Tales From the Rust Belt

Thomas Friedman on Why Cap & Trade will Benefit Us

2009-07-15T12:53:00.003-04:00

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has an excellent article up explaining why putting a price on carbon emissions will enable the United States to lead the world in the production of clean energy.

Here’s the key point on energy from the draft report of the president’s Economic
Recovery Advisory Board: “If the U.S. fails to adopt an economywide carbon
abatement program, we will continue to cede leadership in new energy technology.
The U.S. is now home to only two of the ten largest solar photovoltaic producers
in the world, two of the top ten wind turbine producers and one of the top ten
advanced battery manufacturers. That is, only one-sixth of the world’s top
renewable energy manufacturers are based in the United States. ... Sustainable
technologies in solar, wind, electric vehicles, nuclear and other innovations
will drive the future global economy. We can either invest in policies to build
U.S. leadership in these new industries and jobs today, or we can continue with
business as usual and buy windmills from Europe, batteries from Japan and solar
panels from Asia.”

Green energy isn't a boondoggle or an issue only important to the left. Energy sustainability is good for the U.S. because it means we can reduce how much oil we import, keeping those dollars home. Even if we have coal and gas reserves to sustain us, the rest of the world doesn't. They will need nuclear, wind and solar and we should be ready to sell them the essential technology they will need. Friedman is correct in asserting that fourth place is not a good position for the U.S. to be in when it comes to clean energy technology. Growing pains now may be worth a gold rush later.

UFCW Local 880 is Picking on Henry Nemenz

2009-07-14T09:19:00.004-04:00

I would like to thank Don Shilling and the Vindicator for publishing an article Sunday regarding the United Food and Commercial Worker union's picketing of Henry Nemenz's grocery stores. UFCW Local 880 has made a habit of placing informational pickets outside grocery stores owned by Mr. Nemenz and ignoring other non-union stores. These pickets inform shoppers the stores are not union shops. They have done so at his Hubbard IGA location (now closed), Sharon Sav-a-Lot, Poland Sav-a-Lot and his Struthers location.

As a resident of Hubbard I was embarassed to see paid picketers ruin a business in the community. Mr. Nemenz took over a closed store, the former Patton's IGA, and became the anchor for McConnells' plaza. He invested money in upgrading the store, hired Hubbard residents and gave people on the west side of town a place to shop. UFCW Local 880 members helped put those people out of work by driving away customers. Now those Hubbard residents have to work elsewhere, the city lost tax revenue and McConnell's plaza has a large, unoccupied store where a thriving business once stood. They did this even as the recession was beginning to grip the area.

We know UFCW Local 880 is picking on Mr. Nemenz because they ignore other non-union stores like Hubbard's Shop & Save and Brookfield's Mr. D's. I believe the union is infuriated that Mr. Nemenz has carved out a profitable niche in the local grocery economy and has done so without their assistance. These informational pickets have gone on for years. We all understand that the stores are not union shops. And you know what? We don't care.

One of the greatest things I have seen was the friends and families of Hubbard IGA workers stage counter pickets against the UFCW Local 880 in Hubbard. They kicked them off their sidewalk by showing up early in support of the workers and showed the union that they wouldn't be bullied. Perhaps it's time to do so again. The comments section of the Vindicator story has a thread where people are considering counter picktes at the Poland and Struthers locations. A way of telling UFCW Local 880 that their paid picketers are not the only ones who can voice an opinion. We did it in Hubbard so it can be done elsewhere. After all, this Local does not own the sidewalk and they certainly do not have any more right to it than those who want to oppose their bullying tactics.

Small Ships Revue 2009

2009-06-27T15:26:00.006-04:00

The annual Small Ships Revue took place in Sharon, PA last night before a large crowd. Here is some video. Note the water balloons being thrown by the spectators.

I think the G.I. Joe Dragonfly helicopter is my favorite.

The G.I. Joe Dragonfly helicopter.

Father's Day in a Recession

2009-06-21T10:58:00.004-04:00

Being a father is a tough job in the best of times. From the moment you are handed a blanket swaddled bundle of screaming joy, you realize just how profoundly your life changes. Here is a human being that is completely dependent on you. Once that initial bolt of fear passes and you can feel your fingers and toes again, you understand that your level of responsibility just ratcheted up about 100 levels. For me, that was when I understood that 'career' was more important than 'job'. I needed a long term plan to provide for these little guys. Trying to keep to that plan in this economic chaos is what gets you out of bed at three in the morning.

The company I work for, an award winning, locally owned organization that provides the Mahoning Valley with an innovative success story has been tossed about on these troubled waters just as thousands of other companies have. There have been lay-offs and pay cuts, just as there have been at other companies but people get rattled when the grim spectre of unemployment reaches for them and those they work with closely. This uncertainty is what drives fathers to strive harder and pray that they can come out of the other side of this recession with their job intact.

