(1) OPEN DISCUSSION on Integrity and Loyalty in America
Ethical lapses are commonplace in almost every sector of society, from politicians’ and political candidates’ lies to ruthless business leaders bankrupting their own companies for profit, the concept of integrity seems to be in conflict with today’s culture.
Along with a growing lack of integrity is another alarming trend–misplaced or lack of loyalty. Once upon a time American workers got a job and made it their career choice for life. Today, a growing number of younger workers change jobs every two (2) years (American Bureau of Labor Statistics), strongly fueled by discontent, shortened contracts, outsourcing, and automation. On the other side of the coin, company loyalty to customers also appears to be a relic of the past.
In the political arena, candidates and elected officials often pledge their allegiance to the big monies who contributed to their campaigns, not their constituents. The result? The “best government money can buy.”
JOIN Barb and John as they discuss Integrity and Loyalty in America.
(2) Helen David Chaitman
Joining the show during the second hour is trial attorney and author, Helen David Chaitman. Helen will be discussing her and co-author Lance Gotthoffer’s book, JP Madoff: The Unholy Alliance Between America’s Biggest Bank and America’s Biggest Crook.
Bernie Madoff stole $64.8 billion dollars from thousands of people, but many of the people responsible for monitoring his account allowed him to get away with it by looking the other way for years. How could this happen?
Trial attorney Helen David Chaitman lays out what happened exactly and how Bernie got away with it. Chaitman herself lost it all 
when Madoff’s Ponzi scheme collapsed, and has since made it her life’s mission to bring everyone responsible to justice. She’ll discuss what the bankers knew, when they knew it, and the many times they had a chance to notify others about Madoff’s suspicious behavior. She’ll also talk about how they did nothing, helping Madoff steal billions…yet not a single banker has gone to jail or lost their job.
Chaitman will also detail the conversations she had directly with Madoff via phone from jail, where he told her how he got away with it. She’ll discuss why the government entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with JP Morgan Chase, allowing them to keep billions in illegal profits.
Listen in and discover why we should all be very, very angry at how it all turned out!
Helen Davis Chaitman and Lance Gotthoffer are experienced trial lawyers with extensive experience in litigation involving financial institutions. Partners at Chaitman LLP in New York City, they represent over 1,600 former Madoff customers who lost billions of dollars. Chaitman was tipped off to JPMorgan Chase’s complicity by Bernie Madoff himself, with whom she and Lance Gotthoffer have had numerous telephone conversations over the last five years.
Chaitman is the author of The Law of Lender Liability, along with numerous articles on various legal topics. She has a genetic commitment to making the world a better place and is determined to educate the public about the extent to which JPMorgan Chase has become a criminalized institution.
For more information, visit http://jpmadoff.com.
(3) Kayt Sukel
Award-winning science writer, Kayt Sukel, joins the show in the third hour to discuss her latest book, The Art of Risk: The New Science of Courage, Caution, and Chance.
Are risk-takers born or made? This is the question that set Sukel on a quest to find the answers. “Simply put, I want to know how successful risk-takers are doing it — what particular blend of biology and experience held within allows us to know what risks are worth taking and what risks should be left alone,” writes Sukel. Chapter by chapter, in a warm and readable style, she uses cutting-edge research to illustrate which parts of the brain drive behavior, the different genes and neurochemicals at play, and the complex interplay of biological and environmental variables that may give some the upper hand in risky situations, whether in the boardroom, on the playing field, in the classroom or on the military frontlines. At the same time, Sukel spotlights individuals whose life stories show how they have learned to take risks and make them work to their advantage, from a professional poker player to a female firefighter to a top neurosurgeon.
What is risk, anyway? Risk is often described in terms of either statistics or impending doom. But not even scientists fully agree on a working definition. To answer this question, Sukel shows us the fascinating neurological pathways that provide the “gas” and the “brakes” when we are faced with a risky decision. “Some of us have the kind of biology that makes us put on the brakes more often, while others have genes that actually contribute to making poor decisions,” she writes.
Gender and age also play key roles in how we react to stress. In fact, when the risks are not just financial, women may be bigger risk-takers than men. Teenagers are programmed to take more risks as a way of learning valuable life lessons, writes Sukel, but as we age, our propensity for risk-taking drops dramatically. But often it’s the environment we find ourselves in: Peer groups, professions, even family traditions have a strong impact on whether a person will take a risk or not.
In The Art of Risk, Sukel synthesizes the science with human-interest stories, highlighting a few key rules and showing how to put artful risk-taking into action. We can learn how to make the most of risk, and this book teaches us the way to do that.
To be a better risk-taker, Sukel says you have to reset your definition of risk. Know what you can and cannot change, take the leap, and make the most of those risky opportunities that will help you reach your most cherished dreams. Marrying the knowledge of science with the wisdom of those who have played the game and won, The Art of Risk offers advice that could make the difference between missing out and making it big.
Kayt Sukel earned a B.S. in cognitive psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and an M.S. in engineering psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. A passionate traveler and science writer, her work has appeared in Atlantic Monthly, New Scientist, USA Today, The Washington Post, ISLANDS, Parenting, Bark, American Baby, and AARP Bulletin. She is a partner at the award-winning family travel website Travel Savvy Mom (www.travelsavvymom.com), and is also a frequent contributor to the Dana Foundation’s many science publications (www.dana.org). Much of her work can be found on her website, www.kaytsukel.com, including stories about out-of-body experiences, computer models of schizophrenia and exotic travel with young children. She is the author of This is Your Brain on Sex: The Science Behind the Search for Love.
For more information, visit http://kaytsukel.com.
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