Do you love Chicago? Have a camcorder? Want to tell a story, and win up to $20,000? If so, check out the One Chicago, One Nation film competition, going on right now! We're looking for stories of diversity, community building, and all things Chicago - we want to unite the city through storytelling. By harnessing the power of our nation’s diversity, One Chicago, One Nation will bring together people of all cultures, faiths, and social backgrounds. And we need you to make those connections.
The contest is simple: grab a camera, get out there, and tell a Chicago story in five minutes or less. You can submit a video in any of our six categories:
• Comedy • Drama • Documentary • Under 60 Seconds • Music video/spoken word/animation • Mobile digital media (phone video, mp3/iPods, Flip cameras)
Once you've completed your masterpiece, head to www.linktv.org/onechicago and upload it. Submissions are accepted until April 23rd, but enter soon: the first 25 submissions will be entered into a drawing for a free iPod Nano! You'll also be able to view and vote on other entries. Winners win big: $5,000 for each category winner, and a $20,000 grand prize. Diversity pays, huh?
So, to summarize: The One Chicago, One Nation Online Film Contest is open to filmmakers throughout the country to share their personal stories, based in or about Chicago, that demonstrate the importance of people of different backgrounds working together for the common good. Great exposure, cash prizes, and a community-focused mission. What are you waiting for?
At that time, John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
So often we get so tied up in our own lives, and way of doing things that we think we are the only ones in the world. I see groups out here who are "witnessing" for Jesus, and they have the "only" way. When I first started so many years ago I was accused of thinking I had the only way. And I do believe I get so caught up in what I am doing that I think that sometimes. It is easy when we are into our work to think we are doing the work the best way there is and to become center of the universe. I find that with non-profits through out the City. They are so concerned about suvival and their way of doing things that they live in a dog eat dog world. John Wesley deplored "that miserable bigotry that makes many so unready to believe that there is any work of God but among themselves." I experience that with the various youth agencies. They do their work in their way, with their boundaries, and to them any other way is the wrong way. The older I get I see that what I do is but a continum of what others have done, and will do, and that there is no one way--when we seek the greater good, that is what is important, and if we could work together to do that, it would be great, but then we would have to share resources and time. The result of the division is that so many people continue to be in so much pain. There is more than one way to skin a cat--we should acknowledge that and work together.
I attended Barabara Martin's memorial yesterday. She was a great woman, she kept Martin's alive and established it on firm ground. She was nutty as a fruit cake though, she never liked me, and as I look back I can understand why--I am just as nutty as she was, and it is hard for two nutty people to be in the same room. She was a very spiritual person, always seeking God. She did great work.
Outreach last night was busy. One 19 year old can not figure me out. He is bored, and I do not want anything from here, and I talked to him about being bored, and about how if you find excitment in all of life you are not bored. The later it got, the higher people got. What I noticed and have noticed for years is the complete selfishness and self-centeredness of people The girls want more and more condoms and money. The guys will take as much as they can get of needles and food, total self-centeredness. And the more self- centered they become ghe harder it is to deal with them. That is the way we are in life, the more self-centered we become, ther more damage we do in the environment and the more problems we have in society. It is only as we open ourselves to the love of Jesus that we see and understand that in giving that we receive. Barbara's death upset me, and it recalls my own mortality, I will keep on doing the work moment by moment until the end. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!
This semester at my school, I chose to take a class called "Broadway Musical". I was informed that we would be putting on a real show, so of course I was excited. Music is something that means the world to me. But, after these ninteen weeks of the class, I've realized that a musical, or any group experience comes with one other major benefit, that seems tob eat out the priority of your passion by the very end.
We were asked to write an essay, telling what we learned, and got out of the entire experience. This was assigned to us so that out teacher, Mrs. Westover, could present a project to the Board of Education, showing how the class benefits students.
I live in New York state, and as everyone here knows, budget cuts are inevitable these days. Governor Patterson has decided to cut funds mostly in Education and Health Care, and for that reason, our school can not keep some of the elective classes it has now. Broadway would be one of these. Considering it has the highest budget of any class (besdies Physical Education) it's likely to be one of the first to be cut.
Mrs. Westover's project is to avoid cutting the class by showing how important it is to some students. This was my essay:
"
I can honestly say that the
Broadway Class has been the absolute best class that I have ever
taken from Kindergarten to now. In fact, I think it has been my
favorite school activity. Merit activities, and field trips couldn't
even come close to what I got out of this class. From the beginning,
I knew I was going to enjoy, when it was announced that we would be
producing High School Musical.
Directly after the announcement, all of us were so excited, that we
were all already planning the show in our heads, and anxiously
exchanging ideas. This is how I gained the most important benefit of
Broadway Class: friends.
I have
to say that when I first entered the classroom, with eighteen other
people, I was skeptical. Some were ones that I thought I would never
be close with throughout my high school career. Over the past
seventeen weeks or so, I've come to realize that it's not bad to open
up your boundaries, and engage with every person that comes into your
life. Whether they're nice, mean, rude, or just plain annoying, I've
learned that there's always a good side to every person, and once you
learn to get to know this good side, the rest of the person's less
desirable qualities seem to just fade to black. In this way, I've
become close with every single person in the Broadway Class. I have
learned about their lives, how they live, where they live, along with
other minor details that will forever stay in that classroom as
inside jokes.
I have
learned that Annette Vernon used to live in a paradise in Montana,
which she will vividly describe if asked. I have learned about Jenni
Viviano's family, in more way than one – and I'll leave it at that.
