A smart way to apply Ries's advice is to secure valuable publicity for your company by appearing as a guest on talk radio.  It's a great vehicle for speaking directly to thousands (and sometimes millions) of listeners tuning in to hear what you have to say!  In the enthusiastic words of one of our clients Dr. Cass Ingram, "Our sales have grown into millions per year from talk radio interviews alone!  Regular, consistent radio publicity really works!"

Imagine that being your success!

Appearing as a guest on talk radio is a fantastic marketing medium, but if you are not media savvy it is difficult to know where to begin.  The first step would be to know how to write a powerful press release for this specific medium.

When it comes to press releases most people believe they just can write one, email it to a list of radio stations and sit back and wait for the avalanche of phone calls.  But as time passes and no producers are beating down their door, they make a few phone calls to the producers and hosts only to discover that no one even read the release in the first place.  So, all of that time and work goes down the drain bringing you back to square one.

How to Get Started

The most challenging part of writing anything is getting started.  Looking at a blank page with a head full of ideas can be frustrating.  Which one do I use?  Which one will get the response that I need?

The first step is to understand that you're writing to radio hosts and producers who are inundated with press releases and phone calls every day.  They are looking for the hottest show ideas that their listeners will enjoy.

So, come up with a show idea.  Easy?  Well not necessarily easy, but it is your chance to flex those creative muscles.  Think about how you can tie your product, service or message to a newsworthy story that would grab the attention of a producer.  Think outside the box a bit...some of the best radio show ideas live there!

Now that you have your show idea there is something else to consider: why should a producer interview ME?  The answer is simple: Radio shows need experts, not unqualified guests sharing opinions.

And, you are an expert!  Think about it: who knows your product better than you?  You can talk about the problems your product solves with more knowledge and enthusiasm than anyone else out there.

With a good show idea that ties your message into the news -- combined with your experience and expertise on the subject -- you now have the tools to start working on a radio release that will get producers calling you!

Please leave your comments below - it's important that we know if YOU Like it too! (a lot like MUTUAL Orgasms :-)

TRUTH is not hate speech... nice try Co$.

Thats what Radio Ink quotes as preliminary findings from Arbitron concerning radio's reach:

NEW YORK -- June 16, 2008: Preliminary results from Arbitron's RADAR 97 network-radio ratings show that more than 235 million people listen to radio every week -- up from 232 million in the RADAR 93 survey a year ago. Additionally, Arbitron says, "RADAR Network affiliates have consistent delivery with reaching the key young and adult demographics that advertisers target; they reach 84 percent of adults 18-34 and nearly 85 percent of adults 25-54. They also reach almost 85 percent of adults 18-49."

Complete results from RADAR 97 will be forthcoming on June 24 according to the article. A two million listener uptick is hardly something to sneeze at, and the political class is well aware of it. As we ramp up for the busy part of the Presidential election, members of both parties attempt to find ways of using radio to increase their leverage. One example, which touches on my repeatedly posed commentaries about forging a personal bond between radio and listeners, occurred just the other day in New York.

Via The Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats tapped a teacher from upstate New York to make the case that their party will do more for working Americans than Republicans will.

Jeff Alberici, an eighth-grade history teacher in Auburn, N.Y., was chosen to deliver the Democrats' Saturday radio address — an unusual choice for a weekly task usually performed by elected officials.

Mr. Alberici commented on the day-to-day struggle in an America where prices are steadily rising while resources are not. Putting a personal touch on the issues presented is an extremely media savvy move for the Democratic Party to make at this juncture. Mr. Albirici's comments use radio's ability to create a connection with listeners to relate the experience of the "Average Joe," during the economically uncertain times we are facing.

Photo courtesy of CarbonNYC, used under its Creative Commons license

 "Soul Love" : 1972

David Bowie: Lyrical Visionary...

