He could still win, we should remember that:
The Long Run: Crossing Mayor Giuliani Often Had a Price
By MICHAEL POWELL and RUSS BUETTNER
Published: January 22, 2008
Rudolph W. Giuliani likens himself to a boxer who never takes a punch without swinging back. As mayor, he made the vengeful roundhouse an instrument of government, clipping anyone who crossed him.
In August 1997, James Schillaci, a rough-hewn chauffeur from the Bronx, dialed Mayor Giuliani’s radio program on WABC-AM to complain about a red-light sting run by the police near the Bronx Zoo. When the call yielded no results, Mr. Schillaci turned to The Daily News, which then ran a photo of the red light and this front page headline: “GOTCHA!”
That morning, police officers appeared on Mr. Schillaci’s doorstep. What are you going to do, Mr. Schillaci asked, arrest me? He was joking, but the officers were not.
They slapped on handcuffs and took him to court on a 13-year-old traffic warrant. A judge threw out the charge. A police spokeswoman later read Mr. Schillaci’s decades-old criminal rap sheet to a reporter for The Daily News, a move of questionable legality because the state restricts how such information is released. She said, falsely, that he had been convicted of sodomy.
Then Mr. Giuliani took up the cudgel.
“Mr. Schillaci was posing as an altruistic whistle-blower,” the mayor told reporters at the time. “Maybe he’s dishonest enough to lie about police officers.”
Mr. Schillaci suffered an emotional breakdown, was briefly hospitalized and later received a $290,000 legal settlement from the city. “It really damaged me,” said Mr. Schillaci, now 60, massaging his face with thick hands. “I thought I was doing something good for once, my civic duty and all. Then he steps on me.”
Mr. Giuliani was a pugilist in a city of political brawlers. But far more than his predecessors, historians and politicians say, his toughness edged toward ruthlessnessand became a defining aspect of his mayoralty. One result: New York City spent at least $7 million in settling civil rights lawsuits and paying retaliatory damages during the Giuliani years.
After AIDS activists with Housing Works loudly challenged the mayor, city officials sabotaged the group’s application for a federal housing grant. A caseworker who spoke of missteps in the death of a child was fired. After unidentified city workers complained of pressure to hand contracts to Giuliani-favored organizations, investigators examined not the charges but the identity of the leakers.
“There were constant loyalty tests: ‘Will you shoot your brother?’ ” said Marilyn Gelber, who served as environmental commissioner under Mr. Giuliani. “People were marked for destruction for disloyal jokes.”
Mr. Giuliani paid careful attention to the art of political payback. When former Mayors Edward I. Koch and David N. Dinkins spoke publicly of Mr. Giuliani’s foibles, mayoral aides removed their official portraits from the ceremonial Blue Room at City Hall. Mr. Koch, who wrote a book titled “Giuliani: Nasty Man,” shrugs.
“David Dinkins and I are lucky that Rudy didn’t cast our portraits onto a bonfire along with the First Amendment, which he enjoyed violating daily,” Mr. Koch said in a recent interview.
Mr. Giuliani retails his stories of childhood toughness, in standing up to bullies who mocked his love of opera and bridled at his Yankee loyalties. Years after leaving Manhattan College, he held a grudge against a man who beat him in a class election. He urged his commissioners to walk out of City Council hearings when questions turned hostile. But in his 2002 book “Leadership,” he said his instructions owed nothing to his temper.
“It wasn’t my sensitivities I was worried about, but the tone of civility I strived to establish throughout the city,” he wrote. Mr. Giuliani declined requests to be interviewed for this article.
His admirers, not least former Deputy Mayor Randy M. Mastro, said it was unfair to characterize the mayor as vengeful, particularly given the “Herculean task” he faced when he entered office in 1994. Mr. Giuliani’s admirers claimed that the depredations of crack, AIDS, homicide and recession had brought the city to its knees, and that he faced a sclerotic liberal establishment. He wielded intimidation as his mace and wrested cost-savings and savings from powerful unions and politicians.
“The notion that the city needed broad-based change frightened a lot of entrenched groups,” said Fred Siegel, a historian and author of “The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life.” “He didn’t want to be politic with them.”
He cowed many into silence. Silence ensured the flow of city money.
Andy Humm, a gay activist, worked for the Hetrick-Martin Institute, which pushed condom giveaways in public schools. When Mr. Giuliani supported a parental opt-out, the institute’s director counseled silence to avoid losing city funds. “He said, ‘We’re going to say it’s not good, but we’re not going to mention him,’ ” Mr. Humm said.
“We were muzzled, and it was a disgrace.”
Picking His Fights
Mr. Giuliani says he prefers to brawl with imposing opponents. His father, he wrote in “Leadership,” would “always emphasize: never pick on someone smaller than you. Never be a bully.”
As mayor, he picked fights with a notable lack of discrimination, challenging the city and state comptrollers, a few corporations and the odd council member. But the mayor’s fist also fell on the less powerful. In mid-May 1994, newspapers revealed that Mr. Giuliani’s youth commissioner, the Rev. John E. Brandon, suffered tax problems; more troubling revelations seemed in the offing.
At 7 p.m. on May 17, Mr. Giuliani’s press secretary dialed reporters and served up a hotter story: A former youth commissioner under Mr. Dinkins, Richard L. Murphy, had ladled millions of dollars to supporters of the former mayor. And someone had destroyed Department of Youth Services records and hard drives and stolen computers in an apparent effort to obscure what had happened to that money.
“My immediate goal is to get rid of the stealing, to get rid of the corruption” Mr. Giuliani told The Daily News.
None of it was true. In 1995, the Department of Investigation found no politically motivated contracts and no theft by senior officials. But Mr. Murphy’s professional life was wrecked.