I have learned that Kaylee Beers is in every way shy of who she is,
but let's her true self shine out on the stage. I have learned that
Brandon Stevens can be frustrated at times, but he has the
determination, and faith to always pull through and reach his goals.
I have learned that Clayton Andrews deserves respect – not only
because of his musical abilities, but because of challenges he faces
in every day life. I have learned that Erin Daly is a true leader, in
the way that she makes everything work, by balancing her very full
schedule properly. I have learned that Lance McAdams has an extensive
knowledge about cars, and how they work. I have learned that Nicole
Golden-Thomas is actually one of the most passionate people in our
school, and not only through her dance moves. I have learned that
Dane Ellis may be shy at first, but he has more energy and courage
than any star basketball player. I have learned that Ashley Donholt
can also be shy, but that she's a very easy person to be friends with
after breaking the ice. I have learned that Logan Lucheese never
gives up, and is always focused toward one goal, even when confronted
with challenges in life. I have learned that Lani McAdams can seem
mellow, but actually has enough energy, and enthusiasm, to command an
entire classroom of students. I have learned that although Sarach
Erckert can be quiet, and reserved, that she is really bubbly and
completely full of life once you get to know her more. I have learned
that Chris Anthony works his tail off every day, and to do that
without complaining, or whining, is something completely admirable. I
have learned that Alexa Alfonsi always knows how to deal with tough
situations without her anyone around her, including herself. I have
learned that Becca Baudendistel isn't afraid to say what she wants,
when she wants to, which is a positive quality in my opinion. I have
learned that Travis Ketzak could very well be the next rock star. I
have learned that Nate Cutting has an obsession with Biology. I would
like to provide more accurate details about what I've learned about
each person, but I can honestly say that I wouldn't be able to
describe in words the bond that the entire Broadway Class has formed.
I supposed I could recall specific details, but what happens in
Broadway stays in Broadway.
Of
course, there's always the quirks about being in a musical, which
seems like the icing on the cake to me at this point. So, I added a
few notes to my vocal range. This might not seem significant to one
who knows little about singing, but the truth is that it can
sometimes take singers years to add to their vocal ranges. The face
that one year ago, I could only sing up to a D (in treble clef), and
today I can sing a G on command, is truly extraordinary in my eyes.
Besides the singing, I learned that I actually could dance. In fact,
I was so interested in dancing once I started listening to the music,
that I volunteered to help choreograph the show. In this way, I now
feel as if I can tell people that, yes, I do have dance experience,
even though no, I received no formal training. This experience has
led me to seek out a dance studio, and I do plan on attending dance
classes in the near future. The final skill that I improved on was my
acting ability. I never thought I would need to improve on something
that seemed so natural, but the truth is that I was treating it more
like an art rather than a natural ability. Broadway Class taught me
to let go, and just be the part, and in this way, I believe I
succeeded playing my role of Ryan Evans.
The
final thing I gained out of this experience was respect. I learned
that people like Mrs. Westover, David Simpatico (the writer of the
musical), and even all of the students in my class deserve one thing:
respect. Everybody put in enough effort towards the musical, that you
would think we all would have dropped dead by now. However, there's
one hilarious fact about that: We all enjoyed every single second of
it."
“To them, it was a sport,” said Suffolk County district attorney Tomas J. Spota, referencing hate crimes committed by a group of teens in Long Island earlier this month. The New York Times reports that one of the teens—a star athlete at his high school—has been accused of stabbing a 37-year-old Hispanic man to death.
Pretty twisted sport, if you ask me.
Earlier today, our awesome neighbor Jess brought freshly baked cinnamon buns to our house. Somehow, while chatting over cups of tea and warm cinnamon buns, we got into a discussion about white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. I know; it’s a pretty disturbing topic for a mid-afternoon tea break.
I was reminded of a series of hate crimes that took place in my home state of Maine. Several years ago, a large Somali in-migration entered Lewiston—a mid-sized town in Maine, which at that time was the whitest state in the nation. A bunch of town residents began freaking out, claiming that the Somalis were ruining the cultural integrity of the community, putting stress on social programs, stealing jobs, all of the usual stupid arguments that white people make to avoid looking into their own racist belief systems. The town mayor wrote a letter to one of the leaders in the local Somali community, kindly asking them to stop moving to Lewiston. (Is it actually possible to “kindly ask” an entire racial group to go elsewhere? That doesn’t seem like a very kind request.)
Anyway, white supremacists and neo-Nazis all around the country got wind of the local struggle going down in Lewiston, and decided to travel to Maine to help push the Somalis out. Then the rest of Maine and New England heard about the neo-Nazi rally going down in Lewiston, and decided to organize a pro-diversity rally on the same day.
What ended up happening was really quite beautiful. The pro-diversity crew outnumbered the neo-Nazis by a long shot. Hundreds of people from near and far came together to welcome and celebrate the Somali community in our state. The neo-Nazi gathering looked pretty pathetic in comparison. They made a really amazing documentary about the struggle, called The Letter.
[Below: The official trailer to The Letter.]
Hate is not a sport. If team sports have taught us anything, it’s that we rely upon community, understanding, trust, and a basic respect for our teammates in order to win. I wish that teenage star athlete from New York could have learned this before he adopted violence as a “sport”. I’ve heard arguments that diversity in both college and pro sports has helped to alleviate some racial tension in this country; these days, we consistently see Black, Latino, White, Asian, and others with diverse racial identities playing side by side on the field. But we still have a long way to go in the struggle to create safe, hate-free spaces.