Stone love - she kneels before the grave
A brave son - who gave his life
to save the slogans
That hovers between the headstone and her eyes
For they penetrate her grieving

New love - a boy and girl are talking
New words - that only they can share in
New words - a love so strong it tears their hearts

To sleep - through the fleeting hours of morning

[CHORUS]
Love is careless in its choosing
Sweeping over cross a baby
Love descends on those defenseless
Idiot love will spark the fusion
Inspirations have I none
Just to touch the flaming dove
All I have is my love of love
And love is not loving

Soul love - the priest that tastes the word and
Told of love - and how my God on high is
All love - though reaching up my loneliness
evolves by the blindness that surrounds him

[CHORUS]

1. THE RIGHT DEMOGRAPHICS. Every year Talkers Magazine does a research project to profile who's listening to talk radio.  And, every year their survey confirms that the talk radio listener is, "diverse, educated, attentive, active and affluent..." If this describes your customer - it's a perfect match!

2. TARGET AUDIENCE. Not only are the demographics of talk radio great - but with specialty talk shows on politics, health, relationships, lifestyles, finance, consumer advocacy, sports, etc., we can identify shows that are a perfect match for your service, once we know the audience you're trying to reach!

3. EFFECTIVE SALES TOOL. Publicity is definitely not paid advertising.  But it can be far more effective.  Just ask Dr. Arnold Goldstein, well-known financial advisor and author, "The interest in our books from radio interviews has far exceeded the response we've seen from our advertising campaigns.  Dollar-for-dollar, talk radio interviews has shown a much better return!"

A compelling radio interview can promote your product or service without the audience even realizing it!  And, as hosts don't want to be bombarded with phone calls with questions about your company, they're highly motivated to frequently mention your website or toll-free number.

4. THIRD PARTY ENDORSEMENT. Talk radio hosts have loyal followings - that's how they maintain their ratings.  And listeners tune in daily to hear what their favorite host is talking about.  As that host is often thought of as an old friend or even a trusted advisor, when you appear as a guest on their show, listeners hear an implicit endorsement of you, your service and your message!

5. CREDIBILITY. This is a crucial ingredient in every marketing campaign - and talk radio supplies it in abundance.  One of our clients told us, "...every show I've appeared on - the host tells his listeners about my great expertise, my many accomplishments and how proud they are to have me as a guest!  Of course, the more important I am, the more important the host appears to be. As far as promotion and credibility goes - it just doesn't get any better!"

6. TIME TO TELL YOUR WHOLE STORY. As a guest - you get not just 60 seconds, but ten to sixty minutes of quality time with a very targeted and attentive audience.  You have enough time to talk about your service and in many cases you have a chance to answer questions from callers.  It's a perfect way to get your full message heard and understood by the audience!

7. COST-EFFECTIVE PROMOTION. Talk radio interviews are all done by phone.  So without ever leaving your home or office you can have a direct and oftentimes live conversation with consumers around the country.  Plus our fees for this publicity service are minuscule compared to what you'll spend in advertising dollars to buy the same amount of air time!

8. IMMEDIATE EXPOSURE. You can be on the air within two to three weeks! And, because talk radio keeps up with changing times and topics, we can continuously create new angles for your topic that reflect current events, to keep you on the air and in the news on an ongoing basis.

9. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK. With probably 1,000 + talk radio interviews under his belt, nutritional products spokesperson, Dr. W. Wong says, "Talk radio is the greatest way to get your message across to a large group of people at one time.  There's a captive audience during morning and evening drive times, in the middle of the day with stay-at-home moms and people in the workplace and for those folks awake late at night.  It's better, cheaper and faster than TV appearances.  Without question - talk radio provides the best bang for the buck!"

What's positioning?   It's the art of presenting your message in such a way as to convey an immediate understanding of your subject.  It "positions" your topic with other like topics in the news so that those reading your materials can easily understand the subject and how it compares to others like it.

Although positioning has been used by Madison Avenue, there is still little understanding of this concept beyond that world.  If used correctly it can put a derailed campaign back on track and create huge media success.

