Levys in London

I’m not sure I qualify as a “LondonLevy”...

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 06:43:00 +0100

I’m not sure I qualify as a “LondonLevy” … even if I got my start in England. So if you want to know what I’m up to you can read about it at levyslive.com.

If you are interested in hearing more from the orignal authors you should also check out levyslive.com … because they have no time for anything else besides me (so far).

Writer's strike

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:20:38 +0000

The writer and reporter at Levys in London relocated to not-so-sunny California last week. Once they find their camera again in all of the boxes they will return with posts, videos, witty insights, and a new title for this blog.

Thanks for your patience.

Why Lowering Taxes Will Not Work (this time)

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:32:00 +0000

Fret not conservatives - I too agree that taxes are a disincentive toward the taxed behavior and agree that lowering or removing taxes reduces the disincentive. But not this time.

The UK recently lowered the VAT tax (see this earlier entry for an explanation of VAT) from 17.5% to 15% to help stimulate consumer spending. Here’s the relevant portion of the previous entry for lazy readers:

“The finale is the VAT’s cloak of invisibility as a hidden portion of every final item price, rather than as an added line-item amount at check-out (like sales-tax in America). So, not only do Europeans hear that they are ‘adding value’, they actually never see the VAT at all. Brilliant! I applaud the effort for added consumer convenience of a transparent price rather than calculating 8.75% +19.99 while shopping. But… “

Now, back to the issue of the lowered VAT. As a consumer, I may spend marginally more if I have less overall tax expense. My mother first illustrated this point to me when we visited the Nordstrom’s in Portland (where there is no sales tax). However, remember that in the UK the VAT is included in the price. So this system requires a pas de deux between the consumer AND the business owner who prints the price tags.

Would a rational business owner, say of a Subway sandwich restaurant, reprint every menu and signboard to change the price for a “5 GBP Footlong sub” to “4.89 GBP Footlong” to help that cash-strapped consumer save his extra 2.5%? Doubtful. Instead most businesses simply pocket the 2.5% as profit. Some of the clever stores are offering a line-item discount at check-out to refund the 2.5%, but that eliminates the cloak of invisibility that is the brilliance of the VAT.

Unlike Michael Moore, let’s consider the opposite side. What happens when the VAT rises back to 17.5% (or higher) as it is scheduled to do at the end of 2009. Will businesses raise prices? Will they add a line item of extra VAT at check-out, again ruining the cloak of invisibility and the promise of “what you see is what you pay” price labels? Unlikely. They will probably just keep prices the same (and take a loss) or re-price their entire inventory and menu at a substantially higher price by rounding up to a whole number.

Consumers should know they live in a anti-consumer country when the tax scheme functions better when the taxes rise.

Six GBP footlongs coming soon.

Instructor of the Jovian Month

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:01:50 +0000

Esther is still the ‘Instructor of the Month’ at David Lloyd Kensington Gym.

They must be using a Jovian lunar calendar based on Callisto’s orbit since Esther first took the title about 4 earth months ago and stopped teaching before Thanksgiving.

I still think she deserves it. Too bad the paychecks don’t follow the same schedule.

Unemployed, uninsured, and disconnected

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:11:00 +0000

And disconnected hurts the most.

Unlike Hollywood, Levys in London is immune to writers’ strikes. But when British Telecom rips our internet umbilical cord from our loving computer, we cannot provide the witty verses that our 5 readers enjoy infrequently.

Two weeks ago, Esther called British Telecom to notify them of our upcoming move and to stop our phone and internet service on December 15th (a full 10 days after we leave London - we like buffers).

They turned off the phone and internet two days later. And as I learned yesterday (about 8 days after we lost our connection), turning on the internet is much harder than turning it off. For our trouble, they gave us a brand new home telephone number too!

Scarred by big company incompetence, we bought Esther an iPhone over Thanksgiving.

Starting next week Levys in London loses its accents, breaks from the cocoon on the British Isles and reappears as “Levys in Palo Alto”. And thanks to the iPhone will deliver even more photo and video updates - without interruption.

Live on the Scene: Brrrrrrrrussels, Belgium The cold chilled the...

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:17:10 +0000

Live on the Scene: Brrrrrrrrussels, Belgium

The cold chilled the camera and my film directing ability. But our host and guest interview Laurel shine despite the limited material.

Live on the Scene: Esther’s Graduation The tables turn as...

