When is a stumble more than a stumble? When is a gaffe more than a bad choice of words? These are tough questions for an aging president. During the past few weeks, the issue of President Biden’s mental and physical well-being has begun to be questioned by more than just his political opposition. Can he run in 2024? Is his presidency sustainable through the current term? This commentary doesn’t have the answers. However, the analysis does try to provide some perspective regarding the current sit...
Jun 20, 2022•28 min
Jerry writes a humor column for Tribune News Service, which distributes it to papers nationwide and abroad. Jerry is also the author of six books, "Leave It to Boomer," "The Empty Nest Chronicles," "Grandfather Knows Best," "Nini and Poppie's Excellent Adventures," "Every Day Is Saturday" and "One for the Ageless." Jerry has won many awards including seven for humorous writing from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. Jerry maintains a social media presence, has made many TV and radio a...
Jun 12, 2022•37 min
Is Journalism, as We Know It, Dead? A question that is often asked. Many have suggested indoctrination as the cause of the demise of journalism. It is true many journalists not only come from the same system, but from the same handful of schools. It is also true that campuses that were once places of exploring many new ideas, are now ideological closed clubs. There is more to consider, however. How do we, the public, take in information and process it? How has our viewing habits and the desire f...
Jun 06, 2022•36 min
Some time ago, many years ago actually, I crossed paths with Donna Cavanagh on Twitter. We were both part of the Twittersphere for blogging, humor, and related subject matter. We say “content” now by the way. This was circa 2011 and HumorOutcasts was in its early days. I started doing some writing for the site and most of my audio production at that time was in traditional media forms. Podcasting existed back then but was nowhere near the powerhouse it is today. I was one of the early adopters o...
May 28, 2022•33 min
In this episode, the host covers some of his basic principles when interviewing guests who have sensitive subject matter to talk about. This is a bonus episode that was recorded on the Wisdom app. The original commentary has been edited and processed for the podcast format.
May 22, 2022•25 min
Content Warning: This episode contains discussion that some survivors may find triggering. It also contains spoilers regarding the content of the book. On this episode we have Deborah Fezelle, who is the author of, “What’s Past is Prologue.” Deborah is a frequent guest of the podcast and a familiar author to many readers. She has an incredible resume in the arts and is a graduate of Juilliard. Deborah has worked as an actress, a director and coach, and as a writer. This book is the latest instal...
May 15, 2022•38 min
This episode has an interesting mix of topics. Kristy Mickelsen is an author who has been researching a character for her new book, and this character happens to work in the professional wrestling industry. Axel Savage is a professional wrestler who agreed to take part in Kristy’s research. Kristy is a kidney cancer and lupus advocate. Axel is an advocate for mental health and addiction recovery. Together, they discuss various aspects of wrestling as part of Kristy’s character research and have ...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 9 min
In an unprecedented leak of Supreme Court confidentiality, Politico has obtained what it calls a draft of a majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito that would strike down Roe v. Wade. The reaction in the public and on social media has been, predictably, enormous. On this episode Billy Dees and Jack Casey discuss and speculate about various aspects of the impact of the potential reversal of the landmark decision.
May 04, 2022•45 min
It appears the deal for Elon Musk to purchase Twitter will go through. This has sparked many conversations online and off about billionaires, social media, and free speech. On this episode we explore various aspects of these topics and what some of the changes coming to Twitter may be in the near future.
Apr 27, 2022•30 min
In this episode we follow up to some of the responses we had to last week’s episode about Ukraine and some of the commentary coming from several far-right commentators. We also cover Elon Musk and his attempted purchase of Twitter. Elon tweeted a poll to his followers and other Twitter users in March that asked whether people believed Twitter was protecting free speech. Roughly 70% of the 2 million respondents said “no.”
Apr 19, 2022•33 min
The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, made a surprise visit to Ukraine's capital and met President Volodymyr Zelensky. They were photographed together as they walked through Kyiv's streets sending a powerful and symbolic message to the western world. This meeting happened in the wake of continuing reports of atrocities committed against Ukrainian civilians, including women and children, by Russian forces. These recent events have put added pressure on the United States to more to h...
Apr 10, 2022•36 min
It was the slap heard around the world, quite literally. At the Oscar Ceremonies 2022, actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, starring in a movie called “G.I. Jane II,” a reference to Pinkett’s baldness. The showbiz shenanigans of this matter have been well covered in traditional and social media. What we wanted to do with this episode is delve a bit into the wide reaction to this event and examine some of the societal norms that...
Apr 03, 2022•56 min
A former nurse, RaDonda Vaught, was convicted of gross neglect of an impaired adult and negligent homicide on March 25, 2022 after a three-day trial in Nashville, Tennessee. Vaught faced these charges in connection with the killing of Charlene Murphey, who died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in late December 2017 after being administered the incorrect drug. Medical errors are generally handled by professional licensing boards or civil courts. Criminal prosecutions like Vaught's case are...
Mar 29, 2022•41 min
The big news in sports this past week was that Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texan’s was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for various top draft picks. This deal was also big news in the media and social media due to allegations of sexual misconduct by the player. For Deshaun Watson, the deal is worth a whopping $230 million. Criminal charges did not move forward in his cases. However, 22 civil lawsuits are still hanging over his head. Many of these allegations occurred under the pret...
Mar 20, 2022•42 min
On this episode we have Sarah Dawn, who is an advocate for keloid scarring awareness. Sarah is very active on TikTok and believes her world doesn’t evolve around her scars but rather her scars revolve around her world. Sarah is an advocate for fighting the stigma around having scars, and furthermore believes that scars should be part of an overall sense beauty and self-worth. You can find Sarah Dawn on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/ @sarahdawnofficial?lang=en...
