Cultural Warriors, a new documentary film by the Global Media Project and Udris Productions, began as a road trip into the heart of the U.S. war machine; it ended up a long journey into the remarkable life and tragic death of Michael Bhatia ’99, a collaborator on the film and the first casualty of the U.S. Army’s controversial Human Terrain Teams.

Originally, my friend Mike Bhatia was a contributor to the project but not a subject of the film.  Then he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan and he became a very personal example at the heart of the debate over military programs like the Human Terrain System.

Professor Der Derian skimmed through the 75-minute movie, showing us segments but not the film in its entirety.  It gave me a much better sense of what Mike was doing in Afghanistan, and I recommed it for anyone who is trying to make sense of his death.

Although the film did show the debate over such military programs (a debate which I accidentally stumbled into with this blog), I have found the debate to be much more heated than it was portrayed in the film.  I am looking forward to seeing the documentary in it s entirety.

Subject: Commencement 2009 – Forums to Include Film on Michael Bhatia

Hi Seth:

I am hoping you can help get the word out about this new film to anyone attending commencement and the 10th anniversary of Michael’s class.

A rough cut of the film will be shown at commencement this year. As of right now it is scheduled for 9:30am in Salomon 001 on Saturday, May 23.

Film Screening: Cultural Warriors

James Der Derian, professor, Watson Institute for International Studies

Cultural Warriors, a new documentary film by the Global Media Project and Udris Productions, began as a road trip into the heart of the U.S. war machine; it ended up a long journey into the remarkable life and tragic death of Michael Bhatia ’99, a collaborator on the film and the first casualty of the U.S. Army’s controversial Human Terrain Teams.

Here is a link to the Brown commencement calendar: where the final details on the event will be posted in early May: http://www.facebook.com/l/75e51;http://www.brown.edu/web/commencement/2009/.

Please send any reply to klynch@brown.edu.

Regards,

Karen”

The 2009 WBRU Rock Hunt continues this week with six more bands on tap, following victories by the Viennagram and Baylock last weekend. The Viennagram used the early time slot to their advantage by slamming the door at Jerky’s with a sweaty romp complete with an entourage of eye candy, a cast of characters who look like they’ve been living inside Rocky Point’s House of Horrors, and mountains of feathers and confetti — apparently the bouncer pushing the broom didn’t have a say in the voting. The reggae-roots-indie rock hybrid known as Baylock also punched their ticket to the final four showdown at Lupo’s in early April. “We were definitely surprised we won, we were up against some great acts, and we’re pumped to play Lupo’s again,” Baylock frontman Tim Crowley told me this week via email.

via The Phoenix > New England Music News > ‘BRU’s bracketology.

Seth, first the WXIN Rock Hunt came first as a matter of fact. yes, I am a RIC grad and fully support my school. You definitely embellished more than a few points in these peices [sic]. Really, what you left out was that you and your company QuikWatsUp [sic] (not sure how you spell it) are miffed because Motif declined to work with you on any level. This is nothing but a petty attempt to smear Motif becuase[sic] of your own personal issues. Motif’s commitment is to local Music, not the corporate machine played on many stations. We ended our relationship with WBRU in favor of local college radio because they play local music. I say, leave Rhode Island to Rhode Islanders, we take care of our own. Transplants such as yourself will never understand that this is our arts community and we take care of our own. Motif’s success is a tribute to LOCAL artists and arts organizations. Go sling Budweiser in some bar, I’ll have a Gansett thank you. xox

Jim is correct; I have approached most of the area media outlets about collaborating on different QuickWhatsUp.com events. I have been involved with several of them on various projects: The Phoenix, the Citadel radio stations and WBRU were involved in the New England Nightclub and Bar Expo; WBRU sponsored the Rhode Island Comedy Quest; Citadel, CBS Radio and Natural Awakenings have all played a role in the upcoming Holistic & Wellness Expo; Providence Monthly and CW-28 participated in the Going Going Gong Show at Tazza Caffe; etc.  All of these events supported local artists and businesses. Only Motif has flatly refused to collaborate on any projects.  Newspaper politics.

