News stuff and book stuff and suchlike thingys

Once upon a very long time ago Moline had a newspaper (the Dispatch, aka the Dishrag), and Rock Island had a newspaper (the Argus. It had no clever nickname. It had no clever anything else, either) I remember a day in 1978 (yes, I'm old) when there was a headline. It looked like typical filler - small, back pages - and the story led with, "World War II was ended with the Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945."

For filler it was OK, I guess, but I did wonder why it was there. The date of the story wasn't August 14, so it wasn't an anniversary. The only thing I can think of is that the Argus thought that they had a hot news story - a scoop! I'm just sure that no one else even knows this!

I'm told that there was a photo yesterday in their Faith and Values section that shows that old habits die hard. The Dispatch and Argus are no longer separate papers. In yesterday's edition, March 2, there was a photo taken at the Dream For All prayer vigil. That prayer vigil happened on February 6. It was on the TV stations on February 6. It was in the Quad City Times on February 7. On March 2, the Dispatch/Argus gets around to noticing. Hmph.

And that got me to thinking about other reading. . .

When I was in fifth grade my teacher noticed that I'd developed a fondness for sea stories. So she let me borrow one of hers: Moby Dick. Hint for all: Moby Dick is not for fifth graders. I didn't get through it then - very intelligent adults get lost in Moby Dick. I did read it as an adult, and I had better comprehension. But as a fifth-grader? No chance at all. You could spend a lifetime on that novel and not plumb its depths.

BTW, that thing about the sea has carried into my adult life. I served in the Navy. I love the sea and respect its power. Joseph Conrad is one of my favorite writers.

Gulliver's Travels was a cartoon show for kids. Gulliver's Travels, the novel, is not kids' material. Trust me.

And Don Quixote. I don't know how many references I've seen to Quixote tilting at windmills, and when I see it, I know that the writer didn't get far into the novel, and had no comprehension of what Cervantes was  driving at. The bit about the windmills is very early in the book, and of very short duration. Don Quixote is a book about books, and about Spanish society in Cervantes' time.

'Nuff. Thanks for hanging out with me!