Impromp2, The Community Blog

Gulf oil spill widget and live video stream driving traffic to PBS NewsHour site

A Gulf Leak Meter widget and live video stream of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have provided PBS NewsHour with a "significant increase" in Web traffic, the show reported today (May 27). Newshour and NPR are providing the embedding code for the widget free and it has been used by more than 3,000 websites including YouTube, Huffington Post, New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Wired, ProPublic, Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and many local PBS stations. Subscribers to the PBS Newshour YouTube channel doubled in one 24-hour period. More than 1 million viewers have watched the video feed via Newshour and NPR websites. The crisis began April 20 when an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 17 workers and left 11 missing, and oil continues to flow from a well some 5,000 feet below the surface. The widget debuted May 9.

Tundra Bowl?

He has gone on record claiming the fix was in for NY/NJ to receive the 2014 Super Bowl.  In this video from the uVu archive, see what Rodney Barreto thought about South Florida's chances during the 2010 Super Bowl.

Miss Marple Rides Again

MISS MARPLE   Sunday, May 23rd at 9:00 p.m.  On WPBT2    Julia McKenzie returns to Masterpiece Mystery! as Agatha Christie's spinster sleuth Miss Marple. In the first of three new cases, Hollywood glamour arrives in St. Mary Mead — and murder follows close behind. Go here to learn more about this classic series

WHY WE LOVE CATS AND DOGS

Nature - Sunday, May 23rd at 8:00 p.m. On WPBT2 Ask people and they immediately know — they’re either a dog person or a cat person. What is this all about? This film launches an in-depth investigation into the great divide between dogs and cats and just what draws people to these two polarizing pets. Get to know more!

GROUND WAR

                                                                                                                                                                                           Wednesday, May 19th at 9:00 p.m. 

This four-part series explores the key technological advances that have defined ground warfare through the ages. From the gladius to the AK47, from the chariot to the tank, from the trebuchet to the howitzer, and from the battle ramp to the star fort, the series follows the fascinating punch and counterpunch of battle tactics and new technologies. With classic examples like the stirrup and lesser known innovations like the gunner’s quadrant, the series reveals how even the smallest innovations can have a wide ranging effect on the way wars are fought. Take a look inside

SECRETS OF THE DEAD: DEADLIEST BATTLE

Wednesday, May 19th at 8:00 p.m.

Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 was the largest troop offensive in military history. And the Battle of Stalingrad is arguably the deadliest single battle the world has ever seen. The eventual Russian victory has long been lauded as a shining example of Stalin’s military genius. He is said to have baited the much more powerful and technologically advanced German army with a carefully executed withdrawal, then caught the Nazis unprepared in vicious city-block-by-city-block fighting that decimated the German forces. By the time the battle was over, more than one million lives had been lost and the course of the war permanently altered. Check out the program guide for more information

PEDIGREE DOGS EXPOSED

 Tuesday May 18th at 9:00 p.m.

Two years in the making, Pedigree Dogs Exposed lifts the lid on the true extent of health and welfare problems in pedigree dogs. This in-depth investigation suggests they're in serious trouble, plagued by genetic disease due to decades of inbreeding. Disturbing footage includes Cavalier King Charles spaniels in terrible pain because they've been bred with heads so small that their brains outgrows their skulls. Finally, the film offers up some options to dog lovers who want to safeguard the future health of their purebred dogs Go here to learn more about this documentary

THE HURRICANE OF '38

Monday, May 17th at 9:00 p.m.

As the storm made its way across the Atlantic and up the eastern seaboard, there was little warning. Radar had not been invented. The National Weather Bureau predicted it would blow itself out at North Carolina, but it didn't. No one had ever seen a storm like this.  Rhode Island fishermen, residents and vacationers recount what it was like to live through one of the greatest natural disasters recorded in North America. Watch the promo online.

New World School of the Arts Rising Stars artwork showcase

The Rising Stars showcase is a three-part celebration that begins with an Exhibition of artworks by New World School of the Arts students in March 2010.

No One Here Gets Out Alive

For those of us old enough to remember when Rock music really was dangerous, it will be interesting to see how Jim Morrison and The Doors are treated by the venerable Public Television series AMERICAN MASTERS, tonight at 9pm.

That series has brought us Joan Baez and Bob Dylan biographies lately, and both these icons have somehow mellowed in comparison to our recollections.

But Jim Morrison is different, barely making it out of the turbulent sixties, he is forever frozen in time, a wild child, who went on one of his strangest trips right here in Miami.  Thanks to the online archives at the Palm Beach Post, we've been able to find an article from the Miami News from March 11, 1969, just a few days after "The Incident" at the Dinner Key Auditorium.

A curious artifact of the day, Art Grace's "In Defense of a Generation" has a sort of timeless relevance, even in today's Rap culture.

I hope you'll read the article, watch American Masters this evening at 9 and tell us what you think about both.