For this BCR program, we spoke with two Jewish Israeli's. Nahum Schnitzer is my cousin. Ariella Dubrowin is my cousin once removed. Both have raised their families in Israel, Nahum -- 40 years – Ariella – 20. The conflict in Gaza has encased their world in ways that neither I – nor most of you listening to this podcast – can fully get. Ariella wrote me about a month ago. She was troubled about a recent program I posted – "I want to say Kaddish" – which presented both the intense protests in the US against the actions of the IDF in Gaza and the general obliviousness of winte ..read more

In 1963, when the Supreme Court overturned Gideon v Wainwright, Justice Hugo Black wrote: “Even the intelligent and educated layman requires the guiding hand of counsel at every step in the proceedings against him. Without it, though he be not guilty, he faces the danger of conviction because he does not know how to establish his innocence.”  The public defender is that legal bulwark that works for a balance in our justice system. For this BCR conversation we heard from two public defenders from Prince George's County Circuit Court. Yahshauh Ford and Brandon Ruben contrasted the public de ..read more

Rebecca McKean and I visited Alice Slater in her Upper East Side apartment. Since 1968, Ms. Slater has been an anti-war activist and since 1987 an anti-nuclear bomb protestor.  As a young mother she helped organize Eugene McCarthy’s presidential campaign working to end the war in Viet Nam and then got a law degree. Alice is the United Nations NGO Representative of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and is on the Board of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, the Global Council of Abolition 2000, and the Advisory Board of Nuclear Ban-US which supports the m ..read more

Towards the end of World War II – my country detonated atomic bombs over Japanese cities, immediately killing thousands of civilians and thousand more soon after and maiming thousands for the rest of their lives.  I was born in 1949 -- My generation was taught that this military action was required to end the war – And I bought it -- Since 1945, our world has filled with more powerful atom bombs – -- in the hope that the threat of mutual destruction will dissuade their usage. So far – besides Nagasaki and Hiroshima – we have been lucky – but for how long? I am Alan Winson – this year for ..read more

Rebecca Mckean and I were out on a late Sunday afternoon in June at the West Side Community Garden on the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- waiting to listen to Sweet Plantain – a string quartet -- with occasional trombone and mandalino – playing “a complex mix of Latin American music that artfully fuses western classical traditions” – according to the program.  The mic was open to talk with our neighbors about their super powers. After the concert we spoke with Eddie Venegas leader of Sweet Plantain. So imagine this – the band is a bit late due to traffic and a large crowd is ga ..read more

BCR is back podcasting at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We talked with brave people who decided to start a new business during a pandemic – Dan Auld and David Fullner of Kekoa Foods – making forward thinking and tasty natural baby foods.  And Adam Simon – a grand master – maybe not at chess – but bread making. He recently started Sourdough Gambit supplying UWS residents with amazing artisanal breads.  CONTACT Rebecca, Alan and Alina -- barcrawlradio@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

In 1963, when the Supreme Court overturned Gideon v Wainwright, Justice Hugo Black wrote: “Even the intelligent and educated layman requires the guiding hand of counsel at every step in the proceedings against him. Without it, though he be not guilty, he faces the danger of conviction because he does not know how to establish his innocence.”  The public defender is that legal bulwark that works for a balance in our justice system. For this BCR conversation we heard from two public defenders from Prince George's County Circuit Court. Yahshauh Ford and Brandon Ruben contrasted the public de ..read more

May 1961 -- Peter Benenson, founder of Amnesty International, wrote that he was sickened by governments imprisoning citizens for speaking or singing in protest.  The work of Amnesty International continues around the world and on the Upper West Side with members of Group 11. Since the early 1970s members of Group 11 have helped to free prisoners of conscience in Iran, Chile, China, Indonesia, Libya, Myanmar, Poland, Rhodesia, South Africa, Vietnam and the former USSR. And, currently, AI-USA’s Group 11 is working to free Narges Mohammadi -- the 2023 Nobel Prize winner who ha ..read more

Sharing the joyful and angry sounds of our city at the end of a year of retching violence. Let the human-made turbulence of 2023 pass quickly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information ..read more

This BCR conversation may seem complex but its also simple – and – will possibly end human existence. If your physician can access all of your medical records, she will do a better job. And if generative AI knows all about the health of every human -- what then? We talked with two experts developing the power of Artificial Intelligence to keep us healthy. Dr. Mark Braunstein is the guru of FHIR -- not a misspelling -- an acronym for Fast Healthcare interoperability Resources – a technology helping physicians to access everything about our medical history and condition, easy and fast.  ..read more