Creative Cultural Solutions Conversations Continue January 2015 EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL filmmaker Darius Clark Monroe and Pastor David Ned.  Photo credit:  NPR Online Screening/Live Chat   EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL Darius Clark Monroe, Pastor David Ned, and Guests (TBA) Wednesday, January 14 at 8p ET OVEE link https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/hzwy6 From the honor roll, to jail, to NYU Film School grad, Evolution of a Criminal is the compelling true story of redemption, resiliency, and forgiveness.   Join me (Michon Boston) for an online screening and live chat of the critically acclaimed documentary with Darius Clark Monroe, Pastor David Ned, and other special guests on OVEE.  EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL is a film by Darius Clark Monroe and executive produced by Spike Lee. View a clip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04cq4NHPhEY Download a  Discussion Guide from ITVS ABOUT EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL In 1997 Darius Clark Monroe was an honor student in Houston, Texas with no criminal record or trouble with the law.  His family was having money problems and Darius said he wanted to help. Unfortunately, the 16-year-old's plan was to rob a bank.  David Ned was one of the customers in the bank at the time of the robbery.  Darius was arrested and convicted as an adult.  He received a 5 year sentence.   With an unflinching eye, Darius Clark Monroe dissects the various factors that drove him from a lighthearted childhood to this extreme act, giving us first-person access to both the facts and the emotional weight embedded in the planning, the crime, and its aftermath. In the process, he not only reconnects with the people with whom he robbed the bank, but also reaches out to people on the receiving end of the crime.     Other guests for the chat will bring education in prison and for returning citizens into focus.  Studies show the benefits of in-prison learning and education in preventing recidivism.     EVOLUTION OF A CRIMIAL will have its national television premiere on the award-winning PBS documentary series Independent Lens Monday, January 12 (check local listings)     Capitol Hill Vistors Center Room HVC-201, Washington, DC WATCH + DISCUSS  with Rep. Earl Blumenauer U.S. Representative Patricia de Stacy Harrison President & CEO Corporation for Public Broadcasting Sheryl WuDunn Author, A Path Appears Maro Chermayeff Executive Producer, A Path Appears Rev. Rebecca Stevens Founder, Magdalene and Thistle Farms Shana Goodwin Featured Subject, A Path Appears REGISTRATION REQUIRED  Eventbrite Link REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED START A NEW YEAR WITH COMMUNITY CINEMA A PATH APPEARS from the creators of "Half the Sky" preview from the mini-series SUNDAY, JANUARY 25, 2015 at 5 PM Busboys and Poets 2021 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009   Guest Speaker ED LAZERE Executive Director, DC Fiscal Policy Institute FREE ADMISSION.  Reserve on Eventbrite   A Path Appears investigates young women forced into a life of prostitution and the innovative programs that have evolved to empower them to lead more fulfilling lives. Trafficking and prostitution. Domestic slavery. Teen pregnancy. The devastation of poverty. These troubling situations are happening not just halfway across the world, but also in our own backyards — in Chicago and Nashville and Boston.   The series uncovers the roots behind the incredible adversity faced every day by millions of women, while also presenting glimpses of hope and change.   To find a Community Cinema event in your community, visitpbs.org/independentlens/getinvolved/cinema   ALSO EXPLORE www.pbs.org/independentlens  communitycinema-dc.org  info.itvs[at]communitycinema-dc[dot]org @ccinemadc How can we talk about ____? THE KING HOLIDAY AND THE LEGACY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Monday, January 19, 2015 (national holiday) Thursday, January 15 (birthdate)   The feature film SELMA directed by Ava DuVernay highlights a single chapter in the King story along with the community of activists and dedicated citizens strategizing to end the violent and destructive tactics of voter suppression and intimidation.  They stage an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Their efforts culminate in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed by President Lyndon Johnson.   In the DuVernay's words... "...if there’s anything that we should be talking about in terms of legacy, it is really the destruction of the legacy of the Voting Rights Act and the fact that that very act is no more in the way that it should be protecting all voices to be able to be heard and participate in the electoral process. That is at risk right now."   Teaching for Change offers key points and resources that explore the Voting Rights struggle from the bottom up. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Site (National Park Service) 50th Anniversary events for the Selma-to-Montgomery March will take place this year.  Visit the DreamersMarchOn.com website sponsored by the Montgomery and Selma cities, chamber of commerce and tourism. NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS or a MISSION STATEMENT? The questions in this New York Times post "Creating a New Mission Statement"by Tara Parker Pope is a good conversation starter for a new year. "Event Yourself", the newsletter for the Michon Boston Group Ltd - creative cultural experiences and solutions to build strong community. For more information, call 202-939-0794 or contactMichon Boston, Executive Producer.  © 2015

THIS IS WHAT SOLIDARITY LOOKS LIKE

http://otherwords.org/a-muslim-cartoonist-draws-lessons-from-the-charlie-hebdo-massacre/

Dear Friend of the Nation, For 150 years, The Nation has kept readers informed about what we called in our very first issue “the conflict of ages, the great strife between the few and the many, between privilege and equality, between law and power, between opinion and the sword.” Founded by abolitionists just months after the end of the Civil War, The Nation has never shied from taking sides in that conflict, and it has instigated a great deal of progress along the way. But while we are excited to revisit the matchless history of The Nation—closely tied, as it is, to the history of the nation—the most gratifying part of our 150th anniversary will be the opportunity to share the important work The Nation is doing today. Throughout the year, The Nation will mark its 150th anniversary with a variety of innovative print and digital products, a nationwide series of live events and a documentary film by award-winning filmmaker, Barbara Kopple.  At TheNation.com, we launched a new feature on January 1 called The Almanac. Highlighting historic events from each day in history, these daily posts offer an alternative view of world history as seen through the eyes of Nation writers and editors and offer indispensable context to today's events.   Additionally, every month or two during the anniversary year, TheNation.com will highlight one Nation Ideal on which the magazine has been instigating progress since 1865: racial justice, gender equality, environmental sustainability and civil liberties, to name a few. TheNation.com will feature relevant articles from our archives with commentary by some of the most prominent Nation writers today. For each Ideal there will be a Journey Through History—an interactive multimedia feature that will make learning about the broad sweep of history of each Ideal, both inside and outside the pages of The Nation, visually appealing, accessible and downright fun.  In March, we will publish a paper and e-book history of the magazine written by The Nation’s London bureau chief, D.D. Guttenplan—award-winning biographer of the lateNation great, I.F. Stone—followed in April by a 200-page special anniversary issuefeaturing essays from the archives by Hannah Arendt, Jonathan Schell, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, alongside original contributions by Eric Foner, Noam Chomsky, Toni Morrison, Michael Moore, Naomi Klein, Stephen F. Cohen, Rebecca Solnit, and many, many more. Meanwhile, throughout the year, Nation writers and editors will be touring cities coast to coast hosting panel discussions, variety shows and other audience-inclusive eventsboth to celebrate the magazine’s history and to share visions of radically-different futures. From New York to Tucson to Los Angeles to Madison to Salt Lake City and Seattle to Portland to Washington, DC and back to New York—and many places in between—theseevents will put Nation readers, new and old, in conversation with their favorite writers on the issues that matter most: Naomi Klein on the history of environmental activism. Dave Zirin on reporting from the intersection of politics, culture and sports. Kshama Sawant on the promise and peril—and the history—of municipal socialism. Robert Reich on inequality. Ursula LeGuin exposing the power of capitalism, literature and imagination. Patricia Williams and Isabel Wilkerson arguing for a Third Reconstruction. Individually and together, these events will create a special, one-time experience, a gathering-together of The Nation family, which we know will leave an indelible mark on the magazine, and, we hope, on our readers as well. We hope you will join us for what promises to be an exceptional year, and we hope you’ll invite others to join us as well. At the end of 1865, The Nation declared that it would go down as "one of the most famous years of history." We are confident that with your help, the 150th anniversary of The Nation will be one, too. Please watch this space and thenation.com/150 for regularly updated information. All best, Katrina vanden Heuvel Editor and Publisher, The Nation

VQR

http://m.chronicle.com/article/Ouster-of-Editor-Points-to/151099/?key=Tz11dwc4NC8dN3gxYD9LZT5SO3NvMk5wYXdObXEobllUEg==

AN AFTERNOON WITH LADY BRYON

Photo by Ethelbert

I love visiting an artist's workplace. It's like taking a tour inside their minds. It's also nice to see where things are made and where they come from. If you walk into a gallery the art is on the wall looking pretty. But in the artist's workplace the art is still dressing, maybe even brushing their teeth.
One might also catch a glimpse of something that may never be finished. Yet, the best thing is to see the tools of creation and where the artist sits. Yesterday I was invited into Judy Bryon's space. It was not the first time I've been to her home in Mt. Pleasant. It was however the first time I interrupted her in the process of working. Judy is married to the photographer Rick Reinhard; together they make a beautiful culture couple. Both are activists who embrace many movements. Their home is a safe place for hope and happiness.

http://www.judybyron.com/

PARIS IS BLEEDING

We will always have Paris. The problem of the 21st Century is the problem of religion. Place Race in the backseat next to that DuBois Color-Line. This is a New Year already turned ugly. Maybe God will come back from vacation and tell us all to go sit in the corner. It seems whenever someone yell's "God Is Great" bad things tend to happen. Growing up in the 1950s I was told to hide under the desk and turn my face away from the windows. Back then the bad guys were Russians and you feared they would take your toys away and place funny hats on your head. It seems the problems are all "inside" our heads these days. Every faith is out to spank us with the truth. It's only January and my tears are stale. My lips are too tired for prayers. Paris is bleeding.

