Journalism was being whittled away by a Wall Street theory that profits can be maximized by minimizing the product.

Though Americans talk a good deal about the virtue of being serious, they generally prefer people who are solemn over people who are serious. In politics, the rare candidate who is serious, like Adlai Stevenson, is easily overwhelmed by one who is solemn, like General Eisenhower. This is probably because it is hard for most people to recognize seriousness, which is rare, especially in politics, but comfortable to endorse solemnity, which is as commonplace as jogging.

It is fitting that yesteryear's swashbuckling newspaper reporter has turned into today's solemn young sobersides nursing a glass of watered white wine after a day of toiling over computer databases in a smoke-free, noise-free newsroom.

I gave up on new poetry myself 30 years ago when most of it began to read like coded messages passing between lonely aliens in a hostile world.

The people who are always hankering loudest for some golden yesteryear usually drive new cars.

A day spent praising the earth and lamenting man's pollutionist history makes you feel like a superior, sensitive soul.

You can't enjoy light verse with a heavy heart.