Asymmetrical Information

From the desk of Mindles H. Dreck:

The Stupid Week in Review: PC and Nanny-State Cannibalism

There seems to be no time in my week for blogging these days, but I did clip a few articles for comment.

Just Chop off the Noisy Bits
Tomorrow's Arts & Leisure section of the NYT features an article (oddly available in print but not up on the web site; Sunday update: here it is) entitled "Shushing the Symphony":

...a new regulation imposed by the European Union that reduces the allowable sound exposure in the European orchestral workplace from the present 90 decibels to 85. The problem is, a symphony orchestra playing full-out can easily reach 96 to 98 decibels, and certain brass and percussion instruments have registered 130 to 140 at close range.

(Here's a BBC version of the same story, and reason's 'brickbat' take is here, alleging this will make Mozart and Beethoven unplayable)

I've been a woodwind player in an orchestra with brass behind me (typically the low end of the brass section containing the much-feared bass trombone) and a guitarist in a jazz band. I can vouch for the occasional discomfort from blasts of high-volume noise, but my understanding was always that short blasts were not as damaging as constant loud exposure, such as from a pneumatic drill on a construction site.

Certainly the oddest aspect of the story is the reporter recounting how orchestras with earplugs have trouble modulating their volume, and the site of individual players inserting and removing earplugs somehow detracts from the performance. By all means! Let's use aesthetics as a reason to disallow the individuals affected from coping with the problem like this guy...

... but regulate aesthetics for everyone by limiting the dynamic range presented.

To be fair, Reason's take is flawed. The rule goes to average sound levels not instantaneous measurments, so it works like CAFE, affecting the avergae bombast of the programs presented. It will hardly effect 'Mozart and Beethoven' - that's all we'll hear, as it tends to have less dynamic range than the music of their successors. It's Wagner, Mahler, Stravinsky et al. that will appear only in on the same program with Cage's 4'33".

Nonetheless, this amounts to more nanny-state barbarism - leveled against part of the arts that typically enjoys subsidies.

"Eye Candy with a Brain"
In the New York Sun this week, an article appears about Thomas Lopez-Pierre, (scroll down for the full text of the article) who is putting together a private club aimed at "young, affluent black and latino professionals."

An e-mail sent to 5,000 prospective members listed just two entry requirements - they must be professionals and must pay $2,500 to join.

The requirements for women were more demanding: They must be college-educated, single and childless, under 35 years old, and they have to submit a "head to toe" photo.

"Today's successful men want what they call eye candy with a brain," the email's author and the managing partner of the Harlem Club, Thomas Lopez-Pierre, explained of the disparate qualifications. "If we're going to let women in for free, our goal is to attract some of the most beautiful women in the city."

I defend a private club's right to recruit membership as they please. In NY and NJ, however, only certain constituents can get action of this affirmative flavor.

Activist, Not Citizen
Finally, New Yorkers will be shocked to learn that Al Sharpton continues to get a free pass for conflicts of interest, inappropriate use of funds and non-existent accounting and ethics. Offenses that might preclude virtually anyone else from sharing the stage with other presidential candidates. 'Charlatan' is the adjective most have settled on for Sharpton, but it doesn't do him justice. In the world according to Al, being an 'activist' provides ethical exceptions aplenty:

In many ways, the campaign parallels Mr. Sharpton's personal and professional lives when it comes to finances, according to court, New York State and New York City records. Besides disclosing a history of staying in expensive hotels, flying first class and relying on limousine services, though, such records also reveal a series of judgments, lawsuits and tax debts.

....For instance, the National Action Network ran up a debt of $76,704.34 with 1-800-Limo-Center, a business based in Rochelle Park, N.J., which provided Mr. Sharpton with car service at cities around the country, said Howard Levi, a lawyer representing the car service. When the network failed to meet a court schedule to pay off the debt, a judgment was imposed. The remaining unpaid debt is about $30,000, Mr. Levi said.

Asked about the case, Mr. Sharpton objected only to calling the company a limousine service because, he said, he never rides in limousines.

If it's a 'car service' you don't have to pay. I'll have to tell my employer

The National Action Network also owes about $16,000 on a $25,222.83 bill from a conference it held at the Millennium Hotel in New York on Jan. 19, 2000, court records show.

The network also has a tax warrant against it for failure to pay New York State $15,446.31 in unemployment insurance. Christine Burling, a state labor department spokeswoman, said in a statement: "The Department of Labor reached out to the organization via telephone and we provided them with written notices numerous times, but have been unsuccessful in getting the National Action Network Inc. to take corrective action. As a result, the department had no choice but to issue warrants."

What was Sharpton's position on extending unemployment benefits? For thee, not by me?

Mr. Sharpton said this week that he was unaware of the unpaid taxes and had instructed his lawyer to straighten the matter out.

This year, a small travel agency in Manhattan filed a lawsuit against the National Action Network and Mr. Sharpton, saying that the network refused to pay nearly $200,000 for travel, including a trip Mr. Sharpton took to Sudan, plus interest. That dispute is also pending.

He visits terrorist-harboring states and runs out on the bill

Mr. Sharpton said he made about $73,000 a year from the National Action Network, and was vague about any other income, including cash "love offerings" collected at churches where he preaches....

...At least one of Mr. Sharpton's recent debts has been fully paid. After he failed to pay the $65,000 he owed to Mr. Pagones for defamation damages, his friend Percy Sutton, the former Manhattan borough president, came to his aid.

With interest, supporters organized by Mr. Sutton paid Mr. Pagones nearly $80,000.

I'm feeling the love. Just not declaring it...

...Mr. Sharpton's entertainment promotion company, Raw Talent Inc., was dissolved in 2002 for failing to file tax returns for 1991, 1995 and 2002, and not paying taxes in 1991, 1992, and 1995 through 2002, state officials said.

...Mr. Sharpton tried to deflect blame for his financial record by suggesting that he and many of the people around him were not financial experts, but activists who should be given some leeway in such matters.

What's a few missed years, when you're an 'activist'?

In general, the old adage about lying with dogs and getting fleas holds true. Whether you worship at the alter of the state or identity politics, they will eventually turn you boring, barbarous or bankrupt.

Posted by Mindles H. Dreck at January 10, 2004 2:13 PM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound links