An Armao On The Brink

Rosemary Armao
  • 5.0 (26)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

A discussion of the biggest stories across the globe that are bringing society and culture to the brink of the abyss. Hosted by lifelong journalist, SUNY Albany professor, and former WAMC Roundtable panelist Rosemary Armao.

  1. 2d ago

    Chapter 1 of a new season On the Brink and Fighting Back by Remembering the Past

    Revolutionary War re-enactor Carle Kopecky says 18th century soldiers were fighting for the same thing today’s protestors are: no kings lording it over them. Americans are noticeably less excited by the country’s 250th birthday than they were during the Bicentennial 60 years ago. Is this because we are less patriotic? What do you think would most surprise a  soldier from 1776 looking at modern  America: a. technology, b. US power surpassing England, c. king-like power of President, d. warrior culture of professional military?

    48 min

  2. Jun 17

    Beyond Brink and Fighting Back from Bridges and Overpasses around the Country

    New York Capital District activists Christine Primomo and Darlene Stott talk about the logistical, artistic and political challenges of fighting MAGA with messages plastered on bridges and overpasses. The Visibility Brigade organizers say non-violent protest works and combat the right-wing talking point that only old white women are out in the streets. The best way to combat an administration you disapprove of is: A. Voting B. marching and demonstrating peacefully C. Civil disobedience and strong push-back D. patience and prayer  Have you seen an anti-Trump, pro-Democracy message while traveling under local bridges and overpasses in the past year? Christine Primomo of Coeymans is a self-described feminist, activist, environmentalist and grandmother. She started out as a human resources and management analyst, then in mid-life became a registered nurse. She retired from that profession a decade ago and is now active in a variety of civic organizations in addition to the Albany Visibility Brigade which she co-founded, including the League of Women Voters, Capital Women, and the Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena and Coeymans.    Darlene Stott is a co-founder of the Albany Visibility Brigade and a member of numerous other activist groups: We Get Out the Resistance, Bethlehem Indivisible, The League of Women Voters, the Clean Air Coalition, and NY 20/21 Leaders.  She is a retired English teacher and administrator who spent 30 years in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District.

    23 min

  3. Jun 10

    Beyond the Brink and Fighting Back Against Data Centers

    Historian and feminist Ellie Burhans of Albany has recently taken on a new role demonstrating against and decrying energy and water hogging data centers. One has been proposed for an old convent property in Albany and it is one of nearly 30 such centers proposed in the state of New York despite growing concern over how much resources go into centers to support AI and crypto mining. New York may well soon become the first step to embargo new centers for a pause of a year, but Burhans and others say they will not just sit around and see what happens. Do you think Gov. Hochul should sign bills that would pause construction of data centers for a year and also monitor and closely regulate them? Which of these is your view of AI, the main reason data centers that house and cool multiple servers are needed? A. AI is the way of the future and it’s foolish to fight it. B. AI will be the end of mankind like in the Terminator movies C. AI like all new technology represents great opportunities and dangers both and should be regulated strictly by government officials. After 10 years working in museum fundraising and administration, Ellie Burhans now works in course design. She has published poems, presented her research about women’s military uniforms at SUNY Albany and Temple University, and writes about the intersection of current politics and American history. She lives in Slingerlands, and volunteers as an election worker.

    15 min

  4. Jun 3

    Beyond the Brink and Fighting Back on the Ebola Crisis

    Journalist Rosemary Armao  checked back in with Albany native and long-time foreign service officer Michelle Dworkin about that rare Ebola  virus rolling through central Africa. Dworkin lost her job with the US Agency for International Development  last year when the Trump administration shut it down. Armao in her  Beyond the Brink podcast this week explores just how much  the Trump administration is to blame for the latest global health crisis.  Did  layoffs  at USAID and the CDC and a pull-out from the World Health Organization contribute to the disease getting out of control? Are Americans better protected from disease when the country has turned global cooperation on health matters into purely transactional bilateral agreements. You give us your minerals and gems; we'll give you medicine. Should the US rejoin the World Health Organization? US public health policy under Trump/Kennedy has A. put people including Americans at greater risk for infectious diseases B. put some sense into public health planning overly dependent on big Pharma C. sensibly put focus on public health of U.S. citizens D. upended a system of global cooperation on public health matters that worked. Michelle Dworkin was until 2025 a career foreign service officer with the US Agency for International Development. Over, some 23 years, she worked in Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Washington, DC. She possesses In-depth knowledge of government processes, congressional affairs, and project development.  She lives now near Albany again with her parents and daughter.

