Hi, I'm Different. Welcome to first Friday for the month of January today. We asked you to take another look at the new toys around the house many of them are made under brutal working conditions in Asian factories. What's your responsibility Mindy psychotherapist to your boy whose book in the company of my sister is black women and self-esteem break some long-held silences also on our program some midterm using by a college English teacher an update on Steven Spielberg Holocaust Survivors video project shopping the internet and bringing the garden indoors the joy of a winter blooming Jasmine all coming up in the next hour of First Friday, which comes your way right after the news from Washington. So stay with us.And this is First Friday. I'm that friend. If you finished this holiday season with new toys in the house chances are your children are playing with things made by other children much of America's toy industry gets its merchandise from factories in the Asian Pacific Rim factories where miners are routinely employed and we're labor conditions are rarely monitored pay is a very low and health and safety problems can be extreme. One of the most dramatic examples of fatally dangerous condition is described in a recent report by the international coach Federation of Free Trade union From the Ashes Chronicles the worst-ever factory fire in the world in 1993 fire at the cater Toy Factory near Bangkok Thailand that fire claimed the lives of almost 200 young women and teenage girls many of whom left to their deaths to avoid the Flames. Most of us don't know about Decatur fire. We never stopped to think about who makes our material goods and under what conditions they work. That's the job of Ken Hutchinson with the Asian American free labor Institute and organization alarm.AFL-CIO, we began our conversation with Hutchinson by talking about the conditions at Cater three buildings. These buildings were constructed without building permits without safety inspections. And as came out and inspection after the fire building and unsafe manner going by architectural standards much of the supplies and and finished products were stored on stairways and fire escapes. The workers actually worked on the upper floors. And then the top floors was there residential areas when the fire started on the lower floor. So the workers upstairs. So primarily women wear many of them were unable to get out because of the black fire staircases and in the locked doors and no fire equipment is extinguishers inOther such equipment mini the girls is the only way out they felt was the jump one girl's friend there. They jumped in her friend died and she wound up with multiple injuries in the hospital and in due to be convalescing for several years with actually some permanent damage, but that's just one case the body bags were after the fire. We're stretched out and then I'm any of the reports that came through depression and other reports showed a the conditions in the Twisted steel of the buildings many many similarities to the Triangle Shirtwaist company fire in 1911 in New York City the young girls and women were involved primarily the fact that dumb people they jump to their death and we're not ways to exit the building the factory building safely in the case of the triangle fire in the aftermath ofOur people's outrage running high. It was sort of the beginning of an energizing of them of the labor movement and of a general public awareness about working conditions for people and it resulted ultimately not too long afterwards in safety legislation for workers has the same thing happened in Thailand play very little was being done until the survivors themselves along with other a community activist working with them organized some support the government wasn't even going to insist on adequate compensation for the injured or where the survivors of members of the family of those killed but a team of the survivors. I had to visit Hong Kong to the headquarters of the cater company.To actually protest there and pick up before they were actually offered to what could be turned adequate compensation for injuries in in death. What's the relationship between major manufacturers and companies like cater and their factories actually contracts to produce toys for toy companies American companies or European countries. It just like many companies out in Asia throughout Asia and in Thailand in Hong Kong and primarily in China. Now many of Mattel toys are manufactured dolls. Barbie doll is his and everything of The Lion King. I think one of their popular choice comes out of China now, I just read a report on the Power Rangers big item up over the Christmas holidays are manufactured in inHong Kong by a subsidiary of a Japanese Torii conglomerate set up a factory in in Thailand where they use a chance to go out and round up 1500 or so of the workers to work in the factory outside of Bangkok and these agents to require 15 to 20% Kickback from the workers. Is there a commission for getting them the job then the manufacturer says well, they're not our employees. We don't have to abide by the minimum labor standards or by the security or pay or anyting else says legislation that is in effect. How do we get how does one get we get firms to take responsibility?Exposure is is seems to be the only thing that you expose them and then the consumers start asking questions or in some cases the stockholders at its annual meetings to raise it. But it's it's a primarily adverse publicity on the toy, which is