Here's a copy of the agenda for Monday night's council meeting:
WARSAW COMMON COUNCIL
February 2, 2009
7:00 PM
I. ORGANIZATION OF MEETING
1. Call to Order
2. Invocation
3. Pledge of Allegiance
4. Approval of Minutes for: January 20, 2009
II. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS
III. REPORTS / ORAL & WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
1. 2009 Board & Commission Members
2. Warsaw Airport: 2008 Fuel Usage Report
3. Building Dept: 2008 Building Permit Summary
4. Police Dept: Central Dispatch 2008 Report
5. Police Dept: WPD 2008 Activity Analysis
6. New Life Christian Church / Greater Warsaw Ministerial Association /
Salvation Army: Update on Project Refuge & Food Pantry
7. Legislative Services Agency - Info RE: Property Taxes
8. Legislative Services Agency - HEA 1001:
Estimated Circuit Breaker Credits / Current Law
9. Annual Debt Reporting Form – Bond Information
10. Annual Debt Reporting Form – Loan Information
11. Annual Debt Reporting Form – Lease Information
12. January 2009 Investment Report
IV. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
V. NEW BUSINESS
1. Public Hearing: Establishment of a Fire Protection Territory
Ordinance No. 2009-02-04
2. Ordinance No. 2009-02-01: Repealing Sections 2-61 and 2-62
of the Warsaw City Code
3. Ordinance No. 2009-02-02: Adopting a Travel Policy
4. Ordinance No. 2009-02-03: Amending Personnel Policy Handbook
5. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement: Kevin Denlinger
VI. OTHER MATTERS THAT MAY COME BEFORE THE COUNCIL
VII. MEETING REVIEW
1. Items Carried Forward
2. Visitors’ Questions & Comments
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
New Book (Publisher's Weekly Review)
Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America—and Found Unexpected Peace
William Lobdell. Collins, $25.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-162681-4
A former religion reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Lobdell recounts in this plainly written memoir how he be-came a Protestant evangelical, nearly accepted Catholicism and, in the end, rejected faith altogether.
Central to the arc of this memoir is the unfolding sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church, which Lobdell covered in depth during his time as a religion reporter, beginning in 2000. Despairing of the role of priests and bishops in that scandal, he refashions his identity as a crusading reporter out to cleanse the church of corrupt leaders.
But after finding that his investigative stories about faith healer Benny Hinn and televangelists Jan and Paul Crouch appear to make no difference on the reach of these ministries or the lives of their followers, he gives up on the beat and on religion generally.
Lobdell subjects his faith to the rigors of rationalism. If Christians are no more ethical than atheists, why belong to a church? It’s a curious utilitarian argument that sounds more like a rearview explanation than a revealing account of loss of faith.
Still, the memoir’s strength lies in the wrenching emotional toll exacted by the Catholic abuse scandal. If nothing else, it suggests reporters may have been victimized by the scandal, too. (Mar.)
National Buy a Newspaper Day
Here's a novel (Facebook) approach from www.buyanewspaperday.com
As the economy continues to deteriorate, one of the industries that is going to be most severely affected is the American newspaper industry.
The fact of the matter is that the biggest chains are deeply in debt. Major cities that have had at least two daily newspapers for more than a century, such as Chicago and Seattle, might soon find themselves with only one source of news. Other papers, such as those in Detroit are no longer providing daily home delivery. If things get really bad, some experts say that some small towns might not have any paper by 2010.
And that’s a shame. Unlike radio which has become dominated by opinion or TV news which only looks for the 30 second sound bite, the local newspaper digs deep every day to get you, the reader, the full story on what’s happening in your town.
The newspaper is heavily focused on local news. It keeps you informed about events in your town and keeps local government in-line.
So for one day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, please make it a point to pick up your local newspaper (reading it online doesn‘t count).
It doesn't matter if it's a daily or weekly, right-leaning or left-leaning. If you're a college student and you get the school paper for free, buy the town paper. If you subscribe, why not pick up a second copy?
Who knows? You might like what you see and come back another day, and another, and another…
Please invite all your friends! Let’s see how many people we can make aware of this!
As the economy continues to deteriorate, one of the industries that is going to be most severely affected is the American newspaper industry.
The fact of the matter is that the biggest chains are deeply in debt. Major cities that have had at least two daily newspapers for more than a century, such as Chicago and Seattle, might soon find themselves with only one source of news. Other papers, such as those in Detroit are no longer providing daily home delivery. If things get really bad, some experts say that some small towns might not have any paper by 2010.
And that’s a shame. Unlike radio which has become dominated by opinion or TV news which only looks for the 30 second sound bite, the local newspaper digs deep every day to get you, the reader, the full story on what’s happening in your town.
The newspaper is heavily focused on local news. It keeps you informed about events in your town and keeps local government in-line.
So for one day, Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, please make it a point to pick up your local newspaper (reading it online doesn‘t count).
It doesn't matter if it's a daily or weekly, right-leaning or left-leaning. If you're a college student and you get the school paper for free, buy the town paper. If you subscribe, why not pick up a second copy?
Who knows? You might like what you see and come back another day, and another, and another…
Please invite all your friends! Let’s see how many people we can make aware of this!
WashPost Dropping Book World
From Publisher's Lunch:
Washington Post to Drop Book World
As the NBCC first reported on their blog, the Washington Post will drop its standalone book review section: "The last issue of Book World in print will be the February 15, 2009 issue. Thereafter, content will be split between the Outlook section and Style & Arts on Sundays. Daily book reviews in Style will continue. The promise is that there will be four additional broadsheet pages in Outlook for book coverage and one additional page in Style & Arts. That's an equivalent of 12 tabloid pages. (Book World is 16 pages.) Jonathan Yardley's reviews will appear in Outlook. Michael Dirda's will appear in Style. The staff of Book World will be kept together under the editorship of Rachel Shea."
As often happens, the Post got widely scooped on their own news. By the afternoon, their columnist Howard Kurtz posted a piece in which deputy Book World editor Shea (since there is no editor to replace Marie Arana, who took a buyout) says, "It's nice to have a separate section with big display and a big shout-out to what the most important book is. But it's not worth gnashing our teeth about too much." Kurtz adds, "Shea said The Post would publish about three-quarters of the roughly 900 reviews it currently carries each year."
Executive editor Marcus Brauchli makes the argument that "because Style and Outlook have higher readership than Book World, the paper's book coverage will reach more people in those sections."
In a NYT story, Arana says "I think it's going to be a great disappointment to a lot of readers. I just hope that there's enough coverage and emphasis and attention given on the pages where Book World will now appear in print in Outlook and Style and Arts to satisfy those readers."
Consistent with the Times' recent line of reasoning, it's all your fault: "As it happens, Book World never garnered much advertising from publishers, who generally spend very little on newspaper ads. Publishers now [and for many, many years, as the Times loves to "expose"] focus their marketing dollars on cooperative agreements with chain bookstores, which guarantee that certain books will receive prominent display at the front of stores."
At least Shea says, in her own newspaper, "You can't just blame publishers, because they have their own financial constraints. There's pretty much one publication they advertise in, and it's not us." (Even that, by a casual appraisal, seems to be dropping.)
Washington Post to Drop Book World
As the NBCC first reported on their blog, the Washington Post will drop its standalone book review section: "The last issue of Book World in print will be the February 15, 2009 issue. Thereafter, content will be split between the Outlook section and Style & Arts on Sundays. Daily book reviews in Style will continue. The promise is that there will be four additional broadsheet pages in Outlook for book coverage and one additional page in Style & Arts. That's an equivalent of 12 tabloid pages. (Book World is 16 pages.) Jonathan Yardley's reviews will appear in Outlook. Michael Dirda's will appear in Style. The staff of Book World will be kept together under the editorship of Rachel Shea."
As often happens, the Post got widely scooped on their own news. By the afternoon, their columnist Howard Kurtz posted a piece in which deputy Book World editor Shea (since there is no editor to replace Marie Arana, who took a buyout) says, "It's nice to have a separate section with big display and a big shout-out to what the most important book is. But it's not worth gnashing our teeth about too much." Kurtz adds, "Shea said The Post would publish about three-quarters of the roughly 900 reviews it currently carries each year."
Executive editor Marcus Brauchli makes the argument that "because Style and Outlook have higher readership than Book World, the paper's book coverage will reach more people in those sections."
In a NYT story, Arana says "I think it's going to be a great disappointment to a lot of readers. I just hope that there's enough coverage and emphasis and attention given on the pages where Book World will now appear in print in Outlook and Style and Arts to satisfy those readers."
Consistent with the Times' recent line of reasoning, it's all your fault: "As it happens, Book World never garnered much advertising from publishers, who generally spend very little on newspaper ads. Publishers now [and for many, many years, as the Times loves to "expose"] focus their marketing dollars on cooperative agreements with chain bookstores, which guarantee that certain books will receive prominent display at the front of stores."
At least Shea says, in her own newspaper, "You can't just blame publishers, because they have their own financial constraints. There's pretty much one publication they advertise in, and it's not us." (Even that, by a casual appraisal, seems to be dropping.)
Will Warren's New Magazine Find a Niche?
Here are some thoughts from WorldMagBlog's Alisa Harris on Rick Warren's new startup magazine. What do YOU think?
Rick Warren starts magazine
by Alisa Harris
The Wall Street Journal reports that Rick Warren is starting his own quarterly magazine, the Purpose Driven Connection—a publication of the Reader’s Digest Association.
A subscription includes the magazines, DVD study guides, and access to a Christian social networking web site.
This could be a risky venture, particularly since so many print publications are foundering or folding right now.
I have a theory, though, that niche publications—the kind that appeal to a very specific audience — will continue to do well. That seems to the the theory shared by new CEO Mary Berner, who has reorganized the company according to “consumer affinities,” says WSJ:”The idea is to envelop subscribers in a multimedia web of Mr. Warren’s message.”
Rick Warren starts magazine
by Alisa Harris
The Wall Street Journal reports that Rick Warren is starting his own quarterly magazine, the Purpose Driven Connection—a publication of the Reader’s Digest Association.
A subscription includes the magazines, DVD study guides, and access to a Christian social networking web site.
This could be a risky venture, particularly since so many print publications are foundering or folding right now.
I have a theory, though, that niche publications—the kind that appeal to a very specific audience — will continue to do well. That seems to the the theory shared by new CEO Mary Berner, who has reorganized the company according to “consumer affinities,” says WSJ:”The idea is to envelop subscribers in a multimedia web of Mr. Warren’s message.”
Olasky on Who Should Replace Kristol at NYT
Thought-provoking commentary by Marvin Olasky (WorldMagBlog) on who should replace Bill Kristol at the NYT:
Who should replace Bill Kristol? A choice, not an echo?
by Marvin Olasky
With Bill Kristol purged from The New York Times op-ed page, David Brooks is the only non-liberal voice regularly given the most precious real estate in newspapering. Brooks is a clever neoconservative but he doesn’t fundamentally challenge the Times worldview represented most clearly by Maureen Dowd, Paul Krugman, and Frank Rich.
Politico.com and others have been speculating on whether the Times might allow a tad more ideological diversity by adding a conservative or libertarian columnist in the tradition of William Safire or John Tierney. Politico has floated names such as former Bush speechwriter David Frum, the National Review’s Byron York, The Atlantic magazine libertarian Megan McArdle, and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan. The New Republic’s short list included Charles Krauthammer and Max Boot.
If the Times wanted real intellectual diversity it would choose an evangelical columnist, but there’s no indication of the Times‘ openness to anyone questioning its secular fundamentalism. In the absence of real alternatives at least we should have fun: I’d like the Times to hold American Idol-like tryouts during which contestants would read—better yet, croon—their columns to a panel of snickering judges.
How about Dowd as Paula, Rich as Dawg, and—of course—Krugman as Simon? Viewership might not go higher than C-SPAN levels, so don’t expect the Times, which has mortgaged its building, to do anything beyond sticking to its knitting for a while. The mighty are falling fast, and journalists are already speculating about how much time the Times has before it goes bankrupt.
Who should replace Bill Kristol? A choice, not an echo?
by Marvin Olasky
With Bill Kristol purged from The New York Times op-ed page, David Brooks is the only non-liberal voice regularly given the most precious real estate in newspapering. Brooks is a clever neoconservative but he doesn’t fundamentally challenge the Times worldview represented most clearly by Maureen Dowd, Paul Krugman, and Frank Rich.
Politico.com and others have been speculating on whether the Times might allow a tad more ideological diversity by adding a conservative or libertarian columnist in the tradition of William Safire or John Tierney. Politico has floated names such as former Bush speechwriter David Frum, the National Review’s Byron York, The Atlantic magazine libertarian Megan McArdle, and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan. The New Republic’s short list included Charles Krauthammer and Max Boot.
If the Times wanted real intellectual diversity it would choose an evangelical columnist, but there’s no indication of the Times‘ openness to anyone questioning its secular fundamentalism. In the absence of real alternatives at least we should have fun: I’d like the Times to hold American Idol-like tryouts during which contestants would read—better yet, croon—their columns to a panel of snickering judges.
How about Dowd as Paula, Rich as Dawg, and—of course—Krugman as Simon? Viewership might not go higher than C-SPAN levels, so don’t expect the Times, which has mortgaged its building, to do anything beyond sticking to its knitting for a while. The mighty are falling fast, and journalists are already speculating about how much time the Times has before it goes bankrupt.
Ten Who Are Making It
From Editor & Publisher:
Who Says 2008 Was a Washout? Here Are 10 Papers That Bucked the Trends
By Jon Whiten
NEW YORK It seems like anytime you visit Editor & Publisher or Romenesko these days, it's all doom and gloom, all the time, regarding the newspaper business. Aging readers, slumping sales, declining circulation, salary freezes, unpaid furloughs, layoffs, bankruptcies, liquidations -- it's a veritable Moebius strip of woe.
In the old days, when the media reported on problems in the newspaper industry, alternative newspapers weren't included. But alt-weeklies are immune no longer: In 2008, many Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) papers faced some of the same issues afflicting their mainstream brethren in the print media.
However, if you look to small- and medium-sized markets, you can still find alternative newspapers that had a pretty good year in 2008.
In the space below, we've written about 10 AAN papers that increased revenue last year. Most of the increases were in the single digits, and for a few of these papers the growth was less than they had grown accustomed to. However, in the final year of the disastrous Bush presidency, when the economy reached depths unseen since FDR was in office, any growth at all must be considered an accomplishment.
1. The Athens News in Athens, Ohio, finished 2008 with revenue up 3.14 percent over the prior year with profitability also growing by 7.75 percent. While the paper took a hit in insert advertising due to the loss of one major client, classified and display sales were up a combined 4.19 percent and special-issue sales were up 11.67 percent, according to publisher Bruce Mitchell.
He says he remains optimistic about opportunities in the new year. “It’s all in the people you hire and work environment you create," Mitchell says. "Try to overlook the doom and gloom and look for opportunity and great people.”
2. Boulder (Colo.) Weekly ended up growing its top line by about 5 percent in 2008, after being up by 11 percent at mid-year and 8 percent at the end of the third quarter, publisher Stewart Sallo says. He says the paper's profits grew substantially more than revenue, and may have doubled. (The Weekly's year-end financials are not yet complete.) The growth was mostly in special issues, with a newly added Annual Manual accounting for about half of all special-issue growth.
"It appears that our 15-year-old paper has finally matured to the point where we are doing a much better job in most areas," Sallo says. "Our organization has never been as stable as it is right now in terms of attrition -- particularly in our advertising department -- and the local community seems to finally be taking notice of our longevity."
3. The Illinois Times grew its top line by 1.5 percent in 2008, according to publisher Sharon Whalen. She says the Springfield, Ill., alt-weekly grew via a combination of new special issues (e.g., a winter guide), new niche products (e.g., a wedding planner) and an influx of revenue from legal ads from foreclosures.
The paper changed printers late in 2008 and as a result expects to cut printing expenses in 2009, even though it went to a larger page and a stitch-and-trim format. The Times also hopes its new look will help it land regional advertising accounts that have thus far eluded the paper.
4. North Carolina's Mountain Xpress was up 3 percent last year, due to growth in display advertising and two new standalone publications -- a green-building directory and a dining guide, publisher Jeff Fobes says. "It helps [the Xpress] to be in a small market and to depend almost entirely on local advertising," he notes.
Fobes also notes that the Xpress may have been boosted by other factors unique to its market that have allowed the paper to expand its role: "Whatever success Xpress has had might ... be tied in part to our historic effort to approximate a paper of record, which has given our daily, increasingly, a run for its money."
5. "It's easy to be negative right now," Josh Schuler says. "But negativity in the sales force can lead to sloppiness, laziness. The 'economy excuse' can be somewhat self-fulfilling." The director of sales and marketing at the Indianapolis alt-weekly NUVO says sales are up more than 5 percent in its fiscal year 2008 (which ends in March), with most of that growth coming from local display advertising. The paper also increased web revenue by 100 percent for the second year straight.
Schuler says that NUVO has succeeded by "reinforcing the consultative approach." It has increased its page yield by about 25 percent since this time last year, so while his account executives may not be selling as much volume, they are earning more in less space. The paper has also increased the number of accounts purchasing multi-platform packages encompassing print, web, email, and texting services.
6. In Spokane, Wash., the Pacific Northwest Inlander increased sales by 11.6 percent and also boosted profitability in 2008, according to editor and publisher Ted McGregor. He says that local display advertising grew, but the biggest difference was in the free glossy magazines the paper publishes. The Inlander now publishes a bimonthly health magazine in addition to an annual manual, and they both added to the bottom line.
"We need to make sure we don’t get dragged down with the Titanic,"McGregor says. "Many people want to link us to dailies since we are all print, but we -- as an industry -- saw the problems in the daily model long ago, which is why we have personality, loyalty and were free way before the internet made it cool."
7. Maine's Portland Phoenix grew the top line by about 3 percent in 2008, and also increased profitability, according to associate publisher Marc Shepard. He says that most of the growth came from local display and niche publications and events targeting new demographics and new advertisers. The Phoenix increased the publication frequency of its local fashion and style guide from biannual to quarterly, launched a series of DIY arts & crafts fairs, and opened an online auction site targeting new businesses.
8. Central California's San Luis Obispo New Times moved the sales needle up slightly from 2007, but it also increased profitability, publisher Bob Rucker says. The growth came from local display ads, and from new publications. Rucker says the paper took four special sections -- best of, brides, holiday guide and student guide -- and turned them into separate publications, and all except the best-of tripled in revenue.
While he admits that papers on the Central California coast "tend to be a little insulated from the rest of the world," Rucker says he still "believes there are plenty of advertising dollars out there -- just work harder and stay focused on print products."
9. "Keep the faith," says Santa Fe Reporter publisher Andy Dudzik. "Print is not dead." He says his paper's sales were up by 4 percent last year, but profitability declined as a result of the creation of two new staff positions -- a special-sections editor and a web editor. The sales growth derived from increases in both local display and classified advertising, as well as a boost in revenue from events like a block party, a Valentine's Day party, and a free drive-in movie series.
10. Seven Days co-editor and publisher Paula Routly says the Burlington, Vt., alt-weekly's annual growth is usually in the 10 to 20 percent range, but that it will settle for a revenue increase of 1 percent in 2008. "November and December eroded all our growth gains," she says, "but if we hadn't gotten creative earlier in the year, it would have been much worse."
Seven Days launched an annual student guide in 2008. It also created a new revenue-generating event, Vermont 3.0, which was "basically a job fair for creative technology companies." In addition, web ad revenue was up 50 percent. "Try to figure out ways to be useful to your advertisers that go beyond a weekly eighth of a page," Routly says. "Look for opportunities that relate to the mission but feel a little bit like a stretch."
Who Says 2008 Was a Washout? Here Are 10 Papers That Bucked the Trends
By Jon Whiten
NEW YORK It seems like anytime you visit Editor & Publisher or Romenesko these days, it's all doom and gloom, all the time, regarding the newspaper business. Aging readers, slumping sales, declining circulation, salary freezes, unpaid furloughs, layoffs, bankruptcies, liquidations -- it's a veritable Moebius strip of woe.
In the old days, when the media reported on problems in the newspaper industry, alternative newspapers weren't included. But alt-weeklies are immune no longer: In 2008, many Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) papers faced some of the same issues afflicting their mainstream brethren in the print media.
However, if you look to small- and medium-sized markets, you can still find alternative newspapers that had a pretty good year in 2008.
In the space below, we've written about 10 AAN papers that increased revenue last year. Most of the increases were in the single digits, and for a few of these papers the growth was less than they had grown accustomed to. However, in the final year of the disastrous Bush presidency, when the economy reached depths unseen since FDR was in office, any growth at all must be considered an accomplishment.
1. The Athens News in Athens, Ohio, finished 2008 with revenue up 3.14 percent over the prior year with profitability also growing by 7.75 percent. While the paper took a hit in insert advertising due to the loss of one major client, classified and display sales were up a combined 4.19 percent and special-issue sales were up 11.67 percent, according to publisher Bruce Mitchell.
He says he remains optimistic about opportunities in the new year. “It’s all in the people you hire and work environment you create," Mitchell says. "Try to overlook the doom and gloom and look for opportunity and great people.”
2. Boulder (Colo.) Weekly ended up growing its top line by about 5 percent in 2008, after being up by 11 percent at mid-year and 8 percent at the end of the third quarter, publisher Stewart Sallo says. He says the paper's profits grew substantially more than revenue, and may have doubled. (The Weekly's year-end financials are not yet complete.) The growth was mostly in special issues, with a newly added Annual Manual accounting for about half of all special-issue growth.
"It appears that our 15-year-old paper has finally matured to the point where we are doing a much better job in most areas," Sallo says. "Our organization has never been as stable as it is right now in terms of attrition -- particularly in our advertising department -- and the local community seems to finally be taking notice of our longevity."
3. The Illinois Times grew its top line by 1.5 percent in 2008, according to publisher Sharon Whalen. She says the Springfield, Ill., alt-weekly grew via a combination of new special issues (e.g., a winter guide), new niche products (e.g., a wedding planner) and an influx of revenue from legal ads from foreclosures.
The paper changed printers late in 2008 and as a result expects to cut printing expenses in 2009, even though it went to a larger page and a stitch-and-trim format. The Times also hopes its new look will help it land regional advertising accounts that have thus far eluded the paper.
4. North Carolina's Mountain Xpress was up 3 percent last year, due to growth in display advertising and two new standalone publications -- a green-building directory and a dining guide, publisher Jeff Fobes says. "It helps [the Xpress] to be in a small market and to depend almost entirely on local advertising," he notes.
Fobes also notes that the Xpress may have been boosted by other factors unique to its market that have allowed the paper to expand its role: "Whatever success Xpress has had might ... be tied in part to our historic effort to approximate a paper of record, which has given our daily, increasingly, a run for its money."
5. "It's easy to be negative right now," Josh Schuler says. "But negativity in the sales force can lead to sloppiness, laziness. The 'economy excuse' can be somewhat self-fulfilling." The director of sales and marketing at the Indianapolis alt-weekly NUVO says sales are up more than 5 percent in its fiscal year 2008 (which ends in March), with most of that growth coming from local display advertising. The paper also increased web revenue by 100 percent for the second year straight.
Schuler says that NUVO has succeeded by "reinforcing the consultative approach." It has increased its page yield by about 25 percent since this time last year, so while his account executives may not be selling as much volume, they are earning more in less space. The paper has also increased the number of accounts purchasing multi-platform packages encompassing print, web, email, and texting services.
6. In Spokane, Wash., the Pacific Northwest Inlander increased sales by 11.6 percent and also boosted profitability in 2008, according to editor and publisher Ted McGregor. He says that local display advertising grew, but the biggest difference was in the free glossy magazines the paper publishes. The Inlander now publishes a bimonthly health magazine in addition to an annual manual, and they both added to the bottom line.
"We need to make sure we don’t get dragged down with the Titanic,"McGregor says. "Many people want to link us to dailies since we are all print, but we -- as an industry -- saw the problems in the daily model long ago, which is why we have personality, loyalty and were free way before the internet made it cool."
7. Maine's Portland Phoenix grew the top line by about 3 percent in 2008, and also increased profitability, according to associate publisher Marc Shepard. He says that most of the growth came from local display and niche publications and events targeting new demographics and new advertisers. The Phoenix increased the publication frequency of its local fashion and style guide from biannual to quarterly, launched a series of DIY arts & crafts fairs, and opened an online auction site targeting new businesses.
8. Central California's San Luis Obispo New Times moved the sales needle up slightly from 2007, but it also increased profitability, publisher Bob Rucker says. The growth came from local display ads, and from new publications. Rucker says the paper took four special sections -- best of, brides, holiday guide and student guide -- and turned them into separate publications, and all except the best-of tripled in revenue.
While he admits that papers on the Central California coast "tend to be a little insulated from the rest of the world," Rucker says he still "believes there are plenty of advertising dollars out there -- just work harder and stay focused on print products."
9. "Keep the faith," says Santa Fe Reporter publisher Andy Dudzik. "Print is not dead." He says his paper's sales were up by 4 percent last year, but profitability declined as a result of the creation of two new staff positions -- a special-sections editor and a web editor. The sales growth derived from increases in both local display and classified advertising, as well as a boost in revenue from events like a block party, a Valentine's Day party, and a free drive-in movie series.
10. Seven Days co-editor and publisher Paula Routly says the Burlington, Vt., alt-weekly's annual growth is usually in the 10 to 20 percent range, but that it will settle for a revenue increase of 1 percent in 2008. "November and December eroded all our growth gains," she says, "but if we hadn't gotten creative earlier in the year, it would have been much worse."
Seven Days launched an annual student guide in 2008. It also created a new revenue-generating event, Vermont 3.0, which was "basically a job fair for creative technology companies." In addition, web ad revenue was up 50 percent. "Try to figure out ways to be useful to your advertisers that go beyond a weekly eighth of a page," Routly says. "Look for opportunities that relate to the mission but feel a little bit like a stretch."
Internet Advertising Won't Save New York Times
From 24/7:
Internet Abandons the New York Times
The Internet was going to save the newspaper industry. The Internet was going to save The New York Times Company (NYT). Especially The New York Times. The daily is so well-regarded and popular that the parent firm's websites are ranked No.14 in visitors among all web properties in the US.
But, internet advertising, which was supposed to be able to dodge a recession, is now falling nearly as fast as print sales.
As the costs of printing and delivering newspapers has risen over the last several years, and their advertising bases has been largely replaced by Web sites such as Craigslist and CareerBuilder, publishers bet they could migrate their brands online. The brands were already well-known which should have given them an edge over recently created news sites like Google (GOOG) news.
What newspapers found out is that, by the time they had moved their products onto the internet, there were already websites up and running to give everything from shopping advice to sports scores to business news to weather. Online habits has fragmented the news audience. Consumers were will to use several sites to gather the information that they needed every day.
Today, The New York Times reported that its fourth quarter revenue decreased 10.8% to $772.1 million. Advertising revenue decreased 17.6% and circulation revenue increased 3.7%. The paper has been raising its subscription prices. Ad revenue at the company's standalone operation, About.com, fell 3% to $30 million. Total Internet revenue, including the firm's newspaper websites fell 3% to $92 million.
The numbers got worse in December, which means that 2009 will probably be rough and online revenue will not buttress print results. In the last month of the year, total company sales fell 9% to $232 million, Internet sales fell even faster, down 12%.
A great deal has been said about the value of the Times as a public service. It is, by almost all accounts, the most important newspaper in the country. Whether it is a shame or not is a matter of opinion, but The New York Times will have to go through more rounds of cost cutting in 2009. Some of them will almost certainly involve sharp decreases in the number of writers and editors that the newspaper firm employs.
Whatever hope there may have been that the internet would save those jobs is nearly gone.
Douglas A. McIntyre
Internet Abandons the New York Times
The Internet was going to save the newspaper industry. The Internet was going to save The New York Times Company (NYT). Especially The New York Times. The daily is so well-regarded and popular that the parent firm's websites are ranked No.14 in visitors among all web properties in the US.
But, internet advertising, which was supposed to be able to dodge a recession, is now falling nearly as fast as print sales.
As the costs of printing and delivering newspapers has risen over the last several years, and their advertising bases has been largely replaced by Web sites such as Craigslist and CareerBuilder, publishers bet they could migrate their brands online. The brands were already well-known which should have given them an edge over recently created news sites like Google (GOOG) news.
What newspapers found out is that, by the time they had moved their products onto the internet, there were already websites up and running to give everything from shopping advice to sports scores to business news to weather. Online habits has fragmented the news audience. Consumers were will to use several sites to gather the information that they needed every day.
Today, The New York Times reported that its fourth quarter revenue decreased 10.8% to $772.1 million. Advertising revenue decreased 17.6% and circulation revenue increased 3.7%. The paper has been raising its subscription prices. Ad revenue at the company's standalone operation, About.com, fell 3% to $30 million. Total Internet revenue, including the firm's newspaper websites fell 3% to $92 million.
The numbers got worse in December, which means that 2009 will probably be rough and online revenue will not buttress print results. In the last month of the year, total company sales fell 9% to $232 million, Internet sales fell even faster, down 12%.
A great deal has been said about the value of the Times as a public service. It is, by almost all accounts, the most important newspaper in the country. Whether it is a shame or not is a matter of opinion, but The New York Times will have to go through more rounds of cost cutting in 2009. Some of them will almost certainly involve sharp decreases in the number of writers and editors that the newspaper firm employs.
Whatever hope there may have been that the internet would save those jobs is nearly gone.
Douglas A. McIntyre
LHJ Aims Younger With Redesign
LHJ aims younger with redesign
Lauren BellJanuary 28, 2009
Meredith Corp. has redesigned its 126-year-old women's monthly, Ladies Home Journal (LHJ), in an effort to reposition the title as more positive and personal and make it more appealing to a younger audience.
The 3.8 million-circulation LHJ had its last redesign in January 2008, under then-editor Diane Salvatore. The latest version, debuting as the February 2009 issue, is organized into 6 sections — Journal, Health, Style, Life, Home and Food — in an effort to play up the magazine's home, wellness and food coverage. A “do-good” mission statement will also pervade the new book, editor in chief Sally Lee said.
