Podcast Email #3

Hi Tom,

that last podcast was fine, you can make them as long as you want, but I was getting a bit frustrated listening to that listener's comments. I will keep my opinion of his comments to myself as I dont really want to argue over what is his opinion though.

Ebay bought skype, I just hope they dont change anything with skype.


With regard to the eyeblinking, I remember during the 1992 presidential debates, with Ross Perot, George Bush, and Bill Clinton one of the News channels analysed how many blinks each candidate made. I dont remember the exact statistics, but I remember Perot had the least, Bush was about normal, and clinton was off the scales.

on the subject of people donating to help the US, I heard on CNN that an old woman in lithuania donated her entire savings account, about 1000 dollars to help people in the US. I have not been to lithuania, but I have been to latvia and estonia, the average income 5 years about was about 100 dollars a month, so an old lady living there probably doesnt recieve that much on her pension. For her to give 1000 dollars, is like you or me giving 50000, 16 years ago, she wouldnt even be able to donate because she would not have been allowed to have contact with anyone outside the Soviet Union. Part of me is happy she can do this, another part of me is a bit embarrassed. Anyhow, I would like to buy that woman a plane ticket to new orleans next year for mardi gras.

I found a new podcast I listen to called a spoonfull of russian, it is a very short podcast for learning some basic russian, the woman is a russian living in New Orleans, but I was impressed because she continued to podcast and update her website even when she was evacutating.

the "how to spot a liar podcast" will be extremely interesting do you plan to play it on your podcast?


I cannot understand why if that Governer of louisiana was so dissappointed with the federal response, her website is covered with photos of her and bush, as if she alone managed to get the federal government to respond.

That mayor is now saying he did not use the buses in new orleans because there were no drivers. I dont buy that for a second. of the 30000 plus people in the superdome, there wasnt anyone with a bus drivers liscense? What did the plan call for? Did he even try? He could not get people to drive his own busses, but yet he was on tv demanding 400 private busses to be delivered from all parts of the US.
The whole things stinks. And now some democrates are saying that the federal government should not criticize the local government, but it is ok for everyone to criticize the federal? Seems a little hypocritical.

Well I am crossing off Louisiana as a state I could potentially live in. Any state that would elect people that incompetent is not the kind of place I would want to pay taxes to.

Anyhow, sounds like your truck has been troublefree for about 3 weeks now, that is the longest since I have started listening to your podcast in June. I hate jackrabbit drivers as well, especially the ones that pass you, and then get right in front and slow down. I always make a point to return the favor. If I dont retaliate, I figure they will just continue their behavior. Same thing with tailgating, if someone tailgates me real close I like to tap my brakes to let them see my brakelights, if they back off, I signal and move right, if they continue, I usually slam on my brakes and then watch their panic. Sooner or later this will come back to haunt me. but I am not one to hold back my impulses. ;-)

I hope you have smooth sailing to your next stop,

cheers,
axel

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Hey Tom,
Great podcast as usual. I usually can't sit and listen for 2 hrs of a podcast but you did a great job on that podcast. I listened to the whole thing. You need to quit Truckdriving and go into politics.....Oh wait....You say what's on your mind and your honest and you tell the truth.....No nevermind you would never make it.LOL. There were so many times you could of lit that Florida liberal(sorry can't remember his name) up on what he was saying, but you did such a great job speaking to him like a normal nice person with such great points. And I need to say he sounds like a great liberal that can actually talk about Bush without getting upset and start screaming. I love talking to people like him that you can really carry on a great conversation. Anyways you were talking on your last podcast about that little country that gave 100 million. Well Kuwait gave 500 million in oil products to the relief effort http://www.todayonline.com/articles/70490.asp. I guess there are some countries that haven't forgot what this great country has helped them with. Just thought I would let you know.
Thanks again.
Mike
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Hey Mr. WIles! I hope this message finds you in the arms of a beatiful hitchhiker in the back of your truck! Please excuse my trwisted snese of humor in advance. I read your article in the Spirit Magazine that Southwest Airlines gives to its customers before we potentialy slam into the side of a mountain either due to a liquired up pilot or for maintenance. Anyway I was really intriqued with the article and I want your advice and help. I just hit my 38th birthday and I have been unemployed for about a year after losing my mother and father. I was use to working 60 hours a week and managing 200 people for AT&T and went to being lucking to get a job for $10 per hour.
I have been considering trucking for the freedom and of course the money and the strip clucds right of the exit of course even though I would probably get rolled on my first encounter knowing my luck! ha ha
I need to know what are the major cost for operating you own truck , I know gas is higher that hell but most adds offer $1.00 per mile. So I was figurig 3 turns a month to California and back and making over $200,000 per year. I am in the process of trying school in shot hole Arkansas but I dont know if its the right school or not Maybe I will run into Mr. Bill Clinton , the smartest sumbitch in America and go into politics. I eventually wan to drive for Fed Ex or Averrit Express so I can be at home at night to keep my girlfriend from realizing I am a piece of shit. ha ha No joke she is a great woman! Anyway tell me what to look out for from a cost perspective in the event I get my own truck..