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:15:36 +0000

Live on the Scene: Esther’s Graduation

The tables turn as Esther’s Mom turns our regular reporter in to the interviewee. Typically poor video directing by yours truly.

Time for Change - A Plagiaristic Pronouncement

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:12:00 +0000

If there are any remaining readers out there who still doubt that Levys In London is relevant; who still wonder how we afford living in Europe; who still question the power of the Slingbox to satiate Dan’s appetite for Stanford sports and Esther’s for dancing shows, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by queues in the UK that are simply too long; by people who wait three hours and four hours, many every single week, just because they want to get some milk at the Marks and Spencer on Sunday morning.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old taxi drivers, many of whom we still can’t understand.

It’s the answer that led our friends and family 4500 miles, fearful, and doubtful that we actually lived in a flat in London large enough to host them.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did about a week ago, change has come to the Levys in London.

We recently received a very gracious offer from Facebook. They called to tell me that they are growing, succeeding, and wanted my help. I congratulate them, and I look forward to working with them to help make the world more open and connected.

We want to thank our partner in this journey, a cat who cuddled from his heart and peed on the customs agent upon arrival. The furry member of Levys in London, Champ the Cat.

Thank you for the inspiration Mr. President Elect.

On December 5th, Levys in London arrives in Palo Alto, California.

UK on Sale In the midst of the financial crisis we are saving...

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:41:00 +0000

UK on Sale

In the midst of the financial crisis we are saving some serious sterling in London.

The pound gave us a frightening scare within months of our arrival, climbing as high as $2.12 per GBP (Great British Pound). Now, it’s less than $1.50.

The chart illustrates the daily movement from the day we arrived until today.

So if you ever wanted to experience horizontal rain and six hours of daylight, now is a great time to visit England!

Prague Photos Phinally: Click the pic for a way-too-long...

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:32:37 +0000

Prague Photos Phinally: Click the pic for a way-too-long slideshow of our photos from Prague.

The UK Media Comments on President-Elect Obama I always thought...

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:54:00 +0000

The UK Media Comments on President-Elect Obama

I always thought the US was “cool”.

So I don’t worry about the USA’s previous ruler’s public opinion. But I know loyal blog readers will enjoy.

Justice Prevails

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:35:43 +0000

Justice prevails as our second ballot was in our mail box when we returned home from Prague on Sunday. Esther rushed this one to the back to the DHL office on Monday morning at an additional cost of ~$55 for overnight shipping.

So while our postman did not cast a vote, in effect, Champ did via his participation in our caucus. Which is worse?

Election Day Special: Constitutional Rights Violated By Poll Tax

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:33:00 +0000

The US outlawed poll taxes in 1964 with the 24th amendment (seriously, this was allowed until then!). But we just paid ~$55 to vote in the US election.

Due to a glitch that we did not notice until about three weeks ago, we never received our absentee ballot in either London or Sacramento (our US address). Fortunately Esther caught the mistake and called the registrar of voters to explain the situation. They rushed ballots to us. We voted and sent it via DHL express so it would be back in California by Tuesday … at a cost of about 35 GBP.

Our votes may be canceled out by the votes from our postman though. We only received one ballot. Embracing our inner Iowan, we caucused in our living room to complete our single ballot and marched to different corners of the room to declare our votes. Fortunately we only needed Champ to break one tie.

I’m glad our forefathers fought for the right to vote so we could pay poll taxes, enfranchise an employee at the Royal Mail, and let a cat decide an election.

And internet voting is not considered secure.

Live on the scene II: Prague In an election-week-inspired...

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:36:08 +0000

Live on the scene II: Prague

In an election-week-inspired special, we’re drowning the world in coverage of Levys (not) in London.

Czech, Czech, Czech It Out

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:49:00 +0000

This “back from Prague” blog is sponsored by the letter ‘C’

