Protectors of the water

Esie Leoso-Corbine and Edith Leoso join MJ LePlae and Steve Blank at the WORT Studios in Madison

Special guests Esie Leoso-Corbine and her sister Edith Leoso of the Anishinawbe Nation discuss their role as Midewannikue (protectors of the water) with Health Writers MJ LePlae and Steve Blank. The program offers a glimpse into how water, now being threatened by Governor Walker’s mining bill, effects the spiritual health of all people in Wisconsin. The end of the program features a brief update to the Whooping Cough outbreak in Dane County with Amanda Kita-Yarbro Department of Public Health for Madison & Dane County.

To listen to our January 26 broadcast, click on the player below.

The effects of iron mining on our health, environment and pocketbooks

Matt Dannenberg from the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters joins Health Writer Steve Blank for an in-depth discussion about proposed legislation to allow open pit iron mining in Northern Wisconsin.

To listen to our January 12 broadcast, click on the player below.

“Tis the season to be… nasty?

Guest Sara Eskrich of Save BadgerCare discusses the Walker administration’s attempts to gut Wisconsin’s health care coverage plan for its neediest citizens with Health Writer Steve Blank.

To listen to our December 22 broadcast, click on the player below.

Wisconsin’s attack on women’s rights and health

Health Writer Steve Blank discusses the Wisconsin legislature’s attack on women’s rights and reproductive health care with Sara Finger, Executive Director Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health, and Nicole Safar of Planned Parenthood Wisconsin.
To listen to our December 8 broadcast, click on the player below.

A fresh look at immigration and the fight against malaria

Health Writer Rob sits down with his friend Saad, a Pakistani immigrant, to discuss life as an immigrant in today’s United States. Health Writer Diane Turner and Pastor Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl discuss efforts by the Evangelical Lutheran Church to combat malaria in Africa.
To listen to our November 24 broadcast, click on the player below.

Bob Delaney on veterans and post traumatic stress

Health Writers is joined by Bob Delaney, co-author of Surviving the Shadows, a Journey of Hope into Post-Traumatic Stress.

Bob is a former undercover agent for the New Jersey State Police where for three years he infiltrated the mafia and worked in close proximity with the Bruno and Genovese crime families. His work was successful but it left Delaney with feelings of anger, paranoia and constant agitation. It wasn’t until much later that he realized he was suffering from PTSD. Since that time, Bob Delaney has been on a mission of sorts helping soldiers, emergency responders and law enforcement members cope with PTSD.

To listen to our November 10 broadcast, click on the player below.

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS FOR VETERANS:

Madison VA Mental Health Department: 280-7084.
Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255.

Baraboo clinic: 608-356-9318.
Janesville clinic: 608-758-9300.

Ray Parrish: 773-561-VVAW (773-561-8829).
Ray Parrish is a counselor with Vietnam Veterans Against the War who will help set up peer-to-peer counseling sessions.

GI Hotline: 1-877-447-4487.
The GI Hotline counselors provide free, confidential and accurate information on US military regulations and practices to service members, veterans, potential recruits, and their families.

Gitmo through the eyes of an adolescent

Lew Blank interviews Anna Perera about her book, Guantanamo Boy

On this special edition of Health Writers, 12-year old Lew Blank interviews Anna Perera, author of Guantanamo Boy. The novel, written for young people, is a thoughtful examination of injustice and cruelty, love and resilience, and coming of age in the post 911 era.

To listen to our October 27 broadcast, click on the player below.

Voices of the 99%

This edition of Health Writers begins with voices from the Occupy Madison wing of the 99% movement. Next we speak with Charles Peterson of the International Socialist Organization about where much of the energy for the movement comes from, and where it may lead. Then we speak with Longtime WORT volunteer Dave Robertson about his experiences with our corporate-run health care system as he recovers from severe injuries sustained from a harrowing bicycle accident. Health Writer Thomas Koslovski reports on how the industrial pharmaceutical complex is leaving many important generic drugs in short supply. Finally, we listen to Mike Wiggins Jr. of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians present the tribal council’s opposition to mining in the Penokee Hills of Ashland and Iron Counties.

To listen to our October 13 broadcast, click on the player below.

The impact of class and racial warfare

Racism and class warfare are kicking into high gear in the U.S. and across the globe.

Wednesday’s state-sponsored murder of Troy Davis, an innocent man in Georgia, sparked Thursday’s international day of “outrage rallies,” including one in Madison. Just before this broadcast aired live on WORT in Madison, Health Writers attended the rally and recorded some speakers and interviewed some citizens who attended.

Also, the international capitalist attack on the working class is being felt right in here in Madison. Health Writer Rob Lewis has an in depth interview with Kelly, a homeless veteran living in Madison. Their frank discussion reveals how austerity measures in this difficult economy are effecting the lives of people even in a city that enjoys a far stronger economy than most.

To listen to our September 22 broadcast, click on the player below.

Can civil disobedience stop the Keystone Pipeline?

Mr. Anderson goes to Washington

Health Writer Steve Blank speaks with Madison environmentalist Peter Anderson about the fight to stop the Keystone Pipeline from being constructed. The pipeline is slated to carry crude oil from the Alberta tar sands to sophisticated refineries in Illinois, Oklahoma and the Gulf Coast. Peter was arrested and jailed for taking part in an ongoing act of civil disobedience in front of the White House.

Find out why Peter took the action he did, how the government responded, and what you can do to stop the pipeline’s progress by clicking on the player below.