Dreams really do come true

I am a self-defined MPT addict, nerd and enthusiast. I grew up watching both MPT and PBS programming, and while most people my age (19) may have stopped watching when Arthur and Barney were no longer appealing, I hung in there.

I credit my love of documentaries and cooking to MPT. Through MPT's programming, I have learned how to survive in Alaska by myself (Alone in the Wilderness), how to prepare a six-course meal (Julia Child and Jacques Pepin) and what it was like to live on the American frontier in 1883 (Frontier House).

To me, MPT is irreplaceable because no other station has programming that covers such a wide variety of topics. As a person who has lived both with and without cable television, I always find myself going back to MPT to watch a show on something I may not even be initially interested in. I get sucked in! I can’t resist when Rhea Feikin is on location covering the HonFest or when NOVA is showing the Lost Treasures of Tibet. In most other cases, I probably wouldn’t watch a show on Fermat’s Last Theorem, but I find myself mesmerized and, if given the chance, watching it more than once!

I’ve caught myself on numerous occasions in class, rambling about how much I love MPT, and turning down opportunities to hang out with my friends to stay in and watch Rick Steves and his money belt travel around Europe…again. I’ve been such an enthusiastic viewer that my friend Denisse finally got fed up and yelled at me “If you like it so much why don’t you work there!” That was my light bulb moment: I was shocked that it had never occurred to me!

About eight months later and I AM working at MPT! I’m currently an intern working with a bunch of great people at my dream internship. I must admit that coming to work the first day was surreal. I was given the grand tour, and saw some of the sets that I have watched on television my entire life and met people that have helped create shows that I am obsessed with.

I recently worked an MPT pledge drive (for MPT’s intern pledge night), and I couldn’t have been more excited. I may be an “MPT nerd,” but I am proud to wholeheartedly support a television station that is committed to providing educational and interesting programming that is not dictated by advertising dollars. I still cannot believe that my viewership has come full circle, and am now working at the station I have loved my entire life!

My ultimate goal for this internship? To meet Rhea Feikin!

Update: Since writing this blog entry, Caitlin met Rhea. She still can’t believe it happened!

Caitlin Mullett

Institutional Advancement Intern

(and perhaps MPT's biggest fan. Ever.)

Our Facebook fanpage!

Are you a fan of MPT? Tell the virtual world and meet other fans on MPT's new Facebook fanpage! It features videos, discussion boards, the latest news and behind-the-scenes fun.

MPT's been on the popular social networking for a while now with an MPT group page (available only to those with Facebook accounts, which are now available to anyone who'd like to join!). But our Facebook fanpage is 100% public, so you can log on anytime to see what's new, whether you're on Facebook or not.

Just up this morning: behind-the-scenes, downright hilarious video of a few members of Ireland's famous Anuna horsing around our studios as MPT prepares to film their upcoming holiday spectacular. (And if you've ever wondered what a fire drill is like here, wonder no more! We've got a little of that for ya, too ;)

She's sew unusual!

Ever since I can remember, I have shared a love of design and craftsmanship with my family. I grew up watching This Old House with my dad each weekend. At first, I looked forward to the last episodes of the season, when I could see the final results. As I got older, I learned to appreciate the design process, starting with the bare frames of an old house, and slowly, with an attention to detail, bringing the house back to its former glory.

With my mom, I would watch Sewing With Nancy. My mom loved to buy quilting books. We visited fabric stores once a week, easily. I was surrounded by mounds of fabric, each pile designated for a different project. I wasn’t quite as enamored with the quilting process as my mom was, but once again, I learned to appreciate the work that went into crafting.

So how many major home improvement projects occurred in my house? None. Though I was allowed to paint some rooms. I even used some “decorative painting” techniques, but that was the extent of my attempts to restore “our old house.”

And how many quilts did my mom complete during my childhood? Not one. But this is where I took over. I didn’t want to make myself a quilt, but I definitely wanted to learn how to sew clothes.

