GLOBAL COMMUNITY - Farewell After 60 Years of Service!

TONIGHT (Friday) on Channel 28 at 7 pm and TOMORROW (Saturday) on Channel 27 at 8 pm, watch the two hour tribute to GLOBAL COMMUNITY.  This program was produced here at the Media Center Studios and makes its official debut in tandem with Palo Alto Online's newsy article posted yesterday and the notice in the "Online This Week" column on page 10 of the  Palo Alto Weekly print edition today.  Global Community shuttered its doors on December 31, 2010 after 60 years as an educational and fundraising non-profit.  Global Community gave away tens of millions of dollars to thousands of worthy organizations during its tenure and was steered by many visionaries many of whom were able to attend this special taping... including trustee and former Palo Alto Mayor Jim Burch, Brian Swimme, Duane Elgin, and Richard Rathbun.

Click here for the complete schedule of Global Community broadcasts.  And remember whenever a program is playing on our channels, it can be watched anywhere in the world right off our website.

Public Studio Event Tomorrow: Memorial of the Khojaly Massacre

Khojaly Memorial in the Hague

Why have I never heard of the Khojaly Massacre?  Where was I during the two days of February 25 and 26, 1992?   I was probably chasing my 2 year old daughter around and expecting my son. My husband was a student but often at home.  What would it have been like to engage in my day to day activities and then have an army detail come into Escondido Village where we were living and open fire on all the families that lived there?

Khojaly is a town in Azerbaijan and the Armenian army engaged in ethnic cleansing over a two day period in February 1992, ending the lives of 2000 people.

The Media Center has the very somber privilege of hosting a Memorial to the Khojaly Massacre here tomorrow in our studios: Saturday, February 19, 2011, 7 pm.

This event will include a short documentary about the massacre, two speakers, and a photo exhibit.  A reception will follow the presentation.  The scheduled speakers are Dr. Hadi Sultan-Qurraie who will talk about Recent Genocides and what can be done to stop future Genocide.  And Dr. Zarifa Musayeva will present what Armenian authors are saying about Khojaly.

This event is free and open to the public.  This event will be taped and played back on our channels.  Click here to link to the playback schedule.

The Khojaly memorial at the Hague depicts a soldier holding up a small child ready to dash the poor child's life to kingdom come.  What a horrific contrast to the beautiful statue that stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.  She holds a beacon of light and invites the world to her protection.   When events like this are able to happen in our studios, in some small way, the Media Center honors our universal obligation as citizens of the world to keep the promise of that light alive.

This event is sponsored by the Azerbaijan Cultural Society of California, Northern Azerbaijan Cultural Society of America, the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center and the Consulate of the the Azerbaijan Republic in Los Angeles.

"Vets Helping Vets"

by Sheryl Shaffer

It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since the "Veterans Helping Veterans" TV series began at the Media Center. Had no idea how this series was going to change my life. Never expected it to last this long but someone out there is watching.

Since we have been on blip.tv and pegmedia.org many people are watching this series about veterans entitlements all over the U.S.. The mission of the "VHV TV" series is to educate and inform veterans of their entitlements. Also to encourage veterans to volunteer and make a positive difference in their communities.

We have recently received our second grant from the AMVETS California Service Foundation. This grant allows me to get out of the studio and to conduct on-the-street type interviews. It is my intention to take this program concept and turn it into a national program for AMVETS. I travel throughout California doing interviews. We go on location to the Vets Home in Barstow on Feb. 28. Will be in Media Ctr studio next month.

Thank you for encouraging me to do this program Elliot.


Click here to find out when Vets Helping Vets will be played on our channels. All programs can be watched on the Media Center's webstream anytime they are programmed.

(This blog is part of a new series of "guest blogs" submitted by our producers to highlight guests and topics on recent programs produced at the Media Center.)

DEALING WITH GLOBAL WARMING by Henrietta Burroughs, Producer, "Talking With Henrietta"

Michael Killen, Henrietta Burroughs, Edwin Sheffner, Russell Averhart

Scientists and governments around the world have expressed concerns about the effects of global warming. These concerns have only increased over the years. Scientists and representatives from various countries have held meetings to discuss climate change and to work out agreements to lessen the damaging effects projected climate changes will have on our world.

