Advertisers get "stung" by The Sting

Advertisers - you work hard for the money you pay to have your products advertised in the Danville Register and Bee and The Sting. Were you aware that many of those papers are never even distributed! They're tossed into the recycle bins because NO ONE IS READING THEM which means no one is reading your ad either. They don't even get the change to! Don't take my word for it...drive by the dumpsters and recycle bins yourself.

The photos below are from Wednesday August 27,2008 issues .......500 more Danville Register & Bee Stings were spotted in a big green recycle box belonging to the City of Danville at one of the recycle sites around town....with Foodlion color insert and ad for Hobby Lobby on the back page and ad for Roanoke eye doctor -Dr. David L. Armstrong...Will someone please call and let advertisers know they're wasting their money?

Notice the ad in The Sting - where I've circled it in red. It reads, "Don't Get Stung by the BeeSTING by not advertising your businesses in Danville's weekly publication. Dedicated to keeping local citizens safe and informed. Huh? It appears these advertisers DID GET STUNG ....when all these copies end up going into the recycle bin without ever being distributed or read!!!

The sign

It's not what you say, but how you say it. This is an excellent video about not only a sign, but so much more....

Why people like to work for Google

Unlike Media General or the Danville Register and Bee, employees at Google get a remarkable atmosphere to work in. Check it out: GOOGLE WORKPLACE: . Pool tables, massage, free food, drinks, SOOO COOL!!!!

Media General and The Danville Register & Bee offers "Open Air" bathrooms (pee in the parking lot, poop in the bushes)

Media General and The Danville Register & Bee do have a drink machine and a snack machine in the basement...where you have to remember to turn the lights on and off to find it. And it's not always stocked since most people bring their own...which means the snack people only come around once a week or so....

Anyway....lots of reasons NOT to work for The Danville Register & Bee....but check out Google!! They get 150,000 resumes a month! Small wonder.

Labor Day for Newspaper Carriers?

Labor Day is fast approaching and as America celebrates all the American Worker has done, The Danville Register & Bee newspaper carriers are still forced to urinate in the parking lot. Publisher Steve Kaylor can afford to sponsor all kinds of events around town, but doesn't seem to care about the very people who put his product into the hands of the community. Why? We know he is a Rotarian....does this mean the Rotary, a public service club, doesn't care about people either? What does it take to ask one of your members to unlock a door so these carriers, many of them with health problems or elderly, can go to the bathroom indoors?

We know Publisher Steve Kaylor doesn't want old people in his publication, "All About Her" because "All About Her," is, in Steve's words, "all about youth." We know he doesn't care about his employees because he is sending the printing, the obituaries and the ads OUT OF TOWN. Advertisers - your money is going to Lynchburg and soon to India...not to Danville. Is that what you want? And did you see all the newspapers being dumped in the recycling bins NOT EVEN DISTRIBUTED? Those are YOUR advertising dollars going down the drain....along with the urine of the newspaper carriers. Please...somebody do something....send the man a roll of toilet paper....something...

Bullying song...great website, animation is awesome!

Wow!! What a GREAT animated video and song about Bullying! This comes out of the UK and is wonderful! Click and listen! http://www.jcbsong.co.uk/jcbvideo.asp

A "JCB" is a backhoe here in the USA.... a "digger" in other counties...

eBay is moving away from auctions to fixed price model

eBay announced today that it's moving away from its auction model to more fixed prices. They're also lowering their rates for sellers - lowering the cost of listing an item on the site to 35 cents for 30 days - a 70% reduction. Not all the changes will be as popular. No more checks or cash will be accepted from buyers. It's credit cards or Paypal only now.

For more details: Click here:

Net Neutrality!! You could be losing your internet freedom

Love your internet? You're about to lose it. Companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T want to control the internet, slow YOUR access, charge you MORE money and worse!! CENSOR YOUR ACCESS AND USE! Protect Net Neutrality!!! What is Net Neutrality? Watch this video - then ask why media companies like Media General aren't alerting you to the issue...why? Because media companies would partner with Verizon etc. to control the internet and make money selling you news.....get with it. Write your congressman today or lose your internet.




For more info on saving the internet and avoiding even HIGHER costs than we already endure...click here: www.savetheinternet.com

Newspaper and hospital

Who's in whose pocket? USA Today reported that Danville Regional Medical Center had the worst fatality rates in the country for heart attack patients...The 19.6 percent death rate for heart attack patients in 2007 was the worst in the nation. But the statistics for 2006 were actually much worse: 24 percent. Yet what does the Register and Bee say in their editorial?


"The availability of this kind of free, readily accessible information offers our hospital the opportunity to publicly demonstrate that the changes it has made have changed care there for the better. When the hospital was locally owned, the community had no way of knowing that kind of information. Now, it’s on the Internet for the world to see — and for local people to study."

Get a freaking grip Robert.(Robert Benson, editorial writer), that information was NOT posted on the hospital web site for people to find!!! It's on the internet sure, but not because the hospital had anything to do with it. And they can't control it being out there either can they...That information has always been available - but a news organization would have had to dig for it - as USA Today did because they want to provide readers with the truth.

A REAL newspaper had to go dig it up and report it to get it out there.

The community had no way of knowing that information BEFORE USA Today posted it and I reported it here...the Register & Bee certainly didn't write about it. As a matter of fact I was NOT ALLOWED to write about the dozens of people who came to me as a reporter with horror stories about their experience with the hospital. I was TOLD to focus on the positive and the changes. Yeah...you make it seem like things are all better now....Tell that to the young man and his five-year old son who recently lost a wife and mother and new baby at DRMC because a blood clot was diagnosed as a "panic attack" and she was sent home and died. There was so much fear of a cover-up by the hospital her body was sent to Duke for an autopsy. Are you going to gloss over that too? What about the firings of employees who speak out? nah...disgruntled employees aren't they?! The billing system is still screwed up and the fact is change doesn't happen on a dime. It will be YEARS before there is any improvement at DRMC. Change happens incrementally. And it doesn't happen any faster if the hospital is pouring a lot of money into newspaper advertising as Board of Supervisor Coy Harville keeps pointing out ON the record in public meetings. What does he know that the rest of us don't? He keeps saying the Register and Bee has a million dollar advertising contract with the newspaper. Do they? Maybe there's some pressure there to keep that? Remember....

We're talking about a newspaper who forces employees to pee in the parking lot and crap in the bushes because they can't afford to clean the bathrooms. And you want people to believe that the hospital welcomes criticism? Did you mention that the hospital kicked Ray and Jennifer out of their volunteer program because they don't want handicapped people volunteering even though both had been volunteering for years? (Ray and Jennifer are recent Habitat for Humanity house recipients - both of whom are in wheelchairs)

This site is 72% GOOD and 28% EVIL

Not bad! I mean, this is OFFICIAL. The Danville Register and Bee is only 19% EVIL and 81% GOOD. Don't get too excited though guys. The Gematriculator is a service that uses the infallible methods of Gematria developed by Mr. Ivan Panin to determine how good or evil a web site or a text passage is.

