Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Political Activism: The Ann Coulter Song

"We live in a beautiful country. But people (like Ann Coulter) who have no respect for human life, freedom, or justice have taken it over. It is now up to all of us to take it back." The challenge remains: On the other side are formidable forces: money, political power, the major media. On our side are the people of the world and a power greater than money or weapons: The TRUTH.
(Howard Zinn)

Monday, November 19, 2007

Village Interviews: Adele Mailer

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21
at 7:30 PM


Dear Friends:

Since everyone else is capitalizing on the death of Norman Mailer, whom I finally had a chance to meet formally last year, I too will take a stab at him (figuratively speaking, of course).

This Wednesday, November 21, at 7:30 PM, on my shoestring cable show Famousx2, on Channel 67, I am re-airing the second of three half-hour programs of interviews I did with Adele Mailer, actress and former wife of Norman Mailer, in 1997.

Adele is, unfortunately, best known for having been stabbed by Norman. However, she is more than that. Originally of Bay Ridge and of Peruvian/Spanish ancestry, Adele Morales Mailer stunned her family by moving to the Village in the mid-40s, where she had affairs with Village Voice founder Ed Fancher, Jack Kerouac and Phillip Roth. Then came Mailer.

This program is one of my all time favorites, one in which everything I was recording unfolded perfectly. It begins with her in front of the the site of the cold-water flat where she lived on 16th Street the night she got a call late at night from another Voice founder, Dan Wolf, who put her on the phone with Mailer, who insisted on meeting her immediately. She tells the story of their meeting and sleeping together the first night they met.

Then we move to the site of where she lived on 2nd Avenue and Houston Street, coincidentally the same building where I had house sat one summer in the 80s, and where Kenneth Koch lived downstairs from them at the time. Adele talks about Norman's illegally tearing down a wall of the apartment. We run into the super of the building, whom I remembered from my stay, who, it turns out, was a drinking buddy of Norman's in the70s.

Then we move to the site on Perry Street of where Adele and Norman lived in the late 50s, when his drug taking and drinking got the better of him. While we are in front of the house, the couple who lived there in 97 emerge and invite us into the apartment, where Adele remembers parties, some very wild, and other events that took place there. Again, coincidentally, it turns out the couple are good friends of Adele's first lover, Ed Fancher.

Finally, Adele talks about her mixed feelings about Norman Mailer, the man she lived with for ten years, and the man who fathered her two children and the man who nearly killed her by stabbing her in a drug/alcohol infused rage. Though she is resentful of him for many things, she admits that she learned a lot from him and that a part of her still loves him.

This is a great interview with a fascinating and engaging woman. Don't miss it! If you are in Manhattan and have access to Time Warner, you can see it this Wednesday November 21st, at7:30 pm (EST-that's NYC Eastern Standard Time) on channel 67. On the RCN system, that should be in channel 85. If you are outside of Manhattan, anywhere in the world, and you have a good high-speed connection on your computer, you can go to http://www.mnn.org and click on channel 67 to see it at the same time. Sometimes MNN does screw up broadcasts, but usually they air things without too many problems.....so be patient.

Best,
Jason Howard

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Health Care: Every Patient's Advocate


Every Patient's Advocate

Every Patient’s Advocate Blog

A blog about patient empowerment, patient advocacy, medical consumerism, and tools patients can use to help them navigate and survive the dysfunction of the American Health Care System.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Film: A BALANCING ACT - by Marc Israel



SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10
at 1:30 PM

Hi Friends!
Don't miss the Balancing Act that's sweeping the nation, taking it by storm, Norman Schwarzkopf calls it an event not too be missed, children are starting to balance stuff on BMX bikes in Iowa suburbs, several people personally told me this week they've started growing Kombucha after viewing it, or that Kombucha saved their life, or that Kombucha doesn't grow on trees, I can't quite remember what they said but it was memorable, and now this Balancing Act is coming to the Northampton Independent Film Festival, apropos of nothing, sure to outdo your Holloween costume, good for breastfeeding babies, takes the unwanted hair out from under yr nose ladies, removes unsightly pimples & replaces them with shits & giggles, it cleans the crumbs from your bed, it's what showbiz is all about, watching this movie will make you climb faster, will keep yr cats from urinating on yr couch, it cures the mumps, elephantism, Zionism, general klawstrophobia, inbreeding, in fact Ms. Dorothy Venus from Mobile, Alabama swore she "had a better head & shoulders sense-of-things" after just one viewing! What are you waiting for?! Come see this tragedy bound to be a comedy classic, bring yr loved ones, and all yr houndogs! The time is NIGH, as in this Saturday, November 10th at 1:30 p.m., Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall, Smith Campus! visit marcisraelfilms for a sneak preview!

