Daniel Whiteson Physics, Writing and Podcasting - A Candid Conversation About Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe

 I am an avid podcast listener, 62 of them are on my phone including Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe. It's found on Iheart and in other apps like Apple and on mine called Podcast Republic. The pair collaborated on a book about physics Daniel the physicist and Jorge the cartoonist. That led to the current incarnation a podcast that has circled the globe and garnered a lot of listeners and for the pair a fan base with lots of questions. Daniel has graciously taken time to do a Candid Conversation and I am excited to jump in and hear or in this case read more about what he has to say so here we go. Daniel Welcome to Candid Conversations.

Daniel W: Thanks so much for your interest and invitation!

Cliff T.: You are a pretty busy person, at least that is my assumption. Doing a book and now a podcast along with your work at UC Irvine that is a a lot of juggling to do. I bet there are lots of times in the day where coffee is involved to keep you going. Seriously how do you manage doing Explain Universe?

Daniel W.: My day job as a professor keeps me pretty busy, but the outreach work is a labor of love, and so it doesn’t feel hard to make time for it. Jorge and I have a lot of fun talking and writing about science, so it’s something I enjoy doing. The podcast is less work than you might imagine, since unlike other podcasts it’s not scripted. I work out the basic concept and then it’s a spontaneous conversation with Jorge, often going in directions I hadn’t anticipated. I hope that makes it sound more like a real conversation, but it also is much less work to prepare.

Cliff T.: Is it me or do you and Jorge seem to be tacking black holes a lot? What would you say are the top 3 to 5 subjects you get questions about?

Daniel W: People are very curious about black holes, especially because we seem to be making real progress in understanding them recently. A lot of people ask: what’s it like to fall into a black hole, what’s inside a black hole, and is our entire Universe inside a massive black hole?

Cliff T.: Have you gotten questions that you have said umm not going to touch that?

Daniel W.: Haha, not yet. We get a few dozen messages a day with questions, but they are all science or science-adjacent.

Cliff T.: Have you gotten a question that you have said, wow I don't even know that but, I want to, and if so have you researched and answered or tried to answer it yet?

Daniel W.: Many times! My specific expertise is particle physics, but the podcast ranges far beyond that, into cosmology and astrophysics and sometimes the physics of new technology. If it’s not something I already am very familiar with, I’ll read some papers and reach out to a colleague in that area to get a deeper understanding. That’s one of the things I love about the podcast: it gives me an excuse to dive into a subject that’s out of my area but I’ve always been curious about, such as galaxy formation or bonkers theories of the pre-big-bang Universe.

Cliff T.: I believe you have explained how the podcast was created but, just refresh people what got you and Jorge interested in doing a podcast, was this an idea inspired by the book you guys worked on?

Daniel W.: We started collaborating by working on some science explainer videos. Then we wrote “We Have No Idea”. To promote the book, we travelled the country and gave presentations about the ideas in it. Jorge and I had fun in those talks joking around and riffing, and someone connected us with the podcast folks at Stuff Media, who helped us turn our fun conversations about science into podcasts.

Cliff T.: What got you interested in physics?

Daniel W.: I talk about curiosity a lot in the podcast, but I see the Universe as a grand mystery for us to unravel. I’m desperately curious about what the basic rules of the Universe are, and getting into physics is my way of scratching that curiosity itch.

Cliff T.: So with that history in mind how do you and Jorge decide on what subjects you are going to cover? Do you guys hang out and toss ideas around then choose the topic or is there a process you use?

Daniel W.: We get a lot of suggestions from listeners, something in physics that they heard about but never understood. We also follow my interests: topics that I’ve long wanted to get a deeper handle on. Last year I started a series of episodes where we interview science-fiction authors about the science of the Universe they created, which is fun for me because I get to chat with some of my favorite authors!

