It's A Question Of Balance with Ruth Copland

Discussing 'Is labelling ourselves limiting or liberating?' and Interviewing Nick Trout

‘It’s A Question Of Balance’ 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 with the world.

Broadcast on KSCO AM 1080 and KSCO.com Live Stream

Visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com  Send comments to ruth@itsaquestionofbalance.com

HOUR1: Talk With Listeners Calling In Live

We consider ‘Is labeling ourselves limiting or liberating?' A label defines us. It may be chosen by us or imposed upon us. It may sum up everything we are or make one thing about us seem like it is ALL that we are. This may feel positive – a label can make us feel we have arrived, succeeded, that we know who we are, that we have claimed something as ours. Or it may feel negative because it limits us to one version of ourselves or worse makes one aspect of ourselves over-ride everything else. It feels different to say ‘I am an artist’ versus ‘I make art’. Saying ‘he is disabled’ creates a different perspective to ‘he has a disability’. Have you been labeled and if so, how did it make you feel? Do you label yourself? Do you label others? What are the benefits? What are the downsides? Join the conversation! 

HOUR 2: (Begins at 0:54 mins) Interview With Veterinary Surgeon and Best-selling Author Nick Trout

I interview Nick Trout, practicing veterinary surgeon and best-selling author. Originally from England, Nick has lived in America for over 20 years. He is a Diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons and is a staff surgeon at the prestigious Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. He has written three non-fiction books, the New York Times bestseller, Tell Me Where It Hurts, Love is the Best Medicine, and Ever By My Side.  His first novel, The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs became a Boston Globe bestseller and a bestseller in Australia and his second follow-up novel in the Bedside Manor series, Dog Gone, Back Soon, has just come out.  He writes the Second Opinion column for The Bark magazine, his writing has been translated into over a dozen languages and his books sell in more than thirty different countries around the world. More info at www.drnicktrout.com

Discussing 'Has lying become an acceptable part of our culture?' and Interviewing Carlene Carter

Broadcast on KSCO AM 1080, KOMY 1340, and KSCO.com live stream.

'It's A Question Of Balance' 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 with the world.

Visit www.itsaquestionofbalance.com  Email ruth@itsaquestionofbalance.com

HOUR 1: Talk With Listeners Calling In

We discuss ‘Has lying become an acceptable part of our culture?’ What do we consider a lie? Is withholding the truth also lying? Is there a difference between personal truth-telling and professional truth-telling? Can we ‘handle the truth’ and who should decide this? Are there lies that help and lies that hurt? Is self-deception the mother of all lies? Why do we want the truth? What would the world be like if the truth reigned? Join the conversation! 

HOUR 2: Begins at 0:53 mins.  Interview with Carlene Carter

I interview Carlene Carter abut her life, work and new album Carter Girl. As the daughter of June Carter Cash and country music great Carl Smith, the granddaughter of Mother Maybelle Carter and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash, Carlene says it has been her lifelong goal to make this record. "The songs on the album cover three generations of Carter Family music," she notes. The album's first track "Little Black Train" was first recorded by The Carter Family in 1935. "From the day I first touched a guitar or piano," she recalls, "My mom said, 'You have to carry on the legacy of the Carter Family music. It's supposed to be passed on and passed around.'" Nearly a century after the Carter Family's first recordings changed the course of American music, that circle remains not only unbroken but strengthened by Carlene Carter, who is forever and most happily, a Carter Girl. For more info go to www.carlenecarter.net

Discussing 'Is Democracy served by corporations being considered people and money free speech?' and Interviewing Jonathan Dana, Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine

Broadcast on KSCO AM 1080 and KSCO.com Live Stream

Email: ruth@ksco.com   Twitter: @ruthcopland

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ruth.copland.1

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Ruth With Jonathan Dana

HOUR 1: Talk With Guest Harvey Dosik, co-founder of Move To Amend Santa Cruz, and Listeners Calling In Live

We consider 'Is Democracy served by corporations being considered people and money free speech?' Harvey Dosik of Move To Amend Santa Cruz is my guest and he puts the case that the constitution needs to be amended so that first amendment rights apply only to individuals. But is it as simple as that? Doesn’t it fly in the face of reality to say money is not free speech if money buys advertising to get a message out? Aren’t the people who make up corporations entitled to influence the political system that operates on them? What about unions and others who come together to have a stronger voice? Join the conversation! Email comments to ruth@ksco.com.

