Angie on TV & Radio

I've done several podcast appearances lately, and haven't provided any of the links (oops!) so let me amend that now.

I was on the ThinkAtheist radio show hosted by my good Twitter buddy @Synthaetica (or Synth for short) a couple of times. The February 28th episode on "The Week in Review" is here. I was also on the March 7th episode.

I was invited on Third Wave Radio and Infidel Guy, but neither show has put up the audio yet. (Sad face goes here.)

Issues for Your Tissues, hosted by Katie Vitale, did two episodes on the #livetweetingabortion issue. For the first episode, Mary Ann Sorrentino (whose slut-shaming "abortion is irresponsible but I'm a pro-choice warrior, really!" piece appeared on Salon.com) came on to explain her viewpoint and reveal her ignorance of how Twitter works. Yesterday, I was able to respond and Katie has already uploaded that audio. (Thanks Katie!)

As for mainstream media, here are my TV spots for ABC News and CNN (stupid embedding disabled by request!)

That's all for now folks!

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Cults on TV

I don't know if I should thank Scientology or Mitt Romney, but America is paying more attention to cults these days. MSNBC is airing a three-part series on cults. You can watch the first video of the Manson Family documentary here.

What I'm actually excited about, though, is the treatment of cults in popular TV shows. Last season Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" had an episode in a cult. While I think they got the cult leader wrong, they got the followers right, and I think the writers made a conscious effort to portray them as misguided rather than stupid or evil.

Last week "Bones" had an episode dealing with the Amish. I'm not saying that the Amish are a cult, but they are an isolationist religious sect. My friend Ananda was raised Mennonite (the "modern Amish") and then, suddenly, her mom moved them to Florida to work for my grandmother's cult and live in her trailer park. While a lot of cult members started buying up mobile homes for a couple years there, by no means were they the majority. The majority were drunks and teenagers and potheads and white trash and old retirees. It's a trailer park. So Ananda went from Amish to completely out of control rebellious teen. The culture shock was way too much, and I have to wonder if that's the case for all kids going through Rumspringa.



The best done and most exciting was last night's episode of "Lie to Me". I won't give it away, but I do strongly recommend my readers watch this episode. It deals with issues of kids on cult compounds, home schooling, battered women, and that weird creepy charisma that makes a cult leader's charm.



I'll go write up a non-video post next, but I just wanted to be pleased for a moment that the world is paying attention, and even starting to get it right. People join at their lowest, thinking it's a family or a community or a better way of life, not knowing it's a cult. And then they feel trapped. We have to help them get out. We can't make victims solely responsible for reporting crimes, abuse, and neglect.

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Glenn Beck Freaks Out - Punk Remix

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Iran: Weekend Update

There's more information coming in than I can track. I'm trying to verify everything (as best as I can) before posting here or retweeting (RT) on Twitter.com. For pretty well verified, constantly updated information check out Nico Pitney's LiveBlog. For other interesting sites, information, etc.
Check out the following:

Time Mag re: How Obama Should Respond

Time Mag re: Neda Becomes Cause (explains Shiia martyrdom and mourning history)

Mother Jones eye-witness account of Police and Workers Aid Demonstrators

Search Engine Journal re: How to Follow Iran Online

Press TV (Iran State media source) re: Parliment Speaker criticizes Guardian Council

BBC re: Today vs. 1979

Guardian Weekly eye-witness account

Press TV re: Ahmidenijad thanks Leader for Support

One blogger's approach to Get Info INTO Iran

I'm off to tweet #IranElection. Best wishes, safety, and freedoms to you all.

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Iran!

Here's what I'm obsessively following and doing.

Tweeting
Check out Five Ways Tweeters can Help Iranis. These pertain to passing on reliable information, helping with secure IPs, etc. I'm personally RTing (or "re-tweeting") only critical information, such as a map to the foreign embassies in Tehran that are protecting and treating injured protesters, information regarding secured IPs and anonymizers, First Aid insutructions (English and Farsi/Persian) for bullet wounds, chemical burns, and broken bones. I am NOT making statements of a political nature - I am keeping in heavy circulation items that relate to the safety of the peaceful protestors, and their right to have their voice heard without threat of bloodshed. But seriously, focus on First Aid stuff and don't get too swept up in "Allah o Akbar". Especially if you're one of MY readers...

Keeping up with Nico
If following #IranElection on Twitter is way too intense for you (literally hundreds of new tweets each minute) Nico Pitney at Huffington Post has been LiveBlogging the Uprising for days. This is an excellent resource and through volunteer Iranian-Americans, most of what Nico posts has been translated into English. His reporting seems to be pretty well confirmed information (and NOT some of the fear-inspiring rumors shooting around right now).

Trying to Understand
BBC article "Consequences of Engaging Iran"

Tehran Times (state media) claims "Police Were Lenient"

NY Times Op-Ed by Roger Cohen (Brilliant - definitely worth reading.)

As always when posting about current events, tragedies, or personal times of woe, I must mention that I don't believe in prayer. If you wish to do so for the people of Iran, of course that is your RIGHT. But I entreat you, please, DO something as well. Even if it's just keeping track of things, trying to understand our fellow homo-sapiens across the globe, or Tweeting first aid tips.

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