Radio Books

I moved to Atlanta from Cincinnati and really miss the city. Laura captures the foibles and charm of the area with wit, compassion and charm. Her observations make you laugh out loud. She's never mean, but always entertaining and perceptive. This is a "must-read" for anyone from Cincinnati and anyone from everywhere else who possesses a sense of humor!

My husband and I listened to one of the radio programs when we were visiting friends in the UK then received this CD from them for Christmas. I listen to it in my car and occassionally need to pull to the side of the road because I'm laughing so hard. Some of the humour is specific to the UK but much is just wonderful, clever silliness. If you don't like British humor, you'll hate it. Monty Python fans in search of the ridiculous will be delighted with this CD.

It's like a radio version of Monty Python on steroids. Brilliantly funny, it makes you think, and it just boggles the mind.

One of my all-time favorite books is Crazy Wisdom, Nisker's previous work. I was doubtful he could surpass himself, but was pleasantly surprised. If You Don't Like the News... Go Out and Make Some of Your Own is an extremely funny and insightful documentary book covering spiritual contributions (and wishful thinking) from the counterculture to the current New Age. Written from personal experience, Nisker takes us on an intimate journey on the search for spiritual highs and cosmic laughter. Anyone with an interest in meditation, Eastern philosophy, the 60's, New Age ideas, or who enjoys laughing out loud will be grateful to take the plunge into Nisker's hilarious world of wisdom.

The Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series is just wonderful; it's like a "Cliff Note" of the opera, and extremely informative and educational. I particularly like the size; these guides are not cumbersome and fit right into my shirt pocket. The ladies will find sufficient room in their pocketbooks.

The story narrative with the music examples is excellent. I prefer it to a libretto; indeed, it's a much easier way to follow the essence of the story. The essay is magnificent; very well written, not pedantic, and extremely insightful and comprehensible. I congratulate Burton Fisher for a job very well done and Amazon for making these handy, information-laden booklets available. The Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series is a wonderful contribution to opera education and opera appreciation.

My tip: acquire the entire collection because you will be in easy reach of superbly presented opera guides consisting of story analysis, principal characters in the opera, story narrative with music highlights, background, analysis, and commentary.

Heinz Dinter, Ph.D.

For many decades, cultural imperialism paradigm has been used to explain the effects of international television on local viewers. Through this book Michael G. Elasmar along with other leading scholars challenge the use of cultural imperialism paradigm for explaining the effects of international television on domestic audiences through conducting a meta-analysis approach for both published and unpublished manuscripts that were introduced during the period of 1960 till January 1995.
More importantly, at this book, Elasmar introduces a new model that is called `Susceptibility to Imported Media' (SIM), which media researchers should put into consideration while studying the impact of cross boarder television.
Through the SIM model, Elasmar argues that prior information represented in knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about out groups; the perceived utility; and the involvement in content, are all pre existing schema that will determine how the T.V. content will be comprehended, retained and then recalled. Consequently, prior information will determine the type of effect that exposure to imported T.V. content will produce.
Furthermore, Elasmar introduced the idea of labeling the process of T.V. influence on viewers, which he called the Media-Accelerated Culture Diffusion (MACD). The core idea behind this label is based on his belief that cultures influence other cultures without the conspiracy claim behind the cultural imperialism paradigm. He stressed the idea of culture diffusion due to the existence of "a continuity of indirect causation from culture event to culture event through the medium of human intermediaries" (Page 173). Elasmar concluded his book by proposing an expanded research agenda for future studies.
The originality of this book is that it offers a new alternative paradigm and labeling for the explanation of the effects of international T.V. programs. This book will be of real benefit for scholars interested in the fields of cross-cultural communication, media effects studies and international communications. It is considered of paramount importance to media researchers, since it opens new scopes for future researchers to further the understanding of the roles of audio visual media in diffusing cultures.

In March of 1982, barely nine months after his 50th wedding anniversary, Rev. Lehman Strauss received the crushing news that his wife had been stricken by a massive stroke. While spending days, weeks and even months at his suffering wife's side, Rev. Strauss learned that some trials in life go on very slowly indeed, and as we sometimes find ourselves in a doctor's waiting room, we also sometimes find ourselves in God's waiting room. "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord." (Psalm 27:14)

In this overwhelming book, written while Rev. Strauss and his wife were going through their time of testing, the author takes his vast knowledge of scripture, and organizes it into nine chapters of courage and comfort for those who are also waiting on the lord. As a husband who also has to wait beside a suffering wife, I have found this book to be a great source of courage and comfort. I highly recommend this book to anyone facing a trial in their life, one that requires not action, but quiescence.

For anyone who loved the Radio 4 series this book provides full transcripts of the interviews pschiatrist Dr. Anthony Clare undertook with a host of famous names. This, the first edition, features interviews with successful men and women in and out of the public limelight. Spectacularly interesting and probing questions reveal some of the behavioural traits behind some acutely ambitious people. Notable are the insights we get into the thinking of Sir Jimmy Saville who reveals his dislike of kids and ponderings with Prince Charles on the issue of power. Also included the now infamous interview with Ken Dodd whose reluctance to share his innerself with Clare and the listeners is both hilarious and revealing. With over ten interviews here what is especially noticeable here is the diversity of Clare's technique. Back to back each interview is prefaced by a post-interview comment and analysis. A very entertaining read for anyone interested in what makes successful people tick.

Drawn from an extensive oral history project, this work features twenty-seven oral histories of Hoosier broadcasters involved in a variety of broadcast occupations around Indiana from 1926 to the present. Topics explored are individual stations and the people who worked there, the evolution of technology and government regulation, the ethics of broadcasters, the impact of broadcasting on the public, and the future of the broadcast profession.

I found this book informative, entertaining and well researched. As an Indiana broacaster, the book gave me additional insight into our state's broadcast history and the individuals who helped pave the way for others to follow.

This is a series of cassettes from Focus on the Family. I have not actually heard any of these but judging from the previous cassettes I have heard this one is sure to be a hit. The values and morals in the stories are right on target for christians and non christians and you will not have to worry leaving your child alone with them.