HOUR 2: (Begins at 53:30 mins) Interviewing Hollywood Producer Jonathan Dana and Emmy-Award-Winning Film-makers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine

I interview producer Jonathan Dana and film-makers Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller. We talk about their new film THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: Satan Came to Eden, which is a gripping tale of idealistic dreams gone awry, set in the brutal yet alluring landscape of the Galapagos Islands. Featuring the voice performances of international stars such as Cate Blanchett, this film skillfully interweaves an unsolved 1930s murder mystery with remembrances of present day Galapagos pioneers. As such, it is a parable about the search for paradise -- about what happens when a handful of individualists settle on the same small island seeking their own distinct and sometimes clashing notions of Eden. For more info go to www.zeitgeistfilms.com

Jonathan Dana, who acted as Executive Producer on The Galapagos Affair has been a pioneer in the independent film business since 1971. He served as President of Motion Pictures and Television at Atlantic Releasing Corporation and as President and CEO of Triton Pictures, supervising such pictures as A WORLD APART (1988), STORMY MONDAY (1988), TEEN WOLF (1985), PATTY HEARST (1988) and HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse
(1991). Jonathan has also served in a production capacity on over 26 fiction and non-fiction films, and directed the ground-breaking documentary SANDSTONE (1975). His recent credits as producer's representative include the 2012 Spirit Award nominee WE WERE HERE and 2013 Oscar nominee THE INVISIBLE WAR. This is his third collaboration with Dan and Dayna, having served as consulting producer and producer’s representative on BALLETS RUSSES (2005), and as production consultant on SOMETHING VENTURED (2011).

Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine, Emmy-award winning directors/producers, have for over twenty years jointly created critically-acclaimed multi-character documentary narratives that braid their characters’ individual personal stories to form a larger portrait of the human experience. Previous work includes the award-winning SOMETHING VENTURED (2011), BALLETS RUSSES which was recognized as one of the top five documentaries of 2005 by both the National Society of Film Critics and the National Board of Review and appeared on a dozen critical “10 Best Films” lists, including those of Time Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, the San Francisco Chronicle and Slate; Now and Then, Frosh, Isadora Duncan and the two time national emmy award winning Kids Of Survival.

Discussing 'Should integrity be part of conducting business?' and Interviewing Michael Marshall Smith

Broadcast on KSCO AM 1080 and KSCO.com Live Stream

Ruth with Michael Marshall Smith

HOUR 1: Talk With Listeners Calling in Live

We discuss 'Should integrity be part of conducting business?' Or is it dog eat dog? Companies often have integrity as an espoused value but is it a lived value? In The Netherlands all bank employees are required to swear an oath of integrity similar to doctors’ Hippocratic oath. Is this a step in the right direction to protect the public’s interest? Or is it wrong to legislate ethical behaviour? And is it even possible to enforce? The banking world has come under fire for its part in causing the recession due to practices that seemed to lack integrity. But are we holding bankers to a higher or different standard than other businesses? What do you think? Join the conversation!

HOUR 2: (Begins at 52:30 mins) Interviewing Internationally Best-selling Author Michael Marshall Smith

Left: UK Cover; Right: USA Cover - different images, same great book!

In the second hour I interview New York Times best selling (and British Sunday Times best selling) author and screenwriter Michael Marshall Smith. We’ll be talking about his 20+ year career and latest novel We Are Here, which has been described as “Chilling, intelligent and profoundly unsettling”. Born in Britain, Michael spent the first seven years of his childhood in Illinois and Florida as well as a year in South Africa and another in Australia before returning to the UK. He has lived in Santa Cruz for the last three years with his wife and son. Having started out writing and performing comedy with The Footlights at Cambridge University and subsequently at the BBC, Michael has gone on to write dark suspense fiction with a hint of the supernatural. He is the winner of the Philip K Dick Award, the August Derleth Award for best novel, six British fantasy awards and the only author ever to win the BFS Award for Best Short Story four times. Stephen King referred to his Straw Men trilogy as a 'masterpiece….brilliantly written'. His novel Spares was optioned by Stephen Spielberg's Dreamworks and his supernatural thriller The Intruders is currently being filmed for TV by BBC America and stars John Simm and Mira Sorvino. More info at www.michaelmarshallsmith.com and www.ememess.com

