By Carlos Miller
At a time when newspapers are slashing budgets and ousting reporters, and finding it impossible to find investors, the San Diego Union-Tribune has recently been purchased by high-end investment firm based out of Beverly Hills.
The only problem is that the company, Platinum Equity, is funded heavily by the pension plans of Los Angeles police officers and fire fighters, essentially giving the police officers an owners of the Southern California newspaper.
And now they want to fire the paper’s editorial board because they perceive them to be “anti-cop”.
Seems like there is a lot of that perception going around lately.
According to The Los Angeles Times:
Platinum relies on a $30-million investment from the pension fund of Los Angeles police officers and fire fighters, along with large sums from other public-employee pension systems around the state, to help fund its acquisitions of companies. As League President Paul M. Weber views it, that makes the League part owner in the flagging Tribune and League officials are none to happy with the paper’s consistent position that San Diego lawmakers should cut back on salaries and benefits for public employees in order to help close gaping budget deficits.
“Since the very public employees they continually criticize are now their owners, we strongly believe that those who currently run the editorial pages should be replaced,” Weber wrote in a March 26 letter to Platinum CEO Tom Gores.
Also hoping a change in the paper’s editorial stance is most likely San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, a former police chief, who in 2005, promised he would not collect his police pension if elected.
He was elected and now he is collecting $92,400 a year through his pension – in addition to the $100,000 a year he makes as mayor. And this at a time when he is asking other city employees to take pay cuts and unpaid furloughs to help the city reduce a $60 million budget deficit.
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25 responses so far ↓
1 HA! // May 25, 2009 at 9:40 PM
He he he he he. It’s called payback baby. He who pays the fiddler calls the tune. Hope those liberal cop-hating reporters’ butts don’t get bruised as the door smacks them on the way out. Buh-bye now!!
2 NYCPhotorights // May 25, 2009 at 9:41 PM
If this happens it will be the closest thing we get to actual government control of the press and a circumvention of the First Amendment. As far as I am concerned the Police and Fire Departments are government agencies and should not interfere in any way with a free press. I know there will be those who say it is the pension fund and not the government itself but I say if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck…..
3 genewitch // May 26, 2009 at 12:01 AM
…. tase it?
that’s what you were gunna say, right?
4 Packratt // May 26, 2009 at 12:13 AM
Carlos wanted me to pass this along to everyone so that nobody thought he disappeared or is neglecting the site:
“I’ve been having serious problems accessing my website from both my home computers, which include a Mac and a PC. Other people I’ve talked to said they are able to access my site just fine. I’ve called Go Daddy three times and they say the issue is not with their servers.
But the issue is also affecting my other website, http://www.magiccitymedia.com, which is also hosted by Go Daddy.
I have no idea what the problem is.
When I try to log on to my site or to the admin page, I get the following message:
Network Timeout
The server at carlosmiller.com is taking too long to respond.
The requested site did not respond to a connection request and the browser has stopped waiting for a reply.
* Could the server be experiencing high demand or a temporary outage? Try again later.
* Are you unable to browse other sites? Check the computer’s network connection.
* Is your computer or network protected by a firewall or proxy? Incorrect settings can interfere with Web browsing.
* Still having trouble? Consult your network administrator or Internet provider for assistance.“
5 ALL BE DAMNED // May 26, 2009 at 12:55 AM
well i seem to be having lag issues with the site but thats about all seems they put you on the low end totam pole tonight…. never had this much of a slow down at your site……..might be high demand tonight Any way see if maybe they moved your server host around that might cause it…… Other then that i have no idea’s
6 genewitch // May 26, 2009 at 1:25 AM
tell carlos to stop using firefox, try chrome. if that doesn’t work, it’s his router or his DNS servers.
tell him to reset his router and modem, and to switch his DNS server to 4.2.2.2 in the TCP/IP settings on both machines.
That should fix it right up
protip: firefox 3 is currently broken for tons of people, getting this message on lots of sites (i was getting it constantly last week, and my girlfriend was getting it for the past 2 months.)
7 Pinandpuller // May 26, 2009 at 2:27 AM
The police bought his ISP.
8 xdamousex // May 26, 2009 at 10:46 AM
Wow, talk about a conflict of interest.
9 Voice of Reason // May 26, 2009 at 2:17 PM
Note to Packratt: Since Mr. Miller can’t access the site reliably, he may not be able to see genewitch’s remarks or this post. Could you pass these remarks back to him? Alternatively, should we use E-mail? I don’t have E-mail, but people have suggested that I set it up and perhaps it’s time that I did so.
Note to Carlos Miller: I agree with genewitch’s remarks regarding DNS and router (or modem) issues. I doubt that it’s a browser issue. If it is a browser issue, it’s probably a configuration glitch as opposed to a fundamental problem.
For what it’s worth, I can access both sites using multiple browsers without difficulties. Presently, I’m not able to reproduce a problem of any type. Therefore, it doesn’t appear to be a denial of service attack or a fundamental browser problem.
If you’re only experiencing problems with the sites that you mentioned, that seems odd. However, if you proceed as follows, this should help to narrow things down:
Power-cycle the router or modem (as genewitch said). Change the DNS server used (again, as genewitch said). You can use 4.2.2.1 through 4.2.2.9 (and apparently additional DNS servers in the same series). Check firewall settings or disable firewalls temporarily. Disable the use of proxy servers temporarily. Try a different browser. Opera and Seamonkey first. Maybe K-Meleon, Chrome, Arora, and Dillo after that. The last two aren’t suitable for serious work, but they’re good for debugging purposes. Try a completely different PC or Mac (located behind the same router or modem). As a last resort, replace the router or modem (you may need to coordinate this step with your ISP).
Note to genewitch: You said, “firefox 3 is currently broken for tons of people, getting this message on lots of sites”.
Would you be willing to clarify the phrase “currently broken” ? When you say “currently”, are you referring to the current release (which I believe is 3.0.10), or do you mean that most or all of the Firefox 3 releases have stopped working abruptly for certain sites?
Additionally, is it actually “tons of people” ? That’s a strong assertion, and I don’t see much about the issue on the Web. No offense is intended, but people sometimes magnify problems that affect them personally.
If this is a Firefox problem, it’s obviously a serious issue that needs to be nailed down. Do you happen to know if it does, or doesn’t, affect other browsers derived from the Mozilla codebase? Are you certain that Chrome isn’t affected by the problem? What about Opera?
I haven’t observed any increase in problems of this type myself. I’m inclined to believe that it’s a DNS issue (in general, and not necessarily in Mr. Miller’s case). Another possibility is that certain ISPs are experimenting with packet inspection hardware again (i.e., the MPAA and RIAA nonsense). We’re going to see a lot of this kind of thing in the future.
10 NYCPhotorights // May 26, 2009 at 6:16 PM
I am not having issues with Firefox at all. Here is my version:
Firefox 3.0.10
11 Voice of Reason // May 26, 2009 at 7:48 PM
Note to Carlos Miller: I’d like to add two suggestions to my previous list:
1. It would be interesting to find out if the site’s numbers dropped over the past few days. Do you have access to daily logs? Check the associated line counts. If there was a significant drop that started at the same time as your own connection difficulties (taking the drop in visits from you yourself into account), this might be important.
There’s no evidence of a concerted attack on the site so far. However, if the drop in question is present, this issue should be revisited.
2. Run a “traceroute” from one of your personal systems to “carlosmiller.com”. You can use Linux LiveCDs for this purpose. There’s no need to install anything. Alternatively, Windows XP includes a version of “traceroute” named “tracert”. I can’t vouch for the Windows version, but it might be worth a try.
12 Voice of Reason // May 26, 2009 at 8:08 PM
Note to NYCPhotorights: You said, “I am not having issues with Firefox at all. Here is my version: Firefox 3.0.10″
Thanks. That’s the latest release, and I’ve tested that release as well.
13 JoyLeaf // May 27, 2009 at 1:55 AM
My ability to reach the site has been intermittent for the last week. It does not seem to matter if I am using Firefox, IE or Chrome. Okay I only used IE to prove to myself that it was not my browser. I wanted to check it at the computer Lab as well but have not been up to going in so far. They have a different provider.
14 PB // May 27, 2009 at 1:57 AM
He he he he he. It’s called payback baby. He who pays the fiddler calls the tune. Hope those liberal cop-hating reporters’ butts don’t get bruised as the door smacks them on the way out. Buh-bye now!!
15 genewitch // May 27, 2009 at 2:18 AM
VOR:
http://www.google.com/search?q=firefox+3+sites+timing+out&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
of course, sometimes the site is just down.
in which case http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com
comes in handy
16 Voice of Reason // May 27, 2009 at 3:15 AM
Note to genewitch: Thanks, but the Google search you suggested didn’t produce much besides old pages on the subject. When I tried it, most of the pages that showed up dated back to June 2008 or before. I only found a few pages that were current or semi-current.
Additionally, the pages in question (both old and new) weren’t about a specific problem. They discussed a wide range of problems.
At first glance, I don’t see any indication that the “tons of people” issue you mentioned previously has actually occurred, or that there’s been any increase in problems at all.
I’m not saying that a specific problem doesn’t exist. After all, you’ve observed a problem of some type yourself. However, the Google search isn’t useful. If you’ve got direct links to pages that discuss the issue you referred to, please pass them on to me. I’ve got some tweaks I’ve been working on for eight years that might be helpful.
