Op-Ed Columns

Ahead of Thanksgiving weekend, an offering of odds and ends.

SUNNY DAYS AND MONDAYS: The Star is looking to upgrade our Monday paper. Nothing's set in stone yet, but we'd like to give the edition a makeover. Our thinking leans toward strong, readable profiles of interesting personalities from the community and around the state. Also, we'd like to help readers get the workweek started right, by offering a handy calendar for the next seven days as well as advice column(s) on workplace issues.

While we're in the planning stages, I'd like to solicit ideas/advice from you, dear readers. Got a good idea? Drop me a line — e-mail: bdavis@annistonstar.com or phone: (256) 235-3540.

THE AUDIO STAR: For those listening, your friendly ink-stained staffers have been speaking up at www.annistonstar.com. Podcasting is the wired world's way of describing audio reports that are online. Over the past 12 months, The Star has been doing more podcasting. When reporter Michael Bell covered Hurricane Gustav in September, he phoned in several on-the-scene audio reports to go with his excellent reporting. The podcasts, complete with sounds of hurricane-force winds, added life to the story.

During high school football season, Star sports writers have been recording halftime podcasts from games of local interest. Our newsroom did much the same on Election Day, contributing brief audio reports from the field.

This week, as part of our Iron Bowl coverage, visit www.annistonstar.com/ironbowl to hear podcasts related to the big game, both Saturday's contest and the series' storied history.

HEAR, HEAR: Speaking of broadcasting, Star reporters and editors can be heard regularly on Birmingham-based public radio station WBHM-FM/90.3. In the next installment this Wednesday, the topic is changes in local sales taxes that will hit consumers' pocketbooks next year. Reporter Michael Bell will discuss the impact Wednesday on the station; his segment will air three times — 6:35 a.m., 8:35 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.

PREDATORY UPDATE: Alabama recently received three failing grades in a study designed to see how state governments protect low-income citizens from predatory lending practices. The Small Dollar Loan Products Scorecard gave Alabama three Fs. The report was issued by the Consumers Union, National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America. It's online at: www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/small_loan_scorecard_08.pdf.

In June, a Star editorial page series, "Predatory lending: How state government turned Alabama into ground zero for modern-day loan sharks," reported on the industry and how lax government regulation injures the working poor. The final installment found, "Throughout the state's history of lax government oversight, followed by more stringent lending rules, followed by the current era of regulatory back-sliding, one constant has remained: A steady supply of cash-strapped Alabamians willing to accept the high interest rates associated with predatory lenders."

The entire series can be found online at: www.annistonstar.com/www/as/specialreports.

ON THE WALL: The newspaper has been selling poster versions of its "In Our Lifetime" Nov. 5 front page with news of Barack Obama's election. As of last week, we'd sold almost 1,100 copies. Anthony Cook, managing editor, gets credit for writing the headline, which many readers from around the country have told us captured the spirit of the day. A few front-page posters remain on sale at The Star's reception desk.

ON THE WALL-E: The most anticipated arrival at our house last week — at least by me — was the delivery of the DVD version of my favorite movie of last summer, Pixar's Wall-E.

The animated story of robot love went almost immediately into the DVD player, where I predict it will stay until after Thanksgiving.

In a year of a change election, Wall-E captured the spirit of the times, offering a simple picture of a robot in the distant future who works diligently and loves generously. Back in July when it was released in movie theaters, New York Times columnist Frank Rich wrote of Wall-E's "America's patriotic ideals," adding, "Compare any 10 minutes of the movie with 10 minutes of any cable-news channel, and you'll soon be asking: Exactly who are the adults in our country and who are the cartoon characters?"

Agreed.