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Footnotes for "Fraudcast News" (season 15 finale) (last updated May 23, 2004) (back to top)
Mr. Burns buys up all the media outlets in Springfield. Lisa reacts by starting her own newspaper.
- Could Mr. Burns actually buy up every media outlet in Springfield? No. Federal regulations prevent anyone from owning every media outlet in a market area, although the Federal Communications Commission has proposed new rules that would allow Mr. Burns or some other media mogul to own more media outlets than before. These new rules have not gone into effect as of May 2004 pending a challenge in federal court.
In particular, two rules would bar Mr. Burns from carrying out his latest plan.
The existing cross-ownership rule prevents a single entity from owning TV stations and newspapers in the same market. Under the new FCC proposals, this rule would be eliminated for large markets and relaxed for smaller ones.
The local TV multiple-ownership rule prevents a single entity from owning more than two television stations in one local market. Under the new FCC proposals, a single entity would be allowed to own three TV stations in a market with 18 or more TV stations, although it can own only one of the four highest-rated stations.
The FCC has information on its media ownership policy on-line here and its June 2, 2003 press release describing the new rules is on-line as a PDF here. I also wrote an article about the new rules (focusing on national ownership limit of 39 percent) on-line here.
- Real-Life Version of Geezer Rock. Springfield's "Geezer Rock" is based on New Hampshire's "Old Man of the Mountain," which was discovered in 1805 and which crumbled in May 2003. The natural landmark was composed of five layers of Conway red granite and measured about 40 feet from chin to forehead and was about 25 feet wide. It served as the state's symbol and is depicted on New Hampshire's state quarter. New Hampshire's Division of Parks and Recreation has information about the "Old Man of the Mountain" on-line here and has the press release announcing the collapse on-line here.
Source: NH Division of Parks and Recreation.
New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson created a task force to consider the possibility of reconstructing the state symbol. "From its mountainous perch, the Old Man has stood for centuries as a testament to the steadfastness of New Hampshire's Yankee character and the resolve of its people," he said in a statement (on-line here). "It was the ultimate symbol of those who would 'live free or die.' And while that symbol may have fallen, that spirit still remains."
- Milhouse's Allusion to Incorrect Dateline. This is a reference to the journalists who were found in recent years to have fabricated stories. USA Today foreign correspondent Jack Kelley resigned in January 2004 after admitting to conspiring with a translator to mislead editors investigating his work, and then was found in March 2004 to have fabricated at least eight stories; USA Today has collected information about the scandal on-line here. New York Times reporter Jayson Blair resigned in May 2004 amidst reports that he had falsified stories and committed acts of plagiarism; I wrote more about Blair here.
And when is it proper to use a dateline? According to the Associated Press stylebook, a foreign deadline should be used only if a full- or part-time correspondent was physically present in the datelined community and obtained basic information for the story there.
- Lisa's Role Model: Katherine Graham. Graham was the publisher of the Washington Post from 1969 to 1979, leading it during the Watergate scandal and the publication of the Pentagon Papers. She continued to hold leadership positions until her death in July 2001. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for her autobiography, Personal History. The Washington Post Company has information about Graham on-line here.
- Mr. Burns' Reference to Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch is the chairman and chief executive of the News Corporation, a massive, international media company that is involved in movies, television, news, newspapers, magazines, book publishing, and other ventures. Fox, the network that broadcasts The Simpsons, is part of the News Corporation.
Footnotes for "Simple Simpson" (last updated May 23, 2004) (back to top)
Homer Simpson becomes the local superhero known as "Pie Man." But he is then captured by Mr. Burns and forced to do his bidding. Homer refuses to "pie" the Dalai Lama and quits.
- Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama (literally, "Ocean of Wisdom") is considered the manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who chose to reincarnate to serve the people. The current Dalai Lama, the 14th, is Tenzin Gyatso, who was recognized at the age of 2 as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama and was called upon to hold full political power in 1950 at the age of 16. He is now about 70 years old.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet permanently in 1959 and has resided ever since in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile. He has continued efforts to rally international support for broader recognition of Tibetan Buddhists' rights, and has indicated that he would accept Chinese sovereignty over Tibet in exchange for autonomous rights.
