Tom is gone

 

          Good evening, 919 Gang.

 

          JOE GANDELMAN writes:

My son, Thomas Powell, passed away tonight at UCSD in La Jolla. Tom became something of a celebrity when the Chargers were talking about leaving San Diego. He and Dave Peters, a friend of his who ran a popular Chargers fan blog, started Save Our Bolts, a large group of Chargers fans who worked tirelessly to keep the Chargers in San Diego.

          Tom would work at Rite Aid, get off his job and stay up ALL NIGHT writing sports blog posts and contacting some people in the media about their latest efforts. They worked hard (but lost) to get the votes out for the Chargers to win a ballot vote. Tom was asked to fill in for the Chargers lawyer in a debate with a city councilman who was against doing anything extra to keep the Chargers in town. He was in touch all the time with the Chargers lawyer. Alas, he and others found out about the Chargers son....on Twitter.

          When he learned that a young boy who was the son of a group member had cancer, he convinced his associates to start a campaign to do something for the boy. So, they held a rally (there was a story on one of the TV stations) in support of Killy. It got a food crowd. Tom and a few others had KILLY STRONG tattooed on their arms. He was always happy they did this for the boy, who he told me is now 13 years old and still living with cancer. Tom was often quoted in news stories, was a source for some reporters, was often on the radio, and local TV stations would come out and interview him. When the Chargers left, he still liked them. I think the passion of his life was trying to keep the Chargers here. He talked about it often in his final week in hospice and included mention of it in a thank you to people in his life that he asked me to read at his wake.

 

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          ANITA PALMER writes:

I'm late with a "folo" on comments about newspaper lingo. They've been fun to read. As a former "green sheet" editor turned book editor I never knew I spent nine years as a lob on the lobster shift. But I did spend a lot of time slowly moving sideways from lack of sleep.

By the way, I found no entries for "green sheet" in online newspaper terms glossaries at nieonline.com

 

“NIEonline Serving Newspaper in Education

“NIEonline provides online lesson plans and other innovative materials for use on NIE websites to provide new ways for your teachers to use your newspaper and your e-Edition in their classrooms. These resources help build repeat traffic to NIE websites and provide greater exposure to your programs, special offers.”

 

or a dozen other sites. Maybe it was a U-T exclusive?

As to publishing patois, "stet" is present in that industry but less pervasive these days. (Few folks were trained to copy-edit by hand, and stet isn't used much digitally.) "High res" would be familiar to print journalists. "Proof" means pretty much the same thing. "Blurb" has a different meaning than what I was used to (it's a short endorsement). "Slush pile" might be parallel to articles getting "spiked." Typical other book-editing terms wouldn't have much crossover.

On another subject, I want to add my deep appreciation for the concern expressed by David Ogul about caring for one another. I'm in Colorado so no help to Michele Davis or other San Diego County 919ers. But I do try to practice community wherever I am, and as a single senior, I am grateful for local friends and acquaintances who reach out to me.

Also, I am so sorry to hear about Joe Gandelman's son, Tom. May the good memories buoy him and Tom's family through this painful time.

 

          REBER: Green Sheet” originated as the name for the Tribune’s fifth edition. It was for street sale and timed to go on sale when Convair’s shift ended. There also was a “Peach.” That was the first edition and aimed for street sale downtown.

          Another old word: “Cut” referred to a photo. I don’t know why, but that explains why captions are called “Cut lines.”

 

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          DON SEVRENS writes:

Regarding Leslie Branscomb's pending retirement decisions:

 

