Contend With Hands and Faces

Oh Come On Timmy!

Don't get me wrong. I love LAT media writer Tim Rutten. His assesments are often deeply informed, spot on and well written. Not to mention he's been writing some asskicking book reviews lately, but as he chimes in on the Page Six Burkle/Stern scandal, I can't help but think that Rutten might be a bit naive:

Call us simple-minded, but if you put it in a newspaper, aren't you supposed to believe it's true, and aren't the readers supposed to have some degree of confidence that you weren't paid to put it there?

To that I have two words for Mr. Rutten: Trend Piece.

Sink to Gossip, or Turn the Page [LAT]

California Cartels

We can start with the UC system's higher ups. M.R.C. Greenwood, former chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, was given "a year's leave at her $300,000-a-year salary after she resigned during a conflict-of interest investigation," reports the LAT today. This to the chinless, pilfering oaf who signed my diploma! The Governator signed it too. I wonder how much it could fetch on Ebay?

The then there's LA's venerable cultural institutions. This article is a few weeks old but highlights some gross monetary compensation going on. I mean, I guess it's kinda nice to have a philharmonic for the blue haired elites of this city to relish in the golden-era lavishness of provincial cultural consumption, but fuck all. LA Phil music director Esa-Pekka Salonen makes approx. $1,260,639 a year! Today it was reported that President Bush earned just $618,694 last year!

The lesson to be learned here? We're all suckers save for a few lucky assholes!