Ain't no more Telegrams.

[trof]

Western Union just said no more.
Damn.
E-mail and fax have replaced the need for "high speed" messages they provided.
That was the coolest, most attention geting form of communication when I was coming along.
Dramatic.
Many times brought urgent bad news, but many times good.

It was always exciting to get one.
"Mom!(stop)
Baby boy, 7 lbs. 3 oz.(stop)
James Louis.(stop)
He and Julie doing fine!(stop)
I never understood all the (stops).

The end of an era.

[democracyindanger]

1. Chan -comma- help -stop-

Charlie Parker -stop-

[henslee]

2. It would be a cool thing to start a telgram company now there is no comp.

I am sure you could still sell a few thousand a year.

[BrotherBuzz]

4. They had 270,000 offices worldwide, yet....

in 2005, the company delivered just 20,000 -- about 55 a day! By the time we paid the rent there wouldn't be mush dough left over. You know what I mean, Vern?

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. I have a cousin who shares my birthday (different years).

Phil is much older than I am. One year when I was a kid, he sent me a singing telegram for my birthday. It was so neat.

:D

[henslee]

5. Gotta love Uncle Phil.

[Texasgal]

6. I heard that today...

How wild...

[oneighty]

7. In my down but not quite out days

I drove Taxi in Charleston SC. Across the street from one of the Taxi stands WAS THE G-D Western Union. The least desirable taxi run was an effing 'Telegram'delivery.

My car number was 57. Seems every time I was head out cab at that stand there came a call 'Rendezvous Stand' "57' I would answer. "Telegram 57." Oh no not again. The guy behind me would get a lucrative run to the airport.

So I wrote this poem with which I will not bother you.

'Telegram 57'.

God Damn It.

57 aka 180

[JitterbugPerfume]

8. c'mon Ed

post de pome

[The Governor]

9. Well, they were around for a lot longer than 8 tracks.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. I'm not surprised. I tried to send one in 1996, and it was gonna be $35.

I said screw that, and called the person.

Thirty five dollars for a couple fucking sentences.

No wonder they went out of business. Well, that and the cheap phone calls, emails, faxes, cell phones, internet, and the abiulity to fly somewhere and deliver the news personally for not much more than the cost of a telegram.