Our guest today is Don Blum, from Greenburgh, NY, who is one of the last survivors of the USS Indianapolis, which was the last major capital ship, sunk in World War II. Our subject is his story, what really happened, and who was at fault!

Mr. Blum was born in 1924 and grew up in Scarsdale, where he went to the public schools and graduated from Scarsdale High School in June of 1941. He started at Stevens Institute of Technology that summer for introductory courses in shop and drafting and to get acquainted with the other freshmen. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred on December 7, 1941, many of his classmates left to join the armed forces. Because he was just 17, he was advised to stay in college because he would be more valuable as a trained engineer.  When he turned 18 in '42 he enlisted in the Navy and applied for, and was accepted in, the for V-12 Program. This program was a intense college training for new naval officers to supplement the regular force of commissioned officers already serving the fleet. In June 1943, his program started at the Stevens Institute where he graduated in fall of 1944 and was sent directly to Midshipmen's school at Columbia University.  He graduated in March of 1945 and was sent to the State of Washington to Gunnery School. In the middle of June 1945, he was assigned to USS Indianapolis.  After reporting to the Naval Commandant in San Francisco he was transported to the ship at Mare Island where it was being repaired in dry dock. He reported aboard and was given orders to leave for Ammunition Handling School in Seattle. After three weeks of training he returned to ship and was told that the ship would be leaving next day for places unknown. He was just 21 and had never been to sea before.

Thirteen days later he was swimming in the shark-infested waters of the Pacific with hundreds of other survivors and the ship was gone. After being rescued with the remaining survivors, he returned from Pacific theater for 30 day survivor leave. He was then assigned to USS Franklin, a large carrier, located in Brooklyn Navy Yard, while being repaired after being hit by a Kamikaze.  Eventually, with the end of the war, He was discharged. Later on, he was asked to testify at a Courts-Martial trial of the Captain of the Indianapolis.

After his service he joined his father’s small consulting engineering firm and was put to work almost immediately in New York. His brother was released from the Navy about six months before and they both worked together. After almost thirty years in that business, he retired and bought a sailboat and sailed up and down the East Coast.

Download | Duration: 00:57:13

Our guest today Gary Ratner, the National Director of the Zionist Organization of America, and our subject is the Mid-East Peace Process and what is his organization’s perspective on the new Obama peace initiative.

Download | Duration: 00:50:57

Mr. Ratner was raised in Chicago and received his Masters Degree in International relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Studies in Washington. He has taken courses at the Sorbonne in Paris, Georgetown University and George Williams College in Montreal. In his early career, he was involved as a business entrepreneur, a community activist and a political fundraiser. Since the mid 1970’s, he has served in many high level positions with a number of Jewish organizations. He has also taught history at the Junior College level, and co-hosted a radio, “The Mid-East Forum” show in NYC and Washington from 1991-5.

As National Director with the ZOA, which was founded in 1897, and is the oldest pro-Israel organization in America, Mr. Ratner oversees fundraising, programming, membership development and policy direction. Just prior to his current position he was the Western regional Director of the American Jewish Congress.  He has been involved in the fight against anti-Semitism on American campuses, has investigated the possible misuse of Federal Title VI monies to Centers of Middle East studies, has worked against the outbreak of anti-Semitic violence in France, and has brought the to the forefront Muslim inspired anti-Semitism in America. While he was with the American Jewish Congress he worked tirelessly in the effort to create the US-Israel Energy Cooperation Act, which funds alternate energy research. He can be reached at both gratner@zoa.org and www.zoa.org

 

Our guest today is Professor Jim Caraley, Editor of the Political Science Quarterly, and our subject is the role of political journals in the world of “talking heads” and the mass media, or in other words, political science vs. politics. Editor of Political Science Quarterly and President of The Academy of Political Science, Demetrios James Caraley is also Research Professor of Political Science at Barnard College.  For most of his career, he was Janet Robb Professor of the Social Science at Barnard College and Columbia University and Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia. ( Information can be found at The Academy of Political Science- website: www.psqonline.org .)

Download | Duration: 01:00:18

Professor Caraley is a specialist on American politics including city government and urban policies and problems and on congressional policies toward cities, Caraley has published numerous books and articles including Critical Issues for Clinton's Domestic Agenda, Doing More With Less: Cutback Management in New York City, and City Governments and Urban Problems. Caraley has been both an appointed and elected official in Westchester County local government.
Caraley has also published books in the field of national security policy, his latest one being the 2007 book, Terrorist Attacks and Nuclear Proliferation: Strategies for Overlapping Dangers.  He has published American Hegemony: Preventive War, Iraq, and Imposing Democracy; September 11, Terrorist Attacks, and U.S. Foreign Policy; The New American Interventionism; The President's War Powers; and The Politics of Military Unification.

Caraley was a Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Scholar for academic year 1995-96, where he worked on a continuing project called Washington Abandons the Cities and the Urban Poor. Among his recent major articles are “Washington Abandons the Cities” and “Dismantling the Federal Safety Net: Fictions versus Realities”. His article on “Ending Welfare as We Know It: A Reform Still in Progress”, published in the Winter 2001 issue of the Quarterly was awarded a prize by the New York State Academy of Public Administration as the “outstanding publication of 2001."

Caraley was elected chairman of the Barnard Political Science Department for ten three-year terms. He also established the Columbia Graduate Program in Public Policy and Administration in Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs and was its founding director. Caraley served as a naval officer at sea and at shore duty during the Korean War.  He earned the B.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University. On June 17, 2009, he is publishing as an eBook, Eight Presidential Elections, 1980-2008: Dealignments, Brittle Mandates, and Possible Majority Realignment.

 

Our guest today is Christina Ficicchia, the Executive Director of Clean Cities and our subject is “How can we create clean energy, and continue to supply our growth needs?” Our guest panelist will be Ms. Allegra Dengler, the Co-coordinator of the Greenburgh Office of Energy Conservation.

Download | Duration: 00:52:43

Ms. Ficicchia, a native of Rochester, NY, received her Bachelors from Boston University in Biology with a minor in Philosophy. She also received a MS degree from Pratt Institute in City and Regional Planning, with a focus on environmental planning. She volunteers with GreenHomeNYC a local volunteer-run non-profit organization, which facilitates the adoption of sustainable building methods and materials by owners of small residential and commercial buildings in NYC and the Manhattan Young Democrats, where she is an active member of the Environmental Issues Committee.  She is currently the Executive Director at New York City and Lower Hudson Valley Clean Communities and also works as a consultant with Insite East, LLC, real estate and development specialists. 

Ms. Ficicchia worked as an economic and environmental planner with Bronx Overall and Pratt Center for approximately 5 years before becoming the Executive Director of New York City & Lower Hudson Valley Clean Communities, Inc. (NYCLHVCC).  She has worked on PV (Solar) panel project, Green roof projects, green building and other energy efficiency and improvement projects.  As the executive director, Ms. Ficicchia provides support and management related to the operations of the non-profit organization, develops strategies and programs that fulfill its mission, seeks out increased membership enrollment and funding and promotes the acceptance of alternative fuel fleet vehicles and acts as the US Department of Energy Clean Cities Coalition Coordinator in the New York City and Lower Hudson Valley Clean Cities Region. Collaborates with State, County and Federal regulatory agencies, interest groups, media, consultants and other Clean Cities Coalitions to develop policies, coordinate work, and exchange information. She represents the Coalition in public and private forums and manages various projects that increase the number of alternative fuel vehicles on the road and increase alternative fuel use to facilitate petroleum reduction. Ms. Ficicchia coordinates various local events related to promoting alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles and develops and implements policies and long-range organizational goals.

Ms. Dengler, a long-time Westchesterite, was a former Dobbs Ferry Village Trustee, is a member of the Sierra Club, serves on the New York Democratic Lawyer’s Council HAVA Committee (Help America Vote Act), and is a member of the Progressive Democrats of America Election Protection Working Group.  She was a candidate for the Greenburgh Town Board in 2005 and narrowly lost election for Mayor of Dobbs Ferry.  She is constantly working, along with the League of Women Voters, and other groups, to insure that New Yorkers have the proper paper ballots when the current lever machines are replaced under our new law.  Ms. Dengler is an active watchdog regarding the Hudson River and Indian Point, and is currently the chairperson of the Citizens for Voting Integrity and one of CVI’s founders. She has been a frequent panelist and guest on The Advocates discussing: voting integrity, conservation, the Hudson River and Indian Point.

 

Our guests today are Hank Cardello, who with Doug Garr, wrote “Stuffed” an insider’s look at who’s (really) making America fat! Our guests will talk discuss Americans and Obesity and the critical problem the country faces as it overeats! http://www.stuffednation.com/ .

Download | Duration: 00:52:27

Henry J. (Hank) Cardello is chief executive officer of 27º North, a consulting firm which addresses societal issues that businesses play the largest role in solving.  For over two decades, Hank was an executive at some of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, including positions as President of Sunkist Soft Drinks, Inc., Vice President of Marketing for Canada Dry, Director of Marketing for Coca-Cola USA, and Brand Manager for Anheuser-Busch and General Mills. Most recently, Mr. Cardello has served as Chief Executive Officer for several nutritional food ingredient companies. In 2000, Mr. Cardello was identified as a “Top 10 Innovator” in the Nutritional Foods industry. He has advised or partnered with several major food, beverage and nutrition corporations such as Coca-Cola, Campbell Soup, Hormel Foods, Nestlé, Pillsbury, Quaker Oats, and Tropicana.

 

Hank concurrently serves as Chairman of the annual Global Obesity Business Forum, an initiative sponsored by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Forum brings together senior food industry executives and world renowned nutrition scientists to advance solutions regarding the obesity crisis. Among the major global food and beverage companies participating include the Campbell Soup Company, Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper-Snapple, Group Danone, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, McDonald's and Unilever.

Mr. Cardello is the author of Stuffed: An Insider’s Look at Who’s (Really) Making America Fat out in January, 2009 from HarperCollins. The book provides novel viewpoints regarding how to solve the obesity crisis by highlighting how various constituencies contribute to the problem and by demonstrating how the food industry can profitably do the right thing for their customer’s health.
Hank has been a featured speaker at several new business and industry forums and has served as an Executive Fellow for the American Marketing Association. He currently sits on the Board of Hormel Health Technology LLC and acts as Chairman for Source Food Technology, Inc. He has been a director for both the National Executive Committee of the Wharton Alumni Association and the Wharton Club of Atlanta. More recently, he has sat on the Boards of Legacy Securities Corporation, an investment banking firm, and the College of Business at James Madison University.

Mr. Cardello’s undergraduate degree was awarded Magna Cum Laude in materials science and metallurgy from Lehigh University, and he holds an MBA in marketing from the Wharton Graduate School, University of Pennsylvania.

Doug Garr, a graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications has written for magazines, newspapers, and CEOs of companies like, JP Morgan, Hewlett-Packard, and Network Appliances. He has written books on Lou Gerstner of IBM, investing, and Silicon Valley. He wrote economic speeches for former Governor Mario Cuomo, and he is currently working on two new books. He has a life-long interest in politics.  Doug grew up in Westchester County and now lives in NYC. Mr. Garr was a guest of The Advocates on July 23, 2008 talking about political campaigns since FDR.

Our guest today is Paula Marks and our subject is the power of “Networking” and her belief that, “behavior drives business, and business drives behavior.”

Download | Duration: 00:51:24

Paula's career in executive search spans three decades and includes partnership and president positions held in other significant executive search organizations. Her professional background incorporates a valuable blend of corporate and professional service firm experiences…a combination that has shaped Paula's perspective and understanding of the business world from both the client and service provider point of view. Prior to entering the executive search arena in 1985, Paula held director level positions within corporate human resources divisions where she developed generalist and staffing knowledge and skills. Though Paula's primary practice areas are centered around human resources and retail, she has successfully conducted many searches in all areas of general management. Her clients include many Fortune 50 companies.

Paula's expertise falls mainly into the areas of staffing, employee relations, retention and workplace enhancement. It's an expertise that is sought by and widely shared with others. This includes guest appearances on:

• CNN Financial News
• Lifetime TV
• Fox 5's Good Day New York
• MSNBC
• Regular broadcasts on WPAT's talk radio program - "Career Corner"
• Contributing editor to Vault.com, a premier on-line human resources organization
• Upcoming article in USA Today Sunday Magazine Section 

 Of great importance is the generous time that Paula gives back to her community doing volunteer work. She regularly conducts out-reach programs and workshops in career counseling and job search activities assisting individuals from all walks of life, such as:

• Weekly coaching seminar at Moonstruck East Restaurant, 31st Street and Third Avenue, NYC - Monday evenings 6:30-8:00pm commencing March 19th - Call 212-889-6570 for reservations
• "Career Management" event February 20, 2001 - Borders Bookstore
• "Everybody Wins" - one on one reading partner in NYC school system
• "NOW" - career coach From Welfare to Work
• Paula is a member of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and The Fashion Group International (FGI).

My guest is Ms Claudine Bacher, and our subject today is Val-Kill, the home of Eleanor Roosevelt and Saving America’s Historic Treasures. Ms Bacher was born in Paris and fled with her family from occupied France and settled in NYC in 1942. She graduated from Bennington College, married and raised three daughters. Ms. Bacher has worked for ABC, The Nation and Mademoiselle Magazine.

Download | Duration: 00:52:00

She has been involved in political campaigns and served on the numerous boards which include The Florida Key’s Children’s Shelter and the Health and Human Services Board of Monroe County, Florida. She is presently on the Board of Pathfinder International. She remains active in Democratic Politics having served in the campaigns of former Senators Bill Bradley and Hillary Clinton. She is a member of Save America’s Treasures, which was initiated by the then First Lady Hillary Clinton, as part of the White House Millennium Project. She was the former chair of the project to preserve the legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt by preserving her Val-Kill Cottage, Mrs. Roosevelt’s home in partnership with the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, www.preservationnation.org .

This Monday, in a ceremony at the United Nations, she is presenting to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “The Following in Her Footstep’s Award,” who exemplifies the values of Eleanor Roosevelt. One can find information about this effort at http://www.honoringeleanorroosevelt.org/ One can also access Val-Kill at http://www.nps.gov/elro and at http://www.ervk.org .

To help support the preservation of Val-Kill, one can send checks to Ms. Fiona Lawless c/o the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036.

My guest is Dr. Jacob Appel and our subject today is his article on the “marketing of fetal organs,” right or wrong, ethics versus the advancement of healthcare.

Download | Duration: 00:53:11

Dr. Jacob M. Appel is a graduate of Columbia Medical School, a professional bioethicist and medical historian.   He has taught most recently at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was honored with the Undergraduate Council of Students Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2003, and at New York University.  His essays on matters at the nexus of law, medicine and philosophy have appeared in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Providence Journal, The Orlando Sentinel, The Tucson Citizen, and many regional newspapers, and his columns can be found at The Huffington Post and Opposing Views.  He also contributes to the Journal of Medical Ethics, the Journal of Clinical Ethics, the Hastings Center Report, the Bulletin of the History of Medicine, GeneWatch, The Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics and numerous other academic publications. 
 
