Newspaper Page Text
April, 1980 - New National BLACK MONITOR
Microscope ••••••• (Continuedfrom page 4.)
The air within the whole house—except
where we may have failed to close up the
cracks by the window, by the door or even
in the floor—was kept snugly warm, but
especially so in the kitchen. The moisture
was a key element.
Whenever sufficient moisture is added to
any closed and heated area, the heat tends
to do several things. It tends to become
equalized in every part of the enclosed area;
preventing drafts, and the moistened heat
tends to cling to and bathe our bodies, thus
adding comfort and greatly reducing the
possibility of colds.
A rule of thumb is said to be that with the
proper amount of moisture in a heated
house, a thermostat may be lowered from 5
to 10 degrees.. .and, note this!.. .added
comfort may result, along with precious
fuel savings!
A Federal Priority
There is a seemingly endless variety of
simple ways by which those who are poor—
and those who want to save both money
and fuel—may conserve energy. But per
haps the most immediately important fact,
for us as black people, is that we should be
urging the federal government to launch a
realistic energy-saving campaign aimed at
the simple things which we can do.. .and
do without any sacrifice whatsoever.
One black family is said to have publi
cized how they saved 80 percent on their
fuel bill—and yet not one public official
who learned of their accomplishment
checked upon their technique! The sugges
tion just reported concerning the proper use
of moisture was culled from their experi
ence.
In a future energy report, we shall tell
more of that family’s experience and of
other suggestions as to heat-saving and
comfort-adding techniques which may be
both attractive and profitable to all of us.
Indeed, your suggestions and those of your
friends would be most welcome by our
editors.
One suggestion worth checking out,
almost before you finish reading this article,
is that of inquiring as to the long and short
range savings involved in an immediate
conversion from burning oil to burning gas.
In some areas, the demand for gas conver
sions has been so great that year-long wait
ing lists are being reported.
In areas where actual and substantial
savings can be realized by gas conversions,
the possible help and pressure of your elect
ed local, state and federal officials should
not be overlooked to make certain that the
poor—and other needy cases—are given a
priority in the scheduling of such conver
sions. Churches and other groups should
possibly publicize this and other energy
conservation ideas and suggestions.
Creating Enthusiasm
Our newspapers and churches and our
radio and television quiz shows could
concentrate on simple and imaginative ways
of increasing comfort while conserving fuel.
Our billboards also could be ablaze with
slogans which make fuel conservation the
patriotic and even perhaps the smart and
sexy thing to do.
When black people who are poor get
locked too greatly—and needlessly in any
way—into subsidized living, we are creating
conditions which are pre-genocidal. None
of us would want to encourage that kind of
state of affairs.
Bin
EpualSFW
Everyone is entitled to be warm. Every
one is perhaps entitled also to be even com
fortably snug.. .at least for the time being.
What has been evident here is that, in all
probability, instead of grimly anticipating
cold and teeth-chattering winter days in
doors, we can joyously and excitedly learn
many conservation measures which increase
our comfort while decreasing our fuel costs.
••••••••••••• (Continued on page 22.)
MONITOR Merriment
“IBM Presents Baryshnikov on Broadway”
(ABC-TV, Thursday, April 24) To Be
Capper On ‘The Spring Os
Obba Babatunde’
Though there may never be an “official”
designation as such, the Spring of 1980 may
well be remembered by chroniclers of
emerging talent as “The Spring of Obba
Babatunde.” For it is expected that Baba- .&
tunde —long known and respected by the
cognoscenti as one of the most talented 2
actor-singer-dancers around—will explode- £
in the public consciousness in away seldom -
seen since the emergence of Sammy Davis, =
I *0
Jr. *
■c
The capper on Babatunde’s Spring will <
come Thursday evening, April 24, at 9PM ®
Eastern Time, when Americans from coast- |
to-coast get a chance to view his formidable |
display of talent on "IBM Presents Bary- £
shnikov On Broadway” over the ABC-TV
network. In this special, Babatunde not
only cavorts with the legendary Baryshni
kov, but also is highlighted with the bump
tious Nell Carter of “Ain’t Misbehavin’ ”
fame. Too, Babatunde asserts himself as
the master of style that he is by essaying the
“spirit” of Sportin’ Life in the showstop
ping “Showstoppers” number, a rambunc
tious Cuban waiter in “Guys and Dolls”
and a cowboy in “Oklahoma.”
All this comes as no surprise to those who
have been exposed to Obba Babatunde.
Currently portraying the major character
“Rockets” in the new Broadway musical,
“Reggae,” Babatunde first rose to public
awareness as the famed “Mr. Cellophane,”
his featured solo that comprised a major
segment of the fabled world-tour concert of
Liza Minnelli. (Television viewers with
Home Box Office cable access have an
opportunity to watch Babatunde do “Mr.
Cellophane” during the current telecasting
of “Liza In Concert.”) But those involved
with the theatre have known him much,
much longer.
A native of Jamaica, New York, Baba
tunde has been receiving applause most of
his life. At age six he began staging song
and dance numbers for family and friends.
By the age of fourteen, he was playing ten
brass instruments. It was at that age, also,
that Babatunde got his first professional
job: touring the West Indies with the
Metropolitan Brass Ensemble.
After graduating from high school,
Babatunde attended Brooklyn College
where he majored in speech and theatre.
And it was while in college that he began to
perform with such groups as the Negro
Ensemble Company, the National Black
Theatre, Afro-American Total Theatre and
I
Featured Artist Obba Babatunde rehearses a number for “IBM
Presents Baryshnikov on Broadway. ” airing over the ABC-TV
network on Thursday, April 24, 9:00 PM, Eastern Time.
in several national touring companies. He
became the lead male dancer and choreo
grapher for the International Afrikan-
American Ballet, but after several seasons
he left that august group and began to write
and direct musicals for the New York State
Children’s Theatre. It was while with this
latter organization that he received the Pied
Piper Award from James Brown Enter
prises for his work with children in the
performing arts.
Forsaking children, Babatunde turned
his eyes toward film and ferreted out for
himself the role of the undercover police
man in the film “Short Eyes.” Immediately
after “wrapping” the film, he then
returned to share the stage with Leslie
Uggams and Richard Roundtree in the
touring company of “Guys and Dolls.”
When the tour ended he went right into
“Timbuktu,” for which he created the role
of “Chakaba.” Eartha Kitt and Melba
Moore notwithstanding, he departed the
company after several months to speed his
ascent as the aforementioned “Mr. Cello
phane” with Liza Minnelli.
Babatunde’s philosophy as stated by him
is: “Everything has a level of combustion
and from each combustible explosion some
thing new is produced. So if I continue to
believe in myself and the powers that gov
ern the Universe, work hard and stay posi
tive, everything will explode!”
The spring of 1980 would seem to be that
time when everything explodes for Obba
Babatunde. Watch him on “IBM Presents
Baryshnikov On Broadway,” on April 24
and you’ll see why it’s so.