Gas, Insurance, Tires< Engine Work?
What does all that average a year??

I want to sitting on a cool million in 5 years and I think trucking is my answer!. I am in Nashville and close to Interstate 40 in the event you pass by and need a shower or a cold beer!
My phone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx.
I need expert advise since most people here on Rocky Top are full of shit which is sad to say! I hope to hear from you soon.
Terry

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Tom,

You've been doing a great job with your podcast.

I completely agree with your assessment of people "trading" their common sense for a piece of paper. Engineers, especially in the automotive design world, are terrible about this. My favorite statement about engineers is that they are over paid, over educated morons that are completely afraid of getting dirty. This was not always the case, but it has become an unacceptable norm.

I'd like your opinion on my belief that common sense isn't as common as the term implies.

On Chicago being the most corrupt part of Illinois, you are right on the money...the second most corrupt city in Illinois is Springfield. To take this one step further, Chicago is almost its own autonomous government-it has banned ownership of firearms since 1982 (I thought that the second amendment could prevent something like this, but that's what happens when people don't use common sense-they let the governnment do everything for them). The joke is that it's not the City of Chicago, it's the State of Chicago. Enough of this rant.

On the listener who thinks that the death penalty was banned in the Bible. I think that he needs to read the first five books of the bible, especially the book of Leviticus. Leviticus spells out many punishments for many crimes. One of those crimes is murder, and that is punishable by death. However, Leviticus also spells out that if someone kills someone accidentally or while they are defending their life or another persons life, death is an unacceptable penalty. I would like to see him actually read the Bible...the whole thing, not just the New Testament. I have to agree with some of his comments toward the end of his audio comment.

That's enough of my ranting, especially if this e-mail is read on your podcast.

Keep up the good work and stay safe,
Brendan

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Hi Tom
Just found your website,really enjoyed looking through it,i have been interested in trucks and the American way of life for as long as i can remember(i'm 39 now). Could you please send me any pictures that you take whilst out on the road. If you would like i will send you some pictures of some trucks from over here in England. My email address is thedevilshelper@aol.com,or you can reply to this address if it is easier for you(my girlfriends email). Look forward to hearing from you,and seeing some more pictures.
Regards
Andy Delves

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Whats up Tom? I just read about you in the Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine on my trip to Seattle and back to Las Vegas last week when I went to Bumpershoot (Seattle Arts Festival) with my mom and brother. I found your site and podcasts to be quite intriguing, so I decided to become a subscriber. A few members in my extended family has been truckers (Grandparents once owned their own trucking company), and on top of that, I am from a truckstop town. I have also been on a run from Barstow, CA. to San Francisco,CA. with my cousin in a big rig once, and I dug it! Good luck on the road Tom.

Doug Rogers
Barstow, California

P.S.
I am 29, married, and I have a 3 year old daughter, and a 11 year old son, and I am currently in community college (trying to become a college English teacher). I work at my buddies knive shop here in Barstow as well; it is called Discount Knives and Novelties.

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Tom,
Hi, Brian in Richmond, VA, have been listening to your podcast for a
couple of months and find them very enjoyable and help to pass the
time at my office. Like yourself, I am in the trucking industry but
on the LTL side. I am with Overnite Transportation (now part of UPS)
and deal with cargo claims / carrier liability issues. I do the
"bean counting" for claim related matters as well as aid in the
negotiating of liability agreements with our shippers. But I have
spent time out in the field on the docks and with our drivers. They
are the true backbone of our company!

So, how does carrier liabilty work in the transportation of reefer
loads? Also governed by the NMFC / release values? Does your
company also negotiate liability terms with your bigger shippers and
have pre-set tariffs for your smaller shippers, sort of like in the
LTL industry? Just curious.

Also, I've heard many stories of things that our drivers have seen in
other cars from the high vantage point on the road, some pretty crazy
things ! Care to share with your listeners some of the more crazy
things that you've seen looking down into cars while on the road??

Again, enjoy the podcasts, keep up the good work, and drive safely!

Brian Ezzelle
Richmond, VA
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Tom-

Hope you miss your date with Ophelia. Right now it's late Tuesday night, so I imagine you've probably made your delivery in SC and headed west to a safer area. I want to share an audio file that you can use in a future podcast if you want. We had a whole day to kill while the T/A worked on our truck, so I spent the time making a "special" song that uses audio samples from some of the noises I make straightening the trailer. I got the samples from our latest podcast and digitally altered them to produce some interesting effects. About halfway into the piece I added some synthesizers to "bring it home" so to speak. So you might like it, or you may say "that's interesting" as you reach for the delete key. I offer it free for you to use any way you like!

-Ken
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That was a great podcast (except for the
mumbling old fart you had in the middle talking
'bout worms and eyeballs). I'm sure tho' he was
extremely grateful for the exposure. :)

I really liked the music that fellow created...
pure genius, I think.

You certainly have given me some wonderful
exposure and it's greatly appreciated.

I've started thinking about some stuff to talk
about along the lines of perception... There are
some observations involving arm folding (which
hand is tucked) and hand clasping (which thumb
ends up on top). Maybe I'll come up with some
ego-identification stuff you might find useful
...turn you into a shrink maybe.

Thanks again.
the mumbling old fart

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Hi Tom,

My name is Vince and I live in upstate NY. I have listened to many of your podcasts and find most of them very interesting. Although, I am still trying to get through that mega cast you recently did! From your previous podcasts regarding the situation in New Orleans I have enclosed an article you might find interesting reading. I had wanted to send it to you sooner but I was out of town for a week and could not got it done! I see you live in NW Arkansas. My daughter and her husband had lived in Fort Smith from 2002-2004. We
used to visit them quite often when they lived there. I remember a couple trips we took to the Fayetteville area near you. I then read an article about how that area of Arkansas is one of the fastest growing areas in the US. This being due to a lot of Wal-Mart's Suppliers locating there to be near Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville. Keep those interesting podcasts coming!

Regards,

Vince

An Unnatural Disaster: A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the
Welfare State
by Robert Tracinski

It has taken four long days for state and federal officials to figure-out how to deal with the disaster in New Orleans. I can't blame them, because it has also taken me four long days to figure-out what is going on there. The reason is that the events there make no sense if you think that we are confronting a natural disaster.

If this is just a natural disaster, the response for public officials is obvious: you bring in food, water, and doctors; you send transportation to evacuate refugees to temporary shelters; you send engineers to stop the flooding and rebuild the
city's infrastructure. For journalists, natural disasters also have a familiar pattern: the heroism of ordinary people pulling together to survive; the hard work and dedication of doctors, nurses, and rescue workers; the steps being taken to clean up and rebuild.

Public officials did not expect that the first thing they would have to do is to send thousands of armed troops in armored vehicle, as if they are suppressing an enemy insurgency. And journalists - myself included - did not expect that
the story would not be about rain, wind, and flooding, but about rape, murder,
and looting.

But this is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster.

The man-made disaster is not an inadequate or incompetent response by federal relief agencies, and it was not directly caused by Hurricane Katrina.
This is where just about every newspaper and television channel has gotten
the story wrong.

The man-made disaster we are now witnessing in New Orleans did not happen over the past four days. It happened over the past four decades. Hurricane
Katrina merely exposed it to public view.

The man-made disaster is the welfare state.

For the past few days, I have found the news from New Orleans to be confusing. People were not behaving as you would expect them to behave in an emergency - indeed, they were not behaving as they have behaved in other emergencies. That is what has shocked so many people: they have been saying that this is not what we expect from America. In fact, it is not even what we expect from a Third World country.

When confronted with a disaster, people usually rise to the occasion. They
work together to rescue people in danger, and they spontaneously organize to
keep order and solve problems. This is especially true in America. We are an
enterprising people, used to relying on our own initiative rather than waiting around for the government to take care of us. I have seen this a hundred times, in small examples (a small town whose main traffic light had gone out, causing ordinary citizens to get out of their cars and serve as impromptu traffic cops, directing cars through the intersection) and large ones (the spontaneous response of New Yorkers to September 11).

So what explains the chaos in New Orleans?

To give you an idea of the magnitude of what is going on, here is a description from a Washington Times story:

"Storm victims are raped and beaten; fights erupt with flying fists, knives and guns; fires are breaking out; corpses litter the streets; and police and rescue helicopters are repeatedly fired on.

"The plea from Mayor C. Ray Nagin came even as National Guardsmen poured in to restore order and stop the looting, car-jackings, and gunfire....

"Last night, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said 300 Iraq-hardened
Arkansas National Guard members were inside New Orleans with shoot-to-kill
orders.

" 'These troops are...under my orders to restore order in the streets,' she said. 'They have M-16s, and they are locked and loaded. These troops know how to shoot and kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary and I expect they will.' "

The reference to Iraq is eerie. The photo that accompanies this article shows
National Guard troops, with rifles and armored vests, riding on an armored
vehicle through trash-strewn streets lined by a rabble of squalid, listless people,
one of whom appears to be yelling at them. It looks exactly like a scene
from Sadr City in Baghdad.

What explains bands of thugs using a natural disaster as an excuse for an orgy
of looting, armed robbery, and rape? What causes unruly mobs to storm the
very buses that have arrived to evacuate them, causing the drivers to drive away, frightened for their lives? What causes people to attack the doctors trying to treat patients at the Super Dome?

Why are people responding to natural destruction by causing further destruction? Why are they attacking the people who are trying to help them?

My wife, Sherri, figured it out first, and she figured it out on a sense-of-life level. While watching the coverage last night on Fox News Channel, she told me that she was getting a familiar feeling. She studied architecture at the Illinois
Institute of Chicago, which is located in the South Side of Chicago just blocks away from the Robert Taylor Homes, one of the largest high-rise public housing projects in America. "The projects," as they were known, were infamous for uncontrollable crime and irremediable squalor. (They have since, mercifully, been demolished.)

What Sherri was getting from last night's television coverage was a whiff of
the sense of life of "the projects." Then the "crawl" - the informational phrases flashed at the bottom of the screen on most news channels - gave some vital statistics to confirm this sense: 75% of the residents of New Orleans had already evacuated before the hurricane, and of the 300,000 or so who remained, a large number were from the city's public housing projects. Jack Wakeland then gave me an additional, crucial fact: early reports from CNN and Fox indicated that the city had no plan for evacuating all of the prisoners in the city's jails - so they just let many of them loose. There is no doubt a significant overlap between these two populations - that is, a large number of people in the jails used to live in the housing projects, and vice versa.

There were many decent, innocent people trapped in New Orleans when the
deluge hit - but they were trapped alongside large numbers of people from two groups: criminals - and wards of the welfare state, people selected, over decades, for their lack of initiative and self-induced helplessness. The welfare wards were a mass of sheep - on whom the incompetent administration of New Orleans unleashed a pack of wolves.

