Farewell Message from Gary De Vine LAT Pressroom

Friends,

A long, long time ago a hippie kid started working for a great newspaper company. Over the years he held many different jobs at this company: dispatch driver, Eocom operator, platemaker, production camera operator, lead person, assistant supervisor, supervisor and finally pressroom shift supervisor.

All along the way, he made great friendships and connected with many different people he may never have gotten the chance to know.

Now that’s its time for him to move on, as he reflects, he realizes that it’s these relationships that have been the best part of his career. He will cherish them always.

He’s always enjoyed the process of getting a great metropolitan newspaper on the street. Seeing the presses run on nightly basis and knowing that in some small way you helped make that miracle happen has made it all worthwhile.

His hope is that the printed word will go on for a long time to come. While it does, he knows that wonderfully talented people will continue to keep those presses running. God bless them all.

Best and warmest regards,

Gary De Vine

Friday On The Milblogs

"You’d think all the criticism from left-wing websites like the
Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and Salon would royally piss off the Army.

But at least one Army report finds the sites’ posts to be consistently “balanced.”

• Milblogs and ranked by Army weekly: Noah Shachtman at Wired, Danger Room
• From the scene: SF raid turns up naught in Jalalabad: Tim Lynch at Free Range Int'l.
  
• Death Of A Rancher: Paul Greenberg at The Patriot Post
• In Marja -lead, follow or get out of the way: Colonel Gary Anderson, Small Wars Journal
• "Why the fuck are they out there digging?" Blast from the past: Lt. Rajiv Srinivasan
• The Final Inspection, a poem: Solomon Fein, (Oldest Military Blogger)

"The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass."

Solomon Fein, World's oldest milblogger and Normandy D-Day veteran, age 87
with his grandchildren Jen and Dan

Thought For Today 4-30-2010

History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.

Maya Angelou

Earth To Edward, Part 3

Hi Edward,
I know you're working a lot. It's a blessing, in some ways. But also exhausting!
If might consider adding this into the HTML template, I think Share This would make the blog easier to share. This way it shows up at the bottom of every post.
-Kanani

Thursday On The Milblogs

• Read this and cry a bit, I miss you: Anonymous at Kandahar Diaries
• Afghanistan's Little Men: Anna Badkhen at Foreign Policy
• A view from the way left: Josh Mull at Enduring America
• US born cleric proud to have taught operatives: Bill Roggio at the Long Wars Journal
• Kandahar Cluster*** Watch: Michael Cohen at Democracy Arsenal
• The Irresistible Illusion: Rory Stewart in London Review of Books
  

"It is unlikely that we will be able to defeat the Taliban. The ingredients of successful counter-insurgency campaigns in places like Malaya – control of the borders, large numbers of troops in relation to the population, strong support from the majority ethnic groups, a long-term commitment and a credible local government – are lacking in Afghanistan." -Rory Stewart

Thought For Today 4-29-2010

A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours.

Milton Berle

America's High Tech "Invisible Man"

By Tyrone D. Taborn

You may not have heard of Dr. Mark Dean. And you aren't alone. But almost everything in your life has been affected by his work.

See, Dr. Mark Dean is a PhD. from Stanford University .. He is in the National Hall of Inventors. He has more than 30 patents pending. He is a vice president with IBM. Oh, yeah. And he is also the architect of the modern-day personal computer. Dr. Dean holds three of the original nine patents on the computer that all PCs are based upon. And, Dr. Mark Dean is an African American.

So how is it that we can celebrate the 20th anniversary of the IBM personal computer without reading or hearing a single word about him? Given all of the pressure mass media are under about negative portrayals of African Americans on television and in print, you would think it would be a slam dunk to highlight someone like Dr. Dean.

Somehow, though, we have managed to miss the shot. History is cruel when it comes to telling the stories of African Americans. Dr. Dean isn't the first Black inventor to be overlooked. Consider John Stanard, inventor of the refrigerator, George Sampson, creator of the clothes dryer, Alexander Miles and his elevator, Lewis Latimer and the electric lamp. All of these inventors share two things: One, they changed the landscape of our society; and, two, society relegated them to the footnotes of history.

Hopefully, Dr. Mark Dean won't go away as quietly as they did. He certainly shouldn't. Dr. Dean helped start a Digital Revolution that created people like Microsoft's Bill Gates and Dell Computer's Michael Dell. Millions of jobs in information technology can be traced back directly to Dr. Dean.

More important, stories like Dr. Mark Dean's should serve as inspiration for African-American children. Already victims of the "Digital Divide" and failing school systems, young, Black kids might embrace technology with more enthusiasm if they knew someone like Dr. Dean already was leading the way.

Although technically Dr. Dean can't be credited with creating the computer -- that is left to Alan Turing, a pioneering 20th-century English mathematician widely considered to be the father of modern computer science -- Dr. Dean rightly deserves to take a bow for the machine we use today. The computer really wasn't practical for home or small business use until he came along, leading a team that developed the interior architecture (IS A systems bus) that enables multiple devices, such as modems and printers, to be connected to personal computers.

