Congratulations to the Mendocino Film Festival for an excellent offering of an independent, inspiring and educational visionary feast attracting a huge turn out that filled up the town coffers, hotels, restaurants, and spirits.
Luckily, the strange weather we're having didn't interfere with the festival unlike dozens of other outdoor venues that didn't take into account the fact that the climate has changed. I know we always talk about climate change but I think we can all agree something has definitely CHANGED.
When it's raining we as a species naturally migrate to the theater. Whether it be movie or live, we thrive in the dark chamber tucked in with our clan, a frosty or hot drink, a pastry and or the traditional buttered popcorn.
Sheba and I flew to New York last week to indulge ourselves in Broadway theater as a birthday present to me. We headed to my motherland to celebrate my 51st year here on earth. Talk about change honey, When I was a kid in NYC, Times Square was a Den of inequity. Prostitutes, drug addicts, a lot of crime. Today it is a sparkly clean Megawattage metropolis blasting beams of 50 story high digital images and eye candy including the Hershey Chocolate Cathedral catty corner to the M&M Emporium, and the Disney Store.
We stayed on 49th and Broadway at the Mayfair a classic old hotel , next to the Eugene O'neill theater, where we could see the Actor's church, St Malarky's from our window. Sheba had made a substantial pledge to KZYX and we received the premium of Dinner and a show with Amy Goodman which was our original motivation to go east.
The show was of course, Democracy Now! and dinner well, Amy was uber busy and so we had to take a rain check on that. We did, however, get to go to her new studio at 7:45 am in the Chelsea district. We got to say hi and have our picture taken with Ms. Goodman, but with pitching for pledge drives and the Arab Spring she was spinning in so many directions. You can tell by the speed of her monologues and sign offs, the lady has a lot on her plate.
We sat with other generous donors in the viewing area of the studio with a big screen TV so we could watch all the international video feed. We could see Amy through the glass partition sitting at her round table next to Juan Gonzales and featured guests. (We actually got to ride in the elevator with Juan. He is a very nice guy.)
One of the top stories of the day was the torture and killing of the 13 year old Syrian Boy, Hamsah al Kateeb, as reported by the recently released Al Jazeera Journalist Dorothy Parvaz who had just been released from Iranian Prison. Two intense stories wrapped up into one. These stories were so painfully heartbreaking. Some things never change.
I had to ask myself, how does she do it? How does she carry on day in and out reporting on this insane violence? I know she says, "this is the war and Peace report." But we rarely hear the Peace report. We wanted to hang out with Amy and basically interview her, not about the news, but about her. The first question we wanted to ask, posed by my friend Mickey was, "What do you do for fun?" I hope there's something truly wonderful in Amy's life besides the privilege of being a broadcast journalist.
We wanted to grab her and take her with us to see the Book Of Mormon, the hottest ticket on Broadway. This outrageously funny, irreverent, uplifting musical comedy was written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone creators of South Park along with Robert Lopez creator of Avenue Q. If you are familiar with either of these shows you gotta know, there's a lot of cursing, but besides that, this is the most powerful religious and social satire combined with the most fantastic musical score to invade Broadway since I've been going and that's nearly fifty years.
We follow the story of the virtuous egomaniac Elder Price and the simpleton, Elder Cunningham assigned to Uganda for their missionary posts. Naive as well, Mormons, who according to one of 16 pitch perfect Broadway show tunes, "Just Believe" are immediately introduced to the reality of life for the poor people of Uganda where %80 percent of the people have AIDS, female circumcision is rampant,Warlords are killing people at random and their only defense is to dance and raise their voices in thrilling African unity to essentially give God the finger.
The ensuing comedy is scathing, pathetic, obscene and really truly funny. This show has the unique ability to educate audiences about female genital mutilation and bring important focus to the epidemic. I was very impressed. Everyone at the 1st Wed. Matinee where I overheard one woman say she was 91 years old, gave an instant and enthusiastic standing ovation at the final curtain.
I must say that while I did very much love this show, without the obscenities it wouldn't be as funny. It's as though our sense of humor has stalled in the potty stage. When I was growing up, a show like this would never, never make it to the stage. But that's changed now. So it's not just the climate that's changed, it's everything. And while we've been hoping for change, I wish we'd been more specific.
Showing posts with label KZYX. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KZYX. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The 411
The 4-11
Yes, that's the date today. Information day.
I went to college at San Diego State, majored in English with a minor in Journalism. I was taught that the most important obligation in joining the ranks of the esteemed 4th estate is, objectivity. The facts, and nothing but the facts.
In news today we have a plethora of opinionators who funnel facts through a selective sieve and squeeze out the the details that don't align with their agenda. While I chose not to be a journalist, I do enjoy this editorial position. I do not pretend that I report the news I simply comment on it. The news comes to us here at KZYX through the efforts of local reporters here in Mendocino and at our sister station KMUD in Humboldt. We all remember the timber wars brought to us via the silver tones of Annie Esposito, then came the cutting edge of Christine Anistad, (Both now editors of Mendocino Country, the newspaper left to us by our outrageous and beloved Richard Johnson, May he rest in peace), and our most recently retired news director Paul Hanson.
At the moment we are looking to fill that precious seat with one who knows us well, who respects and understands the woven history of this county and it's wild, active and restless inhabitants. Someone with a keen curiosity and sharp vocabulary. Are you out there?
It seems as though investigative reporters are an endangered species. The blogosphere has become the popular format of professional and amateur journalists of late and Many on the ground journalists are under fire and die trying to tell the story. Almost 150 journalist were killed since 2009 and many kidnapped. Reporters without Borders do their best to go where the danger is and document, witness and do their best to keep us informed. It's terribly courageous to tell the truth these days.
