25 MAR 05: LET THERE BE DARKNESS
Once the sun sets and the moon comes out, some people might find it scary to go outside and run in the dark. I usually don't. After all, I don't carry a wallet with me - though maybe I should, to hand out dollar bills to beggars who stop me.
The last couple of weeks have been unusually challenging for nighttime jogging. I join the Riverwalk at Golden Park, but crews have been regrading the railroad tracks running past the park for months. If I want a "rocky road," I'll go to the store and buy ice cream....
But beyond the railroad tracks, the stairway from Golden Park to the Riverwalk has had no working lights for weeks. Perhaps people aren't supposed to use them, because of the railroad work. But barricades around the tracks are tipped over, and even blocking one side of the stairs - so should I think a wide-load rail car knocked them over?
The stairs from the Civic Center to the Riverwalk have two bright lamps, one on each side. I resorted to using that stairway when I ran Wednesday night. But Thursday night, I dared to use the Golden Park steps - semi-jogging down the four flights with a hand next to the handrail, probably looking like Grandpa Jones dancing on "Hee Haw."
Thankfully, I went downstairs slowly enough to avoid tripping over the stairs. But I certainly didn't feel comfortable about it. I'd rather wait to have those limping moments after I turn 80, thank you....
Running north from Golden Park, a couple of lights also are out along the Riverwalk at the Trade Center. It's almost enough to get me to start carrying a little flashlight - even if some people think I'm a Crime Scene Investigator.
Are runners like me going to have to get used to this? After all, Columbus is considering big city budget cuts - so burned-out light bulbs might have to go unreplaced. But then again, couples who use the Riverwalk for late-romance may be hoping things grow even worse....
It occurred to me Thursday night that Columbus voters merely are getting what they asked for, if Riverwalk lights stay out. They rejected a new one-cent sales tax last November -- and many public safety backers probably would argue they were "in the dark" back then.
I hope I'm wrong, and the lights soon are back on throughout the Riverwalk and its stairways. After all, there are advantages to a well-lit city. Some pilots might fly over us, and actually consider giving the Columbus Airport some business.
The appeal of well-lit cities especially is noticeable when you're traveling in the open countryside. The first time I drove into a small Oklahoma city to take a job in radio, the nighttime city lights were visible nearly ten miles away on the prairie. It felt welcoming - and amazingly, none of the lights were from strip clubs or casinos.
SPAM-A-RAMA: Speaking of the dark side -- hopefully you've noticed we accept PayPal donations for this blog. Perhaps as a result of that notice, we received this message the other day:
You have added plasm_seller@yahoo.com as a new email address for your PayPal account.
If you did not authorize this change or if you need assistance with your account, please contact PayPal customer service....
T h a n k y o u f o r u s i n g P a y P a l!
T h e P a y P a l T e a m
"Plasm Seller?" I don't sell plasm. I've never bought any plasm. My mother wasn't even a plasm-Ma.
This e-mail offered a link to "PayPal customer service" which I will NOT post here. The address looked like a secure web site with "https" on it, but the link actually was for an address full of numbers and a look-alike PayPal page. It was an obvious scam -- obvious to me, at least. If the web page has no banner ads, that's immediately suspicious.
A check of the real PayPal web site revealed NO new address on my account named "Plasm Seller." So there's another lesson for you Internet lovers: don't trust any people claiming to sell plasm. They might be as slimy as protoplasm.
This e-mail was the latest sneaky example of attempted identity theft, known as "phishing." These messages are growing so devious and subtle, you can understand why the rock band "Phish" broke up - to protect its reputation.
E-MAIL UPDATE: Another e-mail in our InBox was legitimate - and our third in recent days from attorney Maxine Hardy. This time, it has nothing to do with that discrimination lawsuit she won over the owners of WRBL:
Dear Richard:
Do you have a day job? This is not a strategic question, I'm just curious. Why do you post to the blog in the middle of the night?
Since you seemed a little thrown by my earlier affectionate closing [21 Mar], I'll be a little more circumspect:
Respectfully, M
Uhhhhhh - can I refuse to answer these questions, on the grounds they might incriminate me?
I actually had a "day job" Thursday, doing freelance work at a TV station. When the station needs me, it calls me - sometimes for one day at a time, sometimes for weeks or months. I think lawyers face the same sort of thing. It's called the first year out of law school.
As to why I post "in the middle of the night" - I could give you a variety of answers:
1. No one seems to object to the Ledger-Enquirer publishing after midnight.
2. I'm trying to live up to the stereotype of the "blogger in his pajamas."
3. By writing and posting the blog right before bed, I can go to sleep with a smile on my face.
Search around the "blogosphere," and you'll run into some bloggers who post ten or more times a day. I prefer to combine all my thoughts into one issue a day. I suppose it's because I've been a journalist for years -- and besides, I'm much less likely to be sued if I think before I post.
The early-morning hour of this post reflects several things: a full day of work, a run after getting home -- and to be honest, I watched some really good college basketball playoff games Thursday night. The Big 10 team won, while the Big 12 teams lost. But remember, the Big 12 Conference still knows how to count to 12 teams.
Now other things to wrap up a good Friday - and some of us consider ALL Fridays good:
+ Fort Benning had a parachute jump to mark the 60th anniversary of the biggest airborne operation of World War II, called "Operation Varsity." Many people who live in Atlanta nowadays probably think this is the code for a trip to buy hamburgers.
+ A party marked the premiere of a new weekly bilingual Columbus newspaper. On one side is "The Courier" for African-American readers. On the other side is "Eco Latino" for Hispanic readers. This apparently opens the door for the "Phenix Citizen-News" to offer a Columbus version for white folks.
(Hmmmm. "Eco Latino" - is this title a subtle reminder to recycle all your newspapers?)
+ The Georgia Senate approved that bill an e-mailer mentioned to us the other day, allowing for secret donations to public state colleges. Columbus Senator Seth Harp explained some donors prefer to be anonymous. The rest, of course, get seats between the 30-yard-lines at University of Georgia football games.
(Hey, here's an idea -- why not split the difference on this issue? Let secret donors make donations, but require them to have pseudonyms. Then maybe Georgia Tech could have a "Mr. Wrestling Number Two" physical education building.)
+ Columbus State University Vice President Martha Saunders was named a finalist for Chancellor at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. She's obviously prepared to make this move - as the "Chattanooga Choo Choo" could start at the railroad station Burger King near C.S.U.
(Martha Saunders is one of four finalists for this job. I think the final test should be how fast the candidates can say "Chattanooga Chancellor" without tripping over their tongues.)
+ Alabama basketball star Kennedy Winston announced he'll skip his senior season, and turn pro. I wish him well - but I also wish he'd explain why his parents put his last name first, and his first name last.
+ Instant Message to Auburn University: Did I hear it right - you're helping market an upscale Italian pork product called "porchetta?" Did you put a fancy name on it, so Ed Richardson won't consider it "pork-barrel spending" and cut it?
COMING THIS WEEKEND: I'm ending a long boycott.... and my "coverage" is called into question....
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