The Smith Level Devil

Post Quota

2005-03-09T12:31:00.000-05:00

I'll spare you my theory on blogs and their dependance on links to other blogs commenting on articles in print but I dig what RiverRapids sez about Style's Backpage.

But I'll take what they said a step further. I can't remember the last time I read past the first paragraph of anything they've ever printed. Some of the most boring prose throughout the land.

Don't Call It a Comeback

2005-03-09T12:01:00.000-05:00

You were just starting to get used to us and then we went away. Why? A plethora of reasons, really. Reasons that can only be explained through a....

Top Ten List of Reasons We Haven't Been Blogging:

10) Afraid one of my posts would take down a network news anchor.

9) Could give a shit about a ballpark downtown.

8) Thought the election was over.

7) My family was close to discovering that I am the Drizzle...er, The Smith Level Devil.

6) Stomach Flu.

5) Work is killing me.

4) Blogging won't get you laid.

3)This is one of many things I've started doing and lost interest in. Won't happen again. Promise.

2)

1)Oh what do you know? It did happen again.

Why I haven't Been Posting.

2005-02-23T20:24:00.000-05:00

Snow.

Not panicked or anything.

I saw it coming a week ago. Just been in line at Ukrops ever since.

Art...or Why I Like Art That Looks Like People

2005-02-16T07:07:00.002-05:00

I could have been a cop.

I could be the patrolman out on the beat making decisions that alter lives. Life or death decisions. Decisions that once made do have an effect on whether one is alive or dead.

Living or that state of being where you are not so living (think: Mechanicsville, but not breathing.)

But could I have made a decision about life or art? That, my friends, is a decision that you just can't teach. Every cop just has to have it or he doesn't.

From The R-TD:

Andy Coppola's show was a hit in Italy and Germany. In Richmond, it was a bust.
Coppola is a performance artist who makes himself into "living sculpture" by adorning his body with paint and clay or by wearing costumes.

He launched his latest "performance piece" Feb. 5 by donning a hallucinogenically colorful, head-to-toe outfit made of powermesh (normally used for swimsuit lining) and walking from his South Richmond home to Art6, the downtown gallery sponsoring Coppola's performance as part of its "Orlando Furioso" show.

Coppola was walking down the Second Street exit off the Lee Bridge about 1 p.m. when he heard an amplified voice ordering him to stop and show his hands.

And the best ones will push the limits. Cops that is. My uncle was a cop. And he went all the way to the commissioner until he got them to admit that maybe Duchamp was right after all- an upsidedown urinal may just have something to say about the world we live in.

I just hate to think about how Bush and his Halliburton crew have sent all of our young men and women into harm's way without even a post-structionalist approach to acrylic applied to canvas.

I Hate The Aughts

2005-02-13T15:54:00.000-05:00

NYT has a fun read about the 80s nostalgia running rampant (i blame deregulation- weren't we fine with 5o's nostalgia?) and the anti-80's feeling that has resulted.

I agree with this guy:

In Baltimore, for example, Benn Ray, the co-owner of an independent bookstore, Atomic Books, has started up a regular "I Hate the 80's" party to mock the trend.

"The 80's nostalgia was starting to roll in, and I was like, 'Wait a minute! Did you people actually listen to the same decade I did? You had eight years of Reagan. There was cocaine everywhere. There were yuppies. We were oppressed by this whole notion of baby boomers trying to cash out."

The music industry really pushed some crap on us back then. But like Mike Watt once said, it takes a lot of fertilizer to make a flower grow. Alternative music meant the scene that existed outside of the mainstream. That simple. It was easy to identify who were the cool bands, you just had to know where to look. I believe 1984 was one of the the best years ever for records: The Replacements' Let it Be, The Minutemen Double Nickels on the Dime and Husker Du's Zen Arcade all came out.

Right here would also be a good time to tie in the state of music now and the fact that former Husker Bob Mould has a blog now but in the anti-spirit of that decade I won't be so obvious.

I Still Get Around

2005-02-11T01:42:00.000-05:00

But I couldn't blog lately. 3 reasons: band, baby and broadband. The first 2, eh I know we all got lives but the broadband- not a good time for Comcast to let me down. I have been trying to convince my wife we should hold on to the cable internet and ditch cable TV instead (apparently those are the only 2 things I have to chose from to control costs). But our internet access has been in and out over the last month and it's hard to justify 50 some-odd bucks a month for an unreliable service. But I can't go back to dial-up and DSL isn't available where I am. Yeah I could blog from work but I know better. Unlike these idiots.

But I have been reading blogs from work. Norman makes a good catch over at the trash heap. Good in that it's not Ross McCrazy. Now that guy-how many times have I read him and just thought "WTF?" But Bart, now he's usually reliable. I'm disappointed. Hurt. Still, I don't think I can tire of what one man and a search engine can do. It's so much more to accomplish that in a blog than in a letter tothe editor.

Brandon enlisted in the Marine Corps. I guess people get really drunk on Thursdays now too.

Sic Semper Tyrannis must know how to hold its liquor. It's still doing a remarkable job following every piece of legislation no matter how silly and they sure have been silly this year. The anti-smoking measure failed and that's good I suppose. But it failed to get the attention I thought it would. Richmond.com has a piece on Strawberry Street Cafe That reminds me how my old roommate used to do internet dating ..a lot..and take every date to the Strawberry Street Cafe. He'd be there 4 or 5 times a week with a different girl every night. We lived on the corner of that block and I think he did that so he wouldn't have to drive anywhere. He kept this really great parking space and never went everywhere. Worked from home. I guess cause he really liked that spot.

Meryl is Jewish. I just found this out.

Glenn has posted 514 times since my last post. And i can't even argue quality over quanity.

The Gaskets have played 2 gigs. One of them was with MC Chris better known by some as MC Pee Pants. In my decade plus of shows at Twisters/Nanci Raygun I have honestly never seen a line to get in that big before. It stretched all the way around Harrison St to Edo's Squid.

I still don't know who I am voting for and of course...some of you still owe me beer money.

Safe at What Speed?

2005-02-02T17:48:00.000-05:00

When the posted limit is 65 mph, how much over that can you comfortably go? My old boss said a state trooper stated up to 10mph over the limit is safe from getting you pulled over for speeding. I doubt that, but what is ok?

Here's news (via the T-D) for southside commuters:

"The Virginia Department of Transportation is raising the speed limit to 60 mph on Chippenham between about a half mile south of Midlothian Turnpike and Route 895, the Pocahontas Parkway."

I don't travel that way much anymore but it always felt hard to stay at 55mph before on that stretch of road. Though the ever-present speed traps helped.
One other thing: These type of stories affect are daily lives much more than we speak about. Marriage license specialty plates will get more attention but really, how many more people's lives are changed from this. Yeah these stories seem small and mundane, but after my stint covering planning commissions I know this is where it's at.

We're The Gayest State in The Union

2005-02-01T15:56:00.000-05:00

My father has a saying when he inquires of someone's character. Give a man all the praise and accolades in the world but what it boils down to is this: "Would you have a beer with the guy?" Doesn't matter whether he drinks. Is he a regular guy?

By trying to not appear gay, Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, is showing he is the gayest legislator on the planet.

"With more than 1,100 bills still awaiting action by next Tuesday, the House of Delegates today endorsed a measure for the state to issue special license plates for supporters of traditional marriage."

'Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, who sponsored the measure, pointed out that the plate would "send a message to the people of Virginia that we're not ashamed of traditional marriage."'

Lingamfelter- please stop telling people you represent Virginia.

Guys I'd Go Gay For

2005-02-01T01:04:00.000-05:00

The usually reliable Andrew Sullivan will no longer be reliable. He's taking an extended break, blogging whenever he feels like it (oh and where did he get that idea?)
He says it's just time and it isn't anything I have said (he was looking in my direction so I just assumed)
I'll still be checking his site for the next couple of months out of habit. I believe when we do see his work next it'll be fresher.

" A little distance from the blogosphere might be helpful in that as well."

I just can't help but think of the last 50 times I've heard that from someone I've loved, it didn't help me at all.

Making Hit Records, Baby

2005-01-31T11:02:00.000-05:00

To your right of this post and a little down, are the links (who's there and why another day). One of them www.richmondrootsrevival.com gets a mentioned in the weekly Sound Off column in richmond.com. Apparently there's a new writer doing it too- Katherine Houstoun. Don't know what happened to Kate Bredimus.

One alert reader wants to know why Schnitzel's identity is revealed. I'm not going to get into the whole "putting our boys into harm's way" argument but I think it's fair to say that that's the risk you take when doing the "rock and roll" music. Besides, I think other people play with him.

Update: Apparently the Schnitzel album is called "Southbound Freight". ...just throwing that out there.

Iraq honey, and I'm sorry

2005-01-31T08:56:00.000-05:00

Obviously, this site was not your one-stop source for Iraqi election news. We were too busy reading other people's sites to write for our own.

...And we're fighting with our wife. Can't get to the computer much. But this is one of our favorite quotes from this weekend (not including the "Why did you bring that whore into my house?!?"...hey we said it kept us from blogging so you knew it got ugly)

'"The first exit polls are in from Saba al-Boor, and they show Edwin Edwards leading," said Sgt. 1st Class Damon Hebert, 31, from Erath, La, referring to the state's legendary, four-term governor who is serving a 10-year term for corruption.'

Sometimes I Blog for The Wrong Reasons

2005-01-28T01:00:00.000-05:00

Like with this Jack Shafer piece on blogging. I think I'm half-doing it just to see if he links to me at the end of the article. But then I get into far less trouble when I examine my own motives.

But I also agree. Somewhat. Blogging has done great things so far. I wouldn't say it has shifted power away from the MSM to regular folks. That would assume a zero sum game. At the risk of speaking in cliches, it has put power and information into the hands of those who didn't know what they could do with it before. There are enough guesses right now on where this will lead that somebody is bound to be right. I don't think this means they have >insert word that means have knowledge of where things are headed before they happen<. It's all speculation, and although it's useful, it's not essential to figure it all out now.

And yes, it has given rise to a new class of snobbiness.

"The premature triumphalism of some bloggers indicates that they haven't paid attention to how Webified journalists have become. They also ignore media history."

Have you posted a story a few days late? The self-imposed sense of being dated is suffocating. But that will play itself out.

"I hadn't witnessed such public expressions of high self-esteem since the last time I attended a journalism awards ceremony."

Well who goes to these conferences anyway? (Wonkette: The upside is that this conference takes place on a weekend, so there's a good chance that everyone will be bombed by noon. Oh wait, it's Harvard.) The same people who voluntarily attend any conference. A bunch of weenies, that's who.

"But we owe it to this prodigious new communications form not to demand too much too soon."

I don't think so. Readers of the Belmont Club already know how high the bar has been raised. Plus, can a MSM journalist do this.....LINK TO KITTIES!!!!!!

A player's got to play I don't care if that sounds lame.

2005-01-26T08:05:00.000-05:00

Hey, look at this, 2 music posts right in a row:

Just received an email from the Gaskets that they'll be playing some shows coming up.

"The Gaskets are back in action... at least for the time being. Ross is
back from hanging out with the family in Arkansas, but he might go back
for a while so see the Gaskets while you can, you might not have
another
chance for a few months... who knows? We don't.

The point is, the Gaskets are playing two shows in the near future. In
Richmond, on Tuesday Feb 1st the Gaskets will be playing with the
legendary mc chris. He is a fantastic rapper best known for his
depiction of MC Pee Pants on Aqua Teen Hunger Force and his work as
Hesh
on Sea Lab 2021. He is one funny man."

First of all, MC Pee Pants. Damn.

Second of all, are The Gaskets broken up? Just be a man and say either way. "He might go back for a while." What the hell? At least there's one decent group left in Richmond. At least we have Schnitzel.

Thus Always To Tyrants

2005-01-26T02:48:00.000-05:00

...is one of the best albums of the last 10 years.

And the man who made that record, Scott Miller, is coming around here this Friday at Ashland Coffee and Tea. If you don't know him, then I can't recommend his stuff enough. If you don't like him, then I don't like you...sorry, I just feel real strongly about this, ok?

He has a newer Cd out called Upside Downside that's good, too. But Thus Always To Tyrants, his first record after leaving the legendary V-Roys, earned him a "Cease and Desist" letter from the Commonwealth for its cover. Oh and here's an obligatory Glenn link about him.

2005-01-26T02:36:00.000-05:00

This could be you!

V-E-T-S Vets Vets Vets!!!!

2005-01-26T01:26:00.000-05:00

Sic Semper Tyrannis links to an MSNBC piece on veterans benefits. George Allen is proposing raising the death gratuity from $12,000 to perhaps $100,000. (a little background here)

Senator Allen isn't the only legislator in Va thinking about this either.

The Daily Press reports:

'The number of claims agents available to help veterans file for federal benefits would nearly double under state legislation proposed Monday.

Del. M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights, said the measure is necessary because of long delays veterans experience in getting their claims processed. The state has 16 claims agents for its population of 786,000 veterans.'

We're going to have to reckon with this issue sooner than we think, particularly here in Virginia. I wonder how, in the long run, regular citizens react to the effects combat can have on those reentering regular civilian life. The explosive anger I've personally witnessed of some returning soldiers is startling. There's going to be a struggle ahead.

On another note, perhaps we'll see a resurgence of Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. Ah, those memories of baked ziti dinners at Pop Warner awards banquets are priceless.

Get Off The Bus

2005-01-25T01:11:00.001-05:00

I mentioned before some of the comments made about Tim Kaine's integrity. They were coming in regards to his support of the Million Mom March.

I'll leave alone the debate about whether the merits of such activism and the whole anti-gun agenda. What's troubling is the suggestion Kaine did something unseemly here.

The whole Paygo program was ripe for abuse and Richmond City Council did not disappoint. But when Tim Kaine threw his support behind the March he was up front about where he was getting the funds from Paygo. It would not be unreasonable for a councilman to assume it would be an appropriate use of the funds.

When objections were raised he listened to the complaints and payed from his own pocket. Now this isn't to say this is a shining example of Tim Kaine's nobility but it is disingenuous to lump Kaine's actions with the fraud committed by other members of the council.

The reason I like Tim Kaine (though I'm still an undecided voter) is because of his work on city council. I admire the job he did as mayor. Remember, he took the position after Sa'ad El Amin duped the 6th District with paranoid lies and half-truths about the then expected mayor-to-be-James Banks. Kaine was patient among a host of impatient rabble-rousers and conspiracy buffs. Just plain crazy people, really. Kaine managed to reign in the circus faction and make it work with honest and capable public servants like John Conrad and Joe Brooks (God bless him). He demonstrated leadership and good common sense in a time and place where I thought it was hopeless. I was struck by how he did not alienate people and yet still managed to lead. That's something easily said but is difficult to practice. "If he could do succeed here," I thought at the time, "Then this guy deserves to be governor."

But then, I'm one of those people persuaded by the last person I talk to and there's a lot of time between now and the election.

You're Not The Same

2005-01-25T01:11:00.000-05:00

There's a saying among bankers that no one ever calls you to tell you what a great job you've been doing. So maybe I should have called before. Because First Market Bank (the Ukrops bank)just changed their website. Major overhaul. And it's lousy. There was nothing wrong with what it once was. Before, it would state your balance after each deposit and withdrawl. I don't know what it's doing now. I hate it.

The Dogs That Don't Bark, Don't Hunt

2005-01-23T13:33:00.000-05:00

"I am shocked, shocked! to read that the governor's race has become...gasp! rancorous."
One Man's Trash

Exactly. The Times Dispatch explores the notion that the race is getting mean.

'This prompted a rebuke from the normally friendly editorial page of The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, which described Kaine's attack as "over the top" and headlined the editorial "Kaine Should Muzzle His Attack Dogs."

The Richmond Times-Dispatch editorialized Friday that both candidates' reputations for being "bright, friendly, decent, and honest" are being put "to a stern test."'

Granted, Kaine's recent attacks on Kilgore resigning from the AG post were silly and cringe-inducing, I am reassured by the "rancor" from both sides. It means both sides want it, both expect it and it's not predetermined. We'll have more calls from editorials declaring that the tone is damaging to the voting public. I don't think it is. We can handle it and so far they have concerned issues and policies and not personal details or family life. Think of the case of the dog who didn't bark. An absence of rancor would imply it's all fixed. Being a troubled paranoid myself, I take comfort in the mess.

But I am taken aback on some recent attacks on Kaine's integrity. More on that later.

Not Where are They Going

2005-01-23T11:27:00.000-05:00

...but rather where did they come from?

One underreported story is the removal of textiles from low rent countries. Here's a good link to brush up on this subject (via Glenn).

And it looks like we all should because this story will keep coming around and around. The Times Dispatch picks up late on a story of a textile mill closing.

'WestPoint Stevens, one of the nation's largest makers of bed and bath textiles, said the closings and layoffs "are directly related to the removal of textile quotas from low-wage countries."'

and

'The closing of the Drakes Branch plant means the loss of about 450 jobs and the largest employer in the rural Southside county (population 12,700).'

That's hard news. If it happened in Richmond it would hurt too but have no where near the same effect. Small towns can never recover from that sort of thing. I should know, I came from one of them.

Which is gonna make me sound kind of cold but I have a hard sympathizing. These jobs used to be up North but came South because it was easier to exploit low wage labor. This is from WestPoint Stevens website:

'His [founder Lafayette Lanier] vision would be vindicated, as the following years would see a "mill explosion" in which most of the domestic cotton manufacturing would move South (both J.P. Stevens and Pepperell would later build their own facilities in Alabama and Georgia).'

And now they're moving overseas. Just remember, those jobs didn't originate here. They came from somewhere else.

Slap Happy, Punch Drunk

2005-01-22T16:33:00.000-05:00

Why can't kids just play with guns anymore? (via BoingBoing)

Letter of The Day

2005-01-21T08:37:00.000-05:00

Alert reader Chris takes his best shot:

"Your post on the tobacco issue reflects the epitome of ambivalence.

The horribleness of people who try to addict you to their death product

vs.

"hey..I'm a grown up. Its 2005. I get to decide if I can smoke in a bar"

He then goes on to complain about making prostitution legal again (Chris, when was it ever?) but it was getting beyond our subject. But he does make an interesting point: perhaps the pro-smoking crowd can enlist others who frequent nightclubs to weigh in. Say, like Gov. Mark Warner. Does he like, smoke ever when he's at the club? Cause if he does he might know some people who are influential. Oh and Sen. George Allen. He dips tobacco all day long. I'm sure he'd be on our side. Together people, we can stand up to the Lung Association. The forces of good have been triumphing too long. And if we got Bush a second term, well then surely evil can succeed somewhere else as well. So lets ban together.

update: If you must smoke do it here. That would be cool. It would also would be cool if we exported oxygen to Titan. Stuff blowing up should definietly still be part of NASA's mission.

Why it will never happen here

2005-01-20T08:48:00.000-05:00

Because this is still America dammit. Or Virginia at least. There's legislation being proposed banning smoking just about everywhere it's worth smoking. A "coalition of public health groups" say a poll they conducted shows Virginians would support a ban in restaurants and bars.

"Fifty-nine percent of the Virginia residents who were polled said they would support a state- wide law prohibiting smoking in most public places, including restaurants and bars. Of those, 43 percent said they strongly favored a ban and 16 somewhat favored it."

First of all look at who conducted this poll. One of the big pushers of this crusade is the American Lung Association. Do I need to remind you what their agenda is? Breathing easy and eradicating lung cancer and other diseases. I say it's time to stand up and let them know how we feel about these do-gooders.

Seriously, although only a few years ago I would not have thought it'd be possible for such an idea to be considered it has a shot now. I could see a day where you can't smoke in a bar in Virginia. But the momentum this idea has could slow while running through Virginia. Folks here aren't embarrassed to say they smoke (like me, if I did I would admit it). I sense a zeitgeist going around as well that that some people would start fighting this idea just for principle.

But the reason I don't trust that poll cited above is because:

"Fifteen percent of those polled identified themselves as daily smokers, while 10 percent said they were occasional smokers. Studies indicate that about 25 percent of Virginians smoke."

I bet that number doesn't include the folks who smoke only when they drink at a bar. I bet they don't know they couldn't do that anymore if this happens.

Word on the Street

2005-01-19T22:33:00.002-05:00

It's not all about political links and bill-paying here. We do music.

The once and future members of Agents of Good Roots will be playing Feb 18 at Hampton Sydney College. It's been, I dunno years since they've played all together but all of them have been doing side projects with one another. We'll post more details later.

Bad time not to pay your bills

2005-01-19T22:33:00.001-05:00

Every blogger wishes for it. Instavalanched I think they call it. A link from Instapundit and you then get a million hits.

Ambra Nykol writes a blog entry about the very same thing, gets linked by legendary Glenn Reynolds and oops, her site says:

This site Has Been Suspended. Please the billing/support department as soon as possible

Ambra, email me. I'll lend you the money.

New Site

2005-01-19T22:33:00.000-05:00

...for Adventures of Chester.
He was hyping some "coming changes" and guess this is what he meant. I was wondering what he was doing. There's only so much you can do with blogspot.

Found this via Chester. Worth checking out.

Link To a Link to a Link

2005-01-17T23:20:00.000-05:00

Through the Belmont Club, via Geoffrey MG blog comes an important story.

Check out An American Ex Pat in Southeast Asia. The Bali Bombings have not recieved enough attention, let alone attempts to outright undermine the War on Terror.

...geez I feel kinda creepy saying that.

Good Bye Good Night

2005-01-17T23:05:00.000-05:00

Norman Leahy has some interesting thoughts on the passing

I myself am too unfamiliar with Hunter Andrews to comment but if he forces anyone to quote from Parliament of Whores, he can't be too noble.

And now comes word of the passing of Mary Tyler Freeman Cheek McClenahan.

'"Once you see with a clearer perspective, it's ridiculous to move in a society that does not accept the obvious fact that we are all equal in the sight of God," she said in a 1986 news item.'

Again, I know too little of her to comment here either but her words should stand alone.

Where Am I Calling?

2005-01-11T01:52:00.001-05:00

The NY Times has an interesting article on what the phrase "For quality assurance,this call may be recorded" means. Apparently the reporter has never worked in a call center (good for him) nor was he allowed to listen to any calls (for privacy reasons). Still, with someone with little knowledge of how call centers work beforehand (I'm guessing) this article explains how some companies approach quality control in their call centers. Many companies not only outsource the people taking your call but also the people who monitor them.

I think the writer takes what these monitoring companies say at face value. Quality is a declining value among most service industries. Efficiency, despite what's stated in the piece, is most important. The third party companies monitoring calls may believe it's more important because they see more work coming their way. I believe that's actually because most of their business used to be in-house and now has been either eliminated or outsourced to them.

I'm not being cynical. In fact, I like that quality is a lower priority. Less hassle for me. But if the company you deal with has people barely speaking English talking to you, then they don't care. How could they? And I don't blame the Indians either (or the Filipinos or the Costa Ricans.) so much. They're trying, I guess.

The article also gives the impression that there is more of a chance of your call being listened to than there is. The article states 2% of all calls made are monitored. No. I'll bet it's less than half a percent. Also if you ever think that a call monitor is going to catch a mistake and correct it, think again. Maybe the example cited occurred but I doubt it. Call monitors sometimes have access to what the operator was entering into a computer but those programs suck and are hard to use.

Also, even when calls are monitored they are not available later to associates or managers. Not that the article implies this I any way but many people have the mistaken assumption that if there is a dispute about what they have earlier said or what they were told that someone can pull a tape and listen to it.

But here's the part that slays me:

'"In India, the operators are doing a lot of the courtesies they are trained to do," Ms. Nelson said, but they often miss the nuance of conversations. She added that some Indian call centers show their operators episodes of "Seinfeld" and "Friends" to teach them about American culture.

Nothing on television, though, can prepare an Indian operator for chatty American consumers who like to talk about the ups and downs of the New York Yankees or the latest blizzard in Chicago.

Perhaps inevitably, monitoring is also moving offshore. HyperQuality, which is based in Seattle, has 100 call monitors in New Delhi who eavesdrop on call center workers around the United States. Those raters, oceans away, are trying to make sense of hot lines and hotheads, too.'

The next time some company says they're going to train Indian call center employees the "subtleties" of American English I'm going to scream. Make them not robots but regular human beings who can conduct a conversation that is tied to a script. Make their twos sound like twos and not threes. Make them understand what the hell I am saying. Oh and they have to prepare for chatty American consumers? Americans may get chatty but it's during a conversation. They understand "How are you?" is not a genuine question that requires a back and forth and back and forth and back again to establish how you are doing. It means, I expect the heart of the matter to be discussed soon.

But they stick to that script. "Make sure you say 'Thank you and have a very good day' even after you have transferred the call and the next operator has already started his conversation with the customer. Don't let experience teach you it's redundant. No matter how many thousands of times it's obvious you should end your speaking."

And episodes of "Friends" and "Seinfeld" are going to teach them how to catch the nuances of our speaking? Maybe "Curb Your Enthusiasm". But as I have said before it's not going to happen. (Although it's hilarious when they pick out their "American" names and you speak to a male with a heavy New Delhi accent and his name is 'Jennifer'.)

And putting Indian call monitors in charge of grading how American consumers and Indian call center representatives interact is like putting Michael Moore in charge of the Rathergate investigation. All subtlety is lost.

By the way, whatever happened with memo thing anyway?

ALSO: Here's a good story about call center hell. It's Episode 253 from 12/5/03. Ira has got to start permalinking.

I'm out of order? This whole court is out of order!

2005-01-10T19:37:00.000-05:00

At least that's how I envision the Times Dispatch's lawyers challenging the Bellevue Bomber's judge. If you remember from a previous post one of our editors wondered aloud why the Times Dispatch would decide for themselves not to release the kids' names and then challenge the judge's ruling that the media shouldn't release the names.

"Hunh?" as we so eloquently put it.

Fortunately, Louise Seals, the paper's managing editor has a good reason:

"You have a good question that we didn't explain well enough. The constitutional issue of unlawful prior restraint of the press was the major reason we wanted to get the order lifted even if we did not want to publish the names now. Letting a ruling like that stand would have seemed to acquiesce in it.

If we did not fight it, it would have remained on the books and we could not have published the names in the future if the situation changed and there were a reason to publish them."

I wonder how many other media outlets would take the time and expense to make that fight. We would of course, if we didn't have day jobs, but like would anyone else care?

One other thing, we're not sure if the title after Louise Seals' name should be capitalized but since this is the blogosphere we no longer care about AP style.

It's a brave new world.

Freaks and Geeks

2005-01-10T02:20:00.000-05:00

Freakishly tall writer Mark Holmberg gets the inside skinny on the hooligans thought to be responsible for the booms.

'His mom can't believe the frenzy surrounding what, basically, was just an interesting mystery. Since then, she said, "people have had earthquakes that have taken their homes, their lives, their islands away."'

Hey, all politics are local.

It's still unclear how authorities thought soda bottles could make an entire neighborhood shake.

There's nothing to worry about

2005-01-08T13:38:00.000-05:00

It wasn't the kids. It was the Earth.

The booms experienced on Richmond's North Side are caused by "micro-earthquakes" not kids wielding bottle rockets.

So is that why the Times- Dispatch is fighting so hard to get the names of the boys first charged with the booms, so that they may not release them-- so that they can apologize?

"The slant in the media all along is the kids did [the booms]," complained one resident.

In that regard, [Richmond Fire Captain William "Mike"] Martin said, the boys "probably caught a bum rap. . . . The timing was horrible."

Hell yeah, I'd be pissed.

Blogheads

2005-01-07T02:04:00.001-05:00

I hate this new language arriving with blogs. I mean, I like blogs and they need some new jargon to go with their spiffy new self but it's getting kinda cutesy. I'd rehash some examples but that's the point: it makes me now want to have anything to do with blogs. I hate the word blog. I hate how it's slipped into parts of regular words and is supposed to be hip.

So I was a little wearing of this post, but it's worth checking out.

I have bloggd before that one day every word in every blog will just be all hyperlinks. I hope to be that blogger some day. And then that's it. No more blogs for anyone. It's done.

Of course I also predicted some time ago that the internet was the CB radio of the 90s. I used to make fun of people who had email addresses.

Not that they would but...

2005-01-07T02:04:00.000-05:00

Two kids responsible for some of the recent booms in Richmond have been sentenced Standard punishments. I'm no lawyer but you think the kids' lawyers would have fought it harder considering the booms still continue despite the kids' mad-scientist ambitions have been locked down. Heck even the expert witness for the prosecution said ""There is no indication that these bottle bombs are the cause, the sole cause, of the booms."

One perplexing thing about the article, however is why the T-D is challenging the judge's orders not to publish the names. It's a moot point?

But Roberts yesterday ordered media outlets in the courtroom not to reveal the names of the teens. The Times-Dispatch will file a court objection to the judge's ruling today.

In a statement, Louise C. Seals, managing editor, explained the paper's position on identifying the arrested teens: "The Times-Dispatch decided independently not to publish the names because these teens were apparently not responsible for the booms in November that caused the most concern."

Hunh?

So 2004

2005-01-07T01:49:00.000-05:00

It's a little late for Top Lists of 2004. Richmond.com has had theirs posted for a while now and I've tried to avoid it. But something came over me.

And I read it. And it was expectedly unimaginative. But under top news stories, subheaded Gaston, Editor Colleen Curran found this:

" Local News Story
Gaston
I got lost in an interesting (read: scary) part of town trying to get to my house in Church Hill. Looked out the window and people were swimming across the street. My fiancé never made it home."