Cliff T.: Have you gotten feedback from your physics peers on your show? And if so what has been the most notable thing they have said about Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe

Daniel W.: The reaction tends to be of two kinds, positive and negative. Many people are positive, because they agree that science communication is important and vital, both for science and the public. Some are negative, because they think that this kind of work is less important than the actual research, and it makes them doubt my devotion to doing the science. My response is that doing the outreach makes me a better scientist, by giving me a chance to learn about related topics that inform my own research.

Cliff T.: What do you and Jorge have planned for the future another book perhaps?

Daniel W.: We have a book coming out in November 2021, called “Frequently Asked Questions about the Universe”, inspired by the most common questions we get about the podcast. Last year, we launched a children’s television series on PBS, called “Elinor Wonders Why”, which teaches kids about the natural world and encourages their curiosity.

Cliff T.: Daniel thanks again it's been interesting to chat. I hope you and Jorge continue to have success in whatever you do in future and of course outside of the podcast.

Daniel W.: Thanks so much for your kind words!

Daniel Whiteson is a Particle Physicist, professor, author and podcaster.

Here are some links you can view about Daniel and the podcast.

https://www.physics.uci.edu/people/daniel-o-whiteson

http://pbskids.org/elinor

http://wehavenoidea.com/

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-daniel-and-jorge-explain-t-29862087/?fbclid=IwAR1B7F43IfrC74s1hMZwlnQi2dKkZOH4C-B2mO-rHHUGPZD3hce9UATXJtE

https://www.facebook.com/DanielAndJorge/

https://sites.uci.edu/daniel/

Daniel wrote to us from Irvine CA USA

A TV Show About Chess Sparks Interest in Chess Boards - A Candid Conversation with David Ferrer about the Rechapados Ferrer Chess Boards

 When I was a young lad I attended a boys club called Dawson's Boys and Girls Club in Verdun Quebec. I hung out and played floor hockey, fuze ball, did some woodworking and candle making and played checkers, and chess. The checkers I was pretty good at, chess ummm, ok I was awful at the game. To this day I am awful at this game. But there are some really good players out there and the Queen's Gambit a Netflix show features a young girl who played the game very well. But that is not the story we are going after today. Nope, the story is the cameo of at least one chess board maybe a couple made by a company in Spain called Rechapados Ferrer.

David Ferrer is the manager of Rechapados Ferrer, grandson of its founder. Sir thanks for dropping in to do a Candid Conversation.

David F.: Thank you, Cliff, for your interest. It’s a pleasure for my company and for me to see that our job awakes interest all over the world.

Cliff T.: I bet you and the team over at Rechapados Ferrer were quite surprised to learn about the chess board cameo in the Queens Gambit. What was the initial reaction?

David F.: When the trailer was released, one of the workers at the plant told me that one of our boards appeared in a show. At first I didn’t think it was important, because honestly, I didn’t expect that a series about chess could be very successful.

Cliff T.: How were you able to figure out that it was of the products you make?

David F.: Because some of our chess boards are very recognizable. In fact, the one that is shown at the end of the series, it’s a black chess board and it has a special red and yellow woodwork. That one is a unique chess board that we were only selling to a German customer, so it was quite easy to recognize it.

Cliff T.: Was there one or more boards featured in the show?

David F.: More than one. For example, all the boards shown in the final tournament are from Rechapados Ferrer.

Cliff T.: So now you have interest in the boards, which one of the chess boards has been the most ordered item?

David F.: The ones that are most ordered are the basic boards, with basic colors and wood. But since the news about our appearance in ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, our yearly demand has doubled in only two months. Usually we were making about 20,000 boards a year, and right now we have more than 40,000 units to be produced, and it is still March! So we have some tough, but good months ahead.

Cliff T.: I noted that Rechapados Ferrer has been making chess boards for quite a long time. What was the genesis of that, why chess boards?

