Bob Levey
Washington Post Columnist
Tuesday, September 23, 2003; 12:00 PM

"Levey Live: Speaking Freely," hosted by Washington Post columnist Bob Levey, appears every other Tuesday. It is a live, open-agenda discussion offering washingtonpost.com users around the world the opportunity to ask questions and discuss topics of their choice with Bob.

Fearless Bob takes your questions about virtually everything, from sports and politics (there's a difference?) to world events, Metro area traffic and issues raised in Bob's columns.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Bob Levey : Good afternoon, one and all, and welcome to the post-hurriocane moonscape. Isabel, that shameless hussy, the kind of woman our mothers warned us about, has gone to wherever tropical storms end up. We are left to curse Pepco, decry the slowness of Dominion Virginia Power and wonder if it would have been smart to have visited some long-lost cousin in Chicago.
Seriously, the power companies have a lot of 'splainin' to do. So do politicians that allow them to get away with the sorts of stuff they've been laying on us for the last six days.
But this is an all-purpose chat, so we won't restrict our typings to storm-related stuff. Anything is fair game over the next hour.
To cases:

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Springfield, Va.: Hi Bob, Izzie really exposed the problems with our aging electrical and water infrastructure didn't she? This just adds to the list of huge dollar budget items our local and state jurisdictions have to wrestle with but can't afford. There will have to be some very creative ideas to handle these issues.

Bob Levey : The least creative will be the most effective.
Taxes.
More of them.
I'm afraid we've been free-lunching for a long time. Big problems take big dollars to solve. Simple as that.
Please, Santa, send me politicians (both state and national) who have the courage to tell us what it will really cost to bury power lines.

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Thomas Circle, D.C.: Bob,

I really enjoy the columns and the chats but I having been in the area only nine or so years, I was wondering what the topic of the very first column was. What was it and how did you decide on the topic. Keep up the great work!!

Bob Levey : I'm in Year 23 of Bob Levey's Washington, so you are truly a newcomer (relative to some).
My first column was about the columnist whose space I took over on the comics page--Bill Gold.
Bill was a legend at The Post. He wrote "The District Line" (get it?) for 34 years. It was a homespun column full of gags, birthday greetings, lost pets, that sort of thing. Bill died about seven years ago.
My first BL'sW was about Bill and what he meant, both to the city and the paper.

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Kingstowne, Va.: The hurricane coverage revealed a dangerous trend in local media: The Doppler Arms Race. Each local infotainment-fearmongering channel has its own version of ever-mutating "Live Doppler 4000," "Super Doppler 7000," "MegaDoppler 10000," etc. Nevermind that most of the public couldn't tell you what the doppler effect is if they had to. But with each incarnation of the various "Dopplers" and "Storm Center Team Coverage," the Doppler arms race escalates. What, in your esteemed opinion as a media columnist, can be done about this dangerous trend?

Bob Levey : Nothing.
TV is about money.
Isabel gave them a crack at audiences they wouldn't ordinarily see.
They trot out all the tricks at a market-redefining moment like this. Of course, most of it is blarney and another two-syllable word that begins with B. But people who watch might keep on watching--that's always the operative thesis.

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Arlington, Va.: Bob, just wanted to say that I luuuuuved your column today. Great research!

Bob Levey : I luuuuuuuuv your kind words. Thanks

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Laurel, Md.: On driving to NYC:

OK, so you had five suitcases, so that might about settle it for you. But otherwise, the prime motivation for driving is cost. Amtrak is $72 (cheapest fare) one way.
You know, Chicago to St. Louis is 297 miles, and when I type that into Amtrak's web site, I pull up fares ranging from $21 to $38!

If the Northeast Corridor wasn't subsidizing the rest of the country, choosing a mode wouldn't be hard.

Bob Levey : As I tried to indicate in that column, driving is not always the best way to go. It taxes your brain, wits and rear end. The train would always be my pick if money were no object. So relaxing. If only the food were bearable.

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Anne Arundel Co., Md.: Am I the only person who is irritated by people complaining about how slow the electric companies are in getting the power back? This is a HUGE undertaking for BGE, Pepco, etc. Having no power is inconvenient and frustrating, but getting angry at these companies doesn't help. Give these crews a break! They can only move so fast!

Bob Levey : I'm much less mad at the crews than many, and much more mad at the big cheeses.
Here's how it looks to me:
These companies are monopolies. They can operate however they like, and no one can say a word. They are not subject to free-market forces. Even their rates are set by public commissions. So it doesn't matter if they take care of the rich and famous in Potomac before they take care of a senior citizen apartment building in Wheaton--and it doesn't matter if they do the reverse. They are a law unto themselves.
Sure, there will be some showboat hearings when this is all behind us. But the only answer is to allow competition. That's how capitalism purges itself. But Pepco and Dominion Virginia are not capitalist organizations--not at the moment.

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Ashburn, Va.: Hi Mr.Levey,

Just want to comment that you are really good on the radio when you substitute on the Paul Berry show. Thanks..
Neha

Bob Levey : Thank you so much!
As I always like to say, the first 2,000 times you do a radio talk show are the hardest!
I've been a radio talk show host for... let's see now....12 years in Washington and Baltimore.
I've spent an additional ten years on the air as a commentator. So I don't get all hog wild and snake crazy when the red light goes on. Been there.
Thanks again

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Vienna, Va.: No, Bob ... burying power lines and soaking the taxpayers will NOT necessarily address the problem of power outages. I live in a neighborhood where ALL of the lines are buried ... and we have more outages than many neighborhoods where the wires are strung overhead the old-fashioned way ... in and out of trees.
What is needed are more durable power lines, transformers, circut breakers, line connections, and more diligence in keeping trees trimmed. Taxpayers do not necessarily have to foot the bill for this. Developers can start putting in better-quality connections when they build new homes and buisnesses.
If we let ourselves go the way of the Europeans and tax everyone to death, we will deserve what we get.

Bob Levey : You're right to an extent. Burying lines won't prevent transformers from popping or exploding, and won't prevent water damage. In fact, buried lines would make water damage much harder to find and to correct.
But let's face it, here in the lush Middle Atlantic, our Number One issue is trees and limbs pulling lines down with them. Make that no longer possible, and I'd bet 80 percent of the trouble goes away forever.

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Lisa of Arlington, Va.: Do you think that our area (Washington/Northern Virginia) is better off with or without a Major League Baseball team?

Bob Levey : With!
Bring them Expos!

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Crofton, Md.: Hi Bob! how does one find work as a freelancer (stringer?) for a local, small town paper? Do you just call someone up and ask if they need someone to cover an event here or there? And if so, who is that person (managing editor?)?

Are these jobs usually paid?
Thanks!

Bob Levey : Never anything wrong with picking up the phone and trying your luck. Start with the editor or managing editor. Be prepared not to be paid. And be prepared not to "strike oil" right away. Most papers have a stable of stringers who have been on board for eons. They'll use you when it suits them, not when it suits you.

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Washington, D.C.: Any idea what the movie set is that's up at 6th and Pennsylvania (the Newseum vacant lot)?

Bob Levey : I believe it's The Clooney Army (a force of nature), shooting this week's episode of K Street

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Annandale, Va.: This is a question for our Metro lurkers: when in the blazes are you going to fix the middle escalator at Foggy Bottom?!? I am a recent convert to Metro, which should make you happy, Bob, but they've been working on the thing for months. This morning it took almost two minutes just to leave the station -- the lines backed up to the farecard machines (there is now only one escalator to exit), and this is becoming the norm, not the exception. Some information is better than knowing nothing.

Thanks.

Bob Levey : I don't know what the deal is with this particular escalator, but sometimes it really does take months to fix these %$#$& things.

