Podcasts about uw madison

In this bonus episode of The Cabin Podcast, we explore Badger Talks, a UW–Madison program that connects communities across Wisconsin with expert speakers and unique stories. We chat with Fran Puleo Moyer about the program's mission, dive into Wisconsin's Amish history with Professor Mark Louden, and hear from Bridgitt Zielke on the impact of hosting Badger Talks at the Wade House Historic Site. Learn more: https://badgertalks.wisc.edu/

A new research lab in UW-Madison's Department of African American Studies has set out to document the experiences of being Black in Madison and mapping Black-affirming spaces in the city. The SoulFolk Collective is made up of undergrads and graduate students, and does research projects that centers the Black experience.  To learn more, host Bianca Martin speaks with Dr. Jessica Stovall and Angela Fitzgerald about the Black Madison Archive and what is next for the collective. 

MacIver Intern Courtney Graves describes how the assassination of Charlie Kirk has energized conservatives on UW-Madison campus and is driving record interest in groups like the College Republicans and Young America's Foundation.

In this week's episode, I take a look back at the movies and streaming shows I watched in Summer 2025. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Ghost in the Serpent, Book #1 in the Ghost Armor series, (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) at my Payhip store: FALLSERPENT50 The coupon code is valid through September 15, 2025 (please note the shorter expiration date). So if you need a new audiobook this fall, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 267 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is September 5, 2025 and today I'm doing a review roundup of the movies and streaming shows I saw in Summer 2025. Before we do that, we will have Coupon of the Week and a progress update on my current writing and audiobook projects. First up, this week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Ghost in the Serpent, Book One in the Ghost Armor series (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) at my Payhip store. That is FALLSERPENT50. This coupon code will be valid through September 15th, 2025 (exactly one week). So if you need a new audiobook to listen to as we head into fall, we have got you covered. Now for an update on my current writing and audiobook projects. I am pleased to report that the rough draft of Blade of Flames, which will be the first book in my new Blades of Ruin epic fantasy series is finished. The rough draft came at about 90,000 words long, which was what I was aiming for. Next up, I will be writing a short story set as sort of a bonus in that plot line called Thunder Hammer and that will be the backstory of one of the characters in Blade of Flames. And when Blade of Flames comes out (which will hopefully be later this September), newsletter subscribers will get a free ebook copy of Thunder Hammer. So this is an excellent time to subscribe to my newsletter. I am also 8,000 words into Cloak of Worlds. At long last, I am coming back to the Cloak Mage series after nearly a year's absence. Longtime listeners will know the reason was that I had five unfinished series and I wanted to spend the summer of 2025 finishing the unfinished ones and focusing up so I will only have three ongoing series at any given time. I'm hoping Blade of Flames will come out before the end of September and Cloak of Worlds before the end of October, and after that I will be able to return to the Rivah series at long last. In audiobook news, recording is finished on Shield of Power. That will be excellently narrated by Brad Wills and hopefully once it gets through processing and quality assurance and everything, it should be showing up on the various audiobook stores before too much longer. Hollis McCarthy is about halfway through the recording of Ghost in the Siege, which was, as you know, the last book in the Ghost Armor series that just came out. And if all goes well, the audiobook should be coming out probably in October once everything is done with recording and quality assurance and all that. So that is where I'm at with my current writing and audiobook projects. 00:02:34 Main Topic: Summer 2025 Movie/TV Roundup So without further ado, let's head into our main topic. The end of summer is nigh, which means this time for my summer movie review roundup. As is usual for the summer, I saw a lot of movies, so this will be one of the longer episodes. For some reason I ended up watching a bunch of westerns. As always, the movies are ranked from least favorite to most favorite. The grades of course are totally subjective and based on nothing more than my own opinions, impressions, and interpretations. Now on to the movies. First up is the Austin Powers trilogy, the three movies of which came out in 1997, 1999, and 2002. The Austin Powers movies came out just as the Internet really got going in terms of mass adoption, which is likewise why so many Austin Powers and Dr. Evil memes are embedded in online culture. Despite that, I had never really seen any of them all the way through. They've been on in the background on TBS or whatever quite a bit when I visited people, but I've never seen them all. But I happened upon a DVD of the trilogy for $0.25 (USD), so I decided for 25 cents I would give it a go. I would say the movies were funny, albeit not particularly good. Obviously the Austin Powers movies are a parody of the James Bond movies. The movies kind of watch like an extended series of Saturday Night Live skits, only loosely connected, like the skit is what if Dr. Evil had a son named Scott who wasn't impressed with him or another skit was what if a British agent from the ‘60s arrives in the ‘90s and experiences culture clash? What if Dr. Evil didn't understand the concept of inflation and demanded only a million dollars from the United Nations? What if Dr. Evil was actually Austin's brother and they went to school together at Spy Academy? Michael Caine was pretty great as Austin's father. Overall, funny but fairly incoherent. Overall grade: C- Next up is Horrible Bosses, a very dark and very raunchy comedy from about 14 years ago. It came out in 2011. Interestingly, this movie reflects what I think is one of the major crises of the contemporary era, frequent failures of leadership at all levels of society. In the movie Nick, Dale, and Kurt are lifelong friends living in LA and all three of them have truly horrible bosses in their place of employment, ranging from a sociopathic finance director, the company founder's cokehead son, and a boorish dentist with a tendency to sexual harassment. At the bar, they fantasize about killing their horrible bosses and then mutually decide to do something about it. Obviously, they'd all be prime suspects in the murder of their own bosses, but if they killed each other's bosses, that would allow them to establish airtight alibis. However, since Nick, Dale and Kurt are not as bright as they think they are, it all goes hilariously wrong very quickly. Bob Hope has a hilarious cameo. If the best “crude comedies” I've seen are Anchorman, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder, and Dodgeball, and the worst one was MacGruber, I'd say Horrible Bosses lands about in the middle. Overall grade: C Next up is Cowboys and Aliens, which came out in 2011. Now I almost saw this in 2011 when it came out, but I was too busy to go to the theater in July of 2011, so I finally saw it here in 2025 and I would say this was almost a great movie, like the performances were great, the concept was great, the scenery was great, the special effects were great, and the story was packed full of really interesting ideas, but somehow they just didn't coalesce. I'm not entirely sure why. I think upon reflection, it was that the movie is just too overcrowded with too many characters and too many subplots. Anyway, Daniel Craig portrays a man who wakes up with no memory in the Old West, with a mysterious bracelet locked around his wrist. He makes his way to the town of Atonement, and promptly gets arrested because he is apparently a notorious outlaw (which he doesn't remember). While he is locked in jail, space aliens attack the town. The aliens, for unknown reasons, abduct many of the townspeople, and Daniel Craig's character, who is named Jake even if he doesn't remember it, must lead the town's effort to recover their abducted citizens. Harrison's Ford has an excellent performance as this awful cattle baron who nonetheless has virtues of courage and fortitude that you can't help but admire. An excellent performance. That said, the movie was just too packed, and I thought it would work better as a novel. After I watched the movie, it turned out that it was indeed based off a graphic novel. Novels and graphic novels allow for a far more complex story than a movie, and I don't think this movie quite managed to handle the transition from a graphic novel to a film. Overall grade: C Next up is Heads of State, which came out in 2025. This was kind of a stupid movie. However, the fundamental question of any movie, shouted to the audience by Russell Crow in Gladiator is, “are you not entertained?!?” I was thoroughly entertained watching this, so entertained I actually watched it twice. Not everything has to be Shakespeare or a profound meditation on the unresolvable conflicts inherent within human nature. Anyway, John Cena plays Will Derringer, newly elected President of the United States. Idris Elba plays Sam Clark, who has now been the UK Prime Minister for the last six years. Derringer was an action star who parleyed his celebrity into elected office (in the same way Arnold Schwarzenegger did), while Clarke is an army veteran who worked his way up through the UK's political system. Needless to say, the cheerful Derringer and the grim Clarke take an immediate dislike to each other. However, they'll have to team up when Air Force One is shot down, stranding them in eastern Europe. They'll have to make their way home while evading their enemies to unravel the conspiracy that threatens world peace. So half action thriller, half buddy road trip comedy. The premise really doesn't work if you think about it too much for more than thirty seconds, but the movie was funny and I enjoyed it. Jack Quaid really stole his scenes as a crazy but hyper-competent CIA officer. Overall grade: C+ Next up, Captain America: Brave New World, which came out in 2025 and I think this movie ended up on the good side of middling. You can definitely tell it went through a lot of reshoots and retooling, and I suspect the various film industry strikes hit it like a freight train. But we ended up with a reasonably solid superhero thriller. Sam Wilson is now Captain America. He's not superhuman the way Steve Rogers was and doesn't have magic powers or anything, so he kind of fights like the Mandalorian – a very capable fighter who relies on excellent armor. Meanwhile, in the grand American political tradition of failing upward, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who spent years persecuting The Hulk and whose meddling caused the Avengers to disband right before Thanos attacked, has now been elected President. To Wilson's surprise, Ross reaches out and wants him to restart the Avengers. But Ross (as we know) did a lot of shady black ops stuff for years, and one of his projects is coming back to haunt him. Wilson finds himself in the middle of a shadowy conspiracy, and it's up to him to figure out what's going on before it's too late. I was amused that lifelong government apparatchik Ross wanted to restart the Avengers, because when the Avengers had their biggest victory in Avengers: Endgame, they were essentially unsanctioned vigilantes bankrolled by a rogue tech billionaire. Overall grade: B- Next up is Ironheart, which came out in 2025. I'd say Ironheart was about 40% very weird and 60% quite good. It's sort of like the modern version of Dr. Faustus. The show got some flak on the Internet from the crossfire between the usual culture war people, but the key to understanding it is to realize that Riri Williams AKA Ironheart is in fact an antihero who's tottering on the edge of becoming a full-blown supervillain. Like Tony Stark, she's a once-in-a-generation scientific talent, but while she doesn't have Stark's alcohol problems, she's emotionally unstable, immature, ruthless, indifferent to collateral damage and consequences, and