Panel
JIM HAGAN – Moderator
JIM HUMMEL – Former TV News Reporter
ARAM GARABEDIAN – Cranston City Council / Former RI State Rep.
Sen. JAMES SHEEHAN – ( D ) Narragansett, North Kingstown
Rep. LAURENCE EHRHARDT – ( R ) North Kingstown
Topics
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER: The Republican Party’s Future?
HEALTH CARE REFORM
PENSION REFORM
FREE SPEECH AT PROVIDENCE COLLEGE
PRIVATE BUSINESSES & E-VERIFICATION
ACTION SPEAKS is a unique television-community-radio series that looks at contemporary issues through the lens of under-appreciated dates that have changed America.
On Mondays beginning tonight at 9, and for the three additional weeks, host Marc Levitt introduces a documentary that supports and relates to the day in history under discussion. The four documentaries airing on Rhode Island PBS not only inform and entertain, but also provide additional insight and a different perspective on the event in history, helping fuel conversation.
On Wednesdays at 5:30 PM, Marc Levitt and guest panelists encourage lively audience participation in community conversations at AS220, 115 Empire Street in downtown Providence. Each panel draws three or four experts, academics, creatives, and other relevant guests into an open-ended discussion with the larger community.
On Sundays at 8 PM, a one-hour version of the previous Wednesday's community conversation will be broadcast on RI public radio station, WRNI.
April 27 at 9 PM
Growing the Green Economy - The stark realities of the human impact on our planet - from global warming and depleted fish stocks, to spreading deserts and loss of species - make taking care of our environment more critical than ever. Amid - and because of - all the recent scientific evidence of environmental distress, a new more hopeful story is emerging. Growing The Green Economy covers this under-reported story of how companies, investors, pension fund managers, innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide are quietly growing a new, cleaner, greener, more ethical economy in our midst. Galvanized by the new evidence of how "business as usual" and old economic approaches to human development are unsustainable, these new leaders are busy reforming capitalism and the marketplace for healthier, more equitable, and environmentally-friendly futures for all our children.
A bit about ACTION SPEAKS
AS220 and Marc Levitt began the Action Speaks series in 1995, grant supported by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH). Since 2002, AS220 and RICH have worked as full partners in this yearly production. Thanks to an expansion grant from the National Endowment from the Humanities, the 2009 series will include two seasons, spring and autumn, each with four programs.
Additional information about the 2009 spring season, including topics and panelists, can be found at actionspeaksradio.org.
PLANET FORWARD: Web to TV to Web
PLANET FORWARD is an innovative, viewer-driven program that debuted first on the Web and then moves to television in a primetime special that airs on Rhode Island PBS on Thursday, April 30 at 8 PM, and then moves back to the Web. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning CNN veteran Frank Sesno, PLANET FORWARD is driven by the power of ideas, as citizens make their case for what they think about the nation's energy future.
The online discussion builds to a new kind of television show, which in turn drives the online conversation. It's Web to TV to Web; an ongoing conversation driven by issues, and made possible by new and creative media technologies.
The PLANET FORWARD Web site revolves around citizen and expert submissions, reflecting a wide range of interests, expertise, and opinion.
The television show features the best online submissions, which will be discussed and debated by a diverse panel of experts, scientists, business leaders and policymakers taped in front of a live audience at The George Washington University. The special features A-list experts, scientists, policymakers, and business leaders, as well as citizen journalists selected from the PLANET FORWARD Web site.
Four of those "best online submissions" originate in Rhode Island
PLANET FORWARD includes four videos created by a small group of undergraduate students at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. Part of a video journalism project with RWU instructor Michael Scully, the eight seniors and one junior planned, researched, wrote, filmed, edited, and submitted a total of 13 videos on a variety of environmental subjects, including bio-diesel, commuter rail, green buildings, and wind power.
Congratulations, Roger Williams University students!
PLANET FORWARD wants new submissions at www.planetforward.org
Frank Sesno challenges the viewing audience to go online and join the discussion - by viewing, rating, and commenting on videos – and submitting their own viewpoint. Rhode Island PBS viewers have the opportunity to join the virtual public square as they make their case for what they think about the nation’s energy future.
