Não é nada surpreendente. Há muito que se ouve que o jornalismo cultural está a desaparecer... (as secções literárias são das primeiras a ir para a guilhotina) Nos jornais portugueses, os livros estão reservados aos suplementos. Durante a semana, não existem críticas para ninguém. Não sei para onde caminhamos... Muito provavelmente, os suplementos culturais dos jornais vão passar a ser vendidos separadamente. Não sei. Mas tenho medo.

You like to see the poor get a fair shake at the American Dream. And you are probably a good Samaritan too!

Funny thing is though, the Democratic Party no longer appears to have that value system at its heart. We first saw this when members of the Democratic Party, just decided on a leader! And the bitchiest, fattest, piggiest, greasiest, nastiest bad ass non-Good Samaritan spoke. Now she's worried about pumapeople. She should be. Because we have her number. I've forgotten now where I saw the video of her. It may have been at RD's place the Confluence, or No Quarter. But when I saw it? Revulsion. She said something like, "I don't care, I'm rich!"

Well, that attitude seems to fit with a lot of the Bling Crowd, doesn't it? It's not a PUMAVALUE! Because we believed in a post Martin Luther King world that fair was fair. Now though, we are seeing the bitchy, entitled underbelly of the Democratic Party's women. The Los Angeles Times has a great (finally) human interest story today as the lede. It's about being a Good Samaritan. This has generally been the white attitude of piety, morality and charity towards those less fortunate.

It's not the New Democratic Party's attitude, though.

Yesterday, now that there are all sorts of articles hooked to my blog, there was one talking about strategy to win the PUMAvote, as if this person knew! What an idiot! He had no concept of how being a GOOD SAMARITAN fits in. My family taught me this value system as a child. Once my mother made me give my favorite doll to a little girl who had nothing. Believe me, I was mad, and sad, at having to do that. But, it did set me up to be a GOOD SAMARITAN in this lifetime. So, believe me, I know how to recognize a non-Samaritan when I see one.

Here is a kindly story, and a refreshing read! (before we get to the bad stuff!) Click that headline and go!

"San Diego Highwayman gets mileage out of his altruism"

See, this is the kind of story that PUMApeople everywhere love!

Because, it's a good Samaritan story! Also, it's a story about how most native Californians feel about things!

Now here is a story about a Despot. A Despot is exactly the opposite of a Good Samaritan. This one is off the Guardian out of England. It's scary, because, this is the attitude of that blingbitch and what she had to say to PUMAS... Wait till you read about what this guy has done...! Funny but, this new guy? This anti-pumapeople dude? Maybe he is a lord o'bling, no? He sure wasn't a good Samaritan in Chicago. In fact he seems a lot like the guy in this story to those with PUMAstreetsmarts! It's cause of the way the women are! They, are for themselves only. We've seen that for months.

Given the really bad news about the American Economy, this next article is REALLY interesting. Actually, SCARY when you start thinking about all the little miss bling things and their non-good-samaritanism...take a look at what is happening for that couple in the story above...

Their world view is non-PUMA! And only pro-them! Sound familiar?

Look what that cool guy Marc Ambinder found out! (Oh BROTHER!) Look! Dems 0'Despotville...

An Ad In Oregon Is A Little Oily

See, McCain VOTED AGAINST IT! What do you know! This is another California good-guy named MYIQ2XU!

He's probably a Good Samaritan too! And he has a VERY BIG IQ! Both he and I, PUMAS from California see right through all this BS coming from the blingmonsters...and we are both going McCAIN for those very reasons, this election. Now that we can't have Hillary Clinton, unless the DNC changes its mind...

He has a great piece up called:

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Here are some excerpts!

"...For many years now I have faithfully cast my vote for whatever Democrat was on the ballot, often without making any inquiry other than party affiliation. But the reality is that for most of those years I simply gave my vote away, because I got nothing in return, for myself or for other coalition members. (The exception was the eight years of the Clinton administration.)

All those years I took pride in my party loyalty and now I realize I was just a fool, because I was telling the Democratic party and candidates they could take me for granted and ignore my wants and needs. The could pursue their own agendas without interference from me, because no matter what they did (or failed to do) they could count on my vote...

Never again should we profess loyalty to any political party or candidate. Our only loyalty should be to ourselves, to each other, and to our principles. But we should demand loyalty from politicians and parties, and we should expect them to prove it, over and over. We should not give politicians or parties the benefit of the doubt on the votes they make or the people they associate with and accept money and gifts from...

...Our country is currently in a situation that historians refer to in technical terms as “deep shit.” The economy, the environment, and the war in Iraq are each a major crisis, and yet they are only part of problem the next President will face. The solutions won’t be easy or quick...

But before we can deal with the problems facing this country we need to put our own house in order. That means we need to either clean-out the corruption in the Democratic party or we need to build a viable third party. Reforming the Democratic party would be easier and quicker, because rank-and-file Democrats are not corrupt, but in order to do that we must first discredit and disempower Obama and his supporters in the party leadership. Losing the election would be a repudiation of his campaign tactics as well as his supporters behavior, but would not harm the party nearly as much as a failed presidency would.

So let us put our votes up for sale. The minimum bid is a qualified nominee for President. Bidding will remain open until November 4, 2008..."

You know why PUMAS will go to McCain? He's a Good Samartian!

You think we'll support your "little miss thing blingfest" when our country is in so much trouble?

Don't bet on it.

I want a President who is going to say "COUNTRY FIRST" right now. We have no plans to elect a Despot, and you can put your fat, bloated, non-Democratic greasy, non-good samaritan selves right out of Washington for the next four years as far as a lot of us are concerned. We are going to pull the MIGHTY POWERFUL LEVER the tail end Baby Boom HAS and tell you to f*ck off! For being NON-DEMOCRATS!

See who looks like a LEADER TO ME! He puts AMERICA FIRST! (Good thing!)

"REFORM, PROSPERITY, PEACE!"

The Los Angeles Times will announce long-rumored changes to its book review coverage next weekend, a spokeswoman for the paper said on Tuesday. According to a report in Publishers Weekly, next Sunday will be the last time the paper runs a stand-alone book review section.

As a native-born Angeleno, I've seen the L.A. Times at its best, and lately at its worst. I remember my dad always read Jack Smith's column, just as I never miss Steve Lopez's. But I'm watching it slowly decline into a mere shadow of its former self.  They've killed the Religion section, the county-specific sections, and fired reporters.  They tried to get rid of Al Martinez, who's kind of an institution at the Times. They've made the Sunday magazine monthly, and toyed with the idea of turning it over to the advertising staff. They've taken what was once a quality newspaper and emasculated it, and one wonders where the end is or what form it will take.

My wife and I subscribe, and at $44.40 every two months, it used to be a bargain. We'd probably pay twice that for a better newspaper. But with every cut they make, that $44.40 begins to look like less of a deal.  Little by little, my favorite sections are being killed off, and I'm not so sure anymore why I'm subscribing.  It would be more understandable if it was losing money, but it's not--it's just not profitable enough to suit the suits at the Tribune Co.

I tried the Kindle edition briefly, but it was so shoddily put together that I canceled my trial subscription.  I get the New York Times every morning, and the difference in quality--both of the reporting and editing--is noticeable.  Electronic distribution is the future of the newspaper industry; you'd think the L.A. Times would take it more seriously.  But, apparently, they haven't figured that out  yet.

Two death-defying transit stunts: biking on freeways and walking across the street

Road Sage looks at pedestrian death rates and talks to cyclists from the group Crimanimalz.

Steve Hymon, Road Sage
July 22, 2008
Federal officials recently issued a report on pedestrian deaths across the United States between 1997 and 2006.

Here's a sampling of what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found:

* Pedestrians had only a slightly higher chance of dying in a car crash than people in a vehicle had. For every 100 million miles that people walked, 1.42 pedestrians were killed, whereas for every 100 million miles that people drove, 1.3 vehicle occupants were killed.

* Male pedestrians are more likely to be killed than female pedestrians.

* Twenty percent of pedestrian deaths were the result of hit-and-run crashes.

* About one-third of the pedestrians killed were legally drunk.

* The highest percentage of pedestrian fatalities occurred between 6 and 9 p.m., followed by 9 p.m. to midnight, according to the report. Also, autumn months had the highest number of deaths.

* Generally speaking, both the rate and total number of pedestrian deaths have been dropping over the last decade.

* New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the country's most populous cities, led the nation in pedestrian deaths. One surprise was Phoenix, which had the fourth-most pedestrian deaths even though fewer people lived there than in Houston, which had the fifth-most deaths.

I was in Phoenix and the surrounding suburbs earlier this year for a story on speed enforcement cameras, and officials said that running red lights has been a problem in the area because of the desert city's long, flat and wide roads.

Bikes in the fast lane

I had the chance to sit down last week with three members of the Crimanimalz, a group of cyclists who went for a pair of highly illegal rides last spring that included short stretches on the Santa Monica and 405 freeways. During rush hour. Weaving in and out of traffic. In June, another group of cyclists rode the 101 Freeway.

Videos of their misadventures also got good rides on the Internet.

Here are a few highlights of the interview with Alex Cantarero, 28, of Santa Monica; Paul Bringetto, 36, of Santa Monica; and a third rider who would identify himself only as Rich, 23, of Lincoln Heights in Los Angeles:

The goal of the rides, they said, is not to break the law for the sake of breaking the law but to raise awareness of cycling issues.

"We're not against cars, and we're not trying to kill car culture," Rich said. "But if you get some cars off the road" by getting more people on bikes, "there will be more room" for the people who drive.

Another goal is to get more bike lanes, more traffic signals that detect bikes and more designated bike routes that actually have room for both traffic and bikes.

Cantarero said he wanted to see bike lanes built along freeway routes that are separated from traffic (for example, on the embankment above the roadway) and would allow cyclists to get a head of speed and keep it without the starting and stopping that goes with riding in traffic.

I asked about the safety and legal aspects of the freeway rides. It is illegal to ride a bike on most urban freeways in California, and it's not hard to imagine an unsuspecting motorist hitting a cyclist. That's a bad outcome for everyone.

Rich said that if someone got hurt, the rides would end. But the cyclists did not say they would stop before that happened. In fact, they suggested that riding on the freeway in slow rush-hour traffic was safer than the conditions they experienced on streets in the area.

They said that they were comfortable with any legal consequences they might suffer to advance their cause -- in other words, they're comfortable with getting more tickets or being hauled into court.

"If there are a few more fallen soldiers that fall voluntarily, I'm not that concerned," Cantarero said.

They complained that police didn't do enough to protect cyclists -- and pointed to the recent incident in Mandeville Canyon. A motorist has been charged with deliberately slamming on his brakes to cause a bike accident.

All three cyclists said that no matter how carefully they rode, they had frequent close calls with motorists. In some cases, they said, motorists seemed intent on trying to intimidate them, a scary prospect they likened to having someone try to kill you.

These items and other transportation news can be found at The Times' Bottleneck Blog.

steve.hymon@latimes.com

Another part of the article that drew my attention was McMurtry's act of discovery in writing the characters he sings. The act of discovery, to me, is one of the reasons story-telling is still around. Not only does the listener/reader learn about the characters (and hopefully themselves) from the story, but the story-teller learns to find something like meaning in the randomness around us. It is the purest part of story-telling, the truth at the core of all art. So why, if discovery helps all involved and characters are such a staple of our perception of the world, don't we typically hear more music with a focus on the characters involved? Is it the massive amounts of vague nonsense being spewed through our radios? Is it a lack of attention spans long enough to allow for full character development? Whatever the reasoning is, I think we, especially in the art world, need to start working against this overflow of vague ideas and start working toward something definable, something tangible. I'm tired of songs that rely on music videos to provide meaning for abstract lyrics. If your song is about love, show me the lovers, why they argue, what they do when no one is around! I want you to tell me about myself through other people, not draw indiscernible figures in the air that melt as soon as the music fades! Specifics are the key to good art -- we cannot connect to someone who is "Everyman" (thus, the reason why the Everyman plays died hundreds of years ago). So why are we still inundated with music that has the "I and you" format -- this vague set of undefined people who apparently interact in everything from love-making to break-ups to drug trips? Why are we surrounded by art that doesn't do the work, in fact depends on the listener to do the work for the artist? The intent of all art is to make the viewer/listener think (thereby working), but when I have to fill in the blank you didn't even consider? No way. And pop artists wonder why people refuse to pay for a CD of tracks that mean nothing more than "I have a FABULOUS publicist."