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Repatriated Virginian: Howdy Bob! I just returned from a year overseas with the Peace Corps in Ghana. What has happened to my favorite columnist? I tune in to listen to you on the radio, and your incisive commentaries are gone. I try to watch you on NewsChannel8 and you're gone from there. Now your web chat rooms have been slashed 50 percent, from what I surmise. What the heck has happened? Am I overreacting to this downsizing of Bob or are you semi-retired? Thanks.

Bob Levey : Believe me, I'm not semi-retired. Not only do I have one child in college and one soon going there, but that transistor that's been surgically implanted in my chest won't let me stop.
No, it's the economy, stupid.
I got bounced by WTOP because they didn't want to pay me any more.
I got bounced by NewsChannel 8 because they "wanted to go in a different direction" (if I could kill one phrase in the English language....).
My chats on washingtonpost.com got cut in half for budget reasons.
Anyone who wants to tell me a) that there never was a recession or b) that it's over will have to endure a major horselaugh from The Bobster.
Thanks so much for your kind words about Electronic Bob. Maybe the worm will turn. It alays has before.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: Oh great entreprenuerial/free marketer. Please explain how there is going to be "competition" in the delivery of power.

You don't seriously expect a competing companies to build out a parallel transmission system? Come on Bob ... that's ludicrous and we already have competition for the purchase of our power but PEPCO is the transmitter, there is no other choice nor will there ever be another.

Bob Levey : How about the phone model, Gaithersburg? When Ma Bell was dismantled, all those Johnny-come-lately companies didn't build new phone lines. They figured ways to use (and lease, and sell, and piggyback on) the existing ones. I figure the power world could work in much the same way.

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Philadelphia, PA: Dear Bob..........Friday's aren't the same......who will I share my salad with now?

Bob Levey : It'll have to be a squirrel in the park, Philly. Sorry.

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Upper Marlboro, Md.: Bob,

I hope you get comments about this one. Did you notice that FEDEX field got power while all the surrounding communities had none. When I called PEPCO on Saturday to see when power would be restored in my neighborhood (Kettering), a message indicated that it would be Thursday before power was restored. But I and my neighbors noticed that power was restored at FEDEX for the game on Sunday. I told my wife and anyone else who would listen, that I bet that our power would be on as soon as the game was over. Sure enough, by the 4th quarter (I know because I watched the game on a battery-power TV), all of the power in my neighborhood was restored. I speculated that this would occur because of the power it took to light the stadium and Snyder and his gang wanted to make sure that the game could go on without a problem. Thats why they lost the game...bad Karma...

Nathan

Bob Levey : You are oh-so-right about this. Pepco's justification is that restoring juice to Fed Ex Field first was a matter of public safety. I think it was a clear "tilt" toward Danny Boy and his rich pals.
I do have sympathy for Pepco. Truly I do. You can't thoroughly prepare for a storm this huge.
But when it's time to restore service, by startying in Place A, you necessarily push back the restoration of service to Place B. The criterion should be: help old people and sick people first. Then neighborhoods with the largest numbers of people. Then others.
Sorry, Danny Boy, but you're an Other.
If there are still squawkers out there, come answer my phone today. I've heard from three senior-citizen homes where there's no power and no hot water (including one that's 13 stories high, on Lyttonsville Road). Meanwhile, in the subdivisions right beside them, all is well.

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Arlington, Va.: Bob, so far nobody has asked your opinion of Metro's decision to close down the government and the District by closing Metro at 11 AM. Personally, it was smarter than it seems to be because it also allowed the roads to be clear because everyone was at home.

Bob Levey : I find it very hard to believe that Metro closed because there was a serious danger of people being blown into the tracks when sustained winds reached 40 mph. Heck, that risk exists every minute of every day, with wind or without it.
I think Metro wimped on advice of counsel. It's always that way in 2003. The whiff of a lawsuit, and even a public service like Metro caves.

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Bowie, Md.: Bob, if you have to alternate shows, why couldn't they both be on Friday? It's like suddenly all the Friday shows disappeared (Lloyd Grove, Rita Kempley).