• Jack Reber is absolutely right. Do NOT physically touch the money or even a check. Have it sent to a financial institution handling your affairs, and be sure that you DEMAND MIlliman send you all pertinent correspondence.
• Leslie could certainly use a paid consultation with a professional financial planner. This is not a time to skimp on a modest one-time expense. You are not obligated to have a continuing relationship.
• I believe  Leslie's sister gets it and that the financial pro will agree with what she has told Leslie.
• Leslie should not confuse lump sum versus monthly installments with tax hits. They are separate issues and do not need to be tangled up.
• My experience with Milliman after a career at the U-T was not positive in any sense. Generally, it took two registered letters to even get a single response. A previous letter to our group did not survive the Reber editing process. Milliman is not your friend despite the fancy talk. I will skip the details of what I - and the Union-Tribune — had to go through when Milliman balked.
• The Department of Labor in Los Angeles, in less chaotic times, looks out for employee rights. Even in the current environment, it would not hurt to phone and ask for printed brochures to be mailed to you.
• Bottom line: If Milliman chooses to end its relationship with you at age 65 even though you plan to continue working in some capacity to age 67, you have other options. You can have the money sent to a financial firm as an intermediary and put in a tax-sheltered account (IRA, rollover 401(k), whatever). You can choose the timing clear up to age 73 under current rules. You can choose to do it in stages instead of all at once.
• Leslie, you have worked hard all your life and this is obviously a significant portion of your life savings. Please consult a practicing professional.

 

 

          REBER: If you do hire an adviser, make sure it is a professional working SOLELY for you. A lot of people will say they are investment advisors when they’re really just pimps for mutual fund companies who will pay them a commission on the money you invest.

 

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• LUIS MONTEAGUDO writes:

Jack, just to add to Leslie Branscomb's comments about Viking cruises, Merrie and I just took a Viking cruise two weeks ago to Greece, Turkey and Italy and it was one of the best vacation experiences we've ever had. The ship had about 900 guests, so it didn't feel crowded, and the food was excellent. But best of all was the customer service. Staff goes above and beyond to cater to your needs, whether they be simple needs or more complex requests. It was the best customer service I've ever experienced!

 

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          FRANK GREEN writes:

My wife and I met up yesterday (Friday) with the irrepressible Makeda Cheatom at her World Beat Center in Balboa Park.

Makeda operated The Prophet vegetarian restaurant on University Avenue in the 1970s and 1980s, serving up such culinary delights as the Bangladesh sandwich and the Hijiki seaweed sandwich.

Ar 83, she is as vibrant and as charming as ever.

You can still hear Makeda – a.k.a. Makeda Dread - spinning the reggae hits by such greats as Toots Hibbert and Black Uhuru on Xhuan (102.5-FM) out of Tijuana.

It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly 50 years since I first profiled Makeda and used her voice in several features for the Union’s Life & Living and Currents sections.

It was somewhat difficult back in the day to get such relatively offbeat stories in the Union, although my immediate editors (Janet Sutter and then John Muncie) were always supportive.

But I still remember the stodgy Associate Editor Peter Kaye shuffling up to my desk the day before the Makeda story was to run and asking me, “How many people in San Diego County do you think are vegetarians? How many are our readers? Less than 1 percent?”

I told him that I thought Makeda was one of the most interesting characters I’d ever met and if anyone deserved a feature spread in the newspaper, it was her.

He smirked and went back to his office, presumably for his daily afternoon nap while seated at his desk.

Joe's son

 

          Good evening, 919 Gang.

 

          JOE GANDELMAN writes:

Many of you who remember me from my time at the San Diego Union may recall that several times I brought my LIttle Brother in the Big Brother program "Tommy" Powell, a very lively kid about 10 or 11, briefly into the newsroom. I was matched with him in April 1982 when he was 9.

          Due to some major problems at his home, I became his foster dad when he was 17 and became his dad in reality. Tom has had some big health problems and has lived at my place for more than 30 years. He is now in his final moments in hospice at UCSD. About 5 or 6 years ago he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and has been hospitalized for 12 weeks (with a few days out at a time), but it finally took its toll.

          If there's a medical writer I can clue you in on his HORRIBLE stay at Kindred Hospital just for your background,. His wife and I -- and his cardiologist -- believe this was a huge blow from which he never recovered, but before he went there the prognosis was he could go home and be around a bit longer.

          There is an extra sense of sadness for me. I joined the Union in January 1982. I went to a lot of Padres games with Tom Nolan. A few months after being matched with Tom I started going to baseball games, the San Diego Sockers etc with "Tommy." They both hit and impacted my life at the same time and both wound up in hospice in early 2025.

