The man with two screens

We’ve moved to a new office and have two screens per desk, something which some of us are feeling pretty happy about (measuring our importance in monitors as we do). Joe in the States immediately matched us though. Here he is in two-screening in the office.

 

How free can free speech be?

Hi all. Welcome to BYARUHANGA who I’m pretty sure is the first person in Egypt to sign up for the WHYS Daily Email.

So no WHYS today because the BBC is broadcasting the first of three World Service debates to mark the 75th anniversary of the BBC World Service.

Today’s debate is from New York and features journalists discussing local media issues including censorship and future trends.

You can’t contribute to the programme as it’s already been recorded but you’re welcome to debate the issues it throws up here on the blog.

WHAT TO DO AT CHRISTMAS?

We’re not looking for somewhere to come for lunch, but we are on the hunt for suggestions of what we could talk about during the week after next.

Pete’s our man in charge and he’s posted on the blog already. If you’d like to help him out, here’s where to go.

WHERE YOU LISTEN PT 65

A while ago we went through a few weeks when you were all sending in details of where you listen to WHYS. I got this email from Cliff in Montana which has prompted me to start it again.

‘I listen via the internet or satellite radio in Red Lodge, Montana, USA which is a small town of 2500 people in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains. I run a small construction and home maintenance business. We listen to BBC at work, and in the office on paperwork days. We love listening to the show, it is always interesting and helpful to hear the thoughts of people from around the world as we sometimes get a very one sided view of world events here in small town America. Thanks for keeping us in the loop!’

Want to tell us where you listen? Drop me a line.

BACK TOMORROW

Peter’s back tomorrow with a regular edition of WHYS, then we have another day off for the second World Service debate on Thursday.

time to think ahead

Hello everyone, Peter here. Today’s a bit different as Ros mentioned at the end of his post yesterday because it’s the first of several special broadcasts to mark the 75th anniversary of the World Service. So rather than the usual WHYS, at 1800 GMT today there’ll be a pre-recorded dicussion asking “Is it ever right to limit free speech?”. We hope you enjoy it – and please send your comments to the usual places.

But we’re not taking the day off, so we’d still like to hear what you want to talk about. Especially what you’d like to talk about over Christmas. We know that many of you don’t celebrate Christmas, but we also know that news does slow down a bit over the holiday season, so we’re trying to get ahead of the game and set up some things you’ll want to listen to.

We’ve already started thinking about it here and have a few ideas, still very much on the drawing board, and in no particular order except the one that my memory produces:

Celebrating at a time of tragedy – what’s it like when tragedy strikes during a holiday? For Christians who lost loved ones in the Boxing Day tsunami three years ago, how will they mark this Christmas? What about the Lockerbie disaster? Or the Jordanian family whose wedding reception was hit in the November 2005 hotel bombings in Amman?

Discussions around the world – what would you like to talk to someone about? A listener in Iraq has been exchanging emails with a Rabbi in Jerusalem and suggested we get him on the show. We think it might be better if they both come on together and we can hear what they’ve been talking about.

Alternative Christmas messages – every Christmas Day Britons turn on their radios and TVs at 3pm to find out what the Queen has to say about the year just gone and the one coming. Would you like to send a Christmas message out to the world? Something you’d really like to say to Christians, Britons, or anyone? Several of you have already contacted Ros about this – but we’re still looking for volunteers.

What law would you change? – we heard from Lydia in Canada a few weeks’ ago about a town in Canada that made it illegal for parents to smoke in the car while minor children are present. All seven councillors voted for the ban, so that got Iain thinking: What law would you change if it only needed four votes to get it done?

Consumerism and religious festivals – Pope Benedict XVI has warned that adults are leading children down the dead-end streets of consumerism”. Is commercialisation threatening religious festivals?

So that’s where we are – what would you like to hear?