Cali perches. Her expression is priceless, which makes this otherwise photographically odd portrait a keeper. The converging lines going different directions unbalances the setting. (BTW, that taped-over cord is cat-proofed; the kitty has a taste […]
Happy Caturday! The wayward Dyson fan-heater I wrote about yesterday finally arrived—and, of course, Cali claimed immediate ownership over the box. Hours later she vacated, and the thing is set up by my desk. I […]
As a journalist, I appreciate the importance of paying for quality journalism—but my budget only can absorb so many paywall subscriptions. I am disappointed to, once again, abandon the digital Wall Street Journal. Cost is too high. I resubscribed this year for a 6-month, election special promotional rate of $87—and received great value. The Journal became my newspaper of record during the brutal, belabored, blood-sucking Presidential campaign.
My sub would have auto-renewed on December 9th. But for how much? Nowhere (that I can find) does the account page disclose this vital information. So yesterday afternoon, I called customer service and received a shock that required the guy to repeat the renewal amount four times. Surely I misunderstood him: $98.97 for three months. That’s $395.88 per year! I pleaded for a deal and got one that isn’t low enough: $130.44 for six months. The WSJ rep compared the monthly costs for the incredible savings: $21.74, rather than $32.99 monthly. But as I told him, the meaningful comparison is to my other paid papers (digitally).
One of the main reasons I own an iPad is the NatureJournals app. Subscription to the fantastic, scientific publication is about $35 per year—versus $200 in print—and the presentation and convenience are outstanding. But the end is nye. Yesterday an alert flashed across the home screen about Nature Publishing suspending development, so I emailed for clarification.
Response arrived today from an account rep: “Unfortunately continued development and technical support for the NatureJournals app has become fiscally unviable and we have therefore made a decision to retire the app”. Bwaaaah! I’m not exactly shocked. How many people read scientific journals in apps? Surely I’m an oddball, and how many others like me can there be? Sigh, the subscription deal was too good to last.
There is nothing like lush greenery and ground following heavy rains. Yesterday morning, between downpours, I walked down Campus, where beyond Van Dyke a black-and-white surprise waited. Such a beauty she is, too. The tuxedo furball posed for me and iPhone 7 Plus.
Against the clinging vine and fresh grass, one could easily mistake this Southern California home for the side of a French farmhouse. But the Bird of Paradise creeping in the upper right hints at more tropical locale.
Yesterday, while taking a break from writing analysis “You’ve Been Misled About Fake News“, I walked to clear my thinking. I turned down Delaware for a looksee into the canyon, when white flashed in my […]
I am ashamed and embarrassed to be a journalist. This past week’s coordinated attacks on so-called fake news sites—largely orchestrated by the mainstream media and supported by Internet gatekeepers like Google and social media consorts such as Facebook or Twitter—is nothing less than an assault on free speech by organizations that should protect it.
They blame so-called fake news sites for influencing the 2016 Presidential election in favor of real-estate mogul Donald Trump and seek to extinguish them. But the Fourth Estate really responds to a perceived threat that looks to upend the mainstream media status quo. More appalling is the rampant advocacy journalism wrapped in cloak of objectivity from news orgs like the New York Times and the Washington Post. Meaning: Anti-Trump editorial policy and reporting slants are as biased as the labeled fakers. Worst of all: Many, if not most, media outlets fail to acknowledge, if even see, how they failed the American public during the campaign. Their accusations should point inwardly, not outwardly to other information disseminators.
So there is no misunderstanding: I am not a rabid Trump supporter, but a journalist who separates personal sentiments from my ethical responsibilities. More of my peers should do likewise.
Sammy is so spectacular she gets second treatment as special guest to our neighborhood series. Should you ever visit The Hub plaza in Hillcrest, which is adjacent to University Heights, stop by DC Computers. If you’re lucky, a slanky tuxedo furball will be relaxed along a wall—or perhaps she will be in the side room, door ajar, where is her cat tree.
Call her mascot or store mouser. Sammy came to the Mac and PC sales/service shop as a six-week old kitten more than five years ago. Yesterday, one of the clerks pointed to an iMac keyboard, where the little thing lay her first day as a resident. She stays inside even when the outside doors are wide open during the summer heat.
On Nov. 5, 2016, my wife Anne and I walked down Adams Ave. and back to Monroe by way of Arizona, where we spotted a kitty who receives my nickname Chill. We had crossed Texas […]
One month ago, I began this series depicting furballs roaming around my neighborhood. The postings will continue but at slower pace than one-a-day. Hell, how many domestic cats can there be here? I don’t expect […]
Where are all these kitties coming from? For years, I hardly spotted any in the neighborhood, and now they appear quite unexpectedly—as did Stalker (my name for him) on Nov. 12, 2016. My wife and […]
I am amazed to discover new neighborhood cats, nearly a month into posting this series—particularly along regular walk routes. I spotted today’s feline, Nov. 11, 2016, on Cleveland down from Meade. The Featured Image is […]