“We've taken the DNA of the magazine and made it more contemporary, with more emphasis on being a good citizen and doing community service and spotlighting people making a difference in the world,” Lee explained. We're really proud of that positioning because it turned out to be on-target with the appetites of readers. We researched it online first, and the response was very positive.”
Lee added that the magazine is expected to reach an audience slightly younger than the 50-somethings that LHJ has traditionally attracted, though she believes older readers will remain loyal.
Patrick Taylor, VP of communications for Meredith, clarified, “Our readership median age is around 52-53 right now. We want to try to keep it around that mark, but if we can appeal to younger moms, that's great. We're not going after 22-year-olds, but with an audience this big, we're going to have a range.”
Many of the new LHJ's marketing efforts will take place on the digital front, with subscription offers on LHJ.com and outreach through e-newsletters and social media networks.
The redesign is intended to help the magazine play catch-up with Meredith's online properties; the corporation has made sizeable investments in the women's online space, with its recent launch of Meredith Women's Network, comprising various women's portals and magazine sites. In January, LHJ combined its online and magazine staff to better synchronize the two channels foster multichannel reader engagement.
Lee kept little from the previous incarnation of LHJ, even changing fonts, color palettes and the amount of images, which she says is now much higher.
Lauren BellJanuary 28, 2009
Meredith Corp. has redesigned its 126-year-old women's monthly, Ladies Home Journal (LHJ), in an effort to reposition the title as more positive and personal and make it more appealing to a younger audience.
The 3.8 million-circulation LHJ had its last redesign in January 2008, under then-editor Diane Salvatore. The latest version, debuting as the February 2009 issue, is organized into 6 sections — Journal, Health, Style, Life, Home and Food — in an effort to play up the magazine's home, wellness and food coverage. A “do-good” mission statement will also pervade the new book, editor in chief Sally Lee said.
“We've taken the DNA of the magazine and made it more contemporary, with more emphasis on being a good citizen and doing community service and spotlighting people making a difference in the world,” Lee explained. We're really proud of that positioning because it turned out to be on-target with the appetites of readers. We researched it online first, and the response was very positive.”
Lee added that the magazine is expected to reach an audience slightly younger than the 50-somethings that LHJ has traditionally attracted, though she believes older readers will remain loyal.
Patrick Taylor, VP of communications for Meredith, clarified, “Our readership median age is around 52-53 right now. We want to try to keep it around that mark, but if we can appeal to younger moms, that's great. We're not going after 22-year-olds, but with an audience this big, we're going to have a range.”
Many of the new LHJ's marketing efforts will take place on the digital front, with subscription offers on LHJ.com and outreach through e-newsletters and social media networks.
The redesign is intended to help the magazine play catch-up with Meredith's online properties; the corporation has made sizeable investments in the women's online space, with its recent launch of Meredith Women's Network, comprising various women's portals and magazine sites. In January, LHJ combined its online and magazine staff to better synchronize the two channels foster multichannel reader engagement.
Lee kept little from the previous incarnation of LHJ, even changing fonts, color palettes and the amount of images, which she says is now much higher.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Printed Blog -- May Save Newspapers!
Here's a novel idea. This is an excerpt--to read the entire article click here.
Publisher Rethinks the Daily: It’s Free and Printed and Has Blogs All Over
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER
Published: January 21, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — Amid the din of naysayers who insist that newspapers are on the verge of death, a new company wants to start dozens of new ones — with a twist.
The Printed Blog, a Chicago start-up, plans to reprint blog posts on regular paper, surrounded by local ads, and distribute the publications free in big cities.
The first issues of this Internet-era penny-saver will appear in Chicago and San Francisco on Tuesday. They will start as weeklies, but Joshua Karp, the founder and publisher, hopes eventually to publish free neighborhood editions of The Printed Blog twice a day in many cities around the country.
“We are trying to be the first daily newspaper comprised entirely of blogs and other user-generated content,” he said. “There were so many techniques that I’ve seen working online that maybe I could apply to the print industry.”
As pay newspapers lose readers to the Internet, where they can read the same articles without charge, many free papers have held their own.
“The free newspaper business model is still very workable,” said David Cohen, a founder of Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, a group of free weeklies south of San Francisco that was sold to Knight Ridder in 2005 and is now owned by MediaNews. “There’s a huge readership that wants the local news, and local businesses tend to increase their advertising in bad times because they have to capture people’s attention.”
Still, Mr. Karp does not have to look far to see the difficulties of being successful in the newspaper business these days. The Tribune Company, which publishes The Chicago Tribune and its free daily, RedEye, filed for bankruptcy protection in December.
Mr. Karp is betting he can make his business work by combining the best of the print and Web models.
The Printed Blog will publish blog posts alongside other Weblike content, like user-submitted photographs and readers’ comments. The paper will be printed on three or four 11-by-17-inch sheets of white paper and laid out like a blog instead of in columns.
Users will eventually be able to log on to its site, theprintedblog.com, to choose which blogs they want in their edition, and editors will decide which posts make the paper. A city the size of Chicago could have 50 separate editions tailored to individual neighborhoods.
The Printed Blog also expects to duck many of the major costs that make traditional newspapers expensive to produce. The company will put commercial printers in the homes of its distributors, avoiding the circulation costs of papers with large, central printing presses. Advertisers will eventually be able to buy ads on the Web site, so The Printed Blog will not need to employ many sales people.
By publishing articles written by bloggers who are already diligently covering topics as varied as town politics and local fashion, Mr. Karp can slash one of the biggest expenses of a newspaper: reporters. So far, 300 bloggers have given The Printed Blog permission to publish their work for a share of the ad revenue, including small-audience bloggers in Chicago and nationally known blogs like Daily Kos.
Publisher Rethinks the Daily: It’s Free and Printed and Has Blogs All Over
By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER
Published: January 21, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — Amid the din of naysayers who insist that newspapers are on the verge of death, a new company wants to start dozens of new ones — with a twist.
The Printed Blog, a Chicago start-up, plans to reprint blog posts on regular paper, surrounded by local ads, and distribute the publications free in big cities.
The first issues of this Internet-era penny-saver will appear in Chicago and San Francisco on Tuesday. They will start as weeklies, but Joshua Karp, the founder and publisher, hopes eventually to publish free neighborhood editions of The Printed Blog twice a day in many cities around the country.
“We are trying to be the first daily newspaper comprised entirely of blogs and other user-generated content,” he said. “There were so many techniques that I’ve seen working online that maybe I could apply to the print industry.”
As pay newspapers lose readers to the Internet, where they can read the same articles without charge, many free papers have held their own.
“The free newspaper business model is still very workable,” said David Cohen, a founder of Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, a group of free weeklies south of San Francisco that was sold to Knight Ridder in 2005 and is now owned by MediaNews. “There’s a huge readership that wants the local news, and local businesses tend to increase their advertising in bad times because they have to capture people’s attention.”
Still, Mr. Karp does not have to look far to see the difficulties of being successful in the newspaper business these days. The Tribune Company, which publishes The Chicago Tribune and its free daily, RedEye, filed for bankruptcy protection in December.
Mr. Karp is betting he can make his business work by combining the best of the print and Web models.
The Printed Blog will publish blog posts alongside other Weblike content, like user-submitted photographs and readers’ comments. The paper will be printed on three or four 11-by-17-inch sheets of white paper and laid out like a blog instead of in columns.
Users will eventually be able to log on to its site, theprintedblog.com, to choose which blogs they want in their edition, and editors will decide which posts make the paper. A city the size of Chicago could have 50 separate editions tailored to individual neighborhoods.
The Printed Blog also expects to duck many of the major costs that make traditional newspapers expensive to produce. The company will put commercial printers in the homes of its distributors, avoiding the circulation costs of papers with large, central printing presses. Advertisers will eventually be able to buy ads on the Web site, so The Printed Blog will not need to employ many sales people.
By publishing articles written by bloggers who are already diligently covering topics as varied as town politics and local fashion, Mr. Karp can slash one of the biggest expenses of a newspaper: reporters. So far, 300 bloggers have given The Printed Blog permission to publish their work for a share of the ad revenue, including small-audience bloggers in Chicago and nationally known blogs like Daily Kos.
Winona Town Council Discusses Fire Territory
Here is the Times-Union article on last night's Winona town council and the issue coming up at Monday night's Warsaw council meeting, the creation of the fire territory.
Winona Continues Fire Territory Discussion, Public Hearing Monday
Jennifer Peryam
Times-Union Staff Writer
WINONA LAKE - Winona Lake Town Council Tuesday continued discussion on a proposed fire territory between the town, Warsaw and Wayne Township.
The council tabled approving the town entering into an agreement for a fire territory with Warsaw and Wayne Township to seek input from Winona Lake Fire Department Chief Mitch Titus.
A public hearing is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. at Warsaw City Hall, 302 E. Market St., to discuss the proposed fire territory ordinance.
If enacted, the ordinance will establish the Warsaw Fire Territory with Warsaw as the provider unit, Wayne Township as a unit, and Winona Lake as a participating unit.
The town is in the process of reviewing financial considerations and how fire service protection for the town's residents would be affected if the town decides to join the proposed fire territory.
Winona Lake Clerk-Treasurer Retha Hicks shared a financial impact study with the council regarding the proposed fire territory.
Hicks said if all three of the territories enter into the fire territory, Winona Lake's tax rate would increase by 14 cents. If Warsaw and Wayne Township increases their budgets to what they feel is necessary to put all the entities together, the tax rate would increase to 25 cents for Winona Lake and the other entities.
Hicks said $0.0078 of the $0.42 tax levy for Winona Lake currently is allocated to support the town's volunteer fire department.
James Lancaster, Winona Lake Town Council vice president, who serves as a liaison between Winona Lake and Warsaw and Wayne Township, said the town has been in discussion with Warsaw and Wayne Township regarding the fire territory.
Lancaster said the council has discussed the financial element, fire service protection, and long-term support of the volunteer fire department regarding the fire territory.
In other business, the council discussed two alley vacations in the town. The alleys included the northwest corner at Lawns of the Courts and the southeast corner at Lawns of the Courts.
The Winona Lake Plan Commission approved submitting the vacation requests to the council.
The council Tuesday did not unanimously approve on first reading the alley vacations. The vacations will again be voted on second reading at the council's February meeting.
Winona Lake resident Jerry Nelson expressed his concerns with vacating the alleys.
"I have some real concerns with the proposed vacations. It looks like it will be piece-mealed if you vacate parts of the alleys," Nelson said.
He said he felt the problem is that the town has made no commitment of funds or resources to build a center road that needs to be put in if the alleys are vacated.
"My concern is that once you vacate the alleys, residents are blocked out around the circle," Nelson said.
Nelson said he owns property on the southwest side and northeast side of Lawns of the Court.
"My concern is that by not addressing it as a project in making a commitment for creating a road down the center, the council, in effect, is saying it is a first-come, first-serve basis and no one else will be able to vacate until after the center road is built," Nelson said.
He requested the town make a commitment to building a center road before vacating the alleys and do the project as a whole rather than in parts.
The council approved an Indiana Department of Transportation project coordination contract for the fourth phase of the Lake City Greenway.
The council appointed Nelson to the Winona Lake Housing Authority board for 2009.
Hicks informed the council Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church recently donated $1,000 to the town to be used for the town's needs.
Upcoming events in the town include life line screening at the Winona Lake Senior Center Jan. 30 and appointments can be made by calling 800-395-1801; Jan. 31 there will be a dance at the Winona Lake Senior Center from 7 to 10 p.m.; the Second Sunday Series concert, Feb. 8; a Symphony of the Lakes Concert, Feb. 14; and the NCCAA Women's Basketball National Championship Game is from March 12-14 at Grace College.
Winona Continues Fire Territory Discussion, Public Hearing Monday
Jennifer Peryam
Times-Union Staff Writer
WINONA LAKE - Winona Lake Town Council Tuesday continued discussion on a proposed fire territory between the town, Warsaw and Wayne Township.
The council tabled approving the town entering into an agreement for a fire territory with Warsaw and Wayne Township to seek input from Winona Lake Fire Department Chief Mitch Titus.
A public hearing is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. at Warsaw City Hall, 302 E. Market St., to discuss the proposed fire territory ordinance.
If enacted, the ordinance will establish the Warsaw Fire Territory with Warsaw as the provider unit, Wayne Township as a unit, and Winona Lake as a participating unit.
The town is in the process of reviewing financial considerations and how fire service protection for the town's residents would be affected if the town decides to join the proposed fire territory.
Winona Lake Clerk-Treasurer Retha Hicks shared a financial impact study with the council regarding the proposed fire territory.
Hicks said if all three of the territories enter into the fire territory, Winona Lake's tax rate would increase by 14 cents. If Warsaw and Wayne Township increases their budgets to what they feel is necessary to put all the entities together, the tax rate would increase to 25 cents for Winona Lake and the other entities.
Hicks said $0.0078 of the $0.42 tax levy for Winona Lake currently is allocated to support the town's volunteer fire department.
James Lancaster, Winona Lake Town Council vice president, who serves as a liaison between Winona Lake and Warsaw and Wayne Township, said the town has been in discussion with Warsaw and Wayne Township regarding the fire territory.
Lancaster said the council has discussed the financial element, fire service protection, and long-term support of the volunteer fire department regarding the fire territory.
In other business, the council discussed two alley vacations in the town. The alleys included the northwest corner at Lawns of the Courts and the southeast corner at Lawns of the Courts.
The Winona Lake Plan Commission approved submitting the vacation requests to the council.
The council Tuesday did not unanimously approve on first reading the alley vacations. The vacations will again be voted on second reading at the council's February meeting.
Winona Lake resident Jerry Nelson expressed his concerns with vacating the alleys.
"I have some real concerns with the proposed vacations. It looks like it will be piece-mealed if you vacate parts of the alleys," Nelson said.
He said he felt the problem is that the town has made no commitment of funds or resources to build a center road that needs to be put in if the alleys are vacated.
"My concern is that once you vacate the alleys, residents are blocked out around the circle," Nelson said.
Nelson said he owns property on the southwest side and northeast side of Lawns of the Court.
"My concern is that by not addressing it as a project in making a commitment for creating a road down the center, the council, in effect, is saying it is a first-come, first-serve basis and no one else will be able to vacate until after the center road is built," Nelson said.
He requested the town make a commitment to building a center road before vacating the alleys and do the project as a whole rather than in parts.
The council approved an Indiana Department of Transportation project coordination contract for the fourth phase of the Lake City Greenway.
The council appointed Nelson to the Winona Lake Housing Authority board for 2009.
Hicks informed the council Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church recently donated $1,000 to the town to be used for the town's needs.
Upcoming events in the town include life line screening at the Winona Lake Senior Center Jan. 30 and appointments can be made by calling 800-395-1801; Jan. 31 there will be a dance at the Winona Lake Senior Center from 7 to 10 p.m.; the Second Sunday Series concert, Feb. 8; a Symphony of the Lakes Concert, Feb. 14; and the NCCAA Women's Basketball National Championship Game is from March 12-14 at Grace College.
John Updike: A Little Personal Insight
Here's an interesting little personal insight snippet from my hometown--Ron Shafer is a friend who used to be in my home church there.
IUP professor got Updike to come to Kittanning
By Patrick Shuster, LEADER TIMES
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
John Updike, one of the most well-known authors of modern times, spent only a few days in Kittanning in 1992, but his visit turned out to be a very significant moment in literary history.
North Buffalo resident and English professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Ronald Shafer, played host to the author during his visit more than a dozen years ago and said it was one he will never forget.
Updike died Tuesday of lung cancer at 76. He was best known for his "Rabbit" series of stories.
"He was speaking at the College English Association conference in Pittsburgh and I thought it would be great to have him come and speak at the Kittanning IUP campus, as well as Kittanning High School," Shafer said. "Little did I know that the one and only workshop he ever give would be turned into a documentary that is known the world over."
Shafer said that during Updike's stay in Kittanning, he spent time playing basketball in his family's driveway and said that later Updike was heard saying that he wished there had been video footage of the backyard hoops in the documentary. Shafer filmed Updike and his sons playing basketball at his house. Updike's main character in his "Rabbit" series, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, was an avid basketball player.
Updike, a Shillington, Pa. native, always seemed to have a soft spot for his home state, Shafer said, and seemed to reflect that during his trip to Kittanning.
"In his book "Licks of Love" he speaks of a small town along the Allegheny River, north of Pittsburgh," he said. "He said he was staggered by the beauty of the town when he saw it from the bluffs in West Kittanning."
Shafer said he remains a follower of Updike's work and still looks at the photographs and video of the time he spent at his home.
"It was just like it was yesterday," Shafer said. "It's very humbling to be able to have spent time with such a literary giant."
IUP professor got Updike to come to Kittanning
By Patrick Shuster, LEADER TIMES
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
John Updike, one of the most well-known authors of modern times, spent only a few days in Kittanning in 1992, but his visit turned out to be a very significant moment in literary history.
North Buffalo resident and English professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Ronald Shafer, played host to the author during his visit more than a dozen years ago and said it was one he will never forget.
Updike died Tuesday of lung cancer at 76. He was best known for his "Rabbit" series of stories.
"He was speaking at the College English Association conference in Pittsburgh and I thought it would be great to have him come and speak at the Kittanning IUP campus, as well as Kittanning High School," Shafer said. "Little did I know that the one and only workshop he ever give would be turned into a documentary that is known the world over."
Shafer said that during Updike's stay in Kittanning, he spent time playing basketball in his family's driveway and said that later Updike was heard saying that he wished there had been video footage of the backyard hoops in the documentary. Shafer filmed Updike and his sons playing basketball at his house. Updike's main character in his "Rabbit" series, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, was an avid basketball player.
Updike, a Shillington, Pa. native, always seemed to have a soft spot for his home state, Shafer said, and seemed to reflect that during his trip to Kittanning.
"In his book "Licks of Love" he speaks of a small town along the Allegheny River, north of Pittsburgh," he said. "He said he was staggered by the beauty of the town when he saw it from the bluffs in West Kittanning."
Shafer said he remains a follower of Updike's work and still looks at the photographs and video of the time he spent at his home.
"It was just like it was yesterday," Shafer said. "It's very humbling to be able to have spent time with such a literary giant."
Atheist Journalist Praises Evangelism
From PreachingToday.com:
Matthew Parris is a newspaper columnist for The Times of London and a self-described atheist. Surprisingly, though, in a December 2008 column he wrote an article titled "As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God."
Parris admits that saying this runs counter to his beliefs, but he cannot ignore the difference that he sees in African Christians. Parris, who grew up in Africa, writes:
Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas Appeal includes a small British charity working there…. It inspired me, renewing my flagging faith in development charities.
But traveling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too—one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.
Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects, and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good….
[When I lived in Africa] we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world—a directness in their dealings with others—that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall.
Matthew Parris is a newspaper columnist for The Times of London and a self-described atheist. Surprisingly, though, in a December 2008 column he wrote an article titled "As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God."
Parris admits that saying this runs counter to his beliefs, but he cannot ignore the difference that he sees in African Christians. Parris, who grew up in Africa, writes:
Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas Appeal includes a small British charity working there…. It inspired me, renewing my flagging faith in development charities.
But traveling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too—one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.
Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects, and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good….
[When I lived in Africa] we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world—a directness in their dealings with others—that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Bill Kristol Severs Ties with NY Times
Kristol Severs Ties With the N.Y. Times
By Howard Kurtz, Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 27, 2009; Page C01
Bill Kristol and the New York Times parted company yesterday, one year after he began writing a weekly opinion column that became a high-profile target for his detractors on the left.
But the conservative commentator, who edits the Weekly Standard and appears on Fox News, won't lack for media exposure. He will write a monthly column and occasional pieces for The Washington Post, as he did before joining the Times.
Post Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt called Kristol "very smart and very plugged in," saying Kristol would be an influential voice in the coming debate over redefining the Republican Party. "It seems to me there were a lot of Times readers who felt the Times shouldn't hire someone who supported the Iraq war," said Hiatt, adding that he wants "a diverse range of opinions" on his page.
The Times hired Kristol for a one-year run during the 2008 campaign, and Editorial Page Editor Andrew Rosenthal told his paper that the arrangement was ending by "mutual agreement." Rosenthal would not say whether the Times plans to hire another conservative. Kristol, who did not return calls yesterday, told Portfolio.com in November that he was "ambivalent" about continuing, noting that the weekly column was "a lot of work" and "I have a lot of things going on."
Even some journalists sympathetic to Kristol say his Times writing was often predictable and not his best work, and noted that he had to correct three factual errors.
Kristol's earlier punditry for The Post was also controversial. In July 2007, he wrote in the paper's Outlook section that "George W. Bush's presidency will probably be a successful one." He also said the Iraq war could be won and that "military progress on the ground in Iraq in the past few months has been greater than even surge proponents like me expected."
In a typical missive, liberal blogger Arianna Huffington called it "the single most deceptive piece of the entire war." Kristol said then that his views had not changed and "it would really be pathetic to adjust one's analysis based on public opinion."
By Howard Kurtz, Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 27, 2009; Page C01
Bill Kristol and the New York Times parted company yesterday, one year after he began writing a weekly opinion column that became a high-profile target for his detractors on the left.
But the conservative commentator, who edits the Weekly Standard and appears on Fox News, won't lack for media exposure. He will write a monthly column and occasional pieces for The Washington Post, as he did before joining the Times.
Post Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt called Kristol "very smart and very plugged in," saying Kristol would be an influential voice in the coming debate over redefining the Republican Party. "It seems to me there were a lot of Times readers who felt the Times shouldn't hire someone who supported the Iraq war," said Hiatt, adding that he wants "a diverse range of opinions" on his page.
The Times hired Kristol for a one-year run during the 2008 campaign, and Editorial Page Editor Andrew Rosenthal told his paper that the arrangement was ending by "mutual agreement." Rosenthal would not say whether the Times plans to hire another conservative. Kristol, who did not return calls yesterday, told Portfolio.com in November that he was "ambivalent" about continuing, noting that the weekly column was "a lot of work" and "I have a lot of things going on."
Even some journalists sympathetic to Kristol say his Times writing was often predictable and not his best work, and noted that he had to correct three factual errors.
Kristol's earlier punditry for The Post was also controversial. In July 2007, he wrote in the paper's Outlook section that "George W. Bush's presidency will probably be a successful one." He also said the Iraq war could be won and that "military progress on the ground in Iraq in the past few months has been greater than even surge proponents like me expected."
In a typical missive, liberal blogger Arianna Huffington called it "the single most deceptive piece of the entire war." Kristol said then that his views had not changed and "it would really be pathetic to adjust one's analysis based on public opinion."
Monday, January 26, 2009
What is Literary Journalism?
As announced, Deb Sprong will be with us for class on Monday, April 13 to discuss "Literary Journalism." I've asked you to do some preliminary research on what literary journalism is. As a starter, here's some text from UC Irvin's website about its Literary Journalism major with a brief description and a list of primary authors to get you started.
The Literary Journalism Major
The newest major offered by the Department of English, Literary Journalism, was created to meet the needs of a growing number of students who wish to read, study and write nonfiction prose that has transcended the limits of daily journalism.
This is prose that has evolved into a distinct branch of literature, prose that adopts the aims and techniques of the finest fiction. The program provides majors with a solid foundation in nonfiction writing and an equally solid background in areas such as literary history, which together will help make them more informed writers.
Literary journalism is an emerging field of study that is known by varying names, including creative nonfiction, the literature of fact and literary nonfiction. The Nieman Foundation at Harvard University holds an annual national conference on narrative journalism; there are anthologies devoted to it; many colleges offer courses in it, or feature it as an option within their majors.
UCI's program builds on existing departmental strengths: its nationally ranked programs in creative writing, literature and literary theory. Literary Journalism majors take three intensive writing seminars, and are expected to develop a portfolio of work by graduation which they can present as evidence of their skill for purposes of employment or future education.
At the same time, majors are asked to take a comprehensive look at the theory, history and context of literary journalism. Among other forms, they study and write narratives, memoirs, profiles, histories and personal essays, in subject areas as varied as science, politics, justice, travel, sports, food and popular culture.
They use as models a multitude of writers, ranging from Daniel Defoe, James Boswell and Stephen Crane to George Orwell, John Hersey, Lillian Ross, Joseph Mitchell, Gay Talese, John McPhee, Joan Didion, Tom Wolfe, Tracy Kidder, Calvin Trillin, Hunter Thompson, Truman Capote and Norman Mailer.
While it differs from an applied journalism major that focuses primarily on newspaper writing, the major in Literary Journalism is excellent preparation for students planning to enter graduate programs in journalism, as well as for those interested in the many careers requiring sophisticated writing skills.
The Literary Journalism Major
The newest major offered by the Department of English, Literary Journalism, was created to meet the needs of a growing number of students who wish to read, study and write nonfiction prose that has transcended the limits of daily journalism.
This is prose that has evolved into a distinct branch of literature, prose that adopts the aims and techniques of the finest fiction. The program provides majors with a solid foundation in nonfiction writing and an equally solid background in areas such as literary history, which together will help make them more informed writers.
Literary journalism is an emerging field of study that is known by varying names, including creative nonfiction, the literature of fact and literary nonfiction. The Nieman Foundation at Harvard University holds an annual national conference on narrative journalism; there are anthologies devoted to it; many colleges offer courses in it, or feature it as an option within their majors.
UCI's program builds on existing departmental strengths: its nationally ranked programs in creative writing, literature and literary theory. Literary Journalism majors take three intensive writing seminars, and are expected to develop a portfolio of work by graduation which they can present as evidence of their skill for purposes of employment or future education.
At the same time, majors are asked to take a comprehensive look at the theory, history and context of literary journalism. Among other forms, they study and write narratives, memoirs, profiles, histories and personal essays, in subject areas as varied as science, politics, justice, travel, sports, food and popular culture.
They use as models a multitude of writers, ranging from Daniel Defoe, James Boswell and Stephen Crane to George Orwell, John Hersey, Lillian Ross, Joseph Mitchell, Gay Talese, John McPhee, Joan Didion, Tom Wolfe, Tracy Kidder, Calvin Trillin, Hunter Thompson, Truman Capote and Norman Mailer.
While it differs from an applied journalism major that focuses primarily on newspaper writing, the major in Literary Journalism is excellent preparation for students planning to enter graduate programs in journalism, as well as for those interested in the many careers requiring sophisticated writing skills.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Literary Journalism Added
News flash!
Deb Sprong of the Elkhart Truth, who previously taught this class, has agreed to be with us the night of Monday, April 13 and to take a significant portion of the evening to discuss "Literary Journalism."
You'll get a specific reading assignment to prepare for it, but I would also encourage you to do a little general research to see how that term is used and what questions or thoughts you might have as she presents.
We also now have an additional student in the course, so we'll adjust the syllabus a little bit. I'll issue an updated syllabus after we have more specific assignments nailed down.
Come tomorrow night (January 26) prepared to share your thinking on the article subjects you have chosen, your progress in arranging the shadow-a-reporter day, your selection of a book to review (I'll bring several more possibilities with me) and your choice of a disgraced reporter, as we hear Julie and Octavia report on theirs.
Remember the change I noted earlier--next week (February 2) we will attend, as a class, the fire district hearing at the Warsaw City Council. We'll discuss transportation arrangements this week. See you tomorrow night!
Deb Sprong of the Elkhart Truth, who previously taught this class, has agreed to be with us the night of Monday, April 13 and to take a significant portion of the evening to discuss "Literary Journalism."
You'll get a specific reading assignment to prepare for it, but I would also encourage you to do a little general research to see how that term is used and what questions or thoughts you might have as she presents.
We also now have an additional student in the course, so we'll adjust the syllabus a little bit. I'll issue an updated syllabus after we have more specific assignments nailed down.
Come tomorrow night (January 26) prepared to share your thinking on the article subjects you have chosen, your progress in arranging the shadow-a-reporter day, your selection of a book to review (I'll bring several more possibilities with me) and your choice of a disgraced reporter, as we hear Julie and Octavia report on theirs.
Remember the change I noted earlier--next week (February 2) we will attend, as a class, the fire district hearing at the Warsaw City Council. We'll discuss transportation arrangements this week. See you tomorrow night!
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Best City If You Love to Read . . .
From the editors at Netscape:
The Best City If You Love to Read Is...
...a tie between Minneapolis, Minnesota and Seattle, Washington, which have been named the No. 1 U.S. cities for literacy, according to an annual ranking conducted this year by the Center for Public Policy and Social Research at Central Connecticut State University.
At the other end of the scale is El Paso, Texas which is the least literate U.S. city. El Paso isn't alone. Four Texas cities are in the bottom ten.
The ranking was based on local newspaper and magazine circulation, library data, online news readership, book purchases, Internet resources and educational achievement in cities with a population of 250,000 or more. The data for the 2008 analysis came from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Booksellers Association, Audit Bureau of Circulations, Yellow Pages and other sources.
Top 10 U.S. cities for literacy:
1. Minneapolis, Minnesota and Seattle, Washington (tied)
3. Washington, D.C.
4. St. Paul, Minnesota
5. San Francisco, California
6. Atlanta, Georgia
7. Denver, Colorado
8. Boston, Massachusetts
9. St. Louis, Missouri
10. Cincinnati, Ohio and Portland, Oregon (tied)
The 10 least literate U.S. cities:
62. Santa Ana, California
63. Arlington, Texas
64. San Antonio, Texas
65. Glendale, Arizona
66. Aurora, Colorado
67. Anaheim, California
68. Bakersfield, California
69. Corpus Christi, Texas
70. Stockton, California
71. El Paso, Texas
Don't think the Internet will be the end of reading. Cities in which Internet usage is high also have a high rate of readers. LiveScience.com reports that cities that rank highly for having better-used libraries also have more booksellers; cities with more booksellers also have a higher proportion of people buying books online; and cities with newspapers with high per capita circulation rates also have a high proportion of people reading newspapers online.
"A literate society tends to practice many forms of literacy, not just one or another," study author Jack Miller, told LiveScience.com.
Other ways cities ranked No. 1 for specific measurements of literacy:
Newspaper circulation: Newark, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
Periodical publishers: Washington, D.C.
Internet resources: Washington, D.C.
Libraries: Cleveland, Ohio
Bookstores: Seattle, Washington and San Francisco, California (tied)
Education level: Plano, Texas
EPA Registration Now Open
Congratulations to Jim Uttley of Indian Life, who is now officially the
first person to register for this year's EPA convention. I'm sure Jim joins
me in asking what exactly is holding back the rest of your slackers. (Of
course he's far too polite to ever say such a thing.)
Of course, there could be plenty of reasons you haven't registered yet.
Right off hand, I don't think we ever actually mentioned that the
registration form was posted. But it is. Jim found it, and so can you.
You'll also find information about our plenary speakers -- pollster
extraordinaire George Barna (he knows what your readers are thinking) and
big-time religion reporter Gustav Niebuhr (perhaps you've heard of the New
York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, also known as Gustav's
resume).
Coming soon -- workshop info. But here's a sneak peek. EPA favorite Peter
Jacobi is with us for a day. Doc Hensley, a fabulous writing instructor, is
with us for another day. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Plan now to join us in Indianapolis May 6-8. We're meeting with the
Associated Church Press, so this one promises to be bigger and better than
ever. Remind your bean counters that the nation is now firmly in the grip of
both "hope" and "change," and that leading economists say the worst of the
recession is probably behind us now.
Any day now the powerful healing waves emanating from the White House will be reaching your office, and you'll want to be ready -- so register now. Visit the EPA Web site for details: www.epassoc.org.
--Doug Trouten, Executive Director
Evangelical Press Association
P.O. Box 28129
Crystal, MN 55428
Voice: 763-535-4793
www.epassoc.org
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Future of the Book Industry
Here's a very thoughtful article from Time/CNN on the future of books and literature. This is an excerpt--to read the entire article click here.
Books Unbound
Here's a literary parable for the 21st century. Lisa Genova, 38, was a health-care-industry consultant in Belmont, Mass., who wanted to be a novelist, but she couldn't get her book published for love or money. She had a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard, but she couldn't get an agent. "I did what you're supposed to do," she says. "I queried literary agents. I went to writers' conferences and tried to network. I e-mailed editors. Nobody wanted it." So Genova paid $450 to a company called iUniverse and published her book, Still Alice, herself.
That was in 2007. By 2008 people were reading Still Alice. Not a lot of people, but a few, and those few were liking it. Genova wound up getting an agent after all--and an offer from Simon & Schuster of just over half a million dollars. Borders and Target chose it for their book clubs. Barnes & Noble made it a Discover pick. On Jan. 25, Still Alice will make its debut on the New York Times best-seller list at No. 5. "So this is extreme to extreme, right?" Genova says. "This time last year, I was selling the book out of the trunk of my car."
Something has changed, and it's not just the contents of Lisa Genova's trunk. We think of the novel as a transcendent, timeless thing, but it was shaped by the forces of money and technology just as much as by creative genius.
City Council and Shadow-a-Reporter
22 January, 2009
To: Advanced Newspaper Journalism Students
From: Terry White
I had several meetings today about our class. First I met with the mayor of Warsaw, and we agreed it might be good idea to have our entire class attend the Warsaw Town Council meeting on Monday night, February 2. That particular night should be especially interesting as they are talking about creating a merged fire district between Wayne Township and Warsaw—there will probably be a very good attendance.
The council meeting is at 7 p.m., and so we’ll need to talk this Monday night about transportation.
Then I met with Gary Gerard, managing editor of the Warsaw Times-Union. He indicated that the best way to arrange to shadow a reporter for a day is just to contact him by e-mail at ggerard@timesuniononline.com and identify yourself and he will arrange it.
Further, if any of you are interested in writing a story for him (personality feature, investigative, or trend) he is open to that, and he may have suggested topics or would love to hear your ideas from around the community as well.
Contact him at any time about spend-a-day and about story assignments. I’ll try to get an agenda for the Warsaw Council meeting. In the meantime, please get to know the council members and structure and history by browsing past meeting minutes at www.warsawcity.net.
To: Advanced Newspaper Journalism Students
From: Terry White
I had several meetings today about our class. First I met with the mayor of Warsaw, and we agreed it might be good idea to have our entire class attend the Warsaw Town Council meeting on Monday night, February 2. That particular night should be especially interesting as they are talking about creating a merged fire district between Wayne Township and Warsaw—there will probably be a very good attendance.
The council meeting is at 7 p.m., and so we’ll need to talk this Monday night about transportation.
Then I met with Gary Gerard, managing editor of the Warsaw Times-Union. He indicated that the best way to arrange to shadow a reporter for a day is just to contact him by e-mail at ggerard@timesuniononline.com and identify yourself and he will arrange it.
Further, if any of you are interested in writing a story for him (personality feature, investigative, or trend) he is open to that, and he may have suggested topics or would love to hear your ideas from around the community as well.
Contact him at any time about spend-a-day and about story assignments. I’ll try to get an agenda for the Warsaw Council meeting. In the meantime, please get to know the council members and structure and history by browsing past meeting minutes at www.warsawcity.net.
President to Get $3,350 'BarackBerry' Phone
Obama 'to get spy-proof smartphone'Story Highlights
Report: Security officials approve $3,350 smartphone for Barack Obama
(CNN) -- Self-confessed BlackBerry addict Barack Obama may not have to kick the thumbing habit after all, despite the concerns of a notoriously technophobic White House.
Obama was a self-confessed BlackBerry addict during his White House campaign.
The new U.S. president was often seen hunched over the mobile e-mail device during his election campaign and even featured at No. 2 on one celebrity Web site's list of obsessive BlackBerry users.
But, like previous Oval Office incumbents, Obama had been expected to take a vow of technological celibacy following his inaugural oath on Tuesday, despite telling CNBC in an interview that security officials would have to "pry it out of my hands." He protests that a mobile device would help him stay in touch with the real world. Should President Obama be allowed to keep his BlackBerry? Tell us what you think
E-mail has long been treated with suspicion by the Secret Service because of fears it could be hacked into by foreign espionage agencies, or that sensitive information could reach the public domain via a single mis-stroke of the "send" key.
President George W. Bush was forced to give up using e-mail when he took charge, while President Bill Clinton sent just two e-mails during his administration -- one to test that the system worked and the second to veteran astronaut John Glenn before his trip into space in 1998.
There are also concerns that mobile devices such as BlackBerries, which contain built in GPS technology, could be hacked into, revealing the president's location within a few feet.
But according to reports Thursday, Obama could now be in line to receive a spy-proof alternative to his favorite toy.
Writing on his blog for the Atlantic magazine, Marc Ambinder reports that the National Security Agency has approved a $3,350 smartphone -- inevitably dubbed the "BarackBerry" -- for Obama's use.
The exclusive Sectera Edge, made by General Dynamics, is reportedly capable of encrypting top secret voice conversations and handling classified documents.
But Obama may have pushed his Secret Service handlers' technological patience far enough. Ambinder also reports that instant messaging in the White House will still be a definite no-no :(
Report: Security officials approve $3,350 smartphone for Barack Obama
(CNN) -- Self-confessed BlackBerry addict Barack Obama may not have to kick the thumbing habit after all, despite the concerns of a notoriously technophobic White House.
Obama was a self-confessed BlackBerry addict during his White House campaign.
The new U.S. president was often seen hunched over the mobile e-mail device during his election campaign and even featured at No. 2 on one celebrity Web site's list of obsessive BlackBerry users.
But, like previous Oval Office incumbents, Obama had been expected to take a vow of technological celibacy following his inaugural oath on Tuesday, despite telling CNBC in an interview that security officials would have to "pry it out of my hands." He protests that a mobile device would help him stay in touch with the real world. Should President Obama be allowed to keep his BlackBerry? Tell us what you think
E-mail has long been treated with suspicion by the Secret Service because of fears it could be hacked into by foreign espionage agencies, or that sensitive information could reach the public domain via a single mis-stroke of the "send" key.
President George W. Bush was forced to give up using e-mail when he took charge, while President Bill Clinton sent just two e-mails during his administration -- one to test that the system worked and the second to veteran astronaut John Glenn before his trip into space in 1998.
There are also concerns that mobile devices such as BlackBerries, which contain built in GPS technology, could be hacked into, revealing the president's location within a few feet.
But according to reports Thursday, Obama could now be in line to receive a spy-proof alternative to his favorite toy.
Writing on his blog for the Atlantic magazine, Marc Ambinder reports that the National Security Agency has approved a $3,350 smartphone -- inevitably dubbed the "BarackBerry" -- for Obama's use.
The exclusive Sectera Edge, made by General Dynamics, is reportedly capable of encrypting top secret voice conversations and handling classified documents.
But Obama may have pushed his Secret Service handlers' technological patience far enough. Ambinder also reports that instant messaging in the White House will still be a definite no-no :(
USA Today Says Inaugural Speech 'Stinging Rebuke'
There is quite an interesting analysis of the inaugural speech in USA Today. Here is an excerpt--to read the entire article, click here.
Speech mixes promises with rebuke of Bush
WASHINGTON — In the opening lines of his inaugural address, President Obama turned toward predecessor George W. Bush and thanked him "for his service to our nation" and his "generosity and cooperation" during the transition period since November's election.
In the 18-minute speech that followed, however, Obama delivered what amounted to a searing indictment of the Bush presidency. From the economy to national security, the use of science to the distribution of wealth, he promised that a new day with sharply different policies and priorities was about to begin.
"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well-understood," Obama said as Bush sat a few feet away from him on the Capitol platform. "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America."
Not since Franklin Roosevelt rebuked Herbert Hoover in 1933 — "The money-changers have fled," Roosevelt told Americans struggling through the Depression — has the incoming president offered such a stinging critique of the outgoing one in his inaugural address.
Speech mixes promises with rebuke of Bush
WASHINGTON — In the opening lines of his inaugural address, President Obama turned toward predecessor George W. Bush and thanked him "for his service to our nation" and his "generosity and cooperation" during the transition period since November's election.
In the 18-minute speech that followed, however, Obama delivered what amounted to a searing indictment of the Bush presidency. From the economy to national security, the use of science to the distribution of wealth, he promised that a new day with sharply different policies and priorities was about to begin.
"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well-understood," Obama said as Bush sat a few feet away from him on the Capitol platform. "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America."
Not since Franklin Roosevelt rebuked Herbert Hoover in 1933 — "The money-changers have fled," Roosevelt told Americans struggling through the Depression — has the incoming president offered such a stinging critique of the outgoing one in his inaugural address.
'Civility Project' Launched by Evangelical and Jew
Here's a noble effort--it will be interesting to see if it gains any traction. This is an excerpt from a ChristianPost article. To read the entire article click here. It is also instructive to read the Civility website by clicking here.
New Effort Launched to Promote Civility in America
By Eric Young, Christian Post Reporter
An effort to promote a more civil society amid increasingly uncivil clashes has been launched by the head of a prominent faith-based PR firm.
The Civility Project, launched on the eve of the inauguration of President Barack Obama, is a call to people from all races, walks of life, and religious and political persuasions to civility, explained DeMoss Group founder Mark DeMoss in a joint column with Washington lawyer Lanny Davis.
“In addition to our desire to promote a more civil society, we also share disgust for the incivility we see every day in this country, on the radio and TV, and around the world,” the two stated.
DeMoss, an evangelical conservative, and Davis, a Jewish liberal, developed the idea behind The Civility Project during a meeting in Washington six months after Sen. Hillary Clinton ended her campaign for the presidency.
“As dissimilar as our religious and political beliefs and opinions are, we found ourselves drawn to each other's love for this country,” recalled the two, “and a conviction about the importance to its future of trying to change the polarizing, attack-oriented political culture that has become all too common in recent years and, instead, to bring civility back as the staple of American politics and life.”
As an example, DeMoss and Davis referred to the uncivil events that erupted amid and after the campaigns for and against California’s Proposition 8, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
After California voters passed the measure, effectively banning gay marriage, demonstrators targeted faiths that supported the ban, particularly Mormons, leading protests that were sometimes angry and even violent. Churches were spray painted, cars were vandalized, and at least two Christians were assaulted. Protesters even hurled racial epithets at African-Americans because African-Americans voted overwhelmingly in favor of Prop. 8.
“[W]e both condemn the vandalism by some who opposed the proposition directed at those such as Mormon Church members who supported the measure,” DeMoss and Davis stated despite their different stances on Prop. 8.
New Effort Launched to Promote Civility in America
By Eric Young, Christian Post Reporter
An effort to promote a more civil society amid increasingly uncivil clashes has been launched by the head of a prominent faith-based PR firm.
The Civility Project, launched on the eve of the inauguration of President Barack Obama, is a call to people from all races, walks of life, and religious and political persuasions to civility, explained DeMoss Group founder Mark DeMoss in a joint column with Washington lawyer Lanny Davis.
“In addition to our desire to promote a more civil society, we also share disgust for the incivility we see every day in this country, on the radio and TV, and around the world,” the two stated.
DeMoss, an evangelical conservative, and Davis, a Jewish liberal, developed the idea behind The Civility Project during a meeting in Washington six months after Sen. Hillary Clinton ended her campaign for the presidency.
“As dissimilar as our religious and political beliefs and opinions are, we found ourselves drawn to each other's love for this country,” recalled the two, “and a conviction about the importance to its future of trying to change the polarizing, attack-oriented political culture that has become all too common in recent years and, instead, to bring civility back as the staple of American politics and life.”
As an example, DeMoss and Davis referred to the uncivil events that erupted amid and after the campaigns for and against California’s Proposition 8, which defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
After California voters passed the measure, effectively banning gay marriage, demonstrators targeted faiths that supported the ban, particularly Mormons, leading protests that were sometimes angry and even violent. Churches were spray painted, cars were vandalized, and at least two Christians were assaulted. Protesters even hurled racial epithets at African-Americans because African-Americans voted overwhelmingly in favor of Prop. 8.
“[W]e both condemn the vandalism by some who opposed the proposition directed at those such as Mormon Church members who supported the measure,” DeMoss and Davis stated despite their different stances on Prop. 8.
Staff Finds White House in Technological Dark Ages
Here's an interesting followup article to our class discussion about the Obama administration's use of modern technology. This is an excerpt -- to read the entire article click here (registration may be required).
Staff Finds White House in the Technological Dark Ages
If the Obama campaign represented a sleek, new iPhone kind of future, the first day of the Obama administration looked more like the rotary-dial past.
Two years after launching the most technologically savvy presidential campaign in history, Obama officials ran smack into the constraints of the federal bureaucracy yesterday, encountering a jumble of disconnected phone lines, old computer software, and security regulations forbidding outside e-mail accounts.
What does that mean in 21st-century terms? No Facebook to communicate with supporters. No outside e-mail log-ins. No instant messaging. Hard adjustments for a staff that helped sweep Obama to power through, among other things, relentless online social networking.
"It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said of his new digs.
In many ways, the move into the White House resembled a first day at school: Advisers wandered the halls, looking for their offices. Aides spent hours in orientation, learning such things as government ethics rules as well as how their paychecks will be delivered. And everyone filled out a seemingly endless pile of paperwork.
