Dream Vlog 1

DWM vs. Native theater

I’m reading Bruce A. Goebel’s new book Reading Native American Literature to review on my blog. I’m sure I’ll be the first of all my friends to read it. What I’m struck by so far, and what I keep thinking about, is that this book evolved from Goebel’s literature classes where he made a point of introducing his students to Native lit. What this causes me to explore is the possibility of assigning more Native plays in my class and fewer of the white classics.
On the one hand, some of these things like Shakespeare and Oedipus Rex are read ad nauseum in American grade schools. And I understand why – a major purpose of schools is to train good citizens, and that means understanding the foundation texts of the culture. Here in the States, those texts are things like Shakespeare, the Greeks and Romans, and the Bible.
On the other hand, I have found that classes are really only useful to me when they encourage me to pursue my own projects, introduce me to useful new skills (like blogging and Youtube videoing, Phillip – thanks), or when they introduce me to interesting new literature or interesting new readings of old literature. One of the things that I do, and that I have an important insight into as a Karuk theater practitioner, is Native theater. This train of thought leads me to the opinion that putting two or three more Native plays on the syllabus next semester and dispensing with the works by DWMs that my students have read every year since kindergarten might be a really good thing to do.

Filmmakers Use Sketchup Too, Dontcha Know

Google has FINALLY gotten around to updating SketchUp to include a new Advanced Camera Tools plugin. It's free to paid users of SketchUp Pro 8 and gives you a nicer choice of pre-configured types of cameras to drop into your 3D storyboards...
Read about it here. Well, it's about time.

Besides film Set Designers, camera crews have been using SketchUp for years to plan out and visualize complex camera setups. It's been used by Hollywood filmmakers for movies like Inception, 300, The Social Network, and Tron: Legacy.

A New Learning Paradigm

How we learn cannot be limited to old-fashioned methods; this alienates millions of kids who no longer learn the way their predecessors did. It isn't that they are incapable of learning or lack the intelligence of earlier generations. But in truth, the past few generations are ones that have become increasingly visiually-oriented in their learning styles, and with that overly stimulating environment why are we penalizing them for getting distracted? In this video Sir Ken Robinson ponders the changing education paradigm needed as we move into the 21st century.

Smile or Die!

This animated RSA video narrated by journalist, author and political activist Barbara Ehrenreich explores the darker side of positive thinking, particularly in the corporate arena.

The message here: Optimism and cheerfulness are MANDATORY! Screw whatever skills you’ve amassed in your brilliant career, bucko! It’s all about keeping a positive attitude! This layoff is a golden opportunity for you to take charge and get back on your pollen path!

War and Peace

In 2003, as the second Iraqi War was just getting under way, I was driving in my Jeep Wrangler one day in a suburb of the Seattle area when I saw a group of people at a major intersection rallying for the war effort.

“If you’re not with us, you’re against us,” read a sign held up by a young mother holding the hand of her toddler. “Pinkos go home” read another sign in the crowd. My car came to a stop at the red light at the intersection. I was amazed to witness such animated vehemence right here on a local street in my own neighborhood. People were chanting slogans in praise of our President, the righteousness of the war effort and the unswerving patriotism of real American soldiers.

I happened to catch the eye of one of the rally participants on the side of the road. I made the mistake of flashing him the peace sign. In his fury the man pointed straight at me. Others in the crowd began to surge towards my car, screaming at the top of their lungs that I was an ungodly traitor.

Needless to say, I ran the red light.

Big Wheel, Keep on Turnin'...

Some days I think that American Healthcare, the allopathic medical system in particular, is one humongous machine, never ceasing, always rolling, sucking patients in and spewing them out at the other end with palliatives to keep them sated until their next health crisis or at least the next appointment. This whole process adds a completely different meaning to the term Medicine Wheel.
Sick people go in one end of a giant mechanical conveyor belt to be processed through the system step by step. First they are seen by the GP, then sent down to the lab for bloodwork and urinalysis, then sent over to radiology for x-rays, then referred to a specialist, then subjected to various pokings, prodding and procedures like prostate exams, mammograms, colonoscopies, cat scans, mri’s and other medieval torture techniques that pass for modern day therapy. For some people, the whole process has become so everyday it’s just another social outing.

Hospitals sit like little fiefdoms unto themselves, at war with insurance companies, recalcitrant patients and each other. The more complex medicine becomes, the more people you need to feed into the system to make it work. Jesus, whatever you do, don’t be a spanner in the works by claiming allergies to things like thimerosal or penicillin. That’s just being a nuisance, a nonconformist, a renegade.