Coming up 9/28/20 at 9:00am PT on KUCI 88.9fm - Janeane speaks with BISHOP MICHAEL CURRY. He shares his NEW and very timely book, LOVE IS THE WAY: Holding onto Hope in Troubling Times

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ABOUT THE BOOK
Walk the path of love with one of the warmest, most beloved spiritual leaders of our time, and learn how to put faith into action.

As the descendant of slaves and the son of a civil rights activist, Bishop Michael Curry's life illustrates massive changes in our times. Much of the world met Bishop Curry when he delivered his sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope in an inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving lessons from his own life. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey, Love Is the Way shows us how America came this far and, more important, how to go a whole lot further.

The way of love is essential for addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the world today: poverty, racism, selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God. This book will lead readers to discover the gifts they need in order to live the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity.



While The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church may be known in popular culture for his sermon at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle, his life work has been to fight for human and equal rights, the respect and recognition immigrants at the border and Indigenous people, and the LGBTQ+ community. His work is based in the simple idea that if we live the way of love, we can change the world for the better. Now, his shares stories from his own life with messages of how we can all live the way of love in his book LOVE IS THE WAY: Holding onto Hope in Troubling Times.

Love comes in many forms - romantic love, brotherly love - but what Bishop Curry is talking about here is agape - the love for one another or sacrificial love that seeks the good and well-being of others. It is love that transcends religion or gender or background - it is the balm that can heal. Unselfish love of this sort is the only thing that can make the world a better place.

Bishop Curry shares:

· Stories about his ancestors and what he learned about life while sitting in his grandmother's kitchen (she was the daughter of sharecroppers, granddaughter of slaves, taught in old country segregated schools and buried a husband who fought in the segregated WWII units)

· His journey to realizing the need for a change in how the church approaches LGBTQ+, revelations when standing with Indigenous Peoples at Standing Rock

· His theory of what Desmond Tutu and Dolly Parton have in common

· How the way of love has not only been a guiding light but a beacon to an America (and a worldwide community) that is just and free.

The way of love is essential for addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the world today: poverty, racism, selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God. Love is the Way leads readers to discover the gifts they need in order to live the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry is the presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church. Elected in 2015, he is the first African-American to lead the denomination. He was previously bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. A noted advocate for human rights, and author of several books, Bishop Curry is recognized as one of the most popular preachers in the English language. He and his wife Sharon Curry have two daughters, Rachel and Elizabeth. They live in North Carolina.

THE INFLUENCERS” TV PILOT TO VIE FOR HONORS AT ONLINE FILM FESTIVALS Upcoming competitions include Catalina Film Fest, Sep. 8-27 and Burbank Film Festival, Sep. 10-13, 2020

LOS ANGELES - September 9, 2020 --  “The Influencers,” a sharply drawn yet humorous look at the world of YouTube celebrities and their hapless agents, has morphed from a pilot into a sleeper hit at indie festivals across the country. The pilot will screen at the Catalina Film Fest September 8-27 and the Burbank International Film Festival September 10-13, 2020.

 Created by Ally Kornfeld and Desiree Staples, “The Influencers” is custom made for the weaned-on-social-media generation of online viewers today. On a quest to become a high-powered Hollywood agent, Mia, an ambitious and naive young woman, ends up at a tiny talent agency managing crazy YouTube stars both human and feline. Thus far, the short-form pilot has won multiple awards including “Best Ensemble Cast” (Santa Monica Webfest), “Best Pilot,” (Seoul Webfest) and the “HRIFF People’s Choice Award for Best Short Film: Comedy” (Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival).

The premise of the series was inspired by the real-life experiences of co-creator and executive producer Staples (who also plays Mia). When Staples first got to LA, she ended up accidentally moving into an infamous apartment complex full of wayward social media personalities and ex-Vine stars. She soon befriended a set of twin helicopter pilots, an Instagram model, and Oprah’s godson, all sitting by the pool taking selfies.

Realizing she was sitting on a goldmine of stories and characters, Staples teamed up with Kornfeld, an alumna of UCB and they immediately understood that managing influencers must be an insane and unique job that they haven’t seen explored in scripted television before. Thus, “The Influencers” was born. 

In the pilot, we meet Mia, who lands an interview at her dream company, ICM - International Creative Management – one of the top agencies in the world. Her goal is to represent stars like Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling; but when she aces the interview with Greg (the enthusiastic and slightly stressed agency manager) Mia realizes something is wildly wrong. This is ICM -- Internet Celebrity Moguls, that represents eccentric YouTube stars, like viral sensation Chewbacca Mom.

Mia wants to leave immediately, but their best client and extreme “prankster” takes a liking to her sarcastic commentary on social media influencers and she gets promoted to agent – an offer she can’t turn down. Now it’s up to her to keep the company afloat by signing new talent, keeping the influencers happy and putting out constant fires. So who has time for a meaningful personal life?

Kornfeld and Staples come from wildly different backgrounds, but the partnership took off over their shared love of comedy which was nurtured at UCB.

Staples hails from Orange County and graduated from Northwestern University’s Acting and Musical Theater Program in Chicago before moving to LA and honing her comedic voice as a multi-hyphenate actress, producer, and writer. She has been seen in Viral Videos such as Clickhole’s “500lb Man” with 15 million views, a guest-star role in “In The Cut” on Bounce TV, appeared Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theater, and is a producer/actress in the upcoming comedy feature film “Take Me To Tarzana,” Directed by Maceo Greenberg.

The co-creator of “The Influencers,” Kornfeld, is an Australian Writer who has written for British YouTube influencer, Charlie McDonnell, as well as “TXT Stories” for Facebook Watch (3 million followers), and “Warigami” for the CW Seed. Ally spent many years writing on a sketch comedy troupe at the Magnet Theater in NYC, and toured comedy festivals including Montreal Sketchfest, Chicago Sketchfest and Boston Comedy Arts Festival.

 Asked to describe “The Influencers,” Staples says “In a world where you can make a living squishing food on camera and burping at cows, this show explores that bonkers world.” Kornfeld adds, “It’s 30 Rock, but with influencers and cats, and a lot of heart. We love the crazy world of YouTube stars.” Despite the off-the-wall humor, both women feel that at its heart, the show explores what YouTube, Instagram, and Social Media reveals about ourselves as a culture. What causes our innate desire to be liked and followed?

Also starring in the pilot are Jeff Harms, PJ McCormick, Daniel Floren, Chris Ruetten, and Nabeel Muscatwalla.

The Influencers Trailer:
https://vimeo.com/440723072


The Influencers Website:
https://www.allykornfeld.com/copy-of-the-influencers

 

For online ticket information for “The Influencers” at both festivals, please visit their respective websites: info@CatalinaFilm.org Catalina Film Institute and The Influencers.

KUCI's Janeane Bernstein features SUGARPROOF: The Hidden Dangers of Sugar That Are Putting Your Child’s Health at Risk and What You Can Do, USC Professor of Pediatrics and Program Director for Diabetes and Obesity at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Dr. Michael Goran

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In SUGARPROOF: The Hidden Dangers of Sugar That Are Putting Your Child’s Health at Risk and What You Can Do, USC Professor of Pediatrics and Program Director for Diabetes and Obesity at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Dr. Michael Goran, and co-author Dr. Emily Ventura, an expert in nutrition education and recipe development, explain the overabundance of sugar in kids’ diets and how different types of sugar can have a direct adverse effect on kids’ weight, chronic disease risk, behavior, and how well they do in school. In a groundbreaking study, Dr. Goran’s team conducted a detailed analysis of the sugary products that kids love and found that these yogurts, cereals, sodas, and juices often had more sugar than advertised and also contained different types of sugar than were being disclosed. Most of us know that sugar can wreak havoc on adult bodies, but few realize how uniquely harmful it is to the growing livers, hearts, and brains of children. Today’s children are not just consuming more sugar than ever, but they are consuming sugars that are particularly harmful to them–and their parents don’t even know it.

A child doesn’t need to be overweight to have a sugar problem. In fact, even if well-meaning parents purchase organic cereal and low-fat yogurt, their child could still have dangerously high levels of blood lipids or body fat wrapped around internal organs. Sugar could be causing problems in school, disrupting sleep, and/or contributing to inflammatory conditions such as asthma and acne. With a 7-day and 28-day challenge to help families right-size sugar in their diets, along with 39 recipes all without added sugars, everyone can give their children a healthy new start to life.

Sugarproof busts myths about the various types of sugars and sweeteners, helps families identify sneaky sources of sugar in their diets, and suggests realistic, family-based solutions to reduce sugar consumption and therefore protect kids. “Sugarproof” isn’t about quitting sugar entirely. It’s about becoming less reliant on sweet foods and drinks as daily staples. Goran and Ventura offer a reliable and straightforward approach, teaching parents to raise informed and empowered kids who can set their own healthy limits without feeling restricted.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dr. Michael I Goran is one of the world's most widely recognized experts in childhood nutrition and obesity research, with more than 30 years of experience as a researcher, mentor, and educator. He is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Co-Director of the USC Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute and leads the Program in Diabetes and Obesity at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. He holds the Dr. Robert C and Veronica Atkins Endowed Chair in Childhood Obesity and Diabetes. Michael is a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, UK.

Dr. Emily Ventura is an experienced nutrition educator, public health advocate, writer, and cook. After working in writing and public relations in the arenas of environmental protection and food, she completed her Master's in Public Health and Doctorate of Philosophy in Health Behavior Research at the University of Southern California. She was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach Public Health Nutrition in Italy and now lives in California and works as a writer, recipe developer, and mother to two young boys.

Coming up on KUCI - Vox co-founder Matthew Yglesias talks about his book, One Billion Americans

What would actually make America great? More people, argues Vox co-founder Matthew Yglesias. ONE BILLION AMERICANS is a bold, provocative, and data-driven case for massive population growth, presented with Yglesias’ signature humor and analytic rigor.

Matthew Yglesias’s articles for which receive an average of 2 million page views per month, have been cited by everyone from Bernie Sanders and Barack Obama to Jeff Bezos, and have influenced congressional action on topics like the relocation of federal agencies outside the Beltway. He hosts Vox podcast "The Weeds," which was hailed as the "best roundtable podcast" of 2018 by Quartz and draws on average 130,000 downloads per episode. Matthew is available for interviews on Thursday, September 24th. Please let me know if you would like to have him on your show.

If the most challenging crisis in living memory has shown us anything, it’s that the US has lost the will and the means to lead the global community and marketplace. We can’t compete with the huge population clusters of the global marketplace by keeping our population static or letting it diminish, or with our crumbling transit and unaffordable housing. The winner in the future world is going to have more—more ideas, more ambition, more utilization of resources, more people.


Exactly how many Americans do we need to win? According to Yglesias, one billion.

From one of our foremost policy writers, ONE BILLION AMERICANS is the provocative yet logical argument that if we aren’t moving forward, we’re losing. Yglesias invites us to think bigger, while taking the problems of decline seriously. What really contributes to national prosperity should not be controversial: supporting parents and children, welcoming immigrants and their contributions, and exploring creative policies that support growth—like more housing, better transportation, improved education, revitalized welfare, and climate change mitigation. Yglesias challenges readers across the political spectrum to move beyond left-right divides and to look squarely at practical ways of moving forward and supporting many, many more of us.

In ONE BILLION AMERICANS, Yglesias draws on economic theory and research from leading policy experts to offer ideas from around the globe—from Singapore's approach to traffic jams to Canada's town planning—demonstrating not only that we can do this, but why we must.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Matthew Yglesias co-founded Vox.com with Ezra Klein and Melissa Bell in 2014. He's currently a senior correspondent focused on politics and economic policy, and co-hosts "The Weeds" podcast twice a week. Before launching Vox, he wrote the Moneybox column for Slate and blogged for Think Progress, The Atlantic, TPM, and The American Prospect. Yglesias is the author of two books, most recently The Rent Is Too Damn High about the policy origins of the middle class housing affordability crisis in America. Yglesias was born and raised in New York City, but has lived in Washington DC since 2003.

Actress, filmmaker, comedian, and creator of the funny mental health podcast, Crying Behind Sunglasses, Katy Dolle chats with host Janeane Bernstein on KUCI 88.9fm

Meet Katy Dolle

Actress / Filmmaker / creator of weird + wonderful things

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Katy Dolle is a renaissance woman. She is an actress, filmmaker, and comedian, and her mission is to create projects that have a social impact. Her past film projects include Dancing Man the Documentary (featured on Good Morning America, the Today Show and other international news outlets) and We’ll Never Make It, an award-winning short film that is currently available on Amazon. Most recently, during the Covid-19 pandemic, she launched a funny mental health podcast, Crying Behind Sunglasses. On the show, she interviews entertainers, mental health professionals, and people from all walks of life. This podcast dives deep into these topics, erasing the stigma around mental illness and is guaranteed to make you laugh. At least on the inside.

katy@katydolle.com

instagram.com/katydolle

Coming up on KUCI 88.9fm - Janeane speaks with award-winning author Amy Hest

Amy is a Christopher Award/Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner with over 40 children’s titles under her belt; she is also the beloved writer of Kiss Good Night, The Reader, and more. She recently interviewed on WTJS-FM’s “Blue Suede Forever” and KFMG-FM’s “Culture Buzz.” 

Amy Hest will discuss: 

Ways that teachers and parents can utilize the book in their class (check out this curriculum guide!)

• The family love story that inspired her latest book: an aunt who secretly married her love on the brink of war before he is stationed overseas.
  
  
• How Amy weaves her own experiences into each book she writes, including dialogue of what she wishes she’d said as a parent, and the real, ordinary events that have happened in her life.
  
  
• The challenges that come with writing a novel versus a picture book.
  
  
• Her upcoming projects and how she is currently navigating teaching writing courses online.
  
  
• Tackling difficult subjects in her books, such as grief, loss, interpersonal relationships and war.
  
  
• Her career, which spans over 40 books, including a NYT bestseller, and multiple award winners.
  
  
• How her experience as a New York Public Library children’s librarian and publishing professional impacted her later work and pushed her to tell her own stories.
  
  
• Her daily writing routine, favorite snacks, and experience living and people watching in NYC, one of her favorite settings for her books.

AMY HEST

Amy Hest is the author of many beloved books for young readers, including Remembering Mrs. Rossi, Letters to Leo, and the Katie Roberts novels. She is also the author of many picture books, including Kiss Good Night, When Jessie Came Across the Sea, and On the Night of the Shooting Star. Before creating her own stories, she was a New York Public Library children’s librarian and children’s publishing professional, and currently teaches children’s writing courses at Bank Street College of Education. For all those who feel like their life isn’t exciting enough, Amy writes to celebrate everyday life, and the joys, laugh, and love that come along with it. She has worked with a number of prominent illustrators, including Amy Schwartz, Jenni Desmond, P.J. Lynch, and Jill Barton, and her previous books have also received starred and recommended reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus Reviews, and have been recognized by The New York Times, The Horn Book, Washington Post, American Library Association, and many more. Amy lives in New York City. 

 Author Website 


THE SUMMER WE FOUND THE BABY (Candlewick Press; August 4, 2020; Hardcover; ISBN: 9780763660079; 192 pages) has received rave reviews so far:

Press Release :: Jacket Art :: Publisher Page

On the morning of the dedication of the new children’s library in Belle Beach, Long Island, eleven-year-old Julie Sweet and her six-year-old sister, Martha, find a baby in a basket on the library steps. At the same time, twelve-year-old Bruno Ben-Eli is on his way to catch the 9:15 train into New York City. He is on an important errand for his brother, Ben, who is serving in World War II. But when Bruno spies Julie, who hasn’t spoken to him for sixteen days, heading away from the library carrying a baby in a basket, he has to follow her. Holy everything, he thinks. Julie Sweet is a kidnapper. Of course, the truth about the baby they’ve found is much more complicated than the children know in this heartwarming and beautifully textured family story by award-winning author Amy Hest.

KUCI's Janeane Bernstein spoke with Michelle Carlson, MScPH Executive Director of the Teen Line about the current mental health pandemic, the impact of covid19 on teens mental health, and how the Teen Line is touching lives nationally and internationally

Teen Line is a confidential hotline for teenagers which operates every evening from 6:00pm to 10:00pm PST. If you have a problem or just want to talk with another teen who understands, then this is the right place for you! You can call us at 800-TLC-TEEN (852-8336), text us by texting “TEEN” to 839863 or email.

The Teen Line volunteers who answer the calls, emails and texts are Southern California teenagers who have received specialized training. They won’t judge you or give advice – their job is to listen to your feelings and help you to clarify your concerns, define the options available to you, and help you make positive decisions.

No problem is too small, too large, or too shocking for the Teen Line volunteers. Issues that teenagers are dealing with include abuse, depression, divorce, bullying, anxiety, gangs, gender identity, homelessness, pregnancy, relationships, sexuality, violence, substance abuse, self harm, and suicide.

Janeane spoke with Executive Director
Michelle Carlson, MScPH

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CALL | TEXT | EMAIL: https://teenlineonline.org/talk-now/

https://teenlineonline.org/