919 Gang: July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Help wanted

Good evening, 919 Gang. Before we get back into the Filner file, here are a couple of questions I hope 919ers can address.

PENNY LINGO writes:

A friend is struggling with the transition from Windows Vista to Windows 8. I thought a class or a few sessions with a tutor might be helpful, but am at a loss to be able to suggest how she might go about finding either. Any 919ers know of any classes or tutors for that Microsoft system? I'm not all that computer savvy, and furthermore am a Mac user, so I can't that much help to her.

REBER: Anyone know a tutor? I think that's the best bet, and don't overlook the 13-year-old living next door. Also, check adult education classes. I know Ramona High has beginning computer classes.

SHARON REEVES writes:

We are thinking about installing a photo voltaic solar system. We had a solar hot water system, but it has died, so we would like to step up to a newer, more complete system. Does anyone have any experience with these systems? Also, does anyone have any experience with solar contractors in the San Diego area – good or bad? I’ll just add that we aren’t interested in any of the install and rent systems that SDG&E and some vendors have been advertising.

Please feel free to contact me off list if you prefer. My email is psreeves@san.rr.com

REBER: And if anyone has experience with solar systems, it might be interesting for the whole group.

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REBER: Okay, back to Filner. Latest developments: the city council is suing Filner to prevent the city from being liable for any suits brought against him. And an eighth woman has told of an unpleasant encounter with San Diego's mayor.

JERRY WINDLE writes:

Reporter Doug Curlee opines on how the local media ignored Filner’s shortcomings over the years. Not sure what this website it but apparently is local:

http://tinyurl.com/lopr4dm

LAUREL SCOTT writes:

Jack, the Filner situation and the reaction from Don Bauder and Filner supporters is not like blaming the cop, it's blaming the victim. I hear echoes of "what was she wearing?" and "why did she wait to report it" and even "you can't get pregnant if it's real rape." We women live with this reality. It's not about Democrat or Republican, rich or poor, it's about gender rights.

JIM OKERBLOM writes:

I am a hardcore Democrat, yet I find Frank Green's apology for Bob Filner and Elliott Spitzer to be as silly as Don Bauder's. It seems to be Breaking News to Frank that political opponents hire private detectives to get dirt on the other side. Elliott Spitzer -- the governor and the former top law enforcement guy in New York -- was paying hookers for sex, which the last time I checked was a crime. I see no evidence that his being caught was the result of being followed by a detective, but so what if it was? If Spitzer wasn't paying prostitutes for sex he wouldn't have had a problem. As former attorney general, how could he even consider taking that risk? Wouldn't the hookers recognize him?

And the accusations about Filner, at least to me, don't fit in the category of "crude and vulgar." Making off color jokes and talking about sex in the office are crude and vulgar. Maybe Frank has different standards, but what Filner is accused of doing is not the conduct of any normal male I have ever encountered.

CATHY CLARK writes:

Jack, I think your prediction is right on the money about how this thing will play out, as well as your comments on what has gone on so far. Anyone with a brain cell and a reporter’s notebook who covered him knew that Bob Filner was a crass, bumptious jerk.

I’m a woman of a certain age, too, and know how hard many of us worked to curtail sexual harassment in our newsrooms and among the people we were in contact with out there in the field doing our jobs -- and that would include a lot of politicians not necessarily named Bob Filner. I do find it a bit disingenuous that Irene McCormack Jackson did not know he was pretty impossible to deal with and has a penchant for creepy and intimidating sexual weirdness, but that doesn’t change the alleged acts that culminated in her lawsuit. And good for her for filing it.

But like Don Bauder, I, too, wondered why someone so smart, experienced and well-connected did not also file complaints with the myriad agencies in place to handle such allegations in the workplace. Bauder’s conspiracy theories may be far-fetched to some of the 919 Gang, but all us old reporters have to admit that underlying the not-unjustified hysteria, the establishment in both parties hates his guts because he’s the first mayor in years who hasn’t played by their rules on a lot of other issues as well. Bob has never played well with others.