I don't understand. Does this mean she died? I hope not because the next sentence is "I liked watching the mud sling." Sure there was a picture of Mayor Wilder and even a subheader Mayor at Large but the juxtaposition...it's too much. And if she was, was the "mud sling" reference subconscious? Why isn't there more? Please tell us. I already know the O.C. is a guilty pleasure for "writers". It's been said before. Now sing to me of necropiliac mud wrestling.

Like An Alley Cat

2005-01-04T22:35:00.000-05:00

I've never blogged right when I've witnessed an event.

I still haven't. But I just Ashlee Simpson get booed by an entire stadium. Pretty "hateful of them to do that" says the SmithLevil Wife. "She's gonna hav a complex."

After witnessing the Anarchy cheerleaders (think Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit without the irony. Think George Orwell's premonitions looking pale in comparison) I'm hoping they were booing the crash commercialism of an inherent non-commercial symbol. But maybe it was the "uh-uh"'s that perhaps was a stab at sexulaity. Maybe cause she just sucks. But they booed nontheless. It was great.

One Possible Explanation For the Booms Eliminated

2005-01-03T01:51:00.000-05:00

I know this is a little late but see this.

I think we're becoming more like Canada than we'd cared to admit.

She was in the Water

2004-12-31T11:33:00.000-05:00

A Mary Baldwin professor was diving at the time of the wave.

"And on a personal note, yesterday already I considered myself incredibly lucky because of being underwater and having just very odd conditions. Today, after hearing from other islands where instructors were also in the water, I feel like an entire army of angels was protecting me. We heard from one of the local guys who's brother was in the water and is now suffering from shock. Where he was, the current was so strong, due to the wave, they were bombarded by flying coral. To think that I was with five absolute beginners yesterday, having had the same conditions would have been tragic."

It's Fixed All Right

2004-12-31T01:48:00.000-05:00

The whole thing is rigged. When you sign your agreement it's fixed.

Capital One is facing a suit by Minnesota's AG. He's charging deceptive advertising on the credit card company's claim that its rate is fixed, unlike other companies.

Yeah, he has a point. The terms of your credit card can change without any reason. But usually there is a reason. Did you not pay off one of your other debtors? You may think no one else noticed but credit card companies are inefficient sometimes and may not catch up to that immediately. Did you miss a payment? That's not keeping your end of the bargain. I don't see how you can expect to keep a low interest rate if you are not paying on time.

The example being put forth my the attorney general is of a woman, Nicole Bourgeois, who believed her rate was fixed, as in would never go up.

"When she called to ask why, she was told she had made one late payment. "Capital One refused to rescind the rate increase, even though Bourgeois had always paid on time," the lawsuit said."

Capital One is a little more generous than others on this matter. The "default rate" usually happens when you miss 2 in a row and often times when 2 late payments come in 6 months. But the 4.9% rate is artificially low. The company is doing it solely to compete with its bigger competitors. It can not afford to be forgiving when it's playing with these razor thin profit margins (on the 4.9% rates, it's doing just fine with subprime customers). These aren't the rates where you can fool around when someone pays late. Capital One has a reason to do what they do here.

But it's no secret or surprise credit card companies play tough. That partly because they've taken huge hits through bankruptcies and sophisticated fraud rings. That cost passes right along to the consumer. But I believe there's another reason. Outsourcing and technological improvements have drastically cut a huge expense- payrolls. That allows lower rates. But the companies really liked the cushion high interest rates provided to the revenues. They want any reason at all, hell don't give em a reason- to hike the rate. I don't Capital One is any more guilty of this than other companies.

Capital One recently ended a long period of scrutiny from regulators, known as a Memorandum of Understanding. That mainly dealt with charging too many fees. And that was something the company was guilty of. Charging 2 $29 fees a month for going a day late and a dollar over (and usually from the fees itself). But the company eased off a bit. Perhaps it would welcome some even handed, industry wide regulation on default rates.

But I think this suit may be good if it forces the issue of credit cards to be pushed into the public conversation. It affects a heck of lot of people but no says much about it. I think John Edwards was on to something with the subject during the campaign trail. But alas he was banished from the election and his party declared illegal. I think. I heard that somewhere but should really fact check it first.

Thanks, no really, thank you.

2004-12-30T10:10:00.000-05:00

Looking for updates I saw this on Channel 8's site

"New information has been released about the latest mysterious boom on Richmond's north side. City officials tell 8 News that Saturday's boom was the result of seismic activity. This conclusion comes from scientists at Virginia Tech who studied the seismic equipment put inplace three weeks ago.

Officials tell 8 News that based on this information and other recent events, they believe central Virginia is seismically active.

Originally, test results from seismic equipment on Saturday's northside boom have come back inconclusive.

Northside residents tell 8 News they heard and felt the latest boom early Saturday morning. It was the first since city officials installed the seismic equipment about 3 weeks ago."

This has to be the most useless news story I have seen in a long time. First of all, it's late. Secondly, 3 out of the 7 sentences include '"officials tell 8 News". As if there is a news embargo and Channel 8 is the only one getting around it. Like if I see "officials tell Channel 8" (probably more like "Channel 8 read this in the Times-Dispatch") enough I'll subconsciously think that...I don't know that they suck but are still better than Channel 6?

Land of Plenty

2004-12-28T01:16:00.001-05:00

The Belmont Club, as usual, has a fascinating take on the disaster on Asia. This is one of those stories you know will alert you to misery and despair. Wretched drew some lessons from it I would never have come up with on my own.

And while I understand just having a number of seismologists on hand would not have prevented the disaster or even of itself mitigated the effects, I can't help but cringe from reading this.

Yes the Booms are back. And we have experts on hand to study readings from are what are most likely soda bottle explosions.

But, true to Richmond fashion, we didn't come up with Boom thing first. South Carolina has them too. (hat tip to Professor Hex). Should've known Upstate New York had something to do with this. Lot of weird stuff comes out of there..

UPDATE Maybe it wasn't those meddling kids after all. Those scientist guys are saying it was the Earth. Figures. The Earth is responsible for a lot of bad stuff, and except for the hurricanes, the MSM never talks about it. I hope those enviromentalists keep this in mind the next time they torch a Hummer dealership.

Iran So Far Away

2004-12-28T01:16:00.000-05:00

I knew there's always a reason I stop by Chester's regularly.

"Lawrence of Irvine Learns Spying and Blogging Don't Mix?

We've received this somewhat humorous email from an Alert Reader:
A few weeks ago I sent you a copy of an article posted on The Angry Iranian Weblog.

The blogger, Lawrence Reza Ershaghi, is an Iranian who was living in Irvine California, and made no secret of his displeasure with the US. He seemed to eagerly await the rise of the Shia in Iraq, which he felt would result in Iranian hegemony in the Gulf. He had been posting articles once or twice a week until November 24. After that, nothing.

This week DEBKAfile posted this: "...Iranian spy teams have been spotted outside Israeli missions in various parts of the world, including one nabbed by the FBI watching Israeli consulates in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston. It was made up of Iranian Americans, Arab and Pakistani students - some of them US citizens, and all activists belonging to Muslim fundamentalist groups."

I suspect Lawrence may be spending the holidays as a guest of our government.
A very Merry Christmas to you, Lawrence, and we hope you enjoy the government cheese in whichever federal institution you now reside! "

I stopped by his site but no recent postings.

Fix It

2004-12-25T19:32:00.000-05:00

has anyone noticed that many prominent bloggers (but not this one) post the old link for Tim Blair's website. It should be this. I don't have time for these extra clicks, people.

Poo-pooing The Crap Writer

2004-12-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

So how long ago was the last good Tom Wolfe novel? You can ask him yourself.

Excess Gas

2004-12-22T10:26:00.000-05:00

Funny if it weren't so sad, for us. A clerk makes a simple mistake and the effects become immeasurable in the natural gas market.

Frankly it's not that a billion dollars was cheated out of consumers. It's that a company would admit a mistake like this and that one lowly clerk has that much power.

Mosul and Richmond

2004-12-21T16:58:00.000-05:00

He usually covers local government but R-TD writer Jeremy Redmon, along with photographer Dean Hoffmeyer, were with the troops as a deadly rocket attack on a mess hall at a Mosul base.

The AP:

"Redmon and photographer Dean Hoffmeyer are embedded with the 276th Engineer Battalion, a Richmond, Va., unit that can trace its lineage to the First Virginia Regiment of Volunteers formed in 1652. George Washington and Patrick Henry were two of its early commanders. Henry created the unit's motto, "Liberty or Death."

He is the best reporter the Times Dispatch could have over there.

Crave New World

2004-12-21T03:15:00.000-05:00

Some people can't get there fast enough. I wonder why genetic engineers can't alter the gene that wants us to alter genes.

"The most piercing indictment comes from Barbara Katz Rothman, a sociologist with a defiant red-dyed streak in her hair. She dissociates herself from abortion opponents and "fundamentalists" but says she doesn't like where this technology is going. When Stock dismisses her complaint as religious, she replies angrily that many scientists in the room have laughed at frightened laypeople. People understand more than you think, she tells them. Challenged by Stock as the others look on, she casts her eyes down. "I heard a lot of laughter here," she repeats in the hushed voice of a child who has seen another mistreated. "I heard laughter at people's fears." For a moment, the room goes quiet.

That's a great section of this fascinating article. But reading it made me wonder about the narrative. Usually conferences like this don't offer such poignant moments.

Do They Know It's Christmas Time?

2004-12-20T01:30:00.000-05:00

Through a link from Glenn Reynolds I came across a piece by James Lileks on Christmas. Or at least, the lack thereof in his holiday shopping. (The site will alternately allow you to view the article and then require a registration. Much more annoying than his main gripe.)

Lileks is offended that throughout his holiday, er Christmas, shopping nowhere does it actually mention Christmas anywhere. The whole season is neutered of its original intent. He thinks that there is something lost when we don't admit this time of year is all about Christmas. Say Merry Christmas to a store clerk and you get a blank stare.