Discussing 'What does tolerance mean to you?' and Interviewing Frances Bromley

*Broadcasting from the BBC in England* 

For KSCO AM 1080 and KSCO.com Live Stream 

Dedicated to Dorothy Anne Williams 

HOUR 1: Talk With Listeners Calling In Live

We discuss ‘What does tolerance mean to you?’ If you had to imagine your perfect world what would it look like? How do people treat each other in this world? How do they feel about one another? How do they interact and communicate? Tolerance encompasses attitudes as well actions, individual choices as well as social, political and legal commitments. It is also a vision that encompasses everybody. Every person is both a purveyor and beneficiary of tolerance. So, what does tolerance mean to you? Join the conversation! 

HOUR 2: (Begins at 0:49 mins) In-depth Interview with Frances Bromley of innovative and internationally successful design company, Scabetti.

I interview Frances Bromley, one half of the creative force behind innovative design company Scabetti, the other half being Dominic Bromley her long-time partner and husband. Since their company began with the launch of the Amoeba candlestick and small dish in 1999, Dominic’s sculptural forms have been an iconic addition to the world of design. Frances graduated in 1991 from Brunel University with a first class Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design. Brunel was also where she met her partner Dominic. PhD studies, marriage, an intense design career path in London working with Hasbro and FremantleMedia and three children later, she now works alongside her husband under their own label Scabetti. Since the formation of Scabetti in 1999, Dominic and Frances Bromley have become renowned for their installations that bring together the sculptural form with engineered elegance. Frances now balances family life with the design and installation of sculptures in corporate headquarters, cruise ships, shopping centres and private homes around the world. They also travelled last year to our very own Santa Cruz to install a beautiful commission of their iconic Shoal.

For more information go to www.scabetti.co.uk

Discussing 'What does it mean to be a man or a woman?' and Interviewing Jane Lamacraft

*Broadcasting from the BBC in Britain* for

KSCO AM 1080, KOMY AM 1340, and KSCO.com Live Stream

Ruth and Jane Lamacraft in the BBC Studios

HOUR 1: Talk with listeners calling in live

We consider 'What does it mean to be a woman or a man?' What traits do we associate with being masculine and feminine? Are these traits innate or are they social constructs imposed upon us? Do we need a balance of both masculine and feminine aspects no matter what our gender? Is it doing men and women a disservice to stereotype the traits associated with the male and female or does it help us to know where we stand with one another? Men and women are made to feel so different but do we actually have more in common than divides us? Join the conversation! 

HOUR 2: (Begins at 52:30 mins) Interview with Jane Lamacraft, actress and comedy writer

I interview Jane Lamacraft, British actress and comedy writer. Having gained Bachelor degrees in both English Literature and Law, and a Masters Degree in Text and Performance Studies, Jane went on to win the Dame Judi Dench Scholarship to Mountview Theatre School in London where she studied acting. Appearing in a range of TV shows, film, and theatre, including playing the Virgin Mary in the US production 'King Of Kings', Jane found her true calling in comedy, both as a performer and writer. Represented by top London agent Giles Smart of United Agents, Jane writes comedy for both TV and radio. TV work for the BBC, ITV, Carlton, and Channel 4 includes the highly popular shows 'Smack The Pony' and 'Armstrong and Miller'. In radio, Jane’s work includes sketches for BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 2, and BBC Radio 7 for a variety of shows including 'The Jason Byrne Show', 'The Now Show' and '2525', a sketch show set in the distant future, which is broadcasting presently on BBC Radio 4. Current projects include writing for the latest series of 'The Now Show' and a radio sitcom commission for BBC Radio 4. Jane also performs her own work at comedy venues in Britain. More info go to www.flavors.me/janelamacraft

Discussing 'When does a cult become a religion?' and Interviewing Eddie Adamberry

*Broadcasting from the BBC in England* for

KSCO AM 1080, KOMY AM 1340 and KSCO.com Live Stream

Email: ruth@ksco.com   Twitter: @ruthcopland

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ruth.copland.1

Ruth at the BBC studios

HOUR 1: Talk with listeners calling in live

‘When does a cult become a religion?’ What does it take for a new way of spiritual thinking to be accepted? Why don’t we give much credence to modern day prophets when ancient texts of all major religions are based on reported personal interactions with God? Does how long a belief has been held and how many adherents the system has determine its credibility? What constitutes a cult? A religion? A philosophy? A way of life? And who gets to decide this? How do we balance protecting individuals with retaining the safe harbour America has always been for different religious perspectives? Can mainstream religions act like cults?Join the conversation! 

