Upcoming show episode: A perspective from someone other than the Democrats or Republicans.

I'm excited about the next episode of my show and how it seems to be coming together.  Over the years, I've felt that a major third political party would really benefit American politics.  In various aspects of life, I've concluded that when there are only two strongly competing sides to an issue, they tend to lock horns and end up in a stagnant stalemate, and this carries over to America's political system that is dominated by two big parties.  Adding a third or even fourth element can break up this impasse because if two parties lock and fail to make progress, the external elements will gain ground right under their noses.  This negative stalemate thus becomes too costly for those engaged because the external forces will just outperform them.

The idea of a strong third political party, such as the Green Party, has had its ups and downs over the years and people have doubted its success, including myself at times.  However, nowadays, our two-party system has become what many would consider to be dysfunctional to the point at which we would do well to give more merit to third parties and those that do not necessarily closely resemble the dominant parties.  My own thinking on this led me to invite Green Party member Beryl Baker back to the show, along with a couple of other local members.  I consider myself largely independent, as opposed to partisan, so it's my pleasure to present a variety of perspectives.  In addition to Beryl, I'll be joined by former Arizona House of Representatives candidate Kent Solberg and former state legislator John Kromko.  We'll take a look at the current state of things from a reasoned, critical point of view and review Beryl and Kent's achievements as they put themselves out there in their respective runs for office.

I'm excited for this show and I'll post more updates as it takes shape.  You can bet you'll be watching this promising show on YouTube after the fact.  Catch you later!

Exist Kind is now live from behind the scenes!

I now have an account with LiveStream, which you can find at www.livestream.com/existkind.  I won't be online 24/7 and it won't exactly be "all-access", but you can now tune in and either watch previously-recorded material, or if you time it right, catch me either pounding the pavement or at home, doing work behind the scenes.  I have a portable G4 connection that will generate a high-quality live stream from wherever I am, including your event, if you so choose.  So tune in and see where I am at any given time.  I could be broadcasting from the desert, a yoga class, the Peace Fair, or what have you.  Thanks for watching and reading!

Damage Control!

The show that I mentioned that was supposed to be a great package about mountaintop removal coal mining turned out to be a debacle when it was time to go live.  Everything that could go wrong with the technology did go wrong and I sincerely apologize to anyone out there who was watching.  We'll redeem ourselves, though, by editing all of the material that we'd originally brought with us into a nice package that we'll upload to YouTube, share on this blog, and send to cable access TV stations around the country.  Thanks so much for bearing with us.

Show Episode Announcement and Short Project Update

Hot Topic on Exist Kind Tonight: Appalachian Treasures and Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

Saturday, May 7th, at 6 pm MST/PDT

Broadcasting live from Access Tucson on Cox channel 120, Comcast 72; and streaming live at http://www.accesstucson.org/.

From the Appalachian organization ILoveMountains.org:

"One of America's most heartbreaking environmental and human rights tragedies, mountaintop removal coal mining is destroying [Appalachia's] rich culture and heritage, as well as the ancient, beautiful mountains and diverse forests of the Appalachian range."

This isn't just another radical environmentalist movement to preserve scenery and impede progress.  This is a matter of ordinary citizens in coal country dealing with illness, contaminated water and air, and the risk of disastrous and disgusting flooding and avalanches when tailings impoundments break loose.  This process also hurts the local economy because of its efficiency, which costs jobs, and the out-of-town employees that the companies bring in to do the jobs that locals could do.  Not to mention, this process takes a toll on citizens' emotional ties to the cultural and historical values of the mountains.

MTR, as it's abbreviated, is no longer limited to Appalachia, either.  Take a look at this picture from British Columbia that appeared on the National Geographic website at the end of 2009:

Photo by Garth Lenz, ILCP.

And we think we have problems with mining out here in Arizona.  I have to keep it brief today, so tune in if you like and acquaint yourself with this incredible environmental injustice happening to ordinary, down-to-earth citizens who just want to live on the land they've always known and not have it poison them.

I also promised a short project update: The bicycle project is coming along nicely and I've been documenting each step with my video camera.  I apologize for not having more follow-up, but that's just because I want to be sure that there's some substantial footage worth showing.  I expect to get some material online this week.  Thanks for reading!

Big Event at Access Tucson on March 31st

Studio Refresher Training on March 31st from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, Sponsored by Access Tucson's Own Exist Kind.

Any interested certified volunteers are welcome to attend a free refresher training session organized by me and facilitated by Kevin, Jeff, and Rob.  I'm going to stage an interview with entertainment interludes and record it, and the idea is for crew members to have a low-pressure opportunity to experiment with production techniques.  You'll get to try out zany things that you may not have time to play with during a live show or that may ruffle the feathers of a producer who already has a successful formula.  You'll also be able to review tried-and-true interview production techniques and really tighten up your skills to make a polished show.  Please RSVP to existkind@aim.com or call 225-0027.  I look forward to seeing you there!