Kuci: Get The Funk Out

From Jennifer Rosner, National Jewish Book Award Finalist and author of The Yellow Bird Sings, comes a riveting book based on the true stories of children stolen in the wake of World War II. Once We Were Home “Rosner’s novel reflects personal interviews and in-depth research...She illuminates the complex and opposing political and religious viewpoints...Rosner’s heart-wrenching revelations in Once We Were Home will persist in readers’ minds for seasons to come.” –Historical Novel Society ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jennifer Rosner is the author of the novels ONCE WE WERE HOME and THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS, both finalists for the National Jewish Book Award. She is also author of the memoir IF A TREE FALLS: A FAMILY'S QUEST TO HEAR AND BE HEARD, and the children's book, THE MITTEN STRING, a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable. Jennifer's books have been translated into a dozen languages. Her short writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Times of Israel, The Massachusetts Review, The Forward, and elsewhere. In addition

Stephanie Reich, UCI professor of education and expert on youth and social media who served on the committee that produced “Assessment of the Impact of Social Media on the Health and Wellbeing of Adolescents and Children” for the National Academies joins host Janeane Bernstein on KUCI 88.9fm. Over the past 15 years, mental health among youth has seen a decline, one that coincides with the rise of smartphone technology that has changed the relationship between teens and the internet. According to “Assessment of the Impact of Social Media on the Health and Wellbeing of Adolescents and Children” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Released last month, the report urges industry-wide standards for social media to minimize harm and maximize benefit to adolescent health. “Currently, there is limited legislation and industry standards focused on protecting kids online, especially those 13 years and older. There is a need for more transparency, data sharing and accountability,” says S

The Drake Gives contributes $1.5 million to UC Irvine’s Power of Music initiative New School of Social Ecology effort will leverage music for social good Irvine, Calif., March 7, 2024 – A donation of $1.5 million from The Drake Gives will support a novel initiative at the University of California, Irvine’s School of Social Ecology focused on leveraging the power of music to galvanize students, other individuals and communities for social progress and well-being. The contribution will spearhead the new Power of Music initiative, which will be led by Richard Matthew, professor of urban planning and public policy and director of the UCI Blum Center for Poverty Alleviation, in close collaboration with Alec Glasser, founder and CEO of The Drake Gives. “With this generous support, we can develop novel pathways for research and action,” Matthew said. “Whether integrating music into psychology, health or environmental advocacy, we are poised to advance groundbreaking initiatives here on campus.” Echoing his appr

The Backstory From Armita, the Founder "Cramp Bites began in 2022 after being transported to the emergency room: I had fallen out of consciousness, turned extremely pale, and couldn’t move or speak due to the extremity of my period cramps. I consistently had cramps leading up to and during my period, but I couldn’t bring myself to take medication every single month. I went searching for a better alternative, and I found that I wasn’t alone in this issue – a lot of people felt the same way. Why wasn’t there a solution that worked with my body to sustainably rid the hormonal imbalances causing period cramps, not against it? Something more than medication or implants that would artificially add hormones to my body and have detrimental long-term effects. There had to be a better way. And so Cramp Bites was born. A Middle Eastern delicacy my grandmother would make, and one made of real food only. Sweet-craving indulgences that worked with my body on my period. Cramp Bites may have started the conversation, bu

New York Times-Bestselling author Caroline Paul (The Gutsy Girl) has been an outdoor adventurer her whole life. From mountain biking in the Bolivian Andes to pitching a tent, mid blizzard on Denali to flying experimental planes, Paul has never been a stranger to the beauty and benefits of outdoor activity. But as she hit her mid-fifties and was often the only woman paddling a surfboard or riding a skateboard, she began to wonder why women, like men, aren’t encouraged to keep adventuring into old age. “Isn’t being outside a vital elixir?” she writes. “Isn’t adventure enlivening, and an important challenge? Why, then, aren’t older women out here with me?” In her newest book, TOUGH BROAD: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking―How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age (March 5, 2024; 9781635576498), Paul embarks on a quest to understand how not just to live a dynamic life in a changing body in defiance of societal expectations but why we must. Along the way, she uncovers the science and the psychology th

A personal memoir in which Lyn Slater, known on Instagram as “Accidental Icon,”brings her characteristic style, optimism, forward-thinking, and rules-are-meant-to-be-broken attitude to the question of how to live boldly at any age. When Lyn Slater started her fashion blog, Accidental Icon, at age sixty-one, she discovered that followers were flocking to her account for more than just her A-list style. As Lyn flaunted gray hair, wrinkles, and a megadose of self-acceptance, they found in her an alternative model of older life: someone who defied the stereotypes, refused to become invisible, and showed that all women have the opportunity to be relevant and take major risks at any stage of their life. Youth is not the only time we can be experimental. How to Be Old tells the ten-year story of Lyn’s sixties, the sometimes-glamorous, sometimes-turbulent decade of Accidental Icon. This memoir is about the hopeful and future-oriented process of reinvention. It shows readers that while you can’t control everything,

SYNOPSIS For thousands of years women have been locked out of Taiko drumming. Not anymore. In the dead of a Minnesota winter, Asian drumming divas smash gender roles and redefine power on their own terms. FINDING HER BEAT dives into the rhythms and struggles that lead to an electrifying historic performance that changes everything. World Premiere Scheduled - Fall 2022 Directed by Dawn Mikkelson & Keri Pickett -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Extraordinary, acclaimed and the feel-good movie of the year, “Finding Her Beat” completed a more than 50 Film Festival run worldwide –earning more than a dozen awards –most recently Best Music Documentary at Award This! A critical darling cinema verité style feature documentary film “Finding Her Beat,” crisscrossed the globe in theatrical release this fall inspiring audiences with electrifying LIVE Taiko drumming with local artists and Q&A with filmmakers. The film will now be avail

Eric Ebel currently manages several of NAMM’s Market Development / NAMM Foundation programs, including Music Educator and Music Advocacy programming, The Day of Service, Roomful of Pianos, and The Grand Rally for Music Education at the annual NAMM Show. Since joining the NAMM team in 1997, Mr. Ebel has had diverse experiences with the trade association. Before his current position, Ebel was show manager for NAMM’s “Music and Sound Expo” and was senior trade show sales representative for NAMM’s world-renowned international trade shows. For the past 40 years, he’s held various positions within the music industry ranging from products specialist and sales director for an international percussion manufacturer, professional touring musician, faculty at the Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles, and percussion specialist with the United States Marine Corps Far-East band. He maintains a moderate performance schedule with various commercial agencies based in Southern California. https://www.namm.org/

Noted neurologist and Chief Wellness Officer Dr. Romie Mushtaq reveals the hidden connection between insomnia, anxiety, and adult ADD/ADHD – and gives you a science-backed plan to heal burnout and your Busy Brain in just 8 weeks. Do racing thoughts keep you from falling asleep at night? Is it impossible to focus, even on tasks that used to stimulate you? Are you mindlessly stress-eating throughout the day? These are signs that you have a “Busy Brain,” a term coined by triple-board certified physician Dr. Romie Mushtaq to describe a brain riddled with anxiety, insomnia, and ADD/ADHD. Have the boundaries between your job, sleep, and personal life disappeared? Are you wearing stress as a badge of honor or resigned to feeling stuck in the hustle culture? The reality is that chronic stress kills. Just ask Dr. Romie Mushtaq who suffered from career burnout and underwent life-saving surgery. And as a brain doctor, she should have known better. Dr. Romie embarked on a global journey to research and heal the negati

From acclaimed author Veera Hiranandani comes AMIL AND THE AFTER (Kokila; on sale January 23 2024; ISBN 9780525555063; $17.99; ages 8-12), the highly anticipated companion novel to the Newbery Honor book The Night Diary. Filled with hope and the idea of finding joy after tragedy, the novel picks up where The Night Diary left off following the aftermath of the Partition of India, the greatest human migration in history. Through Amil’s story, young readers will learn of the complicated physical, emotional, and psychological impact that comes from being forced to leave your home—an experience many kids globally still experience today. more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

