The Nature of Phenology 5/9/20: Nighthawks

Producers: Hazel Stark & Joe Horn
Host: Hazel Stark

Common nighthawks are part of the nightjar family, which includes whippoorwills. Birds in this family are all a bit strange-looking, with flat heads, stunted bills, short necks, big eyes, and feathery whiskers—a generally mousy appearance. These long distance migrants, which may have spent the winter somewhere between Mexico and Argentina, are one of our last migrating birds to return in the spring, so they are a clear reminder that summer is near.

Photos, a full transcript, references, contact information, and more available at thenatureofphenology.wordpress.com.

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Change Agents 5/7/20: Diversity and inclusion with Tanya Odom

Producer/Host: Steve Wessler

An interview with Tanya Odom. Tanya has worked for several decades on expanding diversity and inclusion in universities, corporate America, US government agencies and schools. She also coaches women with a focus on women of color. For several years she has traveled across the globe working for the United Nations on providing skills for women working in human rights and social justice work. Tanya conducts workshops on mindfulness. Tanya is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, where she has written posts about diversity, leadership, self-compassion, and mindfulness. In her WERU interview Tanya discussed the increased risk of the Coronavirus for black and LatinX communities.”

Key Discussion Points:
a) Working on diversity and inclusion in corporate America
b) The impact of the Coronavirus on black and Latinx communities
c) What is difficult about social justice work

Guest: Tanya Odom

About the host:
Steve Wessler will soon will be starting his 28th year of working on human right issues. He founded the Civil Rights Unit in the Maine Attorney’s Office in 1992 and led the Unit for 7 years. In 1999 he left the formal practice of law and founded the Center for the Prevention of Hate. The Center worked in Maine and across the USA. He and his colleagues worked to reduce bias and harassment in schools, in communities, in health care organization through workshops and conflict resolution. The Center closed in 2011 and Steve began a consulting on human rights issues. For the next 5 years much of his work was in Europe, developing and implementing training curricular for police, working in communities to reduce the risk of hate crimes, conflict resolution between police and youth. He has worked in over 20 countries. In late 2016 he began to work more in Maine, with a focus on reducing anti-immigrant bias. He continues to work in schools to reduce bias and harassment. Wessler teaches courses on human rights issues at the College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine at Augusta and at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in northern Virginia.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/7/20: COVID-19 and The Census

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

There are two very big things going on in our world right now: the Covid-19 pandemic and the US Census count. What might those two things have in common? The answer is the importance of trust on the part of those involved – trust that electronic efforts to track the spread of the disease will not compromise people’s privacy, and trust that the Census can generate information of great importance for the country as a whole without revealing sensitive data about individuals in the process. Here’s why there can be a problem and why that problem makes lots of people nervous.

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Healthy Options 5/6/20: The Intersection of Healing and Music

Host/Producer: Rhonda Feiman
Co-producer: Petra Hall
Engineering assistance: Joel Mann

Rhonda Feiman explores the intersection of healing and music, with singer and energetic healer Amy Robbins Wilson.

-How can we soothe our nervous systems through music?
-What is chanting, and why is chanting so powerful in affecting the nervous system?
-Does music have to be soft and quiet in order to be healing?
-Some people feel relaxed when listening to music that is discordant- why is that so?
-How can music and singing be combined with other healing modalities?
-How can we use music, rhythm and song to work with young children?
-How has music been used in hospitals, neonatal units with infants, and intensive care settings, etc. to assist in healing?
-Why are lullabies so wonderful!?

Guest:

Amy Robbins-Wilson holds a BA in Empowerment Theater for Women from Bates College, an MA in Expressive Arts Therapies from Lesley University and an MA in Ritual Song and Chant Performance from The World Academy of Music and Dance in Limerick, Ireland.

She is a musician and expressive arts therapist, Reiki master, author of Transformational Mothering, creator of several solo albums of music, and she is also a meditation guide at Ananda Yoga & Wellness in Belfast, Maine.

As the musical parenting expert on Lullaby-Link.com, Amy educates and encourages new parents in the best ways to connect, communicate and develop creative young minds with music. Her online musical parenting program for new mothers, called Mommy Jingles, empowers moms by showing them how to best use music with their babies.

About the host:
Rhonda Feiman is a nationally-certified, licensed acupuncturist practicing in Belfast, Maine since 1993. She primarily practices Toyohari Japanese acupuncture, using gentle and powerful non-insertion needle techniques, and also utilizes Chinese acupuncture and herbology. In addition, Rhonda is a practitioner of Qi Gong and an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan in the Yang Family tradition.

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Maine Currents 5/5/20: WERU Public Affairs Producers Zoom Roundup

Producer/Host: Amy Browne

Several WERU public affairs producers/hosts join us with reports related to the pandemic, and the topics their shows cover:

Rhonda Feiman is a licensed acupuncturist and host of Healthy Options, which airs on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 4pm

Ann Luther hosts the Democracy Forum, produced in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Maine, where she also serves as a board member. Democracy Forum airs on the 3rd Friday of each month at 4pm

Natalie Springuel hosts Coastal Conversations, in collaboration with the University of Maine Sea Grant, where she is a Marine Extension Associate. Coastal Conversations airs on the 4th Friday of each month at 4pm

Ron Beard hosts one of WERU’s longest running public affairs shows, Talk of the Towns, which airs on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 4pm

Dr. John Hunt is a retired veterinarian and host of Let’s Talk Animals and the short feature Pet Sounds. Let’s Talk Animals airs on the 4th Thursday of each month at 4pm, and Pet Sounds airs on Sunday mornings at 7:30

About the host:
Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices and Maine Currents, she also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and the First Place 2017 Radio News Award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters.

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