Saturday morning, Mr. ------ turned on the radio in his Suburban Assault Vehicle on our way to pin-shooting and with a wicked grin, tuned it to NPR, expecting left-slanted news or classical music. What we heard instead was... Well, they were in the middle of a highly subjective and personal discussion about boy's underpants. He, Tam and I sat there aghast for several minutes; I don't know what they were thinking but the pie chart above sprang fully-formed in my mind's eye. The proportions are estimates but I'd bet a cookie they're close.
Monday, October 27, 2008
National Public What?
Saturday morning, Mr. ------ turned on the radio in his Suburban Assault Vehicle on our way to pin-shooting and with a wicked grin, tuned it to NPR, expecting left-slanted news or classical music. What we heard instead was... Well, they were in the middle of a highly subjective and personal discussion about boy's underpants. He, Tam and I sat there aghast for several minutes; I don't know what they were thinking but the pie chart above sprang fully-formed in my mind's eye. The proportions are estimates but I'd bet a cookie they're close.
Swap the defense and welfare tags and you're about right on...
ReplyDeleteYour point being?
ReplyDeleteNow that's funny, Roberta!
ReplyDeleteIn public radio's defense, I must say that there is still some good programing, and that if you subscribe to it by podcast, you can skip the icky stuff. If I weren't already funding it with my taxes, I might even be tempted to make a donation, as I occasionally do to other podcasts that I find interesting.
I have yet to hear anything redeeming other than Click & Clack, the Tappet brothers.
ReplyDeleteWhile in Korea Keeping The World Safe For democracy for the last time, I discovered that the gratis 8th Army Morale, Welfare & Recreation cable TV in the barracks rooms (your tax dollars at work!) received NPR on channel... something or other. Shamrock and Thistle. Several interesting game shows (Wait, Wait!) Some good classical and jazz music shows.
ReplyDeleteAll depends on what programming they pick up.
And Click and Clack are Brady-ite gun grabbers, BTW.
ReplyDeleteYou are superb! Love the pie chart.
ReplyDeleteYep. Car Talk and sometimes Science Friday.
ReplyDeleteBut you're right--that's about it. Digging through my podcast list I find a lot less public radio content than I remembered, and a lot more of the following sort:
http://www.dancarlin.com/
http://radio.nationalreview.com/radioderb/
http://tuatara.blogmatrix.com/
http://twit.tv/sn
http://twit.tv/FLOSS
http://twit.tv/FIB
This is OT, but thought you would like this:
ReplyDeletehttp://lipsticklacebrassknuckles.
wordpress.com/2008/05/20/yay-or-
nay-chanel-gun-heel/
You know, some of that federal payroll is technically defense spending.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I don't have any qualms about living off the efforts of the taxpayers is that I work in one of the few areas of the government that's actually listed as a role in the Constitution.
Well, there's also the fact that my job description makes me sound a lot smarter than I think I am.
"Nuclear Test Engineer: repair and retest aircraft carrier and submarine nuclear reactors".
"And Click and Clack are Brady-ite gun grabbers, BTW"
ReplyDeletenot their fault...they are captives in ouah faiah city, ma. plus they are f'n hilarious, and that buys some slack from me on their orientation as long as it's not in my face.
and the soundtracks on "all things considered" are awesome...
word ver: zinkn...yeah sometimes i think we are sinkin'.
jtc
I assume that the part that says "Dope and whores" is talking about politician's diversions; otherwise it should read "Dopes and whores" if it's talking about the politicians themselves.
ReplyDeleteLove the chart - I think I may fall in more than one category though.
ReplyDelete:-)
I haven't listened much the past eight years or so since tuning in the "All Things Considered" program regarding the lifestyle of homosexuals in Kinshasa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
ReplyDeleteThe most shocking fact was the Congolese government didn't act to improve their plight because, officially, homosexuality doesn't exist there. Bono and Sir Bob Geldof have probably fixed it by now.
Oh, I'm sure they have -- one way or another.
ReplyDelete"I have yet to hear anything redeeming other than Click & Clack, the Tappet brothers."
ReplyDeleteGive "This American Life" a listen. The writing, production, and music accompanying the essays are often superb. They occasionally have a clunker, but usually I learn about or think about something new. And that ain't a bad thing.
Conga-rats. You've been plagia-- er, "misattributed."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theospark.net/2008/10/so-thats-how-budget-works.html
You should post this to Fun With Charts:
ReplyDeletehttp://graphjam.com/
I have to second Matt G in re "This American Life." The video edition (on Showtime) is just as good, too.
ReplyDeleteHe could probably pull off the underpants thing, even. Er, wait, that's not sounding right...!