Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Taking Care Of The Wounded

My readers should know that I tread a very fine line between writer and wife. I've been a writer for over 20 years --far longer than being a the wife of a soldier. And so it's always this writerly instinct that surfaces first, followed by questioning whether or not to share it.

I weigh what gets put into the blog.

I received these photos from The Hubs. The write up he did was so complete, I wondered if they were intended for the public.

Read the rest and see the photos at:
The Kitchen Dispatch: War

Los Angeles Times–Washington Post News Service Announcement


From: Hartenstein, Eddy
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 4:18 PM
To: zzTrbAllHandsLAT; zzMediaGroups
Subject: Los Angeles Times–Washington Post News Service Announcement

After a long and storied 47-year relationship with the Washington Post, our companies have agreed to discontinue the Los Angeles Times–Washington Post News Service (LATWP), effective January 1, 2010.

LATWAP was founded in 1962 by Philip Graham of the Washington Post and The Times’ Otis Chandler to distribute a selection of the best coverage from the two newsrooms to other newspapers and customers in the U.S. and around the world.

Immediately following the dissolution, The Times will join McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), a joint venture of the McClatchy and Tribune Companies, as a premier content provider of multimedia world and national news, entertainment, sports, tech and features coverage and in-depth analysis.

Organizationally, MCT will maintain a team of editors at The Times to source and package our content. This team, headed by Denise Bennett, will report to Jane Scholz, editor, MCT. MCT will lead all sales and marketing efforts.

We are proud of the work that Denise and her team have contributed to LATWP and wish them the best through this transition.

eddy

SOURCE: Kevin Roderick

Wednesday Afternoon in the Blogosphere


One of the three statues adorning the entrance to the Olympic Facility

Save Our Trade: Update.


By Ronnie Pineda
President GCC/IBT Local 140-N

Hello Brothers and sisters. Exec Vice President, Keith Denson and myself met with Russ and Leticia to discuss the pending transfer of approximately 27 presspersons from O.C. to L.A.

We did not finalize the terms of the effects and plan to meet again on Thursday afternoon. As I said before, we will disclose the details once they are confirmed.

Be patient and don't believe the rumors.

One certainty is that this staff movement will not result in a reduction of the workforce and no bargaining unit employees are in jeopardy of losing their jobs.

In Solidarity
Ronnie

Save Our Trade: Update.

Thought For Today 9-30-2009


Never underestimate a child's ability to get into “more” trouble.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

You've Got to be Kidding me


Last Friday Tribune Company employee’s favorite CFO, Chandler Bigelow III, testified in front of bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey on why the company needs to dole out $70,000,000 in bonuses to the top managers.

Never mind that Tribune’s advertising revenue through publishing is 29 percent less than last year, or broadcasting revenue is down by 23 percent.

“Still mired in Chapter 11 protection, the Tribune Co. said Friday it needs authority to dole out up to $70 million in bonuses as motivation for top managers working in a difficult environment for the media industry.”

I wonder how the employees that have been let go over the last few weeks at the Los Angeles Times feel about rewarding the upper crust with massive bonuses, could their timing be any worse?

I have an idea, instead of crying to the bankruptcy judge, allow Tribune Company Employees to vote if the executives deserve a bonus. This method would never be attempted as it would be defeated from the get go.

Judge Carey said
"In a troubled industry as this one, the argument could be made that bonuses should not be paid, or certainly not of this magnitude," the judge said.”

Los Angeles Times Trimming Costs


As the Los Angeles Times continues to seek ways to remain in the black the newspaper will trim an additional four inches from the width of the newspaper. Readers will note a one-inch reduction in the width of the newspaper immediately, which will save the newspaper millions of dollars from the expense of producing the newspaper in saved newsprint costs.

Any further reduction in newsprint width down the road may result in the Los Angeles Times reverting to the tabloid format.

InterLocal Pension Information



GCC/IBT Interlocal Pension Fund Chairman, John Agenbroad is returning to Los Angeles on Sunday October 18, 2009 to once again meet with our members to discuss and vote on participation in the GCC/IBT InterLocal Pension Fund.

The meeting and vote will take place at the Crowne Plaza/Commerce Casino at 11:00 AM.

This is a very important part of everyones retirement future and no one should miss this meeting! Tribune no longer provides a viable retirement vehicle for it's employees. Will you have enough retirement money?

THERE IS NO OTHER PENSION LIKE THIS IN THE COUNTRY!

This pension is the ONLY 501 C18 in the country. It was founded in 1950 and the fund is overseen by union trustees , NO company trustees. There is in fact absolutely no involvement by the company in any way with regards to the fund, its investments or the administration of the fund.

The Fund's assets were reported in 2007 of the 57th Annual Report of The Trustees to be approximately 1.8 Billion dollars.John stated the current assets are reported to be 1.4 billion dollars.The administration fees are a mere 4% which is unbelievable for a fund with the assets that are in the ILPF.

For more information visit the ILPF website at http://www.ilpfgciu.org/ or e-mail info@ilpfgciu.org For immediate answers, or literature, call (630) 752-8400

(Click here for Previous InterLocal Pension Post)

Source: Save Our Trade

Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Utah


A video postcard of Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in southern Utah. Features the Narrows and Observation Point at Zion and Bryce Point at Bryce Canyon National Park.

Save Our Trade: Union/L.A. Times Meeting Scheduled


By Ronnie Pineda

A meeting has been scheduled on October 8, 2009 at 10:00 am to discuss the company's plans to restructure the Orange County Facility. That was the earliest we could agree to in order to have our International Representative and Attorney present at the meeting.

As usual, the rumors and speculation are in full swing and I have heard plenty of doomsday scenarios, including supervisors predictions. Apparently Mgt. is intentionally leaving supervision out of the loop because they have come up with some of the wildest scenarios I've heard so far.

I must say, none of the scenarios have led to the assumption that we have nothing to fear. As always, we can only wonder how this restructuring is going to impact our shops. It's been almost a decade since anything good has been bestowed upon the employees of the L.A. Times from the higher ups in this greed driven Tribune Corporation.

I wish to meet with everyone on Friday October 9, 2009 in O.C at 11:00am at Round Table Pizza in Fountain Valley (Euclid and Warner) to disclose the findings of our meeting with the company. This meeting is open to ALL Bargaining Unit Employees.

In Solidarity,
Ronnie


Save Our Trade: Union/L.A. Times Meeting Scheduled

Sean Gallagher appointed Los Angeles Times' managing editor/online


Here's the note from Editor Russ Stanton:

Colleagues:

I’m pleased to announce that Sean Gallagher, managing editor of latimes.com, will fill the masthead-level position of managing editor/online, effective immediately.

Sean has played a key role in the growth and continued improvement of our website, including overseeing the recent redesign that has won much acclaim from our readers and industry colleagues. In his new position, Sean will be responsible for the overall reader experience on latimes.com and the rest of our nearly dozen other digital efforts, which we will continue to expand.

He will work closely with section editors and his colleagues on the masthead, particularly Jon Thurber, managing editor/print, to ensure that the needs of the paper and the site are being met and that our coverage on these platforms is complementary. This includes coordinating and implementing the daily news and features report for our online readers, supervising the large and talented team of your colleagues who produce latimes.com, and helping with the continued integration of our print and Web efforts.

Over his 16-year career, Sean has mastered virtually every facet of online publishing, whether running a news report, producing home pages and building new sections, or working with sales, marketing and IT to develop new products. He joined latimes.com in 2006 as an associate editor; in that job, he helped coordinate the news report and then oversaw the expansion of the Health and Business sections online.

In the three years since, Sean has worked with almost everyone in the newsroom, educating and training staffers about the workings and wonders of the Web, helping with the integration of the print and Web staffs, and finding solutions to vexing technological problems. He also was a member of the Reinvent Committee, formed in 2007 to recommend improvements to the paper during this period of rapid change.

