Midday Magazine on WAMC

Democracy is never in greater danger, than when self-appointed spokespersons for a deity decide to re-regulate religious dogma, to suit their own selfish designs and turn religious freedom into religious tyranny.  This is the imminent danger with which deceitful minions of religious despotism now threaten the United States, under the guise of securing religious freedom via an entrenched uniformity.

Sacred harp singing is considered to be one of the oldest forms of American folk music.  It dates back to the 1700s, to a choral style that developed in the churches of colonial New England, but eventually took root in the rural south. It’s a participatory tradition, which means that singers perform for themselves, not for an audience. Today, Sacred harp is experiencing something of a renaissance, some even characterize it as the punk rock of choral music.

In 2006, thirteen men and women from Maine participated in study titled “Body of Evidence: A study of Pollution in Main People” sponsored by the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine, which sought to draw attention to the growing presence of toxic chemicals in everyday consumer products. The study looked for a handful of known toxins and heavy metals, some which have been around forever, such as lead and arsenic and some, which are relatively new, such as phthalates, flame retardants, and perfluorinated chemicals.

While he is still writing mainstream comics like Marvel's Daredevil, Mark Waid and a group of collaborators are attmepting to redefine the comic book format for the age of tablets. Between his own work at Thrillbent.com and the Marvel published, Comixology distributed "Infinite Comics", Waid is pioneering the first mainstream comic book stories that are "native" to the emerging publishing platform.

Massachusetts Insurance Regulators have denied a proposal that would have raised state workers’ compensation rates nearly 19%. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

Workers’ compensation insurance is paid out by employers to employees in case of job related accidents. The money covers services including medical care and rehabilitation.

One result of this year’s redistricting process in New York is a new Senate district comprised of parts of the Capital Region and Hudson Valley. WAMC’s Ian Pickus spoke with Monica Arias Miranda, who is running in this month’s Democratic primary.

Miranda is running for the Democratic nomination for the new 46th Senate seat. There are three Democrats in the race vying for the right to face Republican Assemblyman George Amedore. A Costa Rican immigrant, Miranda is the founder of The Hispanic Coalition of New York.

We take a listen to what you had to say this week on the WAMC Listener Comment Line. 

When some students go to college this fall, they will do so at a campus surrounded by farms and fields. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is working with colleges in rural areas, providing funding to keep them up to date and competitive with larger, urban-based institutions. U.S.D.A. Deputy Undersecretary Doug O’Brien was at Fulton-Montgomery Community College in the town of Johnstown yesterday to dedicate a new residence hall at the school, Raiders Hall. It was built with the help of 11-point three million dollars from the U.S.D.A.

Lucretius, Roman poet, was born around  99 BCE.

 Sometimes people are remembered for one thing – and with Lucretius it was his  long poem “De Rerum Natura” -- “on natural things”.

  The city of Springfield finds itself the center  of intense competition for the lone casino license that will be issued in western Massachusetts.  Questions are being raised about the  casino selection process city officials are about to undertake.  WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports