Public Eye

Verbatim from a front-page story in the Aug. 23 San Marino Tribune by its editor, Mitch Lehman, quoting his boss, Publisher Clifton Smith, giving an address to the San Marino Rotary Club: "Smith told the crowd -- which included his wife, Candace, and two of their three children -- that the production of a newspaper which required a thousand me working seven days a week now can be accomplished with 'two people spending six hours in front of a Mac.' "

Verbatim add from the same story, same fellow quoted: " 'This is the first time in history that technology has not been on the side on the side of the newspapers.' "

No typos in this last quote -- just thunder: "'For the life of me, I cannot understand the notion of having political advocacy groups in your reporting staff, but that's now the norm,' Smith thundered."

Posted by Larry Wilson at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

First, the fun stuff. This is not my surfboard. But it is a San-O model from the Harbour Surfboards Web site, and I ride a San-O, and the red looks cool with the red color scheme of my new blog. Mine is sky blue with a wide orange stripe down the stringer. Had it made to my specs, 9'4" with a hardwood tailblock, by Rich Harbour's great shop in Seal Beach. Signed by master shaper Ron Hansen. When I am not at the office -- or, as in my new job, offices: West Covina, Whittier and my longtime Pasadena lair on Colorado Boulevard -- I'd rather be on a head-high right-breaking comber at San Onofre, 200 yards out with an offshore breeze in a medium tide. And sometimes I am on that wave. Have been since I was a '60s kid on a Hobie with the Moffats, the Smiths, the Schusters, the Saltmans and all the other Pasadena families who then populated the best longboard break in California. Except for that unaccountable 30-year period when I just body-surfed in my Churchills, that is. Have to surf while you can -- I saw in Surfer's Journal that the greatest of the San-O surfers from these parts, Eric Hopps, died recently after a long and brilliant San Onofre career.

Posted by Larry Wilson at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)