David F.: The business started in the 1950’s, in a small town called La Garriga near Barcelona, it is a town commonly known for its furniture industry. My grandfather was a farmer and when he married my grandmother, he started making veneered panels to her brother, who had a furniture business. After a few years, they started making chess boards, because there was a very good manufacturer of handmade wooden chess pieces very close to their factory and they made a deal with him, focusing our work on chess boards.

Cliff T.: I read the history on the website, since 1960, that is quite a long time making chess boards. First are they also making the chess pieces, and secondly are there any chess players in the company?

David F.: No, we only make the boards. That’s where we are good at and we are very specialized.

I play at an amateur level, usually with my friends, but I am not that good. I have 3 siblings, so when we were young, we always had boards at home and we used to play chess from time to time. We had lots of fights between us because nobody wanted to lose.

Cliff T.: Rechapados Ferrer also allows customers to ask for a custom boards. I have to ask have they gotten a request that is very unusual, like one based on Star Wars?

David F.: Yes and no. We allow our customers to ask for custom boards, but our customers are distributors and stores, not final clients, so we don’t have so many strange requests. That said, yes, we had some of them. For example, there is a customer that always asks for particular woods, for example “cocobolo”, which is a tropical hardwood of Central American tree, or coralwood from Africa. But the stranger request came from a man that asked a board of 81 squares, instead of 64. He had a dream of a new game, with new rules, and ordered 100 boards. Never heard if he succeeded to go ahead with his project.

Cliff T.: Lastly David does Rechapados Ferrer ship to anywhere in the world?

David F.: Yes, we manufacture chess boards for our clients from France, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand or even Japan. Actually, 98% of our boards end up outside of Spain, being the foreign market our first client.

Cliff T.: David thank you for taking the time to do a Candid Conversation with me. It was fun to dive into this story, I found it quite interesting and I hope that you and the rest of the team have a great day thanks for the time you spent with us.

David F.: Thank you for inviting me, Cliff. And also thank you for bringing our story to Canada.

David Ferrer, Rechapados Ferrer’s manager joined us from Barcelona Spain to speak about the famous chess boards produced by Rechapados Ferrer, whom chess boards were featured on the Queens Gambit which is streaming on Netflix.

You can see the boards at this link, http://www.rechapadosferrer.com/en/tableros.html and to see the story that got the attention of the company and payers click here, https://www.tribuneindiF.com/news/schools/spanish-chess-board-sales-soar-after-queens-gambit-cameo-213215.

Thanks for visiting Candid Conversations. I am always looking for the next interesting person to interview. Send me an email and let me know if you are interested in doing a Candid Conversation or would like to see someone featured on the blog.

Cliff T.

A Sci-Fi with a Western Twist Gunslinger Candid Conversation with Edward j. Knight

OK, many of you reading this posting may still be stuck in your home. You have baked, binged on streaming services and have zoomed all your besties. What to do next. Well books are still around and being published. I found one being offered in the Sci-Fi western vain that really caught my attention. Written by Edward J, Knight the book, Gunslinger: The Dragon of Yellowstone tells the tale of a sixteen year girl on a quest to save the west from destruction. 

Ed great to meet you, thanks for doing a Candid Conversation. This book looks very interesting, can you give me and those reading the blog a peek into the plot of the book.

Ed K.: Hi Cliff! Great to meet you, too. Gunslinger’s about a girl who wants to prove she can be a gunslinger, even if she has to fight a dragon to do it. It’s set in a universe where the Old West meets Norse monsters. In this one, our hero Beth Armstrong gets to face ghosts, dwarves, and of course a dragon.

Beth herself trained with legends. The ghost of Calamity Jane gave her the gun and Wild Bill Hickok taught her to shoot. By sixteen she’s ready to make a name of her own.

She gets her chance when strange assailants murder a visiting Arapaho Indian shaman, Beth plunges into a quest to find the killers. Then the army is summoned to face an invasion, leaving just Beth and her friends to fulfill the shaman’s original quest of finding the creature that’s been attacking the Indian tribes. Of course, locating the dragon is just the tip of the problems. This is adventure fantasy—Beth’s going to discover the fate of the world West of the Mississippi is at stake before she’s through.

