Big band arranger and composer Van Alexander is best known for arranging Ella Fitzgerald’s career-launching hit A-Tisket A-Tasket, which she recorded on May 2 (his birth date), 1938, with Chick Webb’s band, but his long and varied career in film and television also has many other highlights. Visit his website for more information, music, and photos. Read a 2012 interview here and see a 12 minute video here.
“Worth Repeating” is a weekly feature on the EngAGE Blog that will bring you previous posts that we think are still timely, interesting, or just plain fun! From 5/14/12:
“More older Americans nationwide are choosing to remain part of the workforce than they were a decade ago, according to data by the National Bureau of Labor Statistics. Whether the reason is financial necessity or personal satisfaction, one thing is certain, workers are going gray…The average American expects to retire at 67, according to Gallup’s annual Economy and Personal Finance survey, conducted from April 9 to 12. That’s up from 63 a decade ago and age 60 in the mid-1990s…[Queens, NY, District Attorney Richard] Brown said he believes many seniors continue to work because it gives them a sense of purpose, self-worth and personal satisfaction, even if their work consists of volunteer activities.” Read more here.
In early May, Ashoka teamed up with Wondros, a full-service production company specializing in translating complex business and pro-social ideas into simple media messages, to bring together a handful leading social entrepreneurs [all Ashoka Fellows] to figure out the key ingredients to movement-making in the digital age. At the heart of everything: storytelling. Tim Carpenter, Founder and Executive Director of EngAGE was one of the storytellers/leading social entrepreneurs who participated.
Lennon Flowers, Community Director for Ashoka’s Start Empathy Initiative, condensed the experience for an article in Forbes Magazine entitled, “Creating Modern-Day Movements: Filmmakers And Social Entrepreneurs Share What It Takes To Spread An Idea.” Click here to read the article and discover the four lessons that came out of the discussions.
Click the names of the participants below to read their entire presentations. Don’t miss Tim’s, which is not only insightful but very amusing!
Tune in to Experience Talks, our “Radio Magazine for the Experienced Listener.” Saturdays 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles, 98.7 FM Santa Barbara, 99.5 China Lake, 93.7 N. San Diego, streaming live online and now syndicated on up to 100 Pacifica Network stations! You can also enjoy hearing all of our previous shows on the Listen Page of our Experience Talks website.
Experience Talks will be on hiatus during the KPFK Fund Drive from May 18th through June 1st, but we’ll be posting Experience Talks Online soon!
We’re happy to introduce Nate, Megan, and Lakshmi!
Nathaniel Hall, Regional Programs Director and Free Food Program Coordinator (L.A.) – Mr. Hall’s background is in social work. He has been employed by the WLCAC/ GRYD Program in Watts, CA, as a Case Manager/Counselor working with at risk young teens from ages 12-16; at Shields for Families in Compton, CA, as a Case Manager working with children whose parent or parents are housed at an inpatient drug treatment facility; and at El Nido Family Service in Carson, CA, as a Case Manager supervising a caseload of 30-35 minors receiving county Aid. He has an AA degree Interdisciplinary Studies from Los Angeles Southwest College and is currently completing studies for a BS degree in Administrative Justice at Cal State University, Long Beach.
Megan Hocking, Arts Programs Manager – Ms. Hocking has worked in non-profit and municipal recreation programming for over 10 years. She earned her degree in Recreation Administration at the California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo where she specialized in Special Events and Business Marketing. Megan is an accomplished event planner and instructor. She has been volunteering and working with seniors for most of her life and enjoys offering her unique brand of fun and energy to EngAGE programming.
Lakshmi Jonnada, Regional Programs Director – Ms. Jonnada is responsible for implementing innovative programming and maintaining the quality of programs provided by EngAGE. She has 12 years’ experience in the human services field. She worked as a Community Liaison for The Hawthorne School District, linking families to community resources and implementing lifelong learning programming to bring families together. She has been recognized numerous times for her success in keeping high rate attendance and participation rates. She organized and presented many times at conferences held by the Los Angeles County of Education – Even Start Family Literacy, No Child Left Behind, and the Nutrition Network. She worked as a Resource Coordinator with seniors with mental disabilities and built strong relationships with networking partners to secure generic resources. She has volunteered for non-profit organizations such as Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall Operation READ program, YMCA Silver Sneakers, and Lake Ave. Community Foundation Homeless Programs. Ms. Jonnada holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services from the University of Phoenix.
There’s something quite wonderful and yet a bit poignant about documenting the passage of time on a regular basis for over thirty years. “For more than three decades, documentary photographer Nicholas Nixon has captured the Brown Sisters — his wife Bebe and her sisters Heather, Mimi and Laurie — in a series of moody photos that go beyond your typical family portrait.” Read more and see photos here. The link includes a slide show of the Kinsella family, who also take annual photos, and a further link to a group of friends who are photographed every five years.
At age 88, Tsuruko Yamazaki, one of the founding members of the Gutai group in 1954, now has a solo exhibition at Take Ninagawa in Tokyo featuring “a series of new works created on tin, her favorite medium due to its reflective and malleable qualities. Yamazaki uses dye, lacquer and thinner to create ethereal streaks and gradations of incandescent colors. Her work is on display through June 1, 2013.” Read more and see more of her artwork here.
