Welcome to the Band Central Radio podcast for December 2024.Here’s the run of show… in the first segment I list and describe the 18 nonprofits that we gave grants to and produced live music events for during the year.  Next we hear two tracks …. Abigale Is My Friend by Rob Fried, and Whoa Wait A Minute by Anthony Gadaleta.Then I provide an update on Band Central  for 2024 and what’s planned for 2025.Then we listen to Stephanie Harrison’s recording of There’s A Light from Moonrise Cartel and Carole Sylvan’s recording of Saving Up For Your Love.After that I provide a summary of the topics we covered in 2024 on BC Radio, and we follow that up by listening to tracks by two more Band Central artists … Tommy Week’s track Bridge and Fuzz Sangiovani’s rendition of Sweet Dreams.I wish you peace and love for the holiday season and the new year.  Thank you for listening.  

Hot Topics:  Diane discusses the 2025 Farm Bill; and what citizen action we need to take as Trump and his minions get ready to despoil the environment again.Honey Bee Update:  Vincent kaye talks about ways that modern landscaping destroys insect habitat.Revisiting 2016:  We play an archive from December, 2o16 when the organic community was preparing for an assault on the organics from the incoming Trump administration.Hosted by Richard Hill and Diane lauricella

COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.orgSome segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint1) Unanswered Questions After the Overthrow of the Syrian Regime Phyllis Bennis, Director of the Institute for Policy Studies' New Internationalism Project, focusing on the Middle East, Palestinian rights, and U.S. militarism, talks about the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria by rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. She'll also assess the Lebanon ceasefire, Israel's ongoing catastrophic war in Gaza, and what we can expect from Trump et al on Middle East policy.2) Courageous South Koreans Block the Imposition of a Military Dictatorship Dr. John Carl Baker, Deputy Director of Programs with Ploughshares discusses the issues examined in his recent Nation magazine article, "South Korean Protesters Thwarted More Than Just a Coup Attempt," as well as the future of US relations with both South and North Korea.3) Trump 2.0 Corruption and Ethics Violations Ahead Jeff Hauser, Executive Director of the Revolving Door Project talks about his project's concern re: the history of corruption during Trump's first four years in the White House, and the corruption the nation is likely to witness under the incoming Trump administration -- as well as the consequences of that corruption on government programs and services.4) Remembering 2012 Sandy Hook Mass Shooting Victims and Assessing the Fight against Gun Violence Po Murray, co-founder and chairwoman of the Newtown Action Alliance and the Newtown Action Alliance Foundation reflects on the 12th year of remembrance for the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, 2012 -- the National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 11th, and her group's ongoing work to end gun violence across the U.S. 

An interview with singer-songwriter Stephen Clair talking about his new album Transmissions with a few acoustic numbers during the conversation.