Sonny

that's the name of a new dog grooming shop in the Seattle area, but few other gals came to mind...

Wendy and Laura | The News is NowPublic.com

In the community where Laura "the Dr." resides, she asked for a local column at the Santa Barbara News-Press. The paper (where she writes loyal-to-Wendy-union-busting-nags) is near death. A traumatic loss for the citizens who know and love the city. Her callous behaviors and writings have made her position clear in what many see as a class war. While Wendy is an "unpaid whore" and "shacks up", Laura made a point to separate on these moral differences. Where they stand united is on the News-Press positions and actions toward workers and the community. Those who do not agree with them are "disloyal" and revenge is what happens. Dialogue is out of the equation, as answering any letters they don't like is not considered in their business plans. Wendy McC was quoted "This is war, you're either with us or against us." In what started as a journalistic integrity and labor dispute is now full on against the community. Laura has behaved like a scab and worse. She is rude and stupid toward the larger community when she uses the local column to promote herself and product. It's more than can be said here. A decent citizen will use their position in the community to benefit the whole. That is not happening. Laura has taken a cowards way out for now. Suddenly her column disappeared with no notice or explanation. Next she claimed to be on "sabbatical" to return in February. Now in the News-Press, she gets a free ad to her site where you can pay to be a member of her family and get product for discount. She continues to use other media and exploit tabloid stories for her sales. Her silence in Santa Barbara speaks louder than her words.

Trances...

I had a dream recently that I can't seem to forget. It was a vivid image of a tree that welcomed me to visit. As I climbed up on the huge trunks that were split in two, I positioned myself and looked up. Through the branches and the bright blue sky, I suddenly saw hundreds of brilliant eyes looking down at me from a deep black sky. Then a voice softly explained why the tree was called the Tree of the Crying Children... as I walked past the first trunk I could hear what sounded like a brief chorus of children, talking loudly, singing, and crying. As I passed to the second trunk, the sound stopped. The setting was one of complete serenity and natural beauty. What could have inspired such a dream? Perhaps it was H. G. Wells. I was reading the first chapter of " The Soul of a Bishop" and some of the dream imagery was similar to the book. The children are crying for a reason. Perhaps they will never stop....

.. classism, racism and elitism taking hold in Santa Barbara, Simi Valley..ch-ch-ch-CHANGES!!! Workers pitted against the ruling class at paper..

Wake up Santa Barbara!!

If you do business with the News_Press, you are aiding and abetting a crazy, rich- by - gettin'-unhitched woman..why not show some backbone and pull all advertising for a month..until she learns how to treat employees

quotes from Blogs around town

"Cole won't talk about this, because he more than anybody knows how Wendy loves to torture people with torts and writs, but those close to him will tell you that he was canned by Wendy for "being too friendly" with the workers. And this was months before all the rancor over Jerry Roberts began."

"I would like to know how many actually signed the ad from the NP and how many of those that did sign were management. If 60 signed out of 200 employees, that is only 30% and if 1/2 of those are management, then what percentage of hourly employees signed. That should tell everyone a whole lot about the job satisfaction level at the NP!"

"I am so angry about all this crap- I went to march yesterday to represent all the readers who are losing out, who just simply want to read about their community and all that goes on around us. We deserve a town paper that respects us- not one that figures we are idiots. I proudly demand my paper back."

Santa Barbara..tries to keep the homeless out of De La Guerra Plaza any way they can..there but for fortune..go you or I

Simi Valley..wants to stop street peddlers from selling their goods..so you can't buy avocados, the Hot Dog Man would be outta biz if he lived there and I couldn't hawk a CD! Simple, blatant racism/classism..SIMI... FOR SHAME!

Nature Deficit Disorder

I think everyone, except me, suffers from NDD. What are you doing reading this blog!? You should be outside fishing or picking blueberries...

In the not-so-distant past, kids ruled the country's woods and valleys -- running in packs, building secret forts and tree houses, hunting frogs and fish, playing hide-and-seek behind tall grasses. But in the last 30 years, says journalist Richard Louv, children of the digital age have become increasingly alienated from the natural world, with disastrous implications, not only for their physical fitness, but also for their long-term mental and spiritual heath.

What is nature-deficit disorder?

It's the cumulative effect of withdrawing nature from children's experiences, but not just individual children. Families too can show the symptoms -- increased feelings of stress, trouble paying attention, feelings of not being rooted in the world. So can communities, so can whole cities. Really, what I'm talking about is a disorder of society -- and children are victimized by it.