As the uncertainty of continued employment begins to creep into our life we hope that the bulwarks we've built will be enough to sustain us should the worst happen. Savings, 401k plans, 529 college plans and mutual fund investments are the tools we use to provide for our families. We begin to cut back on the little things that make life fun, canceling HBO, skipping trips to Chuck E. Cheese's and cutting back on gifts for special occasions. You start to count how many mortgage payments are in the bank and how many payments are left on the car.

But there is only so much worrying you can do. Trips to the park are free and playing catch in the backyard costs nothing but time. Keeping up on the little things (and bigger things) that need work around the house become teaching moments and bonding memories. Cook outs, board games and watching WALL-E are all opportunities to remember that being a dad is about much more than providing for a child's financial well being. It's important, to be sure, but it's only one aspect of a much larger process.

A wise woman once wrote "Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind,the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday." Well, she has a point. Fretting about the loss of a job is useless. Either you are needed or not and if you suddenly find yourself without a place to go on Monday morning it simply means that you've been given an opportunity to change your life. Take a deep breath and think about how you will remember this in twenty years. Think about how you'll reminisce about how things were so bad in 2009 that even you lost your job. And remember that how you deal with adversity on this level is something else you'll be teaching your children.

The People Behind the Car Warranty Robo Calls

2009-06-15T11:33:00.004-04:00

Fox News has an article up explaining who was behind this year's surge of robo calls hawking car warranties. The scam has degenerated into the perpetrators turning on each other (no honor among thieves?).

It's actually a very amusing article. Now that they have been drawn out where we can all see them it looks like a guy with a criminal record (no surprise), a guy who claims he was duped and a guy who invented spoofing technology. It was his programming that made our Caller ID's display numbers that couldn't be traced. According to the article, these are the "masterminds" behind the scam:

— Christopher D. Cowart, 47, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., owns
Transcontinental Warranty, a Delaware company based in Fort Lauderdale. A
graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, Cowart likes to read, travel and
play golf in his spare time. He also maintains a Facebook page and uses a
LinkedIn profile to advertise his latest business ventures.

— James A. Dunne, 36, of Daytona Beach, Fla., owns Florida-based Voice
Touch with his wife, Maureen. Dunne has a checkered legal past, including
charges of filing a false report of a bomb that landed him six months in jail in
1991. He was most recently arrested in 2001 for indecent exposure, but those
charges were later dismissed.

— Maureen E. Dunne, nee Maureen Geisen, is James Dunne's wife. Little
information can be found pertaining to her.

— Damian P. Kohlfeld, 35, of Valparaiso, Ind., is the owner of Network
Foundations, which is based in Chicago. Kohlfeld allegedly supplied the
technical know-how for the alleged telemarketing scheme employed by all three
companies. The Arizona State University graduate has more than a decade of
experience writing software and building computer networks. His latest hit,
according to the FTC, was a "spoofing" device that tricked caller ID
systems.

So now you know who to chase after if your number was on the Do Not Call registery and you were receiving calls selling car warranties. In fact, maybe you could look up their number and give them a call. I'm sure they would be glad to hear from their millions of potential customers. After all, these folks like to use the phone to stay in touch.

Forbes.com can Jam it Where the Sun Don't Shine

2009-06-10T13:22:00.002-04:00

Sorry about that headline. There's really nothing very professional or even polite about saying something like that but Forbes.com started it. Forbes seems to have a place for the Mahoning Valley on every negative list they produce and they produce an awful lot of lists. Last year we were one of the "Top Ten Fastest Dying Cities" (as if economic entropy won't get us all in the end). Today's entry is on the list of "Ten Worst Cities for Economic Recovery". Forbes uses data from Moody's and estimates that hell will freeze over before we get back on our feet.

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio
GDP at start of recession: $16.3 billionEnd
of 2010: $15.4 billion (-6%, projected)Unemployment: 12.8%Median home/median
salary ratio: 1.4
The Youngstown region of western Ohio has struggled
throughout the decade with the decline of manufacturing, a problem that has
intensified during the recession. Moody's estimates that the economy of
Youngstown peaked in 2005 and will not recover to that size until early 2013.

Well, bravo Forbes! It's easy to see all those MBA's aren't going to waste. Between this list and all the others you've placed the "Youngstown-Warren-Boardman" area on you've made it clear that we've never fully recovered from the collapse of the steel industry or NAFTA. Do you have anything other shocking news for us? Is water still wet? Will the sky continue to be blue?

Howzabout creating a list of things that would encourage development in this area? Perhaps a list of the top ten business ventures in the area? You could even give it a snazzy name like "The Top Ten Businesses Making it in the least Likely Place We'd Think They Could!"

Odd Things I've Read Lately...