HOUR 2: (Begins at 54 mins) Interviewing Eddie Adamberry, British musician, songwriter, music producer and publisher about his 50-year career in the music business.

I interview Eddie Adamberry, British musician, songwriter, music producer and publisher about his 50-year career in the music business. Born in Gibraltar, Eddie was a natural musician from the age of eight. He formed a band with his brother called The Silhouettes and was playing professionally by the age of 13. At age 16 The Silhouettes were brought over to the UK and signed to Philips records. Their lead singer was the famed Albert Hammond and for a few years they experienced what it was like to be a young pop band performing and releasing records in the swinging 60s. Eddie then left the band to join Chappells Music Publishing. Over his long career as a prolific songwriter, he was signed to RCA, Polydor, Peer Southern Music and Island Records. At the end of the 70s Eddie formed a punk band, one of whose hits called ‘Get Out and Take Your Mother’ is much sought-after by collectors to this day. By the early 80s Eddie realised his true calling was in record production. Having built a studio in London, Eddie and his partner were signed by Island records as a songwriting/A&R team and started an independent record label called Nightshift Records. Since that time Eddie has had 3 more studios in London where he has written and produced songs for many talented artists. His current (and he says final studio) is in Dorset, England. For info on Eddie go to www.eddieadamberry.com. For info on his songwriting/production partnership with Heather Hamer go to www.wildlovemusic.com

Discussing 'How does media violence affect our conflict resolution skills?' (David Williams interview) and Interviewing Dwayne Johnson-Cochran

On KSCO AM 1080, KOMY AM 1340 and KSCO.com Live Stream

Email: ruth@ksco.com  Twitter: @ruthcopland

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ruth.copland.1

Broadcasting from Great Britain this week!

HOUR 1: Talk with Listeners Calling in Live

David Williams

I interview David Williams (begins at 08:30 mins), who is representing Great Britain in the Sporting Rifle discipline in an upcoming international competition in Norway about what it is like being a gun owner in Britain.

Our topic of discussion is ‘How does TV/film violence affect our conflict resolution skills?’ Is it easy to view media violence as just entertainment or does the way violence is portrayed in films, the proliferation of guns depicted, and solving conflicts with aggression, negatively affect those who view these films? What are viewers taking away about what the world around them is like and what the options are to resolve conflict? Is seeing guns used so prevalently making people think they are under threat and that guns are just part of how you deal with life, or are people able to make a conscious distinction between art and reality? Should we try to redress the balance by offering other types of conflict resolution approaches? What do you think? How is the portrayal of violence in films and TV affecting our conflict resolution skills?  Join the conversation! 

HOUR 2: (Begins at 53 mins) Interview with Dwayne Johnson Cochran, Hollywood director, writer, producer, educator and journalist.

I interview Dwayne Johnson-Cochran, Hollywood director, writer, producer, educator and journalist. Dwayne is currently writing and producing the epic battle film QUEEN OF WAR for three time Oscar nominated director Sergei Bodrov (Mongol, Seventh Son) to be filmed in China and India, 2014, and his latest documentary BE KNOWN, about jazz percussionist Kahil El-Zabar, recently premiered in Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Dwayne has an impressive career encompassing producing, writing and directing. His directing debut, LOVE AND ACTION IN CHICAGO (HBO) featured Kathleen Turner, Courtney B.Vance, Jason Alexander, Regina King and Ed Asner and has sold to 60 countries around the world. Before working in Los Angeles, Mr. Johnson-Cochran produced and directed documentaries, music variety shows, and public affairs programming for the PBS station in Chicago, WTTW-11. He was visiting professor in the USC (Bill Cosby) Screenwriting Fellowship Program (2001-2012) and has taught screenwriting workshops in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and Ethiopia, He has been a festival judge for the Chicago International Film Festival; National Black Programme Consortium; Pan African Film Festival; and is a two-time winner of the ‘Mentor of the Year” award from the Fulfillment Fund, one of the largest mentor organizations in country. Born in Chicago Dwayne earned a B.S. in Geophysical Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago and attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the Master's Program for filmmaking. www.beknown-themovie.com