So turn off your cell phone and check out Louv's book and then.... whoops..gotta go ..my cell's ringing....

and, of course, Wendy and Rob Lowe...

The LA Times reports that 2000 copies of the Chapman college student newspaper was stolen from campus racks. The paper contained an in-depth article on Susan Paterno's story on the News-Press and her legal travails. Wendy has issues with Paterno, a professor at Orange County's Chapman University, the reporter who wrote "Santa Barbara Smackdown" for American Journalism Review.

Well, it appears that Paterno was trying to get interviews with Dr. Laura and Rob Lowe for the "smackdown" story..both declined!

The Sound of Silence

By Susan Paterno From AJR, October/November 2006 The paper's (Santa Barbara New-Press) recently hired local columnist, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the syndicated radio commentator, requested that I send her questions in advance before she would "commit to an interview," she wrote in an e-mail. As I was responding to Schlessinger, I received a call from Mike Paul, who described himself as "Dr. Laura's global PR consultant." He said Schlessinger is "a global brand, and she gets media opportunities all the time. If you don't provide the questions, then we can't help you." A few hours later, he followed up with another e-mail: "Let me be more clear: Dr. Laura and her team have decided to not participate at all with your story."

Not to be outdone, a publicist for actor Rob Lowe, whose request to have his address kept out of the paper sparked a major controversy, said Lowe would have no comment on the News-Press, now and "forever."

Would Rob or Laura, both Wendy loyalists, have reason to remove the Chapman papers? I dunno, but here's more, from the Book of Revelations:

" Schlessinger will claim she has dealt with the sham that she is a "psychologist". It benefits her image when her global PR firm is sloppy here, and does not notify for a correction. Schlessinger never had a Ph.D. in behavioral sciences. She misuses the title and benefits from this oversight because something like 98% of her radio act listeners believe she is a credible behavioral science Dr. The dictionary has several ways to define QUACK, in one example # "3. being a quack: a quack psychologist who complicates everyone's problems." is most fitting. Quack is the nicest term used in her town of residence. More people refer to her as charlatan or fraud. It can be said she is a quack and what she does is a radio act. In her global quest we hope people are smart and do more research. DO THE RIGHT THING. Don't hesitate to contact newspapers and bloggers who are taken in by the "psychologist" shams. The advertisers need to know what the public wants......

You sit in front of a machine, put in your money, pull a lever for an hour or two or three, and think you are gonna get rich..the tribe thanks you..drink some wine from Firestone Vineyards, Brookes thanks you, or get really toasted, Jack Daniels thanks you..then you drive home..what are you, an idiot??

The Chumash always like to play the role of the victim..poor little tribes are just trying to make up for the abuse at the hands of the white man. What better way than to engage in activities that create more social problems! Bring the silliness of Las Vegas to the Santa Ynez valley! The SB county Board of Supervisors held a hearing to find out the tribe's intentions...Tribe chairman Armenta was miffed as usual about his treatment by the county. After all, he just wants to expand and look after the tribe's interest.

While a few speakers at the hearing told of the evils of compulsive gambling, Carp city councilman Joe Armendariz was there to support the tribe, telling the BOS they are not there to legislate morality. This from a guy who crashed his car while drunk! He even professed hislove for Brooksie! Hey, I don't care what folks do with their time unless the activities spill over to my life. As a taxpayer, I gotta help foot the bill for processing killers, drunks and thieves! Maybe we should legislate morality to keep those without self-control off the streets! He claims the folks in the valley should embrace all the money being made by the tribes and forget about the increased crime related to the casino culture..robbery, drunkenness, addiction to name a few. This is not about morality, this is about a social disease: GAMBLING. The only way they can house 5000 more slot machines is to build another casino. I don't care about tribe sovereignty, they should not be allowed to build willy-nilly anywhere they want. If they want to expand, they should go to Vegas and broker some sort of land swap deal.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is enabling the tribe claiming he can balance the California budget with their profits! Up to his old tricks! No more gaming!

SAVE CALIFORNIA ...from Las Vegas mentality!!

On his radio show, The Travis Armstrong (HAPPY) Hour, AM 1290, he suggests it just kills him when people exercise free speech to a private business owner. He thinks there should be a limit to free expression, especially when the speech is directed at Wendy McC! This is complete nonsense. The management at the News-Press must really feel threatened by the recent De La Guerra Plaza demonstrations if they want to rewrite the US Constitution and California law..free speech is protected whether you are a public or private citizen..you can't shut people up just because you employ them. This is more evidence that this group of people, Wendy, Travis and Nipper, have created a little kingdom by the sea with Craig McCaw's divorce payoff to Wendy. The kingdom is based on Wendy's rule and her version of how things ought to be,which is contrary to reality.

Dr. Freud, I Presume...

but Travis continues to miss the point..this is all about Wendy, not free speech! Now, a psychology study of the situation is an excellent idea! Travis says demonstrators outside the NP building are "humiliating themselves"! First lesson: What is humiliation? It is simply feeling bad about doing what your gut tells you, and worrying too much about what others think of you..it is a neurotic, conservative trait. It is mind game used by "authority" to control individuals. If you are doing what you believe is right, you can NEVER be humiliated!

However, if you drive drunk the wrong way up a one way street, YOU WILL BE FOREVER HUMILIATED! You will spend your life projecting that disowned shame onto others..just like Travis is doing! It is a defense mechanism designed to lower anxiety, if only for a minute. If not worked on and corrected, it will become a permanent part of a non-integrated personality...

What's Up with Country Radio..do you remember the Americans, where did they go?

Country stations quit playing the Chicks in 2003 after singer Natalie Maines told a London audience: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas. Almost overnight, Maines became a lightning rod in the debate over the Iraq war, with conservatives blasting her for criticizing the president, especially while on foreign soil.

Now, I know the only folks who listen to modern country radio are from Fresno or Nebraska, and are a little retarded..but I say "GET OVER IT"! The chicks got the right to say whatever they want! Remember "Ruby, Don't Take your Love to Town" by Kenny Rogers (written by Mel Tillis). It was a clever anti-war song. Every station played it..there was no segregation of music then. Now, there is. The heartland of America has lost its soul! Rural, conservative America has become paranoid and un-american! Would they play Sonny's latest hit ??

Dr. Sonny says: BURN YOUR BIBLES AND START ANEW!!

They are outraged," said Tony Lama, program director for KXNP in North Platte, Neb. "This is rural, conservative America. They are just disgusted."

Santa Barbara Channels 17 & 21

When you want to see raw, imperfect, creative, real TV, these channels can't be beat. Talk shows like Ernie Soloman or music showcases like "Musical Cafe" with Chrissy Strassburg are examples of local folks sharing their talents. Anybody can have a platform there.

Now, when Travis Armstrong of the News-Press starts to question the right for local commercial-free TV to exist, there can only be one reason. That reason is the channels are showing video of the demonstrations against Wendy! The News-Press would like nothing more than to censor this station. Travis actually requested people email him with any dirt on the channels to bolster his case! This is what he has been reduced to: Wendy's loyal omega lapdog, on his back, yelping submissively. The fact remains, he doesn't have a case. You can't silence people simply because you don't like what they say or do. Libertarians know better, fascists do not!

The decline of the News-Press is relevant in that the rise of other media have rendered it all but irrelevant! People are turning to blogs and websites for some info and fun. This is obviously a problem to the News-Press management..they are being exposed and outsmarted by bloggers. Get out of the darkness and come to the light..Wendy, EXPOSE YOURSELF!

pusssy..and the NewsPress transition is complete!

Since his acting career hit the skids, Rob has been hired by the NewsPress as a reporter covering the Montecito Beat! His first story will be " Trust Fund Babies..the Future of Montecito"

Meanwhile, Wendy has fired all her old reporters for trying to join a union. That leaves Rob, Dr. Laura, Steepleweighsaton and the Associated Press automated news service to provide local insight. This was a very creative and shrewd business move by Wendy and a welcomed change from the old paper which tended to clutter the pages with actual local news stories!

Nipper has been promoted to a new position as Wendy's "loyalty advisor"..annual salary around $500,000.

I tried to get an interview with Agnes Huff, but I hear she's holed up in an L.A. hotel with a bottle of scotch.... I'll keep trying

Wendy..her paranoid obsession with loyalty makes J. Edgar hoover look like Bambi!

Dr. Laura..insists everyone live their lives in such a way that doesn't make her uncomfortable!

Astronaut Lisa..doesn't like to share. Wanted to scare her romantic rival so she came up with this plan: stalk her, scare her, confront her and assault her with pepper spray. To hasten the meeting, she barreled in her car, nonstop, across country to her destination. What about bathroom breaks? NOT NEEDED because she wore diapers! Gotta love her creativity...

Travis..Wendy's alter-ego and I hear they wear the same dress size and just LOVE pink slips..

Ted Haggard... (yet another psycho hypocritical Christian) the Senior Pastor of New Life Church, President of the National Association of Evangelicals who resigned after a gay sex scandal. After intense counseling was declared "completely heterosexual!" ... but we know better Ted- once a lady, always a lady.....

from Dr. Sonny

While on her sabbatical from the NewsPress, it seems Dr. Laura took my advice and got herself a blog! DR Laura'sBlog

However, while she dispenses advice, I'll be giving her advice! For starters, Dr. Laura advovates lying to protect a person's feelings!

Dr. Laura says: Some folks used the “truth” as a weapon to hurt or feel/appear superior. I have spent many minutes in many calls trying to pull people back from that temptation.
You must always ask yourself, “What benefit is it to the person to know…whatever?” There are many times I have advised people to hold back on seemingly huge information because it would be severely damaging. For example, I have told men not to tell their children that the child is not “biologically” theirs. A common situation is when the woman was already pregnant by a sperm-donor type guy, and the caller stepped up to the plate and married her and raised the child as his/their own. Years later, they “worry” that the child has a right to the truth. I tell them that this child will be severely hurt by this disclosure and that they should go to their graves with that “truth.”

Dr. Sonny says : Dr. Laura, this is sheer nonsense. All you are doing is modeling a lie! When the kids grow up, they will find out the real story from another source. They will wonder why the parent didn't have the guts to tell the truth, and trust will be forever broken. Hiding appropriate information from kids is a neurotic tendency..don't pass it on! FIX IT!

Dr. Laura says: Some Viewpoints Don't Deserve Respect..I don’t respect the point of view of single women, by choice, thinking they are equivalent to a mom and a dad, married and in love. Those are just a few of my favorite “no respect” things. A few weeks back I got into a bit of a row with an acquaintance who had attended the same charity function as I, during which a recipient of an award behaved in a graceless and rude manner because she was at political odds with the host.

Dr. Sonny says: The event in question was the BILTMORE BASH! Now, I don't know Sara McCune, but her statement about wanting to own the NP next year ruffled a lot of feathers among the Montecito social circuit and set their hair on fire!! The circuit is made up of airhead nitwit women who have too much money and time on their hands for their own good! The gasps were of "rude, inappropriate" behavior by Mrs. McCune..but I say "Way to go , Sara!" ... put these phonies in their place! Sara outclasses Laura by a country mile!

Single women have every right to raise their children as they see fit, as do single men. It happens all the time. When a spouse dies, one parent raises the kids, usually with help from aunts and uncles..it's no big deal. The ideal american family postcard that Dr. Laura tries so hard to sell is a fake..just like she is!

NO!

Marriage is an institution that needs to die a quick death. Human nature simply will not allow people to stay together longer than they should without creating extreme stress. Kids will be better off as they unlearn the clinging, needy behavior that marriage covets. Adults will be more realistic, practical and fullfilled in their relationships..and no more needless suffering. Today, if you get married in California and your spouse divorces you 30 minutes later, she can grab half your assets under the nutty community property law! What a ripoff!

Think of it! No more affairs, no more divorces! It's the way of the future.. So when your love asks you to marry..just say "NO WAY"! and we'll all live happily ever after...

Just when I was starting to enjoy the maturing canopies of lower State Street, the city cuts all the trees down! The reasons stated were to replace the sidewalks yet again. These side walks have been revamped numerous times.WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY! If safety is the main reason, then get it right! Find a good design and stick with it. However, I think the real reason is the tourists. Let's face it: State Street is for tourists..pamper them until the locals get sick. Well, I think we're sick enough. Removing the trees was a stupid move and the blame lies with the non-union city administrators..the guys that shoot in the dark and make the big bucks. A lot of theses folks are transplants from denuded south cities beach areas where shopping is more valued than coastal trees. The benefits of trees are endless. Cutting them down to pretty-up the sidewalks for tourists is a crime!

New-Press Obsession with City of Santa Barbara

The News Press hasn't missed the opportunity to jump all over the City for cutting down the trees. Their outrage is a ruse. The real reason they keep repeating the tree incident in the editorials is because the city told them to remove their illegal green fence that screened the News Press parking lot from the real world! (McCaw, Obey the Law signs were on some employees cars)

A daily newspaper publisher complaining about trees being cut down is rather silly! How many trees were chopped to publish the paper for one year?? TOO MANY!