Big Reads

Monday, September 18, 2023

It’s crept up on me that my morning reading routine has changed. For almost forever, my days began with reading the Times, and then turning to the Post, and finally, glancing at the WSJ. That was my order of reading since my personal politics lean liberal. In the past weeks, however, I’ve begun reading by going to the WSJ and studying several of its articles. Afterward, I shift to other newspapers, but feeling decently informed, I read them lightly.

The WSJ isn’t a liberal rag by any means. I avoid its more conservative perspectives. The articles that make me pause are well-written with balanced perspectives. For example, today, a fascinating news story focuses on a massive South Korean munitions factory, its history of growth associated with the nation’s politics, and that manufacturer’s increasing global importance.

The story included elements of Korean history, the relationship between North and South, and the ways that technology and political awareness have altered weaponry and land fighting over the past many years. Today’s WSJ-highlighted South Korean manufacturer designs, builds and sells howitzers to many NATO countries, some of which send their howitzers on to Ukraine for use against Russia.

The Ukraine-Russian conflict has made us aware of the changing nature of wars. In a new wrinkle, now we wonder what might come from last week’s Kim-Putin meeting. If we understand better by learning more about the current world order, we will balance new questions more fully against other elements of the ongoing and hard-fought war.

As to the NYT and Post, they’re great newspapers and satisfying to read. My intense but pedestrian world interests find the WSJ speaking to political and economic conditions in ways that assist my knowledge and thinking processes.

Dear Friends: It’s another Monday which always sneaks in new energies. Diana