HOLIDAY TIME FOR SOME PROGRAMING

SUNDAY SIMCHA: The picture is a classic. Taken by a photographer unknown to me in the 1930s and foretelling things to come. Happily after the dark days a new day has dawned for Jews. Sadly, that cannot be said for so many other people. But, like the Maccabees of yore the evil ones were conquered.

The year seems to have flown by and it is time, once again, for our annual Hanukkah celebration. A proper word---CELEBRATION. On December 2 we will spend the entire hour with festive music for Hanukkah from around the world. Music from Woody Guthrie via The Klezmatics, Joy Katzen Guthrie, The Weavers, Herdman, Hills, and Mangsen, and a bevy of traditional and non-traditional music. Serious and Funny. It is all there to celebrate a joyous holiday---albeit a minor one in the Jewish Calendar--but a joyous one full of song and food. As one of the artists tells us in one song---for Latkes-- if you run short of oil just go into the garage and get some Quaker State and keep cooking.

Now it is time to stop spinning your Dreidl with all this information. Just join the party on December 2 at 10 AM on WFDU (89.1 FM) as always ---or tune in on the web at http://www.wfdu.fm/.

A few Hebrew Schools have asked for copies and, unfortunately, for legal reasons that cannot be done. You are surely welcome to record the program if you like. In fact---I encourage it. Share the joy.

One last update for SUNDAY SIMCHA --on December 9 JOY KATZEN GUTHRIE will be my guest for a brief while but will be making a longer appearance that same day at 8 AM on TABLETALK. We will be talking of her music and also her historical interest in knowledge of the vast Sino-Jewish experience and of the tour she will be leading there shortly. You may want to join it.

Since this entire thing is being written in the evening of Thanksgiving Day it is only proper to give thanks for many personal things but in a public forum I think credit and thanks must be given to WFDU and the parent university for the wonderful eclectic program that it offers to the world and for the freedom the hosts---this one included---in presenting material you won't find anywhere else on the dial in this area. Doubtfully, anywhere else either.

For SUNDAY SIMCHA--WFDU keeps "Yiddishkeit" alone (I believe) on the air in this area.

For TRADITIONS--the wide spectrum of non-commercial folk---old and new not found anywhere else on the dial.

TABLETALK has the freedom to present authors discussing their works be they books about politics, crime, or any other subject along with "people of interest" (not in the criminal sense---though--hey, you never know).

Those are only the programs that I am involved in. My hat is off to all the other hosts so knowledgeable in their areas.

Finally, thanks, to all of our loyal listeners since your support allows the already open-minded management know that these programs should have the time slots and air time they have.

Since you have read through all this I will offer a gift for the answer to a TRIVIA QUERY. As you know CAPITOL STEPS is exclusively aired on TABLETALK (with the exception of this Dec. 30 when it will be aired at 7 AM for the year end review--for which we thank Stacy Wendell for donating her time slot). SO---for a CAPITOL STEPS CD--the question:

Since the Capitol Steps do political humor a political question --and, hopefully, this is not a person who had only 15 min. of fame---Where did Congressman Craig go to the toilet? YES---a toilet question.



The first two correct answers to wfdutraditions@yahoo.com get the CDs. The entries are time stamped so you will get a fair count---you know like the 2000 election.