Malari Coburn finds Community Gardens right here in Shreveport

"This place is where the lord has prepared for us to live." -Nan Lewis.

This is a great episode on Shreveport community gardens. It features several community members including Nan Lewis, Leia Lewis, Dorothy McDonald, Sheila Kelly, and Ruby Small. Malari Coburn, new to the podcasting movement, produced this show for her class "Environment and Society" ENST 324.

The episode clocks in at 34'57" (download) [mp3]

Malari highlights the Sankofa Community Garden, created by Leia Lewis. There's a lot of optimism in these gardens. Their power to build communities is just starting in Shreveport, in your backyard.

photo credit to Jeanne Hamming.
[Updated 6/1 2:38p: changed course to "Environment and Society ENST 324. See all of Centenary's classes here.

A Few Reasons to Attend the Moviesauce Film Festival

Never heard of Moviesauce? Well, there are several reasons you might not have heard of this film fest, but that's why I'm here to spread the word! MSFF was started in 2005 by Evan Falbaum and Hunter Carter. These two, along with a smattering of other Magnet students, decided to start an independent student-run festival after CMHS canceled its own film fest. In its three years, it's grown from showing student shorts to feature length movies and documentaries.

Now, here are some reasons that YOU (yes, you) should get out this weekend and see what Moviesauce is all about:

1. It's a Film Fest!! - Sure it might not be Sundance or Cannes, but it's the closest your gonna get here in Louisiana. In 2 days, you have the opportunity to see 12 films that you'll probably never see otherwise. Get out there and culture yourself!
2. RFC - Robinson Film Center, you know, that really cool place that just opened? Shreveport has need a place like RFC for years and now it's here! Have you been there yet? No (don't worry, neither have I)? Well, get out of the house and go downtown this weekend and check it out!
   
3. Cheaper than going to the movie theater - So I already mentioned that MSFF has 12 films showing. Well, they're divided into 5 programs over 2 days. Each program only costs $7. You can also get an Overdose Pass for all 5 programs for $30!
4. Support local endeavors! - Moviesauce was started by guys from Shreveport, for Shreveport! Complain no more about the lack of things to do here. For at least this weekend, there's one event you can tend that's cheap and open to the entire public (no age restriction!).
5. I Can't Go - Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, I will be out of town this weekend. I've attended the last two (and consequently the first two) Moviesauces and I'm saddened that I can go this year. I'm hoping that if one or two people read this and go, it'll make up for my absence. But you know, if ten or twelve of you decide to go because of this, that's cool too.
   

Moviesauce Film Festival takes place May 30th and 31th at the Robinson Film Center. For more information on tickets, film selections and program schedule, please check out the offical MSFF website.

Girls Rock!, Yes ma'am they do [Playing at a groovy theater near you]

Two nights ago I saw Girls Rock! at the Robinson Film Center. I took a risk seeing a movie in the "Celebrity Theater", which is currently known for its obscure films. Girls Rock! is playing this and next week, ending on June 8.

So, what did I think?

I was blown away. The film is a documentary on a camp with 100 girls ages 8-18. They have 5 days to come up with one song to perform in front of 700+ people. Some of the girls have been playing the guitar their entire life. Others admit seeing a bass guitar for the first time. Regardless, they do come together, as women musicians, to pony up some serious music.

The best thing about the movie is the influence from popular women artists. We heard Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and the Gossip. Ahhh, my love for angry girl rock just keeps growing, as should yours.

“Everyone needs to feel that someone gets them,” says Laura, who loves death-metal and worries about finding like-minded band mates. The eight-year-old Palace, a diminutive diva with a high-decibel vocal style, pens lyrics that hint at deeper anxieties. -NYTimes Review

Trailer on YouTube:

Live from NYC #2: Bodies of Water [Airing this week]

Vanessa Boyd has created the second "Live from NYC", a new program featuring live music in New York, along with band interviews and audience reactions. This week's episode features Bodies of Water, out of Los Angeles, CA.