Cliff T.: So now that we got that explained. A 16 year old girl as a gun fighter, that is different what prompted the idea to develop this character?

Ed. K.: Beth came from a couple of different sources. Primarily, I have a feisty nine-year-old daughter that I drew a lot of inspiration from. I don’t want her to feel she can’t do something, even as traditionally masculine as gunfighting, if she truly wants to. Beth also originally appeared as a secondary character in my novel Sidekick: The tale of Billy the Kid and the Giants of Colorado. She’s a classic case of a supporting cast member being so fun that she basically demanded her own lead role. Finally, I’d done some reading on Annie Oakley, and I loved her constant frustration at having to constantly prove herself with a gun because she was female.

Cliff T.: I noticed that there is an element of science fiction in the story. Was that an easy thing to mix into a western?

Ed. K.: I’m not sure I’d say easy so much as straightforward.

I created the Mythic Western universe on three simple premises: a) souls are real, and when a person dies, they leave this universe for another (or they become ghosts if they don’t leave); b) when the soul passes, a small temporary rift opens between our world and the other; and c) a witch or a shaman can make that rift semi-permanent, allowing other living beings to pass between the worlds.

Everything else in the story draws from those premises. This particular story starts thirteen years after a rift was opened to Jotunheim, which allowed giants, trolls, dwarves, and dragons to all invade our world. I’ve had to do a fair amount of research to make sure that they physics still works out right (e.g., so how does a dragon fly without magic?). I’ve also strived to get the historical details as accurate as I can.

So it’s not easy because there’s been a lot of research. I want the story to feel like it really could be the Old West, just with these creatures in it. But by sticking to my three premises, it is straightforward.

It’s kind of like traveling north while navigating by the stars. It may be a bumpy journey, but you’re not lost.

Cliff T.: i know that some authors draw upon life experiences or connections to people from current and life connections is that the case with this book?

Ed. K.: As mentioned earlier, some of Beth is based on my daughter. Most of the rest of the book is an amalgam of people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had living in Colorado and visiting Wyoming.

Cliff T.: What has the reaction to Gunslinger been thus far?

Ed K.: It’s been positive. Those that have read the advanced copies like Beth and the various twists and turns in her adventure. The only complaint I’ve had is from my daughter herself. We read the book at bedtime, one chapter a night, and she hates, hates, hates how I end chapters with cliffhangers, and then won’t keep reading! I mean, why should I? I know what happens next, and she does need her sleep <evil daddy grin>.

Cliff T.: In your bio it states that you were involved with satellites, putting a number of them into orbit. That is interesting. Was that work the genesis of your desire to write a book like this one?

Ed K.: In an indirect way, yes. I’ve been working with or for NASA for twenty-eight years now, and that’s made it harder for me to write science fiction, which is what I originally started in. The problem has been that I know too much, and when you do it right, Aerospace is boring. We engineers want to have Apollo 12 on our resumé, not Apollo 13.

So I found that when I sat down to write hard science fiction, I had a hard time coming up with storylines that were both exciting and didn’t have me going “yeah, there’s no way that’d happen.” So if I was going to be just making stuff up, why not go all the way into historical fantasy?

I may return to trying hard science fiction in the future, but frankly, writing books like Gunslinger is a lot more fun.

Cliff T.: From the look of it space, science fiction and westerns have been a part of your life for quite a period of time. This must make doing this project more like a labour of love than anything else, would that be a good description?

Ed K.: I’m not sure “labour of love” is quite the right term. Writing brings a certain joie de vivre to my life. Instead of telling stories about how the satellite’s going to survive a radiation anomaly, I’m telling stories that make my daughter’s eyes light up. It’s a lot of fun to bring Beth and her friends to life and see what they’re going to do.

Cliff T.: Where can people find you and Gunslinger?