In his Five-Point Peace Plan of 1987, he called for the designation of Tibet as a zone of peace, an end to Chinese migration to Tibet, restoration of human rights, the ending of China's use of Tibet for nuclear-weapons production and nuclear-waste dumping, and "earnest negotiations" between Tibet and China. He elaborated on this plan in 1988 with what has been called the Strasbourg Proposal. There, he proposed the creation of a self-governing democratic Tibet "in association with" the Chinese government and emphasized the importance of Tibetan people's ultimate self-determination.
Based on these proposals, the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 (information on-line here).
China, which claims right over Tibet due to its historical ties to the land and an agreement made in 1951, has resisted the Dalai Lama's international efforts for many years. It has used force to put down protests within Tibet, it has tried discrediting the Dalai Lama both within Tibet and internationally, it has invested in the region and established a greater Chinese presence there, it has tried gaining more control over Tibetan Buddhists via a "patriotic education" campaign and arrests, and it has sought wider recognition of its choice for the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, a high spiritual leader generally considered second in importance only to the Dalai Lama.
For more information, go here.
Footnotes for "Margical History Tour" (last updated May 23, 2004) (back to top)
With the local library decimated by budget cuts, Marge tells some historical stories about King Henry VIII, Sacagawea, and a Bart-like Mozart.
- Library Budget Cuts. According to the American Library Association (here), libraries in at least 40 states have seen budget cuts of more than $50 million in the past year and at least 10 libraries have closed entirely. Generally, libraries are seeing reductions in personnel, book budgets, and operating hours, and an increased dependence on volunteers, the ALA reported. "The news from around the country only seems to be getting worse," ALA President Carla Hayden said in an April 2004 statement (on-line here).
These budget cuts do not arise out of thin air. According to the National Governors Association (on-line here), states have faced the worst fiscal crisis in 60 years over the past three years and are only now beginning to improve as of mid-2004. "State revenues - particularly the personal income tax - collapsed, declining in inflation-adjusted terms for eight straight quarters. States were forced to make stark budget cuts, increase taxes, and drain their reserve funds," according to a May 2004 report (on-line as a PDF here).
- Henry VIII. King of England from 1507 to 1547, Henry VIII is best known for his six marriages and what he did to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who bore him a daughter but not the son he needed to sustain the Tudor dynasty. Henry VIII sought an annulment of the marriage but did not receive the Pope's approval. He then broke England away from the Roman Catholic Church in the early 1530s, had his marriage declared invalid, and ultimately had himself declared the head of the Church of England. His second wife, Anne Boleyn, bore Henry VIII a daughter and was ultimately executed for treason. His third wife, Jane Seymour, died while giving birth to Henry VIII's only male heir, Edward. His fourth marriage with Anne of Cleves was never consummated. His fifth wife, Catherine Howard, was executed for infidelity. He married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, in 1543 and died with her as his wife. The British monarchy has information on Henry VIII on-line here.
- Sacagawea. Sacagawea helped guide the famous explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to the Pacific Ocean. She joined the expedition when it passed through what is now North Dakota in 1805 and she was there when the expedition reached the Pacific Coast later that year. When she joined the expedition, she was married to a French-Canadian trader, Toussaint Charbonneau, who won or bought her while gambling a few years earlier, and was pregnant. She is believed to have died around 1812, though some believe she actually died much later.
The National Park Service has noted (on-line here) that Sacagawea was "never the brilliant guide and inspirational force that her eulogistic biographers have presented. Yet she exhibited courage and determination and aided in many important ways. She did smooth relations with the Shoshonis and other tribes, in places guided the group, served as interpreter on occasion, pointed out or collected herbs and roots that had food or medicinal value, and provided other valuable help."
- Mozart and Salieri. Wolfgang Mozart (1756-91) was a gifted composer who is known for his being a child prodigy and for works such as Eine Kleine Nachtmusik ("A Little Night Music," a piece for a string quarter) and the Magic Flute opera. The story of his life has become better known in recent years in part because of Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus, which was turned into a 1984 film by Milos Forman and which focused on imperial court composer Antonio Salieri's alleged jealousy of Mozart's talent. According to the play and movie, Salieri killed Amadeus, an argument based on statements Salieri reportedly made late in life. A. Peter Brown has written an essay about the Mozart-Salieri relationship as depicted in Shaffer's play, which is on-line here.
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