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Speaking of service—we feel like an Andy Rooney routine. One day
this week LOBO had a brief power outage caused by an HL&P
transformer burning in the alley. This was the second fire for this
particular transformer this year. And both*times it mysteriously
knocked out our air conditioning. Now HL&P denied any
responsibility, as though it was just one of those coincidences that the
transformer burned and our air conditioning just happened to stop
working—twice.
Ever try talking to a giant utility? About anything? And do you think
they cared? All of us are helping them pay for that giant nuclear plant
but will they return the favor? And we foolishly thought "customer
service" meant providing service to the customer.
At LOBO we preach to our employees to provide friendly, helpful
service to our customers Oust don't get that cranky old man who treats
the business like it were his own). The big department stores, according
to the press, are attempting to rediscover service. This at the same time
franchise food chains seem to specialize in mumble disservice.
Has anyone noticed the sad state of service at Kroger's on
Montrose?Most of the clerks seem to be plotting against management
and the youthful managers hardly inspire confidence. Yet across the
street at everyone's Walgreens we've never met an unfriendly clerk.
Not that we get around that much but if there is an award for all-around
friendly service it should go to the crew at Charlie's. Waiting tables is
no fun job but these guys make the most of it. And, after all, they always
get my eggs right.
It was bound to happen. Since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld
Missouri's new abortion law that also left standing the preamble of that
law, to wit life begins at conception. Now a woman in Kansas City,
convicted of forgery, is serving a term in jail. And she's pregnant. So
now she's suing the State of Missouri for false imprisonment of her
fetus. After all, the state says the fetus is life, and that life is being
confined without due process. Frankly, being Missouri-born, we feel the
state is getting just desserts. Let them figure this one out and get back
to us later.
News is news, but it also depends where you read it. Last Friday, one
of the Houston papers, relying on a report from the Washington Times,
reported that Craig Spence, a central figure in that Washington call-
boy scandal, was arrested in New York on gun and cocaine charges. He
supposedly told the Times he was dying of AIDS and planned a suicide.
Also, according to this story, he was reduced to begging and sleeping in
Central Park. Spence, as you may recall, was the one who arranged a
late-night tour of the White House for a few of the guys of the evening.
The New York Times saw the story a little differently. Also on Friday,
The Times reported Spence's arrest and the same charges. There the
stories part. According to the New York Times, Spence called the
police to report that a man in his room had just robbed him of $6,000.
When the police arrived they found Spence and Casey Ragan, 22, of
Brooklyn, whom Spence had met on Times Square. Need we say more?
What is interesting is that Spence called the police, they arrived to
find both men in the hotel room with Spence holding a gun (thus the
charge of criminal possession of a gun) and allegedly Ragan had used
the gun to rob Spence. Oh yeah, and they found a small amount of
cocaine. Ragan was not charged.
The Washington Times, which is owned by the Moonies, was the only
paper Ronald Reagan would read, and originally broke the male
prostitute story, seemed to have overlooked Mr. Ragan and the $6,000
(there was no further mention of the money). The New York Times
never heard of the planned suicide or the declaration of AIDS.
But they both got the charges right and ran nice photos of the
accused. Stand by for later developments.
Back in our old stomping grounds, Dallas, District Attorney John
Vance recently went after the two dailies there when they reported that
around one-third of drug-dealing convictions in 1988 resulted in
probation. Vance appeared before a press conference crying foul and
produced figures that only "35.5 percent" received probation. How
those reporters will play loose with the facts. And then Vance pointed
out that some of those probations were granted by judges, not all by his
prosecutors. Of course, in May 1987, Vance had vowed that his office
would not grant probation to drug dealers. But then, the office of
district attorney is elective, and none of us expect elected officials to
always mean what they say.
LOBO Presents Jeff Striker in his
newest epic
The much awaited appearance of Stryker in an
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hottest star.
Powerful
II"
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