Discussing 'Why do we engage in victim blaming?' and Interviewing Richard Stockton

Broadcast on KSCO AM 1080, KOMY AM 1340 and KSCO.com Live Stream

Email: ruth@ksco.com  Twitter: @ruthcopland

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ruth.copland.1

Richard Stockton and Ruth

HOUR 1: Talk With Listeners Calling In Live

‘Why do we engage in victim-blaming?’ If the defendant is innocent till proven guilty shouldn’t the complainant be considered reliable until proven otherwise? Why do victims of sexual crimes suffer more victim-blaming than victims of other crimes? Should the public and media weigh in with their opinions of crimes before trials or should there be a media reporting ban to ensure the fairest trial for all parties? What are the consequences of victim-blaming? Join the conversation!

HOUR 2: (Begins at 52 mins) Interview with Richard Stockton, comedian, performer, writer, storyteller, musician, and Gail Rich Award winner.

I interview Richard Stockton, comedian, performer, writer, storyteller, musician, radio host and Gail Rich Award winner. In 1982 Richard became the morning talk show host of WKDA/KDF in Nashville, Tennessee which was the number one talk show in the mid south for two years. In 1986 he became a full time touring comedian, based in San Francisco. In his twenty-eight years as a standup comedian he has appeared on dozens of national TV shows and has headlined A-List comedy clubs from coast to coast – Improv, Punchline, Comedy Underground, Comedy Works, and more – growing an audience of devotees to his unique take on the human potential movement.

His first book, ‘Fondle The Fear’ is now in its third printing, and is the basis for a TV show by the same name, broadcast by Comcast Television in west coast markets. He also creates short stories of transformation for NPR stations KQED, KUSP and KAZU in Northern California. He is currently appearing at the Broadway Theatre in Santa Cruz in ‘Are We There Yet?’ his one-man comedy theatre show. ‘Are We There Yet?’ is a journey with a California comedian through the past sixty years and the crossing into the next thirty – on the voyage of the baby boomer generation, from HiFi to WiFi, through hot pants to hot flashes, from the ERA to the AARP, from “Hell no, we won’t go!” to “Where the hell did my Ginkgo Biloba go?” The show, which Richard wrote and stars in, encompasses stories, standup, video and music. 

http://arewethereyetshow.com/boomers-trailer/ 

Discussing 'Why is sex rated more strictly than violence in American media?' and Interviewing Kenny Hill

Broadcast on KSCO AM 1080, KOMY AM 1340 and KSCO.com Live Stream

Email:  ruth@ksco.com  Twitter: @ruthcopland

Facebook:  facebook.com/ruth.copland.1

Kenny Hill and Ruth

HOUR 1: Talk With Listeners Calling In Live

‘Why is sex rated more strictly than violence in American media?' What consequences do we fear from sexual content versus violent content? Does sex make us more uncomfortable than violence? Is it legitimate to argue that violent content does not affect our behaviour but sexual content does? Is rating films a form of censorship? And if so, what do we want to gain from it?Join the conversation!

HOUR 2: (Begins at 0:53 mins) Interview With Kenny Hill, Master Classical Guitar Luthier, Player, and President of Hill Guitar Company.

I interview Kenny Hill, master classical guitar luthier, player, and President of the internationally esteemed Hill Guitar Company in the Santa Cruz mountains. Kenny Hill is one of the most accomplished, experienced and versatile classical guitar makers in the world today. He is recognized as a fine maker, player, teacher and innovator. He has worked as an individual luthier, in small workshops as well as in large factory settings, to bring fine guitars to thousands of players of all levels around the world. Kenny began building guitars in the mid 1970's. In 1978 he was awarded one of the first California Arts Council grants to an individual artist for his work as a guitar builder and guitarist. During that time he was instructor of guitar on the faculty at University of California, Santa Cruz, where he taught for 3 years. As President of Hill Guitar Company,Inc., Kenny continues to develop the Hill Guitar line in Santa Cruz building fine, hand-made classical guitars for the world market making the entire range of Signature, and Performance model guitars in the Santa Cruz mountains. Kenny has also contributed his design expertise to his popular affordable range of New World Guitars. For more info www.hillguitar.com