Slice of life creations in video and photo format of a New York-based video and documentary producer.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
just
read.
Happiness is getting an e-mail that the books you reserved online have arrived at the NYPL branch nearest you. Have you written your letter requesting that their budget not be cut?
Another of the videos I produced and directed for In the Life and Freedom to Marry is released today. It's the story of Cristina and Monica, legally married in Connecticut, deeply committed to one another, yet facing the threat of separation or exile because the United States government will not recognize their marriage for purposes of spousal naturalization - something commonly accepted for all heterosexuals. I also created versions of this in Spanish and with English subtitles. Last week the story of George and Farid was released.
From ridavio. The indomitable Florence Rice of the Harlem Consumer Education Council pulled together this day-long event with the assistance of Dennis Lane of Kingstreet Productions addressing the possibilities and challenges of broadband access in Harlem for elderly and disadvantaged residents. Ms. Rice refers to a report by Mark Cooper on "The Challenges of Digital Exclusion" that can be downloaded via pdf through the link. FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn spoke movingly of why she wants to bring the power of high speed access to communities of color. Thomas Kamber of Older Adults Technology Services addressed the need to connect seniors to vital resources. Monique Hedmann of Harlem Hospital explained the challenges of bringing telemedicine to Harlem. And Deepa Fernandes of People's Production House explained the importance of net neutrality and how it directly impacts digital justice in our community. This is an excerpt from a longer program that aired on Manhattan Neighborhood Network.
From ridavio. At the September membership meeting the League of Women Voters explained the processes for making decisions within their organization and some of the voting issues they take on in the state and city of New York. In this excerpt we learn why New York State was the last to reform our voting process and get new ballot machines. They also raise the important issue of non-partisan redistricting based on recent census data. Process may not always be a glamorous thing to highlight or videotape, but it sure has a big impact on how we run our democracy and this affects our daily life. This is excerpted from a longer program that aired on Manhattan Neighborhood Network.
From ridavio: The Cochrane Colloquium is the annual gathering of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international network of professionals in healthcare seeking to improve health care worldwide through the best information available on evidence. This year the meeting takes place in Keystone, Colorado and I was quite surprised to walk into the opening session and hear Leon Joseph Littlebird greet the international gathering with ancient words of welcome from the native culture of this country. He offered another vision of healing to the doctors, researchers and consumers gathered. As a fifteen-year survivor of leukemia his presentation was very moving and his playing resonated deep within the native DNA of all of us, as he put it.
On Saturday, August 28th, book bags full of school supplies were distributed free of charge to low-income residents of West Harlem and surrounding neighborhoods at the Fortune Academy on Riverside Drive and 140th Street. Inmates at the Green Haven correctional facility had pooled money they earned while incarcerated to pay for the book bags as a way of giving back to a community in need. Glen Martin explains the work of the Fortune Society in helping formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into the communities they used to live. For more information go to Fortune Society.
So you are an independent filmmaker and you have just finished an amazing project that is buzz worthy and definitely has, dare you hope, Oscar potential. You don't have a lot of resources, but you have some marketing savvy and you launch your online campaign to build an audience for your west coast theatrical run. But suddenly AT&T, the largest broadband provider in your target area sends you a message that if you want to reach their customers you are going to have to pay 4ยข per view. Your east coast broadband provider only has a 15% market share in that area, suddenly your maxed out credit cards have slammed into another brick wall.
While this scenario is hypothetical today, it could be a reality in the near future. The Coalition for Media and Democracy and VoterBook sponsored a panel on Net Neutrality in New York City last week with a panel that discussed the current state and future implications of broadband access. Hannah Miller of the coalition explained to me before the panel that it is a difficult issue to put on the radar of most concerned citizens.
Currently we live with net neutrality, so there is no perception of real danger. You pay an internet service provider for access and the content you post is available to viewers who are accessing the internet with competing providers. There have only been a few isolated incidents to date where providers blocked access to content, explaining in one case it was to free up bandwidth. Yet the technology exists to restrict access and as panelist, Michael Livermore of the Institute for Policy Integrity maintains, the major broadband providers are fighting very hard for the right to do so, while maintaining they have no intention of carrying through on it.
As panelist Tim Karr of Free Press stated, the market is ruled by duopolies and in some cases monopolies that are only growing larger as the proposed merger of Comcast and NBC Universal indicates. We already pay higher prices to access broadband in this country than in similar markets overseas. The United States ranks 14th among industrialized countries in availability to high speed internet connections on a per capita basis.
Panelist Kris Rios with People's Production House explained how the digital divide is hurting individuals in low-income communities and rural areas where large providers have less economic incentive to provide access.
As a consumer who relies on the internet for your life and work as much as you might rely on your public utility for water and electricity you may want to stay current on the National Broadband Plan that is currently in the works, and the organizations that are advocating on behalf of consumer access.
