Thursday, April 29, 2010

Radio personality highlights the power of narrative

By Courtney Nels

About 900 people packed Centennial Hall Tuesday night, eager to see Ira Glass in person. But he made them wait a bit: The man behind the popular weekly PRI radio show "This American Life," took center stage while all the lights were off, simulating the non-visual experience of radio.

In the dark, Glass described the challenge of covering Hurricane Katrina on the radio when there were so many compelling images on television.

"It turns out that hearing someone talk about something that they went through takes you inside an experience," said Glass, adding that this could be conveyed over a scratchy phone line. "You can feel what it would have been like to be there."

He played a phone interview of a woman describing the scene at the Superdome.

"There's an intimacy to just hearing somebody's voice," he said, joking that he might conduct the whole show in the dark. "It would be the most radical evening of theater ever presented from this stage, with the possible exception of some of your gubernatorial addresses."

When the spotlight finally turned on, Glass was standing behind a control panel, smiling behind his signature black-rimmed glasses.

"I feel like when you meet people in Alaska they are constantly asking, 'How do you like Alaska? You're going to stay longer, aren't you? What are you going to see in Alaska?'" he said. "I just want to get that out of the way right now so we all are square with each other - it's super, I love it here."

Glass was endearing in his humanness, sharing stories about his life and craft throughout the nearly two-hour performance. He played audio clips from some of his favorite shows, talked about the process of interviewing and editing, and shared his thoughts on the power of narrative and the importance of surprise.

"There's a moment that I really love on the radio where something is surprising and fun, where joy happens and it can happen in any kind of story at all."

Glass said surprise is lacking in broadcast journalism, a profession he has been perfecting for 30 years. "You can't show surprise, discovery or delight, that would be too human - and honestly I feel like it's a total failure of craft."

"There is a strict segregation of the serious and the funny and the two are not to touch, this is from the bottom to the top of news programming," he said. "I was always told by my betters at NPR that the job of journalism is not just to tell us what's new but to tell us what is - that this is going to be the part of the media that's going to say, let's look at the world and capture it accurately," said Glass, who didn't buy this logic.

"It is a world utterly without pleasure and surprise and humor and joy and a sense of discovery, which makes the world so much smaller than it is," Glass said.

Glass originally started "This American Life," because he thought it would help bring more balance and fun to public radio.

"When you're doing journalism, so often you are hearing about how terrible it is in the world, and to not balance it out with the sense of hope that you feel when you have that moment of discovery and that sense of, oh my god, look at that... this is my problem with broadcast journalism. It usually makes the world seem smaller and stupider and less interesting."

Glass also touched on censorship, and the lack of "adult supervision" his show has now. Glass also described how he and the show's other producers get new story ideas: usually through people contacting the show themselves, or through the internet, newspapers or friends, when all else fails.

Glass revealed he used to make balloon animals at birthday parties and had a balloon-off with K3 program director Jeff Brown. Brown's balloon moose defeated Glass' poodle by a longshot.

Glass closed the performance with an impassioned discussion about the power of narrative using the story of the Arabian Nights as an example.

"Narrative is a back door to a place that is very deep within us, a place where reason and logic don't necessarily hold sway."

He encouraged journalists to find that universal human connection.

"It is so rare for it to be a story where they give you enough information about the people in it that you could actually imagine what it would be like to be them. It's so rare, and when it happens you notice, and when you hear that kind of story, it makes you feel sane, when you finally understand 'that's what that's about."

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Feng Shui for life

Move your bed, change your fortune?

Do you think it's possible to arrange our physical stuff to bring wealth into our lives? I do.

After reading my last article, "The glass is already broken," which had strategies on letting go of unnecessary stuff, one reader was left wanting more. She needed specifics on letting go of physical clutter. When she look around a cluttered space, she becomes overwhelmed then paralyzed saying "I don't know where to begin."

I understand. I short-circuit as well when I enter our garage and see unfinished projects. My current strategy is to stand outside the garage door, take a deep breath, then repeat "dog food ... dog food ... dog food." When my mission is focused, I open the door and make a beeline.