The UT’s ‘bash Bob daily’ theme is not giving us much light, but there sure is a lot of smoke. And it’s mostly the aftermath of their own heads exploding over the fact this strong mayor thing isn’t working quite like they envisioned it. Filner rode to victory as mayor on Obama’s coattails because he was simply nuts, not a snake-oil salesman like the guy who ran against him. I’ll take a jerk over a devious carpetbagger/autocrat any time. Filner’s problems are all of his own creation over many years. It’s too bad the voters who elected him to try to return the city to its people instead of seven guys downtown have to suffer through this. A lot of lawyers will be working overtime.

MICHAEL BURGE writes:

As I was one of the first to call bullshit on Don Bauder's "Filner coverage," as he characterizes it, I thought I would weigh in with a comment. But I can't do better than this: Don Bauder's own words, written as a response to a commenter on his Reader blog:

"Both on this blog and elsewhere, journalists who should know better have lauded Filner's accusers as 'sincere, deeply hurt, shattered, traumatized,' etc. Come now. The women are all mature and highly successful. Don't tell me they didn't get there through some political maneuvering. I am not saying they are lying; I am saying I don't believe their experiences could have been anywhere near as traumatic and personally injurious as they claim now. They know how to play politics and they know what side to line up on. If they hope to be involved in a lawsuit, they know what hyperbole to use to get a monetary reward. The men who are so piously calling for Filner to be decapitated are worse. They are either ambitious for the position or pulling out their feigned piety to woo a naive electorate. Best, Don Bauder"

Thank you, Don, for alerting me to the nefarious stratagems of women. The Filner scandal is not a scandal at all, but a cautionary tale for all members of the male sex, warning them of the depths to which women will stoop to sate their boundless appetites for power.

And just so we're clear, Don's not saying they're lying. He's just calling them liars.

BILL CALLAHAN writes:

I worked alongside Irene Jackson on the metro desk before she left for the Port District job. She was an ultimate professional and a loving mother who cared intensely for her daughters. For all the complaints from reporters about how bad editors are there are few, if any, retorts from former editors who had to bail out reporters. That comes with the turf, and Irene was one of the best editors I worked alongside. I can remember an incident in which a top-flight reporter froze on deadline on an A-1 story and Irene had the unenviable task of piecing together the story on an incredibly tight deadline. Cleaning up another person’s mess is no fun. Typically, the reporter got the kudos and Irene’s work went unsung.

I can’t imagine a more credible woman coming forth with these allegations. It’s sad that those who think people of a certain political bent can do no wrong.

The defenders voice comments like: Why didn’t the women come forward earlier? Or, We’ve known all along that the other side has always been out to get him!

Balderdash. Given the background of the women who have come forward – especially Irene – this is not smoke out there. This is a forest fire.

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BOB RODRIGUEZ writes:

Regarding Tim Wilson's piece: wow, damn fine writing and a great piece of dedicated work aimed vs. crime, crap and corruption. I am impressed (for whatever that's worth). If more people would respond as he did, perhaps we'd have fewer illegal situations. Maybe.

Suzanne Mack is fortunate to have avoided any burglaries. When we lived in Bonita, while I was the Trib's man at the Chula Vista bureau, our rented home on Palo Drive was entered via the bathroom window. We figured that a neighborhood kid or two decided to see what they could swipe while we were away. First, they damaged the window and then the shower pipe, which they used as a handle to enter the bathtub and then the house. All I can remember missing now is a sterling silver piggy bank that was nearly full of real silver dollars. It felt awful to realize that an intruder (or two) had been in our place. A nasty feeling.

Side note: A sheriff's deputy came and took a report; then showed up a day or so later scheming on my wife. Another nasty feeling. We experienced no further burglaries until we moved to Poway (ah Poway, when it was unincorporated and wide open). Anyway, some creeps took a large bag of cat food from the rear of the Renault (Paris taxicab) that we were driving at the time. I should have unloaded it, but left it in the vehicle overnight. All was well until after we moved to Oregon (that was in 1979), and my wife's gift shop in Smith River, Calif. at the Ship Ashore Resort, a short distance over the Oregon border, was burglarized three times. They always took jewelry. We had an alarm, but no one ever responded. Weird. Insurance covered the loss for the most part, but then canceled the policy.