There were plenty of first-day glitches, too, as calls to many lines in the West Wing were met with a busy signal all morning and those to the main White House switchboard were greeted by a recording, redirecting callers to the presidential Web site. A number of reporters were also shut out of the White House because of lost security clearance lists.
Staff Finds White House in the Technological Dark Ages
If the Obama campaign represented a sleek, new iPhone kind of future, the first day of the Obama administration looked more like the rotary-dial past.
Two years after launching the most technologically savvy presidential campaign in history, Obama officials ran smack into the constraints of the federal bureaucracy yesterday, encountering a jumble of disconnected phone lines, old computer software, and security regulations forbidding outside e-mail accounts.
What does that mean in 21st-century terms? No Facebook to communicate with supporters. No outside e-mail log-ins. No instant messaging. Hard adjustments for a staff that helped sweep Obama to power through, among other things, relentless online social networking.
"It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said of his new digs.
In many ways, the move into the White House resembled a first day at school: Advisers wandered the halls, looking for their offices. Aides spent hours in orientation, learning such things as government ethics rules as well as how their paychecks will be delivered. And everyone filled out a seemingly endless pile of paperwork.
There were plenty of first-day glitches, too, as calls to many lines in the West Wing were met with a busy signal all morning and those to the main White House switchboard were greeted by a recording, redirecting callers to the presidential Web site. A number of reporters were also shut out of the White House because of lost security clearance lists.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Russian Billionaire to Buy London Paper
To read the entire article, click here.
London newspaper to be sold to Russian tycoon
By Jill LawlessAssociated Press
The owner of London's Evening Standard said Wednesday it has agreed to sell a majority stake in the newspaper to Russian tycoon and former KGB spy Alexander Lebedev for what it described as "a nominal sum."
Daily Mail & General Trust PLC said Evening Press Ltd., a company formed by Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev, would acquire about 75 percent of the Standard.
Daily Mail & General Trust will retain 24.9 percent in the Standard, London's afternoon newspaper.
Lebedev, 49, is part owner of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, one of the few Russian media outlets critical of the Kremlin, and is part owner of Russia's Aeroflot airline. He was ranked by Forbes magazine last year as the world's 358th richest man, worth more than $3 billion, although his fortune has been hit hard by the global economic downturn.
Lebedev said last year that he has seen about two-thirds of his stock portfolio wiped out by the crisis and joked that he has fallen off the Forbes list.
His takeover of a British newspaper is bound to be contentious because Lebedev is a former Russian intelligence agent who worked for the KGB while posted to Moscow's embassy in London.
Lebedev will become chairman of the Standard's new owner, to be called Evening Standard Ltd. His adviser Justin Byam Shaw will become deputy chairman, and his son senior executive director.
Lebedev has said he was seeking to buy a British newspaper to support independent media, rather than to make money. The Evening Standard is believed to lose millions of pounds (dollars) a year.
He has said he does not intend to interfere with the Standard's editorial direction.
The Evening Standard - Britain's only paid-for daily aimed solely at the London market - currently takes a right-of-center editorial line similar to its national sister paper, The Daily Mail.
In a statement, Lebedev said he and his family "are strong supporters of a free and independent press and we greatly admire the Evening Standard as an iconic publication with its pedigree of fine journalism and commentary."
"We are committed to strengthening the newspaper's competitiveness and look forward to working with Associated, which will continue to be involved as a minority shareholder."
Daily Mail & General Trust said the Evening Standard would establish a new editorial committee to "safeguard the principle of editorial independence."
London newspaper to be sold to Russian tycoon
By Jill LawlessAssociated Press
The owner of London's Evening Standard said Wednesday it has agreed to sell a majority stake in the newspaper to Russian tycoon and former KGB spy Alexander Lebedev for what it described as "a nominal sum."
Daily Mail & General Trust PLC said Evening Press Ltd., a company formed by Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev, would acquire about 75 percent of the Standard.
Daily Mail & General Trust will retain 24.9 percent in the Standard, London's afternoon newspaper.
Lebedev, 49, is part owner of the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, one of the few Russian media outlets critical of the Kremlin, and is part owner of Russia's Aeroflot airline. He was ranked by Forbes magazine last year as the world's 358th richest man, worth more than $3 billion, although his fortune has been hit hard by the global economic downturn.
Lebedev said last year that he has seen about two-thirds of his stock portfolio wiped out by the crisis and joked that he has fallen off the Forbes list.
His takeover of a British newspaper is bound to be contentious because Lebedev is a former Russian intelligence agent who worked for the KGB while posted to Moscow's embassy in London.
Lebedev will become chairman of the Standard's new owner, to be called Evening Standard Ltd. His adviser Justin Byam Shaw will become deputy chairman, and his son senior executive director.
Lebedev has said he was seeking to buy a British newspaper to support independent media, rather than to make money. The Evening Standard is believed to lose millions of pounds (dollars) a year.
He has said he does not intend to interfere with the Standard's editorial direction.
The Evening Standard - Britain's only paid-for daily aimed solely at the London market - currently takes a right-of-center editorial line similar to its national sister paper, The Daily Mail.
In a statement, Lebedev said he and his family "are strong supporters of a free and independent press and we greatly admire the Evening Standard as an iconic publication with its pedigree of fine journalism and commentary."
"We are committed to strengthening the newspaper's competitiveness and look forward to working with Associated, which will continue to be involved as a minority shareholder."
Daily Mail & General Trust said the Evening Standard would establish a new editorial committee to "safeguard the principle of editorial independence."
Monday, January 19, 2009
USN&WR Goes Digital Only
US News & World Report abandons print for web
US News & World Report, the third-largest news-oriented magazine in the U.S. (behind Time and Newsweek), announced plans to abandon print and focus on the Web.
"We're accelerating this transformation in response to our rapid growth online where our audience is now about 7 million uniques a month and growing," US News president Bill Holiber and editor Brian Kelly said in a memo to employees. "For all of you who have worked so hard to make this transition possible, say good-bye to Web 2.0 and welcome to Journalism 5.0," they added.
The memo did not give details for the future of the print edition, which earlier this year cut back from weekly to biweekly, but the Washington Post reported that US News will only published only once a month, and that the new monthly edition will be devoted to consumer guides, such as the magazine's popular annual lists of America's "best colleges" and "best hospitals."
Earlier this year, US News announced plans to move "away from a weekly magazine with a discrete website to become a multi-platform digital publisher of news you can use and analysis."
The 100-year-old Christian Science Monitor recently announced plans to end its daily print edition and become the first national US newspaper to become entirely Web-based.
US News & World Report, the third-largest news-oriented magazine in the U.S. (behind Time and Newsweek), announced plans to abandon print and focus on the Web.
"We're accelerating this transformation in response to our rapid growth online where our audience is now about 7 million uniques a month and growing," US News president Bill Holiber and editor Brian Kelly said in a memo to employees. "For all of you who have worked so hard to make this transition possible, say good-bye to Web 2.0 and welcome to Journalism 5.0," they added.
The memo did not give details for the future of the print edition, which earlier this year cut back from weekly to biweekly, but the Washington Post reported that US News will only published only once a month, and that the new monthly edition will be devoted to consumer guides, such as the magazine's popular annual lists of America's "best colleges" and "best hospitals."
Earlier this year, US News announced plans to move "away from a weekly magazine with a discrete website to become a multi-platform digital publisher of news you can use and analysis."
The 100-year-old Christian Science Monitor recently announced plans to end its daily print edition and become the first national US newspaper to become entirely Web-based.
Dpes Facebook Replace Face Time or Enhance It?
This is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.
Does Facebook Replace Face Time or Enhance It?
By Lisa Selin Davis
Jenny has not returned my calls in roughly a year. She has, however, sent me a poinsettia, poked me and placed a gift beneath my Christmas tree. She's done all this virtually, courtesy of Facebook, the social-networking site on which users create profiles, gather "friends" and join common-interest groups, not to mention send digital gifts.
Although Jenny has three children, ages 4 to 14, and rarely finds time for visits, phone calls or even e-mail, the full-time mom in upstate New York regularly updates her status on Facebook ("Jenny is fixing a birthday dinner," "Jenny took the kids sledding") and uploads photos (her son in the school play).
After 24 years, our friendship is now relegated to the online world, filtered through Facebook. Call it Facebook Recluse Syndrome — and Jenny is far from the site's only social hermit.
Although Facebook started as an online hub for college students, its fastest-growing demographic is the over-25 crowd, which now accounts for more than half of the site's 140 million active members. Why is Facebook catching on among harried parents and professionals?
"It makes me feel like I have a grip on my world," says Emily Neill, a 39-year-old single mother of two. Neill isn't a techie, per se — "I'll never have a phone that does anything but make calls," says the fashion consultant in Watertown, Mass. — but she stays logged on to Facebook all day at work and then spends an hour or two — or lately three — at night checking in with old acquaintances, swapping photos with close friends and instant-messaging those who fall somewhere in between.
"It makes you feel like you're part of something even if you're neglecting people in the flesh," she says. (See the 50 best websites of 2008.)
Retreating behind a digital veil started long before the Internet existed, with the advent of answering machines. "People would call a phone when they knew the other person wasn't available to pick up," says Charles Steinfield, a professor at Michigan State University who co-authored a peer-reviewed study called "The Benefits of Facebook 'Friends.' " "It enabled them to convey information without forcing them to interact."
Enter Facebook, which provides a constant flow of information via short updates from everyone a user knows: a distant cousin is glad he skipped the cheeseburger chowder; a colleague has a new book on sale; a close friend is engaged or newly single. Jenny and I, along with three of our childhood pals from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., learned that a dear old friend had ended her seven-year relationship through a Facebook status change. We expressed dismay, albeit through Facebook's IM feature, that we had to learn such potent information in this impersonal way.
Does Facebook Replace Face Time or Enhance It?
By Lisa Selin Davis
Jenny has not returned my calls in roughly a year. She has, however, sent me a poinsettia, poked me and placed a gift beneath my Christmas tree. She's done all this virtually, courtesy of Facebook, the social-networking site on which users create profiles, gather "friends" and join common-interest groups, not to mention send digital gifts.
Although Jenny has three children, ages 4 to 14, and rarely finds time for visits, phone calls or even e-mail, the full-time mom in upstate New York regularly updates her status on Facebook ("Jenny is fixing a birthday dinner," "Jenny took the kids sledding") and uploads photos (her son in the school play).
After 24 years, our friendship is now relegated to the online world, filtered through Facebook. Call it Facebook Recluse Syndrome — and Jenny is far from the site's only social hermit.
Although Facebook started as an online hub for college students, its fastest-growing demographic is the over-25 crowd, which now accounts for more than half of the site's 140 million active members. Why is Facebook catching on among harried parents and professionals?
"It makes me feel like I have a grip on my world," says Emily Neill, a 39-year-old single mother of two. Neill isn't a techie, per se — "I'll never have a phone that does anything but make calls," says the fashion consultant in Watertown, Mass. — but she stays logged on to Facebook all day at work and then spends an hour or two — or lately three — at night checking in with old acquaintances, swapping photos with close friends and instant-messaging those who fall somewhere in between.
"It makes you feel like you're part of something even if you're neglecting people in the flesh," she says. (See the 50 best websites of 2008.)
Retreating behind a digital veil started long before the Internet existed, with the advent of answering machines. "People would call a phone when they knew the other person wasn't available to pick up," says Charles Steinfield, a professor at Michigan State University who co-authored a peer-reviewed study called "The Benefits of Facebook 'Friends.' " "It enabled them to convey information without forcing them to interact."
Enter Facebook, which provides a constant flow of information via short updates from everyone a user knows: a distant cousin is glad he skipped the cheeseburger chowder; a colleague has a new book on sale; a close friend is engaged or newly single. Jenny and I, along with three of our childhood pals from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., learned that a dear old friend had ended her seven-year relationship through a Facebook status change. We expressed dismay, albeit through Facebook's IM feature, that we had to learn such potent information in this impersonal way.
Be Careful About Insulting the Leader!
Author jailed for insulting Thai kingStory Highlights
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- An Australian author was sentenced Monday to three years in prison in Thailand after falling foul of a Thai law that makes it a crime to insult the country's royal family.
Harry Nicolaides was arrested last August over a 2005 book called "Verisimilitude," which includes a paragraph about the king and crown prince that the authorities deemed a violation of the Lese Majeste law.
Nicolaides, 41, was bombarded with questions from foreign journalists as he arrived at the court Monday, wearing shackles as he stepped from a prison bus. In tears, he said he would plead guilty.
"Truth is stranger than fiction," he said. "It's been an ordeal for months. It feels like a bad dream." Watch shackled Nicolaides at court »
The Thai Criminal Court originally sentenced Nicolaides to six years in jail but cut the punishment in half because of the guilty plea. He listened calmly as the verdict was translated to him.
After hearing his verdict Nicolaides said: "I wish my family the best." Watch Nicolaides' brother's reaction »
One of his lawyers said no decision had been made about whether to appeal or seek a royal pardon. King Bhumibol Adulydej has pardoned foreigners in other similar cases in the past.
CNN has chosen not to repeat the allegations made by Nicolaides because it could result in CNN staff being prosecuted in Thailand.
Nicolaides had been living in Thailand since 2003, lecturing at two universities about tourism.
He was about to leave Thailand when he was arrested on August 31 last year. It is not clear why the authorities waited three years after the publication of his book to bring charges against him.
"I think there are individuals who have exploited an obscure law for their own self-interest," he said.
Only 50 copies of the book were published, and only seven were sold.
The law Nicolaides was convicted of breaking is section 112, known as the Lese Majeste law.
It says: "Whoever defames, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, the Heir-apparent or the Regent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years."
Thailand's king is highly revered in this Buddhist nation, but even he has said in the past that he can be criticized.
Thailand's new prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, also told CNN he is concerned about the misuse of the Lese Majeste law.
"There are cases in the past where this law has been abused for political purposes, and I agree this has to stop," he said.
Despite the rhetoric there's little sign the prime minister will change the law. Other cases are pending against both foreigners and Thais.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Changing World of the Writer
Here is some stimulating and thoughtful material on the world of the writer from one who is among the industry's most experienced publishers, agents, writers, and mentors.
International Christian Writers Report, JANUARY 2009
The Changing World of the Writer
What can you do when your dream of writing a book is finally realized, only
to discover that the publishing world has changed and is not interested in
your book? That has been happening a lot to authors recently and is most
disconcerting. There are, however, alternatives to books in getting out your
message, if that is what is really your purpose in writing your book.
Why do I bring up this topic? Christian book publishing had already changed
a lot before the recession began, but change has accelerated because of the
financial pressures of dropping book sales. What are some of the factors
influencing change?
* Changing ownerships, with large secular houses buying up Christian
publishing houses to try to capitalize on the flurry of bestsellers in the
Christian market. They are merely going where they think there is money to
be made.
* While the advent of television did not have the expected negative
effect on book reading, the availability of information and entertainment on
the Internet is impacting available reading time and sources people use to
get their information.
* The extraordinary growth of storage/listening devices like the i-pod
and MP3 is also impinging on reading time. Add amazon.com's Kindle and
Sony's reading instrument and you have a technological change that both
reduces time availability for traditional ways of reading books and
satisfies the need for entertainment.