In other words, because of Dr. Dean, the PC became a part of our daily lives. For most of us, changing the face of society would have been enough, but not for Dr. Dean. Still in his early forties, he has a lot of inventing left in him.

He recently made history again by leading the design team responsible for creating the first 1- gigahertz processor chip. It's just another huge step in making computers faster and smaller. As the world congratulates itself for the new Digital Age brought on by the personal computer, we need to guarantee that the African-American story is part of the hoopla surrounding the most stunning technological advance the world has ever seen. We cannot afford to let Dr. Mark Dean become a footnote in history. He is well worth his own history book.

The End is Near for the LAT Orange County Facility

The Los Angeles Times Production Facility in Costa Mesa, know as the Orange County Plant, was scheduled to be shuttered on March 15th, 2010, but was given a reprieve for a few months. The plant is now rumored to produce it’s last edition of the Los Angeles Times on May 15th, 2010, if the conversion of the presses at the Times downtown plant is completed by next month.

Masthead, the company installing the new color couples, has brought in additional workers and they’re working at a frantic pace seven days per week to complete the project by mid May.

If anyone plans to mark this sad day at the Los Angeles Times Orange County Plant let us know?

Thought For Today 4-28-2010

The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.

Faye Wattleton

Wednesday On The Milblogs

• Kandahar Press Club Opens: CNN Afghanistan Blog
• Holy shit! An IED (worksafe): Andrew Lubin
  
• Picture of the Day, Generations: FaST Surgeon Blog
• What's it like to fight in Afghanistan?: Helmand Blog
• Patrol in Urban Kabul: Frontline Bloggers
• Skip is on his way home: Ramblings From A Painter

"Just when Hootie and the Blowfish sang Sha na na na, I'm going home the plane started moving. A few minutes later, with Ten Years After's joyful yowp Going home to my baby in my ears, our plane rotated its nose and launched into the air. I write a pretty good soundtrack to my life." -Skip Rhode, Ramblings from a painter in Iraq

Save Our Trade: Opposition to NRTW Motion to Recuse Obama appointed NLRB Member Craig Becker

Save Our Trade: Opposition to NRTW Motion to Recuse Obama appointed NLRB Member Craig Becker

Manroland: Transcontinental Transmag

The team at manroland and Transcontinental's Transmag facility talk about their recent purchase of manroland's COLORMAN newspaper presses. Transmag is responsible for the printing of some 65 weekly and 2 daily newspapers in Canada.

Save Our Trade: NLRB Letter and Unfair Labor Practice Charge

Save Our Trade: NLRB Letter and Unfair Labor Practice Charge

Message from Russ Stanton Editor Los Angeles Times

From: Stanton, Russ
Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
To: yyeditall
Subject: Web update: moderating comments, e-commerce links

Colleagues:

Today we are making two key changes to latimes.com.

The first is involves moderating reader comments. Our readers are fully embracing the functionality instituted in December that allows comments to be posted on articles, columns, photos and other non-blog coverage. However, the more the volume increases, the more time and resources it takes to moderate comments before publication.

Starting today, we will allow comments from readers who are registered through the new sign-on process (i.e., via Facebook, AOL, MySpace, Google, Yahoo and Twitter) to go live immediately. These will be scrubbed against a word filter, which will block an extensive list of vulgarities. Please be aware, though, that this system will not be foolproof. There are those who will find a way to slip inappropriate comments past the filter. Each comment has a link that allows readers to report abuse. Any comment reported twice will automatically be removed from the site. These hidden comments will be held for review by Times staffers, who will decide whether to republish the comment or keep it off the site. PLEASE NOTE: We will continue to moderate all comments on our blogs.

This transition will be a challenging one. There will be praise and intelligent conversation, but also barbs and outright hostility. As unfettered as the discussions may be, they are worth hosting – and ccultivating. The fact is, readers of online news expect to be able to participate. They want to be able to share their opinions and interact with journalists and other readers.

We also can learn from conversations about our journalism. We will be closely monitoring the comment boards and will pass along news tips and other pertinent information. You also are encouraged to spend time reading comments and joining the discussions. As such, it's important to remember the comment policy we have in place; you are encouraged to discuss any concerns you may have with your editors.

Here are some basic guidelines if you want to participate:

n Discuss your response with your immediate supervisor.

n Identify yourself in your comment as a Times employee with your full name and job title.

n Do not denigrate a reader's opinion; merely state what you know to be fact.

n Write in neutral language.

n Suggest additional resources or thank readers for their thoughts.

n Please participate in a sparing manner, perhaps no more than two times on a single article; there may be exceptions, like a structured Q&A.

Second, we will begin adding e-commerce links in some articles and blog posts today as part of a pilot program.

These post-publication links to sites such as Amazon and TicketNetwork will serve as both a reader service and a revenue opportunity for the company. During the testing phase, the links will be placed by an e-commerce producer based at the Chicago Tribune, where the program has been underway for about six months.

How will this work?

n Every morning the e-commerce producer will review our portfolio of agreed-upon topic areas and add appropriate links

n Each e-commerce link will be indicated in green with a double underline

n At no time will a blue editorial link be replaced with an e-commerce link

n Each article or blog post that includes a green link will be appended with the following disclaimer at the foot of the article text or blog post:

Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.

Where will these links appear?

n In Health, Image, Food, Travel, Books, Entertainment and Sports articles and photo galleries

n In the following blogs: 24 Frames, Culture Monster, Hero Complex, Idol Tracker, Pop & Hiss, Show Tracker, Ministry of Gossip, L.A. Unleashed, All the Rage, Brand X, Daily Dish, Jacket Copy, L.A. at Home, Dodgers, Fabulous Forum, Lakers and Outposts

PLEASE NOTE: As part of this pilot program, e-commerce links will not be used in columns and news section articles and blogs.

What do I need to do?

n Nothing. This pilot project will have no effect on your day-to-day reporting, editing or other activities.

What if I think an e-commerce link is inappropriate or broken?

n Send a note to YYHOMEPAGE.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sean Gallagher
Managing Editor/Online

Russ Stanton
Editor

SOURCE: Kevin Roderick

Brian Quintana for United States Senate Commercial

U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE BRIAN QUINTANA LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AD

United States Senate Candidate Brian Quintana (D.CA) launched his first campaign ad today - attacking Barbara Boxer's dismal Senate record.

The commercial - titled 007 - features the James Bond theme song and highlights the Senator's ineffectiveness:

Senator Barbara Boxer Introduced 455 Bills In 18 Years

Only 3 Passed

3/455 = .007 (Lesss Than 1%)

California Deserves Better


Brian Quintana For U. S. Senate

www.brianquintana.com

"Only in Congress are you rewarded for a .007 % success record. In the private sector or any other industry, you would be fired, and that's exactly what the people of California must do to Boxer on June 8, 2010," states Quintana. "The time for Change is here. We must elect a new generation of leadership."

007 is the first in a series of internet, radio and television ads that Brian Quintana For Senate will run between now and June 8th.

Tuesday Night in the Blogosphere

At the Orange County Facility's service award program on Feb. 11th (year unknown)
Chuck Morrow, left, Richard Dougherty, Lew Metz, Publisher Tom Johnson, Jean Stone, Victor King Jr., and Pete Rodarte. The senior Orange County production employees all had 30 years of service with the Los Angeles Times.

• Bizarro identity - Jeff Jarvis
• OC Register shrinks again - Gary Scott
• Newspaper circulation slides nationwide - SF Gate
• LAT to add paid links to stories, blogs - Kevin Roderick
• Newspaper unions warn future owner against layoffs - FTS
• Newspaper circulation continues to drop - Charlotte Observer
• Is news dying, or are newspapers dying? - Blogging Innovation
• Sumner Redstone Declares Ink Will Be Dead in 2 Yrs - Fishbowl
• Tribune Finds An Audience For Hyperlocal News - Akshay Tech
• Newspapers E-Edition Circulation Up 40 Percent - Paid Content

Try Outs For TRON, the cat movie re-make

Power Point: An Oafish Bulleted World

"At my daughter's school, technology now takes a firm foothold in the daily curriculum. By grade eight, all students are proficient in Word, Power Point and Excel. Unfortunately, under the sway of technology marketers, the school board has minimized former mainstays of the primary and middle school experience."

Read the rest at Get Lost With Easy-Writer

On A Lighter Note...

Even with all your brilliant, witty conversational ability, let's face it, there are a few things that will inevitably cause you to have an "Oh, Sh*t!" moment. Such as:

Tuesday On The Milblogs

"We were not interested in the political dimensions of the war, only the experience of thesoldiers, so we limited ourselves to the things soldiers had access to. We did not ask any generals why theywere in the Korengal, for example, because soldiers don’t have that opportunity, either."

An interview with "Restrepo" documentary filmmakers
Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington
on The Kitchen Dispatch

• Badly burned Iraqi boy returns home from the U.S.: Army Times
  
• La Jolla (CA)Rotary Club Fundraiser For School In Jalalabad: PR Log
• Dirt Roads & Potholes: Richard's Milblog from Afghanistan
• NGOs, local governments and communities explained: Humanitarian Exchange Magazine
• Supporting the fight: 270 days in Afghanistan
  
• Kunar Province. 500 patients in 2-day clinic: Combined Joint Task Force -82 (ABN)

"American and Afghan doctors observed patients together but American doctors did not provide direct healthcare to Afghan patients. Instead, they served as mentors and advisors to the Afghan doctors."