Clocks – just off Republic Square in the center of Prague, the Astronomical clock draws visitors every hour for a performance of 12 passing apostles. I recommend you make like an Apostle and pass as well. Instead head to the Jewish quarter to see the Hebrew lettering clock that rotates counterclockwise in homage to the Hebrew language – read right-to-left. Pictures of both clocks and the crowds gathering to watch the apostle shown in a forthcoming post.
Churches dot the landscape of Prague. Unfortunately very few people attend them due to the legacy of 40+ years of Communist rule. Our tour guide estimated that 70% of Czechs are atheist. Fortunately the churches provide a lovely home for … .
Concerts. Music flows from every pub, restaurant, and Church. Every night. We listened to Jazz on Saturday night in the basement bar of the city’s concert hall.
Cadavers – buried (literally) in the center of Prague are thousands of graves within a medieval Jewish cemetery. Due to space constraints within the ghetto walls, the Jews added extra layers of dirt when the graveyard filled – each time bringing the previous headstones to the current surface. Some suspect the graveyard may be up to “12 deep”.
Charles – specifically Charles IV contributed one of Prague’s most famous landmarks – the bridge now bearing his name which is one of the oldest stone bridges in Europe.
Cheating – because Charles is actually spelled with a K in Czech “Karel”
Castle – the other famous landmark rests on top of a major hill and is said to be one of the best preserved castles in Europe. For the Americans in the audience unfamiliar with monarchical traditions, a castle closely resembles a village or fort with many buildings. A “palace” is a single building where royalty lived.
Closed – because the interior of the Prague Castle is only open one day per year. Naturally that was the day we visited. But the queue made Disneyland look like a a drive-through so we passed. Actually, the queue more closely resembled a queue for bread commonly seen about 20 years ago when … .
Communism ruled the Czech area. Our tour guide said that Barack Obama’s speeches reminded him of Communist doctrine about everyone getting what they need and wished us luck for the next four years.
Cheap – at least relative to the rest of Europe, the Czech ‘crown’ (currency) delivers value. Our dinners averaged about $35 for starter, main, bottled water, and two drinks.
Circumcised – see the “On the Scene Video Report” posted on Saturday

Czech out the accompanying pictures and video (coming soon).

Weed-Smoking Ladies of the Night Vote for Obama Walking through...

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:42:00 +0000

Weed-Smoking Ladies of the Night Vote for Obama

Walking through the red light district (see background of picture) of Amsterdam earlier this week, I told Esther I needed to stop and see something. With thoughts of divorce percolating, she relaxed when I told here that I simpled wanted to take a picture (above).

Based on our unscientific observations we know that either “professional” or “client” in the district that who also likes South Africa (the flag) would vote for Obama based on their political bicycle stickers. Unlike our postman (see upcoming post) they do not have a vote.

I wonder if the candidate supports this message.

Back with another video update is our favourite report, this...

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:00:19 +0000

Back with another video update is our favourite report, this time from Prague, Czech Republic.

Amsterdam: To tide over our patient readers until we can write...

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:33:00 +0000

Amsterdam: To tide over our patient readers until we can write updates. Here are pics from our recent trip to Amsterdam. Click on the photo for the slideshow.

Monday Night Theater: Monday Night Football broadcasts late...

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:37:00 +0100

Monday Night Theater: Monday Night Football broadcasts late here. More appropriately – it broadcasts early – as in 2AM. And as our 4 loyal readers know, we pledged our football allegiance to Stanford and have little time to follow the NFL.

So we decided to substitute the classic Monday night American programming for the civilized British world of the theater. On Monday we watched Stomp from the last row in the theater. A move that proved to be not only frugal but intelligent as the noise from the stage would have deafened us from a closer distance.

Stomp’s cast acts out its name for an hour and forty minutes – pounding out rhythms with items typically found in the rubbish or garage. In one specific scene, the cast literally takes item out of the bin (British for trash can) and lays down a beat that would make Run DMC proud.

On the way home we brainstormed alternate titles for the show such as “Noise”, “Trash”, “Crap from our garage”, “Cheapest broadway musical”, “Screw the Tony Award for set design”, and “Bang”.

Thank you Stomp for justifying my childhood antics and proving that smashing pots next to someone’s ears is not just a funny fraternity initiation – it’s a professional career.

Adam Smith would enjoy plastic grocery bags (like the one from...

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:53:00 +0100

Adam Smith would enjoy plastic grocery bags (like the one from our neighborhood Marks and Spencer in the picture) because they illustrate how different interpretations of the free market and regulation solve problems.

In our home city of San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors banned plastic bags under the argument that they (the bags, not the Board - though the point is debatable) cause harm to the environment because the bags cannot be easily recycled. In London, and motivated by similarly noble goals, Marks and Spencer started charging 5p (about $0.08) per bag. Not surprisingly, most shoppers now bring a rucksack or old bags from home. Effective. Simple. Preserves consumer choice.

Even in this difficult economic environment, the simple M&S bag charge tells me that the free market still works. I just wish I could recycle the SF Board of Supervisors.