Wpkn Community Radio

Special guests, Louise Lasher and Lisa Shanahan, discuss how they successfully passed an ordinance restricting the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Norwalk, CT. Panel: Steve Munno, Laura Modlin and Richard Hill

-Storm brings record coastal flooding in Maine -Reduced snowpack in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere -Iranians accusing its Neighbor Turkey Of Stealing Rain Clouds, -A quarter of humanity living under drought in 2022 and 2023 -Bottled water has 10 to 100 times more bits of plastic than - previously estimated -A battery system has replaced Hawaii’s very last coal power plant.

* South Africa Files International Court of Justice Case Accusing Israel of Genocide in Gaza Robert L. Herbst, is a human rights lawyer in New York Producer: Scott Harris * Protest at US Holocaust Museum Demands Response to Israel’s Atrocities in Gaza Michael Beer, Director of Nonviolence International Producer: Melinda Tuhus * Two States Rule Insurrectionist Donald Trump Ineligible to Appear on 2024 Ballot Nikhel Sus, Senior Counsel, Dir. Strategic Litigation, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Producer: Scott Harris

My guests today are all doing great things for the Long Island sound. Dr. Sarah Crosby, who is a marine ecologist trained in conservation science with extensive experience in coastal and marine ecosystems. Kat Cuzco of the Lobster trap team has worked as a marine science educator at Project Oceanology since 2019. At Project O. She also works on the Lobster Trap Recovery and Assessment Partnership (L-TRAP). Also Bill Lucey, a sound keeper for Save The Sound. We are here to discuss the problem of 10’s of thousands of Abandoned lobster traps in Long Island Sound.

* Physician Relates the Horror Palestinians Face in Gaza as Israel-Hamas War Continues into 2024; Dr. Dana Elborno, MD, OBGYN, Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology physician practicing in Illinois; Producer: Scott Harris. * Group Challenging America's Undemocratic Electoral College System Gaining Support; Christopher Pearson, Secretary of the group National Popular Vote, former Vermont legislator; Producer: Scott Harris. * CT’s Clean Slate Law Seals Criminal Records of People Convicted of Misdemeanors & Some Felonies; Rodney Moore, Phil Kent and Helen Caraballo Speakers at Clean Slate Law Press Conference; Producer: Melinda Tuhus.

-EXIM approved nearly $1 billion in fossil fuel lending -New York just became the first state to restrict seeds coated with bee-killing pesticides. -a declaration signed to boost health-related climate finance -San Mateo sea-level rise planners propose building an off-shore tidal lagoon -Chile believed to have a tree that survived for more than 5,000 years

Dr. Irene Mulvey, president of the American Association of University Professors, discusses the onslaught against freedom of speech and inquiry in Florida and academia, in general. Luke Savage, staff reporter with Jacobin Magazine, offers his perspective on how the corporate media is—and should be—covering the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. Panel: Ruthanne Baumgartner, Scott Harris and Richard Hill

-The electric vehicle market is in good health, with record sales -Colorado River’s water supply drops substantially due to low snow -The Northeast and N. California, risk of extreme flash rainstorms - 60% of insects struggling to keep up with the plants they rely on -half” of the whales and dolphins over the past five years contained PCBs, -Stanford Natural Capital Project, answering questions Ct about nature friendly development.

* If Re-elected Trump Vows to Impose a Fascist Regime, But Are Americans Listening?; Amanda Marcotte, a senior politics writer at Salon and author; Producer: Scott Harris. * A Bipartisan ‘Fiscal Commission,’ The GOP's Latest Threat to Cut Social Security, Medicare Benefits Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works; Producer: Scott Harris. * After 30 Years of Organizing Yale Grad Student Union Local 33 Wins First Contract; Sasha Tabachnikova, PhD candidate in immunobiology, & member of the union bargaining committee; Producer: Melinda Tuhus.