The new content is eligible to become part of a PLANET FORWARD Web sequel that will be taped May 19 at The George Washington University and then streamed online. Frank Sesno will be joined by Van Jones, White House Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, to discuss the new content.
Tune in on Thursday at 8 PM.
A Lively Experiment will only air on SUNDAY, April 26 at noon this week, since the Spring Auction continues until Friday (tune in - and bid at ripbs.org)
Panel
JIM HAGAN – Moderator
DAVE LAYMAN – Former TV News Anchor
MAUREEN MOAKLEY – Political Science Dept, University of RI
LOUIS PULNER – Legal/Political Analyst
JOHN HAZEN-WHITE – President & CEO, Taco, Inc.
Topics
MAJOR CHANGES AT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
WHO SHOULD BE THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF E D C ?
PROBLEM WITH TAX HIKES FOR RHODE ISLAND BUSINESSES
Quick update: The Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction will stream online tonight and each night this week, at http://www.onworldwide.com/!! Just click on the colorful "ON TV" icon at the bottom of the page and watch the live broadcast after 7 PM.
To bid, go to ripbs.org. : )
The annual Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction will be televised later tonight (Monday) through Friday, April 20-24, beginning at 7 PM each evening on digital 36.1, Cox/Verizon/FullChannel 8, DirecTV 36, Dish 7776 (Massachusetts cable subscribers should check local listings for channel). All auction items can be seen online at www.ripbs.org.
Every single item - from a $10 pizza to the $24,000 Prius - is available for viewing and bidding online. All bids will be placed online, whether it's by the bidders on computers at home, or by the volunteers taking bids over the phone in the studio.
This year's auction includes a Green Gallery that showcases environmentally-considerate goods and services. However, because of the way the items have to be categorized on the auction site, there are actually several more 'green' items than show up in that category. For example, the Toyota Prius Hybrid sedan (donated by Your New England Toyota Dealer) and fuel-efficient Vespa motor scooter (donated by Vespa Newport and Providence Motorsports) are listed under "Auto." Look, too, under "Household Goods" and "Home Improvement" for more 'green' items.
The Auction team Jeff Hartley, Paul Zangari, and our dedicated volunteer Harriet Deaver and intern Nick Pagano worked hard to coordinate the event you will see unfold this week - as well as hundreds more details you'll never see - to make this year's auction a success. There is also a cadre of loyal volunteers (who return year after year to donate their precious time) who have picked up, photographed, sorted, and wrote descriptions of the items. It really is a phenomenal machine, this organization within an organization!
Curtain's about to rise; the show's ready to start. But the online component means geography is no hindrance. Where ever you may be located - New England or England - you can scope out the goods, place your best bid, and know the money you invest is money well-placed.
National Geographic and Maryland Public Television, National Productions, today announced the names of the students who won their State Geography Bees and will participate in the 2009 National Geographic Bee in May.
The Rhode Island winner is Oliver Lucier, 7th Grade, Broad Rock Middle School, Wakefield. Congratulations!
Up to 100 fourth- to eighth-graders in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, U.S. territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools have qualified for the state Bees. Oliver and the other state winners will receive $100, the "National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World," and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the national finals on May 19-20 and the chance to be crowned National Geographic Bee champion.
WSBE Rhode Island PBS will broadcast the National Geographic Bee on Thursday, May 21 at 3 PM, with re-broadcast on Saturday, May 23 at noon.
First prize in the national competition is a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place finishers receive $15,000 and $10,000 college scholarships. Additionally, the national winner will travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galápagos Islands with "Jeopardy!" quiz show host and National Geographic Bee moderator Alex Trebek and the "Jeopardy!" Clue Crew. The winner will experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the wildlife and landscape of the Galápagos.
We won't know until the day before the actual air date whether Oliver will be among the final 10 (and be in the broadcast), but we'll post any update here as soon as we know. No spoilers, however!
Congratulations, Oliver! Best of luck in the next round!
UPDATE: Here's the story in the South County Independent. (Photo: Selena Millard. Source: Liz Boardman/Independent Staff Writer)
This is what's up on A Lively Experiment, tonight at 7 PM and Sunday, April 19 at noon, on Rhode Island PBS.
Panel
JIM HAGAN – Moderator
JIM HUMMEL – Investigative Reporter
Senator LEO BLAIS – ( R ) Scituate, Coventry, Foster
Senator LEONIDAS RAPTAKIS – ( D ) Coventry, Warwick, W. Warwick, E. Greenwich
DENISE AIKEN – R.I. Legal Services / Former R.I. Representative
Topics
THE MINIMUM WAGE
MERIT SELECTION OF JUDGES
“TEA PARTY” TAX DEMONSTRATION
RHODE ISLAND’ ECONOMY: STIMULUS PACKAGE & STATE TAXES
With more than 800 items and counting, the Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction has something for everyone, and something to fit every budget! These two videos are just a small sampling of what we have. Check out all the items so far at www.ripbs.org.
You can do it all online! Preview, place a bid, submit a proxy bid, check the end times of your favorite auctions, and track competing bids in real time. It's on TV live April 20-24 starting at 7PM, but official bidding is online exclusively.
Rhode Island PBS broadcasts over-the-air on digital 36.1; Cox/Verizon/FullChannel 8; DirecTV 36; Dish 7776; MA cable subscribers should check cable listings for local channel number.
Airs tonight, 4/9/09 at 7 P.M., with rebroadcast on Sunday 4/12/09 at noon
Panel
JIM HAGAN – Moderator
JIM HUMMEL – Investigative Reporter
WILLIAM VERNON – Director, National Federation Of Independent Business
BERNARD JACKVONY – Former R.I. Lt. Gov & Chair, Republican Party
EDWARD MAZZE – Business Administration Dept, U.R.I.
Topics
2010 Race for Governor
Union Organization
Economic Stimulus Package
President Obama: The G-20 and and his ambitious programs
Big Corporations and the Government
Governor Carcieri and the Legislative Leadership
National Geographic and Maryland Public Television, National Productions, today announced the names of the students who won their State Geography Bees and will participate in the 2009 National Geographic Bee in May.
The Rhode Island winner is Oliver Lucier, 7th Grade, Broad Rock Middle School, Wakefield. Congratulations!
Up to 100 fourth- to eighth-graders in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, U.S. territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools have qualified for the state Bees. Oliver and the other state winners will receive $100, the "National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World," and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the national finals on May 19-20 and the chance to be crowned National Geographic Bee champion.
WSBE Rhode Island PBS will broadcast the National Geographic Bee on Thursday, May 21 at 3 PM, with re-broadcast on Saturday, May 23 at noon.
First prize in the national competition is a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place finishers receive $15,000 and $10,000 college scholarships. Additionally, the national winner will travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galápagos Islands with "Jeopardy!" quiz show host and National Geographic Bee moderator Alex Trebek and the "Jeopardy!" Clue Crew. The winner will experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the wildlife and landscape of the Galápagos.
We won't know until close to the actual air date who made the finals and will be in the broadcast, but we'll post the updates here as we get them.
Congratulations, Oliver! Best of luck in the next round!
Due to a last minute problem with the supplier of the book associated with Rhode Island's Historic Lighthouses, we regret we cannot air this program on Saturday, April 11 at 3 PM as scheduled. In its place, we will broadcast My Music: That's Amore! Italian American Favorites. Yes, it's completely different, but it's still great entertainment! Read about it below.
The schedule change also means Alone in the Wilderness will now begin at 4:30 P.M. Read about this show here.
My Music: That's Amore! Italian American Favorites
With a mixture of vintage clips and new concert performances, the latest edition of the MY MUSIC specials on PBS presents a poignant look back at the beloved crooners — and a couple of canaries — who symbolize the immense contribution of both Italian-American singers and the many hit songs of the 1940s-1970s that were influenced by the music-loving immigrants from Italy.
THAT’S AMORE: ITALIAN-AMERICAN FAVORITES is hosted by actor-singer Danny Aiello, who carries on the crooner tradition today with a rousing, contemporary performance of the evergreen “Some of These Days.”
