Friday, April 2, 2010
Happy Two Month Anniversary!
Well, folks... today marks the two month anniversary of "Barker's Newsbites."
So... what do you guys and gals think...?
Oli Mackson - a reporter at the Times Herald Record, our regional "daily" here in Orange County - noted to me awhile back that the site can be somewhat repetitious.
OK... fair enough. As I originally replied to him in private, certain topics - certain facts - need to be hammered home. Also, as I've noted again and again, while many (actually, most I'm sure) of you are familiar in broad terms with much of the information I provide links to - and digests of - let's be honest... I doubt any of you have the time or even inclination to cover as wide a spectrum of news as I do on basically a daily basis. Bottom line... whether it's two minutes or five minutes or twenty minutes that you can spare from your busy day, a browse of "Barker's Newsbites" will serve to provide you a far more sophisticated window upon "current events" than you'll get from reading, watching, and listening to "the news" as provided by the "mainstream media."
Hey... not to say that I don't rely in large part upon "mainstream media" myself. I do! But my sources are a bit more... er... umm... "comprehensive" than the average person has the time or energy to peruse on a regular basis.
Oh, and by the way... none of this is rocket science. While only a fraction of my "news bookmarks" are listed (with links provided) on Usually Right, regular readers no doubt note my daily "go to" sources and beyond that, the "expanded" source material I rely upon. Wherever possible I try to link to studies and stats buttressing the "editorial" points made throughout "Barker's Newsbites."
Anyway... (*SMILE*)... as noted from the beginning of this little "project" of mine, my purpose with "Barker's Newsbites" is to share with any and all who are interested the "highlights" of my normal day's news and opinion reading. I figure I'm doing the "heavy lifting" of all the reading anyway; why not go that extra mile and provide "shortcuts" to friends, acquaintances, and strangers alike?!
As always... thanks to Rob (aka: Rodak) for being my number one "participant" in terms of providing commentary and feedback to my postings.
To those who regularly - or even just occasionally - stop by, read, but rarely comment... (*GRIN*)... that's cool too.
OH...! LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST...
Phil... my "brother by choice" - the most "capable" guy I know - called me last night with an annoucement:
His eldest son... my brilliant "nephew" Sam...
(*DRUM ROLL*)
(*TRUMPETS*)
HE JUST RECEIVED HIS ACCEPTANCE LETTER FROM HARVARD YESTERDAY...!!!
God bless you, Sam... as I told your "old man" last night, I'm sure glad I've always been nice to you! I mean... with the country on a collision course with economic and thus societal disaster, when I'm old and gray (ok... ok... grayer) it'll be a real comfort to know that my "nephew" the billionaire (I'm counting on you, kiddo!) will be there to "rescue" good old "Uncle Bill" from the societal collapse, allowing me to live out my last days safely (and decadently) within your fortress of (remaining!) civilization.
(*WINK*)
OH...!!! AND ONE LAST NOTATION...
Carl... don't think my "kinship" with Sam lets you off the hook! (*GUFFAW*) You and "Cold Spring Rob" and Drunk'n Ted and Original Drunk'n Mary are still part of the long range back-up plan regarding "Operation Keep Bill Clothed, Fed, and Housed in His Later Years."
(*CHUCKLE*)
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2 comments:
I wish that you would pick one or two items per day and try to get a discussion going concerning those in the comment section, rather than trying to cover everything you deem to be important on a given day. I don't have time to even read most of your "bites," much less respond to them.
Why thank you for the constructive criticism, Rob; I truly do appreciate the thoughtful feedback.
That said...
For now I don't see that happening.
First... I enjoy doing the newsbites.
Second... whether folks take advantage of my "service" or not, to my mind I'm providing a service... "doing my part" so to speak.
As to the discussion aspect... yeah, I love the back and forth of a good debate... but I engage in plenty of debates via email "conversation" and visits to other blogs. Getting all caught up here at Usually Right with daily pissing matches (*GRIN*) would distract from other pursuits in cyberspace as well as in the real world.
All this said, as you know, I will "engage" when folks comment.
Hey... it's a moral booster when folks comment.
Finally, regarding the newsbites specifically, my advice to folks is to tune in first thing in the morning to the PREVIOUS DAY'S newsbites. (And if you can't do that, then whenever you can tune in on a certain day for more than just a quick peek, still... pull up the PREVIOUS DAY'S newsbites.)
Basically, most of my stuff isn't so much "time sensitive" as it is stuff folks should (in my anything but humble opinion) be aware of - even if it's a day or even days (plural) after the fact.
BILL
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