“NOT heard in Minnesota…” (Post #400!)

The sun sets on the land of uranium and polygamy

Radio announcements have distinct regional flavors. Two local examples will help you picture how different this culture is from wherever you grew up or now live.

1. The public service announcement for uranium workers’ health care rights informs that, at no cost to you, a trained nurse will come to your home and provide compassionate care for those suffering ill effects of having worked in the uranium industry. (I think taxpayers are paying many times over for nuclear power…)

2. Utah Public Radio announced that there would be training offered for law enforcement and social workers regarding polygamy. This caught me totally by surprise, but it shouldn’t have. There are several towns along the Utah-Arizona border that were established long ago by fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints as refuges where they could practice plural marriage (also called celestial marriage) without outside interference. Due to the fact that the mayor, the judge, the city administrator and the police chief also hold these beliefs, it is difficult (impossible?) to eradicate the practice even though it is against the laws of the country. What a dilemma.

These are topics one would never hear on Minnesota radio stations. Broaden your horizons: TRAVEL!

Leave a comment: Have you encountered any radio, TV or billboard announcements that let you know you were not in your own familiar place?