If you're not a nationally recognized brand name then you will need a lot more strategic creativity in your presentation to the media.  Let's face it, with the massive number of products released each year, there's a demand on companies to get aggressive about promotion.

This battle for attention makes the job of product promotion increasingly more difficult.  Positioning may be the missing link that will pull you through. Here are some tips that we use at EMSI to position our clients to the media:

1)      The writer creating the press materials must have a solid understanding of not only the product, but also its relevance to today's society.

2)      Look at the product for those pieces of information, or "pearls", which set it apart from others in the market.  Also keep an eye out for those statements or assertions made by the business that are alarming or ground-breaking.

3)      Find out how similar topics are being portrayed in the media.  How does yours compare?  Is it different?  Is there a new slant to it?

4)      Distill this information into a two page release positioned with current news or events and an exciting headline.  Remember that you've got to grab and keep the attention of a very busy producer or journalist.

5)      Don't require the media to use their imagination to see how the topic would be of interest to their listeners, viewers or readers.  Give them an instant concept of what you are suggesting in the headline.  That's positioning at its best.

6)      Remember to include those special features about the spokesperson that positions him or her as an authority on the topic and a qualified guest!

Here at EMSI we know the power of media strategizing and positioning.  For over 20 years we have been arranging interviews for our clients on TV and radio as well as getting their products in front of top national journalists.  And with our specialist media division News & Experts, who represents our clients to the media, we know the angles and the pitches that make them pay attention to our clients.

If you want help in getting your product the attention that deserves, call my office today at 727-443-7115 and speak with Steve at Extension 202.  Or email him directly at steve@emsincorporated.com - he'd love to hear from you!

[audio http://www.utterz.com/utts/7e/7e04f1ccb4e31d55874999f32aae1ab0.mp3]

Today I’ll try to be brief to make amends for my recent meandering, self-indulgent, windy posts.

As I blogged before, a gasket-blowing photo CMS pushed me into the arms of Flickr. But since I can be a little delayed on the uptake, it took months before I came to appreciate its community-building ramifications. (Wow! Comments!).

The Listener Photo Project was born from this dawning realization. And for those that don’t know what I am talking about, please click here. Currently, we are up to 97 members. Not too shabby eh? We founded the group (course, others did all the work), but as Jeff Jarvis observes “Communities are owned by the community.” I have taken that to heart and tossed the keys to one listener, and should any one else want to help drive please holler.

I got an email from Hali in California yesterday asking to sign up to the Daily Email. As I often do, I replied asking how she listened to the show. KSPB was her answer, which raised my eyebrows as I had no idea we were carried in Pebble beach, California. This follows another one of you telling me you tune to KXOT in Seattle. We didn't know about that either. And there have been others.

Beach FM in New Zealand has started carrying the show again recently which we're delighted about.

So if you've two minutes, please tell us how you're tuning in. It makes fascinating and exciting reading for us, and maybe even for you.

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we’ve run out of money, and can no longer afford to pursue our vision of adapting great long-form content for a short-form world, at least not as a stand-alone company. As recently as yesterday morning, we thought we had the funding in place to continue our work together. But as it turns out, we don’t.

I’m sorry to share that we are ceasing publication of Brijit, at least for the time being, and possibly for good. Beginning today, I’ll be blogging here, and will keep you up to date on our status. I’m still working hard to find a home for Brijit and our community of smart readers, listeners, watchers, and writers. In the meantime, I hope you’ll stick with us on this blog.

Writer payments for all May abstracts published through the 15th will be made next week. As always, we appreciate the good work. And please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email or comments here on the blog.

At the risk of revealing my age, do YOU also remember when the world's most powerful nation (at that time) "the good 'ol USA" cautioned us against the evils of communism? Yet, TODAY those same fuckers buy just about EVERYTHING from the Chinese pinko bastards!  WTF?!

Look for our | CHINA Syndrome® | show in the Fall Programming Guide (VIP MEMBERS)  We shake a few trees and see who falls out!  Libertà motherfuckers!   (Oh, yeah, I forgot, Cuba; my bad...)

