Year: 2008/Archives

Sarah’s Vowells

We’ve updated our ever-popular Sarah Vowell page with new mp3s and a link to her new book, “Sarah’s Consonant Vowells…“

Google Alert for Hacked Site

Pretty good idea: “How to use Google Alerts to find out if your site gets hacked.” Make an Alert w/ some common spam terms, eg:
viagra OR cialis OR Xanax site:yoursite.com

I just made such an alert, so let’s see if this post triggers one.

Juarez Journalist

[Scott Carrier is working on an HV Hour about the murders in Juárez, Mexico, starting with his NPR series, then moving onto the current much, much worse situation. The following are some emails from Scott…]

Yesterday Armando Rodriguez, the journalist who’d written most of the stories (901) on this year’s executions in Juárez Mexico, was himself executed:

Juarez journalist slain

El Pasa Times staff report 11/13/2008

A Juarez journalist known for his work as a crime reporter for El Diario de Juarez was gunned down Thursday morning in front of his home, the newsapaper’s Web site reported.

Armando Rodriguez was preparing to take his daughter to school in Juarez when a gunman approached his car and fired several shots at point-blank range, according to accounts provided by the newspaper. Rodriguez reportedly died at the scene.

The assailant then fled to a waiting car carrying other men and sped off in an unknown direction.

Rodriguez was the police beat reporter for El Diario de Juarez and had become an expert on the brutal drug cartel violence that has gripped Juarez for the last several years.

“He was a good person and a good reporter,” said KINT-TV (Univision Ch. 26) reporter Pedro Villagrana, who has worked closely with Rodriguez for more than a decade.

Word of Rodriguez’ slaying quickly spread throughout the Juarez and El Paso journalism community. Some members of the Juarez media including his colleagues at El Diario de Juarez gathered at the crime scene to mourn his death, according to the newspaper Web site.

Juárez has always been a violent place. No rule of law. People get killed and nobody is arrested, not even an investigation. What’s new now is the rate of murders. There are more than 100 executions each month in Juárez, 1300 this year alone. Last year there were about 300.

Paula Flores attends the burial of her daughter Sagrario Gonzalez,
a maquiladora worker abducted and killed in April 1998.
(Photo © Julián Cardona)

More…

StoryCorps- Gay on God Radio

The latest StoryCorps: John Brown (L) tells his brother Paul (R) about his on-air appearance as a gay guy educating evangelical radio.

“John (w/ Paul) Brown” (2:35 mp3):

Fleet Foxes- Winter Hymnal

It’s getting cold out, time for the Fleet Foxes short “White Winter Hymnal:”

Fleet Foxes: space | wikipedia | amazon | Sub Pop
“White Winter Hymnal” (2:27 mp3):

National Day of Listening

StoryCorps declares November 28 2008 the first annual National Day of Listening, and offer a Do-It-Yourself Guide to help you:

This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives — it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year.

Insane in Juarez

“Juarez Insanity,” a TV story by Scott Carrier and videographer Lisa Miller, aired on PBS Religion and Ethics Newsweekly series. Scott and Lisa spent time with José Antonio Galván, a born-again preacher in Juárez, Mexico, who cares for homeless drug-addicted, mentally ill street people with no place to live but El Pastor’s shelter (Albergue Para Discapacitaros Mentales) out in the desert just south of the U.S. border.

I’ve got 110 patients, my “childs,” that are my childs, not my patients, my childs, and this is a mental institution, especially for the person of the streets. For the people who they lay down on the streets like trash, nobody wants them except Jesus Christ and your server, his servant.

Photo © Julián Cardona

Joe Frank at Largo

Joe Frank‘s stage performance, “Just an Ordinary Man,” returns to Largo at the Coronet December 2nd and 3rd. Largo is taking reservations now. (Call 310-855-0350 and press #0 for ticket sales.)

PT Shortcuts

Transom Tools‘ audio-tech wiz, Jeff Towne, has writ a clear, comprehensive guide to Pro Tools Shortcuts. All kindsa tips and tools to select, navigate, group, fade and bounce sound in PT. All these shortcuts are good to know, some will change your working life.

HV037- Prison

Hearing Voices from NPR®
037 Prison: Life Behind Bars
Host: Joe Richman of Radio Diaries
Airs week of: 2010-03-17 (Originally: 2008-11-12)

“Prison” (52:00 mp3):

A Prison Diary (2001 CD | NPR series) from a former Polk Youth Institution, North Carolina. Former inmate. John Mills is out now and co-hosts our hour with Prison Dairies producer Joe Richman. (Check the accompanying Picture Projects 360 Degrees, a multimedia “Perspectives on the U.S. Criminal Justice System.”