There are 2 things wrong with this whole article. The first is that Mr. Lileks has obviously never spent a Christmas in America before and believes we do not exploit a sacred holiday enough.

"This isn't about shoving Christmas down the maws of the unwilling -- it's simply about admitting that the vast majority are celebrating, well, CHRISTMAS, and there's nothing injurious to the public sphere in celebrating that fact."

That would be true if we can never be accused of doing that before but Mr. Lileks, I'm afraid to tell you this country has been guilty of that in the past. Unfortunately we have plastered "Christmas" each and every place that even the most devout Christians among us feel that it no longer needs to be advertised. I would take the time now to recount the ways this is true but I'm getting nauseous thinking of it. It's why people say "I hate Christmas" They're sick of it. Sick of how it's lost any meaning in the public sphere and sick that department stores and television own it.

There is a backlash against it. Call it "Holiday Shopping", that's fine but give us back Christmas. You've bled it dry. Just stop using that word, is what many of us had wanted....And now, they have done it. Yet here you are wanting them to keep doing what they have been doing all along.

That it's now being extracted from the commercial discourse means there is a possibility we can build our own meaning into it again. Ever notice how Thanksgiving doesn't mean the same hoopla? Doesn't it seem nicer that way?

The second problem with Mr. Lileks is that he is crazy. Read his supposedly hypothetical response when a clerk does not react to his "Merry Christmas".

"Sir, this conversation no longer sounds real, but has come to resemble a fictional contrivance designed to make you seem sensible at my expense. I shall have to pepper spray you."..is what he has a store employee saying in response to his rant. Mr Lileks has never worked with the public. Sometimes pepper spray is not sufficient. These people, they, they're not like us. They keep living.

Customers will explode at the slightest thing. They call them "hot button issues." Low level employees say "just some guy who wants a supervisor". These people will complain to you about service rendered a year ago, the prices in your store, the prices in other stores-all to people working for minimal wages, second jobs to lower credit card debt, who have no control over the market forces shaping your shopping experience. And all day long they take the brunt of the aggression and frustration. And after all that, when you are finally on your way and done with your business you turn back to the clerk and say "Merry Christmas" That clerk, Mr. Lileks, is wondering one thing. Not "Oh wow, a random customer who I thought was just here for a toaster oven actually understands the reason I, we all of us are here-It's Motherfucking Christmas". No, he's thinking, "Shit, what does this guy want?" And from the condescending tone I can guarantee you are not the happy-go-lucky type you think you are. The clerk was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ready for you to unload. You build your customer experience expectations so high you can't help but be disappointed all the time. (They spit in your food at the Olive Garden,Mr. Lileks, just in case you were wondering. They really didn't care if your Tuscan Alfredo Chicken was right the second time.)

The lesson here Mr. Lileks is to welcome any decrease in crass commercialism of a sacred holiday and stop deriving any meaningful transactions from people taking on seasonal work to pay off debt from their own meaningless purchases.

Gaston Nation

2004-12-17T08:57:00.000-05:00

This is one of those Richmond stories.

I understand there is nothing quite as boring as natural disasters in other places. No real way to connect. When I see trash and debris strewn fields where trailer parks used to sit on TV, i can't help but wonder "Hey how do I know it didn't always look like that?" I just don't care. 5 hurricanes in one season? Just makes no impression on me.

But this summer Richmond gets a freakin tropical depression and we still are trying to catch our breath. Entire roads collapsed, a large section of The Bottom was under water. Cars picked up and moved blocks away. All this from a rain that even isn't the rain that's going to come some day and wash all this scum off the earth.

Wow. I can't wait for that.

The only thing though I suppose would interest those of you, both of you, outside the Richmond area was the weather prediction. While the storm had already dumped a few inches, just a few hours into it, the weather forecast called for it to stop. I don't know about the other stations, I assume they were wrong too, but NBC 12 specifically said the stupid storm would move on in the next hour. That was at mid day. It went on and on never stoppiing til past midnight. There is nothing as funny and as pathetic as making predictions after an event has started to unfold...and still getting them wrong. There should be a word for it. A Zogby.

But the kicker, the real added humiliation, is the name itself. Not Gaston. It's not like Lake Gaston. No, it's Gas-tone. And everyone pronounced it with this drawn out, exaggerated French accent. No one asked why we had to say it in French. Someone started doing it and we all followed. Too late to turn back now. Unless, of course you are a pollster. (hey, cut the weatherman a break)

It's a Swingin' Party...

2004-12-15T02:00:00.000-05:00

and Andrew Sullivan is left hanging.

Not since Nas vs. Jay-Z has there been a battle of the wits this off the meat hook. Wretched has been bitch slapping the usually-thoughtful-Andrew Sullivan. Wretched just bides his time, while Andrew happliy goes along posting his rants against about troop strength then POW! He goes Rick James on Sullivan's sorry ass.

I don't know why Sullivan can't see that there was a serious argument against too many troops. Before the war I often heard that would serve only to inflame resentment against an occupation.

Which Side Are You On

2004-12-15T01:42:00.000-05:00

I've always liked Billy Bragg. From his documentaries, to the Woody Guthrie stuff even his latest stuff. I saw him in Washington ("Tell Us The Truth Tour") just before the election with a whole roster full of Anti-Bush minor celebrities and musicians preaching to a crowd full of Anti-Bush people. You can imagine how painful that was. Plus, Steve Earle, my hero, acted like he didn't want to be there. But Billy closed the show and gave it a shot in the arm it desperately needed. He gave us a speech about how he'd like to see America in the future. Filled us with pride on our achievements and shame with our failures. He passionately made his case for why the world needed us. He made a 2 hour trip well worth it.

Forgot about it till I came across this.

At the show he played "Price of Oil" and I thought of the documentary he made touring the Soviet Union in the early 80s. He gave the same speech, more or less, to a crowd in Moscow as he had to us. Except I think he meant it more back then.

I remembered in the movie how he implored the importance of seeing Soviet tourists in London some day soon. And how he would know that once he saw that then he would know the experiment was a success. And when I saw that list of Best Antiwar songs I realized "Price of Oil" wasn't about the Iraq War, it was about the anti-war nations and their efforts to protect oil interests. Christopher Hitchens said once that if we shouldn't go to war to protect American oil interests then why should we not go to war to protect the oil interests of others? Unlike Hitchens, I wonder if Bragg ever realized the naivete and stupidity of his earlier political beliefs. I doubt that he has of course. He's probably still letting his fans believe the song is about American military intervention.

The Price of Oil...a belated Fisking.
"The generals want to hear the end game
the allies wont approve the plan
but the oil men in the white house
they just dont give a damn."

"Its all about the price of oil
its all about the price of oil
dont give me no shit
about blood, sweat, tears and toil
its all about the price of oil"

"Now I aint no fan of Saddam Hussein
oh, please dont get me wrong
if its freeing the Iraqi people youre after
then why have we waited so long."

Well, thanks Billy but most people said it was a rush to war. We waited cause "the allies wouldn't approve the plan."

"Why didnt we sort this out last time
was he less evil than he is now
the stock market holds the answer
to why him, why here, why now."

Remember the "oil men in the white house"? Well George HW Bush said his UN mandate didn't allow for him to go to Baghdadat that time. So we passed a dozen or so resolutions in the meantime. Didn't seem to matter. And the stock market didn't react well to the war nor to bad news coming from it since. It wants no war.

"Saddam killed his own people
just like general Pinochet
and once upon a time both these evil men
were supported by the U.S.A."

Sounds like good reasons for others to get involved. I mean look at us. You want America to go around now kicking out evil dictators? That's like putting Cuba on a Human Rights commission. Too ludicrous to believe.
Well, actually it's a fair point though we did see Iran at the time as a greater threat and we eventually did distance ourselves. Still, I'll grant that it should have been sooner. But then is his main criticism in out timing. Should we just have gone on doing business with him anyway and never confronted him at all? After September 11, can you give a good reason not to confront a threat sooner rather than later? Why wait?

"And whisper it, even Bin Laden
once drank from Americas cup
just like that election down in Florida
this shit doesnt all add up."

With all the communist propaganda Bragg has espoused over the years you'd think he could do a better Michael Moore imitation that this.

And what does Bragg say about the price of oil now? Despite constant attacks, the oil is getting pumped. Is he aware where the proceeds go now? Is he thinking of how much the United States has lost financially when he assess his earlier views? Does he think we're still in it for the oil? Is there oil in the alleyways of Fallujah or are those the avowed opponents of free elections. It's the Iraqi troops guarding the oil.

With that said, he's a great performer and a good songwriter. Anyone who has spent that much time with Jeff Tweedy must be a saint. I disagree with him politically but I always want to hear what he'll say next even if I can say it before he does. But I still wonder, after the United States continues to bravely take unpopular stances against unabashed evil, which side is he on?

"Yeah, but it won't be as cool as the Jade Elephant"

2004-12-15T01:19:00.000-05:00

Despite my nasty comments concerning other Richmond Va bloggers sniping at the local music scene, the local music scene here is underwhelming. All the ingredients are here (lots of bands, college students, easy access to drugs) but it has always underperformed. We're the Neil Lomax of the East Coast. But here's some good news. Just as long as they don't open the same night I'm doing my CD release party on Feb 4th, we're cool.

The Kids Are All Right

2004-12-14T23:48:00.000-05:00

I found some odd comfort in this. A lot of the weird, violent and senseless acts of American youth gets around the globe. Commentators from outside this country like to take things like school shootings and bizarre judicial decisions and make broad generalizations about American society. Things are fucked up.

Well, thanks to this blog, you already know that. (see, your smarter than most other internet users. Faster. Stronger.) But you can't help but to start to think that things are much more straightened out when you gauge world reaction to our doings. This pencil sharpener incident in England (yeah I know the PC term is now Great Britain now. It' just where I come from. That's where I get it from. It'll always be England to me. Baltimore Colts. WKRP in Cincinnati. England.) makes me think that maybe we're not so different. Perhaps we're not all so different. Maybe if we can see eye to eye on these sorts of things, we could pick a few more partners in the Coalition. Oh wait we already have England. Well who else is fucked up out there?

The Seas Are Angry, my son. The Seas are Angry.

2004-12-14T02:31:00.000-05:00

The Onion has been a bit predictable lately. Still a must read but I don't devour every word like I used to. And I still mourn the passing of The Brunch Shuttlecocks, although the Book Of Ratings is still around. And Lore has a new site I've yet to explore.

If there are any must-read humor sites please pass them on. I found this the other day from a comment posting at Chrenkoff the other day. You have to read it all the way through. If you start it thinking you know how it ends...well, you do but just read the whole thing. Oh, what a magnificent beard it is!

Fish Out of Oil

2004-12-13T02:00:00.000-05:00

The next time you see another oil spill in the news, just remember it was probably the fish's fault.

Yeah, yeah it makes for an easy story when do-gooders clean off baby seals, frogs and birds but they should probably just leave the fish the way they are. Stick a rock on their gut also to aid the inevitable process. This may sound heartless and cold, and I am I suppose but I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. A lot of thinking abou the war and it led me back to those fish. Ot at least their neighbors, the plankton.

Recently Tom Friedman had an excellent article in the New York Times about Bush's second term. That link will require money to read the whole thing so I'll paraphrase. He wants Bush to make his big goal, his man-on-the-moon/Nixon to China vision thing to be to produce a viable alternative to crude oil. Preferably, renewable. It's an obvious idea, he says, and worth repeating. I concur.

But to really consider this I needed some time. Free time. And a new baby doesn't give me much. Plus, throw in a nagging wife and a random horse-tranquilizer induced bender from time to time and Jeb will be in office taking credit by the time I can whip anything even passable. So I thought I had least had better figure out where all this precious crude oil comes from. (along with how the hell this guy got a song on the Felicity DVD soundtrack)

I remember in school they told us that it came from decomposed dinosaurs. Besides not linking any known dinosaur-riddled locations (South Dakota, 96.5 Fm The Planet) with oil fields, I also kind of thought at the time there was no way there were enough dinosaurs ever around to produce enough of the oil we have now. Could there really be that much organic material? I'm sure what with nature being as it is(if I could link to the LSAT reading comprehension excert I picked that up from I would), that whatever formed oil was quite an inefficient process.

I had also picked up from somewhere that perhaps the synthesis of oil has nothing to do with organic material at all. It was, perhaps, abiotic.
This started sounding pretty cool to me. It would change the way we thought about energy. Maybe it wouldn't necessarily be replenishing but not quite as limited as some have suggested. And people have been predicting the death of oil sometime now, often extending the obituary deadline.

I asked a really smart man. A man who could answer any question But I was rebuffed. So I started my great quest for knowledge on my own.

It took me about 30 seconds to find it out. Seems there is a great debate on the abiotic vs biotic question. (a mighty big hat tip to www.greatwallinvesting.blogspot.com for the info) My gut instincts are wrong too. Seems there has been plenty of life on the planet. But not from dinosaurs. It's the freakin plankton. And the zooplankton. This article kinda settles it for me. And yeah I began talking about the fish, but it includes them too.

"Modern zooplankton also contain minute oil droplets. The reason for the oil droplets is uncertain; they may be formed during the decay process of the animal, or be a food reserve, or may be developed early in their life cycle as a floating mechanism to reduce their density in water. Whatever the reason, the bulk of evidence favors planktonic aquatic organisms, zooplankton and phytoplankton, as the primary source material for the formation of oil and wet gas."

So to sum up, the fishies make the oil, we drill it up, we don't eat enough of it, we have a heart attack, we spill it, fish absorb it, they die and then form more oil. I don't believe I'm missing anything here. That answers that. It's a lot like how solar systems are formed. (good thing they didn't try to teach me creationism in high school).

Unless of course the mole people are responsible. Or something like them.

The Ring

2004-12-13T01:24:00.000-05:00

I have found that wearing a wedding ring helps me pick up women. I fell ashamed of that after reading this.

They Call This Progress?

2004-12-08T02:12:00.000-05:00

There are some who believe the value of local, small-circulation newspapers is underappreciated. They say these community-minded publications reflect better what's happening in America than traditional and larger subscription based outlets. I disagree. The Hannover Herald-Progress notwithstanding, I find them too afraid to take on issues which may offend their neighbors.

This article is about one of the one-time exceptions.

Does The Times-Dispatch Print Fake Letters?

2004-12-08T01:08:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I read letters like these and think so.

"Don't Lower the Boom On Amateur Chemists
Editor, Times-Dispatch: I am a retired high school chemistry teacher. When I was a kid, I took great delight in anything that went boom.
Looking back, I'm sure my homemade rockets and explosions probably caused more annoyance than amusement. I also realize the post-9/11 world is very different from the mid-1950s, when I was a teenager. However, these early "experiments" led to a lifelong love affair with chemistry.

If the young men responsible for the recent booms in Richmond had malicious intent, either to cause bodily injury or vandalism, then I would favor throwing the book at them. On the other hand, if they were just making a boom with exploding soda bottles, I hope the authorities will show some leniency.

Perhaps a fitting punishment would be to require them to take an advanced-placement chemistry course. Thomas T. Earles. culpeper"

AP instead of jail?

How the web has cheapened education.

2004-12-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

It's not catblogging. It's online degree catblogging.

Sad really. How these online degrees are handed out as if they were Univ South Fla. degrees. A shame.

Revenge of the Clones

2004-12-04T15:19:00.000-05:00

Perhaps this story is more for bankruptcy attorneys, but I believe we can all take solace in the little guy beating a big bank.

Like Blogging alone

2004-12-03T10:53:00.000-05:00

I tire easily of classic rock. Subjected to it daily as a child and onto adulthood, I can't stomach Led Zepplin, The Who or the Rolling Stones much at all these days. There's no sense of mystery or wonder when I hear any of the old stuff. Except for this song

I start the beginning over and over still waitiing for the kick of the drums. Its effect never diminishing.

Boom Boom Redux

2004-12-03T01:14:00.000-05:00

Whenever I really need something witty to say the opportunity passes. Like when The Boom Boom story plagued Richmond...well, I had nothing. I should have known it would come back cause I still got nothing.

My favorite quote:

"If this is related to any type of mischief activity, I hope people are getting the message that this is not a practical joke, this is not funny, this is very serious stuff and it can get you in a world of trouble," [City emergency services spokesman Bill] Farrar said.

Mr. Farrar is a nice guy. A real calm soft-spoken man. If you could hear his tone of voice, think a &th grade social studies teacher no kid listens to, then you know...the booms will continue.

Oh and what the hell kind of name is Strange-Boston?

Also, he kind of annoys me, but T-D columnistMark Holberg makes a good point.

"A little perspective, please.

While there were no booms in North Side over the weekend, there were two in South Side.

Someone - I'm told it was a young man - fired two booming shots into the heads of two young men outside of a Midlothian Village apartment early Saturday morning.

That double homicide rated a brief mention on the TV news and a six-paragraph story on Page B7."

Save This Site

2004-12-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

Someone should have a website just for the purpose of promoting this one. Then maybe I could get my own article. Like this one.

Now, if I was Glenn Reynolds I'd be all over this. Hey- the mainstream press writing about a blog! The bloggers drawing the ire of the fat acts! The bloggers force the powers that be to address their specific concerns. This is what my man Glenn goes apeshit over.

But I'm not Glenn and so I am jealous. So jealous that I almost can't bring myself to go to their site
The first thing I kept wondering while reading the piece is whether the article was needed. One of the bloggers is married to a Times-Dispatch editor, and the article quotes the Times-Dispatch publisher. Also the site has posted an essay on "how to save Richmond's music scene" so you know these guys have: A) shitty bands B) enough time on their hands to contemplate they're shitty and form the rationalization that it's the "scene's" fault.

These were ominous signs but Will Jones is a solid reporter. And damn if them bloggers don't raise some good points. A lot of money is being sunk into a performing arts center. Many are already wondering if it will ever get used, among other things.

No one should be be surprised if it wasn't. Sure, a lot of cities have something like this going on but we're just better at dooming these sorts of things than others. The best things to happen around here occur when someone provides the infrastructure and then leaves it be. Like the Carytown parking deck or Shockoe Bottom's flood wall. That this overreaching project sounds dubious is business as usual. But it's good they're raising the questions and without the T-D I wouldn't have thought much about it.

But still, after years of covering local government I can say there are always these people like Harrison and Beaujon who dog public projects like this. Whether it's a water sewage treatment plant in Hanover, a First Tee golf course in Chesterield or a performing arts center in Richmond, there will always be someone questioning every step of the way. And I know just from writing this that it may seem sweet and almost Capra-esque to imagine that but let me tell you these are some of the most annoying motherfuckers on the planet. Nothing pleases them. They are perpetually pissed off about something.

Not that they shouldn't be. The powers that be should be dogged every step of the way. Price of liberty is eternal vigilance as that artsy craftsy guy says. But...I just wouldn't want to have a beer with them....or listen to their shitty band.

Hell is Other People...in other countries trying to fix your problems

2004-11-30T21:47:00.001-05:00

A lot of folks say the short term loss of jobs due to outsourcing will be compensated by efficiency achieved here and thus more jobs here later. Maybe. We've seen what's happening in our technology and call center jobs happen before in manufacturing. I'm no economist (that may appear obvious to some, but I know other who have written whole books on the subject and are no economists!) and the analogy seems reasonable, but I get a bad feeling about this one. A bad feeling like I do in those movies when the character says "I got a bad feeling about this one" and then things go bad. Real bad.

Where I work I deal first hand with the effects of outsourcing. I speak all day with counterparts in India and other assorted countries. It's like what John Rocker sees when he goes trainhopping the 5 borroughs. Those colleagues abroad are holding the same jobs that used to be housed stateside. I hear complaints all day about this. Yes, there is a lot of resentment about India. Why they think I can do something about this I don't know. (Oddly, I have had customers explicitly demand not to speak to someone in Canada. "send me to India but no Canadiens!") Customers can't understand what they're saying half the time (Insert 'aboot' joke before publishing. Don't forget, ok?). And an even bigger problem is that my out of country counterparts stick tightly to a script. Have you ever had the experience where a representative clearly doesn't comprehend the question and just repeats a canned earlier response? Polite but unable to bring any skills or knowledge to a new situation. Borderline autistic.