I mentioned the connection between our physical stuff and our emotional state. There is an ancient practice that promises to join the two harmoniously. Feng Shui. This is the first of two parts on this ancient practice.

Feng whatever!

Feng Shui, pronounced "foong shway," is the ancient Chinese art of harnessing the heaven and earth to bring health, wealth and good fortune. Feng Shui harmonizes the seen world with unseen energies present known as ch'i (pronounced chee). For thousands of years, Feng Shui has been used to design cities, build homes and bury the dead. Many Chinese companies won't fill a shovel until they've consulted a Feng Shui master.

Before you dismiss Feng Shui as superstitious nonsense, consider this. Right now, who does the United States owe trillions of dollars? China. Coincidence? You tell me. Try using this ancient Chinese secret and see if money starts flowing your way.

Begin with first impressions

Have you ever walked into a space and immediately cringed? It was probably stagnant ch'i energy that spooked you. Energy caused by dirty, neglected or cramped spaces or energy from a previous crime like rest stop bathrooms. People exude energy too and if someone causes the heebie-jeebies, run away or delete them.

Other spaces fill us with an inexplicable sense of well-being. Entering Merv Griffen's Givenchy Hotel and Spa in Palm Springs, I immediately feel like everything is right with the world. Rose aromatherapy is pumped through the air ducts, things are polished, beautiful, well cared for and employees are concerned with guest happiness. Their beds are so divine, I asked housekeeping for their bed recipe, (thread counts ... fluff factors) and duplicated it at home.

Now for assessing reactions to spaces. Notepad in hand, walk into spaces where you spend the most time and focus on your gut reaction. Like a metal detector, beeping will speed up around stale ch'i. Office drawers, cluttered closets. Also note areas with no visible clutter that also make you uncomfortable - they could contain "predecessor energy." The Chinese believe moving into a previously occupied space it is much like stepping into someone else's shoes.

Breath of fresh air

In Chinese Feng means "wind" and shui means "water." Between heaven and earth are clouds that consist of wind and water; therefore, many Chinese see these two elements as the intermediaries between heaven and earth and the carriers of ch'i - life force energy.

Creating good flowing ch'i is the goal of Feng Shui whether it's within the meridians of the body, rooms in homes, cubicle spaces, or outdoors. According to Karen Kingston, who wrote "Clearing Your Clutter with Feng Shui," breathing fresh air into a space requires clearing in three areas: physical grime, predecessor energy, and clutter.

Clutter be gone

Many experts say take it slow. One area at a time is the only way to go and if you don't know where to begin, start in the bedroom. Lack of sleep impairs cognitive function and clutter and messes are usually psychological. A restful sleeping space can help get your head straight.

Tearing apart multiple spaces simultaneously will lead to short circuiting - finding oneself hungry, sitting alone in a big mess unable to decide if a Taco Bell bobble head dog is a keeper. This is why enlisting a trusted and rational friend to help with decisions on what to let go is essential.

Slowly sort through belongings and get rid of anything that isn't absolutely essential and isn't loved and used often. Clothes not worn in 6 months to a year get donated. A "might need in future" box should be filled and sealed for one year and if unopened, donate the box.

Call charity spots to find out their needs, then sort stuff into labeled bins, and gift it away (remember hoarding can be considered selfish). Some stuff might need to go to the landfill. I got desperate last year and for six months I didn't go anywhere without donating something. I made it a habit because for me it's a constant daily battle.

There are only a few places to donate in Juneau, so my clutter soon wore out its welcome. I resorted to disguises which didn't work either; they'd spot me and my junk coming and yell "we don't need any more toddler toys today, Lady!"

Next column we'll look at the larger picture, and see how Feng Shui determines what effect a room direction has on marriage, children, mentors, career, education, family, wealth and fame. We'll also explore more subtle energy problems like "secret arrows" and learn about energy adjustment tricks.

To my interested readers, pick a space and set a goal of two weeks to remove clutter, clean grime and air the area. In two weeks I'll outline steps on how to arrange the area to maximize your health and wealth.