Ed K.: My home site is www.edwardjknight.com. Gunslinger is available through WordFire Press https://wordfirepress.com/books/gunslinger/ and at all major retailers starting April 7.

Cliff T.: Do you think there will be a part 2 3 or 4, is there a plan to make this a series of books?

Ed K.: I’m planning a series of stand alone books, with the idea that you could pick any one up and have a complete tale, even if you’ve never read the earlier books. I’ve started writing the next one, Ghosthunter: The Spirits of Saint Louis, but, well, like many of us, COVID has forced much of my time and energy elsewhere.

Cliff T.: Excellent Ed, thank you again for doing a Candid conversation it was great to meet you and I hope the book gets a good run.

Ed K.: Thanks. This has been fun!

Edward J. Knight author of Gunslinger: The Dragon of Yellowstone features the story of a 16 year old girl on a quest to save the West even if means defeating a dragon to do it. The book is published by Word Fire Press https://wordfirepress.com/ / https://wordfirepress.com/books/gunslinger/
Edward has published other books and you can find his work on his website at https://edwardjknight.com/ Edward wrote to us from Denver CO., USA.

Cliff T.

The Specter of George Floyd USA and Choudry, Ejaz Ahmed Canada

Well someone decided to order up 20+ centimeters of snow. That basically nixed my going into my regular job, so with a free day I figure why not feature one of my favorite conversations here on the blog.

While this is a favorite it is not a light topic. The horrific death of George Floyd a black man who died at the hands of Minneapolis Police officers sparked huge riots and cost the MPD one of they're precincts. In Canada Sammy Yatim was shot and killed on a Toronto transit vehicle and most recently Choudry, Ejaz Ahmed who died at the hands of police in Mississauga during a supposed wellness check lit a fuse. Choudrys death caused an uproar in the community and led to widespread condemnation of how police handle people with mental illness. Yatim's death nearly ended with a near breach of a police station in Toronto by protestors. In Montreal Nord a riot was the result after Fredy Villnaueva was killed, while playing dice in a park.

Also under fire are the agencies that are supposed to police the police, back in the summer of 2020 the SIU was featured in a CBC article that looked at the concerns of pro police bias in the organization. in 2015 ASIRT which is Alberta's police watchdog had to defend itself against the pro police bias allegation. In Quebec the claim is that the police watchdog is more or less a toothless organization that can do little to hold police accountable and is not very transparent. Though on it's site it clearly states that they have the same powers as police, which means they can lay charges just like ASIRT and the SIU.

The key issue is that officers are not legally required to speak to these agencies or hand case notes over to them and more often than not they are cleared of all liability with little recourse left for the loved ones of those killed by police in Canada. In the United stated police investigate other police. In both countries police departments have internal teams that will investigate officers for alleged wrong doing. The outcomes are not made public.

Which leads me to the conversation I had with D. Brian Burghart. We talked about police shooting stats in the August 2015 post that is linked below. It was a real interesting chat and I thought it might be a good time to feature this article again.

Police Shootings Candid Conversation.

List of police shootings in Canada

CBC Cops Policing Cops

CBC Deadly Force

C.T.


Look for new articles to come soon here on Candid Conversation.

The top 5 All Time Most Read Conversations

 Welcome to 2021.  A new year and yes a new beginning as Candid Conversations begins to wake up from a long sleep.

I have not posted in quite some time, but this year that is going to change.  As I start 2021 I am beginning to look at new articles and yes also a new plan to get this blog noticed and monetized.

For now lets have some fun.  Last year the blog with no new posts recorded 830 visits WOW.  The record was set in 2017 with an outstanding 5K in total visits.  That was truly amazing.

It really comes down to the great interviews that have been posted here on this site.

I would like to specifically point out 5 of the most visited articles on the site.  From 5 to 1 they are as follows:

5. The Smallest Show On Earth.  Walt Noon chatted with me about his Flea Circus in 2011.  This fun article about Flea Circuses ranks in at 5 with 849 views to date. The last known visit was 3 months ago, so this article just keeps on jumpin just like the fleas in Walt's circuses.