I made my first article of clothing–a pair of pants–when I was 15 years old. I’ve been sewing ever since. I’ve made gifts and handbags, pillows and curtains, christening gowns and my wedding dress, along with countless other outfits and projects. I love to surprise people with items...just because. I enjoy the process of quality workmanship that I learned from all those MPT shows I watched as a kid. I still search out design shows, for inspiration, and I can’t wait to get the MPT Digital Channel so I can watch The Creative Life (see clip below!).

I still sew today, and I have about 10 projects going at once. I can’t imagine my life without this creative outlet!

Jen Reece
Associate Online Producer, Thinkport.org
(Check out Jen's sewing blog at http://www.davidanddaisy.com!)

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. (Part I)

This is first in a series of blog entries by the Maryland Humanities Council honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 40th anniversary of his assassination.

It was April 4, 1968, 40 years ago. I was a third-year student at Howard University Law School. With classmate, Kellis Earl Parker (who would serve as a Professor of Law at the University of California, Davis and Professor of Law at Columbia University, New York City) I was at the office/chambers of the Honorable Spottswood W. Robinson in downtown Washington, D.C. At a point in the early evening, a U.S. Marshall, clearly shaken—and almost disoriented—announced the news that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated, and that many cities, communities and neighborhoods, including Washington, D.C., were being assaulted, experiencing fires, violence and looting.

An immediate call to my home assured me that my wife and our children were all safe. Kellis made contact with his family and to our relief, they were also safe. We still faced a hurdle. Because of the manifestation of action and anger, the city had been placed under police and National Guard (martial law) control, and if I were going to reach my home (at 5th and Hamilton Streets, N.W.) I would have to obtain a pass from the U.S. Marshall or face the possibility of arrest for curfew violation.

Black men, walking or driving, on that evening in the streets of Washington were likely to be detained. Very carefully, I drove toward Union Station, such that I could take North Capitol, toward the Old Soldiers Home, thus dodging and bypassing Georgia Avenue, 7th Street, H Street, New Jersey Avenue, 14th Street, and V Street, where signs of disorder were being described on the radio.

Now, some 40 years later, we look back at Rev. King's efforts, at the modern Human and Civil Rights Movement, and it is easy to realize that he was asking the nation to implement the socioeconomic and political equality promised by the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

In recent months, this nation and world have heard some strongly expressed concerns about human rights. The president of the United States and the leaders of Russia, China and other countries have exchanged verbal attacks and counterattacks with respect to which country is more humane toward its citizens, and who is more genuinely concerned about the political, social and economic plight suffered by many people around the world. The record shows that these debates have escalated.

I fully expect a continuation of these verbal exchanges, particularly between the various powers as they jockey for position on the stage of world affairs. In fact, many may look at the contest and conclude that it is a classic game of transnational politics and that their concerns and energies must be directed toward more immediate matters. Some might even say that international affairs are so far removed from domestic issues that we should look the other way.

But when we examine what is involved, it becomes transparently clear that the global search for human rights is in close kinship to the day-to-day struggle which confronts millions of people in the U.S., and those matters which affect the lives of thousands in every American hamlet, village and town.

Our experience has shown that the matter of human relations and human rights usually is examined from the perspective of political observations and social contexts. And the emphasis is placed on the constant needs in these areas. But we would advance the notion that political and social rights mean little without the existence of economic justice and economic democracy. I am of the opinion that human rights must be assured through the existence of political democracy—institutions through which every person can enjoy peace and the pursuit of happiness.

Rev. King recognized that the absence of economic justice—or economic democracy—translates into matters about which much of the nation is concerned:

l. Housing: It is axiomatic that the Black, brown and the poor of the country still believe that home ownership is security. And that home ownership is a hallmark of good and responsible citizenship. And we know that home ownership is good for the building industry and thereby improves the condition of the economy. Just about every working person aspires to home ownership.

2. Health: It is fairly clear that good health care is a salable commodity. And that its economic nature places it at the door of those who can afford to pay.

3. Education: History reveals that Black and poor people have always looked to education as one of the sure paths to participation in the American dream. Our ancestors risked life and limb to obtain education for their children, and, for themselves, some exposure to the joy and utilitarian quality of education. Long before Benjamin Roberts sued the city of Boston (in 1849) for equal access to educational resources, Black and poor people have known the value of education.

