Re: For self publishing authors on AmazonKDP, Scott Adams Says

On 4 Oct 2024 18:53:33 GMT, ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>)
wrote:

<snippo>

I recall an essay on corruption in Italy to the effect that yes, of course,
you had to pay a bribe to the state telephone company to get your phone
installed, but you *would* get your phone installed.  In the US no govt
official would ever ask for a bribe, but conversely, your problem would
never be solved..

My brother, who was stationed in Sicily for a while when he was in the
Navy, reported a story: an American sailor stationed in Sicily "on the
economy" kept getting really large electric bills. So, after dark one
evening, he threw the master switch on his breaker box.

All the streetlights on his block went out.

The relevant Italian organization was out the next day rewiring those
streetlights.

Is this true? Who can say? I don't doubt my brother heard the story,
but that doesn't mean it really happened.

Then again, when my Mother, having visited my brother in Sicily first,
tried to call my number in Germany, the employee who had to dial the
number (ah! Europe in the late 70s/early 80s!) refused to do so
because it had "too many numbers". It was rather long and it didn't
get any shorter when the various prefixes needed because it came from
Italy were applied. (She called when she was in-country, so we did get
together.)
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"