All of this is related, incidentally, to the apparent incompetence of the city government, which failed to plan for a total evacuation of the city, despite the knowledge that this might be necessary. But in a city corrupted by the welfare state, the job of city officials is to ensure the flow of hand-outs to welfare recipients and patronage to political supporters - not to ensure a lawful, orderly evacuation in case of emergency.

No one has really reported this story, as far as I can tell. In fact, some are already actively distorting it, blaming President Bush, for example, for failing to personally ensure that the Mayor of New Orleans had drafted an adequate evacuation plan. The worst example is an execrable piece from the Toronto Globe and Mail, by a supercilious Canadian who blames the chaos on American "individualism." But the truth is precisely the opposite: the chaos was caused by a system that was the exact opposite of individualism.

What Hurricane Katrina exposed was the psychological consequences of the
welfare state. What we consider "normal" behavior in an emergency is behavior that is normal for people who have values and take the responsibility to pursue and protect them. People with values respond to a disaster by fighting against it and doing whatever it takes to overcome the difficulties they face. They don't sit around and complain that the government hasn't taken care of them. They don't use the chaos of a disaster as an opportunity to prey on their fellow men.

But what about criminals and welfare parasites? Do they worry about saving
their houses and property? They don't, because they don't own anything. Do they worry about what is going to happen to their businesses or how they are going to make a living? They never worried about those things before. Do they worry about crime and looting? But living-off of stolen wealth is a way of life for them.

The welfare state - and the brutish, uncivilized mentality it sustains and
encourages - is the man-made disaster that explains the moral ugliness that has swamped New Orleans. And that is the story that no one is reporting.

Source: The Intellectual Activist Daily (tia.com)- September 2, 2005
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Hi Tom,

I really enjoyed this podcast on how to spot a liar, I plan to listen to it several times and make some notes and then see if I can use it.
I dont know how accurate it is, but I like to know if someone is full of s?#$%t. for me, I deal with people in a language that is foreign to me, or they are speaking a language that is foreign to them, so I pay a lot of attention to body language to determine if something is being lost in translation, or just BS.

I thought a little about it, and I thought there must be an audio version of this subject. in other words, if there are clues you can hear when talking on the phone.

Turned out Itunes latest version did have some bugs so those problems I experienced last week had nothing to do with my pc setup. thank goodness for ghost.

I put 100+ photos of my boattrip 2 weeks ago in the oslofjord. took 5 minutes to upload and create the gallery.
I could probably delete 30 or so more but for now I will just leave them there.

drive careful in ohio, they are known for speed traps.

I have been reading about rear projector tv's, I think when I do finally get one, I will get one with DLP technology, the nice thing is, when you replace the bulb, your are effectivly replacing everything, unlike lcd where the "lcd" element is separate from the bulb.

also, if you get one, get one with a "DVI" input, this is the new video plug, that lets you connect a pc and use it as a monitor. then you can sit on the sofa check emails, upload podcasts, skype, etc while haveing the split screen with tv programs on.

in about 3 weeks or so, the tempurature will be close to freezing at night so I have been busy trying to get my car ready.

Going to moscow next month for a few days to visit some girlfriends.

I hope everthing is going well sounds like your truck is pretty reliable this month.

10-4
axel
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Tom,

I hope everything is good with you. Boy that sure was a long podcast the other day!

Just a curious question...Have you driven through any of the affected areas from Hurricane Katrina in your travels or are they routing you around those areas? If so, are there any impressions you would like to share?

Also, any idea how many listeners you currently have? What happened to "The Digital Offramp" podcast? Is it still being produced? I liked it a lot.

Hmmmmmm. I guess when I changed over to iTunes for my podcast
subscriptions I lost that one.

Your friend,

Dennis Guten
Dallas, TX
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I just watched cnn interview that James lee guy that the governor of louisiana hired to basicly tell her what to do, I have never seen anyone blink so much, it was a constant, 2 blinks a secound execept when he talked about how the money will be spent, his eyes fluttered.

They still havent picked up on the fact that the governor paid his firm a half a millon dollars last year to develop a disaster plan.
oh well, I dont ever plan to visit that state.

10-4

axel
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