The Soapbox Archives:
Most of these venues don't seem to realize that the biggest show of appreciation they could give would be to take a few minutes once in a while and take a look on their listings on this website. Recently, someone asked to have their dance studio added and I replied that they've been listed on my website for 15 years. Some stupid people, regardless of how many times I tell them, can't seem to grasp the concept that it *costs* me time to have to read their newsletters and press releases, only to have to find out that I already had their information listed on my website (especially the calendars). The biggest show of support a dance venue could show to me is to follow the formatting guidelines for submitting their information so it takes less time to put it on the website. Better yet, they could send me that information way in advance so I don't have to type their information in at the last minute.
PS: As I'm typing in the listing for a place in Concord called EJ's on Main, I just realized....I have no idea if this is Massachusetts or New Hampshire. The writer's note doesn't say and there's no phone number to call. And it's not *my* job to find out.
There's a special election for state senator in the second Suffolk and Middlesex districts this week. Steven A. Tolman left the job in October to take a job in the private sector (as president of the state AFL-CIO). I had voted for him mostly because I liked his brother, former state senator Warren Tolman (which means I knew even less of any other candidate).
My current state rep, Will Brownsberger, is running for the position and I'm probably going to vote for him. His positions are good and I liked that I met him while he was going door-to-door to talk to his constituents (long before the current campaign). The stats for state representative Jon Hecht seem good but a tad more liberal than Brownsberger and less focused on the big picture. I heard or read that Bob McCarthy is endorsed by the outgoing senator; it figures that the new president of the state AFL-CIO is supporting the former head of the state firemen's union. His election plank appears to just be "Throw out the bums!" and not have much substance. There's nothing wrong about the fourth candidate, Tim Schofield either, but I'm thinking that he's at a political disadvantage to the others and should run for state representative first. It's interesting that both the liberal (are they really liberal?) Boston Globe and the conservative Boston Herald endorse the same candidate.
But that's not the point I wanted to make.
To be honest, I'm kinda annoyed with the situation. When that senate position was vacated, it forced a special election. These special elections cost (extra) money; I wish the former state senator had waited to the end of his term so people could run for the seat normally. In a normal election, it would have made other politicians think hard about whether or not they really want to run for a different seat because they would probably also have lost their existing seat, i.e., no safety net. We would have had more time to find out about each candidate. And a normal election would have been included in the existing budget. PMO.
Wait a second. If an existing state rep runs for and wins that state senate seat in the special election, won't that automatically trigger *another* special election to fill that state rep's seat? (there are at least two state reps running for that senate seat).
This reminds me of those local situations in my town (Belmont) where someone makes a big stink over something really minor (like dogs without leashes) and forces the town to pay for having a special ballot question (outside the normal voting cycle). It also forces conscientious voters to take time to come out to vote. What a power trip that must be.
FYI: I'm also disappointed that I did a search on Google for Tim Schofield and got a paid link for Bob McCarthy at the top of the list. That's just wrong. (Likewise with a search for "MA state legislature") That's like doing a search for swing dances and getting a list of ballroom dances at the top of the page. It's not what I wanted and it diminishes the credibility of the search engine.
Epilogue: I got an endorsement letter in the mail for Tim Schofield...written in Chinese? What the hell? Do they think all Canadians read Chinese?
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And to put you dancers in a happier mood today, check out this video from the Jive Aces.
"I am the secretary of USA Dance RI Chapter #3010. We are holding a dance on January 6th that we would like you to advertise. The dance is being called "New Year's Resolution Dance-Resolve to Dance in 2012." The dance will be free to USA Dance RI members, $12 for non-members and $5 for non-member students with id. We will be holding an East Coast Swing lesson at 7:30, dancing starts at 8:00pm. Singles and couples welcome."My response:
"It's probably a good idea to use the formatting guidelines to figure out what information to send in. That way it's easier to figure out what you left out.
For instance, *where* is your dance being held?
I know you've been bombarded with warnings about spam, viruses and malware on your (PC) computer, but it's a big more urgent when you're experiencing them first hand.
At the time of this writing, I'm fixing three different computers with the same "rogue software" malware. Typical symptoms include:
So, the rules of safe computing include:
If you decide to go, I recommend asking for the cook "Bruce Lee"; I don't think that's his name but I hear that's how everyone knows him.
The amusing thing about the place is how many of the staff is *Chinese*.