“I was soiled merchandise — the taint just lingers,” Mr. Murphy said in a recent interview.
Not long after, a major foundation recruited Mr. Murphy to work on the West Coast. The group wanted him to replicate his much-honored concept of opening schools at night as community centers. A senior Giuliani official called the foundation — a move a former mayoral official confirmed on the condition of anonymity for fear of embarrassing the organization — and the prospective job disappeared.
“He goes to people and makes them complicit in his revenge,” Mr. Murphy said.
This theme repeats. Two private employers in New York City, neither of which wanted to be identified because they feared retaliation should Mr. Giuliani be elected president, said the mayor’s office exerted pressure not to hire former Dinkins officials. When Mr. Giuliani battled schools Chancellor Ramon C. Cortines, he demanded that Mr. Cortines prove his loyalty by firing the press spokesman, John Beckman.
Mr. Beckman’s offense? He had worked in the Dinkins administration. “I found it,” Mr. Beckman said in an interview, “a really unfortunate example of how to govern.”
Joel Berger worked as a senior litigator in the city corporation counsel’s office until 1996. Afterward, he represented victims of police brutality and taught a class at the New York University School of Law, and his students served apprenticeships with the corporation counsel.
In late August 1997, Mr. Berger wrote a column in The New York Times criticizing Mr. Giuliani’s record on police brutality. A week later, a city official called the director of the N.Y.U. law school’s clinical programs and demanded that Mr. Berger be removed from the course. Otherwise, the official said, we will suspend the corporation counsel apprenticeship, according to Mr. Berger and an N.Y.U. official.
“It was ridiculously petty,” Mr. Berger said.
N.Y.U. declined to replace Mr. Berger and instead suspended the class after that semester. ‘Culture of Retaliation’
The Citizens Budget Commission has driven mayors of various ideological stripes to distraction since it was founded in 1932. The business-backed group bird-dogs the city’s fiscal management with an unsparing eye. But its analysts are fonts of creative thinking, and Mr. Giuliani asked Raymond Horton, the group’s president, to serve on his transition committee in 1993.
That comity was long gone by the autumn of 1997, when Mr. Giuliani faced re-election. Ruth Messinger, the mayor’s Democratic opponent, cited the commission’s work, and the mayor denounced the group, which had issued critical reports on welfare reform, police inefficiency and the city budget.
So far, so typical for mayors and their relationship with the commission. Mr. Koch once banned his officials from attending the group’s annual retreat. Another time, he attended and gave a speech excoriating the commission.
But one of Mr. Giuliani’s deputy mayors, Joseph Lhota, took an unprecedented step. He called major securities firms that underwrite city bonds and discouraged them from buying seats at the commission’s annual fund-raising dinner. Because Mr. Lhota played a key role in selecting the investment firms that underwrote the bonds, his calls raised an ethical tempest.
Apologizing struck Mr. Giuliani as silly.
“We are sending exactly the right message,” he said. “Their reports are pretty useless; they are a dilettante organization.”
Still, that dinner was a rousing success. “All mayors have thin skins, but Rudy has the thinnest skin of all,” Mr. Horton said.
Mr. Giuliani’s war with the nonprofit group Housing Works was more operatic. Housing Works runs nationally respected programs for the homeless, the mentally ill and people who are infected with H.I.V. But it weds that service to a 1960s straight-from-the-rice-paddies guerrilla ethos.
The group’s members marched on City Hall, staged sit-ins, and delighted in singling out city officials for opprobrium. Mr. Giuliani, who considered doing away with the Division of AIDS Services, became their favorite mayor in effigy.
Mr. Giuliani responded in kind. His police commanders stationed snipers atop City Hall and sent helicopters whirling overhead when 100 or so unarmed Housing Works protesters marched nearby in 1998. A year earlier, his officials systematically killed $6 million worth of contracts with the group, saying it had mismanaged funds.
Housing Works sued the city and discovered that officials had rescored a federal evaluation form to ensure that the group lost a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Martin Oesterreich, the city’s homeless commissioner, denied wrongdoing but acknowledged that his job might have been forfeited if Housing Works had obtained that contract.
“That possibility could have happened,” Mr. Oesterreich told a federal judge.
The mayor’s fingerprints could not be found on every decision. But his enemies were widely known.
“The culture of retaliation was really quite remarkable,” said Matthew D. Brinckerhoff, the lawyer who represented Housing Works. “Up and down the food chain, everyone knew what this guy demanded.”
The Charter Fight
The mayor’s wartime style of governance reached an exhaustion point in the late 1990s. His poll numbers dipped, and the courts routinely ruled against the city, upholding the New York Civil Liberties Union in 23 of its 27 free-speech challenges during Mr. Giuliani’s mayoralty. After he left office, the city agreed to pay $327,000 to a black police officer who was fired because he had testified before the City Council about police brutality toward blacks. The city also agreed to rescind the firing of the caseworker who talked about a child’s death.
In 1999, Mr. Giuliani explored a run for the United States Senate. If he won that seat, he would leave the mayor’s office a year early. The City Charter dictated that Mark Green, the public advocate, would succeed him.
That prospect was intolerable to Mr. Giuliani. Few politicians crawled under the mayor’s skin as skillfully as Mr. Green. “Idiotic” and “inane” were some of the kinder words that Mr. Giuliani sent winging toward the public advocate, who delighted in verbally tweaking the mayor.
So Mr. Giuliani announced in June 1999 that a Charter Revision Commission, stocked with his loyalists, would explore changing the line of mayoral succession. Mr. Giuliani told The New York Times Magazine that he might not have initiated the charter review campaign if Mr. Green were not the public advocate. Three former mayors declared themselves appalled; Mr. Koch fired the loudest cannonade. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Mr. Mayor,” he said during a news conference.
