What happened to the news?

Let me lament again about my abscence from this blog. Once I think things have settled down, something unsettles again. That's life.

The familial visits are over for now. They went pretty well. I didn't snap at my mother until the last day of her visit. That's a real accomplishment for me. Usually I start snapping right away. I discovered a great activity to do with her. Cards. She remembers how to play canasta, so the three of us, my mom, me and Caroline, spent many hours doing that. I also had my brother, Stuart, stay with me one night. This, too, was a great accomplishment because he's disabled. I wasn't sure how he would do with the change in his routine, but he was great. I'll definitely do that again. And my mom appreciated having more time with him. So all worked out well.

I'm glad for the break, though. It's nice to just be me and Caroline again. And the cats, of course. And it's my favorite time of day again - Monday morning, with my cup of coffee.

I thought I'd revisit some of my previous posts. Specifically the one about where to get your news. Newspapers change their online formats every once in a while, trying to keep up with what's trendy and make a more user-friendly website. However, I find that at times, they make their sites too trendy and it no longer seems newspaperish. I'm referring right now to the Washington Post. (Although the most recent website to undergo such a change is the Baltimore Sun.)

Remember how I said that I liked the little gossipy quality about the Post? Well, they've taken it to a whole new level, and I have to put my foot down. The post has a section covering the presidential race called The Trail, and it's written like a blog. All articles covering the campaigns are placed in this section. It has really dumbed down the discussion to nothing but gossip. There's very little analysis, which is what I'm looking for. I think they've added this "blog" to their website to appeal to a younger audience, or something like that, but they've reduced their reporting so much, I can't read it anymore. Take, for example, the much criticized article about Hillary Clinton's cleavage. Why would the Post spend any ink on this? How is it at all relevant? And where are the corrosponding articles about the male candidates' asses and penis buldges?

I'm surprised there isn't an article discussing Barack Obama's anatomy. I mean, isn't that what everyone wonders about with African American men? How big is it really??? Of course, after the noise made about the article, the Post gets to do what all newspapers love to do ... write a story about itself. The Baltimore Sun is a regular culprit of this tactic. They love the attention. And so does the Post. It's news, right? Nope.

Anyway, this has all been really disappointing, especially since I regularly enjoyed my political news from the Post. I will click on a news title and hope it was originally published in the print version, but that's becoming increasingly rare. And The Trail is nothing but a waste of time, in my opinion. I'll be searching elsewhere for the good political stories and get back to you.

This weekend I enjoyed two great t.v. programs - the X Games, and beach volleyball. Girls in bikinis playing volleyball. Of course, as Caroline pointed out, they don't have any boobies. That's true, but easily overlooked as the rest of the package is nice. I have to assume that men love to watch this sport too, which makes me feel a little less proud of myself. I love the X Games. I love watching sports like skateboarding. I can't believe what these guys and gals do on a little board with wheels. It's been good entertainment.

Keep the caffeine coming.

How to get your news

I'm a political junky and a bit wonkish. I read three newspapers daily. Not cover to cover, actually, especially not cover to cover. No, each daily provides a specialty and each daily provides a different fix.

The Baltimore Sun gives me my dose of local news. I read two sections of the paper - the Maryland section and the Opinion section. I used to read the editorials, but I don't bother anymore. I do read the Letters to the Editor. The Letters section is the most read section of the newspaper. I'm interested in public opinion on local issues. Just a note, you have to read that section with a grain of salt. The editors of the Letters section have to publish a "balance" of letters. So even if they get 100 letters supporting an issue and 10 letters opposing the issue, the paper will publish 2 of each. Never the less, since it is the most read section of the paper, I read it.

I get my political news from the Washington Post. Being in the nation's capital, the Post has an advantage over other papers. The Post can get behind the scenes in that way that a hometown gal can give you the best tour of her town. And, I have to admit, it's a little gossipy. And I like that. I like it when we get a little caddy with the politicians. Also, I think the Post has the best editorial cartoonist - Tom Toles. Check out the way he draws George Bush!

Finally, I get my national and international news from the New York Times. The great thing about the Times is the in-depth coverage of the issue or event. When I haven't followed an issue, I go to the Times to get caught up. Sometimes the articles read like dissertations, but its worth it. My other favorite feature of the Times is Paul Krugman. He's an economist and his column is published on Tuesdays and Fridays. Krugman is a great columnist. Don't worry about the economist part, he writes about all sorts of stuff, and best yet, he calls Bush a liar and an idiot and then proves it. What I must object to, and if anyone with pull at the Times reads this, take note, what the hell is this Times Select crap? The website used to be 100% accessible, then one day someone decided to take some of the best features and charge you to look at them. That ended my love affair with Paul Krugman's columns, because I refuse to pay eight bucks a month to look at a website.

So that's the line-up of morning newspapers. When I want to add a little variety, I add the L.A. Times or the San Francisco Chronicle.

Recommended beverage for newspaper reading - hot coffee, light, no sugar.