Ed's piece goes here

Ha ha

Thought For Today 4-27-2010

Hate and force cannot be in just a part of the world without having an effect on the rest of it.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Photo Break

On Broadway, NYC, Summer 2009

Monday On The Milblogs

“Life here is good,” said an Afghan laborer who declined to give his name as he lugged merchandise from his car to a store on the Boardwalk. “The prices we sell at are different to those out in the city.” -Iason Athanasiadis reporting on the impending takeover of American-run businesses at Kandahar Air Field in the popular boardwalk area

• Strip Mall at Kandahar -TGI Friday? Really?: The Global Post
• In Mali: Helping Them Help Themselves: Doctors Without Borders
  
• Cash-for-work program started in Kunar Province: PRT-Kunar
• Fundraiser for the 173rd Airborne: From Cow Pastures To Kosovo
• The Kandahar Offensive: Avoid The Snake Oil: Small Wars Journal
• Blogger who won award for Best Marine blog resurfaces: Castra Praetoria

The Most Honorable Mission, Sending Home Fallen Angels: Soldiers Angels Germany

"Even though it's difficult to see one of their own make the ultimate sacrifice, for Sarkis, 26, from Crofton, Md., it's an honor to be able to send the Angels back home with honor and dignity, while bringing closure to their families." -Soldiers Angels Germany

Earth To Edward, Part 2

Go into your Networked Blogs on Facebook and CONFIRM your URL. The feed won't show up until you do it.
I think it's the final step.

For those of you who have friended Ed, he's playing Mafia Wars. You can "hide Mafia Wars" by clicking on the right hand side of his feed posts. You'll still get Ed's personal posts.

Blog Plan: News, Wisdom and Military Blogs

"For all the frivolity and pointlessness we see in the media about the younger generation, there are some who are serving in a much more serious capacity."

So the way it's supposed to work out is that Edward continues to do the daily wrap up of news about the news links, and work related posts everyday. Nubia does the daily wisdom post and whatever else. Kanani (me) posts the daily milblog highlights.

We decided to post milblog highlights not to compete with the fine reporting by the mother spaceship L.A. Times, but to show others have also been sharing their experiences --especially those who are serving (either civilian or military). Many in the pressroom have loved ones who serve, or have served themselves. We're not limiting the scope to Iraq and Afghanistan, but will share what people are writing from other parts of the world as well. Blogs that come at this with a purely partisan stance are avoided. After all, they have enough readers. The voices of those on the ground can be most compelling. I'll be relying on veterans like Jesse Espinoza to provide guidance if I have any questions as to suitability. Some have been added to our sidebar. You can follow them there.

Finding unsung bloggers who express themselves well has been like traveling to new planets in the blogosphere. That's what this is about: finding new voices who are in the fight. For all the frivolity and pointlessness we see in the media with the younger generation, there are some who are serving in a much more serious capacity. This is the group who deserves to be heard. Long after Edward, Rita and I are gone, they will have to live with and make the best of what's being played out now.

Lastly, we'd love the other contributors to write something up once in awhile. That way the three of us can knock back margaritas and gin and tonics for just a bit. Edward has fixed the networked blogs feed. If you follow him on Facebook, you'll see our posts there as well.
-Kanani

Thought For Today 4-26-2010

Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.

Mary McLeod Bethune

Sunday In The Milblog World

Restrepo, a documentary on the 173rd Airborne in the Korengal Valley
The Kitchen Dispatch shares the whole press kit.

(This is L.A., after all).

From Milblogs and Beyond

• Final Thoughts On Leaving Iraq: Ramblings From A Painter
• (Close to home) Police Ambushed in Ciudad Juarez, 8 Killed: L.A. Times
  
• Afghanistan --The Taliban Fear Contractors: Feral Jundi
  
• Coast Guard Rescues, repatriates 90 Haitians: Coast Guard News
• Al Qaeda Kills 15 In Phillipines: Long War Journal
• Kandahar Air Field Mortared: Kandahar Wake Up Call
• A Jirga in SE Afghanistan: Captain Cats Diaries

"Reconciliation in the Southeast is an elusive idea, another project hastily being pushed on people, sponsored by foreigners in order to expedite their own withdrawal, rather than having any genuine commitment to ensuring a long-term sustainable peace."
-Captain Cats Diaries

Army Lieutenant sounds off on the civilian bus firings and the media

U.S. Army Lt. Rajiv Srinivasan's thoughts on the mix of arrogance and ignorance he sees in many journalists who come to rugged outposts:

"what I lack confidence in is the media’s ability to portray the vigorous intellectual debate that goes through a platoon leader’s mind during such life and death matters. I have little confidence in a reporter’s ability to understand what it’s like to own the lives of a platoon of 20 year-old kids. I have very little confidence in a news outlet’s willingness to tell the whole truth if it means selling fewer papers or receiving lower ratings."

More news from milblogs & beyond

• A Good Day, Part 2: A Major's Perspective
• Increasing Danger, McChrystal's leadership called into question: Free Range International
• "Vice and Virtue" police raid western restaurants in Kabul: Times Online
  
• Finding God At Gitmo: An Interview by Timothy Dalrymple
• A Tradition Of Corruption: Knights in Afghanistan
  
• Through the eyes of a military child: Army Live, The Official Army Blog
• Sarajevo Street Scenes: Curmudgeon, An Unlikely Army Chaplain
• We don't know what he's singing, but we want Vodka: Russian Airborne Troops Video
  
• Daily life of a teenage girl in Iraq: Days Of My Life
• 

Earth To Edward

Edward,
Check on your Facebook profile page sidebar under My Blogs. Does the networked blog has this URL or the old one? Because I don't see our posts going into the feed.
I hope you're having a super great day. Sorry the situation for the LATFB got all messed up. I forgot. It's just as well. I couldn't sleep last night.
-Kanani

Saturday On The Blogosphere

I'm filling in for Edward today.

• Wall Street Journal launches Metro Section To Vie for NYT readers: Andrew Vanacore, AP
• Print Your Own Newspapers?: Time Magazine
• Newspaper sites receive record number of unique site hits: WebPro News
• Dave Eggers gets 2 LA Times Book Awards: Kevin Roderick, LA Observed
• A take on the attack on the transgendered CSULB student: Gustavo Arellano, OC Weekly
• Hindsight: In '94, Newspapers downplayed the internet: Reflections of a Newsosaur
  

Besides War: Logan Lynch Teaches A Photography Class In Afghanistan

Assignment: Take a photo of an animal and play with camera angles. Photo taken by Samir

"Last year, Logan Lynch, an eighteen year old high school graduate, met up with Amy Sun, one of the lead coordinators along with Keith Berkoben of FabLab Afghanistan. The two hit it off --meaning Logan was adept at rising to all of their directions. Logan was rewarded with being asked to work with Fab Lab. His latest challenge involved creating a photography class for the young men and women who take classes at the Jalalabad Fab Lab computer center."

Read The Rest At The Kitchen Dispatch

Also on the war:

• Iraqi boy receives medical aid in Michigan, The Burn Pit
• Navy Doc implements new sleep course in Iraq Leatherneck
• Near Kabul, two US troops killed The Los Angeles Times
• Something more sinister at work in the collateral murder cases? Our Army Life
• "Eight of the ten district governors are illiterate." Ann Marlowe, Peace Later!
  

Photo by Samsoor

Thought For Today 4-23-2010

Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much a heart can hold.

Zelda Fitzgerald

First ever bi-partisan Gubernatorial debate in California

At the state Democratic Party Convention, Jerry Brown challenged Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner to the first ever bi-partisan gubernatorial debate in California. Steve accepted. Meg said maybe, and then said no. Please forward this message to your family, friends and colleagues and encourage them to join you in demanding that Meg join the debate.

Sign the petition here

Regards

Steve Glazer
Campaign Manager
Brown for Governor 2010

U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE BRIAN QUINTANA SPEAKS OUT ON SUPREME COURT

United States Senate Candidate Brian Quintana (D.CA) urges President Barack Obama to nominate Governor Jennifer Granholm to the United States Supreme Court. Governor Granholm is currently serving her second term as Governor of Michigan. She previously served as her State's Attorney General and Assistant United States Attorney.


"California Governor Earl Warren was one of our High Court’s giants. Governor Granholm would bring the same leadership, real life experience, and empathy that would breathe life into a Court with eight former federal appellate court judges. Varying our Court is not a choice, but a duty." wrote Quintana. "Your political base, and mine, is tired of politics as usual. We deserve a dynamic and unconventional choice like Governor Granholm."

President Obama met with Senate leaders from both parties on Wednesday and called nine other senators from the Judiciary Committee to discuss a replacement for the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. Obama hopes to make a selection within the next two weeks. White House Chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel predicts a big confirmation battle regardless of who the eventual nominee is.

President Bill Clinton and other national leaders have already spoken out on this issue. Quintana is no stranger to Supreme Court politics. Last year he advocated for California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno or Justice Sonia Sotomayor to be our High Court's first Latino Justice.

LA Times Festival of Books 2010

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books wants to know: What are you reading? This is the 30 second commercial created by Andrew J Wahlquist for the Festival of Books this year-- this weekend April 24-25 at UCLA, admission is free! (parking is not) David Shannon will be autographing books and posters.

Festival of Books Press Pass Needed

It’s hard to believe but another Los Angeles Times
Festival of Books event is about to begin this Saturday
and Sunday at UCLA. With the weatherman predicting excellent weather over the weekend this will be another grand event hosted by my employer.

As a regular attendee and volunteer for many years I may or may not be able to attend as I work on Saturday and may aid my daughter Lauren, as she has bought her first home, move on Sunday.

My good friend Kanani Fong is seeking out a press pass for the weekend event, if you can help her with a press pass I would be forever thankful to you.

Please contact Kanani or myself if you can fill her need.

Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere

From the left, Bill Conover, Terry Domingo, Edward, and Don Reese

at memorial for fallen Los Angeles Times pressman Larry Coles

• Airing the newz - Gary Scott
• Privacy, publicness & penises - Jeff Jarvis
• LA Times Is Having Kittens! - Pandora Young
• Los Angeles Times Festival of Books - LA Times
• A year after my Chicago Tribune layoff - Wallet Pop
• Journalism Shop seeks reporters - Journalism Shop
• SF Chronicle Awarded Best in the State - Tina Dupuy
• On Newsday's Sports Page, It's All Good - NY Observer
• Media spend down but consumption is up - Marketing Week
• Birmingham News Holds Column About Effect of Buyouts - Poynter

Thought For Today 4-22-2010

Learning without reflection is a waste, reflection without learning is dangerous.

Confucius

From Special Forces Weapons Expert to Military Media Expert

My friend Uncle Jimbo aka Jim Hanson needs your FASHION help. Only the brave will venture Into The Crosshairs. (Put coffee down before watching this!).



also, here's the case to build a better flip flop!

She's Notre Dame's 1st Black Valedictorian

This should have been Plastered all over the evening news and yet it was not!

(WBBM) -- History is being made at the University of Notre Dame this spring.

In the 161 years the University of Notre Dame has been awarding degrees, never had there been an African-American as valedictorian. Until this year.

She’s Katie Washington of Gary , Indiana . She carries a 4.0 GPA majoring in biology and minoring in Catholic social teaching.

According to the Northwest Indiana Times, Washington plans to continue her studies at Johns Hopkins University and follow in her father’s footsteps into medicine.

Washington says she’s humbled by the honor of being named valedictorian.

More information from Notre Dame University :

Katie Washington, a biological sciences major from Gary , Ind. , has been named valedictorian of the 2010 University of Notre Dame graduating class and will present the valedictory address during Commencement exercises May 16 (Sunday) in Notre Dame stadium.

Washington, who earned a 4.0 grade point average, has a minor in Catholic Social Teaching. She has conducted research on lung cancer at the Cold Spring Harbor labs and performed genetic studies in the University’s Eck Institute for Global Health on the mosquito that carries dengue and yellow fever. She is the co-author of a research paper with David Severson, professor of biological sciences.

Washington directs the Voices of Faith Gospel Choir at Notre Dame, is a mentor/tutor for the Sister-to-Sister program at South Bend’s Washington High School and serves as the student coordinator of the Center for Social Concerns’ “Lives in the Balance: Youth Violence and Society Seminar.”

Upon graduation, Washington plans to pursue a joint M.D./Ph.D program at Johns Hopkins University .

Thought For Today 4-21-2010

True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thought For Today 4-20-2010

The habit of giving only enhances the desire to give.

Walt Whitman

Tribune Company Confirmation Hearing Date Set

From: Tribune Communications
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2010 2:19 PM
Subject: Message from Randy and Gerry/Confirmation Hearing Date Set


Today the judge overseeing our Chapter 11 filing set the week of August 16th as the date of the confirmation hearing on Tribune’s plan of reorganization. As you know, we submitted the plan last week, so this is another positive step forward in our effort to emerge from bankruptcy before the end of the year.

In another development today, all the parties involved in our case agreed to the appointment of a special examiner who will look into the details of our 2007 going private transaction. The court set July 12th as the date for the examiner to submit his report. The judge said he did not want the timing of the report to delay the confirmation hearing.

We’ll continue keeping you updated as the Chapter 11 process moves forward.

Randy and Gerry

Among Ourselves; Los Angeles Times Employees Newsletter

Many Los Angeles Times employees enjoyed the company newsletter titled "Among Ourselves" that was shuttered in the Summer of 2006 as a cost cutting measure by the Tribune Company. Below are the issues that have been archived for your enjoyment by the Los Angeles Times.

2006

Summer, 2006
March, 2006
January 17, 2006


2005

December 13, 2005
November 22, 2005
October 11, 2005
September 13, 2005
August 23, 2005
June 27, 2005
May 17, 2005
April 12, 2005
March 15, 2005
February 15, 2005
January 18, 2005

2004

December 14, 2004
November 16, 2004
October 12, 2004
September 14, 2004
August 17, 2004
July 20, 2004
June 15, 2004
June 1, 2004
May 4, 2004
April 20, 2004
April 6, 2004
March 23, 2004
March 9, 2004
February 24, 2004
February 10, 2004
January 27, 2004
January 13, 2004

Volcano eruption in Iceland

The 2nd Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption in south Iceland for 2010. It started on 14.04.2010. GPS coordinates of the eruption: 63.629° N, 19.630° W. Video by Icelandic National TV station RÚV. Music by Ceiri Torjussen; River. Date: 14.04.2010. Jökulhlaup (or glacier burst) is a glacial outburst flood. More videos will follow.

Seeking Information on Pressman Ralph Neutzenholze

Dear Readers, the following email arrived this morning and hopefully someone can assist in locating information about this former pressman? Thank you.