We'll be airing this episode this and next week on Monday and Friday at noon (CST).

The episode clocks in at 4'30" (download)
[MP3] Bodies of Water - I Guess I'll Forget the Sound, I Guess, I Guess

Vanessa Boyd graduated from Centenary College in 1999. She was a co-program Director at KSCL from 1997-98. Now, she's a musician and artist living in New York City. If you or your band would like to set up an interview with Vanessa, contact Jon Schleuss (me).

photo from www.bodiesofwater.net

Saturday Links

Sadly, our board still isn't completely installed. I'm getting so stressed out about it. Good thing, Tyler, Zakk, Nadine, Liz, and (now) Kelly are working hard on their ends. We have some awesome things going on this summer, but it's all sortof hinging, on, erm, the board getting installed. Soon.

While we all wait around patiently for the board, let's do some linkin'.

Mark Flentge's Dignan show is tonight.
I'm gonna be there, I've saved up the dough. Will I see you? Remember to bring a camera.

Chris Brown has some great "Shreveport Music" photos on his Flickr.
I just found them the other day and am excited about the idea of a larger group with photos from more people. Maybe some Flickr-er wants to create a group for this purpose?

Kathryn Usher interviewed me for KTBS's "Neighborhood News Team" special.
I talked about Twitter, which is an amazing application, connecting people of like minds through 140-character posts. Have you seen Kathryn's blog? It's a great portrayal of life in Highland and downtown Shreveport. She was so nice to buy me coffee!

Music Blogging through college
Two guys from Massachusetts and Kentucky run the mp3-blog named "i guess i'm floating". They post news and music from the underground music scene. I get a lot of my own personal tunes from there. I've entertained the idea of spinning off a ksclmp3 blog for us, but now we're just too busy.

Polyvinyl Records is having a sale.
Dude, you know, like Mates of State, Aloha, Headlights, and of Montreal. Their sale will end on June 2nd, and they still have the entire discography from of Montreal going for $70USD. Every time I've ordered something from Polyvinyl I'm always surprised at the extra goodies they include in the box.

Jennifer Waits, a fan of college radio, blogs the scene.
I enjoy Jennifer's posts. She covers a wide range of stations across the country. Some good, some bad. It surprises me just how many DJs still do illegal things on air. However, it's awesome to see some stations excel under student leadership.

Enjoy the long (but gas-pricey) weekend!

photo creds to Kelly

Boundary Lines: Islam with Sarah Zitterman

The latest Boundary Lines episode will discuss Islam in Shreveport with Sarah Zitterman. My thanks to Sarah and her husband, Halim, for agreeing to do the interview and for inviting me to the Islamic Center Yassin Mosque on Youree Drive for a Friday prayer meeting in April. The interview with Sarah was recorded at the Mosque where we discussed the history and theology of Islam as well as the role of women in the religion.

This episode also discusses Islam in comparison to the other Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism) and how it relates to them. Who is Prophet Muhammad? What role does Jesus play in Islam? Do we (the Abrahamic religions) all share the same God?

Sarah's episode with me will air on Thursdays June 5 and 12, 2008 at 6:00 PM.

Pictured above is a photo of the altar at the mosque I visited and left is a photo of Sarah and Halim.

Photos by Tyler Davis

First-Ever KSCL-Mobile!

Saturday, 17 May 2008, I found myself spray-painting Zakk's car... with his approval of course. Zakk, the new Music Director, agreed to let me art his car up with stencils and paint, so we spent the better half of the day working and eating chicken in a parking lot on Centenary's campus until we got it done. What we have as a result is the first-ever 2008 model "KSCL-mobile." This fine machine was once Zakk's navy blue '91 Mitsubishi Gallant. Now it is Zakk's black superhero car with- what's that? Oh yeah, those are lightning bolts...


According to Zakk, so far responses to the KSCL-mobile have been quite warm. Zakk has reported car honks and thumbs-up in approval as well as the occasional finger of disapproval from KSCL-haters.

Unfortunately, Zakk recently told me at a staff meeting that he was pulled over by a curious State Trooper only to be given a ticket for expired tags. Zakk pointed out that if he had not been painted with lightning bolts he probably would not have been stopped. For that I am truly sorry.

But all-in-all, Zakk and his mom pretty much love his new paint job. So all is well!

And, oh yeah, if you are a supporter of KSCL and see Zakk out in the "mobile" please honk your support. Also, if your a cop who loves our station, please don't pull Zakk over. He's really late for something important. Thanks!






Photos and Art Work by Tyler Davis

Dignan playing at Actor's Cafe (There'll be a contest too)

Mark Flentge & Co. are at it again. This time with Dignan, out of McAllen, Texas. The show is set for May 24th at the Actor's Cafe. 8 o'clock.

Musically, Dignan ranges quite a bit. Journalists note Arcade Fire and Borken Social Scene as inspirations. Dignan incorporates a variety of instruments too, such as the xylophone, accordion, and trombone. Personally, I dig them. They're low-key with an Owen/Audible sound driven by lounge vibes. Yeah, I just said lounge vibes. Don't worry though, they've got emotion.

Also, the beautiful All Get Out and And, Wellington will join the night's lineup.

CONTEST!
So, what's the hubbub on this "contest." Flentge is working on a photo album for all Flentge Productions. Contestants just need to post a link to his myspace blog and provide their name. Winners will get free admission (along with a guest) to the next show, a copy of the newest album from the headlining band, a meet & greet, and be featured in the upcoming photo album. For more info, hit up that link. Be prepared for competition, I own a camera.

See the Facebook affair

Poster design by Shannon Palmer
Show brought by Flentge Productions

Centenary Looking for New Dean of Student Life

Centenary President Kenneth Schwab sent out an email today informing campus of Lori Bradshaw's departure from the position of Dean of Student Life. According to Dr. Schwab, Ms. Bradshaw will stay on campus and assist with the transition though mid-June. The search committee appointed to help locate the new Dean will be chaired by Dr. Scott Chirhart, Assistant Professor of Biology.

This search committee will consist of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dr. Joshua Lawrence, Associate Professor of Business Dr. Kelly Weeks, Cross Country Coach Dr. Shelley Armstrong, Head Women's Soccer Coach Chase Wooten, Director of Human Resources Tracy Maranto-Phillips, Director of Public Safety Zeke Aull, President of Alumni Association Hoyt Bain, and students Anna Maris and Emma Cook.

Looking For the Family of Larry Dale Birdsong

I recently received an email from the Chief Investigator of Franklin County, Ohio regarding the search for Larry Dale Birdsong's family. Mr. Birdsong died in a crash and they are trying to inform his estranged family. Below is the text of the email.

"The Franklin County Coroner’s office is attempting to locate the family of Larry Dale Birdsong of Shreveport and Many Louisiana. Mr. Birdsong died April 28^th, 2006 at the Mount Carmel Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio as a result of crashing a motor scooter. Mr. Birdsong is son of David R. Birdsong and Tamera (Tammy) Smith (nee Ellis). Information gathered from local sources name Grandmother-Barbara Ellis and Brother Harry and sisters Crystal and Mary Jane and an Aunt-Shirley Koocher.

Using all available internet resources and having called the Many Police Department, we have not yet been able to locate and notify estranged family members. Thomas Merriman of Columbus, Ohio, roommate of victim, indicate that he has been estranged from his family for approximately 15 years and last resided in Louisiana and the Shreveport area. If anyone knows of any of the above persons or can assist us, please contact the Franklin County Coroner’s office in Columbus, Ohio 614-462-5290 we are open 24/7/365."

If anyone knows Mr. Birdsong's family, please contact the Franklin County Coroner's office.

UPDATE: New Sound Board

I just wanted to share a picture of the new sound board with everyone. This is what will be installed in the booth. For those of you who have not seen the old sound board I just want to point out that the new one surprisingly looks almost exactly like the old one (minus the wood paneling on the sides). Cool, huh???

Photo by Schleuss

Fishboy might just pass through Shreveport on Saturday...

...and Maybe KSCL can catch them! Fishboy, the Denton TX indie pop group, will head back home on May 21st, hopefully traveling through Shreveport this weekend. The Actor's Cafe had booked them, but later realized they'd overbooked the night. They opted Fishboy out. So, I just sent the group a message asking if we could host them for an interview or show. Might be a nice little summer break?

With band member names like "Dr. John 'Dodecapus-Rex' Mustafis III," and "Sweatpants" you gotta love 'em. For more, check out You Ain't No PIcasso's post (with song).

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New Board- New Booth

On May13, our engineer, Eddy, took out our old sound board in the booth. I think it had been there since... when sound boards were invented? He was able to remove the board without disrupting the play of automated rotations. But, we are waiting on new wires to come in so that Eddy can install our NEW board (which we have). So until we can get the new sound board in place we are not going to have live shows. If you want to protest this decision, look at the picture of our broadcasting booth. If you are a DJ and you can do a show with a a speaker thingy and a red golf ball go for it! (sarcasm, please don't try to do a red golf ball show...)






Picture by Schleuss

Tonight: Lucha Libre, ViviaChita! brings Art, Music, Live Graffitti to Actor's Cafe

Wrestlers that wear colorful masks...Latin music...Live Grafitti. ¡Éste es Lucha Libre! Starts at 5pm. Several artist will be on display, including:

-Robert Rogers
-Sizer
-Micah Herald
-Chris Stripling
-John Bentrup
-Courtney Spalding
-Brandon Davis
-John Daniel
-Paul Garner
-Adam Williams
-BJ Wheless
-Chuck Loridans
-Kevin DaLoche
-Brandon Wheat
-Ben Moss
-Conchita
-Me (scary, I know)

VivaChita is hosting the event at Actors Cafe on Farifield Ave.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

School's, yes, out for summer! / Rigby Fawkes

Hells ya! We're done baby, at least for a few months. And, speaking simply, we had a very, very hard semester. Us radio kids live a different life. We "do" school and run the radio station, a mammoth undertaking. No complaints from us, save that SGA should pay us more!

But today is not a day of complaints. We are all smiling. Real lines are being drawn across our faces. We're complete: the semester's over.

Ergo, let's pretend we're a snazzy music blog for a second. And here's your song. The band is now defunct, from Little Rock. I went to school with the band mates. Ed and I wore goofy ties to school for two years. Rigby Fawkes will reportedly get back together for a quick show June 4th-11th. Rumors about awesome bands getting back together make me nervous and excited! Well dearies, enjoy the day, because it's also FRIDAY!

Complete.mp3 - Rigby Fawkes

Centenary Webmail Hacked, Students lose all information, IT says, "We told you so"

Okay, maybe not all-at least not yet. If you have a Centenary Webmail account beware.


Nice, that even on the last day of school I'm super fueled up to write an article about shotty work in the Centenary arena.

So, if you have a Centenary Webmail Account: BEWARE!

There's a phishing scam hitting campus. Users receive an email that appears perfectly legitment, even from "info@centenary.edu". The subject line is "Webmail Upgrade." The email directs the user to a site that appears to be Centenary's webmail login screen. After punching in your information you're thanked. Wait? What just happened?
You just gave up your username and password to someone in Montana.

Centenary's response has been slow. An hour and a half after these emails appeared Centenary's IT department released a statement, "We have been notified of an email that has been received by some of you that appears that it has come from the Centenary IT Department, it is not...The IT Department does not ask for any of these types of data in an email."

