SNAP JUDGEMENT IN YOUR TV

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 07/11/2011 - 11:43

Glynn Washington introduces us to Snap Judgment, the television version of his much-hyped radio storytelling series of the same name which was developed when Glynn won the National Public Radio Talent Quest competition. Cristina Quinn captures Washington's enthusiasm for the project via Skype.

'Cause It's Flag Day!

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 06/14/2011 - 16:00

If the movie "Friday"  were titled "Flag Day", and we replaced Ice Cube with the American Flag, the script would probably still work--albeit with a few minor tweaks, i.e. substitute "Flag" for "Craig" (played by Ice Cube), and "Flag Day" for "Friday." Smokey (Chris Tucker) would still find himself in trouble, and the hijinx (oh, the hijinx!) would still ensue. Make a few changes to the soundtrack, and voila!

Sit Down, Watch This

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 06/09/2011 - 13:07

This Saturday will mark the three month anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the Tohoku Region of Japan, wiping out villages and towns and taking tens of thousands of lives, leaving devastation, grief, and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant leaking radiation in its wake.

earthquake, Japan, Miyagi Prefecture, NHK, Onagawa

If The Plate Is The New Pyramid...

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 06/06/2011 - 15:15

 

What Has Your Cyber Sweatshop Done For You Lately?

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 06/02/2011 - 13:44

I'm about to find out. But before I start my learnings, I couldn't resist the nod to Janet Jackson's 1986 hit song "What Have You Done For Me Lately." (You're welcome. Enjoy.)

Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 06/01/2011 - 14:07

Freedom Riders: The Journey of a Lifetime

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 05/13/2011 - 16:36

 

---

50 years ago this month, a journey began in Washington D.C. that would land in the history books forever. A small group of civil rights activists boarded two buses on a non-violent quest to see if a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing racial segregation at bus terminals would be upheld in the segregated south. They started out with 13 civil rights activists and two buses. They ended up with 1 bus and over 450 Freedom Riders.

3rd Grade Politicians Aren't As Cute As You Think

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 05/05/2011 - 16:37

Please Vote For Me

The Quiet Professionals

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 05/04/2011 - 11:55

Bin Laden's Dead, So Let's Party?

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 05/02/2011 - 16:32

You've heard the news. Osama Bin Laden is dead. I was watching TV last night when CBS' breaking news countdown interrupted whatever programming was on at the time (I was channel surfing). And there the announcement was: Osama Bin Laden is dead, and the Americans have him.

Whoa, that's huge. HUGE.

Of Dolls and Men

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 04/28/2011 - 16:08

The LGBT Revolution Will Be Televised!

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 04/25/2011 - 16:54

Remember when being gay was illegal? You should, because it wasn't that long ago. There is still a long battle ahead about LGBT rights, and there are a lot of folks out there sending positive (and sometimes entertaining) messages to teens caught in the awkward middle of our cultural differences on these issues.

It's Going To Get Loud In Here!

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 04/14/2011 - 17:10

Why Is No One Gaga Over Gagarin?

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 04/13/2011 - 16:31

This week quietly marked the 50th anniversary of the first human to enter outer space ...and no one cared. That's right--Yuri Gagarin went where no human had gone before, and n'ary a satellite beep was made. Granted, he was Russian, so maybe that's why the American media isn't shifting all axes East. And Yuri wasn't just a Russian--he was a Soviet. But isn't that a trivial reason?

Mr. MacGuffin Goes to Washington

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 04/11/2011 - 15:00

After way too many cups of coffee and Jaeger shots, both sides of Congress figured out how to avoid a government shutdown late Friday night. I'm a little relieved, and I'm sure those whose jobs would have been directly affected by the shutdown are delighted that they'll continue to get paid to work. Not to mention that all of those hot dogs intended for sale along the streets by the museums won't spoil.

Essential, Non-essential, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off!

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 04/07/2011 - 11:31

 

While the Dems and Republicans fight over how to cut $61 billion in this year's budget like a grumpy old couple who bicker just for the sake of bickering, there are real people whose lives and incomes are at risk. I received a call last night from a friend who lives in Washingon, D.C., and works for the Veteran's Administration. She was pissed off. "Cristina, if the government shuts down, I'm not getting a paycheck. I can go without a paycheck for a week, but three weeks? I can't do that." She and 14,000 others along with her in D.C. are thinking the same thing,  along with 800,000 federal civilian employees who are working nationwide. If you're considered "non-essential", and Congress doesn't have a budget figured out by week's end, you're out of luck. 

A Voice From Fukushima

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 03/28/2011 - 11:11

Two weeks have passed since the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami tore its way through the Tohoku region of Japan, claiming thousands of lives in just a few short moments. As if Mother Nature’s devastating whim wasn’t enough, the quake rendered the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant without the power needed to cool the nuclear fuel rods, leading to subsequent meltdowns that the plant employees, firefighters and military are continuing to battle today. I continue to watch and wait with the rest of the world to learn how this disaster will unfold.

Day 2: IMA Conference. It's interesting, I swear.

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 03/22/2011 - 17:15

Day 2 of the IMA Conference was fruitful. Despite being distracted by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and worrying about relatives in Fukushima, I knew had a conference to attend that day, panels to sit in on, and knowledge to absorb.

Day 1: IMA Conference. In Search of Weirdness

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 03/21/2011 - 18:32

I arrived in Austin expecting it to be weird. Call me crazy, but the city's slogan is “Keep Austin Weird”, so when I stepped off the plane, I was already on the defensive prowl, my roving eye scanning the city, looking for "weird" things and people.  I guess I was expecting a more manifest weirdness: unicycling jugglers, one-eyed fortune-tellers hissing at me from their cardboard tents, toothless hippies forecasting the world’s end--sort of a latter-day Haight-Ashbury.

LIVE BLOG! Re-Thinking Public TV: The WORLD Channel

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 03/12/2011 - 13:11

(Chris and Bob looking important.)

11:00 I am secretly blogging the SXSW panel Re-Thinking Public TV: The WORLD Channel. Ok, not so secretly since panelists Bob Lyons and Chris Hastings will unveil this live blog at the end to prove how very much a-LIVE WORLDCompass is.

A Land Compromised: Earthquake in Japan

Posted by Cristina Quinn on 03/11/2011 - 14:41

While curled up and sleeping in my perfectly temperate bed in my perfectly temperate hotel room in Austin, I got a phone call at 6:34 this morning from my fiancé. “A huge earthquake and tsunami hit Japan…” He said. There’s no better wake-up call than bad news. I have family in Japan. In fact, my mother’s entire side of the family lives in Japan.  I sat up, and said, “What?” Where?” Sean told me to turn on the news, that it hit the east coast. Denial instantly sets in. “They’re probably fine. They’re fine. Everyone’s fine” I replied, to a question that wasn’t asked.