suffering from severe PTSD after her best friend and stepfather were killed in a drive-by shooting. This volatile mix gets her thrown out of MIT after her experiments cause too much destruction, and she has to go home to Chicago. To get the funds to keep working on her Iron Man armor, she turns to crime, and falls in with a gang of high-end thieves led by a mysterious figure named Hood. It turns out that Hood has actual magic powers, which both disturbs and fascinates Riri. However, Hood got his magic in a pact with a mysterious dark force. When a job goes bad, Riri gains the enmity of Hood and has to go on the run. It also turns out Hood's dark master has become very interested in Riri, which might be a lot more dangerous for everyone in the long run. Overall, I'd say this is about in the same vein as Agatha All Along, an interesting show constructed around a very morally questionable protagonist. Overall grade: B Next up is A Minecraft movie, which came out in 2024. I have to admit, I've never actually played Minecraft, so I know very little about the game and its ecosystem, only what I've generally absorbed by glancing at the news. That said, I think the movie held together quite well, and wasn't deserving of the general disdain it got in the press. (No doubt the $950 million box office compensated for any hurt feelings.) One of the many downsides of rapid technological change in the last fifty years is that the Boomers and Gen X and the Millennials and Gen Z and Gen Alpha have had such radically different formative experiences in childhood that it's harder to relate to each other. Growing up in the 1980s was a wildly different experience than growing up in the 2010s, and growing up in the 2010s was an even more wildly different experience than growing up in the 1960s. Smartphones and social media were dominant in 2020, barely starting in 2010, and implausible science fiction in 2000 and earlier, and so it was like the different generations grew up on different planets, because in some sense they actually did. (A five-year-old relative of mine just started school, and the descriptions of his school compared to what I remember of school really do sound like different planets entirely.) The Minecraft game and A Minecraft Movie might be one of those generation-locked experiences. Anyway, this has gotten very deep digression for what was essentially a portal-based LitRPG movie. A group of people experiencing various life difficulties in a rural Idaho town get sucked into the Minecraft world through a magic portal. There they must combine forces and learn to work together to master the Minecraft world to save it from an evil sorceress. As always, the fundamental question of any movie is the one that Russell Crowe's character shouted to the audience in Gladiator back in 2000. “Are you not entertained?” I admit I was entertained when watching A Minecraft Movie since it was funny and I recognized a lot of the video game mechanics, even though I've never actually played Minecraft. Like, Castlevania II had a night/day cycle the way Minecraft does, and Castlevania II was forty years ago. But that was another digression! I did enjoy A Minecraft Movie. It was kind of crazy, but it committed to the craziness and maintained a consistent creative vision, and I was entertained. Though I did think it was impressive how Jack Black's agent managed to insist that he sing several different times. Overall grade: B Next up is Back to School, which came out in 1986 and this is one of the better ‘80s comedies I've seen. Rodney Dangerfield plays Thornton Melon, who never went to college and is the wealthy owner of a chain of plus-sized clothing stores. His son Jason is attending Great Lakes University, and after Thornton's unfaithful gold-digging wife leaves him (Thornton is mostly relieved by this development), he decides to go visit his son. He quickly discovers that Jason is flailing at college, and decides to enroll to help out his son. Wacky adventures ensue! I quite enjoyed this. The fictional “Great Lakes University” was largely shot at UW-Madison in Wisconsin, which I found amusing because I spent a lot of time at UW-Madison several decades ago as a temporary IT employee. I liked seeing the characters walk past a place where I'd eat lunch outside when the day was nice, that kind of thing. Also, I'm very familiar with how the sausage gets made in higher ed. There's a scene where the dean is asking why Thornton is qualified to enter college, and then it cuts to the dean cheerfully overseeing the groundbreaking of the new Thornton Melon Hall which Thornton just donated, and I laughed so hard I almost hurt myself, because that is exactly how higher ed works. The movie had some pointless nudity, but it was only a few seconds and no doubt gets cut in network broadcasts. Overall grade: B Next up is Whiskey Galore, which came out in 1949 and this is a comedy set in Scotland during World War II. The villagers living on an isolated island have no whiskey due to wartime rationing. However, when a government ship carrying 50,000 cases of whiskey runs aground near the island, wacky hijinks ensue. I have to admit the first half of the movie was very slow and deliberate, gradually setting up all the pieces for later. Then, once the shipwreck happens, things pick up and the movie gets much funnier. Definitely worth watching both as a good comedy movie and an artifact of its time. A modicum of historical knowledge is required – if you don't know what the Home Guard is, you might have to do some Googling to understand the context of some of the scenes. Regrettably, the version I watched did not have captioning, so I had to pay really close attention to understand what the characters were saying, because some of the accents were very strong. Overall grade: B Next up is Happy Gilmore 2, which came out in 2025. This was dumb and overstuffed with celebrity cameos but thoroughly hilarious and I say this even though it uses one of my least favorite story tropes, namely “hero of previous movie is now a middle age loser.” However, the movie leads into it for comedy. When Happy Gilmore accidentally kills his wife with a line drive, he spirals into alcoholism and despair. But his five children still love him, and when his talented daughter needs tuition for school, Happy attempts to shake off his despair and go back to golf to win the money. But Happy soon stumbles onto a sinister conspiracy led by an evil CEO to transform the game of golf into his own personal profit center. Happy must team up with his old nemesis Shooter McGavin to save golf itself from the evil CEO. Amusingly, as I've said before, the best Adam Sandler movies are almost medieval. In medieval fables, it was common for a clever peasant to outwit pompous lords, corrupt priests, and greedy merchants. The best Adam Sandler protagonist remains an everyman who outwits the modern equivalent of pompous lords and corrupt priests, in this case an evil CEO. Overall grade: B+ Next up is Superman, which came out in 2025 and I thought this was pretty good and very funny at times. I think it caught the essential nature of Superman. Like, Superman should be a Lawful Good character. If he was a Dungeons and Dragons character, he would be a paladin. People on the Internet tend to take the characterization of superheroes seriously to perhaps an unhealthy degree, but it seems the best characterization of Superman is as an earnest, slightly dorky Boy Scout who goes around doing good deeds. The contrast of that good-hearted earnestness with his godlike abilities that would allow him to easily conquer and rule the world is what makes for an interesting character. I also appreciated how the movie dispensed with the overused trope of the Origin Story and just got down to business. In this movie, Lex Luthor is obsessed with destroying Superman and is willing to use both super-advanced technology and engineered geopolitical conflict to do it. Superman, because he's essentially a decent person, doesn't comprehend just how depraved Luthor is, and how far Luthor is willing to go out of petty spite. (Ironically, a billionaire willing to destroy the world out of petty spite is alas, quite realistic). Guy Gardener (“Jerkish Green Lantern”) and the extremely competent and the extremely exasperated Mr. Terrific definitely stole all their scenes. The director of the movie, James Gunn, was quite famously fired from Disney in 2018 for offensive jokes he had made on Twitter back when he was an edgy young filmmaker with an alcohol problem. I suppose Mr. Gunn can rest content knowing that Superman made more money than any Marvel movie released this year. Overall grade: A-   Next up is Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, which came out in 1988. This was a very strange movie, but nonetheless, one with an ambitious premise, strong performances, and a strong artistic vision. It's set in post WWII Los Angeles, and “toons” (basically cartoon characters) live and work alongside humans. Private eye Eddie Valiant hates toons since one of them killed his brother five years ago. However, he's hired by the head of a studio who's having trouble with one of his toon actors, Roger Rabbit. Roger's worried his wife Jessica is having an affair, and Valiant obtains pictures of Jessica playing patty cake (not a euphemism, they actually were playing patty cake) with another man. Roger has an emotional breakdown, and soon the other man winds up dead, and Roger insists he's innocent. Valiant and Roger find themselves sucked into a dangerous conspiracy overseen by a ruthless mastermind. This movie was such an interesting cultural artifact. It perfectly follows the structure of a ‘40s film noir movie, but with cartoons, and the dissonance between film noir and the cheerfulness of the toons was embraced and used as a frequently source of comedy. In fact, when the grim and dour Valiant uses the toons' comedy techniques as a tactical improvisation in a moment of mortal peril, it's both hilarious and awesome. Christopher Lloyd's performance as the villainous Judge Doom was amazing. (I don't think it's a spoiler to say that he's villainous, because his character is named Judge Doom and he's literally wearing a black hat.) Like, his performance perfectly captures something monstrous that is trying very hard to pretend to be human and not quite getting it right. And the amount of work it must have taken to make this movie staggers the mind. Nowadays, having live actors interact with cartoon characters is expensive, but not unduly so. It's a frequent technique. You see it all the time in commercials when a housewife is smiling at an animated roll of paper towels or something, and Marvel's essentially been doing it for years. But this was 1988! Computer animation was still a ways off. They had to shoot the movie on analog film, and then hand-draw all the animation and successfully match it to the live film. It wouldn't have worked without the performance of Bob Hoskins as Eddie Valiant, who plays everything perfectly straight in the same way Michael Caine did in A Muppet Christmas Carol. So kind of a strange movie, but definitely worth watching. And it has both Disney and Warner Brothers animated characters in the same movie, which is something we will never, ever see again. Overall grade: A Next up is K-Pop Demon Hunters, which came out in 2025. Like Who framed Roger Rabbit?, this is a very strange movie, but nonetheless with a clear and focused artistic vision. It is a cultural artifact that provides a fascinating look into a world of which I have no knowledge or interest, namely K-pop bands and their dueling fandoms. Anyway, the plot is that for millennia, female Korean musicians have used the magic of their voices to keep the demons locked away in a demon world. The current incarnation is a three-woman K-Pop group called Huntrix, and they are on the verge of sealing away the demons forever. Naturally, the Demon King doesn't like this, so one of his cleverer minions comes up with a plan. They'll start a Demon K-Pop Boy Band! Disguised as humans, the demon K-Pop group will win away Huntrix's fans, allowing them to breach the barrier and devour the world. However, one of the Huntrix musicians is half-demon, and she starts falling for the lead demon in the boy band, who is handsome and of course has a dark and troubled past. Essentially a musical K-drama follows. I have to admit I know practically nothing about K-Pop groups and their dueling