He is also correct that I am not a native Rhode Islander; I came out here for college and returned years later to run WBRU. I stayed because I like this state.  I’m not alone – many people flow into Rhode Island for the schools, the scenery, the culture and the other wonderful things this state has to offer.  No doubt, there are numerous other people involved in the local arts scene who were not actually born here but were lured by RISD, Johnson & Wales, Brown or one of the state’s other great colleges – or even a great job.

Narragansett Beer, by the way, is an official sponsor of the 2009 WBRU Rock Hunt, even though it isn’t actually brewed in Rhode Island.

In particular, I took note of this passage, which sums up my feelings about the program:

The debate about the morality of the HTTs is “a red herring,” says Barfield, who contends that arguing over the fine points of fieldwork and data storage only allows the anthropological community to avoid the real question of whether anthropologists will continue to sit on the sidelines or begin to play a role in public policy. “Anthropologists are always complaining about being ignored,” he adds, “but now someone is listening to us and people are getting cold feet.”

The Phoenix > News Features > Culture wars.

Another interesting paragraph was this one:

“Right now,” says Barfield, “the teams in Afghanistan have no experience with Afghanistan — they [the military] have a misconception that, if you train someone in anthropology, you can plop them down anywhere and put them to work.” In a country such as Afghanistan, with two official languages and many local dialects, two major sects of Islam, dozens of tribes, and more than four main ethnic groups, anthropological expertise will get you only so far — it’s Afghanistan expertise that is needed.

It’s worth noting that Mike had studied Afghanistan (among other regions) specifically.  In fact, he had just published a book on Afghanistan.  It sounds like the loss of Mike was a big one for the military, because he was one of the few social scientists who specialized in the region that was willing to go.

We experienced something similar with Motif when the Phoenix worked with us last year in promoting the Festival. As some sort of warped pay-back, we were trashed in an editorial add-on to the release on the Fest’s calendar in Motif. This is far too small a market to have these types of peevish games and at the end of the day, the focus should be on the artists, not the petty BS. Burning bridges is just plain bad business and dumb.

Motif Magazine has shifted its sponsorship to the Rhode Island College flagship station which can be heard left of the dial at 90.7 FM and streamed online at ricradio.org.

There are two different takes on this – first let’s cut to the official take and then offer The Nation’s perspective.

The official word is that Motif is college bound, dropping corporate alternative BRU Rock Hunt for Rhode Island College Radio’s WXIN Rock Hunt. Editor Jim Vickers, who earned a master’s degree at Rhode Island College, says “my alma mater has consistently made a commitment to local music and arts, and now that WXIN is streaming, the playing field for music audience becomes more and more equal. “While I dig The Killers, hearing them 72 times a day rather than more talented local acts such as Triangle Forest, Route .44, or The Low Anthem, among many, one must be true to their state and artists. Motif favors and will always favor our artists over others. So, we’re in, and hope to develop WXIN’s Rock Hunt into the premier local music showcase.”

The unofficial word is that I’ve grown weary of predicting everything that happens in the WBRU Rock Hunt. Seriously, look it up, you can call me the Nostradamus of local music. I’ve covered this competition for the last four years, put on by a station that barely plays local music, for what?

I don’t hear Sasquatch & The Sick-A-Billys, The Sleazies, Triangle Forest, or It Was The Best Of Times getting primetime spins.

After my annual impeccable odds breakdown, I petitioned Brown to let me teach a course in competitive rock ‘n’ roll gambling but, as of yet, have not heard back. The only thing I never got was the asinine formula that determined which bands made it into the competition. Last year there were three bands that had never played one show in their Rock Hunt.

