8 O'Clock Buzz

Last October, Republican legislators introduced a bill (SB 597/598) which would require both school and public librarians in Wisconsin to share students’ library checkout information with parents within 24 hours of an item being checked out.

Peter Bromberg, Associate Director of EveryLibrary, spoke with Thursday 8 O’Clock Buzz hosts Tony Castańeda and Eli Wilz about how this bill could put libraries in real jeopardy.  Given that parents already have the ability to monitor their child’s library activity, requiring librarians to notify parents of their children’s check-out activity within 24 hours has the potential to increase operational costs at both public and school libraries.

EveryLibrary sees this type of legislation as part of a national trend; because schools and libraries are such trusted and beloved public institutions, crafting bills that undermine confidence in them is a way to slowly erode that trust and ultimately persuade voters that moving public funds into private hands and school voucher programs is a viable alternative.

Photo courtesy of Brett Jordan on Unsplash.

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Cassandra Dixon from the Madison Rafah Sister City Project gives an update on the ongoing assault on Palestinians in Gaza, and the many projects that the organization is coordinating to support the refugees in Rafah, including a silent auction that starts on Valentine’s Day and goes through February 29, 2024. Daily updates on the catastrophe can be found on their website.

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A resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza will be before the Dane County Board tonight, Thursday, Feb. 15. The resolution also seeks to put restrictions on US support for the ongoing military assault, which to date has resulted in the deaths of over 25,000 Palestinians. To make your voice heard, read the resolution here, and learn what actions to take before 4:30pm 2/15/24 to add your support to the resolution.

8 O’Clock Buzz hosts Tony Castańeda and Eli Wilz talked with Barb Olson and Jennifer Loewenstein, two original member/founders of the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, which has for over 20 years sought to “increase public awareness of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to influence U.S. public policy to benefit both peoples.” They encourage listeners to attend tonight’s board meeting in person and register to speak in support of the resolution, or attend virtually.

Photo courtesy of hosnysalah on Pixabay.

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“The largest gathering of right-wing extremists since January 6” — that’s how Heidi Beirich, Co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, describes the recent anti-immigrant protests of “God’s Army” at Eagle Pass, Texas, not far from the border. Beirich talks about the rise of right-wing extremism world-wide, which is tracked by their organization.

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Today on the Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Antoine McNeail featuring RR Moore and Lolo Lature, Madison Ballet Artistic Director and Interim Executive Director Ja’ Malik stops in to tell his story, talk about ballet, and what it’s like to be one of the only Black artistic directors in American ballet.

Madison Ballet’s “Love” opens Thursday, February 15th and runs through Sunday, February 25th in Promenade Hall at Overture Center for the Arts.  Thursday productions are “pay what you wish” and feature a talkback, and Friday, February 16th is a special “Out at The Ballet”, an LGBTQIA celebration.  Get tickets from Overture Center.

Keep up with Madison Ballet on Instagram and madisonballet.org.

More on Ja’ Malik from Madison Ballet and Ballet Boy Productions.

Coming up Soon:

Thursday February 15th – Join Tara and Chakari for Cool Cats Collab Club Open Mic at Forward Club in Breese Stevens Field (917 E Mifflin St)

February 22nd – Madison Black Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony

February 23rd, join RR Moore for “Words Work Homecoming #2” spoken word at Intimate Affairs by Tarina in Beloit, WI

February 24th, join Antoine for his Black History Month Comedy Jam featuring Brandi Grayson and more at Wil-Mar Center!

March 6th, memorialize Tony Robinson at the McPike Park on the 9th anniversary of his murder at the hands of Madison Police.

Check out the music playlist from today! 

Listen in Madison at 89.9FM or online anywhere at wortfm.org.  Support your community radio with a donation online at wortfm.org!

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For the past eleven years, The Madison Arts Commission has partnered with the Madison Metropolitan School District and a host of other organizations on Madison’s Any Given Child initiative. Any Given Child is a national youth program run by The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and includes cities around the country. Madison has participated in Any Given Child since its inception.

Organizers of Madison’s efforts, Nick Pjevach, Chair of the Madison Arts Commission; Kia Karlen, of the Friends of the Madison Arts Commission; and Karin Wolf, City of Madison Arts Program Coordinator, came on the Monday Eight o’Clock Buzz to tell us more about the program.

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If you listen to WORT the traditional way, over the airwaves, you will hear a frequency modulated signal, peaking 89.9 million times each second. The technology that makes this possible, radio, is nearly a century old, and though we may take it for granted now, it remains an astounding achievement.

Going beyond the complex engineering oscillators and integrated circuits that make up a radio transmitter and receiver, radio waves have an inherent beauty perhaps best described in the language of mathematics.

Paul J. Nahin is Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering at the University of New Hampshire, explains this elegant language in his new book, “The Mathematical Radio” from Princeton University Press. Professor Nahin talks about his book with the Monday Buzz.

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In his 2024 State of the State address, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers gave a shout out to numerous high school programs that work to destigmatize mental illness among teens and young adults. Among the youth initiatives the governor praised is “Raise Your Voice”, which helps build grassroots support and advocacy clubs that are safe spaces for youth suffering from mental illness.

“Raise Your Voice” is the work of the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Mary Kate Riley is the Youth Program Coordinator for NAMI Wisconsin, and joined us in the studio to tell us more about “Raise Your Voice” and the students it serves.

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Rick Perlstein is an author, journalist, and historian who has written extensively about the rise of the American radical conservative movement and he joins the Thursday edition of the 8 O’Clock Buzz to discuss the dangerous impact this movement can have on our democracy.  Rick is concerned that the main-stream media in the US isn’t giving sufficient coverage to this issue which allows disinformation and violent rhetoric to fill the airways.  He argues that only a mobilized electorate can be an effective counter-balance to the descent into fascism brought about by a vocal and aggressive minority taking over the Republican Party.  It’s not difficult to find fault with fascist folly.

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

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The 20th annual Bob Marley birthday tribute and dance party is taking place tonight, February 8, at the Crystal Corner Bar.  In conjunction with this event, there’s a benefit for local food pantries spearheaded by Healthy Food for All Dane County.  Frankie Pobar Lay joins the Thursday morning edition of the 8 O’Clock buzz to talk about the event but more importantly to discuss the importance of work done by local organizations to ensure that all Dane County families can access affordable, healthy and culturally appropriate food to achieve better health outcomes and a higher quality of life, and to protect our local ecosystem by reducing landfill waste.  Come to the event and rasta assured you’ll have a good time.

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