Feb. 19: While Fidel gets his gold watch....

*Who succeeds Castro?


Who might succeed the retiring Fidel Castro, and what will they do?


http://cbs4.com/cuba/fidel.castro.raul.2.657532.html


Bottom line: Will things open up between Cuba and the U.S.? I wish I had a better answer than "who knows?"





*Who leads Pakistan?



It won't be Pervez Musharraf.....at least, if the majority of the Pakistani people have their way....

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/world/asia/20pakistan.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin


Hopefully, things will go better for "our new best friend."




*Who recognizes Kosovo?


The U.S. does, which means Serbia's in a hissy fit:


http://www.reuters.com/article/europeCrisis/idUSL18535036


There is a serious question of whether another Bill Clinton achievement has been undone by the Bush administration.




*Some perspective about campaign coverage


Here's a very good column from the publisher of the Anniston (Ala.) Star:


http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/2008/as-columns-0217-bayerscol-8b15t0531.htm


Finally, a cooler head. Now, if we can get an equally sane column about the other elephant in the room: Sexism.



*Speaking of the elephant in the room....


http://nymag.com/news/politics/powergrid/44211/


Shades of 2000, when Al Gore was the one who was shafted by the press. I still think sexism is another factor, though it isn't mentioned in the New York article. I agree with the article's conclusion that if Obama's the nominee, he'll have a tougher time with McCain.


Veteran journalist Terence Smith also weighs in:


http://terencefsmith.com/?p=73



And the Boston Globe has this:


http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/19/clintons_struggle_vexes_feminists/







*Maybe a remix of "They Like Ike?"


Republican candidates, meanwhile, have trouble finding theme songs:


http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USN1820870620080219


The best ever was probably "They Like Ike," which Irving Berlin wrote originally not as a theme song, but as a song for the hit musical play "Call Me Madam." Berlin later allowed Dwight Eisenhower to adopt it as his campaign theme.
Another good one was a rewrite of the song "High Hopes," originally sung by Frank Sinatra for the film "A Hole in the Head," for John F. Kennedy.

And I can't hear Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" without thinking of Bill Clinton. I also remember the late, great broadcast journalist David Brinkley's comment at the 1992 Democratic convention about that song being a far cry from the Democratic standard "Happy Days Are Here Again."




*Who is he?


Walter Rodgers has an interesting take on how the Republicans (or Hillary Clinton?) might defeat Barack Obama:


http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0219/p09s02-coop.htm


It works for me, because I feel like I still don't know who he is. And I consider myself informed.





*Amtrak to start screening bags


http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g5DQBQivLCaW1n50jOQLMTQ7CNIgD8UTCV000


My response: Hallelujah. It's about time.




*Why isn't our children learning?


This New York Times article addresses knowledge in general:


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/books/14dumb.html?ei=5087&em=&en=2c9bff2541865fdc&ex=1203570000&pagewanted=print


It, and a piece Morley Safer did on Sunday's "60 Minutes" about Denmark, beg the question of why Americans in general are so close-minded about the rest of the world, new thoughts, new ideas, universal health insurance, mandated vacations....in other words, anything that makes life better in most industrialized countries worldwide? What's wrong with us?



*Build Marlins' ballpark


I won't argue with this:


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgsballparkpnfeb19,0,7094475.story

I will say, to quote the late baseball executive Gabe Paul, "until it's been done, it hasn't been done."



*Glavine back where he belongs


Finally, after all the steroid stories, here's one about a genuine class act: Tom Glavine:


http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/sports/20080219/c10braves19.art.htm


I know they're the Marlins' rivals, but Glavine in a Braves' uniform is a perfect match.



*Quit your kvetching?



Finally:


http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0219/p20s01-ussc.html

Sorry, but I don't think it's either in my professional or genetic makeup to give up kvetching.