Do we have more in common than divides us? Thought-provoking conversations on the street & with special guests from the arts.
Episodes
Sunday Aug 23, 2015
Sunday Aug 23, 2015
Broadcast on 22 August 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KSCO 104.1 FM, KOMY AM 1340, and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 2: In-Depth Arts Interview with Sadia Azmat
This week as her special guest from the arts Ruth Copland is pleased to be interviewing British stand-up comedian and comedy writer Sadia Azmat. Born in Essex, England, Sadia started writing and performing comedy professionally after a chance encounter in a call centre helped her to discover her mentor, professional comedian and author Deborah Frances-White, who introduced Sadia to the UK comedy circuit. Within two weeks of meeting Deborah, Sadia found herself performing to an audience of 80 and hasn’t looked back. Sadia’s debut called ‘Please Hold - You’re being transferred to a UK based Asian Representative’, directed by Deborah Frances-White, was featured on the BBC Radio Show Front Row and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Not long after, Sadia was shortlisted for the Funny Women Awards Final in London. Her debut full-length show ‘I Am Not Malala’ played at the Edinburgh Fringe and led to Sadia being featured on British Muslim TV’s Sister’s Hour. Sadia has appeared on the BBC World Service and has written a short for BBC Comedy Short, which features top British comedy talent. Known for her forthright observational comedy about her experiences as a British Muslim woman and also cross-cultural issues about race and religion Sadia has appeared at comedy clubs and festivals around Britain, as well as contributing writing to British newspapers.
For more info and to hear previous shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Sunday Aug 23, 2015
Sunday Aug 23, 2015
Broadcast on 22 August 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KSCO 104.1 FM, KOMY AM 1340, and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 1: Out And About – Conversations with People on the Street about Questions That Matter: Are We Medicalising Normal?
This week we consider ‘Are We Medicalising Normal?’ Drapetomania was a supposed mental illness described by American physician Samuel A. Cartwright in 1851 that caused black slaves to flee captivity. His feeling was that with "proper medical advice, strictly followed, this troublesome practice that many Negroes have of running away can be almost entirely prevented." Whilst this sounds preposterous to us now psychotherapist Gary Greenberg feels that the disorder might well have made it into the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) had it existed at the time, noting that homosexuality was listed in the DSM as a sociopathic personality disorder until 1973. Greenberg says that by trying to use a pseudoscientific model to understand and treat our “hopelessly complex” inner world, we are creating a “charade” of non-existent disorders. Obviously there is a need to help people with serious mental issues that are impeding their life and/or causing harm to others. But excluding these cases, there are a whole range of “disorders” that have sprung up that represent behaviour that used to be absorbed into normal life. In his book The Book of Woe: The DSM and the unmaking of Psychiatry, psychotherapist of 30 years Gary Greenberg states “When the DSM was [first] published there were 14 mental disorders and now there are 250 – it needs to scale back.” Do you have any sense of the medicalisation of everyday human experience? Are you aware of more children being diagnosed with mental conditions? Are we medicalising normal?
What do you think? For more info on the show and to hear past shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Sunday Aug 16, 2015
Sunday Aug 16, 2015
Broadcast on 15 August 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KSCO 104.1 FM, KOMY AM 1340, and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 1: Out And About – Conversations with People on the Street about Questions That Matter: Should Minors Ever Be Tried As Adults?
