A while back, I had an email exchange with a chap who was deleted from (e:strip) for spamming his realty business advertisements on the site. I wanted to post this before, but I guess I was just being lazy. Well, here it is. I think this person totally deserved the severe comments, and no response from me, but I realized this too late.

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This was my original comment:

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Dear uptownevolutio,
tinypliny commented on journal #41785:

<

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m(0_0)m

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FYI, I am not planning on moving to Charlotte anytime in the next 1000 years. I am not sure this is a right group of people you need to be targeting. Most of the people here are firmly rooted in Buffalo.

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m(0_0)m

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>

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In reply, he wrote:

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Thanks for your kind words and support. Ummmm.... really, I deal with people from the Buffalo area on a weekly basis relocating to Charlotte for something called jobs...... But the smile on my face must be from all the people Not moving from Buffalo/Upstate NY. Oh well..... It's comments like these that I laugh at on my way to the bank. Enjoy your deep roots in Buffalo. I guess everyone has a place and I am glad you found yours. Enjoy it.

Best,

Scott Russo
Broker/Realtor
Center City Realty
704.421.0706 direct
704.358.0050 office
<charlotteflight2@aol.com>

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I ignored this, but then he wrote again...

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On 10/30/07, Scott Russo Broker/Realtor Center City Realty <charlotteflight2@aol.com> wrote:

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> I am not sure this is a right group of people you need to be targeting. Most of
the people here are firmly rooted in Buffalo.


I have been truly busy this last week but wanted to send you some info. I did some research as to how many people are so firmly rooted in Buffalo. It seems you have topped the list of the most people moving from your area for the last decade from 1990 to 2000. Congratulations!

My guess is that it could be related to the rise in crime since 1999. I mean after all .... you only have double the amount of crime in your small city as the average city in the US.




City Residents
1980: 357,870
1990: 328,175
2000: 292,648
2004 estimate: 282,864
Percent change, 1990-2000: -10.8%
U.S. rank in 1980: 39th
U.S. rank in 1990: 50th (State rank: 2nd)
U.S. rank in 2000: 69th (State rank: 2nd)
Density: 7,205.8 people per square mile (2000)

Truly,
Scott Russo
Broker/Realtor
Center City Realty
Charlotte, NC USA
704.421.0706 direct
<charlotteflight2@aol.com>

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I was really tired that day and somewhat irked by his last email when I wrote my reply. Some of my "facts" were skewed, but it was very liberating to type away wildly without thinking about the consequences, for a change. :)

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Hi Scott,

Thanks for the statistics. I have no reason to doubt it at all. I know that Buffalo is a dying city. There is a lot of crime in the city and employment rates are at a record low. Add to this equation, appalling mismanagement on the governance front and sky-rocketing taxes. I am sure that, given this rather bleak scenario, moving to Buffalo or staying on in poverty and crime is not the dream of most people around the US.

When I made that comment in your journal, I wanted to balance, what I thought were somewhat harsh, comments left on the journal by some of the other (e:strip) people. I truly apologize that my comment didn't strike the right chord, and instead sounded negative and patronizing. When I said that I was not sure that you were targeting the right group of people I meant the regulars on (e:strip). I do know for a fact that most of them are really quite attached to the place. Jim and James, for instance (the people who commented) are seriously considering buying a home in Buffalo.

Many of the regulars on (e:strip) have been here for a long time and a large chunk of them own their homes around Elmwood, Downtown Buffalo or in the suburbs such as Amherst and Kenmore. Moving is not a option for them because they have families and relatives here. More importantly, they have secure paying jobs or are attending graduate school/doing research.

I am not aware of the official policy of advertisement on (e:strip), but I am confident in saying that advertising is not the focus of the community and is generally looked down upon. The concept behind the creation of the (e:strip) site was to build not only a close-knit online community but also to transcend barriers of anonymity to bring neighbours together. It is a complete non-profit both in sense, and in vision, run by Paul Visco - the creator. It is quite clearly a labour of love.

