This has nothing to do with food. It may have to do with the politics of computer software companies and it may require theology to resolve. It is more a rant about what happens to the innocent end user when no tech support wants to accept responsibility.
I get my Internet service through Comcast. At the time I signed up, I transferred all my email to Comcast. I also have a gmail account because I often have trouble getting my comcast email. Today was one of those days. I got email this morning on my comcast account, but, this afternoon is a lost cause. I cleared my history because that is always the first thing tech support asks you to do. Still no email. Ultimate answer from lengthy exchange on Comcast Live Chat? It is a Foxfire problem. Use Internet Explorer because we have demonstrated you can get your email on Internet Explorer. Or contact Mozilla to fix their problem that prevents you accessing your email using their browser.
After a long wait for Firefox Live Chat and a brief, very unproductive interaction, the answer, contact Comcast because they have a problem.
Real end result? The end user has a problem. Use a browser you do not want to use or give up on all the folks who wanted to contact you.
Back in the day, companies would bend over backwards to help you get your work done because they realized you had alternatives. Now we have very little that passes for customer support and a lot of tech support that will blame anyone they can.
In a failing economy, perhaps this tech support experience is an indicator of an underlying problem. Companies exist to take your money, not to provide a service or even assurance that their product will function as advertised. The employees are insecure about their employment and unwilling to do anything beyond their minimum. End users get frustrated and rush to any alternative that promises a solution. In the end, companies lose customers and customers distrust companies. Could this be part of the reason companies are failing?
If you want to reach me by email, send it to my gmail account. It works!
Update: I have no idea what happened, but my Comcast email reappeared. The comments about customer service and the end user being caught in the middle stand.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
What I Asked My Congressman
Here's the message I send my Congressman. Pity I started it the way I did, but I do doubt that anything I say will make a difference to my Congressman.
My insurance company will spend thousands of dollars on people looking for ways to not cover my health care costs and raise my rates to cover unnecessary employees. My health care costs are higher because doctors have to hire people to push the insurance companies to pay for the things they say they cover. Those are far greater costs over time than lawsuits when a doctor tells a patient that a pain is all in his/her head and, when the patient gets a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, sues to recover some of the costs insurance did not cover. We need to look to France and Great Britain and even Canada where the health care costs are lower and the quality is as good or vastly better. The Republican line is an outdated look at Canadian health care before they got the bugs out of the system with scary stories about long delayed health care. Fact is, those scary stories exist everywhere and there are more of them in the U.S. than in most other countries, particularly if you consider the many working poor who have no health insurance at all.
Isn't it a pity that the scare tactics are working again?
==============================
Update:
Received an email from my congressman supposedly responding to my email. Clearly, given what I said in my email, it was a canned response including the following lovely response to my anti-insurance industry comment:
So glad I had some influence on my Congressman -- not! Let's promote and support the health insurance industry that has my family paying more than $600 in copays this month alone!
I realize you are a Republican and this email is probably a waste of my time. However, I am one of your constituents and I have definite opinions about health care. I'm a baby boomer and my husband is just a couple of years older than a baby boomer. Like most people our ages, we have been looking forward to retirement. Unfortunately, retirement looks to be almost impossible. I do not work outside the home and, with the economy, my job prospects are a bit skimpy! My husband can not retire because our health insurance is through him. Sure, he can buy health insurance unless the lump in his neck is cancer. Then we will both be in a position of being uninsurable because of pre-existing conditions.Our high health care costs are not exclusively the result of lawsuits and making it harder to sue if your doctor commits malpractice will not help appreciably with health care costs. Somewhere, somehow, Republicans determined that the majority of the attorneys representing people in health care related law suits vote Democratic and they are determined that Democrat lawyers are the root of all evil. That is just not the solution.
Our health care situation is out of control. Insurance companies control what procedures doctors can order and what medications doctors can prescribe. Frankly, I don't think the government can be any worse. Did you know that there are two preparations for a colonoscopy, both cost the same amount, one forces the patient to drink a gallon of nasty tasting liquid but is covered under insurance, the other requires the patient to drink just 1/2 gallon of nasty liquid but costs the patient $50?
