Web links related to the Back of the Book program of August 29, 2005


We're going to be talking about this disaster that's about to hit New Orleans on this program and we'll cover some other topics too. I will try to get this Web page updated soon. I just don't know when the update will happen though. At the end of this program Back of the Book will have been on the air for 19 years.

A regularly scheduled WBAI Local Station Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 7th, at 6:30 PM, location to be announced.

Did you know that I've got a brief synopsis of the older WBAI LSB meetings? Well, I do. And I'll be updating it soon.

At the August 24th WBAI LSB meeting, held in Manhattan, we had to wait about an hour and a quarter until we finally got a quorum. The primary item on the agenda was the WBAI budget for fiscal year 2006 (FY06). And FY06 goes from October 1, 2005, to September 30, 2006. Last year General Manager Don Rojas proposed a budget with a ridiculously inflated income projection saying it was based on “modest optimism.” The WBAI LSB, which was not dominated by the faction currently in charge then, rejected it. In the end, Rojas refused to amend his budget proposal to realistic levels and the Pacifica National Board ended up passing a budget that while less than Rojas' was still inflated. WBAI is paying for those shenanigans now with layoffs in the future and other cutbacks.

At this meeting the faction currently in charge, which has a majority of seat on the LSB, only had six of their number show up. So an attempt by a half time employee who's on the LSB to sacrifice possible future development for WBAI in the interest of saving a half time position failed and the sensible budget based on proven income, proposed by interim General manager Indra Hardat, was passed. But the faction currently in charge has given notice that they are going to try to change the budget at the next meeting, scheduled for September 7, and I don't know if that's going to screw things up. They could end up screwing up the budgetary process for the entire Pacifica foundation, which owns WBAI. I guess we'll see.

I have written a statement about the constructive removal of a LSB member and sent it to the PNB, the WBAI LSB and various public mailing lists and bulletin boards.

WBAI has a program schedule up on its Web site. The site has gotten many of the individual program pages together to provide links and such, so check it out.

Our colleagues from Off the Hook now have both a RealAudio streaming web cast operating, and a new MP3 stream. The MP3 feed is now the preferred feed. Both were operating at 9:18 PM last night.

The Pacifica Foundation, which owns WBAI, has revamped its Web site and now has something called the Pacifica Lounge where you can post messages about Pacifica, WBAI and other Pacifica radio stations. This may be a good thing, and of course there are other, long term fora in which to participate.

WBAI also has a forum on its Web site now. You have to register to post messages, but anyone may read the messages.

WBAI is now archiving the programs! Just go here and you'll be able to listen to the program any time for the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, Back of the Book is not one of the programs that you can download, you can only listen to it on line. But maybe someone will change that at some point.

The Big Easy could become the Big soggy by the end of Monday.

Hurricane Katrina strengthened to category 5 over the weekend and is plowing its way through the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to hit New Orleans, Louisiana right about at the end of our radio program. The major issue isn't just the fierce storm itself it's the storm surge that it will cause in the Gulf of Mexico that could raise the level of Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River by 20 to 25 feet. The levees can only handle water levels that are 15 feet high.

It's possible that by the end of Monday a largish, and very famous, American city could be completely destroyed. The real problem is that this is probably not the last time that something like this is going to happen. Because of global warming we are likely to experience these fiercer, stronger storms more often in the future.

Hurricanes are started and fed energy by warm water, and as the water gets hotter from global warming hurricanes will be able to tap more energy. If New Orleans survives this hit will it be able to survive the ones that will inevitably come after it?

The New York City Pen Show is coming up in two weeks. It will run from September 9th to the 12th, and I'm going to be there looking around. I went there last year and there were a number of things to be seen. This year not only will there be pans, with fountain pens getting the lion's share of the attention, but there will also be a guy there showing off his huge collection of vintage mechanical pencils. Something for everyone! I'll probably talk about it on the next radio program.

There are a lot of issues that are considered hazardous to talk about on the air at WBAI, even now that the gag rule has been lifted. However, there is the Internet! There are mailing lists which you can subscribe to and Web based message boards devoted to WBAI and Pacifica issues. Many controversial WBAI/Pacifica issues are discussed on these lists.

Probably the most popular list that's sprung up is the “NewPacifica” mailing list. This one is very lively and currently includes over 400 subscribers coast to coast.

Being lively, of course, it sometimes also gets a bit nasty. All sorts of things are happening on this list and official announcements are frequently posted there.

You can look at the NewPacifica list here, and you can join the list from that Web page too. If you subscribe to the “NewPacifica” mailing list you will receive, via E-mail, all of the messages which are sent to that list.

There is the option to receive a “digest” version of the list, which means that a bunch of messages are bundled into one E-mail and sent to you at regular intervals, this cuts down on the number of E-mails you get from the list. You will also be able to send messages to the list.

This list also has a Web based interface where you can read messages and from which you can post your own messages.

There is also the more WBAI specific “Goodlight” Web based message board. It is sometimes referred to on Back of the Book as “the bleepin' blue board,” owing to the blue background used on its Web pages. This one has many people posting anonymously and there's also an ancillary “WBAI people” board that's just totally out of hand.

When the computer in Master Control is working we sometimes have live interaction with people posting on the “Goodlight Board” during the program.

And then there is the historic “Free Pacifica!” list, which has been used to help organize resistance to Pacifica Management hijackers since the mid-90s. It's become a low volume mailing list because it's been eclipsed by some of the newer, more technologically advanced, lists. Just click on this link and follow the instructions, and you'll be subscribed. This is a mailing list only, it doesn't have a digest option nor does it have a web interface.

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

You can also send me E-mail.



WBAI related links

Free Pacifica Web site

WBAI Listeners' Web page

WBAI Management's official Web site


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The contents of this Web page are copyright © 2005, R. Paul Martin.