Before joining The Times, Sean was Web director of sddt.com, the website of the San Diego Daily Transcript, where he ran the daily news report. He previously spent more than five years at nytimes.com, where, among other things, he rebuilt and then ran the Science and Health sections and was a producer on the home page. He also worked at the Village Voice as a researcher and at Scholastic Books as a production editor.

Sean is a 1993 graduate of Fordham University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in media studies with a focus on print journalism.

Russ Stanton
Editor

h/t Kevin Roderick

Tuesday Afternoon in the Blogosphere


Former Los Angeles Times Employee Norm Marshall at the Redondo Beach Car Show

Thought For Today 9-29-2009


Every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Thought For Today 9-28-2009


Probably easier in the long run to just do the right thing, unless you don't mind looking thoughtless, gutless, spineless, and unkind.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Friday In The Garden Of Dog: Leaps Of Faith


"The desert winds have blown through, making their arrival yesterday by blowing the flags toward the house and puffing on the large wind chime that The Hubs bought some time ago. The cat, dog and I sat on the porch for some time, wallowing in the heat for a bit."

Read the rest at: The Kitchen Dispatch

Thought For Today 9-27-2009


An eye for an eye makes the world go blind.

The Dog Walker


"This is Gregory, the dogwalker. For the past two months, he's been taking Louie (at left) out for daily 90 minute hikes. They go on all the trails around town. For Louie, it was essential.."
Read the rest at:
Get Lost With Easy-Writer

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Friday, September 25, 2009

Thought For Today 9-25-2009


Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

Question...


Quote Of The Day - 9-25-2009


It really doesn't matter if the person who hurt you deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. You have things to do and you want to move on.

RealLivePreacher.com 7/7/03

Penny Morell: Model, Fashion Editor, Filmmaker dies in NYC


"...Anyway, we not only talked about writing, we talked about work, debt (she hated debt), books (we agreed Empire Falls was a much better TV show than a book), cars (at one time she had a Fiat), animals, husbands (she had a few), and paths."

Read The Rest At
The Literary Fashionista

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Thursday Afternoon in the Blogosphere


Press Operator Keith Denson grilling at the Union Picnic

The Chandlers and Their Times


As part of PBS's coverage of the 2009 Television Critics Association Press Tour (Aug 1-2, 2009), we conducted interviews with a variety of people associated with upcoming PBS programs, and the TV critics & bloggers covering the television industry. Here, video blogger PBS MediaShift blogger Mark Glaser (http://pbs.org/mediashift ) interviews Harry Chandler, son of former Los Angeles Times publisher, from the documentary INVENTING LA: THE CHANDLERS AND THEIR TIMES --




The two-hour documentary will air on KCET October 5 at 9:00 p.m.

From Soldier to Yogi: Eric Walrabenstein Reaches Out To Veterans


I'm putting this out there again to reach more people.
The Kitchen Dispatch

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Massive police raid against L.A.'s Avenues gang


Los Angeles Times staff writer Joel Rubin was with officers from the Los Angeles Police Department, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and several other agencies when they launched a major assault on the Avenues gang.

Wednesday Afternoon in the Blogosphere


Pressman Tim Robinson threading newsprint in the printing press

Good Idea



A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn't slow a train very much, a billion of them would . With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American .

Good idea . . . one light bulb at a time . . . .

Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day
for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose
attachments . They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace
Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments
there . They were made in USA .. Start looking .

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do
affects someone else - even their job . So, after reading this email, I
think this lady is on the right track . Let's get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey's candy . I noticed, though, that it is marked
made in Mexico now . I do not buy it any more . My favorite toothpaste
Colgate is made in Mexico now . I have switched to Crest . You have to
read the labels on everything .

This past weekend I was at Kroger. (Can be true for any store.) I
needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets . I was in the light bulb
aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand
labeled, "Everyday Value . " I picked up both types of bulbs and
compared the stats - they were the same except for the price . The GE
bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that
surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the
Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this - the USA in a
company in Cleveland , Ohio .

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day
that are made right here .

So on to another aisle - Bounce Dryer Sheets . . . yep, you guessed it,
Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand
was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the
dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for
years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for
everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the
job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book
so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop
buying from overseas companies!