This week we consider ‘Should Minors Ever Be Tried As Adults?’ Critics of juvenile court argue that the line between juvenile and adult is no longer as clear, that children grow up much quicker these days, and they are more exposed to adult ideas and so they can be responsible for their actions. Barry Krisberg, a University of California, Berkeley criminologist states that there is no way a minor can fully understand what they are doing saying “he might be able to recount the events that resulted, but the notion that he comprehended the consequences of his actions flies in the face of all the science we know.” Scientific research has shown the pre-frontal lobe development is not complete until the early 20s. Teens may have difficulty inhibiting inappropriate behaviors because the circuitry needed for such control is not fully mature. This is something that is frequently put forward as an argument as to why the legal age to consume alcohol should not be lowered. Critics of the juvenile court system state that it is not being successful enough at deterring juvenile crime and this is an argument for a more punitive approach in the criminal courts. Concerns about justice being done for juveniles being tried as adults revolves around whether they can adequately comprehend their Miranda Rights, and the complexities of the legal process, research showing that when tried as an adult juveniles are more likely to waive the right to an attorney and to confess during police interrogations; misunderstand that they have the right to an attorney before and during a police interrogation; and erroneously believe that attorneys only serve innocent defendants. So should minors ever be tried as adults?
What do you think? For more info on the show and to hear past shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Sunday Aug 16, 2015
Sunday Aug 16, 2015
Broadcast on 15 August 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KSCO 104.1 FM, KOMY AM 1340, and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 2: In-Depth Arts Interview with Felicia Day
This week as her special guest from the arts Ruth Copland is pleased to be interviewing Felicia Day, award-winning actress, web entertainment entrepreneur, writer, songwriter, producer, and director. Felicia has carved a unique place for herself and her talents both in the traditional entertainment realm and online.
An early adopter of all things internet Felicia has written, produced, directed and starred in many shows in the web video world including The Guild, which was a huge hit running to six series and has won numerous awards for web video excellence. Amongst other web projects, Felicia has co-starred in Joss Whedon’s multi-award-winning Internet musical “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” and her production company Knights of Good has produced the innovative web series “Dragon Age” in conjunction with EA/Bioware. In 2012 Felicia launched Geek & Sundry, a funded Youtube channel which aimed to be the epicenter of gaming and lifestyle for pop culture fans with an independent spirit. The channel has many highly acclaimed shows and has garnered over one million subscribers and over 200 million views since its launch. In 2014, the company was sold to Legendary Entertainment. Felicia continues to work as creative chief officer of her company, as well as develop television and web projects for her to write, produce and star in. In addition to acting online, Felicia has appeared as an actor in many beloved roles in film and TV including in Supernatural, Eureka, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and Red Werewolf Hunter. She was a member of the board of directors of the International Academy of Web Television from 2009-2012. Born in Alabama, Felicia had an unconventional upbringing and schooling and began college at 16 attending the University of Texas at Austin on a full scholarship in violin performance. She double majored in mathematics and music performance, and graduated at the age of 19 in the top 4% of her class. Her life and remarkable career is showcased with humour and insight in her newly published memoir You’re Never Weird On The Internet (Almost).
For more info and to hear previous shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Monday Aug 10, 2015
Monday Aug 10, 2015
Broadcast on 8 August 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KSCO 104.1 FM, KOMY AM 1340, and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 2: In-Depth Arts Interview with William Kelley
This week as her special guest from the arts Ruth Copland is pleased to be interviewing internationally acclaimed artist William Kelley. Known for his use of space, color, and shape to create alluring glowing paintings William has studios in Florence in Italy, and Florida in the US, and has had many exhibitions of his art in both countries. His work is highly admired and sought after by private collectors, including British art historian Sister Wendy Beckett, world renowned designer Adrienne Vittadini, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Peters, Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi (of the 700-year-old Tuscan winemaking family) and Brian Johnson the lead singer of AC/DC who owns over 15 of William’s paintings. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, William began drawing and painting as a young child. With art as his passion he attended the University of Massachusetts to study art but switched majors to history after becoming disillusioned with the department, however still putting himself through college by painting portraits of fellow students. He went on to study for four years at the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston and for two years at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Art Institute in Florence. Travelling widely through Europe and Asia, William drew inspiration from the varied cultures channelling his enthusiasm into his art and moving his focus from portrait painting to landscape. Renowned art historian and author Sister Wendy Beckett states of William’s art “The work, so rich, glowing, cheery, subtle, its colours and patterns so measured in their rhythm, its impact of serious joy so deep.”