fandoms, other than the fact that they exist. However, this was an interesting movie to watch. The animation was excellent, it did have a focused vision, and there were some funny bits. Overall grade: A Next up is Clarkson's Farm Season Four, which came out in 2025. A long time ago in the ‘90s, I watched the episode of Frasier where Frasier and Niles attempt to open a restaurant and it all goes horribly (yet hilariously) wrong. At the time, I had no money, but I promised myself that I would never invest in a restaurant. Nothing I have seen or learned in the subsequent thirty years has ever changed that decision. Season 4 of Clarkson's Farm is basically Jeremy Clarkson, like Frasier and Niles, attempting to open a restaurant, specifically a British pub. On paper it's a good idea, since Clarkson can provide the pub with food produced from his own farm and other local farmers. However, it's an enormous logistical nightmare, and Clarkson must deal with miles of red tape, contractors, and a ballooning budget, all while trying to keep his farm from going under. An excellent and entertaining documentary into the difficulties of both the farming life and food service. I still don't want to own a restaurant! Overall grade: A Next up is Tombstone, which came out in 1993. The Western genre of fiction is interesting because it's limited to such a very specific period of time and geographical region. Like the “Wild West” period that characterizes the Western genre really only lasted as a historical period from about 1865 to roughly 1890. The Western genre was at its most popular in movies from the 1940s and the 1960s, and I wonder if it declined because cultural and demographic changes made it unpopular to romanticize the Old West the way someone like Walt Disney did at Disneyland with “Frontierland.” Of course, the genre lives on in different forms in grittier Western movies, neo-Westerns like Yellowstone and Longmire, and a lot of the genre's conventions apply really well to science fiction. Everyone talks about Firefly being the first Space Western, but The Mandalorian was much more successful and was basically a Western in space (albeit with occasional visits from Space Wizards). Anyway! After that long-winded introduction, let's talk about Tombstone. When Val Kilmer died earlier this year, the news articles mentioned Tombstone as among his best work, so I decided to give it a watch. The plot centers around Wyatt Earp, played by Kurt Russell, who has decided to give up his career in law enforcement and move to Tombstone, Arizona, a silver mining boomtown, in hopes of making his fortune. However, Tombstone is mostly controlled by the Cowboys outlaw gang, and Earp is inevitably drawn into conflict with them. With the help of his brothers and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer's character), Earp sets out to bring some law and order to Tombstone, whether the Cowboys like it or not. Holliday is in the process of dying from tuberculosis, which makes him a formidable fighter since he knows getting shot will be a less painful and protracted death than the one his illness will bring him. Kilmer plays him as a dissolute, scheming warrior-poet who nonetheless is a very loyal friend. Definitely a classic of the Western genre, and so worth watching. Overall grade: A Next up is Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the eighth Mission Impossible movie. Of the eight movies, I think the sixth one was the best one, but this one comes in at a close second. It continues on from Dead Reckoning. Ethan Hunt now possesses the key that will unlock the source code of the Entity, the malicious AI (think ChatGPT, but even more obviously evil) that is actively maneuvering the world's nuclear powers into destroying each other so the Entity can rule the remnants of humanity. Unfortunately, the Entity's source code is sitting in a wrecked Russian nuclear sub at the bottom of the Bering Sea. Even more unfortunately, the Entity knows that Hunt has the key and is trying to stop him, even as the Entity's former minion and Hunt's bitter enemy Gabriel seeks to seize control of the Entity for himself. A sense of apocalyptic doom hangs over the movie, which works well to build tension. Once again, the world is doomed, unless Ethan Hunt and his allies can save the day. The tension works extremely well during the movie's underwater sequence, and the final airborne duel between Hunt and Gabriel. I don't know if they're going to make any more Mission Impossible movies after this (they are insanely expensive), but if this is the end, it is a satisfying conclusion for the character of Ethan Hunt and the Impossible Mission Force. Overall grade: A Next up is Deep Cover, which came out in 2025. This is described as a comedy thriller, and I didn't know what to expect when I watched it, but I really enjoyed it. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Kat, a struggling comedy improv teacher living in London. Her best students are Marlon (played by Orlando Bloom), a dedicated character actor who wants to portray gritty realism but keeps getting cast in tacky commercials, and Hugh (played by Nick Mohammed), an awkward IT worker with no social skills whatsoever. One day, the three of them are recruited by Detective Sergeant Billings (played by Sean Bean) of the Metropolitan Police. The Met wants to use improv comedians to do undercover work for minor busts with drug dealers. Since it plays 200 pounds a pop, the trio agrees. Of course, things rapidly spiral out of control, because Kat, Marlon, and Hugh are actually a lot better at improv than they think, and soon they find themselves negotiating with the chief criminals of the London underworld. What follows is a movie that is both very tense and very funny. Kat, Marlon, and Hugh are in way over their heads, and will have to do the best improv of their lives to escape a very grisly fate. Whether Sean Bean dies or not (as is tradition), you will just have to watch the movie and find out. Overall grade: A Next up is Puss in Boots: The Final Wish, which came out in 2022. I don't personally know much about the history of Disney as a corporation, and I don't much care, but I do have several relatives who are very interested in the history of the Disney corporation, and therefore I have picked up some by osmosis. Apparently Disney CEO Michael Eisner forcing out Jeffrey Katzenberg in the 1990s was a very serious mistake, because Katzenberg went on to co-found DreamWorks, which has been Disney's consistent rival for animation for the last thirty years. That's like “CIA Regime Change Blowback” levels of creating your own enemy. Anyway, historical ironies aside, Puss in Boots: The Final Wish was a funny and surprisingly thoughtful animated movie. Puss in Boots is a legendary outlaw and folk hero, but he has used up eight of his nine lives. An ominous bounty hunter who looks like a humanoid wolf begins pursuing him, and the Wolf is able to shrug off the best of Puss In Boots' attacks. Panicked, Puss hides in a retirement home for elderly cats, but then hears rumors of the magical Last Wish. Hoping to use it to get his lives back, Puss In Boots sets off on the quest. It was amusing how Little Jack Horner and Goldilocks and the Three Bears were rival criminal gangs seeking the Last Wish. Overall grade: A Next up is Chicken People, which came out in 2016. A good documentary film gives you a glimpse into an alien world that you would otherwise never visit. In this example, I have absolutely no interest in competitive chicken breeding and will only raise chickens in my backyard if society ever collapses to the level that it becomes necessary for survival. That said, this was a very interesting look into the work of competitive chicken breeding. Apparently, there is an official “American Standard of Perfection” for individual chicken breeds, and the winner of the yearly chicken competition gets the title “Super Grand Champion.” Not Grand Champion, Super Grand Champion! That looks impressive on a resume. It is interesting how chicken breeding is in some sense an elaborate Skinner Box – like you can deliberately set out to breed chickens with the desirable traits on the American Standard of Perfection, but until the chickens are hatched and grow up, you don't know how they're going to turn out, so you need to try again and again and again… Overall grade: A Next up is The Mask of Zoro, which came out in 1998. I saw this in the theatre when it came out 27 years ago, but that was 27 years ago, and I don't have much of a memory of it, save that I liked it. So when I had the chance to watch it again, I did! Anthony Hopkins plays Diego de la Vega, who has the secret identity of Zorro in the final days before Mexico breaks away from the Spanish Empire. With Mexico on the verge of getting its independence, Diego decides to hang up his sword and mask and focus on his beloved wife and daughter. Unfortunately, the military governor Don Montero realizes Diego is Zorro, so has him arrested, kills his wife, and steals his baby daughter to raise as his own. Twenty years later, a bandit named Alejandro loses his brother and best friends to a brutal cavalry commander. It turns out that Montero is returning to California from Spain, and plans to seize control of California as an independent republic (which, of course, will be ruled by him). In the chaos, Diego escapes from prison and encounters a drunken Alejandro, and stops him from a futile attack upon the cavalry commander. He then proposes a pact – Diego will train Alejandro as the next Zorro, and together they can take vengeance upon the men who wronged them. This was a good movie. It was good to see that my taste in movies 27 years ago wasn't terrible. It manages to cram an entire epic plot into only 2 hours and 20 minutes. In some ways it was like a throwback to a ‘40s movie but with modern (for the ‘90s) production values, and some very good swordfights. Overall grade: A Next up is Wick is Pain, which came out in 2025. I've seen all four John Wick movies and enjoyed them thoroughly, though I've never gotten around to any of the spinoffs. Wick is Pain is a documentary about how John Wick went from a doomed indie movie with a $6.5 million hole in its budget to one of the most popular action series of the last few decades. Apparently Keanu Reeves made an offhand joke about how “Wick is pain” and that became the mantra of the cast and crew, because making an action movie that intense really was a painful experience. Definitely worth watching if you enjoyed the John Wick movies or moviemaking in general. Overall grade: A The last movie I saw this summer was Game Night, which came out in 2016. It was a hilarious, if occasionally dark comedy action thriller. Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams play Max and Annie Davis, a married couple who are very competitive and enjoy playing games of all kinds. Jason has an unresolved conflict with his brother Brooks, and one night Brooks invites them over for game night, which Max resents. Halfway through the evening, Brooks is kidnapped, with Max and Annie assume is part of the game. However, Brooks really is involved in something shady. Hilarity ensues, and it's up to Max and Annie to rescue Brooks and stay alive in the process. This was really funny, though a bit dark in places. That said, Max and Annie have a loving and supportive marriage, so it was nice to see something like that portrayed on the screen. Though this also leads to some hilarity, like when Annie accidentally shoots Max in the arm. No spoilers, but the punchline to that particular sequence was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Overall grade: A So no A+ movie this time around, but I still saw a bunch of solid movies I enjoyed. One final note, I have to admit, I've really come to respect Adam Sandler as an entertainer, even if his movies and comedy are not always to my taste. He makes what he wants, makes a lot of money, ensures that his friends get paid, and then occasionally takes on a serious role in someone else's movie when he wants to flex some acting muscles. I am not surprised that nearly everyone who's in the original Happy Gilmore who was still alive wanted to come back for Happy Gilmore 2. So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show enjoyable and perhaps a guide to some good movies to watch. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes at https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.  