That James McMurtry, though? Expect to see that disc in my collection. Any artist who still does his share of the work is worth paying for in my book.

So the news that Sam Zell, the former real estate magnate who Peter Principled himself into a media mogul, is going to eliminate the Los Angeles Times Book Review as a stand-alone section and just stick some book reviews in back of one of the sections is hardly surprising.  

I was tempted to lead off with a variation on the old ethnic joke: "How do you set Sam Zell up with a small newspaper company? Let him buy a big newspaper company, and then wait." But Zell's no more or less stupid than any of the village idiots who've been running the newspaper business into the ground since the 1970s. The Record, formerly one of New Jersey's best newspapers, just decided to vacate its old office building and force most of its reporting staff to work from their cars as "mojos," which is dumbass management happy talk for "mobile journalists." By that standard, Sam Zell is Charles Foster Kane, for the time being. 

With the exception of warhorses like the New York Times, newspapers are no longer a mass medium. They're a boutique medium -- one that rises and falls on the interest of people who like to read. Seems to me that an industry dependent on readers would want to cultivate people who buy lots of books -- it's that whole reading thing, you know? People who read a lot also tend to be people who value staying informed on current events. It seems like a no-brainer, but unfortunately, "no brainer" is a pretty good working description of the average newspaper executive.

So, away with the L.A. Times Book Review. It's just a bunch of words, and what does a newspaper care about such things?

When historians get around to 2008, it’s likely they will say it was the year the Los Angeles Times died. No, I don’t think the paper will fold between now and December. But I do fear the paper will be so diminished, so crippled, that the chance of saving it will have slipped away.

I agree that indiscriminately slashing the LATimes's staff and budget will, inevitably, degrade its quality. (Though given its traditional bureaucratic loginess, cutting and reorganization are not automatically bad things.)

But like most papers, the LAT is more than a bunch of journalists and a building, it's an institution and a brand. Those will endure in some form or another. Once Sam Zell has wrung all he can out of them, his successors will want to do something with what's left. Los Angeles is a large metro area. It has a big industry and a vibrant cultural life for a news organization to tap into. The LAT won't die - and it will be back in a new form, perhaps a better one. It just won't be the 1990s-era Times. That is, indeed, dying.

Según el Los Angeles Times, muchos ministros de la United Methodist Church en California, han decidido oficiar ceremonias de personas del mismo sexo, desafiando la doctrina Metodista. El Times agrega que 82 ministros retirados han firmado una resolución en el mes de Junio, ofreciendo oficiar las ceremonias en lugar de aquellos que sienten que no pueden hacerlo.

Hay un punto en el artículo del Times que merece atención, y es que no se menciona la Biblia como autoridad. Noten como el Times dice según mi traducción: “en el corazón de la disputa está el Libro de la Disciplina que lo declara como incompatible con las enseñanzas Cristianas.”  No dice que la Biblia lo prohíbe, o que no es compatible con las enseñanzas de la Biblia, sino del Libro de Disciplina.  El Times sigue con las palabras del Rev. Gollery, que según mi traducción dice: “Estoy cansado de ser parte de una iglesia que le falta integridad”, y también: “no puedo ser parte de una iglesia que describe a un Dios que es tan odioso.”

Como ya dije aquí, en el momento que ponemos los sentimientos, las experiencias, la opinión pública, o cualquier otra cosa sobre la Palabra de Dios, lo perdemos todo. Sin la autoridad de la Palabra de Dios, todo se derrumba.

Que Dios les bendiga.

Let’s go back to those Letters to the Editor we were discussing yesterday, now that the Times finally has them online. (You may have to search for the letters the paper printed on Saturday.)

The first printed letter, signed by Cecelia Grace of Los Angeles, ends with this: Motorists will respect cyclists when cyclists respect the rules of the road.

In other words, drivers don’t need to drive safely around us, because we just don’t deserve it. It’s our fault that, because of our bad behavior, they get mad and run us off the road. Isn’t that the same excuse every spouse batterer used? It’s not my fault, because you made me do it.

