When it comes to television programming it seems that the pendulum is close to the edge. People have stopped watching TV, that is except for 14 year olds who are keen on buying whatever TV is selling. Whether the medium will die or correct itself in time, I guess we’ll find out sooner or later.
In this atmosphere of 57 channels and nothin’ on, the one thing that almost never disappoints is nostalgia. Israel Educational Television (IETV) has just announced that its programs, both classic and new, will be made available for online viewing on its new website. Established in 1965, IETV has produced shows that taught us English, math, and road safety, and gave us our very own sitcom in Hebrew.
Since many of these modern classics are already available on YouTube, I guess the folks at IETV figured if they can’t beat them, might as well join them and make the materials legally available for free.
Since the website will not be launched until next week, here are two teaser ads to tickle your taste buds:
Wyclef Jean -- Emergency Concert for The People of Iran -- Lyrics
Tehran!
Tehran!
Equal rights and justice
The kids want
Equal rights and justice
The people in Iran want
Equal rights and justice
Yeah, equal rights and justice
[Gunpowder by Wyclef Jean]
But I smell gunpowder
Tehran got the gunpowder
Iran got the gunpowder
Brooklyn got the gunpowder
I asked my mama why do you cry
She said your brother, he just died
I told him not to go outside
He said he had to fight for his country’s rights
Equal rights and justice
He said he wants
Equal rights and justice
The people in Iran want
Equal rights and justice
Yeah, equal rights and justice
My brother’s been dead ever since
I didn’t believe it, but when I saw, I was convinced
Two shots to the head, he was already dead,
He said you want to live for what you believe
Tehran!
Equal rights and justice
They want
Equal rights and justice [repeat]
So we go on
Paint the city green
Until we get what what we deserve
We gonna paint the city green
Until we get what we deserve
We gonna paint New York City green
Until we get what we deserve
We gonna paint the streets in Iran green
Until we get what we deserve
And that would be
Equal rights and justice
The people want
Equal rights and justice Facebook can you hear me?
Yeah, equal rights and justice
Revolution [...]
Equal rights and…
For the people in Iran
[Redemption Song by Bob Marley]
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds,
Have no fear for atomic energy
None of them can stop the time.
How long will they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look?
Some say it’s just a part of it,
We’ve got to fulfill the book.
[...] Iran
Won’t you help me sing
These songs of freedom?
All I ever had
Redemption songs [repeat]
For the people in Iran
Redemption songs
All I ever had
Redemption songs
For the mothers of Iran
For the people of Iran
For the mamas of Iran
[No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley]
No woman, no cry
No woman, no cry
No mothers in Iran, no cry
No woman, no cry
I remember when we used to sit
In the government yard in Brooklyn,
Oba, observing the hypocrites
As they would
Mingle with the good people we meet
Good friends we’ve had,
Good friends we’ve lost
Along the way
In this great future you can’t forget your past
So dry your tears, I say
No woman, no cry
No woman, no cry
For the mothers in Iran
Hey little sister, don’t shed no tears
No woman, no cry.
[...]
Everything’s gonna be all right! [repeats]
Wear your green love tonight
No woman, no woman, no cry
No woman, no cry
Hey little sister, don’t shed no tears
No woman, no cry.
People in Iran
Don’t give up
Never give up
Don’t give up
Never give up
No woman, no cry
Hey little sister, don’t shed no tears
No woman, no cry.
Events unfold quickly in Iran and it is becoming increasingly clear that the mainstream media performs poorly, thrown off guard by journalists forbidden to cover events. No one truly knows whether one leader is better than the other, especially Israelis who insist on searching for the Israeli perspective -- but making judgement is not what’s important at this point.
People died today, people died yesterday -- it’s all a blur. We have learned to be apathetic as a way of survival. “17 dead” is meaningless, until you see a video of one Iranian girl dying in front of your eyes. New media bridges the geographical distances and lets you, if you allow it, to be a witness. Since we cannot grasp the big picture at this point, there is a significance in taking in small doses of reality. For most of us -- a witness is all we can be at this point, and that is a lot.
