Looking at the complete list of new mayor's transition team members - thanks to Kevin at LA Observed - none of the more vocal leaders of the Neighborhood Council movement are listed, to no one's great surprise. However, two of the listed members, Cecelia Moreno of Wilmington, and Dahila Sotelo of Eagle Rock are identified solely by their NC stakeholdership, though as they have a low profile outside of their own councils (at least within the citywide NC movement), I suspect they also have other stakeholderships that have additionally qualified them for their positions.
Besides them, however, at least one other member of the team who is not identified as NC board members is well known within the movement. Michael Delijani of my own council - the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council.
Not a bad start.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Mayor Villaraigosa and the Neighborhood Councils.
Mayor Villaraigosa and the Neighborhood Councils
It is no secret that the new mayor has not - at least until now - been a supporter of the neighborhood council movement. It is also not a secret that most of the leaders of the NC's who have worked on city wide issues supported either Hertzberg or Hahn. Nor is it a secret that many of those most dedicated to making the neighborhood council system work are hoping that new Mayor will be a failure and that some few are planning on being the not so loyal opposition.
I, however, fully disagree with that.
Anyone who has any interest in making this city work needs to support the new Mayor in any way we can. It is in our own self-interest to help him become the most successful mayor can be.
That is not to say that we will - or should - support him on issues where we disagree with him, but it does mean that we need to work with him to make his term in office a success. And when it comes time for us to disagree with him on an issue, it is up to us to try and find a middle ground, a compromise that both sides will be able to support.
And I am confident that once AV sees that the NC's will meet him more than half way, he will welcome us at city hall just as the Mayor Hahn did and that we will be able to continue to work together for the betterment of the city.
Has LA Times Sold Out To GM?
Personally, I don't have a clue. But someone thinks so....
http://takebackthetimes.blogspot.com/2005/05/its-high-time-that-dan-neil-started.html
http://takebackthetimes.blogspot.com/2005/05/its-high-time-that-dan-neil-started.html
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Great Story In Sunday Times Sports Section!
Those of you who do not read the LA Times sports section (or those far larger numbers who do not read the LA Times, period), will miss an excellent story this Sunday by Bill Plaschke. It tells the simple story of a small town little league umpire who after 34 years of service to the sport, discovers he is dying of four kinds of cancer, and the response to this by the community.
It is plainly and simply and elegantly written. And it breaks your heart and reinforces your belief in the goodness of people.
Read it.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-plaschke29may29,1,5032875.column?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports
Also in the paper that day is Steve Lopez's follow-up column on a mentally ill homeless man on skid row. It's not a bad column.
Again, it is not a bad column. But in a just world, a man like Bill Plaschke would write a LA Times column about the people of
Monday, May 23, 2005
Paul Ricoeur Dead.
The greatest philosopher of the 20th Century, if not any century, passed away on May 20th.
Despite his being French – and two words I normally never want to hear in a paragraph, much less a sentence are, philosopher and French - Paul Ricoeur had a better understanding of the human animal than anyone I have ever read.
If you want a real intellectual 'E' ticket ride - tackle (and that is the appropriate verb) his two greatest works, both written while he was teaching at the University of Chicago, The Rule of Metaphor and the three-volume Time and Narrative.
Your mind will be left spinning for years.
Despite his being French – and two words I normally never want to hear in a paragraph, much less a sentence are, philosopher and French - Paul Ricoeur had a better understanding of the human animal than anyone I have ever read.
If you want a real intellectual 'E' ticket ride - tackle (and that is the appropriate verb) his two greatest works, both written while he was teaching at the University of Chicago, The Rule of Metaphor and the three-volume Time and Narrative.
Your mind will be left spinning for years.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Scary Example Of How The Web Can Deceive!
Read the below story, then click on the printable version link:
http://www.newturfers.com/mwf/attach/38/355838/BBCNEWSWorldLionMutilates42MidgetsinCambodianRing-Fight.htm
http://www.newturfers.com/mwf/attach/38/355838/BBCNEWSWorldLionMutilates42MidgetsinCambodianRing-Fight.htm
Superb Journalism in... LA Times!
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lisker22may22-b,0,7724040.story?coll=la-home-headlines
In the above linked story, LA Times staff reporters Scott Glover and Matt Lait, hit the trifecta. Superb writing, great story telling and masterful investigative reporting.
There's nothing more for me to say. Just go read it!
In the above linked story, LA Times staff reporters Scott Glover and Matt Lait, hit the trifecta. Superb writing, great story telling and masterful investigative reporting.
There's nothing more for me to say. Just go read it!
Have Kids Going To Public School? Be Very, Very, Afraid.
Below is a post from a website I shall not mention:
A Quick Lesson
jacaranda.JPG I hate, hate, HATE to hear Spanish words grossly misprounounced.
There's a certain degree of mispronunciation I expect from gueros and other non-Spanish speakers. I give you about a 20% margin of error. I've had my last name mispronounced since kindergarten and it no longer bugs me, in fact I'm surprised if it's pronounced correctly (and the person isn't Latino).
Every spring I hear dozens of people mispronouncing a certain word and exceeding my 20% margin of error. The primary culprit?
Jacaranda.
You know, those lovely trees with purple blossoms.
Now, for some of you, this word sounds like Jack-a-RAN-dah and rhymes with Miranda.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
The mispronunciation of jacaranda bugs me to no end. It is not JACK-aranda. It should not sound like the name of the non-existant son of my neighbors, the Aranda family.
Let me give all you kids who failed Spanish in high school, took French/German or some Asian language instead, or were high during college-level Spanish courses a quick little lesson.
The J is never pronounced like it is in English. Ever. In Spanish a J is pronounced like an 'h'.
Most words have the stress on the penultimate syllable, unless otherwise noted through an accent on a vowel (i.e. ángeles).
All you Spanish-challenged non-Latinos (and some Latinos too), say it with me:
ha-kah-RAN-dah
I expect everyone to pronounce jacaranda correctly from now on. If you don't, I might kick you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, as anyone who grew up in LA when the 'education' part was still important in 'public education' (as opposed to current 'public indoctrination' system) knows, jacarandas are from... Brazil. And Brazil was colonized by Portugal and not Spain, which is why the streets of Lisbon and not Madrid are lined with jacarandas.
Hence, jackaranda is a Portugese word and not a Spanish word. And if you look in any dictionary, it will show you that the 'J' in jackaranda is NOT silent in either Portguese or English. And even if you did not know this, it would seem that any person before making such a pompous post just might check to see if he or she was wrong.
As for why this post is so scary - especially to us ex-Bruins, is that the author is a graduate student in the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies and works as a research assistant.
A Quick Lesson
jacaranda.JPG I hate, hate, HATE to hear Spanish words grossly misprounounced.
There's a certain degree of mispronunciation I expect from gueros and other non-Spanish speakers. I give you about a 20% margin of error. I've had my last name mispronounced since kindergarten and it no longer bugs me, in fact I'm surprised if it's pronounced correctly (and the person isn't Latino).
Every spring I hear dozens of people mispronouncing a certain word and exceeding my 20% margin of error. The primary culprit?
Jacaranda.
You know, those lovely trees with purple blossoms.
Now, for some of you, this word sounds like Jack-a-RAN-dah and rhymes with Miranda.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
The mispronunciation of jacaranda bugs me to no end. It is not JACK-aranda. It should not sound like the name of the non-existant son of my neighbors, the Aranda family.
Let me give all you kids who failed Spanish in high school, took French/German or some Asian language instead, or were high during college-level Spanish courses a quick little lesson.
The J is never pronounced like it is in English. Ever. In Spanish a J is pronounced like an 'h'.
Most words have the stress on the penultimate syllable, unless otherwise noted through an accent on a vowel (i.e. ángeles).
All you Spanish-challenged non-Latinos (and some Latinos too), say it with me:
ha-kah-RAN-dah
I expect everyone to pronounce jacaranda correctly from now on. If you don't, I might kick you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, as anyone who grew up in LA when the 'education' part was still important in 'public education' (as opposed to current 'public indoctrination' system) knows, jacarandas are from... Brazil. And Brazil was colonized by Portugal and not Spain, which is why the streets of Lisbon and not Madrid are lined with jacarandas.
Hence, jackaranda is a Portugese word and not a Spanish word. And if you look in any dictionary, it will show you that the 'J' in jackaranda is NOT silent in either Portguese or English. And even if you did not know this, it would seem that any person before making such a pompous post just might check to see if he or she was wrong.
As for why this post is so scary - especially to us ex-Bruins, is that the author is a graduate student in the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies and works as a research assistant.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Not Only Does The LA Times Continue To Hide Its Corrections From the Public...
... but in today's (as always) well hidden corrections section, after you finally find it - rather than a very partial list of the Times' daily errors - there is instead a long article on corrections reform. But not on the long needed reform of the LA Times' corrections policy, but on juvenile prison corrections reform!***
That's right! Now I don't know what is more ironic, that the editors of the LA Times do not know the difference between the state’s corrections system and their own corrections section - or the fact that twelve year olds in lock-up could do a better job of proof reading than the editors of the LA Times - or the fact that the LA Times' hiding of its errors from its readers should be addressed by the criminal justice system.
But the fact remains that if you want to read about the ever increasing screw-ups of the LA Times on this particular day, instead of looking at the side bar and clicking on the corrections section like one used to be able to do, you now have to go to the very, very bottom of the LA Times' website, and then sort through FOUR columns, each of which is separately alphabetized and then search for the ONLY item in that very last column that is not in alphabetical order to find the LA Times' corrections page.
And then ... even after all of that... one still has to read through an entire news article about the California Correctional Peace Officer's Association before one can find the actual corrections section below that article!
And, of course, as usual, under the new policy of the LA Times, only the corrections for one day are listed, instead of a full weeks worth of corrections that used to appear on the website.
Way to go LA Times!
UPDATE! 2:30 PM
I just checked and the LA Times is still running the wrong corrections - penal, and not venal - on its corrections page.
***
UPDATE! 3:50 PM LA Times - finally - notices that it has a story on the State Department of Corrections on its Daily Corrections page - and removes it. Not that anyone saw it, of course, as well hidden as their new corrections page is....
That's right! Now I don't know what is more ironic, that the editors of the LA Times do not know the difference between the state’s corrections system and their own corrections section - or the fact that twelve year olds in lock-up could do a better job of proof reading than the editors of the LA Times - or the fact that the LA Times' hiding of its errors from its readers should be addressed by the criminal justice system.
But the fact remains that if you want to read about the ever increasing screw-ups of the LA Times on this particular day, instead of looking at the side bar and clicking on the corrections section like one used to be able to do, you now have to go to the very, very bottom of the LA Times' website, and then sort through FOUR columns, each of which is separately alphabetized and then search for the ONLY item in that very last column that is not in alphabetical order to find the LA Times' corrections page.
And then ... even after all of that... one still has to read through an entire news article about the California Correctional Peace Officer's Association before one can find the actual corrections section below that article!
And, of course, as usual, under the new policy of the LA Times, only the corrections for one day are listed, instead of a full weeks worth of corrections that used to appear on the website.
Way to go LA Times!
UPDATE! 2:30 PM
I just checked and the LA Times is still running the wrong corrections - penal, and not venal - on its corrections page.
***
UPDATE! 3:50 PM LA Times - finally - notices that it has a story on the State Department of Corrections on its Daily Corrections page - and removes it. Not that anyone saw it, of course, as well hidden as their new corrections page is....
Saturday, May 14, 2005
LA Times Discovers Hurricanes Hit Florida... Every 12 Years!