Probably no other singer better recalls the easygoing popularity of the Italian crooner more than the late Perry Como, known as “Mr. C” to the millions who tuned in to his variety series and specials for over three decades. THAT’S AMORE: ITALIAN-AMERICAN FAVORITES opens with a pair of Como classics: “Till The End of Time,” a number one record from 1945, and “It’s Impossible,” a top-10 from 1970.
Julius LaRosa, an Italian-American hit-maker who continues to perform, offers a beautiful rendition of the standard “Three Coins in the Fountain,” as well as his playful 1953 smash “Eh Cumpari” and the traditional ballad “Domani.”
In footage from his final performance, the legendary Frankie Laine sings the heartfelt “That’s My Desire,” his first hit from 1947; the ageless Tony Martin returns to the stage with “There’s No Tomorrow,” his 1949 version of the Italian heirloom “O Sole Mio.”
The hippest segment of the Italian-American music scene is represented by the irrepressible Louis Prima, who breezes through “When You’re Smiling” and “Oh, Marie.” Other historical highlights from the vaults include Jerry Vale’s medley of “O Sole Mio”/“Mala Femmina”/”Come Back to Sorrento” and Eddie Fisher’s tender interpretation of “Oh! My Papa.”
Aged like fine wine, THAT’S AMORE: ITALIAN-AMERICAN FAVORITES spotlights a joyful tradition and musical heritage — part of the goal to preserve vital American music legacies on the MY MUSIC series, exclusively on PBS, and on Rhode Island PBS on Saturday, April 11 at 3 PM.
With hundreds of items of all shapes, sizes, and value available, how do organizers of the Rhode Island PBS Spring Auction show off more of the great merchandise before the event? Put everything online, plus produce a short preview special!
"We already have more than 700 auction items donated this year," said Auction Director Jeffrey Hartley. "In this economy, that speaks to the enormous generosity and support of our donor companies and individuals." He added, "There literally is something for everyone, and in every price range."
Jeff Hartley, who lives in North Smithfield, has been the Rhode Island PBS auction director for seven years, and an employee of WSBE Rhode Island PBS for 21 years. In that time, he has seen technology undergo a huge revolution, and he has kept pace by moving more and more auction activity online.
"This year, for the first time, we have every single Spring Auction item available online," Hartley said. "Last year, we featured the spotlight items - items of higher donor value - and [online bidding] was well received. This year, everything is online, from a $10 pizza to the $24,000 Prius."
Fans of the popular annual event who do not have online access can still watch it live on television and call in to place bids, Monday April 20 through Friday, April 24, beginning at 7 P.M.
"All bids will be placed online, whether it's by the bidders on computers at home, or by the volunteers taking bids over the phone in the studio," Hartley explained.
This year's auction has a Green Gallery that showcases environmentally-considerate goods and services, including the top dollar-value item, a Toyota Prius hybrid sedan, donated by Your New England Toyota Dealer, plus a Vespa LX 50, donated by Vespa Newport and Providence Motorsports.
Conducting the auction online opens it up to a world-wide audience. "Last year, we had auction winners from all over the country, even as far away as California," Hartley said.
Casting a wider net using the 'Net increases visibility and positive exposure for the station – and the many businesses that donated. But it's still the close connection to the local community that differentiates Rhode Island PBS from other public television stations.
"The heart and soul of Rhode Island PBS are our members, donors, and volunteers," Hartley stated. "There is no greater proof of that than our Spring Auction."
More than two dozen of the 700 auction items are featured in a short special preview show that airs at various times throughout April:
UPDATE! Due to a last minute problem with the supplier of the book associated with Rhode Island's Historic Lighthouses, we regret we cannot air this program on Saturday as scheduled. In its place, we will broadcast My Music: That's Amore! Italian American Favorites. Yes, it's completely different, but it's still great entertainment!
This schedule change also means ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS will now begin at 4:30 P.M.
The Emmy®-nominated Rhode Island's Historic Lighthouses provides a comprehensive look at the 200-plus-year history, decline, and rebirth of the beacons that dot Rhode Island's 400 miles of rocky shoreline. Emmy®-award winning Director of Photography Jim Karpeichik presents his beautifully filmed documentary from the Rhode Island PBS studio on Saturday, April 11, 2009, at 3 P.M.
