The Outrages just keep coming

This guy in Dover has a bigger phone bill than yours His son racked-up over $18,000 in two months downloading data. The question is what was the kid be doing? It's a phone, dude.

The guy says he didn't know he was going to be charged, since he had been an on a free plan for two years. Verizon spokesman says we try to make the charges clear to customers.

Verizon, you are a liar! You try to make it as complicated as possible to confuse the customer and trick them into paying for stuff they do not want.

Bigotgate?

Poor Gordon Brown, PM of Great Britain, in the pre-election campaign to keep his job. He got caught saying regrettable things on a live mike. He called a the woman to whom he had been chatting a bigot, because she was complaining about the numbers of Eastern European immigrants in the UK taking jobs and using services. They are calling it Bigotgate and saying that it threatens to sink his campaign.

Not that what he said was so awful, but it was said behind her back and not face to face. The political opposition pounced and the news organizations have been delighting in the gaffe, despite the fact that he actually went back to the woman's house and personally apologized.

Poor Brown, all he did was call the woman a bigot. He never mentioned mention the fact that she was also overweight.

Kinda reminds you of the good old USA. Just a few weeks ago, VP Joe Biden famously congratulated Obama on his Health Care bill passage, in front of a live mike. Everyone who doesn’t live in a cave has heard him say grinningly “This is a big fucking deal !” That got everyone's panties in a bunch for a few days, especially the opposition that is obsessed with nitpicking everything that anyone in the Obama administration says or does.

These contemporary examples are not the first incidents where embarrassing things were caught on mike

From Wikipedia:

"On September 4, 2000, when Bush and running mate Dick Cheney appeared at a
campaign event at Naperville, Illinois. While on stage before the event, Bush
said to Cheney, "There's Adam Clymer, major league asshole from the New York
Times." Cheney responded, "Oh yeah, he is, big time." The remarks were picked up
by a live microphone, causing a minor campaign controversy. Bush later publicly
stated "I regret that a private comment I made to the vice presidential
candidate made it through the public airways. I regret everybody heard what I
said."

When this Ronald Reagan sound bite was leaked in 1984, I got under my desk

"My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've
signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five
minutes."

It was a warm-up joke, and only the audio techs heard it live, before the radio speech was broadcast; but within a few hours it leaked out and most of Asia went on alert. Old Dutch really had a decent sense of dark humor.


I really can't say whether Brown is worthy of being re-elected to the PM post, but if I was a Brit, I would look at his record and pay less attention to an utterance that was accidentally recorded.
And that fat bigot, well, maybe she needs a course in diversity training...

Rethinking the Overhead Fee Thing

In the WSJ today there was a piece in the Personal Journal section titled "What's Behind New Baggage Fees." Middle Seat columnist Scott McCartney does a nice job explicating the thinking behind the Spirit Airlines plan to charge for carry-on luggage.

In short, Spirit claims that they charge less than competitors for the basic ticket, so they feel justified in charging those passengers who use "extra services" such as storing carry-on luggage in limited overhead bins - higher fees than the rate for normal checked baggage. Yes, you heard that correctly: checked baggage will cost less than carry-on.

If you have been in an airplane during the past year, you know what a nightmare it has been. Every flight I have been on was overbooked. The gate personnel do not enforce the boarding plan, so if you follow the rules, by the time you get to your seat in 11B there is no overhead space available anywhere near your row. People who formerly checked their bags are now stuffing them into overhead bins.

Flying is akin to torture. Cruel and unusual punishment for wanting to be somewhere where the ocean water is warm.

I think that airline executives must have the cruelest hearts of any industry leaders. The braniacs at Spirit have installed no-recline seats in their new Airbus A320s. Ah good! you think, but no, they didn't do it for your comfort (so you would not have somebody's dreadlocks in your face for 4 hours). No! they did it so they could squeeze an extra 20 seats into the sardine can.

They say they will not back off the fee, despite the bad press, and the promise from major carriers not to follow suit. Spirit claims the new pricing policy will reduce gate delay. Which should make everyone happy. Especially the sardines that are packed-in nose to tail.

I have asserted that the real problem with airline ticket pricing is the failure to establish a set price for a basic seat. It should be based on some percentage of the fixed cost to take the plane from point A to point B. Right now it is a veritable auction where affluent travelers can outbid the cost-sensitive rabble for prime seats (at prime time).

I would like to see a standard fare (as they have on public transportation or a movie theater). I have no problem with the air carrier exercising their discretion to charge fees. As long as everyone is paying the same fees for the same service.
The free market will place the cap on charges, as long as the government sticks to regulating public safety and security. I am planning to stay home for a while and see what happens.

5 Oclock Update

As if by magic it's Fixed now. Never mind.

You Can't Fix Stupid

Hello, Verizon.net Here's your survey. You Suck! Because if someone had sent email to my Verizon.net account in the past three days, it was not delivered to me. I just get a mindless set of error messages telling me that my password is wrong.

When I called the help line, some guy located in Bangladesh informs me in the most oblique English that "We are having issues with that server, which leads to you having issues accessing your email." Well, thanks but how about fixing the problem?

When I tried the online help desk, I get a message that the server is scheduled to be repaired 3pm today (probably pacific time zone).

If I wanted customers to think I was a reliable player in the email world, I would not have let a server remain out of service for three days. I would have Americans answering the helpdesk calls/emails from users in the USA.

They talk about businesses that are "too big to fail." Verizon is one of those companies that fails because it is too big. They mashed together a phone company an internet service provider and a TV service, but the only thing integrated is the billing. They suck when you have a problem. Getting a human being always requires a minimum twenty minute wait.

It's just stupid.

If I had a critical business need for the information I would have switched to another service provider. I may do that anyhow anyhow....
Here is your survey, Verizon.
Here is your sign...

The Problem With Diversity

Before I forget this, I wanted to mention and article I read a few weeks ago (March 8th) in the Ideas Section of the Boston Sunday Globe on the topic of bias and diversity. The article by Drake Bennett reported that recent research studies have been unable to demonstrate that the ubiquitous diversity training programs have resulted in significant positive changes. They measured headcount and promotions at major corporations where such programs have been de rigueur for the past decade or so, and the results were, well, unexpected. They were the same as in places that did not have such programs.

I think the reason for this is simple: No one can make a compelling argument that more diversity results in a more profitable company. Or a better basketball team.

In the same section a Globe editorial cited the staffing at Wheelock College in Boston for their high "participation" rates of black and Hispanic employees. One might gather from this emphasis that the definition of "diversity effectiveness" is hiring more minorities and women into "good" jobs and paying them the same as white males.

In other words, diversity training is perceived as having pretty much the same goals as affirmative action. Many managers see affirmative action as an artificial device to lower standards to allow less qualified applicants to have hiring preference. (If you have been in conversation with a customer service agent who can barely speak English, you can appreciate how ineffective some of these program can be.)

The discussion seems to revolve around race and gender. We don't hear so much about other aspects of true diversity - age, disability, nationality? Moreover there seems to be a widening gulf between economic classes. People - especially older people - seem to be most comfortable around people who are compatible educationally and economically. I think discrimination in 2010 may have less to do with skin color than it does with social values (at least in the Northeast). People who can afford it are choosing to live in communities where The Association dictates the color of your house and the credit score - not the skin color- of your neighbors. Racial intolerance like public smoking has become unacceptable.

Political polarization has become the dominant divisive force in our culture to an extent never seen before (at least by me). In the old days, you would invite people of different views to stimulate interesting dinner conversation. Nowadays, we segregate our dinner guests by their political beliefs to avoid shouting matches and other hostilities.

I mention it because this is an area where race clearly matters less than ideology. Many on the Left decry the Tea Party rank and file as ignorant racists, partially because the membership is predominantly white. But this does not accurately describe the motivation for Tea Party activists - which is principally economic.

The Diversity movement gained its broadest acceptance during the boom years. The crisis of double digit unemployment over the past two years has probably changed the landscape. It will be interesting to see if struggling companies meet their stated diversity objectives as they rebuild their decimated workforce.

I would not be surprised to see American businesses start to move away from "diversity" as a goal, since it has no real business value, other than to assuage the guilt of those who feel that they have been the fortunate beneficiaries of a good genetic dice roll. When the central purpose of a business is profit, talent will almost always trump bias. (Note the qualification "almost always" because the Hobbesean truth is - some people are just nasty, brutish and short. )

Marathon/Patriots Day 2010

Today is the running of the thin people - The Boston Marathon.
Thousands of total strangers run through the fabulous streets of our town on their way to the finish line about 12 miles up the road.

I have long been a supporter of my proposal to charge runners a toll - one dollar each - to help defray the cost of clean-up, crowd control - and to compensate local citizens for the inconvenience and potential danger to citizens who may need medical attention as well as those who have run out of beer.


One elite runner #104 liked it so much that he pulled up a chair to watch.
(Ok, actually he sprained his knee and had to stop and rest.)

The watchers, and their inevitible dogs stand on the sidewalk cheering the runners on.

Some fans of this blog were there:

Hey, Larry and Kathy, Smile you're on Hellhole Camera!

Unexpected Consequences

As previously mentioned, my wife and I were forced to cancel our long-planned getaway to Florida last week because of an unscheduled series of extreme weather events - events that the insurance companies like to call "Acts of God".

So I feel empathy for the million or so people who have already had their travel plans disrupted or (more likely) ruined because of the volcano eruption in Iceland. The ash plume from that erupting hell-hole consists of fine pieces of rock and glass that can shut-down a jet engine and etch a windshield and make it useless. The plume is affecting many European airports and some scientists are predicting a cold summer as the volcanic dust in the stratosphere blocks the sunlight. (Drat! Another factor that will undoubtedly impact my tomato harvest in August.)


It's bad enough to be forced to stay at home, unable to start your trip, but consider the agony of being stranded at Heathrow or DeGaul airport, waiting for a flight back to the states. The hassle of getting re-booked on future flights is overwhelming because those flights are already fully booked by millions of other Spring travelers who are returning from their vacations. The horror stories of travelers who cannot get here from there evoke a sense of dread.

The old saying that the gods laugh at our plans seems apt.
And, if you weren't already annoyed enough by the vulnerability factor, physical discomfort and cost of air travel, the next trend in passenger gouging should send you over the edge. is to charge you for your carry-on luggage. Huh? Not checked baggage but carry-on! Up to $40.
Spirit Airlines has announced that they will charge up to $45 per carry-on if you book after August 1, 2010. Public outrage is building. Several congressmen have rushed opportunistically to the microphones to announce bills that would ban such fees by airlines. In one case, Sen. Charles Schumer sees an opportunity to raise taxes on the airline by charging an excise tax on fees. Hey Chuck, excise taxes are paid by customers. Instead of penalizing the Airline, Shumer's bill would add to the cost of the fee. What a dolt!

I hate being nickel and dimed as much as anyone, but I can see a valid argument in charging for services used. If I don't check a bag, Maybe I should get a discount. If I don't need a lot of legroom, maybe I should pay less than the fat and tall folk. Itemizing these costs seems sensible. The problem is that there is no list or set price for a seat on an airplane. The airline executive goniffs adjust the basic price based on what they think the market will bear.

Some thing ought to be done, but I do not think the government making laws about what the airlines can charge for. This is not the role government should be playing. The government needs to worry about safety and security. Let the customers show the airlines what they are willing to bear in terms of fees and charges.

Spirit Airlines is taking a lot of criticism for their over-the-line announcement. Most of the major airlines are vowing that they will not follow suit. Something tells me that the carry-on fee will go away and fast. Ironically the Spirit ads will then say "See, we listen!"

