Wgtd's The Morning Show With Greg Berg

We speak with two theater professors at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside ....  Jody Sekas, Brian Gill .... and with two Parkside theater majors,  Lynsey Gallagher and Alex Grey .... to find out how one teaches courses like Scene Painting, Acting or Stage Combat in the virtual/on-line environment necessitated by the COVID-19 crisis.  

Part one of today's program is with Cory Mason, the mayor of Racine, with a COVID-19 update.  (Statistics are showing Racine to be a serious hotspot for COVID-19 cases- and as with other metropolitan areas,  the black and hispanic sectors of the community are especially hard hit.  We explore some of the reasons why.)  Part two features Beth Dugan, chair of the division for Hospitality Management at Gateway Technical College, Dave Blank from Real Racine, and Kathy Seeburg from Visit Walworth County,  on what is next for the hard-hit hospitality sector in SE Wisconsin.) 

Our guests are three members of the art faculty at Carthage College - Kimberly Greene, Ryan Miller, and Jojin Van Winkle - talking about how they are managing to teaching courses like Sculpture, Drawing, Photography, Painting, and the like. 

We reconnect with best-selling author Fern Schumer Chapman to talk about the pain being experienced by many grandparents right now, prevented by the COVID-19 crisis from being able to see their grandchildren due to social distancing.  Chapman has written a new children's book designed not only to give voice to that sadness, but also to help explain to youngsters why they can't be with their grandparents right now.   

From 2008 comes this interview with Hope Edelman, author of "Motherless Mothers:  How Losing a Mother Shapes the Parent You Become."   This book is an endlessly fascinating exploration of what it means to be a loving mother - and how the losses experienced in one's life can often be a powerful force for growth. 

From 2004 comes a memorable conversation with John Grogan, author of the blockbuster bestseller "Marley & Me:  Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog."  

We speak with Dr. Kevin Crosby, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Carthage-  and three students (Celestine Ananda, Taylor Paterson, Cassi Bossong) who are among the Carthage students who have earned prestigious grants and awards through NASA, MIT, and the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium.) 

Gateway Technical College President Bryan Albrecht pays his monthly visit to the program - and is joined by Patrick Booth, President and CEO of CCB Technology.   Mr. Booth will be presenting the keynote address at GTC's upcoming graduation ceremony (which will be a virtual, online event due to the COVID-19 Crisis.)  

From 2006 comes this interview with Frank Snowden, author of "The Conquest of Malaria: 1900-1962."   

Part One:  Natasha Gregson Wagner offers thoughts on her mother, actress Natalie Wood.  "Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind," a documentary about her life and career, premieres tonight on HBO.  Part Two:  Sci-fi editor Ann Van der Meer.  Part Three:  from the archives-  Ann Picoult.  

Pawan Dhingra talks about why more and more families- and especially families of Indian and Asian descent- have parents insisting that their children engage in extensive extra-curricular educational activities, even when those students are doing very well in outstanding schools.  What is the motivation of these parents?  And are there potential harms to this?   Dhingra's book is titled "Hyper Education:  Why Good Schools, Good Grades and Good Behavior are Not Enough."  

From 2008 comes this interview with Jonathan Kozol, author of "Letters to a Young Teacher," which offers some illuminating and inspiring observations on what it means to be a good teacher - and what a deeply gratifying profession it can be.  This book is part of a series of books inspired by Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet from early in the 20th century.   (Other books include Letters to a Young Doctor .... to a Young Activist ... and many more.)  

From 2008 comes an interview with Frank Vizard, from Popular Mechanics, talking about this book "Why a Curveball Curves:  the Incredible Science of Sports."  The book explores the role that physics plays in athletic endeavor.  

Author Benjamin Teitelbaum tries to step inside the mind of Steve Bannon (one of Donald Trump's most important advisors for a time)  to explore Bannon's world view as it relates to a school of thought known as "Traditionalism," which centers around a grave distrust of globalism.   Teitelbaum's book is titled "War for Eternity:  Inside Steve Bannon's Far Right Circle of Global Power Brokers." 

We get updates on how two of our local institutions of higher learning are coping with the COVID-19 Crisis.  Part One:  Dr. Debbie Ford, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.  Part Two:  Dr. John Swallow, the President of Carthage College.   

This interview with actor Anthony Edwards (E.R., Top Gun, Fast times at Ridgemont High) is about the film "The Tricky Part," for which he served as Executive Producer.  The film is based on the highly acclaimed memoir and play of the same name, exploring the topic of sexual assault of men.  Edwards,  who himself was sexually abused when he was a young teenager, is board chairman for the non-profit 1 in 6, which has arranged for the free streaming of the film tonight (Tuesday) at 7 pm CDT on Youtube, Facebook, or on the 1 in 6 website.  (1 in 6 refers to the fact that studies who that at least 1 in 6 men have been the subject of sexual abuse or assault.)  

Hospice Alliance continues to offer its important services during COVID-19.  We speak with Rita Hagen, Executive Director of Hospice Alliance,  and Jennifer Sytkowski, Bereavement Coordinator.  We learn about the steps Hospice Alliance has taken to keep both their own staff as well as their patients/clients as safe as possible during this time of Social Distancing.   

Dr. Art Cyr pays his monthly visit to the Morning Show - this time via Zoom - to offer his analysis of current events and issues.   Although issues related to COVID-19 dominate our conversation, we also talk about a political change in Great Britain,  the effect of falling oil prices on the economy of Russia, and the latest from NATO.  

Local film expert and historian James Neibaur, a frequent Morning Show guest and the author of 25 books about movies,  offers some recommendations on interesting films to watch during this time of social distancing due to COVID-19.  

Dr. Sarah Pina, a member of the Spanish faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, joins us to talk about what it has been like for her to shift her teaching to a virtual format.  Also with us is a UW-Parkside freshman pre-med student, Gabby Richardson, who is also a Spanish minor, to talk about what it has been like to be on the receiving end of such teaching.