Our Economy – on the RTB

Lately, everywhere that people access the news, they hear stories of economic crisis, both on a state and federal level. Unemployment is increasing, stocks have been somersaulting in value, and economists are adding an extension to the Great Recession. 

Since the Minnesota Radio Talking Book is one resource of information, the question may be asked, “what times of the week can I hear information about the economy that might help me in my financial decisions?” There are several periodical programs that could give you that information: Monday morning, at

10:20 is the program Business News. This focuses on business and the economy in Minnesota. Monday through Friday, at 5 p.m. are different programs all called Commentary. They take their material from various news publications and would include articles on the economy and politics. Saturday, there are two programs that you might find interesting and useful – Money Matters is at 2 p.m. and specifically deals with stocks, the economy, and your financial decisions. The other program has a wider base of interest, the national business climate. That program is Business Commentary and it airs on Saturday at 5 p.m. 

If you are interested in having financial periodicals utilized that don’t appear here, please call the Program Coordinator, Tony Lopez, at 651-642-0880.

 

Books Available Through Faribault

Books broadcast on the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network are available through the Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library in Faribault, MN. Their phone is 1-800-722-0550 and hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Their catalog is also online, and you can access it by going to the main website, http://education.state.mn.us, and then clicking on the link. If you live outside of Minnesota, you may obtain copies of our books by contacting your own state’s Network Library for the National Library Service.

Listen to the Minnesota Radio Talking Book, either live or archived programs from the last week, on the Internet at www.mnssb.org/rtb. Call the staff at the Radio for your password to the site.

See interesting information about current RTB events on the Facebook site for the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network. Register for Facebook at www.facebook.com.

 

Chautauqua
Tuesday – Saturday, 4 a.m.

Written in Stone,Nonfiction by Brian Switek, 2010. Spectacular fossil finds make today’s headlines; new technology unlocks secrets of skeletons unearthed a hundred years ago. Still, evolution is often poorly represented by the media and misunderstood by the public. Read by Leila Poullada. 12 broadcasts. Began September 6.

Physics of the Future, Nonfiction by Michio Kako, 2011. Revolutionary developments are taking place in medicine, computers, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, energy production and astronautics. Michio Kaku has interviewed top scientists to give us a glimpse of the future. Read by Lannois Neely. 18 broadcasts. Begins September 22.

 

Past is Prologue
Monday – Friday, 9 a.m.

Empire of the Summer Moon. Nonfiction by S.C. Gwynne, 2010. The Comanches were the most powerful Indian tribe in American history and their most powerful chief was Quanah. Read by Leila Poullada. 14 broadcasts. Began August 23.

The Devil and Mr. Casement, Nonfiction by Jordan Goodman, 2010. In 1910, activist Roger Casement began his investigation into reports of human rights abuses in the Amazon jungle. His report was appalling, a 700 page report of torture and murder carried out by a company headquartered in London. Read by Andrea Bell. 11 broadcasts. Begins September 12.

The Dangerous Otto Katz, Nonfiction by Jonathan Miles, 2010. The FBI’s file on Soviet agent Otto Katz called him “an extremely dangerous man.” He seemed to be involved in one world changing event after another. But who was this debonair, double-dealing man with a taste for the finer things in life? Read by John Potts. 14 broadcasts. Begins September 27.

 

Bookworm
Monday – Friday, 11 a.m.

Vestments, Fiction by John Reimringer, 2010. James was drawn to the priesthood. But after his ordination, he found himself still attracted to his first love. Read by Dan Kuechenmeister. 13 broadcasts. Began August 24.

Corduroy Mansions, Fiction by Alexander McCall Smith, 2010. Corduroy Mansions is the nickname of a genteel, crumbling mansion block in London’s Pimlico neighborhood. It is the home turf of a collection of very quirky characters, from a wine merchant to a Member of Parliament. Read by Bernadette Flynn. 16 broadcasts. Begins September 12.

 

Writer’s Voice
Monday – Friday, 2 p.m.

A Secret Gift, Nonfiction by Ted Gup, 2010. Before Christmas 1933, in Depression-scarred Canton, Ohio, a small ad offered cash gifts to 75 families in distress. Readers were asked to send letters to a benefactor called Mr. B. Virdot. The author’s grandfather placed this ad to help his fellow Cantonians. Read by Art Nyhus. 12 broadcasts. Began September 5.

Half in Love, Nonfiction by Linda Gray Sexton, 2011. The daughter of poet Anne Sexton was witness to her mother’s multiple attempts at suicide, and suffered years of depression and suicide attempts herself. But unlike her mother’s story, Linda’s story was one of triumph. Read by Jenny O’Brien. 10 broadcasts. Begins September 21.

 

Choice Reading
Monday – Friday, 4 p.m.

The Emperor’s Body, Fiction by Peter Brooks, 2011. Philippe de Rohan-Chabot has been charged with bringing Napoleon’s body back to Paris. But there are rumors that the grave is really empty or that Napoleon’s body has been replaced. And back in Paris, Chabot’s lover has another suitor for her hand. 10 broadcasts. Began September 5.

Compass Rose, Fiction by John Casey, 2010. Rose is the daughter from an affair between moneyed Elsie Buttrick and Dick Pierce, the fisherman who lives with his wife nearby. Though Elsie is considered a black sheep in her insular community, Rose draws people into relationship.  Read by Natasha DeVoe. 12 broadcasts. Begins September 19.

 

PM Report
Monday – Friday, 8 p.m.

The Good Fight, Nonfiction by Walter F. Mondale, 2010. For five decades, Walter Mondale has played a leading role in America’s movement for social change – in civil rights, environmentalism, consumer protection, and women’s rights – and helped to forge the modern Democratic Party. Read by Charlie Boone. 14 broadcasts. Began September 1.

Holy Ignorance, Nonfiction by Olivier Roy, 2010. The secularization of society was supposed to free people from religion, yet individuals are converting to fundamentalist faiths, which either reconnect adherents to their culture or de-culturate with purification rituals. Read by Tony Lopez. 13 broadcasts. Begins September 21.

 

Night Journey
Monday – Friday, 9 p.m.

Body Work, Fiction by Sara Paretsky, 2010. V.I. is visiting an edgy nightspot where a woman turns her body into a canvas for the audience to paint on. Then one young painter puts designs on the Body and is killed for it. L – Read by Bonita Sindelir. 15 broadcasts. Began September 5.

A Lesson in Secrets, Fiction by Jacqueline Winspear, 2011. Maisie Dobbs accepts an undercover assignment for Scotland Yard. Posing as a junior lecturer at a Cambridge college, she is to monitor activities “not in the interest of His Majesties government.” When the college founder is murdered, she is ordered to step aside. Read by Pat Kovel-Jarboe. 10 broadcasts. Begins September 26.

 

Off the Shelf
Monday – Friday, 10 p.m.

Long Time Coming, Fiction by Robert Goddard, 2010. Stephen finds that his uncle, whom he thought had been killed in the Blitz, has been in an Irish prison for four decades. L – Read by Dave Schliep. 13 Br. Began August 24.

The House of Tomorrow, Fiction by Peter Bognanni, 2010. Sebastian Prendergast was homeschooled by his grandmother in her geodesic dome. When she has a stroke, Sebastian is forced to leave the dome and discover what it means to live a normal life. L – Read by Peter Danbury. 11 Br. Begins September 12. 

The Messenger of Athens, Fiction by Anne Zouroudi, 2010. When a woman’s body is discovered on a Greek island, local police close the case as an accident. But an investigator arrives from Athens and soon uncovers a tale of passion, corruption, and murder. L – Read by Mary Hall. 9 broadcasts. Begins September 27.

 

Potpourri
Monday – Friday, 11 p.m.

Charlie Finley, NF by Green & Launius, 2010. The 1970’s Oakland Athletics was one of the most successful, most colorful, and most chaotic teams of all times. L – Read by D. Laufenburger. 14 Br. Begins August 30.

The Philosophical Breakfast Club, Nonfiction by Laura J. Snyder, 2011. Having met at university and sharing a love of science, four men began to meet Sunday mornings to talk of the state of science in Britain. They plotted to bring about a new scientific revolution. Read by Leila Poullada. 18 broadcasts. Begins September 19.

 

Good Night Owl
Monday – Friday, Midnight

 

Spooner, Fiction by Pete Dexter, 2009. Warren’s dad died shortly after Warren’s birth, replaced by Calmer Ottosson, a naval officer who spent the rest of his life trying to salvage his stepson. L,S – Read by Jim Kern. 15 broadcasts. Began August 29.

An Object of Beauty, Fiction by Steve Martin, 2010. Young, captivating, and ambitious, Lacey is ready to take on the art world of New York City. She charms men and women, old and young, rich and richer. L – Read by Jack Rossman. 10 Br. Begins September 19.

 

After Midnight
Tuesday– Saturday, 1 a.m.

The Illumination, Fiction by Kevin Brockmeier, 2011. At 8:17 on a Friday night, the illumination commences. A private journal of love notes passes through the hands of six suffering people, touching each one uniquely. Read by John Marsicano. 9 Br. Began Sept. 1.

One of Our Thursdays Is Missing, Fiction by Jasper Fforde, 2011. Only the diplomatic skills of ace literary detective Thursday Next can avert a genre war. But a week before the peace talks, Thursday vanishes.   Read by Dan Sadoff. 12 broadcasts. Begins Sept. 14.

The Search, Fiction by Nora Roberts, 2010. Fiona has an idyllic life. But she has gotten to this point by surviving a nightmare, being the only survivor of a serial killer. V,L,S – Read by C. Matz. 17 Br. Begins Sept. 30.

 

 

Abbreviations: V – violence, L – offensive language, S – sexual situations