2 ways to make Newspapers solvent:

Rocky Mountain News, a paper that I have never read in my life, is out of the game after 150 years, longer than Colorado has been a state. Sad. 200 layoffs, pictures of employees crying, real problems for real people. And there's a shitpot more that are on the edge of the cliff - San Fran, Seattle, L.A., Chicago. My take is they deserve it like the auto industry. They had poor vision, bad management, bloated budgets, egos, and primma donnas. But two key issues that happened, in my opinion, is one of the key reasons they are going belly up.

(A.) Gary Larsen retired, and took the genius of The Far Side with it and (B.) They let Craigslist come in to their prime ground---their community which should be their world, and get ruled in every kinkily contorted way.

Easy Board Meeting agenda in any one of therse companies; a simplistic, break down to rudiments is in order, some mind clearing, and you should arrive to the only fucking question that should really matter-----Why do people buy the newspaper? If you think it is because of great International/National correspondents reporting by way of elegant writing and prose ~ I think that's wrong. Granted, a big generation of 30 somethings up to the oldest of the old, within their wits read the paper everyday - faithfully, for actual news. But that's obviously not enough. The nation is loaded with way more people that don't really fucking care about Istanbul, California Water Rights, etc...They want The Far Side Back. They Want Calvin and Hobbs back they want something quick and funny to read while they're taking a shit (mainly men), but the truth really to be told is that a lot of us like the kinky shit most of all. And that's where they let Craigslist outflank, outmaneuver and then destroy their monopoly on the classifieds. Its like seeing Wile E. Coyote hose himself again, and again. He always tried to get too smart with that stupid stringy bird.


---Sadly, we don't have a great cartoonist and comedic genius commensurate with the masses present mood bringing the non newser types to pay up. And they are definitely not capturing the attention defecit full free minds of young kids, who could be running to the paper machine, plopping down the quarters ( or as I would do it, fist pump the coin return and pop the lid and grab one for free---they fixed that model in 82 I believe-- some are still around) trash all the lame stuff, like The News, and get to the cartoon pages. If cartoons aren;'t working, and no way is a 12 year old going to like Dilbert...or even come close to understand Doonesberry, then they should create something to get their attention--like a hip voice sending out an X-Box 360 codec program that does some trick thing that you never knew you could do before. A geek column aimed at 4th graders to fortysomethings. Whatever-----get the kids then plus to the papers again. Persoanlly, I miss Heatcliff the most.

Second---When you have a city, and a paper, the Classifieds used to be the most important reason to buy the damn thing for a majority of people. I dont have any statistics, but I know I'm right --- there are a lot of unaware people out here, trying to survive, but most importantly be happy. The classifieds can make a lot of people, within the same community, very happy. Business owners, tradespeople, buyers and sellers---its a real market place, with potentially the best deals available. When newspapers started going online , they fucked up mostly with the no knowledge of best effective use of their classifieds page. Hindsight being twenty/twenty - The beauty of Craigslist is (A.) It's free,and (B.) it's bare bones simplicity. Their shit gets right to the point of what you want, or are looking for. They smoked local newspapers outta the game with one simple ass software program. They should have all the same weird shit in their classifieds that the indepenent journal rags have in them to. We'd get a kick outta reading the Writing styles of SWM Seeking BWFM. Its the way of the world - used tires and chinese massage. Focus on that better, and you'll have a chance.

And a final bonus tip. Lower your damn fees for placing a help wanted ad or work wanted in your damn paper. Paying $300 for 2 weeks is well....weak. Obviously people are going to place those ads where they get a lot of viewership, and Craigslist owns it right now. Its become a euphemism, like Google and TiVO. -- but not as an action more as a noun---something fixed to the ground within your neighborhood. More viewers - more ad money (but make the ads small and non intervening). Lower the fucking fee for the hardcopy, and provide the free online ad. There, was that so hard? Pay me, I'm available.

A bad trip---and an anonymous hero

Last night at about 6:30 I saw the big Fire Engine race through town with the lights on. Not so much an unfamiliar sight, being the 101 freeway right next door induces several calls per month by Station 14 here in Los Alamos locally---but I knew something went down pretty bad because I could hear more sirens coming from the freeway while in the back BBQ room cooking for customers.

I had no idea this accident would be this bad.

I mourn for them deeply. I can see the tree that they hit with the bark peeled off - but not so much appearing for so much destruction. I can see the tire marks of where they went off the road. I visualize what it might have been like in the vehicle and how fast something like this can occur -- a moment away from your surrounding, a drift into the soft grassy median, a panicked twitch in the muscles that causes a fatal over correction the opposite direction - then an instantaneous stop from a high speed upon hitting an old thick tree. Mother fucker....----So much Life gone --so quick and sudden.

A blip of light in the story is the hero that saved the driver. An anonymous witness that ran to the fire consumed car amid the dead bodies and blood, to pull out the sole survivor - the driver. A real act of bravery is inside all of us I hope, which I hope to never have to exercise in any way such as this - but to that hero, I would like to know your name, buy you dinner and talk to you about how you're doing.


I will never take my life for granted. I will hold and love my family everyday ever stronger. I will not be afraid to kiss my son on the face or tell my daughter to slow down and be careful----even though it sounds like a broken record. Keep your eyes on the road and your surroundings constantly--because of real accidents like this - an avoidable one.

I'm going to have to try this.

Bone marrow anyone? I've had it once and it was delicious. This is a great article to prepare. from Ruhlman's blog How To Prepare Bone Marrow

The blinders are narrowing:

I'm finding it harder to care, at least find relevance about the news of rest of the world. My morning reads, as usual are to Drudge and then Sullivan's blog --- and today I realized, for example in this link to Harper'spost about a former Guantanamo prisoner guard spilling the beans on the absolutely condoned torture policies the Bush administration directed-----I just kind of feel Sorry that the U.S. is doing this, but you know what? I just see it as printed stories in an article. This opens reality to me that I already new non-visually, were going on. I'm much more concerned about my own life, family and our current hard times right now, and these prisoners abuses is really unempathetic for me.

I'm living my life day to day right now----of course the financial market is worrying almost everybody that is middle class, or less. It seems that ambition is simply not enough when you have play makers like Bernie Madoff and the like just robbing people blind, right underneath the SEC's nose. How impotent regulation is- is akin to shooting pool with a soft rope.

Or when you see on the front page of the L.A. Times today a picture showing how cozy and huggy Shaq and Kobe were together at the All Star game, it makes me wonder why--and many of my friends are zealously enamored Laker fans, anyone gives a shit about overpaid genetic freakazoids that live in a world we can never be in? Unless you bet regularly on the Lakers wins, thereby, having them actually do something for you persoanlly, or a direct beneficiary of one of their many charities which I do give them credit for doing, then why do you care so much about them?

All I know is that everybody, more or less, is in this world for themselves, but I can't help but become saddened by something that happens to someone else. The man who lost his entire family for instance during the 05 Storm La Conchita Mudslide, with the exception of his youngest daughter who went with him to get an ice cream when the disaster occurred. He lost something in one moment that would shake my foundations of sanity to the ground.When it's your turn, and most would never be able to truly empathize with a major catastrophe like that or a U.S. Prison Guard gang raping me, or being subject to a torture routine, I can be heart felt for the down and outs, but always thinking deep down sub-consciously -- "better them than me."

To prove my point, reading the L.A. Times today, California right now is an unbelievable financial crisis, and the need for one vote to pass a $14 billion recovery plan, leaders have been trying to win support by non other than our local State Senator from Santa Maria - Abel Maldanado from Santa Maria. A third generation Santa Marian whose family fortune came from the illegal labor practices of the Santa Maria agriculture industy, which is basically a local name ending with a vowel oligarchy held by the landowners of the massive fields, defined and exposed by a great essay of journalism by Eric Schlosser called Strawberry Fields from his bookReefer Madness that exposed the Black Market economy of Santa Maria sharecropping, now known as Commission Merchant's -- basically screwing over hard working illegal immigrants - over, and over, and over to amass an empire of wealth and power created of course--by breaking the very laws that this jackass is now in charge of creating. These screw over contracts are so iron clad legally, that the attorney that drafted it holds a copy wright on its contents. So now the whole State budget is being focused on garnering this mobsters approval, but he won't do it unless he gets a compromise. Ahhhh yes. Legislative compromises--"what can I do to benefit ME is the point." So what is his compromise? To make fellow lawmakers recreate the party rules in election primaries so people can vote outside the party. For democrats to be able to vote for candidates "just like him---a moderate." Gee--California is in the foothills of the erupting Pompeii volcano - and this multi-millionaire is worried about nothing other than his political ambitions for the future. Makes me think of "Fight Club" - "I am Jacks complete lack of surprise."

And so I sum it all up to this. Machiavelli knows best. Whatever it takes, and the Black Market is where survivors dwell and I am going to worry about my day, my family, my issues -- which are many, and the stories of Michael Phelps, Stimulus this, and Celebrity that--are outside the blinders I am now forced to narrow---as a matter of survival.

Rove is an ugly motherfucker--

Great article I read this p.m. from Rolling Stone labeled "Absolute.Must read" which then links to Esquires exclusive with David Plouffe "The Man Who Made Obama." READ IT. These guys pulled off one of the most impressive Presidential Campaigns ever --- and their Secret??? Gee --Dat ting cawled z entrrnet? And serious field organization. The duo of Plouffe and Axelrod ( and of course the Big Dog) did things that are simply a fucking mazing.

Watching Maddow Tivo'd from last night---She had on Axelrod, score interview --Anyways Obama team et.al - at least they seem fucking close to being true caring humans, let alone now being official Politicians. I Could never imagine Carl Rove caring about anything except fucking Tax Cuts.....not actual people. He translates his human concern into that 80's created Elephant language :..we’ve got productivity at near record heights; home ownership at record heights; home sales set new records last year; there are more people owning homes – particularly in the Hispanic and African-American communities than ever before.–
their classic "Trickle Down Theory" speak of Almighty REAGAN -- see where thats taken us. The largest fucking financial problem in 100 years. I fondly remember that comfortable feel of peace and financial security of the 90's as if I were remembering my Hawaii trips---Fit, warm, drunk, and secure.

Oh right----9/11 changed the world right. There's bad guys that want to kill us is what they say--we're hated and have many enemies---or else "THEY MIGHT INVADE" and then we'll all have to take Friday afternoons off!.

An estimated 77,039 people were treated in the ER for accidents involving lawnmowers in 2006.

They were Americans. War on Lawn Mowers is in the Neo Con war plans I gather.

Out on a limb with their positions, Drug Addict Rush and Fuck Face Hannity continue inhuman 80's elephant lingo: I think Hannity must have an 8x10 glossy portrait of Reagan and each night he gives a slow deep salt licking to it, then closes on Murdoch's. His wife sleeps in a seperate bed. In his world I see Obama as the "Messiah" as he continually spews every 3 minutes. Well if Obama is the Messiah for me then I say Reagan is Midas to him. I'll take the bad ass carpenter over a dick that traded in his daughter anyday.

Plouffe and the 40 somethings, the 30 somethings and those goddamn Millenial 20 somethings are kicking the dayglow, Galleria shit right out them. A bankroll of 13 million email accounts? That is a large, large army. And its growing ---fast. I see the SPAC for Palin adds now on Drudge------most Palin 'spoters' love the email and computers right? ---Happy Trails To You, Until We Meet Again :)

OSLO: The answer my friend..... is blowin in the wind

There's a battle going on, and I want in on it. Sullivan vs. Podhoretz ----

A couple of heavyweight academics, successful writers, yada, yada, yada.

Now I know for sure Sullivan needs no defense ---- but Podhoretz reads like a real Dick.

The argument, as we all know now to be utter Bullshit, is that the war in Iraq was Necessary for the safety of American lives (Bush Doctrine,) Going to be quick and easy (liberators, flowers etc. so said Mr. Cheney on MTP) and essentially Humanitarian in nature so as to free all the poor Iraqi people suppressed by an evil dictatorship. We were sold this piece of shit rationale by the Neoconservatives history will record.

Here's the truth about Neoconservatism and Iraq in a nutshell: Keep Fighting in Iraq to maintain pressure on Iranian and Syrian governments, but also to provide a forum as a broadly swathed Ultimate Fighting ring to take on the Jihadists, and the general overall U.S. haters of all sorts from all sorts of places. That the U.S. has moved beyond the sissy Rooseveltian "Gunboat Diplomacy" but is actually willing to maintain a state of perpetual war. Negotiating is weakness. Abiding to treaties? Weakness.

Now back to the tiff between the heavyweights. The attack on Sullivan, whom I do not always agree with, is that this passage from Sullivan contains errors:

We patiently listened as neocons told us that the Palestinians are too dysfunctional a people ever to have democratic rights or their own state, but that the the ancient sectarian warfare of Iraq can be transformed in a few years!…I took neoconservatism seriously for a long time, because it offered an interesting critique of what’s wrong with the Middle East, and seemed to have the only coherent strategic answer to the savagery of 9/11. I now realize that the answer - the permanent occupation of Iraq - was absurdly utopian and only made feasible by exploiting the psychic trauma of that dreadful day. The closer you examine it, the clearer it is that neoconservatism, in large part, is simply about enabling the most irredentist elements in Israel and sustaining a permanent war against anyone or any country who disagrees with the Israeli right.

TO which Podhoretz reaches deep to say that

In fact, neoconservatives were and remain the most determined supporters of George W. Bush’s June 24, 2002 speech in which he said specifically that the United States would accept a Palestinian state just so long as that state was a democratic one

.

Was I on drugs when their election was held, Hamas wins, and then we said - well that doesn't really count? I don't recall them being the only party on the ticket either.

Then this from J. Pod:

Others — Bill Kristol and Bob Kagan most prominently — did argue that we had prepared inadequately for the occupation, and that we needed far more troops.

I'm of the belief that if you put Bill Kristol in sentence you have to include the word Douche. To base any argument with Bill Kristol -Douche - as your protagonist is beyond hysterical.

Then the kicker from J. Pod:

Andrew Sullivan no longer is interested in winning in Iraq, in fact is probably quietly eager for a defeat there, doubtless out of a combination of a certain degree of conviction, a ravenous hunger for leftist Web traffic, and because having decided a few years ago he’d picked the wrong horse in supporting it, he finds it unbearable to imagine that the wrong horse may prove to be the right horse after all.

Now I take this personal. First off - Victory in Iraq? Victory? Please show me how many "Victories" there are in our Modern History of defeating an enemy that has no uniform, no flag, and no territory? I can -- The slaughter of the Native Americans and the Aboriginals. Is that what would define a victory? Slaughter them all? That anyone who believes this is all of a sudden a wussy leftist feeding from the trough of Sullivan?

He just cannot admit the reality of a forever misunderstood region - that might is not going to solve the problem, that the revolt('s), if there ever is going to be one, will come from within itself.

I would leave this final question to J. Pod:

If rockets stop firing into Israel, will Israel suddenly become a dove? Or will they harbor their animosity? It has to be peace in what the people really want bottom line. Let the people have what they want. Get back to thinking on how to improve the Oslo accord asUri Savir believes it can be.

The ultimate lesson we can glean from Oslo's limitations is that an enduring peace must be built from the bottom up, not from the top down. Instead of relying on the same archaic peacemaking strategy we've used for centuries – and which was reflected in the Oslo process – we can embrace a new model based on nurturing mutually beneficial forms of cooperation on the local level, as well as between cities and organizations.

What do I know---I read The Daily Dish.