Basically, Gematria is searching for different patterns through the text, such as the amount of words beginning with a vowel. If the amount of these matches is divisible by a certain number, such as 7 (which is said to be God's number), there is an incontestable argument that the Spirit of God is ever present in the text. Another important aspect in gematria are the numerical values of letters: A=1, B=2 ... I=9, J=10, K=20 and so on. The Gematriculator uses Finnish alphabet, in which Y is a vowel.

Experts consider the mathematical patterns in the text of the Holy Bible as God's watermark of authenticity. Thus, the Gematriculator provides only results that are absolutely correct...Apparently newspapers rank higher based on the fact they use more vowels.

Tuesday is Women's Equality Day

Did you know it took women 72 years of ceaseless campaigning to finally win the right to vote in 1920? Not to mention having to fight the ridicule, ostracism, abuse and bullying along the way and even afterwards...much like what goes on at Media General and The Danville Register & Bee....

This Tuesday, August 26, Women's Equality Day, marks that anniversary. But I don't have to tell you that we have a long haul before women are truly equal.

If you think women are already equal consider these things:

* Women only make $.77 to a man's dollar. Could you use the extra 23 cents?
* The US has no guaranteed medical leave for childbirth; we're trailing 168 countries in the company of only Lesotho, Liberia, Papua New Guinea and Swaziland.
* The US is near the bottom of the list -- again -- in our public support for quality childcare for children of working parents.
* Our access to affordable birth control is now under attack.
* And finally, women still only make up 16 percent of our representatives in Congress.

Take time Tuesday and every day to remember, the fight is not over.

Gitmo on the Plat

Gitmo on the Plat. That's what protestors are calling the holding facilities that Denver authorities have for those protestors who plan to show up at the Democratic Convention this week. No access to bathrooms, food, water, phones and the use of stun guns are all planned for those choosing to exercise their constitutional right to free speech. Didn't know politics had gotten so rough eh?

Will the Register & Bee ask the hard questions?

If you read the newspaper, chances are you have NOT heard about net neutrality. Why? Because one, they don't understand the impact it will have on YOU or they don't want to. If the internet is allowed to become controlled by private companies we will all LOSE the internet as we know it. Want to understand how? Watch this video. Then ask the newspaper why they haven't talked about it. Then write Virgil Goode and ask him where he stands on the issue.

Register and Bee interested in politics? Really?

Danville Register and Bee Publisher Steve Kaylor says the newspaper is sponsoring a congressional issues forum Sept. 3 at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research.

U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-5th, and Democratic challenger Tom Perriello will take part in the forum Sept. 3 at the Institute from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

According to an article in the Register & Bee, Publisher Steve Kaylor said one of the reasons the newspaper is involved is because of the quality programs offered by the Sorenson Institute.

“We wanted to be a part of that,” he said.

It's too bad Kaylor didn't want to be part of The Register & Bee covering the legislature earlier this year. Reporter Denice Thibodeau was called back from Richmond to help cover the critical reporting of fires and car wrecks rather than the business and bills affecting Pittsylvania County. But as we all know, Media General and The Danville Register & Bee are more interested in selling newspapers and blood and guts sells more papers than bills that our representatives are considering. Never mind that our county board of supervisors and citizens went up to Richmond almost daily - many of them making the three hour drive up and back when things like uranium and hunting and hunting with dogs issues were discussed and voted on. We didn't have a reporter there and according to reporters from other papers who were there, Mac McLean who used to cover the legislature "goofed off" and "cribbed notes" from them after hanging out elsewhere all day. You remember Mac....the one who spent all that time videotaping women's breasts without their knowledge or consent....yeah. same one.

ANYWAY!!!! The newspaper is covering this because STEVE will be there...and having "his people" there will make him appear powerful. Of course I'm not sure what having his employees peeing in his parking lot makes him. Did you know the folks at the Institute and our local representatives read this blog Steve? Yup. Sure 'nuff. Maybe you should get a porta-potty out in the parking lot for the carriers.

Virgil? I like you. Would you mind nudging Steve so the working class has a place to pee this winter? I mean...c'mon. It's hot now, but who wants to have to drop their pants to relieve themselves at 4 in the morning in a bush because the newspaper publisher won't let them in to use the damn bathroom? Can't afford that???? But he can afford to sponsor you guys at a forum? Isn't politics about the people? Please. You can do it in a nice way Virgil. Just ask him to open the bathrooms for the carriers.

I understand some of the carriers are going to have some picket signs - things like "All we want is a toilet" and "Stop Crapping on Us" ...will make great photos. You know this blog has lots of fans with cameras!! Smile Steve.

I will of course post those signs and the protest here...the photographers are also going to upload the photos to Flikr.com with permission for any newspaper in the state to pick them up..Associated Press.....you know. The wires.

Okay guys...I did my part. Now paint those signs!

Should Quantas Airlines pay?

Corporations, for the most part, exist because people like me and you spend a lot of our money to buy their products or services. Corporations like Media General however aren't the only demon spawn of the world. I'm adding Quantas and American Airlines to the list. Why?

I've never flown Quantas and probably never will. But when a friend of mine sent me this it angered me and so I'm sharing it with you in hopes that someone, somewhere will figure out how to help Quantas do the right thing and refund $33,000 to this group of handicapped kids and their helper animals.

Karen Shirk is the executive director of 4 Paws for Ability in Xenia, Ohio, United States. Her dog trainers and three newly trained autism service dogs, were recently blocked from their flight to New Zealand. Three families who had raised the needed funds to get the dogs were waiting breathlessly for the group from the agency to arrive.

Because of a mix-up and lack of communication between American Airlines and Qantas, Qantas refused to let the dogs board without special certification. The problem remains: how does 4 Paws get a refund on the $30,000 plus that came out of 4 Paws pocket and is committed to helping other children with disabilities?

Karen Shirk was recently named one of CNN's heroes, and is a person who needs every ounce of energy she can get to advocate for children with disabilities. And run a household. And manage her own myasthenia gravis. Plus, she is in the process of adopting three beautiful children from Haiti to join Aaron, who came from Bulgaria.

The three Waikato families have been left with a $33,000 bill after Qantas blocked their Autism Assistance dogs from being taken aboard a plane at Los Angeles Airport. But the airline itself has not fronted up. To write Quantas and ask them to refund the money click here to ask Quantas what they're going to do about it. Thanks!

EEEyew!! Is that urine in the parking lot?

Attention health department and anyone visiting the Danville Register and Bee. Hold your noses. The bathrooms are closed again and newspaper carriers must relieve themselves where they can. Sad. The only time the bathrooms are open is when Allen from Lynchburg is there to oversee the delivery and distribution of papers. Seems he asked about what appeared to be streams of water in the parking lot but that turned out to be puddles of urine.

Apparently Toni from Danville and her brother (may your bladders burst in public one day you demon spawn) keeps the bathroom off limits to the carriers (per Steve Kaylor request I hear, but can't confirm.) Steve...are you okay with the Register and Bee parking lot becoming a toilet? Do people visiting the offices of the newspaper really want to have to worry about disease or the smell of people who work for you (contractors or not) having to use the parking lot for a restroom!!!