• Courtney Nelson can be reached at nelsonfamily@acsalaska.net">nelsonfamily@acsalaska.net.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Rapper Luckyiam makes first trip to Juneau

Rap and hip-hop artist Luckyiam, gearing up to visit Juneau for the first time this weekend, wants to give you a present. The musician, who performs at the Rendezvous Friday night starting at 9 p.m., has made a mix tape called "The Present," available for free download at his Web site: www.legendarymusic.net/thepresent/.

The art that accompanies this mix tape features Luckyiam making what looks like a gang sign, but it actually symbolizes Living Legends, a group of rappers that performed together for years. Collectively they have officially sold over 200,000 copies of their albums, an estimate that Luckyiam says is very conservative.

"It doesn't count all the bootlegged copies which would put the number closer to 500,000," he said.

Luckyiam said his many musical influences include Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd, Queen, Freestyle Fellowship, L.L. Kool J and The Outkasts.

His music isn't traditional rap, he said, but is infused with other styles.

"I'm a public speaker who just happens to have music playing in the background," he said.

Luckyiam has performed with The Grouch and other Living Legends in Anchorage and Girdwood but for this trip he'll be performing solo. He said the Juneau plan was hatched through the networking tool Twitter.

"Good things happen through Twitter," Luckyiam said, explaining that his friend Josh Boots twittered while he was performing at the Hanger last month.

"Josh Boots was hollering at me through Twitter to do a track, and we got to talking and then he said he was doing a show up there," he said.

Luckyiam hadn't done a show in Alaska in a while and said he'd had a great time in Anchorage and Girdwood, so it got him thinking.

"Then Will (Muldoon) saw the conversation, and another one of my boys heard me and he was like... 'Hey, I can get you up here,'" he said, speaking from his home in South Central Los Angeles.

He said he is looking forward to visiting Juneau.

"I've been a whole lotta places in my time and it's exciting to go somewhere that you've never been, ever... I'm running out of those places."

Countries he's visited include England, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Norway and the French Riviera.

Luckyiam will be bringing his 10-month-old pitbull on the trip and said he's hoping to see some eagles while he's in town.

Tickets to his show are available at Aurora Projekt and the Rendezvous for $10, or $15 at the door. Juneau's own Sea Life w/ DJ Judo will open the show.

• Contact Courtney nelson at nelsonfamily@acsalaska.net">nelsonfamily@acsalaska.net

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The glass is already broken

Columnist discusses thoughts on letting go

Mark Epstein tells a story about a Zen master who holds up a glass knowing it's already broken. He enjoys the glass, drinks from it, sees it reflect the sun in different patterns and taps it to make a nice sound. But when it breaks and he understands the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.

No one can deny that Americans have a hard time letting go, and it costs us. We fill up our houses, then storage units, and insure our stuff in case it's broken or stolen. This physical stuff throws us off balance, weighs on our psyches and manifests in insomnia, obesity, stress, sickness, disconnection or all of the above.

Prescription drugs will cure us of the stress of ownership we're told, and commercials are filled with images of life with pills. Wearing white clothes, we'll float on butterflies out of our bedroom windows as we fall asleep with Melatonin. Armed with Viagara we'll take sunny boat rides to private island cabanas with dream partners, found on match.com.

Beside taking a pill to chill, we're told the cure for our consumer hangovers is more consuming and dumping, which isn't working according to Annie Leonard, who produced "Story of Stuff." She writes about the effects of consumerism saying her "goal is to make the invisible visible and have people think more comprehensively about life."

Taking a more holistic approach to understanding our need to buy things and hold on to them reveals that we already have what we need - we just can't see it under all the garbage. Since all action originates in the invisible world of thought, the logical place to begin a cleansing of the material world is in the mind.

MIND OVER MATTER

Right now, 4 million pounds of space debris is orbiting the Earth, threatening satellites, communication and the lives of our astronauts. Our minds also have ominous debris floating around. Eighties song refrains, Smurf snippits, car accidents, vacations, fear of bungee jumping, traumatic memories, faces and places swirl in my head threatening to crash and re-surface during a board meeting.

While memories are important, certain ones can keep us attached to unhealthy emotions and energy from our past, so we need to let them go.

Some say the first step is to take an inventory. Through meditation we can observe our thoughts then acknowledge and release them, freeing ourselves to move forward to our full potential.

