Besides making a point about the state of healthcare in the US today, my friends and I created the video above as a form of “digital storytelling”, using new tools to share an age-old content delivery system. Do you think facts and figures have worked better?

I’ve been hearing a lot more about storytelling these days. For example, in a recent NPR segment about storytelling at the Edinburgh festival, an audience member said in her Scottish burr, “We’ve been so clever about computers and pushed entertainment as far as we can, we’re going back to the original art form”.

This might help explain the increased buzz around great user-generated events like the Moth StorySlam and Mortified and radio shows like This American Life and now the Moth Radio Hour. There is something old-fashioned, comforting and even primal about storytelling.

While this supposedly new-found interest in storytelling coincides with increased interest in digital social media, I don't see it necessarily as a denunciation of technology.
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HOW DARE YOU NPR!

Washington-based NPR said it would lay off about 7 percent of its workforce and eliminate two daily programs produced out of its facilities in Culver City, Calif. The shows are "Day to Day," which was aimed at younger listeners, and the newsmaker-interview program "News & Notes," which NPR hoped would attract African Americans.

[...]

Some of those losing their jobs are veteran NPR voices, such as Ketzel Levine, an NPR reporter since 1977, and Vicky O'Hara, an editor and former diplomatic correspondent with 26 years on the job. Others include "News & Notes" host Farai Chideya, "Day to Day" host Madeleine Brand, Washington reporter Libby Lewis, entertainment-industry correspondent Kim Masters and national reporter John McChesney. About half the 64 people cut are journalists.

[...]

Combined with the elimination of "Day to Day" and "News & Notes," the cutbacks constitute a retreat from NPR's efforts to reach new listeners, especially young people and members of minority groups who are not part of NPR's "core" audience. The programs are carried on the Internet, but can be accessed on the radio in Washington only via WAMU's (88.5 FM) "high-definition" channel, which requires a special radio.

"Day to Day" is carried on 186 stations nationwide; "News & Notes" is on 64. Both will remain on the air until March.

So let me get this straight : NPR puts virtually no money to market to the negroes and young crowd. They absolutely spend no effort promoting the stars of their "new demographic" vehicles. They cap the show's distribution at the knees by limiting it to a handful or radio stations and some freakingly obscure high-definition channel that can only be listened to with a freakishly specialized radio and they're complaning the shows tanked?
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Today I will be appearing on NPR's News and Notes last show of the year. I will be appearing with Ms. Jasmyne Cannick and Michael Cobb Bowen.

Tentative topics involve Pakistan, R. Kelly, Kwaanza and our New Year's resolutions. I have one to big to announce, but will leave that for the show ... unless you show me yours first.

In the meantime, I resolve to watch more performance art, especially if it involves Mike Gravel.

He's so profound my head hurts --which means, it's awfully good.

Honestly, I think he is the first presidential candidate / performance artist.

Farai Chideya must love my evil laughter because once again I join another episode of NPRs News and Notes' Blogger Roundtable. And grock knows it's going to be difficult not to laugh. One of the topics we may be discussing? Tom Tancredo.

Tom Tancreado refused to appear on Univisión's Foro Republicano because he's against the "balkanization" of the United States. You can find his intellectually weak rationalization on this TV news interview. While watching that piece of genius, I stumbled upon an actual interpretation of his annoucement put together by a group called "Team Tancredo" (which may or may not be affiliated to the candidate) :

I honestly can't believe these guys are serious. Do we need to remind Tom Tancredo, the son-of-immigrant Italians, and his team to never go there? Two can play that game. Worst part? The following is a "real life" clip :
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