8 O'Clock Buzz

Avant-Rock or Experimental Music is often characterized by the use of innovative musical elements, and utilization of unconventional sounds and techniques. The duo, John and Dan, showcase their take on this subgenre tonight, Thursday, May 11, at the Art and Literature Lab starting at 7:00 PM. Dan Kaufman joins the Thursday morning edition of the 8 O’Clock Buzz and host Tony Castañeda to talk about the show, with a generous mix of political discussion added to spice things up. A ticket giveaway happens between 11 am-noon Thursday on the Hejira program, where you can call in for your chance to win.

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A one-way ticket’s in my hand

Heading for the chosen land

My troubles will all turn to sand

When I get to the border

When I Get to the Border by Richard and Linda Thompson

Primitivo Torres, Deputy Director of Operations at Voces de la Frontera, joins host Tony Castañeda on the Thursday edition of the 8 O’Clock Buzz to talk about the expiration of Title 42. This is the policy used to turn away asylum seekers, primarily at the US southern border, justified by the recent pandemic. Right wing politicians are stoking fears of a surge of migrants coming across the border without this racist policy in effect, but Primitivo points out that the potential surge was created by that very same policy backing up asylum seekers at the border without a viable option to return to their homeland.

Image by 849356 from Pixabay

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After 6 years of spoon feeding answers to the application form, the Nuclear Regulatory Committee recently approved Holtec’s application for a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility of nuclear waste in New Mexico, according to Kevin Kamps of Beyond Nuclear. In the meantime, states have enacted laws about nuclear waste storage, and several lawsuits are pending. Kamps gives an update.

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There are an estimated 23.9 million refugees worldwide, according to Marcia Orellana, Program Assistant for Migration Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. The refugee cap for the U. S. has recently been raised from 15,000 to 25,000, but despite that, there is insufficient funding for program like humanitarian parole, refugee resettlement and asylum, and pursuing additional permanent pathways for people entering the U. S.

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Lisa Graves, Executive Director of True North Research, says that one of the principle responsibilities of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is to protect the Court’s integrity — something that John Roberts has failed, in light of the Clarence and Ginni Thomas acceptance of gifts of travel from a conservative billionaire. She talks about the history of these gifts, going back to 2011, with over $500,000 in private travel, as well as undisclosed payments to the wife of the Supreme Court justice.

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · Madison Childrens Museum Celebrates Asian Pacific Islander Heritage

May is Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage month.  On Thursday, May 11, the Madison Children’s Museum celebrates the occasion with a huge bash, featuring performances by Zhong Yi Lion Dancers, Beni Daiko Taiko Ensemble, and K-pop dance group VIVID Dance; food samples from Little Tibet; and cultural activities with the Hmong Institute in the Art Studio. Madison Children’s Museum Vice President of Education & Community Engagement Kia Karlen and Peng Her, CEO of the Hmong Institute, and 2015 recipient Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award winner both joined the Monday Buzz on May 8, 2023.

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · Hooks Unveils Worlds Oldest Cheddar

In 2003, George W. Bush had just plunged the U.S. into the Iraq War, the social media website MySpace was the hot thing on the internet, and 50 cent, Beyonce, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow were tearing up the music charts.  And in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Hook’s Cheese founder Tony Hook locked a batch of cheddar cheese away.  Later today, on May 8, 2023, Hook will cut that wheel of cheese for the first time, unveiling it’s new 20-year aged cheddar.  At $209 a pound, this comestible certainly has a niche market, but then again, it’s the only 20-year cheddar in the world.  Hook’s Cheese founder Tony Hook joined the Monday Buzz on May 8, 2023.

Photo of Hook’s Cheese sign by jchapiewsky via Flickr, under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) license.

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · Dems And GOP Propose Wildly Different Fixes For Shared Revenue

2022 was a record year for local government spending referenda.  Hemmed in by state laws that cap local revenues based on nonsensical criteria, 104 local jurisdictions sought relief from onerous revenue caps by going to public referenda.  Those pleas to authorize more local spending won by a whopping 84%.  Clearly, the public supports their local governments spending money and just as clearly, local governments need other sources of revenue.  At the same time, the State of Wisconsin, which is now sitting on an unprecedented seven billion dollar surplus, continues to curtail state shared revenue to local governments.  Republicans and Democrats in state government both – finally – seem to realize that now, with both sides proposing revisions to the state’s shared revenue formula.  The proposed solutions from Democratic Governor Tony Evers and the Republican-led State Legislature, however, illustrate the vast political divide between them.  Can something yet be done?  Ross Milton is an Assistant Professor of Public Affairs at the La Follette Institute at the University of Wisconsin, who specializes in state and local public finance.  He joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on Monday, May 8, 2023.

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The National Priorities Project of the Institute for Policy Studies each year produces a worksheet of where your federal tax dollars are spent. Director Lindsay Koshgarian breaks down the spending, and their website lets you look up the number for the average Wisconsin resident, or you can enter your own numbers to see where your money is going. Spoiler alert: the military and private contractors do really well.

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Ron Kaminkow, Organizer at Railroad Workers United, talks about some of the issues facing rail workers today: open-ended scheduling, limited time off, lack of sick leave, long grueling hours, lack of maintenance, fatigue, and more. Forbes and Fortune magazines have listed three railroad companies in the bottom ten of worst companies to work for, judged by employees. Kaminkow says that now is the time to make railroads a publicly-owned service.

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