Usually for Spirit in Action we are talking to a person or group who are engaged in some specific world-healing work, while today We'll be talking to John Bachman and Christina Yocca, former residents of Eau Claire, currently back for a short visit, who have been living in Italy for 2 years now, which is their permanent home. Our hope is that by talking with John and Christina, we'll form a clearer view of the strengths and the weaknesses of the two different countries, and to explore the possibilities for improving the world, and ourselves, by choosing a new home.

We visit with the recent executive director of FNVW/Friends for a Nonviolent World, Leah Robshaw Robinson. Leah's first years with FNVW were as their volunteer engagement specialist, and early in COVID she took the executive director post, where she oversaw & facilitated their programs like AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project), People Camp, the Everyday Nonviolence Podcast, and much more.

I was introduced to Michael Lille in the course of my tribute interview for Tom Prasada-Rao, a member of The Sherpas along with Michael and Tom Kimmel.

An essential part of the road to full equality for women has been the opening of careers in the broad range of disciplines, many that were previously forbidden to women. Perhaps no person had as much effect as the woman known to the world as Madame Curie. We get a deep encounter with her in Dava Sobel's newly-released book, The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science, in which Dava traces the life, science, & missions of Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie, including eventual fruits of her life, among them 2 Nobel prizes, one in Physics and the other in Chemistry. Dava Sobel's books include titles like The Glass Universe, Galileo's Daughter, and A More Perfect Heaven.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Jewish, Catholic, Humanism

Membership in the Middle Class has plummeted over the past 40 years, making the American Dream out-of-reach for a great many Americans. Thom Hartmann addresses the history, present, & possible future of this saga in his book, The Hidden History of The American Dream: The Demise of the Middle Class – And How to Rescue Our Future. In addition to our visit with Thom Hartmann, we speak to former History & World Studies teacher, Myron Buchholz, discussing the nuts & bolts of how we got here and how we can get back to a healthy & thriving American experience.

Since his early teens, Neale Eckstein has been in a love affair with the guitar, music, and the dream of the singer/songwriter, though he allowed that passion to take a backseat for many years to his work as a pediatric dentist. Over 20 years, he and his wife, Laurie, hosted the Fox Run Concert series, welcoming a rich assortment of musicians to his home and studio.Though he had produced and recorded music with and for others over the decades, including as part of the Fox Run Five, Neale finally took the plunge to produce his own album, Never Too Late, after retirement.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Jewish, Non-affiliated

Will Fudeman (also on Bandcamp) joins us to share his second Song of the Soul, most of it based on music from his newly released album, What It Takes. Will's work & avocation life have included social work, therapy, acupuncture, Qi Gong, & all kinds of world-healing activism & music from his home in Ithaca, New York. He was first our guest back in 2019.

Part 3 of our tribute to Tom Prasada-Rao, this time through the stories and songs selected by 3 of the women in Tom's life: his sister, Patty Prasada-Rao, his ex-wife and musical partner in the Dreamsicles, Cary Cooper, and his friend, mentee, and co-performer, Annette Wasilik.

As we travel over 3 continents in search of international understanding, connection, and peace, our guest is Daniel Mamah, and he is the author of As The Rivers Merge: A Story of Love, War, and Perseverance Across Continents. Daniel & his siblings were raised between their mother's Hungary, their father's Nigeria, and in a couple other countries, with all the intricacies of attitudes, culture, and history that result in the face of major differences of perspective. Daniel's ability to see and share nuances and complexities draws on his lived experience and is enhanced by his experience as a professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine.

Past/present religious/spiritual influences: Anglican, Episcopal, Catholic

Emma Condori Mamani does the work of connection and compassion from her home base in La Paz, Bolivia. Emma has witnessed dramatic changes to the roles of indigenous Bolivians in that society, changes that have led her to higher education and work with the Friends International Bilingual Center. Climate Change has produced dramatic and life-threatening effect in the high ranges of Bolivia, and Emma is working hard to mitigate the dangerous consequences on her community through the Food Security Project, and potatoes.