Di-a-logue, An American Mosaic

A book. BOOM! It's a Big Country for an Old Man, the true story of a remarkable septuagenarian who woke up on November 2016 and embarked on a pursuit to discover his country.

A Gen Z talks about being brought up to be either Republican or Democrat and you fit in that box, or that box. Red or Blue.

The stakes are high in the year ahead. Staying informed will be difficult.

It's a big country. Stories from the road, people and places coming in a book.

Most of what we hear is engineered to tell us who we are, what to do, and how to think about ourselves and our nation.

Another wake up. Just when we think we know what happening, new shit happens.

A Purple grain of sand. Finding that common ground.

We all have a story. Stories are important to our understanding of places, people, and ourselves. That is the heart of An American Mosaic and project Di-a-logue. 

Individuals, corporations, churches, watch what you say. There might be reprisals depending on where you are, who you are, and how you are identified. We live in a divided country today, and not always by choice. 

Globalization is ending. How do we deal with that, do we stay divided or do we unite as a country. Living in a changed America. 

Making war on Ukraine is not going well for Putin. Does he think he can go back in time to the USSR? The rest of the world is waking up and saying no. 

We are being tested like never before. Most of the world stands with Ukraine as Putin wages war on them. This is a wake up for all who value democracy. We will have some important choices to make soon. 

Driving the backroads of America talking to strangers. America is changing, we are discarding the old, making room for the new. There are casualties along the way. 

But we can still have a conversation. Sometimes a conversation makes you feel good. That's how I feel when I listen to this conversation with Walt in Seattle. I'm posting it again, because I needed to hear it and wanted to share it again. I'm hopeful. 

I stopped in Elgin North Dakota looking for coffee and found the newspaper office. I went in and met Jill, the owner, editor and publisher. Ever wonder about life in the little places? The newspaper editor can tell you everything. Jill covers a couple of counties and three small towns in this mostly farming area in North Dakota. 

So many people are leaving positions and not for a new one. It isn't retirement, so what's next? I am curious about what we do next and how we find a new passion or career path. I reposted a conversation from a year ago that I think is inspiring and breaks down one persons creative journey to a surprising new place. 

In this episode I am talking with Mary, the legendary Mermaid sand sculpture artist of Venice Beach California. Mary is part of the fabric in this mashup of humanity along the boardwalk of Venice. She's came to Venice as a young girl and fell in love with it. An interesting story in a truly unique place. 

It's a rap, this year is over. I'm optimistic about some things happening going forward. Setting aside the chaos of culture wars, politics, and the pandemic, there are some very interesting tech breakthroughs ahead. See you on the other side.

Creating a Portrait of America with pictures and conversations, many are shared with this podcast. An American Mosaic is ending another challenging year with these thoughts. Gen Z, Tech, Business, Elon Musk, Maria Ressa, and Living with Covid. 

A conversation with Rick Najera, actor, director, comedian, writer, and author of the book "Almost White." I am at the Studios in Burbank CA and was fortunate to get this conversation. Rick has a lot of credits to his name, Broadway Play, TV, Film, and writing. He is one of "those Mexicans", just a couple of generations from those crossing the border that we never hear about. He had a lot to say when we sat down to talk. This is a video recast from a conversation in 2018.