Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Right On, John Rabe!
I can't really explain why I got such a kick out of this today. Perhaps it's simply the damned-the-rules, question-authority, I'm-gonna-do-it-anyway spirit of the thing. Whatever it is ... Right on! John Rabe!
(via LA Observed)
— TJ Sullivan in LA
Saturday, April 11, 2009
April is Poetry Month: No. 2
So ... I figured I'd drag out a few old poems, and publish a new one or two.
— TJ Sullivan in LA
Cancellation
by T.J. Sullivan © 1998
The newspaper carrier
Kept throwing my paper farther and farther
Away from the porch
It used to be that he’d hit the door with it at 4 a.m.
The sound of tightly wound newsprint hitting wood
Woke me up most mornings
But it had been months since
I heard the thud
For a few weeks he was throwing it on the steps
Leading up to my door
Then the porch below it
His favorite spot in December was the walk
In front of the house
Two months later the paper was on the curb
Then it was in the street
I stumbled out that morning
Half asleep and hung over
In boxers and a white cotton Fruit-of-the-Loom t-shirt
Then he rammed me from behind with
That station wagon with the bad muffler
There were photographs of my under-dressed
Corpse
In the newspaper the next day
Complete coverage
With a map showing exactly where my house is located
And a dotted line where his car skittered over me and away
They think he headed for Calgary
My neighbors said I was quiet
Except for that Cuban salsa music
And those mornings when I would just scream
'(Expletive deleted)'
But other than that, they didn’t notice me much
I’ve been dead for about five months now
And my porch sits yellowed and full of newspapers
The new carrier on my route was told
'Make sure you hit the porch
There have been some complaints
And we don’t like
Cancellations.'
— TJ Sullivan in LA
April is Poetry Month: No. 1
So ... I figured I'd drag out a few old poems, and publish a new one or two.
— TJ Sullivan in LA
Summer In Los Angeles
by T.J. Sullivan © 2009
I only miss
The damp cool
Of basement cellars
In desert heat,
When the sun feels
Magnified
Like an obsession
For driveway bugs,
That's when I miss
The dark nooks
Of granite pantries
And cement floors,
I lay in bed
Kick the sheets
Watch gray dust bunnies
Cling to the fan,
Beads of sweat soak
My pillow
New ideas melt
Into brown stains,
In the kitchen
I drop ice
In tiffany glasses
To watch it crack,
Cubes hiss and die
Shrink and fade
And then I swallow
A brief escape,
I pour myself
Back to bed
Slip between warm sheets
And dream of mold.
— TJ Sullivan in LA
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Saturday, April 04, 2009
LA Today: The Santa Anita Derby
— Photo By TJ Sullivan —
Jockey Garrett Gomez aboard Pioneerof the Nile in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby.
[Photo index]
— TJ Sullivan
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Thanks, But No Thanks, Sen. Cardin*
US Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, has proposed a way for Washington D.C. to assist in the recovery of the American newspaper industry.
His idea is to exempt newspapers from that most American of burdens — tax payments on everything from revenue to charitable contributions (should anyone happen to be so civic-minded as to donate money to save a newspaper). To take advantage of this offer, however, a newspaper would have to operate as a non-profit.
Although newspapers could continue most of their primary functions (like keeping a watchful eye on U.S. Senators like Cardin), they wouldn't be allowed to make political endorsements. That's a no-no in the tax code.
Of course, even if they were allowed to editorialize as non-profits, they'd best abstain, at the very least, from editorializing on issues involving taxation (considering the obvious hypocrisy).
The following quote from Cardin's statement appears at AdAge.com:
Sure, there are already a couple non-profit newspapers in operation without the aid of such a law. Besides that, Cardin is not the first elected official to express concern for the threat posed to democracy by dying newspapers, and with good reason.
Much as politicians love to complain about "the media," they know full well that without ethically bound, professional newspaper journalists, the ability of elected officials to communicate with constituents would be limited to two-minute TV reports, radio talk show blather, and an Internet so full of pundits and patent lunatics that it's damned hard to find serious news bloggers (or whatever the term is this week for unaccredited, unaffiliated, smart, reporter-like writers who publish online).
Surely all of Washington is wondering where officeholders will turn in the future when their complicated piece of legislation is being misconstrued and misunderstood in 30-second sound bites. Or, perhaps more importantly: Who do you sic on a crooked opponent if not a newspaper reporter willing to invest weeks digging through records and receipts?
