Posted by Robert Nagle on 02 Oct 2008 at 1:29 pm under Personal
I’m back from my Europe trip. It was a great trip, and I still haven’t gotten settled in, and I’ve been a little sick.
I just wanted to mention that I edit a blog/journal called Teleread with David Rothman. David had a heart attack last week, so I’ve been busy managing things there (and it will probably be that way for the next few weeks). Because I expect to be posting more frequently on Teleread over the next few weeks, posting on my personal blog will be less frequent. If you want, you can check the teleread posts written by me. (Nothing of note there yet, but by next week, there will be).
Posted by Robert Nagle on 29 Sep 2008 at 6:53 am under General
I’m back! Here’s what’s new:
I had a fantastic time overseas. I’ll be dripping with details over the next few weeks, but none for now.
I lost 8 pounds over the course of my trip, accelerating my weight reduction goals. I started out at 220 in the middle of June. 3 months later, I’m at 197 (which blows my mind!). According to BMI standards, not being overweight (i.e., being under 25 BMI) occurs once I reach 184 pounds. Realistically though, I had targeted 190 as an optimum weight. The key question is whether I can keep the pounds down. Although I expect my weight to increase slightly over the next week or two (adjusting to the more sedentary lifestyle of the US), I don’t expect major problems. Because I’ve committed to weighing myself every day indefinitely, I won’t ever let things slide. (Yes, I still keep my strange campaign page as my home page at work and home). Ironically, the last time my weight was 197 was in 1997 or so.
My stolen car was reported found last night. It is almost as though the robber was waiting until after my Europe trip to return it.
Apparently, Houston experienced a meltdown with its power grid during the hurricane. (Apparently my family was thrown into complete disarray for at least a week, and we were one of the lucky ones). I still can’t believe it. Is the Houston power grid really that vulnerable to shutdown? Hey, if someone is looking for a place to spend an extra 700 billion dollars, infrastructure seems like a good place as any (so does green technology).
I am happy to report that my Panasonic TZ5 camera (with video capability) works great! It’s a great travel camera.
yesterday, I rode my bike around southwest Houston to run errands and when I came home, I swam for 30 minutes! That’s a reason I love this city.
On Wednesday, The New York Times on the Web flashed a headline that caught my eye: “U.S. to Unveil $1 Billion Aid Package to Repair Georgia.” Wow, I thought. That’s great: $1 billion to fix Georgia’s roads and schools. But as I read on, I quickly realized that I had the wrong Georgia. We’re going to spend $1 billion to fix the Georgia between Russia and Turkey, not the one between South Carolina and Florida. … But where are our priorities? How many wars can we fight at once without finishing even one? Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and now Georgia. Which is the priority? Americans are struggling to meet their mortgages, and we’re sending $1 billion to a country whose president behaved irresponsibly, just to poke Vladimir Putin in the eye. Couldn’t we poke Putin with $100 million? And shouldn’t we be fostering a dialogue with Georgia and with Putin? Otherwise, where is this going? A new cold war? Over what?
That’s why the Palin choice was brilliant politics — not because it rallied the G.O.P.’s shrinking religious-right base. America loves nothing more than a new celebrity face, and the talking heads marched in lock step last week to proclaim her a star. Palin is a high-energy distraction from the top of the ticket, even if the provenance of her stardom is in itself a reflection of exactly what’s frightening about the top of the ticket.
Although I usually get my news via blogs like Matt Yglesias (who basically covers all the bases) and Nicholas Kristof, I still go for Franch Rich and Thomas Friedman. I’m aware of the criticisms of Friedman (the bias toward the anecdotal and pro-globalization), Friedman still is good at identifying the disconnects between goals and reality and pointing out where American politics fail. Rich I go for entertainment (I admit it), and Kristof I go for profound insights. Speaking of which, am I the only one to accidentally click on Bill Kristol’s links under the assumption it has to be Nicholas Kristof.? Annoying.
Posted by Robert Nagle on 01 Sep 2008 at 1:36 pm under General
Wow, a scandal involving Bristol, the daughter of Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin. Here are two comments by people on NYT (most of the comments there are inappropriate and tasteless, but I found two good ones).
Comic. “Am I the only one thinking of Juno ? the movie, not the Alaska capital”.
Social Policy. “If this seventeen year old girl marries the father, she will no longer be covered under her parents’ health insurance. I hope very much that she will have the health insurance that so many other Americans in the same situation would lack”.
My perspective. It’s unfortunate that this had to become a political event or distraction. I really don’t have problems with any of this (except perhaps the timing). As a 42 year old man who never had a chance to become a parent (and probably never will– unless my luck radically changes), having a child a little early in life doesn’t seem to me like such a tragedy (especially when the parents are college-bound). I have met many women in their 30s and 40s who have profound regrets that they never had a chance to have children. Perhaps some might have wished they went through their teens and early adulthood a little less cautious, a little more risk-taking and –yes–pleasure loving. Yes, Bristol and her husband start out at a disadvantage, economically speaking. But so what! Is a good income all that matters? My own mother was a baby making machine in her twenties, having 4 children before the age of 30 (she married at 21). Now she’s in her 60s. She has done a great job raising family and has been very successful. Was having 4 children in her twenties irresponsible? Who knows? Europe (and to a lesser extent USA) face a declining fertility rate because of deferred pregnancy. Choosing to have a family sooner rather than later might in fact be a desirable social policy.
One myth of the sexual revolution is that humans have absolute control over biological processes; really, can’t we still allow a little bit of randomness to enter our lives? Bristol’s decision to start a family probably was not conscious (even though her decision to have sex certainly was). All we have shown here is that teenagers like to have sex and that if faced with the consequences a number of them will opt for marriage. Time will tell how happy they will be. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
This is not a subject I normally get excited about, but two days I bought the most incredible tennis shoes! Skechers has some incredibly stylish and comfortable shoes.
Question: How do you know if a pair of tennis shoes has been made in China? Check for a picture of the American flag or the words “USA” on the box.
I always am pleasantly surprised to discover a new local journalist or blogger. How easy it is to be distracted by national or international news stories and forget that interesting things are happening in your own backyard.
“People would say he’s the only individual who could afford his own state agency,” said McDonald. “They say his political donations actually resulted in the creation of the Texas Residential Construction Commission.”
The commission was advertised as giving customers a place to sort out problems with faulty builders before going to court. Just last week, a sunset advisory committee recommended shutting down the commission.
“It (TRCC) has been a failure. It really supports the home building industry and doesn’t support consumers,” Mc Donald said.
Apparently Megan Crouch’s mother has made a website about the injustice surrounding Megan’s case. Apparently, Megan was abused sexually at an early age by her stepdad. Even though the mother reported it to the police in Ascension Parish in Lousiana and even though the girl gave videotaped testimony, and even though the stepdad was arrested, and even though charges were filed, the man was set free after bail was paid by his mother. She writes:
In January 2005 we moved to Kentucky. We decided that we were going to make a fresh start. Megan wanted to put the past behind her and move forward like a normal little girl her age. I agreed but also explained to her that we still had the upcoming trial. She said she understood but until that day she wanted to move forward without having to think about everything in the past. The DA’s office would schedule the trial and we would receive the summons for court only to be told days before the date that it had been canceled. This went on about 5 times. Each time this happened, my little girl was scared to death to face him in court and would work her courage up for it only to be let down again. It was devastating her.
I was told by the courts that I had to let my ex see my youngest daughter because there were no charges against him for her, only my older daughter. I was forced to drive to Louisiana once a month for a two hour supervised visit with my youngest. Of course, I had to take both children to the visitations. I couldn’t leave Megan home alone. She had to endure taking her sister to see HIM! I was also told I had to let him call my house to speak to my youngest regularly. Megan sometimes answered the phone and had to hear his voice. I had no way to stop his calls or visitations. It was silently killing her and I didn’t realize how bad.
In January of 2007 my ex didn’t show to reschedule the next trial date and a bench warrant was put out for him. The police and the DA’s office had his home address, all phone numbers, and his work address. He was never picked up. Instead, he has been walking the streets possibly molesting who knows how many other children.
If this weren’t bad enough, this is how the mother was treated after Megan’s suicide:
My ex called again a few nights later (Robert adds: after the suicide) and told me I was violating a court order by not letting him talk to Regan. When I told him she does not want to talk to him because of what happened to Megan his response was, “Megan didn’t shoot herself because I molested her.” He has accidentally admitted it to me on several occasions by things that he says when he’s angry. After he called, his mother called stating that I was violating a court order. My husband told her that until her sick son was put in jail NO ONE was talking to Regan. Her response was, “There isn’t going to be a trial now, charges will be dropped - Megan is dead!” After she called his sister called screaming that we were being rude to my ex and her mom! HELLO! WHAT DOES SHE EXPECT!?!
I received a letter on the 25th of July regarding an upcoming “Status Trial” for August 28th at 9am. I took off work and drove down to Louisiana only to find out they had sent me the wrong papers. It was for another man with the same name. I sat in court for two hours to find this out. I met with the prosecutor on my case while I was there and found out that the bench warrant that was supposed to have been issued in January of 07 had NEVER been signed by the judge before it was filed with the court house. Another mistake made regarding the whole situation. Maybe if things had been done right from the beginning and my ex had been forced to stand trial within a reasonable amount of time then my daughter might still be here. I truly believe she needed closure and needed to see him go to jail for what he did. Waiting so long for justice silently destroyed her.
Personal Note: I stumbled upon this youtube video quite by accident and another video by one of Megan’s friends. It is a shocking video to see because the presentation of facts is so straightforward. I have looked very skeptically at this video (as I do all Youtube videos claiming to be true). The basic facts check out about Megan’s death check out (see this obituary and this obituary). Also, I have exchanged a few emails with the mother, who seems credible and reasonable (as reasonable as you’re going to find under the circumstances). I have not talked with her nor have I met her, nor have I verified that these charges did occur nor have I made an attempt to hear the other side of the story. But it’s hard to believe a person would go to all this trouble to stage this kind of story. This story sounds very credible.
Here is the problem. Megan’s mom is predictably outraged by how the DA office refused to prosecute the child abuser. She is outraged that the DA office kept telling Megan that the trial would come, and then it never did. Based on the mother’s account of events, Ascension Parish’s DA office deserves a huge amount of blame for the hell they put the daughter (and her family through).
Once again, we are presented with these questions: a Louisiana man is charged with sexual abuse of a child. Why has it taken 4 years for this case to go to trial? Why should he have the right to see the other daughter (when there are allegations he abused her as well). Why is this man still free?
Posted by Robert Nagle on 29 Aug 2008 at 7:14 pm under observations
A little while ago, I posted my travel itinerary on this weblog. I noticed that I could google that URL pretty easily. (All I had to do was google Robert Nagle Europe trip). That seemed plausible. This time, however, I just typed Robert Europe trip (no quotation marks), and my link appear as the number one link. Wow, am I the only person named Robert who has ever traveled to Europe? Attention, Mr. Scobelizer, Redford and Zemekis, I got dibs on Europe. Don’t ever go there or blog about it!
(Update: unfortunately my Europe trip means I’m out of pocket until September 27. I haven’t had time to go into much detail. When I have a free moment, I definitely will).
I closed this account by paying the balance in full as quoted by the customer service rep. (She quoted an amount higher than the current balance, saying that some interest changes hadn’t been factored in).
I sent an email to them confirming my request to cancel the account. I received an email confirmation from a HSBC representative. So what happened?
HSBC added $7 to the $0 balance, and when I protested, they added $20 late charge. I have sent these guys 3 certified mails. Here is what I have gathered:
They simply do not read their email (negligence as a matter of corporate policy).
Their contact/email form has been broken (except for the first time I tried). Incompetence bordering on negligence.
They made it next to impossible to obtain a copy of the original legal agreement to know exactly what the agreement is. (Deceptive trade practice).
They accepted a counteroffer I made and then refused to admit that they did this. Hey, guys, I have the check as evidence! (dishonesty, deceptive trade practice).
They failed to follow the terms of the counteroffer which they agreed to.. (deceptive trade practice).
You may ask, why did I have to resort to send certified mails and counteroffers? The plain fact is that they never responded to a single correspondence of mine; I had no choice.
Now they are ruining my credit report. Every month they award themselves the right to impose a fee of $20. Now it is $120. I know they don’t have the right to this. And if someone with half a brain were to look over the facts, they would be inclined to agree.
I have dealt with many unscrupulous banks and credit companies. So far AT&T and Citibank are the worst. (Chase and Amalgamated Bank of Chicago are too excellent credit card companies). But what HSBC has done in the last 6 months to me is much worse than all the banks combined.
Here is where it gets interesting. This time, after having been burned once or twice, I know how to keep notes punctiliously. The facts are on my side, and I am determined to seek damages from HSBC, whatever the cost.
If you have other HSBC horror stories to relate, feel free to relate them here.
