My letter to the local right wing newspaper was published this morning. I wasn’t sure they’d be interested in legalizing marijuana, but we have to take some action against the Mexican drug cartels. My full letter is at
My letter to the local right wing newspaper was published this morning. I wasn’t sure they’d be interested in legalizing marijuana, but we have to take some action against the Mexican drug cartels. My full letter is at
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/letters/s_722294.html
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Obama's Neuroscience
David Brooks has a controversial OpEd column in the New York Times celebrating advances in social cognitive neuroscience. He highlights studies getting at the physical indications of prejudice, and ends by suggesting that these indications of how hard wired our prejudices are need to be taken into consideration by policy wonks in Washington.
I'm not sure who he has in mind, but politicians are already well-aware of prejudice and how to deal with it. To take one example, Obama is a past master of getting inside people's prejudices and turning them inside out. He refers to the family members with their unconscious prejudice, like his white grandmother or the fatherly figure of Reverend Wright, as folks we love and respect despite their old-fashioned prejudices. This tactic enlarges our group to the one that is tolerating an elder deserving of respect, but whose values we've outgrown. Many of us can easily relate to putting up with an outmoded prejudice for the sake of family harmony.
Another deft example was the "beer summit". When a trivial incident hits the headlines, with passions for black pride, respect for the individual, respect for authority cross and make headlines, Obama invites the guys over for a beer. And as silly as that seems, in retrospect it put the trivial incident in perspective. The group is no longer your race, the upper class professor, the police, the working man, but simply some guys who might have a beer and talk about how the Red Sox are doing. And there are groups in office pools and bars all over the country that are more interested in getting along, having a beer, talking about how the day went, or how the team is doing, than they are about worrying about the color of the guys sitting around the table.
I wish we'd thought of that strategy here in Pittsburgh for the recent G20 summit. The security details for all the heads of state created a virtual "green zone" downtown, making it what some wag called "Baghdad on the Monongahela". Thousands of police were brought in to confront violent protestors that didn't materialize. The town should have treated it like a police convention, put them up at hotels and provided them with coupons for local hotels and amusements to encourage them to come back with their families. If we'd paid as much attention to welcoming the police as we did to welcoming the heads of state, it would have really paid off for the local tourist industry.
I'm not sure who he has in mind, but politicians are already well-aware of prejudice and how to deal with it. To take one example, Obama is a past master of getting inside people's prejudices and turning them inside out. He refers to the family members with their unconscious prejudice, like his white grandmother or the fatherly figure of Reverend Wright, as folks we love and respect despite their old-fashioned prejudices. This tactic enlarges our group to the one that is tolerating an elder deserving of respect, but whose values we've outgrown. Many of us can easily relate to putting up with an outmoded prejudice for the sake of family harmony.
Another deft example was the "beer summit". When a trivial incident hits the headlines, with passions for black pride, respect for the individual, respect for authority cross and make headlines, Obama invites the guys over for a beer. And as silly as that seems, in retrospect it put the trivial incident in perspective. The group is no longer your race, the upper class professor, the police, the working man, but simply some guys who might have a beer and talk about how the Red Sox are doing. And there are groups in office pools and bars all over the country that are more interested in getting along, having a beer, talking about how the day went, or how the team is doing, than they are about worrying about the color of the guys sitting around the table.
I wish we'd thought of that strategy here in Pittsburgh for the recent G20 summit. The security details for all the heads of state created a virtual "green zone" downtown, making it what some wag called "Baghdad on the Monongahela". Thousands of police were brought in to confront violent protestors that didn't materialize. The town should have treated it like a police convention, put them up at hotels and provided them with coupons for local hotels and amusements to encourage them to come back with their families. If we'd paid as much attention to welcoming the police as we did to welcoming the heads of state, it would have really paid off for the local tourist industry.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Blackberries
On a recent vacation in Laurel Highlands we had visitors who went with us to explore Ohiopyle and Confluence, biking, rafting and seeing Frank Lloyd Wright's Kentuck Knob. All that was great, but the biggest discovery was freezing wild blackberries.
I've always liked picking and eating blackberries on the spot, and for the past few years have frozen seasonal blueberries and cranberries for year round use, but hadn't thought to gather and freeze blackberries. My friends had been doing that all summer in Maryland, and we had a nice patch by our cabin to start with. Some of the berreis were as big as mulberries, and every day brought a new ripe crop. The day I left I picked about a quart in half an hour. At the usual supermarket prices I think that's about $12 worth.
So now I'm finding that fresh and frozen blackberries work as well or even better on oatmeal as blueberries and cranberries. The next step is to see what I can find in the vacant lots in Pittsburgh.
I've always liked picking and eating blackberries on the spot, and for the past few years have frozen seasonal blueberries and cranberries for year round use, but hadn't thought to gather and freeze blackberries. My friends had been doing that all summer in Maryland, and we had a nice patch by our cabin to start with. Some of the berreis were as big as mulberries, and every day brought a new ripe crop. The day I left I picked about a quart in half an hour. At the usual supermarket prices I think that's about $12 worth.
So now I'm finding that fresh and frozen blackberries work as well or even better on oatmeal as blueberries and cranberries. The next step is to see what I can find in the vacant lots in Pittsburgh.
Internet scams
David Segal (The Haggler) in his 8/22 blog about "deceptive, mystery charges" reminded me of a similar internet scam I've fallen for twice. In each case the $10 a month bill was buried in my Verizon statement.
In the first case I'd tried to download a free ringtone in 2006 shortly after I got my cell phone. I never did figure out how to install the ringtone, but apparently somewhere in the process I went through pages that agreed to a $10 a month charge. When I called Verizon for an explanation of this charge, they disclaimed all responsibility or knowledge of the charge, but did tell me that I could stop the charge by texting the word "stop" to a certain phone number. This did indeed stop the charge, but still left them with my initial $10.
The second one was during world series time last year when I fell for one of those "are you smarter than a xxx" advertisements for an IQ test that you see all over. After answering four dumb questions, they send a follow up message by text that requires a response. Again somewhere in the process they sneak by an agreement to pay them $10 a month. This time I got Verizon to give me the 800 number of the billing agency, who in turn gave me an 800 number for another outfit for complaints. After pursuing it that far I filed a complaint with the Indiana state attorney general's consumer protection office. Either as a result of the complaint or my calls, I got the $10 refunded.
These instances have in common that the charge is user is unaware of the agreement, that the charge is difficult to discover, and that once you do discover it it's hard to find out how to remove it. The initial collection agency, Verizon, is a mere front for another collection agency, so you have to get through two help lines at a considerable cost in time to even get to the original company. They also have in common the price, $10 a month. Apparently that's more than enough to fund their ubiquitous internet advertisements, though I presume Verizon and the collection agency also get a cut.
I wondered if there is some regulation that prevents them from charging more, but it's more likely that they just done consumer research to find that amount is the maximum they can slip by on phone bills and credit card reports without being noticed. Segals column says Senator Rockefeller is launching an investigation. I hope Rockefeller can come up with some legislative restrictions on this activity.
In the first case I'd tried to download a free ringtone in 2006 shortly after I got my cell phone. I never did figure out how to install the ringtone, but apparently somewhere in the process I went through pages that agreed to a $10 a month charge. When I called Verizon for an explanation of this charge, they disclaimed all responsibility or knowledge of the charge, but did tell me that I could stop the charge by texting the word "stop" to a certain phone number. This did indeed stop the charge, but still left them with my initial $10.
The second one was during world series time last year when I fell for one of those "are you smarter than a xxx" advertisements for an IQ test that you see all over. After answering four dumb questions, they send a follow up message by text that requires a response. Again somewhere in the process they sneak by an agreement to pay them $10 a month. This time I got Verizon to give me the 800 number of the billing agency, who in turn gave me an 800 number for another outfit for complaints. After pursuing it that far I filed a complaint with the Indiana state attorney general's consumer protection office. Either as a result of the complaint or my calls, I got the $10 refunded.
These instances have in common that the charge is user is unaware of the agreement, that the charge is difficult to discover, and that once you do discover it it's hard to find out how to remove it. The initial collection agency, Verizon, is a mere front for another collection agency, so you have to get through two help lines at a considerable cost in time to even get to the original company. They also have in common the price, $10 a month. Apparently that's more than enough to fund their ubiquitous internet advertisements, though I presume Verizon and the collection agency also get a cut.
I wondered if there is some regulation that prevents them from charging more, but it's more likely that they just done consumer research to find that amount is the maximum they can slip by on phone bills and credit card reports without being noticed. Segals column says Senator Rockefeller is launching an investigation. I hope Rockefeller can come up with some legislative restrictions on this activity.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Pennsylvania Auto Inspection travails
I haven't checked to see if the 10 days Pennsylvania allows for inspection are calendar or working days, but I missed both. 10 days is pretty short when you have a vacation scheduled for part of the time. However missing by a day seems to have had no bad consequences. The delay was partly for the vacation and partly because the garage I picked at random seemed to be pretty marginal, and also seems shady.
A young mechanic at the garage said my backup light wasn't working, and having "jumped" it, said the problem was in the backup switch. They ordered a new switch, but said it would have to be a special order since neither Napa nor Toyota had it in stock. The mechanic was a friendly guy, and when he left out a part which affected the engine air intake, drove over to my house to put it in.
I called a few days later, concerned about getting inspection completed within 10 days. There was a mixup when I called, and I was told to come in although the switch wasn't yet there.
The owner apologized for the mistake, then said "Did they tell you it [the switch] would cost $300?". They hadn't given me any cost information, and I was shocked, but felt there was nothing I could do. Then that weekend I researched 97 Corolla backup switches online and found the cost $37.10 and are generally available for around $30. That made me a bit suspicious, so I got out and checking the backup lights found they worked perfectly!
I was leaving on vacation until the following Friday, so spent a lot of time wondering what to do. I hadn't paid the garage anything, but already had their emissions sticker, and didn't know if I could switch to another garage, and even if I could it would mean further delay, and I was already 7 days into the 10 day period allowed for the inspection, even assuming the State meant work days. I even wondered if complaining too much could get me in trouble with the local police, not knowing how well they might be connected politically. I had visions of getting tickets for minor infractions.
I finally called that Tuesday and told them the backup lights were working, so I wanted to cancel the order for the backup switch. This the owner accepted with no objection. I then went in that Friday, day 11, and they gave me my second sticker after a cursory check. The owner merely made a comment to confirm the backup lights were now working in an offhand way, as if the ways of cars were mysterious to him, and we agreed it was good not to need such a "$300" part.
I felt lucky to get off with paying just $67 for the inspection. I did find out that there is a process for complaining to the State about this sort of misdiagnosis and overcharging, so that may explain their mild reaction when I said I didn't need the part. And it seems my fears of more local corruption were not at all justified, just late night paranoia. I think should report the whole experience, but the garage was careful not to put anything in writing, so I would have no evidence to offer the authorities.
A young mechanic at the garage said my backup light wasn't working, and having "jumped" it, said the problem was in the backup switch. They ordered a new switch, but said it would have to be a special order since neither Napa nor Toyota had it in stock. The mechanic was a friendly guy, and when he left out a part which affected the engine air intake, drove over to my house to put it in.
I called a few days later, concerned about getting inspection completed within 10 days. There was a mixup when I called, and I was told to come in although the switch wasn't yet there.
The owner apologized for the mistake, then said "Did they tell you it [the switch] would cost $300?". They hadn't given me any cost information, and I was shocked, but felt there was nothing I could do. Then that weekend I researched 97 Corolla backup switches online and found the cost $37.10 and are generally available for around $30. That made me a bit suspicious, so I got out and checking the backup lights found they worked perfectly!
I was leaving on vacation until the following Friday, so spent a lot of time wondering what to do. I hadn't paid the garage anything, but already had their emissions sticker, and didn't know if I could switch to another garage, and even if I could it would mean further delay, and I was already 7 days into the 10 day period allowed for the inspection, even assuming the State meant work days. I even wondered if complaining too much could get me in trouble with the local police, not knowing how well they might be connected politically. I had visions of getting tickets for minor infractions.
I finally called that Tuesday and told them the backup lights were working, so I wanted to cancel the order for the backup switch. This the owner accepted with no objection. I then went in that Friday, day 11, and they gave me my second sticker after a cursory check. The owner merely made a comment to confirm the backup lights were now working in an offhand way, as if the ways of cars were mysterious to him, and we agreed it was good not to need such a "$300" part.
I felt lucky to get off with paying just $67 for the inspection. I did find out that there is a process for complaining to the State about this sort of misdiagnosis and overcharging, so that may explain their mild reaction when I said I didn't need the part. And it seems my fears of more local corruption were not at all justified, just late night paranoia. I think should report the whole experience, but the garage was careful not to put anything in writing, so I would have no evidence to offer the authorities.
Registration in Pennsylvania
Homeland Security is tightening up and making it difficult to move between states. When I moved to Pennsylvania I knew at some point I'd have to get a Pennsylvania driver's license. It turns out you also have to transfer your car registration to Pennsylvania, and I had no idea the process would be so complicated, difficult and time consuming.
The state seems to recognize the difficulty in one sense, since they give you 60 days to get your driver's license. The catch is that you need your PA driver's license as one of the documents required to register your car, and you're supposed to register your car within 20 days of your arrival. So if you have a car you only have 20 days to get your license or dispose of your car.
Getting a driver's license requires three types of documentation, in addition to my Indiana driver's license. The first is proof of birth, which can be a birth certificate with a raised seal or a valid passport or some rarer documents. I do have a birth certificate, but they weren't doing raised seals back in the Midwest in the 40's, or at least they weren't in my town. Fortunately I'd renewed my passport recently, or I'd be desperately trying to get a new birth certificate from my natal town.
The second is two documents proving your residence. This can be some types of bills sent to your new residence, chiefly utility bills or a mortgage or rental agreement. This is obviously difficult to get within 20 days, and even more so if you are staying with someone who owns the house and pays the utilities. I did have some car insurance, bank bills, and letters from Social Security and insurance agencies, but wasn't clear if this would be adequate. In fact I think they specifically rule out bank statements and telephone bills as proof of residence. There is a backup possibility: you can have the person you are living with bring in their state ID and proof they are living at the same address to vouch for you in person. This is obviously very inconvenient for that person, so I thought first I'd try my documentation substitutes first.
