Bar Crawl Radio

There is little doubt that if you are over 40, you will know about and have important memories of board games. Some of us are still playing board games. Becky and I took a road trip to revisit all of those imaginative games we played on card board creations with their luscious graphics, and colorful plastic game pieces. We remembered a bunch of them. We also talked with the Marketing Manager of Gen Con -- Jackie Miserany.  Gen Con holds the largest board game conventions in the world at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin -- over 70,000 gamers attended the 2019 event.  

We had our conversation at the 5Napkin bar on W. 84th Street about how these boxes of joy abide in the age of "World of Warcraft" and "Candy Crush."

Contact us at [email protected] -- and let us know what board games you still play.

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We have talked with the peace activists of the Catholic Worker movement on several BCR episodes [#29 & #46 with bonus material] and knew that the seven men and women who broke into the U.S. Kings Bay Naval Base at St. Marys, Georgia would be in court in Brunswick in mid-August. This submarine base is where the U.S. military stores its Trident nuclear missiles. We wanted to talk with four of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, who were under house arrest and on bail, about the hearing and how they were doing. 

That week was also the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, and there were protests going on outside the Kings Bay Naval Base. So, while Becky and I sat at her brother's dining room table in Santa Maria, California, we called south Georgia.

We first talked with Kathy Kelly, Brian Terrell, and Anthony Donovan while they were fasting and holding a vigil outside the gates of the Kings Bay Naval Base.

The next day we spoke with four of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7. The day before they had argued in the Federal Court in Brunswick Georgia that the case against them be dropped based on RFRA – the Religious Freedom Restoration Act – which requires the government to prove a compelling state interest if it restricts a person’s free exercise of religious beliefs – a defense successfully used by the Religious Right. We talked with Carmen Trotta, Martha Hennessy, Clare Grady, and Patrick O’Neill.

Here are some resources that were mentioned during our conversations:

• Anthony Donovan recommended -- "Warheads to Windmills: How to Pay for a Green New Deal." A report that relates spending on nuclear warheads to ending the dangers of Global Warming.
• The Doomsday Machine. by Daniel Ellsberg (2017).
• No Immediate Danger? : Prognosis for a Radioactive Earth. by Rosalie Bertell (2006).
• Planet Earth The Latest Weapon of War: A Critical Study into the Military and the Environment. By Rosalie Bertell (2000)
• Nuclear Issues Study Group -- "Dismantling the Nuclear Beast".  nukewatchinfo.org
• Treaty for the Prevention of Nuclear Weapons 
• ICAN -- International Campaign to Abolition Nuclear Weapons

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Millions of us are so angry on the crowded highways that when we see a "stupid, really dumb driver" we've got to do something about it - teach the "dummy" a lesson -- because he has to learn to "get out of my way!" I usually do not drive -- preferring to pedal around the City; and those huge metal boxes are scary. So for this episode Becky and I talked about ROAD RAGE [RR]. A real condition with enormous consequences. A few statistics we didn't get to:

• 37% of aggressive driving involves guns.
• RR leading cause of accidents -- 12,500 injuries related to road rage in seven year period.
• 218 deaths linked to RR -- in same period.
• Half of drivers admit they engage in RR -- and this is a low estimate.
• RR rising 7% per year.

So, when you feel the urge to ram or cut off or gesture widely -- think again -- and listen to a calming Bar Crawl Radio episode on whichever platform you use for podcasts. Or pull off the road and email us about RR you've encountered.  [email protected]

This episode was video taped and recorded at 5Napkin Bar and Restaurant on Broadway and W. 84th Street.

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This recording was a bunch of fun. We spoke with directors and actors of the Medicine Show Theatre about traveling to Voronezh, Russia with their production of "14 Little Red Huts" for the International Platonov Festival.  A chilled bottle of Tito's Handmade Vodka sat in a makeshift ice bucket -- thanks to Gebhard's inventive bartender, Jackie -- in the middle of the table amongst the audio equipment. And -- as we talked -- we toasted a variety of worthy topics -- the Medicine Show -- Putin & Trump -- the Russian people -- and -- towards the end of the session -- humanity.  We talked about Andrei Platonov's unusual and difficult work and the experiences of playing an iconic Soviet play in the former USSR.  

If you like what you hear -- email us at [email protected]

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Did you ever consider how humans use language to have a conversation. Bar Crawl Radio,as is the case with most podcasts, is all about having interesting conversations. But, in most cases, if you listen to two or more people talking, what you hear is simultaneous speech in which speech sounds overlap, bump into, conflict with, mold around, push against and try to outdo each other. Conversations are a cacophony of vibrations, but what emerges is meaning. How do we do that?