C'mon. Be human how about it. Either provide a porta-potty or open up the restrooms. How cheap and petty can one company be? People? Vote with your toilet paper. If you think the Register and Bee should allow their newspaper carriers to use the bathroom - send them a roll of toilet paper or drop off a roll. Don't have time to do that? Then copy this photo of a roll of toilet paper to an email and send it to: SKaylor@registerbee.com. The city of Danville is trying to clean up the downtown area and the newspaper is simply contributing to the problem by not opening up the bathrooms. BAD PUBLISHER!!!! No Doughnuts for you!!

Don't pick on Sarah...

For those readers who picked on Sarah's blog about Presidential hopeful....give her a break. She is from Chicago and grew up down the street from the man and knows him, friend of his right? ...nice blogging Sarah.

As far as the voodoo priest thing. I doubt Obama really has time for any extreme involvement in anything but running his campaign. But the conspiracy theorists point out that Bush has time to do his Skull & Bones and Bohemian Grove thing every year - with the ritual sacrifice at the base of an owl statue that represents the Luciferian god Moloch...

My candidate was not selected so - can't say I support either of the current candidates yet...but since the president doesn't really run the country anyway...it's a moot point. Corporate America runs the country - for those of you who weren't aware of that...you might want to visit www.brasschecktv.com and watch some of their free videos!

Are your advertising dollars being wasted?

Advertisers, you pay the high advertising rates you do because you are told that your ad will run in X number of papers. How many readers do you think saw your ad in these papers?

Here are seven bundles of 100 STING papers that were found dumped into a big green recycle box belonging to the City of Danville on the day they were supposed to be delivered dated Wednesday August 13,2008 ....Two color inserts with one from Foodlion and one from Shoe Carnival were inside each of the 700 papers...on the back page is a Hobby Lobby,Southern States,SunTrust Mortgage,and Rivercity Specialties & Interiors,Inc. ads ...these papers were never delivered to their dropoff sites .....

Make sure your advertising falls into the hands of the customers by advertising with the Piedmont Shopper or Chatham Star Tribune where you can trust delivery.........Six bundles are seen in this photo....five were stacked and one off to the right and another bundle was out of reach behind the stack of five ....our faithful blog reader says they are not sure how many more had been covered out of sight and reach.

Banned from the Register and Bee...

It had to happen. So many Media General employees were reading my blog they finally blocked it from the Danville Register and Bee. Now they can't get breaking updates and news! Sorry guys. I know it made your day when you learned that the paper carriers no longer had to squat in the bushes or pee in the parking lot while waiting on paper delays from Lynchburg. Apparently someone was reading the blog (Hi Steve!) because now the carriers have bathroom privileges.

Still, I bet there's increased concerns over toilet paper. I urge you guys to drop off or send them a spare roll next time you're in town. Their address: Danville Register and Bee, 700 Monument St. Danville, VA 24541. Remember, they had to close down extra bathrooms because of the cleaning and maintenance costs of cleaning the extra (one each) bathrooms.

For all you readers who are getting your paper at 7:30 a.m. instead of 6 or 6:30 a.m. in time to read it before work....you can still read it online. Cancel your paper subscription and check it out at work. Much easier and you'll have your news for the day!

Voodoo killing related to Barack visit?

Okay. There's weird and there's hate and there's really weird hate. A decapitated goat found here in the area after Presidential hopeful Barack Obama's visit is now being linked to one Republican group's belief that Obama is a voodoo priest. Really folks, I can't make this stuff up.

The decapitated and eviscerated goat was found, according to the Register and Bee, Saturday on private property in the Eagle Springs area. According to the Register and Bee the killing apparently was part of a religious ritual. The killing is believed to have occurred on Thursday or Friday, shortly before Obama's visit to Martinsville and Danville.

Salt had been spread on the goat’s body and chicken eggs and ears of corn were placed around it. The careful placement of these items and the presence of a jar of water and a candle lead officials to believe the goat was killed as part of a ritual.

This is not the first time there have been voodoo rituals in Danville or the surrounding area. A couple of years ago there were decapitated chickens left at road crossings in the area. The Humane Society investigated those too - and apparently suffered (employees said) from a curse placed on them. While the police had a suspect - a local voodoo priest (who was given money by the county to replace his sacrificial goats last year after they were killed by coyotes) no arrests were ever made or anything proven.

It will be interesting to see how Obama's campaign handles this one.

I'm now famous...sort of.

Last year I entered NaNoWriMo...a writing contest in which all contestants spend the month of November beginning and hopefully finishing a novel - 50,000 words - in 30 days. I didn't finish. But I was invited - with everyone else who competed - all 101,000 of us!!!! to submit an article about what has happened to us since being touched by NaNoWriMo...well, my article was selected. You can read it here: ONE HUNDRED AND ONE THOUSAND other people will...or maybe more....cause the contest sort of has a way of doubling every year....

Then again, since I'm part of Seth Godin's Triiibe.com experience....and possibly part of a book he's publishing in Oct....still have my fingers crossed on that one...and there are 3,500 people on the triiibes.com site reading my stuff....maybe it'll be closer to half a million people reading this blog. Isn't the internet wonderful! And yet...we're still no closer to an apology. Oh...here's the blog...



NaNoWriMo True-Life Tale: Becky Blanton
Lindsey Grant @ Wed, 2008-08-20 15:56

"But I got inspired by the whole experience, joined http://www.elance.com., got tired of my sucky job and started ghostwriting other people's books."

"After living in my van for 18 months with a dog and my cat (I'm 52 —it wasn't an interim college thing) trying to write my life's story, I gave up and got a job and an apartment and entered my first NaNoWriMo last year. I didn't finish.

But I got inspired by the whole experience, joined http://www.elance.com, got tired of my sucky job and started ghostwriting other people's books. I finished 12 ebooks for a total of 50,000 words, and then another—my first freelance book of 20,000 words on business(boring)—in a month! Yeah!

I now have five more books in the pipes (contracts), a really, really good agent, and am ghosting books for two celebrities. Cool. Now that I know I can actually start and finish A BOOK, I know I'll finish my own book this fall!

Oh, and I started a blog about the demon spawn at my old work place (http://www.danvilleva.blogspot.com), got fired, and celebrated 'cause I'm making more money than I did as an undervalued, unappreciated, much bullied whistle-blowing news hack. Life is good. When one door slams someone opens a window. Stand still and wait for the breeze."

—Becky Blanton

Becky lives in the south, speaks fluent redneck, and loves anything fried. Last year was her first NaNoWriMo—which her employer sabotaged with overtime once he found out she was doing it—but what the heck? He's a demon spawn anyway and she knew it. Just helped her decide to vacate the cubicles of hell faster.

Local school battle heating up at Twin Springs

Expect a turnout at today's school board meeting over one family's battle to get their child into Twin Springs Elementary. The school supposedly won't allow a 10 year old to be admitted because the principal won't accept notarized papers. The family says Virgil Good's hands are tied, as are the county supervisors.

