It’s December! It’s 60 degrees out!
Sorry I didn’t get this out sooner, we were partying hard this weekend at the Vision & Brilliance Connecticut Forum. Our very own John Dankosky was an exceptional moderator, although it was sometimes hard for him to get a word in edgewise with such a rock star panel.
Also visionary: Dankosky’s striped socks…
@johndankosky your socks are brilliant #visionforum @ctforum
— sartorialwhimsy (@sartorialwhimsy) December 2, 2012
So here’s what we have for you this week. Tomorrow we’ll be starting a short fund drive. While you are doing your holiday giving, think about donating to YOUR public radio station. And thanks.
Monday: Filmmakers in Connecticut
The Sundance Film Festival just announced this year’s lineup – and it’s a record year for women. Eight of the sixteen films are directed by women, ithe most in the festivals 33 year history – the first time the entries have been split between male and female directors. So maybe females in the industry are making strides, but it’s still a hard road for independents of any gender.Today, we’ll take the pulse of the filmmaking scene here in Connecticut – with a panel of movie makers (male and female). They’re making films here in the state, they’re finding creative ways to get funding, and they’re supplementing their film careers with teaching gigs on the side. Next fall Sacred Heart University is starting a Masters Degree program in Film and TV. They hope to create a new hub for aspiring filmmakers here in the state. But what’s the incentive for young people to get into the biz? Today we’ll also hear from Sarah Burns, who with her father, documentarian Ken Burns just released a film about the Central Park Five. She’ll be at Central Connecticut State University tonight.
Tuesday: Budget Roundtable
With a $363 million state budget deficit, Governor Dannel Malloy announced the first round of budget cuts. The emergency cuts came out to $123 million, approximately $95 million coming from social service agencies and public colleges and universities. We’ll figure out what this means and what other cuts could be ahead with Comptroller Kevin Lembo and the CT Mirror’s Keith Phaneuf.
Wednesday: Blue Zones
In 2004, Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic and hired the world’s best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people lived much better. In these Blue Zones they found that people reach age 100 at rates 10 times greater than in the United States. Places like Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy, Ikaria Greece. Buettner wrote about the Greek Island recently in a New York Times Magazine article, The Island Where People Forget to Die. Today he joins us to talk about his research on longevity.
Thursday: New Haven History, and Music
It’s the 200th anniversary of the New Haven Register, and today we’ll talk history of the paper and of the city. Also, WNPR’s Diane Orson brings us the voices of New Haven musicians that played in the original productions of some of the great American musicals at the Shubert Theatre, and the old Oakdale Tent.
Friday: Remembering Dave Brubeck
This week, we lost one of Connecticut’s most famous residents, but also one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Dave Brubeck was a jazz pioneer – but was also in the middle of the struggles for civil rights and against communism. We’ll remember Brubeck and listen to a conversation John had with him in 2008.