Frederick A. O. Schwarz Jr., chairman of a Charter Revision Commission a decade earlier, wrote a letter to Mr. Giuliani warning that “targeting a particular person” would “smack of personal politics and predilections.
“All this is not worthy of you, or our city,” Mr. Schwarz wrote.
Mr. Mastro, who had left the administration, agreed to serve as the commission chairman. He eventually announced that a proposal requiring a special election within 60 days of a mayor’s early departure would not take effect until 2002, after both Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Green had left office. A civic group estimated that the commission spent more than a million dollars of taxpayer money on commercials before a citywide referendum on the proposal that was held in November 1999.
Voters defeated the measure, 76 percent to 24 percent. (In 2002, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg advocated a similar charter revision that passed with little controversy.)
Mr. Green had warned the mayor that rejection loomed.
“It was simple,” Mr. Green said. “It was the mayor vindictively going after an institutional critic for doing his job.”
None of this left the mayor chastened. In March 2000, an undercover officer killed Patrick Dorismond, a security guard, during a fight when the police mistook him for a drug dealer. The outcry infuriated the mayor, who released Mr. Dorismond’s juvenile record, a document that legally was supposed to remain sealed.
The victim, Mr. Giuliani opined, was no “altar boy.” Actually, he was. (Mr. Giuliani later expressed regret without precisely apologizing.)
James Schillaci, the Bronx whistle-blower, recalled reading those comments and shuddering at the memory. “The mayor tarred me up; you know what that feels like?” he said. “I still have nightmares.”
Monday, January 21, 2008
Is this an act of desperation, or what?
On stage with Rudy 9/11 in Florida today: Johnny Damon and Jon Voight.
Jon Voight!! That should get, what, two, maybe three votes?
Was Gene Hackman unavailable?
Jon Voight!! That should get, what, two, maybe three votes?
Was Gene Hackman unavailable?
Smiff Early Warning System
Rambo opens Friday.
Twenty years after the last film in the series, John J. Rambo has retreated to northern Thailand, where he's running a longboat on the Salween River. Shit starts blowing up. With Julie Benz and Ken "The White Shadow" Howard. Rated R for strong graphic, bloody violence (FUCKING AWESOME!!) sexual assaults (Cool!), grisly images (Yeah!), language ("FUCKING [noun]!"), and Sylvester Stallone's script, direction and acting. Decker will go see it.
Twenty years after the last film in the series, John J. Rambo has retreated to northern Thailand, where he's running a longboat on the Salween River. Shit starts blowing up. With Julie Benz and Ken "The White Shadow" Howard. Rated R for strong graphic, bloody violence (FUCKING AWESOME!!) sexual assaults (Cool!), grisly images (Yeah!), language ("FUCKING [noun]!"), and Sylvester Stallone's script, direction and acting. Decker will go see it.
Blowheim Brickfest in DC
After blowing a 5 point lead late in regulation, the bricks started to fly in overtime. Cuse lose 64-62 :(
1:32 Syracuse - Jonny Flynn misses a three-pointer
2:18 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a free throw
2:18 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a free throw
3:39 Syracuse - Jonny Flynn misses a jumper
4:06 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a free throw
4:06 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a free throw
4:06 Georgetown - Personal foul on DaJuan Summers
4:09 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a layup
4:09 Syracuse - Donte Greene misses a hook shot
4:44 Syracuse - Antonio (Scoop) Jardine misses a three-pointer
1:32 Syracuse - Jonny Flynn misses a three-pointer
2:18 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a free throw
2:18 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a free throw
3:39 Syracuse - Jonny Flynn misses a jumper
4:06 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a free throw
4:06 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a free throw
4:06 Georgetown - Personal foul on DaJuan Summers
4:09 Syracuse - Arinze Onuaku misses a layup
4:09 Syracuse - Donte Greene misses a hook shot
4:44 Syracuse - Antonio (Scoop) Jardine misses a three-pointer
Beating a dead horse
If you thought we were the only ones who did not do their homework, and ignored what we didn't want to hear, you think wrong...
Guys, I'm afraid we haven't got a clue ...
On November 19 2002, four months before the invasion of Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair made a rare attempt to seek out expert views beyond the circle of his official advisers. Six distinguished academics were invited to Downing Street: three specialists on Iraq, and three on international security.
Guys, I'm afraid we haven't got a clue ...
On November 19 2002, four months before the invasion of Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair made a rare attempt to seek out expert views beyond the circle of his official advisers. Six distinguished academics were invited to Downing Street: three specialists on Iraq, and three on international security.
So... New England wins another game they should have lost?
Yawn.
Add 18-0 football teams to the list of things that ain't what they used to be.
Tom Brady? They won despite "Mr. Interception" today. They're always covering for this guy. But what do you expect from a 2nd stringer from Michigan?
And i have to root for the Giants now? Fuck that - i'm going to go to a movie or sumfting. Man alive, Green Bay SUCKS. Two losses to the Bears and now this? That's one shitty season right there.
Add 18-0 football teams to the list of things that ain't what they used to be.
Tom Brady? They won despite "Mr. Interception" today. They're always covering for this guy. But what do you expect from a 2nd stringer from Michigan?
And i have to root for the Giants now? Fuck that - i'm going to go to a movie or sumfting. Man alive, Green Bay SUCKS. Two losses to the Bears and now this? That's one shitty season right there.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Cold deres? Suckers...
If it's any consolation, the "forecast" here for Tuesday is "predicting" "possible" "sleet". Of course, it's more likely monkeys will fly outta my butt, but if it does happen look for reports of people in San Diego running through the streets trying to put out their heads that are on fire.