When a market begins to slip those participating in it have to make changes
to try to regain market share. From the publishers' perspective that means
several things:
* You reduce risk as much as possible by refusing to take on books by
authors who do not have guaranteed sales through their platform. That means
if you are known only locally or regionally, you have an extremely small
chance of your book being published by a royalty publisher.
* Publishers are moving to POD, Kindle and other opportunities to gain
a foothold in the digital information market. Books that were once declared
out of print are now having their "shelf life" extended through these
avenues.
* Authors also have access to these new technologies if all efforts to
enlist a royalty publisher have failed. They are, however, a totally
different world from traditional book sales and require a quite different
marketing approach. Some Christian writers conferences now have workshops on
how to enter these digital markets.
If getting out your message of what it means to be a Christian and live as a
Christian is important, you as a writer will quickly adapt to the new
realities. As I see it, there are two alternatives.
* You can refocus from book writing to article writing. There is still
a wealth of print media available for writers who know what it takes to
write and market articles. The quickest way to discover what those markets
are is to acquire Sally Stuart's Christian Writers Market Guide and spend
some hours in research on what publications are taking your kind of written
material. Print media editors also show up consistently at Christian
writers' conferences in all parts of the country and can be approached on
what they are looking for. The reality is that while as a book author you
might reach 2,500 to 10,000 homes, with an article you can reach up to
100,000 or more homes.
* You can explore the digital world of articles on the Internet. More
and more e-zines are popping up. Most of them still do not reimburse the
author in cash, but do provide writing experience and exposure. Blogs are
also great opportunities to get exposure as a writer.
We live in a fast-moving technological age in terms of information
dissemination. Traditional means are shrinking. Even the newspaper is now an
endangered species. But as writers who are Christian our job is to get the
Word out by whatever means. In reading through 1 Thessalonians in The
Message I was struck by the apostle Paul's admonition in 1 Thessalonians
4:1, "We ask you-urge is more like it-that you keep on doing what we told
you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living,
spirited dance."
If you are interested in some of the changes I have seen in 54 years in
publishing, go to
and the IdeaBlog on the home page.
Les Stobbe, Director
International Christian Writers
International Christian Writers Report, JANUARY 2009
The Changing World of the Writer
What can you do when your dream of writing a book is finally realized, only
to discover that the publishing world has changed and is not interested in
your book? That has been happening a lot to authors recently and is most
disconcerting. There are, however, alternatives to books in getting out your
message, if that is what is really your purpose in writing your book.
Why do I bring up this topic? Christian book publishing had already changed
a lot before the recession began, but change has accelerated because of the
financial pressures of dropping book sales. What are some of the factors
influencing change?
* Changing ownerships, with large secular houses buying up Christian
publishing houses to try to capitalize on the flurry of bestsellers in the
Christian market. They are merely going where they think there is money to
be made.
* While the advent of television did not have the expected negative
effect on book reading, the availability of information and entertainment on
the Internet is impacting available reading time and sources people use to
get their information.
* The extraordinary growth of storage/listening devices like the i-pod
and MP3 is also impinging on reading time. Add amazon.com's Kindle and
Sony's reading instrument and you have a technological change that both
reduces time availability for traditional ways of reading books and
satisfies the need for entertainment.
When a market begins to slip those participating in it have to make changes
to try to regain market share. From the publishers' perspective that means
several things:
* You reduce risk as much as possible by refusing to take on books by
authors who do not have guaranteed sales through their platform. That means
if you are known only locally or regionally, you have an extremely small
chance of your book being published by a royalty publisher.
* Publishers are moving to POD, Kindle and other opportunities to gain
a foothold in the digital information market. Books that were once declared
out of print are now having their "shelf life" extended through these
avenues.
* Authors also have access to these new technologies if all efforts to
enlist a royalty publisher have failed. They are, however, a totally
different world from traditional book sales and require a quite different
marketing approach. Some Christian writers conferences now have workshops on
how to enter these digital markets.
If getting out your message of what it means to be a Christian and live as a
Christian is important, you as a writer will quickly adapt to the new
realities. As I see it, there are two alternatives.
* You can refocus from book writing to article writing. There is still
a wealth of print media available for writers who know what it takes to
write and market articles. The quickest way to discover what those markets
are is to acquire Sally Stuart's Christian Writers Market Guide and spend
some hours in research on what publications are taking your kind of written
material. Print media editors also show up consistently at Christian
writers' conferences in all parts of the country and can be approached on
what they are looking for. The reality is that while as a book author you
might reach 2,500 to 10,000 homes, with an article you can reach up to
100,000 or more homes.
* You can explore the digital world of articles on the Internet. More
and more e-zines are popping up. Most of them still do not reimburse the
author in cash, but do provide writing experience and exposure. Blogs are
also great opportunities to get exposure as a writer.
We live in a fast-moving technological age in terms of information
dissemination. Traditional means are shrinking. Even the newspaper is now an
endangered species. But as writers who are Christian our job is to get the
Word out by whatever means. In reading through 1 Thessalonians in The
Message I was struck by the apostle Paul's admonition in 1 Thessalonians
4:1, "We ask you-urge is more like it-that you keep on doing what we told
you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod, but in a living,
spirited dance."
If you are interested in some of the changes I have seen in 54 years in
publishing, go to
and the IdeaBlog on the home page.
Les Stobbe, Director
International Christian Writers
Can Google Save the Newspaper?
Here is an excerpt--to read the entire article click here.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt wishes he could rescue newspapers.
By Adam Lashinsky, editor at large
(Fortune Magazine) -- Metaphorically speaking, Google is killing the newspaper industry. Online news is quickly hollowing out the traditional paper - the Christian Science Monitor eliminates its print edition, Tribune Co. declares bankruptcy, Detroit's two dailies slash home delivery to three days a week - while Google rakes in advertising profits.
Turns out that Google CEO Eric Schmidt professes a passionate desire to lend a hand. In an interview with Fortune's Adam Lashinsky, he shares some thoughts on how newspapers might yet survive - and how Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) might help.
Is there some grand gesture Google can make to solve the newspaper industry's problems?
It's not obvious what the grand gesture would be. Google can't make the cost of newsprint go down. We also can't materially change the way consumers behave, and consumers are in fact moving their lives online. We have been able to send clicks to their Web sites, which they can monetize. So that provides some revenue. The problem is that doesn't provide enough revenue to offset the loss of the other revenue.
Maybe their time has just come and gone?
No. They don't have a problem of demand for their product, the news. People love the news. They love reading, discussing it, adding to it, annotating it. The Internet has made the news more accessible. There's a problem with advertising, classifieds and the cost itself of a newspaper: physical printing, delivery and so on. And so the business model gets squeezed.
So what else can Google do?
We have a mechanism that enhances online subscriptions, but part of the reason it doesn't take off is that the culture of the Internet is that information wants to be free. We've tried to get newspapers to have more tightly integrated products with ours. We'd like to help them better monetize their customer base. We have tools that make that easier. I wish I had a brilliant idea, but I don't. These little things help, but they don't fundamentally solve the problem.
How about just buying them?
The good news is we could purchase them. We have the cash. But I don't think our purchasing a newspaper would solve the business problems. It would help solidify the ownership structure, but it doesn't solve the underlying problem in the business. Until we can answer that question we're in this uncomfortable conversation.
I think the solution is tighter integration. In other words, we can do this without making an acquisition. The term I've been using is 'merge without merging.' The Web allows you to do that, where you can get the Web systems of both organizations fairly well integrated, and you don't have to do it on exclusive basis.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt wishes he could rescue newspapers.
By Adam Lashinsky, editor at large
(Fortune Magazine) -- Metaphorically speaking, Google is killing the newspaper industry. Online news is quickly hollowing out the traditional paper - the Christian Science Monitor eliminates its print edition, Tribune Co. declares bankruptcy, Detroit's two dailies slash home delivery to three days a week - while Google rakes in advertising profits.
Turns out that Google CEO Eric Schmidt professes a passionate desire to lend a hand. In an interview with Fortune's Adam Lashinsky, he shares some thoughts on how newspapers might yet survive - and how Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) might help.
Is there some grand gesture Google can make to solve the newspaper industry's problems?
It's not obvious what the grand gesture would be. Google can't make the cost of newsprint go down. We also can't materially change the way consumers behave, and consumers are in fact moving their lives online. We have been able to send clicks to their Web sites, which they can monetize. So that provides some revenue. The problem is that doesn't provide enough revenue to offset the loss of the other revenue.
Maybe their time has just come and gone?
No. They don't have a problem of demand for their product, the news. People love the news. They love reading, discussing it, adding to it, annotating it. The Internet has made the news more accessible. There's a problem with advertising, classifieds and the cost itself of a newspaper: physical printing, delivery and so on. And so the business model gets squeezed.
So what else can Google do?
We have a mechanism that enhances online subscriptions, but part of the reason it doesn't take off is that the culture of the Internet is that information wants to be free. We've tried to get newspapers to have more tightly integrated products with ours. We'd like to help them better monetize their customer base. We have tools that make that easier. I wish I had a brilliant idea, but I don't. These little things help, but they don't fundamentally solve the problem.
How about just buying them?
The good news is we could purchase them. We have the cash. But I don't think our purchasing a newspaper would solve the business problems. It would help solidify the ownership structure, but it doesn't solve the underlying problem in the business. Until we can answer that question we're in this uncomfortable conversation.
I think the solution is tighter integration. In other words, we can do this without making an acquisition. The term I've been using is 'merge without merging.' The Web allows you to do that, where you can get the Web systems of both organizations fairly well integrated, and you don't have to do it on exclusive basis.
NY Times Looks to Mexican Billionaire for Cash
Here is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.
Times, Mexican billionaire in talks
Carlos Slim, who holds 6.4% stake now, is in talks to make big investment in New York Times Co.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The New York Times Co. is in talks to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, a source told Reuters Saturday, a move that would give the ailing newspaper publisher a critical cash infusion to pay its debt.
An investment by Slim, the world's second-richest man according to Forbes magazine, could also be a vote of confidence in the Ochs-Sulzberger family, whose control of the Times for more than a century has been threatened by changes shaking the foundations of the U.S. newspaper business.
The Times, which owns its namesake newspaper and The Boston Globe as well as other papers in the United States, is grappling with a decline in advertising revenue on a level that it and other newspaper publishers have never seen before.
According to the source, the Times might give Slim, who already owns a 6.4% stake in the company, preferred stock with no voting rights but with an annual dividend.
The Times is planning a special board meeting next week about the investment, the source said. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. A New York Times spokeswoman declined to comment.
The money could help the Times pay off $400 million in debt in a credit facility that will retire in May.
Times, Mexican billionaire in talks
Carlos Slim, who holds 6.4% stake now, is in talks to make big investment in New York Times Co.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The New York Times Co. is in talks to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, a source told Reuters Saturday, a move that would give the ailing newspaper publisher a critical cash infusion to pay its debt.
An investment by Slim, the world's second-richest man according to Forbes magazine, could also be a vote of confidence in the Ochs-Sulzberger family, whose control of the Times for more than a century has been threatened by changes shaking the foundations of the U.S. newspaper business.
The Times, which owns its namesake newspaper and The Boston Globe as well as other papers in the United States, is grappling with a decline in advertising revenue on a level that it and other newspaper publishers have never seen before.
According to the source, the Times might give Slim, who already owns a 6.4% stake in the company, preferred stock with no voting rights but with an annual dividend.
The Times is planning a special board meeting next week about the investment, the source said. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. A New York Times spokeswoman declined to comment.
The money could help the Times pay off $400 million in debt in a credit facility that will retire in May.
Friday, January 16, 2009
A Retiring Editor Reflects on His Six Years
The editor of the Minnesota Christian Chronicle, one of the nation's leading Christian regional newspapers, is leaving to take another position. Here are his thoughts and insights after six years in the job--they can be instructive to those considering media work. More at www.mcchronicle.com.
What this job has done for me
by Bryan Malley
When I started as editor of the Minnesota Christian Chronicle in January 2003, I always told people, candidly, that I thought I’d be here for no more than five years.
Here we are in January 2009, exactly six years later, and I’m wondering where the time has gone as I prepare to take a new job.
Back then, five years seemed like an eternity to me. I was relatively fresh out of college, in a new dating relationship, and had no idea what the future might hold—except that I had just agreed to become the new editor of an established, highly respected local Christian community newspaper that I had barely ever read.
Was I up for it? Would anyone be interested in hearing what I had to say? Who am I to decide what stories get told, and what great stories don’t get told, each issue? Could I handle the certain criticism?
Let’s just say I possessed a healthy sense of self-doubt about my new job as I set foot in the office on my first day. It was immediately more “exciting” than I bargained for. Turns out it was press day! The previous editor had already moved on two weeks prior, and big decisions needed to be made—even before I had a chance to set my box of office stuff down on my new desk.
We got through that first issue just fine, and it didn’t take me too long to get into a groove of writing, editing and issue production. Five months into the job, just as I was “getting it down,” I was given a leave of absence to work at summer camp one last time.
I returned from the summer engaged to my now wife and excited to find that editorial groove again. I started working hard to make what I considered to be improvements to the paper.
It was not a quick process, and it was certainly not always an easy process, but we did our best to self-evaluate content and design of the Minnesota Christian Chronicle with a focus on increasing readership and living out our mission to uplift godly harmony and unity in the local body of Christ.
Over time we expanded local editorial space, increased our focus on local Christian organizations doing unique service, expanded the scope of issues we addressed, and redesigned many graphic elements of the publication to reflect current visual styles.
I have had a lot of help along the way, and it has been my privilege to work with some amazing and dedicated brothers and sisters in Christ.
The skilled freelance writers who have helped me fill the pages over the years have been our eyes and ears all over the Twin Cities. The stories they have told on our pages have affected the lives of many believers and non-believers alike.
The many new editorial contributors I have worked with have really helped bring balance and new perspectives to our pages with grace and style. It has been my goal that our pages could be a place where civil Christian discussion could take place on issues that really matter, and for the most part, we have succeeded.
As I get ready to hand the reins over to a new editor, I mostly just feel privileged to have served such a great readership and local Christian community. I’ve met many wonderful people and made many great new friends in ministry through my time as editor. And I’ve always been encouraged by the work done, and often the unity displayed, by Christians in Minnesota.
I will look forward to becoming another faithful reader and supporter of this ministry throughout the coming years.
God bless.
Minneapolis Paper Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
This is an excerpt--to read the complete article, click here.
Star Tribune files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Facing sharp revenue declines, the newspaper seeks bankruptcy protection, hoping to cut costs and restructure debt.
By DAVID PHELPS, Star Tribune
Last update: January 16, 2009 - 6:31 AM
The Star Tribune, saddled with high debt and a sharp decline in print advertising, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition Thursday night.
Minnesota's largest newspaper will try to use bankruptcy to restructure its debt and lower its labor costs.
Chris Harte, the paper's publisher, said the filing would have no impact on home delivery, advertising, newsgathering or any other aspects of the paper's operations.
"We intend to use the Chapter 11 process to make this great Twin Cities institution stronger, leaner and more efficient so that it is well positioned to benefit when economic conditions begin to improve," Harte said in a statement.