          I was best man at his first wedding and paid for the ceremony and marriage certificate to his second marriage in November to a woman he had been going with for 6 years.

          As I write this I'm about to head to the hospital. Tom had a daughter in his first marriage, and Paulette Ingram and he had a 6-year-old son. She has two elementary school age daughters who Tom immediately considered his own.

At lot of my time on the Union was spent doing my job there and on weekends taking Tom out BUT also coping with some very serious crises he had at home. No matter how old he was, I never forgot the little boy.

 

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LESLIE WOLF BRANSCOMB writes:

Hah! I have never heard the term "lobster trick" though I have worked many thankless shifts at newspapers, including the U-T.

          I have another retirement question. I'm sorry, since I know this has likely been covered before, but I wasn't paying attention when I was younger. Now that I am staring down retirement, I have questions and would like to tap the vast 919 knowledge base. I am still working at a government job as a PIO with the City of San Diego and do not plan to retire until age 67, per my financial advisor's advice. But apparently, I have to take my U-T/Milliman retirement by my 65th birthday, coming up quickly in June. I thought I could hold off on that until I actually retired, but that is not an option since I no longer work for the company.

          Question for 919ers who have been through this: Better to take the lump sum? Or monthly payments? I swear I've seen 919ers complain about the big tax hit from taking the lump sum, which leads me to think I should opt for the monthly payments, to get more money out of our retirement funds in the long run. Yes, I know the monthly payments are taxed also, but not, unless I'm wrong, at the same large rate that a lump sum would trigger... right? Or does that big tax hit only occur if you take the lump sum into your own bank account, rather than rolling it over into an existing IRA?

          I'm 64, with no major health problems. Everyone in my family lives into their 90s, so I'm thinking monthly payments are a better bet in the long run.. However, my older sister, who is more financially savvy than I am, is telling me that if you take the lump sum and roll it over into an existing IRA there is no tax penalty. I swear I've seen people in this group say they took a huge tax hit for doing so ... but is that only if you take the lump sum and put it into your personal savings?

          Your wise advice and experience is welcomed.

 

          REBER: Leslie, you will hear a lot of different opinions on your questions, but there is one rule you MUST follow. If you cash out your pension, never let that money touch your hands. Or go into your checkbook, or under your mattress. Not for a second. That’s what triggers the huge tax bill.

          If you don’t have an IRA, set one up and have Milliman send the money directly to that IRA. I deal with Vanguard, and before you do anything, contact them. They will set things up.

          Whether you cash out or take the pension is an individual choice. I cashed out because we have children (and, I know you do, too). I spent 43 years building that pension, and we wanted to leave money to our children.

          In the 20 years since I retired, we have pulled out a lot more money than we put into our IRA, and we still have a lot more in the IRA than we started with.

          Does that mean I am a financial genius? No, it just means the stock market has done very well the past 20 years. That doesn’t mean it will always go up. If you take the pension, you have guaranteed income. If you invest in an IRA you don’t.

          Regarding IRA taxes: The IRS says my life expectancy is 99 (who am I to argue?) so each year I pay taxes on an amount determined by my remaining life expectancy and the value of my fund.

 

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          ERNIE COWAN writes:

Regarding those pesky woodpeckers:

          Over the years it seems my role as an outdoor/nature writer has morphed into the Ann Landers for wildlife relationship advice. There have been the lovelorn mocking birds keeping people awake at night with the males singing incessantly, raccoons (trash pandas) raiding trash cans or pet food, roadrunners eating hummingbirds at feeders, bees at water fountains and nectar feeders, etc.

          The woodpecker thing is not that big of a problem here in Southern California, thanks to modern construction methods that avoid wood siding because of fire danger.

          While I do like Jack’s simple idea of a shotgun, that would require a lot of attention, not to mention defending against irate neighbors. 

          As their name suggests, woodpeckers like wood. Especially grooved wood siding. The grooves might hold insects that the little peckers find tasty.

          Streamers, sprays and flashers don’t work. The only thing to keep them away from your home is a physical barrier.

