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Our mb discussion of the week: "When is it theft? A common complaint from new freelancers is that the editors they've pitched to 'stole' their story ideas. Most of the time, it's just a coincidence. But sometimes, it DOES happen. How can a writer tell when their story has been stolen and what can you do about it?"

"I am desperately in need of salary direction for a communications and marketing director position at a major arts/community center in NYC. The responsibilities are tremendous: Aside from typical marketing dir stuff, there's pr and outreach work. Since it's non-profit, how much should I ask for?"

"I am owed a few hundred dollars for an article. I've written two other stories for this magazine before. Both times, they paid me about a month late. They pay 30 days after publication and waited 6 months to publish this article after asking me to write it to begin with). My experience with this magazine has been maddening to say the least and I will never, ever under any circumstance write for them again." And so on. How can you help this writer get paid?

"Does anyone know how long it takes to hear back from Redbook?"

"Work in the US for experienced English PR/journo": is there any?

"I have a fat rolodex of contacts I've amassed over five years on staff at a publication. Now I've got a staffer working for me who's been at it for less than a year, and has few contacts. Is it greedy for me to keep the rolodex to myself?"

"I want to get on staff as a writer on a paper such as "LA Weekly." Does anyone have any tips on getting onto a paper like this?"