The filing, which was made with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the southern district of New York, had been expected for months. It follows several missed payments to the paper's lenders, and it comes less than two years after a private equity group, New York-based Avista Capital Partners, bought the paper for $530 million.
In its filing, the newspaper listed assets of $493.2 million and liabilities of $661.1 million.
Like most newspapers, the Star Tribune has experienced a sharp decline in print advertising. Its earnings before interest, taxes and debt payments were about $26 million in 2008, down from about $59 million in 2007 and $115 million in 2004.
The Star Tribune, with Sunday circulation of 552,000, is the 10th-largest Sunday newspaper in the U.S. Its daily circulation of 334,000 makes it the 15th-largest daily based on circulation. The paper's website, StarTribune.com, averaged 76 million page views per month during the past six months, placing it among the top 10 newspaper websites in the nation.
Star Tribune files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Facing sharp revenue declines, the newspaper seeks bankruptcy protection, hoping to cut costs and restructure debt.
By DAVID PHELPS, Star Tribune
Last update: January 16, 2009 - 6:31 AM
The Star Tribune, saddled with high debt and a sharp decline in print advertising, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition Thursday night.
Minnesota's largest newspaper will try to use bankruptcy to restructure its debt and lower its labor costs.
Chris Harte, the paper's publisher, said the filing would have no impact on home delivery, advertising, newsgathering or any other aspects of the paper's operations.
"We intend to use the Chapter 11 process to make this great Twin Cities institution stronger, leaner and more efficient so that it is well positioned to benefit when economic conditions begin to improve," Harte said in a statement.
The filing, which was made with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the southern district of New York, had been expected for months. It follows several missed payments to the paper's lenders, and it comes less than two years after a private equity group, New York-based Avista Capital Partners, bought the paper for $530 million.
In its filing, the newspaper listed assets of $493.2 million and liabilities of $661.1 million.
Like most newspapers, the Star Tribune has experienced a sharp decline in print advertising. Its earnings before interest, taxes and debt payments were about $26 million in 2008, down from about $59 million in 2007 and $115 million in 2004.
The Star Tribune, with Sunday circulation of 552,000, is the 10th-largest Sunday newspaper in the U.S. Its daily circulation of 334,000 makes it the 15th-largest daily based on circulation. The paper's website, StarTribune.com, averaged 76 million page views per month during the past six months, placing it among the top 10 newspaper websites in the nation.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
TUFW Writing Students, Professor in Crash
From Wednesday's Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:
3 Taylor vehicles in Kosciusko pileup
Kelly SoderlundThe Journal Gazette
A caravan of Taylor University-Fort Wayne vehicles was involved in a chain-reaction crash on U.S. 30 in Kosciusko County on Wednesday morning. None of the injuries reported was life-threatening.
A group of 19 students and one professor were traveling to Chicago to visit publishers as part of an English class for professional writing majors, Taylor spokesman Jim Garringer said.
Snowy weather and poor road conditions led to the accident involving three Taylor vehicles and other tractor-trailer rigs and cars on the road.
One Taylor van and two university-owned cars sustained severe damage. The van was destroyed by fire after all of the passengers left the vehicle, said Tim Sammons of the Pierceton Police Department.
Sammons said the injuries included from possible broken ribs and back and neck pain; none appeared life-threatening.
Six students and one professor from Taylor were taken to area hospitals, four to Whitley County and three to Kosciusko County.
Two students taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital were released, Garringer said.
No other serious injuries were reported, he said, but five other students went to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne to be checked out.
“We’re just incredibly grateful to God that these are not more serious than what they appear to be,” Garringer added.
The series of crashes began when an SUV rear-ended a tractor-trailer rig at U.S. 30 and Indiana 13, Sammons said. The vehicles then pulled over to the side of the road.
Another truck traveling west slowed as it approached the intersection and was rear-ended by the Taylor van.
A Taylor-owned Ford Taurus then rear-ended the van, sending the car spinning into a ditch and leaving the van spinning in the road.
A second Taylor-owned Ford Taurus tried to miss the van and clipped a Jeep Liberty that was stopped at Indiana 13. The Taurus then T-boned another car, police said.
Everyone got out of the van, but it began to smoke, then was destroyed by fire.
3 Taylor vehicles in Kosciusko pileup
Kelly SoderlundThe Journal Gazette
A caravan of Taylor University-Fort Wayne vehicles was involved in a chain-reaction crash on U.S. 30 in Kosciusko County on Wednesday morning. None of the injuries reported was life-threatening.
A group of 19 students and one professor were traveling to Chicago to visit publishers as part of an English class for professional writing majors, Taylor spokesman Jim Garringer said.
Snowy weather and poor road conditions led to the accident involving three Taylor vehicles and other tractor-trailer rigs and cars on the road.
One Taylor van and two university-owned cars sustained severe damage. The van was destroyed by fire after all of the passengers left the vehicle, said Tim Sammons of the Pierceton Police Department.
Sammons said the injuries included from possible broken ribs and back and neck pain; none appeared life-threatening.
Six students and one professor from Taylor were taken to area hospitals, four to Whitley County and three to Kosciusko County.
Two students taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital were released, Garringer said.
No other serious injuries were reported, he said, but five other students went to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne to be checked out.
“We’re just incredibly grateful to God that these are not more serious than what they appear to be,” Garringer added.
The series of crashes began when an SUV rear-ended a tractor-trailer rig at U.S. 30 and Indiana 13, Sammons said. The vehicles then pulled over to the side of the road.
Another truck traveling west slowed as it approached the intersection and was rear-ended by the Taylor van.
A Taylor-owned Ford Taurus then rear-ended the van, sending the car spinning into a ditch and leaving the van spinning in the road.
A second Taylor-owned Ford Taurus tried to miss the van and clipped a Jeep Liberty that was stopped at Indiana 13. The Taurus then T-boned another car, police said.
Everyone got out of the van, but it began to smoke, then was destroyed by fire.
Monday, January 12, 2009
12 Major Media Likely to Close in 2009
From 247 Wall Street -- this is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.
Twelve Major Media Brands Likely To Close In 2009
No one working in the media industry will ever have seen a year as bad as 2009 will be. The sharp slide in advertising began in 2008, and, based on the worsening economy, there is no reason to think that advertising will improve.
Most Wall St. analysts have predicted a harsh year for the ad business. If the downturn deepens and unemployment rises above 10% most predictions about media, no matter how negative, will have been unexpectedly optimistic.
The most endangered of the media sectors is the newspaper industry. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Denver's Rocky Mountain News have already been slated for closing if they do not find buyers. They won't. The Miami Herald is on the block. Due to the remarkably poor real estate environment in South Florida, this property is unlikely to find a new home.
National newspaper chains Journal Register and Gatehouse have been delisted from the NYSE and are likely to try to auction off their operations. McClatchy (MNI), the third largest chain in the country, will struggle to make its debt service.
Scores of papers, large and small, will fold this year. Newspaper expert Alan Mutter recently wrote that any paper in a major city with two dailies is in tremendous trouble.
The magazine industry is not in much better shape although its very sharp downturn did not begin until last year. Conde Nast recently closed Men's Vogue and cut back the frequency and online operations of Portfolio. Media giant Meredith recently closed Country Home.
Two months ago, PC Magazine said it would close its print edition and operate only online. According to MIN, at least a dozen major magazines had ad page decreases of more than 20% last year including US News & World Report, Rolling Stone, Boating, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, More, and Smart Money.
A number of these magazines also had sharp page drops in their January editions. With advertising expenditures likely to fall throughout the year, it is hard to imagine how many men's magazines, car publications, food, and shelter magazines will be able to stay afloat in segments of the industry which are already crowded.
A year ago, most analysts expected that the online marketing business would be largely recession-proof. It is now clear that this is not true.
Twelve Major Media Brands Likely To Close In 2009
No one working in the media industry will ever have seen a year as bad as 2009 will be. The sharp slide in advertising began in 2008, and, based on the worsening economy, there is no reason to think that advertising will improve.
Most Wall St. analysts have predicted a harsh year for the ad business. If the downturn deepens and unemployment rises above 10% most predictions about media, no matter how negative, will have been unexpectedly optimistic.
The most endangered of the media sectors is the newspaper industry. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Denver's Rocky Mountain News have already been slated for closing if they do not find buyers. They won't. The Miami Herald is on the block. Due to the remarkably poor real estate environment in South Florida, this property is unlikely to find a new home.
National newspaper chains Journal Register and Gatehouse have been delisted from the NYSE and are likely to try to auction off their operations. McClatchy (MNI), the third largest chain in the country, will struggle to make its debt service.
Scores of papers, large and small, will fold this year. Newspaper expert Alan Mutter recently wrote that any paper in a major city with two dailies is in tremendous trouble.
The magazine industry is not in much better shape although its very sharp downturn did not begin until last year. Conde Nast recently closed Men's Vogue and cut back the frequency and online operations of Portfolio. Media giant Meredith recently closed Country Home.
Two months ago, PC Magazine said it would close its print edition and operate only online. According to MIN, at least a dozen major magazines had ad page decreases of more than 20% last year including US News & World Report, Rolling Stone, Boating, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, More, and Smart Money.
A number of these magazines also had sharp page drops in their January editions. With advertising expenditures likely to fall throughout the year, it is hard to imagine how many men's magazines, car publications, food, and shelter magazines will be able to stay afloat in segments of the industry which are already crowded.
A year ago, most analysts expected that the online marketing business would be largely recession-proof. It is now clear that this is not true.
Seattle P-I May Sell or Die
From Editor and Publisher. This is an excerpt--to read the entire article, click here.
NEW YORK The Seattle Post-Intelligencer confimed Friday afternoon that it is being put up for sale by parent company Hearst, and will either close or possibly become a Web-only product if a sale is not completed.
"One thing is clear: at the end of the sale process, we do not see ourselves publishing in print," Steven Swartz, president of the Hearst Corp.'s newspaper division, said in a Web story.
Swartz addressed the P-I's newsroom at about noon Friday, flanked by P-I editor and publisher Roger Oglesby and Lincoln Millstein, Hearst's senior vice president for digital media, the P-I reported.
Hearst said in a statement that if the P-I is not sold within 60 days, it will "pursue other options" for the property. These include a move to a digital-only operation with a greatly reduced staff or a complete shutdown.
NEW YORK The Seattle Post-Intelligencer confimed Friday afternoon that it is being put up for sale by parent company Hearst, and will either close or possibly become a Web-only product if a sale is not completed.
"One thing is clear: at the end of the sale process, we do not see ourselves publishing in print," Steven Swartz, president of the Hearst Corp.'s newspaper division, said in a Web story.
Swartz addressed the P-I's newsroom at about noon Friday, flanked by P-I editor and publisher Roger Oglesby and Lincoln Millstein, Hearst's senior vice president for digital media, the P-I reported.
Hearst said in a statement that if the P-I is not sold within 60 days, it will "pursue other options" for the property. These include a move to a digital-only operation with a greatly reduced staff or a complete shutdown.
The Media and Kurt Warner's Faith
There's a really neat story about Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner currently appearing on Dr. Robert Kellemen's blog. Here is an excerpt. To read the entire story, click here.
"If you ever really want to do a story about who I am, God's got to be at the center of it. Every time I hear a piece or read a story that doesn't have that, they're missing the whole lesson of who I am." - Kurt Warner
It has become part of the sports landscape. Athletes congregate on the field after a game to pray or offer a sound bite thanking a higher power.
It rarely makes the news.
Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner understands this. The man who led this organization to its first home playoff game since 1947 knows that discussion about resurrections comes only in the context of career revivals and that tape recorders shut off when faith references start up.
During a visit to The Oprah Winfrey Show, Warner "basically had three sentences to say, so, in the middle one, I made sure I mentioned my faith, because how could they cut it out?" he said. "I went to watch the show on replay . . . and they cut it out!"
Warner, 37, is right. There is dishonesty in telling his story if you ignore what drives him, especially if you accept its role in one of the NFL's great success stories. In five years, he went from a 22-year-old stock boy at a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, grocery store to Super Bowl MVP. He has morphed again, from unemployed veteran to record-setting starting quarterback with the Cardinals, who on Saturday in Charlotte, N.C., will try to advance to the NFC Championship Game by beating the Carolina Panthers.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Oops--Plagiarist Caught, Blog Shut Down
This is an excerpt. To read the entire article, click here.
NEW YORK (AP) - Neale Donald Walsch, best-selling author of "Conversations with God," said Tuesday that he unwittingly passed off another writer's Christmas anecdote as his own in a recent blog post.
As a result, Walsch's blog on the spirituality Web site Beliefnet.com has been shut down. The Web site said in a statement that Walsch had failed to properly credit and attribute material from another author.
Walsch had written about what he described as his son's holiday concert two decades ago in which children were to hold up letters spelling "Christmas Love." One of the children held the "m" upside down, so the audience got the message "Christwas Love," according to the retelling.
Author Candy Chand said in an interview Tuesday that she stumbled onto Walsch's post when she ran "Christmas Love" through an Internet search engine. She immediately recognized her own words, from her story based on her son's kindergarten Christmas pageant. She contacted Walsch and Beliefnet.
NEW YORK (AP) - Neale Donald Walsch, best-selling author of "Conversations with God," said Tuesday that he unwittingly passed off another writer's Christmas anecdote as his own in a recent blog post.
As a result, Walsch's blog on the spirituality Web site Beliefnet.com has been shut down. The Web site said in a statement that Walsch had failed to properly credit and attribute material from another author.
Walsch had written about what he described as his son's holiday concert two decades ago in which children were to hold up letters spelling "Christmas Love." One of the children held the "m" upside down, so the audience got the message "Christwas Love," according to the retelling.
Author Candy Chand said in an interview Tuesday that she stumbled onto Walsch's post when she ran "Christmas Love" through an Internet search engine. She immediately recognized her own words, from her story based on her son's kindergarten Christmas pageant. She contacted Walsch and Beliefnet.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Book Lover Bush
From an e-mail newsletter by management consultant John Pearson:
President George W. Bush is a book lover. Besides reading through the Bible each year, along with a daily devotional reading, the President read 95 books in 2006. He finished 51 books in 2007 and read at least 40 in 2008.
Karl Rove, former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President Bush, reported all of this in a Wall Street Journal column on Dec. 26, 2008. Rove and the President had a little reading contest going over the years. Rove won each year (his top mark was 110 books in 2006). Amazing.
The next day, in the same paper, Peggy Noonan predicted, “I suspect reading is about to make a big comeback in America, that in fact we’re going to be reading more books in the future, not fewer.” In her column, Noonan listed the wide range of books she had devoured in 2008.
Rove commented on Bush’s equally diverse selections and said Bush explained that he had lost the contest “because he’d been busy as Leader of the Free World.” Rove added, “The reading competition reveals Mr. Bush's focus on goals. It's not about winning. A good-natured competition helps keep him centered and makes possible a clear mind and a high level of energy.
"He reads instead of watching TV. He reads on Air Force One and to relax and because he's curious. He reads about the tasks at hand, often picking volumes because of the relevance to his challenges. And he's right: I've won because he has a real job with enormous responsibilities.”
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