Look at the photos from the recent demonstrations at state capitols protesting stay-at-home orders. Amid all the signs warning against government tyranny or demanding that the economy reopen, you’ll often see another kind of sign: “I want a haircut!” or “I need a haircut!” And we have to ask: What are haircare signs doing at […]
Can We Buy Happiness?
Friday, November 30, “Black Friday” marked the official start of holiday shopping season, and the airwaves, internet, sides of buses and billboards are all flooded with messages to buy, buy and buy some more. Crowds thronged some stores in the Madison area as early as 12:01 a.m. Friday morning to get a head start on […]
The Effects of Inequality on Public Health
What’s the nature of inequality, and how does it manifest in society? What are its effects on the health of individuals? Substitute host Bert Zipperer speaks with British epidemiologist Dr. Richard Wilkinson. Dr. Wilkinson is Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, and he’s the co-author of the title The Spirit Level, […]
Labor Upheaval in Context
All kinds of labor issues popping up lately — Right to Work (for less), massive city and county union re-organization drives, and the intersection of low-wage worker strikes and the Black Lives Matter movement. Barry Eidlin joins the Buzz to put all this into context.
Madison College students on the Race to Equity
A Sociologist at Madison College ( Professor Diane Soles) has long wanted to assign her students the creation of an Access Hour program about Race & Ethnicity (one of the courses she teaches regularly). Since she has long thought about this, she has lots of ideas…but she’s never put together a radio show, so this is […]
Winged Rats or Prized Pets?
Pigeons. Some folks call them “rats with wings.” Some cities have enacted pigeon eradication programs, even — so the story goes — reintroducing Peregrine Falcons to kill pigeons. None of these tactics have worked particularly well for the Domestic Pigeon columbia ilvia domestica, which has proven more resistant to human influence than their native cousins, […]