I appreciate the enthusiasm of those bands but, seriously, play a show or two, hone your chops, and then enter a competition. I would like to thank WBRU for continuing to do the Rock Hunt and hope we can squeeze in some coverage along the way.

via WXIN plans Rock Hunt | Motif Magazine.

Having dedicated seven years of my life to WBRU (four as a student and three as the professional Program Director), I thought I might offer a third take on this story.  Some background:

I returned to WBRU to program the station in 2003.  At the time, The Phoenix owned both the local arts paper and a radio station in the market.  The radio station, 103.7 WFNX, had been simulcating the programming of WFNX in Boston, but this wasn’t working for them.  They needed a cutting edge alternative station to get ratings in the Boston market, and they needed a mainstream active rock station in Providence.  (They had been serving up active rock in both markets and were gaining share in Providence but losing it in Boston, where WAAF and WBCN already occupied that niche, and with a stronger signal.)  So not long after I arrived, they started gave the Providence station its own programming staff and musical direction.

This is long way of saying that at the time, WBRU and The Phoenix were competitors and did not have much of a relationship. Moreover, WBRU’s rival, WFNX, had a print partner and WBRU did not.

Enter Motif, an upstart weekly arts magazine.  Motif’s stated mission was to focus exclusively on Rhode Island arts scene.  Motif’s editor, Jim Vickers, felt that The Phoenix had strayed from the arts as it dedicated more pages to politics. Jim also distinguished the paper by not having an insert built around sex-based businesses, which he argued allowed him to get his paper distributed in more family-friendly establishments.

WBRU and Motif were a natural fit for each other, and an informal partnership between developed.  The relationship was mutually beneficial.  WBRU’s long history in the market lent weight to the new magazine and the magazine gave many of WBRU’s events a print dimension.

During my tenure at WBRU, Jim and I worked together on many projects.  I invited him to be a judge for the Rock Hunt (WBRU’s annual local band competition), I wrote a few guest columns for his paper and he helped me execute WBRU’s Buddy-FM April Fool’s Day joke in 2006.

During all this time, Motif was extremely supportive of the Rhode Island arts.  The paper really fostered the community and highlighted a lot of talented locals who might not have gotten exposure otherwise.  I believe Motif had a genuinely positive impact on the state’s artistic community.

Less than a year after my arrival at WBRU, WFNX folded its station in Providence.  I was surprised.  They had dedicated significant personnel and resources to it just months before.  Although the stage was set for an eventual reconciliation between The Phoenix and WBRU, it takes time for icy relationships to thaw, and WBRU and The Phoenix were just starting to collaborate when I left the station in 2006.

Meanwhile, as Motif grew, so did its obsession with The Phoenix.  The paper began with a mission to support local arts, but at some point ‘Defeating The Phoenix’ seemed to supplant that mission.  The paper still supported the arts, but newpaper politics took a priority.  More and more, Motif’s behind-the-scenes conversations revolved around The Phoenix – why Motif’s format was better, why Motif’s distribution was better, etc.  The aim was no longer to be an alternative to The Phoenix; it was to replace The Phoenix.  Increasingly, Motif began to copy The Phoenix’ features: a Best of Poll, more political coverage, comic strips, etc.

The Phoenix, on the other hand, has always looked to innovate within their industry.  They have always made forays into new and interesting territory,  like radio in the past and text messaging in the present.  They haven’t always been successful (WFNX in Providence failed), but I give them a lot of credit for their willingness to take risks.

After I left WBRU in 2006, the station increasingly collaborated with The Phoenix.  Given the fact that they shared a lot of their audiences, this partnership was natural once WFNX was gone.  I don’t know any inside specifics of how this affected WBRU’s relationship with Motif, but I’m sure it didn’t go over well.