Or from the second letter they published on Saturday, from Lillie Reines of L.A., referring to those bad, bad people who ride for recreation: They are the ones who come steaming down the curves and cut off cars pulling out of driveways. They are the ones who encourage road rage.

Yes, she actually wrote that we encourage road rage. And the Times, for reasons that will forever escape me, actually printed it.

So let’s just make this as clear as humanly possible:

No one encourages a road rage incident, any more than they encourage a drive-by shooting.

Yes, there are rude cyclists, as well as riders who seem to feel the law does not apply to them, just as there are drivers — and pedestrians, for that matter — who demonstrate the same dangerous traits.

But no one deserves to be the victim of violence. Not drivers. Not pedestrians. And certainly not cyclists, no matter how egregiously rude or law-flaunting they may or may not be.

The simple fact is, a motor vehicle is not a weapon, nor is it an instrument of justice. It is not a tool of divine retribution or an outlet for even the most righteous anger. It is, simply, a car. A means of transportation. A way of getting from here to there.

And we are not your victims.

Cyclists may or may not deserve your respect, but you are required to give it, nonetheless. That is the agreement you make when you accept a drivers license. We are legally entitled to use the roadway, and you are legally required to let us do so, no more or less than you would any other vehicle.

And there is nothing we can do on or from the seat of a bicycle that would justify anyone using a vehicle as a weapon against any one of us, or any other human being. Nothing we may do gives you the right to kill, maim, injure or threaten us in any way.

Nothing.

So if a cyclist impedes your progress or breaks the law, call the police. It’s their job, let them deal with it.

If a rider is rude or insulting in any way, feel free to be rude in return. Give him the finger. Yell something. Or better yet, be the better man — or woman — and turn the other cheek. Just grit your teeth, go around him and get on with your life. You can tell your friends all about it later, as they nod in agreement and chime in with their own stories about all those rude and aggressive cyclists.

And we can go home to our wives, husbands, children, dogs, cats and/or goldfish.

Because, like it or not, we have a right to ride.

We have a right to the road.

We have a right to live.

And we’re not going anywhere.

According to yesterday’s article in the Times, anecdotal evidence suggests that more people are taking up cycling (sorry, drivers), and we need to find a way to live together. If you don’t like sharing the streets with us, it could be worse — according to the Bottleneck Blog’s Steve Hymon, we could be passing you the next time you’re stuck in gridlock on the 405. And LAist points out that those on two feet can be just as annoying as those of us on two wheels.

For instance, since we are in an ERA WHEN THE AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IS DYING A SLOW DEATH, and since John McCain knows one hell of a lot more about war than the competition does, I find it funny that the NYT would pull a stunt like this.  CNN has the story up right now.  And the Op-Ed. So you can read it!

Frankly, I think the NYT ought to get in gear and write a piece about Liberation Theology as it looks circa 2008.  This is an 1992 Op-Ed from their own library archives, no?  This website that has the Op-Ed raises a lot of very interesting, crucial topics.  What other stories do you plan to suppress, NYT?  You and the Los Angeles Times are considered tops, aren't you?  Or are we really going to have to look to The Guardian for our news from now on?

Funny, I wonder if Zell knows any of those Chicago boys the DNC does?  That'd be an interesting story now wouldn't it?

-30-

See my post on UEPI News & Commentary.

LA Times Your Scene Photo Contest 

Magazine markets - Each year, the staff at the Chicago Tribune compiles a list of their top 50 favorite consumer magazines. The 2008 compilation, printed in its entirety here, is an eclectic list that includes elder statesmen of the magazine business like The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated and Gourmet, as well as newer, and in some cases more obscure, publications such as Cookie, Modern Drunkard and The Believer. The list should make interesting reading for any freelance writer looking to expand the universe of magazine markets they normally pitch.

Newspaper analysts dwindle - Another fallout of declining newspaper company stocks - the number of analysts covering the publishing business. According to this Associated Press story, "Two years ago, investors could get research from more than a dozen analysts. Now, they are lucky to find half that number." Could the time be right for former newspaper business reporters or editors to step in? According to the AP story, some already have, including Alan D. Mutter, a one-time newspaper editor turned Silicon Valley new media executive who blogs at Reflections of a Newsosaur.

***

Bella Stander from Reading Under the Covers posts about book trailers.  It's an informative and comprehensive post that includes links to book trailers and Bella's take on the advantages and disadvantages of creating them.  Some authors comment about their book trailers here.

***

I'm a big fan of email, but sometimes the phone is the best way to go.  Tolly Moseley from Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists posts about how you can make phone pitches work for you.

***

Portfolio.com's Mixed Media blog reports that Fox News Channel's Brit Hume will step down after the November elections.

***

MediaPost talks about the dominance of Web 2.0 (texting, social media, blogging).  I have to say, I recently had an author on tour whose schedule changed pretty much every day, sometimes several times during the course of the day as I arranged / rearranged interviews.  So it proved pretty handy when I was able to text interview details to the Author / Producer / Media Escort at once rather than having to call numerous people with the information.

***

Not a good time for newspapers.  Massive newsroom layoffs / anticipated layoffs at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Baltimore Sun, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News, the Honolulu Advertiser, the Orlando Sentinel and the (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat.  And by now I think we've all heard that the last stand-alone book section of the Los Angeles Times will run next Sunday.  After that reviews will be folded into the Calendar section.

***

Unfortunately, folding book sections affect not only book editors and reporters on staff, but freelancers as well.  Ed Champion, whose well-known podcast The Bat Segundo Show attracted hundreds of authors over the years, may be forced to end the show (which he largely bankrolled himself) because so many of his freelance gigs have dried up.  There may be a Save Segundo Plan in the works, though, so make sure to check back on Ed's site for updates.

Anyways I like that the press is actually covering Lindsay now, and not the "she's on drugs" and other hysterical headlines,  their actually being ok, not good but ok in their reporting. But then since when was being gay bigger news than dating, I don't understand. Maybe that will help sell her new movie and cd? hopefully.

The result of his gaffe? Speculation about Tupac's secret compound in Cuba will continue to haunt fans, perhaps forever.

Meanwhile, reporting of the LA Times has become uncannily reminiscent of the kind of drama pieces one finds in BBC World reports about cities under siege.

McCain is stumping today in Kansas City, Missouri.

"This isn't about reaching out to allies or strengthening relationships, this is about advancing a political agenda," said the aide [...]

What about tens of thousands of Americans screaming for The One? This is what the Obama campaign plans to televise from Denver.

[...] "Construction is underway to convert the downtown Pepsi Center into the site of the Democratic National Convention," as quoted at DemConWatch in a blog burst titled Obama Stadium Appearance Changes DNC Operations

Planners recently announced that Sen. Barrack Obama will accept his party's nomination at Invesco Field on the convention's final night. Host Ryan Warner speaks with Travis Dredd, Director of Inside the Hall Operations for the Democratic National Convention Committee [...]

Earlier in the primary season Sen. Obama's captivating presence became a problem for The One. His followers would swoon, faint, or sometimes collapse, as reported here on breitbart.tv in a blog burst titled Fired Up and Falling Down: String of Crowd Fainting Incidents Hits Obama Rallies

[...] Los Angeles Times on one of the six recent fainting incidents: "Barack Obama's first and only rally on election day came to a sudden and lengthy stop when a young woman in the Dartmouth College gym fainted, and was eventually rolled off on a gurney by emergency medical technicians. At first Obama half-narrated the episode, saying soothing things like, 'She's OK,' 'She's talking.' But the longer she lay on the floor, the quieter Obama got, standing on the podium, arms folded, looking worried as the medical crew worked" [...]

The consequence? Sen. Obama began to favour intimate settings and retail politics with a few exceptions. One exception would be in Portland where the Obama campaign decided to flex its star power muscles after a string of primary defeats.

Some people follow crowds. Others run from them. Think about any great swell or movement of peoples that you have ever witnessed, e.g. Hands across America, The Million Man March. Question: Why are these events almost never repeated except in irony or caricature? Why did every Woodstock festival after the famous Woodstock festival seem like a caricature? Why was there never a another Watts Riot?

Consider any fad or movement of fashion and reflect on how suddenly it transitions to become its opposite: a show of bad taste or poor judgment.

Now, ask yourself: Does Sen. Obama really want to demonstrate his celebrity in a political contest?

Tagline for today: NO MESSIAHS

N.

I hate to be the messenger of bad news, but we all hear of General Motors, JCB, and even the Los Angeles Times cutting jobs because of the downturn in economy. No one is safe from being kicked out of their tenure.

A lot of people simply resort to work at home jobs where they create their own products or find their niche. It doesn't always work for the first time but many people with work at home jobs, if they pursue hard enough, actually succeed in their endeavor.

Probably the best example of this is the home-based customer service agent. Tons of retired people jump into this opportunity because it helps them keep busy while making some extra cash. Of course it does require training. And if you're up for the challenge of this type of work at home job, it might be right for you!

    Lobdell, interviewed today on National Public Radio, stated no news organization has yet devised a model to overcome the electronic revolution in distributing information.  Recently the Orange County Register has also undertaken significant restructuring in trying to cope with online news sources.

    Lobdell's announcement follows on the heels of the resignation of the publisher of the Times and a report of internal turmoil in an article in the New York Times. 

    Bill is well known by Times readers and stated he was publishing a couple books and would write a blog about Orange County.

Charles Joffe, que co-produziu vários filmes do cineasta americano Woody Allen, faleceu na semana passada [09.07.2008] aos 78 anos depois de uma longa doença, anunciou nesta terça-feira [15.07.2008] o "Los Angeles Times".

Joffe e seu sócio Jack Rollins apoiavam as carreiras de vários grandes nomes da comédia americana, como Robin Williams, Billy Crystal e Lenny Bruce. Sua agência nova-iorquina assinou contrato com Woody Allen quando ele era ainda um roteirista desconhecido.

Eles o incentivam a dirigir seus próprios textos e negociaram seu primeiro contrato de cinema para "O Que Que Há, Gatinha?", de 1965, escrita por Allen.

Em 1978, foi Joffe que subiu ao palco para receber o Oscar de Melhor Diretor que Woody Allen ganhou por "Noivo Neurótico, Noiva Nervosa", ante a ausência do cineasta.

Leia mais clicando aqui.

Veja a ficha do produtor Charles H. Joffe no IMDB clicando aqui.

AD: Muchas gracias, estoy aquí todas las semanas. Inviten a sus amigos.

Fuente: Comedian Andy Dick arrested on drug, sexual battery charges in Murrieta (LA Times)

Aside from a few odd situations, I like to think that I was more at risk of being in an auto accident driving through one of the city's infamous traffic circles (left) than being gunned down by drug lords. But that general sense of security may have been because I was being careful - or realistic -  about how I managed information.

The Los Angeles Times reported last week that 30 reporters (presumably most of them Mexican) have died or disappeared in Mexico since 2000, and notes that the job can be particularly risky for border reporters. The statistics come from  Reporters Without Borders.

"Journalists who want to report on crime are increasingly forced to weigh the risk of retribution by gangsters employing ever more gruesome methods," according to the article by Ken Ellingwood.

That goes for U.S. journalists as well, I believe. The difference is they get to operate under a different set of rules and have some additional institutional protections. They aren't usuallly competing against their Mexican counterparts who may feel pressured to divulge sensitive information to beat their competitors. U.S. media also tends to shy away from rumor-based reporting. My frustration was that often times I suspected the rumors were closer to the truth than any official version.

The Baltimore Sun will cut 100 jobs by August to reduce costs, the publisher told employees, reducing the workforce through voluntary buy-outs, layoffs, attrition, and closing job positions that have been left open.

In the fourth round of job cutbacks since 2005, the Chicago Tribune announced that 80 more positions will be cut from its newsroom staff by the end of August.

About 60 jobs and nearly 25 percent of its news pages will be cut by The Hartford Courant, the country's oldest continuously published newspaper, as the decline in advertising revenue continues to hit newspapers hard across America. The Courant reports that by July 31 the newsroom staff will be cut from 232 to about 175 people, the "deepest cuts in the news operation since the Internet began challenging newspapers for advertisers."

More than 300 workers will be cut from the payroll at The Palm Beach Post.

...the Los Angeles Times has announced that 250 more jobs will be cut including 150 in the print and online newsrooms. It's not known how many of those cuts will come from the photography staff.

Stay tuned for more.