i sat down with him here in the studio. >> jack shafer, welcome. get this kind of news, but you really seemed to take it in stride. were you not particularly surprised? >> nobody should be sur pliesed, especially high paid media people like you. you think in sort of a publication recession, everybody who is making a good salary, they have to assume they're expendable, too. as you know in our business, "new york times," "l.a. times," chicago transcribe bun, "the washington post," the networks all engaged in lay-offs. >> all shrinking. >> all shrinking. >> it wasn't like you were fighting with management? >> no. i left on very good terms, got a nice severance. as explained to me, it was about a budget. >> i understand many people. as many people observed online, you were a major at straxz on this site. isn't that self defeating for "slate." >> that's something you'd have to ask the bosses. everybody is expendable. somehow david brodeur guys and "the washington post" somehow goes on. people move to other publications. i'm of a philosophical view that