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There's a phone in your house and it's ringing. Somewhere in the world, something is happening
By adamg on Fri, 09/18/2009 - 3:46pm
Tomorrow, 25,000 phones across Boston will ring and people will pick up to hear Sam Yoon pleading with them to not hang up, because this is really Sam, live and in person, and please stay on the line for the city's largest ever teleconference: "They can ask questions or adjust their setting through the phone's keypad," Yoon's campaign assures us.
Meanwhile, and completely unrelated to the above, Tom Menino is crowing about his endorsement by the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, which cited "his strong leadership on environmental issues that affect both Boston and the Commonwealth."
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Comments
It's a little surprising
It's a little surprising that Yoon is insensitive enough to do this on Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year for Jews.
So good Jews won't pick up the phone, right?
Technically, observant Jews wouldn't pick up the phone on any Saturday. It's not like he's dialing up synagogues (I hope).
It still seems alittle
insensitive though. This is the first of our two high holy days. I do not want to be bothered when I'm trying to spend the day with my family celebrating the new year. I can understand the motivation behind it, considering he's grasping for votes, but if he really cared he could wait until after sundown tomorrow evening. Just sayin'!
Suggestion
Take your phone off the hook. That way you won't be bothered by anyone - including all those robocalls that the other candidates are doing. Have a great day with your family!
Disconnect the phone or turn off the ringer
Don't just take it off the hook. That will get you a loud obnoxious noise after a few minutes, and the phone company just might disconnect the line after that.
Technically, observant Jews
would arrange for somebody who isn't Jewish who just so HAPPENS to be picking up the phone once in a while, to check the dial tone, and if there happens to be somebody at the other end, well, what could it hurt to let you know about them?
Observant doesn't equal Chasidic
I'm quite observant, but not in a literal/orthodox sort of way. My phone was on today (except during services, because I'm not THAT PERSON), so friends could call or text and ask us to save them a seat, figure out dinner plans, etc., and so friends and family out of town can call and wish each other a good year. I generally answer my phone even if it doesn’t come up as someone in my phone, since it might be a friend who got a new phone or someone at temple who looked up my number. Regardless, Sam Yoon didn’t call me today.
In most instances I'm a big advocate for people setting their own boundaries rather than expecting other people to know them, but in this case, I think it's most relevant to compare this situation to the dominant group; would he have scheduled his teleconference on Christmas? If so, that's even more jackholeish, because it's disrespectful to even more people. In the case of Jews, we're a decent-sized group in this area, and our holidays are on most every mass-produced day planner. So yes, he should be expected to know that it's a jackhole maneuver to schedule it on Rosh Hashanah.
And jeez, now I'm stuck voting between Mr. I'm-gonna-call-people-on-the-holiest-day-of-the-year and Mr. I-think-white-mixers-go-with-dark-granite-countertops. I'd actually vote for Kevin McCrea if he had a chance in fuck of winning (and I meant that genuinely, taste in KitchenAid mixers aside).
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http://1smootshort.blogspot.com
With 4 days left before the
With 4 days left before the election, I doubt this is to be "insensitive." Probably more like, last chance to reach out to voters. I mean, Sunday is church day for a lot of people, Friday and Monday are weekdays, so ... not many options.
"crowing"?
Meanwhile, and completely unrelated to the above, Tom Menino is crowing about his endorsement by the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, which cited "his strong leadership on environmental issues that affect both Boston and the Commonwealth."
Mentioning an endorsement as "crowing"???? Your bias is starting to show more each day.
Ah, you know who I'm voting for?
Good. Could you let me know so I know which oval to fill in on Tuesday? I thought I hadn't decided yet, but you obviously know something I don't.
What's wrong with "crowing" about an endorsement? Where I grew up, it means "boasting." The fact that he has it right up there on his campaign Web site would suggest it's a bit more than "mentioning." As in he's proud of it. And, dare I say it, wants to crow about it.
Where I come from....
....that would be considered a backhanded compliment. Then again maybe I am more cynical and jaded then you are. Wow, just realized I might be more cynical then a blogger.....I need help.
Polling firm
Let us all know when you decide. It will be a good indication of where the undecideds are going.
Technology
Someone better explain this to Menino quickly. He hasn't even got voicemail in City Hall. And he thinks - according to his WGBH interview - that storing 10 million emails would take up more space than is in City Hall! Mr Mayor - they would all fit on a tiny hard drive - not an excuse for deleting public records!
Glad to see that Yoon is actually talking to voters - not like Menino who is happy to snub two voter forums in two days.
I'm sorry
The guy is either uncannily dense about some very basic concepts of technology, or he's playing dumb to abet a coverup.
I think it is a little of
I think it is a little of both. The IT guys in my company are always pleading with people to zip images and video and to try to control how much space we take up on the drives for creative purposes. The worst offenders are the same people who email everyone and IT to suggest we just delete emails instead of deleting pictures and video.
I can almost hear the IT guys head explode when he has to explain, AGAIN, how many normal emails it would take to equal one 2 megabyte image. I believe one of my coworkers has two copies of a video with slightly different angles and each one takes up as much space on the servers as every email we have ever received.
I have seen this elsewhere as well. Extreme ignorance in regard to how much space text takes up. I remember using an old floppy disk in high school and being able to fit hundreds of documents on it.
Menino is always out in the neighborhoods
While Sam is off raising money in some far away city and Flaherty is doing his law practice on the South Shore and in Rhode Island, Tom Menino is always there. He did Mass Vote's first forum, he may do future forums but he doesnt need to jump every time they do something.