Raymond M. Reskusich

I think this blog is getting less about my life and more about my, uh, stuff, but here are some pictures. ( Read more... )

Sometimes, I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion!

Rant coming on. . .

I was drinking a cup of coffee today when I noticed the guy in front of me was wearing a shirt that said "Tired of pressing 1 for English" and it had a big phone button with 1 on it and the international no sign on it.
Really that whole extra second it takes to press 1 is too taxing for you? Geez, life's rough, isn't it?
People like that make my ass tired. I'm going to assume for the sake of my ranting-ness that he doesn't like the "press 2 for Spanish" option and not press 2 for Urdu or Haitian Creole or the million other options it could be. But even if it isn't Spanish that his comment is directed at, my thoughts are the same. Substitute whatever is appropriate.
No one is asking you to learn another language, sir (Goodness knows, that might be hard). No one is going to make Cheech Marin the President or force you to eat tamales on the 4th of July. We're not talking about putting Spanish on street signs or making it an official language. This is business, strictly business.
The companies figured out that they would have more customers if they made it easier for people who speak Spanish as their best language to communicate with their sales representatives. And everyone was happier. The customers were happier b/c they weren't struggling to communicate what they wanted. The sales reps were happier b/c they weren't struggling to understand people who didn't speak English very well. The Spanish-speaking sales reps were happier b/c they had a job skill that was useful. And the companies were the happiest b/c they made more money. B/c that is what companies want to do at the end of the day. They want to make more $$$. Sometimes they do it by giving away free lollipops, sometimes they tack on more fees, and sometimes they actually give customers more options. They wouldn't do it if they didn't make $$.
I could go on and on, but I'll stop here. It upsets and frustrates me almost to the point of tears to think that people actually think that way. He's entitled to his opinion, but I think it is a very "UnAmerican" sentiment. In happier news, I found out which Shakespeare play I am.
( Read more... )

Tags: rants

To the tune of $250M, no less. The MANY articles state that the computer files have been authenticated as real by Interpol. Chavez first denied they were real, then after it was proved they're real said: "so what?". This is a textbook "psychopath response", btw. Both Venezuela and Ecuador continue to deny, however the files prove their involvement in the violent organization that exists to control the drug trade in Colombia, FARC.

So, what does that mean to you and me? How do you feel about a war closer to home, fought by Colombia against FARC in order to gain control of Venezuela's oil fields and potentially see that nutjob dead? Since Iraq is winding down and the supply chain to Venezuela is much shorter, and the population is much smaller and less able to fight, and we'll bring back their telenovellas, will it work? Or is this going to be a much more private war, like El Salvador or Nicaragua?

Is Venezuela the next Iraq? We've always been at war with Oceania!

http://waiterrant.net/?p=465

I'm moderating a live internet chat on Boston Radio (1-2PM) right now. Come join us!

Also, from 2004: Gay couple feels pressured to marry - it's pretty great.

At the suggestion of an Econ blog, of all places, I found myself a copy of the Anthology of American Folk Music.

It's amazing! I can't stop listening to it! It's a collection of folk, "country" and "bluegrass" (the last two are terrible designations, since neither really existed, as such, back then) from the 1920s and 1930s. I could do without the Blues and Acadian stuff, but that leaves four and a half CDs that I can easily listen to, straight through.

It's full of murders, executions, and something like six or seven songs about John Henry. Banjos and the word "holler" (as in "holler tree") feature prominently. The spiritual music is definitely some of my favorite. The song "Judgement" (a YouTube link, but the picture is random and irrelevant) is great, and the singer is hilariously obsessed with hypocrites. And I'm inexplicably entranced by the Alabama Sacred Harp Singers (I think that'll pop to an Amazon windows media sample). Also, the Carter Family, apparently, is awesome.

That's all on that. Check it out, if you get a chance and like folksy/"American Roots" type stuff.

<orc type='peon'>Work complete!</orc>

In case anyone is interested, this is my first pair of socks that I finished earlier this week.

Sitting straight bad for backs

Amusingly, the image of the guy reclining at 135 degrees looks pretty much like what I tend to do at my desk, with my feet up on a chair. I'm doing it right now, in fact. Mmmm.

Chilean drought, power shortages drive up world metal prices. “Chile's worst drought in five decades and power rationing from South Africa to China mean the price of aluminum, gold, copper and platinum will keep climbing as the lights go out in the world's biggest mines."

Oil industry costs continue steep rise: CERA. “Costs to tap into new oil and gas projects escalated about 6 percent globally over the past 6 months and the climb can be expected to steepen on soaring prices for steel and other raw materials, according to a study released on Wednesday.”

Kenya: fuel shortage threatens South Rift wheat output. “Wheat farmers in the Southern Rift Valley on Tuesday said they were unable to prepare their land for planting due to a serious shortage of diesel.”

Israeli Ministry: desalination can’t meet water needs. “Current plans for water conservation and existing desalination facilities are insufficient to meet the country's growing water demands and rapidly decreasing supply, the Environmental Protection Ministry warned on Tuesday.”

Army corps says condition of many levees a mystery. “Across America, earthen flood levees protect big cities and small towns, wealthy suburbs and rich farmland. But the Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency that oversees levees, lacks an inventory of thousands of them and has no idea of their condition...”

Greenhouse gases highest for 800,000 years. “Greenhouse gases are at higher levels in the atmosphere than at any time in at least 800,000 years, according to a study of Antarctic ice on Wednesday that extends evidence that mankind is disrupting the climate.”

Oxygen-poor oceans. “A new study, based on real-world observations, supports the predictions of climate models that the ocean will become oxygen-depleted as a consequence of global warming.”

Climate change: a looming public-health crisis. “A new survey reveals a lack of resources and training among public-health workers to respond to health problems related to climate change.“

Bird migration at mercy of weather patterns. “High winds and atmospheric instability could make it impossible for small birds to muster the energy needed to fly the long distances to and from their winter feeding grounds.”

I give up, says Brazilian minister who fought to save the rainforest. “The departure of Marina Silva, who admitted she was losing the battle to get green voices heard amidst the rush for economic development, has been greeted with dismay by conservationists.”

http://www.mcb.uiuc.edu/giving.html

I think a Tunji money bomb would be fun.

( In which I ramble about favoritism in NSF fellowships )

What's going on with me... lots of stuff. ( details )
And then there's the loom:

it's already been set up and something is in progress on it, before it was abandoned and sold. A rug, I guess, it's very thick warp and a very rough weft. Anyway, a tangled mess. And if there's anything I can't abide, it's a tangled mess. :P Already, it's very intimidating But if I'm going to use it, I want to make cotton cloth. Um. Anyone have an idea where to start? It seems these things can take a very long time to set up, and I'm considering (if we have the room, which we probably won't) taking this on vacation with us, as with relatives to foist off E upon, I may actually have the time to work this out.

Huh. You know, looking at the picture here, I'm not sure it's not upside down.

http://waiterrant.net/?p=464

I'll be moderating a live "web chat" about waiters and tipping at Radio Boston (WBUR) tomorrow, May 16th, between 1:00 & 2:00 PM EST. You can access the chat room by going to www.radioboston.org.  Come one, come all!

I'll have a new story up on Saturday. Sorry about the lack of ...

There's actually a lot of interesting studies noted in the CNN article entitled Catcalling: Creepy or a compliment?. But the title...

He loses me at 1:49.

Australia: pets pay as household costs soar. “Pets are now paying the price of soaring household costs with a surge in the number of dogs and cats being abandoned at animal shelters. Many pets are given away by owners who say they have had to make a choice between paying rising interest rates, petrol and grocery bills or keeping their pets, according to the Animal Welfare League.”

Inflation gnaws at pet food companies. "Pet owners, get ready for sticker shock. Retailers and manufacturers are hiking pet food prices, and the cost of kibble is expected to climb even higher in coming months."

Mortgage crisis causes some to lose their pets. "This current mortgage crisis is forcing more people out of homes they can no longer afford. In many cases, losing your home can also mean losing your pet."

Horses abandoned in West as feed prices rise. “'What concerns me is a fate worse than slaughter,' said Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and an authority on the handling of livestock such as horses. 'We've got people turning horses loose in fields, dropping horses off in the night -- my worst nightmares are coming true.'”