8 O'Clock Buzz

“You Are Your Own Best Teacher!” is a bold, inspiring invitation to children to embrace inner strengths and forge the positive future the world so desperately needs — so says Amy Goodman of Claire Nader’s recent book. Nader talks with Jan Miyasaki about this book for tweens, highlighting corporate exploitation of today’s tweens that are distracting them, degrading their self-confidence, and preventing them from reaching their full potential.

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Today on the Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and 1neofmani (Breyon Somerville), we’re talking Cannabis.  First up, Mona Zhang, state cannabis policy reporter for POLITICO, joins us to talk about the law and the changes happening and coming in state and national policies about cannabis.  At the middle, Tony Herman from Quality CBD joins to talk about his story, his business, and the technical details of the CBD industry and products.  Finally, Alan Robinson from Herbal Aspect Cannabis Dispensary joins us to talk about his business, medical cannabis and working the law to get the medical impact they need and have a safe environment for people to consume.

More about Mona and POLITICO’s coverage on cannabis: https://www.politico.com/cannabis  

More Tony and Quality CBD: https://qualitycbd.org/

More on Herbal Aspect: https://herbalaspect.com/ 

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

Photo by Shelby Ireland on Unsplash

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · Raging Grannies Sing For Fightin’ Bob

If you’re a new visitor to the mezzanine of Wisconsin’s Capitol, you might wonder who that bust of a scowling man with flowing hair is.  Those familiar with Wisconsin’s history will recognize those glowering features as Fighting Bob LaFollette, Wisconsin’s 20th Governor and three-term U.S. Senator, but there has never been a plaque or sign identifying the statue.  Thanks to Fightin’ Bob’s grand-nephew, current Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug LaFollette, that oversight will be corrected when the Capitol installs a plaque outlining Fightin’ Bob’s history and his contributions to Wisconsin.  At the ceremony later today, Madison’s own Raging Grannies will serenade the crowd for the plaque unveiling.  But first, the Raging Grannies join us here in the WORT studios with a preview.

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · Universities Built On Indigenous Land

You may have heard the term “land-grant universities,” and wondered exactly what that means.  Well, if you are on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, you are on Ho-Chunk land.  On September 15, 1832, in the aftermath of the bloody Black Hawk War, the U.S. government forced the Ho-Chunk Nation to sign a treaty ceding territory that included the current City of Madison and the University of Wisconsin campus.  Thirty years later, the U.S. Morrill Act redistributed some 1.4 million more acres of Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Ojibwe and Dakota lands to the University of Wisconsin and other universities.  High school and college textbooks have often glossed over this period of history.  With a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, educators at the University of Wisconsin now seek to correct that oversight with a new curriculum on indigenous land dispossession.  Kasey Keeler, an assistant professor of Civil Society and American Indian Studies, a member of the Tulolumne Band of Me-Wuk and Citizen Potawatomi, heads up the new program.

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · BLOC Decries GOP Voter Suppression

Earlier in January, Republican Party Chairman for Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District, Bob Spindell, sent a fundraising e-mail, crowing about how the Republican Party successfully suppressed the black and hispanic vote in Milwaukee.  In a message obtained by Urban Milwaukee reporter Bruce Murphy, Spindell crowed that “the City of Milwaukee cast 37,000 less votes than in the 2018 election, with the major reduction happening in the overwhelming Black and Hispanic areas.”  Spindell, who also sits on the supposedly nonpartisan Wisconsin Election Commission and was a false elector in the 2020 Presidential Election, went on to brag that the lower vote totals resulted from the GOPs “well-thought out and multi-faceted plan” involving negative ads on black radio stations, Republican-paid election judges and election observers in black and Hispanic districts.  Democrats, activists and others are now calling for Spindell’s resignation from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.  Angela Lang is the Executive Director of Black Leaders Organizing Communities or BLOC, a Milwaukee-based political network.

 

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Playing this week at the Overture Center is Forward Theater’s latest production, “Airness.” It's the story of a character named Nina who enters her first air guitar contest thinking winning will be a breeze, only to learn there's more to the craft than she thought. Two actors in the play, James Carrington and Josh Krause, join host Andy Moore on the Friday 8 O'Clock Buzz to talk about the play's unique concept, the heart of their characters and mastering the art of air guitar.

James Carrington and Josh Krause play Gabe "Golden Thunder" Partridge and Ed "Shreddy Eddy" Leary, respectively, in Forward Theater Company's "Airness." The show opened at the Overture Center on January 26th and will be playing until February 12th. "Airness" is written by Chelsea Marcantel; the Forward Theater Company production is directed by Molly Rhode. For information on tickets and showtimes, visit tickets.overture.org/overview/7878

Olivia Parry, Senior Planner for the Dane County Planning and Development Department, joins Tony Castañeda on this Thursday’s 8 O’Clock Buzz to talk about the survey currently being conducted to assess Dane County’s housing crisis.

Residents are being asked to complete the survey, which takes 7-10 minutes to complete and is anonymous. Participants will be entered in a raffle for gift cards and other prizes.

The input will be used by the Housing Advisory Committee as they expedite the development and preservation of affordable and workforce housing throughout Dane County.

CLICK HERE to take the 10-minute Community Housing Survey to share your thoughts on housing and affordability for our community!

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After an eight month long walk out by union workers at the CNH plants in Racine, WI and Burlington, IA, a preliminary agreement was reached that will send strikers back to work this Monday. Further negotiations are taking place at the local level and details of the agreement have not been made public. Yasin Mahdi, President of UAW Local 180 that represents the Racine workers, spoke with Tony Castañeda, host of the Thursday Morning 8 O’clock Buzz, to discuss the new developments. Despite the tentative agreement on pay increases and working conditions, Mr. Mahdi wasn’t ready to strike up the band. He even suggested that the Union may have struck out on some important details as evidenced by the Racine Local voting to reject the company’s proposal. The Burlington workers voted overwhelmingly to accept the proposal so that the total union vote was in favor.

Photo courtesy of Cytonn Photography on Unsplash

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Liz Dannenbaum from the East Side Progressives talks about an upcoming City Council Candidate Forum, featuring candidates from Districts 3, 15, & 16 on Friday, February 3, 2023, at 6:30, virtually via Zoom. Register at their website or get more information on their Facebook page. Dannenbaum also reminds people of the upcoming February 21 primary, featuring Wisconsin Supreme Court hopefuls, and the April 4th election date.

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Jan Miyasaki talks with Janet Murphy, coordinator of the Arboretum CoHousing Blood Drive, about their Co-Housing efforts and the blood drive set for Wednesday, February 15, 2023, from noon-5:30. You are invited to make a reservation on the Red Cross website (or call Janet at 608.204.7131) and possibly save a life.

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