And I don't hold it against these immediate benficiaries of outsourcing. They're just doing a job like I am. And they're polite. But good God they can never think for themselves. I worry about outsourcing on its effects on our side of the equation but not because India may someday surpass us. The Japanese made cars, which was by all accounts America's God-given domain, and did it better and cheaper. They kicked our ass, we deserved it. But these jobs going overseas nowadays aren't neccessarily being done better. Cheaper maybe (though I would argue no). They are not innovating. Their new found jobs will probably be sent somewhere else again soon if not replaced entirely by automation.

If you were lucky and the situation met a certain criteria then it would get bumped to another situation, someone else. And, at least lately, that person was probably American. Or at least someone with better customer skills. The thinking of many corporations has been to reduce the cost of customer care but with a minimal loss of quality. Be prepared for a great reduction in the quality soon. This guy who loses his job in the article doesn't believe his job hasn't just been evaporated. I believe the spokeswoman. For the AT&T customers with complex billing customers, I pity you. And because I believe this is a trend, I pity us all. I pity us all.

Now, where are my kitties.

What Do We Know About Theo Van Gogh?

2004-11-30T13:27:00.000-05:00

Besides liking bright colors and letting it show?

Well, he's dead. There. I've said it. Hopefully (the usually thoughful) Andrew Sullivan will now spare me.

If the Kids Are Divided, They Can Never Be Ignited

2004-11-30T01:36:00.000-05:00

(c'mon you know this one...Sham 69!)

The kids charged with making the booms are out on the streets again.

I still want to know how it's possible so much noise came out of their soda pop can concoctions. One of the earlier stories stated that police came to one of the scenes knowing what to look for. I wonder what made them think "soda bottle". I think one of the neighbors got it right:

"I don't think he needs to go into the penal system, but it's not fun and games."

There's probably some more of them out there. Now if they had any guts they'd keep doing it. Remember, it always gets funny again after everyone says it's not.

Not to defend these kids, if they in fact did it, but it's better than the graffiti plaguing Richmond. Every city stands its fair share of abuse from youth but Richmond seems to have it worse than others. It's random and uncreative. It has hit my place many times as well as my neighbors. This boom prank is just the stupid sort of thing I would have done when I was a kid if I had the Internet. Instead we had smoke bombs. But generally, the stuff I see here is so pointless and destructive.

But I remember one instance earlier this year I was reading Instapundit.com and there was a mention made of the rise of anti-semitism in Richmond VA. It came from here. I'm anti-anti-Semitic, pro-Israeli and deeply respectful of Judaism but I never understood how a brick through a window would carry so much weight. I would be more suspicious if a any building ever escaped attempts at vandalism or damage considering the numbers of secular and religious buildings that have been destroyed this year.

First Hand

2004-11-29T01:05:00.000-05:00

One of the true values of blogs in this war is getting first hand accounts from soldiers. Although there has been some great reporting from the MSM (whther some bloggers agree or not) there hasn't been enough first hand accounts. So check this out.

Playing the Victim, Losing to The Victim

2004-11-28T11:38:00.000-05:00

I hate Va Tech football. The more I watch that team the less I like them. And the thing I hate about them is that they always think of themselves as the underdog (how come never little kitties?).

"OOOOH nobody likes us" I think it's just to insulate themselves from inevitable failure.

Am I Evil? Perhaps not enough so...

2004-11-27T14:19:00.000-05:00

Those Meddling Kids

2004-11-27T13:12:00.000-05:00

You have to forgive me. I was away most of this week and when I got back I missed the news. Turns out it was some kid making the booms. I had to dig to find that story. I figured something out from one of their readers polls. Not sure why it didn't have more attention. Are pictures of shoppers getting trampled that important?

Still a Mystery, Still a Good Joke Going to Waste

2004-11-26T18:30:00.000-05:00

more Boom Booms. No answers.

UPDATE: It's a Super Villain. Well, probably. NBC12 has posted video of Richmond Fire Captain essentially saying there is a crime scene and they are mad made devices. The Times-Dispatch has more details. "Pressure producing devices" are what's the cause. No word yet on who or why, of course, but we can rule out bursting gas pipes (my original guess) or earthquakes (which seismologists had already rules out).

There's been no damage and it's hard to guess at a motive. So what I believe what we have here is someone who used to work in mining or geology and had some extra goodies to bring home from work. Thought it might be good for a laugh. Well...it would have been except remember we never got a good joke out of it. All attempts at that have been futile. So maybe the motive was part of complex plan now set in motion. One beyond our simple mortal comprehension. Super Villain. It's obvious.

And no, not the Mole, that's too obvious. I'm thinking Dr. Doom.

Took a break over the holiday, and so have the booms. Here's the latest.

Black Friday

2004-11-26T18:00:00.001-05:00

It's called that thanks by the service industry. We're the ones who service your gluttonous orgy of spending and debt. So when you turn your head to the side to puke so that you may consume even more, that's us holding the vomit goblit.

So why don't we offer any means of restraint? Well, we do. If you haven't used your credit card in a while and you hot the shopping hard you may get blocked. Credit Card companies are more and more likely to conatct you to question charges. Just a simple "yes" will get your card active again. But if it happens to you pay attention. Sanwiched in those charges could be fraudulent ones. And the hold time getting through to someone on the phone can be long. Also if you are easily confused by the options on automated systems what you can do, after you have entered in your information is ...nothing. Eventually it will get you to a person though probably in the wrong department.

Ukraine Blog

2004-11-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

I found this through Andrew Sullivan's website.

Email of the Day

2004-11-24T11:06:00.000-05:00

Chris writes:

"The Alexander movie is shaping up as a disaster.

You should tell your readers of your stupid blog to skip the movie and buy the book John O'Brien wrote on Alexander the Boozer. "

No doubt. Oliver Stone doesn't have many chops but The Aviator is supposed to good.

I Heart Links

2004-11-23T19:56:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite websites are on Blogspot. Adventures of Chester is ok (but getting boring. It started out hinting at excitement. Now it's just a guy reading news magazines.) There's the soon to be legendary Belmont Club. (Wretched scares me. And I'm not sure if it's in a good way). Enjoy him while you can, Blogspot God, he'll be going pro soon.

But for good trashy trash I just found this. Check it out even if just for the pics.

These are the same animals that brought us that Elian mess

2004-11-23T13:20:00.000-05:00

So some swimmers in New Zealand credit dolphins from protecting them from a big shark. One alert reader states the dolphins probably attracted the shark in the first place. I don't know about that, maybe someone else can elaborate (it's called open source journalism, people. I don't need to do my own research).

But what i do know is that even if they did get the swimmers in trouble in the first place, they got them out of it. They took responsibilty and they did something to correct it. Which is more than I can say for man's so-called best friend. Dogs accept blame for anything you point out to them (especially pee on the carpet). But they keep doing it. They won't stop no matter how many times you scold them.... At least the dogs I've known. Perhaps I should not judge all dogs thus.

I owe my readers an apology

2004-11-22T10:41:00.001-05:00

Too much time on boom-boom. Seriously there are some important stories, more important than boom-boom. Like should basketball players walk our streets like ordinary non-criminals? Or is it possible for our media to feed any more propoganda to Islamists? There's stuff like this this.

It may not sound important now, but in a few years, these kids will have their frickin prom in Gloversville. Gloversville. C'mon people wake up!

That cameraman, you know the one.

2004-11-22T10:41:00.000-05:00

I've been a regular reader of Kevin Sites since the war began. I never figured it was him

The Boom No One Takes Credit For

2004-11-21T01:12:00.000-05:00

How can some one not figure this one out yet. Loud booms heard across the Richmond area. (the Dick Cheney angle has been covered, thanks....hmmm or has it?) Thankfully there is a resolution in site. Thankfully a community meeting will be held tonight. That should get to the bottom of it.

My wife works in the West End and she felt them. Said she thought it was an earthquake (and a quick update: She was on the Hardees website to check out the nutritional info on the mushroom burger. She's on a diet and cheated. She discovered the Monster burger now too thanks to the net. She says she's horrified. Yeah. Like I was horrified by all the porn I discovered on the web).

What troubles me about all this boom stuff are the obvious jokes. From the proximity of former councilman Saad El-Amin's home, to the aforementioned Dick Cheney to the bread and butter fart jokes everything is just too...obvious. I'm disheartened.

Update: There are more of them and they still can't figure them out. There's a quote in the linked story about a frustrated citizen who can't understand why the city can't determine its cause. The government is responsible for a lot of things but they should be given a little slack for not figuring it out right away. I would expect the people who live there, who are there when the booms occur to figure it out first.

Another Crackpot, but this one is right.

2004-11-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

I read the NY Times. I've felt let down by it over the years. I grew up revering it and well, it's shortcomings and arrogance are well documented. But i still read it.

The editorial page is a different matter. Some of my favorite newspaper writing ever was Maureen Dowd's work during the Clinton impeachment scandal investigation. Why her work fell off so hard is one of those unanswered mysteries that we do not understand. (what the hell is wrong with me this morning?). Now there is old Tommy Friedman, he's good and Willie Safire ("Did I tell you I know Ariel Sharon? I do! I do! He just called me by the way...") and David Brooks ("Hey I wrote a book!") have their merits. Anyone who attempts to read Krugman gets what they deserve. I would say the same for Kristof until today's piece.

The fact that the parties not only don't put up viable candidates in most every election but just don't put up any at all is a sham. For shame. How would you feel if the only person you could ever send to Congress, year in and year out was Bobby Scott?

Email of the Day Part 2

2004-11-19T10:50:00.000-05:00

From Chris, again.

"Hey..stop it! Stop putting my e-mails on your stupid blog."

What a weenie....

This Day in History

2004-11-19T10:45:00.001-05:00

...if it was last Friday. The Palantine Village of Herkimer NY was destroyed by French Canadians and Fucking Indians in 1757. Just keep that in mind the next time one of them cut you off in traffic. But at least the town is still there. Better than we can say for

others

Email of the Day

2004-11-19T10:45:00.000-05:00

"What's your blog address again?

Here is a great story. Guy attempts to steal the ring he gave his fiance. If you get caught you look a little bad. But if you succeed? You get credit for the ring, get the money back for it, get to give mock sympathy and look supportive to distraught wife-to-be, etc. Put that on your silly blog.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,139016,00.html

Chris

P.S. Not that I condone this sort of behavior. I'm just saying is all."

I'm getting tired of this crackpot but he did foresee the collapse of eastern Europe.

Breaking My Back, Busting My Balls

2004-11-19T10:27:00.000-05:00

I work late, so I have the baby if he wakes up after we put him down. That means of course I got the kid every night. He wakes up at different times. Sometimes he goes back to sleep, sometimes he wants to party.

When he goes back to sleep though, he usually fights it as little ones do. He cries for a bit. Sometimes a minute, sometimes forever. Either way, my wife always gets up and wonders what's the matter? Why is the baby crying?

So I can't let the baby cry.
It's hard enough to take care of a baby but try to do it after you worked the late shift and oh yeah, if the baby cries then you lose. That's immpossible. You can't take care of a baby and try to put it to sleep without crying. It's going to happen.

Also, if someone fires at you from a mosque, you can't shoot back...well until now.

Dear Valued Customers

2004-11-17T10:08:00.000-05:00

I'm not one to share immediate personal details with anyone with access to the web. Unless you are Flaubert, really what's the point?

"I paid a parking ticket the other day. I went to a party with my friend Jeff. I'm so lonely>" That's what most blogs are about. Good, if it keeps you from watching Becker too much go ahead and write. I just can't understand why anyone would want to read about your daily ramblings when you announce beforehand it's boring/you are bored. Hell, if you are bored why should we care? Believe me, the unexamined life is less tedious.

With that said, my wife and I share the same computer. I notice the site she goes to and vice versa I'm sure but as long as I keep away from the porn it's not an issue. But I am going nuts trying to decipher finding this in the address field.

She doesn't eat there. And if she did, what information would be on their website? I mean, occaisionally I'll think to myself "Hmmm maybe I should go on the web to find out more about this place" but it never occurs to me at a Hardees and if it did I would never remember to do it when I got home. But she did. And it haunts me still. ...Ok now i gotta go pay a toll.

Vote or Lie

2004-11-16T01:29:00.000-05:00

When i started this blog i knew i wanted to write about either politics or music. But not both. Here's why: They don't mix. At least I don't think so (and Alice Cooper agrees!)

As Michael Crowley says in his recent piece in The New Republic, "the best rock deals in artful abstractions that allows listeners to derive their own interpretations." Tellingly, he cites an example of a misunderstood Rem lyric (I know, I know...but that one's too easy) he liked in high school that worked better when he didn't realize it was directly political. Isn't that where we form our understanding of what rock music should be? Isn't that where we leave it too? Do you judge bands nowadays by your old heroes' standards? Do you want to be doing the same thing with politics?

Go mix your rock with politics. Mo matter how you justify it though, it won't work. The rare examples where it does are an exception to the rule. (ed. note- so now all of a sudden you don't like Billy Bragg?) They succeed because they transend their immediate subject not because they revel in it.

Well i forget where i was going with this but I do remember that what stuck me was there was no consideration for musicians leaning to the right. Perhaps it's just easier to rant against the pwers that be as opposed to choosing those currently in power reluctantly. It's hard to admit I voted for Bush. I just don't say anything. First of all because he sucks and second it brands you harshly amonst your rocking peers. I mean even I think it's easier to sing Bush=Hitler rather than Bush is better than Kerry although am I really going to reward him with a second term when the occupation has been so mishandled (but the war was right) and he has fulfilled none of the good things we like about conservatives? It's enough to make me want to wish Ronald Reagan would come back. I miss those days. Like when Husker Du, the Minutemen and The Replacements were all still putting out great albums. Not like those bands today.

Shoulda Stuck With It

2004-11-15T09:48:00.000-05:00

I made $12,000 one year in radio broadcasting. That was in the late 90s. That was for a private company. Look what these fuckers bring in.

Who said the private sector pays more?

Rathergates of Hell

2004-11-13T13:49:00.000-05:00

Drudge is reporting that...

"URGENT: NYTIMES AND '60 MINUTES' PLAN SUNDAY SPLASHES ON DRUG COMPANY MERCK AND ITS HANDLING OF EVIDENCE THAT VIOXX MIGHT POSE HEART RISKS... NYT STORY 6,000+ WORDS, LEAD OF PAGE ONES /// CBS PLANS TO SHOW 'DOCUMENTS'... DEVELOPING..."

My first reaction without much reflection was "Maybe what they're gonna report is true but who the heck knows. We've seen CBS' "documents before." But then I realized i'm susecptible to quotation marks.

Most Blogs...

2004-11-13T01:43:00.000-05:00

are just links to other sites. And they contain mostly links to other sites. It's incestuous really because they all link back to each other. Or they just offer the same commentary on the same NYtimes or washingtonpost article.

This site shall be no different. I agree with this man.

Also, the spell check wanted me to replace Blogs with Blocs. This is Blogger's spell check mind you. (being easily persuaded i almost agreed)

Hope I Die Beforehand...

2004-11-12T01:08:00.000-05:00

I always figured, the older you got, the wiser you got and so the better you understand how the world operates. But not so much lately. I work with the general public for a large corporation. The questions people ask tell me a lot about who I am dealing with just over the phone. I get all sorts of dumb questions but that's expected. I don't expect people to understand all out policies and procedures but that's what I am there for (not that I don't resent it deep down. I do. I resent a lot of things). But it amazes me that the most naive questions come from senior citizens. You would think that by the time you hit 65 or 70 you would expect a level of bureaucracy from somewhere you are not dealing with face to face. And the questions often presuppose we are just breaking from a sort of Mayberry/Mom and Pop store based economy. I actually was told by one man tonight "Why can't we go back to just doing things with a handshake?" Forget the question. Why did he even think I could even answer it?

Yasir, he's dead.

2004-11-10T23:01:00.000-05:00

It's official. Again. But for those who cheer for a new opportunity for peace remember, no one went broke betting on chaos in the middle east..

The New Name

2004-11-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

It's now smithleveldevil.blogspot now

Why? Cause there is already something called Smith Level Records and want to avoid any confusion. Never heard of them except for one of their bands. They're in the Chapel Hill NC area and I named this blog for a Smith Level Road outside Carbarro. It's not that big of a road either. Just a coincidence I guess. ...I guess.

Also, I am the Devil. Thought you should know.

Email of the Day

2004-11-10T18:29:00.000-05:00

Chris writes:

"I'm a firm believer that the Egyptian God Ra is my true Lord and savior but you don't see me running around telling everybody do you? so keep your "beliefs" to your self.

This ain't no exit poll.

P.S. A friend of mine here says that at the end of Romeo and Juliet everyone who matters kills themselves. That doesn't sound right, does it? Do you think maybe she's got it mixed up with Jerry Maguire?

P.P.S. In re-reading this, it occurs to me that the line "This ain't no exit poll" is kind of funny and would fit in well somewhere, just not sure yet."

The purpose of rumors...

2004-11-10T16:45:00.000-05:00

, should at least be immediately plausible. But this one doesn't make any sense. The Israelis new we needed the scientists to find the weapons of mass destruction. The invasions and the justifications initially provided converged with theirs. Why would they silently eliminate the scientists when they were so valuable to us alive? (hat tip The Command Post)herk

2004-11-10T14:13:00.000-05:00

To sum up the youth vote

The New New Economists discredited

2004-11-10T12:22:00.000-05:00

I've often been accused of shadenfruende when on the attack against McEachern and O'Brien but I believe I stand totally vindicated by recent news that Larry Ellison is in fact a nice guy. Why these two usually thoughtful economists chose Ellison as a target to make a name for themselves certainly has backfired.

I just hope they can accept responsibility for the damage they have caused.

Either Way...

2004-11-10T12:12:00.000-05:00

Doesn't it feel like Bush would get the same criticsm whether; a)no people left his staff, b)a few people left his staff, or c) everyone left his staff. One of these possibilities will have to play out, we know that. The problem is it feels like the same canned commentary is ready for whichever. Yeah, yeah I know. This sort of stuff is the bread and butter of pundits but it feels like want to gloss over the fact that there have been relatively few staff changes. He was due to have some more and now here they are.

Even the usually thoughtful Andrew Sullivan wants to make issue of whether Bush himself can fire anyone. Does he really think it works like that? Of course he himself wouldn't fire anyone. They're not working for Mr. Spacely. By the way, when was the last time anyone could say they were "fired". When was the last "downsizing"? What is the word for it these days?

Exit Strategy for Exit Polls

2004-11-10T11:58:00.000-05:00

I thought we would be leaving the exit polls discussion and that a general consences was reach: They were wrong because (somethng, I forget, doesn't matter anyhow) and that the preelection polls were pretty much right. And most people besides the conspiracy thoerists gave conceded they were wrong.

But when folks talk about why we voted the way we did, the moral/values factor is always cited as the top reason. And how do they know this? Easy, the exit polls say so. These same exit polls that couldn't call a state at 8 pm 11/2 that easily went to Bush (Va) and well, you know the story- well they are supposedly capable of telling us the subtle and profound nuamces of why we voted the way we did. These polls couldn't even accurately say "how many" let alone "why". Even the usually thoughtful Andrew Sullivan hasn't conceded this fact and I've emailed him twice. For shame!

hey i was playing that night too

2004-11-09T20:41:00.000-05:00

alls i know is that my band could use even the 3 people at the start of the show... http://www.improveverywhere.com/bestgig/