Friday, February 26, 2016

A Lively Experiment week of 2/26-28/2016



Panel (in photo, left to right)
Dyana Koelsch - moderator
Mark Murphy – editor of Providence Business News
Rob Horowitz – Democratic strategist
Kate Nagle – news editor, GoLocalProv.com
Gary Sasse - Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership, Bryant University

Topics
  • TBA
  • Outrages of the Week 

A Lively Experiment airs on WSBE Rhode Island PBS (36.1) Fridays at 7 p.m., with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on WSBE Learn (36.2), and Sundays at noon on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 36.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; in Rhode Island on Cox 808; Verizon FiOS 478; Full Channel 89; and in Massachusetts on Comcast 294 or 312.

Can't get to the TV? Watch the episode online anytime and anywhere on our YouTube channel. Episodes of A Lively Experiment are generally available to watch on the next business day. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and YouTube will notify you when a new episode is uploaded.

On Facebook? So are we! "Like" A Lively Experiment on Facebook.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Have Some Time to Spare?

One important way you can support Rhode Island PBS is to get more involved through various volunteer opportunities. Do you have some time to spare?  We are refreshing our volunteer list and would love to see your name on it!

Whether it is a regular visit to the studio to help with monthly mailings, or an occasional hand during one or more special events throughout the year, keep us in mind as a great place to invest your spare time or community service hours. And because good work does not go unrewarded, we make sure refreshments are available. : )

Every month:
  • There is mail to stuff, sort, and get out the door  
Special Events: 
  • An Evening Uncorked! 
  • Halloween Spooktacular for the Rhode Island PBS Kids Club
  • Costume character visits at the station or on location 
  • Studio reception and / or live show taping 
  • Pre-performance hospitality and information table at Providence Performing Arts Center, The Vets, Park Theatre, etc. 
Jobs can include set-up and take-down, greeting and ushering guests, guiding crowd flow, check-in, answering phones, and staffing or monitoring information and hospitality tables. There is always a station staff person working with you or nearby to answer your questions as they come up. Depending on the occasion, you will receive a detailed job description and be trained, to give you the confidence and support you need to make your experience effective and rewarding. 

To add your name to the mailing or event volunteer list (or both!), please CLICK HERE or call Development and Corporate Relations Associate Kelsey Nagel at 401-222-3636, ext. 381.  


Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Alone in the Wilderness Returns in March



In 1967, Dick Proenneke retired at age 50. He traveled to the Twin Lakes region at the base of the Aleutian Peninsula and built himself a log cabin on the lake shore. With only skill and resourcefulness as his companions, it was there, amid all the beauty – and harshness – of Alaska, that he spent the next 30 years of his life, Alone in the Wilderness.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS is proud to encore this beloved and fascinating glimpse into solitude and survival on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at 7:30 p.m., followed by NATURE: The Best of Birds at 9 PM.

Alone in the Wilderness, produced by Bob Swerer, uses color footage that Proenneke himself recorded to share with his family back home in Iowa. Filmed mostly with a stationary 16mm camera, the film consists of shots of Proenneke performing tasks around his cabin, canoeing, walking, plus views of wildlife, along with narration. For shots of himself, Proenneke would fix the camera in place, and then perform his tasks. Since he was alone, he would have to return for the camera after walking or canoeing away. Viewers will have to keep reminding themselves that Proenneke was alone when he filmed, and will gain insight into the planning it must have taken to set up and pull off the effects. 

In 1986 producers Bob Swerer, Jr. and his father first met Dick Proenneke while the Swerers were in the Twin Lakes region to explore the area and film wildlife. Their mutual affection for nature and the wilderness forged a long friendship. In 1997, the Swerers returned to Alaska to visit with Proenneke.

With more than 3,000 feet of film shot by Proenneke, and meticulous, poetic journals written, his adventures in Alaska resulted in three films, edited and produced by Swerer Productions. Alone in the Wilderness, released in 2003, covers Proenneke's first year in the wilderness, showing his day-to-day activities, and the passing of the seasons as he sought to scratch out a living.