Mar 05, 2022•49 min
On this episode Billy Dees and via remote guest cohost Jack Casey discuss current events in the Ukraine. (This episode was produced Feb. 27, 2022.) Also, the trucker protests in Canada are topics for analysis and opinion.
Feb 28, 2022•43 min
Our guest on this episode of the Billy Dees Podcast is Emme Fox. She pronounces her name, “M” and is an advocate of love, sexuality, and intimacy. During this interview we cover such subjects as body and sexual awareness, the molds and constructs that society often places on us, and why some people choose to send unsolicited and explicit pictures of private body parts. This episode does contain frank discussions of human sexuality and behavior. You can find Emme on Twitter @emme_fox https://twit...
Feb 19, 2022•54 min
On this episode we are talking about the dynamics of community building or networking. What is your approach? What value do you bring to the spaces you belong to? How do you strategize your content? Is it designed to serve the audience?
Feb 04, 2022•28 min
This episode is an interview with Kat Satava by Billy Dees and co-host Kristy Mickelsen. Kat Satava is an author focusing on the genres of epic fantasy and supernatural fiction. Kat’s first book (in her Witch War Series), "Nightmares & Stars" debuted during December 2021. Kat is currently working on the second book, a five-episode supernatural series "Canton Ghost Town," and a gothic horror short story. Kat has a very strong interest in helping others develop their own voices and stories by ...
Jan 25, 2022•55 min
Classified as a Comedy/Disaster, I presume they mean a combined comedy and disaster movie not a comical disaster, “Don’t Look Up” is a satirical story about two astronomers who go on a media tour to warn the world of an Extinction Level Event in the form of a giant comet speeding toward Earth. Can us earthlings put down our phones long enough to listen? What I feel the movie hits the mark on as well as what I feel it may have missed are the subjects of this episode along with my take on how the ...
Jan 20, 2022•30 min
This episode is an interview with Kristy Mickelsen, a 43-year-old wife and mother, whose passions include her two autistic children, reading and writing. Kristy is the author of the book, “A Christmas to Remember.” Kristy wrote this book based on the real emotions her mother faced when her father passed away from Stage Four Renal Cell Carcinoma. Kristy’s goal with writing this book was not only to present a Christmas love story but to bring some cancer awareness about renal cell carcinoma as wel...
Jan 12, 2022•32 min
This episode is the first time we tried to use Twitter Spaces as a forum to record a full episode of our podcast. Twitter Spaces is an audio medium allowing for a configuration of hosts, speakers, and listeners. The Space was hosted Thursday January 6, 2022, at 2:00pm EST. Currently, the only way to take part in a Twitter Space is via the Twitter smartphone app. Therefore, the guests sound a bit “phoned-in” but otherwise acceptable. Our guest was Lenora Colarusso, who has been on the podcast num...
Jan 07, 2022•51 min
What does it take to be a good person? The reactions of the public to the recent passing of John Madden and Betty White raises the question as to why these people were universally loved. What about them sets them apart? What qualities of being a good person can we incorporate into our own lives?
Jan 02, 2022•27 min
The pressures of the holidays are often a source of stress. The events, family gatherings, and gifts along with a myriad of other things can easily bring down someone’s mood. This episode discusses some easy and common-sense ways of avoiding the holiday blues.
Dec 24, 2021•26 min
Is an era of statesmen/women as politicians ending in America? That topic is discussed on this episode’s commentary. Do voters have the patience to sort through nuanced issues? By contrast, have elections become high-stakes contests? Also, on this episode is a follow up to the podcast from October 24, 2021 titled “Commentary: Tragedy on a Movie Set and Digital and Social Media React,” in which the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust” is the subject of commentary.
Dec 13, 2021•32 min
Social audio is gaining more and more traction as a communication medium. Apps such as Clubhouse exploded in the wake of the pandemic lockdowns. More platforms are now adopting their own versions of this concept and expanding upon it. Twitter Spaces is now becoming a “go to” option for many creators. How does audio only content differ from other media? What are some of the basic tenets of audio only media? This podcast episode discusses the emergence of social audio and various tips for success.
Dec 05, 2021•27 min
What happens when you get two accomplished humor writers together to talk about their methods? The result is a lively and informative discussion about the art of humor writing. Lee Gaitan and Dave Jaffe are together sharing some of their writing strategies and trade secrets. Does all humor come from pain? How do you select topics? How do you create humor during troubled times? Listen to this episode to find out! You can find Lee Gaitan’s book “My Pineapples Went to Houston, Second Edition” here:...
Nov 18, 2021•51 min
Is it a good idea to infuse politics into a marketing plan or brand image? That is the subject of this episode’s commentary. Billy covers several points as to why he does not feel that a political stance belongs in a business scheme or fund development plan of a non-profit.
Nov 13, 2021•29 min
On this episode recorded live Monday Nov 2, 2021, we discuss the Facebook name change, TwitterSpaces, and numerous other topics related to social media.
Nov 03, 2021•48 min
This commentary episode discusses the tragedy on the set of the movie “Rust” involving actor, Alec Baldwin, in which one person was killed and another person was injured. The analysis centers on the speculative and in some cases mean-spirited reaction that occurred on digital and social media. The commentary goes on to examine how these forums have become de facto sources for news information.
Oct 24, 2021•29 min