Forecast from National Weather Service As of 3:26 PM CST on January 19, 2008
Tonight... Clear. Bitterly cold. Suckers! Lows 5 to 9 below...except 3 below to 1 above zero downtown. Wind chills as low as 20 below to 30 below zero. West winds 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday... Mostly sunny. Highs 10 to 14. Lowest wind chill readings 20 below to 30 below zero in the morning. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Are your testicles frozen?
Sunday Night... Mostly cloudy with light snow likely...mainly after midnight. Minor accumulation possible. Lows 5 to 9 above. Wind chills as low as zero to 10 below zero. West winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light and variable...then becoming southeast around 10 mph during the predawn hours. Chance of precipitation 60 percent. You guys SUCK.
Global warming? Jimmy Carter's fucking ass...
Forecast from National Weather Service As of 3:26 PM CST on January 19, 2008
Tonight... Clear. Bitterly cold. Suckers! Lows 5 to 9 below...except 3 below to 1 above zero downtown. Wind chills as low as 20 below to 30 below zero. West winds 10 to 15 mph.
Sunday... Mostly sunny. Highs 10 to 14. Lowest wind chill readings 20 below to 30 below zero in the morning. West winds 10 to 15 mph. Are your testicles frozen?
Sunday Night... Mostly cloudy with light snow likely...mainly after midnight. Minor accumulation possible. Lows 5 to 9 above. Wind chills as low as zero to 10 below zero. West winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light and variable...then becoming southeast around 10 mph during the predawn hours. Chance of precipitation 60 percent. You guys SUCK.
Global warming? Jimmy Carter's fucking ass...
Saturday, January 19, 2008
You tell 'em, Jimmy
Opinion: I Got What America Needs Right Here by Jimmy Carter
Sometimes I'm a little stupid, maybe, a little slow in the head, so I'm wondering if you can help me get something straight. Maybe you can help me understand one fucking thing right now, America, and explain to me what in the Christ is going on here. 'Cause, unless I'm missing something, this country is in the middle of a motherfucking shitstorm, and I have no fucking idea what you're gonna do to get out of it. I mean, are you seriously considering voting for one of these shitbags you got here in '08? Fat fucking chance....
Oh, what's that I hear? The weather's all screwy? You got a global warming problem? Boo-fucking-hoo! I was telling you morons to turn off your lights and unplug all your shit at night to conserve energy in 19-fuckin'-75, for chrissake. Gee, I wonder what woulda happened if we'd all switched to solar power like I fucking did back when we had a fucking chance to do something about it....
You had your chance with Jimmy Carter, and you fucking blew it. So get fucked. Fucking country.
Sometimes I'm a little stupid, maybe, a little slow in the head, so I'm wondering if you can help me get something straight. Maybe you can help me understand one fucking thing right now, America, and explain to me what in the Christ is going on here. 'Cause, unless I'm missing something, this country is in the middle of a motherfucking shitstorm, and I have no fucking idea what you're gonna do to get out of it. I mean, are you seriously considering voting for one of these shitbags you got here in '08? Fat fucking chance....
Oh, what's that I hear? The weather's all screwy? You got a global warming problem? Boo-fucking-hoo! I was telling you morons to turn off your lights and unplug all your shit at night to conserve energy in 19-fuckin'-75, for chrissake. Gee, I wonder what woulda happened if we'd all switched to solar power like I fucking did back when we had a fucking chance to do something about it....
You had your chance with Jimmy Carter, and you fucking blew it. So get fucked. Fucking country.
Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars, Geovany!
While losing 25 pounds helped, Geovany Soto [MONK!] attributed his breakthrough 2007 to the power of positive thinking. "At one point, I just started breaking boundaries," Soto said. "It’s good to hit .260, .270, .280 but why just that? Why not .350, .360? I was believing and working hard. You would be amazed at what kind of stuff you can do." Soto, long viewed as a future backup at best, is set to enter this year as the Cubs' starting catcher. "No doubt. I feel ready," he said. "I think I’m prepared to play in the major leagues. You have to work hard and never sit back on your achievements to be the best player you can be."
Yeah, why not .360? and why not 35 homers??
Yeah, why not .360? and why not 35 homers??
Friday, January 18, 2008
Morgellons? Sounds like a Horror middle reliever
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in conjunction with Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Division of Research launched a study to learn about an unexplained skin condition known as Morgellons. Persons who suffer from this condition report a range of symptoms including non-healing skin lesions associated with the emergence of fibers or solid material from the skin, abnormal skin sensations (such as stinging and biting or pins and needles) and non-cutaneous symptoms such as difficulty concentrating and short-term memory loss. Researchers hope to learn more about who might be affected, what symptoms they experience, and factors that may contribute to their illness...Interested persons are encouraged to visit the CDC’s Unexplained Dermopathy/Morgellons web site."
ShinGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Field of Dreams II?
The Cubs have reportedly agreed to terms with former White Sox closer Shingo Takatsu.
Even the Chad Fox signing was more likely that this. Mr. Zero had a terrific 2004 in his first year in the U.S., but he was a bust in 2005 and he spent the last two years back in Japan, finishing with ERAs of 2.74 in 42 2/3 IP in 2006 and 6.17 in 23 1/3 IP last season. It's unlikely his assortment of soft stuff will allow him to succeed in the majors at age 39.
The Cubs have reportedly agreed to terms with former White Sox closer Shingo Takatsu.
Even the Chad Fox signing was more likely that this. Mr. Zero had a terrific 2004 in his first year in the U.S., but he was a bust in 2005 and he spent the last two years back in Japan, finishing with ERAs of 2.74 in 42 2/3 IP in 2006 and 6.17 in 23 1/3 IP last season. It's unlikely his assortment of soft stuff will allow him to succeed in the majors at age 39.
