Good evening, 919 Gang. I couldn’t quite make out what Mary
was saying as we got in the car this morning, so I asked her to repeat it.
Her reply: “I was talking to myself. Sometimes I like to
have someone intelligent to talk to.”
If I were smarter I probably could figure out what she
meant by that.
---------------------------------------
GINA LUBRANO
writes:
I hear from a U-T employee who does not wish to be named
about what's going on at the paper and what's in the future. Manchester may
remain the paper's landlord even when it moves out of Mission Valley. I'm told
that one of the sites that's a good candidate is the old Sempra/SDG&E
building on Ash Street, which Manchester purchased 49 percent of for $20
million. But whether the paper will move there is pure speculation at this
point.
I found this bit of news disconcerting: The clips are being
moved to the San Marcos distribution center, which means there will be a
24-hour turnaround for requests. That's going to make it rough to check the
clips on a breaking story while on deadline. Need I say, not everything that
ever happened in San Diego is online.
Also, as we've been hearing, the paper's operations are
being consolidated to the second and third floors, so the negatives have been
moved out of the basement into the newsroom. Photo files from the production
building also have been moved to the third floor. No word on what will happen
to them when the paper moves.
PRESTON TUREGANO
writes:
Finally! In an A-1 U-T story Tuesday about two
philanthropists co-chairing an upcoming fundraiser to benefit some Balboa Park
cultural institutions, former U-T San Diego owner Doug Manchester's name was
written as just that -- Doug; no more "Papa Doug." Thank you story
writer Karla Peterson and new U-T editors/publishers. And speaking of the U-T
and Manchester, who still owns the Mission Valley land on which the paper
stands, sources say the Production Building will come down very soon because
construction of luxury condos, or apartments, will need a hard dry platform on
which to build, as well as a construction schedule that will beat next winter's
rain. In the past, some multi-story structures in the valley have been built on
sites that were first "surcharged" by dirt, rock and gravel mounds.
After the mounds were removed, the sites were deemed suitable for buildings. If
Manchester uses the U-T parking lot for residential dwellings, land surcharging
might be necessary, because the lot has never supported the weight of a
previous structure. This is all just what I was told. I have never been a
construction worker. Can't you tell?
-------------------------------------------
REBER: David Farmer
started a name game last night. Feel free to chime in. Read these posts to get
the idea.
HANNAH WONG
writes:
The
list of fun names that David Farmer shared reminded me of a book my boys
borrowed from the library last week: "School! Adventures at the Harvey N.
Trouble Elementary School," by Kate McMullan, and illustrated by George
Booth. It's supposed to be a "very punny book!" It must be, because
both boys (ages 12 and 10) were laughing together during the drive home. Some
student character names include: Ron Faster, Adam Up, Sid Down, Viola Fuss, and
Chucky Upkins. "Grown-up" names include: Miss Ingashoe (principal),
Miss Celia Seeyalater (secretary) and Mr. Ivan Stuckinaditch (bus driver).
There's also a substitute teacher: Ms. Roxanne Pebbles, for science class. A
fun book for summer reading.
BOB
RODRIGUEZ writes:
Like
David Farmer, I too thoroughly enjoyed the Tappet Brothers and their
punny-named staff, and now can enjoy them in reruns on Wyoming Public Radio. I
don't have a list of staffers, but here are a few similar items that have
struck my brain through the years: Chef Sal Moanella has joined the cooks at
the Ptomaine Tavern. Ms. Polly Esther is making a suit for me although her
husband, Payne Innaash, sometimes interferes. Ah never mind; these are stupid;
I'm trying too hard. However, there used to be (and I believe that it still
exists) a California winery run by the Pedasso Brothers; one was named Stu, and
he began marketing a vintage with his name on the label: Stu Pedasso. That's it
for now; my brain has gone numb.
CHUCK BOYD
writes:
Oh, David Farmer, a doctor buddy of mine doing residency
recalls hearing a hospital PA calling for "Dr. Dover, Doctor Ben Dover."
-------------------------------------
GINA LUBRANO
writes:
I've been enjoying the full-page spreads celebrating Balboa
Park that have been appearing in observance of the 100th anniversary of the
Panama-California International Expo. Perhaps everyone else has noticed this,
but it caught my attention today. A link to all the pages published so far is
available by going to:
Click on any of the photos and it will take you to the full
page that includes an explanation of what you're seeing.