Rhode Island's Historic Lighthouses covers all 30 of Rhode Island's lighthouses, and includes stories of tragedies and heroism, buildings lost, and restoration projects. Jim Karpeichik spent more than two years filming lighthouses in all seasons. Producer Heather Moreau researched maritime history and interviewed key people, including some who grew up in lighthouses, nationally recognized historians, and those who today are leading the way in restoration.
Then, at 4:30 P.M., take a walk on the wild side – serene and solitary – as Rhode Island PBS presents Alone in the Wilderness.
In 1967, at 50 years old, Dick Proenneke retired and traveled to the Twin Lakes region at the base of the Aleutian Peninsula. With only skill and resourcefulness as his companions, he built himself a log cabin on the lake shore. It was there, amid all the beauty – and harshness – of Alaska, that he spent the next 30 years of his life, Alone in the Wilderness.
Produced by Bob Swerer, Alone in the Wilderness uses color footage Proenneke recorded himself to share with his family back home in Iowa. Filmed mostly with a stationary 16mm camera, the film consists of shots of Proenneke performing tasks around his cabin, canoeing, walking, plus views of wildlife, along with narration. For shots of himself, Proenneke would fix the camera in place, and then perform his tasks. Since he was alone, he would have to return for the camera after walking or canoeing away.
In 1997 producer Bob Swerer and his father flew to Twin Lakes to visit with Dick Proenneke and to explore the Twin Lakes region. With more than 3,000 feet of film shot, and meticulous, poetic journals written, Proenneke's adventures in Alaska resulted in three films; Alone in the Wilderness was released in 2003. This documentary covers Proenneke's first year in the wilderness, showing his day-to-day activities, and the passing of the seasons as he sought to scratch out a living.
These and other special programs on Saturday from, 1:30 P.M. to 11 P.M., are part of the viewer-supported public television station's fund raising drive. WSBE Rhode Island PBS broadcasts on digital 36.1; Cox, Verizon, and FullChannel cable 8; DirecTV 36; and Dish 7776; Massachusetts cable subscribers should check local cable listings for channel number.
PLANET FORWARD is an innovative, viewer-driven program that debuted on the Web and culminates in a primetime special on Rhode Island PBS on Thursday, April 30 at 8 PM. (The show premieres on nationally around Earth Day, two weeks earlier.)
Hosted by Emmy Award-winning CNN veteran Frank Sesno, the broadcast is driven by people’s ideas about the nation’s energy future. The most provocative and interesting submissions to the Web site will be featured in the broadcast, taped before an audience at George Washington University and featuring experts, scientists, policy makers and business leaders, as well as the selected citizen journalists.
Featured experts include:
•Carol Browner, assistant to President Obama for Energy and Climate Change
•James Connaughton, chairman, Bush White House Council on Environmental Quality; currently executive vice president, Constellation Energy
•Shai Agassi, founder and CEO, Better Place
•L. Hunter Lovins, president and founder, Natural Capitalism Solutions
Of huge local interest is the participation in this project by nine Roger Williams University journalism students. The eight seniors and one junior spent three intense weeks in January producing and editing their videos for submission. Their work so impressed the PLANET FORWARD folks, the students have been invited to the taping of PLANET FORWARD taping in Washington, DC.
Here are links to a variety of sources for more information, including:
An informative article by Gina Macri published in The Providence Journal
RWU students promote their videos:
Planet Forward (RWU) also has a group page on Facebook: www.facebook.com
Here's what's coming up on the Sunday, April 5, 2009 rebroadcast of A Lively Experiment on Rhode Island PBS at noon.
Panel
Vincent Cianci, Jr. – Moderator / WPRO-AM Radio
Representative Robert Watson – ( R ) House Minority Leader
Maureen Moakely – Political Science Dept, U.R.I.
Lou Pulner – Attorney
Aram Garabedian – Cranston City Council President
Topics
1. RI Legislators spending $157,00 in food and beverage
2. Governor Donald Carcieri’s proposed supplemental budget:
Pension reform
Cities and Towns
3. Who has the best chance to be the next Governor?
Mentioned (in alphabetical order):
Frank Caprio
Lincoln Chafee
Patrick Lynch
Elizabeth Roberts
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