Recorded at the 2023 Northeast Astro Forum, the first woman to command & pilot a U.S. Space Shuttle, Eileen Collins & Author Jonathan Ward discuss their book “Through The Glass Ceiling To The Stars” with many of Eileen’s experiences as a Test & Space Shuttle Pilot… and the future of space exploration.

Dr MIchelle Thaller, NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center Astronomer Discusses how stars are born & die ...And mysteries of the Universe including Dark Matter, Dark Energy, & Space Time

* Biden Has The Power to Stop Israel's Carnage in Gaza; Samer Badawi is a Palestinian-American writer and a contributor to +972 Magazine; Producer: Scott Harris. * COP 28 Showcase for False Solutions Fails to Make Urgently Needed Progress Addressing Climate Crisis; Fletcher Harper, executive director of the multi-faith international climate organization GreenFaith; Producer: Melinda Tuhus. * New Book Examines the Issues of Class, Race, Gender and the Injuries of Capitalism; Michael Zweig, Professor of Economics emeritus at Stony Brook University and author; Producer: Scott Harris.

-Nearly $7 trillion of public and private finance each year directly harms nature -Rising sea levels threaten to drown Pacific island nations, -Greek village Metamorfosi relocating their entire community due to flood waters -Canary Islands, El Hierro is the first yo function for 28 days using only wind and water power. -More than 1,000 abandoned lobster traps have been removed from Long Island Sound -General Mills, Walmart, and Sam’s Club collaborate on adoption of regenerative agriculture practices

My guest on DITD today is Ralph Baskin. Ralph is a Retired IT cost consultant turned photographer who moved to CT from NY over 40 years ago where he lives in, and has improved, a small 1890's Victorian farmhouse. Ralph and I have found common ground with our views on the environment and have had many conversations about solar which I have dabbled with and Ralph has had a lot of experience, having adding a solar system to his own home. Besides my intention to always feature local guests and listeners of WPKN, I thought we all could learn more about going solar by hearing about Ralph's experiences.

-200 countries make global pact for “transitioning away from fossil fuels” 200 researchers, sounds the alarm on climate tipping points— - rising ocean temperatures are causing hurricanes to gain strength -N Y’s South Fork Wind first utility-scale offshore wind farm to generate power in the US

* Protecting Free Speech on Campus as Israel-Hamas War Stokes Antisemitism, Islamophobia; Will Creeley, Legal Director with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE); Producer: Scott Harris. * Republicans Tie Support for Israel, Ukraine Aid to Imposing New Draconian Immigration Laws; Kica Matos, President of the National Immigration Law Center; Producer: Melinda Tuhus. * Too Little Too Late at the UN COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai; Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and climate activist; Producer: Scott Harris.

The Farm Stand speaks with Frank Pagliaro, an historian and researcher, who describes the first documented meteor to strike North America on Dec. 4, 1807. Hosted by Richard Hill, Laura Modlin and Steve Munno.

I recorded several speakers from the 54th National Day of Mourning at Plymouth, MA on Thanksgiving Day, 2023, including the co-chair of United American Indians of New England, a Palestinian, and an 82-year-old survivor of Canada's Indian residential schools (prisons)

-COP28 president says "no science" for a phase out of fossil fuels. -Gore says oil industry is way more effective at capturing politicians than emissions. -4 out of 5 people agree that it’s essential to do “whatever it takes” to limit climate change -Solar capacity has grown faster in US electrical generation than all other energy sources -Airbus will have fleet of ocean vessels with wind-assisted propulsion -coal-producing West Virginia school system is going solar,

* Biden Pays High Price for Embrace of Israel's Deadly Gaza Attack; Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; Producer: Scott Harris. * The Struggle for Palestinian Rights & Self Determination Embraced by Indigenous Activists; Salma Abu Ayyash, a Palestinian American engineer, educator, and social justice activist Producer: Melinda Tuhus. * The Dark, Violent Legacy of Henry Kissinger; Peter Kornbluh, Dir. Cuba & Chile Documentation Projects at the National Security Archive Greg Grandin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Professor of History at Yale University; Producer: Scott Harris.