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Discussions abound in the midst of the worst wildfire season in Arizona history.
Midst of? Yes, it's not over, despite the beginning of the monsoon rains and a good drenching in Southern Arizona in the last couple of days. Fire conditions remain high in many parts of the state.
Questions to be answered:
How do we manage the forests with the best known, although not always agreed upon, ecological science?
What are the management and usage issues that created the conditions leading to the state record 538,000-acre Wallow Fire, the 223,000-acre Horseshoe 2 Fire and the 30,000-acre Monument Fire?
What role did climate change play in the conditions that led to the fires?
We are striving to find experts to speak on the topic for Friday's Arizona Week.
July 5th 2011 at 13:15 —
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A group of once and future Arizona politicians is pushing for an open primary election system in the state, with a "top-two" runoff system similar to what's been adopted in other states.
Those behind the proposal say that with no party in firm control of the Arizona electorate -- divided roughly in thirds among Republicans, independents and Democrats -- the open primary system would provide fairness.
The flaw in the argument may well be that while no one party is firmly ikn control of voter registration numbers, one party -- the Republican -- is firmly in control of the state, with two-thirds majorities in both legislative chambers and every statewide office.
Another potential flaw is the idea that there would be a groundswell of support for such an idea that would overcome the stranglehold that the two-party system now has. Don't count on either of those parties to capitulate.
That includes Democrats, who although well in the minority of state officeholders, can be counted on to cling to the two-party arrangement the way they cling to kissing babies at a political rally.
For more on this, see this story from the Arizona Capitol TImes.
July 5th 2011 at 11:57 —
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posted to Cue Sheet by James Reel
Another review I contributed to Fanfare:
TCHAIKOVSKY Nutcracker & • Martin West, cond; Damian Smith (Drosselmeyer); Elizabeth Powell (Clara); Davit Karapetyan (Nutcracker); David Arce (Mouse King); Yuan Yuan Tan (Snow Queen); Pierre-François Vilanoba (Snow King); Vanessa Zahorian (Sugar Plum Fairy); Maria Kochetkova (Grand pas de deux); San Francisco Ballet O • BBC/OPUS ARTE BD7044D (Blu-ray: 132: 00) Live: San Francisco 12/19–20/2007
& Illustrated synopsis, cast gallery, artist interviews, documentary on 1915 World’s Fair
David L. Kirk gave the DVD release of this production a thorough review in Fanfare 32:5, rightly declaring this to be “a first-class production with brilliant dancing, imaginative special effects, colorful costumes, and attractive scenery,” and numbering it among his three preferred video Nutcrackers. I second that notion.
In order for San Francisco Ballet to take possession of this ubiquitous classic, choreographer Helgi Tomasson and his superb design team moved the action to San Francisco in 1915, the year the city hosted the World’s Fair. What this means in practical terms is that the women’s costumes in the first act are much slimmer and more dance-worthy than when the ballet is set in its original, earlier period, and that the action in the second act takes place in what seems to be a fairy-infested World’s Fair exhibition hall. As fine as the dancing is (from soloists and corps alike), it’s really the costumes of Martin Pakledinaz (including a Ballets Russes touch in the act II getups) and the scenic design of Michael Yeargan that make this production so vivid.
Now, it must be said that Tomasson doesn’t bring much deep psychology to his version (aside from establishing some motifs that really pull the developments in act I together). There’s nothing at all sinister about Drosselmeyer, who here is just an odd toymaker who likes to entertain kids with magic tricks (and serves as Clara’s chaperone through act II). There are no psychosexual shenanigans involving Clara and the Nutcracker, and despite the 1915 setting, the battle with the mice follows the conventions of 18th-century warfare, with nary a sniff of the trench or mustard gas.
Conductor Martin West’s work with the company orchestra is good, although the conducting and playing tend to lose focus in low-key numbers like the Arabian Dance. (The best musical contribution to a video Nutcracker I know is Charles Mackerras’s account for the Pacific Northwest Ballet production, with its pointed rhythms and intense yearning.)
The extra features are truly interesting, not just filler. The audio is PCM only (choice of two or five channels), and the 16:9 picture is derived from a film transfer of multicamera video. There are a couple of sloppy little video edits that probably occurred when the show was being rushed onto PBS a couple of years ago, and should have been corrected before the home-video release, but they’ll probably slip by most viewers.
This endearing production deserves to be the basic Nutcracker for every household. James Reel
Classical Music,
July 5th 2011 at 6:30 —
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The director of the Arizona Centennial Commission made a cogent observation in my interview with her this week about the upcoming festivities to mark a century of statehood.
Karen Churchard called the centennial an opportunity for Arizonans to decide how we as a state should evolve in the next 100 years.
Among other things, Churchard said, we need to figure out what industries will drive the new century's Five Cs in Arizona.
You remember the Five Cs: copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and climate.
