Patriot-made Audio Podcast

Josh Miller challenged himself to  live on Made in USA only products for 30 days. Hear his interview with Rita Rich as he talks about his documentary, "Made In USA: The 30 Day Journey"

John Connolly is a working actor with a successful 40-year career on stage, screen and radio -- and a central leader of the AFL-CIO unions representing over 200,000 professional performers . He is also a former President of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and servced as Chief Executive of Actors’ Equity Association and on the national board of the Screen Actors' Guild.  He gives an historic overview of why worker's rights are celebrated in Europe and here in the United States.

Another podcast in our series of stories inspired by Labor Day. Labor Day-it's not just the beach and a BBQ! It's about you, me and every person who has ever worked for somebody else, and their rights.

In this Patriot-Made Audiocast story with the AFL-CIO's John Connolly, a 40 year performing arts veterans, we examine why Americans are afraid to claim all their rights.

We're fortunate, here at Patriot-Made Audio to make new friends as we cover their stories.  Some of our friends are artists and musicians, like Nell Robinson and Jim Nunally. These blue grass/roots musicians and singers have given us permission to use their music in our stories. It all started when we used their music to tell their story. So, please take a story from our archives, that was heard on the Progressive Voices Channel on TuneIn!

Rita Rich talks with Carrie Munk, the spokeswoman for the ALS Association, about the impressive fundraising efforts of the challenge.

Patriot Made's Back-to-School Story and Poll Take a listen to our Patriot-Made Audiocast where we ask back-to-school shoppers if they check for the Made in USA label when they spend on school supplies and clothing.  

It's that dreaded time of year for some children. They just got into the swing of summer and school supplies are starting to be displayed in stores. College freshmen are packing for orientation days, and teachers of all grade levels are working on curricula for their students.    So, it might be a surprise to some that a Pokamoke, Maryland company has gone from defense contractor to bullet proof school supply maker, and the manufacturer of safety devices for our pets.   Patriot-Made Audiocast chatted with George Tunis, the CEO of Hardwire LLC, found on the web at http://www.hardwirellc.com/.

Happy Fourth of July! It's a time to celebrate our Declaration of Indepence. If you're visiting family and friends you can bet you'll be in for a hot time. Wine not an icy drink? We suggest you invest in some Wine-A-Rita, invented in Texas by a women owned business. This is the alternative to hard liquor drinks, and you ca make in your blender--using the cheapest wine or juice that you find. Listen to our story and find out more about Wine-A-Rita!  

Patriot Made Audiocast talked with Michale "Mick" Yauger, who is the National Director of the Teamster Military Assistance Program about Memorial Day. Bottom line: Veterans are thinking hard about Memorial Day this weekend, and they could use the companionship and to be reached out to by some friends, old and new.    

This is the second story we produced with Rabbi Newman. We spoke to him a few days before he was to retire from serving the men and women at the Coronado Navel Base in Southern California. It was also on the day when he was told to pack up his family and evacuate his home because of the San Diego Wildfires.  Fortunately, he was allowed to stay in his neighborhood after the brave civilian and military fire fighters were able to bring one blaze under control.   This is the second story in our short series in which we think about the people who have sacrificed so much so that we can enjoy having one less day in the work week.  Heck, it's because of these people, most who were young and just starting out in their adult lives, that made sure we would be in our country, and were even born.      

You might have been cheated as a kid. You might have lived years after a war was all over the all news cable chanels, and when film (yes, film) of the grusome images of dead bodies and bombs blowing up landscapes took hours to get on standard definition TV. You might not be able to relate to anybody who travelled thousands of miles to fight for strangers in a strange land, so it might be not interesting to talk about, let alone think about.    We hope this story gets you thinking, and reading beyond your assigned text book and beyond the wiki postings.  Let the words of President and co-founder of the Easter Seal's Dickson Center inspire you to think again about wars that were "before your time." Let Kim Mitchell remind you that this Memorial Day it's the families of the civilians and those who fought in conflicts who are also veteran's and casulties of war. Remember them too on Memorial Day.

Navel Chaplain Joel Newman is set to retire from his post at the Coronado Navel Base, in Southern California.  His last days as a non-combat Navel officer are busy ones because of the wildfires that have been burning throughout San Diego County. Patriot-Made Audiocast caught up with Rabbi Newman and we were fortunate to be able to spend some time with him on SKYPE.    

Sometimes it takes a lot of guts to buck a trend, to disagree with a spouse, or to follow the lead of a person who you are raising. But, it's all about love, and passion, isn't it? That's the story of Brenda Andress tells in this Patriot-Made audiocast, produced for the Progressive Voices Channel on TuneIn. Andress is the commissioner of the Canadian Women's Hockey League.  The league is comprised of a handful of teams in both Canada and the U.S. It's the place where the Women's Hockey Teams, who competed in the Olympics, from all over the world, go to play a sport that they are passionate about. On this Mother's Day it's appropriate to say, "You've come a long way, Baby." An appropriate reply is, "I couldn't have done it without you, Ma."

We're produced by Debra Grobman, out of Los Angeles, and Rita Rich, out of Washington, DC. We highlight the people and companies that put paychecks in our neighbors pockets and places that decide to do what they can to keep manufacturing in the USA.  Now and then we get inspired by artists that share their music and crafts, you know, Americana-heritage-stuff that has been passed down through the generations. We examine the choices that go into starting a business and doing business with others in North America. Listen to our story tellers and hear a sample of our audio production style by listening to this short feature. Please E-mail us a patmadeaudio@gmail.com if you have a story to share.      

It's not easy to decide which car to buy if you're looking for a brand that supports jobs in the USA. Even one of the most viewed television events sends mixed messages of what is Patriot-Made, after ignoring the issue in 2013. Please take a listen to this spoken-word audio only report called Patriot-Made Audiocast