One of the final ties to the David Blum era at the Village Voice has finally been severed: We understand that the paper is dispensing with the services of Blum protégé Mara Altman, a young writer who has been regularly hated on in these parts. It's a bittersweet moment for us though. It's always sad to see someone lose their job, no matter the circumstance. On the other hand, everyone needs to get canned once or twice, especially those of us who were brought along too soon. It makes you more resilient. (Please remind us of this next week when our contract is not renewed). Thanks for all the memories, Mara. May you live to write better stories. We hope you land on your feet.