Catch 22

Despite being such a classic, I have never actually read Catch 22 until recently.  It’s a crazy book with an interesting angle about World War II.  The perspective fits with the storyline so well it has become one of my favorites

Linneman’s

 A Milwaukee gem, Linneman’s is located on Locust Street in Riverwest.  Linnemans is known for its live music and every now and then I will get on stage with a friend during an open mic night and play guitar and test out some new music.  The bar hosts live music nearly  every night of the week and on Monday nights is home to Poet’s Monday.

Joshua Tree National Park

Normally every Christmas break I head to Joshua Tree National Park in the Mojave Desert in California with some buddies.  We rent out a cabin and play music and explore the park.  The park is huge and has so much land to explore with a critters running around it is just a nice vacation from the winter in Milwaukee.

The Gatekeepers

Emily Forman is a producer at 371 working on the radio project Precious Lives, a weekly 100-part, 2 year series of short pieces about victims of gun violence, both suicide and homicide in the Milwaukee area

I asked Emily what the most difficult part of working on Precious Lives has been so far and she responded with being a newcomer to Milwaukee, and not being very familiar with the area that there so much to understand and so many layers to the city has helped her understanding and reporting. But it has also been a benefit not knowing all of the details, by asking the obvious questions helps in interviews to get people to open up more and talk about more because it is an obvious question.   Although sometimes it is challenging to approach people.  Walking into a youth center can be somewhat of a culture shock and it can be uncomfortable at times to get a 16-year-old boy to open up to a 29 year-old white woman can when the differences are so glaring, but you just have to remember to be a person and not mask your vulnerabilities and be open to learning and understanding and just embrace it.

“It gives me an excuse to talk to people I wouldn't normally talk to and everyday while working on Precious Lives I get to have conversations that are challenging my world view.

So why radio, why not television or film making, Emily responded with “radio is an intimate medium.  It is different than TV or mixed media because it challenges the listener to be actively engaged.  Radio is so intimate just hearing someone’s voice without the visuals and listeners can connect you with another person.  It is easy to hear someone’s words and relate what they are saying when you take away all the distractions of visuals and moving parts.” 

Emily is like hot sauce, a little bit on your food is ok, but it doesn’t come alive until cover your entire plate with it. Her upbeat yet humble personality allows you to connect immediately.

After graduating from Colby College in Maine with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics Emily moved to Washington DC and started working as a business consultant for a technology and consulting corporation.  After being put in the cookie cutter business world job, Emily realized she wasn’t happy with her work and perused her long-time hobby of listening to public radio. And had the crazy thought of "hey, maybe I can do this."

With a garage band entry Emily was accepted into the SALT institute for documentary studies; a 4 month program focused on digital story telling.  After falling in love with radio production, Emily moved to Sitka, Alaska to work as a fellowship at a public radio station reporting on stories that ranged from a fisherman getting attacked by a sea lion to the installing of new bishop of oldest Orthodox diocese in the nation. And then after hearing about the Precious Lives opportunity, Emily packed up her bags and moved to Milwaukee

During his internship at 371 Paul will be working to update BizVizz, the app inspired by our film As Goes Janesville. BizVizz makes corporate records visible by equipping ordinary people with the metrics of large corporations. Paul is working to increase the lifespan of BizVizz and make it more user-friendly.

After graduating high school in DC, Paul moved to Paraguay for a year to work at a daycare where he learned Spanish and ran English classes. Paul returned to the states and moved to Milwaukee to start school at Marquette University.  After bouncing around between classes and fighting the common core, Paul found himself graduating with a degree in Economics, Spanish and International Affairs. After graduation Paul’s interest in economic policy and investigative journalism lead him to 371 Productions.

Being a non-native to Milwaukee, Paul likes to explore on his bike; his favorite trail is Oak Leaf Trail that runs all through out the city. His favorite spots to grab a bite are Oscar’s and Cempazuchi. Paul also enjoys playing guitar and many other instruments while also working with different synths.  Recently he has gotten into sound design and creating new sounds while collaborating with his friends.

Serial-  While stuck in a boring entertainment lull of waiting for Game of Thrones and True Detective to bring some excitement back into my life, I discovered Serial.  Paul mentioned this podcast to me on my first day of work at 371 and I remember writing it down but never had the time to sit down and give it a listen, until now.  Serial is a weekly podcast that investigates a 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee in Baltimore.  So now after listening to 7 episodes in 2 days, I am anxiously awaiting the next episode on Thursday and suggest you do the same. 

Sarah Koeing, host of Serial.  Photo via  Meredith Heuer/NPR

Curry-  I don’t know what I have been doing for the past 22 years of my life without curry.  Pressed for time the other day I grabbed some lunch at the Milwaukee Public Market and found the new Thai namite which offers $8 lunch deals.  I asked the girl what her favorite dish was and was on my way.  It was love at first bite as they say.  Spicy while still being smoky yet sweet all at the same time.  How that is possible I have no idea.  Curry dishes usually include spices, herbs, some form of fresh or dried chilies, as well as meat or fish, and a variety of vegetables.

Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America By John Nichols and Robert McChesney-   In 2012 candidates spent $2.3 billion in the presidential race.  That dollar amount is bigger that the annual GDP of 30 countries according to the World Bank.  Reading Dollarocracy is like opening a can of government issued worms.  Right away the author's expose the magnitude of not only the spending involved in political campaigns, but also more alarming is the influence that is coupled with the millions of dollars in donations.  With the 2016 election on the horizon I would recommend this book to anyone with even the slightest interest in politics.  Both authors are Madison natives which makes this read just a little bit sweeter. 

Our crew was hard at work, filming at the Berkeley Pit for the documentary "Last Jews of America".

Susan Bence at WUWM 89.7 FM is getting to the bottom of the Wisconsin mining issue. Today she explored the arguments in favor of the mine. Tomorrow she will look at those who are opposed to the mine. It is some really top-notch journalism: 

http://wuwm.com/post/voices-support-proposed-penokee-mine

To see our documentary on the issue, take a look at our website to find a screening near you! 

  Wisconsin Screenings

In case you missed the broadcast, our documentary Wisconsin’s Mining Standoff is screening in venues around Wisconsin:

Thurs, July 24 – Ashland, WI – Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center, 7pm

Mon, July 28 – Milwaukee, WI – Mitchell Park Domes, Democratic Assembly Caucus meeting, 7pm

Tues, July 29 – Milwaukee, WI – Urban Ecology Center at Riverside Park, 7pm

Wed, August 13 – Madeleine Island – Tom’s Burned Down Cafe, 9pm

Thurs, August 14 – Mellen, WI – Mellen Library, 7pm

Sun, August 17 – Montello, WI – MORE Healthy Foods Cafe, 4pm

Thurs, August 28 – Milwaukee, WI – St. John’s on the Lake, 3:30pm

Weds, September 10 – Janesville, WI – Basics Natural Foods, 6:30pm

Tues, September 16 – Superior, WI – UW-Superior Manion Theatre, 7pm

Tues, September 23 – Eau Claire, WI – UW-Eau Claire Woodland Theatre, 7pm

Tues, September 30 – Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Area Technical College, 7pm

Tues, October 28 – Beloit, WI – Beloit College (venue TBD), 7pm

La Crosse, WI – TBD Stevens Point, WI – TBD UW-Milwaukee – TBD West Bend, WI – TBD

This weeks installment of “I DIG THIS” features Colleen Black. Colleen is an intern at 371. She is a Junior at Marquette University and is currently assisting 371 with various projects including the film The Last Jews of America.

The things I dig the most tend to shamelessly fall into the following two categories: food and film.  

Carrot Cake

I sometimes consider eating a hobby of mine.  My current obsession since I started living in Milwaukee? Carrot Cake!  I'm on the quest to find the best piece out there. So far two cafes in Milwaukee are my top contenders when I'm craving that perfect slice.

Bella's Cafe - Located in the Third Ward, Bella's Cafe should take home the prize for the best piece of carrot cake in Milwaukee.  It was love at first bite.

Colectivo - Known for their excellent coffee, Colectivo's bakery is also pretty top notch, offering you guessed it, delicious mini carrot cakes!

Character Driven Films and TV Shows

While I have nothing against the typical mindless action films which solely sell tickets based on actor eye candy (hello Channing Tatum) and endless CGI effects, there’s nothing I love more then watching a film that can shine with a simple set and a carefully crafted script that focuses heavily on great character development.

Little Miss Sunshine

I can't believe it's already been eight years since one of my favorite films was released!  I love this film because it takes the typical family dynamic and then completely flips the character stereotypes upside down.

And if the quirky characters don't sell you right away, this one scene in the film featuring Toni Collete, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, and Greg Kinnear dancing on stage to the song "super freak" should be enough to draw you in for some laughs.

Mad Men

One of the biggest mistakes I made was watching the pilot of Mad Men this summer on Netflix.  Six binge-watched seasons later, I have to say Donald Draper is one of the most fascinating characters ever created on television.  I can't wait to wait to see more of Don Draper's extremely layered personality revealed in the final upcoming season. 

Humans of New York

While not a film, I consider this website an excellent inspiration for one.  I just can't get enough of the posts which feature portraits of New York residents with captions revealing a part of their own unique stories.  

Here’s a big thanks to everyone who came to our showing last Saturday. Over 100 people showed up to view the new doc and participate in a discussion afterwards. We give a very special thanks to Camp Bar for hosting us and Brad, Colin, and Devon for all their incredible work on this important documentary!

  P.S. For those who won documentary trivia, we promise your beers are forthcoming :)

http://www.milwaukeemag.com/article/6122014-AlJazeeraAmericatrainstheircamerasonWisconsin

http://gossipextra.com/2014/06/11/elin-nordegren-boyfriend-chris-cline-al-jazeera-3745/

http://mediatrackers.org/wisconsin/2014/06/10/al-jazeera-documentary-focuses-wisconsin-mine

http://bloggingblue.com/2014/06/al-jazeera-americas-fault-lines-presents-wisconsins-mining-standoff/

WXPR Public Radio talks about the premier of our new doc, "Wisconsin's Mining Standoff."

Tune in to Al Jazeera America's Fault Lines on this Saturday at 6pm to see our new documentary about a proposed mine in Northern Wisconsin.