 

As an expression of this concern globally, governments adopted the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 to set binding targets for 37 countries to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which have accelerated global warming. In 2006, the California State Legislature signed into law AB 32 the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which set 2020 as a goal for cities to meet preset standards for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Given the worldwide concerns regarding global warming and the federal and state regulations that have gone into effect related to it, the latest edition of Talking with Henrietta discusses climate change and global warming from a local perspective. The show’s host, Henrietta J. Burroughs speaks with three guests on the show: local artist Michael Killen, Edwin Sheffner who is the Deputy Division Chief for the Earth Science Division of the Ames Research Center at NASA and East Palo Alto’s Redevelopment Manager Russell Averhart who is working on a climate action plan for East Palo Alto. During the show discussion, the guests talk about what is being done locally to address some of the issues involving global warming, specific steps one local city is taking and things individuals can do to lessen the effects that climate change will have on future generations.  A video excerpt from the show can be seen on YouTube. Additional information about the show is provided on the East Palo Alto Today website.

Click here to find out when this and other episodes of Talking with Henrietta will be played on our channels. All programs can be watched on the Media Center's webstream anytime they are programmed.

(This blog is part of a new series of "guest blogs" submitted by our producers to highlight guests and topics on recent programs produced at the Media Center.)

MC Staff and Board More Than Desk Jockeys!

Andrew Mellows at his makeshift workshop in the Studio

Board Member Andrew Mellows point out the culprit!

MC Staff tidy up the roof!

The last few weeks, staff and board members have been turning up in odd places doing unexpected things that benefit the infrastructure of the Media Center and make things run more smoothly.   The average Media Center producer and patron might not know about the kinds of things that go on behind the scenes to keep this place tip top.  Check out these few items...

A few weeks ago several staff members were caught up on the roof, clearing away the detritus from the old parking lot trees that was clogging some of our vents and in general decomposing on top of our solar panels and making a general nuisance.  We could have called in some pro roof cleaners, but Annie wanted to get the job done before the new parking lot went in.  A strong wind might have carried the debris down to the new pavement and then we'd have little leaf fossils everywhere.  Well it didn't happen did it?  Thanks to our sneaky MC Staff.

You see our gorgeous new parking lot?  Well, Annie pretty much managed that project sans hard hat.   JP Paving and Grading did a bang up job, but partly because in this humble writer's opinion, Annie managed them for success.  I never saw that stencil with the name "Becky" on it that I directed the JP fellas to get however.  I thought they were going to demarcate that new little compact slot right by the studio entrance for me!

And then after the parking lot went in and dried for umpteenth days and hours, you know what happened... tar appeared on the studio floor anyway... so there were Lupita and Annie using that amazing "cleanitall", Goo Gone, on the studio floor.    Now it's back to its former pristine self!

And then finally, what about the "blue channel" that went renegade on Studio Camera 3 last week?  With that wire broken the feed from Camera 3 was literally "off color" and couldn't be used.  A patched together work around could only hold but so long, so it was Board Member Andrew Mellows to the rescue! He identified the culprit before even pulling apart the mass of cables.  He knew what to look for and he found it... the little blue wire had come apart and had to be reattached.  Andrew set up a workshop in the studio and blithely restored the cable to its fully functional self.

We do spend a lot of time at our desks designing programs, sending emails and writing up action items and position papers, but when push comes to shove around here, staff and board members pull together to do the heavy lifting.  I am proud of our hands-on staff and board members; they know when to roll their sleeves up and get busy.

The Bigger Picture: Expanding the Outreach of Grassroots Media By Offering More Platforms

The Open Technology Initiative develops policy and recommends regulations that support open architectures and open source resources for communications networks.  On February 9, OTI released its study: “Full Spectrum Community Media: Expanding Public Access to Communications Infrastructure” and has invited comment from a variety of experts.  One of these experts is the Alliance for Community Media’s own Executive Director Sylvia Strobel.  ACM advocates for its network of over 3000 Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) stations.  Watch the video of Sylvia and other experts at the New Media Foundation's discussion delivered via ustream yesterday. Sylvia appears at about 26 minutes into this 87 minute video.  So get your popcorn and your knitting ready and settle in.

Why is this policy paper significant?  The findings report that in order for community media centers like us to survive we need to expand beyond our original role of public access television providers and participate in the full spectrum of local media services, including broadband and other communications infrastructure.  People are watching TV on their IPhones, computers, on a variety of platforms, but those entertainment providers are relieved of offering us on those platforms, although they could if they were  compelled to.  No one's volunteering yet.  They are happy to deliver us via traditional (and possibly soon-to-be-obsolete) methods.  It’s not a question of our competing, it’s a question of our survival, of grassroots productions being offered on all the platforms, just like the media giants.

So we have people working for us.  It's very encouraging to watch our watchdogs discussing these and other important issues.  Other open media advocates presenting are:  Sascha Meinrath of the New America Foundation, Steven Waldman of the FCC, Joshua Breitbart of OTI, Brady Doyle of the Prometheus Radio Project, Laurie Cirivello of Grand Rapids Community Media, and Tom Glaisyer, a Knight Media Policy Fellow.