And you wouldn't be up against Weingarten.

Bob Levey : I prefer to say:
Weingarten wouldn't be against me.
Not a bad notion, Bowie.
I'll raise it with the chat cheeses.

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Somewhere, USA: In just the latest snub at residents of the city that gives your paper it's name, Post Staff Writer Jim VandeHei writes that Howard Dean is "...the frontrunner in key early states". Is this writer an anarchist, beleiving that the disenfranchisement of DC residents is justified? Does he not recognize the facts that, number one, no Democratic presidential nominee will win squat without significant support from African-Americans, and number two, the DC primary will be the first indication of where African-American voters are leaning? Given these two facts, under no stretch of the imagination can the DC primary not be considered "key"(an assertion that I suspect would be confirmed should you ask any of the campaigns). How much trouble would it be for your reporters to use language such as "key early contests" or "key early primaries", thus not marginalizing the DC primary, and promoting the fact that indeed there is a new player on the scene, in terms of how the Democratic nominee will be chosen?

Bob Levey : Point taken (and mostly bought). However, you are certainly aware (aren't you?) that the D.C. primary will be advisory-only?

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12th & Penn NW, Washington, D.C.: Welcome Back, Robo-Man!!

Driving to New York?? That's not the Bob we've come to know and love!! I would enjoy Miss Koko Taylor (indeed a Goddess!) and those celery sticks with my seat reclined on a bus. Road ragers ... traffic tie ups ... wear and tear on the car? No thanks. I'll gladly pay my 70 bucks round trip and leave the drama of getting there and back to someone else. Me: I'll have my nose buried in a good book or catching some well deserved ZZZZs. Wake me when we get to Port Authority!!

Bob Levey : Some of the time--maybe even most of the time--I'll be in the seat right beside you. But if it's about saving every last cent, and carrying lots of luggage, the bus just won't work as well.

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Metro Media Relations Office: The Foggy Bottom esclator you are speaking of, between the street level and mezzanine level, which has been out since May, is undergoing a major rehabilitation. Good news, though: it is due to be back in service by the end of the month!; If it's not please let Bob know and he'll certainly let us know.

Bob Levey : Them Metrolurkers are back!
Thanks

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Eastern Market: Bob, I spaced out yesterday and missed my subway stop. I remember getting to Capitol South and the next thing you knew, I was at Potomac Avenue and didn't even realize this until after I got off the escalator. Am I becoming a ditz?

Bob Levey : You must have been "zoning" into a great book.
Which was it?
I'm looking for my next can't-take-my-nose-out-of-it read.
In fact, I had an experience last week that I haven't had in many years.
A pal had touted me on a new novel called "Honey Don't," by Tim Sandlin. Rolled out all the adjectives.... kooky.....charming....sidesplitting.....
So I went for it.
For 40 pages.
Here are my adjectives.... sophomoric...skin-deep.....dopey.......
So I put the book aside.
I never do that.
If I start it, I finish it.
Not with "Honey Don't".

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The former prison area: I'd like to rant for a moment. We were one of the lucky ones who only lost electricity for 18 hours, most of that was overnight too. But we were without ANY water for over 24 hours. It was so frustrating to turn on the radio or TV or even washingtonpost.com and fairfaxcounty.gov and hear about the boil water order in Fairfax County, but not one mention about people who didn't even have water pressure. It was almost 4pm before I heard any mention of the pressure problems. Very hard to ration my flushing when I couldn't even determine why I didn't have it.

Bob Levey : A fair point. However, your situation was relatively rare (at least when you take the entire metropolitan area into account). Be thankful for that small favor, at least.

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Express Peddlers: Who can we email to complain about the agressiveness of these guys? I mean, they finally cleaned up a couple of the agressive panhandlers at Farragut West, now you cant get off the escalator without running the gauntlet of Express guys. In Clarendon, they are two feet from the top of the escalator, and the kiosk manager won't say anything to them. It's really irratating given that there are huge bright yellow Express boxes right there for people to take it if they want to.