Power, prestige, political influence, social status and wealth are obtained by birth, gift or through one's personal efforts. And let there be no confusion about it, personal effort means education and training.

There are those who say that the value of an education is on the decline. That is not the case. And unfortunately, the struggle for economic and social justice is in the forefront of those movements which would increase our numbers and percentage in some of the important professional and graduate schools in the country.

M. L. King would have the Black, brown and poor demand the substantive, long-term developmental support from the government's use of our tax dollars; we must organize our own business enterprises, around mutual support rather than mass dependence on the government. We must, finally, face the reality that only we can save ourselves. We must face up to the reality that none of the privileged institutions, individuals or groups which comprise America's power brokers will favor or sponsor changes in our society which are anything more than cosmetic. If we expect those who oppress us to relieve us of the oppression voluntarily, we are mistaken. We are the ones who must change the situation. Our priorities must reflect the needs of our people.


Dr. Walter J. Leonard

Dr. Walter J. Leonard is a distinguished educator and widely published author, a former president of Fisk University and Special Assistant to the President of Harvard University. An eyewitness to one of the most tumultuous periods in recent American history, he was present in the Supreme Court when the Brown v. Board decision was handed down. For the many years following, he remained a friend and confidant of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement and today continues to share publicly his humane reflections on the state of race relations in America.

RFK Remembered

Thursday, June 5 at 8 p.m. MPT will be the first television station since 1968 to broadcast Robert Kennedy Remembered, a tribute honoring the late politician’s life and work on the 40th anniversary of his assassination.

The Academy Awardwinning film by Charles Guggenheim was broadcast just once on all television networks when it was shown during the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention. This moving film tribute to a man who had hoped to win the presidency created an historic moment when it brought the proceedings to a standstill and the crowd, in tears, to its feet. It hasn’t been seen on television since.

Commissioned by the Kennedy family, the film begins with the funeral train to Washington, D.C., and follows the triumphs and tragedies in the late senator’s life through extraordinary newsreel footage, archival stills and home movies.

The film was produced in only four weeks—two months after the senator’s assassination—in order to meet the convention deadline. Charles Guggenheim, with the country’s resources at his fingertips, worked around the clock to complete this poignant eulogy and compelling reflection on the spirit, quality and commitment RFK brought to his life and work. Richard Burton narrates. The film went on to win an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Subject.

These are 30 goosebump-inducing minutes you won't want to miss.

The Big Read!

(Above: Rudolfo Anaya, author of classic coming-of-age novel, Bless Me Ultima.)

This month, people all across Baltimore have joined MPT and the Enoch Pratt Free Library to celebrate the power of words by reading Rudolfo Anaya’s classic coming-of-age novel Bless Me Ultima, part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read.

Reading Bless Me Ultima is more than just a "good thing to do," like eating your vegetables. This is a fascinating, exciting, sometimes funny, sometimes sad story of a young boy growing up in a small New Mexico village, and an extraordinary window into another world. Young Antonio Marez's quiet life is changed when his Aunt Ultima comes to live with his family. Ultima, with an owl in tow, is a curandera (a healer—what we might call a practitioner of herbal medicine), and helps to teach Antonio about life and many of her secrets on his path to adulthood.

For all the differences between our world and Antonio’s, as I read, I found myself identifying with him and the conflict between his father's wild vaquero (cowboy) brothers and his mother's more sedate farming relatives. I’m sure others will also see themselves in him as he wrestles with his parents' conflicting expectations, as well as the tensions between Hispanic and mainstream American culture in his village.

For younger readers, MPT and the Pratt are also sponsoring a “Little Read,” with Anaya’s picture book The First Tortilla—the story of Jade, a young village girl who is told by a blue hummingbird to take a gift to the Mountain Spirit to bring much-needed rain to her small Mexican village. This heartwarming story is prefect for parents to read along with their children, and help bring them into the excitement of the Big Read.