4 Robert Ferringo spoke with me about sports betting.  It was a conversation that was done 9 years ago and does get visits to this date.

3. Chris Pavlicch spoke with me about his project 1 Million Pixels.  The article was published in 2012 and it was about his plan to raise 1 million dollars by selling a pixel in order to start a charity.  All time this article has reached 942 views.  Nice.  I should see if he got that million and if my article helped.

2. I did an interview with Robert Barrows, the topic is kind of grim and interesting.   Video Enhanced Gravestones was the topic, no kidding, and this conversation with it's 1.2K views still has legs. Yes it's still an actively read article today and it was created 10 years ago!

1. Sitting at the top spot is an article that held it's own up until recently.  With almost 1900 views it's an interview with Scott Carlson of Skyscanner on the topic of where one can smoke and where you can't.  I wonder if they still do that today?

Well that is it the top 5 Candid Conversations.  Lets see if we can really knock out a big batch of views this year.  21,00 would be nice.

Thanks for stopping by and reading.  I may do one or two more of these while I look for some new material.  Maybe the top 5 most interesting, in my opinion, that are on the site.

For now take care stay safe and happy 2021.

C. T.

Radical Forgiveness - An Interesting Candid Conversation With Rev T. Baudier

The second interview I have lined up for Candid Conversations is really interesting. I contacted Reverand Theresa Baudier. She is planning to hold a series of workshops on the subject of forgiveness. Called Radical Forgiveness these workshops will tackle the question of forgiveness and how it can really change lives. Reverend Baudier welcome to Candid Conversations, I think this is a very interesting topic given what’s going on in the USA. SOME, and frankly around the world.

Cliff T.: what is Radical Forgiveness?

Rev Baudier.: Radical Forgiveness is a powerful leading-edge methodology for personal and spiritual growth. It was created by Colin Tipping, a popular author, teacher, consultant and spiritual leader.

To explain Radical Forgiveness, we need to compare it to Traditional Forgiveness:

· They are based on two entirely different perspectives in two different “worlds”.

· Traditional forgiveness is the willingness to give up resentment or to pardon and absolve. It grants relief from an expected payment (as in debt forgiveness). It is rooted in the three-dimensional world of everyday reality. You can forgive someone; yet, still feel like a victim with a need to condemn their wrong.

· Radical forgiveness also starts with the willingness to give up resentment but goes beyond and is rooted in the metaphysical world, which is the Spirit world of Divine Truth. Radical forgiveness eliminates the need to condemn and the victim consciousness is dropped.

· Traditional and Radical forgiveness are different – one is not inferior to the other. We look at them through different lenses or viewpoints. In fact, we must use traditional forgiveness to get to radical forgiveness because we are constantly moving from the world of humanity to the world of spirit. The world of humanity is the world of form and vibrates at a low frequency. The world of Divine Truth is the world of spirit and vibrates at a high frequency.

Cliff T.: Why now, what prompted the decision to create a series of workshops about forgiveness?

Rev Baudier.: I believe at the root of all our problems, we have forgotten who we truly are. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. In today’s world, we are all too focused on the human experience and forget our spiritual nature. It is almost like we’re having a massive identity crisis which leads people to be depressed, frustrated, angry, sad and aggrieved. These emotions impact our health, well-being, and interpersonal relationships.

Everyone has been hurt at some point in their lives (sometimes seriously victimized and often in minor ways). The “victim” role is deeply ingrained and holds a false power over our consciousness. To break free, we must do something radically different – something that is so compelling and spiritually liberating that it sweeps us out of victim-hood. It is essential that we transform and adopt a new way of thinking that is not based on fear, control and abuse of power, but on true forgiveness, unconditional love and peace of mind.

We must learn how to forgive the world, each other and ourselves if we want to find joy. We all long for PEACE of MIND.

