You all already know the vexingly bad news about former LA Citybeat news editor Alan Mittelstaedt—namely the fact that the job of news editor was eliminated at LA Citybeat, Alan’s presence at the paper along with it. Evidently editor-in-chief CommieGirl has seen fit to use Alan’s now freed-up salary $$ to buy several columns for the paper.
(Honestly who needs news and investigative reporting when you can have lots of lightly-substantiated opinion.)
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS………….. (drum roll)
…….Alan will be blogging for WitnessLA for the next two weeks, thankfully bringing his LA Sniper muck-racking, pot-stirring aesthetic with him. (And who knows what I might be able to talk him into after that? Okay, yes, it’s all glory, no cash over here, but those are trifling details.)
I’m off this morning to D.C. then on to Bennington College for close to two weeks. (I’ll be back there working the MFA I took it into my head to acquire with those wasted hours every week I’d formerly just been using for….you know….sleep.)
During that time, I’ll also be posting here and there, as I have some mini stories that need to go up. But for now, it’s over to Alan.
While we’re waiting for him to show up, one local story that’s rather intriguing is this one in the LA Times about the controversy between military recruiters who are fishing for new sign-ups on high school campuses, and activists who want the same access to kids to provide what they believe is a needed reality check to balance out the recruiters’ promises.
The military, however, doesn’t see it that way and is seeking to keep the activists out. Read it and see what you think.
Well, if the hate-the-troops activists are allowed on campuses, I demand that my activist group, whose purpose is to expose the reality of other activist groups, be allowed into schools, too.
Welcome back, Alan. Do you have a picture for Celeste to display that shows you shaven?
My $0.02. Let the parents choose to “opt out” their offspring from being contacted by the activists in the same manner that parents “can opt” out from having their children’s names revealed to military recruiters. Let that list be available to both groups at the parent’s discretion.
YAAAY! Welcome, Alan!
Have a good ‘term,’ Celeste.