I’ve played media politics in many markets around the country.  I have witnessed battles in the neverending WBCN/WAAF radio wars.  When you have direct competitors, like WBRU did, you try to form exclusive alliances, and when you don’t, as WBRU doesn’t now, you do your best to play nice with everybody.  You also recognize that local markets are very small and the same players are usually in place for decades, albeit in different roles.  Chances are, the people you are dealing with now are the people you will be dealing with a decade from now, especially in a state as small as Rhode Island.  So while the political rivalries may become public between direct competitors (WBRU and FNX, The Phoenix and the Providence Journal, WBCN and WAAF), they don’t usually become public between indirect competitors.  After all, today’s rivalry can easily become tomorrow collaboration, as was the case with WBRU and The Phoenix.

Hence my surprise when I came across the above article.  I don’t know what has happened between WBRU and The Phoenix since I left, except that their working bond has strengthened.  I don’t know what has happened between Motif and WBRU, except that the relationship is no longer exclusive.  What I do know is that what Motif is framing as a rivalry between WXIN and WBRU is, in fact, a proxy war between Motif and The Phoenix.  My best guess is that WBRU wants no part of battle, WXIN doesn’t realize their role in this battle and that The Phoenix…well, The Phoenix is just going to keep doing what it’s always been doing.

Falsely framing this story as a rivalry between WXIN and WBRU when no such rivalry exists hurts Rhode Island musicians. It’s always unfortunate when local artists are caught in political battles that have nothing to do with them.  While WXIN may play more local bands (which is great), WBRU is in a position to give local bands more exposure (which is also great). A local band can gain from both stations, so it’s both unfair and unnecessary to put local bands in a position where they must choose between the two.

I congratulate WXIN on their commitment to the local music scene and wish them the best of luck with their competition.  I would encourage them to innovate, not imitate: find a way to put a unique spin on your competition to make it stand out.  Start with the contest’s name.

As for WBRU’s Rock Hunt?  I reintroduced and strengthened the competition in 2004, making it an annual event, giving it prime coverage on the station and supporting many of the bands that participated by giving them the opportunity to open for national acts.  Motif was a valued partner in all of this.  This year, in a move that even I find bold, WBRU has publicly commited to playing the Rock Hunt winner on the air for an entire year.  They are looking to raise the profile of this competition even more and increase their support of the local music scene.  It’s unfortunate that Motif has chosen not to be involved.

Bhatia would have to make a place for himself. The many months he’d spent in Afghanistan as an academic provided unique insight on where to start. But from the moment he returned, it was clear he was on new and treacherous ground.

via `Professor’ pays a heavy price – Nation & World – The Olympian – Olympia, Washington.

May he rest in peace.

Adam chose to examine this program using the story of Michael Bhatia as a focal point.  Mike was a Brown graduate (’99), an Oxford scholar, a visiting professor at Brown’s Watson Institute, a resident of Providence for over five years of his life and a good friend.  As the editor notes:

Michael Bhatia loved Afghanistan, and he lost his life there — the first social scientist to die in a controversial Pentagon experiment that teams soldiers and scholars. The first of two parts.

via 1 man’s odyssey from campus to combat – International Herald Tribune.

After Michael’s passing, I devoted a good amount of time researching the HTS program and the controversy surrounding it.  I am grateful to Adam for delving far deeper into it than I ever good, and for this article which gives me a deeper understanding of the program that led to Mike’s death.  I am also grateful for an an in-depth article that looks at both the program and the human being.  Please take some time to read it.

Seth,

It’s been a good while since we last spoke and a surplus of news has
diverted my attention too many times since then. But I wanted to get
back to you and let you know the article on Mike Bhatia we spoke for
some time back is going out for publication this weekend.  It is being
published in two parts, slated to run Sunday and Monday. AP distributes
articles and photos very widely, and I don’t know which newspapers or
websites will be publishing these. I do know that your time, patience
and insight were very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to speak
with me and sharing Mike’s story. I look forward to staying in touch.

Best,
Adam

Adam Geller
National Writer
The Associated Press