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Auditor Confirms It: Convention Center Attendance Figures Misleading
Example of VOSD pandering to Jacobs: See the current series of featured articles...notice the theme? Yes, they seem to repeat, ad nauseum, examples of encroachment on Balboa Park. I would liken this to a date rapist who says, "You've already let me touch that, so now I can do this." Featuring past abuses of the park is softening up the readers for the desecration to come, with the asphalt and guardrails bypass road to paid parking, financed by the taxpayers with a possible maybe if he's feeling generous and gets everything his way "contribution" tax deduction from VOSD's patron. Care to refute this Randy (or anyone from VOSD)? It could very easily have been presented in a different light. What about the many successes over the years in preserving the park? How about highlighting the hundreds of volunteers who give far more of their wealth and time to the park than "philanthropist" Jacobs, yet require no grand legacy from the tax payers in thanks. The stories at VOSD are factual, but Randy you know as well as I do that how you frame the issue matters, and what issues are selected in the first place is just as important. VOSD has shown that it frames this issue in an easily identifiable way...are you sure it's just a little "co-winky-dink" that it benefits its benefactor. best, Fred— August 27, 2012 12:16 p.m.
Auditor Confirms It: Convention Center Attendance Figures Misleading
(continued) Number 3. Claim: "... spoon feeding it to VOSD, PBS, or the UT." Verdict: False. Have you paid attention to how many times VOSD has had to fight with the city to get information that should be public? Again and again and again. Hello, Randy. It's Fred you're corresponding with here. Yes, I'm aware. I'm the guy who wrote that Will Carless should be nominated for a Pullitzer for his work at VOSD. I know you CAN fight when you want to. Even when you're the darling of the in-crowd, you get shut out. I feel for you. But do you realistically think you are on a level playing field? Compared to the Reader or CityBeat? You don't recognized your privileged position of access? Seriously? Who are you kidding? All of that said, yes, I will say that your coverage has been slanted to the status quo, is rather obsequious to officials, and I'm not the first nor last to point out how the coverage of Balboa Park is very generous to Irwin Jacobs, who has been so generous to you. Still, I really do like and admire VOSD. Compared to the competition, you do quite well. But look at the competition. It's winning a 100 yard sprint against a toddler. What disappoints me is the difference between what you hold yourselves to be, and how you actually decide what's news. The fact that you've got some shady supporters, including big sports boosters and the usual roster of downtown movers and shakers, in addition to Jacobs (who got a very sweet deal on the naming rights for the stadium, and is no political neophyte...to call him a philanthropist ignores his record, which I'll be happy to show you if you're interested in biting the hand that feeds you). So Randy, thank you for reading and replying. I think you can do a better job at VOSD, and I hope you will. I also think deigning to assign yourself the duties of fact checker, and then failing so miserably at it, should give you pause and prevent you from such hubris in the future. (I don't take it personally. I find this enjoyable -- and important. Journalists have the thinnest skins, and need to be receptive to hearing that their work doesn't measure up to standard. Again, I thank you for replying to me.) Best, Fred— August 27, 2012 11:49 a.m.
Auditor Confirms It: Convention Center Attendance Figures Misleading
(continued) Number 2. I don't know if you realize it, Randy, but calling something unsupported, while simultaneously not offering any evidence in support of your position...it's kinda funny. In the first place, common sense says that since those stories haven't been reported, my not being able to cite the non-existence article is tautological. So I didn't bother. In the second place, common sense says that over the last two decades it would take a peculiar sort of mental disability to be blind to what was happening in San Diego. A lot of us have been doing our best to bring it to the attention of reporters, and see nothing happen. Then, a few years too late, the same reporters who refused the story when it was relevant "discovers" the scandal. You want examples? Don and I could provide you a long list. Just look how often Don was blowing the whistle, yet none were willing to hear and repeat the warnings. Instead they reported the propaganda. The ballpark is a particularly egregious example. When it was too late, those same reporters finally got around to mentioning that it was the general fund paying the bills, and the bonds were misstating the city's financial position, which brought in the SEC...and then finally we got your attention. Far too late. What about the ongoing mess with the "system upgrade" downtown? I've sent analysis of the requirements specification and statement of work to reporters...crickets. Then later there's a little report on how the project continues to fail and cost a lot of money. So many examples to support this, Randy, I bet you want to rethink your verdict. Even if it is funny. (continued)— August 27, 2012 11:35 a.m.
Auditor Confirms It: Convention Center Attendance Figures Misleading
Thanks for replying Randy. I do appreciate it and respect you for doing so. 1. Examine the employment numbers and wages for journalists. I'm misleading no one. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/re… http://www.careercast.com/content/10-worst-jobs-2… Who am I misleading when I say your jobs are disappearing. Reading the job woes of reporters in the last decade, and seeing the axe swing at the UT recently, a journalist in San Diego would have to be foolish to believe they've got bright employment prospects. You are a freelancer, so you know just how little security you've got. What evidence do you cite that journalists would not like to exchange that for a livelihood with less stress and better pay? Cocktail party chatter? So perhaps you'd like to tell us a bit about your colleagues who have gone to the Dark Side, as you put it. Braun deserves an article recounting his lustrous career and detailing all the work he's done as a mayoral aid. Then tell the story of VOSD alum, current union spokesmouth, Evan McLaughlin. He made that transition rather comfortably. We'd all like to read about what these two have been up to. (continued)— August 27, 2012 11:27 a.m.
Sweetwater Union High School District bought iPads for all their seventh graders
Susan and Annie, thank you for the warm words. Annie, I ran for the San Diego Community College Board in 1994, after previously serving as the student member in 89-90. In the citywide runoff, I received around 43%...over 73,000 votes. But it was enough to educate me on what it takes to win elected office in San Diego. I got an inside view of how the city is actually run. And that's when I started vocally opposing business as usual, starting with the ballpark rippoff (which sealed my fate as untouchable...how dare anyone oppose baseball). Since then I've continued to participate in San Diego politics. In person, when I'm in town, and online when I'm working elsewhere in the world. Perhaps if I were more civil and complimentary I would be able to get into a position of power to enact changes...but the political process itself changes even good people into charlatans and frauds. Today, they don't even start out with good intentions...look at McCann, who is clearly in politics for a career. Annie and Susan, if my wife would allow me, and I felt I had a reasonable chance, I might run again...but I doubt that's going to happen in my lifetime. Instead, I'm afraid that history will repeat and the American empire will be brought to its knees like the empires that proceeded it. What's happening at this school district is only a small part of what's wrong. I'm following this story mostly because of how much I despise McCann, as a fellow military veteran he is the worst kind of REM pretending to be Rambo, as a fiscal conservative his economically ignorant and transparent brown nosing to the football team in exchange for campaign contributions was disgusting, and seeing his behavior on this school board makes me livid. McCann belongs out of office, and I will help whoever shares that goal.— August 27, 2012 8:56 a.m.
Auditor Confirms It: Convention Center Attendance Figures Misleading
Because they are all in thrall to the same people who profit from keeping the public ignorant on these issues. Jacobs owns PBS and VOSD Papa Doug owns the UT TV and Radio reports little that they haven't read about first. So there's the key to controlling the news in San Diego. The city embargoes the Reader (and sometimes City Beat), denying them information and interviews while spoon feeding it to VOSD, PBS, or the UT. Journalists are scared. Their jobs are disappearing, and they know that their best hope is to leave journalism and join a big company or the government as a mouthpiece. Examples include former political reporter Braun at the UT, who has been working as a highly paid "assistant" to the mayor...but nobody knows what his job actually is. Many speculate it's pure pay off, and Mayor Sanders had no choice but give Braun a sinecure or Braun would have revealed some nasty secrets from Sander's past. See in the view of San Diego's low paid news workers, actually reporting on corruption destroys your leverage for future job negotiations, while keeping mum and extorting money has a great future. Besides, they'll lose their current crummy position if they buck the powers that be... So we get this situation. A bomb shell story, impacting the finances and prospects of the whole city...ignored.— August 27, 2012 12:02 a.m.
Auditor Confirms It: Convention Center Attendance Figures Misleading
Note: Bob Nelson said similar things, and as a longtime PR professional who has always flacked for the worst of San Diego it was surely deliberate, but it was Steve Johnson, the official flack, who said those words on the record. I regret the error.— August 26, 2012 11:35 p.m.
Auditor Confirms It: Convention Center Attendance Figures Misleading
Bob Nelson and I had a dispute in the comments section at VOSD where he made false remarks about the numbers and said similar things about Prof. Sanders. Those comments, sadly, are gone it seems. That's a pity because they should be presented to him by the city auditor. For those of you who don't know who these players are, check out Bob "Say anything for pay" Nelson, proud member of the downtown crowd that has been ripping off San Diego for decades.— August 26, 2012 11:33 p.m.
Auditor Confirms It: Convention Center Attendance Figures Misleading
Also nothing from Voice of San Diego, or City Beat, or any of the radio or TV news outlets... Typical of San Diego. Most of the journalists are too frightened about losing their jobs (and never finding another) to report what's really going on, or too lazy do some genuine research. So they report ConVis press releases as fact, and ignore the real numbers. BTW: The biggest charlatan boosting the convention center's phoney numbers has a name...**Bob Nelson**. **Bob Nelson** should be shamed away from any further public positions of trust for his repeated lies on this issue. He was the one who called the honest man a "whack job".— August 25, 2012 3:55 a.m.
Sweetwater Union High School District bought iPads for all their seventh graders
The real tragedy is that these types of devices HAVE been studied in the classroom... They tend to get in the way of learning, offering more distraction than assistance. At home they're used for games and socializing, not homework. I did research on similar devices for HP tablet PCs when they were pushing their tablets for the schools...the conclusions were clear. It's better to spend money on teachers and curriculum, traditional teaching, and NOT on these gadgets. In addition to the maintenance, software licenses, and other issues...they just doesn't help students learn. I've been working in IT for more than 20 years. I've developed educational software and I've got quite a successful online training program...and I do NOT allow my students to even have their mobile phones on in my classes. So it's not just a waste of money...it actually gets in the way of learning. Nobody who has studied the issue comes to any other conclusion...unless they want to sell you something. Looks like another tragic case where money for the kids gets put in the pockets of adults.— August 25, 2012 3:35 a.m.