Mainstream, Awareness, Reflection and Action: Legitimate Media for the Masses

  • I am not yet saying, "I like it. I like it.", recalling an episode from the TV show , Are you Being Served?
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  • Calling for Nirvana (paralleling this hacked paraphrase from K. Cobain, most post-Nevermind listeners still don't have or know much about Bleach) for mass awareness.
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  • "Rush hour" used to be more meaningful but its abilty to qualify is lost when traffic is most times of the day; same for "alternative" or evolving "independent" in particular as it relates to "mainstream"? "Major media", is is not corporate m edia? Can't some forms of media that don't present a corporate view reach masses, Free Speech Radio News, Democracy NOW!, Z Magazine, and others.
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  • Strengthening Connections to Independent Media Sources and Organizations
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    'Ole plea to move beyond those who already...or Practical Goals of "Preaching to the Choir": Filling in the gaps and learning from each other --> http://boston.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=8953

    DIY-oriented domain registration services, see Gandi.net , eu.org.

     

  • Also, strengthen organizational connections and the non-web using active citzenry.
  • Extend awareness and involvement andeliminate 'Debt Card sponsors Act-MA , IMC-Announce-Boston, Allston Brighton Free Radio, and other fine examples of what there is out th ere.

    Mind the Indy Media Gap via Link Connections that are in process of being organized and indexed.

    Sounds of Dissent, John Grebe, WZBC.ORG, letter.

    American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee letter.

    Children's Museum Exhibiting Non-nutritious "Fast-Food"

    BangZoom basic web page"Logan # (19)", initial effort, primarily historical content prior to an official page.

    No Censorship Radio (88.1 FM www.WMBR.org) Ten Years Gone

     

    Various Evolving Thoughts

    This "Rant" is in need of indexing, clarity, and obviously organizing.

    Vygotsky's Zone Of Proximal Development Applied to Extending the Independent Mainstream

    Lev Vygotsky's theory of ZPD certainly applies to adults too, in accessing what a child can do on their own, and with the help of a peer, in defining the space for growth. As long as you stay in this area, and not over and beyond this range, growth can occur. Charlotte Ryan's "Prime Time Activism" (Media Research Action Project -maybe a case where EU or Gandi could be utilized - MRAP.EU.ORG, etc.) similarily talks about this as a potential resolution or starting point for attracting more active citizens.

    Talk with your your aunt or someone least likely to be interested in or aware of the need for corporate-free and independent media. Move past the perception that only certain people, particularly college students, make up an active citenzry. What makes some people stay connected much like those who continue life-long learning?

    I recall two people driving by in a car at Dudley during the march to UMASS, let Ralph Debate, Free Mumia, money for sidewalks, and many more calls and concerns for what's needed. The day long events began at Park Street Station, the Boston Common. They asked what was going on while a crowd were preparing and assembling near the library. Someone began "explaining" by naming all sorts of WT-this, WB-that, and the manner in which it was done would have been confusing to anyone even vaguely familiar with a number of concerns.

    So maybe by asking questions, beginning by being an active listener, one can determine where the person is at and go from there. I believe in facilitating someone to make up their own mind, in this way a dialog begins. Jerome Bruner also talks about facilating a child to learn any subject by such a method. Add Cambrdige schools microscopy program.

    Concert & Peace Report!

    I'll have to run this by Peter Choice! I have enjoyed the music programing on WZBC for a number of years and as well the news and awareness programming such as "Sounds of Dissent" but what if in addition to listing bands in town during the WZMB infamous Concert Report some mention was given to events in the area or other ways of strengthening connections especially between the 'non-web' active citenzry?

    While recently listening to Danny Schechter being interviewed by Linda P. on WMBR's 'Some Censorship Radio' (actually it's people speaking their minds, (hey that's you!) not any sponser influencing what they say except maybe the "the reminder that 'the views expoused....are are own and not necessarily...") I recalled what Michael Moore said on a Democracy NOW! airing of a recent talk (serious and some of the best standup I have heard in additon to Barry Crimmins, Jimmy "Peace" Tingle, etc.).

    If more people did a small bit or made small modification they would still be able to watch endless reruns on TV and whatever else they now enjoy. I have heard this before but if the large number of web page hits could be turned into even as lttle as a $1.00 per month by a number of a fraction of readers imagine the possibility! There's a potential for Affero to facilitate this process. A link on the page to allow someone to send an on-line web-page appreciative and supportive donation as a way of explicity stating what they already imply by using it and hoping it continues.

    In thinking about one of those This-is-Free-for-you-to-read-our-ads-newspaper in the Boston area, what if more independent media was as accessible on the T and elsewhere? I could live with the "garbage" in most T stations if I saw such papers lying about better yet if someone was reading them! (I also like Barry's Schechter's Global Vision connection with Walter Cronkite as an advisor. I wonder how many people know about his involvement with the The Iran Project? Or getting the women chimp's add...forgot her name!

