Some interesting tidbits of news came out lately that did not create headlines but were important.

On election night, Fox News beat out the networks handily, overpowering NBC, CBS and ABC news. They swamped all the other cable news outlets and won the critical ages 25 to 54 groups.

The race card was played election night against two black people who won a House seat and a seat in the Senate. The culprits? Charlie Rangel and James Clyburn, both African-Americans and members of the House. How unconscionable is that? Chris Matthews of MSNBC said the president is not listening and is out of touch with the electorate.

On another note, Forbes Magazine printed that Vladimir Putin beats Barack Obama as the world’s most powerful leader. Must be true. Look at the group photo out of China at the APEC meetings. Who is standing in the middle of the picture with leader of China? It’s Putin. Obama is standing way over to the left.

Another item of interest is that Rush Limbaugh, the villain of all liberals, won his fifth National Association of Broadcasters Marconi award for excellence in syndicated and network broadcasting.

Limbaugh also has been writing history books for children. So far he has written three, all of which have made The New York Times best-seller lists.

Finally, this area has lost a giant among men in the passing of Ezra Smith of Winthrop. He was a wonderful friend, and I for one will miss him. His thoughtfulness, his humor, his knowledge and his love of the great outdoors will be remembered for a long, long time.

Roland Preble

Gardiner