Quote of the Day
In spite of warnings,nothing much happens until
the status quo becomes more painful than change.
Laurence J. Peterdge
I'm Back Live--With a Rant
For the second time in January I was helped by a Good Samaritan. I was driving a moving van towing my car when I took an early West Virginia exit to get some gas. You get some sage advice about not driving on snow and not to put the van in reverse. Somehow I must have overshot the gas station and found myself in effectively a single snowy lane with no turnaround. My cellphone was running low, and most calls were out of range, it was growing darker, cold and windy, I didn't know where I was, I was behind someone getting rescued, but soon I was the one needing a rescue. I managed to get one estimate of over an hour wait (apparently one tow driver in the area, and he already had a gig).
What is remarkable is how a handful of local residents helped me out, never asking for a penny. (There were a couple of fellow motorists not happy with the fact I was blocking their way--one guy cursed me with his high beams, but most people were empathetic. I'll never forget being on the Southwest Freeway in Houston during Friday evening rush, and unknown to me, I was losing coolant fluid, and my car was overheating. One motorist was delighted to say a break in the traffic behind me and filled the gap. He started honking his horn and cursing at me, as if that did any good.)
On the other hand, the moving van company seriously annoyed me. Their roadside assistance program pointed out how they didn't cover snow incidents and didn't seem that interested in helping me out. The target manager said that he closed shop at 7 PM, regardless of my predicament (the fact I'm doing business with them in a different line of business didn't sway his judgment). Their customer service laughed when I pointed out my GM car doesn't stop in neutral but in park. What are they trying to do--imitate the federal government?
Towards Competition in Education
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of the original artist via Patriot Post |
Michael Bolton, "Steel Bars"