Seriously. The CBS program 60 Minutes only has 60 minutes a week (less than that if you discount the air consumed by Andy Rooney). And lest some think Michael Moore and Rush Limbaugh are capable of carrying such water, think again. Both come with far too much of their own baggage to carry anything for anyone else.
As much as Americans love to hate their local newspaper, deep down most people (especially the ones seated near the center of the aisle) have always believed that they could trust the paper more than any other source.
Which is precisely the problem with ideas like this.
As I've said before, government assistance of any kind won't wash with the Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics, particularly the sections of the code that call upon journalists to:
I have no reason to doubt that Sen. Cardin's intentions are anything but honorable, but that doesn't matter. Should he succeed in saving newspapers this way in the short term, he will most certainly kill them in the long run.
Should this legislation pass, all subsequent non-profit newspaper coverage of Cardin and his Congressional colleagues would be tainted by a public perception of reciprocation.
No bad news would be bad enough, and good news would always be considered a quid pro quo.
It matters little that no such thing is being requested, nor offered. Perception in this situation is reality (and I haven't even addressed the First Amendment issues).
It's easy to guess where all this is going.
So, thanks, Sen. Cardin, but no thanks. The newspaper industry can only be hurt by government assistance.
* Post updated/corrected 10:30 pm PDT
More at Fitz & Jen.
* Cross posted at Know Newspapers.
— TJ Sullivan in LA
His idea is to exempt newspapers from that most American of burdens — tax payments on everything from revenue to charitable contributions (should anyone happen to be so civic-minded as to donate money to save a newspaper). To take advantage of this offer, however, a newspaper would have to operate as a non-profit.
Although newspapers could continue most of their primary functions (like keeping a watchful eye on U.S. Senators like Cardin), they wouldn't be allowed to make political endorsements. That's a no-no in the tax code.
Of course, even if they were allowed to editorialize as non-profits, they'd best abstain, at the very least, from editorializing on issues involving taxation (considering the obvious hypocrisy).
The following quote from Cardin's statement appears at AdAge.com:
"We are losing our newspaper industry," Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, D.-Md., said in a statement. "The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy."
Sure, there are already a couple non-profit newspapers in operation without the aid of such a law. Besides that, Cardin is not the first elected official to express concern for the threat posed to democracy by dying newspapers, and with good reason.
Much as politicians love to complain about "the media," they know full well that without ethically bound, professional newspaper journalists, the ability of elected officials to communicate with constituents would be limited to two-minute TV reports, radio talk show blather, and an Internet so full of pundits and patent lunatics that it's damned hard to find serious news bloggers (or whatever the term is this week for unaccredited, unaffiliated, smart, reporter-like writers who publish online).
Surely all of Washington is wondering where officeholders will turn in the future when their complicated piece of legislation is being misconstrued and misunderstood in 30-second sound bites. Or, perhaps more importantly: Who do you sic on a crooked opponent if not a newspaper reporter willing to invest weeks digging through records and receipts?
Seriously. The CBS program 60 Minutes only has 60 minutes a week (less than that if you discount the air consumed by Andy Rooney). And lest some think Michael Moore and Rush Limbaugh are capable of carrying such water, think again. Both come with far too much of their own baggage to carry anything for anyone else.
As much as Americans love to hate their local newspaper, deep down most people (especially the ones seated near the center of the aisle) have always believed that they could trust the paper more than any other source.
Which is precisely the problem with ideas like this.
As I've said before, government assistance of any kind won't wash with the Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics, particularly the sections of the code that call upon journalists to:
* Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived ...
* Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility ...
* Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
I have no reason to doubt that Sen. Cardin's intentions are anything but honorable, but that doesn't matter. Should he succeed in saving newspapers this way in the short term, he will most certainly kill them in the long run.
Should this legislation pass, all subsequent non-profit newspaper coverage of Cardin and his Congressional colleagues would be tainted by a public perception of reciprocation.
No bad news would be bad enough, and good news would always be considered a quid pro quo.
It matters little that no such thing is being requested, nor offered. Perception in this situation is reality (and I haven't even addressed the First Amendment issues).
It's easy to guess where all this is going.
So, thanks, Sen. Cardin, but no thanks. The newspaper industry can only be hurt by government assistance.
* Post updated/corrected 10:30 pm PDT
More at Fitz & Jen.
* Cross posted at Know Newspapers.
— TJ Sullivan in LA
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