Book discussions and programs focusing on Bless Me Ultima and The First Tortilla are being held throughout the month of May at libraries and recreation centers around the city. Come check us out!


Poet and librarian Reginald Harris (reggieh.blogspot.com) has received Individual Artist Awards for both poetry and fiction from the Maryland State Arts Council. He is Help Desk and Training Manager for the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.

The cooler gig

My former roommate and I are both screenwriting majors at Drexel University, released from academic purgatory for six months to get an internship in our field so we can appreciate just how good we’ve got it (I’m reasonably certain that’s not how Drexel advertises its co-op program, but after a four straight terms of classes, that’s definitely how I feel). My roommate is spending her six months in Ireland, working her butt off amid rolling fields of green, quaint little pubs and surrounded by that wonderful Irish accent that she imitates so beautifully. I’m back home, working at MPT and remembering why my brother and I get along best when I’m two hours away. There are fields of green, yes, and there’s probably a cute little pub or two somewhere, but pretty much everyone here has the same accent I do—no imitation required.

Still, all of our friends agree: I got the cooler internship.

I’m working on MPT’s documentary: Maryland Generations: Jewish Americans. Being raised Catholic, there’s a certain irony to this, but I’ve loved history all my life, and this has been a chance to not only learn history that’s new to me, but to really connect it with the places I know. I grew up in Roland Park, known back in the day for the “no Jew” clauses in the deeds to its houses. I even talked to my dad about it, and he said yup, that clause was in the deed for our old house, along with a little note saying that the clause was unconstitutional. When I asked why the offending clause wasn’t just removed, he said: “Another clause said it couldn’t be removed.” The law is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

But the history bit is just a perk, like those “buy $50 or more worth of merchandise and get a cute little stuffed dog FREE!” promotions stores do. Even on a completely different project, one that had absolutely nothing to do with my interests (although that’d be pretty hard, considering I’m interested in pretty much everything MPT does), I’d have the best internship ever.

MPT uses its interns. Seriously uses its interns. You don’t just answer phones, take messages or take dictation of a script. In my first two weeks working here, I’ve researched Maryland’s history, met state politicians and leaders of international Jewish organizations, gone out on shoots and learned a little bit about camerawork. I’ve looked for visuals to put into the show, read through interview transcriptions and picked out sound bites to use. I’ve written outlines for the first two segments, highlighting the information we should cover and the sound bites I like best. My boss/producer actively seeks out and trusts my input. In those two weeks alone, I’ve utilized almost all the skills I’ve learned in school, and picked up some new ones. And everyone here, whether you work closely with them or just occasionally walk by their office, cares about you and what you’re doing. They must drug the water or something; you don’t get people this nice in Philadelphia.

So if you’re an undergrad (or grad student) interested in television, in Maryland, just want something more to do with your time—consider an internship at MPT. It’s a lot of fun.

Also?

We have a koi pond. Last I checked, my roommate’s place of employment doesn’t have one of those. They just make her sit in on boring seminars.

I definitely got the cooler gig.


Katie Nolan
Content Enterprises Intern

Sea of Fog

As much as I’ve been waiting and working towards it for four years now, I really can’t believe I’m graduating college in three weeks. I’ve got some ideas about where I’m headed, but mostly I feel like I’m groping along in the dark.

There’s this picture (above) I really like to look at now and then, Caspar David Friedrich’s “Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog.” Even though Friedrich painted it in 1818, I feel drawn to it some near 200 years later. Don’t get me wrong—for me, time is melting away faster than desert clocks in a Dali painting, but this whole sense of temporarily rising above the fold, taking a minute to reflect and then heading back down into a sea of chaos pretty much sums up my whole experience right now.

I’m going to get all dressed up, put on a gown (I’d really prefer it if they called it a robe, because that would make me feel like a king or a wizard or Hugh Hefner), have my named called and hear (hopefully) a bunch of people applaud. And then I go back into the Sea of Fog, obscurity—as Hunter S. Thompson put it, “straight into frantic oblivion . . . just another freak in the freak kingdom.”

