Bob Levey (Barbara Tyroler)

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Levey Live: Speaking Freely
Washington Post Columnist
Friday, Feb. 14, 2003; 1 p.m. ET

"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.

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: Good afternoon, click-niks, and welcome to yet another edition of "Levey Live: Speaking Freely," the program that asks the question: Can we who live in a city that's fresh out of duct tape grow old happily?
One request today: Please don't ask me if I know more than you do about The Impending Threat. I don't.
But a second request: If you tend to greet these cataclysmic predictions with a somewhat jaundiced eye, and you want to vent right here over the next hour, feel free.
Also fair game for today's discussion, as always, are recent Levey columns, recent chats, stuff you've observed, stuff you've always wondered about--the kitchen sink.
Let's get cooking.....

Washington, D.C.: I found you column today quite disturbing. You have personally acted as judge, jury and executioner for this man.

Do you know that he did what he is alleged to have done? Are you certain? I hope so, since you have now publicly revealed this man's name to the entire world.

Bob Levey: Yes and yes.
I would never have named him otherwise.
The company acknowledged that he did it.
That removes any legal or factual issues from the table.
My job is not to act as judge, jury and executioner, and I vigorously deny that I did that. I'm a reporter and a columnist. At the risk of sounding like Fox, I report, you decide. I didn't suggest that this man should never again draw breath. I simply suggested that he shouldn't work as a personal trainer any more. Which he won't.

Washington, D.C.: Hello!

I really hope we get a good discussion going in response to your personal trainer article. I emailed you earlier today with my thoughts as it was a bit too long for the chat format. Thanks again for the informative article.

Bob Levey: I'd love to hear from others who've been treated well and wrongly by personal trainers. This forum is perfect for tell-all stories.....

Kingstowne, Va.: Where are you going on vacation, Bob? Please don't tell me the terrorists have cowed you into staying home. And did you have to convince Jane The Perpetual Trophy Wife once again, as you did when you holidayed in South Carolina, that you must do these chats by phone? Thanks.

Bob Levey: I'm off on a tour of several college campuses, where I'll be recruiting the next Bob Levey Research Assistant (there have been 26 over the centuries--man, I've been doing this gig for a long time!).
I'll be in Chicago, South Bend, Ann Arbor and Providence next week. In addition, I'll be interviewing other conten-dahs here at home.
By the way, I'll be doing next Tuesday's "Levey Live" DIRECT FROM THE CAMPUS OF THE FIGHTING IRISH! my guest will be the head football coach, Tyrone Willingham.
Must-see clicking, you might call it.
A week from today, I'll be home and clicking right here at my coffee-stained desk.

Annandale, Va.: Nice column on cliches. But why did you spill so much ink on the word "hardscrabble?" There were far more shopworn words and phrases on the list you provided. I don't think I've seen hardscrabble nearly as often as some of the others. Have you?

Bob Levey: Not as often as "win-win situation," or a few others. But "hardscrabble" is a particular hate of mine. Others have others. Stay tuned for a folo column very soon. The clicksters have been filing their personal non-favorites. I'll log them and list them, probably in early March.

Rockville, Md.: Bob,

Your feelings on SUV's are relatively well known. (Nothing like understatement on a Valentine's Day before a snowstorm.)

But are minivans as evil as SUV's? I've always thought of minivans as the modern station wagon.

Have a great weekend!

Bob Levey: Minivans do not foul the air as much, and do not roll over as easily. And they have just as much cargo room (in some cases, much more). Of course, the real issue is coolness. Minivans ain't got any!
Then again, a minivan and its 25 mpg are going to look pretty good when our sources of Middle Eastern oil dry up. Promise me that we won't go to war because SUV owners have to wait in line at the pump, a la the late 1970s, or because their fill-up tab rises from $50 to $60.

Former Memphian: Last week someone in your chat made fun of Memphis for shutting down the city for two inches of snow. I would just like to remind people that most Southern cities do not have snow plows and salt trucks, and so it is incredibly hazardous to school buses, etc. when it snows more than a dusting. And since they aren't able to plow or salt/sand the roads, the slush quickly turns to ice.

I'm getting tired of damned Yankees making fun of people for doing what, under the circumstances, is quite sensible. And now maybe you can understand why those of us who moved here from points south run to the store for milk, bread, and toilet paper when we hear that snow is coming. Back home, you'd be in big trouble if you didn't.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Bob Levey: Good vent. Thank you.

Orange Line: Bob,

Reading the chat from the 7th really disappointed me. Your attitude of "if it doesn't happen to me, it doesn't happen" was patronizing at best. Yes, sometimes people cannot get off the train, even saying "excuse me." And last week, I almost didn't get off the Orange Line at West Falls Church. The driver announced the doors were closing as people were still exiting the train. The doors did start to close, but were blocked by the people wanting off. Could the driver see people exiting? I hope so, we were in the front car!

Bob Levey: Gosh, this format really doesn't convey mood accurately at all, does it?
The last thing IN THE WORLD I intended to be was patronizing. I was merely chiming in with my personal experience--and it was, I say again, unfiormly in the opposite direction. I have never failed to get off a train, even when it was crowded.
That doesn't make me a nose-in-the-air type. It merely means we had a disagreement. I ALWAYS welcome contrary views. Hope this clears things up.

Not loving It in Levey-Land, Va.: Once again, you show your high-handed, bossy, pro-police state attitude. Regarding Wed's case of the forgetful video renter hauled into court, you go too easy on the store management. They had the person's business phone number, but the management, you say, didn't try to call her on it, calling the cops instead. This is what I hate about today's complex society -- every little offense is criminalized -- and you encourage this. Plus you telling people how much to tip a waiter. I can't believe nobody else calls you on all your piddly martinet stuff.

Bob Levey: Who says no one else does? The whole idea of a column like mine is to begin a dialogue, not to issue a pronouncement and slam the door. I appreciate your views, Not Loving It, even though we don't agree--maybe ESPECIALLY because we don't agree.
By the way, I don't think I was too easy on management at all. I reported that they failed to use that business phone. Doesn't that inanity speak for itself? Any management that has a phone number with which to chase down an unreturned video, and doesn't use it, is a management that will be flipping burgers pretty soon.

Silver Spring, Md.: Bob,
My friends laugh at me when I ask this question but I feel it is reasonable. Did Yao Ming suffer from a growth hormone problem as a child. It's not just his height, particularly since his parents are really not tall. But the look and shape of his forehead. It fits many of the characteristics of Gigantism. A rare condition. China certainly would not give out this information freely andit would not necessarily impact his career in the short run. What do you think?

Bob Levey: Many extremely tall people have pituitary issues. I'm not going to practice medicine on the 7-foot-5-inch Mr. Ming without a license. But what you suggest is certainly possible. Then again, I believe his parents are unusually tall, aren't they?
One clue here, that always works, in my experience:
Check out the height of the mother, not the father.
I well remember Lew Alcindor's parents (he later became the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Lew was a sixth-grader in NYC when I was a high-school senior there (and thought I was a good basketball player--Lew was better than I was when he was 10!).
His dad was a semi-ordinary 6-feet-5.
But his Mom was 6-feet-3.
QED.

Washington, D.C.: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY BOB.

WE LOVE YOU!

Bob Levey: SAME BACK ATCHA!!!!!
Hey, SOME moods convey very well indeed on this contraption.

Getting Off the Train: Bob, I understood that you weren't being patronizing. But remember, you are a very tall man (at least 6' if I remember correctly) and can easily get people to move out of the way merely by your impressive stature. Those of us who are smaller don't have that luxury. Keep that in mind.

Bob Levey: I'll be sure to keep it in mind. By the way, I'm a straight-up, dead-even 6 feet. Hardly hulking.

Crystal City, Va.: If/when Gulf war II starts, please don't allow anyone at The Post to use "Mother of all battles" or any sort of derivation. Violaters should be forced to commute through the mixing bowl twice per day for a year!

Bob Levey: The floggers have their whips ready, to extract their due from all who type "mother of...." or who draw far-fetched comparisons to Guadalcanal.

In Defense Of Bob: I commend Bob Levey for even writing a column on video rentals, even though he hates all movies. Sure, he may be condemning the medium with one sweeping generalizion, but hey, that's the prerogative of pompous columinsts.

Bob Levey: Gosh, how sweet.
If I'm a pompous columnist, how would you describe Will or Safire? I shudder to think

QED?: What does that stand for? I know the context for which it's used, but what is the actual acronym for?

Bob Levey: Quid Est Demonstrandum (or something very close--my Latin is weak without duct tape!).
It means "That done been demonstrated."

Washington, D.C.: Hey Bob, love ya!!

Can I offer a bit of advise, forget the Duct Tape, and focus on your local hospital to see if they are prepared for a crisis. And people should acquire: 1) Gas Mask, 2) Jump Suit (the one painters wear...covers the entire body) and 3) Gloves. If its chemicals...you'll live...mask keeps you from breathing chemicals in...jump suit and gloves protects your body/skin from being contaminated from chemicals...and a little praying won't hurt...

Oh by the way...No Complaints about our wonderful Metro!!

Bob Levey: Sorry, but if I can barely handle this keyboard, and I can't turn on the VCR in my own home (I really can't), how in the world am I supposed to figure out how to use a gas mask?

Takoma Park, Md.: Ro-bare, have any of The Eight Acqusitions Editors At Major New York Publishing Houses made an offer yet on your magnum opus, "The Clarry?" Did some nasty rejection letter prompt your splendid self-flaggelation in your column about your tendency to resort to cliches?

Bob Levey: Two houses have rejected it, alas. Six others continue to ponder. The two that said no declared it to be an excellent book, but "not big enough." Man, oh, man, is that a comment for our age! That means: In the world of fiction, you're either Grisham or you're corn flakes. Not a cheery prospect. But thanks very much for asking.

Silver Spring, Md.: Bob, please forgive my failing memory. Since last week's lovefest I have yet again forgotten about your storied career in radio. Could you please remind us of it again? Thanks.

Bob Levey: I'm going to assume you're serious and not another snake in the Bermuda who's waiting to call me arrogant......
I have been a regular on radio in Washington and Baltimore since 1981. In order, I've been......
* A talk show host on WRC. I did the afternoon drive slot when this station was owned by NBC.
* A commentator on WASH-FM with "Tanner in the Morning."
* A commentator on WETA-FM, with the late, great Bill Cerri.
* A talk-show host for WBAL-AM in Balldeemore. Great people, great gig.
* A talk-show host for WMAL-AM. Did the mid-morning shift right in front of Rush Limbaugh, five days a week. Less great people, less great gig.
* A commentator for WTOP-AM, the all-newser here in DC. Terrific management, superb on-air talent. Wish I were still there.
Next gig? Hey, let's hope I can land one. I'm sure trying.....
If any of you want to hear my deep baritone, call Post Haste (a service of The Post) at 202-334-9000. One third of the time, the "home voice" is mine.

Washington, D.C.: You can't turn on your VCR?!?! Well, no worries. You should toss it and get a DVD player anyway...

Bob Levey: You sound like one of my kids!
You wanna pay for the DVD, smart guy?
I don't.

Washington, D.C., Latin Babe: QED is Quod Erat Demonstradum -- that which was to be demonstrated.

Bob Levey: Thank you, L.B. We have now QED'd another basic truth of life: Levey paid moe attention in French adn English classes than he did in Latin.

Ducttapeland: Bob:

The Shark Club guy was a good guest. One point -- I don't like to buy a lady a drink (and many times they don't want it) -- mainly because they don't want to feel obligated to talk to you. It isn't cheapness. Last week, some clown was hitting on a woman sitting next to me, buying her drinks. She ended up talking to me while ignoring the other guy. I wound up getting her number. Bob, as they say in basketball, you got to let the game come to you.

Happy V'day playa!

Bob Levey: Thanks for this wise view from the trenches.

Re: Grisham or Corn Flakes: Bob, it's a sad commentary on the state of publishing, I'm afraid. There are more and more books chasing fewer and fewer serious readers. From what you've said about "The Clarry," is sounds as though your book was what would have, at one time, been called "mid-list fiction," between the tripe from Grisham et al and the serious stuff from Wolfe and Updike. Alas, this type of publishing has all but died out, or so one of my 278 (no exaggeration) rejection letters for my own MS said. I commiserate, sir!

Bob Levey: Mid-list is exactly what I was hoping to hit. You're exactly right about the parched earth therein. Forgive me, but "The Clarry" is a nice read with honest characters and (clear throat humbly) a movin', groovin' plot. Yes, it even ahs a couple of scenes involving various organs that various people use for various personal purposes. But none of that is enough by itself.....
Good luck to you and your work, by the way!

Courtney: Bob,

Will you be my valentine?

Bob Levey: Sorry.
Jane the Perpetual Trophy Wife has already received the following message today:
"I love you the other 364, too, ya know."
No, you can't dance to it. But it was from the heart.....

South of the Beltway, Va.: Hello Bob! I'm a long-time reader -- I even remember when you were on the radio!

I really feel for the woman you mentioned in today’s column. Sometimes it is hard for women to feel comfortable in a Gym-environment. That's why there are more women-only gyms opening up. Gym staff, especially trainers should make a real effort to make everyone feel comfortable.

I’ve generally had good experiences with personal trainers, although some years ago, during my struggle with my weight, I felt some negative vibes from a trainer. It wasn’t anything I could pin down and report, but I definitely didn’t feel comfortable.

But what really gets to me is that the gym doesn't want to let the woman out of the contract. She has a legitimate complaint and reason not to have to go in there ever again.
The gym will scare off potential customers if they think there is no flexibility with the management. I hope they change their policy or at least make an exception.

Bob Levey: This is one of those situations where every woman in the world knows that creepy feeling that gathers in the spine--and men simply don't. Thanks for writing in.

Arlington, Va.: Ah, the late great Bill Cerri. I miss that man in the mornings. Perhaps I got a little biased because he always played happy birthday on my birthday (it was also his daughter's), but he also was low key, humerous and would play Stan Frieberg as well as classical music. It was a very sad day when he died.

Bob Levey: He was a brilliant talent. I was on the air at WETA in Shirlington the day he died. He had just cued up a cart (this was before CDs). He came out into the bullpen (a big prep room at WETA where music was stored and people prepped their shows). He was obviously disoriented. Someone called an ambulance. Bang, an hour later, he was dead of a stroke. Terrible.

San Diego, Calif.: You often discuss how annoyed you get with restaurant servers who bring the check before you're ready for it. I don't know where you're eating out, but I and my friends always have the opposite problem -- we practically have to stand up and wave our arms to get the check brought to us. It's almost every time I eat out. I've taken to going back to the waiters' station to hand them my credit card in order to get out of the restaurant before the NEXT millennium.

Bob Levey: True, this is a problem, too. I wouldn't want to say it's worse than too-early-checks. But I've had this happen to me, too. Thanks for weighing in (from a place where duct tape is probably still on the shelves, no?).

Washington, D.C.: Regarding your column on Tuesday regarding the 15% tip added after 9:00 PM -- wonder how many waiters/waitresses in Bennigan's got DOUBLE the tip??

What party of two (or three) even looks for the gratuity that traditionally is added for the larger parties? Sounds like a scam of sorts...

Bob Levey: If you pay by credit card, you really do have to watch your step, because very, very often, the "TIP" line on the voucher won't have been filled in. So you might well leave your tip there, figuring it hadn't already been added in when in fact it had been. And you'll be zapped twice.
Any reputable restaurant will make sure you know if a tip has been pre-added. But not every restaurant qualifies for a halo.....

Alexandria, Va.: Happy Valentine's Day, Bob!
I'll keep asking until I get an answer from somebody: What's with "take a decision" as opposed to "make a decision?" Are there a finite number of decisions from which you must choose or are you responsible for making a decision? I know I'm fussy but it sounds to me as if "taking a decision" is an abdication of creativity and responsibility.

Bob Levey: I've never used "taking a decision" in my life, and I don't think I've heard this wretched turn of phrase more than three times.
Is it an "Alexandria thing," ya think?

Herndon, Va.: Mr. L: I find it hard to believe seemingly intelligent people are not only recommending "sealing" houses, but that others are running out and buying up all the duct tape and plastic sheeting available. All houses "breath," and not just around the windows and doors. If you could really put a good seal on your house, you'd run out of breathable air in a pretty short period of time. IT'S RIDICULOUS!!!! Now getting water, good flashlights, etc. makes some sense.

Bob Levey: What's missing is a little brainpower, devoted to the burning question: What happens five days after you seal yourself into a room of your house?
By then, your water and canned tuna will have run out. Do you then emerge from your sealed paradise--and get whacked by the same microbes that are flying around (as they certainly will be)?
As you suggest, there is no perfect or enduring answer.

Oxon Hill, Md: Brother Levey, how is the diet? What is the weight loss total to date?

Bob Levey: Minus 28 and holding.
Much more coming on April 7, the anniversary of the diet.

Today's Column: Dude, I'd kill to have someone tell me I have a nice posterior! Sheesh....

Actually that's a bit over the top from a personal trainer, but I do have a question. How old was this woman? It seems to me that many times, sexual harassment is an age thing. I mean some of the stuff my co-workers and I say to each other could get us fired, but we're all in our late 20 and early thirties and know that we're just joking around. Thoughts? Not that it matter, but I'm an early 30's chick.

Bob Levey: Dunno the age.
I suspect she's in your bracket.
But really, regardless of age, comments about a strange woman's butt are way, way, way out of bounds.

Oakton, Va.: Bob....could you do us all a favor? We support your forum here every week...here's your chance to do something for us Metro Riders in return.
Metro simply has not listened to the complaints about the lack of enforcing the rules on eating, drinking, smoking, playing music, disorderly conduct, etc. Transit Officers are either absent or don't care about this. Do a Washington Post front-page article for the whole area to see and explain what a widespread problem this is and how Metro has simply ignored the issue.

Bob Levey: I did a full column this just ten days ago. However, you're going to get your wish. A front-pager is tentatively scheduled for later this month (I'm told).

Silver Spring, Md.: Mr. Levey, long-time lurker, first-time submitter. Please take this in the spirit in which it is intended. You seem to eat out quite a bit. You also seem dissatisfied with your pay. I'm no financial adviser, but the Ric Edelmans and Michelle Singletarys of the world always say the first (and easiest) place to cut back on expenses when your finances are tight is dining out. Have you ever considered eating at home more? Love your work.

Bob Levey: I eat dinner at home about 6.5 nights a week. I eat lunch at home never. So your advice is half on the mark and half wide of it.
Yes, I could bring a PBJ with me from home. Sometimes I do (whenever the Post cafeteria has been even worse than usual).
But very often (four times a week?), I have business lunches. PBJ ain't gonna cut it for those.
Yes, I can place many of these on an expense account, so money isn't coming out of my pocket. But I will confess that as soon as I finish today's chat, I'm going to dance down the street and buy about $9 worth of carryout at the place down the street. Could I hold that to $5. Probably. Will I? I know myself far too well.

Boston, Mass. (transplant from Washington, D.C.): Hey Bob --

I am a personal trainer and I have to agree -- that comment was wrong, whether it was from a male to a female, female to a male, or any other combination! The next question from him should have been how she chose those fitness goals and what her current (if any) routine included to work on them, then start designing a program for her.

Bob Levey: Amen and thanks

Terrorists and Snow: Bob, what if the terrorists got ahold of snow making machines?

They could shut down the city in a few hours.

(Gasp.)

Bob Levey: One wag said this morning that no terrorist is going to venture out into the kind of snowstorm we're expecting this weekend. That isn't as daffy as it may sound. Pursesnatchers and coke dealers stay indoors when it's snowing, too.

Washington, D.C.: Have you ever, in your 36 years at The Washington Post, made a seemingly light-hearted comment about a female reporter's appearance? Just curious.

Bob Levey: Yes. And she snapped my head off. Here were the circumstances:
She was a woman my age. At the time, she was married, I was not. We held the same rank at the paper--both reporters on our way up. I swear, your honor, that I didn't have the slightest inerest in her in an erotic way.
She showed up at work one day in a very dressy suit. The kind with padded shoulders. The kind that Ladies Who Lunch always wear. Very expensive. And way, way beyond what female reporters usually wear.
So I said: "Wedding? Bar mitzvah? Funeral? Job interview?"
She told me where to go.

Bowie, Md.: Soccer question for you, Bob. I see now that Freddy Adu is 13. How did we manage that? Yes, I know it's been in question but do we now have proof of his real age? He's been playing on your son's U15 or U16 team now for years, and while it's great for our youth teams to decide he's 13 (more years to play), it seems like FIFA would question that. What do you know about it?

Bob Levey: I have seen Freddy's birth certificate with my own baby blues. It's on the level. This is not another mess like the one involving that pitcher from NYC and the Little League. Freddy really was born on June 2, 1989, in a hospital in Ghana. This really should end all arguments, because only about five percent of all Ghanaian babies are born in a hospital. Freddy was.
In fact, he and I love to joke about his birthday because I was born on June 2, 1945.
I always tell Freddy that only two great men were born on that date.
I'm sure Freddy's age will be questioned from now until eternity. But pelase remember that, unlike the Little League scandals, he's not an OLDER kid trying to play among younger kids. He's doing the opposite. That's been going on in youth soccer since youth soccer was invented.


ere was

Alexandria, Va.: At my old health club, I once walked out of the shower area, luckily wearing a towel, and noticed a repairman (yes, man!) fixing the drinking fountain. This was at 9 a.m., so there were a fair number of woman wandering about, and he was eyeing them all. I got changed in an area he couldn't see me, and complained to the management. Someone got him out. All I got was an apology. When I called later to talk to the manager, he grudingly gave me a free hour of personal training. I should have quit the club then and there, but it's a great club (Lifetime Fitness in Fairfax, Va.).

Bob Levey: Again, this kind of thing happens to women all their lives. But some men will read this and think it sounds like something from outer space. When will guys understand that women are really more vulnerable, because of men like this?

St. Louis, Miss.:
I believe it was in the Post, an admin from Princeton spoke against "lesser" schools using the .edu. He referred to trade schools as well as community colleges as not in the same league as his own. What are your feelings Mr. Levey? My opinion is an education is an education. And an .edu is just that-- a three letter word.

Bob Levey: Gosh, I missed this.
The Princeton dude gets an E for Elitism.
Horrible.
It's just a web address, for heaven's sake.
Or does Mr. Pricneton doubt that real education takes place at community colleges? I can assure you that it does.

Reston, Va.: Why don't crawl under our desks like we did in school in the 50s & 60s? That protected us from the Nuke blasts then. Re: The jump suit & gas masks. Any jump suit and gas mask you buy won't be worth the money to stop weapons grade chemical and/or biologic weapons. Just head for upwind if it happens.

Bob Levey: Shameless left-handed plug alert:
In "Washington Album," the book that Jane the Perpetual Trophy Wife and I wrote three years ago (a history of local Washington), we included a wonderful photo from the 1950s of a woman crouching under a desk at a school. She had covered herself with a throw rug. She was demonstrating the conventional wisdom of the day: This was how you repelled deadly nuclear emissions!
Obviously, the woman needed to cover the throw rug with duct tape!

Arlington, Va.: I can't believe you're not getting more complaints about today's column. As a female, I do not condone sexual harassment. However, what if this guy was giving a professional opinion? He's a personal trainer, his occupation is to make suggestions to improve his clients' bodies. Perhaps he thought the woman should have been working on other areas. But of course since we don't have his side of the story, we will never know. And since his name has now been published in The Post his career is probably over. Way to go, Bob, I hope someone gives you the same benefit of the doubt someday.

Bob Levey: Even if he meant it as a dispassionate professional opinion--which I greatly doubt--he has to be a huge lummox not to realize that the comment might have been taken in an offended way.

Metro Eater: Bob and readers -- I eat on metro and smoke on the platforms and spit on sidewalks EVERY DAY! And I'll do it again and you suburbanites CAN'T STOP ME!!! Hahahahahahaa!!!!! LOOSERS!!!!

Bob Levey: His biggest sin:
He can't spell "losers."

Workplace Comments: Clearly you never worked in the Copy Aide Station Bob...the comments that flew back in that place would have made my mother wash my mouth out with soap!

Bob Levey: Still that way, friend.
Every hour of every day.
Of course, things aren't as wild as they were in the 1970s. A kid who worked in the copy aide station back then set the world's record for Shortest Time Employed By The Washington Post.
He began on a Monday at 9 a.m.
On that same Monday, at 10 a.m., he found himself alone in an elevator with the mabaging editor, the late Howard Simons.
Kid offered to sell Simons a joint.
He was back on the Labor Department's unemployment list by 10:15.

Alexandria, Va.: Anyone who follows soccer knows that the best players play for teams well above their age group. So Freddy won't run into trouble because the only people who care are the people who know he's legally playing in the correct age group.

Although I hate Everton, Wayne Rooney just became the youngest player to step onto the field for England, at age 17.

Bob Levey: Right all around. Thanks

Washington, D.C.: Do you know, I always thought the Wall Street Journal had a sizable proportion of illiterate subscribers...explains the editorial page, anyway.

Bob Levey: Why did I know this one was coming?

Chevy Chase, Md.: Bob, why do you call yourself "fearless"? Isn't the very fact that you feel compelled to draw attention to your alleged fearlessness a sign that you are fearful?

Bob Levey: That F-word was written by the folks at washingtonpost.com. It was an attempt at hjumor (at least I think so). As I said before, moods (and subtleties) don't convey very well on this here Web.
Incidentally, I'm very fearful, if you must know.
Each night, when the cat walks across my chest, I'm sure it's a terrorist.

Re: Loosers: Maybe the extra "O" was a smoke ring from his illegal cigarette.

Bob Levey: Great! Thanks

20007: Bob, do you know why there are no exits from DC-295 southbound onto either the Sousa Bridge or the 11th stret bridge to go into the city? This really irks me on my way in, as I have to come down, circle around at the next exit, and then go into the city. Any light you can shed on this subject?

Bob Levey: This decision was made in the early 1960s, when 295 was built. Strictly a matter of dough. A ramp cost about a million bucks in those days. City didn't have the money (even with the 90 percent federal, ten percent city formula). Also, the city didn't really anticipate the traffic volume we have today. The thinking was that people could simply get off on the one ramp that was provided, head into the neighborhoods, turn around and get to where theyw ere going. That's still the only way to handle this--and it packs cars onto local streets that have no reason to be there.

Arlington, Va.: A writer gets rejected 278 times and he blames it on the general public? Interesting.

Bob, you still have 6 to go, and we're all pulling for you. Think you might have a bit more talent than Mr. 278.

Bob Levey: From your lips to some editor's (ANY editor's) ears....

Hoping For Snow And Not Ice: Even though the restaurant adds the tip to the bill, the customer does not have to pay it. I discovered this on a day when I was out with a large group that got atrocious service -- not just wrong entrees -- some never got served and some got served as everone else was finished. The manager indicated that he couldn't force us to pay the gratuity that they added. So we only paid a portion of it.

Bob Levey: Yes, you always have this weapon at your disposal. Quite true.

Bob Levey: Have a great weekend, all, and thanks for clambering aboard...

washingtonpost.com:

That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion.

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