As seguintes operações são suportadas:

• Pré-persistência (@PrePersist)
• Pré-atualização (@PreUpdate)
• Pré-remoção (@PreRemove)
• Pós-persistencia (@PostPersist)
• Pós-atualização (@PostUpdate)
• Pós-remoção (@PostRemove)
• Pós-carregamento (@PostLoad)

A entidade que queremos monitorar deve conter a anotação @EntityListener. Veja exemplos da anotação:

• @EntityListeners(ClasseListener.class)
• @EntityListeners({ClasseListener1.class, ClasseListener1.class})

No exemplo que segue, temos uma entidade chamada Nota que terá seus eventos monitorados pela classe NotaEventListener.

Configurações da unidade de persistência em /META-INF

[persistence.xml]

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<persistence version="1.0"
xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/persistence">
<persistence-unit name="testeJpaPU" transaction-type="RESOURCE_LOCAL">
<provider>
oracle.toplink.essentials.ejb.cmp3.EntityManagerFactoryProvider
</provider>

<!-- entidades -->
<class>com.wordpress.ericogr.entities.Nota</class>
<class>com.wordpress.ericogr.entities.ItemNota</class>

<!-- toplink/hsqldb -->
<properties>
<property name="toplink.jdbc.url" value="jdbc:hsqldb:hsql://localhost/testeJpa" />
<property name="toplink.jdbc.user" value="teste" />
<property name="toplink.jdbc.driver" value="org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver" />
<property name="toplink.jdbc.password" value="123456" />
<property name="toplink.target-database" value="oracle.toplink.essentials.platform.database.HSQLPlatform"/>
<property name="toplink.ddl-generation" value="drop-and-create-tables" />
<!-- <property name="toplink.ddl-generation" value="create-tables" /> -->
<property name="toplink.logging.level" value="FINEST" />
</properties>

</persistence-unit>
</persistence>

Esta entidade tem a anotação @EntityListeners onde especificamos quais classes irão monitorar os eventos ocorridos.

[Nota.java]

package com.wordpress.ericogr.entities;

import java.io.Serializable;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.Date;

import javax.persistence.CascadeType;
import javax.persistence.Entity;
import javax.persistence.EntityListeners;
import javax.persistence.Id;
import javax.persistence.OneToMany;
import javax.persistence.Table;
import javax.persistence.Temporal;
import javax.persistence.TemporalType;

@Entity
@Table(name = "nota")
@EntityListeners(NotaEventListener.class)
public class Nota implements Serializable {
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

private int id;
private int numero;
private int tipo;
private Date data;
private String descricao;
private Collection<ItemNota> itensNota = new ArrayList<ItemNota>();

public Nota() {
}

public Nota(int id) {
setId(id);
}

@Id
public int getId() {
return id;
}

public void setId(int id) {
this.id = id;
}

public String getDescricao() {
return descricao;
}

public void setDescricao(String descricao) {
this.descricao = descricao;
}

@OneToMany(cascade = CascadeType.ALL)
public Collection<ItemNota> getItensNota() {
return itensNota;
}

public void setItensNota(Collection<ItemNota> itensNota) {
this.itensNota = itensNota;
}

public int getNumero() {
return numero;
}

public void setNumero(int numero) {
this.numero = numero;
}

public int getTipo() {
return tipo;
}

public void setTipo(int tipo) {
this.tipo = tipo;
}

@Temporal(TemporalType.DATE)
public Date getData() {
return data;
}

public void setData(Date data) {
this.data = data;
}

public static long getSerialVersionUID() {
return serialVersionUID;
}
}

Entidade que representa os itens da nota fiscal.