How do you build the mental fortitude to complete a triathlon? Hundreds will see if they have what it takes this weekend when the annual IRONMAN Wisconsin comes to Madison. Participants will swim, bike, and run just over 140 miles in and around Madison. To learn what it takes mentally finish the race, host Bianca Martin talks with Larry Shapiro, recently retired UW-Madison philosophy professor, IRONMAN Wisconsin finisher, and author of Zen and the Art of Running.

The U.S. military possesses a deep and extensive body of cyber expertise in uniform in the National Guard and Reserve force in particular. Leveraging this expertise effectively, both in a way that is productive for the military, and that is fulfilling and meaningful for the servicemember — which results in benefits for recruiting, retention, and continued development of this expertise — has been an ongoing challenge. This productive employment is even more challenging while in reserve status, resulting in attrition of this critical force. There is a national imperative, as well as clear statements from military cyber leadership, to effectively utilize all available resources to include the National Guard and Reserve force to meet the nation's cyber challenges. About the speaker: Dave Schroeder works to enable and advance intelligence and security research and partnerships at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is passionate about creating connections and bringing the rich and dynamic expertise at UW–Madison to the most pressing global security challenges. Dave serves as a Cyber Warfare Officer in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, and previously served a Navy Cryptologic Warfare Officer. He is also Research Director of the Wisconsin Security Research Consortium (WSRC), and manages UW-Madison's Cyber Programs and Designations. He holds graduate degrees in Cybersecurity Policy and Information Warfare, and is graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval War College, and Joint Forces Staff College.

Earlier this summer, an invasive species called Japanese Stiltgrass was spotted in Rock County. Scientists are now asking the public to help prevent the invasive grass from spreading across the state.   Mark Renz is a professor, and an extension weed specialist at UW-Madison. He spoke with Lake Effect's Xcaret Nuñez about how to identify Stiltgrass and what to do if you find it. 

This week, the City Cast Madison team is talking about Madison's ties to the Minneapolis school shooting, updates to the Dane County Humane Society's stray animal contract, and the removal of a downtown homeless encampment. Host Bianca Martin talks with producer Jade Iseri-Ramos and newsletter editor Rob Thomas about these heavy news topics, plus the hiring of Madison's new police chief. Wrapping things up on a brighter note, Rob tries to stump the team with a quiz about UW-Madison slang. Mentioned on the show: The Clock Is Ticking For the Dane County Humane Society [City Cast Madison]What we know about the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school [Associated Press]

Tatian Silva is a research associate at UW-Madison. Her story starts more than 5,000 miles away in Brazil. Her family's farm fueled her love for agriculture. That love, ultimately, brought her to the UW-Madison. Her research focuses on the health of the soil and the prosperity of the crops that grow in it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tatian Silva is a research associate at UW-Madison. Her research focuses on the health of the soil and the prosperity of the crops that grow in it. Her trail has come upon a few unforeseen challenges. However, those challenges will help shape future research. She talks the importance of knowing your soils' health and how to maintain it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another beautiful day in Wisconsin with plenty of sun and a high in the mid-70's! Was actually a bit chilly on the ride to work this morning. Had to turn on my grip warmers! Jean returned from her 4-day weekend of moving her daughter into the doors at UW-Madison and told us all about her emotional rollercoaster. Grant Bilse of the Wisco Sport Show also joined the program today just after 8am to talk about the Brewers, the Packers, and more! We let you know what's on TV tonight and what's new on New Release Tuesday. In the news this morning, Anquin St. Junious finally gets sentenced to prison, the body of a man who jumped from a tour boat in the Wisconsin River has been recovered, Cracker Barrel finally responds to the backlash of their recent rebrand/update, today marks the return of the Pumpkin Spice Lattes to Starbucks, and President Trump is looking at renaming the Department of the Defense. In sports, the Brew Crew managed to take care of the Diamondbacks last night, Cal Raleigh hit his 50th homerun for the Mariners, a look at this week's NCAA schedule, and a rundown of some of the roster moves being made in the NFL as we get ready for "cutdown day". Elsewhere in sports, an MJ/Kobe card just set a record at an auction, MLB is returning to the Field of Dreams in Iowa next summer, and the latest on the Raja Jackson debacle. We had a couple of interesting birthday stories this morning, including an 85 year-old woman who went skydiving to celebrate hers, and a very unique-looking turtle celebrated his 41st B-day. After the incredible final show from Black Sabbath just a few weeks ago…we looked at a list of other major classic rock bands who could reunite with their most famous line-ups for another show or maybe a small tour. In case you were unaware, today is "National Dog Day"…so make sure you spoil your pooches. And it's also "National TP Day"! And in today's edition of "Bad News with Happy Music", we had stories about an A.I. order-taker at a White Castle that tried to charge a guy $15,000 for some sliders, a woman in Nashville who pulled her gun on a guy after his dog pooped on her lawn, a guy who kept making dirtbike sounds at a township meeting, a #FloridaWoman who violated her probation by attacking her ex's truck with a crowbar….but it wasn't even his, a #FloridaMan who headbutted his girlfriend after she got upset when he started watching some porn while they were being intimate, and a fake dentist who used nail glue to attach veneers to a patient.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cardiac on Campus, a student-run organization on the UW-Madison campus, has partnered with the Madison Fire Department and City of Madison to make AEDs more accessible in the downtown area. At this ribbon cutting, we will celebrate the installation of two SaveStation® towers containing ZOLL® AEDs, which offer 24/7 public access to these lifesaving tools. Representatives from partnering agencies will explain why access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is critical for cardiac arrest survival, how to use these SaveStations and AEDs, and why this initiative places special focus on the campus and downtown areas.

