WORLD FOOTPRINTS

World Footprints travels to Jalisco, Mexico where we'll be met by dolphins, pirates and Jose Cuervo.

Jalisco is the seventh largest state of the 32 states in Mexico.  It is rich in history and considered to be Mexico since many of the cultural characteristics of the country (Mariachis, the sombrero, Mexican Hat Dance, tequila) originated in Jalisco.  While touring the state we enjoyed a playful swin with dolphins at the Dolphin Discovery in Puerto Vallarta and spoke to a resident veteranarian about how Dolphin Discovery is at the forefront of marine life conservation.

World Footprints also set sail aboard a replica of the Santa Maria as we went off the beaten path with pirates to a private island to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.

Our trip to Jalisco concluded in the World Hertitage Site of Tequila where we experienced the harvesting of the blue agave plant that is used to make tequila.  We also followed the agave to the Jose Cuervo distillery to see how tequila is produced.  Of course, we sampled a number of fine tequila throughout the trip--for research purposes.

On today’s show World Footprints explores the plight of the endangered Panther, we chat with one of the rising IZOD Indycar stars Simona de Silvestro, and we also view Catholicism through the lens with Father Robert Barron.  As a special bonus, we added some sound bytes and interviews from the DC Stop Modern Slavery walk to end human trafficking.

Panthers once roamed the entire southeastern United States; from Florida to South Carolina and Louisiana.  However, the panther was added to the Endangered Species List in 1967 and today the remaining population is isolated in South Florida.   The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is at the forefront of the Panther conservation efforts and Park Ranger Sandy Mickey from the Florida Panther & Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuges joins us today to talk about some of these initiatives. 

Then, we enjoyed a chat with one of the IZOD Indycar series rising stars, Simona de Silvestro.  Simona is one of a handful of female Indycar racers and she is one of the most prominent racecar drivers on the track.   She is the first woman in Atlantic Series history to have earned the most wins and pole positions, and the IZOD Indycar Rising Star Award.  Finally, we will talk to Father Robert Barron, the Francis Cardinal George Professor of Faith and Culture at Mundelein Seminary and a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, about his PBS series Catholicism. This documentary illustrates the history and treasures of a global religion shared by more than one billion people around the world by exploring art, architecture, literature, music and all the riches of the Catholic tradition.

World Footprints will open up our new "Travelers University" to share some important things that you should know about the cruise industry and travel insurance.  Whether you are a first time cruiser or have sailed the seven seas for years, there are things about the cruise industry that you probably don’t know. For as much enjoyment as a cruise provides there is a dark side to cruising that generally goes unreported.  Author and Saturday Evening Post contributor, Elizabeth Becker, joins us to reveal the dangers that passengers often face upon boarding. World Footprints Travelers University will continue with an expert panel that will addresse many questions surrounding the decision to purchase travel insurance.  If you’ve ever questioned the necessity of travel insurance or a medical evacuation plan, many frequently asked questions will be answered today from experts at the TravelInsuranceStore.com and MedjetAssist.  You’ll also hear from a traveler who suffered severe injuries in Africa and how his care and rehabilitiation was managed through his travel insurance policy.

Emmy Award winning actor Eric Braeden, best known for his role as Victor Newman on the CBS Daytime Drama The Young and the Restless, joins World Footprints to share his travel experiences, early childhood memories and his adventures after immigrating to the U.S.  Then “gadget gurus” Ellen Barone, traveler journalist and publisher of several travel blogs; and John E. DiScala, better known as professional traveler Johnny Jet and publisher of JohnnyJet.com, join the show to share the latest travel essentials and travel tips.

Fans of the daytime drama "Days of Our Lives" (DOOL) will enjoy another one of our conversations with actress, singer and author Gloria Loring who played Liz Chandler for seven years on the soap opera.  Gloria spends some time today talking about her spiritual autobiography "Coincidence is God's Way of Remaining Anonymous", and her life since DOOL including working with her son R&B singer Robin Thicke.

Then, join us on an amazing cruise along the Amazon River with Delfin Amazon Cruises.  Generally a 5-star experience and authentic travel sit on opposite sides of the spectrum.  However, Delfin Amazon Cruises takes great pride in connecting the dots between those experiences and provides a unique and memorable travel opportunity in the world's most mystical ecosystem.