I am sure you know we have one of the most expensive health care systems in the world (considering all funding sources including private insurance) and that we rank 37th or worse in quality of health care. There is no reason we cannot have the best health care in the world and still save health care dollars, but it will require that everyone work together. What I see on the news and read in the Congressional Record (and yes, I read it) is one party trying very hard to improve this country and another party saying no. Please, Representative Coffman, say yes to your constituents who want health care reform; not tort reform, but real dollars in the pockets, health insurance cards in the wallets health care reform. Don't worry about the insurance companies, they will learn to compete or they will fail. Worry about the people who live in your district and want changes in how we do health care in this country!
My insurance company will spend thousands of dollars on people looking for ways to not cover my health care costs and raise my rates to cover unnecessary employees. My health care costs are higher because doctors have to hire people to push the insurance companies to pay for the things they say they cover. Those are far greater costs over time than lawsuits when a doctor tells a patient that a pain is all in his/her head and, when the patient gets a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, sues to recover some of the costs insurance did not cover. We need to look to France and Great Britain and even Canada where the health care costs are lower and the quality is as good or vastly better. The Republican line is an outdated look at Canadian health care before they got the bugs out of the system with scary stories about long delayed health care. Fact is, those scary stories exist everywhere and there are more of them in the U.S. than in most other countries, particularly if you consider the many working poor who have no health insurance at all.
Isn't it a pity that the scare tactics are working again?
==============================
Update:
Received an email from my congressman supposedly responding to my email. Clearly, given what I said in my email, it was a canned response including the following lovely response to my anti-insurance industry comment:
Government can play an important role in fostering the continued prosperity of the private health insurance market and the valuable services they provide. No doubt, government has a role to play in taking care of those who cannot take care of themselves by providing a safety net via the Medicare and Medicaid programs. I support tax incentives for individuals to purchase private health insurance. This would be equivalent to what a business receives for enrollment of their employees. By providing this relief, we can expand health insurance to more Americans while also protecting the free market's ability to compete over your business.
So glad I had some influence on my Congressman -- not! Let's promote and support the health insurance industry that has my family paying more than $600 in copays this month alone!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The Perfect Mojito for Dianne
When she heard I was headed for an open house at a bartending school, Dianne Draper asked me to learn to make the perfect mojito. Here, Dianne, is the answer from Tom Lucas at Estrela.
Four good size lime wedges go into the mixing glass before you tear four or five leaves of mint.
Tom says tearing the leaves is crucial. One visitor at the Estrela open house said she did not like mojitos, but was shocked at the difference when the mojito is made with fresh mint leaves.
Muddling squeezes the juice out of the limes and marries the juice with the mint.
The rum comes next.
Some simple syrup,
Lots of ice,
a spritz of soda water, garnish with mint and lime and you have a magnificent mojito!
Four good size lime wedges go into the mixing glass before you tear four or five leaves of mint.
Tom says tearing the leaves is crucial. One visitor at the Estrela open house said she did not like mojitos, but was shocked at the difference when the mojito is made with fresh mint leaves.
Muddling squeezes the juice out of the limes and marries the juice with the mint.
The rum comes next.
Some simple syrup,
Lots of ice,
a spritz of soda water, garnish with mint and lime and you have a magnificent mojito!
Estrela Bartending School
I like a good mixed drink every now and then. I used to be a G&T kinda girl. I had a daiquiri flirtation for a while, but I just couldn't stop worrying about the calories. Robert's something of a margarita connoisseur, so I've shared quite a few of those in his quest for the best margarita in Colorado. My current mixed drink of choice is the gin martini and it is a hard thing to find. That said, it never occurred to me to wonder how the bartender learned his or her craft.
