An hour of news and information from Illinois Public Media, NPR, and the BBC http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/themes/site_themes/images/IPM_i.png http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-conversation-guns-save-lives Members of the organization Guns Save Life met last night in Rantoul, to discuss a number of issues, including firearm safety and a possible new concealed carry law in Illinois. Two members of WILL's staff, Lindsey Moon and Kimberlie Kranich, spoke with members of the group as part of the station's Community Conversations initiative. Kranich says that during the meeting, several members expressed a preference for a concealed carry law to be passed, as even an imperfect bill would be better than the uncertainty of having no law on the matter. One attendee noted that he was able to get around possible concealed carry laws because there is no prohibition on carrying a firearm and ammunition seperately on one's person, Kranich says. Moon notes that several attendees were concerned that the wait time for an ownership permit was often 75-90 days, despite the promise that such a permit would be issued within 30 days by the state. Other issues addressed in the meeting included school safety and the perception of media bias against firearm owners. Every month, Illinois Public Media organizes or participates in other organizations’ 'community conversations.' WILL engages in these conversations in an effort to better inform our own news coverage. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-conversation-guns-save-lives Wed, 15 May 2013 15:00:38 -0500 community conversations, firearms, community, guns save lives -- Community http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-cinema-the-revolutionary-optimists Henry Radcliffe joins us to discuss tonight's Community Cinema event, a screening of The Revolutionary Optimists. The film looks at an effort to alleviate poverty in Kolkata slums through dance and art. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-cinema-the-revolutionary-optimists Tue, 14 May 2013 12:45:36 -0500 community cinema, henry radcliffe, india -- CinemaCommunityPoverty http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/nick-offerman-on-parks-rec-and-woodworking Nick Offerman has made a very unique career for himself. He graduated from the University of Illinois theater program, and bounced around for a bit, getting small roles in TV shows like Deadwood and Gilmore Girls. That's before he got the role of a lifetime, as Ron Swanson on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. It's a tough role to make likeable - he's laconic, and a curmedgeon, and, even though he works for the government, he's also an outspoken libertarian. But Offerman's performance is one of the most appealing on TV, and the character's Swanologues have become legendary. With Parks and Rec wrapping up it's fifth season, Offerman is making a rare film appearance in a new movie called Somebody Up There Likes Me, which is now available through VOD. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/nick-offerman-on-parks-rec-and-woodworking Fri, 03 May 2013 12:28:27 -0500 nick offerman, TV, parks and recreation -- Art and CultureEntertainment http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/peter-sagal-host-of-wait-wait-dont-tell-me When Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me! debuted in 1998, it was considered a weird curiosity, a very silly "news quiz" nestled in the schedule of an otherwise serious news organization. Now, it's arguably the network's second biggest weekend show, after Car Talk. Peter Sagal, host of Wait Wait, joined us to discuss dirty jokes, Gene Simmons and the show's first ever live cinema event. Wait Wait Live is playing tonight at movie theaters across America. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/peter-sagal-host-of-wait-wait-dont-tell-me Thu, 02 May 2013 12:47:35 -0500 radio, national public radio, wait wait don't tell me -- Media and journalism http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/haskell-wexler-on-roger-ebert-days-of-heaven Haskell Wexler is one of the most influential cinematographers ever - his credits include 'The Conversation', 'In the Heat of the Night', 'The Thomas Crown Affair', 'Bound For Glory' and 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' He's in Champaign Illinois this week to introduce the film 'Days of Heaven' at Ebertfest. We spoke with him about his friendship with Roger Ebert, the switch to digital film, and his own beloved subversive 60s movie, 'Medium Cool'. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/haskell-wexler-on-roger-ebert-days-of-heaven Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:09:51 -0500 ebertfest, roger ebert -- Cinema http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/thomas-burrell-on-racism Thomas Burrell is the founder and former CEO of Burrell Communications, an advertising agency based in Chicago that is one of the largest multi-cultural marketing firms in the world.  Among his many honors, Burrell has been inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame and has been named as one of the most influential black businessmen of the past 40 years by Black Enterprise Magazine. He argues that the longest-running and most successful advertising campaign of all time has functioned to marginalize black America. He’s author of the book “Brainwashed, Challenging the Myth of Black Inferiority.” In it, he argues that we are not living in a post-racial era but one that makes it harder to talk about race than ever before. He’ll will be giving a talk on campus at the University of Illinois this evening at 7:30 p.m. in Knight Auditorium in Urbana. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/thomas-burrell-on-racism Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:00:22 -0500 race-ethnicity, race -- Civil RightsCommunity http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-cinema-the-island-president The Island President screens Tuesday night at the Champaign Public Library as part of our Community Cinema series. Henry Radcliffe joins us to discuss a film that explores the immediate implications of climate change for the small island nation of the Maldives. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-cinema-the-island-president Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:40:17 -0500 climate change, community cinema -- CinemaEnvironment http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/chicago-critics-remember-roger-ebert Roger Ebert passed away yesterday - it's a great loss for movie lovers everywhere, and it's being felt very deeply among film critics. He was possibly the most infleuntial critic ever, and a staple of the Chicago film community. Even after Ebert became hobbled by cancer, he still showed up, several times a week, to see movies in the press screening rooms across the city. He would sit in the back, on the aisle, next to the door. We're joined by Scott Tobias, Film Editor at the AV Club, and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of Roger-Ebert-dot-com to discuss his imfluence on film criticism. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/chicago-critics-remember-roger-ebert Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:40:05 -0500 roger ebert, film, movies -- CinemaCultural Studies Scott Tobias Ignatiy Vishnevetsky http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/andy-carvin-on-his-book-distant-witness During the Arab Spring, almost everyone got their news from Twitter, and one man managed to make himself a hub for a lot of a newsreaders. Andy Carvin works for NPR, but he's not a reporter. Last year, Carvin Tweeted incessantly, sometimes over one hundred times an hour, spreading videos, rumors and stories that would have unnoticed from across Egypt, Libya and Tunisia. Carvin provided important context for many readers, but some media critics were uncomfortable with Carvin's retweeting of unverified rumors, and the fact that he did all of his Tweeting from outside of the middle east. Carvin has now written a book about the Arab Spring called Distant Witness. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/andy-carvin-on-his-book-distant-witness Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:31:45 -0500 andy carvin, arab spring, social media -- Media and journalismTechnology Andy Carvin http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/walter-dean-myers-on-literacy Walter Dean Myers is a giant of American young adult literature. He's won the Newberry Medal, and was a finalist for the National Book Awards three times. Myers' books are gritty and realistic, exploring a side of American life not often seen in kids books. Now Myers is the US Ambassador for Young People's Literature - his job is to travel America promoting literacy. Myers is coming to Champaign March 26th - he joins us to discuss developing good reading habits, and why literacy is so important for low income Americans. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/walter-dean-myers-on-literacy Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:40:07 -0500 literacy, YA fiction, children's literature -- Books and ReadingChildren and Parenting Walter Dean Myers http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/sheldon-jacobson-on-bracketology For March Madness neophytes, it's hard to know if our bracket predictions make any sense. But there's a new tool to determine if your choices are statistically likely to be correct. Sheldon Jacobson joins us to discuss his magical probability tool, and the crazy, what-are-the-odds victory of Harvard over New Mexico last night. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/sheldon-jacobson-on-bracketology Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:40:02 -0500 March Madness, NCAA, Statistics, College basketball -- Sports Sheldon Jacobson http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/mike-pesca-on-march-madness March Madness begins today, with the Illini tipping off Friday against Colorado. For public radio listeners, typically not a group enamored with sports, this is a tough time of year to keep up with conversations at work or school. Joining us for a quick primer on the storylines in this year's tournament is Mike Pesca, the sports reporter for NPR. He also weighs in on the Public Radio March Madness bracket (see link below) that went viral earlier this week. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/mike-pesca-on-march-madness Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:40:17 -0500 march madness, basketball, illini sports, NCAA -- Sports Mike Pesca http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/iraq-war-veteran-eric-swenson Today marks the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. Eric Swenson, who now lives in Paxton, Illinois with his family, joined the military straight out of high school in 2004. He didn't expect to be involved in combat, but was close to the action, doing intelligence work as part of an infantry batallion. He joined us in studio to discuss his experiences, including the transition back to life in America, and the tough emotional toll of the conflict. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/iraq-war-veteran-eric-swenson Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:40:41 -0500 iraq war, veterans issues, military families -- Foreign Policy-U.S.Military Eric Swenson http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/stephanie-mencimer-on-the-online-gun-market While the debate over guns has largely broken down to "more regulation" vs. "better enforcement," few are talking about one of the biggest issues surrounding firearms in America--the gray market of online gun sales. Websites like Armslist have created a market where guns are available without background checks. It's believed that over 40 percent of gun sales in the US are now facilitated online. Stephanie Mencimer, a reporter for Mother Jones, has written about Armslist, and covered one shooting death in Illinois, where a woman was gunned down by a weapon purchased in Washington state. Mencimer joins us to discuss the case, and whether stricter laws can be effective. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/stephanie-mencimer-on-the-online-gun-market Mon, 18 Mar 2013 13:40:50 -0500 guns, online gun sales, mother jones magazine, firearms, conceal and carry -- Criminal Justice Stephanie Mencimer http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-conversations-march-2013 From time to time, Illinois Public Media organizes or participates in other organizations’ “community conversations.” They’re opportunities to discuss a wide range of issues and ideas, to hear what various communities care about, and – ideally, for those of us in the news business – to inform the stories we ought to tell, and the way we ought to tell them. Illinois Public Media's Jeff Bossert and Sean Powers join us to discuss what they learned from conversations at the C-U Rotary this week. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-conversations-march-2013 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:40:03 -0500 community conversations -- Jeff Bossert Sean Powers http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/scott-jaschik-on-university-rankings In the past two weeks, the two biggest university ranking surveys - from the Times Higher Education and the US News & World Report - were released. The news was mixed for the University of Illinois. The school finished #24 on the THE world poll, ahead of such heavyweights as the London School of Economics and Carnegie Mellon University. But the law school placed 47th in the US News ranking, a lowly spot for a school that was once finished consistently in the top twenty. These rankings cause a lot of consternation, since they can affect fundraising efforts, and attempts to recruit high-achieving new students. But according to Scott Jaschik, editor of Inside Higher Ed, both surveys have serious problems. Music - The Beach Boys, "Be True to Your School" http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/scott-jaschik-on-university-rankings Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:40:38 -0500 university of illinois, higher education, u of i law school -- Education Scott Jaschik http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-cinema-wonder-women At this month's community cinema screening in Champaign, we'll be showing Wonder Women, a documentary about the creation of America's first female superhero and her evolution into a feminist icon. Henry Radcliffe joined us to discuss the film, which is screening at the Champaign Public Library on Tuesday at 6pm. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/community-cinema-wonder-women Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:40:34 -0500 community cinema, movies, documentaries -- CinemaEntertainment Henry Radcliffe http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/jim-derogatis-on-david-bowie-and-the-nostalgia-trap Tuesday is a big one for music: the release of the first David Bowie album in a decade. Most fans and critics are very excited - the owners of the record shop Exile on Main Street are even having a special 'David Bowie Day,' with the mayor of Champaign performing The Thin White Duke's hits, along with many other local musicians. But some people aren't so enthuasiastic. Jim DeRogatis was the rock music critic at the Chicago Sun-Times for years, and is one of the long-time hosts of Sound Opinions, a nationally syndicated public radio show. Count him as a Bowie skeptic. DeRogatis joins us to discuss Bowie's new record, 'The Next Day,' and the nostalgia trap that he sees many critics falling into. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/jim-derogatis-on-david-bowie-and-the-nostalgia-trap Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:40:42 -0500 david bowie, music, pop music, pop culture -- Music Jeff Brandt Jim DeRogatis http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/phil-plait-on-asteroids A few weeks ago, astronomy was back in the news after a meteor exploded over Russia, injuring scores of people, the same weekend that an asteroid narrowly missed the Earth. Phil Plait writes about these kinds of phenomenon for his Slate blog, Bad Astronomy. He says that, while we should be worried about extraterrestrial threats, in the end, there's only so much that we can prepare. Phil Plait is speaking at the University of Illinois on Friday, March 8th. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/phil-plait-on-asteroids Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:40:56 -0600 astronomy, slate magazine, asteroids, cosmic danger, space -- ScienceSpace ExplorationTechnology Phil Plait http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/yvette-johnson-walker-on-animal-born-viruses Since the movie Contagion, I've been terrified about the idea of viruses jumping from animals to people. As Yvette Johnson-Walker tells us, it's already happening. She talks about two diseases that have become common in household pets in Illinois - tularemia and Rocky Moutain spotted fever. Dr. Johnson-Walker is speaking on a panel about global health tonight at the U of I veteranary school. http://will.illinois.edu/afternoonmagazine/program/yvette-johnson-walker-on-animal-born-viruses Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:40:08 -0600 animals, animal diseases, veterinary medicine -- AgricultureAnimals Yvette Johnson-Walker