Elseposts 

Retrospections 

The upstream connection here at the hotel (in Tampa, near the airport) is nice and fast, so I was able to upload several hundred pictures from the just completed Geek Cruise to this photoset at Flickr. They're not in order, and I don't have time to rearrange them, but meanwhile they do indulge my astonishment at the beyond-Vegas decor of the otherwise terrific Carnival Miracle cruise ship. Which I do highly recommend, by the way, if you're into cruises.

Happy Birthday 

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How much of the expense of the trip was written off as a business cost? Just wondering... Also, I am appalled at the waste inherent in our federal government leasing cruise ships at twice the going room rate to use for Katrina victims, as was reported in the press. How wasteful is that?

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I suppose you might have the same problem -- or worse -- with any theme hotel on the Strip in Las Vegas, where many statues and fixtures are real marble and glass, and not molded plastic (which was abundant on the boat).

The trip was, in fact, business for me. Geek Cruises are conferences on boats that perform the same kinds of functions as hotels on land. In fact, they very much *are* hotels. Think of them as hotels with hulls.

My job there was to represent Linux Journal (a sponsor of the event), and to give the closing keynote. Was it a junket? Sure. It was also work. I only did two shore excursions, and spent two of the other shore stops doing interviews on the boat or research on the Net at Internet cafes. I attended two comedy shows (both good), but otherwise avoided the entertainment, including the casino and the ships many bars.

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And second, you are no doubt right that "Many truly expensive and indulgent settings could be justaposed to Katrina's ruins with greater effect." The plastic ticky-tacky -- which I would find offensive on aesthetic grounds -- probably does not come across as strongly in the photos as it does in life. Also right that I find Las Vegas unappealing if not downright morally reprehensible. While the strip is visually spectacular, I never see it without feeling that all that water in the desert and electrical power could be put to much better use.

And third, I am speaking from a bedrock of anger at an economic system and particularly the current Republican administration that is heavily rigged in favor of corporations and the wealthy while ignoring the increasingly desperate plight of low-level workers and the most vulnerable members of society. The costs of tax breaks for luxurious junkets for corporate managers are ultimately passed on to consumers and result in a proportionally heavier tax burden on middle and lower income workers, especially since Bush's tax cuts. (Even though you and others did some productive work, the choice of a cruise ship as a venue argues against any claim that it was primarily a work conference.) I am deeply disturbed by trends in our economy that have allowed CEOs' incomes to take quantum leaps upward while ever-increasing numbers of workers at the lower levels have sunk deeper into poverty, working two or more temporary or part-time jobs without health insurance, retirement plans or other benefits.

You and I probably are too far apart on economic and political issues to find common ground, but I appreciate the opportunity to debate someone whom I respect so highly as a human being.

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Kisses, Denise

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