          One solution I’ve heard is bird netting, like what gardeners use to protect fruit tree from birds. 

          You could probably do some kind of drop down shade-type installation, but make sure it’s taut and hanging a few inches from the side of the house. Hanging from the eaves would probably do this. 

The other, more permanent solution would be to eventually install metal or vinyl siding, but that’s an expensive solution. Good luck. 

 

Some One

Some one came knocking

At my wee, small door;

Someone came knocking;

I'm sure-sure-sure;

I listened, I opened,

I looked to left and right,

But nought there was a stirring

In the still dark night;

Only the busy beetle

Tap-tapping in the wall,

Only from the forest

The screech-owl's call,

Only the cricket whistling

While the dewdrops fall,

So I know not who came knocking,

At all, at all, at all.

--Walter de la Mare

 

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LESLIE WOLF BRANSCOMB writes:

I've recently become acquainted with cruises, thanks to my retired older sister, who was once a travel agent, who needs someone to travel with. I volunteer! It's been decades since I took a Carnival cruise with my husband, which was fun but basically like a giant frat party. Took a Norwegian cruise in January with my sister to Hawaii, which was great, but at times chaotic, crowded and loud. In December we took a Viking river cruise to the Christmas markets in Europe ... oh. my. god.  Viking does not allow children, and while I love kids, this was an entirely different experience. The food was fantastic, no frantic announcements, everything was very civilized, very adult. We loved it. Something to think about.

 

          REBER: The month I retired we took a small-ship cruise in Alaskan waters. About 30 or 35 passengers. The cabin was adequate, and the food was fine, but the best part is that the skipper hunted whales. He took us to the foot of a glacier that was calving, and we took Zodiac excursions.

          I took so many closeup photos of whales that it actually became tiresome. My brother-in-law was on a Princess cruise in the same waters. I showed him whale photos, and he said “Oh, yes. I think we saw one of those.”

 

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          JOHN BERHMAN writes:

Hello Jack: Still reading, but have been out of pocket the past month, minding four of our grandchildren in San Antonio. Our daughter, Erin, and her husband, Doug, have been in Germany the month of February, and asked my wife, Monica, and I to look after their kids. Doug is an Army doctor and one of its top heart and lung surgeons. He was sent on temporary duty for 30 days to Germany to perform a delicate heart surgery on a high-ranking Army officer. The operation was successful. Doug and Erin were back in the states in time for my 85th birthday celebration on Feb. 26. Thank you for noting my birthday — although I’m sure you do it for all 919ers — and also want to thank you again for putting together the 919 news blog. Hope you and your wife, Mary, stay well!

 

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CHRIS COOK writes:

About terms specific to journalism: on the print side, there were three terms we used consistently in our copy: (CQ) which meant the spelling of the name was checked and is correct. (STET,) which went with a quote and meant it was direct, correct and as the subject said it, don’t change it. And then came the famous -30- which meant “Copy Ends Here.” Especially important to typesetters in the “back shop.” Because we often filed late, right up to the minute the presses were about to run. And the back-shop guys were receiving our stories one page at a time from the copy desk, immediately setting them in type. So -30- told typesetter: “You’re good to go. That’s it from the copy desk.” That signaled the foreman that he could let the presses roll. 

When I moved over to TV news, I learned a whole new journalism-lingo. Not just techno TV talk, but a different cultural language.

When wrapping up reporting, interviewing, and shooting b-roll in "the field,” as they say in television, we’d invariably get a call from techs at ABC New York asking us the length of our “feed” and then tell us what time our “hit” was scheduled. And they gave us the coordinates for our “bird.” We’d then transmit our “package.” I also learned what it means to be “Good-nighted." Our ABC day always ended with call from a senior producer in New York who would actually say: “You are now officially Good-nighted, guys. Go home. And thank you” We’d disconnect the truck’s signal from the satellite and head out. And best of all, we could be in our own offices and at our desks by 9-9:30 AM, and put in a full day. All of that early ABC work eventually led me into a new world of public television and a second career in documentary films.

 

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          REBER: We can’t let February get away without hoping John Muncie has a Happy Birthday on Feb. 28.