Live on BBC London

For the past month I've been listening to George Webley and Ray Khan, hosts on BBC London Radio 94.9FM. The timing is perfect for me: 2am - 6am their time, which is 6pm - 10pm my time. My most productive work time has long been in the evening but I feel the need to have some low level talk radio in the background.

I love these shows because:

• Real subjects are discussed
  
• The political correctness is minimal
• The hosts are fantastic
• There are no commercials

I find it absolutely fascinating to tap into the proverbial Zeitgeist of a society on the other side of the world. What shouldn't be surprising is that the same problems of crime, traffic, and poverty exist in London as in Vancouver.

So this evening I finally called in! Actually, I just wrote George and then his associate, Ollie, called me back. The topic I discussed with George was my perception that there's a much more established class system in England than in Canada. George pretty much confirmed this. It's somewhat sad to me that a young man or woman feels that they can't achieve the greatest professional heights simply because of the socio-economic strata they came from. But my Canadian naivety is clearly showing through because even in 2007 this is probably more common than not around the world.

Oh by the way, I may have said something about George & Ray being the Batman & Robin of BBC Radio. But I assure you it was done with great fondness & respect!

Now, more than ever, I will keep on listening, writing, and now calling into their shows!

Interesting Use of Social Assistance

This evening I was listening to Ray Khan, the coolest Muslim fellow on the radio. He appears every weekend on BBC London.

An older retired fellow, Mark, called up and started talking about why he no longer follows the tenets of the Jewish religion. One of the reasons he cited was that he believes prostitution should be legalized.

Ray couldn't resist and asked Mark if he made use of such services. Without hesitation, the old fella said, "Oh yes, about twice every week." He then went on to explain how he divides the money from the government into food, drink, and sex.

I'm convinced there's an hilarious joke here but I'll leave it to someone else to make!