Combining digital art, literature, and interpretation, VOIDOPOLIS is a time-sensitive, augmented reality book that quite literally degrades as you read it, so apropos for our time span, and tentative connection with each other. Shortlisted for the 2023 Lumen Prize. Winner of the Arts And Letters ‘Unclassifiable’ Prize For Literature Winner of the Dante Prize, Dante Society London /Ars Electronica Prize Shortlist Chautauqua Janus Prize For Literature Finalist A hybrid digital artistic and literary project in the form of an augmented reality book, which retells Dante's Inferno as if it were set in pandemic-ravaged New York City. A first-of-its-kind augmented reality book from MIT Press, Voidopolis is a unique and deeply affecting artwork that speaks as much to our existential moment as it does to the fragility of experience, reality, and our connection to one another. Kat Mustatea is a transmedia playwright and artist known for language and performance works that enlist absurdity, hybridity, and the c

An important message from Janeane For some of you, the holiday season is anything but relaxing and stress-free. You might be struggling mentally and emotionally, reflecting on your rocky road over the past few years or your entire lifetime. You are not alone. In my end of year message, I share the importance of boundaries, mindfulness and taking time to connect and nurture yourself mentally, physically and emotionally. Remember to be good to you. As a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Westside Los Angeles, I want to share some NAMI mental health resources, support groups and the HelpLine. Take time to explore the NAMI website, because there are resources for teens and young adults, as well, and plenty of other helpful information. www.nami.org Remember to check in with yourself and others, and especially the happy ones.

Ah, the holidays. Lucy Raulie (Raye Levine Spielberg) has always had a complicated relationship with her dysfunctional family, but when her mother disappears on Christmas Eve (and it’s maybe Lucy’s fault...) it’s going to be up to Lucy to bring her family back together again, whether she knows it or not. Directors Caroline Keene and Dan Kennedy are releasing an upcoming Dark Comedy with a Warm Heart titled MERRY GOOD ENOUGH in partnership with Freestyle Digital Media starring Ray Levine Spielberg, Sawyer Spielberg, Susan Gallagher (Cobra Kai), and Joel Murray (God Bless America). The film will bring unconventional Holiday cheer to audiences as they follow the less-than-perfect Raulie family this Holiday Season. You can check out the trailer here. The film is releasing on VOD on 12/19. more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 13, 2023 — The Basic Needs Center at the University of California, Irvine will unveil its new mobile food pantry, a 22-foot-long customized delivery van, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the Pereira Drive roundabout in front of the Aldrich Hall flagpoles. The first 200 attendees will receive collapsible Tupperware products. The center will also launch its ZotFunder campaign, running until Dec. 31, to raise money to stock the mobile pantry, which is designed to make food more accessible to all enrolled students at UCI and bring it nearer to where they live. The UCI Basic Needs Center received an innovation grant of $245,000 from the UC Office of the President to purchase and adapt the van, now painted blue and adorned with colorful images of produce and anteaters. Food distributions will begin on Dec. 8 at Arroyo Vista housing and on Dec. 15 at Verano 8 housing. The winter-quarter distribution schedule is pending, but the vehicle will be at these locations once per month on Fridays. “F

Elie Kaplan Spitz is an author, rabbi, attorney, meditation teacher, and popular lecturer. He served as the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Israel of Tustin, CA for over 33 years and as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee of Jewish Law and Standards for twenty years. He has published four books: Does the Soul Survive? Jewish Views of the Afterlife, Past Lives, and Living with Purpose (2000, 2015); Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World (2008), and Increasing Wholeness: Jewish Wisdom and Guided Meditations to Strengthen and Calm Body, Heart, Mind and Spirit (2015), and Duets on Psalms: Drawing New Meanings from Ancient Words (2023). more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

