Upcoming Radio and TV FYIs

Meant to post this yesterday but was having lots of trouble with my Bell South internet connection, which came and went of its own volition, regardless of my own plans.

Had some recommendations for two Book TV segments on Sunday, featuring new books by authors whom I've greatly enjoyed in the past, Marshall Goldman of Wellesley College, and Simon Winchester, and an overnight radio program early Tuesday morning featuring Richard Florida, whom you can hear and judge for yourself whether my take on him and his work is correct.

I first got turned onto Dr. Goldman when I lived in Evanston in the mid-80's, thru my then-girlfriend, who was attending grad school at Northwestern and who'd taken his classes when she was an undergrad at Wellesley.
(The Wellesley grads in the Washington D.C. area annually have one of the largest and best book fair events of the year, which most of my friends and I have gone to a few times, due to the great finds there. I could always find issues of Foreign Affairs or Foreign Policy that I was missing, for whatever reason.)

The only Wellesley grad I've met since returning to South Florida is Hollywood activist and public policy guru Sara Case, the Editor of Balance Sheet Online. http://www.balancesheetonline.com/
Sara is also a member of the Hollywood Charter Review Committee and was recently appointed by Broward Commissioner Sue Gunzburger to the Broward County Planning Council.

http://cityofhollywoodfl.com/html/charter_review.htm
Next meeting is Thursday, August 7, from 3-5 p.m.
Article 4 - Initiative; Article 5 - Referendum; Discussion on campaign finance reform and suggested topics from Vice Mayor Blattner
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On C-SPAN 2, Direct TV 351

Sunday, July 27, at 7:30 AM
Monday, September 1, at 12:00 AM

http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=9514&SectionName=Politics&PlayMedia=No
Petrostate: Putin, Power, and the New Russia
Oxford University Press. 230 pages. $27.95.

About the Author
Marshall Goldman is a senior scholar at the Davis Center for Russian Studies at Harvard University and an economics professor emeritus at Wellesley College. Mr. Goldman's writing has appeared in several publications, including The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly, and Foreign Affairs.

About the Program
Marshall Goldman recounts Russia's economic collapse in 1998 and its reemergence only a decade later as a financial force due to its energy wealth. Mr. Goldman reports that Russia is the world's largest producer of petroleum and the second largest exporter. He details the efforts Vladimir Putin made to renationalize Russian oil and how these profits were used to pay off the countries national debt. This event was hosted by the Southern Center for International Studies in Atlanta.

Publisher's blurb:
http://www.us.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Politics/InternationalStudies/InternationalSecurityStrategicSt/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9OTc4MDE5NTM0MDczMA==

Dr. Goldman was on NPR's Diana Rehm Show on June 8th,
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/08/06/08.php

The most insightful critique of the book was this one by Edward Lucas on his blog about his new book on Russia, The New Cold War: how the Kremlin menaces Russia and the West
http://edwardlucas.blogspot.com/2008/06/marshall-goldman-book-review-petrostate.html

The biggest hole in "Petrostate" is its skimpy treatment of the European Union. An important question facing the EU now, for instance, is whether its energy liberalization policy -- unbundling the wholesale and retail businesses in gas and electricity -- will help or hinder the Kremlin. A fragmented market may be even easier to manipulate. Mr. Goldman's sharp mind would be well-suited to untangling such intricacies.
The unanswerable question is whether the Kremlin -- or more precisely, Vladimir Putin -- will use gas as a weapon to gain international political influence. The optimistic view is that business normalizes politics -- in this case, that Russia's need to be a dependable partner will require it to soften its political edge and conform to international standards of behavior. Pessimists fear that gas dependency will lead to the Finlandization of Europe. On the evidence so far, the pessimists have the better chance of being right.

That this particular angle on energy policy and U.S-Russian foreign policy is hardly ever discussed either intelligently or at length on network TV news goes without saying, not that PBS has much to crow about, either.
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Sunday, July 27, at 7:00 PM

http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=9475&SectionName=History&PlayMedia=No
The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom

About the Author
Simon Winchester is the author of numerous books, including "The Professor and the Madman," "The Map That Changed the World," and "Krakatoa." Mr. Winchester has written for several publications, including National Geographic and Smithsonian.

About the Program
Historian Simon Winchester recounts the life of Joseph Needham (1900-1995) a Cambridge University biochemist who became obsessed with China and wrote "Science and Civilization of China" a twenty-four-volume study of Chinese history and culture that assisted in introducing the West to the East. Simon Winchester discusses his book with John Major, senior lecturer of the China Institute at the Asia Society in New York City.
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http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/schedule.html

WIOD-AM 610
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
LIVE with George Noory,
Guest: Richard Florida
Book: Who’s Your City?
Website: www.creativeclass.com
Website: www.whosyourcity.com

One of the world's leading public intellectuals, Richard Florida will discuss his work analyzing and predicting future trends in housing, economy, work, lifestyle and community.

Program runs live from 1-5 a.m., and I suspect that guest Florida will be on the first two hours.
As some of you may recall, I'm currently reading his insightful and perceptive book after having watched the author's fascinating apearance on Book TV a few weeks ago.

Who's Your City: How the Creative Economy is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life

Richard Florida contends that in the era of globalization it still matters where people call home and where you live is one of the most important decisions you will make.
From your quality of life to the people you surround yourself with, Mr. Florida determines which cities are suited for certain people.

Richard Florida is Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute and professor of business and creativity at the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.
He is the author of several books, including "The Rise of the Creative Class" and "The Flight of the Creative Class."

To see his recent appearance on C-SPAN's Book TV from the Google HQ: http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=9274&SectionName=&PlayMedia=No

For more information, see http://creativeclass.com/whos_your_city/

I've been meaning to suggest that those of you who who are hardcore book readers, might want to consider adding the book blog, Edmund's Saltmines to your list of things to peruse daily, since his list of authors on TV or radio is often quite helpful. http://whitehots.blogspot.com/