Perhaps I'm asking too much for a short piece that bills itself as a "file" but this is the kind of piece I'd generally tune out. Taylor's music is a constant background to Meister's chronicle of Koko Taylor's life, rather like an ad for a car. The straight-ahead bio doesn't do much either; I can get that quickly on the web somewhere.
A clip or two of Koko Taylor herself talking about where's she's at today would have really helped.
If this piece really wants to let the good-times roll á la Koko Taylor, we could hear perhaps a minute and a half of bio (with no background music), a minute of Taylor and the rest could be samples of her music.
I liked the Let the Good Times Roll extro.
This brief commentary is pretty obvious to people who have any concern at all for the enviromnment and both local and international sustainability. Nevertheless, it serves as a lively pep talk for those of us (and that is most of us, I suspect) who have good intentions we fully intend to put into practice -- tomorrow.
McKibbon has interesting examples of local success stories and discusses the balance between what we can reasonable want locally and internationally. He wants, for example, to listen to world music on a local channel along with reports of the local high school basketball team, not some bland market-driven Clear channel.
This is a short, punchy commentary that reminds us of the importance of the "think globally act locally" slogan, without requiring an investment of a half-hour or more of listening.
Comment for
"Following Nature's Lead: Natural Wisdom Applied to Modern Dilemmas" (deleted)
Following Nature's Lead: Natural Wisdom Applied to Modern Dilemmas (deleted)
British developmental biologist, Mae-Won Ho leads off with the theme that weaves through this piece: we are all connected. She and others emphasize relationships rather than material products as the real "stuff" of this world. Linear thinking is out, complex, three-dimensional interrelationships are in and quantum physics are a better description of reality than the "flat" picture Newtonian physics give us. We are treated to graphic examples of actual experiments in which cooperative and integrated practices are favoured over linear, hierarchical and fractured disciplines. Cows climb steep mountains to get at hay and in the process turn a hopelessly-polluted area into a beautiful grassy meadow. Mushrooms win out over complicated tecnological fixes for petroleum-polluted earth.
Artists, native leaders, scientists and farmers are featured in an effort to bring alive the integrative message. There are some big names here: David Suzuki, Fritjof Capra, Jeremy Narby, Alice Walker and more.
"Following Nature's Lead" may be a misnomer; the message is rather that we are neither followers nor leaders, but simply part of nature, whether we like it or not. As Alice Walker comments, if we hurt one part of nature, we hurt ourselves.
The Gaia philosophy guides this work, and the lively interviews (especially by scientists) suggest that any other way of viewing the world could be our undoing. This makes the piece political, economic, scientific and cultural, or rather, those disciplines are presented as an inseperable whole.
Mae-Won Ho refers to the living body "as a grand jazz concert," and then adds that we are inextricably linked with every other being and object. It's an exciting prospect: living one's life as a participant in a all-encompasing jazz concert. Not only is it more fun -- it's also a lot healthier for all of us.
This is radio at its best.
Comments by Peter R. Snell
Comment for "Blues File: Koko Taylor"
Peter R. Snell
Posted on May 21, 2005 at 08:55 AM | Permalink
Review of Blues File: Koko Taylor
Perhaps I'm asking too much for a short piece that bills itself as a "file" but this is the kind of piece I'd generally tune out. Taylor's music is a constant background to Meister's chronicle of Koko Taylor's life, rather like an ad for a car. The straight-ahead bio doesn't do much either; I can get that quickly on the web somewhere.
A clip or two of Koko Taylor herself talking about where's she's at today would have really helped.
If this piece really wants to let the good-times roll á la Koko Taylor, we could hear perhaps a minute and a half of bio (with no background music), a minute of Taylor and the rest could be samples of her music.
I liked the Let the Good Times Roll extro.
Comment for "THINK GLOBAL: Bill McKibben commentary"
Peter R. Snell
Posted on May 21, 2005 at 07:53 AM | Permalink
Review of THINK GLOBAL: Bill McKibben commentary
This brief commentary is pretty obvious to people who have any concern at all for the enviromnment and both local and international sustainability. Nevertheless, it serves as a lively pep talk for those of us (and that is most of us, I suspect) who have good intentions we fully intend to put into practice -- tomorrow.
McKibbon has interesting examples of local success stories and discusses the balance between what we can reasonable want locally and internationally. He wants, for example, to listen to world music on a local channel along with reports of the local high school basketball team, not some bland market-driven Clear channel.
This is a short, punchy commentary that reminds us of the importance of the "think globally act locally" slogan, without requiring an investment of a half-hour or more of listening.
Comment for "Following Nature's Lead: Natural Wisdom Applied to Modern Dilemmas" (deleted)
Peter R. Snell
Posted on May 17, 2005 at 10:09 PM
Following Nature's Lead: Natural Wisdom Applied to Modern Dilemmas (deleted)
British developmental biologist, Mae-Won Ho leads off with the theme that weaves through this piece: we are all connected. She and others emphasize relationships rather than material products as the real "stuff" of this world. Linear thinking is out, complex, three-dimensional interrelationships are in and quantum physics are a better description of reality than the "flat" picture Newtonian physics give us. We are treated to graphic examples of actual experiments in which cooperative and integrated practices are favoured over linear, hierarchical and fractured disciplines. Cows climb steep mountains to get at hay and in the process turn a hopelessly-polluted area into a beautiful grassy meadow. Mushrooms win out over complicated tecnological fixes for petroleum-polluted earth.
Artists, native leaders, scientists and farmers are featured in an effort to bring alive the integrative message. There are some big names here: David Suzuki, Fritjof Capra, Jeremy Narby, Alice Walker and more.
"Following Nature's Lead" may be a misnomer; the message is rather that we are neither followers nor leaders, but simply part of nature, whether we like it or not. As Alice Walker comments, if we hurt one part of nature, we hurt ourselves.
The Gaia philosophy guides this work, and the lively interviews (especially by scientists) suggest that any other way of viewing the world could be our undoing. This makes the piece political, economic, scientific and cultural, or rather, those disciplines are presented as an inseperable whole.
Mae-Won Ho refers to the living body "as a grand jazz concert," and then adds that we are inextricably linked with every other being and object. It's an exciting prospect: living one's life as a participant in a all-encompasing jazz concert. Not only is it more fun -- it's also a lot healthier for all of us.
This is radio at its best.