[ItemNota.java]

package com.wordpress.ericogr.entities;

import java.io.Serializable;

import javax.persistence.Column;
import javax.persistence.Entity;
import javax.persistence.Id;
import javax.persistence.ManyToOne;
import javax.persistence.Table;

@Entity
@Table(name = "item_nota")
public class ItemNota implements Serializable {
private int id;
private int quantidade;
private Nota nota;

public ItemNota() {
}

public ItemNota(int id, int quantidade) {
setId(id);
setQuantidade(quantidade);
}

@Id
public int getId() {
return id;
}

public void setId(int id) {
this.id = id;
}

@Column(name = "quantidade")
public int getQuantidade() {
return quantidade;
}

public void setQuantidade(int quantidade) {
this.quantidade = quantidade;
}

@ManyToOne
public Nota getNota() {
return nota;
}

public void setNota(Nota nota) {
this.nota = nota;
}
}

Agora a classe que "ouve" os eventos ocorridos na entidade Nota. Para podermos observar o que acontece, coloquei todos os listeners disponíveis nesta classe.

package com.wordpress.ericogr.entities;

import javax.persistence.PostLoad;
import javax.persistence.PostPersist;
import javax.persistence.PostRemove;
import javax.persistence.PostUpdate;
import javax.persistence.PrePersist;
import javax.persistence.PreRemove;
import javax.persistence.PreUpdate;

public class NotaEventListener {

@PrePersist
public void prePersistNotaEvent(Nota nota) {
System.out.println("PrePersist: " + nota.getDescricao());
}

@PostPersist
public void postPersistEvent(Nota nota) {
System.out.println("PostPersist: " + nota.getDescricao());
}

@PreUpdate
public void preUpdateNotaEvent(Nota nota) {
System.out.println("PreUpdate: " + nota.getDescricao());
}

@PostUpdate
public void postUpdateNotaEvent(Nota nota) {
System.out.println("PostUpdate: " + nota.getDescricao());
}

@PreRemove
public void preRemoveNotaEvent(Nota nota) {
System.out.println("PreRemove: " + nota.getDescricao());
}

@PostRemove
public void postRemoveNotaEvent(Nota nota) {
System.out.println("PostRemove: " + nota.getDescricao());
}

@PostLoad
public void postLoadNotaEvent(Nota nota) {
System.out.println("PostLoad: " + nota.getDescricao());
}
}

A classe Main é o ponto de entrada para o programa. Ela testa a inserção, remoção, atualização e carga de registros que serão monitorados pelo "listener".

package com.wordpress.ericogr;

import java.util.Date;
import java.util.List;

import javax.persistence.EntityManager;
import javax.persistence.EntityManagerFactory;
import javax.persistence.Persistence;
import javax.persistence.Query;

import com.wordpress.ericogr.entities.ItemNota;
import com.wordpress.ericogr.entities.Nota;

public class Main {

public static void main(String[] args) {
new Main();
}

@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
public Main() {
EntityManagerFactory emf;
EntityManager em;

Nota nota1;
ItemNota itemNota1, itemNota2;

Query q;

emf = Persistence.createEntityManagerFactory("testeJpaPU");
em = emf.createEntityManager();

itemNota1 = new ItemNota(1, 120);
itemNota2 = new ItemNota(2, 151);

//nota
nota1 = new Nota(1);
nota1.setData(new Date());
nota1.setNumero(112412);
nota1.setTipo(512);
nota1.setDescricao("teste de nota");
nota1.getItensNota().add(itemNota1);
nota1.getItensNota().add(itemNota2);

//@PrePersist/@PostPersist
em.getTransaction().begin();
em.persist(nota1);
em.getTransaction().commit();

//@PreUpdate/PostUpdate
nota1.setDescricao("descrição da nota fiscal");
em.getTransaction().begin();
em.persist(nota1);
em.getTransaction().commit();

//para remover a entidade do contexto, fazendo com que
//o evento @PostLoad seja disparado.
em.clear();

//@PostLoad
q = em.createQuery("select n from Nota n where n.numero = 112412");
List<Nota> ns = (List<Nota>)q.getResultList();

System.out.println("Nota " + ns.get(0).getDescricao());

em.close();
}
}

Executando o exemplo, a saída conterá as seguintes linhas:

PrePersist: teste de nota
PostPersist: teste de nota
PreUpdate: descrição da nota fiscal
PostUpdate: descrição da nota fiscal
PostLoad: descrição da nota fiscal

O restante das linhas eu ocultei para facilitar a visualização dos eventos. Como podemos ver, é bem fácil e intuitivo o usar listeners.

