Looming Health Crisis in the Rockaways, New York after Hurricane Sandy

CNN PRODUCER NOTE   DougKuntz, a freelance photojournalist in New York, read about humanitarian volunteer Alison Thompson in a story about Hurricane Sandy, and learned about her past with other disasters around the world. 'I came to Rockaway and followed her around while she worked. She is a modern-day hero in my eyes.' Kuntz wanted to share her story with CNN 'because the problems in Rockaway are growing, and are not being reported as they should be.'

Third Wave Volunteer and Medic, Alison Thompson, who has jumped head first into some of the world's worst scenes of death including 9-11, the earthquake in Haiti, and the Tsunami in Sri Lanka, gives her take on the looming health crisis in the Rockaways where there is not enough help at this time to avoid serious health issues for thousands of residents.

Thompson is a full time humanitarian volunteer, who in 2010, was awarded the Order of Australia, the highest civilian medal awarded by Queen Elizabeth II of England for her volunteer work and contribution to humankind.

Alison Thompson's voice should be heard now while there is still time.

"Nights of Cabiria" and "La Strada," my favorites of Federico Fellini's fertile imagination

 

How can a screenwriter, director, actor, audience member not love everything by el maestro, Federico Fellini, and his lovely wife, Giuletta Masina.  Nights of Cabiria and La Strada, my favorites, will touch even the most cynical of hearts.

 

p.s. and the music by Nino Rota, exquisite!

 

 

Despite an endless string of heartbreaks and misfortune, Cabiria (Giulietta Masina), a wide-eyed prostitute working the streets of Rome, never seems to give up on finding true love. One of director Federico Fellini's best-known efforts, this supremely human tale -- by turns absurdly comic and jarringly tragic -- won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, and the visually arresting Masina earned Best Actress honors at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese introduces this restored special edition of Italian auteur Federico Fellini's powerful rumination on love and hate, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1956. The story follows the plight of gentle Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina), who's sold by her mother to a bullying circus performer (Anthony Quinn), only to have a clown (Richard Basehart) win her heart and ignite a doomed love triangle.


http://whoseroleisitanyway.blogspot.com

RIVERS AND TIDES -- The wonder of sculpting with nature

This is an extraordinary documentary of sculptor Andy Goldsworthy's work.  In 1 1/2 hrs, have learned more about the rhythm of earth through his art and sensibilities.  Wonderful!

 

This astonishing documentary from Thomas Riedelsheimer shadows renowned sculptor Andy Goldsworthy as he creates works of art with ice, driftwood, leaves, stone, dirt and snow in open fields, beaches, rivers, creeks and forests.

With each new creation, he carefully studies the energetic flow and transitory nature of his work. The film won the Golden Gate Award Grand Prize for Best Documentary at the 2003 San Francisco International Film Festival.


http://whoseroleisitanyway.blogspot.com

http://whoseroleisitanyway.blogspot.com

TREND CAR OF THE YEAR by Peter Valdes-Dapena

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Motor Trend magazine has named the Tesla Model S its Car of the Year.

The magazine's staff selected the all-electric plug-in luxury car out of a field of 11 finalists that included models such as the Ford Fusion, Porsche 911 and Hyundai Azera.

 It is the first time the magazine's Car of the Year award has ever gone to an all-electric car. Just being electric wasn't enough to earn the Model S the prize, though. Ed Loh, Motor Trend's editor-in-chief on Monday said that, with eleven finalists, it was a strong field this year. But in the end there was no question about who the winner was. "The vehicles that placed second and third didn't get more than three votes. But it was a unanimous decision for the Tesla Model S." "At its core, the Tesla Model S is simply a damned good car you happen to plug in to refuel," editor-at-large Angus MacKenzie wrote in an article about the award.

Motor Trend calls the Model S "as smoothly effortless as a Rolls-Royce" to drive fast while having the cargo and passenger capacity of an SUV. The Model S was one of the most efficient cars the magazine has ever tested, averaging 74.5 miles per gallon equivalent -- a measure of how far the car goes on an amount of electricity equivalent to the energy in a gallon of gasoline -- during ordinary street driving. Still, the big car can bolt from a standstill to 60 miles an hour in just four seconds, according to Motor Trend's tests.

At the New York City announcement ceremony Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, "This is a point at which the gears of history moved," adding, "I hope that other automakers will copy us and follow through and do electric cars with more vigor." To be eligible for Motor Trend's Car of the Year award a vehicle must be, first of all, a car rather than an SUV or truck. The magazine gives separate truck and SUV awards. It also must be either completely new or substantially redesigned for the new model year. In all there were 25 models competing for the award this year. After testing all the models at the Hyundai/Kia proving grounds in the southwest California desert, the magazine's staffers narrowed the list to just 11 finalists. Those cars were then tested on roads and highways around the town of Tehachapi, Calif.

After further debate, the writers and editors selected the winner through a secret ballot. It's impossible to say if the Model S would have won had it been a standard gasoline-powered luxury car, said McKenzie. That's because it would have been a different car in nearly every respect. Its strong, quiet performance is attributable to its electric motors while its roomy interior is thanks to the design flexibility they provide. The Model S can hold up to seven people when equipped with an optional pair of rear-facing child seats. Since there is no engine, both the back and front of the car can be used for cargo, giving it functionality very similar to an SUV. The Model S ranges from $50,000 for a car that can go 160 miles on a charge to almost $100,000 for a richly equipped model that can go 300 miles. It went into production this summer, and by the beginning of October Tesla said it had sold about 250 Model S sedans. It expects to sell about 3,200 by end of this year.

May the beacon of hope, courage, and strength guide you through these difficult times:

The Bahamas
Cuba
The Dominican Republic
Haiti
Jamaica, Greater Antilles

United States
New Jersey
New York
...from Florida to Maine, Michigan to Wisconsin