We at (e:strip), are not just online personas, we are almost a family. Almost everyone knows everyone else by their real name and occupation. We meet at frequent get-togethers and exchange views and ideas. While being close-knit, estrip also welcomes new members. However, we strongly prefer that new members take the site personally, and respect it for what it is, a family of friends. Naturally, we feel more than a little irked when new members use the public forum for advertisement or for private gain.

I came to Buffalo about 5 months back for my Ph.D. research, and I have to admit that (e:strip) was one of the major factors that made me feel at ease in a new city and in a new neighbourhood. My move and transition to a new community was almost effortless. I was made to feel welcome by almost all of the (e:strip) family. I deeply regret that you did not have a similar experience and faced bitterness, instead. I am sorry for rambling on and on, but I wrote this letter in an effort to illustrate the feelings of (e:strip) regulars and an explanation of not only my comment, but also the reception that you unfortunately received.

I am sure that you are still most welcome to post at (e:strip). However, we do ask that you treat us as your family, and not hurt us by treating us as your prospective clients for future profit.

Cheers,
TP

cc: Paul Visco, Vision, Design and Creation, Estrip.org

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Future spammers better take note and edge away quietly, before you are detected and decapitated!

I think this has something to do with living on the fifth floor. My homeostatic regulatory mechanisms are striving to balance this unnatural elevation. The result is, I spend most of my time at home, on the floor. I don't have any desire to get a bed and I am quite happy sleeping on the floor. Apparently, the homeostatic powers have decided that this level of floor-loving is not enough. I now need to sit, read and work on the floor. So here I am, lusting after this oh-so-chic low table.




This would totally match the decor in my flat. I happen to have set of black drinking mugs. There are, however, some impediments to this homeostatic plan. The low table is a designer table and it's sold by a European outlet - both of which might shoot up the cost. But wait, maybe I should get this alternative:




How fortunate that I also happen to have set of chopsticks to grace this table, should I end up buying it. It's sold from Toronto, but the cost is still prohibitive, what with the Canadian dollar rousting the US of A dollar. Perhaps, I should go the authentic Japanese way and get a Kotatsu. I could then kill two birds with a single table. The table comes equipped with a space heater - to heat the space under the table so that your big toe doesn't ever freeze.




I might save big on accessories! I already own a laptop, a drinking bottle and a quilt.

Though the law of homeostasis demands that I get one of these tables, the law of penury demands that I ward off this urge and get back to the journal article that I am reading and finish it without making any more fuss about tables and floors. After all, what good is an unfrozen toe if the rest of the important parts of your body have gone through the freeze and thaw cycle several times already??

... for some plums to ripen. I bought them more than a month back at Guercio's. Usually, I just eat them, ripe or not. But I remembered Paul and James wax eloquent about the merits of ripened plums at the Garden Walk Party and I decided to give ripening a try. I got the special ripen-your-pear-plum-peach bag from Wegmans, kept the plums carefully in the bag and waited.

And waited... and waited and waited, till I could wait no longer.

Today, I checked them out and they had metamorphosed into shrivelled PRUNES!

I was somewhat hesitant to try them out but I am super-glad I did. They are just absolutely DELICIOUS! I am in Prune-Heaven!

Moral of the Story: Patience pays rich and rocking dividends!

Cheers!

Seeing as how video-responses and audio-responses and general responses-in-kind are the rage on the web, this is a pseudoscientific photoresponse to Paul's blog on pagers, posted yesterday. ((e:Paul,41990)).

Objective and Hypothesis:
Using the same model, setting and variables, I think a plausible answer to Paul's bewilderment at Roswell's persistence with seemingly outdated technology, is an unswerving commitment to fashion.