Sitting quietly as an impartial observer during meditation allows one to watch thoughts arise and pass away without interference. A first meditation session might go something like this. "OK, I am observing my mind, sitting quietly ... wow, I need to vacuum under the couch ... OK, I'm observing my thoughts ... my feet are cold ... focus, focus ... did I get Aunt Lola a birthday present? ... where is the vacuum? ... do I smell mold? Is that rain I hear?"

OK, there's no denying meditating is hard, but with practice I'm told it gets easier.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a 37-year-old Harvard-educated brain surgeon, wrote a book called "A Stroke of Insight" - after she had a stroke that silenced her left hemisphere, the source of all this brain chatter. She discovered that the right hemisphere is complete bliss without language and other analytical skills. She describes it as Nirvana. Accessing it can improve quality of life.

The closest I ever came to Nirvana came from a surprising source - a gong. One sunny afternoon in Venice Beach, Calif., a healer named Laura played a gi-normous Zlidjian gong for my friends and I for about an hour.

Lying comfortably on a rug, my monkey mind jumped all over the place while she struck the gong. After a while my mind quieted, and I floated into a prescription drug commercial. Clouds were moving in fast forward, swirling in front of spectacular blue skies, I flew over large deserts and oceans, catching glimpses of my yoga instructors in warrior poses on breathtaking cliffs.

I was hooked. After buying my own gong, I begged people to gong for me while I took a quick trip to Nirvana. No one could gong more than 10 minutes before they grew bored and started talking. Now my Nirvana vessel is sitting dusty on my piano. Guess I'll settle by watching a music video.

As Folk Festival wraps up today, we've had a week of right-brain-filled moments. Guy Davis took us away to a happy place filled with chocolate kisses from the chocolate man and then brought us to our feet in standing ovation. We were united in our love of great music; these are priceless moments that can't be bought.

So stop worrying about your physical stuff. The glass is already broken, the shirt is already stained, the house has already burned down, your car is already wrecked. Just enjoy what you have, and if you like to strike a gong, please contact me.

• Courtney Nelson is a Juneau resident. She can be reached at nelsonfamily@acsalaska.net">nelsonfamily@acsalaska.net.

Friday night fights

Solomon victorious; MMA fights get crowd going strong

The fights were evenly divided with three boxing matches and three MMA fights Friday night at Roughhouse Boxing at Marlintini's Lounge.

Anchorage's Jesse "The Roofer" Solomon, 28, hailing from Hawaii and weighing in at 190 pounds, brought his record to 47-5-1 with his boxing win over Ketchikan's Gabe "The Truth" Duckworth, 27, weighing 276 pounds, in the main event.

Solomon's strategy going in was to, "Stay tight, bend my knees and watch out for bombs," he said. Solomon fought Duckworth two times before winning by split decision.

Solomon says boxing keeps him healthy and out of trouble, as long as he doesn't get hit in the head.

"The art of boxing is to hit and not get hit, so you're doing something wrong if you're getting hit all the time, especially after nine years," he said before the fight.

Both boxers were evenly matched through the first round despite the 86-pound weight difference. They got tangled up a few times with Duckworth's reach catching Solomon under his arm after a swinging blow.

In round two there were repeated breaks when boxers got tangled and fatigued. Solomon boxed out when Duckworth had him against the ropes, but Solomon hung on for the win.

In an MMA fight featuring two first-time fighters, Petersburg's Craig Weimer, 21, an Army soldier, defeated Domino's employee and Juneau resident Brian James Samaniego-Howard, 19, by forcing Samaniego-Howard to tap out.

"This is my first official fight ever and it feels good because I won," said Weimer.

He also said he had a shaky start when he started throwing wide. But Weimer said he went back to what he knew - wrestling.

Early in the first round, Weimer, who wrestled from third to ninth grade in Petersburg, and Samaniego-Howard went to the mat, but they went out of bounds and referee Joe Isturis broke them up.

Weimer got Samaniego-Howard in a behind-the-back choke hold and the fight was over before the end of round one.

Sitka's Eric Moy, 18, brought his record to 2-1-0 with his win over Steven Roberts, 19, hailing from Klawock, who was fighting his first boxing match.