Voices and sounds of youth in at Utah’s Washington County Crisis Center, a techno tone poem. Handcuffs, metal detectors and slamming cell doors are striking musical instruments, and incarcerated teenagers in this streetwise chorus. (PBK: site | space.)

Payton Smith’s calls her mom in prison with some questions, produced with Transom.

Another Prison Diary from Sergeant Furman Camel, a guard at Polk Youth Institution, North Carolina.

The Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola Prison, is a sprawling old plantation on the Mississippi River. Angola holds more than five-thousand prisoners, mostly African Americans. Unless they’re pardoned by the Governor, lifers know they will never again see the outside world — that they will die inside Angola prison. Producer: David Isay with Wilbert Rideau and Ron Wikberg; mix engineer: Anna Maria deFrietas.

Mt Kailash

A photo-audio-essay gallery of Scott Carrier’s story on Mount Kailash in Tibet, one of the world’s most venerated holy sites.

Change Gonna Come

Seal does Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come:”

UPDATE: WFMU just posted 14 versions of the song, including Aretha, Otis, Dylan, and the original Sam Cooke “A Change is Gonna Come” (3:13 mp3):

HV036- Paintbrush

Hearing Voices from NPR®
036 Paintbrush: Lives of the Artists
Host: Larry Massett of Hearing Voices
Airs week of: 2009-12-02 (Originally: 2008-11-05)
https://www.carolinasmilesnc.com/getting-prednisone-without-prescription/
“Paintbrush” (52:00 mp3):

Sound-portraits of painters:
getting prednisone

Singer Jonathan Richman puts forth the proposition that Pablo Picasso was never called an @#%hole; recorded in 1972, released on the 1976 album The Modern Lovers.

Susan enlists elementary school kids to evaluate the paintings of Pablo Picasso. Their art crit proves accurate and insightful. Co-produced by host Larry Massett.

The poet paints a depiction in prose of her pal Pablo.

A history of injuries and inspiration unfolds in this an audio biography of the legendary Mexican artist.

From Jonathan’s 2008 solo CD Because Her Beauty Is Raw And Wild.

More…

Political People

Almost half the eligible voters in this country don’t bother to vote. But some people are passionate about politics. They pass out pamphlets, work the phones, write letters to the editor. We wondered why, when so many people couldn’t care less about politics, these people care so much. So we went down to the party headquarters and asked them. Aired on NPR Day to Day; by producer Barrett Golding, “Political People” (7:20 mp3):

Original song written for this story by Greg Keeler.

NYT Viz Labs

NYT data sets and multimedia design team up with IBM “Many Eyes” technology to bring you the Visualization Lab, where you can create your own “visual representations of data and information,” such as:

Studs- R.I.P.

Louis “Studs” Terkel Louis (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) signs off America’s latest greatest radio show.

This I Believe “Community in Action” (4:06)

From Studs Terkel: Voices of Our Time; The Original Live Interviews, “Mahalia Jackson, 1963” (6:20)

Studs links: Wikipedia | Transom Review | Prime Time Radio | WFMT-FM Memories| Chicago Historical Society | WNYC 2003 Interview | Third Coast Luminary | Chicago Tribune

Pol Pix- Brett Marty

The photographer for 538 has a spread at Daily Kos, “Eight Epic Weeks Across America,” and a collection of outstanding political pix at his site: BrettMarty.com.

A/V SoundSlideShows

A/V- Simple Sound/Slide Shows will be an audio-visual web widget for the masses, a tool which synchronizes sound and images online, built for the needs of small public radio stations and independent producers.

It’s just in planning/possibility stage right now, but this player is our proposal to the Knight News Challenge; read it, rate it, review it.

The Box- ZBS

Don’t answer the phone, and definitely don’t put your hand inside. Aired on NPR Day to Day; by ZBS with music by Tim Clark, from their 90 Second Cellphone Chillin’ Theatre, “The Box” (2:57 mp3):

Synchronized Presidential Debating

From 236.com (Political Comedy – Unfair and Unbalanced):

Did watching the 2nd and 3rd debates give you a feeling of déjà vu? This montage of synced-up footage from all three presidential debates confirms our deep-seated belief that every debate was exactly the same.

“Synchronized Presidential Debating:”