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hurricane14may14,0,2802301.story?coll=la-home-nation
The below is a quote from the Saturday Los Angeles Times:
"... one of the main lessons learned last year was that Florida was not immune to hurricanes. Until then, the last hurricane to plow ashore had been Andrew in 1992."
No hurricane hit Florida between 1992 and 2004? Did I just read that correctly. Let us look again at that last phrase to see if that is what it really says:
"... the last hurricane to plow ashore had been Andrew in 1992."
Yup. That's what the LA Times said!
And you wonder why they felt thay had to hide the 'Corrections' section on the new website? Well, wonder no more.
The below is a quote from the Saturday Los Angeles Times:
"... one of the main lessons learned last year was that Florida was not immune to hurricanes. Until then, the last hurricane to plow ashore had been Andrew in 1992."
No hurricane hit Florida between 1992 and 2004? Did I just read that correctly. Let us look again at that last phrase to see if that is what it really says:
"... the last hurricane to plow ashore had been Andrew in 1992."
Yup. That's what the LA Times said!
And you wonder why they felt thay had to hide the 'Corrections' section on the new website? Well, wonder no more.
Friday, May 13, 2005
LA Times HIDES Its Corrections From the Public!!
While I concur that the new redesign of the LA Times website is an improvement and while I agree that the decision to remove the Calendar section from behind the iron curtain is a positive step, there are still some problems.
Now I don't know if other people are having this problem, but this poor old cowboy with his poor old computers, can no longer access the past weeks editions under the print section. I only get the current day's paper when I click on any of the past week editions.
But that - I assume - is just temporary glitch, or possibly a problem that only my poor old software has. My big problem, though, is that the corrections page now only lists the corrections made on that day!
Yes, that's right! The LA Times has eliminated ALL the corrections made in the prior week that they used to post in that section!!
In addition, rather than having the 'Corrections' link listed on the sidebar - the link is now buried in the other sections section at the very, very bottom of the page and that section is the ONLY section that is not listed in correct alphabetical order. And even then, the corrections link is listed in the very last column - making the link now almost impossible to even find. And even then - in the LA Times, the letter 'c', now comes between the letters 't' and 's'!
As usual, Truth is something that the Los Angeles Times must make absolutely, positively certain is always kept from its readers!!!
Now I don't know if other people are having this problem, but this poor old cowboy with his poor old computers, can no longer access the past weeks editions under the print section. I only get the current day's paper when I click on any of the past week editions.
But that - I assume - is just temporary glitch, or possibly a problem that only my poor old software has. My big problem, though, is that the corrections page now only lists the corrections made on that day!
Yes, that's right! The LA Times has eliminated ALL the corrections made in the prior week that they used to post in that section!!
In addition, rather than having the 'Corrections' link listed on the sidebar - the link is now buried in the other sections section at the very, very bottom of the page and that section is the ONLY section that is not listed in correct alphabetical order. And even then, the corrections link is listed in the very last column - making the link now almost impossible to even find. And even then - in the LA Times, the letter 'c', now comes between the letters 't' and 's'!
As usual, Truth is something that the Los Angeles Times must make absolutely, positively certain is always kept from its readers!!!
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Gallery Row One Year Celebration! Thursday May 12th - Noon - 10 PM Party on Main and Spring Streets!
Gallery Row Organization is pleased to announce its One Year Anniversary Party to be held at M.J. Higgins (244 S. Main St., LA, CA 90012) on May 12, 2005 with 14 galleries being open along Main and Spring Streets!
Also, in conjunction with the Downtown Art Walk (www.downtownartwalk.com), Gallery Row (www.galleryrow.org) is holding a special event from 12PM-10PM at the CalTrans Building, located 1 block north of M.J. Higgins on Main Street between 1st and 2nd.
Gallery Row Organization Presents - CalTrans Art Fest
Curated and organized in conjunction with Gallery Row Organization
By LILLI MULLER
Bands:
12:00 PM ANAND BENNET (Experimental Jazz)
4:30 PM KILLSONIC
5:30 PM BODIE (David Dutton and Band)
7:00 PM THE TAMALES (Alberto Rayes and Band) (sound and projections)
8:00 PM ANNI ROSSI (violin)
8:30 PM JOE BAIZAS BAND- FEATURING LA POET DENNIS CRUZ
AND PAUL URIAZ
INTERACTIVE POETRY: ED ROSENTHAL PRESENTS RENEGADE POETS to be performing at CalTrans and along the Downtown Art Walk, sponsored by Gallery Row Organization and Bert Green Fine Art.
ART EXHIBIT: Moving art Kiosks (3 scaffolds showing works by downtown artists and photographers)
ARTISTS: Emmeric Konrad, Adam Harteau (5pm - 10pm), Erik James, Peter Romberg, Brad Davis, David Mark Patterson, Brandon Taylor, Dave and the Horsepainters
SPECIAL INTERACTIVE PROJECTION PROJECT:
‘SHADOW PUPPETS’ by RICK ROBINSON
(Projections facing Main St. with handheld cutouts for the audience to participate)
INTERACTIVE SCULPTURE INSTALLATION:
‘love thy neighbor’ by LILLI MULLER
Raw white body casts of people sitting leaning and standing on the steps and along the plaza as part of the crowd
EVOLVING SCULPTURE INSTALLATION FOR THE DAY AND NIGHT
by ERIK JAMES and PETER ROMBERG
PAINTING INSTALLATION by CINDY LOPEZ
PROJECTIONS (starting 7pm-10pm)
ARTISTS: Launa Bacon, Brian Lotti, Mark Oberhofer, Erik James
In July 2003, Los Angeles City Council designated Main and Spring Streets between 2nd and 9th Streets in Downtown Los Angeles as Gallery Row. Designed to increase arts and culture in the area, Gallery Row was formally introduced to the public at an unveiling ceremony hosted by Council Member Jan Perry and sponsored by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council in May 2004.
Since Gallery Row’s unveiling, the district has grown from 4 art galleries to 14 with more to come in the newly designated arts corridor. The Downtown Art Walk, sponsored by Gallery Row Organization and Bert Green Fine Art, has brought thousands of Angelenos to rediscover the Historic Downtown and its new charms.
Downtown Art Walk participating galleries and museums: 2nd Street Cigars & Gallery, 626 Gallery, Bank, Bert Green Fine Art, Downtown Art Gallery, El Nopal Press, Gallery 727, The Hive Gallery, Infusion Gallery, Iron Eye Gallery, Kristi Engle Gallery, LA Artcore Center, M.J. Higgins, MOCA (Grand Avenue), Museum of Neon Art (MONA), Modern Art Downtown, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Pharmaka, and sixspace.
You can find more information at www.galleryrow.org and www.downtownartwalk.com, such as locations, parking, and special event schedules.
Gallery Row is continuing the tradition of revitalizing downtown into a culturally significant urban neighborhood. For that reason alone, this event is not to be missed!
SPECIAL THANKS:
CalTrans and Jim Hammer for their support of this project and the Gallery Row Organization.
DEW Foundation
Mark Walsh & the Downtown Artists Project Ad Hoc Committee of the Arts, Aesthetics, Culture & Education Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, for their continuing support of the artistic community.
Hpnotiq and Whaler's Rum
Also, in conjunction with the Downtown Art Walk (www.downtownartwalk.com), Gallery Row (www.galleryrow.org) is holding a special event from 12PM-10PM at the CalTrans Building, located 1 block north of M.J. Higgins on Main Street between 1st and 2nd.
Gallery Row Organization Presents - CalTrans Art Fest
Curated and organized in conjunction with Gallery Row Organization
By LILLI MULLER
Bands:
12:00 PM ANAND BENNET (Experimental Jazz)
4:30 PM KILLSONIC
5:30 PM BODIE (David Dutton and Band)
7:00 PM THE TAMALES (Alberto Rayes and Band) (sound and projections)
8:00 PM ANNI ROSSI (violin)
8:30 PM JOE BAIZAS BAND- FEATURING LA POET DENNIS CRUZ
AND PAUL URIAZ
INTERACTIVE POETRY: ED ROSENTHAL PRESENTS RENEGADE POETS to be performing at CalTrans and along the Downtown Art Walk, sponsored by Gallery Row Organization and Bert Green Fine Art.
ART EXHIBIT: Moving art Kiosks (3 scaffolds showing works by downtown artists and photographers)
ARTISTS: Emmeric Konrad, Adam Harteau (5pm - 10pm), Erik James, Peter Romberg, Brad Davis, David Mark Patterson, Brandon Taylor, Dave and the Horsepainters
SPECIAL INTERACTIVE PROJECTION PROJECT:
‘SHADOW PUPPETS’ by RICK ROBINSON
(Projections facing Main St. with handheld cutouts for the audience to participate)
INTERACTIVE SCULPTURE INSTALLATION:
‘love thy neighbor’ by LILLI MULLER
Raw white body casts of people sitting leaning and standing on the steps and along the plaza as part of the crowd
EVOLVING SCULPTURE INSTALLATION FOR THE DAY AND NIGHT
by ERIK JAMES and PETER ROMBERG
PAINTING INSTALLATION by CINDY LOPEZ
PROJECTIONS (starting 7pm-10pm)
ARTISTS: Launa Bacon, Brian Lotti, Mark Oberhofer, Erik James
In July 2003, Los Angeles City Council designated Main and Spring Streets between 2nd and 9th Streets in Downtown Los Angeles as Gallery Row. Designed to increase arts and culture in the area, Gallery Row was formally introduced to the public at an unveiling ceremony hosted by Council Member Jan Perry and sponsored by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council in May 2004.
Since Gallery Row’s unveiling, the district has grown from 4 art galleries to 14 with more to come in the newly designated arts corridor. The Downtown Art Walk, sponsored by Gallery Row Organization and Bert Green Fine Art, has brought thousands of Angelenos to rediscover the Historic Downtown and its new charms.
Downtown Art Walk participating galleries and museums: 2nd Street Cigars & Gallery, 626 Gallery, Bank, Bert Green Fine Art, Downtown Art Gallery, El Nopal Press, Gallery 727, The Hive Gallery, Infusion Gallery, Iron Eye Gallery, Kristi Engle Gallery, LA Artcore Center, M.J. Higgins, MOCA (Grand Avenue), Museum of Neon Art (MONA), Modern Art Downtown, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Pharmaka, and sixspace.
You can find more information at www.galleryrow.org and www.downtownartwalk.com, such as locations, parking, and special event schedules.
Gallery Row is continuing the tradition of revitalizing downtown into a culturally significant urban neighborhood. For that reason alone, this event is not to be missed!
SPECIAL THANKS:
CalTrans and Jim Hammer for their support of this project and the Gallery Row Organization.
DEW Foundation
Mark Walsh & the Downtown Artists Project Ad Hoc Committee of the Arts, Aesthetics, Culture & Education Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, for their continuing support of the artistic community.
Hpnotiq and Whaler's Rum
Monday, May 09, 2005
LA Times Shameless Slanting Of The News To Support Their Candidate!
Its the recall election all over again!
First there was slanted LA TIMES poll (and no one does it better than they do) showing the recall in trouble - when every other poll showed the opposite. Then there was the last minute poll showing the recall in better shape, but still presented in such a way as to cast doubt on the outcome. And - then - the true speciality of the LA Times - any time the candidate they oppose has good news - then the LA Times HAS juxtapose it with another article to counteract the good news.
And, sure enough, directly below the 'Hahn gains ground story', is a massive story that tries to descredit Hahn that could have been run on any day in the past few weeks, but which was held until it was needed. See below:
Hahn Gains Ground, but Villaraigosa Still Leading
By Michael Finnegan
TIMES POLL: The mayor makes inroads among likely black and Valley voters, but his foe still holds an 11-point lead.
