News and How I Get It

I stopped getting the newspaper delivered some time ago - it was piling up and going unread more than it was being read - and, by the time I did read it, the news was old.  So my news reading is now done online.

I must say that the experience is entirely different!  I used to enjoy sitting down with the paper - opening the sections, snapping the pages in half and settling in (however, I've discovered our paper is now MUCH smaller that it used to be and not only in the amount of content - but the actual physical size of the page - not nearly as satisfying!)  The online version gives the same information (without many of the pictures but that's ok) along with comments from readers.

I read the comments (even those from people I consider to be on the fringe or even over the edge) but I don't find that they add a lot to the discourse.  Many are rants, many are totally off-topic and most contain extensive misspellings (a pet peeve). 

Recently the news concerning the budget has been in the news.  MPOW is a small portion of the overall budget and that part is not getting a lot of play (which may or may not be a good thing) but there are cuts and recommendations for revenue increases that have elicited a great deal of ire among the commenters.  I'm not certain what I think about all the coverage - I know what we're giving up and I know what the additional revenue will provide - but I am also a resident of this locale - and I'm not sure that I want increases in my tax rates either. 

This economic mess has been horrible - we've been lucky here, we've not been dramatically affected until now - and it may just be that drastic efforts are needed all around.  I'm willing to do my part as long as everyone has to participate! 

Anyway - days of my getting a daily newspaper are over - but I'm still uncertain that the online version is a truly acceptable alternative.  Maybe I'd be happier if the comments added to the story and provided thoughtful discourse - but, based on what I've been reading, that's just not going to happen.

Gloomy News

Things don't look promising for the next fiscal year - there are reports in the paper that real estate assessments are down over 5% starting in July - that means even less money for things that are important and for those things that are niceities. 

I guess we were lucky for a long time in this area - we weren't horribly affected (there were cuts and all but by and large things went along fairly normally) until now - now there's talk of significant cuts in city services as well as new fees (garbage collection fees for example).  Everything is going to be different - and in turmoil - for some time.  And, based on the news the past few days, I don't think it's going to be better next year either. 

I'll have to keep my fingers crossed for better fiscal news in the future.

SIGH

An interesting article.  While it says that the situation isn't new, the advent of a 24 hour news cycle certainly keeps the angry discourse in people's faces all the time.

RIP - Walter Cronkite

David Brinkley, Chet Huntley and Walter Cronkite - now those were NEWSMEN.  In my family we were, initially Huntley & Brinkley (NBC) watchers.  Don't know why exactly except they were the ones my Dad wanted to watch so we did!

Later, after my Dad died, we gradually started watching Walter Cronkite more often - don't know why that was either - just made the change.  And I kept up watching Walter until he left nightly news in 1981.  In fact, my sons knew that bedtime came right after the man on TV said "And that's the way it is . . . ." !! 

I remember his coverage of many of the "big" things in my life:  the assassination of JFK, the moon landing, Vietnam, the Iran hostages . . . and the list goes on.

I've missed him since he left.  And that's the way it is, Sunday, July 19, 2009.  Bye

Enough . . .

I know Farrah Fawcett didn't want to die . . . she's fought hard for the past years against an terrible enemy.  It was her bad luck to die on the same day Michael Jackson had a fatal heart attack.  She's certainly getting short shrift in the news world.

The news since I got home (about 6) has been NOTHING but Michael Jackson . . . puleeze.  Michael was a wonderful entertainer - especially when he was a cute young boy.  However, I have to believe that somewhere in this large world of ours there is news infinitely more important to the vast majority of us than the passing of this very strange man.

I would like to hear about the latest news from Iran . . . the economy . . . even where in the world was the governor of South Carolina.  I realize that in this day and age we're slaves to the 24 hour news cycle and OMG we have to focus extensively on "stars".  But honestly, I would prefer real news . . . news that will actually affect me in some way, as the sudden, sad death of this man won't.

Is It Just Me? . . .

or maybe it's because I've gotten older and more cynical but I just don't care about Jon and Kate!! I feel sorry for their 8 children (now, in my opinion, THAT was a mistake from the start but it's their life) but I absolutely don't care about them.

I have to admit that I've never seen the show - in fact I try very hard not to see anything that either of them is on but I have occasionally seen one or both on the "news" (we are desperate for things that pass as news in a 24 hour news cycle aren't we?!!). Why anyone would want to play out their lives in front of cameras is beyond me.

One of my favorite movies is American President - and there's a line in there where the President (Michael Douglas) says - 'these are serious times and we need serious people' - well that's certainly true now too - and I don't think that anyone on "reality TV" should or could be considered seriously (at least I can't take them seriously)!!

(caveat: there are some shows that are considered "reality" shows that have (in my opinion) more merit - I do watch Parking Wars - now THAT's entertainment!!)

Ok - off the soap box and back to the mundane!!

Goodbye Tim Russert . . .

I didn't know Tim Russert personally but I've taken his unexpected death harder than I would have ever thought. Perhaps it's because we're the same age (actually he was a day older!), or maybe because it was so sudden.

He's definitely going to be missed.

Too Sad for Words

This article is just so sad. I know I've thought that America's schools were not doing a particularly good job at teaching history, but I didn't realize it was quite THIS bad!

SIGH

End of an era . . .

Fidel Castro has resigned as President of Cuba. I was in elementary school when he took over the country (I don't remember much about that!). But I do remember the Bay of Pigs in 1961 right after the election of John F. Kennedy.

I remember because my parents were convinced this was a sign that the new (non-Republican)President was going to have major problems during his tenure (little did we all know!).

I was amazed when the Berlin Wall was taken down (I vividly remember it being built - with tanks facing each other) but this has almost had a bigger impact on me for some reason. For so many years we have been warned of the dangers of Communism only 90 miles off the shores of Miami and we've had so many people fleeing in boats, rafts and even trucks trying to leave Cuba.

I honestly didn't think I would ever see a Cuba without Fidel! (I can't say without Castro since Raoul is now in charge!) I knew he wouldn't live forever but it certainly seemed as if he were trying!

Oh well - guess it's a sign of advancing age - these changes seem more momentous to me than they probably would have 20 - 30 years ago!