The family says the school will accept the child if the family pays $800 for the semester. They claim the denial of registration is all about money and the SOL. Pittsylvania County Schools joined an organization that recruits home schoolers into the school system last year - but the program they partnered up with has long been criticized for its focus on money - not the best interests of home schoolers.

Are the county schools all about the money? You won't find out reading the Register & Bee. They're all about a suck-up agreement with the schools not to report negative news or any controversy. When a local school was emptied after threats of a bomb and shooting last year the newspaper refused to alert readers - many of whom called the newsroom wanting information about why other parents raced to take their children out of school.

When teachers and retired teachers spoke up in meetings about the failure of SOL to bring true education to the classroom - the newspaper wouldn't cover it. Why? Controversy. Don't want to upset the school board...but then, with at least one school board member who commented in a public meeting on a new female teacher saying, "Gee, they didn't make them like that when I was in school.." referring to her looks and body (gee, must be a friend of Mac's) and demeaning her publicly...what can you expect?

Follow the money. Absent children mean less money from the state in the next year's budget. What's more important? Your child's safety and news updates about what's happening? Or the schools and newspaper making money?

Danville Regional Medical center exceeds national mortality rate

Danville Regional Medical Center exceeds the national mortality rate. A story in USA Today lists how hospitals across the country stack up and Danville is on the worst list for heart patients. Will we see that in The Danville Register and Bee?

Buried on a back page doesn't count. It should be front page news. More people die here than at other hospitals...but then, there are advertisers to consider.....

Do you want to see how DRMC stacks up in other areas. Click here:

Who is Mac McLean?

After all this time you've wondered what he looks like right? Here you go. The man who thinks vidotaping women's breasts without their consent, using Media General cameras and equipment on Media General Time and showing the resulting video to the newsroom and joking about it....laughing and yelling "Tits" across the newsroom...

Ladies and gentlemen...Mac McLean.

Gee...what a cool workplace

When you love solving problems and providing a quality workplace, there's no time for bullying, filming women's bodies and laughing about them and being a jerk. Lessons from Honda the Register and Bee could take to heart.

Something you definitely won't see in the media...

Your local newspaper should be about more than car crashes and fires. It should be about the things that impact you and your life and your family. Codex is coming. Why should you care? If you currently use alternative healing methods - herbs etc., stock up. They won't be around long...

Burger King employee fired for nude bathing in sink

A Burger King employee was fired from his fast food restaurant job last week after taking a bath in the sink at work. He posted the video on his "MySpace.com" page and here on the news....

Now that's why people should be fired....not because they object to a sexist and racist newsroom!!

What Media General needs to learn...

Respect is something you must live and give

“Never take a person's dignity: it is worth everything to them, and nothing to you.” ~ Frank Barron



If this blog does nothing else - I hope it shows what happens when the dignity and respect of enough employees is taken. One voice will eventually speak out...and in doing - show you what you have done to hundreds of employees when you treated them and me as you have.

I have no doubt Media General could care less about its employees. I am not the only blog who has pointed out their problems. I just do it more frequently and at greater length. When Media General stripped the dignity and respect of its employees by denying their contractors/paper carriers the use of a restroom (which they now have access to); and they treated employees of 35 years like thieves and kicked them to the curb with no notice and 15 minutes to get their stuff together and get out they brought things on themselves... like the need for police and security cameras to be installed to protect current staff from former staff....after a carrier became enraged he was not given his paycheck and came into the building and attacked two Register and Bee employees....and the police sat on site for more than a week....Get a clue.

The first ever apology

Many in the industry are touting it as the first ever apology by a corporation. Maybe there's hope. Not for the media....but for others. He never quite comes out and says, "We're sorry," but it's a step forward.



Meanwhile, The Register and Bee and Media General continues to flounder without direction, leadership or an apology to anyone. They don't have to. They are "the paper."

Sue Davis has, I understand, offered to sponsor publisher Steve Kaylor as a Rotary member. Good luck Danville. I'm sure he'll bring the same stellular principles of honesty and integrity that he has displayed with his employees to the Rotary. It's a conflict of interest and journalistically unethical for him to belong....but like I said....the same standard of integrity with which he commands his currently sinking ship...will be brought to Rotary.

Danville Register and Bee sports editor leaving

He saw the light and someone saw his. After all his time at The Danville Register & Bee Sports Editor Drew Wilson is leaving. The best always do. He's not going far. Averett University is picking him up. He'll now have, and I quote from his farewell commentary, "A normal schedule." True. Reporters at the Register and Bee work a lot of overtime and not all of it is paid. You're expected to "be honest" on your time sheet...but pretty much everyone I know who takes pride in their work works overtime and doesn't put all of it down. You may say you worked 45 hours but in all likelihood you worked closer to 55. You have to. There's not enough staff to cover everything.

The hours were brutal...but then staffers have to contend with no photographers - real photographers...people who take good photos consistently. Reporters - including Drew, must travel great distances, use their own gas money (paper only reimburses.41 cents per mile and key word is REIMBURSE. They ride on your dime for a month at a time), their own cameras (if they want good photos - because the Register & Bee cameras are all broken or not working effectively and there's no money to replace them...see earlier posts about the closing of bathrooms because of the cost of cleaning them).

Okay, no microphones for the tape recorders. You have to buy your own batteries or stand on your head to get them....two video cameras (only one works consistently) to share among um.....10 people? And gory wrecks and fires and sports take precedence over things like - oh - a tour of a new plant or a feature story or anything else.

So - how do you cover sports when you don't have a photographer, have to take your own photos, have to follow the play-by-play, interview players and coaches post play and then write, edit and lay out your section at the same time...and when you do it well and go above and beyond....that's simply what is expected...no kudos from inside - although outside people notice - thus the awards. However, this year The Register and Bee couldn't afford to send its award winners to the ceremony...too bad. So sad. Mr. Reid Ashe was raking it in....but no money for a hotel room, gas or meals for the folks who busted their butts all year to perform.

Steve Kaylor sure doesn't care. Remember Steve? Steve who lies to his advertisers, lies to the women who confronted him about the video tape antics of his reporters, lied to the Rotary Club about why the newspaper has no photographers...geesh. Small wonder Drew is leaving. Everyone else has their resumes out too Steve. I told you the newsroom talent were all leaving or looking to leave. Believe me now? Then maybe you'll believe the rest of it too.....the squabbles between managers....

You know Steve. I think the newspaper needs new leadership. You should put your resume out there too if it isn't already. Just leave. Maybe you can go work for Jerry Gwaltney as he starts his new consulting career with the county, or the hospital since you sort of already are....but make it above board now. I heard he has a million dollar slush fund and some good friends. He might find you something to do.

The polls here on the board all agree...that you need to be fired. Get out now - before the EEOC thing goes to court. Go back to not being in touch with the community somewhere else. And take Arnold Hendrix with you...oh. I forgot. You two hate each other. Always a good thing in an organization. If you're not sleeping with co-workers you're trying to undermine them.

Not many more people to lose...

Who benefits from tragedy?

Looks like Fred Phelps is making the rounds all over the internet...not just here. Seems the church has riled off my friend over at The Bobo Files.

Why does tragedy happen? Who knows. God has a plan. However, I don't think the Westboro church or Fred Phelps is in on it.

As far as tragedy...and anyone benefiting off of it - The Danville Register & Bee holds the record. When did I finally have enough? When the Cunningham woman killed in a car versus pedestrian accident several months back was more important than the Ringgold Fire Dept.'s celebration. I was coming back to the paper with a great story about community, fire department volunteers and video of training and people learning how to help people and Bernard Baker got angry with me because I wasn't fast enough getting out to an accident scene of a fatality to "get a picture of the body."

"I heard she was a young girl," he kept saying...No. She was about my age. We had the press release and the info we needed, but then again...he wanted a photo. Of what? The same sort of scene that young Reid Ashe must have been been part of...hit by a car, fall from an airplane....sells newspapers. That was a Saturday. I was off Sunday and Monday and called in to work Tuesday.

The doctor said, "Post-traumatic stress"...that's another word for I can't take any more photos of bodies and blood and brains and fires and shootings so the newspaper can make money off of the suffering of people. Think about it. Quite a job wouldn't you say? It's not like you go out and shoot those things and come back and people are respectful and we write about the resources available for those suffering, or do something with the news that benefits the public. No. We just run story and a picture to sell papers. Kind of morbid don't you think?

Sorry Danville. I just couldn't keep showing up knowing we weren't about telling the family's story or helping...we were running photos of people's wrecks, fatalities and tragedy...all in the name of making an almighty dollar. How many times do I have to say it? I don't know. Probably as often as the paper runs the photos and stories of local stabbings and shootings and fires and wrecks. They can't do that enough - well, I can't get enough of pointing out the hostile atmosphere, the bullying, the abuse, the degrading of women and the manipulation of news and capitalizing on death and tragedy for a buck.

If you take comfort in knowing that your local newspaper wants you to die or at least be critically injured if you happen to be in an accident...then good for you.

A life of its own....

Kang, not from the Simpsons...but a Simpson fan maybe? Thinks people enjoy reading this blog because they think I'm wacked....I published his comment below.

Odd...The Danville Register & Bee feeds off of tragically killed sons, daughters too, almost weekly...front page stuff. They even published their "own" tragically killed son of the Media General COO and gave it far more than the typical 15 inches. Why? Sells papers. They don't have a problem with milking the death of one their own's sons or the tragedy of other Danvillians but ($$$$ maker was it?) they don't want anyone else to say anything about it. But wait! A minister reads it and thinks maybe it's a curse because of a management team that seems to think infidelity, homosexuality and abusing/humilating women is funny.

Kang. You MUST be from the R&B. Hm....

What's wacked? A newspaper that thinks a male reporter filming the breasts of local businesswomen without their consent or knowledge....then showing it around the news room to management and laughing about it....or the people who object to it??


Have you seen the parachute video yet? Wow. What do you think? Funny as women being humiliated? Funny as people's lives being ruined? Funny as a drunk sports editor that can do no wrong - except for the 13 chargable offenses...3 DUI's, evading police, missing a DUI court case in Danville to attend another DUI case in NC the same day. Busy man.

Funny as families being devastated by layoffs they weren't warned about and being booted right before Christmas even? Of course not....but what's the difference between someone running that video of a parachutist splatting and The Danville Register & Bee running a picture of someone splatting? Hmmmm....Every time those sirens go off and the police scanner fires up Charles is almost hysterical with excitement - squealing like a little tea kettle - telling Darren someone's got to go get a picture of the fire, or the wreck - but ONLY if it involves tragedy, death or serious injury. Did you know that Danville? You have to be maimed or killed - not just in a wreck to be in the newspaper. Only real gore sells.

Did you ever think about how the family feels when reporters are out there taking photos of bodies that the paper will never use but that the newsroom will laugh over ...like they did the videos of the women Mac McLean filmed? Who's wacked? I'm not the one who chases every fire truck and ambulance to get the story on someone ELSES tragically killed son...different when it's someone you know - or whose father you knew eh?

Think of that next time you pass by a newspaper stand and there's a fire or wreck on the front page. You're making money off of other people's tragedies and don't think a second thing about it. Maybe NOW you know how it feels...no wait...you'll understand better once I find the video...because it WILL be posted. YouTube.com, Google or Faces of Death....

Why? Because I haven't heard an apology. The victims haven't heard an apology and all those involved in the humiliation of years of Register & Bee abuse - Those employees haven't heard an apology.

I don't know what it will take to get through your thick head...what the newspaper did and does do is not right. So don't get on your high horse here about Reid's "tragically killed son." He's no more tragic or special than anyone else whose crushed car or remains or news of it ends up on the front page of The Danville Register & Bee....

Who's really wacked? Me for telling the world that Media General is racist and sexist? Nah....Gotta be the paper man...gotta be the paper...responses are 97 to 3 in favor of the blog...the 3 are all Register & Bee employees...

Evil HR lady

No, it's not Ann Austin at The Danville Register and Bee. The evil hr lady works for a Fortune 500 company and blogs about human resource issues and questions on the side. Evil HR Lady is the name of her blog. Good blog. Check it out. www.evilhrlady.com.

I've invited her over for a look. If you're her - welcome. If you're not...welcome anyway!

Blogging about evil employers is an emerging trend and I of course am doing everything I can to encourage the trend. Important things to remember - document everything. Tape recordings, memos, emails, notes and other official documentation helps so it's not just a "he said she said" debate.

Having several lawyer friends who are willing to read the blog from time to time and comment in between hysterical outbursts of "Who are these guys? Don't they realize this goes to court it's just a matter of how many zeros the jury wants to put on the check?"

I'm not sure why people in 12 countries outside the U.S. enjoy reading this but I'm glad to see you here too! Not all American media companies are this bad - just most of them.

We've learned over the past few days that companies (mostly run by old white men) don't really care about diversity or racism. They don't have to. They're only worried about preventing lawsuits. Well - what are the chances with this blog that there's a good chance a two-hour diversity training class consisting of HR reading some papers, punching in a video and leaving the room is really "training"? C'mon....

To the minister who commented that The Danville Register & Bee's CEO paid for the sins in the Danville newsroom and Media General with his son's death by parachute failure is ummmm...interesting. Comments anyone?

Kansas is a long way for the church to travel, but I understand some Westboro church members don't think this blog is "strong" enough. Sorry guys. But feel free to post anything you find here on your website!

It's just getting more interesting....

Gee...where have I heard this before?

Several months ago....gee....almost six months now....I told managers at The Danville Register and Bee that I thought the hottest new advertising opportunities would be in video. In VAIN I tried to get management to look at the requests I was getting from folks who wanted video advertising.

Being dinosaurs who use the internet to check email and update their porn collections ....they weren't so convinced. The only video Media General is interested in are the videos of local businesswomen they've taped - you know...the ones who didn't know they were being filmed for a private Register and Bee showing during business hours? Yeah...read the first post in this blog....anyway...seems research has come out saying what I said months ago. Gee. How about that!?!! CLICK HERE to read more. According to DoubleClick...