We moved to Cave Junction, Ore. in '86 and went through two burglaries. One was from a storeroom at the rear of the office. They took guns and ammunition. Bastards. A few years later, burglars kicked in the front door of the office, but were scared off by the alarm system. In all these cases the feelings of anger, frustration and helplessness are huge. Then there is vandalism. While still in Cave Junction, and since moving to Wyoming in 2009, our commercial rentals have been attacked by vandals several times. We have had to replace windows and doors, and lost one tenant after the f'ing intruders wiped out her inventory. Well, that's life; but I have to say that practicing forgiveness becomes more and more difficult. Can I hear an "Amen"?

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TOM GABLE writes:

On Carl Larsen's observation about subject-specific ads popping up when searching the Internet, of course! We started working with Internet clients in 1994, including the first Internet payment system. Even in the early days, the engineers built programs to track behavior and preferences in the pursuit of driving more efficient commerce (and ultimately the pay-per-click model of advertising and suggestions you receive when you log onto Amazon). On the pay-per-click model, advertisers choose key words that, when searched, will launch their ad. The bigger the budget, the more often the ad is served up. Even Gable PR, a boutique PR firm, has a small ad budget with Google with key words including PR, San Diego, crisis PR, media relations and community relations. The same approach is used with almost any media, social media, portal or other site making money from advertising, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media sites get to know you as well through your searches and behaviors, hence serving up suggested new connections and groups. It's just the way things work now and they are getting better at it! I think the systems talk to one another to fine-tune the suggestions even more. Wasn't there a movie about this a few years ago?

REBER: I run into this all the time on Yahoo's home page. Today for example, there is a headline about ranking salaries across the U.S. the deck says "the average worker in this profession makes $105K in California but just $66k in North Dakota. They are careful not to tell you which profession. To learn that you have to click on this link. The story pops up, along with ads, and Yahoo collects money.

Is this new? Not exactly. That's why newspapers sprinkle ads among the news stories rather than lumping all ads on non-news pages.

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KENT FREELAND writes:

Reading Suzanne Mack's post about a letter from the U-T reminded me that I recently received a U-T renewal statement quoting a 6-month subscription price of $70. I checked my last payment and found that it was $56. I called the circulation dept. and was told that yes, the price had increased that much. I calculate that to be a 25% increase.

I asked if the new quote included my U-T retiree discount. Couldn't make out the mumbled response, but she then said, "I can reduce your cost to $64." I asked if that was because the previous statement had NOT included the discount. Another mumbled response, then, "Do you want the reduced price?" I said yes.

What is going on here? Have any of the gang had similar experiences?

And if the non-discounted price has really gone up 25% is this a good time for such an increase? I don't know whether the U-T circulation is rising or falling, but I can't imagine that such a large price hike could increase circulation.

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JOHN SWEENEY writes:

I'm certain that this would be easy to do, given the wide variety of important topics being discussed lately, but did you overlook our pal Mr. Holly's birthday? I believe it is today, the 30th.

As usual, thanks for your steady hand here.

REBER: I'm glad you nudged me, John. And forgetting Joe Holly, I also missed a chance to wish Happy Birthday to Kelly Murphy on July 30. These are two of my favorite people, and I apologize. I'm on time wishing Noel Osment a Happy Birthday on July 31.

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TIM WILSON forwards:

This guy hears the words to certain song a little differently than the way they were written:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Uv2fVaHSISw

Jack Justus Reber

P.O. Box 2239

Ramona, CA 92065

U.S.A.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

A neighborhood watcher

Good evening, 919 Gang. Following our discussion on home security and Neighborhood Watch, I found this report very interesting.

TIM WILSON writes:

I work out of my house, and my office overlooks the street I live on as well as another short street that tees into it. I have a long view south, east and west. I live in a gated community.

When the market crashed, many would be flippers instead held onto their million dollar McMansions and rented them out. Well, the house across the street was rented out to a single mother who let her two young daughters run rampant while she was staying over with her boyfriend. She was rarely home, and the two girls (both teenagers -- high school age) were left to fend for themselves.

Weekend parties with underage drinkers were the norm. Garbage, used condoms, empty beer, wine and hard-liquor bottles littered the street most weekends (I often picked them up the next day and left them on the front porch of the offenders). None of my neighbors seemed aware of what was going on or they simply ignored it. They were either too afraid of retribution or just didn't want to get involved. Many came home after dark and went inside their homes with double insulated windows to the back of their houses and didn't hear anything outside after that.

This went on for several months and some of the parties were also held at a foreclosed home at the end of the street, even farther out of view. One weekend I counted 27 cars and hundreds of unsupervised kids in this huge house. They were running wild in the streets, peeling out in their cars and trashing the neighborhood. I called the police three times that night. They never came out.

The other times I called the cops during parties they would come out after the 11 p.m. curfew, which is when the cops said they could do something and it was also when the kids knew they had to shut things down. So when the cops would arrive around 11:30, everyone was gone. Or the kids would post lookouts with cells phones about a mile from the house and warn the party hosts when the cops were on their way.

This was bad enough every weekend but soon, I started noticing some very unusual activity during the day and at night on weekdays. Hoards of young adults would go in and out of the house and sometimes cars would pull up in front of the house, someone would come out, a brief interaction would take place and the the car would leave. There was also all kinds of other suspicious activity going on, and soon it was out of control. Cars were lining up as if at a fast-food drive-through, and most of this happened during the day, when the neighbors were away at work or in their homes at night.

I complained to the HOA Board (many of whom were in disbelief) and that failed to get any action because the laws favor the renters and the owner did not believe what was happening because the tenant was lying wholesale to her and actually told the owner I was crazy and stalking the tenant -- whom I had never even met. I became very frustrated and started keeping a journal and recording the activity, which was getting more brazen every day. If the cops weren't going to do anything I was. My plan was to sue the owner of the house, who lived on the East Coast, to evict the tenant for criminal activity. This one renter was allowing her children to destroy our community.

The final proverbial straw occurred when I was going out to get my mail in the afternoon and found two young men, high on drugs, one standing by the other who was urinating on our neighbor's wall in broad daylight. Enraged, I went over to them, confronted them and told them if I ever saw them in my neighborhood again they would pay dearly. They left, but not after acting tough and belligerent. It was everything I could do to contain myself. Later that week they pointed to my house (yes, they came back when I wasn't there) and said "That is where that crazy old man lives. We're gonna get his ass." This was said to my wife when she was tending her flowers in the front yard. It intimidated her and scared her. When she told me I went into a rage and committed to rid the neighborhood of this element. I went to being each night with a pistol close at hand. I had no idea what these punks were capable of and wanted to be prepared if they entered my house.

So for the next six months I tracked the activity at the "safe house" across the street from where I lived, I took photographs, recorded license plates and took extensive notes. All the while our neighborhood was eroding, filling up with trash and falling silent as parents became aware of the problem and kept their children inside, too afraid to let them go out and play because of the cars screeching out of the neighborhood and all the activity on the street. I tried to rally support by inviting my neighbors to the HOA meetings but no one would show up. The Board's hands were tied as they had to go through the proper process, which could take several months and might fail.

I complained to the police, the DEA, my councilman, the FBI, even the mayor's office, anyone who would listen. It all fell on deaf ears. Finally I was relating my woes to one of my brothers who told me he surfed with an undercover detective who was with the Drug Enforcement Task Force. My brother said he would talk to him and maybe he could help.