Dear Mr. Padgett

I am researching my family genealogy and trying to locate some information on Ralph Neutzenholze who died in 1960. All I know about Ralph is that he was a Pressman for some paper in the Los Angeles area. Which paper is unknown. He lived in zip code 90022 as last residence which I think is in East Los Angeles area. The only clue that have about Ralph being a pressman is from the California Voters Registration which was for the 1928 era. I am grasping at straws now, trying to find Ralph's information and obit if possible. Ralph was married first to Nelle, then to Betty Percival. I would think that the newspaper that he worked for would have written something about his death but I don't have a clue which newspaper he worked for.

I am writing you in hopes that you might have an old Roster showing former Pressmen for various newspapers around the LA area....OR ...maybe there is a Pressman's Union that might Ralph may have belonged to that may have information on Ralph. I have tried everything and can't find anything on Ralph other than he died in zip code 90022 in 1960.

I am hoping that you might be able to suggest someone to contact or may have access to old records of Pressmen that worked for papers around the Los Angeles area. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I live in Burbs of Atlanta so I must research through the internet. Thanks so much.....please contact me at trendsa@peoplepc.com. Trendsa

Save Our Trade: Terminations and Recalls

By Ronnie Pineda

The Union was notified on April 13, 2010 that letters were mailed to employees notifying them of changes to their employment status. James Abel, Jimmy Coates, Richard Gonzales and Roger Dolan were informed that they were causing a hardship on the company due to their absence and that they needed to be replaced. (What about the hardships this company is going to cause these men and their families?)

The company informs them that when they are fit for duty , they will be placed in a company job search which is a farce simply because not a single person placed in this program ever get a job elsewhere and all are terminated when the month expires. This is how they avoid being sued for firing people while they are disabled! You do not get paid while in this smoke screen job search either.

Recently laid off employees Paula Henley, Jack Strickler, Leona Autor and Wayne Padleford received letters informing them of their recall to work. Keith Hutchins and Albaro Albanes received "conditional" recall letters in the event that any of the four recalled cannot comply with their recall notice at this time.

Obviously we are having our Attorney review the situation to insure that none of our members rights are being violated and that no laws are being broken by the company's actions.

Congratulations to those returning to work. I only wish you were returning to an environment that welcomed you back for your talent and not only because they are kicking others out the back door while you enter the front.

STAND UP!

Save Our Trade: Terminations and Recalls

Monday Morning in the Blogosphere

Los Angeles Times Pressmen 1930

From the collection of Frank O. H. White, son of Frank J. White whom was a pressman at the Los Angeles Times from 1924 to 1964.

• How ash kills airmail - Jeff Jarvis
• The newspaper death tax - Gary Scott
• Auction will set value of papers - Philly
• Terminations and Recalls - Ronnie Pineda
• Star Tribune boosts employee comp - MinnPost
• 8.0 Earthquake Simulated for LAFD Training - LAist
• Black Journalists Hardest Hit by Newsroom Cuts - Fishbowl
• Times sports deadlines miss another game - Kevin Roderick
• 10 Steps to Cope with Technology Fatique - Electronic Village
• Times Union Charged with Breaking the Law - Newspaper Guild
• Bloggers run intervention on Milblogger Michael Yon -The Kitchen Dispatch
  

Thought For Today 4-19-2010

From error to error one discovers the entire truth.

Sigmund Freud

Thought For Today 4-18-2010

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence.
Jeremiah 17:7

Thought For Today 4-17-2010

You don't have to know how to sing, it's feeling as though you want to that makes the day happy and successful.

Monica Crane

Carmel Pt. 1: The Chair, and a famous caboose

"Anyway, we walked into the bar and I took a seat at a table and was admiring the view of the pastures and the Carmel river beyond it. I noticed everyone staring at me, and I assumed that I must look a mess."

Read the rest at:
Get Lost With Easy-Writer

Drag racing's 1st live TV show Lions Drag Strip KTTV

On September 16, 1961, history was made at Lions Drag Strip (Wilmington/Long Beach, CA), when local Los Angeles television station KTTV (Channel 11) aired the first-ever "live" drag racing TV program. Hosted by Bill Welch, plus the legendary track's first manager and iconic hot rodder, Mickey Thompson. Clip is from Part 1 of the three-disk DVD trilogy "Lions - The Greatest Drag Strip", by Don Gillespie. Early day film clips include Tom McEwen, Dode Martin, Zane Shubert, Bob Muravez and Gary Cagle. TV show was the result of manager Thompson's second job, as a pressman for the Los Angeles Times, and friendship with its owners, the Chandler Family, whom also owned KTTV. Each "Lions - The Greatest Drag Strip" DVD is nearly two hours in length, and chronicles the track's incredible history from its opening in October 1955 thru "The Last Drag Race", held on December 2, 1972.

Thought For Today 4-16-2010

Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.