POETRY AT LOC

Thursday, Jan. 22 at 12 noon at the Library of Congress, Terrance Hayes will lecture on “Ideas of Influence” as part of the Bagley Wright Lecture Series on Poetry. This lecture will be held in the Mary Pickford Theater, Third Floor, James Madison Building.

Free.

Happy Friday everyone! I don't know whether you made any New Year's resolutions this year, but the Baltimore City Paper kindly asked me to offer my resolutions for our city for 2015. City Paper published them this week, along with those of several of my esteemed Baltimorean colleagues! You can read them here. Our Friday morning show begins at 10:00 with a look at what happened This Day in History and then ... ... prepare to be inspired as I talk with National Book Award-winning novelist and scholar Dr. Charles Johnson about his newest book Taming the Ox: Buddhist Stories and Reflections on Politics, Race, Culture, and Spiritual Practice. Stay tuned at 11:00 for an insightful and informative panel discussion held last month at the Maryland State Education Association's 2014 Education Policy Forum in Annapolis. Three dedicated and enthusiastic educators talked about what the role of teachers should be in our education system. With: Sean McComb, High School English Teacher in Baltimore County and 2014 National Teacher of the Year; Jose Vilson, Middle School Math Educator in New York City and author of This Is Not a Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and the Future of Education; and Jody Zepp, High School Government and Psychology Teacher in Howard County and 2014-15 Maryland Teacher of the Year.   Email or post on the  The Marc Steiner Show Facebook page  with your questions and comments!   Listen from 10am - noon on WEAA 88.9-FM or online at weaa.org.  All shows are available as podcasts at www.steinershow.org and on iTunes.  Join the conversation by calling 410-319-8888, tweeting @marcsteiner, and emailingtalk@steinershow.org. For questions & show ideas call: (443) 475-0554.

The Bert & Bev Show

When it's cold outside it's always important to have a good lunch and surround yourself with warm and wonderful friends. That's what Beverly and I did this afternoon. We ate at beauthai located at 3162 Mt. Pleasant Street. Nothing but laughter and a good time.

THE ALDON NIELSEN PROJECT 2015

http://emiller698.blog.com/2015/01/08/the-sounds-of-music/

Changes in Cuba, Sports Diplomacy & a New Website!  It's been a busy week for Cuba Skate!  Two radio interviews with Executive Director, Miles Jackson, and the launch of a new website! On Monday, Miles had the pleasure of speaking about youth and policy changes in Cuba with Joni Eisenberg on WPFW's To Heal DC.  He and James Early, Director of Cultural Heritage Policy at the Smithsonian's Folklife Center, spoke about the relations between Cuba and the U.S., and the exciting future for the neighboring countries. Listen here!  On Tuesday, Miles was invited to the Kojo Nmadi Show on WAMU, and discussed the topic of Sports Diplomacy with host Jen Golbeck.  Sports Illustrated writer J.L. Price opened the show and spoke about the rich traditions of Cuban baseball, and Miles closed the program with insights into the island's emerging skateboarding culture.Listen here! Our last exciting announcement of the week is the launch of a spectacular new website!  The team has been working for some time with an incredible web designer and is thrilled to present you the new and improved site!

Copyright © 2015 Cuba Skate, All rights reserved. You signed onto Cuba Skate's mailing list online or at one of our local events. Our mailing address is: Cuba Skate 712 Kearny Street NE Washington, DC 20017

The Other Scoreboard

2015 Hall of Fame Voting

Roger Clemens:206
Barry Bonds: 202
Mark McGwire:55
Sammy Sosa: 36

412 Votes are needed to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

News from MLB.com View as web page    |   January 6, 2015

News Alert

Hall Four: Cooperstown Class of 2015 set

Randy Johnson (97.3%) was a five-time Cy Young Award winner. Pedro Martinez (91.1%) won three Cys and led MLB in ERA five times. John Smoltz (82.9%) amassed 213 wins to go with 154 saves. Craig Biggio (82.7%) racked up 3,060 hits while playing three positions up the middle. Together, they make up the Hall of Fame's Class of 2015. The induction ceremony is scheduled for July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER DOESN'T HAVE TO BE OBSCENE

Look for a media shift to begin this week. No more police stories. Black men will probably quietly continue to fall around the country -their bodies trapped like Bigger on a Chicago rooftop.Snow falling as I write. It's difficult to sustain a social movement without short goals and long term commitments. Slogans are nice but change is more than a chant.The New Theater is now Obama against the Republicans. Look for the Black President to transform himself from Abraham Lincoln into Teddy Roosevelt. Nothing like a Rough Rider preparing for the next 2 years. Cuba Si! Meanwhile our nation must avoid "Cruz" control and move forward- never backwards.