Two weeks later I got the phone call and a meeting was arranged. Two very scary looking biker guys (undercover) came to my house and went over my notes and photographs of all the activity. They told me there was a huge heroin problem in the North County, specifically the Torrey Pines / Carmel Valley area where I lived. It grew out of an oxycontin problem after the ingredients to make it were changed and the kids could not get it readily, so they started snorting heroin. He told me I did a great job gathering intel and he would see what he could do about it (I had 22 pages of notes with times, dates and descriptions/photos taken during the day and night of of cars and offenders).

Soon, there were arrests just outside our neighborhood. Cops would nab the kids as they left the "safety" of the gated community, many of them so high they could hardly drive. Burglaries of cars and homes dropped dramatically. My notes helped the cops identify the major dealers and they are still following up on the information I gave them. Eight months after I started complaining about the problem, the woman who rented the house left suddenly (without paying her last month's rent). The heat was on. And believe it or not, this woman holds a very important position with a public agency.

A followup with the undercover cop revealed that there was massive hard-drug dealing going on in that house, which was a perfect location for illicit activity -- behind walls in a gated community and no adult supervision in the home. That cop told me that 99% of all crime is related to drugs. And it is getting worse. And many of those addicted are high school and college age kids from wealthy families. Drugs have gone mainstream, and North San Diego county has a real problem.

It can happen anywhere. And it does. And along with drug activity come burglaries, fear, the erosion of a community, the destruction of our youth and death from overdoses or violent crime. On a personal note, several of the kids from our son's Cub Scout pack are now in rehab for heroin addiction. These were innocent kids from good families. I know their parents well. I watched them grow up. But, the drugs are everywhere and young impressionable minds oftentimes can't resist the temptation to try it "just once."

If you want to stop crime, you must stop the illicit flow of drugs. It's that simple. All the safeguards in your home won't stop desperate addicts. And one of them some might be the neighbor kid who lives next door.

If you want to be safe, you have to be aware and most importantly you must be proactive. Get to know your neighbors and get them involved as well. Be aware of any changes in the normal day to day activity of your community. Take notes and photos if you can do it safely. Report unusual activity whenever you see it. That helps to build a case file, which could be very important is something goes south down the road.

The rented house has been sold to a young family, as has the foreclosed home at the end of the street. There are no more rented homes on my street, and things seem back to normal. Kids are playing outside again, the weekends are quiet and the sound of screeching cars is absent.

But I still look out my window on a regular basis just to make sure everything is OK. It's now my addiction.

SUZANNE MACK writes:

I've been in this same house for 43 years and have never had a break in or attempted break in. I just had all new windows installed and feel even safer. The old ones were very flimsy and a pebble tossed at them could have broken the glass. Motion activated lights, a radio on, lights that go off and on randomly and cars that move from place to place are all good deterrents. I think a "beware of dog" sign and a large water bowl next to a massive chain and large studded collar by the back door would put off any potential burglar. My neighbors are very good about calling with reports of strange people in the neighborhood whether it's a group of candy sellers dropped from a van, home repair guys, Jehovah Witnesses or anyone other than the Girl Scouts selling cookies.

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JAY JOHNSON writes:

I'm calling bullshit on Don Bauder's column, "Filner did all the right things the wrong way." Those words and Bauder's entire column make manifest his belief that treating professional women with respect and dignity is not a "right thing" ... it's not important.

Bauder is blind to the realities of women in the workplace trying to grow their careers in an environment where sleazeballs like Filner can make or break you -- or exploit you -- and everything I've read about Filner indicates that he would have no hesitation breaking someone if he thought they were in his way.

That other women came forward after Irene McCormack Jackson made the first accusation "certainly smacks of a pre-planned barrage," Bauder wrote. No, it couldn't be that other women were too intimidated to go up against a long-time congressman and sitting mayor until they saw they wouldn't stand alone. It had to be part of a vast left- and right-wing conspiracy of Democrats and developers meeting in secret in the backroom of the El Cid Bar & Grill in Chula Vista. I can hear them now: "Let's have Irene go first, then Gladys, then Mary ... no, wait, first Gladys, then Irene, then ..."