It’s now time to make something of myself, though I’m not sure what that is going to be. I’ve always been successful, from the time the guidance counselor pulled me out of the third grade to do all these IQ tests and told me I was “gifted” to just last Friday when I was given a “certificate of excellence” by my college, but I’ve never felt quite content. And that’s probably because I’ve never quite found an enterprise that I could feel comfortable entirely devoting myself towards.

My time spent here at MPT has helped me meditate on just where to funnel my abilities. As someone who enjoys the arts, I am glad to see there are organizations out there who are trying to still support them in an age where dollar signs and immediate gratification are requisite for successful business. I spent a lot of time outdoors as a kid in the foothills of Appalachia up in Pennsylvania, so I’m especially glad to see there are organizations like MPT that are working to preserve the Chesapeake Bay.

And perhaps it’s because I have always been more than a little suspicious of change that preserving such institutions appeal to me. But, as much as I want to fight it, change is inevitable as the sun rise. So with the knowledge that there just might be some organization, some cause out there, that I can really buy into and believe in, I’ve got a little hope about things.

And now I’ve got to get on out there.

Thank you, MPT. You’ve been great.


Kevin Sunday
Communications Intern

Go Navy!

Go Navy! I want to shout this every day since I have a son who’s a Navy pilot. But after watching Carrier the past few nights, I feel even more strongly about it.

There have been so many times while watching Carrier this week that I’ve thought “I know how this feels,” or “Yes, this is familiar.” The series started Sunday night with Navy families dockside, tears flowing. I relate as I remember speaking to my daughter-in-law on the phone while still a newlywed as she sobbed about her husband leaving for an extended period of time.

I relate when I hear the young men and women talk about enlisting because the Navy will allow them to pursue their college hopes and dreams. My son enlisted in the Navy. Since then he has completed his college degree, become an officer and now is a pilot. This is due to much hard work, but the Navy rewards hard work. If you are willing to put in the effort, the opportunities are there.

I relate when I see the USS Nimitz entering port in Hawaii with the crew surrounding the deck standing at attention. I’ve witnessed this first-hand at the port in San Diego when the USS Squall returned from a six-month tour. It is truly a majestic sight to see all those young men and women in crisp white uniforms. The band plays on shore and being part of this event makes your heart swell with pride and patriotism.

I can relate when the USS Nimitz heads to the Middle East. Although my son is no longer aboard a ship, I’ve faced the fear that fills you when your child goes to a war zone and is flying above hostile territory. And like those aboard the USS Nimitz, whether you agree with a war or not, you support the effort because it is your family and your country that is doing all they can do to ensure our freedom.

This is compelling television: It’s honest, it’s real, it’s hopeful. It’s full of pride, and positivity. Five thousand men and women, a vast number between 18 and 21, working as a cohesive team is impressive. Our youth can be counted on to perform. It’s refreshing to see when we are constantly inundated with news that our young people have gone astray.

If you haven’t seen Carrier, you’re missing the boat! (Pun intended!) Aside from the personal dynamics, the photography is amazing and the music is edgy. PBS has done all of us a favor by offering this to viewers.


Sue Vanskiver
Senior Administrative Assistant

Chesapeake Bay Week! (and Eatin' Crabs, hon!)

It's been raining cats and dogs (some may say crabs, even!) the past two days here in Baltimore. Perfectly fitting as MPT kicks off its fourth annual Chesapeake Bay Week.

We've got a full roster of bay-themed programs lined up this week, including a lively little ditty called Eatin' Crabs Chesapeake Style that's—you guessed it—all about chowing down on the crabby crustaceans as only Chesapeakers can. (Sounds like Baltimore Sun restaurant critic and blogger Elizabeth Large will be tuning in!)

The program features local crab expert Whitey Schmidt and his “ten commandments” for eatin’ crabs, from picking the critters fresh from the water to knowing their peak season. The crab lover spent one summer visiting a whopping 275 crab houses and eating 3,000 crabs—all so he can tell YOU the best places to go and the best way to eat 'em.

For a full line up of Chesapeake Bay Week programming, visit www.mpt.org/bayweek.