Bob Levey (Barbara Tyroler)

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Levey Live: Speaking Freely
Washington Post Columnist
Friday, Dec. 21, 2001; 1 p.m. EST

"Levey Live: Speaking Freely," hosted by Washington Post columnist Bob Levey, appears every Friday. It is a live, open-agenda discussion offering washingtonpost.com users around the world the opportunity to ask questions and discuss topics of their choice with Bob.

Fearless Bob takes your questions about virtually everything, from sports and politics (there's a difference?) to world events, Metro area traffic and issues raised in Bob's columns.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Bob Levey: Hi, pre-Christmas keyboardists. Thanks for joining that inescapable force, "Levey Live: Speaking Freely." As always, what we discuss is entirely up to you. "Open phones," we used to call it in the talk radio bizzzz. Let's get right to the nitty and the gritty......

Fairfax, Va.: I know that Time is announcing its Person of the Year today, but as of 10:20, I haven't heard it yet.

Who do you think it should be?

I say that it should be bin Laden. If the criteria for the award is the person who had the greatest impact on the world in a year, how could it not be bin Laden? And to those who say that an evil man like bin Laden shouldn't get such an honor, I would remind people that Hitler, Stalin, and the Ayathola were all named Man of the Year. Bin Laden should be too.

Bob Levey: If you buy Time's reasoning--that the cover choice is not an endorsement of the person, but an assessment of who made the newsiest splash--then Osama wins in a walk.
But there would be a firestorm of criticism if Time does this. I fear there might even be burnings of newsstands. Not to mention cancelled subscriptions and zillions of hours of negative publicity on TV.
My guess is that it'll be a generic NY firefighter. If I were the managing editor of Time, I'd make the case that American bravery, fortitutde and determination were the real story of 2001, and that a NYFD "grunt" symbolizes this.

Beltsville, Md.: Do you respond to the notes accompanying money sent to the Children's campaign?

Bob Levey: Wish I had time to write personal responses. I don't, alas. But we do send acknowledgement postcards to every donor. They won't warm the cockles of your heart with their personal warmth, but, hey, at least it's a way to know that your dollars reached us.

Vienna, Va.: Hi Bob, this is a little random. We're searching for a good gift for my dad (we've already donated to Children's if that's your suggestion). Dad is awesome but when you ask him what he wants for Christmas it is always: pajamas, brown socks, black socks, and undershirts (in that order). When we go "off-menu" he is definitely tickled. But we are at a loss for this year. Budget is around $100 or so. He's a great dad, a "regular guy" sort of man, very low maintenance. If you were our dad, what would you want?

Bob Levey: Is he a coffee drinker? A hefty, decorative mug might be nice--and might well be used far more often than another pair of PJs.
A night light for his bedside table?
One of those whoop-de-doo organizer sets--you know, a page for every day of the year, plus a section for phones and addresses.
Much more treacherous but potentially much more appreciated: something creative and something created.
A mural done by all of you. A wall hanging. A photo collage. Old Dad sounds as if he has always gravitated toward store-bought stuff. How about something that says "I love you" in a far more personal way?

Rockville, Md.: Are you familiar with a battered women's charity that accepts mobile phone donations for their clients? I have a couple to donate.
Thanks

washingtonpost.com: http://www.calltoprotect.org/

Bob Levey: Sure. Contact The Wireless Foundation (the cell phone industry's trade association). They're in downtown D.C. for ages, they've accepted donated cell phones, rehabbed them and given them to battered women (or women who are afraid they're about to get that way).

Metro Center: Bob, I'm worried about your Children's Hospital campaign. In 12 years, I've never seen such a rough start! Why is it so? The mail? The economy? Folks tapped out from donating to Sept. 11th funds? Good luck!

Bob Levey: I'm just guessing, but I think it's 95 percent mail and 5 percent the economy. You have no idea what a disaster the mail is inside the building where I sit. Anthrax caution was bad enough. Then we had an anthrax false alarm nearly two weeks ago. That set back the system at least a week. I only wish I had arranged "bypass surgery" to the lockbox account in Baltimore sooner.
By the way, the top pros in the fundraising world do NOT think that Sept. 11 will torpedo causes such as Children's. Reason: The vast majority of gifts made right after the terrorist attacks were "impulse gifts," and were for small amounts ($25 to $100). Very few Americans can say that they gave their bottom dollars to 9/11 Funds, and that they therefore can't support their "usuals."

Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: Bob. Last Friday you told me not to bet my bottom buck on the Steelers. You said Ray Lewis was a contender. For what, the old folks home? Lewis and Sharpe might as well have stayed home and caught the game on TV like most of the nation did -- highest cable ratings for any show this year. Yes, the Ravens are going to the Super Bowl this year. But they'll be sitting in rows 34 and 35. Come over to the gold and black side of the force, Bob. It's Pittsburgh for the AFC at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Feb. 3rd. Thanks much.

Bob Levey: Congrats to the men of steel.
I'll still take Ray Lewis as MVP

Woodley Park, Washington, D.C.: Hi Bob,
What do you think of the plan to replace the jersey barriers at the Washington Monument? I'm in favor of just about ANYTHING in order to get rid of those hideous jersey barriers, but the new plan seems like it may be overkill. Wouldn't less expensive bollards place in a circle around the monument accomplish the same goal? Anyway, I'm glad something is going to be done. Next, we have to get the secret service to do something abotu all those barriers around the White House grounds on the south side, Treasury Department and E Street. Molto brutto!

Bob Levey: The entranceways to the Washington Monument were a seedy joke long before 9/11. Remember those forlorn paths? Remember those silly benches? Not very elegant.
I look at it this way: The presence of the jersey barriers has caused a total-rethink of the exterior of the WM, which can hardly be bad. As for the specific design, it looks OK at first blush. But I'm going to have to give it a longer look to be sure.

Downtown D.C.: Happy Holidays Bob!

Quick question: What DC department, or better yet, person, responds to complaints regarding traffic lights/walk signals? There is a walk signal at 14th and I that is short-timing pedestrians. Thanks

Bob Levey: Department of Public Works

Silver Spring, Md.: I'm sure I read the story incorrectly. I thought I saw a report in today's Post that the cash-strapped District of Columbia, which can't even afford to educate its children, ensure affordable/decent healthcare and/or pave its streets, and which has been hit hard by new security requirements since Sept. 11, just offered up to $200 million towards a baseball stadium. Will The Post be printing a correction tomorrow?

Bob Levey: Very amusing. But the whole idea behind the mayor's $200 million pledge was to bring an economic engine here. If we get major league baseball again, we'll produce far more than $200 million a year in spinoff benefits to the city. It's spend $200 million so you can reap $600 million. Sounds sane to me.

McPherson Square: Do you sincerely believe that naming Osama Person of the Year would lead to the burning of newsstands? Or were you engaging in a little of that 'ol Levey hyperbole? I hope you have a little faith in your fellow Americans.

Bob Levey: I was absolutely serious. I think people will be furious if he's chosen. Maybe the newsstands themselves won't go up in smoke (and please note that I am neither approving of that nor hoping for that). But I bet there'll be a few kamikaze attacks on stacks of Time.

Suncoast: First, happy holidays! Hope you get some much-deserved time off.

I just wanted to note something warm and fuzzy: I just left Warren Brown's chat, and it was heartwarming to read the posts of so many well-wishers hoping for his speedy recovery. This, combined with the sensitivity and concern of the posters on Carolyn Hax's chat the day (a couple of weeks ago) she and her husband announced they were divorcing, has renewed my faith in the goodness of people a bit.

Bob Levey: Mine, too. Isn't Warren the absolute best? Isn't Martha Hamilton a heck of a human being? As for Carolyn, I don't know too many people who would have the courage to lay their personal affairs out for millions to dissect--especially people in her line of work.
As for time off......
Not until Children's Hospital is done (Jan. 18).
Then I'm going to take all of three days off.
Too much going on.

Voiceover: Bob,
Has anyone ever told you you sound like Tom Bosley? I heard an ad for Children's Hospital on the radio, and until you said who you were, I thought you'd gotten good ol' Mr. C behind the cause!

Bob Levey: I'm going to assume this is a compliment!
You may not be aware that I've spent more than 20 years on the radio in Washington and Baltimore as a commentator and talk show host. I've also done many, many "voiceovers" for radio commercials. I'm always the loudest, deepest voice at around-the-piano family singalongs.
In fact, my first career was as a folk singer (in the early 1960s). I gave it up when the girls failed to storm the stage of the bistro where I was (briefly) a regular on open mike night.

K Street: Bob -

So what do YOU think about Mohammed Ali's politically incorrect jokes as reported in the Reliable Source? I can imagine the fallout if say, Tom Daschle or Cal Ripken, or Katie Couric said the same.

Bob Levey: I think Ali is miles out of line. He should know better, and he should suffer the consequences. Please don't feed me this junk about how he has always been an "original," and so he therefore operates by different rules. Racism is racism. Slurs and slurs.

Washington, D.C headed to NYC: Being a New Yorker, I thought you might give more insight to this issue.
What do you think NYC will be like on New Years this year? Will all those people be allowed to gather in Times Square?

Bob Levey: i hear they will indeed be allowed to gather, but that cops will be as thick as fleas, and that people will be encouraged (i.e. nudged) to disband as soon as 12 midnight strikes.

Washington, D.C.: I agree on bin Laden and the "Person of the Year". He probably should win- his impact has been enormous, obviously. But I think it's still a little too close to home for everyone to be comfortable with. Yes, Stalin was Man of the Year, but that was back when he was still "Uncle Joe". It's hard to put somebody in that position that isn't looked at in some positive light.

Bob Levey: Exactly so. It may not be a coronation--or an affirmation of the selectee's politics--but it's sure going to look that way to many

Arlington, Va.: Hi Bob. Can you please remind those people who are displaying American flags (especially from their cars) that when the flags get ratty and worn, they should be replaced? I realize the intentions are good, but flying a tattered flag is disrespectful. Happy Holidays!

Bob Levey: I agree with you, but the law does not.
Back in the 1970s, Congress changed the rules. You no longer have to take down an American flag if the weather is bad. You no longer have to do it if the flag has become tattered, either. I'd love to see these policies revisited, with the winds of 9/11 behind the reconsideration.

Downtown Washington: I think people have lost (or perhaps we never had it) their sense of historical perspective about Time's Person of the Year. Nowadays, with Student of the Month, McDonald's employee of the week; Mother of the Year, Student Nurse of the Year, and sundry other such honors, people have come to view "Of the Year" awards as purely a congratulatory, validating, etc, way to commemorate or recognize someone's (usually good or positive) actions.
Sorry if that's not readable (hey, it's been a long week) but people don't seem to want to acknowledge that "evil-doers" such as bin Laden should qualify as a candidate for person of the year.

Bob Levey: Haven't you answered your own question? If the point is to honor the good and the positive, doesn't my generic NYFD guy win going away?

Cadillac Jack: Bob,

Can you confirm a rumor we used to pass around as children?
Does the Washington Monument really sink one inch per year? The rumor stemed from the fact that D.C is built upon a swamp.

Bob Levey: The only rumor in your question is the business about D.C. being built on a swamp.
It wasn't.
There were some swampy patches along the southern edge of the Mall, and in many parts of Foggy Bottom. But nowhere else.
The WM actually sinks at least an inch a year. So do other buildings that are exceptionally heavy--here and elsewhere

Bob Levey's Diet & Fitness PLan: Howdy Bob! Did you take the advice of several of your clicksters last week and read the archives of champion bodybuilder Marty Gallagher's chats on this very site? In a nutshell, Gallagher advocates a tripod of fitness: weights to build muscle and strength, cardio to "keep the internal plumbing clean and oxidize fat," and "tight diet" based on clean foods such as lean proteins and lots of fibrous vegetables. The key is intensity to the cardio, which you won't get from casual walking or biking, and really paying attention to eliminating "trash foods" (booze, sweets, chips, fat, breads, pastries and pasta) from your diet. Marty is a guru (and an eloquent one at that). He;s changed my life! I'll bet he can change yours. Maybe you could get him to coach you, and you could write about the experience in your column. He GUARANTEES physical transformation in 90 days.

Bob Levey: I haven't checked it out yet, but I sure will, and soon. Yet I'll do so with my skepticism high. I don't eat trash foods. Period. My problem is that I eat too much of the right ones. So I'm not sure that Marty is the right dude for me.

Alexandria, Va.: Maybe Time should start calling it "Newsmaker of the Year" to help clarify that this isn't necessarily an awarding of the laurel wreath sort of honor.

Bob Levey: I'd accept that amendment. Thanks

Washington, D.C.: Ali clearly doesn't have all of his wits about him these days. So I'd give him a pass.

Bob Levey: When Nixon cabinet secretary Earl Butz made his famous racist remark about black people just wanting a warm...... did he deserve a pass just because he was a doddering old fool?
No one deserves a pass. No one. Ever.

Alexandria, Va.: Dear Bob,
I need advice badly. About four years ago this guy named Jim moved in with me. He assured me that there would be no money problems, times were good, and I should quit my job and stay home. Then for four years he lived in my house and ran up bills, always with the promise that we would never miss that lost income and the good times would never stop.

Well, they have. Jim has lost both his old job and his fancy new one and I've kicked him out, but I fear for the future. Jim says to borrow the money I need and pay it back later, but I've learned not to trust his advice. Anyway, here's my question: I've met another guy, Mark's his name, and I don't know whether my problems with Jim have ruined me for relationships for all time or if I should go with my heart and trust Mark. What do you think?
Your pal,
Virginia

Bob Levey: I wouldn't trust Jim's financial advice with a ten-foot pole. And I'd be darned sure about Mark's finances before I risk a frying-pan-and-fire situation.
In general, I'd give you a pat on the back and a full-speed-ahead for a new relationship. It may be hard for you to see, given the transition in which you find yourself, but change happens, change is always possible, change is often very good.

Person of the Year: Hmmm, I think that UBL is the choice, unless, as many people are wondering, they might not want to go with the current personification of evil. If they want someone "good," I'd actually vote for Rudy.

Plus, I've got a new respect for Tony Blair the past 100 days. Don't think he's quite on the radar though.

Oh! Oh! How about Gary Condit??!

Bob Levey: Rudy had no effect on the world outside NYC, so I'd make him about 1,00-to-1.
Blair is a possible, but he has sort of cooled, hasn't he?
Condit wins the award for self-delusionist of the year. But that won't get you on the cover of Time

Ali: Just to tack a note on the Ali comments (I was too late to make Lloyd's chat). . . .

One of the reasons why Ali's camp claims he makes those jokes is to "make people think" and wake them up. So what are we supposed to think? "Hey, you know what, Jews -are- cheap!" Please.

Ali may be an original, but tired racist jokes like that are not. Too many people in this world are trying to be Archie Bunker, not realizing that his time has long gone.

Bob Levey: You're 100 percent right. Even sadder is the fact that Ali's "jokes" have been around for 30 years. If the guy is going to use touchy material, at least it ought to be fresh

Washington, D.C.: I actually think the Bush should be Man of the Year. He has changed so much since Sept. 11 from a bumbling president to a presidential President. He came into 2001 with a voting "scandal" and has transformed to a leader.

PS I'm a long time democrat.

Bob Levey: One problem (although I don't think it's a disqualifying problem):
Bush was the cover boy last year.
And Time has never chosen the same guy in consecutive years.

Everyone Is Asking The Wrong Question: It's not, "Who should be Time's Person of the Year," it's "Why are we paying attention to the musings of an editorial board whose influence and product has waned terribly in recent years?" I don't know anyone who reads that rag anymore. Do you?

Bob Levey: Fair point. I haven't even opened a copy of Time in at least five years. Yet the Man of the Year cover still makes me notice.

No Baseball For DC: Isn't traffic here bad enough? Can you imagine what it would be like with 81 baseball games a year at RFK, the majority of which would start at 7:05 on a weekday evening? Clogged roads for people driving to the game. Clogged Metro for commuters going home jostling with baseball fans elbowing their way to the Stadium-Armory stop. Isn't one losing team within a 35-mile radius enough? Please.

Bob Levey: You're the grinch who stole baseball. Does anyone argue against baseball for NYC because the roads and subways get (briefly) crowded? It would do wonders for our collective mood, wonders for our economy, wonders for those who think that public events will forever be impossible in Wwashington, D.C., because of terrorism.

Washington, D.C.: Bob, Are you familiar with ZipCar? It's a Massachusetts-based company that places cars in convenient locations for people to rent. You pay a membership fee and have access to the cars when you need them. The premise is that most city-dwellers can do without autos most of the time.

Metro is getting involved in a similar scheme - cars will be located at parking lots adjacent to Metro stations.

Is this competition a good thing? Should Metro be concentrating on what it does best?

I wondered if you had an opinion.

Bob Levey: This makes perfect sense for Metro, because it's a winner for Metro, and not just for the car people. The most common rap laid on our subway by non-riders is that it doesn't go where the person wants to go. Now, that no longer has to be a disqualifier.

Silver Spring, Md.: Bob, I heard your plea for Children’s last night on WTOP. Now, I’m all for donating to them (and plan to do so), but I’m hoping the text of that was written by some PR type, and not you. You couldn’t be more wrong that the holidays “all about children”. The holidays are really all about cherishing EACH OTHER, no matter what the age. This year is particularly poignant, since we have been reminded how fragile life is and how it can all be over in an instant. The holidays are about caring for both our loved ones and those we don’t know who are not so fortunate as to have a home, food or a job.Please don’t tell me my 88 year old aunt doesn’t count – I can’t wait to see her.

Bob Levey: I would never tell you that your aunt doesn't count. And yes, the spot was written by someone else.

How much did the OK City families get?: With all this talk of millions of dollars going to the families of Sept. 11th, can you remind me how much the families of OK City received from funds such as this?

Bob Levey: OKC families received millions, but only from charitable funds (and life insurance, and pensions). Not a dime from Congress.

Maryland: You strike me as a well-read man, so I assume at some point you have read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Do you plan on seeing the movie?

Bob Levey: I've read it (and I liked it). I have zero plans to see the movie. I don't have time to do many movies, and I have even less interest. I usually leave it up to my kids to choose Bob's One Flick of the Year. My daughter has already nominated some "treasure" with George Clooney (it's such a treasure that I can't even remember its name). Is it "Oceans 11?" Yes, I think it might be. Can you tell that my enthusiasm is spilling over the gunwales?

Arlington, Va.: I agree with you about Ali and I think his PR person's response to it in Lloyd Grove's article was even worse. He's a role model...he should act like one.

Bob Levey: PR people really ought to go back to the drawking board in general. There are many occasions where the less said, the better. Yet the PR folk seem to think that they are duty-bound to open their yaps, regardless, or the client won't think they've done the job.

McLean, Va.: Hiya Bob --

I see folks on the Metro drinking from bottled water. Is this allowed by Metro?

I also see people taking sips from those Starbucks coffee cups (with the small sipping hole in the lid).

Is this permitted by Metro as long as the lid stays in place to prevent spilling?

Finally, are the Metro police still arresting people who eat food in the system?

Happy Holidays!

Bob Levey: None of it is allowed.
The signs say No Eating, No Drinking.
They don't say Starbuckers and waterheads exempt.

Maryland: Bob Levey: "No one deserves a pass. No one. Ever."

This doens't sound like something Mr. Levey would say...care to explain yourself.

Bob Levey: I already did. Racism is racism. Slurs are slurs.

Beltsville, Md.: My husband's not a movie-guy either and he loved "Ocean's 11".

Very cool 21st Century Rat Packish thing. I loved it.

Bob Levey: Are you sure you're not my Clooney-infatuated daughter?

Stand right, Walk left: I'm a people watcher, especially crowds. You see some interesting things.

About a week ago, I almost saw a fight break out on the platform between an woman and group of rush-hour travelers. The train was in the station, and there were about 10 people trying to run down the escalator for it. A woman was standing next to someone (on the left - during rush hour) and refused to move when the man behind her said "excuse me". He said "excuse me, please" a second time, as did someone behind him. The front woman turned around and started screaming at the crowd that the escalator was moving fast enough and she was not going to move simply because someone said "excuse me", and it was her first time in DC and why was everyone so rude. The man, fairly calmly given he was just chewed out, said that it was rush hour and they were going to miss their train because she would not simply step down and over. Someone else said "Stand right, walk left", to which the woman snapped something else I did not hear. They then hit the bottom of the escalator and the group of "excuse mes" sprinted for the train, only to have the doors shut in front of them. The woman who refused to move turned to them and said "serves you right for being rude". Luckily, the other train came about then, or I think there would have been a fight.

I wish there were more signs mentioning the stand-right, walk-left "rule".

Thoughts?

Bob Levey: Everyone in your story was wrong.
The person hogging the left lane should have moved, out of common courtesy.
And the ants-in-his-pants person should learm, once and for all, that running in Metro is forbidden. It's illegal! No kidding.

Somewhere, USA: I fully expect to get booed and hissed, but I have something which is just nagging at me. When I hear about the average $1.6 million settlements for the victims of 9/11, I can't help wondering . . . .why?

It is tragic; I cried, you cried, we all felt an overwhelming sadness. However, since when did it become ok to not prepare for sudden, unexpected loss?

I heard one young widow say she'd live in a cardboard box if she could have her husband back, but since that's not possible, she just wants to live her life, raise her children, and not have to work, just like she and her husband had planned. Huh? I feel for her, I really do. But life isn't a guarantee. Why didn't they buy enough insurance to keep her going for a few years? Lots of people do that. It would be WONDERFUL if everyone who wished had the opportunity to stay home and raise the kids. However, life intrudes. People have accidents. Bad people hurt others. Terrorists change our way of thinking through heinous, uncomprehensible acts.

However, I still believe in personal responsibility. Why do these surviving family mambers become instant millionaires? It just doesn't make sense to me.I realize they have suffered a terrible loss, but so did many other people who lost the breadwinner in a car accident, or an unexpected heart attack, or an earthquake. People MUST expect the unexpected, and plan accordingly. I don't feel ANYONE should feel entitled to any funds.

I'm not the only one who feels this way either - it has been the talk of the office. I have insurance to make sure my obligations are fufilled. I don't like tax dollars taking care of people (who in some cases are living a much more comfortable material life than I am) who failed to plan.

Life goes on - it has to. Plans change. You have to adjust.

Bob Levey: This settlement will be controversial for years. I agree that people who plan well will blunt the stings of life better than those who don't. But this doesn't apply all that forcefully to the 9/11 victims, because 95 percent of them had life insurance. These people were always going to leave their families in fairly decent shape.
No, the bigger questions are whether different victims should have gotten different amounts, whether Congress should have gotten involved at all and whether lawsuits should have been barred.

Laurel, Md.: You let your daughter choose your one movie?

Did she pick "American Beauty" that I remember you said you walked out after 12 minutes.

_I_ could have told you that you'd hate it.

(P.S. If that's what you thought of the first 12 minutes it's a good thing you didn't stay for the rest.)

Bob Levey: She chose it.
I walked.
She's still mad at me.

About Time's Cover: So, it's 2001 and it's still "Man of the Year" instead of "Person of the Year"? Has any woman ever been chosen?

Bob Levey: As I recall, Golda Meir was chosen

Bethesda, Md.: Well, I'm not one of your kids, so I guess I don't get a vote in Bob's One Movie of the Year. But I would encourage you (or anyone else who likes the books) to go see it anyway. Very true to the book. And yet entertaining for those who haven't read the books. I was wow'ed by it, and I see about two or three movies a year.

Bob Levey: I do have to say that I'd rather see Rings than Clooney. But my kids will have a louder voice in this derby than anyone else (including me).

Virginia: I think the question about Mark and Jim and their financial advice was about Gilmore and Warner.

Bob Levey: Gosh.
Of COURSE!!!!!!!!!!!
And I fell into that cream pie, face first.

Centreville: For Rockville re: donating mobile phones--if the DC collection is inconvenient, many of the local police departments collect for the same purpose, and if you search online there are addresses for national organizations that let you mail them in, too.

Bob Levey: Thanks for this

I.T.B.: Had an entertaining Metro moment this morning on a Red Line train toward Shady Grove. The operator, who was giving clear-as-a-bell announcements, nonetheless made a couple of mistakes -- announcing the wrong station name, then immediately realizing his mistake and correcting himself. After the third time this happened, about 6:20 a.m. pulling into Tenleytown, he paused and said wearily, "It's been a loooong week." It broke up the whole car I was on and definitely lightened the mood of a Friday morning. When was the last such incident you've experienced down in the tunnels?

Bob Levey: I hear such "human moments" all the time. But did you know that Metro frowns on such extemporaneousness? They want the drivers to be just-the-facts-ma'am types. Which makes me ask, yet again: Why doesn't Metro go for canned announcements of stations? We'd never again have to hear a driver mangle L'Enfant Plaza, Brookland or Grosvenor.

Arlington, Va.: Why didn't you like American Beauty? What made you walk out in the first 12 minutes?

Bob Levey: What makes me walk out of nearly every movie (or want to):
The producers and directors are trying to manipulate me. They're trying to jerk my eyerballs around in search of cheap emotion. They "cook" the pace to the point where the story isn't plausible.
When I read a book, I love the way the story sneaks up on me, at a natural, realistic pace. Guess that's why I read 100 books a year and watch one film...

Re: Sept. 11 Money: Bob --

I heard one of the victim's family members on a news program this morning complaining that $1.6 million per victim was WAY too low and calling for Congress to pony up a lot more.

Sheesh. I wholeheartedly agree with the personal responsiblity thing, although I wouldn't get so worked up about it if I hadn't heard that comment this morning.

Bob Levey: I'd have to know more about this person's indivisdual circumstances before I could comment accuaretly. But this person needs to understand that $1.6 million is a heck of a lot of money. Also that $1.6 million is probably a lot less than this person would have gotten from life insurance if her family member had died of illness, or in a routine accident.

University Park, Md.: A question about the compensation for victims of Sept. 11: In the case of our neighbors who were killed, how would compensation work? There were two employed parents, and two young daughters. Frankly I can't see the point of compensation in a case like this, because no dependents are left.

Bob Levey: It's sympathy money. Sorry if I sound crass and coarse. But that's the truth.
And it wasn't the truth, by the way, in December, 1941. The families of Pearl Harbor victims got only the pensions and government insurance that any serviceman would have gotten. No one got up in the House of Representatives and proposed $6 billion worth of benefits.

100 books: You read 100 books a year? I've got about that many on my reading list for school. Care to take a couple of them on for me?

Bob Levey: Sure, I'll sneak them into the theater with me when I'm pretending to watch that Clooney flick!

Washington, D.C.: Hey Bob,

Could you spell out the correct pronunciations of the three Metro stations? I don't know myself!

L'Enfant
Brookland
Grosvenor

Bob Levey: lawn-FAWNH (not le-FONT).
BROOK-land (not Brooklyn).
GROE-vuh-nurr (not GROZE-nurr).

Re: Beltsville, Md.: I don't consider myself heartless, but I'm appalled by the aid package victims' families will receive. There are a number of aspects to it that I disagree with, but here are the two main points.

1. Point blank each person is worth the same amount. Regardless of dependents, salaries, jobs, etc. If aid is to be given, it should be the same for every dead person from the Pentagon, planes, WTC or rescue department.

2. I know this is a little callous, but do these families really deserve this much? It's possible that my husband is hit by a car today. That would be just as sudden and life-shattering as if he had died at the Pentagon - why do these families deserve aid over anyone else who suffers a loss like this?

I don't disagree with temporary aid for groceries, a few month mortgage, or job training for stay-at-home moms that now need to work. But I don't think the taxpayers should finance these victims' abilities to maintain their economic status.

Bob Levey: Few are the members of Congress who would have dared vote against this bill. They would have been eaten alive by the Oprah culture.

Arlington, Va.: What kind of books do you read? Today's fiction doesn't reach out and grab me, but I love to read.

Bob Levey: Lots of history, lots of biography, at least 20 carefully chosen novels a year (because I adore the form). I'm now reading a collection of short stories by a young writer from India, Jhumpa Lahiri. Super! Next up: Bernard Goldberg on the travails of CBS. Then Ruth Kluger on the Holocaust. Then probably a re-read of Oliver Twist.

I'm gonna get hissed too: But:

"Also that $1.6 million is probably a lot less than this person would have gotten from life insurance if her family member had died of illness, or in a routine accident."

Exactly the point I'm wondering about. Why is having a loved one die in a terrorist attack so much worse than having a loved one get hit by a bus? Both are senseless, horrible events (although one does have the added horror of malice -- but then, what about murder victims?). And I understand why people want to give to Sept. 11 victims. But bad things happen all the time to good people, and their families are in just as dire straits as if they'd fallen prey to terrorists.

Bob Levey: See previous answer. It was a stroke of sympathy, passed by a rattled Congress.

Old Town, Va.: Just a holiday story for you...yesterday my sister was hit by a woman (actually she was hit by the woman's large SUV) who was racing through a mall parking garage to get to a parking space that opened up near the entrance. When the police and the ambulance arrived she asked if they could move their equiptment (and my sister who has a broken collarbone and jaw) so she could have the spot. Unreal. Can we all remember to be a little kinder and more patient this season? Thank you.

Bob Levey: Astounding! What happened? Did the emergency people move?

Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.: Just curious.

So, 100 books, one movie -- any TV?

Bob Levey: Two kinds only--news and sports. I have never watched West Wing. I have watched ER only about three times. I last watched a movie on TV in the 1980s. Call me a meat and potatoes kinda guy......

Washington, D.C.: Are baby bottles allowed on Metro? I give me son a bottle from time to time -- am I breaking the law?

Bob Levey: Technically illegal, but I'd wink, and so would most Metro cops, I'm sure.

D.C. 20017: American Beauty was the most horrid, disgusting, trashy film I've seen in recent years (maybe ever). Borderline soft-core porn. How old is your daughter again? If she's under 18, I certainly hope you dragged her out of that movie with you.

Bob Levey: She was 18 at the time, 20 now. By the way, her judgment about movies is usuall classy and excellent. She declared "Shakespeare in Love" to be the greatest movie in history. That was the Bob Movie of That Year. I enjoyed it tremendously.

Bob Levey: Thanks, gang. Time to rush out and see what Time decided for its Man of the Year cover. See you again next Friday.

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