Cliff T.: My understanding and experience with forgiveness is that it’s a process. Are the workshops you are doing intended to help people begin the journey to forgiving?

Rev Baudier.: Yes. I expect some will attend out of pure curiosity. Some may have specific issuing that are burning them up right now. Some may have a whole slew of people to forgive. Some may struggle with self-forgiveness which is in a class of its own.

The workshop is designed to help people identify their forgiveness opportunities and use the Radical Forgiveness tools to begin to unravel their emotions and see the issue through a spiritual lens.

There are five stages of Radical Forgiveness:

1. Telling the Story.

2. Feeling the Feelings.

3. Collapsing the Story.

4. Re-framing the Story.

5. Integration.

There are four steps of Radical Forgiveness:

1. Look what I created.

2. I notice my judgement's and love myself for having them.

3. I am willing to see the perfection in the situation.

4. I choose the power of peace.

Cliff T.: There a series of these that you are doing. What is going to be covered? 

Rev Baudier.: There are three workshops:

1st Workshop: (Monday, February 18th 7-8:30 PM, Prayer Room)

Forgiveness as we experience it in the world: We will examine this form of withholding punishment. For example: “Although you were really bad, and I didn’t like what you did, I’m going to give you another chance. I’ll forgive you “this” time, and not punish you right now, because I am a better person than you. But I’m watching you, mister!” We end up punishing others and ourselves anyway.

2nd Workshop: (Monday, February 25th 7-8:30 PM, Prayer Room)

Forgiveness by Understanding, we will reach to experience “walking a mile in another person’s shoes”. We can start to recognize that if we were in the exact same situation, with the same experience, and the same knowledge as that person, that we would have made the same choice as they did at the time. We aim to learn to forgive ourselves and others by understanding the choice we/they made.

3rd Workshop: (Monday, March 4th 7-8:30 PM, Prayer Room)

Forgiveness by Grace (True Forgiveness). We will use affirmations to shift our thinking to how God sees each of us. At our true core, we are all perfect fragments of God, and that is what He sees in us. God is Perfect Love. As he looks upon each of us, he sees Himself shining back at Him.

Cliff T.: These sessions will be held Mondays on February 18 and 25, and March 4, 7-8:30 p.m. in the Prayer Room at Unity of Delray Beach Church, 101 NW 22nd. St., Delray Beach Florida. Reverend Baudier, as a minister this subject must really hit home. What’s your take on the importance of forgiveness? 

Rev Baudier.: I believe forgiveness is the key to happiness. It enables us to close chapters in our lives that were based on suffering and loss. When we view the world through a spiritual lens, as opposed to a three-dimensional or worldly lens, we see that loss is impossible and anger is insanity. Our worlds become more like heaven – a place of joy, abundance, charity and endless giving. 

Cliff T.: Besides helping people begin the journey toward forgiveness what else do you want people to get from the workshops? 

Rev Baudier.: To identify their biggest forgiveness opportunity and develop a personal intention (plan) to grow spiritually.
To meet other like-minded people and share experiences.

To join our minds with the Mind of God and to see the world with Christ’s Vision. 

Cliff T.: Will you be doing follow up sessions and offering other services or referrals for counselling?
Rev Baudier.: Absolutely, Unity of Delray Beach offers a wide variety of spiritual workshops and counselling. 

Cliff T.: Well, Reverend Baudier I do think this an excellent idea thanks for sharing this with the candid Conversations reader community. 

Rev Baudier.: Thank you, Cliff. Peace to you and your readers. Let all the world be blessed with peace through us.

Reverend Baudier is an interfaith minister based in Delray Beach FL, she wrote to us from this location.

Karen Wiand takes us on a fast Journey featuring Fast Freddie

I am very pleased to start 2019 off with a really interesting interview here on Candid Conversations.  I came across a press release for a book called A Course in Fun with Fast Eddie and I was wondering, what’s this about.  I reached out to author Karen Wiand to ask that very question and she is our virtual guest on Candid Conversations.

Karen welcome to Candid Conversations

Karen W.: Thanks for having me here!

Cliff T.: Who is Eddie and how did he connect with you?

Karen W.: Fast Eddie is a man with an intellectual disability that I have known since I was 8 years old.  We grew up as neighbors in Carson City, Michigan.  We lost touch when I moved away, although I always wondered how he was.  I found him again living in an adult foster care home about an hour away from my home now, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Cliff T.: in the press release it’s noted that you got disconnected then you found each other again.  How did that happen and were you surprised that you were able to reconnect with Freddie?

Karen W.: We became disconnected by the process of growing up.  I went off to college and he stayed with his parents in Carson City.  I was surprised to find Eddie living so close to me after so many years, and was eager to see him again.

Cliff T.: Certainly an intellectual disability has unique challenges.  How did you and others around you deal with misconceptions and any outright discrimination you and Eddie came up against?

Karen W.: Growing up, we were Eddie’s warriors.  He came to us for support, and we were his greatest defenders.  In return, he supported us just as much. He was just like a brother.

Cliff T.: Did you become fast friends with Freddie or, did you build on your relationship with him?

Karen W.: I met Eddie the day we moved into our house down the street from his family.  My father purchased property from his parents and that’s where we built our home.  I recall seeing a teenager at the property during the building process, but didn’t know who it was.

Cliff T.: Being a person with a disability myself, vision wise, I have found through the years that many friends, the good close ones have forgotten the disability. I have to say that is refreshing, is this the case with you and Eddie?

Karen W.: I am happy to say that I don’t see Eddie’s disability.  I see his wisdom.

Cliff T.: The book, sounds very interesting as a read, the title caught my attention.  Is this a view from Eddie’s vantage point or what you have learned from him?

Karen W.: It is the top ten things I have learned from him.  There are many more.

Cliff T.: What is the goal with the book, what do you want readers to take away?

Karen W.: My goal with this book is to remind us that we all have a role to play in this lifetime.  Each one of us are here to fulfill a purpose, whatever it is, and if we follow the magical lives of those with disabilities, intellectual, in Eddie’s case, we can enjoy ourselves so much more; and at the same time, can see the value in everyone else.

Cliff T.: From what I see this is your first book that is so awesome.  What was the genesis of the book, or shall I say why and what prompted you to select Eddie as the subject or focal point of the book?

Karen W.: When I reconnected with Eddie, I started making weekly visits to see him, to get him out of the hole he was living in.  The adult foster care home was really awful.  After a month or so of visits, I sat at my computer and started making a list of the things Eddie had already taught me.  The list had reached 50 things.  I thought that I would send it to my siblings as a Christmas gift, but then the idea of a book sounded more appropriate.  I went with it.

Cliff T.: What kinds of reactions are you getting from this book?

Karen W.: Very positive feedback.  People are looking for stories that make them feel better in these strange times.

Cliff T.: Speaking of reaction what was Eddie’s?

Karen W.: Eddie is so excited.  We had business cards made for him with the book cover image, and he passes them out like he’s a proud grandfather.  He also hand 

wrote the title chapters.  His energy is definitely in this book.

Cliff T.: This looks like it is a fun book to read I won’t ask for any spoilers, but will say it looks like this book will warm the heart of the reader.

Karen W.: It is heartwarming.  And so much fun.

Cliff T.: Karen thank you so very much for doing a Candid Conversation.

Karen W.:  It was a pleasure!  My best to you!

A little about Karen Wiand. She is a first-time author and full-time believer in our personal power to create miracles. She has enjoyed many experiences through her career, first as an art director and producer and later as a residential designer and builder in Birmingham, Michigan. She enjoys tagging along with Eddie and his friends around Traverse City. Thanks to them she has an insider's view of the special talents and needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Her website http://karenwiand.com/

Karen wrote to us from Bloomington Hills MI