Louisana's Creole culture and a famed New Orleans' neighborhood share the spotlight on today's show.  Our Creole cultural exploration takes us just outside New Orleans to the Old Mississippi River Road where we'll share the story of a Creole family and a plantation named Laura--voted "Best history tour in the USA" by Lonely Planet Travel and a top travel attraction in Louisiana.  Laura Plantation, named after Laura Locoul Gore, is an old sugarcane plantation over 200 years old.  We experienced life on the plantation as a member of the Locoul family through the voice of one of Laura's decendents, Norman Marmillion.  We will also visit Faubourg Treme with filmmaker Dawn Logsdon.  Treme is considered the oldest black neighborhood in America and the birthplace of the civil rights movement in the South.  Treme is a place where African-Americans lived free during slavery and became a place of social and economic diversity.

You can also listen to this show and view photos on our website at:  http://worldfootprints.com/exploring-laura-plantation-and-faubourg-treme

Join World Footprints as we explore the Great Lakes State of Michigan and travel from Mackinac City to Detroit. 

Our audio tour will start with a visit to the Michigan Historical Center and Museum in Lansing where we will offer a flavor of every place in the State between the lower and upper peninsula.  Museum director Linda Endersby and Michigan History Foundation director Cindy Hales will help us learn about the stories of the people who helped shape Michigan.

Then, one of Michigan's crown jewels is Mackinac Island--Tonya's childhood playground.  Since the late 19th century, the island's Grand Hotel has welcomed celebrities, Presidents and other visitors from around the world.  The Grand Hotel offers the world's longest porch and has been the setting of several movies, including "Somewhere In Time" with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve.  Hotel historian and concierge, Bob Tagetz, will take us inside the rich history and traditions of this iconic hotel.

Finally, we will share the legacy of a family deeply intertwined in the history of Michigan and Mackinac Island--the Shepler family--the namesake behind Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry.  This multi-generational family enterprise has transported legions to and from Mackinac Island between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace.  Chris Shepler will share his family's legacy, their passion for customer service, philanthropy and he'll give Tonya a new experience as Captain.

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Peter Vogel, founder and managing director of CulturePrep Inc., is a noted speaker on advancing cross-cultural relations and a philanthropist. Peter joins World Footprints to talk about how CulturePrep has been empowering individuals and groups from around the world to overcome the obstacles that threaten meaningful and productive cross-cultural relationships.  He will also talk about the volunteer work his organization is spearheading in Uganda.

Then, David Morey, co-chair of The Fund for Peace and former chair of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Task Force on Public Diplomacy, sits down with World Footprints to talk about the current events in Northern Africa and the Middle East and how the insurgent strategy he has developed will help the U.S. to re-boot its foreign policy as .  David is one of America’s leading strategic consultants.  He has advised some of the world’s top business leaders, five Nobel Peace Prize winners and twelve successful global presidential campaigns, including President Barack Obama. David is also an award-winning co-author of The Underdog Advantage, a book that outlines a powerful insurgent strategy to put business on top.

Finally, prepare your taste buds as Malaysian Chef Susheela Raghavan cooks up the Flavors of Malaysia from her new cookbook with World Footprints.  Flavors of Malaysia: a Journey through Time, Tastes, and Traditions, will take you on a wonderful sensory journey as Susheela serves up more than 150 amazing recipes, touching family stories, and fascinating notes about the multi-cultural origins of Malaysian food in this wonderful collection.

On today's show World Footprints brings you an hour of literary fun as we share two favorite Book Club interviews. Author Kevin Fitzpatrick (no relation to us) takes us through a New York that very few know about as we explore "A journey into Dororthy Parker's New York."  After today you'll see a different side of the Big Apple and you'll leave wanting to know more about Dorothy Parker. Then, former JFK station manager Claudia Oxee "tells all" in her book "Tales from the Tarmac".  Claudia will leave you gasping, laughing out loud and silently crying as we learn about what goes on behind the scenes at airports.

World Footprints will take you inside “The Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth”—the Calgary Stampede.  Cowboy up and hitch your horse to a chuck wagon as the Stampede’s Keith Rutherford shares the heritage of one of the signature events, the chuck wagon race.  Then meet the young Canadians who charm their way into the hearts of all during the Stampede evening extravaganzas.  They will share what it takes to be a member of this Broadway style glee club.  Finally, World Footprints will visit the Siksika Nation, east of Calgary on the Blackfoot Reservation.  Tribal elder, Bernard Bear Shirt, will share the history of the Tribe through stories and members of his family will continue the tradition of music and dance.