In this 7 minute podcast, WGNS' Scott Walker spoke to new heart recipient Phillip Mclanahan...
Read MoreDavid wanted noodles in downtown Victoria, Canada
David lives in Victoria, Canada and as he was walking out of a Japanese Sushi restaurant he looked at me and described how they wouldn't give him any leftover food for the night. I looked at the sign on the door which read, "CLOSED."
He said, “I really wanted a bowl of noodles, that's all.” I told him that I would buy him a bowl of noodles if he knew where another Japanese or Chinese restaurant was located. I then followed him for the next three blocks simply observing those we passed at about 9:45 on a Friday night. Some would move to the far opposite side while others refused to make eye contact. David never noticed, but I couldn't help but to notice.
We finally arrived and as we walked in the woman behind the counter handed David a menu. He quickly scanned over it unable to make a decision. I told the employee that he would simply like a large bowl of noodels and David jumped in and said, “With seafood on it, like shrimp.”
I paid and told David it would take about 10 minutes for his order to be prepared. He followed me outside and I snapped a couple of photos of him.
As I turned to walk away David said, “Wait, let me go inside to make sure you paid.” I laughed and said, “Good idea, let's double check.” We headed back in and he asked the hostess, “Did he already pay for my noodles?” She smiled and told him, “Yes, he sure did.” David then shook my hand and thanked me.
Ketchikan, Alaska and the Bridge to Nowhere
Inside the small island community of Ketchikan, Alaska you will feel at home.
The population rings in at 8,208. During fishing season, that number grows to about 12,000 seasonal residents. The island is locked in by water.
One local resident told me, “Remember hearing about that bridge to nowhere project? This is the town that wanted that bridge built because it was not a bridge to nowhere.” As the man talked more about the proposed bridge he pointed across the waterway and said, “See, that is our airport (pointing towards an airport about 200 feet across a narrow waterway), we needed that bridge because you currently have to take a ferry to get to our small airport which helps our local economy.”
So now you know, the bridge to nowhere was actually a bridge to the Ketchikan airport and to homes on the neighboring island.
Visiting a closed down TN Department of Corrections Facility
PRISON: In 2014 the state proposed closing the Charles Bass Correctional Complex in Nashville with a goal of saving over $16 million per year.
Read MoreThis is His Life
Watch the video interview below:
I met Superman
Tattooed to the center of his chest was an "S," just like the original Superman logo.
I captured this photo in Nashville, 2014.
“You will be different, sometimes you’ll feel like an outcast, but you’ll never be alone.”
Kay at 72
Kay currently calls a wooden park bench home during clear days and sometimes a covered bus stop is her home on days that are not so clear. However, she does not let the weather bring her down.
In this interview, Kay talked about her past child sexual abuse and how so many others on the streets suffer from the same haunted background. Ms. Kay spoke to me (Scott Walker) about the devastating impact child sex abuse has on someone as they age.
At age 72, Kay says she is ready to go home when her body is ready to lead her that direction. In other words, she is not afraid of death as she clearly says, "I know where I'm going."
To pass time and to fill her own mission, she ministers to those who are also homeless and living with addiction.
Hate dressed as Love
Sometimes, hate tries to be disguised as love while holding a megaphone and wearing a "Jesus Saves" shirt.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
BONNAROO 2018: Blowing Glass
Looking back to BONNAROO 2018: When it is 100 degrees outside and the humidity makes you feel as if you just stepped out of a hot tub, the last thing I would want to think about is fire. But, this man patiently showed others how he makes blown glass bowls and more on the grounds of Bonnaroo daily.
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
BONNAROO 2018: The family concert
BONNAROO 2018: Ahhh, the family concert... the family who see's Eminem together at midnight sticks together.
BONNAROO 2018: The American Flag
BONNAROO 2018: She showed vigorous support for America with not only her outfit, but also her blanket as she sat in the midst of thousands of people walking from concert to concert.
Some may disagree as they were taught not to wear or sit on the flag. Others may high five her, which is the Bonnaroo way.
"How do I look," she asked. The shutter shut, "Great," I quietly responded as she handed me her cellphone. "Would you take my picture with my phone," she asked.
Another shutter click and I disappeared into the crowd where I next came across a large shirtless man that had a "Lost Soul" tattoo across his stomach. He was carrying a unicorn... I will get to that photo later.
BONNAROO 2018: Tattoos and Unicorns
BONNAROO 2018: Never get between a large tattooed man and his unicorn. Never.
“Dreams are the playground of unicorns.”
BONNAROO 2018: Heading through the Bonnaroo Grounds
Be who you want and dress as you like.
“Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.”
Finding History
Tile by tile he was carefully uncovering history from well over 1,000 years in Israel.
The Place
Have you ever been somewhere that just made you feel as if you were standing somewhere great or amazing in some way?
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is said to be one of two of the holiest sites in Christianity. The church, referred to sometimes as the Church of the Resurrection, sits on the site of where Jesus was crucified.
The location of the church that dates back to the second century AD, you will find five representations of the final passage of Jesus. However, after the crucifixion the building did not start out as a church. It started out as a temple dedicated to the goddess Venus built by a Roman Emperor named Publius Aelius Hadrian.
The Roman Emperor built the temple dedicated to Venus to cover up the cave in which Jesus had been placed in and later arose from. It wasn’t until year 325 that Constantine the Great ordered a church be built in place of the ungodly temple. The church construction was finished in year 335.
Step inside for Sales 101
The mid afternoon slack, but if someone steps inside... it's on!
He has your favorite Popsicle, tourist books and maps of Jerusalem in multiple languages. Soda galore and even free wifi to entice the customers to enter. A small sitting area inside has your traditional plastic chairs that fold under American weight and more.
During the slower times of the day the sales speech increases while the customer base decreases. In America, that is opposite as part time teens use the slower portions of the day to SnapChat, post Instagram selfies and more. Part time in Jerusalem? Ha... What's that?
Step right in and I guarantee you will be sold something. If not, you will be block in for conversation about marketplace, the Old City and the age of the structures. But, if you just make that one purchase of a drink or a map, you will be out the door a little quicker.
But when it is busy... It is busy. Basiclly, it's GO TIME!
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.”
Life
Life.
The face of the wise
Sometimes you see people in life who you somehow know, they have a better understanding on the world around you. They know the what's and the why's - but, you don't know why?
You can tell by the face, the way some hold in their statements to let you talk. You can tell by the way anger rolls away not even touching them.
“The art of being wise is the art of knowing that solutions don’t come from individuals, but rather experiences.”
Greetings and welcome to Jerusalem
He was sitting on the roadside in Jerusalem with a small cart of goods for sale. If someone passed him by he refused to let it get to him as he smiled and told passerby's to have a great day in English and at times Hebrew depending on who was present.
“Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.”
Rest for the Day at the Store
“Rest and motion, unrelieved and unchecked, are equally destructive.”
It has been a long day at the store... in the Jerusalem marketplace area of Israel. May 2018.