The third type of document is your Social Security card. I think I still have my Social Security card packed away. Now that I think it's odd I still have it, since no one else has asked to see it since I first got it in 1960, 49 years ago. Fortunately I am something of a pack rat, and keep all sorts of useless stuff. But rather than try to find it in all my boxes, I decided to try some other documents, like letters to me from Social Security and my newly acquired Medicare card, all of which show my SSN. The letters even showed my new Pennsylvania address, and I thought they might do double duty as proof of residence.
Having assembled all my documents, found the nearest PennDot office that can transfer licenses. The website is a little confusing at this point. I'd put in my zip code and ask for the nearest agency that could do titles and licenses, and would get back zero. I finally asked a local and got a nearby one. Much later I figured out that the PennDot centers only do licenses; titles are outsourced to private title agencies, so I would have needed to search for the two of them separately. Having gotten all that, I was relieved when the staff at PennDott passed over my "proof of residence" documents with a cursory glance.
After all that, getting the car title transferred was relatively easy. And once the title is registered in Pennsylvania you have 10 whole days to get your car inspected. I didn't quite make it on time, but that's another whole story.
The state seems to recognize the difficulty in one sense, since they give you 60 days to get your driver's license. The catch is that you need your PA driver's license as one of the documents required to register your car, and you're supposed to register your car within 20 days of your arrival. So if you have a car you only have 20 days to get your license or dispose of your car.
Getting a driver's license requires three types of documentation, in addition to my Indiana driver's license. The first is proof of birth, which can be a birth certificate with a raised seal or a valid passport or some rarer documents. I do have a birth certificate, but they weren't doing raised seals back in the Midwest in the 40's, or at least they weren't in my town. Fortunately I'd renewed my passport recently, or I'd be desperately trying to get a new birth certificate from my natal town.
The second is two documents proving your residence. This can be some types of bills sent to your new residence, chiefly utility bills or a mortgage or rental agreement. This is obviously difficult to get within 20 days, and even more so if you are staying with someone who owns the house and pays the utilities. I did have some car insurance, bank bills, and letters from Social Security and insurance agencies, but wasn't clear if this would be adequate. In fact I think they specifically rule out bank statements and telephone bills as proof of residence. There is a backup possibility: you can have the person you are living with bring in their state ID and proof they are living at the same address to vouch for you in person. This is obviously very inconvenient for that person, so I thought first I'd try my documentation substitutes first.
The third type of document is your Social Security card. I think I still have my Social Security card packed away. Now that I think it's odd I still have it, since no one else has asked to see it since I first got it in 1960, 49 years ago. Fortunately I am something of a pack rat, and keep all sorts of useless stuff. But rather than try to find it in all my boxes, I decided to try some other documents, like letters to me from Social Security and my newly acquired Medicare card, all of which show my SSN. The letters even showed my new Pennsylvania address, and I thought they might do double duty as proof of residence.
Having assembled all my documents, found the nearest PennDot office that can transfer licenses. The website is a little confusing at this point. I'd put in my zip code and ask for the nearest agency that could do titles and licenses, and would get back zero. I finally asked a local and got a nearby one. Much later I figured out that the PennDot centers only do licenses; titles are outsourced to private title agencies, so I would have needed to search for the two of them separately. Having gotten all that, I was relieved when the staff at PennDott passed over my "proof of residence" documents with a cursory glance.
After all that, getting the car title transferred was relatively easy. And once the title is registered in Pennsylvania you have 10 whole days to get your car inspected. I didn't quite make it on time, but that's another whole story.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
A Garden in Concrete
Yesterday when I wrote about childhood memoirs, I later remembered "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith. It's period predates McCourt's memoirs by perhaps a couple of decades, and covers a lot of the same territory. Those two and Saïd Sayrafiezadeh share a similar story of grinding poverty and being raised by the mother alone with an ineffectual and distant father.
All three of them seem to have survived the ordeal, and the story of an Ailanthus tree sprouting in the cracks is a good symbol for them.
Today I found a wonderful New York Times article about a whole garden growing amidst the concrete in Brooklyn, at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/garden/06garden.html. And there's a whole blog about such gardens at http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/.
There are a lot of city gardens in Pittsburgh as well, and I'm digging into the soil here in the suburbs.
All three of them seem to have survived the ordeal, and the story of an Ailanthus tree sprouting in the cracks is a good symbol for them.
Today I found a wonderful New York Times article about a whole garden growing amidst the concrete in Brooklyn, at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/garden/06garden.html. And there's a whole blog about such gardens at http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/.
There are a lot of city gardens in Pittsburgh as well, and I'm digging into the soil here in the suburbs.
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