Source: MediaPost’s TVWatch, “Like Other Programmers, PBS Looks to web to get viewers –and advertisers,” by Wayne Friedman, 6/13/08.
On the one hand: yee-ha! PBS’ll be in Hulu’s nice interface. On the otherhand: isn’t PBS non-for-profit? How do they swing taking advertising dollars? And what is the accounting difference between “underwriting” and “advertising”? Same difference…
My other tax ponder: SmartBrief noted a Harvard Magazine article of 6/5/08, “The Fringe benefits of failure, and the Importance of Imagination.” Despite being mad at Rowling’s suit over a lexicon of her writings, she is a smart and creative woman &, despite criticism, certainly deserved to give an address to Harvard. Not what she said (those clever Brits), but her greetings caught my eye:
President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, members of the faculty, proud parents, and, above all, graduates.
First, that is an except for criticism and falls under fair use guidelines. Second: Faust? Harvard Corporation? Board of Overseers? How death-eater sounding can you get? Is it really Harvard Co.? A slip of the tongue? British cheekiness?
I didn’t see the content in Hulu yet. So, for now, content yourself to view Newton’s Dark Secrets on pbs.org. According to Newton, Armageddon will be in 2060. Hopefully that will be the name of a Texas football team purchased by Bush Inc. Otherwise I keep pondering with gravity if I’ll be around to bear witness, mercy, mercy, me.
Let us applaud our alchemists, Newton & Rowling. Let us tax PBS and Harvard Co. though. There is the law of 2 things to count on from the Universe: 1) taxes an 2) the transfiguration of the soul. Don’t tread on my soul.
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ADDENDUM: the most memorable commencement speech ever written.
