Outsourcing journalism: I was checking news to see why the stock of an electric meter manufacturer had dropped over 10 points yesterday, and quickly found a Reuters story distributed on Yahoo’s Finance pages. It was a straightforward story about this American company hurt by an equivocal statement by a major customer. The surprising thing came in the final sentence: ” (Reporting by Dhanya Ann Thoppil in Bangalore)”

The Star-Bulletin and PBN are both reporting on a voluntary buyout being offered to veterans at Gannett’s Honolulu Advertiser. The Newspaper Guild’s Wayne Cahill is quoted by the S-B on the deal:

He confirmed that the union employees are being offered a week’s pay for every year of service; medical coverage for three years or until age 65; and two years of service credits toward the pension plan.

Everything goes tomorrow at TGI Friday’s Ward Avenue location. Check out what will be at the auction block at McClain Auctions web site, which displays photos of the various lots. All the photos should be available later today.

Any human activity on the deck quickly attracts assorted cats. I was out to prepare a little fire to grill something for dinner and the audience gathered. This was the view on the stairs going down into the back yard. Ms. Kili is on the top stair controlling access. Leo is in the middle, looking up to see whether he’ll be allowed to pass. And Romeo is down at the bottom surveying his yard. It starts to feel like a lot of cats, but that’s only a third of the felines in the household.