I don't mean to pick a fight, I think. And lord knows the Village Voice has had a great history, and of course still has far more readers than does our humble operation. But the news that they're dropping Tom Tomorrow made me realize how long it's been since I bothered to pick up a copy.

When I moved to New York nine years ago, the Voice seemed like an oasis of progressive opinion in an apathetic America and a Guiliani-ized New York. But now I'm not sure it has any relevance - much less so since it was sold to the Great Homogenizer of alternative media, the New Times.

A comment at Tomorrow's petition made the point: "I don't get it. Time Out is a better entertainment publication that is the VV. Classifieds? Craigslist. If you don't have stuff like TMW, what do you have?"

That's exactly it. I'm still a fan of Wayne Barrett, and I suppose Musto is fun, but what else? Christgau is gone. Ridgeway is gone. The muckraking and community-building function that the Voice once served is now amply covered by the blogs, and if it's trying to turn into a zippy gossipy pop culture rag in reaction, well it's a pretty crowded niche there, too. So really, what's the point?

Harumph. When did the Village Voice go pro-appeasement? Or why exactly do their new corporate masters want to cancel brilliantly subversive cartoonist Tom Tomorrow, if not to make their publication less, you know, dirty stinking hippie? To please god knows whom, presumably advertisers?

This is, in a word, ridiculous. There's a petition you can sign, here, to let the Voice know that you disagree with their decision. Be polite, but be firm. At this writing, 943 people have already signed.

Put an end to this silliness.

(Hat tip to The Albany Project)

I refuse to give The New York Times the hard earned Google juice and page rank I have earned with my blogs. When I checked out their new design I noticed their "Most blogged" box linking to .... no blogs. Excuse me? How can you know it is most blogged if you don't show who is blogging to you in the first place?

Well, I'm glad I am not the only one who noticed.

[via New York Times faux "most blogged" list -- what a bunch of leeches. - The Jason Calacanis Weblog]:

Just when you think the NYT is starting to get it they create a "Most Blogged" list *without* the back up data of who's blogging the stories!!!

Come on NYT... would it kill you to link to a blog!??!?!?!

Let me get this straight: you'll mine the data from the blogosphere to make your list, but you won't reward the blogosphere by linking back?!?!?!

That makes you a bunch of leeches--you take but you give nothing.

You see, the more we link to them, the not only the more traffic the get, but the higher in Google ranking they will be. And that is worth money. A. LOT. OF. MONEY. Jason Calacanis knows this. That's why he calls them leeches.

So boo to them.

Washington Post, on the other hand ... Thanks to Technorati, they get my heart-felt, "Yeah!"

Sure, they fucked up royally with Ben Domenech, but at least they acknowledge the existence of blogs ... more importantly my blogs.

Other blog friendly publications?

*Please join
Dr. Darin Burdman when he presents to
The Manhattan Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) Support Group

Chiropractic Treatment for People with ADD
+ Learn about effective Chiropractic treatments.
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Dr. Burdman has experienced fantastic results with Straight
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Straight Chiropractic can be used in combination and without
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Please attend and bring your questions.
Date: Time: Doors open at 6:30
Thursday April 27, 2006 Presentation: 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Location: Information:
Congregation Ansche Chesed; www.maaddsg.org
Please use the entrance on 100th St.
* We request a $5.00 Donation to defray expenses