Moy, a wrestler and football player in high school, came out with boxing gloves and in an obvious mix-up as Roberts showed up with MMA gloves.

Roberts agreed to box for the first time even though he admits he would have trained more had he known he was going to box.

"They didn't tell me that we were boxing," said Roberts, who had sparred with his brother before.

Moy agreed the outcome would have been different if they'd fought MMA.

"He hit me pretty hard, I wasn't really expecting that," said Moy after the bout. "He did better than I did my first time boxing - he hit me right in the stomach and I figured he would have gone straight for my face as a first-time-boxer."

In the first round Roberts was making wide, wild swings to tag Moy, who answered by finding the opening to Roberts' head.

Early in round two Moy exploded, tagging Roberts multiple times and getting him against the ropes. At that point, the two appeared gassed.

During the third round boxers were even, then Moy recovered from a low blow and pummeled Roberts with some hard shots to grab the win by split decision.

Hoonah's Eric Larson, 21, brought his record to 3-5-0 with his win over fellow heavyweight, Klawock's James "The Beast" Roberts Jr., 24, weighing 323 pounds, in a match that left Roberts hearing-impaired.

Roberts was aggressive from the bell, but left his head open to some hard shots from Larson who seemed unphased by the heavy-leather Roberts delivered.

Larson tagged Roberts and bloodied his nose repeatedly, but "The Beast" persevered. Larson found renewed energy and attacked Roberts with a barrage of hard blows, issuing him a standing eight count before Roberts could answer with a huge left.

Larson out-tagged Roberts to grab the win.

"It's all play time for me," said Larson after the win. "He hits hard - he dazed me a couple times."

"I can't remember much and I can't hear out of one ear," said Roberts after the bout. "He must have hit me pretty hard because I can't remember much right now, but it was a pretty good fight," said Roberts, who will match up against Larson in the showdown next month.

Charlie Gallant, 20, weighing in at 210 pounds, defeated Costco worker, 202-pound Lee Finau, 21, hailing from California, bringing Gallant's record to 30-3-0.

In round one, Finau got the first punch in and Gallant answered with a pummeling that left Finau on the ground after both boxers got off balanced and slipped. Finau recovered, getting Gallant against the ropes and using him as punching bag until the bell.

Both boxers were gassed early in round two after a flurry of fists from each.

During round three Gallant was more aggressive, but both were injured when they fell to the floor, both boxers sucking air to the end.

"I tested him out the first round, took a wide stance and hit him as hard as I could. Then he hit me and we both got tired," said Gallant, who said his arms and legs were really tired by the end of the second round.

Alaskan Brewing Company employee Henry Dehling, 24, brought his record to 6-4-1 with his MMA win over a first-time fighter, Chicago's Eric Nygren, 32, by tap out 50 seconds into round three.

Nygren kicked repeatedly, and Dehling got him to the mat where Nygren locked Dehling's head with his legs, but Dehling spun out. Fighters then traded choke holds to the bell.

In round two, after delivering a spinning, jumping high-kick followed by hard tags to the head, Dehling took down Nygren where they traded power positions to the bell.

Dehlig took Nygren to the mat early in round three, got him in a choke hold and started to twist his back until he tapped out. Dehlig injured his left hand in the bout.

The Southeast Showdown will be held May 7th.

Fight Card

Craig Weimer defeats Brian

Howard

Eric Moy defeats Steven

Roberts

Eric Larson defeats James

"The Beast" Roberts Jr.

Charlie Gallant defeats Lee

Finau

Henry Dehling defeats Eric

Nygren

Jesse "The Roofer" Solomon

defeats Gabe "The Truth"

Duckworth

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Money matters

Searching for a heart of gold


The Alaska gold rush got people bustling with energy and dreaming of life with gold. People were willing to gamble their lives for a taste of the good life.

I didn't come to Juneau in search of gold, but I've been doing a money dance for years. I've earned it, raised it, borrowed it, repaid it, saved it, blown it, invested it, had it stolen, won it, lost it, found it, been swindled and conned, and I'm still confused about money. And if we save a pot of gold, do we suffer worrying about it? Here are some ideas I've heard about money.

"The more you give away the more you get back"

Doesn't everybody have to generously give for this to work? It seems some people are generous while others squirrel it away. Alaska USA bank tellers in Juneau said they've noticed there are savers and spenders, and rarely people in between. Both bankers said they were spenders with one exclaiming, "The more I make, the more I spend," because she can't take it with her.

"Carpe Diem"

The poet Horace once said "Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the unknowable future, instead one should scale back one's hopes to a brief future, and drink one's wine."

This was true for comedian Sam Kinison, who walked into a restaurant in Hollywood where I worked and enjoyed handing out hundred-dollar bills. A year later he got hit by a truck.

Seizing the day didn't work for my seamstress in L.A. He/she was a midget-transvestite ex-showgirl with romantic ties to a famous mobster. He once enjoyed four-star hotels, private jets and sequins and jewels. Now in his 80s, his mobster is behind bars, and he's struggling to pay rent and support his dog. His thick Spanish accent would rasp at me over the phone: "My dog needs surgery. Can I make you a dress?"

"Every want is not a need"

I have a rich aunt and uncle who've managed their money well and traveled the world. My aunt even broke her leg on the Great Wall of China. When asked how they manage money they said, "Every want is not a need."

This same aunt and uncle would then fly to the Galapagos Islands to go snorkeling. I'm confused. Was that a want or a need? I needed those Shoefly shoes, I wanted to eat ...

"Put your nose to the grindstone"

My grandmother, widowed with four children, found herself forced back to work. After buckling down and making a fortune in real estate, she retired in her million-dollar home, drank cheap wine and clipped coupons. She was incredibly generous with her family but would take restaurant condiments. She retired and lived comfortably below her means. I wish she'd spent her retirement traveling with a companion, drinking vintage wine.

"Go big or bust"

I used to work graveyards at Canter's, a bakery and deli in Los Angeles open 24 hours. Sunset strip clubbers packed the place when the bars closed. Before their group Guns and Roses skyrocketed to fame, a broke Slash and Axl Rose used to sit at the counter milking a cup of coffee.

Marc Canter, the deli owner's son, was friends with Slash since fifth grade. Marc loaned them money to record their first demo which had the hit song "Welcome to the Jungle." His friends achieved stardom, and Marc eventually wrote a book called "Reckless Road," about their rise. Marc said they paid him back and then some.

"I loaned money to them not just because they were my friends, but because I believed in them," said Marc, who watched their sold out concerts from the front row. "Would they have made it without me? Probably. They had the talent. I just made it a little easier, helped them get started."

"Money can't buy happiness"

I once had Buddhist monks, who believe money is essential but causes suffering, tell me about my past life, present life and future life for $200.

In my past life they said I was a male, mountain-dwelling, turban-wearing hermit who didn't bathe much. They pointed out I was a highly evolved human being though - unlike this life.

In my next life I'm going to be a successful business man with lots of money, but that might not buy me love as Paul McCartney found out.

"Do what you love, the money will follow"

Author Marsha Sinetar wrote that finding your right livelihood is the ticket to financial freedom. That each of us will eventually express our burning desires and make a fortune, settling for jobs that are uninteresting, tedious and unrewarding will make us miserable. It worked for Guns and Roses, who preferred to die doing what they loved instead of settling.

Warren Buffet - The king of money

The third richest man in the world believes in investing and has $54 billion. He'd have more but he keeps giving it to charities. While in high school he made $174,000 by placing a pinball machine in a barber shop, taking the earnings and buying another until he had machines all over town. He started creatively investing people's money and struck gold. He doesn't measure success by money.

"When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you," he said. "That's the ultimate test of how you've lived your life."

He stated in 2006 that he will leave all his money to charities.

•••

So where is the happy medium between saving the economy and saving us? Marc Canter thinks you should have enough money to cover unexpected stresses that arise, but not have too much.

"That's when divorces, overdoses, and suicides happen, when there is too much money," he said.

I like the attitude of writer, poet and critic Dorothy Parker who left all her money to the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation. "Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves."

• Send Courtney Nelson your thoughts about money for the next column. She can be reached at nelsonfamily@acsalaska.net">nelsonfamily@acsalaska.net.