• Ad Blitz Attacks Hahn's Record
Hahn Ally Gets Contracts, Influence
By Noam N. Levey, Patrick McGreevy, Deborah Schoch
Niholas Tonsich's law firm benefited from his connections to the mayor.
And, yes -- that is EXACTLY (or as exactly as cut and paste can be) as it reads on the LA Times website at this moment.
One positive headline/story - followed by two negative. It might be a coincidence, of course, except that this same pattern held true over and over again during the recall. And both of these particular stories just happen to be totally under the control of the LA Times, unlike stories such as the Miami donations which another newspaper broke, making their timing and positioning of these two new stories even more suspect.
First there was slanted LA TIMES poll (and no one does it better than they do) showing the recall in trouble - when every other poll showed the opposite. Then there was the last minute poll showing the recall in better shape, but still presented in such a way as to cast doubt on the outcome. And - then - the true speciality of the LA Times - any time the candidate they oppose has good news - then the LA Times HAS juxtapose it with another article to counteract the good news.
And, sure enough, directly below the 'Hahn gains ground story', is a massive story that tries to descredit Hahn that could have been run on any day in the past few weeks, but which was held until it was needed. See below:
Hahn Gains Ground, but Villaraigosa Still Leading
By Michael Finnegan
TIMES POLL: The mayor makes inroads among likely black and Valley voters, but his foe still holds an 11-point lead.
• Ad Blitz Attacks Hahn's Record
Hahn Ally Gets Contracts, Influence
By Noam N. Levey, Patrick McGreevy, Deborah Schoch
Niholas Tonsich's law firm benefited from his connections to the mayor.
And, yes -- that is EXACTLY (or as exactly as cut and paste can be) as it reads on the LA Times website at this moment.
One positive headline/story - followed by two negative. It might be a coincidence, of course, except that this same pattern held true over and over again during the recall. And both of these particular stories just happen to be totally under the control of the LA Times, unlike stories such as the Miami donations which another newspaper broke, making their timing and positioning of these two new stories even more suspect.
New York Times Takes Steps To Build Credibility... LA Times Asks...
... what's credibility?
In the below linked story, the New York Times surveyed its readers and discovered that only 21% of its readers believed all or most of whaat they read in the paper, while 14% believed almost... nothing. I can only imagine what the figures would be for the LA Times.
It also cites a Pew study saying that 45% of all Americans believe little or nothing of what they read in their daily newspaper. As for the NYT's proposed efforts to improve the image of their paper, about half of the effort seems to be PR to make us think its a better paper while the other half is actually devoted to making it a better paper.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/09/business/media/09paper.html?hp&ex=1115697600&en=1462a10c42186ac7&ei=5094&partner=homepage
In the below linked story, the New York Times surveyed its readers and discovered that only 21% of its readers believed all or most of whaat they read in the paper, while 14% believed almost... nothing. I can only imagine what the figures would be for the LA Times.
It also cites a Pew study saying that 45% of all Americans believe little or nothing of what they read in their daily newspaper. As for the NYT's proposed efforts to improve the image of their paper, about half of the effort seems to be PR to make us think its a better paper while the other half is actually devoted to making it a better paper.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/09/business/media/09paper.html?hp&ex=1115697600&en=1462a10c42186ac7&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Friday, May 06, 2005
Moronic Newscaster Remark of the Night! Hell, Make that - the Year!!
Paul Moyer - Channel Four News - just announced that the Russians opposed Bush's visit to Latvia as it might spark a desire for independence in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania!
Sounds like he's ready for the editorial board of the LA Times!!
Sounds like he's ready for the editorial board of the LA Times!!
Thursday, May 05, 2005
LA Times Circulation COLLAPSE Even Worse Than Previously Thought!!
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000910794
The above link is to Editor and Publisher's website. And I quote from the start of the article here:
"NEW YORK In her report this week on the new Fas-Fax circulation numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Merrill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine observed that circulation declines, already bad enough at some papers, looked even worse when you broke out the "50% or greater paid" category. She noted that in Q1 conference calls, many newspaper companies had indicated that they were trying to reduce the under-50% and "other paid" segments "in an effort to win advertisers over with their resulting 'quality' circulation." But some of these new Fas-Fax numbers are "seemingly in direct conflict with some company remarks," she wrote."
And guess which paper has the largest circulation decline of ANY major newspaper of people who actually pay for the newspaper? Yup - the LA Times! In fact, it the Times has the second worst figure quoted of ANY newspaper in the country!! A staggering 12.9 % decline! That means that almost 13% of the people who even paid half-price or more for their subscriptions - stopped subscribing!! At this rate, soon the LA Times have to pay people to read it!
UPDATE --
The first figure below shows the decline of the daily circulation in subscribers who pay 50% or more for their subscriptions for the LA Times, and the second figure shows the overall decline. But... the prevous number given for the weekly decline by the LA Times was... 6.5% and not 7.7%. Will check into this.
Los Angeles Times -12.9 (-7.7)
UPDATE TO UPDATE!!
Editor and Publisher got back to me about the dueling figures for LA Times daily subscription numbers within - minutes! - and will check out the differences between the numbers. Journalism at its best!!
UPDATE TO UPDATE TO UPDATE!!!
These appear to be raw figures for the overall weekday circulation for the LA TImes:
In March 2004 the Times in the official "fas-fax" listed its daily circ as: 983,727
But in the latest fas-fax, it's figure for the previous March had been reduced to 970,802 (after taking that offical "reduction")
Its March 2005 number is: 907,997
Hence the difference between the 6.5% and the 7.7%. Now as far as the percentage reduction in people who pay 50% or more, since those numbers would not be 'reduced' (one would asume) since they are actually paying customers and not 'bogus' circulation, the 12.9% drop in those numbers would appear not to be affected. But will have more on this tomorrow.
The above link is to Editor and Publisher's website. And I quote from the start of the article here:
"NEW YORK In her report this week on the new Fas-Fax circulation numbers from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, Merrill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine observed that circulation declines, already bad enough at some papers, looked even worse when you broke out the "50% or greater paid" category. She noted that in Q1 conference calls, many newspaper companies had indicated that they were trying to reduce the under-50% and "other paid" segments "in an effort to win advertisers over with their resulting 'quality' circulation." But some of these new Fas-Fax numbers are "seemingly in direct conflict with some company remarks," she wrote."
And guess which paper has the largest circulation decline of ANY major newspaper of people who actually pay for the newspaper? Yup - the LA Times! In fact, it the Times has the second worst figure quoted of ANY newspaper in the country!! A staggering 12.9 % decline! That means that almost 13% of the people who even paid half-price or more for their subscriptions - stopped subscribing!! At this rate, soon the LA Times have to pay people to read it!
UPDATE --
The first figure below shows the decline of the daily circulation in subscribers who pay 50% or more for their subscriptions for the LA Times, and the second figure shows the overall decline. But... the prevous number given for the weekly decline by the LA Times was... 6.5% and not 7.7%. Will check into this.
Los Angeles Times -12.9 (-7.7)
UPDATE TO UPDATE!!
Editor and Publisher got back to me about the dueling figures for LA Times daily subscription numbers within - minutes! - and will check out the differences between the numbers. Journalism at its best!!
UPDATE TO UPDATE TO UPDATE!!!
These appear to be raw figures for the overall weekday circulation for the LA TImes:
In March 2004 the Times in the official "fas-fax" listed its daily circ as: 983,727
But in the latest fas-fax, it's figure for the previous March had been reduced to 970,802 (after taking that offical "reduction")
Its March 2005 number is: 907,997
Hence the difference between the 6.5% and the 7.7%. Now as far as the percentage reduction in people who pay 50% or more, since those numbers would not be 'reduced' (one would asume) since they are actually paying customers and not 'bogus' circulation, the 12.9% drop in those numbers would appear not to be affected. But will have more on this tomorrow.
Monday, May 02, 2005
LA Times Circulation Collapse Speeds UP! Is The End... Near??
After a 5.5% drop in circulation was rumored a short time ago, the actual figures are now out. The LA Times has had its Monday - Saturday circulation drop by 6.5% from the prior year's six month reporting period (which ended March 31st, 2005) and its Sunday circulation has dropped by 7.9%! It looks as if the rate of decline speeded up at the end of this period!
Plus the weekly figure is now down to 907,997! Can the 800,000's be far behind? Or even... the 700,000's? Not as long as the LA Times' five layers of editors and filters keep approving error-filled stories written by New York, Philadelphia and Chicago journalists!
Keep up the good work!
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050502/lam103.html?.v=8
Plus the weekly figure is now down to 907,997! Can the 800,000's be far behind? Or even... the 700,000's? Not as long as the LA Times' five layers of editors and filters keep approving error-filled stories written by New York, Philadelphia and Chicago journalists!
Keep up the good work!
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050502/lam103.html?.v=8
Sunday, May 01, 2005
LSD In LA Times Water Supply? What Else Can Explain Bizarre Article On Vietnam?
Since others have covered the mind-altering prose of the David Lamb authored article on Vietnam on the front page of the Saturday LA Times, I was going to skip it until I belatedly read the superb Sunday coverage in the New York Times.
I also have to admit that I originally never got past the LA Times headline and the first few paragraphs of the Saturday story since it was so obvious that whom ever had written the article about the events of the 1960's and 1970's must have also availed himself of some - if not all - of the drugs so plentiful in those times before he wrote it.
But as bad - and dishonest - as the article is - the most bizarre point was the sub-headline of the article which read, in part:
"... the firmly communist nation has a flourishing economy, social freedom and deep ties with the U.S."
Honest!
I am not making this up!
Now if you have any knowledge of what is happening economically in Vietnam, the current boom is fueled by a total rejection of communist ideology and a complete embrace of Adam Smith and free market capitalism! This is a firmly communist nation? Bullshit!
And the wonderful irony is that for eleven years Vietnam was a firmly communist country until it was on the verge of collapse - at which time it firmly rejected communism dogma for capitalism Realpolitik.
Now the writer does later state that the economy is booming due to a mix of Marxism and Adam Smith - but it is clear that this writer wouldn’t know Marxism (or Adam Smith) if he fell over it (or him). But I guess, since the current dictators of Vietnam call themselves communists - as they enrich themselves as one of the most corrupt governments in the world - ergo, then this must be a Marxist government with Marxist economic policies!
Scary - huh?
The truth is that Vietnam is run by a group of thugs who rake in millions from the free market capitalists who are enriching the government with zero, repeat – zero application of Marxist economics.
Obviously, this writer has no working knowledge of economics or Marxism and he clearly has no knowledge of how the Vietnamese economy is working, despite all his years spent there. It is also clear that this article has very little to do with the how and why of Vietnam today, but has everything to do with the writer trying to justify the communist dictatorship that has resulted in the deaths of so many millions of people.
Plus this writer also ignores that reality that this dictatorship has had to abandon all their ideas and the theories (other than of giving zero power to the people, and all power to themselves) after every aspect of communism proved to be so disastrous that they had to reinstitute the free market economy that had existed before they so brutally conquered South Vietnam.
Excuse me, I mean in proper, Orwellian (AKA - LA TIMES) Newspeak, before they ‘reunited’ the country, much as Hitler 'reunited' Germany and Austria. The communists won the battles, but they ended up losing the real war as they had to repudiate every one of their principles to be able to stay in power, which is all that they are really interested in. But this is something that neither this writer nor the LA Times can afford to admit.
The media simply refuses to concede that the current despots of Vietnam caused millions of people to die to put themselves into power and to install an economic and social system - that they have now abandoned, other than their remaining as absolute dictators.
And guess what - the writer can not find even one person in all of Vietnam who can say anything bad about this communist enslavement of South Vietnam! Not one! But guess what - that was not the story that this writer was looking for!! And, remember - only facts that serve a higher purpose can be admitted into the pages of the LA Times!
It is also clear that there is nobody at the LA Times who actually reads any of this garbage before it gets spewed into print. Or at least - no one who actually knows (or - far more damning - cares) a damn thing about economics, Adam Smith, Marxism - or much of anything else.
No one with any knowledge of any of those subjects could have allowed this article to be printed - particularly with such a totally dishonest headline.
In fact, if I were the editor of the LA Times, I would ask the reporter in question – and whoever edited this train wreck of a story - to write an essay on how Marxist economic theory is being utilized in the current economic boom in Vietnam. As someone who has actually plowed through Das Kapital, I can tell you this would be a very, very short essay.
Now compare the 'firmly communist country' and all the LA Times Marxist economics horseshit with the New York Times description:
"To the eyes of visitors here, including international journalists gathered for a reunion, the market economy and capitalism seem to be doing just fine in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon."
And as for the ‘social freedom’ crap – this is an iron fisted dictatorship that brooks no dissent, which the writer eventually, most reluctantly, admits towards the end of the story, far from the front page, where few readers will ever tread.
But since this is a communist dictatorship - then that makes it OK for the LA Times! No elections? Great! No free press? Wonderfull! No freedom of expression? Fine with the LA Times as long as there is plenty of Marxist 'social freedom' to go around!
May 2nd Update!
The not so hidden agenda of this article is encapsulated in the below quote:
"Ironically, if you took away the still-ruling Communist Party and discounted the perilous decade after the war, the Vietnam of today is not much different from the country U.S. policymakers wanted to create in the 1960s."
So, all those who were opposed to the spread of communism in the 1960's and the 1970's were wrong - because Vietnam ended up embracing capitalism! Minor details such as the millions killed by the ruling 'communist' government's invasion of South Vietnam and the countless numbers who starved to death or who were tortured during the decade after the war, not to mention the hundreds of thousands who risked - and often lost - their lives in search of freedom from the present ruling dictatorship - are just minor footnotes in history. Long live Marxist social freedoms!
(This has been a NOT paid for Ad for the Communist Part of Vietnam but the opinions expressed in it do represent the views of the LA Times' editorial board)
http://www.bigpicweblog.com/exp/index.php/weblog/communist_vietnam_has_a_flourishing_economy/
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-vietnamese1may01,1,4198142.story
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/01/international/asia/01saigon.html
I also have to admit that I originally never got past the LA Times headline and the first few paragraphs of the Saturday story since it was so obvious that whom ever had written the article about the events of the 1960's and 1970's must have also availed himself of some - if not all - of the drugs so plentiful in those times before he wrote it.
But as bad - and dishonest - as the article is - the most bizarre point was the sub-headline of the article which read, in part:
"... the firmly communist nation has a flourishing economy, social freedom and deep ties with the U.S."
Honest!
I am not making this up!
Now if you have any knowledge of what is happening economically in Vietnam, the current boom is fueled by a total rejection of communist ideology and a complete embrace of Adam Smith and free market capitalism! This is a firmly communist nation? Bullshit!
And the wonderful irony is that for eleven years Vietnam was a firmly communist country until it was on the verge of collapse - at which time it firmly rejected communism dogma for capitalism Realpolitik.
Now the writer does later state that the economy is booming due to a mix of Marxism and Adam Smith - but it is clear that this writer wouldn’t know Marxism (or Adam Smith) if he fell over it (or him). But I guess, since the current dictators of Vietnam call themselves communists - as they enrich themselves as one of the most corrupt governments in the world - ergo, then this must be a Marxist government with Marxist economic policies!
Scary - huh?
The truth is that Vietnam is run by a group of thugs who rake in millions from the free market capitalists who are enriching the government with zero, repeat – zero application of Marxist economics.
Obviously, this writer has no working knowledge of economics or Marxism and he clearly has no knowledge of how the Vietnamese economy is working, despite all his years spent there. It is also clear that this article has very little to do with the how and why of Vietnam today, but has everything to do with the writer trying to justify the communist dictatorship that has resulted in the deaths of so many millions of people.
Plus this writer also ignores that reality that this dictatorship has had to abandon all their ideas and the theories (other than of giving zero power to the people, and all power to themselves) after every aspect of communism proved to be so disastrous that they had to reinstitute the free market economy that had existed before they so brutally conquered South Vietnam.
Excuse me, I mean in proper, Orwellian (AKA - LA TIMES) Newspeak, before they ‘reunited’ the country, much as Hitler 'reunited' Germany and Austria. The communists won the battles, but they ended up losing the real war as they had to repudiate every one of their principles to be able to stay in power, which is all that they are really interested in. But this is something that neither this writer nor the LA Times can afford to admit.
The media simply refuses to concede that the current despots of Vietnam caused millions of people to die to put themselves into power and to install an economic and social system - that they have now abandoned, other than their remaining as absolute dictators.
And guess what - the writer can not find even one person in all of Vietnam who can say anything bad about this communist enslavement of South Vietnam! Not one! But guess what - that was not the story that this writer was looking for!! And, remember - only facts that serve a higher purpose can be admitted into the pages of the LA Times!
It is also clear that there is nobody at the LA Times who actually reads any of this garbage before it gets spewed into print. Or at least - no one who actually knows (or - far more damning - cares) a damn thing about economics, Adam Smith, Marxism - or much of anything else.
No one with any knowledge of any of those subjects could have allowed this article to be printed - particularly with such a totally dishonest headline.
In fact, if I were the editor of the LA Times, I would ask the reporter in question – and whoever edited this train wreck of a story - to write an essay on how Marxist economic theory is being utilized in the current economic boom in Vietnam. As someone who has actually plowed through Das Kapital, I can tell you this would be a very, very short essay.
Now compare the 'firmly communist country' and all the LA Times Marxist economics horseshit with the New York Times description:
"To the eyes of visitors here, including international journalists gathered for a reunion, the market economy and capitalism seem to be doing just fine in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon."
And as for the ‘social freedom’ crap – this is an iron fisted dictatorship that brooks no dissent, which the writer eventually, most reluctantly, admits towards the end of the story, far from the front page, where few readers will ever tread.
But since this is a communist dictatorship - then that makes it OK for the LA Times! No elections? Great! No free press? Wonderfull! No freedom of expression? Fine with the LA Times as long as there is plenty of Marxist 'social freedom' to go around!
May 2nd Update!
The not so hidden agenda of this article is encapsulated in the below quote:
"Ironically, if you took away the still-ruling Communist Party and discounted the perilous decade after the war, the Vietnam of today is not much different from the country U.S. policymakers wanted to create in the 1960s."
So, all those who were opposed to the spread of communism in the 1960's and the 1970's were wrong - because Vietnam ended up embracing capitalism! Minor details such as the millions killed by the ruling 'communist' government's invasion of South Vietnam and the countless numbers who starved to death or who were tortured during the decade after the war, not to mention the hundreds of thousands who risked - and often lost - their lives in search of freedom from the present ruling dictatorship - are just minor footnotes in history. Long live Marxist social freedoms!
(This has been a NOT paid for Ad for the Communist Part of Vietnam but the opinions expressed in it do represent the views of the LA Times' editorial board)
http://www.bigpicweblog.com/exp/index.php/weblog/communist_vietnam_has_a_flourishing_economy/
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-vietnamese1may01,1,4198142.story
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/01/international/asia/01saigon.html
When It Comes To Supporting Our Troops And Telling The Truth - Or Covering Up The Lies Of An Italian Journalist - Guess What The LA Times Does??
When blogger Patterico first broke the news on Saturday that the LA Times edited a Reuters wire story to REMOVE proof that American troops were telling the truth about what happened when an Italian agent was shot and killed in Iraq, I hoped it was just an errror on the part of the LA Times. I did not want to believe that a conscious effort was made to censor evidence that our soldiers were telling the truth thus proving that an Italian journalist was lying.
There can no longer be any hope that is the case. Today - as Patterico shows...
http://patterico.com/2005/05/01/2939/its-no-accident-la-times-editors-have-done-it-again/
.... in a follow-up story also credited to Reuters, the LA Times today again omits the fact that a satelitte photo shows that the car was speeding when it reached the checkpoint as the solidiers said but the Italian journalist denied.
Two days in a row, a conscious effort was made to alter the wire story to remove the proof that supports what our soldiers did. And this totally baffled me. I mean, even at its most biased, I can not imagine why the LA Times would go out of their way to demean our soldiers in combat, until I realized the only possible reason.
By NOT printing the story proving the Italian journalist was lying and that our troops were telling the truth, the LA Times is protecting a fellow journalist from being exposed as a liar.
Now it is one thing for the Times to lie to protect its own writers - as it has done in the past - but to print false changes about our soldiers to protect an Italian journalist - would seem to be beneath even the standards of the LA Times. But as of right now, I can think of no other reason why the LA Times would have done what it has now done for two straight days.
I await the Monday edition to see what they have to say.
There can no longer be any hope that is the case. Today - as Patterico shows...
http://patterico.com/2005/05/01/2939/its-no-accident-la-times-editors-have-done-it-again/
.... in a follow-up story also credited to Reuters, the LA Times today again omits the fact that a satelitte photo shows that the car was speeding when it reached the checkpoint as the solidiers said but the Italian journalist denied.
Two days in a row, a conscious effort was made to alter the wire story to remove the proof that supports what our soldiers did. And this totally baffled me. I mean, even at its most biased, I can not imagine why the LA Times would go out of their way to demean our soldiers in combat, until I realized the only possible reason.
By NOT printing the story proving the Italian journalist was lying and that our troops were telling the truth, the LA Times is protecting a fellow journalist from being exposed as a liar.
Now it is one thing for the Times to lie to protect its own writers - as it has done in the past - but to print false changes about our soldiers to protect an Italian journalist - would seem to be beneath even the standards of the LA Times. But as of right now, I can think of no other reason why the LA Times would have done what it has now done for two straight days.
I await the Monday edition to see what they have to say.
Need To Know The Truth? Read Al-Jazeera And The Offical Iran News Agency - And Not The LA Times!
To recap, in the Saturday LA Times an article was printed about the investigation regarding the shooting of an Italian agent at a checkpoint in Iraq. The article was labeled as coming from Reuters and described the differences between the Italian and the American versions, primarily whether or not the car was going 30 or 60 miles an hour when it hit the checkpoint.
The key point, though, was that Reuters said that CBS had reported that a satellite photo had supposedly proven that the car was going 60 miles an hour when it ran the checkpoint. But... the LA Times DROPPED that paragraph and did not report the evidence supporting our troops. See below post for the link to the original story. And now, blogger Patterico reports, that both Al-Jazeera and the official news agency of Iran have printed the same release and mentioned the CBS report of the photos, though the Iran news agency questioned the accuracy of the photo.
But, for whatever reason, the LA Times doesn’t seem to believe that evidence supporting this country is deemed fit to print in their paper.
http://patterico.com/2005/04/30/2937/al-jazeera-fairer-than-the-ila-timesi/
The key point, though, was that Reuters said that CBS had reported that a satellite photo had supposedly proven that the car was going 60 miles an hour when it ran the checkpoint. But... the LA Times DROPPED that paragraph and did not report the evidence supporting our troops. See below post for the link to the original story. And now, blogger Patterico reports, that both Al-Jazeera and the official news agency of Iran have printed the same release and mentioned the CBS report of the photos, though the Iran news agency questioned the accuracy of the photo.
But, for whatever reason, the LA Times doesn’t seem to believe that evidence supporting this country is deemed fit to print in their paper.
http://patterico.com/2005/04/30/2937/al-jazeera-fairer-than-the-ila-timesi/
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