I’ve often wondered how to deal with news stories. There is stuff that is actually news. There is other stuff that is commentary on recent stories that is well written, and then there is the Drumbeat.

Anyway, I’m not going to go on with this vent for now, and I promise not to get into any rants like I did the other day with tipping. I was out of line and he called me on it.

So from now on, when you see the two words “Zulu News,” you know it has been Zulu approved and it is pure goodness for you and your family. Print it out on the ol’ HP. Kill a few trees. That way when the lights go out, you’ll have some good stories to read by candlelight.

Cruise Night, Without the Car
New York Times
Jan 29th, 2008

From coast to coast, American teenagers appear to be driving less this summer. Police officers who keep watch on weekend cruising zones say fewer youths are spending their time driving around in circles, with more of them hanging out in parking lots, malls or movie theaters.
…
“My parents decided to donate my car to charity because they didn’t want to pay for the insurance and gas anymore,” Mr. Chou said. “I guess I’ll be doing a lot of car-pooling this summer.”
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“Teen cruising is way down from 2005, when it used to be bumper to bumper downtown,” said David Scott, a senior officer in Grand Haven, a popular resort town hugging the Lake Michigan shoreline. “Traffic downtown used to be so bad in the summer, you couldn’t drive faster than 10 miles an hour. Last Friday night, I didn’t even have to wait in line to get through a light.”
…
Lorraine Demuccio, an administrative assistant from Mount Pleasant, said gas prices prompted her to urge her 18-year-old daughter, Annalisa, to turn down a summer job as a nanny.

The job “would have meant driving at least 20 minutes a day, each way, and then she’d be driving the kids to the pool and the beach,” Ms. Demuccio said. “She ended up taking a job at a day care center that she can walk to.”
…
“We live a very cautious life financially, but Kevin seems to think there is no end to the money,” Mr. Ballschmiede said. “He tells me about his buddy, whose parents gave him a gas credit card, and I told him, ‘That is not going to happen at our house.’ ”