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An urgent missive from a source near AOL confirms: AOL laid off a good chunk of the Netscape team. But, says the tipster, it's not all about rising exec Jason Calacanis:

... netscape layoffs did take place, according to my sources, in mountain view & columbus, ohio locations

calcanis position in layoffs is timely but not related. those ppl have been slated to go for a long time. its relevant only in the sense that there will likely be some reorganization, & his name has surfaced to lead the department that oversees blogging on AOL, netscape or wherever.

also, calcanis seemed very excited about ted leonsis' blog, like its a testament to the relevance & power of the damn things. however, it is widely known throughout aol that the blog is ghostwritten by mary cheney, daughter of none other than our accident prone v.p.

Still running that Mary Cheney line through the "WTF" filter. Can anyone corroborate that the Second Daughter of the U.S. is faking it for AOL exec Ted Leonsis? Ted Leonsis says it's bullshit:

As anyone at AOl—or the fans of the Washington Capitals know—I read and answer all of my own email—I blog and write and think and get on my soapbox —all on my own—to say that someone else is doing my blog is disrespectful to our medium—to me and to my staff—-you have been misinformed—-my staff helped with the platform—we review what we will discuss and sometimes I get help in factchecking—but the thoughts and words are mine.

Earlier: Exclusive: Big layoffs at AOL in Calacanis takeover [Valleywag]