Faster, better…

Archive for October, 2008

Reports whose newspaper endorse McCain booted from Obama campaign coverage by Obama camp.

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A Christian university in Oregon said Tuesday it has punished four students who confessed to hanging a likeness of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama from a tree on campus.

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The federal government says the effigies are not a civil rights offense. The mayor of West Hollywood, wants the mannequin taken down.
“While these residents have the legal right to display Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin in effigy, I strongly oppose political speech that references violence — real or perceived,” said Mayor Jeffrey Prang.

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In its efforts to revitalize neighborhoods, West Valley City created the Community Preservation Department in February. A code-enforcement officer dedicated to cleaning up graffiti was hired that month. In July, the enforcement staff was doubled.

[A Utah city does what it needed to do to eradicate graffiti.]

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Gray Ghost of New Orleans (anti-graffiti artist responsible for ruining some Banksy art) finally busted for painting over the wrong mural. (w/ video)

[Editor comment: Every city and county needs a graffiti ordinance that REQUIRES private property owners to abate graffiti. Citizens working with local anti-graffiti programs should NEVER go on to private property to abate graffiti unless they are abating graffiti under an ordinance or they have permission from the property owner. If the property owner in this case later accepted the vandalism because the picture was pretty and there is no ordinance the graffiti fighter really has no standing. This is a scenario that should not happen in a community with an ordinance and a well designed graffiti removal program.This is a very sad story because some members of this community is still in denial.]

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The graffiti subculture derives great satisfaction having attention paid to their vandalism. It is part of the thrill or high to have the establishment acknowledge the damage using photographs in a local newspaper.

In my opinion, A newspaper should write about the vandalism but should mask the vandalism in photographs so that the graffiti can not be easily seen. It is enough to write about the damage and show in general the areas affected. The photo department at the newspaper should fuzz out or blur the graffiti so the taggers cannot identify the tag or piece. Likewise, television news should blur the damage so the tag or piece cannot be identified. We see news agencies mask the identity of individuals to protect identity and we should also see news agencies from allowing their service to become part of the drug that feeds the graffiti problem.

I enjoy logging shortwave, AM, FM, and listening to scanners. Since I was five years old I have listened to AM radio at night before falling asleep. Radio completely took over my life exp0erience in many ways. Some of you in Calvert County may have met me as “Scannerman” when I managed the RadioShack in Dunkirk. Radio has been a hobby and a job for many years.

Well I never tire of radio listening. The world however is a different story. Today I read this month’s copy of Monitoring Times to discover one of the greatest short wave broadcasters of all time has given up on the United States of America. Radio Netherlands (Radio Nederland) in Hilversum Holland has will cease broadcasts in English to North American effective November 1, 2008. Radio Nederland was one of the first broadcasters I ever heard on short wave. I remember at age 13 having my name mentioned on Jerry and Dody Cowan’s mailbag show one afternoon after school. I learned so much much about the world just listening to radio stations from other countries. Well apparently we have all switched to the Internet. One of the world’s greatest radio stations has stopped sending broadcasts to our country.

I’m an older hold out I suppose. I still think the radio hobbies have something to offer everybody. One thing I still do is keep a radio log of local scanner channels, AM/FM radio stations I hear. At one time I published it on a CD that customers of the store I managed could purchase. Now the file is free. I encourage local radio hobbyists to share their loggings and support the few radio hobbyists magazines left. Monitoring Times and Popular Communications come to mind.

The file I have updated since moving to Southern Maryland in 2001 is this simple excel file I call the Regional Frequency Log. It is not completely up to date but I do update it as I have time. Since I find myself unemployed at the moment I am taking time to enjoy my radio hobby and make changes to the file in between interviews.

I encourage everyone to become scanner or SW, or radio listening hobbyist. You just never know what you are going to hear or experience. You can even listen while you surf the Internet. I enjoy hearing from local hobbyists. My PopularWireless.com website has a local scanner buff message area on the bulletin board or you can reply to this blog article.

My wife took this video of part of the parade. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Solomons Fire and EMS, Sea Scouts, ROTC and others.

“The region’s governors are preparing to propose hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts, including layoffs in Virginia and cuts to education and public safety in Maryland, in an early sign of the impact of the economic slowdown on government services.” Local governments, including DC, are also recommending budget cuts.

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Groups support bid to revive native bay oysters

Two leading environmental groups voiced their support yesterday for trying to revive the Chesapeake Bay’s native oyster rather than introducing Asian oysters into the estuary.

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Sailing is a wonderful hobby, but as with any sport it can be dangerous. From novices to the most experienced sailors, it’s vital that you’re safe on the water. With 54% of lifeboat services carried out for pleasure craft, you cannot afford to take risks on the water.

[Excellent article on sailing safety. Click read more to see the entire article.]

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The recently reported vandalism in Prince George’s County remind us that graffiti also has a hate-crime side to it. Cowards use graffiti to frighten others into believing their way – or so they think. Whenever this crime is directed at one group based on politics, religion, or any other social, sexual, physical, or personal attribute of a victim it is a hate crime.

The sign went up Sunday evening, bold black letters against the stark white background of the marquee at the Colony South Hotel & Conference Center in Clinton: “Country First. McCain/Palin.” By daybreak, pandemonium had broken loose all across heavily Democratic Prince George’s County. Many local supporters of Democrat Barack Obama, jolted…

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palmettoscoop.com: What happens when your candidate is endorsed by Hamas …The wave of vandalism targeting supporters of presidential candidate John McCain isn’t just limited to South Carolina, as we experienced last weekend when thugs sprayed graffiti all over the York County GOP headquarters, nor is it limited to Republicans.

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Vandals struck the garages and homes of at least six Minnesota members of Congress Tuesday night, spray painting angry graffiti including a Biblical reference to “Psalm 2.” U.S. Sen Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman, U.S. Reps. Keith Ellison, John Kline, Michele Bachmann and Jim Ramstad. Klobuchar and Ellison are Democrats; the rest are Republicans.

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Wall built so youths can “practice” graffiti is vandalized by graffiti before it opens

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What has changed in the thirteen years since DougWeb got involved in the graffiti problem? Take a moment to leave a comment to this article to tell us. I can say from attending the NoGraf conference in Santa Rosa that I think police agencies are far more sophisticated and interested in the issue than they used to be. I can also say that this interest is a year-to-year thing and probably varies in sophistication from place to place based on the interest of police management but in general things seem to be better than they were. Or is it really better where you live? Is graffiti, public property damage, still a problem and how does it make you feel as a resident or property owner?

It has been thirteen years since the first anti-graffiti site on the Internet challenged the university sites promoting public property vandalism. What has really changed from the graffiti victim’s point of view since 1995? I used to get lots of email from victims that found the Anti-Graffiti Web Page in 1995. Are we still as concerned as we were then? Does your community take graffiti vandalism seriously? Do they still take it seriously in Pleasant Hill, California where this all got started?

Leave a comment. Tell us.

It is a consumer’s right. Oprah’s program yesterday 10/15/08 was focused on rudeness. One of her guests was the Waiter from WaiterRant.net. I heard some some things from the Waiter that just did not ring true. After listening to the rant I was left with the distinct impression that he as a waiter wants control over the service experience when I visit for a meal at his restaurant.  I will be rude if I make a special request, ask to see a manager, complain about food quality, ask for special seating, or just exercise my rights as a consumer.

Hogwash.

The quality of service I receive at a restaurant sets that restaurant apart from all the others. The waiter’s service determines whether or not my restaurant experience is a happy one just as the quality of the food does. The waiter that does his or her best to exceed my expectations makes me feel welcome and appreciated as a customer.  After my visit to a good to exceptional restaurant I go out of my way to tell my friends. Exceptional service also encourages me to return.

A restaurant belongs to the restaurant owner. It does not belong to the waiter. When a waiter is unhappy about working conditions, the distribution of tips and wages then he or she has a decision to make about where he or she wants to work. That right is exercised just as the consumer exercises his or her right to object to poor service and perhaps never return to a bad restaurant.

As a consumer I am not responsible for your income even when you deliver shoddy service. It is not the customer’s responsibility to properly compensate the waiter. It shouldn’t be anyway. A restaurant owner should be worrying about the restaurant’s reputation and should compensate employees fairly. An employees contribution to the bottom line is reflected in good tips. Owners need to balance their need for survival while considering the need to attract good people to work in their restaurants.  When an owner cannot attract good people because he insists that wait staff take all of their income from tips that owner probably shouldn’t be in business.

There is no question that some big shots walk into restaurants and retail establishments and treat service workers like dirt. These people are insensitive dolts. You generally do not want these customers to return. There is little if any merit to satisfying someone that can’t or won’t be satisfied. A restaurant owner and his service employees should want to know about poor service or food quality that drives good customers away however. The best waiters and restaurant owners can tell the difference between a good customer and a bad customer. Managers should deal personally with the bad customers and allow the wait staff to continue excelling with the good customers.  Good managers do not run from any customer as one admitted to doing on the Oprah Show.

Good customers rarely have issues but most of us do have expectations that we assume good owners and good employees also have in mind. These are a few examples:

1. When I go to a steak restaurant the expectation is that the steak delivered to my table is cooked correctly the first time, not the second time.

2. When I go to any restaurant I expect it to be staffed appropriately so that the wait for service is reasonable and not excessive.

3. The final charge for the meal is consistent with the food quality and service delivered.

4. The restaurant is clean. Employees wash their hands and avoid personal behaviors that offend customers.

5. The wait staff are attentive to customer needs and do their very best to anticipate customer requirements.

6. The wait staff are happy to take a complaint to a manager or to respond appropriately to a complaint if already empowered to do so. Keep in mind not every good customer wants to complain. I think many good customers do not want a scene and avoid confrontation particularly if the behaviors encountered are really inappropriate. Good restaurant managers are on the floor watching for good service and poor service so that customers are not required to complain. I like to see a manager on the floor chatting with his or her customers.

7. Good restaurants have clean restrooms.

8. Good restaurants control the behavior of bad customers.

9. As a customer I should be able to ask for something special and expect a polite negotiation or a reasonable explanation if the service request cannot be met.

The last thing I want to see or hear is attitude from the wait staff directed at issues outside of my control as a consumer.  When this happens it is an indication to me that the wait staff need to look for other occupations, a better restaurant to work for, or require service training.

Lastly when I do not leave a tip, it is because my experience in the restaurant was unacceptable It isn’t rude. The waiter may not like it, but it isn’t rude.

ANNAPOLIS Sex offenders in Maryland have begun receiving paper signs in the mail that read “No candy at this residence,” which they must post on their front doors or possibly face a parole violation. Some bottom-feeding groups are challenging the state law in federal court.

[Editor: Click read more to visit FoxNews.com for more information.]

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It really is kind of amazing. The Tax Foundation today is holding a press conference with the Maryland Public Policy Institute to announce that Maryland has fallen from the 24th most business friendly state, a nice middle of the pack number, to being ranked at 45… out of 50 (not 51 because they don’t count DC in the running).

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What attracted us were the street signs that George Washington had eaten at Gadsby’s. According to the history written in the menu Dr. Gadsby’s tavern was the center of political entertainment form many years in Washington. The tavern has an annual birthday party for George Washington. President Washington actually attended with Martha in 1798 and 1799. President Thomas Jefferson held his inaugural here in 1801.

The restaurant was an easy walk from our hotel. It was just off King St behind the PNC bank. When we arrived the restaurant had been open for dinner for about thirty minutes. We contacted a very nice fellow at the front desk. Smiles and no pointing! My wife wanted to know if there was outdoor seating since she had been inside all day. These folks had not planned to open their back patio but did so just for us.

We were escorted through the dark early colonial restaurant to a beautifully decorated back patio. The restaurant was playing classical music from the local 90.9 FM radio station which went a long way toward masking the sound of a large air conditioner on the roof and the jets from Reagan International flying over head after take off.

Eileen ordered the Seafood Newburg and I ordered the Mixed Grill and Peanut Soup. Kyle, our waiter helped us make the choices. Kyle knew the history of the place as well as the food. He was several notches up in experience and service from your average waiter. The menu starts at $20 and went to $36 for entre’s, appetizers start at $8. We left the place after tip very much enjoying our evening for just above $100. I have to tell you the quality of the food was excellent. Plenty to eat and a real taste treat. Kyle took exceptional care of us.

We had an absolutely wonderful meal and I made a point of sharing that with Kyle and his manager. On our rating scale we give the restaurant a five out of five. Gadsby’s Tavern is a genuine eating establishment! When visiting Alexandria, VA take the time to visit.

This Flickr slide show shows three shots of typical Alexandria and then several shots of the back patio for the Gadsby Tavern.

This week I was in old-town Alexandria, VA with my wife. After dropping her off at a class she was taking I checked us in at our hotel. After paying $18 a day for parking in addition to a hefty room rate and $9.99 for 24 hours of WiFi I went to their restaurant for breakfast making it just ahead of the 10:30 deadline. (Bottled water in the rooms is $3.50. The hotel is a marketing and sales paradise.)

There was one couple in the entire place. Quiet, not busy. I walked up to the check in desk. Two restaurant employees were standing together chatting but did not acknowledge me. Truly I had the feeling I was invisible or had walked up to the wrong desk. I had to ask, “Am I on time for the buffet?” Silence for a good 30 seconds. Some conversation was exchanged in a foreign language between the ladies and then one said, “Sure.” She walked me to a table and pointed to it. What is with the pointing thing in restaurants? She asked if I wanted coffee I said yes and walked to the buffet.

The distinct impression left with me was that this place was a “pretendaurant.” An open space in a building pretending to be a restaurant. It was a heck of a surprise since this was a Sheraton Hotel. Actually I think I was a little shocked. The food was average. As buffets go it was nothing special. Imagine my disbelief when I paid some $16 for what amounted to a $6.99 meal. They did give me an opportunity to rush back for more food before it was all taken away but I declined. “Wouldn’t want to put you out,” I thought to myself. On the way out I stopped at the lobby coffee area to take a cup to my room leaving half a cup at the table. The regular coffee in the dispenser was empty! Rats. Looking back at my table I watched my coffee cup head back to the kitchen with a waitress.

This was a pretendaurant. Expensive, impersonal, not really a restaurant and definitely a two on our scale. Service was unimportant. Customers are an inconvenience and the employees had other things to do. I’m going to hoof it away from the Hoof and Fin.

What is wrong in Prince Georges’ County, MD?

[Excellent opinion piece written at Black Conservative Blog. Click read more to view the article.]

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Traffic cameras are suffocating our right to privacy. Here’s help in Montgomery County Maryland.

[We pay our POLICE to do this work. We should not be paying private contractors. When police cannot find time to deal with law enforcement and aggressive driving then it's time to look at a change in management. While I generally support any effort that will reduce the rampant speeding and aggressive driving here in Maryland using private contractors is obscene. Police need to start focusing on aggressive driving as a major safety problem in Maryland and get out from behind their radar guns.]

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TheBayNet.com: On Saturday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Maryland State Police and the Calvert County Sheriff
’s Office will host the 14th Annual Police & Community United Together Day.

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