Cardiac on Campus, a student-run organization on the UW-Madison campus, has partnered with the Madison Fire Department and City of Madison to make AEDs more accessible in the downtown area. At this ribbon cutting, we will celebrate the installation of two SaveStation® towers containing ZOLL® AEDs, which offer 24/7 public access to these lifesaving tools. Representatives from partnering agencies will explain why access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) is critical for cardiac arrest survival, how to use these SaveStations and AEDs, and why this initiative places special focus on the campus and downtown areas.

On Aug. 24, 1970, four men bombed UW-Madison's Sterling Hall in protest of the ongoing Vietnam war. The blast resulted in millions of dollars in damage, multiple injuries, and the death of a physics researcher. For some, the legacy of the Sterling Hall bombing still looms large. For others, this critical part of our city's history is almost entirely unknown. In honor of the anniversary of the bombing, we spoke to UW oral historian Troy Reeves about the event and its lasting impact on the Madison community.  Learn more about the bombing through UW Archives' 40th anniversary project. 

Hemp harvest has begun. It is the ideal time to harvest hemp for fiber. Grain harvest is in its early stages. Overall, it has been a good growing season as the crop likes warm conditions with adequate moisture. Late season precipitation and higher humidity creates ideal conditions for insects. Producers will watch these pressures into the fall. Phillip Alberti is a Research Program Manager in the hemp program at UW-Madison.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Primary hyperparathyroidism is an underdiagnosed condition which leads to decreased bone mineral density, fracture, renal disease, among other symptoms that can decrease the quality of a patient's life. Moreover, once diagnosed, only a small fraction of patients with the diease end up being offered surgery. Whether it is because of misunderstood indications and benefits of surgery, non-localization of disease, or various other reasons, we thought it was worthwhile to review relevant literature. Hosts: Dr. Becky Sippel is an endowed professor of surgery at Division Chief of endocrine surgery at University of Wisconsin Madison and she is the most recent past president of the AAES.  She is an internationally recognized leader in the field of endocrine surgery. She has over 250 publications. She was the PI for a RCT which studies prophylactic central neck dissections which is a widely read and quoted study in endocrine surgery. Dr. Amanda Doubleday is a fellowship trained endocrine surgeon in private practice with an affiliation to UW Health. Her primary practice is with Waukesha Surgical Specialists in Waukesha WI.  Dr. Simon Holoubek is a fellowship trained endocrine surgeons affiliated with UW Health. He works for UW Health with privileges at UW Madison and UW Northern Illinois. His clinical interests are aggressive variants of thyroid cancer, parathyroid autofluorescence, and nerve monitoring.  Learning Objectives: 1 Understand the natural history of primary hyperparathyroidism and how the disease process can affect bone mineral density. 2 Learn about fracture risk associated with primary hyperparathyroidism. 3 Learn about decreased fracture risk in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism who have parathyroidectomy compared to those who are observed.  References: 1 Rubin MR, Bilezikian JP, McMahon DJ, Jacobs T, Shane E, Siris E, Udesky J, Silverberg SJ. The natural history of primary hyperparathyroidism with or without parathyroid surgery after 15 years. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Sep;93(9):3462-70. doi: 10.1210/jc.2007-1215. Epub 2008 Jun 10. PMID: 18544625; PMCID: PMC2567863. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18544625/ 2 Frey S, Gérard M, Guillot P, Wargny M, Bach-Ngohou K, Bigot-Corbel E, Renaud Moreau N, Caillard C, Mirallié E, Cariou B, Blanchard C. Parathyroidectomy Improves Bone Density in Women With Primary Hyperparathyroidism and Preoperative Osteopenia. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 May 17;109(6):1494-1504. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgad718. PMID: 38152848. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38152848/ 3 VanderWalde LH, Liu IL, Haigh PI. Effect of bone mineral density and parathyroidectomy on fracture risk in primary hyperparathyroidism. World J Surg. 2009 Mar;33(3):406-11. doi: 10.1007/s00268-008-9720-8. PMID: 18763015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18763015/ Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more.   If you liked this episode, check out our recent episodes here: https://app.behindtheknife.org/listen

On the facets of grief, the joy in the depths, and the presence we bring.   (0:00) — Introduction and Guest Introduction   (3:23) — Rosemerry's Son Finn   (6:05) — Grief and Connection with Finn   (11:53) — Exploring Darkness and Light   (18:39) — Metaphors and Connection   (24:30) — Meadow and Listening   (28:15) — Talking to the Dead   (29:53) — Rosemerry's Work and Resources Devoted to helping others explore creative practice, Rosemerry is co-host of Emerging Form, a podcast on creative process, co-founder of Secret Agents of Change (a surreptitious kindness cabal), and co-leader of Soul Writers Circle. She directed the Telluride Writers Guild for ten years and co-hosted Telluride's Talking Gourds Poetry Club for another ten years. She teaches and performs poetry for mindfulness retreats, women's retreats, teachers, addiction recovery programs, scientists, hospice, literary burlesque and more. Clients include Craig Hospital, Business & Professional Women, Think 360, Ah Haa School, Desert Dharma, Well for the Journey, and the Women's Dermatological Society. She performs as a storyteller, including shows in Aspen at the Wheeler Opera House, at the Taos Storytelling Festival, Page Storytelling Festival and the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN. Her TEDx talk explores changing our outdated metaphors. For five years, she performed in the Telluride Literary Burlesque. She has been writing a poem a day since 2006, posting them since 2011 on her blog, A Hundred Falling Veils. In 2023, her poems can be heard daily on the Ritual app, The Poetic Path. Favorite themes include parenting, gardening, ecology, love, science, thriving/failure, grief and daily life. She has 13 collections of poetry, and her work has appeared in O Magazine, A Prairie Home Companion, PBS News Hour, American Life in Poetry, on fences, in back alleys, on Carnegie Hall Stage and on hundreds of river rocks she leaves around town. Her poems have been used for choral works by composers Paul Fowler and Jeffrey Nytch and performed around America. Her most recent collection, Hush, won the Halcyon prize. Naked for Tea was a finalist for the Able Muse Book Award. Other books include Even Now, The Less I Hold and If You Listen, a finalist for the Colorado Book Award. In 2023 she released All the Honey; Beneath All Appearances an Unwavering Peace (a book for grieving parents with artist Rashani Réa); a book of writing prompts, Exploring Poetry of Presence II; and Dark Praise, a spoken word album with Steve Law. She's won the Fischer Prize, Rattle's Ekphrastic Challenge (thrice), the Dwell Press Solstice Prize, the Writer's Studio Literary Contest (twice) and The Blackberry Peach Prize. She's widely anthologized including Poetry of Presence, How to Love the World, The Path to Kindness, Send My Roots Rain, Come Together: Imagine Peace, Dawn Songs, and To Love One Another. She's been an organic fruit grower, a newspaper and magazine editor, and a parent educator for Parents as Teachers. She earned her MA in English Language & Linguistics at UW–Madison. One-word mantra: Adjust. Three-word mantra: I'm still learning.

