Second, NPR and the member stations claim, especially during fund-raisers, that they are free of commercial influence. I would like an indepth analysis (including self-analysis) of this claim. I suspect thet the “underwriter” language is a legal veil probably to protect the companies and the stations. But to me, the promotional statements for the “underwriters” are ads pure and simple. Why should listners believe that the stations and NPR are free from influence (direct or indirect) from the corporate advertisers? My main point is that I’d like to hear a serious discussion about the contradiction between advertising on public radio and public radio’d hype about being advertising free. I’m more concerned about the aparent hypocracy that with the ads, although I hate the ads.

Pete’s been soaring ahead with a revival of new concepts, material, and amazing new blog/internet communications between himself and participants. Please check out his blog (The Boy Who Heard Music) and his girlfriend’s (Rachel Fuller) online show called “In the Attic”…much fun and in line with what I think Chris L. is interested in.

http://www.petetownshend.co.uk/

http://www.petetownshend.co.uk/diary/display.cfm?id=289&zone=diary

John

Nobel Prize winner George Olah spoke about methanol on NPR’s Science Friday radio and podcast. He said methanol can be made for $1/gal, can be made from many things — but most significantly — from carbon dioxide, the major component in global warming. Olah speaks slowly and pendantically (?), but what he proposes blows the ethanol and alternate fuels problem away. Wikapedia has an entry for Olah. He has a book out on the subject, so he might be willing to come on an Open Source show.

See also

http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,1747821,00.html?gusrc=rss

See:

http://tacitus.org/story/2006/4/6/181046/1814

Let the gender war begin!

fc

Show suggestion: “Geisha” film produced by Spielberg

Hook (why now?): DVD came out last week.

__________________

One controversy is the “pan-Asian casting” — The 3 lead Geisha roles were played by Chinese actresses.

Lucy Liu defends the casting.

The casting was so offensive in China that theatrical release was canceled, while bootleg DVDs have been extremely popular.

“Memoirs of a Geisha” DVD came out last week.

Please do a show, and put me on it.

(Listen to me on BBC below.)

See below for Other topics:

____________________________________

My article on the subject appeared in April in a Japanese monthly magazine.

(Also distributed as a paper magazine in major US cities)

http://news.asianweek.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=9a2c0cdf24846f77c68102736b6438f6&this_category_id=172

Memoirs from a JA Male (JA=Japanese-American)

____________________________________

A paper from Jan. 2006:

Politically correct racism and the Geisha novel

— The psychology of sophisticated racism mirrors that of ethnic jokes.

http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/discussionpapers/2006/Tanaka.html

__________________________________________

=== BBC interview (mp3 from Jan 2006) ===

Tanaka says:

“I like the film, but I must say I _despise_ the novel.”

——- (at 5 min 40 sec)

Tanaka interviewed on Geisha on BBC Radio

Aired Jan 12, 2006 (the day before the film’s UK opening)

(at 8 min 50 sec)

TT: “They call themselves Geiko.” . . .

Bob: “So, even the title of the book isn’t right!”

TT: “That’s exactly correct, yes.”

(at 10 min 20 sec)

Bob: “… kind of forging the stereotype of Japanese men

as being these sex-hungry people that enslave women …”

TT: “That’s exactly what I’m upset about!”

________________________________________

Based on recent events with Pajamas/OSM/Name of the Week media, we’ve been talking about whether we’ve done everything we ought to with this whole blogging thing. In my earlier post, I suggested that Jammies should have “done their homework” or…

You mean Tues as tomorrow (11/22)? Or next week 11/29?

Best,

John