I love CSPAN. Can’t get enough of it. When my husband is traveling, I have it on all the time. When he is home, I watch it in snippets.  At the gym, I always get one of the channels tuned to CSPAN 1 2 or 3.  But come the weekend, I watch it in batches.

On the weekend, Booktv.org is aired, and this show features non-fiction writers. Their stories are fascinating. For example, we just watched Catherine Neal on her book about the Tyco Executive who was sent to prison for a number of felony charges tied to compensation. Ms. Neal, who is an Associate Professor of Business Ethics and Business Law, often used the case as a case-study for her students, but often times was left with feeling she didn’t fully understand what the wrong-doing actually was. She used her sabbatical time (plus) to investigate, and her findings are outstanding. Here is a snippet http://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/2014/01/17/truth-and-justice-eluded-former-tyco-execs-kozlowski-and-swartz/.  When you hear her discuss her research on BookTV.org, you first feel incredulous, then almost fearful, as it can happen to any one of us – regardless of race, gender, or religion.  All it takes is some class-envy and complexities beyond the normal complexities one might encounter when purchasing a house.  Here is the link to her Booktv.org interview.  If the video is unavailable, as it sometimes is, the interview will next be aired again in a few days, March 29th.

Then there was the interview for the book titled ‘A Nation of Cowards; Black Activism in the Obama’s post-racial America‘.  The title came from  Eric Holder’s 2009 speech, and while I am not a fan of Mr. Holder’s, I am beholden to these authors for their succinct insights and remarks on race and racism in America.  I found the interview with Mr. Ikard and Mr.  Teasley interesting enough that I ordered their book and am in the process of reading it.  Very insightful.  Their interview can be seen here: http://booktv.org/Watch/15467/BookTV+in+Tallahassee+Florida.aspx

When I share these experiences with others, I am amazed no one even knows about BookTV, much less how great CSPAN is.  I must confess I myself was under-informed prior to my retirement, but now, having discovered this wonderful source of unfiltered information about our nation, our country as it is happening on the Hill,  I am beside myself with enthusiasm.

It is this enthusiasm that drives me to my computer to write this little blog, when in these quiet early-morning hours, I could be elsewhere, doing more self-indulgent things.  I urge all to listen the proceedings in the Senate and the House whenever you can (google CSPAN LIVE to stream or go to http://www.c-span.org/schedule/ to find your local listings, (mine are 350 and 351 for DirectTV in my area), then compare what you heard to the soundbites we are fed via MSNBC and FoxNews.  You will soon realize how much we are being spoon-fed by our system, and hopefully this realization will have many of us seeking stronger information sources so that we may form our own opinion, and not parrot someone else’s opinion.  One final note, a good news agency I have found is The Hill.  Try it, and evaluate their information for yourself.  TheHill.com

Happy learning!