    19 min

  5. May 20

    Beyond The Brink and Fighting Back from Public Corruption with Mary Anne Sharkey 5/20

    Veteran Ohio political writer Mary Anne Sharkey discusses the massive graft and abuse we are witnessing in the second Trump term and ponders why it seems so hard to stop it. Is making a president’s every action in office unpunishable as the Supreme Court has done a good idea? What do you see as the worst public corruption scandal in the news lately? A. A DOJ slush fund for the president to pay off friends. B. A deal with the IRS that keeps the agency from auditing Trump, his company and his family C. Insider stock trading by high-level officials. Mary Anne Sharkey has been an Ohio-based newspaper reporter and editor all her adult life, serving in a series of leading roles at the Cleveland Plain Dealer especially. The first woman elected president of the Ohio Legislative Correspondent Association, she is an expert on Ohio politics and government. She also has been a strong proponent of women journalists as a board member of the International Women’s Media Foundation.

    50 min

  6. May 14

    Beyond The Brink and Fighting Back from Inflation, Debt, a Fed in Flux, and other Economic Worries

    Wall Street banker and public affairs commentator Mark Wittman explains for podcast host Rosemary Armao in layman’s terms how rising prices, disputed interest rates, the price of gold and the strength of the dollar are being affected by war, politics and Donald Trump’s bullying.  Are you limiting how much driving you are doing because of rising gas prices? The most potentially damaging economic problem facing Americans now is: A. Rising national debt B. Increasing energy, food, and health care costs C. War-related market volatility threatening retirement benefits D. Threats to privatize Social Security Mark Wittman is an Investment banker and capital markets specialist with 20-plus years advising executives and boards on global financing, capital structure, and M&A. His career spans Lehman Brothers, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and SunTrust. Coverage focused on consumer products companies. He holds an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business and an undergraduate degree from Trinity University.

    52 min

  7. May 6

    Over the Brink and Fighting Back from a Regressive Supreme Court Ruling

    Writer Phyllis Jordan  who grew up in Virginia and long reported on southern politics  considers the implications and consequences of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in a Louisiana case that essentially guts the Voting Rights Act. Do you agree with the Supreme Court majority that racism and discrimination in voting is no longer a problem that requires federal oversight?  What do you foresee the Roberts Court being most remembered for? a. Expanding presidential powers b. Curbing women’s rights and rights of minorities c. Expanding protection of religious freedom d. Protecting and defending Second Amendment rights.  Phyllis Jordan is an education policy analyst, journalist and communications manager with more than 30 years experience writing, editing and directing coverage of topics such as education, Congress, national politics, transportation, military affairs and health care. She has written extensively about student absenteeism and Covid relief spending. She has worked at Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, Attendance Works, and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Previously she was a senior editor  at the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

    40 min

  8. Apr 29

    Beyond the Brink (And Fighting Back) to keep the Adirondacks Forever Wild with Jim Odato

    Veteran investigative reporter Jim Odato knows the history, controversies and problems of New York's Adirondacks region better than almost anyone, and he talks with podcast host Rosemary Armao about preserving the wild North Country while also building world-class Olympic sports facilities and redeveloping closed prisons in the vast and remote area. James M. Odato is a correspondent and former editor of the Adirondack Explorer. He has spent a long career as an investigative reporter and is recognized as one of New York’s top journalists covering state government, gambling, and waste of public money. He has written thousands of articles, his byline has appeared in numerous national publications and his investigative stories have spurred reforms. As a staff reporter for five daily newspapers, including the Albany Times Union and Buffalo News, Odato has received more than 30 state and national awards.  He has also taught at the University at Albany and authored a book, This Brain Had a Mouth, Lucy Gwin and the Voice of Disability Nation.

    51 min
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5
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About

A discussion of the biggest stories across the globe that are bringing society and culture to the brink of the abyss. Hosted by lifelong journalist, SUNY Albany professor, and former WAMC Roundtable panelist Rosemary Armao.

Information

  • Creator
    Rosemary Armao
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rosemary Armao
  • Show Website
    An Armao On The Brink

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