Could have been trombone too, come to think of it. ;O)
Miss Representation explores women’s under-representation in positions of power and influence and challenges the limited and often disparaging portrayals of women in media. Writer/Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom brings together some of America’s most influential thought leaders in politics, news, entertainment, and academia, including Condoleezza Rice, Katie Couric, Geena Davis, Lisa Ling, Marissa Mayer, Cory Booker, Jean Kilbourne, and Jackson Katz, to give us an inside look at the media’s messaging.
As one of the most persuasive and pervasive forces of communication in our culture, mainstream media is educating yet another generation that a woman’s primary value lies in her youth, beauty and sexuality—not in her capacity as a leader. Miss Representation premieres Saturday January 22 in the documentary competition at Sundance Film Festival and then travels to the Athena Film Festival in New York City February 12.
Personally I feel we could do better, but also that women are not the only population sub-group that is misrepresented in the media. This reminds me of the “Bring your Daughter to Work” days that made me ask, what about any child—why do we make this a gender thang. It also reminds me of a time when I was rejected by a feminist organization that I applied to contribute to because I was a male. That was in the the 70s and me thinks times are a changing, albeit too slowly for many.
Do you have 15 minutes to spare to help with research into music making?
Dr. Alexandra Lamont from Keele University, England is carrying out a research project of adult amateur music making (amateur being defined as someone who does not make a living entirely through music). She needs your participation to find out about your experiences of music in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
If you can help, you can find the short survey here: http://tinyurl.com/amateurmusicUS
She is also looking for people to contact for follow-up interviews on the telephone/Skype/messenger and can be reached at a.m.lamont@keele.ac.uk. Please feel free to pass on the survey link to any of your friends who are in music groups of any standard.
Many thanks!
I can’t believe anyone doesn’t know how deep this recession cuts across all people and groups in the United States. But this New York Times article really puts it into perspective.
Most us know a family member, friend or coworker who is making their way through this morass having lost their job. And the housing loan debacle continues to worsen. For many of us this is the worse situation we have ever been at in our lives and maybe ever again.
I don’t even want to start talking about the immanent loan defaults by the states. Is it any wonder that no one wants to watch the news anymore?
Here is an example why I always include vocalists with the Microsoft Jazz Band. They wow the audience and brings people back to see us again and again.
I recently saw this post from a friend of mine on Facebook:
I am guessing that Keri did not authorized this implicitly. Rather, she took a quiz and this picture got sent to all of her friends including Mom, Dad, and her brothers. Firstly, this is not Keri. Secondly, when she was taking the quiz, the app didn’t mention that they were going to publish this picture to all her facebook friends. Furthermore, if she had the wrong security settings, everyone on facebook would see this picture. And, this could happen to anyone.
My recommendations are easy, don’t select the “Everyone” category for most parts of your facebook profile. I’d even suggest the same for the “friends of friends” category. But more importantly, don’t play games on Facebook because there is so much private information in your profile. Yeah, I know, easy for me to say because I don’t play computer games very much.
Now to Facebook, meet me at camera three. “Hey, Facebook, can you do a better job of controlling the game makers so they are upfront about what happens when you play their game?” I’m just sayin’…
I could design covers for the EuroWorld, I would be way out there with some of my designs. Imagine a world where art would not be censored, the Europeans aren’t nudity adverse and come close. Truth be known, I have replaced the covers of certain CDs that I really like and here are a few covers for your consideration.
What covers have you designed for your CD library? By the way, I’m listening to Quincy Jones, “The Dude” and I feel another cover inspiration coming on. <smile>
A friend of mine, Helen from the Bassic Sax Blog, has been pointing to neat and exotic signs with saxes in them for years. This one is my all-time fav and I thought I would repost it here. I actually have a sax beater hanging outside my music studio door because of some of the signage pictures that I have seen from around the world. Do you have a fav sax-inspired sign?
For anyone living under a rock, Bing changes the picture on their site daily. I know many friends who start their work day by checking it out. Today’s picture taken in Antarctica is quite simply amazing:
Go to http://www.bing.com to learn more.
It is Suzy and my 35th year of marriage. We come from two sets of parents whose marriage lasted and is lasting their whole lives. This means we come from a gene pool with a predisposition towards establishing, maintaining and even thriving in life long commitments. So I thought I ‘d celebrate this Valentine’s Day sharing some of my favorite pictures of my soul mate.
This is a picture of the dress that Suzy made for our first Homecoming Dance when we were in high school. Suzy has sewn so many dresses, outfits, and even wedding dresses now. But this was the first one that she did after taking a sewing class in her Sophomore year.
We did everything together from the beginning of our relationship. Whether it was a movie, going to the mall, or visiting a car show, we did it together. I worked in a grocery story in my Senior year of high school when I met Suzy. She got a $10 a week allowance. So we had some money to do the things we wanted to. We met when I was 17 and she was 15.
I went to college the second year of our relationship but that did not stop us from dating. I would ride my ten-speed bicycle year around from the University of Minnesota to Suzy’s house. It was a ten minute ride, if I hit all the downtown traffic lights just right. And the bus system in the Minneapolis area was so cheap and reliable that I remember thinking at the time I would never need to buy a car.
Because we were both in band, we were doing bandee things like concerts, pep bands, and the like. Suzy played clarinet and I played alto sax. The big concert of the year was the Smash concert with dancing, skits, and music. Both of us loved preparing for and performing in the Varsity Band Smash.
Our first year of marriage was spent in Germany. We saw some fabulous things and had our first child Josie. We were and are intrepid travelers. As a poor enlisted family in the Army, we found a way to visit much of Germany and Paris France. Then we came back to the US for me to finish college.
Now after a ~28 year hiatus from performance music, we are both in bands together again having started back up in music after the kids left to start their families. We are still visiting exotic parts of the world. And we are still working, keeping busy with our projects, and doing things that we love to do. Every year we spend together brings new experiences and memories.
I always told my kids to find a spouse who was a fine cook. It was a running gag. Suzy is a fine cook, but that really is just a small perk of our multifaceted relationship. I also recommended that you find someone they could talk to, someone who would become your best friend in life. And finally, I suggested to my kids that they find someone who was a strong personality vice a needy person. Smart, talented, and complete with very good people skills, Suzy was a fine example for my kids to consider.
I am very thankful that I found my soul mate at such a young age. I feel so fortunate to have married such a fine and beautiful woman. I truly believe that life would not have been the same for me had I not found Suzy. Thank you Suzy, happy Valentine’s Day.
Quinn the Eskimo Vintage Horns
