This week on The Exchange, this year is the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency, we talk with the author of a new book about the “Wise Girls” the women who helped make the CIA what it is today.
Author Nathalia Holt is adding to the story of the CIA with her new book. Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Built the Future of Espionage.
The New York Times bestselling author of The Rise of the Rocket Girls tells the never-before-told story of a small cadre of influential female spies in the precarious early days of the CIA—women who helped create the template for cutting-edge espionage (and blazed new paths for equality in the workplace) in the treacherous post-WWII era.
Holt says she had to dig for information about the women of the CIA and file a Freedom of Information request as part of her research.
Also ,we hear about two music related exhibits at the Sioux City Public Museum. One that brings some of the greatest jazz and blues artists almost to life with lifemasks. A Cast of Blues, lets you touch the resin-cast lifemasks of blues legends. They were created by artist Sharon McConnell-Dickerson. The museum’s director Steve Hansen showed me around the exhibit.
another that has a huge number and variety of Beatles memorabilia called Meet the Beatles! A Fab Four Memorabilia Collection.
Also, how a 25 million dollar grant is transforming the NE Nebraska city of Norfolk and Northeast Community College’s Robotics program.
Also, we talk about what the authors of a new book say is the racist and sexist origins of the body mass index and how it is used to stigmatize people’s bodies. It’s not unusual these days for women and men to say they feel uncomfortable in their bodies, especially if they are overweight or labeled obese by the measure of the Body Mass Index. However the authors of a new book says the BMI was created long ago to look the weight distributions of white people. Hilary Kinavey and Dana Sturtevant are the authors of Reclaiming Body Trust: A Path to Healing and Liberation. I talked to the authors about their book.
This week is Lifeline Awareness Week and the Iowa Utilities Board is reminding Iowans that having communications access is important for personal safety and connecting with the community. There is a federal Lifeline program that subsidizes qualified residents for phone or voice service or bundled broadband and voice service. And the Affordable Connectivity Program can provide a monthly discount on broadband service. Don Tormey of the Iowa Utilities Board explains how the programs work.
For more information go to IUB.gov or FCC.gov.
A few days ago, Northeast Community College in Norfolk celebrated its largest grant award ever. The school is getting 4.6 million dollars a part of a 25 million dollar effort to help Nebraska become a national leader in robotic technologies and automation in manufacturing and agriculture.
Northeast is one of six partners in the Heartland Robotics Cluster. I talked with Northeast’s Dean of Applied Technologies Shanelle Grudzinksi who says the school is beyond excited to part of the effort.
This Sunday afternoon the Faces of Siouxland Multi-Cultural Fair is back live at the Sioux City Convention Center, after a few years off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I talked with Sioux City’s Human Rights Director Karen Mackey about what you can expect at the fair.
And while you are downtown this weekend you might want to stop in at the Sioux City Public Museum to check their newest exhibits. The first, A Cast of Blues, lets you touch the resin-cast "lifemasks" of blues legends. They were created by artist Sharon McConnell-Dickerson. The museum’s director Steve Hansen showed me around the exhibit.
