Tom during his Lorain Journal days

Tom & wife Dot

 Once the lad from Lorain

BJ newsroom retiree Tom Moore has buried more newspapers than Tony Ritter just by showing up for work. J

Sorry, Tom, I couldn’t resist.

Tom's 41-year newspaper career included the Zanesville News, Columbus Citizen and Columbus Citizen Journal. All went belly-up.

Eventually Tom came to the BJ, where John S. Knight began building the Knight Newspaper chain. We all know what happened, right, Tom? 

Tony Ritter sold Knight-Ridder into extinction so he could buy more yachts and throw more parties.

Seriously, the photo shows Tom early in his career, at the Lorain Journal. He’s the guy sitting in front of the wire machines. If you’re under 50, have your journalism grandfather explain to you what they are.

Thomas the Tank Engine and Tom the conductor

Let Tom clarify:

“This was the news and copy desk of the Lorain Journal. The editor and I edited the  A-section. The editor drew the pages every day. The news and city editor took care of the local news pages and the state editor took care of news from correspondents in the area.

“At that time it was a great place to work and these guys are some you won't find any more. They were always looking for stories and would write them themselves if a reporter wasn't available. Long live good journalism.”

Marvin Katz, whose 40-year career included the BJ, was at the Lorain paper in 1958-60, in the Elyria bureau with Andy Cota. Marv retired in 1998.

Today, the giant building that housed the Journal in downtown Lorain is nearly empty. One room is used for a handful of ad people and a few reporters. The rest is just vacant.

Sounds a lot like the three-story BJ structure, doesn’t it, which razed its parking lot, sold the printing presses and is trying unsuccessfully to get someone to occupy the first two floors while putting out a newspaper on the third floor with about 60 people, down a long ways from my 1996 retirement when there were 250?

Tom was born Dec. 14, 1930 in Richmond, Virginia, but was adopted by Spotswood and Virginia Moore in Tazewell, Virginia. "I didn't know I was adopted until I was 21," Tom said.

Tom's 41-year newspaper career included the Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph.  Bluefield, West Virginia, was the birthplace of the legendary John S. Knight. But JSK left at the age of 3 when his family moved on its way to starting the Knight Newspapers empire.

In addition, Tom for four years worked part-time in the Ohio State Patrol headquarters in Columbus, editing the patrol's magazine, The Flying Wheel.

As Tom ID’ed the guys in the Loraine photo: From left, Brian MacMara, guy by name of Totten, Tom next to the wire machines and Editor Ed Lapping.

Brian and Tom both went to Columbus, then Akron.

Shame or shame on shamers?

When should professional journalists join in public shaming?

If public officials try to keep public documents from the public or a greedy corporation is abusing its lowest paid workers, that’s a pile-on no-brainer.

But what about the guy who tried to shame people on the N train in New York City and wound up “shaming” the homeless and people with acne?

Or Justine Sacco, who tweeted, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!” and got fired after the public outrage?

Journalists need to decide whether it’s newsworthy or they are just piling on with people who vent their anger via the Internet as a cathartic.

To read the entire Kelly McBride article in Poynter.com, click on http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/326097/journalism-and-public-shaming-some-guidelines/

 Retired BJ printer Hugh Downing and BJ Guild retiree John Olesky played golf together for the seventh time today since John and Paula arrived in The Villages, Florida on Jan. 1.

Hugh and wife Sharon have been living in The Villages, where 100,000 people in 50,000 golf carts cavort morning, afternoon and night, for more than a dozen years.

In their foursome today was a guy from New Jersey that the computer with 10,000 tee times linked up with John for a third time (and put John in the foursome behind the Jersey guy another time).

That’s Hugh on the right, John in the middle and Joisy Jent on the left in the photo.

Another, better look at the life of Pete Geiger

Sandy Geiger, the late BJ reporter Pete Geiger’s wife who lives in the Penney Farms, Florida, Christian retirement community, was kind enough to send me the funeral home sheet on Pete which provided some information I didn’t know about the best religion writer in BJ history.

Pete passed away in his sleep Jan. 29, 2015, only 10 days after Pete and Sandy and their son, Bill Geiger of a Detroit suburb, had lunch with former BJ editor John Olesky and former State Desk reporter Paula Tucker in Leesburg, Florida.

Pete between wife Sandy & John Olesky 
10 days before his death

Additional details about Pete’s life:

He was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, and attended Boys High School in Philadelphia and is a psychology graduate of Eastern Baptist College (later re-named Eastern University).

He wrote the Elvis Presley obituary that was published around the world and used instead of the one sent by some newspapers’ reporters who were on the scene because Pete got the funeral details – including the names of celebrities who attended -- while hitchhiking a ride back to Akron from Memphis on Rex Humbard’s private plane. All those years of covering the televangelist's activities paid off big-time.

He taught journalism at Malone College in Canton.

Pete and Sandra Kay Geiger taught English for a 13 years in Mongolia. They were married 53 years.

The funeral home tome also quotes liberally from the BJ Alums tribute to Pete that I wrote shortly after his death. (Click on http://bjretirees.blogspot.com/search?q=Pete+Geiger+passes+away to read that tribute to Pete).

Pete leaves his wife, Sandy; son Bill Geiger of Roseville, Michigan, a Detroit suburb; son Roger Geiger of Gainesville, Florida; daughter Virginia Ross Biss of North Canton; sister Judith Ann Runte of Germany, who shared her memories of Pete at the funeral home services; sisters-in-law Peggie Geiger of West Hartford, Connecticut, and Laurie Klein; brother-in-law Bob Klein of Huntington Valley, Pennsylvania; and 10 grandchildren.

RIP, again, Pete. I loved your low-key humor with a twinkle in your eyes, and that you once said I gave you the best career advice you had ever gotten (what it was will remain between Pete and me till we meet the other Peter in Heaven) at a rocky time at the BJ for you.

It was one of the most flattering things anyone has ever said to me in my 82 years, 4 months and 5 days on this planet.

B-r-o-u-h-a-h-a

PD/former BJ entertainment critic Mark Dawidziak’s thespian buddy, retired Stow educator Tom Stephan, got caught in a heated dispute over a shouted letter of a word from the audience.

 

Tom Stephan

Stephan is the Spelling Bee’s longtime pronouncer. At Saturday’s regional finals at the Akron-Summit County Public Library,  the contest was interrupted for 20 minutes while judges tried to decide what to do.

Parents and coaches argued the rules and lobbied the judges, sometimes heatedly. I guess Little League parents have counterparts at Spelling Bees, too.

To read humorist/columnist Bob Dyer’s article on the spat, click on http://www.ohio.com/news/local/bob-dyer-brouhaha-challenges-top-spellers-1.573195?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Altered Chip Bok cartoon at center of brouhaha

Tumblr.com has removed an altered version of a cartoon by former (22-year) BJ cartoonist Chip Bok and warned the perpetrators that two more strikes and they will be banned from the web site.

Chip Bok

They took Chip’s cartoon about Net Neutrality, changed the words in the balloon, but kept Chip's signature and artwork, making it look like Chip did it.

Their defense: Parody is protected by Supreme Court rulings. Chip’s syndicators said it was a copyright violation of the Bokblusters cartoon.

By the way, Chip was born Arthur Bernard Bok III before he began his cartoonist career in 7^th grade math class. He got paid for cartoons at the Clearwater (Florida) Sun and the Miami Herald before he joined the BJ in 1987. 

The University of Dayton graduate was named  Best Editorial Cartoonist nationally in 1995 and 1999 and was a Pulitzer finalist in 1997. And has more awards than you can shake a cartoonist’s pen at.

Chip and wife Deb have 4 children.

You can check out the controversy for yourself by clicking on

http://agoodcartoon.tumblr.com/post/113088254975/hi-weve-received-a-notification-of-alleged

If you really want to be confused about how the Supreme Court determines whether it’s parody protected under free speech or a copyright infringement, click on http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/parody-satire

Marijuana deposits 4 times more tar in lungs than tobacco cigarettes

When equal amounts of marijuana and tobacco are smoked, marijuana deposits four times as much tar into the lungs. This is because marijuana joints are unfiltered and often more deeply inhaled than cigarettes.

Like tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals.  There are 33 cancer-causing chemicals in marijuana.

For a long time THC levels averaged 2.3 percent in marijuana. Today, average THC levels are higher than 8 percent and can go up to 35 percent in medical marijuana.

Not judging; just informing.

For more information from the American Lung Association, click on http://www.lung.org/associations/states/colorado/tobacco/marijuana.html

Alpert’s Whipped Cream Lady is 79

Cleveland's Dolores Erickson

Dolores Erickson, a 1954 Cleveland High School graduate who achieved fame as the Whipped Cream Lady on the cover of the 1965 Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass’ “Whipped Cream & Other Delights” album, is 79 and living in Longview, California.

The former Eieen Ford model in New York still works at her art studio and is in good health. “I still don’t take any pills,” says Dolores.

She has a message for those boys now all grown-up: “Enjoy the view.”

As in the “Whipped Cream” album cover, seemingly naked but covered in what is supposed to be whipping cream.

“Whipped Cream” spent 141 weeks on Billboard’s Top 40 albums chart.

In later years, at concerts, Alpert would tell audiences, “Sorry, but I can’t play the cover for you."

“I looked at it as being an ice cream sundae,” Erickson says.

Her modeling career began when she was 14 and won a contest at the Frederick & Nelson department store in downtown Seattle. She became a staff model for Macy’s in San Francisco. Her movie and TV career mostly consisted of bit parts.

Covering a trial? Start with a spreadsheet

How do you get a handle on covering the Boston Marathon bombings trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. 

A spreadsheet.

It helps keep track of the timelines and the witnesses and the events, said Boston Globe data and multimedia editor Laura Amico.

Reporting and technology, hand in hand.

To read the article, click on http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/325301/how-the-boston-globe-is-covering-the-boston-marathon-bombing-trial/

The bombings happened in 2013. Tsarnaev’s attorneys admit he did the bombings, but blames the influence and domination of his brother, Tamerian, who was killed as Dzhokhar ran him over with his car while trying to escape a shootout with police.

The trial began last week.

Nearly 1 in 4 bounced for re-touching photos

World Press Photos rescinded a first-place award and disqualified 22 percent of the entries that made the penultimate round.

Why? They retouched their photos digitally.

What are they, Playboy Magazine wannabees?

Disqualified after being chosen for the Contemporary Issues award was Giovanni Troilo, an Italian independent photographer, who submitted a 10-photograph series depicting the gritty Charleroi city of Belgium.

To read the entire article, click on http://www.poynter.org/news/mediawire/325217/photojournalism-ethics-needs-a-reexamination/  

Newspapers in Ohio

Ignore the ACF, etc. stuff

Ada  Ada Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Akron  Akron Beacon Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Akron  Akron Legal News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Akron  Akron.com (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Alliance  The Review (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Antwerp  West Bend News (A) (C) (F) (W)
Archbold  Archbold Buckeye (A) (C) (F) (W)
Ashland  Ashland Times Gazette (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Ashtabula  Ashtabula Star Beacon (A) (C) (F) (W)
Athens  Athens Messenger (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Athens  Athens News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Aurora  Aurora Advocate (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Barberton  Barberton Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Batavia  Clermont Sun (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Beavercreek  News Current (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Bellefontaine  Bellefontaine Examiner (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Bellevue  Bellevue Gazette (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Bowling Green  Sentinel Tribune (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Bryan  Bryan Times (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Buckeye Lake  Buckeye Lake Beacon (A) (C) (W)
Bucyrus  Telegraph Forum (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Cadiz  Harrison News Herald (A) (C) (F) (W) (V)
Cambridge  Daily Jeffersonian (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Canton  Canton Repository (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Carey  Progressor Times (A) (C) (F) (W)
Carrollton  Free Press Standard (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Celina  Daily Standard (A) (C) (F) (W)
Chagrin Falls  Chagrin Valley Times (A) (C) (F) (W)
Chillicothe  Chillicothe Gazette (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Cincinnati  Cincinnati Business Courier (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Cincinnati  Cincinnati Call and Post (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Cincinnati  Cincinnati City Beat (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Cincinnati  Cincinnati Enquirer (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Cincinnati  Cincinnati Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Circleville  Circleville Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Cleveland  Cleveland Scene (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Cleveland  Crain's Cleveland Business (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Cleveland  Daily Legal News (A) (C) (W)
Cleveland  NE Ohio Media Group (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Cleveland  News-Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Cleveland  Plain Dealer (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Clyde  Clyde Enterprise (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Columbus  Business First (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Columbus  Columbus Alive (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Columbus  Columbus Dispatch (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Columbus  Columbus Post (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Columbus  Daily Reporter (A) (C) (F) (W)
Columbus  This Week (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Cortland  Cortland News (A) (C) (F) (W)
Coshocton  Coshocton Tribune (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Dayton  Dayton Business Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Dayton  Dayton Daily News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Dayton  Wright-Patterson Skywrighter (A) (C) (F) (W)
Defiance  Crescent-News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Delaware  Delaware Gazette (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Delphos  Daily Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
East Liverpool  Review (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Eaton  Register-Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Elyria  Chronicle-Telegram (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Englewood  Englewood Independent (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Enon  Enon Eagle (A) (C) (F) (W)
Fairborn  Fairborn Daily Herald (A) (C) (F) (W)
Fairfield  Todays Pulse (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Findlay  Courier (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Fostoria  Review Times (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Fremont  News-Messenger (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Galion  Galion Inquirer (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Gallipolis  Gallipolis Daily Tribune (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Georgetown  News Democrat (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Granville  Granville Sentinel (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Greenville  Daily Advocate (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Hamilton  Journal-News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Hamilton  Lindenwald Ledger (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Hicksville  News-Tribune (A) (C) (W)
Hillsboro  Times-Gazette (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Hubbard  Review Newspapers (A) (C) (F) (W)
Huber Heights  Huber Heights Courier (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Ironton  Ironton Tribune (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Jackson  Times-Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Kenton  Kenton Times (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Lakewood  Lakewood Observer (A) (C) (F) (W) (V)
Lancaster  Eagle Gazette (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Lebanon  Todays Pulse (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Lima  Lima News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Lima  the 419 (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Lisbon  Morning Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Logan  Logan Daily News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
London  Madison Press (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Lorain  Morning Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Mansfield  News Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Marietta  Marietta Times (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Marion  Marion Star (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Martins Ferry  Times Leader (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Marysville  Marysville Journal-Tribune (A) (C) (F) (W)
Mason  Todays Pulse (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Massillon  Independent (A) (C) (F) (W) (V)
McConnelsville  Morgan County Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Medina  Medina Gazette (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Middletown  Middletown Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Millbury  Press (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Mount Vernon  Mount Vernon News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Napoleon  Northwest Signal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
New Carlisle  New Carlisle News (A) (C) (F) (W)
New London  Firelands Farmer (A) (C) (W)
New London  New London Record (A) (C) (W)
New Philadelphia  Times Reporter (A) (C) (F) (W)
Newark  Advocate (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Norwalk  Norwalk Reflector (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Ottawa  Putnam County Sentinel (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Ottawa Hills  Village Voice (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Oxford  Oxford Press (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Pataskala  Pataskala Standard (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Paulding  Paulding County Progress (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Perrysburg  Messenger Journal (A) (C) (F) (W)
Pickerington  Pickerington Times Sun (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Piqua  Piqua Daily Call (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Pomeroy  Pomeroy Daily Sentinel (A) (C) (F) (W)
Port Clinton  Beacon (A) (C) (F) (W)
Port Clinton  News Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Portsmouth  Portsmouth Times (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Ravenna  Record Courier (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Ripley  Ripley Bee (A) (C) (W)
Rossford  Rossford Record Journal (A) (C) (F) (W)
Saint Marys  St. Marys Evening Leader (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Salem  Salem News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Sandusky  Huron Co. Morning Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Sandusky  Sandusky Register (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Shelby  Daily Globe (A) (C) (W)
Sidney  Sidney Daily News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Springfield  Outlook (A) (C) (W)
Springfield  Springfield News-Sun (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Springfield  Springfield Paper (A) (C) (F) (W)
Steubenville  Herald-Star (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Stow  Record-Courier (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Stow  Stow Sentry (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Struthers  Hometown Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Stryker  Village Reporter (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Sunbury  Sunbury News (A) (C) (F) (W)
Tiffin  Advertiser-Tribune (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Tipp City  Tippecanoe Gazette (A) (C) (F) (W)
Tipp City  TippNews Daily (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Tipp City  Weekly Record Herald (A) (C) (F) (W)
Toledo  La Prensa (A) (C) (F) (W)
Toledo  Point & Shoreland Journal (A) (C) (F) (W)
Toledo  Toledo Blade (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Toledo  Toledo City Paper (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Toledo  Toledo Free Press (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Troy  Troy Daily News (A) (C) (F) (W)
Upper Sandusky  Daily Chief-Union (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Urbana  Urbana Daily Citizen (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Van Wert  Times-Bulletin (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Van Wert  Van Wert Independent (A) (C) (W)
Vandalia  Vandalia Drummer News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Wapakoneta  Wapakoneta Daily News (A) (C) (F) (W)
Warren  Tribune Chronicle (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Washington CH  Record Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Waverly  Pike County News Watchman (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Wellington  North Forty News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
West Union  People's Defender (A) (C) (F) (W)
West Unity  Village Reporter (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Westlake  Westlife (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Willard  Times-Junction (A) (C) (W)
Willoughby  News-Herald (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Wilmington  News-Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Wooster  Daily Record (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Xenia  Xenia Gazette (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Yellow Springs  Yellow Springs News (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Youngstown  Business Journal (A) (C) (F) (T) (W) (V)
Youngstown  Metro Monthly (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Youngstown  Vindicator Online (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)
Zanesville  Times Recorder (A) (C) (F) (T) (W)