For more info and to hear previous shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Monday Aug 10, 2015
Monday Aug 10, 2015
Broadcast on 8 August 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KSCO 104.1 FM, KOMY AM 1340, and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 1: Out And About – Conversations with People on the Street about Questions That Matter: How Important is Doing Your Jury Duty?
This week we consider ‘How Important is Doing Your Jury Duty?’ It seems that many people’s first reaction to being asked to serve on a jury is to wonder how they can get out of doing it. With many people avoiding serving as jurors, the choice of jurors in trials becomes much more limited and less representative of the population. Is this something that concerns you in terms of justice being served? Judge Gregory E. Mize, Judicial Fellow, National Center for State Courts, says we need to “move beyond feeling jury service is solely a duty. …jury service is a privilege and … a jury summons is an admission ticket to very special higher learning.” Have you thought about benefiting personally from serving on a jury? Or that it contributes to the upholding of our democracy?
What do you think? For more info on the show and to hear past shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Sunday Aug 02, 2015
Sunday Aug 02, 2015
Broadcast on 1 August 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KOMY AM 1340 and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 2: In-Depth Arts Interview with Darren Korb
This week as her special guest from the arts Ruth Copland is pleased to be interviewing Darren Korb, award-winning audio director, song-writer, and composer. Darren is audio director at independent game developer Super Giant Games where he has composed the music, conducted voice recording, and created most of the sound effects for the small independent studio's critically acclaimed titles, Bastion and Transistor. Bastion has sold over three million copies and PC Gamer states “Bastion is special, the soundtrack is phenomenal”. Darren’s scores for both games have garnered many industry awards. Awards for Bastion, which was the first video game score Darren had written, include Best Original Score at the Spike Video Game Awards, Best Music Award from Official Xbox Magazine and Best Audio in a Casual/Indie/Social Game from the Game Audio Network Guild. In addition, the track ‘Build That Wall (Zia’s Theme)’ won the Best Song in a Game award from Spike Video Game Awards and the Song of The Year in Gamespot’s Game of The Year awards. The musical style of the soundtrack has been described by Korb as "acoustic frontier trip hop". A soundtrack album for the game was released due to fan demand. Darren went on to write the score and songs for Super Giant Games next release, Transistor, describing it as "old-world electronic post-rock”. The Transistor soundtrack album was released in 2014 and sold 48,000 copies within the first 10 days of release. Darren received his BA from NYU's Gallatin School in 2007, studying Music Production and Music Business. Since then in addition to writing scores for Super Giant Games he has worked as a session musician, produced several New York recording artists, composed for various TV and film projects, written a Power Pop musical, and authored songs for the Rock Band Network. He is also the 2010 national Rock Band champion!
For more info and to hear previous shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Sunday Aug 02, 2015
Sunday Aug 02, 2015
Broadcast on 1 August 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KOMY AM 1340 and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 1: Out And About – Conversations with People on the Street about Questions That Matter: Should we be saved from ourselves?
This week we consider ‘Should we be saved from ourselves?’ There seems to be a general understanding that it is the government’s job to protect us from other people - murderers, rapists, thieves, terrorists - but I’m wondering if you think it’s the government’s job to protect us from ourselves and our potential bad choices. If we look at how we can abuse our bodies - abuse of prescription and illegal drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and food, for example, this abuse involves personal choice and personal responsibility. However, some of these choices may be predicated on socio-economic disadvantage, and/or psychological and emotional trauma, which perhaps affect the ability to make good choices. Does it make sense therefore for the government to try to influence our choices in these areas? Should we be saved from ourselves? Or is it up to us? There’s a discrepancy with how we are dealing with poor personal choices in regard to our health. In some instances we are saying it’s personal choice, in others we are using the law to try to control people’s behaviour. Should there be consistency?