About a week ago, I got an email from a friend inviting me to an open house at his new bartending school. Tom Lucas was manager of the Cherry Creek Grill for a while and still lovingly describes some of the signature dishes there. I knew he loved food, but we'd never discussed mixology. Turns out Tom can mix a drop dead gin martini!
He did a respectable margarita for Robert.
Robert's comment was good, but not the equal of the Original Margarita. In Tom's defense, Robert didn't order an Original Margarita, the recipe for which is:
Margarita (1948 Original)
* 1 oz. Cointreau
* 2 oz. Tequila, white
* 1 oz. Lime Juice
The true authentic margarita invented by Margarita Sames in Aculpulco in 1948. Shake with ice and pour into a coupe glass with a lightly salted rim.
Estrela has two classrooms, one is a classic bar for the mixology classes.
The other has comfy couches, tables and such and will be used for wine appreciation classes, wine and food pairing instruction and other enrichment classes. And, none of my pictures did it justice. Sigh...
So, Estrela is going to be quite an interesting place with two general categories of instruction. The first, and main, purpose is preparing people in the art of mixology. Tom has an appreciation for the whole experience, the wood smoke that draws a diner into a restaurant, the fun antique game on the bar that attracts a patron to order a second drink while mastering the game, the well-told story (ask him about the Al Hirt poster in Jillian's office across from the bar). The second purpose for Estrella is enrichment -- Wine 101, food pairing, and such. These classes are a relatively inexpensive $50. I'll be signing up for the food and wine pairing very soon now!
About a week ago, I got an email from a friend inviting me to an open house at his new bartending school. Tom Lucas was manager of the Cherry Creek Grill for a while and still lovingly describes some of the signature dishes there. I knew he loved food, but we'd never discussed mixology. Turns out Tom can mix a drop dead gin martini!
He did a respectable margarita for Robert.
Robert's comment was good, but not the equal of the Original Margarita. In Tom's defense, Robert didn't order an Original Margarita, the recipe for which is:
Margarita (1948 Original)
* 1 oz. Cointreau
* 2 oz. Tequila, white
* 1 oz. Lime Juice
The true authentic margarita invented by Margarita Sames in Aculpulco in 1948. Shake with ice and pour into a coupe glass with a lightly salted rim.
Estrela has two classrooms, one is a classic bar for the mixology classes.
The other has comfy couches, tables and such and will be used for wine appreciation classes, wine and food pairing instruction and other enrichment classes. And, none of my pictures did it justice. Sigh...
So, Estrela is going to be quite an interesting place with two general categories of instruction. The first, and main, purpose is preparing people in the art of mixology. Tom has an appreciation for the whole experience, the wood smoke that draws a diner into a restaurant, the fun antique game on the bar that attracts a patron to order a second drink while mastering the game, the well-told story (ask him about the Al Hirt poster in Jillian's office across from the bar). The second purpose for Estrella is enrichment -- Wine 101, food pairing, and such. These classes are a relatively inexpensive $50. I'll be signing up for the food and wine pairing very soon now!
Dinner before Zen
Some of us in the Adult Ed program have developed a delightful ritual of dining together before our experiences of various faith traditions. Before our visit to the Zen Center of Denver, we couldn't resist a restaurant in the wonderful Highlands neighborhood of Denver that is rapidly developing a reputation as a foodie mecca. We settled on Highland Pacific and we were not disappointed. I wish I had taken a picture of the Artisan Cheese Plate that my friend across the table ordered because it was just the epitome of cheese plate with the fruit and nuts garnishing the plate -- very rustic and appealing.
I wanted the Pasta Primavera
but I couldn't resist an order of carrot fritters served on a bed of apple cabbage slaw.
The pasta was classic with pea pods, asparagus, mushrooms and red peppers dressed in a light olive oil. The carrot fritters belew me away! The hint of cardamom was incredible and the spicy dipping sauce really turned this into a reason to drive half way across town! It is pretty much typical of me to enjoy a dish, then go home and replicate it with my own twist. Highlands Pacific Carrot Fritters are a dish I don't want to improve, I just want to eat again and again and again...