"Video is the hottest new format for online advertising. DoubleClick analyzed over 300 video campaigns by 130 advertisers during a four month period of 2006. The objective of this analysis was to identify major trends in the performance metrics of video ad campaigns by industry vertical, ad format, ad size, and ad length. There were several key findings including click through rate for video on average being about five times higher than those for image ads."

Sorry guys...it's all dull stuff about ads and revenue...no funny pictures or racy shots of women's chests. You can go back to your caves now. Excitement's over.

Why diversity training doesn't work and why companies do it anyway

Diversity training doesn't work. So why, if diversity training doesn’t reduce bias or increase managerial diversity, why do companies continue to spend millions of dollars on it every single year? (This sounds exactly like diversity training at Media General!!)

Because they’re afraid of costly lawsuits.

Companies are twice as likely to invest in diversity training than any other type of diversity initiative because their real motivation is to mitigate risk.

If diversity training doesn’t work, why do companies do it? Click on the link to read the whole story.

by Carmen Van Kerckhove

Diversity training is practically useless when it comes to helping companies diversify their management ranks, according to a recent study by Harvard University sociologist Frank Dobbin.

After poring through 30 years of data from more than 700 corporations, Dobbin concluded that the most successful programs were those that established direct accountability for diversity. Networking and mentoring programs also had a modest positive effect. But diversity training was by far the least effective initiative at increasing the number of white women, black women, and black men in management.

Frankly, I’m not surprised by Dobbin’s findings.

From what I’ve seen, diversity training rarely succeeds at reducing stereotyping and bias within organizations.

Why? Because many diversity trainers actually teach people to hide their racism.

Yes, you read that correctly. Many diversity trainers don’t push people to challenge their own racist beliefs. Instead, the seminars teach people to be more aware of the non-verbal cues (the fancy word is “microinequities”) they send out that may tip others off to their racism. The philosophy is: hide your racism in order to create a more harmonious workplace.

Diversity training also fails because so many companies make it mandatory. Think about how that makes the average employee feel:

John walks into the diversity training session room already feeling resentful. The company may have made this mandatory, but his boss still expects him to make up for the lost hours of productivity by working late.

He thinks to himself that this is a total waste of time. He’s not a racist, he doesn’t even notice color! So obviously the diversity training isn’t meant for him. He tunes out the diversity trainer and turns on his Blackberry so he can catch up on email.

Bored, he looks around the room and wonders which one of his colleagues is to blame for this. Someone must have screwed up by saying something racist. And thanks to that jerk, the whole company is being forced to sit through this dog and pony show.

Does this sound like a person who is receptive to exploring his conscious and unconscious prejudices?

So if diversity training doesn’t reduce bias or increase managerial diversity, why do companies continue to spend millions of dollars on it every single year?

Because they’re afraid of costly lawsuits.

Companies are twice as likely to invest in diversity training than any other type of diversity initiative because their real motivation is to mitigate risk.

CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE:

Follow me on your cell phone - with my mobile blog!

Don't live at your computer? Want to keep up with this blog on your cellphone? Now it's possible!

http://danvilleva.mofuse.mobi/

If you have internet or web-surfing capability on your phone now you can read this blog while you're surfing your phone!

When's the last time you checked out THIS local news source?

Wow. Have you seen the Chatham paper recently?? Especially the online version? Easy to read, full of LOCAL news and not all of it about fires and car wrecks. Good one to check out if you haven't already. If anything really noteworthy happens in Pittsylvania County that DOESN'T involve death and bleeding, you're most likely to find it here.

Reeds is closing along with Boscov's

The sign says it all. There's another sign in town...Harbor Freight Tools is hiring. They're opening in December...just in time for Christmas! IF you're job hunting...get on down there. They're hiring!!!

Church of the customer

J.Crew...a clothing retailer, recently screwed up. They pissed off a lot of customers and made some mistakes on their website and on their call lines. Did they do as The Danville Register & Bee did? No. They admitted they made a mistake. They ran ads to that effect. J.Crew worships at the "Church of the Customer."

Not so The Danville Register & Bee unfortunately.

According to the website:

" Mickey Drexler and Tracy Gardner effectively dumped a big load of neutralizer on the spread of bad buzz, and they set expectations for anyone else who might run into the problem. They didn't do it behind a cloak of corporate anonymity or force a spokesperson to absorb the hit.

To admit a mistake is to humanize your company.

Then, of course, work like crazy to fix the problem. Go overboard in making things right. That can turn the spell of bad word of mouth into good buzz."

What does it take to make the newspaper admit they were wrong? The three EEOC lawsuits? This blog? More people leaving? The folks at "the R&B" need to get religion - of one kind or another...and this would be a start.

Did you know?

If you wonder why it is so frustrating to read the Danville Register & Bee then perhaps you should watch this. Now -ask yourself....why the one medium Danville could use to promote the awareness of the residents of the county focuses on car wrecks and fires?

West Coast newspapers collaborate to beat up citizens

The word on the blog circuit and the amazing lack of mainstream media coverage of police attacking and beating bicycle riders is leading credence to the claim that the mainstream media may have cooperated with car dealer advertisers and the police to attack bike riders at Critical Mass Day in San Francisco. The claim is that the newspaper's advertisers - car dealers - were angry that people were buying more bikes instead of cars and they objected to any kind of positive coverage of the monthly Critical Mass gathering to promote people power over oil.

Police arrested a pastor for reading the First Amendment out loud in public - now there's sedition!!! Of course earlier the Reverend Billy had performed an exorcism on Starbucks....so who knows...

Bitter or angry and fed up?

A reader asks why I "seem so bitter," about everything. I think Gabriel is mistaking righteous anger for bitterness.

Let's revisit why this blog was started.

Media General reporter Mac McLean photographed the breasts of local businesswomen without their consent or knowledge and showed them around the newsroom of the local daily newspaper - The Danville Register & Bee. Managers, including assignment editor Bernard Baker, Managing editor Arnold Hendrix and editorial writer Robert Benson and several others responded to Mac's "I can see her t**'s!" and schoolgirl giggling with rude and inappropriate and hostile commentary. When others in the newsroom protested the comments and objected to the videos we were all put on the bully and black ball list and gradually forced out or fired.

Mac was "promoted" and hired up to another Media General paper where he's right at home with an arrogant little editor who hates rural areas and rednecks so they all sit around making fun of the south. Lovely. About as white bread good ole boy as it gets I suppose.

The rest of us didn't have such opportunities because we did not sleep with subordinates or our bosses - as others did. And others did benefit. They gained promotions and opportunities to move up within Media General because they performed better on their backs than at their desks. Watching people grope each other, play grab-ass and public displays of affection that offend most of those forced to watch is not a happy workplace. Like I said, Steve Kaylor would do well to rent out rooms in the basement....

Media General - a corporation who says they are opposed to a hostile workplace - is not really opposed to managers sleeping with subordinates and breaking up marriages - if you will lie to your wife and cheat on your wife or boyfriend what's to say you won't do the same to readers, staff or management? But MG doesn't care about that. They're opposed to anyone working for them that objects to a hostile workplace. Those of us who have morals, standards, ethics and a personal faith object to the harassment, bullying and abuse that goes on at the newspaper.

