Jonathan D. Blundell

According to Dallasblog:

WSJ: PAGE ONE ADS COMING
The Wall Street Journal will begin running ads on its front page in September, perhaps influencing other financially-strapped newspapers to adopt page one ads. Meanwhile, the New York Times has announced that it will reduce the width of its pages in 2008, losing about 5 percent of its news space. The Journal will move to a smaller page size in January. Both papers ran stories about the changes Wednesday.
Newspapers across the country, facing declining classified ad sales, higher news print costs and drooping circulation, are seeking creative ways to pump up profits. The Journal will offer a “jewel box” space in the lower right-hand corner of the front page or a “banner” running along the bottom of the page. USA Today has run a strip ad along the bottom of its front page since 1999, and now most other Gannett papers also run page one ads.
And why not? Internet viewers have gotten used to banner ads on home pages, and newspapers must take some steps to counter the influence of the blogosphere. Sure, page one space has been sacred, but looking back in history, newspaper sold front page space. In recent months, the Journal has begun offering ad space on some of its other section fronts and on European and Asian editions. The paper’s publisher says that hasn’t been an issue with readers. With 1.7 million in circulation, the WSJ is second in print circulation to USA Today. Many readers will recall when the Dallas Morning News had a daily Neiman-Marcus ad on its local news front.
As for the reduction in the size of the WSJ, the paper will shrink by three inches next year. But publisher Gordon Crovitz says the same amount of information will be published, even with the narrower width and page one ad. The reduced size could prove popular with readers, particularly business travelers who try to read the extra-wide WSJ on airplanes.
The NYT, which just reported flat second-quarter earnings, also plans to close one printing plant, thus cutting one-third or about 250 of its production jobs in the New York region. The company eliminated 700 other jobs over the last year.

Our lead story in today’s paper is about a fight that broke out during a church league softball game in Waxahachie.
There’s so much fun you could have with a headline on this story…
Ferris Avenue Baptist of Waxahachie and Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Ennis apparently had enough of each other and had an all out brawl at the end of their game Monday night.
According to witnesses, a member of the Ferris Avenue team was knocked unconscious when he was hit in the head with a bat. He fell to the ground and was then kicked repeatedly. He was transported to Baylor Waxahachie.
I’ve heard of backsliding Christians before, but this might take the cake.

Did I mention I’m really digging the Los Lonely Boys new album Sacred?
Maybe with an album title like Sacred they can get some airplay on KLTY before Salvador covers some of their songs…

My Way
You say you have all the answers
And I should do it your way
How many times do I have to tell you
I’m not a puppet on a string

Don’t tell me how to live my life
Don’t tell me how to pray
Don’t tell me how to sing my song
Don’t tell me what to say
Cause I believe miracles happen every day
I don’t care what you say, I’m going to do it my way

The new Los Lonely Boys album dropped today. Be sure and check it out. The Garza brothers from Texas have put together a great sophomore album after their self titled debut record.
They truly beat the sophomore curse with Sacred.
With the addition of horns and a B3 organ on several of the tracks it adds another dimension to the harmony and music from the brothers from San Angelo.
Pick up a copy from Amazon or order from the link to the right from iTunes and download it straight to your computer and iPod.
From Amazon.com:

Anyone entranced by the Garzas’ debut will be thrilled by this classy followup that tightens some of the loose ends but displays additional confidence resulting from two years of nearly nonstop road work. The band spotlights its Tex-Mex roots on the accordion-driven “Texican Style,” where near-perfect vocal harmonies drive an irresistible bluesy shuffle. Most encouraging is that Los Lonely Boys haven’t succumbed to commercial pressure since their surprise hit debut. Rather, they have refined and organically expanded their approach, and crafted another classy, committed, radio-friendly Americana gem that meshes blues, Mexican, and soul with a spicy topping of hot-sauce musicianship.

Guys, if you’re looking to go out with the guys tonight be sure you have the proper paperwork filed.
And ladies, there’s paperwork for you too.

Joe Barton, R-Ennis, and five other GOP congressmen from Texas voted against the Voter Rights Act. Capital Annex gives a rundown of what this vote and votes for/against the ammendments mean:

It should give Republicans no small amout of amusement that Chet Edwards (D-Waco)—the Congressman for the President’s home in Crawford, deemed as “liberal” and “out of touch” and unworthy of being the Congressman for the President’s home congressional district by Republicans—was actually in harmony with the President’s wishes on this—as did every other Democrat from this state.
It was the Texas Republicans who were against their president, the mainstream, and convention when they cast their “yes” votes for those four amendments and when six of their colleagues cast “no” votes on final passage.
Mark yesterday, July 13, 2006 on your calanders and in your memories: it is the day the Republican Congressmen from Texas lost their credibility and sailed so far out of the mainstream they ended up in the middle of the ocean.

It’s things like this that make me wonder why I’m registered as a Republican.