The Gritty Hour

JR McCarthy, Denis McCarthy, Fred Romandetto, and George Bauer all joined us to discuss growing up in the Parkchester section of The Bronx, NY. Lifelong friends, we discussed the challenges and blessings of a time and place that, for the most part, no longer exists. Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Adjunct Professor Anthony Mannara stopped by to discuss the changes to the stock markets and Wall Street in general over the course of the last few decades. Mr. Mannara teaches Macro Economics at Fordham University and Securities & Investment Analysis at Hunter College, both in New York City. Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Coin collector and avid Metal Detecting hobbyist Joe Devito stopped by to share his experience and knowledge from his years in the hobby. You can email Joe here: JoeyD74@msn.com Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Professor Robert Pucci joined us to discuss the tried and true techniques involved in making a movie. Professor Pucci taught Media and Communications at SUNY for many years and his insight here gives us a glimpse into one of his classes. Movies specifically mentioned as examples of great technique are: The 39 Steps (1935) On The Waterfront (1954) Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) The Graduate (1967) Chicago (2002) Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Today with spoke with Chris from CNM Housing Solutions LLC in Pennsylvania about the effects of the current economy on his business, which is mainly flipping houses. Discussed are the effects of inflation and the increasing interest rates on his ability to turn depressed real estate assets into affordable housing. To learn more, please visit https://www.cnmhousingsolutions.com/ Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Barry Kieselstein-Cord, Henry Boehringer, and Phil Kosofsky dropped by once again to discuss the topics of the day. As mentioned in the first episode of The Pontificators, each of these men are experts in their respective fields, and we value their takes on current events. We hope to have them back on The Gritty Hour on a fairly regular basis. Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Once again, everything is subjective. I sat once more with Mr. George Bauer and discussed his and my top 10 favorite albums of all time. As stated in our episode entitled "Top 10 Albums Of All Time", Mr. Bauer is a life-long friend and our tastes and picks are very similar. Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Mr. JR McCarthy and Professor Robert Pucci return to summarize and tie up the issues discussed in the first two parts of this series. This summary ends with a hopefulness on the future of education in America. Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

"Defining Deviancy Down: How We've Become Accustomed To Alarming Levels Of Crime and Destructive Behavior" as written by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D) NY in 1993. This essay is mentioned from time to time on this podcast when discussing political matters. It is read in it's entirety here for the purpose of reference. Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Felice Manzi stopped by to give his impression of the state of things in society, and his take on where things are headed for America. Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Kevin Bryant, author of "Spies On The Sidelines: The High Stakes World of NFL Espionage", and co-host George Bauer came by to discuss Kevin's great book, and discuss how NFL teams try and find that 'edge" by gathering info on their opponents. The methods used become greater and more intense as the teams progress through the playoffs, and culminate for the Super Bowl. You can watch the original episode about the book HERE To purchase the book, please visit...

A quick review of season two. we'd like to thank all of the folks who were guests on the show this season. We'd also, of course, like to thank all of our listeners who tuned in throughout the year. We certainly appreciate you, and hope you enjoyed the content. We look forward to season three, which promises to be bigger and better than ever. Look for us around the second week of January. Happy Holidays!! Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Of course, everything is subjective. I sat with Mr. George Bauer and discussed his and my top 10 favorite albums of all time. Mr. Bauer is a life-long friend and, as such, our tastes and picks are very similar. Links for Van Morrison's performance of Caravan from The Last Waltz and Bruce Springsteen's performance of Quarter To Three from No Nukes are below. This is our second-to-last episode of season two. It's a little longer than usual, but stay tuned to the end to hear Mr. Bauer's...

Mr. JR McCarthy returned, along with Adjunct Professor Anthony Mannara and Professor Robert Pucci, to dig a little bit deeper into the issues behind the perceived decline of education in America. This episode is a follow-up to the previous "The State Of Education" episode. We plan to pursue this topic further in season three, so stay tuned.... Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Today we spoke with writer John Winn Miller about his new novel The Hunt For The Peggy C: A World War II Maritime Thriller. The book follows Jake Rogers, Captain of a tramp steamer, as he makes his way through U-boat infested waters with his most valuable cargo: a Jewish family from Amsterdam fleeing Nazi persecution. For more information on this exceptional new novel, please visit http://www.johnwinnmiller.com Check our other links: Twitter Rumble Instagram YouTube

Today we spoke with author and blogger Caroline Ailanthus about her novel "Ecological Memory". The book follows Etzy Rodriguez and Andy Cote, two survivors of a post-apocalyptic pandemic. Written just before Covid, this novel portends how nature can heal itself without human interference. Please visit the author's blog at http://www.newsfromcaroline.wordpress.com for more info about this book and her previous novel "To Give A Rose". Check our other...

We spoke with young documentary filmmaker Harry Robinson about his inaugural and award winning documentary "The Real Black Sabbath". The documentary gives an inside glimpse into the Oklahoma branch of the ISUPK, an organization officially deemed a "Hate Group". Mr. Robinson also hosts a podcast called All Out Attack where he interviews various members of groups existing on the fringes of society. To view the documentary for free, and learn more about the podcast, visit his YouTube page at...

We celebrate Halloween with noted author Gary Hill. Mr. Hill writes many books about the supernatural, and curates and publishes collected Ghost Stories from his Illinois publishing house Tales Of Wonder And Dread, In addition, Mr. Hill writes for, and maintains, the popular Music Street Journal whereby he reviews old and new music, and photographs and reviews concerts. Check out more from this prolific writer by visiting his page at http://www.garyhillauthor.com You can also check out...

Today we spoke with two teachers from the State of New York; John Hogan and JR McCarthy, who combined have over 64 years of experience. We discussed the diminishing returns of our education system since the formation of the Department of Education, and the suspected reasons behind it. Discussed specifically in this episode, are the unfunded federal mandates imposed on local schools nationwide. This is the first of a periodic series on this topic. We intend to revisit this subject often in...

We spoke with Sylvia Shults, author of "Fractured Spirits: Hauntings at the Peoria State Hospital" about her particular interest in that hospital, once known as the Illinois Asylum. Her time as a paranormal investigator has given her many interesting stories involving the supernatural, which she expertly describes in her books, which include the above title and "Days Of The Dead: A Year of True Ghost Stories". These, and all of her other works on the subject can be found on Amazon.com and...