For those of us who have been bullied, abused, harassed, suffered humiliation, embarrassment and disruption of our lives because of the poor management at the Danville Register & Bee - we are not bitter - we are angry. I am the only one who doesn't have a family or assets or anything to lose really by speaking out. So I am the voice for those who are there - still suffering and miserable. I'm the outlet for those who have been terminated or laid off or have suffered because of the management at the Danville Register & Bee. Trust me - there's a lot of cheering going on over this blog - including people in high places at MG who want to speak out but can't. How do you think I knew about the press room?

Bitter? No. Angry? DEFINITELY. Will my anger burn out? Not likely. I have an EEOC investigation I'm waiting on...as are two other folks who have also filed - one anonymously - who is still there...and diligently documenting all kinds of things! THREE employees filing EEOC suits? And you think that's bitter? What planet are you from?

So - in a town with potential and community and a future you have a newspaper who is motivated solely by money, who places car wrecks and fires above politics and community issues and needs and ranks the gore and tragedy above the positive things happening in the city "because it sells newspapers." If you are a resident of Danville is that really how you want this historic city viewed? As a magnet for death, wrecks and fires? Sure tragedies happen and people want to know if a friend or neighbor was involved - but it doesn't have to be front and center of the paper every day. We don't have a daily paper. We have the Pittsylvania Enquirer.

How about this - there is a gang problem in Danville. 12-14 year old black boys who must kill an innocent person to be initiated into the Crips or the Bloods. The police, the paper, the city officials keep denying the problem exists and say "Oh - it's only wanna-be's" because citizens will panic and not go out at night because, like a certain victim in the Wal-Mart parking lot a couple of years ago - there's a chance they'll be killed. The families and relatives of police officers know and they know to stay inside at night and they do.

And our fine city? I hear about city employees being forced to go to former City Manager Jerry Gwaltney's home to wash his car, mow his yard and take care of his personal property...police who are angry that the million dollar slush fund has never been accounted for - money that could hire extra officers and pay the ones here a decent wage...no news about a hospital where billing is still screwed up and people are dying from negligence but the newspaper won't investigate because they have a major advertising contract and they're too busy chasing ambulances in order to get a photo of some mangled person for the front page in order to sell newspapers.

Local merchants are in fear for their safety and their employees safety because of the DAILY SHOOTINGS AND DAILY STABBINGS. Does the paper report on the problem from the merchants side? On the shortage of police officers? On the problem with the revolving door court system? No. A newspaper is the last guardian and watch-dog...or was until

So you tell me...angry or bitter? At what point does an angry citizen who wants to see change become bitter rather than outspoken?

I was hired and promised opportunity to do what I do - write and take photographs and video; do investigative reporting and expand Ag coverage. I moved, set up housekeeping and then find that I can't do what I was hired to do because I'm not part of the pimp and porn minded central management at The Danville Register & Bee. I don't particularly like working for a Publisher who lies to the citizens or knowing what a racist, anti-Christ newsroom the paper has.

Media General may be hoping this blog will eventually go away - but it's not going to. If anything happens to me there are others who will keep it going.

The town, the county and the state - and according to the stats I'm getting at least 12 countries - find this all very interesting. They tuned in to the count of almost 10,000 hits last month. Bitter? No. Sad? Yes. Angry? Yes. And you should be too. If you're not angry, then you're just not paying attention.

What are the ten things Danville Register & Bee managers don't know?

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2008
Ten Things Great Bosses Know
There are all kinds of bosses. Some of them are great. Some of them are pathetic. I had mostly pathetic (um....all pathetic) at The Danville Register & Bee. I believe most of them attained "manager" status from being there the longest or sleeping with a co-worker...(as, statistically speaking, happens quite frequently there)...Well, Poynter.org had an article today I found fascinating. It was old news to me - and only confirmed what I told Ann Austin (clerk typist with HR title and no HR skills) and Bernard Baker (who manages by assigning everything to everybody in hopes someone will write it and who lives by the mantra - treat EVERYONE THE SAME). You are all so dark ages. Why not go HERE and read this article and get a clue. And if Steve Kaylor would realize that striding through the newsroom yelling at reporters and ignoring people except to snarl, makes him more of a jerk than a manager. Get some LIFE skills Steve. Lying, intimidation and sanctioning the abuse of women doesn't look good on a resume. But then hey - running stories about YOUR bosses' dead son did sell more papers...good for you!! Turning tragedy into income is the Media General way....

From Jill Geisler of Poynter.org:

Ten Things Great Bosses Know:

1. The most important thing bosses do is help OTHERS succeed.
This sounds simple, but bosses got promoted because of their personal achievements. Now, they have to shift the focus from themselves to the growth of those who report to them. In other words, it's not about YOU, boss. It's about the troops. If they do well, you should, too.

2. Managers cannot treat everyone the same.
Great bosses learn how to customize their approach to each person. Yes, they hold true to core values, but don't assume that they have to act in identical ways with each staffer. They manage people as the complex individuals they are. And that's a real skill.

3. IQ gets bosses only so far; EQ takes them to the next level.
I'm talking about emotional intelligence: the ability to be self-aware, self-managing, socially aware and adept at managing relationships. This means knowing how to read the emotions of others as well as our own, to know how to power up or power down in synch with a situation, to build trust through expertise, integrity and empathy.

To read the rest of the tips go HERE:

The death of a friend....

(The following was submitted by Chatham, VA (USA) resident Henry Mitchell and was originally posted on http://www.svdpalc.blogspot.com/ on 08/02/08). I am posting it here because this is the sort of story we need more of in our small rural area. While the media has moved on from the stories of Katrina, the lives of those affected by the storm go on. And for those of you who love animals and wonder what happened to Katrina cats - here's the story of one - who sadly passed on last year. This is her story....

Remember Katrina: Miss Kitty, the Post-Katrina Cat

Allow me to introduce you to a personal friend of mine who sadly passed away last year. Her name is Miss Kitty (see photo at left, wearing a red cat sweater for Christmas time).

Miss Kitty and I became good friends while I was "a displaced person" in Hurricane Katrina. Miss Kitty belonged to my sister Marci and her husband Chris -- although I am sure that in Miss Kitty's mind she simply graciously allowed them to take care of her and open her cans of cat food and tuna fish.
For quite some time Miss Kitty was my constant friend while I was in Virginia. I would talk to her and she would meow back; it was one of the most civilized and enlightening conversations I have ever had.

Miss Kitty was born in Bucktown (a fishing village/suburb of New Orleans), and pretty much lived the life of an alley cat until being rescued by my sister. While I had the opportunity to exist in her presence, I appointed her as Queen of the first ever Mardi Gras parade in Chatham, Virginia -- the Mystik Krewe of Miss Kitty. She was, of course, Queen Miss Kitty the First.

Her royal theme song was "The Miss Kitty Mombo." (It was sung to the tune of "The Mardi Gras Mombo." For example: "Down in New Orleans, Where the Blues was born; It takes a cool CAT, to blow a horn ... The Miss Kiity Mombo, Mombo, Mombo, Down in New Orleans.")