The Dragon in my Basement

This morning, my wife admitted that she was responsible for the recent flood in our basement.

"I should have known better," She said.

"What?"

"The Dragon. I put him down in the basement on the elfa shelving, near the cat box. I thought it might help prevent, you know, accidents."

Of course, she was referring to the priceless dragon vase that had been handed-down through countless generations of her family.
Perhaps some long-dead forebear had found the treasure during an archaeological dig on a perilous trip to some ancient Chinese city. Then, sometime after the establishment of electrical power, some artless utilitarian had drilled a hole in the bottom and turned it into a lamp, a fact which actually made it just about worthless (another way of saying priceless, n'est ce pas?). Or maybe her mother bought it at Walmart. We'll probably never know.
A few months ago, my wife decided that she preferred it as an ornament as opposed to light source, and so she had restored it to its natural power. To the superstitious, the emblem - a coiled dragon - represents a potent symbol which is capable of warding-off unlucky and evil spirits. In case you have not been paying attention, you should know that your life is ruled by Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway).

If your wife believes in Feng Shui, you might as well believe in it too, because since she rules your life, you are stuck living in a house that is arranged with mirrors facing specific directions and dragons watching over you.

My wife realized the error of placing a dragon in the basement after perusing her dog-eared copy of Feng Shui Room by Room. Not only was the dragon annoyed at being placed on a shelf near the litter box in the cellar, but he was facing outward (to ward-off evil spirits from the street). Two no-no's.

"The dragon must face inward," she said, as if quoting some rule. "But, not to worry. He is now upstairs and facing the right way. Everything will be OK now."

Somehow I was not much comforted, noting that the forecast was for three more days of rain.

She looked at me and smiled.

"It's not raining rain you know, it's raining violets..."

I went down to the cellar to check my pumps. Floor dry. Electricity on. Pumps pumping.

When I came back upstairs she remarked that I appeared to be calmer. My brow, which had become sore from frowning about the water, seemed less tense. I shrugged.

"See, it's working. The curse is lifted."

"Yeah, we'll see" I muttered as I went out to take another load of soggy paper and ruined furniture to the dump. Standing by the van, I had to squint at the abrupt break in the clouds and the bright sun fighting its way through the mist.

Unconsciously, I began looking for a bluebird, and listening for its song.

Apologia

Despite my vow never to carry ads on my Blog, I have caved -in. My daughter urged me to do this because she belives that someone will send me money if enough people click on ads that interest them. As one who has been critical of rampant advertising, I feel a bit like a prostitute.

Comparison Therapy

Is there anything more stressful than seeing water gushing into your basement? If you had asked me this question a few days ago, I might have said "Hell no!" But that was then. Today I think everything is relative.

Time and water will do that. Change the priorities in your life.

One of my teachers in high school was wont to intone "All comparisons are invidious." (Come to think of it, that quote is one of the few pieces of wisdom I can recall from my high school education . For some reason the assertion has stayed in my head all these years.) It made complete sense at the time. It seemed to convey a deep understanding about the nature of envy and competition.

These days, I am not so sure about the invidiousness of making comparisons. Hierarchy is all about distinctions, and we cannot escape the hierarchical nature of society, and the fact that we have a "place". The key to contentment is: Instead of obsessing about people who are better-off (and higher-up) than you, it is much more therapeutic to consider one's situation relative to others who are less fortunate. You know like, eat your spinach, they are starving in China. Or, you are complaining about not having shoes; then you meet someone who has no feet(see note 1).


So if you can feel a little better-off than at least one other person, it helps with the stress, right?

On further thought, if I was creating a list of stressful situations, the gushing water would not be so high on the list.

For example: watching your nest egg being depleted by forces you do not understand...that ranks up there on the stress curve. How about nagging rectal itch? Pretty stressful as Capt Hargreaves (Ret.) has informed me. Hell 90% of the world would love to have a house with a basement, and 50% of them don't get enough water to keep the crops irrigated.