OTHER VOICES: The Revolution in Egypt and the Prospects for Palestine (taped 2/1/2011) By Paul George, Producer, Other Voices

Perhaps the most critical question to arise from the inspiring events in Egypt is this: What will this upheaval mean for the rest of the region? On this month's edition of Other Voices we try to answer that question as it applies to the most persistent hotspot in the Middle East: the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Egypt is a major partner in the ongoing negotiations among Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the United States. If a significant change in the Egyptian government comes about because of the democratic uprising of its people, what effect might that have on future negotiations?

Our guest is Khalil Barhoum, a linguist and Senior Lecturer at Stanford University, where he is the Coordinator of the Program in Arabic and African Languages and Literatures. Born in Bethlehem, Palestine, Barhoum is a lifelong activist in the Palestinian struggle for human rights. He is a passionate and keen observer of the decades-long conflict that seems to defy resolution.

The discussion also turns to the so-called “Palestine Papers” – official accounts of negotiating sessions that were recently leaked to the Al Jazeera news network. The Papers are stunning in what they reveal about the real behind-the-scenes action inside the negotiating rooms.

As always, the program includes lively and well-informed questions and comments from our in-studio audience members and phone calls from viewers at home.

This particular edition of Other Voices serves as good example of the benefits of broadcasting live – which is exactly what we do every month. Dr. Barhoum was originally invited to discuss the Palestine Papers, which at the time constituted the “big story” coming out of the region. But then the streets of Cairo and Alexandria erupted just days before our air date. We were able to rapidly switch gears to cover what just may prove to be the “big story” of the year. Broadcasting live can be nerve-wracking, but there are times, like now, when it is well worth it.

Other Voices, now in its fifteenth year of production, is produced by Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, our local area's leading grassroots activist organization. We're live at 7:00 PM on the first Tuesday of every month. Come on down to the Media Center and be a part of the studio audience and, on occasion, history.

Click here to find out when this and other episodes of Other Voices will be played on our channels. All programs can be watched on the Media Center's webstream anytime they are programmed.

(Pictured above: Dr. Barhoum & Paul George)

This blog is part of a new series of "guest blogs" submitted by our producers to highlight guests and topics on recent programs produced at the Media Center.

DEVELOPMENTS IN EGYPT - LIVE COVERAGE - SAT AM!

We regret that you'll be missing our regularly scheduled programming on Saturday morning between 8 am and 10 am on Channel 27, however we feel it is very important to bring you a special 2 hour live program on developments in Egypt. Egypt is in crisis and the mainstream press is not providing robust coverage. That is why we believe it is important to bring you the news as it is happening:

TOMORROW Saturday Feb 5, 2011
8 am - 10 am
Channel 27
Special Programming Courtesy of Democracy Now and Free Speech TV

Also you can watch Live coverage on Al Jazeerah English right off of their website -- a good option if you are unable to tune in tomorrow.

And for the faithful, the popular Indian music and dance programs Swara Lahari and Pushpanjali, will be back next Saturday at 9 am. We appreciate the producers for their kind understanding.

ACM Celebrates Anna Eshoo's Appointment!

The Media Center joins the rest of the membership of the Alliance for Community Media (representing over 3000 cable access stations in the U.S.) in celebrating the appointment of Representative Anna Eshoo as Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcomittee. FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps had this to say about our Anna (yep, she's our Congresswoman!):

“Having had the opportunity to work with her for numerous years covering the whole gamut of media and telecommunications issues, I know of her singular and heartfelt commitment to the public interest. Citizens and consumers come first for her. She has a very special vision of what an open and dynamic communications sector means to the United States and how important it is to our civic dialogue."

The subcommittee holds legislative jurisdiction over all matters involving telecommunications, including oversight of the FCC, cable, broadcast, voice telephony and the Internet. Our Executive Director Annie Folger has visited with Anna Eshoo here at the Media Center. At the behest of Anna Eshoo, Annie has testified before Congress regarding the threat to locally-produced, grassroots television at the hands of the media giants. At that same hearing, Anna Eshoo read our Mission Statement into the public record, a point of real pride. Need a reminder of our values? Here's a link to the mission statement and vision behind the very hard work of our staff and volunteers. It's more than a job, more than just a volunteer gig, folks, it's a passion for civic engagement which keeps people like Annie and Anna advocating for us.

If you haven't seen Annie and Anna short videos from the PEG access hearing a few years back, I'll post some short excerpts here. We are very excited that Anna received this important appointment, and know that she will speak for us before powerful interests that think they want to be our adversaries. Do you think that once they get to know us, they'll come over to our way of thinking? It's certainly possible with Anna Eshoo driving the dialog as the new Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee.