NewscomaGot A Two-Pack Habit And A Motel Tan

Lost Spoilers lie here, so don’t enter if you haven’t seen it.

Read the rest of this entry »

I sent this to some of my newspaper buddies today, but I’ll link it here as well.

Michael Silence of the Knoxville News Sentinel posted a memo from the Senior Vice President Mark Contreras of Scripps.

Here’s a snippet:

You’ve no doubt read about recent challenges in the newspaper business. We’re certainly not immune to many of these trends.

In the first quarter of this year, our total revenues were down 7.8% compared to last year, our expenses were down slightly, and our profit was down 28%. Many of our industry peers posted similar results. While online revenue remained strong (up 20%), total ad revenue fell due to classified advertising declines at our larger papers, as well as some softness in retail advertising.

The long and the short of it is that any business that has declining revenues and sharply declining profits must do something about it.

Two questions come to mind: how did we get here and what are we going to do about it?

How did we get here?

In short, the newspaper business has delivered solid revenue growth for decades. Despite the development of competing alternative media – such as radio, broadcast television, cable television and others – we adapted to changing consumer and advertiser behavior and still found ways to consistently grow.

There’s more there. Interesting stuff. The comments are interesting as well. You might want to go give it a gander.

In with the cool kids:

Skill, wisdom, adaptation. Craft, cunning, depending on dignity.

Eleoquent and charismatic both verbally and in writing, you are clever, witty, inventive and persuasive.

The Magician is the male power of creation, creation by willpower and desire. In that ancient sense, it is the ability to make things so just by speaking them aloud. Reflecting this is the fact that the Magician is represented by Mercury. He represents the gift of tongues, a smooth talker, a salesman. Also clever with the slight of hand and a medicine man – either a real doctor or someone trying to sell you snake oil.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

From Jon via Brittney

For your enjoyment, a rejected series of shorts from the Family Learning Channel on this fine Wednesday:

UPDATE: YouTube pulled it. Too bad. It was fun.

[youtube=[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pCT-37nR7U]]

You may be asking yourself why I’m still sitting on my couch on a Wednesday morning when I have 69 things to do today.

The answer is simple. The niece is sick and Homer is tied up, busier than I am. I’m going to work shortly, headed to a meeting and then I’m coming back here to take care of her.

It’s so hard seeing this ten-year-old coughing and nothing is happening. Her little chest is so tight it’s not funny.  I think she has bronchitis like I had a few weeks ago.  And it looks like it hurts.

I wish I could just wrap her up and haul her around with me all day. And, well you know, insurance sucks. Maybe the doctor will call her in some stuff so they can avoid the office visit charge.

So today I get to be Aunt Tick. Maybe I can make some of the invisible monsters under the bed go away and allow her to get some rest this afternoon. If I didn’t have to get the paper out, I’d seriously say screw it and stay with her all day.

And poor Homer can use the help. I can tell she’s nearly in tears and I wish there was something I could do to make it better.

Sick children will break your heart nearly in two.

By the way, I did not see the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. I watched it on YouTube on Tuesday.

Best. Derby. Ever.

Seeing a horse got from 19th place and blow the whole field wide-open was sort of groovy. Here’s the link.

Yeah, I’m in news. And I always get it five days after the fact. Yay me.

Random Thoughts on Hump Day:

The nieces do not want to go to school. I feel their pain as I do not want to go to work. I would love to sit around all day (I realized that I’ve never seen The View so the whole Rosie thing leaving has no impact on my life whatsoever) and do absolutely nothing. BTW, did I mention that Squirrel Queen is my hero this morning?  Also, I realized yesterday when one of my employees was listening to her beloved country music that I really don’t like that Carrie Underwood song about beating up a car.

Bear has a cell phone. It rang yesterday and I heard “If you ain’t got no money take your broke ass home” before it went into “Glamorous” by Fergie. (Note to self – Ask Homer about this.)

In an unofficial survey I did last night that means I had more than two beers with a variety of people, Fred Thompson was mentioned the most for president. This concerned me. I am already so tired of the presidential race I want to scream. When I was asked who I was for president, I said “I DON’T KNOW YET.” Yeah, with capital letters and everything.

Gots the tireds. Remind me again I’m not 21 years-old. Yeah, I forget that too.

I’ve been so slammed into the wall that I haven’t had time to peruse around the blogosphere. I asked my sister, who watches American Idol, how they did. She said “That Barry Gibb is the craziest man in show business.”  My response “How do you know that?”  She said “I just made it up. I didn’t see it last night.” Thus, Homer goes around making stuff up, but it made me laugh.”

Now don’t harp on me, but I’m going to try to quit smoking. Again.
Which means some habit changes. I’m going to lie these bastards down after work on Friday. That will give me two days of being psychotic with my family. I’m going to also use patches which are bought and waiting. I’ve also been looking at picture of diseased lungs ’cause I really want to freak myself out. I will need a slinky to play with (I did quit smoking before and the slinky helped me with my hands.) My plan is to avoid the local taverns, and sadly, other smokers, for awhile.  Please leave me some positive feedback in the comments about how to throw these down. The reason I’m waiting until Friday is I don’t want to Hari Kari anyone the next three work days. If I make it a month, I’m going to give myself a gift of a new cell phone. This is my plan. It will also make SQ and Homer very happy.

I tried this before. I only made it three weeks last year. Just over the smoking thing, the mid-life crisis thing and, oh yeah, the White House Administration which just gets on my ever-loving nerves.