What happens when a world-class mathematician meets '80s college radio, Bill Gates' top-10 favorite books, and a host with an algebra redemption arc? A surprisingly funny, fast-moving conversation. Dr. Jordan Ellenberg—John D. MacArthur Professor of Mathematics at UW–Madison and author of How Not to Be Wrong—swaps stories about The Housemartins, consulting on NUMB3RS (yes, one of his lines aired), and competing at the International Mathematical Olympiad. There's a lot of laughter—and a fresh way to see math as culture, craft, and curiosity.But we also get practical about math education. We discuss the love/hate split students have for math and what it implies for curriculum design; a century of “new” methods (and if anything is truly new); how movie tropes (Good Will Hunting, etc.) shape student identity in math; soccer-drills vs scrimmage as a frame for algebra practice and “honest” applications; grades as feedback vs record; AI shifting what counts as computation vs math; why benchmarks miss the point and the risk of lowering writing standards with LLMs; and a preview of Jordan's pro-uncertainty thesis.Listen to Learn: A better answer to “Why am I learning this?” using a soccer analogyThe two big off-ramps of math for students, and tactics that keep more students on boardHow to replace the “born genius” myth with a mindset that helps any student do mathWhen a grade is a record vs. a motivator, and a simple replacement policy that turns a rough start into effort and growthWhat AI will and won't change in math class, and why “does it help create new math?” matters more than benchmark scores3 Big Takeaways from this Episode:1. Math mastery comes from practice plus meaning, not a “born genius.” Jordan puts it plainly: “genius is a thing that happens, not a kind of person,” and he uses the soccer drills vs scrimmage analogy to pair targeted practice with real tasks, with algebraic manipulation as a core high school skill. He urges teachers to “throw a lot of spaghetti at the wall” so different explanations land for different students, because real innovation is iterative and cooperative.2. Students fall off at fractions and Algebra I. How do we pull them back? Jordan names those two moments as the big off-ramps and points to multiple representations, honest applications, and frequent low‑stakes practice to keep kids in. Matt's own algebra story shows how a replacement policy turned failure into effort and persistence, reframing grades as motivation rather than just record‑keeping.3. AI will shift our capabilities and limits in math, but math is still a human task. Calculators and Wolfram already do student‑level work, and Jordan argues benchmarks like DeepMind vs the International Mathematical Olympiad matter less than whether tools help create new mathematics. He also warns against letting LLMs lower writing standards and says the real test is whether these systems add substantive math, not just win contests.Resources in this Episode:Visit Jordan Ellenberg's website! jordanellenberg.comRead How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical ThinkingWe want to hear from you! Send us a text.Instagram - Facebook - YouTube - TikTok - Twitter - LinkedIn

When state lawmakers passed their biennial budget in July, they approved a $256 million increase to the University of Wisconsin system budget — but that money came with a lot of strings attached. Professors across the UW system are expected to carry heavier teaching loads, which has raised concerns about the potential impact on research and overall academic quality. To unpack these concerns and other potential consequences, host Bianca Martin speaks with Jon Shelton, a professor at UW-Green Bay and president of the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin, and Barret Elward, president of the United Faculty & Academic Staff union at UW-Madison. ‼️We're doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We'd be grateful if you took the survey at citycast.fm/survey — it's only 7 minutes long. Plus, anyone who takes the survey will be eligible to win a $250 Visa gift card and City Cast Madison swag!

Here's your local news for Thursday, August 7, 2025:We get the details on yesterday's failed outdoor warning siren test,Meet Madison's new Director of Transportation Christof Spieler,Sit down with the conductor of UW-Madison's Russian Folk Orchestra,Consider the potential pitfalls of AI interpreters in the courtroom,Discuss the art of mending textiles,And much more.

Listen to Thursday's "Dan O'Donnell Show" as Dan reads a letter from a UW-Madison lecturer to his students that just may be the most paranoid, delusional left-wing screed you will ever encounter. Why are our tax and tuition dollars funding this? 

Here's your local news for Tuesday, August 5, 2025:We get the details on Wisconsin's first confirmed measles cases of the year,Gear up for student move-out week with some advice from Madison's recycling coordinator,Find out why a federal appeals court ruled against UW-Madison in a social media standards lawsuit,Outline the hidden costs of manure digesters,Learn how a local business is bringing the art of tortilla-making to the Midwest,Explain why opossums can be especially tricky patients,And much more.

Over the past several months, Thoreau College has marked several milestones in our growth and development. As of this year, we are now able to offer transferable college credits for our summer and gap semester programs through a new partnership with Prescott College. And this summer we will be welcoming several students from Oberlin College and Stanford University to Wisconsin as interns and participants in our July Driftless Field School program through exciting new partnerships with those schools. Find out more about Thoreau College and apply to the Metamorphosis Gap Semester on our website www.thoreaucollege.orgOn this episode of the podcast we meet two people who have had a big impact on the growth and development of Thoreau College while exploring our unique Scholar-in-Residence program which enables scholars (or artists) to participate in Thoreau College as teachers and mentors for up to a year at a time while working on major research and/or creative projects of their own.Benjamin Bernard-Herman was the 2023-2024 Thoreau College Scholar-in-Residence and is currently serving as a Thoreau College Faculty member as one of the lead instructors of our 2025 Driftless Field School summer program. He is a PhD candidate in cultural anthropology at the University of Illinois-Chicago whose dissertation research is focused on the spiritual and ethical beliefs and ideas that inform the lives and decisions of people engaging in small scale agriculture here in the Driftless Region, including members of the Amish community and back-to-the-land movement, and practitioners of biodynamics.Julia Buskirk was the 2024-2024 Thoreau College Scholar-in-Residence, as well as a past participant in our Fellowship program in 2021. A native of Milwaukee and a graduate of UW-Madison, Julia has spent the past year teaching and mentoring Thoreau College students while conducting archival and oral history research for her forthcoming historical novel which is focused on agriculture and ecology here in the Driftless Region during the era of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.Learn more about our Residency program here: https://thoreaucollege.org/residencies/

It's becoming difficult to ignore the Canadian and western U.S. wildfire smoke that is causing an increasing number of air quality alerts throughout the Midwest, including within Door County. To help us understand what's going on, a leading air quality expert at UW-Madison, Brad Pierce, (Director of Space Science and Engineering and former NOAA physical scientist and NASA research scientist), joins Debra Fitzgerald to talk about why we're seeing more Door County days flagged for poor air quality, what people can do to keep themselves and their families safe, and what the future may hold for the air we breathe.

Here's your local news for Thursday, July 24, 2025:We share a big update on the 2026 gubernatorial race,Get the details on Marquette Law School's latest national poll,Hear state Democrats' plan to prevent partisan spending of taxpayer dollars,Uncover the world of Soviet-era samizdat with a UW-Madison alum,Outline the pros and cons of solar power,Head to the Amish Quilt and Consignment Auction,And much more.

Farms are diligently working on harvesting the hay and forages they'll need for the winter, but there have been some challenges. Kiley Allan chats with Mark Renz, professor and extension specialist with UW-Madison. He says that weed management is critical to maintaining a good stand. He also notes that he's receiving more reports of herbicide carryover from previous crops that have to be dealt with. He says a healthy stand of alfalfa is one of the best weed management tools a farm can have. Hot, sticky weather accompanied by dangerous temps are sweeping into Wisconsin. Stu Muck also details the threat of flooding for some areas in far northwest Wisconsin. Farmers can expect some continuity and a few key benefits when it comes to their federal income taxes this year. Extension Farm Management Specialist Kelly Wilfert says these include the return of the qualified business income deduction and the reinstatement of full expensing, aka bonus depreciation. Stephanie Hoff reveals some of the details with her. Vacancies continue to be a problem for schools searching for agriculture educators. Cheryl Zimmerman, executive director of the Wisconsin FFA Association says Wisconsin is not alone in these searches. We're at a critical junction for crop development and the market's aware of the weather. John Heinberg, market advisor with Total Farm Marketing in West Bend joins Pam Jahnke to discuss the outlook. Heinberg says the grain trade is tuned into the weather, but also the international marketing that's happening right now. Farmers are trying to clear out old crop supplies and that means volumes are up. On the other side of the coin, volumes remain down on cattle supplies. Heinberg says despite escalating prices, consumers are staying committed to beef.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Built in the 1870s, UW-Madison's Washburn Observatory continues to provide new insights into the cosmos, and has always prioritized access to the public. James Lattis and Kelly Tyrrell, co-authors of Chasing the Stars , tell the story of the observatory and its discoveries.