Look at it this way: at least humans aren't the only ones being totally phokked up the @ss by BushCo.
Die Whales, Die!!!!
President Bush exempted the Navy from an environmental law so it can continue using sonar in its anti-submarine warfare training off the California coast — a practice critics say is harmful to whales and other marine mammals.
President Bush exempted the Navy from an environmental law so it can continue using sonar in its anti-submarine warfare training off the California coast — a practice critics say is harmful to whales and other marine mammals.
Phokking Canucks
Wait until we get a hold of some of these yella newfies and stuff hockey pucks down their stinking throats...
Canada puts US on 'torture list'
The United States has been listed as a country where prisoners are at risk of torture in a training document produced by the Canadian foreign ministry. It also classifies some US interrogation techniques as torture. The manual - part of a training course on torture awareness for diplomats - also includes Israel, China, Iran and Afghanistan on its watch list.
Canada puts US on 'torture list'
The United States has been listed as a country where prisoners are at risk of torture in a training document produced by the Canadian foreign ministry. It also classifies some US interrogation techniques as torture. The manual - part of a training course on torture awareness for diplomats - also includes Israel, China, Iran and Afghanistan on its watch list.
I am shocked--SHOCKED!
I think this is just playing on a loop now...
Bush's $145 billion plan
President Bush calls for $145 billion in tax relief to let "Americans* keep more of their money."
It appears to be working already:
Stocks fall after Bush announces stimulus plan
*code for "the very wealthy" and "corporations"
Bush's $145 billion plan
President Bush calls for $145 billion in tax relief to let "Americans* keep more of their money."
It appears to be working already:
Stocks fall after Bush announces stimulus plan
*code for "the very wealthy" and "corporations"
suddenly, there's hope...
I'm gonna let Fung check this out first...
Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships
Love, marriage, and sex with robots? Not in a million years? Maybe a whole lot sooner. From a leading expert in artificial intelligence comes an eye-opening, superbly argued book that explores a new level of human intimacy and relationships—with robots.
Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships
Love, marriage, and sex with robots? Not in a million years? Maybe a whole lot sooner. From a leading expert in artificial intelligence comes an eye-opening, superbly argued book that explores a new level of human intimacy and relationships—with robots.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
What hope is there for us?
Eddie Murphy is getting a divorce after being married for TWO WEEKS.
(Did she just see Norbit?)
(Did she just see Norbit?)
a hair malfunction might be all that stands in the way
Senate joins House in passing transit bill
(AP) — The General Assembly on Thursday approved Gov. Rod Blagojevich's changes to legislation that will prevent deep service cuts at Chicago-area transit systems. The measure passed the House 61-47 Thursday and the Senate 32-19.
(AP) — The General Assembly on Thursday approved Gov. Rod Blagojevich's changes to legislation that will prevent deep service cuts at Chicago-area transit systems. The measure passed the House 61-47 Thursday and the Senate 32-19.
How to be a total failure and yet profit immensely...
...lie, too. Something for George W. Bush to consider (say, baseball will need a new commissioner in 2013, unless Bud lies again and signs for another extension).
Bud Selig [click at own risk] on Thursday was given a three-year extension as baseball commissioner through the 2012 season. Financial terms weren't released, of course, but Selig received $14.5 million in the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 2005, according to MLB's last available tax return. Selig insisted when his last extension was done that he'd be retiring after it expired following the 2009 season. This sets him up as commissioner through age 78.
Bud Selig [click at own risk] on Thursday was given a three-year extension as baseball commissioner through the 2012 season. Financial terms weren't released, of course, but Selig received $14.5 million in the 12 months ending Oct. 31, 2005, according to MLB's last available tax return. Selig insisted when his last extension was done that he'd be retiring after it expired following the 2009 season. This sets him up as commissioner through age 78.
Drugs are bad, mkay
Effects Of Drugs And Alcohol On Spider Webs
If you can't watch video, well, then you're missing out...
If you can't watch video, well, then you're missing out...
Funny Stuff
Don't forget to check out 101 Dumbest Moments in Business. Haven't been thru the whole thing, but my favorites so far...
10. Electronic voting machines
Election officials in Florida promptly order 5,000 units Diebold tightens security after it is revealed that a simple virus can hack its electronic voting machines. Months later a hacker uses a picture of a key from the company website to make a real key that can open the company's machines.
Election officials in Florida promptly order 5,000 units Diebold tightens security after it is revealed that a simple virus can hack its electronic voting machines. Months later a hacker uses a picture of a key from the company website to make a real key that can open the company's machines.
13. DisneylandIt's a fat world, after all
Disneyland announces plans to close the "It's a Small World" attraction to deepen its water channel after the ride's boats start getting stuck under loads of heavy passengers. Employees ask larger passengers to disembark - and compensate them with coupons for free food.
Is this an editorial or a a Swift Boat-style smear email?
Hard to tell...
Obama's Church
Election 2008: Since we first drew attention to Barack Obama's Afrocentric church a full 12 months ago, other media have weighed in. And additional disturbing information has come to light....
Investor's Business Daily? Never read it, but apparently they're trying to make the Wall Street Journal seem like Pravda.
Obama's Church
Election 2008: Since we first drew attention to Barack Obama's Afrocentric church a full 12 months ago, other media have weighed in. And additional disturbing information has come to light....
Investor's Business Daily? Never read it, but apparently they're trying to make the Wall Street Journal seem like Pravda.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Nothing Else Needs To Be Said - Except We Need This Leader. Now.
