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Steve Gilliard, 1964-2007
It is with tremendous sadness that we must convey the news that Steve Gilliard, editor and publisher of The News Blog, passed away June 2, 2007. He was 42.
To those who have come to trust The News Blog and its insightful, brash and unapologetic editorial tone, we have Steve to thank from the bottom of our hearts. Steve helped lead many discussions that mattered to all of us, and he tackled subjects and interest categories where others feared to tread.
Please keep Steve's friends and family in your thoughts and prayers.
Steve meant so much to us.
We will miss him terribly.
Site update: Steve condition reports
Labels: site news
Jim in LA here with a site update: I just spoke with Jen and a member of Steve's family has requested that no further communication about Steve's condition be communicated with his readership through this site, or in any other method.
We will comply with the request - so if you want to know about Steve's condition, there won't be any further update until he's able to communicate it himself.
Thanks for your understanding.
Tom Watson: "The Richest Man in Town"
Labels: site news
By far
Thanks to Tom Watson for this great cross-post - THANKS TOM!
Steve Gilliard has been dealt a lousy hand, but he's still in the game and for that his friends - real and virtual - are thankful. For those who may not know Steve: he's a voluble and iconoclastic blogger, a New Yorker with a deft writing style and a strong sense of justice. I've met him only once or twice, but Steve's voice has been part of my day for years now. He and his blogging partner Jen run the prolific News Blog, a tough, front-of-the-cab view of politics, war, culture, media, business and technology.
To call Steve outspoken is to call Kansas flat; his voice is millions of square miles worth of attitude and opinion. I'd venture that none of his readers agrees with everything Steve writes - just when you think you've got him pegged, he'll smack you. On race relations and New York politics, there are few keener observers than Gilliard. He knows food, roots for the Mets, despises the political status quo, hates blowhards and phonies, and is a hell of a military historian besides.
So news of Steve's medical crisis hit his readership hard, indeed. Jen's updates have had us all on edge now for a couple of weeks. There has been some slight improvement of late, but the big man's not out of the woods. Today, Jen worried that Steve will be angry when he wakes up and reads all the medical updates and comments on his health - that most personal of subjects.
But I don't think so. I think Steve will realize with a certainty that few of us are ever so privileged to feel that he is a highly-valued member of his community, that his virtual family is huge, and that his work is worth all the long hours and sleepless nights. Read the comments over at his blog, where volunteers are writing posts and handling tech duties to keep it running. The dude has atheists lighting candles.
The other night, we had a little gathering under the newcritics banner - where Steve gave me a couple of guest posts right before he fell ill - half a dozen bloggers, a few libations, and plenty of talk at a midtown bar. After a while, the conversation turned to Gilliard. We ordered a new round and raised our glasses to Steve. So here's the toast: to our blogging brother, the richest man in town.
- posted by Tom Watson
Karen Black had more prep
Labels: site news
At least no holes in the cockpit
The help here again: Jen called and wanted me to post an update on her situation. Back from the doctor: bacterial bronchitis. Isolation for 3 days. Big meds. Hot water still out in the entire building; apparently unconcerned landlord (must be NYC). No word on Steve - which I take to mean, no news is no big negative changes; same as before, awaiting the review and recommendations of his original heart surgeon, which is to take place Monday.
thanks to ALL who have submitted content - i'll be spending the afternoon "tagging it up" (as Jen puts it - i like to think of it as "using Blogger" since I'm not particularly technical....) and getting it in the queue for publication.
If you're a reader of The News Blog, DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL! tons of great stuff coming. Maybe even our own little version of Airport '75.
- posted by Jim in LA
Welcome
Labels: site news
REUTERS/Kiyoshi Ota (JAPAN)
Ok, things were done in a bit of a rush, kind of a last minute packing thing, with some hastily written instructions.
We would have migrated the old site, but there is a 1000 post limit. This site was close to 9000 when we moved.
So we kinda had to start over and did it on the fly.
Anyway, we're here and we're rolling and that's that.
Change your links and let's get busy.
http://www.thenewsblog.net