Our Top 10 NPR Series on Our Local Station: Ira Glass Takes the Blue Ribbon

Greetings to our blog readers in Turkey, Latvia and Mexico......unlike Donald Trump, we have nothing folks from our southern border.

These are our ten favorite National Public Radio shows which air on WVTF/RadioIQ (Roanoke, Charlottesville,Va.); many of these shows are regional in nature and do not air nationally, but the top are among the most popular NPR series nationally.

These images are for 1) This American Life which is hosted by Ira Glass and features stories on a fixed topic which usually take place somewhere in America; 2) the radio tower is for "Radiolab," a show that was described by '80s teen cinema icon Molly Ringwald as a 'This American Life' for science people (paraphrasing); and 3) Aziz Ansari, the comic/actor was a guest on both "This American Life" and "Studio 360" last week.

Here is our top ten:

1. This American Life

2. Radiolab

3. Studio 360

4. The TED Radio Hour

5. A Way With Words

6. Your Weekly Constitutional

7. Philosophy Talk

8. New Dimensions

9. Thistle and Shamrock

10 (tie). Animal Planet; Back Story

http://www.waywordradio.org/

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/

http://www.radiolab.org/

http://www.montpelier.org/center/radio

http://www.wvtf.org

East Coast NPR Stations

http://www.wbur.org  (Boston)

http://www.wypr.org (Baltimore)

 http://www.wfdd.org

(Winston-Salem, NC)

http://www.wunc.org (Chapel Hill, NC)

http://www.wxvu.org (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Top Ten Comics from The Roanoke Times: Hi and Lois Doesn't Make the Cut

We were thinking about writing a letter-to-the-editor to "The Roanoke Times," asking them to replace "Hi and Lois" with the cutting edge, hip Danish import "WuMO," but ultimately, they would probably be more likely to publish a rant from someone on the political fringes, although Cong. David Brat (R-Va) has proven extremists can become elected members of Congress as he maintains that the state of Texas is on the verge of being invaded by ISIS. Yeah, we think he's watched both versions of "Red Dawn" once too many as well!

Here are our top ten comic strips from "The Roanoke Times," in which "Pearls Before Swine" depicts the tragedy of what can happen to an adventurer going to New Zealand (a lake from that country is pict. top), "Speed Bump" shows a date in which the girl wants to be strictly platonic (yes, that the reason for the center image) and "Get Fuzzy" features a row over tuna fish?!

Speaking of the middle image, Molly Ringwald was in nearby Greensboro, NC, recently for a fundraiser for the homeless; we're sorry we missed her!  We also wondered if "Speed Bump" was perhaps a satire of the weekly "Washington Post Magazine" segment "Date Lab," in which a spat over Radiohead makes one feel the other person is not quite right for them!

Here we go:

1) Pearls Before Swine

2) Speed Bump

3) Get Fuzzy

4) Doonesbury

5) Zits

6) Dilbert

7) Agnes

8) Jump Start

9) Garfield

10) Baby Blues

From the Record Collection (8 of 8)_ The Psychedelic Furs

We conclude our series on records from the vinyl collection with the debut record "The Psychedelic Furs" (1980) from the band of the same name.

Like all things Psychedelic Furs, the record is quite surreal and it focuses on the arbitrary of shallowness based on looks and fashion in society. Though songs which were released on later records, such as "Pretty in Pink" and "Ghost in You," perfected these themes, their roots can be found on this record in songs, such as "We Love You," "Soap Commercial" and "Imitation of Christ."

The lone single from the record is "Sister Europe," the second song on side one, which is an edgy song that pays homage to the Velvet Underground and David Bowie.

The band had a loyal following, but like many of the artsy new wave bands, such as The Smiths and The Cure, as opposed to the commercial new wave bands like The Thompson Twins and Men at Work, there were not many 'hits' for the Furs. In fact, "Heartbreak Beat" (1987) was the band's only top 40 hit in America.

Much of the band's legacy can be credited to the success of the song "Pretty in Pink," which became the title of a 1986 John Hughes comedy about the difficulties and awkwardness of teen life. The movie starred Molly Ringwald, who was the leading lady for many Hughes films of the '80s, including "The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles," which have surprisingly found followings with teenagers of today's generation.

The members of the band include lead singer Richard Butler, who is known for his raspy vocals, and his brother Tim Butler, who plays bass guitar. The band is also set to go on a North American tour. It kicks off at the State Theatre in Falls Church, Va., near Washington, DC, on St. Patrick's Day.