Nature’s special presentation of Best of Birds is a compilation of the most compelling, emotional and even humorous stories about bird intelligence, behavior, relationships and flight drawn from the series’ extensive archives.

Nature’s executive producer Fred Kaufman, Best of Birds presents excerpts from 16 notable programs, including scenes from the Emmy-award-winning films, “My Life as a Turkey,” “An Original DUCKumentary,” and many more.

Find WSBE Rhode Island PBS over the air on digital 36.1; Cox/Verizon/Full Channel 08; DirecTV 36; Dish Network 7776; ComCast subscribers, please check local listings for the channel number in your area.

Information/sources
http://www.dickproenneke.com/DickProenneke.html
http://www.aloneinthewilderness.com/

Christianity's Evolution: Ancient Roads from Christ to Constantine


The compelling six-hour series ANCIENT ROADS FROM CHRIST TO CONSTANTINE charts Christianity's evolution from a small movement to the largest religion in the world, with more than two billion followers. 

Host Jonathan Phillips, an author and distinguished history professor at Royal Holloway, University of London, journeys into the fascinating world of the early Christians to explore the faith's long struggle and triumph against the odds. He recounts some of Christianity's pivotal moments at the actual locations where they unfolded, including Bethlehem (site of Jesus' birth), Judea (where Jesus preached) and Rome (where Emperor Constantine the Great embraced the faith as his own), among others. The series will air on WSBE Learn on Sundays at 9 p.m. beginning March 6, 2016.

Phillips's entertaining and enlightening 12,000-mile odyssey through seven countries in Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East brings the rich history of Christianity to life. Along the way, he meets experts who have devoted their lives to the study of this important historical period. 

A frequent consultant and on-air presence for BBC radio, BBC television and the History Channel, Jonathan Phillips has authored numerous books on the Crusades, including the recently published Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades.

#101: "Birth of a Faith"
The series begins in Bethlehem and travels throughout the Holy Land. With the Gospels as a guide, host Jonathan Phillips traces the life of Jesus from his birth, ministry, passion, and resurrection.

#102: "The Great Missionary"
Meet the man whose transformation is one of the most compelling in history, the Apostle Paul. Journey with Jonathan Phillips as he re-traces Paul's bold quest to bring the Christian message to Asia and Europe, a quest which would see him imprisoned, beaten and on the brink of death.

#103: "Age of the Apostles"
Travel with Jonathan Phillips on Paul's third and final missionary journey as the Apostolic Age comes to an end. Witness how the remaining apostles, except for John, are martyred for their unwavering beliefs. In Rome, Paul and the Apostle Peter will both meet their fate at the hands of one of the cruelest tyrants in history.

#104: "From Apocalypse to Heresies"
In this episode, the city of Jerusalem is rocked by war. Host Jonathan Phillips travels to Patmos Island where John was exiled and visits the cave where John wrote the most enigmatic book of the New Testament, Revelation. Phillips traces the crucial battle where powerful heretics claiming special knowledge of Jesus threatened to distort, divide and even to destroy the Christian faith.

#105: "Pagans and the Cult of Martyrs"
Host Jonathan Phillips treks to North Africa to tell the story of Perpetua, a young Christian martyr, whose extraordinary story still resonates today. Phillips visits places where Christians faced unimaginable violence because of their beliefs, where the Roman Empire threatened everything that Christians stood for with their pagan temples, emperor cult and vicious tortures.

#106: "Constantine"
In the final episode, host Jonathan Phillips explains how Rome exerted its fullest effort to eradicate Christianity. The faith grew stronger as the empires and emperors weakened. It would be the conversion of one man - Constantine the Great - that would fully transform the fortunes of the Christian faith.

Friday, February 19, 2016

RhodeWorks Fallout, Racial Tensions On/Off Campus, EconDev: Nurture Current versus Lure New (A Lively Experiment 2-19-2016)



Panel (in photo, left to right)
Dyana Koelsch - moderator
Jim Vincent – president, Providence NAACP
Scott MacKay – political analyst, Rhode Island Public Radio
Kate Nagle – news editor, GoLocalProv.com
Dave Layman – corporate communications consultant, former TV news director

Topics
  • RhodeWorks fallout 
  • Racial tensions at local college campuses 
  • Economic development: nurturing established in-state companies versus luring out-of-state businesses 
  • Political battle over Supreme Court Justice Scalia’s seat
  • Outrages of the Week 

A Lively Experiment airs on WSBE Rhode Island PBS (36.1) Fridays at 7 p.m., with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on WSBE Learn (36.2), and Sundays at noon on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 36.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; in Rhode Island on Cox 808; Verizon FiOS 478; Full Channel 89; and in Massachusetts on Comcast 294 or 312.

Can't get to the TV? Watch the episode online anytime and anywhere on our YouTube channel. Episodes of A Lively Experiment are generally available to watch on the next business day. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and YouTube will notify you when a new episode is uploaded.

On Facebook? So are we! "Like" A Lively Experiment on Facebook.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

West Warwick and Westerly Are OUR TOWN Sites for 2016


When Rhode Island PBS put out the call in December for the next Our Town locations, residents from towns across the state stepped up. By the time the January 31 deadline arrived, it was clear that two towns had equally enthusiastic support.

"We are proud to announce that by popular decision, West Warwick and Westerly are the next locations for Our Town in 2016," said David W. Piccerelli, president of WSBE Rhode Island PBS. "We sincerely thank all those who submitted entries - community pride was clear - and we are thrilled about the winners." West Warwick will be featured in a documentary televised in September 2016, and Westerly will be featured in December 2016.

Piccerelli said enthusiasm has grown for the Our Town project - now in its third cycle - thanks to the fun and success of the first three projects. Our Town: Glocester, the first documentary in the series, debuted in December 2014, followed by Our Town: North Kingstown in September 2015 and Our Town: Portsmouth in December 2015. "The comments that we and the participants received in relation to each of these projects have been very inspiring. We're looking forward to building on that energy as we take the project now to West Warwick and Westerly."

YOUR VOICE, YOUR VISION 
Our Town is a community project wherein neighbors become filmmakers and tell the stories of Our Town. Part fund-raiser, part community builder, part historical and cultural documentary, and part "day-in-the-life" video scrapbook, Our Town shares with viewers the local legends, historical happenings, and backyard secrets of the particular town and its villages - untold or uncelebrated stories that capture the essence of the town.

"Our Town gives the community a platform to share stories and perspectives on the town in their own voices," Piccerelli said. "It's also a meaningful way for us to connect with our community."

YOU ARE THE STORYTELLER
Residents of West Warwick and Westerly are especially urged to participate, but one need not be a resident of the particular town - just have a great town story to tell. Planning meetings and a workshop lead up to two days allocated for filming. During the planning meetings, participants discuss and choose the subjects and locations they want to include in the documentary about their town.

"This kind of collaborative group project invites residents to be more involved with Rhode Island PBS, and with each other," said Jodi Mesolella, project director for Our Town, and director of membership and special projects at Rhode Island PBS. "The content is decided exclusively by the participants. They pick what will be in the film. If someone has an idea for a story, please come to the planning meeting and share it. We're looking forward to seeing what West Warwick and Westerly decide to do."

WHAT TO EXPECT 
In each town, Rhode Island PBS recruits up to 20 to 25 volunteers with video cameras. For this project, there are no restrictions as to age or experience and there is no cost or compensation to participate. For those with a story to tell but no camera to capture it, Rhode Island PBS has a camera to lend by appointment and with a security deposit, which is fully refunded when the camera is returned.

"We will offer guidance, technical advice and support to our volunteers, but this is definitely their story as told by them in the community," said Nicole Muri, Our Town project producer. Video recorded by the volunteers will be edited together by Rhode Island PBS to create a one-hour film of each town.

The first planning meeting in West Warwick will be in March, with the technical workshop for the volunteer filmmakers planned for early April. The deadline for video submission will be mid-June.

Westerly's first town planning meeting will be in August, with the technical workshop and filming deadline expected in September.

Although dates for shooting footage will be set, videographers need not wait, and are encouraged to shoot footage of any relevant event or storyline anytime up to the deadline for video submission.

INFORMATION
For information about joining the Rhode Island PBS Our Town project, and for details about meetings as the dates approach, visit ripbs.org/our-town/home, or call Jodi Mesolella (project director) at 401-222-3636, extension 209, Nicole Muri (producer) at extension 225, or email ourtown @ ripbs.org.

Friday, February 5, 2016

State of the State, RhodeWorks, and Presidential Candidates in Iowa and NH on A Lively Experiment 2/5/16



Panel (in photo, left to right)
Jim Hummel - guest moderator, executive director, The Hummel Report
Ed Fitzpatrick – political columnist, The Providence Journal
Joseph Cammarano – political science professor, Providence College
Michelle Smith – correspondent, Associated Press
Dave Layman – corporate communications consultant, former V news director 

Topics
  • Governor Raimondo's State of the State Address and state budget proposal 
  • Revamped RhodeWorks plan and State House hearings 
  • Presidential politics - a look back on Iowa and forward to New Hampshire
  • Outrages of the Week 

A Lively Experiment airs on WSBE Rhode Island PBS (36.1) Fridays at 7 p.m., with rebroadcasts on Saturdays at 7 p.m. on WSBE Learn (36.2), and Sundays at noon on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable: Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 36.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; in Rhode Island on Cox 808; Verizon FiOS 478; Full Channel 89; and in Massachusetts on Comcast 294 or 312.

Can't get to the TV? Watch the episode online anytime and anywhere on our YouTube channel. Episodes of A Lively Experiment are generally available to watch on the next business day. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and YouTube will notify you when a new episode is uploaded.

On Facebook? So are we! "Like" A Lively Experiment on Facebook.

Emmy-Winning 24|7|365: The Evolution of Emergency Medicine Returns in February


Rhode Island PBS presents an evocative film that tells the story of the beginning of emergency medicine and how the founders of the specialty changed the landscape of American medicine.

Winner of the 38th Annual Boston / New England Emmy® Award for Outstanding Documentary in 2015, 24|7|365: The Evolution of Emergency Medicine is written and produced by Dr. Mark Brady, an emergency physician who was born and educated in Rhode Island, graduating Providence College and the Brown Alpert School of Medicine. The film also includes as historical consultant Dr. Brian Zink, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Chief of Emergency Medicine at Rhode Island and The Miriam Hospitals.

Rhode Island PBS is pleased to present an encore broadcast of 24|7|365: The Evolution of Emergency Medicine on Monday, February 8 at 9 p.m. 

When you dial 911, someone picks up your call, an ambulance is dispatched, and you are speedily transported to an emergency room. Once there, a team of specially-trained emergency medicine doctors and personnel with an enormous amount of resources at their fingertips care for you. No one asks if you can pay. No one refuses to treat you if you cannot.

A generation ago, it was completely different. There was no 911 system, there were no trained pre-hospital personnel, your "ambulance" may have been a hearse, and there may or may not have been any doctor at all in a bare basement room with leaky pipes at the hospital where you were taken.

24|7|365: The Evolution of Emergency Medicine chronicles the emergence of EMS and the specialty of Emergency Medicine, which became the 23rd recognized medical specialty only in 1979. The documentary premieres on Rhode Island PBS on Monday, December 29 at 9 p.m.

“It’s our privilege to bring this story to the Rhode Island PBS community,” said David W. Piccerelli, president of WSBE Rhode Island PBS. “Access to 911 and emergency care is something we take for granted today. To realize just how recently this important system emerged is surprising and enlightening. We are thrilled to share this history, and to recognize the role local Rhode Island doctors play in the storytelling.”


The film is narrated by Anthony Edwards (Top Gun, ER) and features Brown University Warren Alpert School of Medicine professor and chair of Emergency Medicine Brian Zink, MD, as the historical consultant. The documentary’s writer and executive producer is Mark Brady, MD, a 2009 graduate of the Brown Alpert School of Medicine. The film is produced by Ann Prum, whose An Original Duckumentary won a national Emmy last year. Director Dave Thomas is based in New York City. His credits include Lost, The West Wing, and Young and the Restless.

"This is a story about mavericks in the medical field - mavericks who went against the medical establishment to meet the changing needs of patients in the ‘50s and ‘60s," explained Brady.

"At the time, there were huge changes in society, and the medical establishment was not prepared for the big jump in emergency visits to hospitals. Technology also became too big and too bulky to fit in the doctor's little black bag – so people increasingly went to the hospital for the latest in urgent diagnosis and treatment," Zink said.

Among the changes affecting medicine was the increased mobility of Americans. As they moved around more, they no longer had family doctors, yet they needed somewhere to go when they got sick. Physicians, too, were also moving away from general practices and house calls, and seeking specialties instead. Specializing offered doctors more regular office hours and predictable schedules.


These changes combined to create a gap between the need for urgent and emergency treatment and the providers trained and on duty to respond. The pioneers of Emergency Medicine – among them, Dr. John Wiegenstein of Michigan – recognized the gap and filled it with persistent advocacy for better training and more resources, ultimately winning recognition and official designation of this important and unique brand of medicine as a genuine medical specialty.

24|7|365: The Evolution of Emergency Medicine explains the social, technological, and political forces that shaped the emergency medical system as we know it, a system that sees more than 130 million emergency room visits in the U.S. each year.

For more information and photos and behind-the-scenes video about the documentary and emergency medicine, please visit the documentary Web site at ww.247365doc.com


About Mark Brady, MD, MPH, MMS, DTM+H, LCDR USN
A graduate of LaSalle Academy and Providence College, Dr. Mark Brady received early acceptance into Brown Alpert School of Medicine. He deferred admission to work at a children's hospital in Cambodia then walk the Appalachian Trail for a year.

While attending medical school at Brown, Brady concurrently earned a master’s degree in biomechanical engineering. He received a scholarship to do a master’s in public health at Harvard for a year. Then, he did an NIH fellowship in Peru and Bolivia for a year, studying emerging infectious diseases. He spent a few months doing an internship, writing at the Discovery Health Channel. He completed a 4-year Emergency Medicine residency at Yale, where he was chief resident.

At Yale, he earned a diploma in tropical medicine from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, went back to volunteer in Cambodia and spent some time working in Liberia as the only emergency doctor in the country. Currently an emergency medicine physician, Mark also serves in the Navy Reserves.

About Brian Zink, MD
Brian Zink, MD is the documentary’s historical consultant. One of Dr. Zink's niches is the history of emergency medicine.

A resident of Coventry, RI, Dr. Zink is the Frances Weeden Gibson - Edward A. Iannuccilli, MD, professor, and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Chief of Emergency Medicine at Rhode Island and The Miriam Hospitals. He is past President of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine.

Previously, Dr. Zink served as associate dean for Student Programs and Director of Student Biomedical Research Programs at the University of Michigan Medical School. He received his M.D. from the University of Rochester, and completed his emergency medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati program, where he was a chief resident in 1987-88.

Dr. Zink's interests include physician leadership and career development, and the history of EM. He is the author in 2005 of Anyone, Anything, Anytime: A History of Emergency Medicine. He received the SAEM Hal Jayne Academic Excellence Award; the American College of Emergency Physicians Outstanding Contribution in Education Award; and the Alpert Medical School Dean's Award for the Advancement of Women Faculty.

About Rhode Island PBS
WSBE Rhode Island PBS is operated by the Rhode Island PBS Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, established in 1987 as a public charity to raise funds and provide support services for Rhode Island’s public television station. WSBE-DT is a viewer-supported member of the PBS network of public broadcasting stations, and transmits on three channels: Rhode Island PBS (digital 36.1), Learn (digital 36.2), and Spanish-language programming on Vme (36.3). Committed to lifelong learning since 1967, WSBE Rhode Island PBS uses the power of noncommercial media to educate, engage, enrich, inspire, and entertain viewers of all ages in Rhode Island, southeastern Massachusetts, and eastern Connecticut. For more information about the programs and education services at WSBE, visit ripbs.org.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on RI cable: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; on MA cable: Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36, Dish Network 36.

WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; in Rhode Island on Cox 808; Verizon FiOS 478; Full Channel 89; and in Massachusetts on Comcast 294 or 312.

First published December 2014; updated May 2015, February 2016