    Abbreviated and Extended Domain Names

    Names such as rant.org, domainofconcern, stillthinking.org, mara.org (Mainstream Awareness & Reflective Action), stuckinreflectivegear.org are hardly the ones I wanted to recall but using these crude examples to illustrate the possibility of using both the longer domain names and an abbreviated form which could be practically obtained via eu.org or gandi.net. It would allow, for example, hrw.org and humanrightswatch.org to both point to the same place, and each a possible point of reference in further connections. Also directoy/search engines that allow title or URL searches generally could allow more people to find a particular site.

    ``Free software'' is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of ``free'' as in ``free speech,'' not as in ``free beer.'' gnu.org...

    We Can Put an End to Word Attachments by Richard M. Stallman, Jan 2002 gnu.org...

    Free Domains

    There's eu.org or send email to dns-manager@eu.org. Their service focuses primarily on individuals and non-profit organizations. Gandi's aim is to provide to individuals domain names easily (for the technical and administrative part) and for a price as low as possible. You don't have to endure VeriSign's....

    Why choose gandi.net? An attractive price (which they think is not the only relevant parameter regarding domain names), which is constant and without volume discounts (no Gandi resellers), you really are owner of your domain, as explained on point 1 of our contract, our whole registration procedure is totally automated, to minimize human errors and enable reservations in a matter of minutes, your are independent : all modifications related to your domain name (name servers, contacts, etc...) can be done online, in a secure way (through a encrypt connection), by contacts, at any time; modifications are applied in real time by our systems without any further human treatment.

    An Inch of Snow in Most Places is not News & Cars are Not the Center of Gravity

    If you think local news reporting "a half an inch of snow in Boston", or the same such reporting from the network news (where "network" refers to existing forms) and its corporate-laden and sponsor driven reporting is deficient you probably know there are existing potential sources besides NPR, PBS, and BBC, etc. In addition to Independent Media Center, one example boston.indymedia.org , various community based programs such as Allston-Brighton Free Radio , others such as Peace Works, American Friends Service Committee, Boston Global Action Network, etc.

    There's so much quality news and discussion available even if you do not hear via traditional radio signals at your location.

    Some are available via listening, archived even, on the Internet which can be shared with friends. Boston has a fine array of such media, WMBR (88.1), WZBC (90.3) a consistent music source of enjoyment for a number of years now, IMHO, WMFO (91.5) Free Form Radio, Radio with a View, Free Speech Radio News heard on WMBR may be discontinued, Linda P. and Chuck U.'s No Censorship Radio, Martin Voelker's No U Turn Radio, Hank Faunce's Promethean Commentary Plus Jazz, (is All Things Virtuous still on? - lovely music and news about Falun Gong.

    There's the National Radio Project, Radio Nation, Z Mag (imagine if more people were reading this instead of the "free" Metro paper! Z on the T anyone? Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , dissapointing to hear Jeff Cohen is off to greener pastures unless he plans to overhaul...and "Beyond the Headlines", is coming to a close, South End Press to name but one fine publisher, Alternativeradio.org , MRAP (missing a recent event - I was even at BC library the weekend prior and I think I am informed. It reminded me of days in the past when I was unable to attend a lineup at the Reading Festival, Glastonbury, etc.

    How could I leave out Sounds of Dissent? Another reason to complete some sort of indexed link list, not the typical long list (long like this, I hear ya).

    Jack Beatty, Atlantic Monthly, and On Point Radio with Tom Ashbrook, the host (both priorly rooted in Special Coverage). A team with potential for mass media awareness. They had been discussing issues that get at relations and causes, fostering reflective thought. (Even if some of their guests, as well as others, still confuse the issues of globalization. See Chomsky and Beatty, who said some clarifying words about this all too often confusion, ther later, 2 Jan 2002.

    A recent program Bush author got confused or appeared to be by a caller's concise statement when he was asked why there are limits to investigation on the administration's connection to oil and Afghanistan. He said, something like, "I didn't follow all that". It could not have been any clearer (playing corporate?).

    There was also a segment on Guerilla News but why no mention of other various independent media sources? The last time I recall a discussion other than callers (who are about the only ones who usually directly mention the 'Indy Media Centers.) Likewise for the mention of Noam Chomsky or Howard Zinn - on a recent WBUR show someone cast Chomsky, well in a marginalizing way when he was referred to as someone with a radical world view, and it was neglected from the conversation that he's not even widely mentioned in some forms of media so I would presume more people would not even know of him rather than have an opinion. Sadly too many people still passively "watch" the three or is it four news programs on TV. (time to make them go on redundancy leave.)

