Web links related to the Back of the Book program of September 7th, 1998


Better late than never! I've updated this page on Wednesday, not Monday. Story of my life.

This is the 12th anniversary program of Back of the Book!

Over the years there have been a great many reasons for believing that this program would never reach its next anniversary, much less it's twelfth. For what it's worth, WBAI Management has put out what it's calling its Fall Schedule and Back of the Book is on that schedule in its usual time slot. So I'm going to assume from this that we're on the air until the end of this year at least.

Most producers at WBAI generally seem to have the idea that the radio programs they produce are there forever. I've never labored under that delusion. I've seen a lot of programs launched on WBAI with a lot of fanfare and support, both merely verbal support and actual support, and I've seen most of them just go away after the ballyhoo has faded.

I always consider that Back of the Book is a radio program, and no radio program is forever.

On the First Back of the Book program I read the Franz Kafka parable "Before the Law". Since then I have read this parable on every anniversary program. This is the first year when I've left a link where you can read the story itself.

You can find a lot on the Web about Kafka, including dozens of broken links. I've slogged through those links and here are a couple of things that may be interesting.

Photographs of Kafka, his relatives, friends and grave site.

A site maintained by students, including a short biography of Kafka. Try these links at your own risk, about half of them are broken.

Coming in to WBAI I got stung by the New York City Transit Authority's MetroCard again. It wouldn't actuate the turnstile and the train was in the station. If I'd missed that train I'd have been late for the program; so I went to another turnstile and got in, and got charged $3 for the ride. The Transit Authority has spent $900,000,000 on this system in order to steal $1.50 from me! I'm not the only one who has problems with the MetroCard. If you have an hour and ten minutes you might want to listen to this speech on MetroCard technology given at the Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE) conference held in New York City in August 1997. It's a year old, but it's very interesting in terms of the technology.

Here's an older site about the MetroCard.

The Autumnal Equinox will occur on Wednesday, September 23, 1998 at 0137, which is 1:37 AM EDT.

I've put together all of the seasons and sub-seasons to the year 2005.

I mentioned on the program that I'd seen the full moon and Jupiter being within about half a degree, or one moon diameter, of each other as I was rushing through the dangerous streets of Brooklyn on my way to the subway to get to WBAI. Turns out that was optimal viewing time. Here's some more information on the skies this month, and a nice diagram of something that happened a couple of hours after the program was over..

Vince Cate is giving up his U.S. citizenship so that he can sell encryption software to the world. Here's his home page.

Want to become an international arms dealer and a criminal in the U.S.? Go to Mr. Cate's ITAR Civil Disobedience page.

There's some election information on the Web. Find out what they're spending to get your vote at the Center for Responsive Politics Web site.

Project Vote Smart also has information.

The Federal Election Commission has it's own, somewhat less useful, site.

Regular listener and letter writer ESQUIZITO has some more gigs he wants to let you know about.

There are a lot of issues that we can't talk about on the air at WBAI. But there is an internet list called "Free Pacifica!" which you can subscribe to, and these issues are discussed there. If you subscribe to it you will receive, via E-mail, messages which are sent to that list. You will also be able to send messages to the list.

If you want to subscribe to the Free Pacifica! list just click on this link and send a message containing only the word "subscribe" and you'll be subscribed. Could open your eyes a little bit.


My voice mail number at WBAI is 212-209-2996. Leave a message.

You can also send me E-mail.

WBAI related links

Union bulletin #11

Free Pacifica Web site

WBAI Listeners' Web page

WBAI Management's official Web site


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The contents of this Web page and subsequent Web pages on this site are copyright © 1998, R. Paul Martin