Okay, I consider myself somewhat web-savvy and I did overlook the url (hahnyao.ax3). However, it appears that the email was sent form "info@centenary.edu" which leads me to wonder if that account has been hacked. Further, how would this phishing organization get students emails? I mean, mine's prominently displayed on KSCL, but what about others? It takes a password and username to get in there.

There could be more problems than just these. Hopefully the Conglomerate is researching.

I just wish someone would tell us what to do now. I've rearranged the passwords. Should I take any further steps?

[UPDATE (10:41am, 5/9): The Centenary IT Department has released another email within the last hour. For the future, they recommend changing your password and [if in doubt] never clicking a link inside an email. IT then goes on to add a link in their email.

My take: It's the best argument for preventing this in the future. IT can't prevent this from happening at small places like Centenary. Users should double check any links in emails. It's a wakeup call to remember to check the URL at the top. However, I'm under the impression that "info@centenary.edu" has been hacked. Somehow, someone got access to the "secure" page listing all the students email addresses. Or are we keeping that hush-hush?]

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KSCL.fm undergoing redesign [again]

Hey all,

We are so close to being finished with finals. I'll be done after one more project and I can't flippin' wait.

I've been working very hard on one project, for Web Design. I decided to take the kscl.fm site on, incorporating the history section in along the way. I'd love some feedback.

KSCL.fm redesign


So, here are my current notes:
-I wanted to go with a homepage that incorporated the blog and schedule in a smaller format.
-Our big push is toward interactivity (blogging, podcasting, internet streaming, & twitter?)
-Our history section is huge and needs an upgrade. I've only just started on it, but I'm going to add more stuff in the coming weeks. Currently the sidebar navigation doesn't work in Internet Explorer.
-I'm playing around with adding a sub navigation for the "News" section. In there, I'd post links to our various interviews & media.

Okay, I'll be updating this beast more over the coming weeks, but the brute of the work is done. D-O-N-E. Done!

Get excited about upcoming episodes from Nadine and me!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

If we survive finals..

So we behind the golden, diamond-encrusted gates at the KSCL office (CAB donated us their budget for the last two weeks of April) are counting the hours until semester exams are over and we're out breathing the sweet swampy summer air of freedom.

Coming up over the next few weeks will be the release of a lot of interviews on podcast and on air, including the ones with environmentalist Dr. Garrison and medical ethicist Dr. Hackler. Hopefully we'll also get internet streaming going as well.

But until then, I'll be chugging coffee like it's going out of style while trying to convince myself to review that one nuclear physics problem with the helium atom splitting from the lithium atom one more time instead of watching old Colbert clips.... Has anyone else seen him at the 2006 White House Correspondents dinner? Probably the most hilarious thing that will ever be recorded on C-SPAN--watch it here.

Gas Strike Today, Shreveport

Gas Face
Originally uploaded by Red River Blog Jam

Text messages are like viruses, which might just be a good thing. I was hesitant to say anything, but today is a GAS STRIKE, according to my phone.

er...we're boycottin' the petrol, baby! let's bring them prices down!

Here are the messages I've been getting:
"The nation is attempting a GAS STRIKE.....FRIDAY MAY 2nd. So DON'T buy gas that day. Send to everyone u know. Gas is going up to 4.09." -friend in Monroe, LA

"FWD: GAS STRIKE Friday May 2nd. Do not buy any gas that day!anywhere! Send 2 every one in your phone, so they can lower gas again like last time." -friend in Los Angeles, CA

"FWD FWD FWD FWD: GAS STRIKE on Friday May 2nd. Do not buy any gas that day! Send 2 every 1 in your phone! We'll cost the us 7 billion in loss." -friend here in Shreve

Hrm. I doubt we'll cost the US 7 billion, simple math tells me that. And I don't remember the "last time" we boycotted gas.

Has anyone else been getting these?