Overnight open thread – (genghis)

Here’s a few newspaper-related items in case you’re interested:

Item #1: In Washington State, Gov. Christine Gregoire has approved a 40% business tax cut for the battered aerospace industry so they can continue to stay competitive with foreign manufacturers. Wait, did I say aerospace? Sorry, The tax cut is for the newspaper industry. (Though the article does actually say that similar cuts were made in the past for Boeing and the timber industry). Heaven forbid though that tax relief would ever be considered for small business.

Speaking of small business and newspapers, this gives me the perfect excuse to link to a 3-year old post by Iowahawk about a small, scrappy family-owned publishing business based in NYC. It was funny then, but like a finely-aged vintage of Valu-Rite, it’s only gotten better over time.

Item #2: Meanwhile in Boston, the Globe peers into its future and applies some lipstick to that pig. The article covers online start-up efforts in several cities where papers have failed (Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle etc.). It’s a target-rich article, but this statement really stands out:

” "Right now, there is no institution, agency, or online service, whatever you want to call it, to replace newspapers," said Lou Ureneck, chairman of Boston University's journalism department. "None of the news-gathering organizations that have news reports online . . . come anywhere close to having the kind of journalistic capacity that you find in your typical metropolitan newspaper."

Item #3: Here’s a couple that “Maetenloch” sent in that I’ll bundle together since they’re similar in nature. The first is from The Chicago Sun-Times via Moonbattery.com in which the paper denounces its own readers as narrow-minded bigots in an editorial. Seems many had the temerity to complain about the paper running a pic of a pair of lesbians making out on the front page. (As we all know, that should go on Page Three). Finally, David Warsh of the Providence Journal pens a lengthy analysis of the Boston Globe’s troubles titled The Boston Globe Fired its Readers.

Tonight’s overnight fauna below the fold.

Some old business from last night’s overnight thread first: “Early cuyler” correctly identified the band which used the sample in the post’s title as Skinny Puppy (though I can’t recall at the moment which track and album it was on). Enjoy your free month’s subscription to AoSHQ “early!”

Tonight’s overnight thread is sponsored by the Sugar Glider, sort of an Aussie version of a flying squirrel.

Notice: Posted by permission of AceCorp LLC. Please e-mail overnight open thread tips to xgenghisx@gmail.com. Otherwise send tips to Ace.

posted by xgenghisx at 10:03 PM

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