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14543. jayackroyd - 4/8/2005 3:11:48 PM Thanks, wabbit, for the skype info and support. I've just gotten off a call with a relative in Portugal, who thinks it may make a real difference to their business communications to Mozambique.
For the uninitiated, skype is a free voice over ip service. 14544. wabbit - 4/8/2005 5:07:34 PM np, Jay. I've been talking with Spunky and the family in Mumbai the last couple days and it's been working perfectly for us. 14545. jayackroyd - 4/8/2005 6:06:09 PM There have been a couple articles in the last week, one leader in the economist and a piece by Tom Friedman in the NYTimes magazine where they've suddenly (!) realized that having big hunks of fiber running under the oceans and people being able to get detailed information about products changes everything.
I'm surprised that this is news. I find it funny to remember the bubble times when people were talking about bots, while missing the central idea that the digital infrastructure plus the idea of the internet sends the marginal price of a lot of things close to zero. In some ways, it's astonishing that I can place a call to Europe for free, but the writing was on the wall. Making money off it, otoh is tricky.
14546. thoughtful - 4/8/2005 6:48:00 PM not new but clearly needs repeating considering how little attention any policy makers are paying to the drastic structural shifts taking place in the economy...at our peril. 14547. jayackroyd - 4/8/2005 6:57:58 PM I just can't feel bad about poor, talented people getting new opportunities. We are so freakin' rich that it feels like a dog in the manger thing to be threatened by other people doing better.
But I do agree that the policy makers are way behind the curve. This education thing really needs to be dealt with, even though it's hard, for one example. 14548. thoughtful - 4/8/2005 7:35:16 PM and not just education, but also infrastructure. there are concrete things (pun intended) the govt should be doing to keep us with a fighting chance to keep our productivity high and growing.
14549. jayackroyd - 4/8/2005 7:40:07 PM It's good for everyone if the US continues to keep productivity growing. But there is a tendency to react in an isolationist fashion. Free trade makes us strong imo. Getting strong is sometimes painful, but it's the price you pay. Autarky didn't work out well for the Russians, although in the short run it looked successful. And there's something I find really wrong about agricultural subsidies and tariffs when there are people desperate for a higher level of income being shut out. 14550. thoughtful - 4/8/2005 7:58:48 PM i never suggested we undo free trade 14551. jayackroyd - 4/8/2005 9:02:05 PM Didn't say you did. Folks worried about outsourcing, though, often do tread that line. 14552. thoughtful - 4/8/2005 9:04:17 PM well the outsourcing thing has really died down since the economy started adding jobs. it was really a cyclical thing. the job loss was never large enough to matter in reality, though certainly it made political hay. Just another reason why the dems were losing it to bush. Instead of sounding protectionist, they should have boosted the education and job training and social safety net aspects of surviving changes due to expanded trade
14553. Magoseph - 4/9/2005 11:25:46 AM ...well the outsourcing thing has really died down since the economy started adding jobs.
That really explains why Lou Dobs shifted his crusade almost entirely to the illegal immigration policies lately. 14554. Magoseph - 4/9/2005 1:18:11 PM Flexy is watching Charles and Camilla getting married and I hear him chuckling and once really laughing out loud. "Come and see the hats, he says. 14555. wonkers2 - 4/9/2005 3:49:59 PM Lou Dobbs is well intentioned, not a deep thinker. 14556. Marc-Albert - 4/9/2005 9:52:15 PM 
Appetizing yes, but I think that the other francophones here will agree with me that it should read: Liver Pâté en Masse
14557. judithathome - 4/9/2005 10:59:44 PM MA, your picture didn't show up for me. Try again? 14558. Magoseph - 4/11/2005 9:57:34 PM I can't imagine how some people have the gall who drop heavy bags full of pressed-down dead leaves in our woods. This morning, Flexy and I had to drag them to the street for the garbage truck. I mean, what did they do, these peopl, keep the bags in their garage all winter? Where could these people live that they don't have garbage pick-up? How frustating sometimes to deal with the world at large, I swear. 14559. judithathome - 4/11/2005 10:18:27 PM I'd settle for a few bags of leaves compared to my stopped-up shower. The plumber has been here all afternoon and it is STILL not draining. 14560. MegKelso - 4/11/2005 11:15:22 PM I have a Lucy Ricardo thing going on at times...
I find myself in the oddest situations. People always end up saying things like, "This could only happen to you." or "You should write a book." Well, yesterday it wasn't just me, my daughter and her friend were there as well. And I might put it in the book, but for now I will just tell you.
My daughter and her girl friend drove down here from Chicago to spend Easter with me. We have been hard pressed to find much time to spend to spend together because I have had to visit my friend that is in a wheelchair and I have been taking my houseguest to her appointments.
Yesterday when I dropped the houseguest off at her bridge game, I took my daughter (Annie) and her friend (Melanie) to Underground Atlanta.
When we first got there, we walked out into the town looking for a store. When we did, I saw a sign that said 5 Points-something. I went to a restaurant in 5 Points once and wanted to take the girls there. We walked all over looking for that stupid restaurant. Eventually, I called the friend who had taken me to the restaurant and asked her where it was. I was in the wrong place. Apparently, there are two 5 Points in Atlanta. Why? How many 5 Points does one city need?
So we went back into Underground Atlanta. We were getting pretty hungry and there were an inordinate amount of motorcycles on the streets. We wanted to go to a sit down restaurant so the food court wouldn't do. After walking around looking at the menus outside different restaurants, we chose the Irish place down in the Underground.
No one waited on us so we left. We walked right outside and into a place called The Alley Cat. We were starving and the place sort of looked like an alley so I didn't question the name. I would have any other time, I swear.
Our waitress was wearing pussy-cat ears and whiskers. She wasn't smiling, this was not a joke. As she took our order, I noticed a belly button ring and a spider web tattoo on her right shoulder. I was frightened. Then I noticed the complimentary boxer shorts on the table. Things were beginning to make sense to me. This was a strip bar. Fortunately, we were too early for the show...they were catering to tourists at noon.
We started hearing the motor cycles again. Then the band began. They welcomed us all to THE FIRST ANNUAL ATLANTA BIKERFEST!!!!!
The Alley Cat began filling up with the biker dudes and dudettes. I was very frightened.
There was a card on the table. I picked it up expecting to find a dessert menu. Instead, it was the list of nightly events that The Alley Cat advertised. Wednesday night at The Alley Cat, be sure to attend Body Piercing and Tattoo Night. Apparently, all of the waitresses work Wednesdays. They had metal hanging off of everything they had, ears, noses, cheeks, belly buttons, lips, tongues...I strongly suspect they had more in places that I couldn't see. The tattoos looked hideously painful. One girl had a huge bird of paradise tattooed on her back. Ouch. And then the biker folk...my God, they had almost as many tattoos as the waitresses. My table and the family trapped in the table next to me were quite a bit out of place. We eventually got our food, ate and got the hell out of the strip club.
I had a lot to do yesterday so I never got around to making dinner. We had to go out to eat again so we went to the Square in Marietta, there are plenty of restaurants there. We walked around, once again reading menus. We carefully chose Hemmingways. There were no tables there. We were slightly underdressed for Shillings so we went next door to Simpatico's. A table at last.
The excellent wait staff did not make us wait. They were on the ball and bringing us our water, coffee and silverware very quickly. By the time they had done that, we noticed the prices on the sparse menu. The cheapest thing on it was 16.95 and that was veal meatloaf. What the heck is veal meatloaf? I don't eat veal anyway. We had to make a dash for the door. I tossed 5 bucks on the table and said, "Let's go."
Annie hesitated. My back was to the staff and I was dependent upon those two to let me know when it would be a good time to split. Annie hesitated again. I'm ready, perched at the end of the booth with my jacket on and waiting for the signal. Melanie finally spoke up. "You know, I don't think it's going to get any better than it is right now."
At that moment, Annie booked. I was right behind her. I assumed that Melanie was right behind me but she was deeper into the booth and it took her a second to get out. Annie and I were around the corner by the time she got out the door. We were all laughing so hard we couldn't walk. Then, at the exact same moment, we said in unison, "Let's just go to the Marietta Diner."
We actually harmonized as we said it. So, we went to the Marietta Diner and had a great dinner. We discussed the Easter plans and decided to have a lovely Easter brunch instead of a dinner so we are cooking it now. I am taking a break to write this but I must get back to my daughter. She is wonderful. I miss her so much when she isn't here. She is leaving later on today so I am going to go spend the rest of my time with her. My grand-daughter will be here too! I hope you all are having a nice day as well. See ya later.
Meg
read more of my crazy stories at www.diaryofmydivorce.blogspot.com 14561. Ms. No - 4/11/2005 11:21:08 PM I know exactly where I'm going to eat if I ever go to Atlanta again.
Take me to the Alley Cat!!! 14562. Ms. No - 4/11/2005 11:21:32 PM Juditha, you'll go with me, won't you?
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