Newspapers

It might not be noticed by many, but there is a newspaper war going on in New York City.

Rupert Murdoch's acquisition of the WSJ has taken hold and he's firmly taken aim at the NYT. He's introduced a Greater New York section, which is quite good, Add this to the sports, which is not too bad, and Rupert's created a general interest newspaper with pictures, while not fully descending into being a full-fledged tabloid. The winners are people who still like newspapers, and are willing to shell out literally a few bucks for something that usually gets left on the train.

That Mr. Murdoch loves newspapers is no secret. That he is less than a year away from 80 is also no secret. Love on earth doesn't last forever, but while it does, people like myself get to enjoy the addition of some writers and coverage that otherwise would be in blogosphere. Maybe.

Jason Gay on the sports page reminds me of an early Robert Lipsyte. It's like playing handball in the bathroom. You never really know where he's going to be coming from, but it's fun. He's lately pointed out how exciting Mayor Mike's pitch to LeBron James is and how exciting is was watching a vixen watch Met pitches in the form of Lady Gaga in full ga-ga. Bitch watches pitch.

Obituaries have always been of interest, but also anything that's a well-written story that favors a genuine character. Adding to this hybrid category one can add Ralph Gardner, Jr. Mr. Gardner the other day wrote a great piece on a fellow who cleans the few remaining stone water fountains in Central Park. Really cleans them. Stiff brush, Comet.

Turns out the fellow is hardly a kook, but rather someone who seems to be suffering from no mental illnesses. The profile is well worth reading. It's nice to read about someone who you can still have access to if you find them and strike up a conversation, which seems very likely.

Not to give away too much of the story, but Jon Mendes taught John Glenn how to fly combat jets during the Korean War. That's like finding someone 60 years after Kitty Hawk who taught the Wright brothers how to ride a bike.

Get the new WSJ.

http://www.onofframp.blogspot.com/