So why am I whining about a few thousand gallons of misplaced H2O, and a few ruined LP's that I would never have listened to again?

I am lucky!

Like I say, everything IS relative.
Time and water will do that: wear away at those sharp and brittle edges of fear and logic , until you end-up as a smooth stone of acceptance on a beach called Serenity where you tell yourself, "It could be worse, you could be stuck in Dayton, Ohio." (see note 2)

======================================

Note 1 One time I complained because I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet. So I asked him what he did with his old shoes, since he didn't need them anymore. He just looked at me like I was a cold hearted moron. Hey, How can you have empathy for a guy when you can't walk around in his shoes?

Note 2 - Actually, I have never been to Dayton, but my sister-in-law assures me that this is the last place on Earth anyone would want to live.

Apres le Deluge, Moi

After twenty four days, we still have pumps going in our heroic efforts to keep the ground water from flooding the basement again. Frankly, I am getting too old for this shite.

The DPW water guys came out and looked around and confirmed that it was high ground water and not a broken water main. Ergo, not their problem. Then, on Tuesday, after a few more calls to the DPW, two highway engineers pulled up in the big orange truck. After looking at the water flowing out the pump hoses, one of them asked me,
"Did it flood from the 50 year event or the 500 year event?" He was referring to the terms the weather guys are using to describe about the succession of freakish storms that inundated southern New England over the past weeks. March was the all time wettest month since they started keeping records. The engineers felt that this was indeed a freak event, that the water table will eventually recede, and chances are we will probably not see a recurrence in our lifetime.

Not much consolation there. The flood has not been kind to many of my memories. I am still leafing through the damp file folders that got drenched in the March 15th flood to see what I have lost. Admittedly, most of the paper that was being saved was toss-able. I am unlikely to need copies of old performance reviews, project plans, write-ups and miscellaneous business flotsam.
The performance reviews were full of ego bruising bureaucratic negativism anyhow, written by over-controlling micro-managers whose fanatical fixation on trivial issues (on-time, under budget, happy customers) manifest the their collective judgement that my work was merely "satisfactory." The project plans were being saved for reasons unknown. Not one of my projects came in on time or under budget, and more than one of them were simply abandoned after months of management dithering.
Among the write-ups I had been saving was my recommendation NOT to acquire a software product that management wanted. In my cover memo, I listed the reasons why the software in questions was not appropriate for our business needs (Foremost of which was that we would have to customize every line of code in the system to make it work in our application.) Naive me. All the logic in the world could not overcome the fact that our VP and the Software company's founder had been roommates at college. Ergo, I was over-ruled and the ensuing system project cost zillions and took two years to implement.

I should be at the airport about now, but instead, I am still monitoring the pumps. Our Florida getaway was another casualty of the flood and continued infiltration of water. Very, very reluctantly, we decided to cancel our long-planned trip to Ft Myers/Sarasota. A bunch of us who had been buddies through high school and beyond decided to have a reunion with our wives/significant others. We had not gotten together for over twenty years, and it was a much anticipated event. Since majority of them have retired to Florida, we hold-outs from the North agreed to meet in Ft. Myers/Sanibel area. While we were in the vicinity, we also included a two day visit to family in Sarasota. The trip was planned: Airline tickets, hotel reservations, rental car.
However, the 500 year event seems to have trumped our twenty year event. The friends and family were understanding and we promised to re-schedule the trip. The car and hotel are easily cancelled with no penalty, but the Airline policy on non-refundable tickets is pretty draconian. There is a cancellation charge of $100 per ticket, and voucher credit on the remainder. Fortunately, Jet Blue was very understanding of the flood situation and they agreed to waive the cancellation charge. So, that was one bright ray of sunshine in an otherwise cloudy sky.

Speaking of which, it is starting to rain outside. Thunderstorms are forecast. (He slumps to the floor, groaning, and curls up into a fetal position)