In Beijing, China's capital city, they are testing a new kind of manhole cover to try and stop prolific theft of manhole covers on pavements and roads around city. Inventors in Beijing are currently trying to make manhole covers of non-metal materials so that they are no longer a temptation for theives. This is a huge problem in China where covers are sold as scrap for a few dollars but replacements cost over a hundred dollars each. Incredibly Beijing has more than 600,000 manhole covers and during 2004 city lost around 240,000 manhole and drain covers to thieves.

On a smaller scale but equally lucrative are British Road Signs. Go to Ebay and type in 'road sign' in search facility. Hundreds of road signs are on offer, many of them are copies but look closely and you could pick up a genuine and original bargain such as Trafford Road sign with current bidding at £30 and reserve not yet met. A closer look reveals traffic cones, village signs and other icons of Britain that can be found up and down country and which are often ignored by all but dedicated ebay entrepreneur who wanders around at night with his screwdriver and crowbar finding items of worth to advertise on ebay.

That clue could be found, whenever there was a moment, when Edith would have to put her foot down, and just say "No"

Edith Bunker could say "no"---better, more forceful, with a trunk full of meaning and true virtue. So much deeper, more profound than Condi ever could. See, here's thing.

Archie, like rest of us, wasn't always most moral guy. Didn't always make best decisions. Had some pretty screwy ideas about what made world work. And Edith would put up with about 98% of it. She'd nod her head, ask a question that would draw an audience laugh as we who were watching would share smug feeling of how much smarter than Archie we were. But Edith, Edith would just go along.

Until it got important. And when it got important---there was ALWAYS a moral, always a truth involved. Edith knew that all Archie's dumb blatherings in his own living room, didn't exactly pave way for social justice. But they were just him talking. And in 1970's as inherent sexism of 1960's was just starting to surface---there WERE no rich and powerful women executives like Martha Stewart to take scapegoating blame for Ken Lay's and Bernie Ebbers of world. And there certainly was no Condi. A predecessor in war crimes, Henry Kissinger. But no Condi.

There was just Edith.

And when Edith said "No." She meant "No"

No talking points, no spin, no Karen Hughes, a devil even more dangerous because she dresses as a soccer Mom in a mini van. Just Edith saying no.

And when Edith said, “no”. . . . .we listened.

When Condi says "no". . . we just watch.

4:46:12 PM comment [1]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © Copyright 2005 Roger Wright. Last update: 3/2/2005; 9:49:18 PM. February 2005 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Jan Mar