Senator Simitian and Abilities United

State Senator Joe Simitian came to the Media Center studio to tape an interview with Abilities United (formerly CAR), the remarkable agency that champions people with developmental and physical disabilities. It was a fitting way to end the year of community TV production as Simitian spoke about how every member of our community has the potential to improve the quality of life, regardless of their physical or developmental abilities. He noted the many ways that the clients of Abilities United have volunteered for community projects and events and the reasons it's important for every person to give back to the community where they live. The final 2011 episode of "Abilities United Presents: Community Connections" also includes features on a visit to Deer Hollow Farm and the agency's work at the Boys and Girls Club of East Palo Alto. It also profiles two clients - one a writer and the other, an artist. The program will begin to air just after New Year's. The TV schedule can be seen here.

Robotics Explored on "Future Talk"

One of the fastest growing fields of technology is the field of robotics. A robot is a machine that can act intelligently, either by preprogramming or through remote control, to accomplish specific tasks. Although some robots, such as Honda's Asimo, have a humanoid appearance, most do not. Some of the useful abilities robots can have include the ability to move, to grasp, to lift, to "see", and to receive and send information. Modern robots can perform tasks ranging from vacuuming your floors, to assembling automobiles, to exploring other planets.

In this month's Future Talk, host Martin Wasserman discusses robotics with Chuck Colby, who has worked for more than 50 years as an inventor, and whose work now deals mostly with robots. Chuck has scored numerous technological firsts in his career, including the first home satellite receiver station, the first low cost telephone answering machine and the first low cost TV camera. He created what's believed to be the world's first commercial pocket transistor radio at the age of twelve. Chuck demonstrates several of his robots on the show, including the T-Bot, which allows the user to be in virtually two places at the same time.

We also have videos of two very different kinds of robots. Honda's humanoid Asimo robot is shown pushing a cart, unscrewing a lid from a bottle, pouring a drink, and handing it to a human. The MULE, a driverless military vehicle developed by the U.S. Army, is shown climbing over walls, carrying large quantities of equipment, following the troops wherever they go and figuring out the best route to get there.

Click here to see the TV schedule for Future Talk. Future Talk is one of several dozen local TV series produced at the Midpeninsula Community Media Center, a nonprofit agency that provides a TV studio and video production equipment to the public.

WORLD AIDS DAY SPECIAL - Thursday December 1- Channel 28 - 7 pm

Producer Johanna Gereke hosts an inspiring television special tonight Thursday December 1 at 7 o'clock to highlight World AIDS Day.  The half hour program:  The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Children in Africa features a discussion about the impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Studio guests Amber Stime, Founder and Executive Director of African Cradle and Peter Laugharn, Executive Director of the Firelight Foundation each explore different ways their groups help children adjust when their lives have been affected by AIDS. Amber and Peter's work includes not only children, but also their families and in some cases, adoptive parents. Short video clips from the documentary film Whose Children Are They Now? complement an engaging conversation about personal experiences, breaking down stigma and the hope for future generations.

To learn more about Stime's work visit African Cradle, Inc. -- providing adoption service for African orphans.  To learn more about Laugharn's work visit  Firelight Foundation.

This World AIDS Day special program will be followed by Seeds of Hope: Meeting the Challenges of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia at 7:30 pm.  This five film series was produced and directed by Dorothy Fadiman and explores recent efforts in Ethiopia to battle the stigma and break the silence surrounding HIV/AIDS and find innovative solutions to prevention and education.  Dorothy Fadiman has been making documentary films around social justice for 40 years through her Menlo Park-based production company, Concentric Media.

This 3-hour block of programming pre-empts regular programming on Channel 28 and provides an evening of reflection and acknowledgement that although HIV/AIDS is  still very much a deadly epidemic, transforming work is being done abroad by people in our own communities -- whether they be non-profit leaders like Stime and Laugharn or investigative filmmakers like Fadiman.

Click here for additional playback times for The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Children in Africa.


Click here for additional playback times for Seeds of Hope: Meeting the Challenges of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia.