|
Levey Live: Speaking Freely
Washington Post Columnist
Friday, Feb. 1, 2002; 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: Howdy, you huddled masses yearning to go swimming..... IS THIS WEATHER THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE THING YOU'VE EVER SEEN?
I just went for a walk down K Street (the boulevard of broken dreams) and I passed a guy in shorts and a T-shirt. Yes, for those of you fighting drifts in Kansas and Illinois, it's Feb. 1. It's also 70 degrees in the capital of the free world. Amazing.
All thoughts about all subjects welcome, as usual. Let's get hopping
Washington, D.C.:
Bob: I enjoy your column and your chats immensely. You're intelligent (even if from time to time I disagree with your conclusions or premises) and fun. Seeing as this -is- "Speaking Freely," could I make one small suggestion?...
I laud your dedication to the Children's Hospital and your fundraising efforts for them every year, but it tends to take over your entire column, for months on end. And quite frankly, seeing entire Bob Levey columns composed entirely of a list of donors is dull. And are Post subscribers and advertisers really paying money so that you can have guaranteed space to solicit donations? Other worthwhile charities pay good money to place an ad seeking donations, but you get carte blanche for months on end to hawk one particular charity.
That's just my two cents, for your consideration.
Bob Levey: I've worried about this for all 21 years I've "done" Children's, and I'm very careful to mix regular bob columns in with Children's columns. If you take all eight weeks worth and toss them up in the air, you'd find about one-third "regular," and two-thirds hospital.
As for lists of donors, I carry only groups, which keeps it to a somewhat manageable size. I realize these read like the phone book, but one of the great lures for group givers is the chance to see their name in print. So Post subscribers and advertisers are going to have to get used to this. I'd be verrrrrrrrrry reluctant to dump it.
Washington, D.C.:
I have heard from two different people that Marion Barry is considering a run for an at-large seat on the city council. Have you heard anything about this? Will no one rid us of this menace to civil society?
Bob Levey: This rumor comes around about as often as the one about Clinton running for the Senate from Arkansas and someone else's baseball team moving here. Rest your pretty little head. Ain't gonna happen. And even if Marion tries, he'd be odds-against. His day has come and gone.
22314, but I pay attention to Maryland politics:
Last Friday in your LO session, two people (I think) in Maryland posted comments about the redistricting of Maryland: one person was unhappy with her new district (specifically her new representative) and another person commented about the bizarre boundaries of the new districts.
Fast forward to Wednesday's Post Metro section, with the headline of Glendening's very recent marriage to...the woman who was largely responsible for redistricting Maryland?!
(Is "redistricting" even a word? Neologism thang, maybe?)
I just found that interesting, is all.
Bob Levey: As Marc Fisher said (in a chat? in a column?), redistricting happens all the time, everywhere. If Glendening has married his new bride because she did his political bidding, I feel sorry for them both.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Am I the only one whose eyebrow raised over George W's choice of words when he told Tom Brokaw that he had started to eat pretzels again?
He said, "Yeah, I fired one up the other night."
Last time I heard someone use that expression, there were black light posters on the wall, a Jefferson Airplane album on the turntable, and a distinct odor in the air.....
Bob Levey: W has an arch sense of humor. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. By the way, he never spent a second in any black-light parlors, from what I can tell. He was too deeply enthralled with the wonders of Mr. Busch's brewskis.
Washington, D.C.:
Would whoever's playing the role of Bob Levey today tell the washingtonpost.com people that we HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE the ads now appearing on the bottom of our screen.
If you are on a non-Java computer (and many government agencies and businesses disable java) you can't even click it off.
Very annoying. Almost annoying enough to make me boycott the page all together.
Bob Levey: Thank you for the opportunity to tell the world that BOB LEVEY REALLY EXISTS. I know because I shaved his face this morning.
I hope I'm not telling tales out of school when I reveal that, just yesterday, I had a discussion with various high-and-mighties from washingtonpost.com about the ads that gird the bottom of the home page.
I said I sure hoped they had brought in a zillion bucks because i HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE them.
High-and-mighties agreed. But they pointed out that at least the home page is recognizable as such. Some sites sell ads that literally blot out all editorial content on a page!
Bill, Reston:
Your humorous--although depressing--tale of the scamming waiter who carded a middle-aged woman just to inflate her ego and the subsequent tip reminded me of a common retail scam: Do not EVER fall for the "and that's the last one that I have" line. Because, unless it's some bizarro item that is no longer manufactured--and in 99.9 percent of retail cases, that does not apply--the reality is that you could probably get the item at that store again, when the next shipment comes in, or somewhere else where there are plenty of them. I have witnessed, in just the past six months, this "that's the last one I have" and "they don't make them anymore" scam at two stores--and found out that those lines were indeed dishonest. Buyer beware!
Bob Levey: Buyer also better beware of a salesperson who tells you that he has another bid on an item (usually a car), and if you don't leap for your checkbook, you might come up empty. Last time a car salesman tried this one on me, I replied (with uncharacteristic presence of mind): "Must not have been much of a bid if he didn't buy. Was there somethign wrong with the car?" That silenced him quite successfully
12th Floor Metro Center:
What a delightful Friday, Bob!
A friend of mine lost his SmartCard a couple of months ago. He alerted Metro and they sent him a new one, and included the value of what was on his card. Well, friend found his SmartCard a couple of days ago, and lo and behold, $18.70 was still intact on the bugger.
I know Metro monitors this chat so thought they should be aware that something is clearly amiss with this otherwise, great, GREAT program.
Bob Levey: I'd guess that Metro is willing to take a small loss in the interest of promoting this GREAT program. Metroids?
Washington, D.C.:
Bob,
I enjoyed your interchange with Pat B. on News Channel 8 yesterday: I like when someone is there to balance your views, and you're are quite gracious in that format. I would really like to see you chat with Charles Krauthammer on the subject of Media Bias. Could this take place in one of your Tuesday online sessions? Keep up the good work.
Bob Levey: Thanks for the kind words. Buchanan is a very odd combination. As I told some friends yesterday, I disagree with 99.99 percent of what he thinks and what he stands for. But I'd still put him in my Top Five list of Guys I'd Like to Have a Beer With. he is so smart, so engaging, so much fun to argue with.
Good idea re Krauthammer. World's Greatest Producer, Megan Rooney, has already entered Krauthammer in our Future Guests file (haven't you, Megan?....... Megan?........Oh, Lord, I think she has left me for BUCHANAN!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Beltway:
Hi Bob! Submitting early, just in case....
I have a slight problem with your online columns - the formatting can be frustrating sometimes. Unlike the print version which very neatly has some type of division between subjects, the online version is all just one big column, so oftentimes the subject will switch and it'll take me a sec to realize (see today's column). It would be nice if the online column had divisors like the print column does. Thanks!
Bob Levey: That's a nice idea. I'll post this in case the tech-noids at washingtonpost.com can develop a way to accomplish this.
Silver Spring, Md.:
OK, Bob -- I'm not sure if you're the proper target for my gripe, but if you could at least direct me towards the right folks at The Post: What is the deal with the new advertising banner at the bottom of the page when we pull up washingtonpost.com?! I know I can easily get rid of it by clicking the small "x" in the top right-hand corner, but it's one of those "small" annoyances that make me want to turn elsewhere for my on-line news. Any chance it will disappear as quickly as it appeared? Maybe if enough of us complain to the proper sources?
Thanks, and keep up the great job!
Bob Levey: That which pays the bills can never be dismissed lightly. I doubt very seriously if the phenomenon will disappear, especially since washingtonpost.com is under a lot of pressure to develop as much new revenue as possible.
Washington, D.C.:
Sheesh. That Republican neighbor whines and complains and tries to prevent his neighbors from calling their own cats, just because he never wants to hear the names Bill and Hillary again (wonder if he also whines about children with those names)?
Yet I'll bet he's one of the people who scream whenever someone writes or says "National Airport" instead of "Reagan National." Has it ever occurred to them that some of _us_ never want to hear the name "Ronald Reagan" again?
Bob Levey: Well said. Reminds me of one of the great criticisms of "Bias," that book by Bernard Goldberg that's all the rage (it accuses CBS of major leftward tilt). As Goldberg observes, a lot of right-wingers decry media bias, when what they really mean is that there isn't enough CONSERVATIVE bias.
Suncoast:
Bob, I got a huge kick out of your column the other day about perfect-fit last names, and I have one to add. I had a friend in junior high whose dad was a dentist. His name? Dr. Schugar (pronounced sugar). I was living in Montgomery County at the time, so who knows, he may still be practicing there.
Bob Levey: Thanks. In case any of you missed my Perfect Fit Last Names column, it ran yesterday. You can retrieve it via washingtonpost.com. No huge obliterating ad in front of it, either.
washingtonpost.com:
I would not leave you for Buchanan. Or Krauthammer, for that matter. But top five people you'd like to have a beer with? Bob, Bob, Bob. I can literally think of a million better people to put on that list. I'll shout them out as they occur to me. Get ready to reconsider!
Somewhere, USA:
I wish you hadn't called what the waiter in Chicago did a "snow job". Yes, he used flattery, but he didn't overcharge them or do anything really but give a bit of a (perhaps insincere) compliment. He didn't pad the check or not bring back change or something nefarious.
These ladies appreciated it - and if you can see the "crow's feet on her crow's feet" then the female customer also sees them everytime she looks in the mirror. The ladies had fun and probably laughed about it all day. The extra few bucks he got in his tip was worth the warm fuzzy feeling he gave a middle aged woman.
- a waiter with scruples
Bob Levey: Come on, pal. He manipulated the truth and the system, and he played on female vanity. If that's not a snow job (or a con job), what is?
Courtly advice?:
Hi Bob,
You seem to have a good idea of how the law works and how to deal with its arbiters. Can you advise?
In the wee hours of New Year's Day, I got pulled over. In a nutshell, I didn't slow down fast enough when entering a town because I was unfamiliar with the area and I was busy avoiding the cars in front of me who were suddenly slowing to a crawl. So I missed the speed limit sign.
The officer who pulled me over didn't say so, but I KNOW he was itching to nail me for DUI. He grilled me on when my last drink had been (1.5 hours before) and ran me through some sobriety tests (which I passed with flying colors because I was -- get this -- stone cold sober). But he still wrote me up for failure to obey a highway sign. Not speeding, or reckless driving -- he had no proof of either.
So now I want to try to beg for leniency in court. What are my chances? Do you think a judge would take pity on me? I have one speeding ticket to my name from two years ago, and I'm a careful driver. I just made an innocent mistake at the worst possible time. And I'm a victim of irony: while looking to avoid drunk drivers, I got pulled over on suspicion of DUI.
Your thoughts?
Bob Levey: You're backing a 40-to-1 shot. The biggest factor working against you is that you don't live in the town. No judge will tilt your way because he/she has no reason to do so. I'd pay the fine and be done with it. Or perhaps I'd hire a local attorney to request a trial. That usually evokes a settlement offer from the D.A. very quickly--and it might save you a few bucks if they reduce the fine.
Arlington, Va.:
Oh, pshaw to those people that don't like the Children's Hosp. columns. I'm happy to skip right over them, it lets me get to the comics more quickly!
It's usually pretty apparent whether it's a Children's column, or a regular Bob column veering back and forth between urging people to note the obvious (follow the rules) or use their heads (common sense, skip the rules).
Bob Levey: Gosh, and here I was hoping that you'd actually READ the Children's columns!!!!!
Maybe I'd better cover them with ads???????
My "Who I Wanna Share a Beer With" list, of wp.com luminaries:
-Lloyd Grove
-Carolyn Hax
-Gene Weingarten
-Kim O'Donnel
-Bob Levey
Bob Levey: Very good list. Anyone else have a Top Five?
Metro Media Relations:
We do pay careful attention to the SmarTrip card program, especially cards that are stolen or lost, but in this instance $18.70 is a small price for us to pay to ensure a happy, repeat customer!
Bob Levey: As I suspected. Thanks, Metroids
Laurel, Md.:
Speaking of perfect fit last names, several years ago, I was reading a professional journal article on solar radiation in the atmosphere. The authors of the article were Sun and Shine. No joke here!
Bob Levey: Cool! You have first names?
herndon, va:
Mr. L: Speaking of business scams - one of the greatest New Yorker cartoons ever showed a store front window with the sign "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS - and son"
Bob Levey: I don't know how I missed it. Thanks for a hoot!
Falls Church, Va.:
For those of us who don't know downtown DC as well as you do, why is K Street the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"?
Bob Levey: That's just my whimsical way of trying to say that office politics along K Street have muddied many a career, broken many a plan.
Re: Heatwave:
But it is NOT GLOBAL WARMING, nope, nada, no way. This is normal, according to a scientist I funded. I will not sign the Kyoto Treaty!
-W
Bob Levey: Dammit, W, you KNOW that this 71-degree day is the result of SUV exhaust!!!!!
Ballston, Va.:
Hi, Bob -
Just a request to practice what you preach re: Cosmo in the Grocery Store (Jan.30).
Please remember you're published in the Comics! I know of at least one curious second-grader who likes to read you ("the grown-up part of the funnies"). Now, that morning we were rushing and he didn't have time to read the comics, but if you object to what children can view at the store, you should hold yourself to the same standard!
Bob Levey: An excellent point and a regular source of acid indigestion....
I couldn't have written about Cosmo without publishing some of the coverlines that make it famous (and saucy). I realize that I may have exceeded what we call "the breakfast table standard." I worried about that a lot, and I always do whenever I write about sex.
But Monica-and-Bill seems to have rewritten the breakfast table standard. Interestingly, we found in the wake of that story that even though we published seamy details of oral sex on page one, we didn't produce all that many redfaced-Mom-and-Dad moments around the breakfast table.
Kids would ask what oral sex was, and Mom and Dad would tell them. I'm not saying it was this smooth in every household, but it was very, very illuniating for those of us here at The Post to see that maybe we'd drawn the line at too conservative a place all these years.
Right of center:
As a Republican, I have to say that guy who complained about the cats was a complete twerp and needs a sense of humor.
I mean, what could be better than to be reminded daily of Clinton cat calls?
Bob Levey: Funny..... Thanks
20852/20016:
Hey Bob, can the Post or the Post.com do something about maps? There have been many articles about taxi zones in the paper, but the only map I've heard of was in the District weekly this week. I work in DC and take taxis in DC, but subscribe at home in MD.
On the same topic, when the post runs an article on redistricting (which should really be a four-letter word, not the polysyllabic blot that it is), can they run maps side-by-side of the current and proposed districts?
I see fancy graphics in the Post all the time -- surely the graphics people can create good maps?
Bob Levey: I agree totally. But sometimes it isn't possible because of space.
Alexandria, Va.:
When I started my job in Old Town Alexandria in January 2001, I noticed a rug/furniture store with huge "Going Out of Business" signs, ballons, banners, the whole works. I'm still at my job in February 2002, and that store is still open, and still has the "Going Out of Business" stuff.
Bob Levey: "Going Slowly Out of Business," huh?
Herndon, Va.:
What is your view on this new airport security database that will categorize and track everyone?
Personally, I think that it is an invasion of privacy that is unnecessary. The people who claim that only those with something to hide would oppose such a measure have never worked worked with databases and must not have any enemies that might hold grudges.
Bob Levey: I think the horse ran through this open barn door a long time ago. It's not as if your buying habits and living arrangements aren't public in the first place. This system doesn't invade your privacy. It merely recategorizes information about you.
Washington, D.C.:
1. Joel Achenbach
2. Bob Woodward (how many drinks does it take to pry Deep Throat's identity out of him?)
3. Gene Weingarten
4. David Broder
5. Peter Carlson
Bob Levey: Thanks for adding Broder. A gem. Probably the shiniest gem around here.....
Arlington, Va.:
I have to include Marty Gallagher on my top five. He's a tough guy...I'm sure it would be fun to hang out with him.
So my top five:
Bob Levey
Carolyn Hax
Lloyd Grove
Marty Gallagher
Kim O'Donnell
Bob Levey: Kim gets VERYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY upset when you give her last name a second L. But she'll still have a beer with you.
Georgia:
I don't know why everyone is complaining about the ads. To be honest, wp.com does a better job than anyone about keeping the ads small and out of the way.
I for one am not going anywhere else for my news. It's free, for goodness sake!! It's not half as annoying as some of the other websites that don't have half the content.
Bob Levey: OK, you guys at washingtonpost.com. Cut and paste this one and build your next promo campaign around it. Mr. or Ms. Georgia gets it, big time.
People to share a beer with...:
Thomas Boswell
Bob Woodward
George Will
Carolyn Hax
Bob Levey washingtonpost.com:
I very much agree with the choice of Carolyn Hax. Also: Thomas Friedman, Charlie Rose, Michael Dirda (although in that case, it may be sharing some Earl Grey tea). -- Megan.
Bob Levey: George Will?????????????
A freakin' BEER with George Will?
I'd say a glass of sheery might be more like it. In an English castle. While dressed in tweed.
Fairfax, Va.:
Who is to blame for the mess in the PG School system? The school board or Dr. Metts?
Bob Levey: I make it board 99, Metts 1. They hired her to run the show and never got out of her way long enough to let her do it.
Metro Center, D.C.:
Bob,
Regarding your 2 lb. per year weight creep, I have a suggestion: go talk to Sally Squires! Her "Lean Plate Club" chats are treasure troves of useful information for those of us trying to lose weight or hold the line as you are.
Things I've learned include stuff like drink GALLONS of water per day, drink V8 juice instead of soft drinks, and sleep in your exercise clothes... You must see Sally jogging around the office sometime??
Bob Levey: Sally and I are conspiring up a storm re my diet (scheduled to begin on April 7). She and I may collaborate, or we may compete. We may also do neither. But she is such a joy to work with. So willing to help (and she did, by suggesting that I go and buy a pedometer, so I can never doubt just how far I've walked).
Washington, D.C.:
Hey, Bob, what's your take on salespeople who block the top of Metro escalators so that you have to get their sales pitch right in the face before you can exit?
This happened yesterday, at Metro Center (12th and G exit) by some folks pushing some sort of cold drug.
I mean, I know that nothing in this country, not even common courtesy, is more important than making money. But that approach would seem to turn off more people than it sells - I know that next time I see them, I'm making a careful note of the product name, so I never make the mistake of buying it...
Bob Levey: I'd react the same way as you. Metro should never be a sales bazaar, not even at the top of the escalators.
Arlington, Va.:
Bob, the hour is half-over and we have heard nary a word about your weight, your salary, the perpetual trophy wife or world's greatest son and daughter. Don't you know by now that we have no lives of our own and must live vicariously through you?
Bob Levey: I'm going to assume you're serious. If you don't want to read the following answer, I can arrange to cover it with an ad.....
Family is great.
Salary is rotten.
Weight is excessive.
Best thing that happened to me all week: I flew to and from Boston and got myself upgraded to first class in both directions!
I'm too old (and too poor, and too fat, and too married) to have any other vices. But when I sink my can into one of them plush first-class seats....... wow! It even makes me appreciate the bag of cashews they give you (a step up, so they claim, from the bag of peanuts they give you in coach).
Washington, D.C.:
Bob,
Regarding "appropriate names": do you subscribe to the daily e-mail service called A Word A Day (www.wordsmith.org)? It's an online community for lingaphiles. Every day Anu (the guy who runs it) sends out an interesting rare word, its etymology, use of the word in the press, literature, etc. Each week has words issued grouped by a theme.
On December 12th Anu featured the word 'aptronym', which means "a name that is especially suited to the profession of its owner". That week's follow-up e-mail, where readers send in their comments on the words, was FULL of aptronyms. I hope that you can find this in the archives on wordsmith.org, or contact Anu directly.
By the way, Anu does this all on his free time, and always appreciates donations to his cause of a well-spoken society. Currently he e-mails words daily to 490,000 people in 280 countries. Impressive!
- Jennifer
Bob Levey: Didn't know about this site, but I do now. Another way not to get started on writing my column in the morning! Thanks (I think).
Alexandria, Virginia :
Bob, if you admit to disagreeing with Pat BUchanan 99.99% of the time, doesn't that make you a liberal? As well as your views on gun control, media bias, mass transit subsidies ... why don't you just admit it?
Bob Levey: It makes me sensible and him BIZARRE. I mean, he said on our TV show yesterday that he really would like to make everyone in the United States Catholic! He said that America is dying because of the pot-smokers and free lovers of the 1960s. Do you think the Taliban thinks we're dying? Do you think boomers who used to smoke dope and fornicate every minute still do? Heck, no. They dandle their grandchildren and check their stocks. Pat is not just wrong--he's WILDLY wrong. And I think he knows it.
Mt. Rainier, Md.:
Re the group lists for Childrens Hospital: I am one of your 'maypoles' that spends all year collecting small change, wrapping it and turning it into certified checks. I try to keep my group up on what the total is so that they feel a little drive, and I really like that you validate that for me (gosh I hate that verb). One of my group always teases me about my 'dress money', and at least he can see my dress money gets to CH!
Bob Levey: Another factor: If I didn't publicize group gifts, "maypolers" like this poster would never be able to say to the office gang that the money was sent to me. There'd be a cloud over people like this--the worry that maybe he/she took the money and had a wild weekend in Atlantic City (can one have a wild ANTYHING in Atlantic City? Wow, is that place a tired-out dump).
beer drinkin' list....:
Bob Levey: no awkward pauses; too much knowledge
Marty Gallagher: great health advice
Tony Kornheiser: funny and sports
Michael Wilbon: w/ Tony so I can watch them argue (my own personal PTI show)
Lloyd Grove: for the fun of gossip
Bob Levey: It ain't about pauses or knowledge. It's about 20 years of doing talk radio and about my blazing typing speed. The one thing you never want in a forum such as this is dead air. So I fill it up--same way I always have when the "ON AIR" light goes on. As for typing, I guess it's time to brag again. I use only my two index fingers, yet I can smoke it out at the rate of about 80 words a minute. I have twice won the title of Fastest Two Fingered Typist in Washington (that and 25 cents.....). So it isn't that I think fast, or good, or better. It's that I type like the wind.
Metro rider, D.C.:
Bob, what's up with the increased -- or at least increasingly visible -- armed Metro police presence at several Metro stations today? Has there been another non-public terrorism alert?
Bob Levey: Yes. Check today's paper. Bush has again warned America. Metro is obviously showing its stuff to try to ward off what might be coming
Washington, D.C.:
Bob,
Will you help out your readers who don't understand the taxi zone system? (see the letters in the District section of the Post yesterday.) It doesn't matter what route the driver takes or how many zones he/she drives through. The fare is preset based on the starting zone and the ending zone (that's what makes it different from a meter where it matters how you get there). One more thing, it doesn't matter which side of the street you get out on. The boundary streets are in both zones.
Bob Levey: Correct about it not matetring which route the driver takes. Not necessarily correct about the side of the street. Some drivers will pick you up on the "far" side of a corner and charge you for an extra zone. For instance, stand on the northern edge of Connecticut Avenue and R Street NW and go to the Rayburn Building. That should be one zone. But many drivers will charge you for two because R Street is the divider. The rules are not specific enough to resolve this. As always, the cab rules here are essentially whatever the driver says they are. Which is why meters can't come too soon.
Philadelphia, Pa.:
Please tell me the guy that complained about the names of the cats wasn't for real?
I'm a Democrat and don't have any particular love for Bill and Hillary but I certainly wouldn't give a neighbor a hard time if he named his dog "Ronnie" or "Tricky Dick".
Perhaps a better response from your writer would have been to tell him "I consider cats to be a lower species. Draw your own conclusions".
Bob Levey: The guy was for real. The story was for real. Get ready for a follow-up when they stand on the back porch and chant, "Her-r-r-r-r-r-re, Monica!"
San Francisco, Calif.:
Bob, what have you heard about the President's suggestion that every citizen give two years to their country. Did he mean volunteer service, or some sort of paid volunteer service like the Peace Corps, or service like the armed forces, or would he even include just plain working for the federal government under his definition of service. Yesterday on the radio (Talk of the Nation) they did an entire show premised on the assumption that the idea was strictly "volunteer" service, even though I read Bush's remarks as meaning any kind of service to the government. What are people in Washington saying about this?
Bob Levey: They're saying that he meant volunteer, although he didn't specify, because he wouldn't want anyone who joins Americorps, or the Peace Corps, or the military to feel "dissed."
Beering Drinking buddies from the Post:
Actually I want to add someone whose name I can't remember....Gene Weingarten mentioned him as a very serious reporter of international news stories. His articles are very intellectual and without a drop of humor--and Gene says that he is the funniest guy he knows.
Him and the obit writer who I have also heard is a hoot, and whose name escapes me as well.
And whoever writes the "Animal News" stories with a straight face (the short pieces about animal rescues and etc)--I would LOVE that job, and I wonder if the Metro section reporters feel the same way.
Bob Levey: Noodle.
The obit man.
How in the world could I forget him?
I've been doing "Levey Live" every Tuesday for going-on five years now. I've done Washington biggies, towers in the world of education, many Posties, chiefs, Indians. Noodle Pearson was BY FAR the funniest guest I've had.
Dunno who Weingarten means.
Fairfax, Va.:
My top 5 beer companion wish list:
5. Afghan intrim leader Karzai (ok, tea, he's Muslim).
4. Old Post columnist Steve Twomey (What ever happened to him?)
3. Donald Rumsfeld (I haven't been chewed out properly in a couple of weeks.)
2. You. Only tequilla shots with you, Bob. We'll flip for the worm.
1. Ronald Reagan. Even with advanced Alzheimer's, he still makes more sense that 95% of the people out there.
Bob Levey: Last time I did tequila shots, I hopped in my car, said "Hey, no prob"..... and proceeded to knock down a guy's fence. Never again.
Washington, D.C.:
Bob, what happened to your recent promise to go after the bums panhandling around MCI Center? I was there Wednesday night to watch the Caps lose again, and was accosted by no fewer than EIGHT of them on my way from my car to the entrance. The worst ones are those who try to "guide" you into a street parking space, and who then give you the feeling they'll vandalize your car if you don't tip them. Come on, Bob, go get 'em!
Bob Levey: I'll be there tonight, watching the Washington Jordans take on the Atlanta Talon-less Hawks. I'll scope the scene and get working on it.
Springfield:
Pedometers are great. I had lost 65lbs since last March and was holding, when I got the pedometer I lost another 5lbs and still working on it!
Bob Levey: Did you lose the extra five because the pedometer shamed you into walking more?
I can see that.
But honestly, what worries me about this whole diet idea is that I won't have time to be as good as I wanted to be.
Seriously.
Riding an exercise bike takes TIME.
Walking takes TIME.
I ain't got any.
I work three regular jobs and sleep very little as it is.
RE: NYorker cartoon:
I think that poster hit submit a bit too quick. That classic cartoon had a man and his son sitting outside aforementioned store with "Going out of business" signs everywhere, and dad says to son, "Someday, son, this will all be yours." I think it was from the 50's, but the concept seems to be alive and well in NYC, albeit with a lot more day-glo signs....
Bob Levey: Yeah, this makes more sense. Thanks for the amendment.
Wheaton, Md.:
Bob, people on this forum have accused you in the past of being a liberal. You've steadfastly denied. But how come no one has ever accused you of being a conservative? It wouldn't be because you have a liberal view on every conceivable issue, would it?
Bob Levey: In fact, I don't have a liberal view on every issue. I'm very much in favor of a strong national defense. I actually agreed with Buchanan yesterday that we have to get much more serious about busting illegal aliens. I'm not in favor of abortion as a second chance at birth control (although I do believe that every woman should have a choice). Sorry, but I don't fit under your L-word tent
Top 5:
Von Drehle is who Weingarten was talking about, I believe.
Bob Levey: Nope. He isn't a foreign correspondent.
Charlotte, N.C.:
What's wrong with Buchanan wanting eveyone to be Catholic? At least he has the guts to admit that he thinks his religion is the only True religion. That's more than can be said for the false promises of Ecuminism.
Bob Levey: Are you serious?
Why can't Jews and Muslims and Buddhists be who they want to be, too?
Buchanan's remark was INCREDIBLE. He rails against the King of England, yet he wants everyone to subscribe to the religion that happens to be his. This isn't guts. It's blatant bigotry.
Washington, D.C.:
You're a word-sensitive kind of guy, so I wonder what you think of this. The following quote appeared in today's article about Metts:
"They disrespected her," said Del. Howard P. Rawlings.
Now technically disrespect can be a verb--so sayeth Mirriam Webster. But to me it just sounds bad--like the speaker is trying to clean up the street version of the word "dis". "To show disrespect" just sounds a bit more.....I don't know, educated. Your thoughts?
And no, I don't lose sleep over this--it just jumped out at me as I read the story this morning.
Bob Levey: Well, I just used the verb "diss," so maybe my feelings are out in the open!
The dictionary agrees with you. But it probably won't after the next year or so. "Disrespect" as a verb is in common usage. Rawlings isn't the first to trot it out
wiredog:
Can't share a beer with anyone, since I don't drink. Help! I'm being oppressed!
Top five to share lunch with:
Joel Achenbach
Lloyd Grove
Carolyn Hax (cute and, now, single)
Seitsema, since he'd charge lunch to the Post.
The Bobster.
Bob Levey: You'll love Achenbach's Early Monkees haircut......
TOP 5:
Why isn't anyone listing Eric Brace?
Bob Levey: Get back to work, Eric
Springfield:
It kept me honest. On this chat to keep my steps up I walk in place as I type. I have the cube table heighted so I can stand while I type. Little changes can add up. Small steps at first. Like walking in place for 2 minutes then increasing as you can. I didn't do it over night.
Bob Levey: Incrementalism! Well done.....
"getting it" with a free paper:
Amen to that. It's put up or shut up. Advertisers pay or you do.
Everyone complaining about it - send a letter to the powers that be and suggest you would be willing to pay $x/month to not see ads. It's possible to accomplish (at least with technology).
Personally, I'll put up with the ads to get the great content of the washingtonpost.com site.
Bob Levey: Another cut-and-paste candidate. Thanks
Bob Levey: Must put the finishing touches on a column, gang. Thanks for a sprightly hour. Next Friday, we'll do it all again........
washingtonpost.com:
Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.
Stay tuned to Live Online:
Michael
Wilbon: Super Bowl Preview at 1:30 p.m. EST
Film:
Rita Kempley at 2 p.m. EST
Live Online Special Coverage: America
At War
Did you know that you can follow more than one Live Online discussion at
the same time? Just open another browser window and toggle back and
forth between discussions! And, if you miss one, catch up with the Live
Online transcripts.
Keep up with the latest in news, sports, politics and entertainment with
washingtonpost.com
e-mail newsletters.
NEW! Personalize your Post with mywashingtonpost.com.
Get customized news, traffic, weather and more.
| |
© Copyright 2002 The Washington Post Company | 