Bob Levey : Ther publisher's name is Chris Ma. He sits two floors over my smoking typing fingers.

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Chicago, Ill.: Bob, I am a Maryland transplant here in Chicago for the past four years. I just wanted to comment on the whining of the people of Maryland, Virginia & Washington D.C. How dare a hurricane interupt thier electric, cable & internet! Come on folks, grow a spine. You had a week to prepare yourselves for this event.

I feel bad for the PEPCO & BGE employees that are working thier collective butts off and taking flak from a bunch of whiners.

You don't hear of any reports of folks upset in North Carolina because of no power. That's because they got the direct hit and are just trying to sort out a basic standard of living.

Thanks for letting me vent. GO CUBS!

Bob Levey : Thank you for the vent. However, even your midwestern good sense has to agree that the power companies did a very poor job of planning adequately for Izzie.
If she was truly going to be the Storm of the Millennium (or whatever), why weren't trucks brought in weeks ahead of time? Why didn't the local companies have a serious plan to distribute dry ice? Why weren't tree-cutters ready to rock and roll THE SECOND the winds stopped blowing?

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Arlington, Va.: Suggestion for next book: Atlas Shrugged.

Bob Levey : OK. Anyone else have a nomination?

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Metro Media Relations Office: C'mon, Bob, do you really believe the risk of 40, 50, 60 mph winds exists every day in this region? We based our decision on the recommendation of other transit systems such as Miami which deals with hurricane force winds much more often than we do. They and others said sustained winds over 40 mph "is like being pushed from several sides by a 25 or 30 pound weight; although do-able for most able bodied people, it's difficult and potentially dangerous especially when rain is pouring down." We erred on the side of customer, employee, and pedestrian safety, and we're glad we did.

Bob Levey : Balderdash. I walked right into 60-mph gust all evebing on Thursday and didn't come close to being knocked down (please, no comments about my center of gravity--that's my GRANDMA you're dissing!).
I think it's pretty simple. A critical public transit system like Metro has to find a way to remain open PRECISELY BECAUSE so many other methods of transportation will not be open. If that means taking a small risk, so be it.

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PEPCP justification for FedEx: Went something along the lines of "We know 90,000 people will be at the stadium on Sunday, therefore they are a large 'neighborhood' that needs power back or else it becomes a safety issue"

Bob Levey : Yes, that's what I recall.
Question: Why didn't the Redskins delay the game for two days, so that the FedEx neighborhood wouldn't be served ahead of real people and real neighborhoods?

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Washington, D.C.: I was one of the hundreds of thousands who lost power during and after the storm, and despite the near-saintly degree of patience exercised by myself and many others, would like to vent a bit. Despite the large numbers of radio stations broadcasting in this area on both bands and the clear and overwhelming need, WHY was it so difficult to find useful, timely information on the radio? And how is it that the capitol of the most technologically advanced nation in the world is unable to organize the equitable distribution of necessities (ice, batteries, water) and the safe flow of traffic in the absence of streetlights? All things considered, the city gets a D for this little fiasco, whereas the citizens get an A+ for keeping things together despite the absence of leadership. (Did it surprise anyone else that our nation's leadership skipped out of town in preparation for this?)

Bob Levey : The vast majority of radio stations have no news personnel and no news consciousness. So even if they wanted to get storm info on the air, they'd be stymied by....
a) Their formats. Many music stations (consultant-driven) say that the minute someone hears a human voice, he punches the button. So these stations are more worried about lognterm financial losses than they are about serving the public in a time of disaster.
b) Their technical limitations. Sure, any music station can chuck CNN audio onto the air. But that's a national cable station. So why not chuck NewsChannel 8 on the air? Because that would be piracy, and would cause big troubler.
c) Their belief that no one would come to a music station for storm info anyway.

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Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.: Anything by Pat Conroy is worth a re-read! 'Cept his last one which stunk.

Bob Levey : Loved that last one (maybe it's because I'm a washed-up basketball star myself).

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Vienna, Va.: Bob ... can you tell us why, in the continuing debate over DC statehood, with the Constitution clearly prohibiting DC itself as a state, no one has come up with the idea of simply shrinking DC down to the Constitutional "enclave" of the Federal government by just including the Federal buildings downtown and the Vice-President's home on Massachusetts Ave.? The rest of the city would be ceded to Maryland ... Ward 3 to Montgomery County and the rest of the city to Prince George's. That way most of the city residents would have voting representation ... the Maryland Senators and Representatives.
Politically Ward 3 is very similiar to Montgomery County and the rest of the city is like Prince George's.

Bob Levey : That idea (known as retrocession) has been around for ages. It's getting some steam on the Hill. Levey column coming about this soon.

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Downtown, Washington, D.C.: Speaking of Rita Kempley. Is she still with The Post? Haven't seen a byline in ages!!!
Should you pass her in the hall, please send love from the "Unusual Suspects" gang!!

Bob Levey : Rita's still here, but she's not doing movies (or chats about movies) any more.
I'll send her your XXXX's.

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Capitol Hill, Washington D.C.: Book suggestion: Carter Beats the Devil by G.D. Gold. Me thinks you will love it.

Bob Levey : Nice suggestion.
Others?

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Arlington, Va.: I think Metro closed early to show the various governments who really runs this city ... Everyone had to close after them. They may run the city extraordinarily poorly, but they ultimately run the show.

Bob Levey : I doubt that, even a city of power-mad folk, Metro would be this power-mad

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Vienna, Va.: Why is Metro so lax about enforcing its no eat-and drink rules? Every day I see almost everything from water bottles to soft drinks to fast food to even full TV dinners being consumed on the trains ... sometimes even in plain sight of Metro Transit Officers who would rather yak with each other than do their jobs. And even those transit officers who DO their jobs ... there simply isn't enough of them to adequately police the system. So my question is: If the law doesn't let US, the people who DO obey the law, detain and hold those who DON'T, and the Metro Police either will not or cannot enforce the law, then WHY does Metro continue to keep this law on the books? We tried prohibition back in the 20's ... it didn't work. We tried 55 MPH speed limits in the 70's and 80's ... it didn't work. It is becoming more and more clear that this law is just not going to work either ... like the other laws I just mentioned, there are just too many scofflaws and not enough ALERT police.
In short, Dick White is just making a fool of himself with the present law as written.

Bob Levey : The only way to deal with this is to triple the Metro police force (never gonna happen)or insist that the kiosk attendants take an active role (should have happened years ago). You're right. It is so far out of control now that we may have reached "the tipping point"--where we can never yank it back to the side of cleanliness, orderliness and rectitude.

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Arlington, Va.: I hate to sound like I'm showing disrespect for the dead, but I wish Dan Snyder hadn't festooned his nearly departed father's initials on the Redskins' jerseys. Even if Pops was officially a minority owner, to me this seems, at best, like an exercise in vanity on Junior's part, at worst, an effort in PR to improve his image as a heartless son-of-a-you-know-what.

There's more than a small difference between the Bears wearing George Halas' initials and this.

Bob Levey : Danny Boy's sense of public relations needs work. Sure, it's his team, and they are his jerseys. But it was also his team when he charged $10 to park at the Skins' pre-aseason training camp--easily the dumbest move I've ever seen a sports owner make.

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State College, Pa.: Have you read "Scandalmongers" by Safire?

Bob Levey : No. Great suggestion. Thanks

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Arlington, Va.: The "enclave" idea will never fly because DC statehood's most vocal leaders are more preoccupied with being the first DC Senators than with the citizens of DC having full voting rights.

Bob Levey : Pure junk.
"DC statehood's leaders" number about 11 people, and none of them has ever shown the slightest interest in public office, including a Senator's office.
If DC had full voting rights today, you know who the first two senators would be?
Eleanor Holmes Norton and Clifford Alexander.
No question.
Do either of them strike you as madcap, feather-my-own-nest types?

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Maryland: I think the retrocession idea has a lot of merit. But, I would place one condition on the deal -- that we don't get Marion Barry.

Bob Levey : I'd love to see the constitutional justification for this. Last time I checked, anyone could run for anything, even a man as sad and as "done" as Barry.

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Arlington, Va.: I recall watching the weather newscaster from channel 7 with a wind speed device in his hand (before my power went out). He was tied to the building so that he wouldn't blow off, and those wind speeds and gusts were in the 30-40 mph range. If he had to be tied to the building so he wouldn't blow off when the wind hit 40 mph, surely it wouldn't be safe standing on an outdoor platform waiting for a Metro train to pull up. You can throw yourself in front of a train if you want to. Metro didn't want anybody getting killed on their tracks. I can't blame them.

Bob Levey : And you folks wonder why TV loves weather stories? So they can con people like Arlington into thinking that that poor weather dude was in serious danger of being blown off that building!
Come on, Arlington, get real. That was a TV stunt. That weathercaster wasn't in the slightest danger. And you fell for it!

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I agree with Bowie: Please move back to Fridays Bob. Your chat (as well as Lloyd's and Rita's) were great ways to finish out the week.

Bob Levey : I'll make the call to the super-cheese before the day is out.

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Washington D.C.: RE: "Do either of them strike you as madcap, feather-my-own-nest types?"

YES, to Ms. Norton.

Bob Levey : Why did I know that someone would post this?
Is this why Norton labors, year in and year out, WITHOUT EVEN HAVING A VOTE IN COMMITTEE? Do you seriously think she wakes up every morning, washes her face and says, "Don't worry, Eleanor, it'll all be fine when you get to be a Senator?"
You do a terrific public servant a total injustice, Washington.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Bob, I know your time is almost up but please, I hope you can sqeeze this in. First, there are two questions local officals must pursue with PEPCO and the other utilities -- the adequacy of their preparation AND a review of the grid structure to determine if it can be realigned to better avoid frequent outages. Second, is Doug Duncan missing in action? I heard nothing from him for the last week. And finally, have you notice that OUTAGE turns to OUTRAGE with only the addition of an "R"?

Bob Levey : Duncan has been all over the TV. Don't know what more he could have done. Remember that Pepco does not answer to county governments in any way.

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Bethesda, Md.: But would you want your grandmother standing on a metro plaform in rain and high winds?

Bob Levey : Since my grandma was built like me (and me like her), I say: She wouldn't have been in the slightest danger.

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Arlington, Va.: I hope that you realized as soon as you read your complaint about the power companies supposed slow reaction to Isabel. So are they supposed to haul in and house thousands of workers every time a blip appears over the Atlantic that could possibly develop into a storm?

And perhaps you've forgotten already that two repairmen died, possibly, as their kin's lawyers will probably argue, because the power companies were TOO eager to get started with the cleanup.
There's more than a small difference between the Bears wearing George Halas' initials and this.

Bob Levey : This one wasn't a guess. Pepco knew at least 72 hours out that Isabel was the real deal. That's enough time.

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The Farragut West morning kiosk response to food:: I asked the kiosk worker this week "Hey that guy with the hugh mug of coffee, should he be drinking it on his way to the train?"

Response:"Hey man, I could use some coffee too!"

I rest my case. Not only should they not have the rule, they should hire an entire new staff of kiosk workers that is more interested in our safety than checking out the ladies in the morning or chatting with their buds.

Bob Levey : Any kiosk worker who's this cavalier should be fired.

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Bob Levey : Back to slaving over a hot computer, gang (at least I have enough power to do it--we were out for 3.5 days--shaving by flashlight is not my favorite).
Thanks for hopping aboard

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