Study Design:
Observational, Cross-Sectional (a.k.a snapshot).
Controlled setting: Roswell Buildings
Controlled model (constant): (e:imk2)
Variables: Accessories

Methods:
Apparatus: 3.2 Megapixel Fuji
Statistical Methods: Bivariate Prevarication

Results:

Pay special attention to the duplication of accessories, the "big and bold" theme and the evident delight of the Roswellian. After statistical testing, the following observations are seen to be statistically significant:

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(a) "Big and bold" is beautiful. (p value*: 0.0008, CI: Big, Huge#)

(b) Like history, fashion trends repeat themselves. (p value*: 0.003, CI: Repeat twice, Repeat Six times^)

(c) Fashion might be directly associated with gratification, and thus happiness (no matter, how transient) (p value*: 0.04, CI: Smile, Maniacal Gurgling Laughter%)

(d) Good things come in doubles (p value*: 0.045)@

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Legend:

• p-value: prevarication value

1. The Zero (or Null) being - "Normal" on a continuous scale from "Really tiny" to "Ginormous"

^The Zero (or Null) being - "Remains same" on a continuous scale from "Doesn't repeat at all" to "Repeats infinite times".

%The Zero (or Null) being - "A Neutral Look" on a continuous scale from "A Scowling frown" to "Maniacal Howling Laughter".

@Analysis included categories such as:
-- "Good things come in singles"
-- "Bad things don't come at all"
-- "Good things don't come at all"
-- "There is no such thing as a good or a bad thing (reference category)"


Discussion and Key Conclusions:
Roswell recognizes the fashion needs of its esteemed employees and thus results (a) and (b) are robustly matched by the institution in the form of old fashioned "big and bold" themed pagers. Though, results (c) and (d), barely reach statistical significance, Roswell goes an extra mile to ensure that even these "barely there" fashion needs are met by (i) forcing committed Roswellians to have a minimum of two pagers and (ii) putting them in situations where they are required to smile, no matter what the circumstance (or the weather).

Limitations:
Ha, this study is perfect. Stop looking for faults, you nitpicker!


Public Health Significance:
This study demonstrates the acute mental health needs of the estripper who authored this manuscript.

Conflict of Interest:
The author of this manuscript is the recipient of a bag of sweet sweet candy from one of the "constants" in the study, i.e. (e:imk2).

References:
Visco P. et. al. Text Pagers and the Wegmans Parking Lot . Estrip.org; ((e:Paul,41990)): 2007, Sep 05.

I just need to remember that it was beautiful here, once upon a summer.

Hope I don't fall off the make-my-own-lunch wagon this time around. It just takes 5 minutes, but it's so hard to get up 5 minutes early. Now that the extra hour has factored in, I am hoping to psychologically kid myself by not changing the clocks. Thus, theoretically I would wake up an hour ahead. Heheh, I love this little wicker gate to future insanity.

(e:libertad), you really just need a lunch box with a lid, like this one:


(My lunch last Friday.)

Thanks to (e:jbeatty) in more senses than one...

All hail Lebanese cooking! Since this delightful little dish has an unpronounceable Arabic/Lebanese name, I decided to be more than a little inspired by beatty's book and blog.

... is my own! New and improved, with 75% less fat and 1000% more happiness.




Recipé:
Place a high fibre pita bread (available at wegmans) on a plate.
Layer with thinly sliced tomatoes.
Layer with chunks of cheese curd cheese (from Guercio's)
Layer with sliced red onions
Sprinkle with dried basil and oregano
Layer with a generous dose of red chillie powder
Layer with sliced capsicum/bell peppers.
Sprinkle a generous dose of salt.

Pop into microwave and cook on high for 10 minutes.
File this recipé under the generic classification of "relatively healthier fast food".

A view of the gorgeous skies, from my flat window!

My department had a spate of office moves recently and enough trash was generated to choke a small island off the coast of the Caribbean. On persistent prodding of the maintainence staff, secretaries and other people in power, I finally came to the most appalling conclusion that Roswell does not have a recycling plan!

Yes, all those recycle bins in your offices at Roswell are a psychological device for employees so that we can go on living in bliss and believe that we are recycling all those reams of paper, cardboard, plastic and glass!

For an institute battling cancer, this is most unacceptable behaviour. Worse is the deception of its employees by placing dummy recycle bins whose contents will be dumped into general trash when the employees go home.

I am going to make an official complaint to Dr.Trump. Can other concerned Roswellers please make the effort to make a complaint too? Your voice can be crucial to force the institute to be more environmentally responsible and stop polluting Buffalo's landfills with totally recycle-able trash.

Thanks!