17 Voice of Reason // May 27, 2009 at 3:29 AM
Note to JoyLeaf: You said, “My ability to reach the site has been intermittent for the last week. It does not seem to matter if I am using Firefox, IE or Chrome.”
Thanks. If you’re able to change DNS as mentioned in the preceding posts, try that. It would be interesting to find out if the DNS change did or didn’t make a difference.
Incidentally, if intermittent connectivity means that you missed my response to your Foxfur post, the follow-up is located at this link.
18 Voice of Reason // May 27, 2009 at 3:34 AM
Note to HA! and PB: You said (twice), “He he he he he. It’s called payback baby. He who pays the fiddler calls the tune. Hope those liberal cop-hating reporters’ butts don’t get bruised as the door smacks them on the way out. Buh-bye now!!”
We heard you the first time. You are a troll, as opposed to a basher. It’s fun and even useful to engage bashers sometimes. However, nobody cares about trolls. Additionally, the adults are busy right now.
19 Voice of Reason // May 27, 2009 at 4:13 AM
Note to genewitch and other knowledgeable techs:
If you’re reading this, obviously you can access the site. However, perhaps you have friends who can’t get through. Try the DNS and “traceroute” experiments discussed previously using their systems. Even a small amount of information would help us to establish whether the connectivity problems reported so far are related to minor issues or to a concerted attack.
20 Packratt // May 27, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Just to let everyone know, I’ve been passing on the suggestions you’ve given and Carlos is working on the problem.
So thank you for the help, I’m sure he’ll be back at it soon!
21 JoyLeaf // May 27, 2009 at 4:28 PM
Note to VOR: While I am not sure who Aurek is that does sound like a somewhat scary combo. Skywise is/was my favorite followed closely by Pike. No connection problems today but when or if it happens again I will try the DNS change and let you know if it helps.
22 jwv // May 27, 2009 at 5:26 PM
To PB,
I guess you have never read the San Diego Union! They are right of center, supportive of cops, but about as anti-union as you can get.
They had (and still may have) for a long time, a battle with one of the printer unions which got quite vicious on both sides.
Need I mention that the LA Times is quite left which would be my guess as to why the article was slanted as anti-cop vice anti-union.
My guess is pay back!
Just the opinion of a San Diego resident…
Jerry
23 genewitch // May 27, 2009 at 5:45 PM
VOR: i left carlos a detailed email about how to run tracert and traceroute in windows and mac, as well as switching DNS servers. evidently it didn’t work (or he didn’t receive them) – as he’s switching ISPs.
additionally, you may be right about the firefox issues, my evidence was anecdotal and most of the people who were complaining about it had technical knowledge, so i probably made a logical error in assuming it was widespread.
i wonder if carlos is victim of something like net neutrality… that would be curiously interesting as his blog is about the first amendment which is what the opponents say is the reason we shouldn’t allow ISPs to charge for access to their networks.
Anyone who knows what ISP carlos is using? i’d like to do some research on a couple of broadband forums about it.
24 Voice of Reason // May 27, 2009 at 8:16 PM
Note to JoyLeaf: Aurek is a character from the Blue Mountain area. He was originally known by the less-dignified name of Egg. Aurek spent some time in a catatonic state and was wiser afterwards. The plot is still continuing after 30 years. If I remember correctly, Aurek is living in the ruins of Blue Mountain these days (10,000 years in story time after the events that you read about), dispensing sage advice where it’s needed.
My closing remarks were intended as a joke. I was similar to Skywise in some respects. Maybe similar to Aurek in others. For the benefit of readers who didn’t get the joke, Cutter isn’t known for his social graces, and Rayek isn’t known for his personal warmth.
25 Voice of Reason // May 27, 2009 at 8:40 PM
Note to genewitch: You said, “Anyone who knows what ISP carlos is using? i’d like to do some research on a couple of broadband forums about it.”
If you or anybody else here has received E-mail from Mr. Miller, the answer should be visible in the headers. You may need to turn on a mail-reader option named Show full headers or something similar.
There doesn’t appear to be a problem with the web-site servers or with the associated DNS servers. Additionally, there’s no strong evidence of a concerted attack so far, though JoyLeaf’s intermittent connectivity problems might be significant.
If Mr. Miller switches ISPs and this doesn’t solve the problem, it might still be a client-side configuration issue. Either way, after Mr. Miller is back on-line, somebody should call his attention to the log-file suggestion that I made previously. If there’s been a significant drop-off in traffic, it’s possible that we are looking at an attack of some type.
You mentioned Net Neutrality. I’ll reserve comment on that specific issue until more information is available. However, I’ll note that ISPs have been caught tampering with traffic in the recent past. If that’s what’s happening here, I’m surprised that they’re doing it again so soon.
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