Boston Globe: Pressmen Under Pressure

In this clip, the Boston Globe's pressmen talk about not just their jobs, but their relationship with the paper. (You can also read the associated Boston Globe article here.)

Aside from showing these guys at work, hearing them talk about how long they have been at the paper, and what it will mean to them if the paper closes, this clip also illustrates why the Taylor family put in the clause in their deal when selling the Globe to the New York Times that their employees would have their jobs for life. The Taylor family knew that what they had was truly a family business, and they wanted to make sure that they didn't abandon their employees through a business decision. Perhaps this clause doesn't stand the test of time, but it really is more than just a frivolous union "perk."

There are no easy answers when it comes to saving the Boston Globe specifically or the newspaper industry generally. More than anything else, this clip puts a face, several in fact, to what it will mean to those who are spending their lives, not just making their living, putting out the paper every day.

Watch this at Boston.com

Tuesday Quote of the Week

“Writing about people helps us to understand them, and understanding them helps us to accept them as part of ourselves.”

~Alice Walker

Worst Slide Story

In these tough economic times, it helps to laugh. (Well, it just helps to laugh period.) Here's an animated parody, courtesy of Walt Handelsman at Newsday. Click here and feel free to sing along.

My dog's better than your dog.

Puh-lease. OK, this is a humorous story. But the #1 story on Christian Science Monitor's website?

Well, to be technical, they can call it an article, but it's really a blog post. The original story, with video, is on the Syracuse Post-Standard. And the reason it's #1 is because people like me are linking to it and sending it around. And sites like the Monitor (I'm not sure if they can be called a newsite anymore. The jury's still out.) know this and are therefore more interested in courting this traffic than in trafficking in real news. It's what the market will bear. This phenomenon is the real story. And it's not as pretty and fluffy as either Bo or Champ.

But back to the dogs. Whose dog is better? Well, mine, of course! (Thanks, Kent, for the picture.)

Random Humor

Playing Pong with lighted sheep. It's as funny as it sounds.
Watch it here.

Tuesday Quote of the Week

"The dissonance of today is the consonance of tomorrow."
~~Claude Debussy

Khalil Gibran: Prophet and local boy done good

One of those books that should be on a reading list, one that I have read several times over the years, is The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.

Gibran, born in Lebanon, spent part of his childhood in Boston's South End and returned to Boston after spending several years in Lebanon. He moved on to New York where he died in 1931. There is a memorial to him in Copley Square, in the park between the library and Trinity Church.

In a recent blog post, Phil Metres offers a glimpse of Gibran as a houseguest of Metres' parents in Brooklyn Heights. Definitely well worth reading.