Jacob’s fiction and plays often explore issues related to bioethics.  His short stories have appeared in more than eighty major literary journals including Alaska Quarterly Review, Bellevue Literary Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Missouri Review, Shenandoah, Southwest Review and Threepenny Review.  He won the Boston Review’s short fiction contest in 1998, the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Award for best short story in 2004, a Sherwood Anderson Foundation grant in 2005 and three New Millennium Writings first prizes in fiction in 2004, 2007 and 2008.  His work has been short listed for the O. Henry Award, The Pushcart Prize, The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Non-required Reading.  His plays have been performed at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre, Adrienne Theatre (Philadelphia), Detroit Repertory Theatre, Heller Theater (Tulsa), Curtain Players (Columbus), Epilogue Players (Indianapolis), Intentional Theatre (New London) and numerous other theaters across the country.  His one-act play, The Mistress of Wholesome, won the 2008 Writer’s Digest writing competition, the first stage play to win this honor in seventy-seven years.
 
Jacob holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Brown University, an M.A. and an M.Phil. from Columbia University, an M.F.A. in creative writing from New York University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.  He is a member of the bar in New York State and Rhode Island. He holds an MD from Columbia University.
 

 

Today's guest is Anne Cook, the author Democrats in the Red Zone. The subject is President Barack Obama’s “First Hundred Days,” and what he has accomplished both substantively and historically.

Download | Duration: 00:53:27

Anne Cook is an author, sometime blogger, and average American citizen whose recent book, Democrats in the Red Zone: an Independent voter’s take on the game of political perception, was published in November 2007. In her book, Cook suggests that Democrats have to be savvier about how they play the political perception game. She believes Republicans retain an edge in their understanding of American cultural biases, and that Democrats must sharpen their rhetoric and cultivate more mainstream perceptions of their constituencies to gain an upper hand.

In a direct challenge to the organizational culture of the Democratic Party in particular and liberal culture in general, Cook asserts that such a strategic shift will only occur when barriers to inclusion based on class and educational credentials are broken down within those two cultures. Cook believes that America’s voting majority — especially football fans — detests one trait even more than dishonesty: pretentiousness. Ms. Cook lives in Virginia, which she calls a “red state going purple,” and she was a guest on The Advocates on both January 2nd and September 3rd of 2008. Right before the election on October 29th of 2008, she joined political pollster Drew Zambelli and author Doug Garr, who is a keen observer of American politics in predicting a Democratic victory in November.
 

My guest is Mr. Bruce Fabricant, the author of a That Perfect Spring, a story about baseball, the recollections of lost youth, the lesson of bonding with others, and baseball. Written in the style and spirit of The Glory of Their Times, he travels back fifty years to a bygone and seemingly more innocent era.
 

Download | Duration: 00:52:13

Bruce is a lifelong Westchester resident.  He grew up and attended public schools in Mount Vernon, raised a family in Ardsley, and now lives in Somers.  After graduating from Michigan State University where he was editor-in-chief for the university’s daily student newspaper, he was lieutenant in the United States Army.   He also worked in public relations for Ford Motor Company before joining the Grey Agency.

He has developed powerful public relations oriented campaigns for some of the nation’s most well known products and services including Johnson & Johnson, Kenner Toys, and Greyhound. 

Bruce has been able to combine his love of sports with his career in public relations.  He developed a Box Tops for Fun ‘N Fitness School Program for General Foods; promoted Borden’s Cracker Jack baseball card collectibles; and created a national Gordon’s Dry Gin Mixed Doubles Club Tennis Championship.

He has written four films for Panasonic’s Sports Film School Library; toured the country with Brooklyn Dodgers relief pitcher Joe Black on behalf of Greyhound; and promoted Getty Oil Company’s NY Yankee Honorary Batboy winners.

Before starting his own public relations firm in White Plains in 1991, Bruce Fabricant was for nine years Executive Vice President of GCI Group, a public relations subsidiary of Grey Advertising in New York City. Public Relations Quarterly named him one of the top 100 U.S. public relations consultants.