Franklin Roosevelt's Address Announcing the Second New Deal
October 31, 1936
Senator Wagner, Governor Lehman, ladies and gentlemen:
On the eve of a national election, it is well for us to stop for a moment and analyze calmly and without prejudice the effect on our Nation of a victory by either of the major political parties.
The problem of the electorate is far deeper, far more vital than the continuance in the Presidency of any individual. For the greater issue goes beyond units of humanity--it goes to humanity itself.
In 1932 the issue was the restoration of American democracy; and the American people were in a mood to win. They did win. In 1936 the issue is the preservation of their victory. Again they are in a mood to win. Again they will win.
More than four years ago in accepting the Democratic nomination in Chicago, I said: "Give me your help not to win votes alone, but to win in this crusade to restore America to its own people."
The banners of that crusade still fly in the van of a Nation that is on the march.
It is needless to repeat the details of the program which this Administration has been hammering out on the anvils of experience. No amount of misrepresentation or statistical contortion can conceal or blur or smear that record. Neither the attacks of unscrupulous enemies nor the exaggerations of over-zealous friends will serve to mislead the American people.
What was our hope in 1932? Above all other things the American people wanted peace. They wanted peace of mind instead of gnawing fear.
First, they sought escape from the personal terror which had stalked them for three years. They wanted the peace that comes from security in their homes: safety for their savings, permanence in their jobs, a fair profit from their enterprise.
Next, they wanted peace in the community, the peace that springs from the ability to meet the needs of community life: schools, playgrounds, parks, sanitation, highways--those things which are expected of solvent local government. They sought escape from disintegration and bankruptcy in local and state affairs.
They also sought peace within the Nation: protection of their currency, fairer wages, the ending of long hours of toil, the abolition of child labor, the elimination of wild-cat speculation, the safety of their children from kidnappers.
And, finally, they sought peace with other Nations--peace in a world of unrest. The Nation knows that I hate war, and I know that the Nation hates war.
I submit to you a record of peace; and on that record a well-founded expectation for future peace--peace for the individual, peace for the community, peace for the Nation, and peace with the world.
Tonight I call the roll--the roll of honor of those who stood with us in 1932 and still stand with us today.
Written on it are the names of millions who never had a chance --men at starvation wages, women in sweatshops, children at looms.
Written on it are the names of those who despaired, young men and young women for whom opportunity had become a will-o'-the-wisp.
Written on it are the names of farmers whose acres yielded only bitterness, business men whose books were portents of disaster, home owners who were faced with eviction, frugal citizens whose savings were insecure.
Written there in large letters are the names of countless other Americans of all parties and all faiths, Americans who had eyes to see and hearts to understand, whose consciences were burdened because too many of their fellows were burdened, who looked on these things four years ago and said, "This can be changed. We will change it."
We still lead that army in 1936. They stood with us then because in 1932 they believed. They stand with us today because in 1936 they know. And with them stand millions of new recruits who have come to know.
Their hopes have become our record.
We have not come this far without a struggle and I assure you we cannot go further without a struggle.
For twelve years this Nation was afflicted with hear-nothing, see-nothing, do-nothing Government. The Nation looked to Government but the Government looked away. Nine mocking years with the golden calf and three long years of the scourge! Nine crazy years at the ticker and three long years in the breadlines! Nine mad years of mirage and three long years of despair! Powerful influences strive today to restore that kind of government with its doctrine that that Government is best which is most indifferent.
For nearly four years you have had an Administration which instead of twirling its thumbs has rolled up its sleeves. We will keep our sleeves rolled up.
We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace--business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.
They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.
Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me--and I welcome their hatred.
I should like to have it said of my first Administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second Administration that in it these forces met their master.
The American people know from a four-year record that today there is only one entrance to the White House--by the front door. Since March 4, 1933, there has been only one pass-key to the White House. I have carried that key in my pocket. It is there tonight. So long as I am President, it will remain in my pocket.
Those who used to have pass-keys are not happy. Some of them are desperate. Only desperate men with their backs to the wall would descend so far below the level of decent citizenship as to foster the current pay-envelope campaign against America's working people. Only reckless men, heedless of consequences, would risk the disruption of the hope for a new peace between worker and employer by returning to the tactics of the labor spy.
Here is an amazing paradox! The very employers and politicians and publishers who talk most loudly of class antagonism and the destruction of the American system now undermine that system by this attempt to coerce the votes of the wage earners of this country. It is the 1936 version of the old threat to close down the factory or the office if a particular candidate does not win. It is an old strategy of tyrants to delude their victims into fighting their battles for them.
Every message in a pay envelope, even if it is the truth, is a command to vote according to the will of the employer. But this propaganda is worse- it is deceit.
They tell the worker his wage will be reduced by a contribution to some vague form of old-age insurance. They carefully conceal from him the fact that for every dollar of premium he pays for that insurance, the employer pays another dollar. That omission is deceit.
They carefully conceal from him the fact that under the federal law, he receives another insurance policy to help him if he loses his job, and that the premium of that policy is paid 100 percent by the employer and not one cent by the worker. They do not tell him that the insurance policy that is bought for him is far more favorable to him than any policy that any private insurance company could afford to issue. That omission is deceit.
They imply to him that he pays all the cost of both forms of insurance. They carefully conceal from him the fact that for every dollar put up by him his employer puts up three dollars three for one. And that omission is deceit.
But they are guilty of more than deceit. When they imply that the reserves thus created against both these policies will be stolen by some future Congress, diverted to some wholly foreign purpose, they attack the integrity and honor of American Government itself. Those who suggest that, are already aliens to the spirit of American democracy. Let them emigrate and try their lot under some foreign flag in which they have more confidence.
The fraudulent nature of this attempt is well shown by the record of votes on the passage of the Social Security Act. In addition to an overwhelming majority of Democrats in both Houses, seventy-seven Republican Representatives voted for it and only eighteen against it and fifteen Republican Senators voted for it and only five against it. Where does this last-minute drive of the Republican leadership leave these Republican Representatives and Senators who helped enact this law?
I am sure the vast majority of law-abiding businessmen who are not parties to this propaganda fully appreciate the extent of the threat to honest business contained in this coercion.
I have expressed indignation at this form of campaigning and I am confident that the overwhelming majority of employers, workers and the general public share that indignation and will show it at the polls on Tuesday next.
Aside from this phase of it, I prefer to remember this campaign not as bitter but only as hard-fought. There should be no bitterness or hate where the sole thought is the welfare of the United States of America. No man can occupy the office of President without realizing that he is President of all the people.
It is because I have sought to think in terms of the whole Nation that I am confident that today, just as four years ago, the people want more than promises.
Our vision for the future contains more than promises.
This is our answer to those who, silent about their own plans, ask us to state our objectives.
Of course we will continue to seek to improve working conditions for the workers of America--to reduce hours over-long, to increase wages that spell starvation, to end the labor of children, to wipe out sweatshops. Of course we will continue every effort to end monopoly in business, to support collective bargaining, to stop unfair competition, to abolish dishonorable trade practices. For all these we have only just begun to fight.
Of course we will continue to work for cheaper electricity in the homes and on the farms of America, for better and cheaper transportation, for low interest rates, for sounder home financing, for better banking, for the regulation of security issues, for reciprocal trade among nations, for the wiping out of slums. For all these we have only just begun to fight.
Of course we will continue our efforts in behalf of the farmers of America. With their continued cooperation we will do all in our power to end the piling up of huge surpluses which spelled ruinous prices for their crops. We will persist in successful action for better land use, for reforestation, for the conservation of water all the way from its source to the sea, for drought and flood control, for better marketing facilities for farm commodities, for a definite reduction of farm tenancy, for encouragement of farmer cooperatives, for crop insurance and a stable food supply. For all these we have only just begun to fight.
Of course we will provide useful work for the needy unemployed; we prefer useful work to the pauperism of a dole.
Here and now I want to make myself clear about those who disparage their fellow citizens on the relief rolls. They say that those on relief are not merely jobless--that they are worthless. Their solution for the relief problem is to end relief--to purge the rolls by starvation. To use the language of the stock broker, our needy unemployed would be cared for when, as, and if some fairy godmother should happen on the scene.
You and I will continue to refuse to accept that estimate of our unemployed fellow Americans. Your Government is still on the same side of the street with the Good Samaritan and not with those who pass by on the other side.
Again -- what of our objectives?
Of course we will continue our efforts for young men and women so that they may obtain an education and an opportunity to put it to use. Of course we will continue our help for the crippled, for the blind, for the mothers, our insurance for the unemployed, our security for the aged. Of course we will continue to protect the consumer against unnecessary price spreads, against the costs that are added by monopoly and speculation. We will continue our successful efforts to increase his purchasing power and to keep it constant.
For these things, too, and for a multitude of others like them, we have only just begun to fight.
All this--all these objectives--spell peace at home. All our actions, all our ideals, spell also peace with other nations.
Today there is war and rumor of war. We want none of it. But while we guard our shores against threats of war, we will continue to remove the causes of unrest and antagonism at home which might make our people easier victims to those for whom foreign war is profitable. You know well that those who stand to profit by war are not on our side in this campaign.
"Peace on earth, good will toward men"--democracy must cling to that message. For it is my deep conviction that democracy cannot live without that true religion which gives a nation a sense of justice and of moral purpose. Above our political forums, above our market places stand the altars of our faith-altars on which burn the fires of devotion that maintain all that is best in us and all that is best in our Nation.
We have need of that devotion today. It is that which makes it possible for government to persuade those who are mentally prepared to fight each other to go on instead, to work for and to sacrifice for each other. That is why we need to say with the Prophet: "What doth the Lord require of thee -- but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God." That is why the recovery we seek, the recovery we are winning, is more than economic. In it are included justice and love and humility, not for ourselves as individuals alone, but for our Nation.
That is the road to peace.
October 31, 1936
Senator Wagner, Governor Lehman, ladies and gentlemen:
On the eve of a national election, it is well for us to stop for a moment and analyze calmly and without prejudice the effect on our Nation of a victory by either of the major political parties.
The problem of the electorate is far deeper, far more vital than the continuance in the Presidency of any individual. For the greater issue goes beyond units of humanity--it goes to humanity itself.
In 1932 the issue was the restoration of American democracy; and the American people were in a mood to win. They did win. In 1936 the issue is the preservation of their victory. Again they are in a mood to win. Again they will win.
More than four years ago in accepting the Democratic nomination in Chicago, I said: "Give me your help not to win votes alone, but to win in this crusade to restore America to its own people."
The banners of that crusade still fly in the van of a Nation that is on the march.
It is needless to repeat the details of the program which this Administration has been hammering out on the anvils of experience. No amount of misrepresentation or statistical contortion can conceal or blur or smear that record. Neither the attacks of unscrupulous enemies nor the exaggerations of over-zealous friends will serve to mislead the American people.
What was our hope in 1932? Above all other things the American people wanted peace. They wanted peace of mind instead of gnawing fear.
First, they sought escape from the personal terror which had stalked them for three years. They wanted the peace that comes from security in their homes: safety for their savings, permanence in their jobs, a fair profit from their enterprise.
Next, they wanted peace in the community, the peace that springs from the ability to meet the needs of community life: schools, playgrounds, parks, sanitation, highways--those things which are expected of solvent local government. They sought escape from disintegration and bankruptcy in local and state affairs.