What do you think? For more info on the show and to hear past shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Sunday Jul 26, 2015
Sunday Jul 26, 2015
Broadcast on 25 July 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KOMY AM 1340 and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 2: In-Depth Arts Interview with William Finnegan
This week as her special guest from the arts Ruth Copland is pleased to be interviewing William Finnegan award-winning literary journalist and narrative non-fiction author. After acquiring a BA Degree in literature at the University of California Santa Cruz and studying for an MFA in creative writing at the University of Montana, William spent four years abroad, traveling in Asia, Australia, and Africa. His experiences led to his first book Crossing the Line: A Year in the Land of Apartheid, published in 1986 and selected by the New York Times Book Review as one of the ten best nonfiction books of the year. This whet his appetite for political journalism. A highly regarded war reporter and literary journalist William has written for many publications including Mother Jones, and Harper’s, and has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1987. He has written four books in addition to his debut: Dateline Soweto: Travels with Black South African Reporters; A Complicated War: The Harrowing of Mozambique; Cold New World: Growing Up in a Harder Country, which deals with the bleak lives of American teenagers in spite of the United States’s economic affluence; and the newly published Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, a memoir which is described by the reviewer at the Los Angeles Times as “a book about ‘A Surfing Life’…also about a writer’s life and, even more generally, a quester’s life, more carefully observed and precisely rendered than any I’ve read in a long time.” He has received many journalism awards including twice receiving the John Bartlow Martin Award for Public Interest Magazine Journalism; the Edward M. Brecher Award for Achievement in the Field of Journalism from the Drug Policy Foundation for his article “Deep East Texas”; a Citation for Excellence from the Overseas Press Club for his report from Sudan, “The Invisible War” in 2000; and the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism for his article "Leasing the Rain" on the fight to control fresh water. In addition, he has received two Overseas Press Club Awards since 2009.
For more info and to hear previous shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Sunday Jul 26, 2015
Sunday Jul 26, 2015
Broadcast on 25 July 2015 on KSCO AM 1080, KOMY AM 1340 and KSCO.com Live Stream.
'It's A Question Of Balance' is a two hour show which balances the intellectual with the creative. The show combines a debate topic with an arts interview because discussion and creativity are two of the most vital ways we engage in the world.
Check out podcasts of the different topics and arts guests at www.itsaquestionofbalance.com
Hour 1: Out And About – Conversations with People on the Street about Questions That Matter: Whose Country is America?
This week we consider ‘Whose Country is America?’ We are increasingly being told that ‘our country’ is falling apart, or that we need to take back ‘our country’. But who are ‘we’ are taking back ‘our’ country from? The website takingourcountryback.net states “We yearn for our country to return to the Founding Principles which made us the greatest country on Earth!” When you think of ‘our country’ - who does that ‘our’ encompass in your mind? Everyone who is a citizen? Everyone who lives here? Or a certain kind of person who represents the real values of America (in your opinion)? In an article entitled ‘Whose country is this?’ President Calvin Coolidge wrote “There can’t be too many inhabitants of the right kind, distributed in the right place. There are racial considerations too grave to be brushed aside for any sentimental reasons. Biological laws tell us that certain divergent people will not mix or blend. It is only when the alien adds vigor to our stock that he is wanted. Our obligation is to maintain that citizenship at its best.” In rebuttal to this direction of immigration policy congressman Robert H. Clancy stated "My family put 11 men and boys into the Revolutionary War, and I am sure they and their women and children did not suffer so bitterly and sacrifice until it hurt to establish the autocracy of bigotry and intolerance which exists in many quarters to-day in this country. Some of these men and boys shed their blood and left their bodies to rot on American battle fields. To me real Americanism and the American flag are the product of the blood of men and of the tears of women and children of a different type than the rampant “Americanizers” of to-day.” Nearly a hundred years later this debate is still with us. Whose country is America?
What do you think? For more info on the show and to hear past shows visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com