    Chris Lydon, the former Connection host , did a show on such web-based media.

    Listening to a few minutes of most of these independent provides so much information to reflect and act upon and many references.

    Likewise for musical listening, the range of shows lacking from commercial segmentation radio, such as WMBR's Pipeline and Aural Fixation, Left End on WERS, WZBC.ORG as noted, Delta Factor, Jazz Decades. There's also such programming as the Infinite Mind, Commonwealth Journal, americanroots.org, Hardcore Heroes, Carl's (Gullbuy) Gulls Window Circus, WUMB, World of Ideas, Merrrow Report, This American Life - developmental delays, same for early intervention, etc. seldom hear about it (not suprised that NPR's TON (Turn for the worse? / Talk Of the Nation) don't mention. Some shows on the radio are truly in the public interest, why not true public radio, that is usually in the public interest, citizen.org, etc.

     

    Jenny Toomey and her counterpart, Kristin Thomson, from the Simple Machines record label are involved with the Future of Radio Coalition , Prometheus Music Project, Media Access Project , etc.

    If I can even come close to the fine link referencing done by Allston Brighton Free Radio and others such as Freemanz , Current News about Public Broadcasting, Infoshop then I accomplished something! Still want to move beyond informative list or index with some sort of sensible conceptual navigation or something else.

    Words and Labels

    "Low-income", "affordable housing", "living wage", etc. I wonder if these terms serve to mask areas where the focus ought to be centered? Instead of a label for someone or something to refer to what is being called for as an end point how about a holistic or gestalt type of term that sheds light on a probable cause of what they're calling say "affordable housing" could be reduced to a word or phrase denoting the need for employers in certain areas especially to provide salaries that allow you to get a home. Center for Community Change

    KWRU and Hiding the "Poor" - When I first saw the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign it reminded me of this image and not surpising it's the same organization and mission: What is the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU)? "The Kensington Welfare Rights Union (KWRU) is a multi-racial organization of, by and for poor and homeless people."

    Break the [Corporate] Media Blackout: A Conference on [CORPORATE] Media Democracy and the Movement to End Poverty: Oct 4-6, 2002 Philadelphia PA. Join us for this national conference which will build and strengthen the critical alliance between the growing media democracy movement and the movement to end poverty led by the poor as an organized force. Read more.

    Reminds me off when I lived in Kennington, London, (near the Oval) not to be confused with Kensington!

     


    Reclaim it all

    Fourth World Movement

    To: volunteer@iicd-volunteer.org, Date: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 12:11 AM

     

    IICD, Monica, Volunteer

    Hi, I think it was Monica as noted on the IICD info flyer who I spoke with on Newbury Street.. The first thing that came to mind as we spoke (not too surprised by how many people pass by with out even finding out what you're doing. I began by saying, "I'll at least say Hi!") was the Fourth World Movement in US, specifically the Boston contacts who are involved in similar efforts as yours as well as operating a street library, Tapori (I almost called it Tandori!), a network for children, sharing stories of their struggles, concerns, hopes, and such, youth summit participation, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17 - previous, www.oct17.org), publishing, and other involvement?s.

    I have yet to attend their annual summer two month long volunteer program in Washington, DC, where the national center (Contact) is located. I was involved with Bruno and Genevieve Tardieu and Marie-France and Jeff Stiener, and others who sadly I missed seeing before they returned to France. This is where the international movement is based (information@atd-fourthworld.org). As denoted by the two above web pages the organization has a slightly different name in US and France, Fourth World Movement, and International ATD Fourth World, respectively. Their name to me reflects what I think is a large part of their mission, that is, to learn from, facilitate, and advocate for all who may not be necessarily reached via other means.

    I have been even more interested in the various descriptive ways to discern countries and peoples and their particular current course of development. While some may be at different points I hold as does the National Museum of Natural History, that "the only race is human".

    I think false or exagerated dichotomies can obscure rather than bring to light actual differences and similarities that exist, I would prefer to focus on ethnic relations and all the many similarities and value not refer to as "tolerate" but apprecaite and be curious. I have interests in how words reflect and distort.

    Quality of Life, the World, Globe, Planet, Global

    Not minimum but highly adequate health care access, nutrition, living standards, valuing all pre-kindergarten childen, having expectations and standards that are equitable with a goal of raising for all. Like "alternative" maybe words denoting universal standards and such have outgrown there usefulness or become place holders for a more descriptive term as a discerning identifier to inter-relatedness of everyone. The words "world", "international", "global" when related to aspects of living standards, justice, human rights, I wonder if another terms is needed.

    Maybe a term akin to how multi-disciplinary approaches bring various perspectives to a common goal. Here I too I struggle to find something other than the typical name.

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