No one ever really talks about charity. Events are duly attended and gestures made in times of crisis but as a whole, we don’t tend to bring up Oxfam or Amnesty unless it’s a gripe at the gauntlet of chuggers on College Green. There is no crushing social pressure to show a good face, as religions weaken and experiences broaden, the moral obligation that once marked us out as givers has disappeared. There’s simply no obligation when giving is this much fun.
The Save Children Out Of Poverty Foundation we know as SCOOP plays an important role in local fundraising. This Friday 19 March sees the Academy host the launch of www.thescoopfoundation.com, a step up for the brave little charity that could.
Our website will be the centre of the SCOOP universe. Not only will it be the place to get in touch to get involved, to express an idea or opinion or to challenge us in any way you see fit, not only will it have all our latest news on events, fundraisers and other such developments and news, but it will also be where you, our patron, can see exactly where the funds we raise go, and how they are spent. We will have constant updates, photos and videos showing the progression of all our projects.
Great DJs and a vivacious billing of brilliant local musicians including Adrian Crowley, Valerie Francis, The Ambience Affair, Le Galaxie and Robotnik all bring sonority to the tremendous goodwill buzz. You will find no better reason to be out dancing this weekend.
Ireland rates consistently highly in the world’s quality of life rankings and recognising this, Andy Sweeney realised that combining the love of leisure with a good cause was a way to make a difference on both sides of the world. Using art, fun, music and sports, he built up a charity with a personality that would account for itself. There are no paid members of the organisation and every penny raised is allocated to a deserving source. Over the last couple of years now we’ve come to know the SCOOP name means authentic tenderhearted efforts to expand the horizons of hope for young people left behind by their societies.
It was the story of a Cambodian farmer and his wife that first inspired Andy to do more and reading the same tale on MySpace urged my own conscientious curiosity. I got in touch to ask about his work and the latest fundraising bonanza organised by SCOOP. Read on for more and remember, if you’d like to get involved, SCOOP would love to hear from you.
How did you get into charity work?
I had been travelling through Asia, in a place in my own life where I had no direction nor drive. I came across the orphanage in Cambodia we support now and the power of the place had a profound effect on me and would dictate the life I would lead. When I returned home to Ireland, I vowed that I would try and have the same impact on their lives as they did mine.
What’s unique about the Scoop Foundation in Ireland?
I guess what makes us different is that we offer as much inclusion as possible, after finding that other charities in this country were rather exclusive. We want to encourage as many different people from as many different walks of life to get involved with the schools, orphanages and workshops we work with and to play an active role in changing the lives of these children for the better. We have also found that the experience can be life changing for those who get involved.
What made you choose to work with this mix of music and charity?
We see the strength in the arts and music to change lives and the way people think. We are all passionate about music and the arts so it came quite natural to host gigs or art auctions as fundraisers. We basically organise fundraisers that we ourselves would respond to. Most of us are musicians, DJs or promoters to begin with, or at least we’re all fans of the acts, so we basically have a great reason to try and host our ideal gig!
What’s the general atmosphere around this kind of event in Ireland? We pride ourselves on being a nation of givers, is there a strong support for Scoop?
We’ve had a great response from bands, gig goers, artists, art buyers etc and then we have found that people who have gone to our previous events will come along to see us throw our hands at something new, and have faith that they will at least have a laugh. The fact of the matter is that money is tight these days, yet we all still want to have a good time if only to forget how miserable things can get! At the SCOOP shows we try to fuse the two and it seems to be working.
How do you distribute the money raised? Which areas are most in need?
We take on grass-root projects that are dear to our own hearts and have four at the moment. The first is the orphanage I visited in Cambodia, the second is a school for street children that two of our good friends here in Dublin worked in for six months, the third is a football academy in Uganda which Calvin visited and the forth is a DJ studio and workshop for under-privileged teenagers here in Dublin. Each project has education in some capacity at its core or they help children try and fulfill their potential.
What do you think are the biggest problems in the developing world?
In my opinion, the biggest problem in the developing world is also the biggest problem here in Ireland: there is no cohesion between the NGOs and charities. They all seem to be competing with each other instead of working together, since they all seem to preach the same cause and goals. Don’t get me wrong, there are serious political, financial, environmental and literacy problems in the developing world but a lot of funds, ideas and manpower seem to get lost along the way due to the inability to work together.
Do you work with other charity organisations?
We have worked with AZ Children’s Charity in Uganda and wholly support the amazing and necessary work they do over there but in general we have found that most charities in Ireland have closed their doors to us. One of our main goals in the SCOOP is to create an inclusive charity where funds aren’t lost or wasted on manipulative advertising or excessive wages. A charity that people can really trust and become involved with.
How would you like to see SCOOP develop in the future?
We’d like to take on more schools and encourage people from walks of life that don’t usually get the chance to volunteer and pass on a skill. We’d love to have mechanics, carpenters, artists, seamstresses etc. come to us and go to one of the schools we support to teach the children a skill they can use to make a living. Events-wise, the sky’s the limit!
Tickets for this Friday’s SCOOP Foundation gig are priced €20 and available from Tickets.ie now.
Over on Elliott’s “real” blog, Geek to Me, he had the pleasure of interviewing “People VS George Lucas” Director/Writer Alexandre Philippe. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet just hit the link below to check it out. Also, it does seem that the clip from CCW*TV has indeed made the final cut. Exciting, huh?
Movie Director makes his case for Star Wars Fans in “The People vs George Lucas”/Geek to Me
“I reached out to him a couple of days ago with some real serious ideas,” Lupe said. ” ‘Let’s put a program together. Something that works out and makes sense for the both of us.’ He’s a very talented MC. One of the few MCs that I actually listen to what they’re saying. I don’t listen to 98 percent of the rappers out there. But he’s one of the MCs I listen to and I’m inspired to do so. A collaboration is in the works.”
Tom and Jerry call in. (Tom Papa and Jerry Seinfeld) These two are also helping to reshape NBC primetime with “The Marriage Ref”. But tonight we talk about the Oscars and what these comedians thought about their friends Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. We come off a week of marriage discussion with Mo’Nique and her open marriage what do these two think of that idea. Could it work in their own marriage?
Bethanie Mattek-Sands uses the Wilson Tour BLX tennis racket
Wilson players live from Indian Well and Miami
With Wilson BLX technology, Wilson players led the way at the Australian Open and now Wilson looks to continue to lead the pack as the most innovative racquet brand through their social media efforts. Starting at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Wilson will become the first racquet brand to stream live feed player interviews on Wilson’s UStream channel. Viewers will get an inside look at a few of Wilson’s professional tour players and will be given a chance to ask questions and chat in real-time. Interviews with players such as Bethanie Mattek Sands and Anne Keothavong and Rising Stars Polona Hercog, as well as product updates will be streamed live from Indian Wells.
“Wilson prides itself on being innovative and ahead of the curve,” said Antoine Ballon, Wilson Global Director of Creative Marketing. “UStream’s capabilities of keeping it interactive between our players and the everyday player is just terrific. We are psyched for a great few weeks of tennis.”
Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who received a wildcard into the main draw of this year’s BNP Paribas Open, is both a singles and doubles threat. Already in 2010, she has reached the doubles quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the doubles finals in Memphis. She is the world No. 15 in doubles on the WTA Tour and this fashionista will give us her view on the tennis world. She will be the first interview on the Wilson’s Ustream channel, tomorrow Tuesday March 9th at 5pm Pacific time.
Rising Star Polona Hercog, currently ranked No. 53 on the WTA Tour, recently reached the singles finals in Acapulco and won the doubles title. She is poised to have a breakout year in 2010 and Wilson is excited to give viewers an inside look into an upcoming tour sensation.
Anne Keothavong, who has achieved a career high singles ranking of No. 48, has already reached the quarterfinals at Midland Challenger and the semifinals of Memphis will also be featured on the Wilson UStream broadcast.
“It is great to interact with fans and see their point of view on tennis. I am looking forward to Tweeting about the UStream experience!” Keothavong said with a smile.
Wilson will broadcast from the desert starting March 9th.
For a full schedule of player interview dates, click here.
Karl: Today is March 4th, 2010. Its a Friday afternoon, we’re here at Pink Taco in Century City with “Tony.”
*fumbles with recorder*
Alright, Tony, what’s your age bracket? 35-40? 40-45?
Tony: 40 to 45.
Karl: What’s your occupation?
Tony: I do graphics, my title is Creative Director, I work in aerospace.
Karl: Current relationship status?
Tony: I’m single, going through a divorce.
Karl: How long have you lived in LA?
Tony: Since… *thinks* 2001.
Karl: Tell me a little bit about yourself, what you like to do for fun. *looks Tony over* You like to work out, you’re clearly in great shape. *laughs*
Tony: When I moved to LA, it was for work, I had just come out of a company that went under in New York, so I had a lot of debt, so it was like focusing on work, and getting myself back on my feet. I like doing stuff outside, I mean at that point I lived at the beach, now I’m doing a lot of hiking, a lot of stuff outside when I can on the weekends. I just bought a bike. I need to clean it up so I can do stuff with it in the spring time.
Karl: You bought a bike? In LA?
Tony: Yeah, a crappy $60 bike, I’ll buy a better one when it gets, you know…
Karl: I’m mostly impressed you have room to store a bike.
Tony: I do. *laughs*
Karl: So you plan to do a lot of cycling here?
Tony: Well, I want to try some stuff out. I’m going through a transition, I’m going through a divorce, and I’ve lost some of the things that I like to do that I find important – and I want to see more of LA and not just be at home. So I’m trying to make different friends that like to go hike, or like to go do whatever. I’m also ok doing stuff by myself.
Karl: So you’re in a transitional period, rediscovering a social circle…
Tony: And myself too.
Karl: So tell me how that element of yourself has changed from ten years ago, from when you first moved here.
Tony: I used to go out a lot more when I was younger. I don’t go out much now, or rarely. Usually, now its more going out with friends, or someone talks me into going somewhere, and I mean in the clubbing sense. Before I would just go out to clubs, or go out by myself, or go out and meet people and that kind of stuff. Part of that was I didn’t know what to do with myself, I was also kind of coming out to myself, I was on active duty in the military at the time and I didn’t know other people that were like me at that point. So it was a lot of experimentation at that point too. And it was kind of fun, I mean, I went through heavy drinking periods at times in my life, and that was one of them.
Karl: I wouldn’t know anything about that.
Tony: I’m sure you wouldn’t, ’cause you’re at church on Sunday. Anyway, I went out a lot more by myself, and I don’t want to say it was only to hook up, it was for being out there, being with people, and the camaraderie and that kind of stuff, but now I’m probably a little more comfortable with myself also. So I want a little more connection with people, and not that light, I want it to be a little more meaningful. I mean I was younger then, your focus is a lot different.
Karl: Can you tell me how you feel about the changes you’ve seen here over the last ten years?
Tony: When I was younger and lived in San Diego, (and this is the ’90s), I’d come up to LA. West Hollywood was the dance clubs, and the people on the street, it was like Disneyland. It was crazy, it was something I hadn’t even conceived of. San Diego is a little more sleepy of a town, so it was completely different in the way the men looked and that kind of stuff. It was an eye-opening experience. Then I moved away, and came back, and now I’m older and the biggest change I’ve seen, if I go to the same clubs, is just how it doesn’t have a spark for me anymore. And I also really am aware of my age at that point. I don’t feel old inside my head, I look in the mirror, I still am the same guy, but when you go into a club and someone’s asking you what your major in college is and you’re in your 40’s, you start to get it.
Karl: Is that lack of spark due to your age or due to a changing demographic? Or maybe you’ve just been exposed to it for long, its not a big deal anymore?
Tony: It’s not a big deal, and I’m also looking for something a little different. But then I went out with a couple of friends and in West Hollywood, it wasn’t all just the dance bars, they’re starting to become, *pause* and I don’t want to call them old guy bars, but they were focused more on guys my age and it wasn’t loud blasting music, it was comfortable, nicely decorated, higher-end liquor, and they weren’t beating you down to buy shots, so they know the demographic has changed. In some ways it was comfortable and in other ways it was kind of scary to realize that that was where I was. You know, when I started checking the 40 to 45 box, you have to realize that your life is different.
Karl: Well, back then, the area was much more… hustler-centric, sort of rougher area, and its not like that anymore.
Tony: Having lived in New York, and I was younger then when I was here, and to start getting the exposure to a little more… I don’t want to say “seedy,” but just a part of life that I hadn’t seen before, I grew up in a small town in New Mexico, and I was in the Navy in San Diego, and overseas and whatever. I was going out with a guy from up here, and we’d go out, and we’d be driving down Santa Monica after the bars closed and seeing the hustlers roaming around, and Yukon Mining Company…
Karl: Which is closed!
Tony: I remember going to dinner there and seeing transvestites and hookers and it was so… not my experience. So now I was seeing this frequently, you know a lot of leather clubs and that kind of stuff, it was very exciting and different and new. Then I moved away to New York and was exposed to a lot of different things, and there… you get the roughness of the city and things are going on everywhere you go. And then I came back and West Hollywood was different. There were no more hustlers. Everything’s gone to the internet. While the internet existed before, it wasn’t being used the same way. People meet on the internet more now than they do at bars. And the police have done their part cleaning the area up. That was one of the first things I saw that was different… when you start looking around, just little things like there used to be a Don’t Panic store, and there were different stores that were selling gay stuff or whatever, and now they’ve become T-shirt shops or Pottery Barns.
Karl: Yeah, its weird, huh?
Tony: Its very different sales now because they know that people in the area live differently. I remember when the Pavilions on Santa Monica was very hook-up and roam-around, it was almost like a singles bar, and now it’s just completely like a Beverly Hills suburban grocery store with fancy cheeses and expensive wines. And that’s nothing bad, it’s just… different. And it’s also… when you talked to people about what the future was going to be like, and you project what the future is going to be like and what you think you’re going to be doing, this wasn’t it. Its not that it was good or bad, it just didn’t exist in my head.
Karl: Do you think there are different people in the area, or the same people have just grown older? I mean in my case, we moved here as young, going-out-y, drinkey people, and we’ve grown into a family. Do you think that’s what has happened to the area, or do you think that people got out-priced and its just attracted this new crowd?
Tony: Its all of the above. Part of it is people moved to West Hollywood because there were small houses, and people could afford to buy here, because no one else wanted to live here. And they came in, gentrified it, and it became safer, they started putting in little shops and became okay to live here. Well, what happens then is as other people are leaving, young couples started moving in because it was safe. Then the economy went crazy and real estate went crazy and people starting moving into the area because they could. That pushes out some of the other elements that are going on. If you’re a young family, or if you’re a 40-year-old gay man, you’re not going out to clubs that much, so its not going to keep that sustained. But you are going out for coffee, and going out to dinner…
Karl: And going out for Pottery Barn.
Tony: And going out for Pottery Barn. *laughs*
Karl: So is it a less interesting place now?
Tony: Ah… Less interesting? No, not less interesting because the group of people at my age that found it interesting when we were younger have different outlets now. Like I said, web stuff, or other clubs, Silverlake, there’s places and things for them to do. Less interesting for me? Well, no because, now while I check the 40 to 45 box, while movies and TV aren’t focused on me, West Hollywood is. That’s the age group of people that are here. Its guys that bought houses here when they were younger and still live here.
Karl: It seems to have lost some of its edge. Unless its just me, or maybe it’s you and I, I mean maybe we’re just older and we’re not in that edge anymore.
Tony: La Boheme… that kind of stuff wouldn’t of survived before. It has lost its edge because the people that moved in here became older or have families or whatever, and they don’t want that edge around them. Because Los Angeles is so much larger, there’s other places for people to be pushed into. San Francisco is a little bit different and they’re running up to it a little bit more where the families are arguing with the shops that have been in the Castro District for 20-years. They don’t want dildos and lube and things in the window because their kids ask them what it’s about. Well, you know, who was there first? You moved there, so, you know, they’re trying to work that out. We haven’t had to deal with that much in West Hollywood, in that sense, because there’s other places for people to go.
Karl: Well, it seems like the area has kind of commercialized that too. Well, society in general is kind of, a little more loose to that element I think. I mean, people don’t like, freak out anymore at the sight of a dildo, right?
Tony: It depends on who it is.
Karl: Do you think your life is better here? Do you miss New York?
Tony: I miss New York a lot, except when I hear about the snow storms or whatever, but its easy to look back on that fondly and say, “Oh the snow, it was beautiful, with my big coat, and my scarf.” I’d get home and it felt so good to get home, but there were days, when you’d do it everyday, when you were tired of the ice. And I do miss the nostalgia of when I was younger, and I do miss the nostalgia of when I was a little wilder and a little less knowledgeable about life, when everything was a new discovery. And I guess that’s what I miss about that part of West Hollywood. So is it better? Its better now because I do know better, well I don’t want to say that I do know better, it’s better now because I understand me better, and I was still discovering myself in my 20’s. And because the demo has changed, some areas are more focused toward what I’m interested in, so… yeah. Well, I miss the city life of being able to walk and get a coffee or walk and get a loaf of bread or whatever and not be tied to my car. And that’s part of the good things of West Hollywood that are still left, you can park you car and go out and have coffee or hit the grocery store or go have dinner. You still have that option, and that’s a very small thing in this city. The other part is, I don’t read as much. I had stuff in my bag all the time… every magazine I ever got, several books a month, just because I was on the subway. Now I sit in my car.
Now… with that said, looking back at the rosy wonderful things I do miss, I don’t miss having gone out ’till 2 in the morning and waiting for an hour and a half for the subway, underneath the ground where cold water is dripping on you…
Karl: What you hope is water.
Tony: *laughs* So those are the things that I miss about the city, and those are the things that I still like about West Hollywood, where you still can get that – and probably is why the area has grown.
Karl: Well, there’s talk about putting a subway station in the Beverly Center.
Tony: I think even more public transportation, that’s easy to use, is outstanding. San Diego, and I’ll use it as an example, San Diego started their trolley system, and there was this big debate about where to put the trolley system, so when they put the trolley in, they put it where they thought working people would need to use it to get to work and back and forth. Come to find out that they didn’t put enough in for people to go back and forth, but people still used it, it was usually people who didn’t have cars, it was just a bus transport. What makes the most sense to me is, build the public transportation that takes people, because we’re a tourist area, to where the tourist people want to go. Take ‘em to the zoo, take ‘em to the beach, then the tourists are going to keep the system going, and then as the system can grow, then you can add the other stuff. And so when San Diego added the line that went to the big mall, or going to the baseball game or the football stadium, that kind of stuff, when San Diego did it, ridership went up, and now they’re able to do a lot more. I don’t see that in LA, and a lot of it has to do with the area. But the closest way to take the subway to the beach, is to go to…
Karl: Redondo Beach station…
Tony: …and then walk the mile and a half, either take a bus or walk that, and I’ve seen kids doing it. Side two of what I loved about New York is I could go out and have a few drinks, or too many drinks, and then ride the subway home. Here, you drive your car there, and its like, my choice is, I’m going to leave my car in a bad area, 20-miles from my house, take a $50 cab-ride home, have someone bring me back, or take another $50 cab-ride, so you always talk yourself into, “I’m going to drive home.” So I don’t drink as much, which is a bad thing. If I could jump on a subway, I would do it. I tried taking it to work. It took me as long, I had to take two transfers. And then I didn’t have my car at work to run errands, go to lunch. AND… the added fun bonus of that is I had to drive to the train and pay for parking.
Karl: What would you change?
