Talking Back to the News

Next year at this time, with no need to get to work at 7:30 a.m., I'll be able to read the newspaper at a more leisurely pace. As a result, I plan to combine reading the New York Times with blogging. Most of the articles I read produce an unspoken, usually cynical, sometimes smarmy response. Now I can use my blog to transcribe these thoughts. (Or will this project turn out to be another in a long list of retirement ideas gone awry. From what I hear from friends who have already retired, the anticipated bonanza of free time never materializes in the expected large quantities. Another reason to stay tuned.)

"Anatomy of a Slur" by David Brooks. (Op-Ed page)
The dependably myopic Brooks attempts a whitewash on recent history, specifically Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign speech delivered delivered in Philadelphia, Mississippi. No, he says, it wasn't a coded appeal to Southern whites but rather part of a strategy to court African-American votes. Even if you are inclined to agree with him, you have to admit the strategy. as reconstructed by Brooks, was pathetically bone-headed.

"A Football Power Warms the Hearts of a Small Kansas Town.
Maybe it's just the ground-level perspective of the accompanying front-page photo, but the four boys clearly pictured have such skinny arms and legs. They look like cross-country runners dressed up for Halloween in football gear. Are they the starters on a team that has won 51 straight games and outscored opponents 704-0 so far this season? Whatever happened to corn-fed?

"From Back of Pack, Huckabee Is Starting to Stir."
Best metaphor of the day, a quote from the former Arkansas Governor: I've always said as a hunter, 'You never put the cross hairs on a dead carcass. You only aim for something that's alive that you'd like to take home. ' (Warning: Tasteless observation followed by big groan approaching.) So from this, can we assume then that Obama, Edwards, and the other male Democratic candidates for President want to take Hillary home and mount her?

"Rising Global Demand for Oil Provoking New Energy Crisis.
I knew it; I didn't provide a big enough increase for utilities in next year's library budget. Of course, I thought the same thing last year, and the library's 2006 utility costs actually declined by $700 compared to 2005. ($43,354 vs. $44,029). And this year's expenditures are tracking at a similar rate. We may have run out of luck, though. The article notes that this new energy crisis is based on a huge demand for gasoline and oil in developing countries -- not the sudden interruption in exports from the Middle East as was the case in the 1970s and 1980s.

"Athens Journal: Running Out of Space to Park, and Places to Walk.
Planning a trip to Athens? Thinking of taking a self-guided walking tour? Best to heed the warning of Vassilis Theodorou of the ominous-sounding Hellenic Association of Road Traffic Victim Support: "Step on a sidewalk or try crossing any street here, and chances are you'll instantly feel like the prey on a safari hunt." Hey, two vacations in one!