rob and she was writing about his knowledge of what goes on above us in the sky every day. More important, his knowledge of maybe why these latest sky balloons in the news, these shapes, these sizes were up there and what they were doing. I found that that very interesting and I find Rob very interesting, so I invited him to be my guest on this show.

First about SatPaq, I wondered how Rob got that idea. I asked him, “Are you a technology guy?” “Are you a guy who got lost in the woods with no cell?” LOL

 Both he said. Rob who lives in Silicon Valley has done four startup companies. An inventor at heart he also does a fair amount of hiking and backpacking. And he reiterated that, anytime you go hiking, fishing, just exploring, you're commonly out of cell phone coverage. Ten years ago, he started working on the SatPaq because people just want to have connectivity wherever they are.

 Tell me about it. I can’t count how many times I've been walking behind my crazy old hippie boyfriend in the woods thinking, no one's going to find us if something happens. I bring it up every time and he always says I’m neurotic. Nope. I just want to stay alive and not not be found if I need to be found!  It’s very disconcerting to not be connected considering how much we rely on being connected every day. Even when I sometimes go to a certain area of people's neighborhoods that are more rural, where I have friends or I do business, and have no cell service I can't take it. So, I know Rob's SatPaq is something that the world welcomed.

But Rob pointed out that the consumer market was not as interested in this as the NASA folks and the Homeland Security folks were, so he’s doing a lot of business with them now.

 Rob said, “We introduced the SatPaq into the consumer market about four years ago and we had some reasonable response. I would say we have a couple of thousand SatPaqs in consumer hands. But it really was the special forces who found us about three years ago and basically said, we need that kind of capability. What we're providing is really a pocket-sized device for the soldier that he/she can operate anywhere. And what makes it special is that it's so stealthy. So that's different than a consumer need, and the military needs it so nobody can intercept the signal.”

 I asked Rob who spends a lot of time in his head 23,000 feet in the air, to speak to all these crazy balloons in the sky that were just shot down. Was he shocked, surprised, not surprised?

 "Not that surprised", he said. “I used to be involved in the intelligence industry 25, 30 years ago. We've got a lot of different assets up there at different altitudes. There's Leo satellites, which are low earth orbit and the Geos, are about 23,000 miles, so they're 50 times further and we have airplanes. I was a little surprised by a balloon, but a balloon basically makes sense in terms of some kind of interception gear.”

 Frankly he said, you can put a much larger antenna on a balloon. “A typical satellite is like a meter across the ones that go up at 500 miles above the earth. And you really want to have a much bigger antenna. If you need a big antenna, you can't put it on a small satellite and a balloon makes a lot more sense.”

 Rob said there are probably 50,000 satellites in the sky right now. Imagine?

 Are they color coded I asked? How does everybody know who satellite is whose?

 “Well, the good news said Rob, is that space really is big and in general, there's good focus on where every company positions their satellite to make sure it's not going to interfere with some other satellite, both physically and radio wise. So, there's good control. But it's changing. There are concerns about, you know, space debris. Sometimes when satellites fall apart or they reenter the atmosphere, or sometimes when other governments destroy them, you end up with all these little particles that don't come down. The issue of space debris is becoming of concern, and it should be. So right now, we're okay, but the future we must be more careful. “

 While talking to Rob I was trying to wrap my mortal head around what’s going on up in the sky on any given day. On any given day here are like 7,000 planes and 60,000 satellites in the sky and now we know we have these giant balloons flying around. How high are these giant balloons able to fly I wondered?

 Rob said, the one that was brought down was at 60,000 feet and most commercial aircraft fly between15,000 and 35,000 feet. So, it was above the flight paths of typical commercial airplanes, but he added, it’s a space that typically only military equipment go to 60,000 feet which is quite a way up.

 In terms of kind of going from ground up, the commercial aircrafts are at about 30,000 to 35,000 feet, which is five, six miles. That big balloon that was brought down was at 60,000 feet which is about 12 miles up. Satellites start at 100 miles up.  

 In following the bouncing balloon here, I was wondering why such a big balloon was in the sky that far up? And what was it supposed to provide? Obiously some intelligence that somebody couldn't get by looking at a Google Earth map.

 “The first question maybe a couple of weeks ago was, you know, what kind of intelligence are they likely to be getting? And you first start thinking about photo intelligence pictures because pictures do tell you a lot about what's happening below. And maybe 30, 40 years ago, getting photos from space with something that only governments could do. But in the last maybe 15 years, a whole bunch of companies. have put up their own small satellites with cameras. And people are now comfortably going to Google Earth and really, you're getting pictures from commercial satellites.”

 So, the question is, if you can get the photos from the internet, why put up a balloon?

 "Right",said Rob. “What you see on Google Earth and others is impressive in terms of resolution. It has been confirmed, because people have picked up or the military government has picked up the remains of what was found in the waters off South Carolina, and they've shown that what it really was is an antenna.”

 “You know, we're not talking photo information. We're talking signal intelligence. So that means you're not really looking at a picture of what's on the ground. You want to see what kind of radios are being used because that also tells you a lot about what happens below. And to get radio signals, it really comes down to something called aperture, which is how big is the array and the larger the array, the more sensitive it can be, and the better you can figure out where the signals are coming from. When they started showing photos and you saw a 200 put balloon and you saw a big girder structure, which appears to be maybe 150 feet. Something that big must be picking up signal information. And that's the hypothesis now confirmed that it's an antenna. “

 I read is that a helium balloon 200 feet in diameter can lift 250,000 pounds. That would be the equivalent to carrying 60 cars in the sky?

 "Yes", said Rob. “It just shows that when you have a really big balloon, you can carry a whole bunch at 200 feet. It's like two thirds of a football field so these are enormous balloons. But when you look at the photos, you're not seeing that big of a structure below. So, this was not about weight. This was about kind of girth or width. And when you start thinking about what needs width, that’s really an antenna array. I'm going to guess that what's being carried below is 5,000 pounds,10,000 pounds When you look at the photos of the 200-foot balloon, you see these big guy wires. And it's meant to keep the antenna array relatively stable. It all makes sense when you see the photo and you understand kind of the physics behind it.”

 I did ask Rob my signature Debbie question, “What goes on in your head all day long?”  

 “I do startups. What we're building with the SatPaq is on the other side of this equation, which is if you're building something for the military, how do you make sure that the adversary can't pick it up? So, we're now talking about a balloon and what they're trying to pick up. And we’re thinking what do we do to make sure that our military has very, very stealthy equipment. In the professional world, that's what I'm spending my time thinking about. We've come up with a bunch of clever things. And obviously I can't talk about how we're doing it, but that's what the SatPaq does is provide virtually undetectable communications from the ground for our military. And frankly, as an engineer, it’s really fun to be building something that special, which is that important to our troops.”

 What an amazing way for a man to be spending his day for the good of us all.

 Enjoy this fascinating podcast conversation with Rob Reis, CEO and Founder of Higher Ground and inventor of the SatPaq from our live conversation The Debbie Nigro Show.

 The world has to be grateful for brains like that of Rob Reis.

According to Flower Power Daily red roses are getting some competition. 

Toffee Roses are VERY HOT right now and florists everywhere are clamoring to get their hands on them. 

In the past year rose farms have quadrupled their ‘toffee rose’ production and there’s even a toffee rose black market since only a handful of farms have the exclusive rights to this new rose color tone. Even the toffee colored rose names like Frappachino, Caramel, and Golden Mustard are protected by a licensing rights.

Jill Brooke, Founder and editorial director of Flower Power Daily says, “We have anointed the toffee rose to symbolize “open-minded, open-hearted and blended.” This rose does speak to 2023 and is a fitting addition to our changing social landscape, which embraces all the colors of love.”

FPD reports that according to the Pew Research Center, 17% of all marriages in 2022 were of mixed races and ethnicities. The toffee/taupe roses are a perfect choice to represent that cultural shift. It’s no longer just white roses at the wedding or for the wedding bouquet. 

Jill says the unsung heroes of the flower industry are all the breeders and scientists who work diligently to develop new rose colors every year in the hope that something new catches on. To their delight, toffee roses caught on big time. 

FPD wrote that Joey Azout, president of Alexandra Farms, which produces David Austin roses among other brands, says “sales of sand, toffee, and nude color roses now make up 30% of the color assortment.”

And FPD shared that in anticipation of the growing popularity of this color wave, Rosaprima Roses also introduced RP Moab last year. The company said it planted 20,000 plants and now will increase that production to 150,000 because of demand.

Ryan Black, of Miami-based Jet Fresh Flowers, told FPD, a “black market” for the flowers is emerging since only a handful of farms have the exclusive rights to this color tone and are trying to grow them illegally without breeder permission. Black, who is the fourth generation of his family in the flower business, says the company’s Ecuador farm grows varieties including Symbol and Quicksand which are selling as briskly as real estate in Florida.

Jill says in the U.S. California is the major rose growing epicenter but in South America, Columbia and Ecuador are really big flower generating locations. 

Theres some really good news in all this toffee rose hoopla for small business. Local Florists who have been finding it harder and harder to compete with the supermarkets selling flowers, are the only ones who can get and sell these rare toffee roses. 

Interesting fact about Supermarkets said Jill. They’ve recognized that people buy more in their stores when they see flowers because seeing flowers makes them feel happier. When people feel good they spend more. Supermarkets who can sell flowers cheaper than local florists because they buy in bulk, have set up their flower stations at the front of their stores so people see them when they first walk in. 

In addition to talking toffee, Jill and took a few minutes on Valentines Day to review the meanings of the different colors of roses. 

Red = passion

White = purity and innocence 

Pink = elegance and charm appreciative love 

Yellow =  friendship and courage 

Peach = enthusiasm mischief and fun 

Jill who is passionate about all things floral said,

“Flowers convey a dictionary of feelings without saying a word”.

How true.

Listen in as Jill Brooke and I discuss all the toffee rose hoopla in this podcast of our live girlfriends in business conversation on The Debbie Nigro Show 

One things for sure, when someone needs blood they need it asap!

Personally I get nervous around too much blood but surely if I was in need, I’d hope there was enough blood available to help me. I’m sure you feel the same.

Hospitals need blood every day, so they need people to donate every day.

The nation's blood supply is at it’s lowest level in a year and for the O blood type which is especially needed, that's at it’s lowest level in 3 years.

Cliff Numark Sr. VP of Vitalant, the nation’s largest nonprofit independent blood services provider, says blood donations are really critical right now.

(I did not know there was an independent blood service but now I do!)

Vitalent is the nations largest independent blood service and second largest overall to the Red Cross. They have 120 donation centers in 28 states serving about 900 Hospitals. They’re exclusively focused on providing comprehensive transfusion medicine services for their hospitals and their patients.

They need about 5,000 blood and platelet donations per day.

Like Cliff said, “It’s something when you need it you need it, it’s like oxygen, you don’t really appreciate it until it’s not there and that’s what we’re trying to fight against.”

While some aspects of life have returned to normal since the height of COVID-19, the blood donation rate has not, leading to more frequent supply shortages.

Vitalant’s blood donor base has dropped by about 20% since 2019 and the nonprofit organization has also experienced a severe drop in blood donations from business blood drives as many people now work remotely.

These worrisome trends – coupled with severe winter weather forcing blood drives to cancel and historic flu levels keeping many donors at home – can lead to blood shortages that could threaten patient care.

Anyone worried about giving blood as to how it will affect them should be reminded that our bodies are amazing in their ability to make more. Giving a pint won’t affect you. But you can only give one pint at a time.

Cliff says, “Were like human biological factories. When you donate a pint of blood, you have to wait 56 days and that allows your body time to regenerate and produce more red blood cells and plasma and you can give blood again then.”

Cliff Newmark knows a whole lot about blood. Prior to joining Vitalant, he led blood operations for more than 16 years at the American Red Cross. In his current role at Vitalant, his job is to oversee the organization’s marketing, communications and outreach to blood and platelet donors, to ensure hospitals have the blood products they need to help patients.

Happy to help him get the bloody word out in this upbeat podcast conversation from The Debbie Nigro Show. (Just please don't make me look at blood) 

For more information please visit Vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL or download the Vitalant app.

"Don't Be Afraid To Talk About Your Problems". Those were the words of the late Jack Nathan pictured here. A vital young man who wrestled with anxiety and depression who  passionately championed talking about mental illness to let others know they were not alone.

His parents David and Bradi Nathan and his sister Drew are keeping his mission alive.

David and Bradi joined me live on The Debbie Nigro Show said, "Jack left us suddenly and accidentally on 7/3/20 at the age of 19, due to fentanyl poisoning. He was a survivor of mental illness- not a victim." 

Before passing, Jack had created “HappyJacksWorld” to raise awareness and fund access to mental health resources. 

Happy Jack IS Jack Nathan.

In his honor, his family is continuing his mission to continue supporting those who struggle with mental health. On Happy Jacks World website you'll find merchandise with the signature Happy Jack Logo you can purchase to show your support. 15% of each HJ sale is donated.

Jack's parents want to be sure you know we can all make life better for kids like Jack and ask that we all help keep Jack’s legacy and mission alive. I welcome the opportunity to help and share Jacks' message.

I always welcome the opportunity to talk about mental health, a topic that was insanely taboo and 'hush hush' in the years I was growing up watching so many struggle. 

To be human is to struggle but some struggle more than others. Thankfully we continue to become educated about the brain and how it works so we can undertstand how to better help others we care about and give them more hope and inspiration.

Happy Jack Donations have been made to the following Foundations in Jack's memory and in their commitment to help all:

Active Minds, Child Mind Institute, Born this Way Foundation, Runway of Dreams, Riley's Dance, JaneStrong, Lean on Me, Denver University, American Cancer Society and Release Recovery Foundation.

Book Vending Machines! Every School Should Get One!

“Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine” was created by Global Vending Group for Book Vending.com. The machines incentivize students to read in a fun way.

I saw one in a local school when I went to vote last year and was blown away. The teacher I spoke to said it’s a huge success.

Golden Inchy tokens are given to children as rewards for positive actions. Every kid during the year eventually earns one to pick a book from the vending machine they get to keep. The kids love it!

Global Vending Founder & CEO Jason (Jay) Blumberg joined me on The Debbie Nigro Show to share the backstory of how these machines came to be, how he figured out how to engineer a vending machine to vend books, and how since 2018 they’re successfully addressing the literacy challenges in schools across the country.

Jay says the experience of being at the ribbon cutton ceremony's around the country  seeing the unveiling and the pure joy from the kids and teachers takes his breath away. An avid reader himself and the son of eduvcators, it's now become his passion project. 

Jay's spoken to over 1000 educators and seen the hardships and and the love the teachers have for their kids and and everything his do is helping the educators communicate and bond with the kids.

The book vending machines are now in 4000 schools, in every state, and also all over Canada. The demand is increasing. They're making reading a reward rather than an assignment. 

One by one schools are signing up to get their own Inchy Bookworm Vending Machine - some even custom designed in their school logos and colors to highlight school pride. 

Great story and great opportuntity for every school dsitrict in the country to jump in on as there are many ways the funds can be accessed to get these book vending machines in schools.

PTA and PTO Presidents are rallying around this project, there are Title 1 Grants, and teachers are having great success getting the funding from Donor Chose.org. Schools can fundraise and crowd fund raise. The United Way has an Education Foundation Fund, the Boys and Girls Club, Kiwanis Club, Wealth investors are all finding the funds and even Elon Musk bought one. 

Bookvending.com features all the various funding options.

Enjoy this inspiring conversation about ther power of “Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine" and the entrepreneur who brought it to life. Meet ”Global Vending Founder & CEO Jason (Jay) Blumberg who joined me live on The Debbie Nigro Show.