2009-06-05T16:47:00.003-04:00

I've been keeping an eye on the news lately, what with North Korea detonating nuclear warheads and President Obama causing conservative talking heads to explode with his supreme court nominee and speech in Cairo. I've seen a few things that made me shake my head in wonder and I would like to share them with you.

Charles Manson has super powers. I know he was able to coerce people into killing for him but I didn't realize he had bona fide paranormal abilities until I read this on CNN..."Charles Manson used his hypnotic powers to direct Atkins and other “family” members to kill seven people, including the pregnant Tate, in a two-night rampage that terrorized the city of Los Angeles in August 1969. " You'd think he have been able to use those hypnotic powers on a guard and walk out of the prison he's been in for four decades but I guess they've got him locked in a kryptonite cell or something.

Pork for crack. From Foxnews (I know but sometimes it isn't science fiction) the story of a man trying to buy crack with a pig. "Police say Colon paid half a pig and $10 for a $50 bag of crack. Veliz told police the pig was for a celebration for a relative being released from jail." It doesn't say if the man slaughtered the pig himself but you'd have to think anyone who has it together enough to do so would be able to scrape up fifty bucks. Oh, and someone stole the pig.

Salvation with a bullet. A church in Louisville, KY is planning an Independence Day celebration on June 27th and asking worshipers to bring guns to church unloaded and in a secure holster (gotta be safe!). They will also be having a raffle for a handgun. "New Bethel Church Pastor Ken Pagano says the service and raffle June 27 would celebrate Independence Day and constitutional rights, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported Friday."

That's all for now.

Drive it Like it's a Rental

2009-05-25T16:52:00.002-04:00

Shirts, buttons and mugs with the "Drive it Like it's a Rental" design are up at Rust Belt Pop.

My Name is Earl Cancelled, Rural Trumbull County Mourns

2009-05-22T14:27:00.010-04:00

You know the kind of guy who does nothing but bad things and then wonders
why his life sucks? Well, that was me: every time something good happened to me,
something bad was always waitin' around the corner. Karma. That's when I
realized I had to change. So, I made a list of everything bad I've ever done,
and one by one I'm gonna make up for all my mistakes. I'm just tryin' to be a
better person. My name is Earl.

I've never spoken to you of my love for My Name is Earl. To me, the show has always had a maddeningly familiar air to it, the sort of thing it takes about 30 seconds of viewing to pick up on. Series creator Greg Garcia may have based Camden County on an undisclosed southern location but I'm telling you right now that rural Trumbull County is as close as you'll come to finding the real thing. And now the show has been canceled.

My Name is Earl is the story of a Earl Hickey, a ne're do well petty thief who wins $100,000 dollars and promptly loses the lottery ticket when he gets struck by a car. Upon waking in the hospital he sees Carson Daly explaining the concept of Karma and decides to turn over a new leaf. He makes a list of his wrongdoings and embarks on a life altering journey to make up for the misery he has caused others.

If you head north up Route 7 into Brookfield, Hartford and Kinsman, you will find locations and folks that look eerily familiar to Earl viewers. I know of where I speak. I was raised in that area. I spent a fair number of years in a trailer in a trailer park not unlike the one Joy and Darnell call home. It weren't no doublewide, neither. It was a cramped 14 x 70 with a matching shed and gravel driveway. Earl drives a dilapidated El Camino that bears a fair resemblence to every $300 clunker I drove from high school through college.

And just look at Earl himself. His unkempt hair, wild mustache, inexhaustible supply of flannel shirts and faded blue jeans (with required wallet chain) is the exact ensemble so prevalent at church fairs and festivals in the area. I dare you to toss a rock at the Rib Burn Off this summer without hitting a guy who is a dead ringer for Jason Lee's karmic do gooder.

Earl's ensemble cast is filled out by a host of other Trumbull County fixtures. I know for a fact that I went to school with or worked with more than a few women who could have been the basis for Earl's ex-wife, Joy Farrah Darville Hickey Turner played by Jamie Pressly. A stunner with a personality like sandpaper, women like Joy are equally easy to find in low places. His big goofy brother Randy is every dimwit who ever dropped out of school. In fact, I used to run into all sorts of curious folks like those who inhabit the Crab Shack. Troll the auto parts stores, junk yards and the 3rd shifts of convenience stores and you'll see a fair number of people who would be happy to call Camden County home. Work the afternoon shift at a small town Sohio station and they'll beat a path to your door.

I can't forget the music. Earl's soundtrack was lifted straight from 93.3 The Wolf. A steady stream of classic rock from artists like Foghat, Santana, George Thoroughgood and Golden Earring was used to great effect. I'm telling you, someone on the production staff of that show has roots in Northeast Ohio.

Watching Earl was like being broke and twenty again. You could hang out with your friends as long as you could drag yourself to school or work the next day. True, you couldn't afford to do much but if your ensemble cast was quirky enough (as mine was) you didn't have to do much.

So NBC has taken away Earl and will try out something newer and cheaper in its place while I lament what has been lost. No more will I hear, "Hey Earl", "Hey Crabman". No longer will Thursday night comedies provide a reflected bookend to my life; Earl was my early 20's and The Office is my today. I just wish i could have seen him finish that list.

Changes to the Tiahrt Amendment Will Allow Local Governments Access to Gun Trafficking Data

2009-05-19T14:17:00.004-04:00

President Obama is proposing changes to the "Tiahrt Amendment" in the Department of Justice 2010 budget which would allow the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to share gun trace data with federal ,state and local law enforcement agencies and allow prosecutors access to that information. Since the passage of the amendment in 2003, law enforcement could only request trace data for guns used in individual crimes. Now local law enforcement agencies will have access to the complete trace data base which will allow them to analyze gun trafficking data. From the Mayors Against Illegal Guns website:

The Department of Justice's FY 2010 budget, released today by the White House,
removes the restriction that limits access to federal crime gun trace data to
state and local police investigations of individual crimes. That restriction
prevents them from investigating the broader criminal networks that may be
behind those crimes. The new language would enable state and local law
enforcement to have full access to ATF's gun trace database to analyze gun
trafficking patterns. The White House budget leaves unchanged the Tiahrt
Amendment restrictions that prevent ATF from requiring gun dealers to conduct
inventory inspections to detect lost and stolen guns and a requirement that the
FBI destroy gun background check records within 24 hours. Both
restrictions inhibit law enforcement's ability to detect illegal straw purchases
and guns lost and stolen from gun stores - two of the major methods criminals
use to get guns, according to the ATF.

Obama had promised to repeal the Tiahrt amendment but this compromise seems to be the best he was able to accomplish this year. Striking down the full amendment would have brought the wrath of the NRA lobby down on congress and given fodder to those individuals who think Obama wants to restrict gun ownership. This deal allows him some movement on the issue with tacit approval from the NRA:

Christopher Cox, an NRA spokesman, stopped shy of endorsing the reform but did
not oppose it: “While we do not believe any change is necessary, we appreciate
the President’s decision to support law enforcement and not gun control
activists.”

This small step allows local governments to begin identifying dealers who are selling a large number of guns that wind up in the hands of criminals. They can then investigate those dealers and determine why so many firearms bought by their clients wind up in the hands of crininals.

The mayors of Youngstown, Warren and other local cities should establish a regional investigative task force to use the trace data from the BATF database to determine where guns used in local crimes are coming from and investigate those firearms dealers. They could also determine if the guns are being imported from out of state or if local dealers are contributing to the violence which is threatening the area as well as seeing if the reverse is true; i.e. are we the source of guns used in crimes in other parts of the country?

There have been eight murders in Youngstown so far this year. Warren was rocked by the unconsionable murder of an 11 year old boy on April 13th. Yesterday afternoon someone shot at a house on Crandall Ave. and narrowly avoided killing a 12 year old boy who was sitting in a car parked outside. With summer around the corner and an upswing in violence sure to follow, local governments should agressively use this newly available trace data to see how guns are being trafficked and in where they are coming from.

A Discussion About Gun Laws

2009-05-16T23:13:00.005-04:00

The LA Times posted a story about the recent spike in gun and ammunition sales following the election of President Obama. I left a comment regarding the article and got a few replies but now I can't continue the conversation because my comment won't post. They could have comments shut off or just think I'm a nutbag. Who can tell? Anyway, I went to the trouble of typing the darn thing so I may as well post it here.

My basic premise is that the gun ownership debate is locked in this paradigm of "All guns should be banned" and "There shouldn't be any ownership laws". I think the common ground is allowing gun ownership to qualified individuals who can pass a criminal and mental health background check. This could be accomplished by:

Restrictive laws mandating that anyone purchasing a firearm, even in a private sale, be subject to the background check requirement.
Making the reporting of stolen guns to police by their owners a law.
Allowing cities access to trace data so they can fiugure out which licensed firearms dealers are selling to strawman buyers. Remember, every gun starts its life as a legal gun.

If anyone from the Times discussion wanders in here, please feel free to leave a comment.

My original post:

Are we safer? Not really. NRA members like to say things like, "criminals are deterred because they have to think if the house they are going to break into has an armed owner". The reality is that Americans have never owned so many guns and crime is still rampant.
Restrictive firearm laws help reduce crime but the NRA will never admit it. States like New York have gun crime because the guns are imported from states like West Virginia and Texas. Their ridiculous laws allow people to buy firearms without a background check from "gun enthusiats" at gun shows. If every state had the same restrictive laws guns less weapons would be available for criminals.
I have never, ever understood why the NRA doesn't help clean up the image of gun owners by supporting common sense laws that would allow the sale of guns to qualified owners but make it incredibly hard for criminals to buy one. This whole "They want your guns" mentality is why so many weapons are available for unqualified owners and criminals to misuse every year.

A reply from Rick Bin:

Cite some research Mike. Cite some hard data. Anybody can OPINE based on
pie-in-the-sky. How about some DATA about how gun ownership in society affects
crime rates?
Anybody can make up anecdotal data and extrapolate and make claims like that you make regarding New York. For every instance you can show, I can rebut you with two similarly constructed.
For instance: Tell me why Washington DC, with the tightest gun control restrictions in America, has the highest murder rate, and has seen a marked increase in criminal violence corresponding with each and every significant piece of anti-gun
legislation.
Nobody could look at Washington DC's numbers with an objective eye and fail to see a distinct correlation between anti-gun legislation and an increase in violence.
Oh yeah, those pesky FACTS again. Always getting in the way of otherwise perfectly good opinions and arguments.
The data says you're wrong. That's reality. Your accepting it or not doesn't make it more or less true.
Rick Bin
Owner and President
www.24hourcampfire.com

And the reply that wouldn't post:

Rick,
My opinion was informed by the recent report conducted by the group "Mayors Against Illegal Guns". They used the most recent trace data available from the BATF to study where the guns originated from in areas plagued by crime where gun ownership laws are restrictive. The results proved that while gun crime is high in places like new York City and Washington DC, the guns used in the commission of those crimes were imported from states that had less restrictive laws governing the purchase of firearms.
To set the record very clear, I have no problem with gun ownership and I believe the LA riots and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina both prove why citizens should have the right to own firearms. However, I think the sheer number of weapons currently in the hands of criminals demonstrates that more restrictive purchasing laws are
necessary.
I've sold guns so I know whereof I speak. Absolutely no one should be allowed to purchase or own a firearm without passing the mandatory background check that is conducted when purchasing from a dealer. Enthusiasts at gun shows and private purchases allow guns to go to people who would fail the check. Crooked dealers who sell to strawman purchasers could have their licenses revoked if the Tiahrt amendment allowed mayors to see trace data.
Yes, the laws we have now are ineffective but they are not the only option. I think the NRA is failing its membership by endorsing less restrictive laws and the continuation of the Tiahrt amendment. On my blog I have maps detailing the murders committed in Youngstown, OH and the vast majority involve firearms in the hands of someone who possesses them illegally.
Every person who can pass a background check and wants to own a gun should and
those who can't should find it as difficult as possible to do so.

Wahooo! Feds Sue Car Warranty Marketers

2009-05-14T16:55:00.005-04:00

This may be the best thing I've ever read:

Federal regulators filed suits Thursday against several companies they say are
behind a national wave of spam "robo-calls" that warn people their auto
warranties are expiring and offer new service plans.

I guess all of the complaints to the FTC were actually worth the time it took to fill out the form. They've identified two companies who have been making these recorded calls and plan on taking them to court over it.

The FTC named Voice Touch Inc. and Transcontinental Warranty Inc. in the
suits. It is seeking injunctions forcing them to return allegedly ill-gotten
gains.

Oh, I hope they drain these scam artists dry. I can only imagine how many people have been inconvenienced because of these calls and how many have been suckered into giving these frauds money. It warms the cockles of my heart to see these people dragged into the light and identified after they hid behind their annoying number spoofing for so long.

"I'm not sure which is worse, the abusive telemarketing tactics of these
companies, or the way they try to deceive people once they get them on the
phone," Leibowitz said. "Either way, we intend to shut them down."
It took some heavy sleuthing to determine what companies were responsible since they made "extraordinary" efforts to conceal their identities by masking their true
phone numbers, he said.
If a consumer received such a call about his car warranty, "there's a very real chance that these guys did it," Leibowitz told reporters in a conference call.
Representatives from Voice Touch and Transcontinental Warranty were not immediately available to comment Thursday afternoon.

Oh, I'll bet they had no comment. The very thought of having to pay back a bunch of money probably has them quaking in their boots right now.

Proud Democrat Socialist

2009-05-13T22:39:00.007-04:00

The Republican National Committee wants to brand the Democratic party as "Democrat Socialists".

No, really! I know!

The out of touch, out of ideas center of the party is running the asylum and they have decided that the best way to control the discussion is to call the other side names. Great idea. I can only imagine that the DNC will respond with an equally immature "sticks and stones" refrain, if they respond at all.

I say, if they are going to call us that, we should wear the name loud and proud. Rust Belt Pop now has a full line of products that lets you do just that. Click the link, buy a shirt and make a statement.

Using my Lottery Winnings to get you a Unicorn

2009-05-12T08:58:00.004-04:00

Whew! I have to tell you, I was getting a little worried about the economy. Chrysler is in bankruptcy, GM seems to be close behind and gas prices are edging up again. Thankfully my personal money problems have been solved. I opened my email today to see that not only have I won three lotteries in the United Kingdom, I have been awarded two grants from the United Nations that I didn't even apply for. How good news like this winds up in the spam folder is beyond me.

So anyway, now that I am the proud winner of tens of millions of Great Britain Pounds I will be using my fortune to open up a ranch that breeds unicorns. I understand there is a great demand for these animals at children's birthday parties. Don't you worry though, I won't forget where I came from. I'll do my part for the economy and put some people to work as unicorn wranglers.

Now, where can I get a decent exchange rate?

Has the Car Warranty Kingpin been Identified?

2009-05-09T21:27:00.007-04:00

Is this smooth operator the one who has been illegally calling cell phones and claiming your car warranty is about to expire? If so, he looks exactly like I thought he would. And yeah, guy, I have asked repeatedly to be removed from your call list and and my phone is still ringing.

Thanks to Trippedbreaker for doing a ton of research and providing the link.

Vindicator Editors Versus the Peanut Gallery

2009-05-08T22:49:00.003-04:00

Have you seen this? The Vindicator website published a story about the tragic deaths of a Poland couple. The story was newsworthy and the paper would have been remiss in their duties had they not printed it. These kinds of stories usually receive a few comments with some posters leaving messages of condolences for the family and others who critique the article. It's pretty normal stuff for any news site that allows reader comments.

Then, suddenly, the Vindy editorial board lost their minds and entered the conversation, defending their decision to cover the story and the content of the article. Mark Sweetwood, the Managing Editor, jumped in after only four comments to address individual comments, including one poster's confusion over the identities of Drew and Scott Peterson.

The badgering continued for another 14 or so posts when Regional Editor Tom Wills joined the fray, providing a well thought out but completely unnecessary defense of the article. Unfortunately he finished it off with a sarcastic shot at the posters, aksing them if they were "eating it up" even as they complained about the story.

There is an old saying that you shouldn't get into a war of words with someone who buys ink by the barrel. That same line of thinking could lead one to say that one shouldn't get into a war of words with a dozen people who have nothing else to do but comment on a message board.

By responding to this criticism the editors accomplished nothing more than giving posters a legitimate target (the editorial staff) and let them know that if they push hard enough they will get under the skin of Vindy staffers. It's disingenuous for The Vindicator to provide an unmoderated forum that invites raucous behavior and then step in when their feelings are hurt. They have spent years cultivating this environment, only recently forcing posters to register and sign in. If you give people a forum, controversial topics and little accountability, you better have a thick skin and the ability to turn the other cheek.

Anyone who has strayed from the relative safety of the story comments and ventured into the heart of darkness that is the Vindy forums knows how bad things can get. The comments under this story were mild compared to what is written there. The editors have to let it roll off their back or shut down the comments.

This Week The Car Warranty Scammers Have Gone Toll Free

2009-05-06T14:18:00.003-04:00

This week the car warranty scammers have gone toll free. They are spoofing phone number (800) 783-2954. In an interesting twist, they no longer seem to be answering if you press "1" to speak with a representative. This is just a devious turn of events. The auto dialer interrupts your work but it's reaching victims faster than the people working this scam can answer when you press "1". Therefore, you get annoyed by the recorded message but can't vent to the criminals trying to get your credit card number. Oh, and to twist that knife a little more, if you call the number back you get the loudest, most obnoxious busy signal I've ever heard.

There is an update on the complaint front. Ohio's attorney general sent me a form letter response thanking me for the information. I wonder if he or the FTC is actually investigating these people? After all, they are burning up lots of cell phone minnutes with these calls. I really hope someone is fined when this is all said and done.

Croton Canyon Railroad

2009-05-04T21:51:00.007-04:00

Do you like model railroads? I mean, really like model railroads? If you do, I've got something to show you. The attached video and pictures are from a project nearly two decades in the making, The Croton Canyon Railroad. My uncle, Mike Prelee, has spent a considerable amount of time assembling what is easily the most elaborate O gauge railroad I have ever seen.

Built in the attic of the home's owner, Anton Wilson, this "environmental kinetic sculpture uses O gauge model trains as the motion medium." You may ask what makes the average basement set up a model railroad and what makes this a kinetic sculpture? I think it's the size, scope and commitment to detail. Mr. Wilson gave up a sizable finished attic, complete with full bathroom, for this project.

There are six bridges, all combining engineering with art. I can't decide if the Arch Suspension bridge is my favorite or if the Copper Arch Bridge grabs that honor. One thing is for sure, the infrastructure here is much more sound than what you drove over on the way to work today.

Nature is also well represented. Look at the detail in the red rocks of the canyon walls. There are countless hours of work involved to sculpt those shapes and paint them so accurately.

I have to tell you, I thought retirement was a time to relax but Uncle Mike has proven me wrong. This is what 80 year old Jersey guys do when they are done clocking in at the radio station.

There are a bunch of photos and videos on the site so click on over and take a look.

Swine Flu Fever Dreams

2009-05-03T18:54:00.003-04:00

I have had a vision.

No, maybe it was more of a dream. I mean, I was asleep, so does that make it a dream or does the content of the episode make it a vision?

Anyway, the message was to pack up the car and head west to Nebraska; to a little town known as Hemingford Home. The purveyor of this message, an elderly black woman named Mother Annabelle..No wait, Annabelle isn't quite right. Abigail? Yeah, that's who it was. Mother Abigail said, "Child, you got to prepare for the hard times. You've got to get yourself here before the sickness falls upon everyone."

Then a night later I had this nightmare that woke me up in a cold sweat. A long, lean fella was traveling the highways on foot, a walkin' dude, if you will, kicking up dirt and gravel on the shoulder with leather work boots. Their worn down heels bore witness to how many miles he'd covered on foot. His voice was icy and tho' he was miles distant I could hear him clear as day. "Son," he said, "perhaps you should sit this whole thing out. Just stay there in Ohio until this whole sickness thing blows over. Or, if you think you can hang, come on out to Vegas and we'll see if we can put you to work. Your choice, of course, but I'd stear clear of Nebraska and Denver if I were you."

And then I realized that maybe I'd become just a little too conditioned to seeing folks walking around wearing surgical masks as if they were the latest fashion accessory. Perhaps, in fact, I had seen too many interviews with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and other experts giving their opinion of the flu and it's potential effects. All this press coverage combined with a lifetime of reading post-apocalyptic fiction could really make a guy squirrely in a 24 hour news cycle.

I've decided to lay down with the TV off and finish a very nice Teddy Roosevelt biography I've been trying to get through for the past month. There's no swine flu in there, only TR busting trusts and hunting animals on safari. Hopefully tonight's dreams are no more exciting than riding up San Juan Hill or ranching in the Dakotas.

This Car Warranty Scam is Ticking Me Off

2009-05-01T10:17:00.006-04:00

I can't believe the Federal Trade Commission can't do something about this ridiculous scam. I have been receiving calls for weeks on my cell phone from some outfit claiming my car warranty is about to expire and that I need to renew it right away. the call is a recording telling you to press "1" to speak with someone or "2" to be removed from the list. Pressing "1" either leads you to some nutjob who hangs up on you when you complain or, if the nutjob isn't available, hangs up the call anyway. Pressing "2" does not get you off the list.

Today's call came from (303) 749-9642 which is out of service if you try to call it back. So I guess the freaks are using some kind of phone number spoofing service to fake the number being displayed on my caller ID. A quick Google search shows no shortage of idiot companies offering this service.

I was a good little citizen and filed my complaint with the FTC but they haven't followed up with me. I have to assume the criminals behind this scam are taking the risk and wasting their time because people are still dumb enough to give their credit card numbers to toal strangers over the phone, so if you know anyone doing that, tell them to cut it out.

At least some state's attorney's general are investigating. Here's an article from last November detailing who cis following up and listing the fines some have paid. Maybe Ohio's AG should get into this.

ETA: I have filed a complaint with the Ohio AG's office.

Edited one more time (5/5/09): Now I'm receiving calls from some security outfit that follows this same format. They called my cell phone with a recorded message wanting to set up an in-home appointment for a security system. The call was from (404) 335-7147.

New Phone Number for the Car Warranty Scammers

2009-04-29T14:06:00.004-04:00

This week the car warranty scam artists are using phone number (509) 935-0671 to sucker people. Due to working down in the basement I get the first half of the call, the recording telling me my car's warranty is about to expire, but I lose the signal when I press "1" to speak with someone. Regardless, they are calling my work cell phone, which is illegal and they have been asked numerous times to stop.

The best I can do is maintain a record of their contact and post the new numbers so people can be aware of who is trying to call them. The Federal Trade Commission has not been much help. I have never been contacted about the complaint I filed last week.

It's kind of odd how these calls begin in the afternoon around 1:00 pm. I'm starting to think the people making them are based out of the country.

New Designs for the Kids Up At Rustbelt Pop

2009-04-29T08:34:00.005-04:00

There are some new designs for the little kids at Rust Belt Pop. Infant bodysuits, bibs and T-shirts feature the designs below. Have fun shopping!

Specter Sees the Light, Republicans Wonder Where it all Went Wrong

2009-04-28T12:59:00.003-04:00

GOP Senator Arlen Specter has switched parties and will now caucus with the Senate Democrats. This turn of events moves the Democrats closer to the 60 vote majority necessary to block a Republican filibuster. According to the New York Times:

In a statement issued about noon as the Capitol was digesting the stunning turn
of events, Mr. Specter said he had concluded that his party had moved too far to
the right, a fact demonstrated by the migration of 200,000 Pennsylvania
Republicans to the Democratic Party.
“I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans,” Mr. Specter said, acknowledging that his decision was certain to disappoint colleagues and supporters.

Senator Specter has a long history of defying the party line with his moderate views. He helped broker an agreement on President Obama's economic stimulus bill, has supported a woman's right to choose and supports funding stem cell research. There is also the issue of the 2010 election. Republican moderates in Pennsylvania have switched party affiliation in large numbers so it was unlikely Specter could win the Republican primary. As a moderate Democrat he stands a much better chance of winning the general election.

Senate Democrats will now cast their eyes to Minnesota, where Al Franken has won a court case calling him the winner of that state's contested senate seat over incumbent Norm Coleman. I imagine Governor Tim Pawlenty's telephone must be filled with the anguished cries of Hannity fans and Limbaugh ditto heads begging him not to certify Mr. Franken as the winner. My guess is he will continue to wuss out as he has since November and leave it up to another round of court appeals to decide for him. Whatever the case, Minnesota will need senate representation at some point and he will have to do his duty.

This, of course, is driving hard core, right wing conservatives crazy. A quick look at the Fox News message boards show those denizens of nutbaggery clinging tightly to their shrinking power base with bad spelling, name calling and pseudo-death threats:

Good riddens Benedict Arlan. Glad to see you go.-demsrliars

A dirty rotten snake in the grass, this one. I hope he loses all around. He
doesn't need another term - he'll be dead before the end of it. -smallergov

Quite frankly I'm overjoyed to see him switch sides. As Democrats gain power they will need moderate voices within the party. Any group in this situation, no matter how noble their goals, will eventually become so drunk with power that their heads will disappear right up their you-know-what's. They need those within the ranks who do not agree with everything the president, speaker or majority leader says.

Of course this also means the moderate voices within the Republican party, or RINO's as they are derisively called (Republicans in Name Only), are being marginalized. The hard liners who still think Saddam attacked New York are going to be left festering at the rotted core of their party, adopting a "just wait until Obama destroys the country" attitude rather than turning an introspective eye inward to see why voters and candidates are abandoning them.

The Democrats will have no one to blame if their policies fail so they had better be on top of their game. Thank God Cynthia McKinney's gone.

Flint Michigan Joins the List of Cities Embracing Planned Downsizing

2009-04-22T13:24:00.005-04:00

From the New York Times today:

Instead of waiting for houses to become abandoned and then pulling them down,
local leaders are talking about demolishing entire blocks and even whole neighborhoods.
The population would be condensed into a few viable areas. So would stores and services. A city built to manufacture cars would be returned in large measure to the forest primeval.

Like Youngstown, Flint is a rust belt city with a manufacturing past experiencing a reduction in population. Also like Youngstown, the city leaders have decided to grab the bull by the horns and plan the reduction of their city.

Flint government plans to encourage people to leave streets and neighborhoods so structures can be leveled, pavement torn up and the areas returned to nature. This will allow them to concentrate population near commercial entities and concentrate their services on a smaller area. They seem to be fully prepared for the heartache this will cause but I wonder if they have counted on the sheer inertia some people have regarding their home. After all, even in Youngstown some residents refuse to leave no matter how deplorable the conditions are surrounding their home.

Flint too has its blogs and they are reporting on the Mayor's plans. This one, Come Heller High Water, has some insightful comments from readers. From those comments it's clear that some people are ready to face reality while others have a wait and see attitude. It's almost comical how relevant their comments are to what our area has faced. Should the surrounding county support mass transit and the libraries? Lay off cops and firefighters? Closing popular schools because of low attendance? We've been there and done that.

Hopefully cities like Youngstown, Flint and Buffalo can write the book on how to manage shrinkage and maintain a vibrant, relevant community. If nothing else it's good to see we're not in this alone.

The Car Warranty Scam People Have Switched Numbers

2009-04-21T14:11:00.007-04:00

The car warranty scam people have a new number: (605) 393-9811. They called my cell phone and this time it was the woman's recorded voice telling me this was my last call and if I didn't respond my file would be closed.

Oh, if only it were true!

I was fully prepared to string them along and get some info but no one picked up when I pressed one as instructed.

Anyway, beware. They've got themselves a new number to bother you from. I sure would like to know how they are getting away with calling cell phones.

ETA: I have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission regarding these calls. They have a complaint wizard which makes it very easy to do. I'll keep everyone updated if I hear anything.