sometimes hard because most toy manufacturers or importers as I would call him. Now in the United States since very little toy manufacturing is being done here say well, we have no control over that it's done by other people. We just purchased from them our position. Is that the American Consumer should hold these importers accountable for the products are buyingSo how does one do that? You know, how do you say every purchase is really a very political act in a in a global economy. The New York Times recently as had a couple articles on it that cater fire received worldwide publicity different human rights organizations have picked up on it and publicized it as supporting their things like the Harkin bill on child labor. And that was a bill that died in last year's Congress. It just never came up for a vote. I I would presume Senator Harkin little will introduce it again. We have legislation. That's a law that General system of preferences. The US government is supposed to enforce control over importation of goods that violate basic to Trade union or worker standards.International labor organization. Unfortunately, the US government is not enforcing its own legislation and haven't for a good many years cmfn situational China a year ago at this is the separation of workers rights and human rights from trade issues is actually took away. One of the greatest weapons at the American America could have on on trying to influence working conditions. They sent the wrong signal to China and China has gotten worse rather than better go through this sign of leniency the Indonesian picked up on this right away and the US government of suspending the investigation and of the human and worker rights violations in Indonesia, send a different signal to Indonesian government that they can ignore all of this same thing as hat, Malaysia and Thailand.It's it's a question of American Business influencing the US government to ignore a human rights violations. Are there any examples of campaigns are consumer action being taken by other Western populations other Western consumers that use that we should Implement that might be helpful groups has is waged a very strong campaign against child labor in the carpet industry and in the Indian subcontinent there urgently the public to boycott and at the same time they're trying to work with the importers and the manufacturers in the Pakistan India and Nepal to eliminate child labor in the factories, and then actually come up with the with the barcode system and and label that they can they manufacturers that can put on there.Carpet saying that it's child labor free in Bangladesh the same thing on child Labour there a program is trying to get the manufacturers in the buyers of gar in the Garment industry to eliminate child labor, which is estimated at $500,000 more eliminate child labor in the industry and getting the kids back to school and give them some training the in America the AFL-CIO youth group front flash has had a campaign and then they do work with some of the Union's on campaign in call toy cut where they're boycotting are asking the public to boycott toys made in China because of the working conditions forced labor child labor unsafe working conditions similar to what happened in cater their there been many fires in factories in China. That is it's never got the publicity that that cater but if you total in my up more people have died.Then fires in southern China just across the border from Hong Kong and died in the caterer Factory and cater actually has some of these factories have connections with these factories in China. So it's it's a whole pattern. Basically, there are there are I would say hundreds if not thousands of factories waiting to have a situation such as a caterer fire throughout the of the Asia region. So we should be we should look at labels carefully when we purchase but at the same time, I think we we should be insisting if we can't always expect the individual consumer to know everything about where a product made her or the conditions. It's made under I think we should do they should be insisting that their government. I have some kind of a system and it can be in combination with the employer with businessmen to have a code of conduct her code of ethics that that they will abide by the codes of Ethics unless there in force. I mean, it's everything looks beautiful when it's written up. But unless it's implemented let's it's enforced and monitored who can be sure and I think that's where a joint effort by unions businessman and governments that get involved in and we could eliminate a lot of these unsafe working conditions. Can Hutchinson of the Asian America free labor Institute in Washington, DC? Self-help books abound in our culture and we're all quite familiar with the psychological hot topics of the day like self esteem in this category. Do you boys book in the company of my sisters that stands out because For the First Time in print a black psychotherapist is talking specifically to black women about self-esteem and personal empowerment. The book has had an overwhelming response if it's 8 hardcover Printing and this month the audio version will be available in your local bookstores in writing the book boy Drew. I'm not only her personal and clinical experience, but she also tapped members of her black women support group her sister Circle in the book on tape, their viewpoints are expressed by actresses including the Twin Cities own Marvel at night and founding member of penumbra theater, Rebecca Rice meetflo 47 year old divorced parent to five children. She's been working at the post office for 23 years. Here's what she has to say about the stereotyping of black women is like the only real black women. That folks see are on TV And according to Hollywood. I'm supposed to dress like Tina Turner dance like Janet Jackson sing like Whitney Houston and have a career life Claire. What's the name on The Cosby Show, and if I don't match any of those stereotypes that I'm supposed to be on welfare, cuz that's how we colored women supposed to be right. Sometimes I swear the only thing that keeps me from cussing out those folks on my job is that they don't have a clue about who I am and I only have to be around them for 8 hours at a stretch as Boyd examines the emotional realities of black women's lives and offer suggestions for self-fulfillment. She talks openly on issues in the black community that are really discussed in the mainstream white World issues, like interracial dating domestic abuse and corporal punishment for children boy explains. How as a parent she decided against physical discipline. I had actually seen a program on TV back in the early 70s called Scared Straight. I don't know if they still have that program available, but they talked to a number of prisoners in in the prison system and they talked to them about how you know what their home life looked like and they talked about discipline and every one of those men talked about how they had been punished in. And how that affected them and that's when I made the decision that I needed to do something different. I too was raising a black male and I recognize that not only what I have to deal with a lot of myths and stereotypes about who I was as a black woman. I knew that my son would I wanted to give him every opportunity to you? No experience life differently and that had to begin with me. One of the things that I knew that I could do was learn a different method for discipline. And so I you know, I read some books and I took some classes and I did learn a different method but it was very hard. It wasn't hard for me. It was hard for those around me who only knew one way to do it for what was the criticism leveled at you? Oh, I thought I heard things like well, whoever heard of raising a black child without beating them or you may think you must think that your child is too good to hit or He's going to make you cry one day if if you you've got to be tough on them because the world is tough on them and you know, the hearing that kind of criticism was very hurtful. But at the same time it in some ways it made me more determined to stick to my guns around, you know, doing something differently and and having to stick up for myself, especially to my parents and say, you know, I need to do this. I need I need to do this differently and I need support from you to be able to do it differently. They didn't agree of course, but they were willing to respect what I saw is a need to do something different. That was that was a really tough piece what can imagine that it would be hard for them to accept this what seems like a fundamental change in approach and in in practice when they are since they're very why a sense of what works and how you can make it and how your children can make it was fully formed from Bridal experience. Right. I mean like for my parents were talking about a level of survival and in some ways, you know beating your children to keep them in line specially in the South was almost on par with with survival because you know nut not giving strong discipline at an early age meant that on some level if they stepped out of line might be killed and I'm sure for my parents, you know, that that threat looms heavily because while they recognize that some things hadn't changed as far as the world was concerned. They saw me as being very naive in that in that matter. They were willing to trust that I you know that I could do something different but at the same time it was very scary to try something new and not always get a lot of support from an especially from those that I was close to and that I love you also address the issue. U of R physical abuse later on in the book when you talk about relationships with men and that infect you some very strong language of the end of talking about what you perceive as Ally in the black community that Advocates using men using violence on their women, can you talk about that? I agree with with my friends knowing the book that loving supposed to hurt and you know it for a long time and in still even though we don't talk about it out loud, you know it within the black community. There's there's this unspoken kind of code that you know, when your woman gets out of line, you know, you have to bring them back in line by by smacking her around or showing her who's in charge and and again where we're talking about, you know getting very physical and the more that I learned about domestic violence and physical abuse in the more I started hearing for my sister's about what they Experiencing the more I became aware that this needed to be talked about out loud. I mean like talking about what happens in your community outside of the community on some levels tantamount to treason and so it's real scary to send him and say no this is not okay. I mean just looking at the OJ Simpson trial, you know, I get a lot of people coming up and saying what are you thinking? It's like, you know, I don't know whether the brother is guilty of killing his wife or not. But