SOMEONE CALL 911

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9MNflyhnvw

January 5, 2015   Updates 4th Annual Abortion Rights Poetry Contest Deadline: Jan. 5 Youth Open Mic  Night Featuring  Zayy Capone Jan. 17 Writing Workshop Open to All Ages Moderated by  Natalie E. Illum Jan. 21 Quick Links       Happy New Year! 2015's first Sunday Kind of Love Open Mic Night will be on January 18th! We hope you'll join us and our featured poets of the month, Venus Thrash and Elmaz Abinader. Details are further below. Also, if Split This Rock's poetry and activism have moved you, inspired you, touched you in this past year, please consider a gift to help us bring the challenge and succor of poetry to all who hunger for justice. Just click here to give. Thank you! Warm Wishes,  Split This Rock   Sunday Kind of Love    Featuring   Venus Thrash & Elmaz Abinader       Sunday, January 18, 2015 5-7pm Busboys & Poets 2021 14th St. NW Washington, DC 20009 Hosted by Sarah Browning & Katy Richey $5 online or at the door As always, open mic follows! Co-Sponsored by Busboys and Poets & Split This Rock Purchase tickets and learn more here.  Elmaz Abinader is a writer from Oakland who has published a memoir, Children of the Roojme, two collections of poetry, This House My Bones (Editor's Selection Willow Books, 2014) & In the Country of My Dreams... (PEN Oakland Winner). She has also written and performed several one-woman plays, including,Country of Origin, Ramadan Moon, The Torture Quartet, that relate to life as an Arab amidst political traumas. She teaches at Mills College, is currently working a novel, and is the co-founder of VONA/Voices, the workshop for writers of color (www.voicesatvona.org). Venus Thrash was a finalist in the 2012 Jean Feldman and 2009 Arktoi Books Poetry Prizes. Her debut collection of poetry, The Fateful Apple (Hawkins Publishing Group), was published in March 2014. Her poetry is published in The Beloit Poetry Journal, Split This Rock, Beltway Quarterly, and Torch. She has been a featured reader at Split This Rock's Poetry Festival, the Studio Museum in Harlem, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Virginia Festival of the Book, and The Library of Congress. She teaches creative writing at Trinity Washington University, and is the mom to a seven year old son, Daniel. She is completing The Soul of a Man, a short story collection, and a second poetry manuscript, Misanthrope. Support Split This Rock  Please support Split This Rock, the national network of activist poets. Donations are fully tax-deductible.  Click here to donate. Or send a check payable to "Split This Rock" to: Split This Rock, c/o Institute for Policy Studies, 1112 16th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. Many thanks! Contact info@splitthisrock.org for more details or to become a sponsor. Split This Rock www.SplitThisRock.org 202-787-5210 info@splitthisrock.org

2014: In Memoriam We remember a number of special people interviewed by Bill over the years who passed away in 2014. Read and watch online »

Che: "Fidel, will we once again have diplomatic relations with the Yankees?” 

Fidel: "It will be the day in which the President of the United States is black and the Pope is an Argentine like you."

THE ALDON NIELSEN PROJECT 2015

http://emiller698.blog.com/2015/01/05/10/

Tribute to Martin Luther King,Jr...

 http://www.capitalcommunitynews.com/content/meeting-king-bridge-hope

Heading back to DC this morning. Will spend much of the day catching up on the news. I've spent the    
last few days taking care of a family member. 2015 begins with major changes to my life. Will have to push back against the waves of sadness.

I finished writing a number of essays the last two weeks. Will work on my next  "E on DC" column this evening.

Reading WHITE GIRLS by Hilton Als.

Taking care of an ill family member is one of the greatest challenges a person might face. How does one become a good caretaker?  How do we serve day after day?  What if one is not living nearby? I search for answers while looking over a cliff.

Send To A Friend

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Out with the Old, In with the New | January 1st, 2015

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The real purpose of Buddhist practice is to cut down your addictions and to correct your habitual patterns and this can be achieved as a layperson or as a monk or nun. That brings us to the question of Buddhist ethics—changing habitual patterns and getting rid of the old addictions, such as attachments, and replacing them with love, compassion, generosity, and patience.

- Gelek Rinpoche, "A Lama for All Seasons"

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF THIS WAS REALLY DAY 1?