Kelly Sather, winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for her forthcoming powerhouse of a book, Small in Real Life. As a former entertainment lawyer, and screenwriter, Kelly has really captured the emotion, ambition, humanity, and conflict in her characters on their search for power, fame, love, and the possibility of and redemption. Kelly's writing is undeniably moving and sharp-- an easy read with so much to discuss-- the dark side of the quest for a better life. more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

UC Irvine-led science team shows how to eat our way out of the climate crisis Researchers explore the benefits of producing farm-free food Irvine, Calif., Nov. 6, 2023 — Agriculture is one of the hardest human activities to decarbonize; people must eat, but the land-use practices associated with growing crops account for roughly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions evaluate a new solution to this problem, one that eliminates farms altogether. In a study published today in Nature Sustainability, the UCI-led team of scientists assess the potential for widescale synthetic production of dietary fats through chemical and biological processes. The raw materials for this method are the same as those used by plants: hydrogen in water and carbon dioxide in the air. “Large-scale synthesis of edible molecules through chemical and biological means without agricultural feedstocks is a very real possibility,” said lead author Steven Dav

What do you do when you find out you have terminal brain cancer just before graduating from high school? Live life to the fullest, of course, which is what Nathan Lee does in this high-spirited Asian LGBTQ+ film. This high-spirited LGBTQ+ drama LAST SUMMER NATHAN LEE, starring Harrison Xu, Natasha Tina Lia, Matthew Mitchell Espinosa, Dru Perez, and Aaron Guest, follows Nathan Lee (Harrison Xu), an Asian American teenager, who finds out that he has terminal brain cancer right before his 18th birthday, and vows to live the remains of his life with passion and laughter for one last summer with his friends and family...and refuses to die a virgin. Knowing that his gay best friend, Dash (Matthew Mitchell Espinosa), wants to become a filmmaker, Nathan offers himself as a documentary subject to Dash, who is also in love with Nathan. LAST SUMMER OF NATHAN LEE A coming-of-age story releasing in theaters October 20th and available on VOD November 22nd. more: getthefunkoutshow.kuci.org

G.B. Smith and his stunning photobook “Pathways” (G Editions, Nov. 7, 2023). The book features several of Smith’s recent multi-award winning images, and the curation reflects the simplicity and uncluttered form of his distinctive black and white style. Informed by his experience with color blindness, Smith’s work encourages the viewer to examine a world that exists beyond color. Among Smith’s many accolades are three consecutive Gold Medals in the architecture, fine art and nature categories at the Prix de la Photographie awards in Paris. Believing that art should make a positive impact, Smith will be donating proceeds from the sales of “Pathways” to the Breast Cancer Alliance. “I have long admired G.B. Smith’s singular ability to focus and to strip away distractions to help others see the most important elements….he studies his subjects with care and thinks deeply about all that he wants us to see.” –Lawton W. Fitt, former head of The Royal Academy of Arts About G.B. Smith Born in the industrial heartla

BEAUX GRIS GRIS & THE APOCALYPSE Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse (pronounced \bo\ \gree-gree\ ) California-based blues rock americana soul band created by Louisiana-born-and-raised musician Greta Valenti (Well Hung Heart) and UK British Blues Hall of Fame Inductee, Robin Davey (The Hoax, DVL, Well Hung Heart). Joined by the talents of musical heavyweights: Tom Rasulo (Dave Matthews, Gerard Way) Drums/Production in the UK & USA OR Alex Thomas (Anna Calvi, Bat For Lashes, Squarepusher) (UK) on Drums; Emma Jonson (UK) & Sam Robertson (USA) or DANIEL KIRKPATRICK (USA) on Keys, plus Stephen Mildwater (UK) and Chris Cunningham (USA) on Bass in the UK/USA respectively. PLUS VARIOUS OTHER PLAYERS AND GUEST APPEARANCES AT VARIOUS SHOWS. To fully understand Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse is to experience the band live, a mix of soulful songs, intense energy, and world-class award-winning musicianship. RhythmBooze summed up the show finale as “A mind-boggling, blistering finish with everything t