Alcohol under 18 not permitted without proof of purchase.
All proceeds go to benefit the Belgian Waffle Assoc. of San Quentin.
One winner & two losers will be picked at random & made to kiss each other in a closet.
Refunds not available except wherever quality fake mustaches are sold.
Due to an increase in sexual stimulation, please wear two pairs of pants. Grandpa's please keep your hat on.
This offer is void when inhibited.

Marc Israel
Phenomenal World Cinema
62 West St. #3
Northampton, MA 01060 USA
413-586-7572
marcisraelfilms

Monday, November 5, 2007

Film: Max Keiser Interview in Paris

Max, Jason, Dana and Stacy

Jason and Max

Max and Jason

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7
at 7:30 PM


Dear Friends:

It has been a while since I sent out a notice for my program and even longer since I sent one out for a new show instead of a rerun. However, over the last several years, I have done a few interviews, but, often, events overtook me and inspiration to edit eluded me.

However, I now am faced with the fact that I may be down to my last three broadcasts as MNN will no longer accept VCR or 8MM tapes as of mid-December (something I think defeats the entire purpose of so-called "public access.") Thus, unless I can find the money to buy new mini DV cam equipment including anything I need to use to edit with it and learn to do so before then, this may be the end at least for the time being.

Anyhow, I am pleased to present a program of an interview I did in Paris in the summer of 2007 with former Wall Street economist and inventor of the Hollywood Stock Exchange, Max Keiser of Karmabanque, Al Jazeera and Resonance FM. Max is fast becoming a legend outside of the U.S. and in financial and political power circles here in the U.S. as a financial insurgent or "financial freedom fighter" as he likes to put it, through his analysis of the market via his sources on the inside and his adept studying of the financial papers.

In this program he discusses his views on how to approach and execute (as he and his friend Reverend Billy have done) targeted boycotts of multinational corporations...and how not to do so. He explains the role of his website in this regard.

You can also find out more about what he is doing here.

Although I do not agree with Max's perspective on every point, his way of combating corporations is truly unique and his perspective on what the left and other folks must do to regain some control over the plutocrats is ignored at our peril.

My program can be viewed on any high-speed computer anywhere or on TV in Manhattan this Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30 PM (Eastern Standard Time), on my shoestring cable show Famousx2, on Channel 67 if you are in Manhattan and have access to Time Warner. On the RCN system, that should be Channel 85 or thereabouts these days.

If you are outside of Manhattan, anywhere in the world, and you have a decent high-speed connection on your computer, you can go to http://www.mnn.org and click on channel 67 to see it at the same time. Friends in France and Holland should note that we are now back on EST time here in NYC, so probably the program will be at 1:30 AM Thursday morning for you.

Sometimes MNN does screw up broadcasts, but usually they air things without too many problems.....Be patient if it screws up for awhile.

Best,
Jason Howard

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Film: Director Stephen Gyllenhaal At Cinestudio This Week

STEPHEN GYLLENHAAL will present four of his films at Cinestudio this week. "A Killing in a Small Town" will be Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; "Paris Trout" will be Friday at 7:30 p.m.; "Homegrown" is Saturday at 2:30 p.m.; "Waterland" is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. "Small Town" is unrated. The rest are R. He will do Q&As after the screenings. Admission for each show is $8, $7 for students, faculty and senior citizens. Cinestudio is at 300 Summit St., Hartford. Gyllenhaal also will hold classes in narrative storytelling (9 a.m. Friday); art vs. commerce (10:30 a.m. Friday); hands-on directing and camerawork (2 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday); and also will do a poetry reading at 10 p.m. Friday. For details, call 860-297-2544.

Gyllenhaal Found Career at Cinestudio

Friday, November 2, 2007

Political Activism: A Day In The Life of Joe Republican


Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards.

He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised.

All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employers medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too because his employer needs to offer competitive benefits to hire the best people.

Joe prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

Joe drives to work in one of the safest cars in the world because some liberal fought to raise safety standards and emission controls.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with good pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some Liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC up to $100,000 because some liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from greedy, unscrupulous bankers like the ones who ruined the banking system before the depression.

Joe needs to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten Mortgage and his below market federal student loan because some liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electric until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republicans might still be sitting in the dark!)

He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to. After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home.

He turns on a radio talk show, the host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn't tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day)

Joe agrees, "We don't need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I'm a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have".

Too Funny