I in my mind he is guilty of being abusive and that's what I hold him accountable for and we have to start holding people in our in our communities accountable for their behavior, especially abusive Behavior. How do you deal with what this did the conflict of loyalty to race and then loyalty to yourself as an individual and two other women in what you perceive as common needs and goals for women in this is obviously I think you know the one of the most critical running themes throughout the book as you talk about things that are I would say full under the category of you know, intra-group Secrets as all groups in America have their is the taboo subjects as you say that can't be discussed in the General on the general platform. What happens for you? Is that conflict? What happened when you were writing the book when you were putting out these things out very publicly on the printed page for everyone to read black and white a lot of fear, but also a lot of encouragement. I got a lot of encouragement. I mean like the women the comments that people read in in the company are true that the identities and the names of the women have been changed but that the comments are real and that was very encouraging for me because I knew that I had heard these things I wasn't making them up in my head and that gave me the courage to actually start writing them down as a black woman and I still consider myself a black woman. It's not about color for me. It's it's part of my place in history. You know, I am still that radical that will stand up and and I've always spoken out about a Injustice in and I don't see myself stopping here. Yes, the book has caused some flak in the in the community because I not only talk about domestic abuse and corporal punishment by talk about interracial dating. And you know again, these are things that haven't been talked about outside and I've heard from some but I must say the majority of people who criticize you enter angry with you. Yes, but I must say quite quite honestly the majority of what I've heard has been very positive. I've had sisters as well as brothers. Thank me for saying them out loud for you know speaking out about this for saying hey, it's no longer a secret and we can Play something about this and that part has it been very gratifying. It's it's you know, I still get some people saying what how can you say that out loud, or do you really believe this and as a black woman if I believe these things to be true? I know that there are others who believe them to be true to I don't feel like I'm being disloyal to my to my ethnic race by saying something that doesn't fit with you know, the common theme cuz that's how I see my role in life is I've always spoken out we use the word treason and you talk about, you know, your identity as part of a part of a race of people with a long with long traditions and you know a rich culture developed over thousands of years and that reminds me of you talking about in the book the kind of Burden wants one feels that way one has a burden as a black woman that you have a sense of responsibility for the future. Survival of your people and for their unity in for their progress in this world and you talk about that specifically in relation to interracial dating one of your witness as I like to call these people Witnesses. Are there women who are in a group that you are with you. This woman's name is Janet and she's quoted as saying I get tired of feeling like I'm some kind of Traitor every time I'm at with my white boyfriend. I mean I get some wickets Terrace whenever we're out together my own sister had the nerve to tell me that I wasn't comfortable being black cuz if I was then I date black men. How does it how do you counter that mean? This is this is this is a very real question. I think it's serious when this is about will there be black children in the world in the future? And then you expand on that and saying this is this is a long-standing problem for black women that we carry the future of the race on our shoulders that's always been kind of that the unspoken understanding that as black women. It was our job to keep things going. How to keep things in line and my belief very strongly is I don't care who were married to wear who we date when we bring children into the world those children are our children. And therefore we don't give up Who We Are by being with someone else in my mind someone who dates in a racially has to have very high self-esteem because you see you're going against the quote-unquote norm to say, you know, I believe enough in myself and who I am that being with someone outside of my ethnic group being it is not, you know taking anything away from me and I think that takes a lot of Courage. I think it takes a lot of courage to say that I feel good enough about myself that I can stand up and and choose who I want to be with and that's not I mean like, I heard some say well that's slap-in-the-face the black race will I don't believe that I don't see it that way. I don't think it's a slap in the face to anyone. We have got to start learning that you know part of carrying on who we are is an is an expanding who we are and that may mean going outside. And you know, I I made the statement in the book, you know, what brothers have been doing this for a long time and you know a feedback that I got from one when brother was well just because we've been doing it doesn't make it right and I said, yes, but it doesn't make it wrong. I didn't ask you have taught us something you have taught sisters that we can go and we can move Beyond, you know, what's expected and and you know share ourselves with others. Do you have a sense a dramatic sense of to a to what degree you should have taken the lid off here on these secret thing. I get an inkling every once in awhile something specific or comment the one example that really stands out for me is how many support groups and sister Circle that I've been hearing about that have been set up all across the country that have kind of been sparked by in the company of my sisters that to me is is very gratifying. I was in Little Rock Arkansas in October and I actually met at at Central High School, which is one of the biggest high schools there with a group of 15 to 17 year old young black women who had started their own sister Circle and I mean like I I can't tell you how good it felt to to kind of see that something positive and something good is happening and that these young Sisters are reading this material and they want to feel empowered and I think that's what in the company is helping them to do is to feel empowered and it feel good about themselves. I mean, I wrote this book to validate and celebrate who we are as black women Seattle psychotherapist. Julia Boyd author of in the company of my sister has black women and self-esteem. It's published by Dutton and the newly released book on tape is from penguin hybrid. By the way, boys Nextbook girlfriend to girlfriend is due out in May and meanwhile, she's working on a book about black women and sex. You listening to french fry day and I'm best friend. Well, let's talk about the one thing Americans do all the time but they're best at it's the sport of the post Christmas clearance season. It's shopping writer. Bonnie. Hoffman is an enthusiastic. She can't wait to shop in the 21st century style the other day. I read that Levi Strauss is using computers to create made to order custom fit jeans this marriage between customer service and Technology sounds good, but I want more I want to log on the information Highway and exit on the super shopping Lane. I'm looking for a complete shopping experience with a virtual reality option so I can try at home before I buy let's say I'm in the market for new sheets and I'm considering cotton flannel. My super shopping Lane allows me to feel the flannel in the middle of a deep sleep if the shoe Still too warm. I can scroll through Egyptian cotton 60/40 Blends designer prints and other options in the domestics category. I may decide to click on price comparison and see if the 1499 child's Twin Lion King set a Target is any of us at Walmart panties or Fingerhut when I'm ready to buy I just select the item price and place of purchase. I can use any of my charge card by clicking on the appropriate icon or have the computer do a credit check online and open a new charge while I'm instantly granted an additional 15% off my first purchase as a new customer after I make my purchases. I might use the virtual reality browse mode to make my way leisurely through the store or being directly up to lingerie for my custom-made bra after all if software can create the perfect fitting Jean Ynot software for the perfect-fitting bra. I suggest a scanner to take exact measurements in a mouse to customize features underwire. Click stretch traps. Click color. Sorry. I don't want red in the Forget the wonderbra. I'd like computer technology to create the Wonder fit next I need something for my two year old's birthday. My son is wild about Clifford the Big Red Dog and I don't have time to go store to store looking for Clifford merchandising. So I type in Clifford or big or red or dog and go deeper to discover Clifford slippers book stuffed animals games animated videos and feature-length films either available for rent or sale plus a contact name phone and address for Clifford licensing and Merchandising. This feature will really come in handy when it's time to call the Lamb Chop people to complain about The Song That Never Ends and the idea of taking a detour to the outlet store category sends me reeling And when I request special help a personal shopping that might appear on a nearby screen to help me get dressed for a night on the town. She might encourage me to wear a stunning yet revealing black strapless knit dress and show me what it looks like accessorize with heels Flats pumps are pearls she can even let me see what I look like in a 10lb up or down from now my super shopping Lane will take me shopping when I can't go it will enable me to shop after Thanksgiving sales minus the crowds and take me to grand openings. I'll get first pick during mark down and attend in-store personal appearances from the comfort of my home. Some of these ideas are probably in the works and maybe they will never happen. But if they do, I hope no one tracks my shopping because the last thing I need is to be labeled as compulsive or addicted and the subject of an Internet intervention. Bonnie Huffman is a freelance writer who lives in Golden Valley. Today's midday is supported in part by the law firm of shots Paquin Lockridge grindal and Holstein with offices in the Twin Cities and Washington DC. Well, it's that long winter break time at most colleges and universities across the country won college English teacher we know is using her time wisely in part using on how it's been in this her first year of teaching Leslie Brody fourth Fridays book review and general bon vivant shows with us her observations about her students. Here's the view from The Head of the Class A lot of people in pajamas and you know, they're all kind of in alternating colors and I look at and there they seem very relaxed. They don't have that kind of eager want to learn look on their face. They're much more I'd say blase sophisticated then then the television version of Vino a a college classroom. Tell me what is your attitude towards reading? Varies in my limited experience and have you take a look at the different kinds of kids in the class the Eastern European kids for example, or like students from another generation. They seem that reading can be for pleasure many of the black attorney Intercity. You work very hard to get to UConn understand the expectation associated with reading what it can provide. How can help you make a leap of understanding and you don't have other kids, you know what every every race and who's who love to read but typically reading for pleasure is the least important thing in their lives. They'll just say that there are other things I have to do before meeting the majority. I mean, there's no meeting of the minority who just love to read and kids come up to me. I am reading Dante's Inferno and smile Hathaway and today it's certainly does ya bookstore on campus B's days. I have to tell you that you're still reading fantasy novels by the truckload there. They love fantasy novels. Sorcery in space fiction witches in science fiction light on the science a lot of the kids to read the stuff or also deep into computers. There's definitely a connection between computer East has and medieval fantasy, but I can't track it The Hobbit incidentally is back on campus. And because geek love sweet love by following this is generally on campus and the students that we've been talking about your freshman English class and creative writing. So I assume that those that those kids are very different from your freshman English class key leaders of something-or-other not told you though. Nobody reads. Do they want to ride it? Nobody reads it but they write tons of it all about love. It's as if they can't imagine that poetry can be about anything else but love and suicide, of course by extension and fix a lot of a lot of Television inspired stuff. But once they get over that, you know, they're really really excited about riding. It's really it's a great class. I love that class. What can I think I have to say I think I'm really appreciating my my ability to read into to read deeply much more than before. It's the people reading so little and as a result, I kind of want to cling to my library and read for free so you can be the last person on Earth who has read a book right to read a little by little bear touch the Earth is speeding so fast and they're their direction is so skewed. I think you know, I mean, I I I want them to take a year off school and goes, you know, Meet up back then and you know, I want them to want to be utopian sand and I want them to be poets but there's a lot against it, you know, there's been a lot there's a lot set up against them. And I think one of the things is their parents who they adore wanted to get good jobs at the same time, you know, I think personally these kids are deeply in need of a generational satirist many of them have been dumbed down by TV. But once they're left to their own devices, you see the protest simmering they all know their consumerism is a joke considering the their world is held together by a pen. I don't know if there's something cheery voice degeneration at their maybe just doesn't have access to distribution yet. I don't know but they're so desperate for somebody to help them ridicule the craziness they've been dragged into that mean. They're looking all over the place. For you a great teaching moment or just a great moment in the classroom between you and the students. To the students essentially wolf of saying nobody can no matter what they do. No matter how many libraries they lock me out of no one can put a lock on my mind and I must have gotten very emotional because there was a silence then the kids started banging on the desk thing read it again. Writer Leslie Brody teaches English at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. You might be interested to know that today several members of our community are being honored by the Salley Ordway Irvine Awards happening as we speak. As a matter of fact, the awards are given in the categories of vision initiative and commitment. The award winner in the committed category is Lou Bellamy founder and artistic director of the penumbra Theatre Company, which brings to the stage plays that illuminate the African American experience. It was penumbra interest me enough that the other critics point to do as they assess the best on stage moments in 1994, according to Peter Vaughan and the star and trib. The number has joined the club of nationally-recognized minnesota-based theaters it is he writes the most polished stable and Innovative American Theater focused on the black experience. Well tomorrow at penumbra previews begin for the Obie award-winning play Sally's rape written directed and featuring Robby McCauley, if formally opens on January 11th, we just wanted to let you know and give our congratulations to Lou Bellamy and to the entire penumbra community. You listening to first Friday in best friend after filmmaker. Steven Spielberg finished Schindler's List. He wanted to do more to preserve the memory of those who survived the Holocaust and so he created the survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation show. Why is the Hebrew noun that names the killing of 6 million European Jews by the Nazis and their allies during World War II Spielberg feels that given the advancing age of most Holocaust Survivors the window for capturing. Their testimonies is closing fast through the project survivors Across America and around the world are telling their stories to Volunteers in video taped interviews, and these interviews will be digitized and made widely accessible via computer testimonies are being recorded now in Los Angeles, New York, Miami Toronto and Sydney Australia and by mid-june, they'll be videotaping is going on in a total of 16 locations around the world. Daisy Miller is a coordinator of volunteers at the foundation and a Survivor herself. We called her to get an update on the project and her involvement in it. She spoke to us from Los Angeles. I was a child during the War. I was born in 1938 and I was born in Yugoslavia. I was kidding with my family by Italian farmers and initially I was in hiding in deep hiding what part of Italy has left the major mark on me and I have become very involved in working in any way I can with this project. But in other areas to be sure to keep the memory alive of what happened and to help to ensure hopefully about this never happens again. Bye-bye showing the horror that we experienced and how real is really it was for those who who went through it and and luckily for those of us who survived Daisy. Are you telling your story also and videotape but I am also interviewing Survivor here in Los Angeles area and it's the most amazing rewarding experience to do that. Tell me about the kinds of calls you're getting in the number of calls you getting money. I can't tell you exactly I think one day we had something my 350 and even more calls from all over the country. Can you share with us a couple of stories? Even of these initial calls that you're getting? We are getting calls from the II can tell you a story of a coli had the other day from a woman whose from a Survivor whose husband had just died two or three days before really he she hasn't she mentioned the fact that he had just died within the last 2 or 3 days and that he was very involved in talking about the past East was speaking at schools that had various in various capacities talking to various groups about his experience. And so she felt compelled to immediately to take up that cause and to continue and so the first thing she thought it was doing was to call us to you know to be sure to reach an obviously. This was one way of continuing in the work that he was doing and so she called us to wants to be interviewed and wants to tell the story and help in any way. She can I had another call at the other day from the daughter of a servo. She was in tears when she called and told me that they had just found out that very day that her father a Survivor had just discovered that he had just discovered that he had cancer and she felt it imperative to us to find a way of recording his experience and of course our project she had heard of our project that you felt it leave. This would be a wonderful opportunity. But so she wanted him to be able to tell his story and of course as soon as possible, who did you talk to today? Today I have talked to if I must confess today. I mostly have talk to volunteers who are calling a people who are calling in to offer their services and much of my time has been spent today in trying to set up appointments and and getting people to send me materials about themselves who are all these are people who want to volunteer here. There's such an outpouring in that respect as well. If I pick a different day if I pick yesterday or the day before would you have answered it differently if I asked who who did you speak to today? Talk to a woman who? Is was one of the Schindler survivors who wants to share her story. I mean a certainty that I might have told you that someone who's called who said that they were in five concentration camps and have some perhaps some diaries that they somehow kept and were able to to keep with them who want to share that I might have talked to someone who says that they have composed some music that reflects some of the some of the feelings that came up for them during that experience or who have art that would like to share that it's just in all areas. There is an incredible variety and wealth of information and accounts that we're dealing with A daily basis. Can you tell us how it was for you being interviewed? Because you told your story to an interviewer for this project story I did. Tell you that as someone who was a child during the war my experience was often discounted by the adults in my life and and subsequently people dependency was to say you were only a child and therefore your experience didn't count or it wasn't as bad as you remember. It was completely different and so the tendency for a knee and other child survivors was so to push it all into the background or two somewhere believe that we had it all the incorrect yet as many of us who are children during the war as we have grown into middle age and are now facing being the last surviving generation. Many of us are feeling very strongly about being a meeting to tell our stories and needing to to Bear witness as we experienced it. And so so did you feel a great sense of relief when you told your story to the interview? I might have said, you know, it's never-ending. It's as though there are so many Recollections that and so many things that keep coming back. So it never feels finished but it is a definitely a very satisfying gratifying experience to to give that testimony into in fact have that interview with Daisy Miller is the coordinator of volunteers for Steven Spielberg survivors of the show out Visual History Foundation. The closest project location to us will be in Chicago, but the project produces told me that if they receive a significant number of calls from our area and they would consider coming here for a limited time. If you are interested in being interviewed or you'd like to interview others. You can call the foundation office at 1 800-661-2092. That is one eight hundred six. 12092 Begin with the bulbs. That's the first step to bring the garden indoors and putting a splash of color on the gray and white of winter Richard me cock of Squire house Gardens in Afton suggest the easy ones like Paperwhite narcissus what you stick & Stones or water or amaryllis what you put into it the more complexity and variety try to Rose's Eucharist lilies and agapanthus star for green herbs on the windowsill want some drama me to concur. Did you to bring home a cymbidium orchid and white yellow or red or some fragrant Jasmine like the Star of India think what it is about the sum of it you missing the wintertime. Well apart from the gin and tonics on the deck and a lot of people might respond by saying what is the color I miss or it's a fragrance dinosaur. It's a text trimester is the Sound by message. Wow, what kind of which of those it is or how many of those it is it you miss and then try and bring those indoors service color sync of plants will bring you color bulb to crocus bulb. If its texture a greenhouse plants. You can grow sound there's a fun one thing. I find I really miss him in winter is the sound of running water the sound of the broke the sound of a stream. So by little Fountain, you know, they don't cost that much and you can have that explains all kinds of a wall mounted on anyway, you want to in the house are you can you know, if you're lucky enough to have a space that you can set aside, which is fairly large them thin fellow play some kind of a tub or container with water and Play Simple recirculation pump in that you can even put fish in it and water plants in lie down and enjoy you can lie down. One thing. I really encourage people to beat the winter blahs has to look at what's going on outside. You know, what time to think it's winter. There's nothing going on. This is just snow it's cold as ice. But you know, if you really look at the tree the car if you look hard at the details of things that Exquisite I'm very often in winter time. It's is that which gives me more pleasure than bringing stuff indoors because that's where the real hope lies. It's it's like that that you know that the the silver maple bugs when they begin to swell and you are there Appliance. In fact when she can grow which will you can bring an alien and force the blooming of them like force I fear one sets it as loud as you can cut it very early put it in. Turn it will do for you more than all these suggestions you need to just dream of what's coming in the spring time and plan for it. That's right. One of the gardeners are amassing seed catalogs and looking through the night and day all that's right. They are there's a wonderful piece by Vita sackville-west which I reach you about that which is but just before we do that, you know, there's one other thing what you want to point out when you plan you Garden plan for Alley planted bulbs, right kind of ducks are thrown in crocus heli ball is a wonderful think about the ephemerals, you know, those lovely little things that the woodland plants like a patch Cord Blood through the come up very early, which can give an awful lot of pleasure turn off lot of Promise early on So you want to hear Vitas weather across was the designer of the famous sissinghurst Castle Gardens in England, and she was a writer. Of course, it does help if you have your own Grand Elizabethan Tower with his own reading room to sit and think about this but this is what she says. She says she sees what he will never see here in his lamp lit Parable. He'll scan catalogs bright with color and we hope there is delusions of creative mind Islam lick balls his lamp lit Table Painting fabulous flowers flowing as he desires fantastic tossed and all from schylling packet akos spring from one expended coin visions of what might be we dream and dreams. What should we be without a fabulous flower Richard my cock of Squire house Gardens in Afton, maybe suggest one other experience to color your winter landscape from January 16th through February 5th at Walker Art Center cinema room. You can see the 3 minutes film all my life which consists of a single continuous pain along a roll of lush California rose bushes the film last as long as it takes Ella Fitzgerald to sing the song all my life and it ends with the camera still tore them bright summer sky. Thank God for movies. avocado Has been waiting. My life is over. Malo and that's first Friday for today your comments your criticisms or questions are all welcomed. Please call us at 290-1191 and speak your piece. That's 2 9 0 1191 today's midday is supported in part by the law firm of shots Paquin Lockridge grindal and Holstein with offices in the Twin Cities and Washington DC first. Friday is produced by Kitty Isley is Randy Johnson. Thanks to my account pangra. I'm that friend. Have a great weekend. Oh my God. Oh my God.