October 2004

Paraview Media Guide is a monthly guide to books, magazines, websites, and other media that capture your attention, expand your mind, and transform the world. Leading experts in mind, body, and spirit and the frontiers of science and culture present their media picks. This free newsletter is distributed by subscription only. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or obtain sponsorship information, please see instructions at the end of this newsletter.

	GUEST PRESENTER: ALEXANDER M. DAKE
	Thanks to the presidential election, it’s a great time for political junkies. But for those of you who feel ambushed or left out in the cold, Paraview’s Alexander Dake is on top of the news. Paraview’s website has just posted Alex’s wide-ranging interview with Jim Garrison, president of the State of the World Forum and author of America as Empire: Global Leader or Rogue Power?, and Paraview Press’ Civilization and the Transformation of Power. In the interview, the two discuss America’s role in the world, and how the U.S. can be a change agent in these complicated times. Alex is also our guest editor for this month’s Media Guide, and provides lots of links to resources with alternative, thought-provoking news coverage.
	ALEX'S TRANSFORMING MEDIA PICKS Although finding transformational media is not always easy, it is worth looking for. This month, as we are approaching November 2, when the most powerful nation in the world and in the world’s history will go to the ballot box, I’d like to draw your attention not only to transformational media but also to those media that can prepare you for the changes in the weeks to come. Either the U.S. stays the course or changes tracks.
	I’d like to suggest The Copycat Effect by Paraview’s Loren Coleman. This book describes how the media unconsciously (I hope) perpetuate the same crimes and tragedies they continuously put on their front pages, highlight in their feature stories, and present in their news broadcasts. Another media-oriented book is an updated edition of The New Media Monopoly by Pulitzer Prize-winning Ben Bagdikian, who explains how concentrated power in the media is causing its unaccountable political and cultural influence.
	One of my favorite magazines is The Economist. If you read this British magazine you will know what most international political and business leaders do and think. This week it’s about how John Kerry can revive his campaign, and how Iraq is not getting any safer. Another favorite is Foreign Affairs, where longtime Republican financier Peter G. Peterson explains that if U.S. economic policy doesn’t change its course a bankrupt America may result. Another more enlightened magazine is Ode. Originally a Dutch publication, it’s now conquering the world with an English edition. This month, it presents an intriguing cover article about the organic food business and how this is no longer a niche business. And then there’s Utne magazine, which celebrates its 20th anniversary with interesting articles about how intentions change the world.
	While network television is sliding deeper in its own swamp of mediocrity and blandness, luckily cable TV offers us more choice. Three shows stand out for their clarity and entertainment value: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Real Time with Bill Maher, and The Al Franken Show. The latter is actually a radio show but it also airs on cable TV. All these shows highlight the alarming situation of America’s media. Think about it: humorists like Stewart, Maher, and Franken are better able to inform us than all the network anchors combined. Now, this is something Dan Rather should have apologized for!
	Thanks to the overwhelming power of the Internet, there are more radio stations you can listen to at any time, anywhere with an Internet connection. Two very different stations are indispensable for me. First is the BBC World Service, a unique example of traditional, high-quality reporting 24 hours of the day. Then there’s WBAI, a New York-based radio station that’s part of the Pacifica Network. It offers a range of diverse, thought-provoking programs, such as the political program Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman; the science program Explorations with theoretical physicist Michio Kaku; investigative reporting in Expert Witness with Michael Levine and Paraview Literary Agent client Kristina Borjesson; and Natural Living with health guru Gary Null.

If you miss anything described above that you wanted to see or hear, more information about the media providers, programming, and air times is always available through links at our Conscious TV Conscious Radio