The Israeli government say they also want to see the Palestinian economy recover, but the virtual lockdown of the Gaza strip is necessary for the security of Israelis. In the latest violence five people, including four children were killed in an Israeli air strike in Northern Gaza. Today we're hoping to bring together Israelis and Palestinians around a table, to talk about how to improve the lives of people on both sides of the divide. We'll start the dialogue and see where it goes.

Honour killings
Reports emerged yesterday that a 17-year-old Iraqi girl, Rand Abdel-Qader, was stabbed to death last month by her father for becoming infatuated with a British soldier serving in southern Iraq. In a similar case a 19-year-old Iraqi was, according to her father, murdered by her own in-laws, for having an unknown number on her mobile phone. Why is there still a tolerance for honour killings in some cultures?

Austrian girl
And while it might not make it onto the programme we can't ignore the horrendous story unfolding in Austria. Police officers are searching a cellar where a woman was allegedly held captive and sexually abused for 24 years by her own father. He allegedly had seven children with his daughter.

US elections
Peter posted on the blog last week "Is Obama's skin colour harming his presidential campaign?", ever since the Pennsylvania Primary the issue of race has reared it's head again and seemingly won't go away. In an interview over the weekend the Democratic hopeful Barack Obama admitted that he had to fight harder to win over white working-class voters. It's certainly got a lot of you talking on the blog, Is race dividing the Democrats? Is the US ready to elect a Black man as President?

Rights of prisoners
And an interesting issue, if nothing else. Last week we focused on whether we're too quick to lock people up in prisons - What rights should prisoners have?

I'm also providing a link to the source code for the project. Once again, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments section.

Tutorial 5 Source Code

Note: You can watch the videos in full screen by clicking the full screen button on the tutorial’s control bar.

I sense a mood that we should keep this going...but should the moderators decide the topics for the rest of you ? or are you happy to go wherever it goes (i.e any topic someone just fancies ?) .

 I'm sure Ros will take this on this week, but one or two of you need to refresh your memories when it comes to the rules of the blog. When i was a lad, i was continually surprised at how other kids would vandalise facilities (youth clubs, phone boxes, sports grounds) in their own communities, spoiling it for everyone else. I trust the WHYS crowd won't allow that to happen.

And if it came to us thinking someone should be banned from the blog (something which has never happened - individual posts have not been published, but no-one's been banned per se), should that ultimately be decided by you ? Thoughts welcome (as if i need to ask). 

There are other reasons for the blog post title : i was struck by Kevin Rudd's initiative in Australia to bring together a thousand members of the "great and the good"  (including Cate Blanchett) from many different walks of life to spend 2 days talking about where the country should be by 2020.

It was criticised by some as being a big endorsement for Labour policy (end of constitutional ties with Britain, tackling the federation system etc) but would you like to see something like this in your own country ?

And on a similar theme, Jeff Jarvis always writes a thought-provoking column in the Guardian newspaper on a Monday. Here's today's    in which he talks about companies using an online community to generate ideas for improving their businesses presumably to mutual benefit.

Nothing new there but Jeff wonders..

"I would love to see this platform for mutual engagement also taken to government. I'm not suggesting we transform parliament into an online forum. But why shouldn't constituents share their good ideas and use the organising power of the internet to gather movements around them? "

It's a good point to start a discussionn on good governance and how we can come up with different or better forms of democracy. Off you go, you know you want to...

On one site, we are able to email links to the stories we've enjoyed, and thus assist in growing the reading audience. This means we can share with our friends who are also able to connect to the internet. We can also print off a paper copy of a story and share it, but then we get into the murky territory of intellectual property rights and possible copyright infringement.

Libraries have always been treasure troves: books and magazines were joined by new media as they came into existence. Innovative librarians found ways to transform libraries from storehouses to portals, offering Internet access and digital downloads. The limitation to all this, in my opinion, is the dividing line between published and non-published material in the formal, traditional sense.

Enter the new website Sniplits. This innovative on-line service connects new, aspiring, talented -- and dedicated -- writers the chance to be heard. Yes: writers can be heard, not read. Sniplits offers the literate listener the chance to download smaller works to fill those times when a full novel is too much. Their own description is of stories to fill up a coffee break, a lunch hour, a trip to the dentist, or just a short drive. Certainly, an audiobook would allow listening to a few paragraphs, a page, or a chapter -- whatever fits the timeframe -- but this would just be a portion of the whole work. Sniplits offers a complete work, and subscribers to their site can browse by length of time for a work as easily as by genre or author.

Best of all, any writer may submit their work. It is the chance for new writers to find their audience, by way of filling the niche in their daily schedule. My poetic friend, who presents herself as a Little Fluffy Cat, has recently been accepted as an author at Sniplits. For a nominal fee listeners can download her original story The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and they are then free to store that story on an iPod, their computer, iPhone, or any other compatible device, and even share the story with up to 10 friends.

Sniplits fills several niches this way: the reader's need for a story, the author's need for an audience. I'm wondering if libraries -- where authors can sometimes come to read their works, and often come to write them -- might someday be able to offer this same service.

 The entry, which Iain put together, featured your messages to Alan when he was in captivity, (and Alan talking to you on the day of his release) , Lubna (of course) , the programme from Issa's house in Uganda and the shows in Harlem and your questions to the British Foreign Secretary David Milliband.

We're up against some top shows -  most of whom have won Sony gold awards in the past - so it's a bit like West Ham being in the Champions League (for those who don't follow football, this is a reference to an extremely unlikely event) but to be judged by your peers in the industry as producing one of the best shows of the year is an honour so forgive me this chuffed tone.

Each nomination carries four "invitations" to the 'do' at the Grosvenor House on May 12 when we'll find out where we came. Ros will take one invite (naturally) and we've asked Alan to be our guest for one of the others.  The other two places we'll draw on the night. So, given that the nomination is for you lot, if any of you are in London on that evening, come and see us and we'll put your name in the hat.

I know we haven't won anything yet, but thank you. It isn't much of a show without you.

Today we'll be focussing on whether women should tell their employer if they want a baby? You've been talking about it and Chloe's blog post yesterday already has great comments. Are you affected?  Let us know by the usual channels or post on the blog.

Also how have you been affected by the rising cost of food?  Mark mentioned it briefly in his early blog on Monday and it's something we will definately lookat this week.  In the meantime it's worth reading this interesting article on what's behind the crisis by Paul Krugman in the Herald Tribune.

In terms of other stories - here's a couple of quick suggestions to think about before our midday meeting. 

Should the international community intervene in the situation in Zimbabwe? Most read story right now on BBC news online is that Zimbabwean police have arrested at least five officials for allegedly under-counting votes cast for President Robert Mugabe in last month's election.  Is it time for outside help?

Close behind on the most viewed/emailed stakes is the UN expert who stands by Nazi comments. Do you agree with him?

Finally returning again to that olympic torch.. We mentioned yestrday how one texter to BBC radio said it reminded him of  "Its a knockout."  Have a read of this article by Giles Smith in the Times.  It may make you smile.

HOW MANY times can I be asked, "are you the leader of anonymous?"

YES, I am Anonymous, just not THAT Anonymous. I'm an International Internet Radio Show HOST - PERIOD.

Although I ALSO believe that scientology is nothing more than fucktard David Miscabbage and his evil minions fleecing the (not-so-poor) and ignorant masses, I certainly do NOT advocate the DoS attacks and other "hack" methods used by the GROUP called "Anonymous". There are other more effective methods.