We were a large group, requiring two pictures to record:
I wanted the Pasta Primavera
but I couldn't resist an order of carrot fritters served on a bed of apple cabbage slaw.
The pasta was classic with pea pods, asparagus, mushrooms and red peppers dressed in a light olive oil. The carrot fritters belew me away! The hint of cardamom was incredible and the spicy dipping sauce really turned this into a reason to drive half way across town! It is pretty much typical of me to enjoy a dish, then go home and replicate it with my own twist. Highlands Pacific Carrot Fritters are a dish I don't want to improve, I just want to eat again and again and again...We were a large group, requiring two pictures to record:
From the Bells of Hindu to the Zen of Buddhism
After all the bell ringing and chanting of the Hindu Temple which so intrigued us a few days earlier, the Zen Center of Denver was, well, Zen. Lorraine Heth was a dream to work with as we prepared for the experience. She gave us valuable basics like what clothing to wear. Sensei Ken Morgareige embodies all the calm and tranquility one might expect of a Zen teacher. He gave us many insights about meditation positions as well as answering all our questions. One question he probably gets a lot was "How do you know what to think about in your meditation" The answer? "Most people count breaths."
It seems much of the enlightenment one associates with Zen Buddhism comes from consideration of a series of questions done in preparation for a meeting with one's teacher. Ken led us through the process as part of our tour. While we were developing some stiff muscels learning the positions of meditation in the Grand Zendo, some members of the Center were practicing a discipline of Zen in archery, a concept that intrigued several of us. We got to see some of that going on in the course of our tour.
The journey from our meal to the Zen Center always slows some of us down, but most of us gathered for a picture at the entry of the Zen Center.
The building's history is an interteresting story. Completed in 1927 for the Christian Scientists, it is rumored that Mary Baker Eddy was present for the building dedication.
It seems much of the enlightenment one associates with Zen Buddhism comes from consideration of a series of questions done in preparation for a meeting with one's teacher. Ken led us through the process as part of our tour. While we were developing some stiff muscels learning the positions of meditation in the Grand Zendo, some members of the Center were practicing a discipline of Zen in archery, a concept that intrigued several of us. We got to see some of that going on in the course of our tour.
The journey from our meal to the Zen Center always slows some of us down, but most of us gathered for a picture at the entry of the Zen Center.
The building's history is an interteresting story. Completed in 1927 for the Christian Scientists, it is rumored that Mary Baker Eddy was present for the building dedication.
Friday, July 17, 2009
RIP Walter Cronkite
America's Most Trusted Man told the news of my life -- JFK's assassination, Martin Luther King Junior's assassination, Bobby's murder, the space program, the Vietnam War. All the major stories of my youth were covered by Walter Cronkite who was a find journalist/anchor. Nothing ever happened until Walter Cronkite told us about it.
We didn't always have a TV, but, even when we didn't have a TV, I remember the entire neighborhood gathered around someone's black and white television absorbing the information that Walter Cronkite had to impart.
When I decided to go to journalism school, Walter Cronkite was my model. Not that I planned on a broadcast career, but he was, first and foremost, a journalist.
He informed a country of crucial information. He calmed a country torn to shreds by three successive assassinations in the mid to late 1960s -- two Kennedys and Martin Luther King Jr. He soothed our fears through race riots and wars and threats of wars. He chronicled the space program.
R.I.P Walter Cronkite!
We didn't always have a TV, but, even when we didn't have a TV, I remember the entire neighborhood gathered around someone's black and white television absorbing the information that Walter Cronkite had to impart.
When I decided to go to journalism school, Walter Cronkite was my model. Not that I planned on a broadcast career, but he was, first and foremost, a journalist.
He informed a country of crucial information. He calmed a country torn to shreds by three successive assassinations in the mid to late 1960s -- two Kennedys and Martin Luther King Jr. He soothed our fears through race riots and wars and threats of wars. He chronicled the space program.
R.I.P Walter Cronkite!
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