There’s a livestock sale going on now, but it’s not your typical animals on the auction block. The Bureau of Land Management within the U.S. Department of the Interior is hosting its Online Corral auction featuring wild horses and donkeys. Stephanie Hoff learns about it from Jason Lutterman from the National Wild Horse and Burro Program. The online sale is July 14-21. One of the pick-up and adoption events is on Sept. 12-13 at the Ozaukee County Fairgrounds in Cedarburg. Lutterman says these animals have gone on to be good workhorses, therapy companions, or show winners. Wild horses don't have any "bad habits" that previously trained horses may have. Donkeys are good guard animals for your existing herd.Severe weather rumbled across Wisconsin yesterday spawning high winds and tornados. Stu Muck recaps the details and points us toward a cooler, drier Thursday.The severe weather overnight comes at a critical time for corn development in Wisconsin. Ben Jarboe finds out that Wisconsin's corn crop is in the critical silk stage. Dr. Harkirat Kaur, a corn agronomist with UW-Madison says that the last few weeks have provided great weather and the corn crop responded. She also says she's received reports of increased flights of corn earworm so scouting now is key.A Wisconsin technical college is working to fill the need for CDL certified semi drivers. Holly Straka, director of Business and Industry Services at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore says it's all about demand. The new CDL training curriculum will begin this fall.Matt Tranel, broker analyst with EverAg, joins Pam Jahnke to talk about the decline in milk prices lately, and the additional anxiety over potential tariff increases against key dairy traders in Canada and Mexico.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know the UW Geology Museum is home to fossils from the oldest known dinosaur in the northern hemisphere? The two bone fragments belong to a creature called Ahvaytum bahndooiveche that lived 230 million years ago and were discovered in Wyoming in 2013 by a UW-Madison team led by Dr. Dave Lovelace. Host Bianca Martin chats with Lovelace about Ahvaytum, other Northern Hemisphere dinosaurs, and the collaboration with the  Northern Arapaho Tipo and Eastern Shoshone Tipo Tribal Historic Preservation Offices. The UW Geology Museum at 1215 W. Dayton St. is free and open to the public. Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. 

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will shutter its division of diversity, equity and inclusion. It's moving most employees to other departments. We'll hear from our politics team on a big Supreme Court decision this week. And, the latest story in our Wisconsin Road Trip series brings us to Kenosha where a 75-year-old baton-twirler is a crowd favorite at Kenosha Kingfish games.

Hey, ho, let's go! It's Friday, which means the City Cast Madison team is rounding up the news of the week. First of all, producer Jade Iseri-Ramos digs into a scathing report from the Wisconsin Elections Commission about the Madison City Clerk's office. Then, newsletter editor Rob Thomas crunches the numbers on the UW-Madison's budget and new tuition increase. Finally, host Bianca Martin celebrates an artist and an architect who in their own ways make Madison a beautiful place.  Mentioned on the show: Missing Madison ballots “unconscionable” and a “profound failure,” Wisconsin Elections Commission finds [Wisconsin Public Radio]Wisconsin has a new budget. Here's what UW-Madison will receive. [Daily Cardinal] “Mother and Child” statue unveiled on Madison's east side [WKOW] Darbo Sculpture Unveiling [City of Madison] Sculptor Austen Brantley's “Mother and Child” statue in-process photos  Look back on architect Kenton Peters' most famous projects [WSJ] Muse at Art Fair on the Square  Your Guide to July [City Cast Madison] Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  Want more Madison news delivered right to your inbox? Subscribe to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. 

Returning guest, Dr. Byars-Winston, is the inaugural chair of the UW- Madison's Institute of Diversity Science. She honestly explores what doing research on causes of group-based discrimination and what effective ways to eliminate discrimination look like in our current social and political environment. They discuss that more people than the media and politicians appear are in favor of broad diversity. The conversation covers how most businesses want to hire a diverse staff but don't necessarily want to use the DEI labels. Dr. Byars-Winston explains that there is and can be data to back up approaches to diversity in the workplace but most do not have access to the information now. As an example she shows the lack of available evidence illustrated in a public hearing in WI State Assembly.  Hear about the ties between Dr. Byars-Winston's work and The Center for Black Excellence and Culture's goals. Also, listen in to understand the importance mentorship representation. Heads of UW system, state agencies defend diversity, inclusion practices to audit committee, Wisconsin Examiner Article alexgee.com Support the Show: patreon.com/blacklikeme Join the Black Like Me Listener Community Facebook Group

4pm Hour: Jason talks with Kate Raddatz on the "Radd Report" - what makes a person "cool"? Then he's joined by UW-Madison meteorologist Chris Vagasky to talk about the weather warning system, and if it can be improved to prevent tragedies like the Texas floods

Jason talks with Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist at UW-Madison, about the weather warning system, concerns about how it works, and if we can make it better. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Farmers are sharing their voice on state policy and the lack of a national farm bill. Jill Welke visits with Brad Olson, president of the WI Farm Bureau Federation, about a group of young farmers that went to Washington, D.C. to make their points on policy. Another hot, sticky day on the way for Wisconsin. Pam Jahnke gives a rundown on the forecast and also shares crop tips from Anastasia Kurth, UW-Extension Regional Crops and Soils Educator. She says the heat and humidity tax the energy of a plant, at the same time that insect populations are burgeoning. What if dairy could help you keep a slim waistline? Karen Antunes is a PhD candidate in the nutritional science department at UW-Madison. She’s working with the UW Dairy Innovation Hub to figure out if colostrum (the first form of milk produced by cows after calving) can restore gut health after taking antibiotics to reduce obesity later in life. She explains that antibiotics kill bad bacteria -- that's why humans take it when they're sick. But antibiotics also kill good bacteria -- microbes that can be tougher for children and young people to gain back leading to an increased risk for obesity. In mice, colostrum successfully brought back good bacteria, and those mice gained less fat when eating a "Western diet." It's just the beginning, as she explains to Stephanie Hoff. Wisconsin crops aren't improving just because of the heat and rain. Pam Jahnke highlights some of the weekly notes from the state crop progress report. She also notes displeasure from the WI Farmers Union in the lack of funding support for the WI Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. Federal funding for that program will be exhausted by August, and the Joint Finance Committee has opted not to include it in their current state budget. Monday's USDA acreage report showed farmers planting less soybeans and more corn this year. Numbers didn't really surprise the marketplace according to John Heinberg, market advisor with Total Farm Marketing in West Bend. He joins Pam Jahnke to break it down. Also developing, USDA allowing live cattle and other livestock back into the U.S. The border restrictions were connected with stopping movement of the New World Screwworm. Heinberg says it's going to be closely monitored, but it will be opened.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been just over a month since a series of EF2 tornadoes raced across southeast Wisconsin. While the storms may have passed, for the farms that were impacted the lingering damage has changed lives. Pam Jahnke visits with Dr. Monty Belmar from Waupun Vet Services. Belmar was one of the veterinarians that responded to injured animals at a Juneau area dairy that was struck by a tornado. Aside from evaluating injured animals and responding immediately, there's the question of where the displaced animals will go. How will they be fed, watered and milked? While he's lived through events like this in the past, Belmar says each situation brings new challenges that don't end after the debris is picked up.Hot. That describes the weather coming to Wisconsin. Stu Muck explains what taking care of yourself and your animals will be a priority this weekend. When you hear about schools recruiting, you probably think about sports. Now agriculture schools are recruiting too! Stephanie Hoff was a part of the group when nearly 30 students from seven rural Wisconsin towns celebrated the UW-Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences Rural Scholars Program. These high-schoolers spent the last four days getting acquainted with the agriculture campus and college life, touring facilities like ag engineering, food science, and horticulture. They also stayed in college dorm rooms. Before the program, most of these seniors and juniors didn’t think a four-year university was in the cards for them. Now, they’ll be applying to UW-Madison. Rural Scholars Program Director Tanya Cutsforth says the effort, funded by USDA, is to reach out to rural students with the message that: college is possible for you. It's a little early to be very confident about where yields will be by the harvest, but taking a chance could pay off. Pam Jahnke chats with UW-Extension Soybean Specialist, Dr. Shawn Conley, about the 2025 WI Soybean Yield Contest. The contest, sponsored by the WI Soybean Marketing Board, recognizes growers with the best yield across the state. Conley also emphasizes that the information gained through the yield contest turns into guidance for future soybean research. Paid for by the WI Soybean Marketing Board.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if dairy could help you keep a slim waistline? Karen Antunes is a PhD candidate in the nutritional science department at UW-Madison. She’s working with the UW Dairy Innovation Hub to figure out if colostrum -- the first form of milk produced by cows after calving -- can restore gut health after taking antibiotics to reduce obesity later in life. It worked in mice, but now more research needs to be done in humans.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The leader of the state's flagship university directed all departments to cut their budgets between 5 percent and 7 percent next year. Wisconsin's federal lawmakers split along party lines in their reactions to the U.S. air strike on Iran. And, Johnsonville is being sued by a competitor over alleged effort to poach employees and share trade secrets.

In this special episode, Edge Effects and the SustainUW Podcast team collaborate to discuss the history of Earth Day in the United States, bring a glimpse of Earth Fest celebrations on UW-Madison's campus, and underline the importance of embracing environmental protection beyond just April 22. The post What Comes After Earth Day? appeared first on Edge Effects.

The UW-Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences Rural Scholars Program welcomed nearly 30 high schoolers from seven Wisconsin schools to get acquainted with the college and the campus over the last four days. Before the program, most of these students didn’t think a four-year university or UW-Madison was in the cards for them. The inaugural WiRS program showed students how CALS is rooted in communities across Wisconsin. It also introduced them to application prep, financial aid, and campus life so they feel prepared no matter which college they choose after high school graduation. Director Tanya Cutsforth (pictured) has the details.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

About the Guest Kyle Leistikow began his research career at UW-Madison where he worked for three years under the guidance of Eric Johnson investigating the secretion and stability of Clostridial neurotoxins. He received his PhD from Marquette University under the guidance of Krassimira Hristova and Christopher Marshall where his work on bacterial communication systems led […]

County fair season begins this week in Wisconsin. One theme you'll hear is "You Make The Difference". Jayme Butke, executive secretary of the WI Fair Association joins Pam Jahnke to talk about a national directive that all fairs are being encouraged to adopt. It's about finding the next generation of volunteers and evaluating where your fair is going and what value it brings to the community, county, state.Hot and sticky to start the week. That's the summary from Stu Muck for Wisconsin weather.Tina Peterson with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin joins Charitee Seebecker to talk more about why these stories and connections matter. Paid for by Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.In Wisconsin, fairs happen once a year. There's a lot riding on a few days of good weather and community interaction. What about those buildings that fairs use, and the uncertainty of the weather. Can fairs protect themselves from these elements? Stephanie Hoff talks to Robert Holmes, the president of Spectrum Weather and Specialty Insurance. His clients are nationwide, but his roots are in the Upper Midwest. Robert grew up in Minnesota and then came to college in Wisconsin. He worked as a weather researcher at UW-Madison for eight years before starting his business. His job today is to help fairs protect their bottom line in case of a severe weather event or the countless other things that could go wrong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amalia Draxler of the Glenwood City FFA Chapter will serve as the 2025-2026 Wisconsin State FFA President. Draxler, daughter of Mike and Rebecca, is a student at UW-Madison, working toward a degree in agricultural and applied economics. She’s involved in the Association of Women in Agriculture and hopes to use her experiences to continue to advocate for agriculture through a career in agricultural communications. Her Journey in agriculture started on her families dairy farm where her passion for advocating for agriculture grew in experiences such as the showing at the far, FFA, and even county fairest of the fair. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A consistent message from farm groups nationwide is that labor is a No. 1 issue in the agricultural economy. Jeremy Foltz is a professor of agricultural and applied economics at UW-Madison. He’s currently gathering data on what the farm workforce looks like on dairy farms across the state. It’s research done through the UW Dairy Innovation Hub. He paints the picture for us on what the survey results have shown so far, and he agrees lack of farm labor is a problem.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This special episode of The UpWords Podcast features clips from talks given at Upper House in the Spring of 2025. Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation. We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology. Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW-Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation. Talk 1️⃣ = Reimagining Our Moment for Whatever Comes Next - with Anne Snyder (Recorded on January 30, 2025) Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fPLQhx0cdsXvUxzqP0YR3?si=Z4vbxvJMQM-fzwRKhhGkIQ Apple Podcasts = https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upper-house-events/id1715922039?i=1000688980527 YouTube = https://youtu.be/Pg6ODIUp8yQTalk 2️⃣ = Can Fiction Deliver What Technology Can't? - with Casandra Nelson (Recorded on February 14, 2025) Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/show/5CosoSlCWKmUShqnEK75Re?si=74f6cd9ca9584036Apple Podcasts =https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upper-house-events/id1715922039 YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4uGiIvJTDePJylcsh84USjIpVkibpuM2Talk 3️⃣ = What Can Evangelicals Teach Us About Beauty? - Karen Swallow Prior (Recorded on March 14, 2025) Spotify = https://open.spotify.com/show/5CosoSlCWKmUShqnEK75Re?si=74f6cd9ca9584036Apple Podcasts =https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upper-house-events/id1715922039 YouTube = https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4uGiIvJTDePTHdNbYsoMMf8ZX80eEUet

The guys start the show talking about allergies, music nostalgia, and the perplexing art of cooking scallops. They banter about Maino's new seafood diet, reminiscent of a culinary experiment gone awry, and the humorous prospects of owning a dive bar. The episode also touches on serious notes like the absence of a baseball team at UW-Madison, the impact of NCAA's financial decisions, and the complexities of college athletics. Meanwhile, the duo dreams of revitalizing old buildings and reflects on the pressures facing today's college coaches. A mixed bag of laughs, dreams, and the reality of modern sports. Green Bay and on WISS in Appleton/Oshkosh. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with Maino and the Mayor!

Laura Helgeson, founder of Let's Talk UTI, joins me to shed light on a topic that affects millions of women yet remains widely misunderstood. We're talking all things urinary tract infections—what they are, why they're often misdiagnosed, and how to get the care you deserve.Laura shares her personal journey with chronic UTIs and how it led her to create the first U.S.-based patient advocacy group focused on this issue.We dive into the gaps in traditional care, the emotional toll of feeling dismissed, and how women can better advocate for themselves at the doctor's office.If you've ever struggled with recurrent UTIs—or want to better understand and support someone who has—this conversation is packed with practical insights, validation, and hope.Laura is the founder of Let's Talk UTI, the only US-based, patient advocacy organization shining a light on the issues associated with UTI, while providing valuable insights, supporting research, and furthering education to drive meaningful change. Her life-long experience of having UTIs led to the creation of Let's Talk UTI in 2023. Let's Talk UTI and three of the world's patient-centered organizations (Live UTI Free, Chronic UTI Australia and Chronic UTI Campaign) have formed the Alliance for Patient-centered UTI Research (APUR). Together, we are advancing the understanding and management of UTI through patient-centered research and advocacy.Since the founding of Let's Talk UTI, Laura has presented at a CAIRIBU Connections meeting presenting “UTI Through the Lifespan - a Patient Perspective.” She also spoke at the NIDDK sponsored KUH Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She spoke at UW Madison in June 2024 for the Summer Program for Undergraduate Urology Research and, on behalf of APUR, at the UTI Global Alliance meeting in Columbus, OH in July 2024. Her story was recently featured in the Minnesota Women's Press.Laura was formerly a professional classical musician and is an ordained, interfaith minister.Website: letstalkuti.org Instagram @letstalkutiFacebook: Let's Talk UTITune in each week for practical, relatable advice that helps you feel your best and unlock your full potential. If you're ready to prioritize your health and level up every area of your life, you'll find the tools, insights, and inspiration right here. Buy Esther's Book: To Your Health - https://a.co/d/iDG68qUFollow Esther on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@estheravantFollow Esther on IG - https://www.instagram.com/esther.avantLearn more about booking Esther to speak: https://www.estheravant.comLearn more about working with Esther: https://www.madebymecoaching.com/services

April 2025 has five Tuesdays, and whenever that happens the last Tuesday of the month is a "dealer's choice" event, with Tim going off on whatever tangent catches his fancy. Unfortunately, due to some scheduling trouble, this particular fifth Tuesday episode has been delayed a bit, but it's worth it: Tim has a conversation with UW-Madison film scholar Will Quade about the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and what we can learn about the state of world art cinema by the choices festival programmers make. Will is one of the only people I know with more irascible and idiosyncratic opinions than my own, and we do tend to go off on some rants once we get going.

Our card this week is Robert "Bob" Christian, the 4 of Spades from Wisconsin. In the Fall of 1977, Bob was just weeks into his freshman year at UW-Madison. He was a math whiz with a knack for computers and a big heart. At 18-years-old, there was no telling how far he'd go.But no one ever expected to be asking the question… Where did he go? Yet here we are almost half a century later, with that burning question and just a string of bizarre clues that leads many to believe an infamous serial killer could be to blame for his disappearance.Today, Robert “Bob” Christian would be 65 years old. At the time of his disappearance, he was 5'10” and 210 pounds. He had brown eyes, shaggy brown hair, and wore eyeglasses. You can find his photo in the show notes. If you know anything about Bob's disappearance or movements around Wisconsin in September of 1977, please call Detective Tyler Pointon directly at 608-355-3205. You can also call the sheriff's office's non-emergency line at 800-377-1195. Or, if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can reach Sauk County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-TIP-SAUK.View source material and photos for this episode at: thedeckpodcast.com/robert-bob-christian Let us deal you in… follow The Deck on social media.Instagram: @thedeckpodcast | @audiochuckTwitter: @thedeckpodcast_ | @audiochuckFacebook: /TheDeckPodcast | /audiochuckllcTo support Season of Justice and learn more, please visit seasonofjustice.org.The Deck is hosted by Ashley Flowers. Instagram: @ashleyflowersTikTok: @ashleyflowerscrimejunkieTwitter: @Ash_FlowersFacebook: /AshleyFlowers.AFText Ashley at 317-733-7485 to talk all things true crime, get behind the scenes updates, and more!