Thank goodness the bar is open again. Thank you, b, for all your work to keep it open and keep it fascinating and so very informative.

Posted by: jawbone | Jul 24 2015 15:50 utc | 3

Yes, indeed, b. Thanks for putting up with the nonsense of typepad. What are they doing? Trying to drive away their customer base so they can shutdown operations … not be bothered any longer with business? Or do only some ‘special’ accounts get abusive treatment? Your treatment at their hands is certainly a negative advertisement for their (dis)services.
At any rate, thanks for persevering. I look forward to your posts and to others’ comments as well.

Posted by: jfl | Jul 24 2015 16:55 utc | 5

How about a fundraising drive toward the goal of a site upgrade? Closing down threads after 15 or so replies is kinda lame. But be that as it may … b. your work is appreciated. Don’t go changin.

Posted by: Some Guy | Jul 24 2015 19:02 utc | 7

thanks b for keeping the site up.

Posted by: Noirette | Jul 24 2015 19:20 utc | 9

Since it happened second time (on my watch), I knew that “closing comments” is simply a problem with internet provider.
However, the hope that “organization are learning entities” is strange in the light of topics discussed here, since the resistance to learning is a major common issue. In private sector it is simpler than in politics: what is more expensive, “learning” or letting things to be as they are? For example, IQ of customer service may drop to single digits when you try to explain that the company owes you some money.
For example, once I overpaid my credit card. I asked to get a refund, I got it but the transaction was recorded twice, so my credit balance of 50 dollars changed into 50 dollar debt (and 50 dollar check). I ignored the debt as “obviously absurd”. Two years later the debt was cancelled, but I never managed to explain that they should also cancel the interest on that debt.
Additionally, it takes a lot of effort to train customer service representatives living in Maharashtra etc. to speak with American accent, so there are no resources to additionally trained them to solve problems. Instead they have a bunch of scripts, and if you are lucky, a script fits your situation. If the problems persists on regular basis, some group in downstate Illinois or on Allegheny Plateau will tackle the issue few years later.

Posted by: Piotr Berman | Jul 24 2015 20:38 utc | 11

Organizations/corporations do not hire the sharpest sticks in the basket. Profit margins are designed to keep employees poor and the good ones (hopefully) move on because the pay is shitty. It is called capitalism …
I worked for years as a librarian … in a variety of educational institutions. There coaches are preferred in order to have activities for kids … a euphemism for keeping their grades up artificially and their spare time away from learning. Learning is bad … it wouldn’t take long for kids to out learn the adults in the system. Therefore, keep ’em distracted, with apparently good grades to keep the mommies at bay. If possible, turn them into mindless consumers … with a heavy emphasis on mindless.
So, is it any wonder that the provider has poorly trained people working for them: poor dumbed down victims of the oligarchy?
Anyway, in a society like ours, if you want good service you can be an oligarch with layers of yes persons to make things work … or you can persevere against stupidity.
Yes, the LG does equal LIBRARY GUY.

Posted by: Rg an LG | Jul 24 2015 21:02 utc | 13

b, I would send you a check if you give me an address, but, preferably I would like to use my debit card.

Posted by: okie farmer | Jul 24 2015 21:08 utc | 15

Some people make their mistakes with other people’s money: http://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalresearch.ca%2Fbuying-countries-no-capital-controls-for-oligarchs-billionaire-warren-buffett-buys-greek-island%2F5463874&h=KAQGejENP&s=1

Posted by: Chipnik | Jul 24 2015 21:24 utc | 17

Sorry to read about your techie payment problem.
I also want to thank you for your postings and having a place to share my textual white noise against our inherited overlords and the sick social system they perpetuate.
I would also contribute by check if given snail mail address.
Keep up the good work.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 25 2015 0:52 utc | 19

GOODIE, more therapy b, thanks!

Posted by: ben | Jul 25 2015 4:01 utc | 21

OT but I can’t resist.
On Friday in Tokyo they unveiled the emblem for the 2020 Olympics and touted it being 5 years to the day before opening.
Within months it was clear from information available on the internet, if you looked, that 2 if not 3 of the nukes at Fukushima in 2011 had likely breached their containment protection. I commented at the time at another blog that I seriously doubted that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would take place at Tokyo and wondered how it would unfold.
Here we are in 2015, more information is available confirming that 3 nukes have escaped containment, fishing on US West coast is shut down recently as Pacific Ocean bio-catastrophe unfolds and denial marches on.
Let me repeat today here, the 2020 Olympics will not take place in Tokyo. Any bets?….just joking
I just keep wondering what event will overcome the complacency brainwashing of the existing organizational structure and precipitate major social upheaval? It certainly seems to be coming but I want to believe that maybe more than it being a reality. I also want to believe that good change will come from social upheaval. However, we just may get increased repression into extinction rather than the opportunity to socially organize without the centuries old inherited wealth class system and try to repair our relationship with our spaceship earth. I just keep believing we can do better as a species and want the opportunity to try.

Posted by: psychohistorian | Jul 25 2015 6:54 utc | 23

b:
Just to be sure, is typepad’s payment system secure enough and could some hacker be messing with typepad? You’re a rare source on the internet. It would be a loss if some hacker found devious means to shut you down.

Posted by: Rusty Pipes | Jul 26 2015 23:23 utc | 25