Just think about Bradley Manning who, as we speak, sits in solitary confinement subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, still only accused of leaking vital news information, or Julian Assange who brings us Wikileaks. Straight from the horses mouth, or should I say ass. Journalists in Mexico killed for reporting on the drug wars. Pakistani reporters are extremely vulnerable right now, 11 killed since April. And many may remember the killing of Spanish Journalists at the Palestine Hotel in Iraq when the war was first getting under way. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl beheaded by Al Queda. CNN's Anderson Cooper beaten in Egypt. Yes, it takes courage.
This radio station brings you Amy Goodman, Free Speech radio News, NPR, comity news, Alternative Radio, TUC. Jounalists from Maria Gallarding to Mitch Jesowitz, to Cyntyhia Elkins bring you as much information from those who are directly affected by current events. Amy Goodman's producer, Sharif Abdul Kaduz, present in Tahrir square, during the Egyptian revolution.
Then there's me, not a reporter, but doing my best to bring the 411 from the Elders, the seekers, the solution makers, the grandmothers, the dreamers. Good news and honest discussion that reminds you of your own responsibilities and roles to change the world and make it a better place.
Of late we have the phenomenon of TMI, shorthand for Too much information. like posting how your fart smelled when you first woke up this morning. Sometimes I get that feeling when I'm surfing the WWW. There's just to damn much information and people including myself can get tangled in the web and then have the blood sucked out of us by the spiders of doom, despair and disaster. Or we spun out on stupid silly strings, or get hooked on the fangs of Facebook, but here on the radio, it's like a companion, a friend, a very smart, focused friend, with a balance of information and entertainment. A friend that gives us the 411 and then sings us the sweetest songs to soothe the savage beast, stories that make us laugh, human voices, flaws and all. familiar voices that we have built a mutual trust with and when the shift hits the fan, will be there as long as the transmitters stay up. Hey, I'm not saying that this radio station is perfect, I'm saying it provides the 411 that I need, the most succinct, present, local, global, vital information that we can get. I hope the next news director understands and appreciates the timing here.
As we turn to face 2012 and that they deliver the news and information with a clear intelligent mind and integrity bringing us basic facts and current events. And leave the editorializing to me.
Yes, that's the date today. Information day.
I went to college at San Diego State, majored in English with a minor in Journalism. I was taught that the most important obligation in joining the ranks of the esteemed 4th estate is, objectivity. The facts, and nothing but the facts.
In news today we have a plethora of opinionators who funnel facts through a selective sieve and squeeze out the the details that don't align with their agenda. While I chose not to be a journalist, I do enjoy this editorial position. I do not pretend that I report the news I simply comment on it. The news comes to us here at KZYX through the efforts of local reporters here in Mendocino and at our sister station KMUD in Humboldt. We all remember the timber wars brought to us via the silver tones of Annie Esposito, then came the cutting edge of Christine Anistad, (Both now editors of Mendocino Country, the newspaper left to us by our outrageous and beloved Richard Johnson, May he rest in peace), and our most recently retired news director Paul Hanson.
At the moment we are looking to fill that precious seat with one who knows us well, who respects and understands the woven history of this county and it's wild, active and restless inhabitants. Someone with a keen curiosity and sharp vocabulary. Are you out there?
It seems as though investigative reporters are an endangered species. The blogosphere has become the popular format of professional and amateur journalists of late and Many on the ground journalists are under fire and die trying to tell the story. Almost 150 journalist were killed since 2009 and many kidnapped. Reporters without Borders do their best to go where the danger is and document, witness and do their best to keep us informed. It's terribly courageous to tell the truth these days.
Just think about Bradley Manning who, as we speak, sits in solitary confinement subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, still only accused of leaking vital news information, or Julian Assange who brings us Wikileaks. Straight from the horses mouth, or should I say ass. Journalists in Mexico killed for reporting on the drug wars. Pakistani reporters are extremely vulnerable right now, 11 killed since April. And many may remember the killing of Spanish Journalists at the Palestine Hotel in Iraq when the war was first getting under way. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl beheaded by Al Queda. CNN's Anderson Cooper beaten in Egypt. Yes, it takes courage.
This radio station brings you Amy Goodman, Free Speech radio News, NPR, comity news, Alternative Radio, TUC. Jounalists from Maria Gallarding to Mitch Jesowitz, to Cyntyhia Elkins bring you as much information from those who are directly affected by current events. Amy Goodman's producer, Sharif Abdul Kaduz, present in Tahrir square, during the Egyptian revolution.
Then there's me, not a reporter, but doing my best to bring the 411 from the Elders, the seekers, the solution makers, the grandmothers, the dreamers. Good news and honest discussion that reminds you of your own responsibilities and roles to change the world and make it a better place.
Of late we have the phenomenon of TMI, shorthand for Too much information. like posting how your fart smelled when you first woke up this morning. Sometimes I get that feeling when I'm surfing the WWW. There's just to damn much information and people including myself can get tangled in the web and then have the blood sucked out of us by the spiders of doom, despair and disaster. Or we spun out on stupid silly strings, or get hooked on the fangs of Facebook, but here on the radio, it's like a companion, a friend, a very smart, focused friend, with a balance of information and entertainment. A friend that gives us the 411 and then sings us the sweetest songs to soothe the savage beast, stories that make us laugh, human voices, flaws and all. familiar voices that we have built a mutual trust with and when the shift hits the fan, will be there as long as the transmitters stay up. Hey, I'm not saying that this radio station is perfect, I'm saying it provides the 411 that I need, the most succinct, present, local, global, vital information that we can get. I hope the next news director understands and appreciates the timing here.
As we turn to face 2012 and that they deliver the news and information with a clear intelligent mind and integrity bringing us basic facts and current events. And leave the editorializing to me.
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