Time was when every school kid in the state could recite the Five Cs as readily as the ABCs. Many school kids' dads and moms earned honest livings in one or another of the industries represented by the Five Cs. They didn't need much education for that work, mostly manual labor.
But now the work world has changed, and the labor needs are less manual and more mental. Which means we need more education and better schools.
With ongoing erosion of the state's public education budget by the Legislature, our schools are hard pressed to match the needs of the labor market. The state’s support for K-12 education in the coming school year will be at its lowest per student in more than a decade.
Why, word is that some schools will be able to afford to teach only three of the Five Cs. And who knows where they’ll be on the alphabet?
The point is obvious: Without a strong educational system, we won't be able to attract and grow the industries that will create a new set of Five Cs for the next 100 years.
Most other states are well ahead of us – in years of statehood, educational success and establishing their own economic development plans for the next century.
Knowing that, we should resolve to celebrate Arizona’s upcoming birthday with this gift – an educational system that leads in transformation of the Five Cs That will give us 100 years of prosperity -- a most appropriate centennial gift.
July 2nd 2011 at 8:38 —
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We heartily welcome two new voices to the AZPM radio news team - Andrea Kelly and Steve Shadley. These new talented reporters are part of our strategic intent to provide you with more focus on local news. Andrea comes to AZPM from the Arizona Daily Star and covers local government and politics. Her goal is to give you what you need to make informed decisions, even when it's not election season. To read more about Andrea click here.
Steve Shadley joins AZPM as your Morning Edition news anchor and reporter. A native Arizonan, Steve is an award-winning news correspondent who attended NAU and perfected his craft at public radio stations around the country, including Chicago, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, California, Albuquerque, Madison, (Wisc.), Colorado and Phoenix. He’s found his home here at AZPM waking you up each day with your morning news. Read more about Steve here.
July, along with the start of the monsoon season, brings us a new fiscal year and continued great programming. We kick off July with one of our biggest television and programs of the year, A Capitol Fourth. This live PBS broadcast of America’s favorite Independence Day tradition features unrivaled performances from some of the country’s best-known musical names topped off by the greatest display of fireworks anywhere in the nation. Emmy® and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits hosts this all-star line-up airing on PBS-HD Channel 6 live from Washington, D.C. on Monday, July 4th from 5 – 6:30 p.m. with encore performances at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. A special audio encore will air at 8 p.m. on NPR 89.1FM/1550AM and Classical 90.5FM. Immediately following A Capitol Fourth, we air the season finale of the Emmy®-award-winning science program WaveLengths “New Science on Sleep”, an Arizona Public Media original production, at 6:30 pm. and 10:30 p.m.
AZPM offers ‘something for everyone’ this summer with new series such as Wild South America. This BBC six-part series airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. and takes you on exciting explorations of the diverse and unique wildlife that inhabits the dramatic landscapes of the vast South American continent. Episodes throughout July include Lost Worlds, Might Amazon, Andes, Amazon and Penguins Shores. Summer Monday nights get even better with a double dose of one of your PBS favorites Antiques Roadshow airing all summer at both 8 and 9 p.m.
The innovative Wacky Americana series takes you on a tour of America every Thursday at 8 p.m. Visit some the country’s coolest hot dog eateries with The Hot Dog Show, breakfast diners and dives with The Breakfast Special, ice cream parlors and Great Old Amusement Parks. If the heat hasn’t gotten a hold of you, I am sure the ‘Summer of Intrigue’ has! The Masterpiece Mystery detective series continues on Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. with encores on Thursdays at 9 p.m.
Click here for complete program schedules and episode summaries.
Our efforts for the benefit of Southern Arizona would simply not be possible without you. Please accept my sincere thanks for your continued support and best wishes for the summer.
Jack Gibson, Director and General Manager
July 1st 2011 at 10:43 —
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posted to Cue Sheet by James Reel
The beginning of July brings two North American holidays. July 1 is Canada Day, marking the 1867 act that joined three British colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. (It's more of a union day than an independence day; Canada didn't shake loose from the United Kingdom until 1982.) So on July 1 we're marking the occasion by sprinkling music by Canadian composers through the schedule. The most substantial Canadian content is the 43-minute Second Symphony of Healey Willan (Canadian by adoption rather than birth), which will dominate the 11 a.m. hour. Otherwise, today if the composer's name sounds British or French and is obscure, it's probably Canadian.
July 4, of course, is Independence Day in the United States. (I've always felt we'd be better off celebrating Constitution Day; any surly teenager can declare independence, but creating a lasting union under rule of law is a great achievement.) Our July 4 programming is all-American, ranging from The Star-Spangled Banner (actually an old English drinking song with new text) following the 6 a.m. news through such American standards as Rhapsody in Blue, The Stars and Stripes Forever, the Grand Canyon Suite and Fanfare for the Common Man, and on to less familiar fare by various American composers over the past 200 years. We'll also have a couple of "American" works by such visitors as Wagner and Offenbach.
Classical Music,
July 1st 2011 at 5:57 —
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