Finally, Bauder phrases it such that Filner is not the perpetrator, he's the victim. "Knowing his vulnerabilities -- that they had kept quiet -- they attacked." First time I've ever heard gross sexual harassment described as a vulnerability.

Don Bauder: Making a safer world for sexual harassers one column at a time.

FRANK GREEN writes:

Like Don Bauder, I share the same sense of uneasiness regarding the timing of the Filner debacle.

Most everyone in the Democratic party, locally and nationally, have for years thought of Filner as a sort of lame version of James Brown’s “Sex Machine” persona.

He’s crude and vulgar by nature, but certainly no worse than many old-school pols still doing the Washington hustle - a former secretary of state included.

Thus, any savvy person mulling a position in a Filner administration would have been aware of his loathsome behavior patterns, and presumably would have looked for work elsewhere. Or maybe not.

Filner was a mild reformer who nevertheless posed a major threat to the local ruling class and its ongoing dreary projects, from the plundering of Mission Valley and the coastline, to the ridiculous push for still another taxpayer-funded sports complex.

One longtime Democratic consultant I’ve known for years said he thinks Filner was being shadowed for months by detectives or kindred operatives employed by enemies – even Democratic ones -- hoping to record some new indiscretion.

With billions of dollars at stake, it had become imperative to those plugged into the local power structure that Filner be banished to the political equivalent of Descanso.

It all parallels the downfall of ex-New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer, who likewise had heavyweight political and money players aiming at him and his populist agenda, especially his promise to bring Wall Street to heel.

In “A Colossal Wreck: A Road Trip Through Political Scandal, Corruption and American Culture” (Verso/Random House; September 10), the late, great Alexander Cockburn links Spitzer’s 2008 demise (he paid for the services of an elite prostitution ring) to an orchestrated hit campaign conjured by Wall Street opponents.

Cockburn accuses the billionaire and former NYSE board member Ken Langone of hiring a detective to follow Spitzer even into the post office, where the governor bought $2,800 in mail orders to send to his high-priced hooker.

“I know (Spitzer went to the post office) ... I know somebody who was standing in back of him in line,” Langone is quoted by Cockburn as saying.

The use of detectives to smear opponents “is standard operating procedure against Wall Street enemies,” a Wall Street veteran told Cockburn.

Such tawdry techniques have likely been in play during the ongoing Filner melodrama.

A program note: Everyone should order a copy of “The Complete Motown Singles: Vol. 12A, 1972,” a 5-CD set just out from Hip-O Select/Universal.

It comes with every single, A and B sides included, issued by Motown and associated labels for the first six months of 1972.

This includes latter-day Motown work by the 4 Tops, the Temptations, the Marvelettes, Jimmy Ruffin and Martha Reeves.

The 75-CD series, which started with the first singles issued by Berry Gordy in 1959, wraps up later this year with a final set covering the rest of 1972.

JIM OKERBLOM writes:

Says Don Bauder: "He micromanaged -- a sure route to staff problems. It appears that he told Democrats he was now their boss. Knowing his vulnerabilities -- that they had kept quiet -- they attacked. The rollout of accusers certainly smacks of a pre-planned barrage."

What bullshit. I have no arguments about what Filner was doing as mayor, and I would have voted for him had I lived in SD. But what you are saying, Don, that putting a staff member in a headlock in whispering sexual comments in her ear, and suggesting she leave her panties at home, are "staff problems?" And Donna Frye, once a staunch Filner supporter, is part of a pre-planned barrage? I think these well-regarded women came forward because they saw others -- Irene Jackson being the first to speak publicly -- had similar experiences.

REBER: It speaks of Filner's arrogance that he apparently never stopped to think his actions could destroy him. Surely the experienced politician knew he had opponents who would be watching his every step, looking for some way to discredit him. That's part of the game. Let's don't blame the private eyes or the harassed employees who brought the facts to light. That's like blaming the cop who arrests the bank robber. The blame rests with the politician who hired prostitutes or abused women.

My prediction is that Filner will finish his term of office and then decide not to run again. There are two competing recall movements being talked about, but no action. And who is planning to bankroll a recall? A U-T story the other day said recall laws similar to San Diego's have been ruled unconstitutional elsewhere. Maybe those laws can be changed; maybe someone will foot the considerable bill for a recall; maybe the two recall drives will merge. Any recall, I predict, will wind up in the courts and take forever to play out. Meanwhile, Filner has asked the City of San Diego to cover his legal expenses in this matter. I don't see that happening, but it is obvious he does not plan to step aside.

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PAUL BEILEY writes:

About a week ago I told the group about a problem my wife and I had with the owner of a vacation rental property, a woman who wasn't playing with a full deck, as it turned out. She canceled our four-day rental for a family get-together, based on research she did on the Internet showing my wife was really somebody else, a real estate agent with designs on the property. She also said, among many other things, that the email my wife sent her comes from "a spam and scam IP address."

I don't know how to get a handle on that. I asked 919ers what they knew of the hidden world of IP addresses and how somebody could link an email to an IP address. Alas, that was a day of big news about the mayor and my problem got buried.

The woman said she Googled the IP address that she found on the email (sounds confused already), which she reeled off as a string of numbers and letters. But isn't an IP address all numbers, anyway? And we use a router.

Can anybody shed light on the subject?

The woman didn't return our money and we had to use an attorney to try to shake it loose. In reply to his letter, she said she was thinking of taking her information to the FBI; nothing about reimbursement. It appears I'll have to travel to San Luis Obispo County to sue her in small claims court.

How's this for a Yelp review?

REBER: Can anyone address Paul's question about IP addresses. Paul, if you do sue, I hope you will include your costs in pursuing this -- travel, hotels, meals.

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SUZANNE MACK writes:

On Friday the mail brought me an envelope from the UT addressed to Bedel. The single sheet of paper was printed front and back with columns of tiny writing. This was all about something called "The U-T Rewards Program...Terms and Conditions. It is written in legalese with references to LLC's, and shorthand for other legal terms. It says that by registering for the program, performing a qualified activity accepting or redeeming a reward or enrolling or participating in the program you agree to accept and are a party to these program terms and conditions....etc. etc. etc. for roughly another 39 paragraphs of tiny print. What is this? It says that these terms and conditions were last updated on July 4, 2013. Is this another update...I don't remember getting the first one. Anyway, I don't recall signing up for any U-T rewards program. Any light you can shed on this curious document would be appreciated.

REBER: This sounds like the document Ron James reported on recently. My advice is to always recycle waste paper.

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CARL LARSEN writes:

As a journalist, I'm suspicious whenever I see a story in a newspaper placed near an ad for the service or product the story is addressing. But when I'm reading a news story on the Internet, and an ad pops up for a related story or product, my suspicions are not aroused.

Cases in point: Sunday's L.A. Times Travel section had a lead story on the Rocky Mountaineer excursion train in Canada. In the same section, near the jump, was a display ad for the Mountaineer. Tonight, I caught up with a recent New York Times story on utility companies' fears over the solar-energy boom. At the top of the screen was a banner ad for a solar-installation company doing business here.

In your neighborhood paper, you'll probably spot an ad for a restaurant that is placed very close to a "review" of the same place. Here, it's clearly pay to play. But on the Web, it's much more subtle. If Consumer Reports likes the Chevy Impala (which it does), does that mean that Chevy will be there with an ad when I read about the Consumer Reports review on the car -- which was a rare nod to an American vehicle? Can these ads be placed retroactively, after a glowing story is posted?

We've been taught that search engines are our friends, and are matching us up with our "likes." I call it manipulation.

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REBER: Two links tonight point out the hazards faced by news people.

BOB ELLEDGE forwards:

Photographer arrested.

http://tinyurl.com/mb35wvx

CARL LARSEN forwards:

Reporter fired after her "confessions" on personal blog:

http://tinyurl.com/mppuuoc

TIM WILSON forwards:

"Jumpy" is a border collie, a member of what many consider the smartest breed of dog in the world.

See if you agree: