Twelve people are dead in suburban Colorado, shot while at the movies. What has followed has been an almost rote recitation of the now-standard script for such affairs: Shock, horror, fear, anger, sadness, expressions of sympathy and solidarity with victims and their families, public calls for us to come together as a nation and not bring "politics" into this upwelling of communal grief. Speculation as to how many lives might have been saved if everyone in the theater had been packing.

Morris Berman – Dark Ages in America (lecture)

Morris Berman is a cultural historian and critic. He has taught at universities in North America and Europe. He is an award-winning author. Among his many books are “Twlight of American Culture,” “Dark Ages America,” and “Why America Failed.”

Dmae Roberts talks with screenwriter and director Alan Greenberg. He’s written a new memoir titled Every Night the Trees Disappear: Werner Herzog and the Making of ‘Heart of Glass‘about his collaboration with Wernor Herzog.

Heart of Glass, Herzog’s 1976 film, has been described as one of the strangest narrative films in history in which Herzog hypnotized all the actors. The film has also been hailed as an early Herzog masterpiece. Without a doubt the filming was an adventure and challenged the way many films have been done since.

Last week Victory Gallery hosted Hot Haus, a panel discussion about the future of art here in Portland. Jeff Jahn followed it up with a related post called Priming the Cultural Pump. Art Focus at KBOO thought it might be fun to extend the conversation on air here. Guests include Jeff Jahn, Stephen Slappe and Curtis Knapp of YU Contemporary. Jane Kate Wood of Victory Gallery will also join us.