This august Carnival Krewe consisted of precisely myself and Miss Kitty. However, despite the painfully low attendance for her first parade, I do believe Her Royal Majesty was pleased, especially by the Royal Banquet afterwards which consisted of canned tuna fish.

Because of this success, I also appointed her as the Irish Princess for the first (unofficial) St. Patrick's Day Parade in that small Virginia town too.

In classic New Orleans Irish Channel style, Princess Miss Kitty the First helped toss out green cabbages to the crowd -- which, as in the Mardi Gras parade earlier, consisted only of myself and the Princess. Miss Kitty did not care for cold climates and eventually returned to hot and humid New Orleans for one last time before the cat diseases of old age took her away from us.

Miss Kitty lives on as a constant memory of a true cat friend who helped me endure what can only be termed as the nightmare of Hurricane Katrina. Cats and dogs and other animal companions really are important in our lives, and they help us humans endure the struggles of life, be they great or small, or catastrophic like Hurricane Katrina.
So, we owe the animals a lot. Here's to you, Miss Kitty.
-- Adrian


Adrian is "Adrian McGrath -- AmeriCorps Member, Teacher, Blog Manager. (Literacy*AmeriCorps New Orleans -- L*AC -- is a part of the national U.S. governmental organization called AmeriCorps. L*AC works with the Literacy Alliance of New Orleans and is headquartered at the Lindy Boggs National Center for Community Literacy at Loyola University in New Orleans.)

You've got to love readers....

This appeared in the Danville Register and Bee from a reader, along with a letter blasting the editorial section for writing an editorial that read like it was from the governor himself.:

Rebecca Pruitt tells the paper to:

"Go back to the ‘old look’ of the R&B" - in her letter to the editor she writes:

To the editor:

The Danville Register & Bee needs to return to its “old look.”

Your so-called local news is so scattered over the paper with state and national news that it takes forever to read.

The obituary section is awful, with the small print and bigger pictures you are now using.

I usually read my paper at 6:30 a.m., but now that it is printed in Lynchburg, it doesn’t arrive at my home until 7:30 a.m. when I am leaving for work.

So I read your news at night, after 7 p.m. Maybe you should have a chartered plane to deliver the papers so Danville residents can get their papers like we are used to.

Your editorials always talked about shopping and keeping your money in Danville, but it doesn’t appear that is what your paper is now doing.

Who cares about your color pages when 12 local people lost their jobs over your “new look.”

It appears from reading your paper that you should have kept two people on staff — the person who does the typing and the one who does your proof reading, as I have never seen so many errors.

I can assure you, I for one am certainly not impressed, and I intend to cancel my subscription when it comes up for renewal.

REBECCA PRUITT

Danville

Well Rebecca, That's what happens when a newsroom is focused on sex instead of news and when the managers are incompetent, biased morons who are too busy laughing at videos of women's breasts and seducing their employees to manage. That's what happens when the bottom line is all about making money and not about serving the community. I hope you cancel your subscription. Better yet - tell the advertisers where you shop how you feel about the paper. That's where the real money and the real hurt is. I'm surprised the realtors are still using them...there are cheaper options. If you don't believe it, contact me for details!

House Passes Paycheck Fairness Act:

Look out Media General....

All Eyes on Senate to Pass Legislation to End Unequal Pay
Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy

August 1, 2008

The Paycheck Fairness Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday evening is a major victory for women, as it is the most important piece of pay equity legislation to pass in decades. Fourteen Republicans joined Democrats to pass the historic measure with a final vote of 247 to 178. The Senate bill could be taken up after the August congressional recess.

The bill, if passed by the Senate and signed into law, could help women make real progress toward reducing the 23 percent differential in pay between women and men. Sex-based pay discrimination means much more than 23 cents on the dollar -- it can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars over a woman's lifetime that are lost to her and her family. These lost wages can mean the family is unable to afford college tuition or health insurance, and the lowered pensions and social security payments associated with lower income can lead to poverty for elderly women who were not able to save and invest for retirement.

The legislation would amend the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to strengthen penalties for equal pay violations, enhance data collection from employers so that patterns of sex discrimination in pay can be identified, and more directly place the responsibility on employers defending wage differences to show that the differences are due to factors other than sex. A particularly important provision establishes the right of wage discrimination plaintiffs under the Equal Pay Act to receive compensatory and punitive damages, a remedy that is available in most other anti-discrimination statutes.

The Paycheck Fairness Act requires the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to train employees and affected entities on matters involving wages, and encourages the Department of Labor to make grants for negotiation skills training programs for girls and women -- sort of a "self defense" regimen for workers who cannot expect wage fairness from their employers. For African-American women and Latinas this legislation literally means a difference between living in poverty and surviving on a living wage. As a co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.) explained, women of color suffer additional pay discrimination: Latinas are paid on average 57 cents and African-American women 68 cents, compared to the dollar paid to men.

In floor remarks, DeLauro recalled the unfair treatment of Lily Ledbetter whose pay discrimination claim was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court. Legislation to address inequities in the law that affected Ms. Ledbetter has passed the House but is languishing in the Senate.

The treatment of women as second-class citizen cannot be tolerated, and this House victory is a sign that things are changing in Congress. We still must keep up the pressure on our elected officials, but change is coming.

How many papers did it sell?

Every morning or afternoon in Media General newspapers across the country staff members will gather together to plan the day's stories and to examine the statistics of the stories that ran the day before. How many "hits" did a story get? Why? "Let's do more of those - that story had legs....(did well)."

And the stories that get the most hits - well, those sell papers. What stories typically sell a lot of papers? Death. Tragedy. Fires. Wrecks....but wrecks MUST have serious injury or death. Common fender benders or minor injuries or even spectacular crashes must have blood or the newspaper won't cover them. Only gore sells. So...

I imagine it must be hard - seeing the statistics about how many papers your own son's death sold. The fact it involved a failed parachute, a college kid....that's a bonus...but before anyone gets their shorts in a wad - remember - the paper does this EVERY DAY WITH EVERY ONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS who are killed, shot, stabbed, injured. They joke about it - like they joked about the breasts of the local businesswoman and they wrestle with whether to put the fire story "above the fold" or the shooting fatality...Which will sell more papers? Death sells. How ironic....that Media General Chief Operating Officer O. Reid Ashe is making money for his stockholders from the tragic accident of his own son.

The Danville Register and Bee ran the story I'm sure for a couple of reasons - One, it was a fatality. They like those. Death sells. Two, UNUSUAL death or death of a young person really sells well. Three - ANYTHING with the REMOTEST connection to Danville - ie. once lived here, was born here, went to school here, drove through here on his way to somewhere else, ate here....any connection to Danville makes the story fair game. The fact that the kid'S father is COO of the company that owns the Register and Bee is close enough to local news that they can assume there will be enough interest locally for people to buy the paper. That is the goal folks - SELL PAPERS. What a shame it's on the backs, deaths and tragedies of people....rather than the good people do.

But I guess Mr. Reid can rest easy now...knowing the system is working....that his papers are selling death...even that of his son. It's a sick business when you peddle the death of your own for a buck.