Tony: Parking! *laughs* I jokingly say, my cousin who’s gay says, “Why would anyone choose to be gay? The parking’s horrible?” When you think about it, everywhere that there’s an area… West Hollywood, Houston, San Diego, New York, the gay areas have the worst parking.
Karl: Its true, our parking sucks.
Tony: Yeah, I guess that also pushes people out too.
Karl: The parking, the traffic?
Tony: The traffic you kind of learn to deal with, I mean… I have friends who say, “I don’t know how you do that.” It doesn’t seem like that much to me. And I had an opportunity to move out of the area, and have an easier commute… and I chose not to, because I actually like where I am, so I guess that’s probably a good ending… given the choice, I choose to stay.
As a rule, I don’t review products. But after 10 years of fighting to find the right digital voice recorders, its time someone else avoided
waisting hundreds of dollars like I have.
Q: What’s the best MP3 recorder?
A: It depends on the purpose. I need three kinds of digital recorders in my work. The three intended purposes are: bootlegging live music (or recording my band / acoustic songwriting), high quality interviews for podcasts (or someday… editing my own episode of This American Life), and third – I need a simple and featureless MP3 recorder that I can put in the hands of children in an African village whose members have never even used door knobs or latch keys, and still end up with recordings. If you have seen the Flip Video Camera – it is so simple it achieves that goal for video. So why is there nothing like that for audio?
For Bootlegs and live music:
The expensive solution is the Edirol ($270 in 2010). For a cheap alternative (under $100) – You want an MP3 recorder with an external line input. The two companies to look at are the Cowon iAudio U2 and the iRiver T20/T30/T60. Unfortunately, the simplest and easiest models are out of print, so it’s Ebay or nothing now. I’ve used the 1GB iAudio U2 for years without trouble. I bought a $60 stereo lapel mic and plugged it into the 1/8" input.
For Interviews:
For transcribing, many MP3 players come with voice recorders. These are fine for recording yourself, but don’t expect to hear what the professor says in a room of 100. Look at using Dragon to auto-transcribe you audio notes – it is worth the expense. If you want to broadcast or podcast these interviews later, always use a lapel mic with a long wire. iAudio and iRiver are sufficient here. with a high quality stereo lapel mic clipped to my own collar or shirt pocket, I can record conversations 6 feet away with good enough quality for a podcast. Editing the audio is another hassle. If you have recommendations on editors – I’m all ears!
Note: I also used an Archos 20 GB MP3 recorder in 2003. It was fair but the hard drive inside created a lot of stray noise. Flash MP3 recorders are much quieter and had a longer battery life.
Simplest MP3 recorder:
None meet my standard yet, of being able to leave it with a novice who speaks another language and return with quality data, or any data. All of these offer too many options. The best feature of all is recording while listening to the levels on headphones. For conversations, nearly everyone can reposition the mic to improve the quality without any need to adjust levels, bitrate, etc. If I made a FlipCam MP3 audio recorder, I would default it to 128 kpbs 44kHz MP3 recordings and drop the ability to change these setting altogether. I would also make the device auto-offer to copy all recordings to your PC when you plug it in.
Overall recommendation?
I’ve tried several MP3 recorders and the Edirol is the best. Even the entry-level model has the best built-in mic I’ve ever heard. I insisted the office get a model with a line-in 1/8" mic jack but it was unnecessary. Our $300 mic isn’t any better than the built-in one you get for less than that.
The user interface is simple enough to use. Most people can use the edirol with coaching, but it looks complicated. One very smart person was at a loss when the hidden buttons on the back got switched from low to hi sensitivity on the mic. So it is too feature heavy for novices, and the search for a truly simple "hit play and stop" recorder continues.
But if you want to record field interviews in the Sahara and turn around and get a drum circle, this one will do both better than any other. I own 3 mics designed for each situation – but the Edirol does all three with a crazy-good amplifier. I usually have the input set at 25% sensitivity on the high-sens setting for conversations. Works even in buses and streets at 12%. At maximum sens you can spy on conversations down the street.
