new moons

We have come to the end of the semester and therefore the end of the program for now. Since the MEDIA MEDLEY program that aired on March 22, the Educational Showdown featured a variety of music and educational programs including a few weeks of Adrienne's astute 2-hour musical compilations and two other programs focusing on the PIANO and LIES AND DECEIT...both are available for listening and download! Unfortunately we didn't get to save Adrienne's music programs but if you're interested in some musical inspiration, just send us an email at the educationalshowdown@gmail.com and Adrienne can fulfill all your voids.

Also - We would never have been able to do this without WRUV as a instrumental mainstay of the UVM/Burlington community. To donate to WRUV and its cause please visit WRUV.ORG where you'll find many options for supporting WRUV. 

Thank you for listening and stay tuned for new programs over the next year!

At the forefront of your intellectual desires...
Jaime and Adrienne

Gallimaufry

Chris Lapointe and myself held down the Educational Showdown yesterday while Adrienne Perry was being restful and attending to her wisdom teeth sockets.

We returned from our 3 week respite with a fun and light-hearted melee of whatever interesting topics in history and current events we felt like talking about.

Historical Events, Vernal Equinox, Creative Commons, New Music, Funny News, Spelling Bees and Film Festivals

This show was for those with short attention spans, vast areas of interest and appreciators of trivial knowledge. Check it out on the right and stay tuned next week for a pseudo-biographical program on the Piano.

We must be psychic!

On our last episode, 3.1.2008-"Mental Health", we mentioned the importance and urgency of the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007. As of last week, it had been stuck in the U.S. House yet to be voted on. However in today's NY TIMES, it was announced to have passed!

IT'S NOT OVER YET!

Even though in 2002, President Bush stated he would support such legislation, he hesitated at acceptance of the bill that appeared on his desk yesterday.

"Supporters of mental health parity see it as a civil rights issue, and the debate Wednesday was filled with poignant moments.

“I have a mental illness, and I am fortunately getting the best care this country has to offer because I am a member of Congress,” said Representative Patrick J. Kennedy, Democrat of Rhode Island and chief sponsor of the House bill. Mr. Kennedy has been treated for depression and drug dependence."

- NY TIMES ARTICLE

Take a look at this article and let's take action together to educate ourselves and each other

I had things on my mind

Last week's episode of the Educational Showdown featured the most comprehensive corroboration of interviews we've seen yet. A psychiatrist, nurse, researcher, assisted employment specialist and ex-girfriend all came together Saturday, 3.1.2008, to speak on their perspectives, battles and goals with the industry of mental health.

Tough questions with calculated answers interspersed themselves among the intimate discussion surrounding the complex problem with our society's commitment to treatment and outreach to those with a mental illness.

From the Surgeon General's Report in 2002, 25% of people in the United States are living with a diagnosable mental illness at any given time. Mental illness can be permanent or transient, but the bottom line is that it afflicts many more than we perceive.


"Mental illness doesn't just affect 3 or 4 out of 5, but one out of one" - Dr. William Menninger

Whether you're living with a form of a mental disease or not, it's nearly impossible that you're not affected by someone with one. As a result, we urge two points of action:

1. EDUCATION FURTHER -- see right panel for useful links
2. WRITE YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES in Washington DC to help boost the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 into further legislation; an essential amendment to our currently corrupt insurance policy laws.

Great thanks to (in order of appearance on program): Dr. Robin Lessoff-Perry, Tyson Barker, Daniel Sachs, Scott Perry and Autumn Polidor for contributing to the program

In addition, we're taking a short break for the next two weeks. We'll see you again from WRUV FM Burlington 90.1 on March 22nd from 2-4pm.

At the forefront of your intellectual desires...

Weather is of the Heart

Saturday's program entitled "Under an Ocean of Air: Meditations on the weather" featured a myriad of fun, emotional and complicated perspectives on the weather. Highlights of the program included, trivia, an extreme weather montage, nuclear war during the Cold War and two interviews: Steve Maleski and Tom Messner.

Steve Maleski (left) is one of the meteorologist at the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury. He has been forecasting the weather from the Museum since 1982 and Mark Breen (on the right) has been there with him from the beginning. Their charming reports can be heard on VPR and sometimes other regional stations that extend throughout NY, VT, NH, Western Maine and Southern Quebec. Check out the program for a intriguing and inspirational conversation with Steve Maleski. Visit www.eotsweb.org for more

Tom Messner, head meteorologist for WPTZ television, is a popular local celebrity that not only reports the weather with zeal, but visits schools and attends many community events to take on "the responsibility and opportunity to be a leader in the public eye". He loves having fun, joking around, and also analyzing why the Champlain Valley is so beautiful. Listen in for a conversation with Tom and visit www.wptz.com for more.

This guy is for real

So this Saturday 2.23.2008...we're going appreciate the Ocean of Air that covers us...better known as the stratosphere. The stratosphere holds hundreds of wonders and events of excitement for us ground dwellers and we will meditate upon all of this and more on this week's episode of the Educational Showdown, entitled "Under an Ocean of Air: Meditations on the Weather"

Don't forget to vote on the poll to the right and in the meantime...for your entertainment...see below.

So there's an infinite number of reasons why to get excited about the weather...but here's Mark Mathis...from Charlotte NC. He honestly reports the weather...well sorta...on the local FOX station there...

A Starch Masterpiece

On today's show: along with the narrative slumbers of Dion McGregor we have an interview with Rachel Esancy (left: photopolymer gravure ©2003) artist and manager of Battery Street Jeans, on the traumatic isolation she endured in the name of sleep science. We are also bringing you a collection of dreams from various local personalities and a myriad of cutting edge facts from sleep research being conducted today.
Call us at (802) 656-4399 from 2-4 pm EST!
If you still find yourself tossing and turning when you retire tonight, you may have Restless Leg Syndrome. Find out more, and occupy a small portion of your endless sleepless night, by listening to the list of alternative names for RLS as performed by Michael Showalter.
Next Week: Living Under an Ocean of Air: Meditations on Weather. Are there specific weather-related topics you would like us to cover; some question on the science of precipitation, clouds, storm fronts, or natural disasters that has been nagging you for years? Leave a comment below and we will do our best to satisfy your aching hunger for knowledge and put at ease your inquiring mind.