(We should have awakened a decade ago . . . . . . )

Let's get with the program . . . . help our fellow Americans keep their
jobs and create more jobs here in the U . S . A .

Were You At The Presidio?



...."the National Park Service wants to hear from men, women and families who were posted at The Presidio."
Read The Rest At:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Thought for Today 9-23-2009


Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.

Mother Teresa

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Thought for Today 9-22-2009


If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Friday Night In The Garden Of Dog


"I've had a lot of adjustments the past year. The biggest one was to find a new sense of purpose. Yes, I've always written but things changed. Now I was alone with 2 teens to raise. One of them has severe emotional and developmental issues, which sapped away my identity and sanity for his first 19 years. With a husband in combat, trying to find out what a milspouse does is like slipping on a new coat and having to search for the buttons."
Read the rest at:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Thank you from Downrange


"We were able to arrange for the girl to get a prosthetic leg through the Red Cross. I guess anything like that, just go to the Red Cross. We finally figured it out. I always give her paper and colored pencils because she draws constantly. And she is starting school! That is how you move ahead in Afghanistan."
READ THE REST AT:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Changes at the Los Angeles Times


On August 26th, 2009 Gary Scott reported that Ralph’s super market chain would be pulling their advertising from the Los Angeles Times and all LANG (Los Angeles Newspaper Group) newspapers. Yesterday I noticed Ralph’s usual Sunday advertisement missing from my Los Angeles Times. Ralph’s represented over three million dollars in revenue for the Los Angeles Times, hence the downsizing and restructuring of the Times Orange County Facility.

And as you read this post layoffs continue at the Los Angeles Times, with the count at 36 as of last Thursday.

My son and I are off to Venice Beach for a few hours, so enjoy the video regarding changes in how news is delivered.


Save Our Trade: Questions and Answers


By Ronnie Pineda
President IBT/GCC Local 140-N

Questions are coming in by the dozens, unfortunately answers won’t be available until we meet with management and ask the same questions that are being presented to our Local and it’s Officers.

As you know, management notified us of their potential restructuring of the Orange County Facility and the possible transfer of approximately 30 to 40 presspersons from O.C. to L.A. That is all we know at this time. I have been in contact with our Attorneys in Washington since an article posted on Recording Secretary Ed Padgett’s Blog eluded to the O.C. Register moving it’s operation into the L.A. Times Costa Mesa Plant.

We have accepted the company’s offer to meet and have been provided dates by management. I have forwarded the dates to our local Attorney to ensure his attendance and legal assistance during our meeting with management.

There is a lot of speculation at this point and some of your assumptions could possibly be correct, but we must wait until we can obtain answers directly from management. As I stated on saveourtrade.com, I asked management if there was any truth to the article to which H.R. and the L.A. pressroom Superintendent denied any knowledge of such an agreement with the Register.

I’m not saying any of this has anything to do with the Register, but history has proven that rumors definitely come to pass, especially in the production departments, and this rumor may end no differently. History has also proven that when management makes decisions, they’re not usually in our best interest and always come at our expense. That is why I have been preaching unity and solidarity for almost a decade now.

As soon as we schedule the meeting with management and have the opportunity ask your questions, the Local will post answers on the Blog, shop bulletin boards, and a general meeting will be immediately scheduled to meet with all bargaining unit employees in order to answers your question directly.

Again, I want to remind everyone that our Local is only as strong as the members and if this situation has a negative effect on our bargaining unit, it will take everyone to make a stand. Unity and Solidarity is our greatest strength! Get involved!

Save Our Trade: Questions and Answers

Thought for Today 9-21-2009


One of life's greatest blessings is a friend who's there when good times aren't.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Michael Moore Says Capitalism Killed Newspaper Industry


At the Toronto Film Festival, filmmaker Michael Moore excoriated newspapers for seeking profits and for "slitting their own throats"

Save Our Trade: O.C. Facility Restructuring


Our Local was notified on Wednesday afternoon (via e-mail) that the company intends to implement restructuring changes to the Orange County Facility Operation. The SVP of Operations has made an offer to meet for the purposes of discussing their restructuring plan and it's effect on Orange County and Los Angeles Bargaining Unit Employees.