I thought that 919ers who don't get the paper or who live
elsewhere but still love Balboa Park would enjoy seeing the pages that have
appeared so far. As of Tuesday, the U-T donated 82 pages of the 100 planned for
the anniversary celebration. If you're like me, you'll want to ignore
Manchester's message that accompanies the photos. I'm surprised the link hasn't
been updated to reflect the new ownership.
Should the U-T decide to produce a book containing the 100
pages, I will be ordering one. Or two....
------------------------------------------
JEFF
ROSE writes:
I wasn't around San Diego then, and
don't think I would have remembered much at age 4. But my guess in response to
Bob Rodriguez's question about where the JFK photo was taken is that it's
looking south on Fourth Avenue. Isn't that the dome on the Balboa Theatre just
behind JFK's head?
ANTONIA (TONI)
ALLEGRA writes:
Here in St. Helena, Calif., Marvin Humphrey is a
much-loved, now retired U.S. Postman. He attended SDState and knows quite a few
of the U-T team of writers/photogs. I spoke with Marvin about the 1963
commencement speech and the photo. His comment:
" JFK gave the Commencement Address at San Diego State
in June of 1963. I was there. Perhaps some of Thane's photos were taken
there."
REBER: We need Thane to
answer this question. And maybe send a copy of the photo I can publish.
----------------------------------------------
CHUCK BOYD writes:
Glad to see that negatives and clips are being saved as the
Mission Valley plant is being evacuated by the departing Union-Tribune
operation. I had left the paper years before that move was made from downtown
and have searched online before to see if I could find any of my photo work.
Did not think to look at the materials presented to the SD
Historical Society covering my time at the paper. Thanks.
Oddly enough, I DID find some of my work on a site
recounting the 1965 visit by the Beatles.
I saw the credit was to the paper only and I was not mentioned. But, I was
there, in the front row, on the left, blocking as many TV guys as I could.
(It's what we did in those days. LOL)
In my files at home, I have a negative from that day, taken
just before John joined the other three. I've attached that shot and my later
one from the pdf, that includes the cake someone had brought to the morning
press conference.
I also have a tear sheet from LIFE magazine when a photo of
mine appeared on the Miscellany Page. I offered the aerial shot of the word
QUIET carved in an orchard to both papers, but they passed on it. I have that
negative in my files as well.
These days, younger people give a blank look when I mention
that large format weekly pictorial magazine. Sigh.
------------------------------------------------
DAVID FARMER writes:
You can find some pretty strange remarks from ordinary
people online. I'm talking about the comment sections on many websites, where
readers are invited to opine about anything from the news to people to
products.
I try to avoid these comments because they mostly range
from stupid to offensive. However, there are some I can tolerate. (I find that
the quality of the contribution has a direct relationship to the exclusivity of
the site.)
For example, L.L. Bean online carries only thoughtful
observations about their clothes and other merchandise. I once wrote a comment
that was mildly critical of a Bean product. I got a message back saying my
observation did not meet their standards. They invited me to try again, but I
just let it go.
A site dealing with celebrities will attract everything
from hagiography to hysteria. You can find crude slanders you wouldn't believe
the human mind could conceive. People who post on these sites are often
desperately trying to attract attention. Well, better that than stalking
celebs.
Finally: I'm nearing the end of my two-year agreement with
Verizon, so I've been reading comments about their cell phones. One man wrote
of being "happy with my perches." Perches? I thought I'd accidentally
switched over to the Petco site. Eventually I realized that he meant
"purchase."
The nature of a site may influence the quality of the
commentary, but it has no effect on spelling.
----------------------------------------
SUZANNE MACK writes:
I'm heading to the San Diego County Fair
at Del Mar this morning. I do the Plant Grow Eat judging of containers of
radishes, vegetables and nasturtiums for busloads of school kids. I'll be
staffing the Master Gardener booth from 2 to 5.
Let Bob Rodriguez know that he has an
unlikely ally in the quest for better grammar. I heard on the radio Taylor
Swift apparently has a thing about bad grammar and corrects e-mails (I assume
from her fans).
-----------------------------------------
REBER: Let’s all wish Happy Birthday,
July 1, to Henry Joseph and Gordon Murray.
-------------------------------------------
BOB ELLEDGE
forwards:
TV Station Staffs Rival Channel's Newsroom So Employees Can
Attend Colleague's Funeral
TIM WILSON
forwards:
Martha
Stewart like you have never seen her before.
She fries
just about everyone at the Justin Bieber roast:
BOB ELLEDGE
forwards:
New York Post, Daily News Have Identical Front Page
Headlines For Captured New York Prisoner
P.O. Box 2239
Ramona, CA 92065
U.S.A.
