This could just be what it is — or it could be a hint to examine your life's plan, in the way that a small heart episode can be a wake up call. Employees at the Daily News and Dean Singleton's other SoCal newspapers got the word today that for at least the next three months, they won't earn vacation. The company also encourages them to take whatever vacation they have banked — this after many, including Daily News editor Carolina Garcia herself, just took a forced week off without pay.

This measure is being taken as a further effort to reduce our operating expenses due to the continuing decline in revenue....until our financial challenges are clearly behind us, such actions are necessary

Here's the memo from Jim Janiga, LANG's SVP of Human Resources. Gary Scott has the wording used today at other Singleton papers; he says it won't apply to staffers on a guild contract.