Many—perhaps most—of the newspapers that closed down in the last ten years were still making a profit at the time. Trouble is, it wasn’t a big enough profit to satisfy the Wall Street types who’d bought the papers, and who saw a bigger short-term profit in shutting the paper down.
This might be a good time for everyone to re-read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury later wrote: There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches. Every minority, be it Baptist / Unitarian, Irish / Italian / Octogenarian / Zen Buddhist / Zionist / Seventh-day Adventist / Women’s Lib / Republican / Mattachine / FourSquareGospel feels it has the will, the right, the duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse….Fire-Captain Beatty, in my novel Fahrenheit 451, described how the books were burned first by the minorities, each ripping a page or a paragraph from this book, then that, until the day came when the books were empty and the minds shut and the library closed forever.In the late 1950s, Bradbury observed that the novel touches on the alienation of people by media:In writing the short novel Fahrenheit 451 I thought I was describing a world that might evolve in four or five decades. But only a few weeks ago, in Beverly Hills one night, a husband and wife passed me, walking their dog. I stood staring after them, absolutely stunned. The woman held in one hand a small cigarette-package-sized radio, its antenna quivering. From this sprang tiny copper wires which ended in a dainty cone plugged into her right ear. There she was, oblivious to man and dog, listening to far winds and whispers and soap-opera cries, sleep-walking, helped up and down curbs by a husband who might just as well not have been there. This was not fiction.Bradbury directly foretells this incident early in the work:And in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talking coming in.
since my bird died, i only get the sunday edition for my wife to clip coupons, and for the floor around the cat’s litter box. the wednesday edition is included free, but it goes straight from the porch to the trash bin outside. if you’re not a socialist/va. beach resident, the virginian-pilot holds little of interest, much less genuine unbiased news. i recommend Reuters, Pravda, haAretz, AlJazeera,and BBC, to get a varied input and opinion on major issues. note the lack of any US “entertainment media” sources…
Hmm, Nabu: Haven’t been able to GET home delivery of the Oregonian in my “remote” area for over five years, can get it on line. Comparing the editorial content of that paper now owned by a very “conservative” group, to Pravda, identifies you as one of the supporters of “Heritage Foundation” that only honors the heritage of the Third Reich. (Referring to the desire for Fascism, not just “nazi”- there IS,well moderately, a difference.)
We had two newspapers, now we have one, which is about 2MM thick except on Sunday. I like the feel of a paper in my hand. I started with computers in 1997, then a cellphone, then an HDTV with DVR. That’s as far as I’m going. Keeping up with the electronic age is exhausting, and…..what did I do before 1997? Voila! It seems I got along pretty well…..
GROG Premium Member almost 13 years ago
I wouldn’t have expected either one of them to dig up that scoop.
puddleglum1066 almost 13 years ago
Many—perhaps most—of the newspapers that closed down in the last ten years were still making a profit at the time. Trouble is, it wasn’t a big enough profit to satisfy the Wall Street types who’d bought the papers, and who saw a bigger short-term profit in shutting the paper down.
twj0729 almost 13 years ago
Sounds familiar, Border’s and now possibly Barnes and Noble!
Sandfan almost 13 years ago
This might be a good time for everyone to re-read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury later wrote: There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches. Every minority, be it Baptist / Unitarian, Irish / Italian / Octogenarian / Zen Buddhist / Zionist / Seventh-day Adventist / Women’s Lib / Republican / Mattachine / FourSquareGospel feels it has the will, the right, the duty to douse the kerosene, light the fuse….Fire-Captain Beatty, in my novel Fahrenheit 451, described how the books were burned first by the minorities, each ripping a page or a paragraph from this book, then that, until the day came when the books were empty and the minds shut and the library closed forever.In the late 1950s, Bradbury observed that the novel touches on the alienation of people by media:In writing the short novel Fahrenheit 451 I thought I was describing a world that might evolve in four or five decades. But only a few weeks ago, in Beverly Hills one night, a husband and wife passed me, walking their dog. I stood staring after them, absolutely stunned. The woman held in one hand a small cigarette-package-sized radio, its antenna quivering. From this sprang tiny copper wires which ended in a dainty cone plugged into her right ear. There she was, oblivious to man and dog, listening to far winds and whispers and soap-opera cries, sleep-walking, helped up and down curbs by a husband who might just as well not have been there. This was not fiction.Bradbury directly foretells this incident early in the work:And in her ears the little Seashells, the thimble radios tamped tight, and an electronic ocean of sound, of music and talk and music and talking coming in.
dfowensby almost 13 years ago
since my bird died, i only get the sunday edition for my wife to clip coupons, and for the floor around the cat’s litter box. the wednesday edition is included free, but it goes straight from the porch to the trash bin outside. if you’re not a socialist/va. beach resident, the virginian-pilot holds little of interest, much less genuine unbiased news. i recommend Reuters, Pravda, haAretz, AlJazeera,and BBC, to get a varied input and opinion on major issues. note the lack of any US “entertainment media” sources…
Dtroutma almost 13 years ago
Hmm, Nabu: Haven’t been able to GET home delivery of the Oregonian in my “remote” area for over five years, can get it on line. Comparing the editorial content of that paper now owned by a very “conservative” group, to Pravda, identifies you as one of the supporters of “Heritage Foundation” that only honors the heritage of the Third Reich. (Referring to the desire for Fascism, not just “nazi”- there IS,well moderately, a difference.)
REDROCKER51 almost 13 years ago
WOW…IT TOOK ME 50 MINUTES TO READ ALL YOUR COMMENTS…I HAVE A COMMENT I LIKE TO ADD….NONE…..
treBsdrawkcaB almost 13 years ago
You can. It’s down the hall to the left…
Siscosdad almost 13 years ago
We had two newspapers, now we have one, which is about 2MM thick except on Sunday. I like the feel of a paper in my hand. I started with computers in 1997, then a cellphone, then an HDTV with DVR. That’s as far as I’m going. Keeping up with the electronic age is exhausting, and…..what did I do before 1997? Voila! It seems I got along pretty well…..