Bob CollinsI’m not sure which MPR talk show gets the not-so-coveted News Cut talk-show-of-the-week award (it’s never been awarded before). Midmorning’s hour with the Cowboy Junkies and its hour with critics and cartoonists on the New Yorker satire are among the top shows of the week. But in the “tell me something I didn’t already know” department, I give the nod to Friday’s Midday segment with Carleton College’s Roy Grow, who was on the line from Vietnam, but spent much of the hour talking about China.
In particular was the portion discussing the incredible pollution as the Olympics near. It’s something the Atlantic’s James Fallows — who now lives there — has been harping on for some time, although in a post this weekend, he’s pretty sure he’s seeing light at the end of the smokestack.
As bad as that picture from Fallows looks (click for bigger image), he says it’s “not that bad” compared to previous days.
Grow’s segment also contrasted nicely with a National Public Radio piece on Friday, in which some Beijing residents are said to be upset at the modern architecture that’s taking over their city.