What exactly is to be done is unknown at this time, we will ask management all the pertinent questions necessary to answer all of the employees questions that will certainly arise from this announcement.

The only information we do have at this time is that the restructuring of O.C. will result in the mandatory transfer of approximately 30 to 40 presspersons from O.C. to L.A. on or about October 17th.

This "plan" may have something to do with the O.C. Register and anything said at this point in time is speculation, unless mgt. honestly discloses that information prior to meeting with the Union. I personally asked the H.R. Representative and the L.A. pressroom Superintendent last week about the possibility of the Register moving into our O.C. shop, to which both denied any knowledge of such an arrangement.

Further details will be provided when they are obtained from management during the offered meeting we intend to accept.

Ronnie Pineda
President,
GCC/IBT Local 140-N

Save Our Trade: O.C. Facility Restructuring

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Thursday Night in the Blogosphere


Buddy Williams is the friendliest Pressman at the LA Times

I Got a Blog


In a satirical take on the state of modern media -- including traditional media's discomfiture with Media 2.0, blogs and the like -- one man quits his job at a newspaper to become an international blogger.

And he raps about it.

(A parody of the Lonely Island's "I'm on a Boat." Instrumental remix courtesy of the YouTube community. Fair use allowed by the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107, for criticism of and comment of modern media.)

Seriously, I love journalism in all its forms. This is just for laughs.



h/t Erica Smith

Change at LAT opinion pages


From: Hartenstein, Eddy
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 11:06 AM
To: zzTrbAllHandsLAT; zzMediaGroups
Subject: Editorial Pages Announcement

I am pleased to announce the following changes in management responsibilities of our editorial pages.

Jim Newton, who has served as editor of the editorial pages for more than two years, is stepping down in order to finish up his biography of Dwight Eisenhower. Nick Goldberg, who has ably served as the section's deputy editor, will now become editor, overseeing the editorial board, as well as Op-Ed, Sunday Opinion, letters and our opinion coverage online. He will assume his new responsibilities on Monday, Sept. 28 and report to me.

Starting next week, Jim will scale back his duties. He will relinquish his management of Opinion but remain part of it, becoming editor-at-large, a new masthead position. In that capacity, he will advise on editorial matters, remain a member of the editorial board and will keep writing and editing for the editorial pages, both as an editorial writer and an Op-Ed contributor.

You all know Nick and Jim, so I'll be brief in recapping their credentials. Nick came to The Times in 2003 as Op-Ed editor and later expanded his duties to include Sunday Opinion as well. Last year, he was named deputy editor helping Jim to oversee the department. Before coming to The Times, Nick, a graduate of Harvard, spent many years at Newsday, where he covered the New York statehouse and the 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton, among other assignments. He served as Middle East correspondent from 1995 to 1998. His work has been widely published in America's leading magazines.

Jim next week marks his 20th year at The Times, and over those decades has served as a reporter, bureau chief and editor, writing and shaping coverage from the Mission Viejo City Council to the LAPD to the administration of Mayor Riordan to the statehouse in Sacramento (and writing more than 900 A1 stories along the way). A Dartmouth alumnus, Jim began his career as clerk to James Reston, senior columnist for the New York Times. He also is the author of "Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made."

Since 2007, Jim has set high standards, and has achieved them with the daily and vital assistance of Nick. Our Opinion section reflects their collaboration, which continues now in this new alignment. This transition is a model, as is their work.

Our editorial pages present Los Angeles and California with provocative, thoughtful, literate and conscientious journalism. We publish a bracing range of views in Op-Ed - thanks there to Sue Horton and her colleagues - and supply leadership through our editorials. The result: We are an indispensible voice in the life of California.

eddy

Source: Kevin Roderick

Letter to Joe Wilson


Joe Wilson, Member
United States Congress
212 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D. C 20515-4002

903 Port Republic Street
Beaufort, South Carolina 29902

Mr. Wilson:

I am an 80 year old mother and my older child is 51 years old; but, if ever I were to hear him call anyone a liar or rudely and obstreperously tell someone they were telling a lie, I would slap his face. My two children, 41 and 51 respectively, are very well reared as was I. I can remember as a little innocent child calling someone a liar. I only did it one time because the lecture in the form of a lesson in proper decorum sank in, and to this day, I have never called anyone a liar. My mother considered this the ultimate in rudeness and disrespect, not only for the person I called a liar, but for me, myself.

Having learned that lesson at such an early age, it made me cringe when you, at age 62, and a former military man, yelled to the President of the United States of America, “You lie.” As a military man, you know the chain of command; and, you were addressing the Commander in Chief of the United States of America. Of course, President Obama who is a very refined gentleman did not respond and he kept right on target delivering the most brilliant speech I have ever heard. I can say this with a degree of authority because I have been witness to every presidency since Herbert Hoover. Never in the hallowed halls of Congress have I witnessed such coarse, gross, despicable behavior.

I don’t know if your mother is alive or not, but if she is, I’m certain that she hung her head in shame knowing that all over the world you have disgraced her, yourself, your wife, your four sons, your office, your constituency and your country. Children of good breeding, who are properly reared carry the teachings of their parents throughout their lives. At 80 everything I do is tested against, “what would my mother think of that?” I would never defame her precious memory by demonstrating lack of self control and a knowledge of the social graces that separate women from ladies and men from gentlemen.

My mother was a proper Southern genteel lady who commanded respect because of the way she carried herself. I would think that your being from the South, you would have gotten some of that good ole Southern hospitality and gentility that seems to be characteristic of intelligent people of the South.

I do so hope you will listen to the foreign media as I did late last night. You are an international disgrace because from Ireland to China and England, your crudity was the main topic of conversation.

I note that you have a law degree. I wonder how proud your alma mater, University of South Carolina Law School , was of you tonight as you showed to the world that education without character is vacuous and meaningless. There is a popular expression of people with degrees who lack common sense, they are referred to as “educated fools.”

If you were playing to the media and to the camera for attention, you succeeded because your worldwide lega cy will be that you were the ill-suited and ill-placed person who demeaned himself in the halls of Congress for the first time in U S history.

Written with embarrassment for my country,

Helen L. Burleson, Doctor of Public Administration

Layoffs at Los Angeles Times Continue


Here's what happening at the Los Angeles Times this morning:

15 employees let go at Times Mirror Square

4 employees let go at the Times Orange County Production Facility

1 employee let go at the Olympic Production Facility

All department heads attending a 9:30 a.m. meeting at Times Mirror Square, additional information to be released after said meeting.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

We Loved You Mary



Mary Travers, an icon of the 1960's, much beloved crooner of Puff the Magic Dragon, and songs where you could understand all the words. Dies at 72. Leaves this life, to go onto a new one.

Bob Gilham alive and well


Bob Gilham and Emmett Jaime III

Bob Gilham was my crew foreman before taking the very first buyout at the Los Angeles Times. A very soft hearted fellow and always a pleasure to work for. Bob shed a tear as his crew bid him farewell with a bottle of fine wine on his last day at the newspaper.


From Emmett Jaime III:

"Ed, thought you might want to put Bob's picture on your website to let other retirees know that Bob is alive and well and living in Lynnwood,Washington. They have been living there for 4 years before they lived in Garnerville, Nevada but wanted to be close to their son and grandchildren.

Bob said to say hello to all the people he used to work with and remember him. He retired in 1992 after 39 years working at the Times. Bob said he has alot of good memories and added that the Times "was great place to work at". When Becky and I come up to Whidbey Island we contact Gerda, Bob's wife, to let her know we are here and make arrangements to get together for lunch.

This past summer they have been busy traveling and going to Laughlin, Nevada. They will be going there again in 2 weeks and then again in November. I told them to let me know and I would let the guys that live in Lake Havasu know so maybe they can go and visit with the Gilham's and have dinner with them.

We ended our visit by making a date of getting together again next year when we come back up for the summer. With God's blessings we will see them next summer.

Take care and hope business is picking up".

Wednesday Afternoon in the Blogosphere


Borrowed from my friend Wayne Hicks at Electronic Village

Layoffs at the Los Angeles Times


As I booted up my computer this afternoon the first message that really grabbed my attention was from Gary Scott, which many of you know as Reporter-G, asking about layoffs at the Los Angeles Times this week. Seems an anonymous commenter left this message on Gary’s Blog:

apparently a number of additional folks got their pink slip from the use to be relevant LA Times in the last couple of days”.

One of my many contacts at Times Mirror Square claims they have also heard the rumors of layoffs this week at the Times, but could not confirm.

And before I was able to connect with sources from the Los Angeles Times Orange County Facility a message arrived claiming the four men below have possibly been let go at this location.

Ron Ernst - OC Plant Manager
Brad Patterson - OC Machine Shop Manager
Lou Sarantis - OC Electric Shop Supervisor *edited spelling
Phil Powell - OC Mailroom Supervisor

With the Los Angeles Times Orange County Facility now lacking supervision I'm speculating that either John Walker or Greg Malcolm to be promoted soon to OC Plant Manager.

Will keep everyone updated as information flows in, so stay tuned until Kevin Roderick returns tomorrow with the inside scoop.

Health and Safety/Leadership Training




GCC/IBT LOCAL 140-N
HEALTH AND SAFETY/LEADERSHIP TRAINING

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2009
10:00 AM TO 6:00 PM

Training will be held at GCC/IBT Local 404M
518 West Duarte Rd. Monrovia Ca. 91016

TRAINERS
GCC/IBT International Distance Education Programs
Rob Theisen and Gene Binda

Training is made available under a Federally Funded Grant
and is offered at no cost to attending Teamster members.
Interested members please RSVP by sending your name, title
and Local number to admin@saveourtrade.com

All members of Local 140-N are invited to attend.
Lunch will be provided by the members of Local 140-N

New Tribune Company 401K Fund


From: Tribune Communications
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 9:30 AM
Subject: Message from Mike Bourgon/New 401(k) Fund

Tribune’s 401(k) plans aim to provide participants with the flexibility to invest in a variety of investment options. With that in mind, the company has decided to expand the number of investment choices by adding a new fund to its line-up. Beginning Oct. 1, 2009 , participants will have the opportunity to begin investing in the Vanguard Inflation Protected Securities Fund (VIPS) – Institutional Shares (ticker symbol: VIPIX).

The attached summary provides additional details about the fund. Briefly, the VIPS fund seeks to provide participants with inflation protection and income consistent with investment in inflation-indexed securities. Securities purchased by the fund will be rated “investment-grade” and the fund’s average maturity is expected to range between seven and twenty years.

You should note that the VIPS fund has a “purchase block restriction”, just like our other Vanguard investment funds. That means if you transfer assets out of the fund, you cannot transfer assets back into the fund for 60 days.

As always, all investments, including a portfolio’s current and future holdings, are subject to risk. Investments in bond funds are subject to interest rate, credit and inflation risk.

Consider using this as an opportunity to review your 401(k) plan investments. Remember, if you’re age 50 or older, you may make additional “catch-up” contributions of $5,500 annually.

For more information, contact the Hewitt Retirement Center at 800/872-2222 (option 1) or visit them at www.yourretirementbenefits.net/tribune where you can request a prospectus beginning Oct. 1.

Mike Bourgon
Vice President/Human Resources

Thought For Today 9-16-2009


Four things you can't recover:
The stone........after the throw.
The word........after it's said.
The occasion........after it's missed.
The time.........after it's gone.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

From Soldier to Yogi: Former Army Infantryman Eric Walrabenstein Reaches Out To Veterans


"When I asked Walrabenstein if he saw any disparity between his life in the military and that of a yogi, his answer was an emphatic no. "I loved the military because it was service to something bigger than myself. It was selfless. Service to humanity through yoga is the same," he said.Read The Rest At:
The Kitchen Dispatch

Also, there's an opportunity for Phoenix AZ veterans and soldiers. Please read the post.

