1018 The Rewards System

Actually, I believe honesty is its own reward. If you don't lie or cheat, you don't have to try to remember what you said or cover up any do-do so you don't step in it. But occasionally, what goes around, comes around.

About two weeks ago we had dinner with Bill and Joyce at The Rusty Bucket. My husband paid with a couple of twenties. When the waitress returned the little folder, he opened it and found she'd given him $5.00 too much in change. So he called her over to the table and told her. She thanked him; called him honest. The next Friday we went to eat at The Rusty Bucket with our daughter. This time he paid with his credit card (yes, we do use them occasionally but have never paid a finance charge). He left a cash tip--he almost never adds that to the charge. When he got home and pulled out the slip, he noticed that the charges were incorrect--the bill was about half of what it should have been. So he called the restaurant and told them, and asked specifically that the waitress not have it taken from her salary. The manager thanked him, called him honest, and said she wouldn't be penalized (may have been the cashier's problem).

The next day we realized about 4 p.m. that the mailman hadn't been by to deliver or pick up our mail. About 4:30 there was a knock at the door, and it was a stranger with our mail, which included some very important, time sensitive material. He said it had been dropped through his mailslot next door. I thanked him, and realized the mail wasn't late, just misdelivered.

No one lives in that condo; it was sold in November and the new owners aren't moving in until June. He had just stopped by to check on some things and noticed the mail and brought it over.

1017 Credit's Dirty Little Secret

That's what Jim Aviles of San Francisco called it in a letter to the Wall Street Journal today. His point was that merchants pass along to customers the higher fees banks are charging merchants for each credit transaction. Well, yes of course, no one gives away a product, so marketing and selling expenses are part of what you pay for. That's also my objection to loyalty cards and rebate gaming--those of us who don't or won't play, are the ones paying for those of you who do.

But the poor disproportionately pay by cash or check Aviles says (actually a lot of us who don't want to be trapped in credit card debt are careful about their use). People who are poor credit risks or who have filed for bankruptcy are probably included in that. So the poor are footing the bill for credit card users because we all pay the same price. No more cash discount.

"Here's the dirty secret of the card issuing industry," Aviles writes. "Because card regulations demand that cardholders pay no more for goods and services than cash and check customers, the working poor are subsidizing the vacation points earned by American's top income classes."

I just received one of those "rewards" credit cards in the mail. I am pre-approved and get a "companion" mini card. Isn't that just so cute! Just like the grocery and drug store loyalty card--I can attach it to my key chain. Now, my rewards have to be spent at a particular auto dealership, one point for every dollar I spend on other purchases, plus (I'm breathless) 2,500 bonus points after I make my first purchase, which would be (whoopee) $25 off my next new car or service.

The small print on the back says "Pursuant to requrements of law, including the USA PATRIOT ACT, Bank of America is obtaining information and will take necessary actions to verify your identity." I wonder if other librarians know about this? They are the stronghold protecting us from the PA (although not from terrorists).

If I charge my next car (usually you pay less for a car if you pay outright and don't finance), I'll get 5 points for every dollar I charge (subject to additional terms and conditions not stated here in the small print). I assume this "deal" for points would keep me from shopping for the best car loan because I'd have a $20,000 credit line.

The next line says they have already obtained information in my credit report in order for me to receive this offer to see if I was "creditworthy." But they still want my Social Security number and my mother's maiden name (don't banks ask for that too?)

The next noise you'll hear is my scissors cutting up this credit card, even though I'm subsidizing your next purchase by paying cash.

1016 Odd headlines for AP Story

Who writes these headlines? Did he read the story, or is there something missing? In today's Columbus Dispatch I noticed the story, "The economy is the nation's top issue, Midwesterners say." So I glanced through the Associated Press story, and things didn't seem to add up--about us frightened Midwesterners. So I looked to the chart on the right and scanned down the various issues, settling on concerns about the Economy. Midwest--14%; Northeast--30%; South--17%; West--14%. The headline seems to come from an open-ended question asked by the Ipsos public affairs poll, but if they all replied "economy worries me most," why doesn't it show up that way in the chart, where it looks like the Northeasterners are panicked?

1015 Fathers for Life

Apparently U.S. conservatives aren't alone in their concern about activist judges--Canadians are too. Fathers for Life is a Canadian web site about family concerns. Scroll down the main page to Men's issues and click. You'll see an archive of articles.

Hat tip to Purposeful Dreamer.

1014 The Juicy Studio tests for your web page

I tried out a few of the tests at Juicy Studio. I found out this web page has 396 links, and every one of them works! Yea. Juicy did burp a little on some of the links to comments, and suggested hand checking those. Then I tried the readability tests. This is a bit trickier, because so many of my entries contain considerable quoting, and if I tested those, I wouldn't be testing Norma, now would I? So I tried the waffle story and the cell phone story and a few others that weren't particularly weighty, but at least were all MINE.

My "fog index" is between an 8 and 9--or the level of a popular novel. I think a 10 gets you to Time Magazine. 15-16% of my words have 3 or more syllables, and my reading ease score is 66-67, and the test suggests you aim for 60-70. Then the grade level tests out at between 5 and 6. So apparently, a fifth or sixth grader could read my essays and understand. So if you can't make heads or tails out of what I'm saying, it must be you, not me. If you just don't agree, well, I didn't see a test for that. But since I'm older than you, you'll just have to bow to my gray hair and greater experience.

1013 If I could be. . .the new meme

Robin Lee Hatcher explains a new meme going around called, If I could be. I noticed one of the professions was "librarian." What do you bet not many have chosen that one?

1012 Let your voice (or e-mail) be heard

Terry over at Summa Mamas wrote to eBay about the recent auction of the Eucharist. Here is part of the response she got, posted at her site (I'm assuming she got permission):

"We understand that the listing of the Eucharist was highly upsetting to
Catholic members of the eBay community and Catholics globally. Once this completed sale was brought to our attention, we consulted with a number of our users, including members of the Catholic Church, concerning what course we should take in the future should a similar listing appear on our site. We also consulted with members of other religions about items that might also be highly sacred and
inappropriate for sale. As a result of this dialogue, we have concluded that sales ofthe Eucharist, and similar highly sacred items, are not appropriate on eBay. We have, therefore, broadened our policies and will remove those types of listings should they appear on the site in the future."

This is a very good business move on the part of eBay, in my opinion, and I hope consumers will continue to let businesses, churches, institutions or government agencies know when they have overstepped the boundaries of good taste. Let common sense reign.

1011 How to run a book club

Last night our book club had its final meeting of the 2004-2005 year and discussed Alexander McCall Smith’s The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Everyone enjoyed the book and a number have read the other books in this series by the African author. I’m not a fan of mysteries, but found this one (no mayhem or violence) quite engrossing. We always choose a small book for May, because we vote for the next year’s selection and that takes some of our time. We also try to make the December selection an easy read.

The rules are simple: you can nominate as many books as you wish, but you must have read them. We then vote for nine of the titles. Our secretary and her helper figure the tally, and nine titles are selected. Then the leaders and hostesses and helpers are decided. The discussion leader is the person who nominated the book, unless she has more than one on the list, and then she can pass it along to a volunteer willing to read and lead that discussion.

I feel fortunate to be a part of this wonderful group that has been together for 25 years (I joined in 2000 when I retired). Most are much more widely read than I. One member told me last night that she reads a book a week, plus the books she reads with her children. Because we see each other only once a month, and usually only two thirds of the group come to any one meeting, I don’t know them well. Four of us are or were librarians; probably ten or twelve are or were teachers or administrators in education; one is a lawyer, I think; one is a home schooling mom who writes on the side; some are homemakers and volunteers or assist husbands in their business.

I recommended Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, and also suggested we offer it in September because of its length. That way we have the summer to prepare. I also mentioned (after it was selected) they might read The Federalist, most of which he authored with Madison and Jay, but I think that probably won’t happen. Because of its length, I had intended to skim it (cheating just a little) before recommending it, however, the author is such a terrific writer and the story so fascinating (you’d think it was fiction if you hadn’t heard about this guy in grade school), that I ended up not only reading closely, but rereading certain passages.

Here’s our list (this group has no name, to my knowledge):

September: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Leader: Norma. Hostess: Elaine. Chernow’s research.

October: Desert Queen by Janet Wallach. Leader: Carolyn C. Hostess: Judy

November: Spin Sisters by Myrna Blythe. Leader: Marti/Adrienne. Hostess: Margie

December: Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Ross. Leader: Jill. Hostess: Carolyn A.

January: Beyond the River ; the untold story of the heroes of the underground railroad by Ann Hagedorn. Leader: Peggy. Hostess Mary Lou.

February: Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult. Leader: Elaine. Hostess: Peggy.

March: Mr. Darcy’s Daughters by Elizabeth Aston. Leader: Hostess: Carolyn C.

April: The Magdalene Gospel by Mary Ellen Ashcroft. Leader: Jean. Hostess: Joni.

May: Christmas Journey by Anne Perry. Leader: Hostess: Justine

1010 Funny headlines

When James Taranto compiles Best of the Web, he always throws in a few good headlines for a smile. Here’s some from today's column, May 2.

We Didn't Know It Was Moving
"Hillary Clinton Makes Ohio Stop"--headline, Akron Beacon Journal, May 1

It's Called a 'Cell'
"Little Room for Sex Offenders"--headline, Orlando Sentinel, April 30

Ten Commandments Unfair to Workers
"Nurses Rally For New Contract At Mount Sinai"--headline, NY1.com (New York), April 29

1009 Laura Bush does us (librarians) proud

You can watch Laura Bush, the world's prettiest and most famous librarian, do her comedy routine at the White House Correspondents dinner at C-SPAN. Forward the tape to about 1 hour and 14 minutes, unless you want to watch all the other stuff, which includes some footage from other dinners and scenes of people milling around.

President Bush begins to give his speech and gets interrupted by his wife when he starts to retell a joke that went flat the first time he told it. It's all scripted, but the audience loved it, especially the "Desperate Housewife" routine and the President retiring at 9 p.m.

"George always says he's delighted to come to these press dinners. Baloney. He's usually in bed by now. I'm not kidding. I said to him the other day, 'George, if you really want to end tyranny in the world, you're going to have to stay up later.' I am married to the president of the United States, and here's our typical evening: Nine o'clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I'm watching 'Desperate Housewives' -- with Lynne Cheney. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife."

· "But George and I are complete opposites -- I'm quiet, he's talkative, I'm introverted, he's extroverted. I can pronounce 'nuclear'. The amazing thing, however, is that George and I were just meant to be. I was the librarian who spent 12 hours a day in the library, yet somehow I met George."

Laura Bush should be the best PR tool for libraries in a long while, but because of ALA's anti-administration attitude and leftward tilt, no one will take advantage of it.

Update: I noticed at Gail Heriot's piece at The Right Coast she noted that at a pre-dinner reception "a group of journalists were speculating about whether a President would ever dare break the tradition and not show up for the annual feast. The consensus was that he would never, never, never do so without his paying dearly. The attendance of the President is the outward and visible sign of MSM power." Well, maybe by having his wife give the speech, he sort of did the unthinkable and won their approval too? Maybe Bush beat 'em at their own game.

Librarians around the world wonder about this

At least they wonder in public libraries. My recollection is that in academic libraries people weren't so shy.

"Here's a question for the library folk: Why are patrons so against putting books on hold? I mean, why, when I tell people I can get them on the waiting list for one of the 63 unavailable copies of The Grim Grotto (exaggeration), they get a weird look on their face and say no thanks? The library already has your information, it's not like we need anything extra, nor are we going out of our way to perform some astronomical favor for you. Please, lady, just let me put in on hold."

Suggestion: Please go to the library and place something on hold. It will make the librarian's day.

Seen at Perks of Being a Librarian.

1007 Millions killed by Malaria

There doesn't seem to be a date on this article about the resurgence of malaria in the United States at this CDC site. The article discusses outbreaks, diagnosis, containment and "sensitizing" people to the possible reintroduction of this disease that was virtually eliminated in the 1950s from the United States. But it hasn't gone away. It isn't killing Americans, but it kills millions in third world countries, courtesy of the discontinuation of the production of DDT. That's what I find so odd about the CDC's page--there's no mention of the environmental disaster--the human component--of the myth that DDT kills.

Environmentalists are running for cover from the fallout of the blame, obscuring their role in the DDT ban, blaming everyone but themselves. But I'm sure the bloggers will dig up the truth and they won't be able to hide for long. Just its lack of mention on a CDC page that it is the only effective control for malaria, says volumes about environmentalists' power in our government agencies.

Update: Found the date--April 22, 2005, and the title is "Preventing Reintroduction of Malaria in the United States," but the articles rotate at the url I provided.

1006 Lucrative and annoying

I really dislike pop-up ads. They jump in front of what I want to read; they wiggle; they flash; they blink and annoy. Although I have a pop-up blocker on my computer, even it can’t keep up with the clever devices the advertisers invent. More and more I see pop-ups on TV, although I’m sure they have a different moniker there. Here’s more bad news--they are very lucrative and successful, which means there will only be more.

Scott Kirsner writes about my nemesis today: “Now, thanks to Google's clever method of placing pithy and relevant text ads next to your search results, and an array of flashy new ad formats, advertisers are making the Net a serious part of their marketing strategies. Online ad sales totaled $9.6 billion last year, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau, and are expected to hit $12.7 billion in 2004, based on estimates by the research firm eMarketer. Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker, who gave a talk at AdTech, observed that online advertising still represents only 3 percent of total US ad spending, calling the Internet ''the most underutilized advertising medium that's out there." “ Boston.com

It certainly doesn’t look “underutilized” if you’re trying read something on the internet.

Glad we missed this fad

This marketing scheme has always amazed me for its ingenuity--and I'm so happy we missed it. My daughter had a few used Barbies found at garage sales, but never really got involved in anything that soaked up money. The Night Writer tells about visiting New York and encountering the line at an American Girl Place, where for $22 you can have lunch with a doll.

"A year ago I had no idea of the marketing volcano that was about to erupt under our feet. Then some black-hearted scoundrel slipped Daughter Two an American Girl catalog – the first one’s free, kid – and her life changed. American Girl dolls are a vertically integrated economic powerhouse. The dolls themselves go for nearly $100 a pop, but that’s just the threshold – the dolls represent different eras and ethnicities in American history and most are the stars of one or more books put out by the company and has full line of accessories, not to mention the magazine (catalog) that appears regularly at our house. My daughter and her friends now can recite model numbers, back stories and accessory details with each other the way my friends and I once were able to argue the finer points of a ’63 Impala or ’67 GTO."

From the looks of the archive, this blog started in February.

1004 I found it!

Not God--that happened 30 years ago. I found the Oster Belgium Wafflemaker models 3860 & 3863 Instructions. (See blog 1002) We had waffles, sausage and fresh fruit for supper, and I can barely waddle up to the keyboard.

We hung an art show at the public library today, and on the way home I started thinking about the missing instructions. It occurred to me that I must have instructions and warranties from the 1980s and 1990s someplace, and then I remembered the plastic zip lock bag in the living room secretary. When I got home I checked, and there it was, on top, placed there carefully in 2002 so I wouldn't forget where it was.

The cat was so excited at the prospect of waffles, I gave her a few tiny bites of the practice waffle. She was ecstatic. She has never paid any attention to crackers, cookies or bread, but something about waffles takes her back to her homeless days when she had to scrounge for a meal.

By popular demand

Vox Lauri says she can't believe I indexed my blogs. When I went back and checked (gave up after 3 or 4 months), it wasn't a very good index. But I did find my confession about Why Today I am Not a Democrat and the response a few entries later from Karen, another Democrat/Librarian who responded (I told her I'd reprint it from e-mail; I had no commenting feature at that time). In the process, I learned that I can't go back and edit (or delete) my old blogs--seems I can only drop back 300 entries in the editing function. And at the rate I write, that is nothing. The little edit access I have on the newer blogs doesn't seem to be there on the older ones. Anyway, it was November 2003, we were having local elections, the national scene was just heating up and Zell Miller was speaking out. So I was responding to that.

1002 The Waffle Maker a.k.a. Waffle Iron

Where to start? I came home from Illinois with an extra Waffle Maker, a Toastmaster, which I'll eventually take to our lake house for leisurely summer brunches on the deck, with sides of fresh fruit and sausage. My husband loves waffles, and will order them at Abigail's (Lakeside, OH restaurant) if I don't fix them at home.

The reason I have an extra waffle maker is because its previous owner managed to cement the first waffle to the plates and finally had to pry it open with a screw driver. After numerous soakings, the waffle was dislodged by me, and I got the crevices clean and fixed waffles. But by this time, the original owner had already notified Toastmaster of the problem (instructions said to wait for green light, but this model had no green light), and the company sent him a new one.

Today I thought I'd surprise my husband, and I got out our Oster Belgium Waffle Maker. I purchased it in 2001 at an after-Christmas sale as a nice gift for me from me. For about two weeks we ate wonderful, fluffy waffles, and then I put it away. Then I think the last time I used it was for a luncheon with our son and his step-daughter on the deck of our condo in 2002. Well, that's another story too that makes me weep--she, our only chance at being grandparents, now lives in California, and probably doesn't remember eating waffles with us, or even us for that matter.

Meanwhile, I have hunted through all my recipe caches, shelves, books and folders, and little wooden and metal recipe boxes, but I can't find the manufacturer's recipe book and instructions. "Just use another recipe," my husband suggested, but it isn't that easy. It is the booklet that tells you the appliance's whims and secrets so you don't cement the plates together. Does it want the batter dumped in the middle, or evenly distributed into the 4 squares; do the plates remove for cleaning; what sort of signal will it give when ready to accept or disgorge its contents; and most importantly, it has the notes I wrote along side the printed recipes.

In my hunt for the illusive instruction booklet, I opened my "Household Slips 'n Clips" and found the warranties for my children's yellow 20" Schwinn bikes they had in the early 1970s; a user's manual for a GE portable record player purchased in Nov. 1973 (must have been for the children's birthdays); assembly instructions and safety manual for a gym set for the back yard; the payment ($6.82/mo) booklet for my Singer sewing machine purchased in August 1960; instructions for my portable electric typewriter which got me through graduate school; information on storing an electric blanket possibly from the 1970s; warranties for a trash can purchased in 1978 and a bathroom vent-light for a remodeling in 1974; washing instructions for bedroom curtains purchased in 1964; a plan for a linen closet we installed in our first house in 1962 in Champaign, IL; and operating instructions for a Telectro 2 speed tape recorder model 1970 from the late 1950s.

We no longer have those products, but now I have two waffle makers and no instruction book for either one.

1001 Gasoline prices

Earlier in the month when we took a trip to northern Illinois, starting from Lake Erie, gasoline prices were about $2.43. We filled up around Gary at $2.23 and were thrilled to get it. Starting for home eight days later, we bought gas for $2.16 in Oregon, IL, $2.06 in Indianapolis suburbs, and then saw it was $1.98 when we got back to Columbus. The next day when we filled up, gasoline was $1.91. I don't recall any major news stories on this; no one was being interviewed filling the tacks of SUVs. Now gasoline prices are back up again--I think about $2.24 around here. The other night on national news, I think multiple minutes were spent decrying gasoline prices and consumer frustration, and the wagging fingers pointed, of course, to President Bush. The President that day had been hustled to a secure place as security was compromised in Washington. That story got about 2 seconds.

Now that I've passed the 1000 entries mark, I've debated on whether to continue numbering. Blogger's function that counts long ago died--around 520 I think. And or course, with six blogs, I have a lot more than 1000 entries--probably about 1700. Somehow, it just feels right to number them. I haven't put them into subject categories for a long time. That was really tedious. Like work. Besides, someone made fun of me--called me a compulsive, sensible librarian or something for creating an index.

1000 Do you know why Canadian drugs are cheaper?

“It is imperative we all clearly understand why such a significant price disparity exists between U.S. drug costs and those in most other developed nations. If we don't understand the factors underlying the price gap, we might support the pending irrational Senate legislation -- sponsored, among others, by Sens. Byron Dorgan, North Dakota Democrat, and John McCain, Arizona Republican -- which would cripple the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, regarded as the world's most innovative. This would deprive us, and our children and grandchildren, of the blockbuster drugs of the future.

Today's new lifesaving, life-enhancing pharmaceuticals, almost all developed and produced in the U.S., are cheaper in Canada because international law treats prescription drugs differently than other consumer products. U.S. pharmaceutical companies are required under a 1994 treaty to sell their drugs at drastically cut prices to countries with drug price controls. Any pharmaceutical company that fails to comply risks losing its patent protection -- its drugs can be stolen and copied.” Elizabeth Whelan, Washington Times, April 18, 2005.

Do some research. Look at other industries. When have price controls (including rent controls) ever helped the American consumer in the long run? The end result is shortages. What if you produced a product, were then required to sell it below profit to another country in order to stay in business, and then required to stand by as it was illegally imported, cutting into your American market? How long would you stay in business? You should be particularly concerned if you or a member of your family will have any future health problems that might benefit from drugs now being developed. And of course, you have no way of knowing, do you, what might turn up at your next annual check-up.

999 Incontinent

I thought Glenn Beck would wet himself this morning, he was so estatic over Mayor Coleman's hosting the Black Mayors Conference here in Columbus. All he had to do to get hysterical was 1) play clips of Coleman denying he had anything at all to do with school policy, then 2) read the outline of the conference which included a program on the role of mayors in school policy, then 3) read the lyrics of rapper Ludacris who will be appearing at the conference. Ludacris' opus-pocus includes a paean to assaults in the classroom and other places in the schools like the rest rooms and athletic field. Really, Glenn says he hopes Mayor Coleman is elected Governor, because he will provide him with unlimited comedy material for years to come.

To catch you up here in the event you don't listen to Beck or read the Columbus Dispatch, a developmentally disabled girl was assaulted at one of the Columbus schools, and Glenn Beck, who incidentally brought the world's attention to Terri Schaivo 5 years ago, called our mayor to discuss how the incident had been handled (badly). It turned into an unbelievable shouting match on the airways, which Beck has now cut, chopped and clipped for rebroadcasting and ridiculing. He is appearing in Columbus tonight to raise money for the family of the girl, and for scholarships to get kids out of CPS into private schools. The Conference is at the same time as the Beck appearance (sold out).