There's something magical about putting yourself into life. You've got to stand up and take responsibility for your own life and you cannot abandon that.

First of all, I'm a Midwesterner, being from Kansas, and Chicago is basically a big Midwestern cow town. It was built from the stockyards, and everyone is very friendly, and it's at the edge of the tallgrass prairie. There's just a good feel to it.

I've been producing documentaries on global warming for 20 years and have seen the early warnings of extreme weather events come true.

All vacations can come down to a few little moments - what do your remember when you're alone, totally relaxed and taken out of yourself to appreciate this other world.

I never wanted to retire. I wanted to kind of shift my work pattern so I could stay fresh and invigorated, and use the experience that I had gained in 30 years, but in a slightly different direction.

I believe that young people are looking for answers to the big questions just like everyone else, and that they respect intelligent comment to help guide them through tough times.

People from small towns have to have their edges roughed up to get along in the world. But as a street reporter, you learn quickly.