Tuesday Afternoon in the Blogosphere


The Venice Beach transformation has begun

Thought For Today 9-15-2009


One of life's tragedies is when we get old too soon and wise too late.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Thought For Today 9-14-2009

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"Earning a reputation as cheerfully unpredictable gives you a lot of leeway."

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Add kindness to the mix, and you can get away with almost anything.

Bette Dowdell

Saturday, September 12, 2009

The Dying Marine: A Letter To The Photographer

"Dear Julie Jacobsen,

A few weeks ago, my husband's FST got into a heated argument with a photographer, who saw an opportunity to get photos of wounded or dying soldiers and civilians. The Hubs been a surgeon for 23 years, he knows death well enough to understand that dignity is worth preserving. In a way, the photographer was no better than the paparazzi that surround Brittney Spears every time she goes to the market. They were unwanted, unneeded, and there for purely opportunistic reasons. They kicked him out."
read the rest at The Kitchen Dispatch

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Did You Know?


Fantastic video on the progression of information technology, researched by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Jeff Brenman, remixed




h/t Mikki Greene

Thursday Night in the Blogosphere


Rather unique building on Main Street in Venice Beach

Natalie At Her Best





Last night at the Hollywood Bowl was a night to be treasured. Natalie Cole was indeed the epitome of 'Diva-ship.' She was absolutely gorgeous and the picture of health after a kidney transplant postponed an earlier appearance at the venue.

Randy Lewis' review says it all! Click title for more.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

A Message of Hope and Responsibility for America’s Students



The President’s message to America's students today rested on two twin pillars of his vision: there is great hope and great potential in America; but the fulfillment of that hope is dependent on hard work and taking personal responsibility.

There seemed to be a lot of hunger for this message, and thanks to all of the teachers, school administrators, parents and students who participated. As just one data point, we're happy to report that today’s live-stream of the President's speech on education and personal responsibility smashed our previous records for viewers here at WhiteHouse.gov. We don't have statistics on the total number of viewers yet, but we were able to gauge that the peak number of viewers at any given moment was around 184,000, almost triple the previous record set by the President’s initial online town hall.

But back to the President's message -- he began emphasizing the "hope" side of the equation:

I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. Every single one of you has something that you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a great writer -- maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper -- but you might not know it until you write that English paper -- that English class paper that's assigned to you. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor -- maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine -- but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice -- but you might not know that until you join student government
or the debate team.

But he immediately added that none of that would be possible without an education. And while offering his sincerest sympathies -- sympathies we probably all remember from one time or another in our childhoods -- for the fact that school might not always be fun and every lesson might not be the most stimulating, he hammered home just how necessary and rewarding hard work can be no matter where you come from:

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life -- what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home -- none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Neither of her parents had gone to college. But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University -- is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. He's had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer -- hundreds of extra hours -- to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind. He's headed to college this fall.

And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They face challenges in their lives just like you do. In some cases they've got it a lot worse off than many of you. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education -- and do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book. Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.



He closed by making it clear to our country's students that we are all in it together:

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn. But you've got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down. Don't let your family down or your country down. Most of all, don't let yourself down. Make us all proud.

SOURCE: Whitehouse Blog

Tuesday Afternoon in the Blogosphere


LAT Presspersons Rosanna Noon and Danny Koval

Station Fire - The Big Picture


Pictures of the Station Fire as published by The Boston Globe. Wow, Mother Nature in all her fury. God bless all the brave men and women on the lines for their bravery and determination.

Monday, September 07, 2009

Blogger Asks for Payment From a Newspaper Part Two


You probably want to watch Part One first. Blogger/freelance writer Tina Dupuy asked for payment from the Media General owned Tampa Tribune. This video is the follow-up after her request was put up on YouTube.

Blogger Asks for Payment From a Newspaper Part Two




Blogger Asks for Payment From a Newspaper Part One

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama


Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.