Becky and I have struggled with the BCR podcst to come up with a style in which we both speak our ideas and, at the same time, keep the conversation flowing in a seamless, hopefully, interesting manner. We enjoy the process. But, at times, negative feelings erupt when one of us feels her voice is denied. So -- we decided to investigate the world of man-erruptions, mansplain and a new term we came up with buzz-erruptions -- technological interruptions.

We recorded at 5Napkin -- on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. If you have an idea for a BCR episode or want to tell us to "shut up and listen" so you can tell us what you think -- try emailing us -- [email protected]

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When we were young Becky and I were actors and have always been interested in the art and practice of acting and the life of the actor. Hazen Cuyler is the Artistic Director and founder of the Greenhouse Ensemble - a relatively recent addition to the wealth of professionally run UWS theatre companies. Hazen is a student and practitioner of the art of acting and we talked with him and Spencer Scott about their craft, the Ensemble Theatre, their upcoming production of "Romeo and Juliet," and Hazen's great grandfather Ki Ki Cuyler who is a Hall of Fame baseball player.

Thanks to Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar for hosting Bar Crawl Radio. Drop by and tell them you heard about Gebhard's on BCR.

Email us at [email protected]

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Becky and I picked a complicated topic to talk about this week -- What to do with public statues that are seen as representing horrible men - and yes -- it is almost always statues of men. Should Columbus atop that pedestal at the southwest corner of Central Park be toppled? VOX describes this lauded figure as "a homicidal tyrant who initiated the two greatest crimes in the history of the Western Hemisphere, the Atlantic slave trade, and the American Indian genocide." See more. What about statues to the Confederacy of the southern states? What do we do with those? Or with the statue honoring Teddy Roosevelt the bestrides the American Museum of Natural History, with the white man high on a majestic horse, flanked by a native American and a Black man? There's examples of this sort all over our city and country. What do we do? That was the topic and we got into it.

We would love to hear your opinions to this question and discussion. Send your ideas to [email protected]

BTW: We were at 5 Napkin Burger and spoke with Bela (sorry we do not know her last name) who is the lovely bartender and takes such good care of Becky and me. But we did not include our conversation with her. Maybe next time.

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Big changes in Albany this year as the Republicans and IDC – the Independent Democratic Conference – are out -- and a (hopefully) functioning and progressive legislature under Democratic control is in. About a year ago – on BCR #10 -- we talked with the women leading two important grassroots political organizations that were key in those changes – True Blue NY and Indivisible Harlem. For this BCR episode we invited two other women who were key in getting the IDC out -- Mia Pearlman a creator and leader of True Blue NY and Nan Faessler of Indivisible Harlem. We also talked about the new initiative for a Green NY City and State -- the Climate and Community Protection Act [CCPA]. 

Since posting this episode. we received great news from Nan that the CCPA has passed the State Legislature with a slight change. Governor Cuomo wanted to put his stamp on the bill, and so he had one word added to the title. It is now the "Climate LEADERSHIP and Community Protection Act." Silly governor.

And check-out https://350.org/ mentioned by Nan.

Again -- we recorded at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar. If you like what you hear and/or you have suggestions on future show topics or guests --  please contact us at [email protected]

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I was so happy with my last procedure that I needed to share my joy at this week's conversation with Becky. We set up the BCR portable "studio" at one of our favorite Upper West Side Mexican bars and restaurants -- Mexican Festival -- on Broadway and 102nd Street -- and got deep into that most special inner search for those over 53. We also got back to the topic of the Zombie Apocalypse, the loss of basic survival skills and the delicious and unusual margaritas at Mexican Festival with its manager -- Lara.

NOTE: Becky dared me to share a pix of my colon. I could not do it. Much too personal. And I did not want anyone to see the unique tattoo I had done when I was much younger and oh so foolish. And I know what you are thinking -- YES!!! -- it is much more painful than getting a tat on your tongue.

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We spoke with two of the "stars" of the anti-nuclear proliferation movement -- Martha Hennessy and Carmen Trotta. They are members of the Catholic Worker Movement founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, committed to voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, exiled, hungry, and forsaken.

Martha and Carmen are under house arrest for trespassing onto the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in St. Mary’s Georgia on April 4, 2018. Their team of seven entered the Strategic Weapons Facility—Atlantic Administration Building where the Trident nuclear missiles are stored. Their charges carry a maximum penalty of over 20 years in a federal prison. For more information -- Kings Bay Plowshare 7

Becky and I were joined on the Gebhard's Beer Culture Porch by Antony Donovan of Witness Against Torture and members of the Michigan Catholic Worker Movement.

Any questions or comments we might use on upcoming episode? Let us know what you think of BCR programming -- [email protected]

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