Friday, April 7, 2017

Mister Rogers defending PBS to the US Senate



This video is personal for me. No only because  I watch and value PBS, but because for many years I use to sit each morning with Mr. Rogers'Betty Aberlin; She was Lady Aberlin aka Princess Summer- Fall -Winter-Spring. We would have coffee and talk about the world and kids.  She was special. And then she moved away and we lost touch.

It is personal also not only because Senator John Pastore was the first Italian-American elected to both Governor and Senator. He was the father of one of my best friends at La Salle Academy in Providence RI. Senator Pastore was renown for being a powerful and eloquent orator. he was chosen to be the keynote speaker at the Democratic national convention in 1964. here is his speech.  Senator Pastore;s Democratic National Convention1964 Key note speech 1964  I wish I could give it every progressive who refuses to try to find any common ground with a Trump supporter as Trump reveals who he actually is in contrast to his campaign rhetoric. please watch and share 

But the Senator was my friend John's dad.  John, Jr. became a world-renown cardiologist and an active organizer in  International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. They were awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 1985. Here is the Nobel lecture was given by the American co- founder nobelprize.acceptance speech by the American Co-Founde,r he and Russian international Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear W ar.  John was part of the group that went to Oslo to receive the Noble Peace Peace Prize for committing Doctors worldwide to stop a nuclear war.  So I have many memories when I listen to Mr. Rogers talk about the value of Public television.


WOW.. 12 friends were awarded Guggenheim Fellows ..Please..le me introduce them to you

WOW!  I want to post some GOOD news. I NEED to post some GOOD news, .on this dark day politically. The Guggenheim Fellows have been announced!  Artists are our flashlight out of the tunnel of darkness as the DTs turn off all the lights in the rooms of hope This morning I learned of Hunter Reynolds becoming a Guggenheim Fellow,,,,
I am so proud of my friend and soul buddy HUNTER REYNOLDS for being awarded a GUGGENHEIM this year. An artist of profound vision and a will to live despite everything possible that would say no .. I treasure his friendship and literally stand in front of his work and find myself falling into a swoon intoxicated by the sheer mesh of beauty and the reality check of history that covers his canvases  

CONGRATULATIONS HUNTER... I hope you will be up to joining us again this year when the GAY LIBERATION FRONT marches (or rides we are fundraising to get a mini-bus to carry some of our people )

Please click on the announcement link  ...and you will see a slide show of SOME of Hunter's work...
Hunter Reynolds is a visual artist and AIDS activist. He received his BFA in 1984 from Otis College of Art in Los Angeles where he was a part of the downtown art scene and formed his first performance…
GF.ORG

and when I went to see who else was so awarded for their work I saw other friends and fellow travelers I am thrilled to see my friends so honored and in this economy, this will mean a HUGE change in their day to day life as in giving some breathing room
so please join me in say WOW CONGRATULATIONS 



Please click on the announcement link  ...and you will learn of each artist work

Mx CASSILS: in a tradition that is a bit Abromowitz and a little Lisa Lyon Cassils uses her body as a template of ideas and practice

HARRY DODGEvisual artist and wordsmith that won at sundance and walked away

MASHA GESSEN: a thinker whose books I rush to read 

Mx Keith Hennessy: We met in a class we were taking in SF with Anna Halprin

Shelly Hirsch is being rewarded for a vocal instrument that is unlike any other 

Kirsten Johnson: A film shooter extraordinaire as well as a documentary director .. and a most unusual mom

Mike Kuchar: master, indie low-budget, t wild narrative filmmaker
http://www.gf.org/fellows/all-fellows/mike-kuchar/

Yvonne Meier: one can not speak of post-modern dance without thinking of Yvonne She took contact improvisation and made it into  physical poetry

Will Rawls Watching Will is like being in the Black Forest with only a full moon to light the sky.

Carmelita Tropicana like a spitfire in the house of love Cuban-American Tropicana brings a celebration of both the body and the brain dressed in a physic comedy about very serious issues. 

Marianne Weems: Theater maker, the opposite of reality TV is  Weems vision of life as seen on any kind of stage 


Special shout out to Mx Keith Hennessy and Mx CASSILS for forward thinking gender free pronous