Margaret Cousins

Rosary and Mass for Larry Coles

Rosary will be held at Rose Hills Hillside Chapel at 7:00 p.m. Friday night.
Enter at gate 17

Mass at Saint Hilary’s Church
5465 Citronell Avenue
Pico Rivera, CA.
Saturday at 9:00 a.m.
562.942.7300

Thought For Today 4-15-2010

Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.

Charlotte Whitton

Larry Coles Rest in Peace

Larry Coles at the left with Don Reese

It’s with great sadness I report the loss of former Los Angeles Times Press Operator Larry Coles. Larry left the Los Angeles Times through one of the many buyouts we have experienced at the newspaper over the last eighteen years.

His colleagues in the pressroom gave Larry the nickname Stretch, as he towered over his fellow co-workers. From what information I have gathered Larry's family will hold a private service for his internment.

A good friend of Larry’s, Pressman Don Reese, will be hosting a memorial this Sunday at the Elk’s Lodge in Downey at 4:00 p.m., which he called a Pressman's Funeral.

His son Jim preceded Larry in death.

His daughter Peggy and three grandchildren survive Larry.

Elk’s Lodge
11233 Woodruff Avenue
Downey, CA 90241-5521
(562) 803-3557


DIRECTIONS

Tuesday On The Blogosphere

• Slain LAPD Officer killed in Afghanistan, awarded Purple Heart & Bronze Star in Somber Memorial.
• A Brief Conversation about war The Kitchen Dispatch
• Google's CEO Schmidt tells news papers he feels their pain. The Register
• Why newspapers shouldn't be scared of HuffPo: Why Ariana wants to be your best friend. The Atlantic
• Pulitzer Prizes Announced, LA Times left out. The Pulitzer Prizes
• Paper with only 7 reporters earns Pulitzer The News Tribune

Save Our Trade: Newsletter Launch with April Issue

With the launch of this Newsletter, members will have another form of receiving information. Members currently visit this and Ed Padgett's site for information as well as view posted information in the bulletin boards and receive recorded telemessaging information from Executive Vice President Keith Denson.

The newsletter will be produced once a month. All other Local Union matters will be provided to the members as events occur through the regular methods described above. Questions and suggestions for the newsletter can be sent to admin@saveourtrade.com



Save Our Trade: Newsletter Launch with April Issue

Thought For Today 4-13-2010

You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims.

Harriet Woods

Tribune Company Press Release

Tribune Announces Settlement Among Major Creditors

CHICAGO, April 8, 2010—Tribune Company today announced an agreement supported by major creditors J.P. Morgan and Angelo Gordon, lenders under the company’s prepetition senior credit facility, and Centerbridge Partners, holder of approximately 37 percent of the company’s outstanding prepetition senior notes, proposing to settle all potential claims arising from the company’s going-private transactions in 2007.

The terms of the agreement, which also has the support of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, will be incorporated into a plan of reorganization for Tribune and its debtor affiliates, to be filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. “The company supports the resolution of our bankruptcy through a plan of reorganization that implements the terms of this agreement. The plan will allow us to resolve these cases without the distraction, expense and delay of protracted litigation, and is in the best interests of Tribune and all of our constituents,” said Don Liebentritt, Tribune’s Chief Legal Officer.

“We’re very pleased that an agreement has been reached, and we appreciate the support we’ve received from J.P. Morgan, Angelo Gordon, Centerbridge and the Committee,” said Randy Michaels, Tribune’s Chief Executive Officer. “This will enable us to file our plan prior to next Tuesday’s court hearing. It is another significant step forward as we continue to transform our media businesses, attract and retain talented people, and seize opportunities to grow.”

Under the plan, the holders of the senior notes would receive 7.4 percent of the company’s distributable value, which would be paid in a combination of cash, debt and stock. The company’s senior credit facility lenders would receive cash and debt, and stock representing in excess of 91 percent of the equity of the reorganized company. Under the plan, the company would emerge from bankruptcy, significantly deleveraged, with its business units intact and with adequate liquidity for operating and capital needs. Once filed, the plan will be subject to a creditor vote and approval by the Court.

Material terms of the agreement have been filed with the Bankruptcy Court.



Tribune and most of its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in December 2008, and have continued operating their newspapers, broadcasting assets and interactive properties without interruption since that time. The plan is expected to enable the company to emerge from bankruptcy later this year.

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TRIBUNE is an industry-leading multimedia company, operating businesses in publishing, interactive and broadcasting. In publishing, Tribune’s leading daily newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, Sun Sentinel (South Florida), Orlando Sentinel, Hartford Courant, Morning Call and Daily Press. The company’s broadcasting group operates 23 television stations, WGN America on national cable and Chicago’s WGN-AM. Popular news and information websites complement Tribune’s print and broadcast properties and extend the company’s nationwide audience. At Tribune we take what we do seriously and with a great deal of pride. We also value the creative spirit and nurture a corporate culture that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Gary Weitman
SVP/Corporate Relations
312/222-3394 (office)
gweitman@tribune.com