They also sought peace within the Nation: protection of their currency, fairer wages, the ending of long hours of toil, the abolition of child labor, the elimination of wild-cat speculation, the safety of their children from kidnappers.
And, finally, they sought peace with other Nations--peace in a world of unrest. The Nation knows that I hate war, and I know that the Nation hates war.
I submit to you a record of peace; and on that record a well-founded expectation for future peace--peace for the individual, peace for the community, peace for the Nation, and peace with the world.
Tonight I call the roll--the roll of honor of those who stood with us in 1932 and still stand with us today.
Written on it are the names of millions who never had a chance --men at starvation wages, women in sweatshops, children at looms.
Written on it are the names of those who despaired, young men and young women for whom opportunity had become a will-o'-the-wisp.
Written on it are the names of farmers whose acres yielded only bitterness, business men whose books were portents of disaster, home owners who were faced with eviction, frugal citizens whose savings were insecure.
Written there in large letters are the names of countless other Americans of all parties and all faiths, Americans who had eyes to see and hearts to understand, whose consciences were burdened because too many of their fellows were burdened, who looked on these things four years ago and said, "This can be changed. We will change it."
We still lead that army in 1936. They stood with us then because in 1932 they believed. They stand with us today because in 1936 they know. And with them stand millions of new recruits who have come to know.
Their hopes have become our record.
We have not come this far without a struggle and I assure you we cannot go further without a struggle.
For twelve years this Nation was afflicted with hear-nothing, see-nothing, do-nothing Government. The Nation looked to Government but the Government looked away. Nine mocking years with the golden calf and three long years of the scourge! Nine crazy years at the ticker and three long years in the breadlines! Nine mad years of mirage and three long years of despair! Powerful influences strive today to restore that kind of government with its doctrine that that Government is best which is most indifferent.
For nearly four years you have had an Administration which instead of twirling its thumbs has rolled up its sleeves. We will keep our sleeves rolled up.
We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace--business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.
They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.
Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me--and I welcome their hatred.
I should like to have it said of my first Administration that in it the forces of selfishness and of lust for power met their match. I should like to have it said of my second Administration that in it these forces met their master.
The American people know from a four-year record that today there is only one entrance to the White House--by the front door. Since March 4, 1933, there has been only one pass-key to the White House. I have carried that key in my pocket. It is there tonight. So long as I am President, it will remain in my pocket.
Those who used to have pass-keys are not happy. Some of them are desperate. Only desperate men with their backs to the wall would descend so far below the level of decent citizenship as to foster the current pay-envelope campaign against America's working people. Only reckless men, heedless of consequences, would risk the disruption of the hope for a new peace between worker and employer by returning to the tactics of the labor spy.
Here is an amazing paradox! The very employers and politicians and publishers who talk most loudly of class antagonism and the destruction of the American system now undermine that system by this attempt to coerce the votes of the wage earners of this country. It is the 1936 version of the old threat to close down the factory or the office if a particular candidate does not win. It is an old strategy of tyrants to delude their victims into fighting their battles for them.
Every message in a pay envelope, even if it is the truth, is a command to vote according to the will of the employer. But this propaganda is worse- it is deceit.
They tell the worker his wage will be reduced by a contribution to some vague form of old-age insurance. They carefully conceal from him the fact that for every dollar of premium he pays for that insurance, the employer pays another dollar. That omission is deceit.
They carefully conceal from him the fact that under the federal law, he receives another insurance policy to help him if he loses his job, and that the premium of that policy is paid 100 percent by the employer and not one cent by the worker. They do not tell him that the insurance policy that is bought for him is far more favorable to him than any policy that any private insurance company could afford to issue. That omission is deceit.
They imply to him that he pays all the cost of both forms of insurance. They carefully conceal from him the fact that for every dollar put up by him his employer puts up three dollars three for one. And that omission is deceit.
But they are guilty of more than deceit. When they imply that the reserves thus created against both these policies will be stolen by some future Congress, diverted to some wholly foreign purpose, they attack the integrity and honor of American Government itself. Those who suggest that, are already aliens to the spirit of American democracy. Let them emigrate and try their lot under some foreign flag in which they have more confidence.
The fraudulent nature of this attempt is well shown by the record of votes on the passage of the Social Security Act. In addition to an overwhelming majority of Democrats in both Houses, seventy-seven Republican Representatives voted for it and only eighteen against it and fifteen Republican Senators voted for it and only five against it. Where does this last-minute drive of the Republican leadership leave these Republican Representatives and Senators who helped enact this law?
I am sure the vast majority of law-abiding businessmen who are not parties to this propaganda fully appreciate the extent of the threat to honest business contained in this coercion.
I have expressed indignation at this form of campaigning and I am confident that the overwhelming majority of employers, workers and the general public share that indignation and will show it at the polls on Tuesday next.
Aside from this phase of it, I prefer to remember this campaign not as bitter but only as hard-fought. There should be no bitterness or hate where the sole thought is the welfare of the United States of America. No man can occupy the office of President without realizing that he is President of all the people.
It is because I have sought to think in terms of the whole Nation that I am confident that today, just as four years ago, the people want more than promises.
Our vision for the future contains more than promises.
This is our answer to those who, silent about their own plans, ask us to state our objectives.
Of course we will continue to seek to improve working conditions for the workers of America--to reduce hours over-long, to increase wages that spell starvation, to end the labor of children, to wipe out sweatshops. Of course we will continue every effort to end monopoly in business, to support collective bargaining, to stop unfair competition, to abolish dishonorable trade practices. For all these we have only just begun to fight.
Of course we will continue to work for cheaper electricity in the homes and on the farms of America, for better and cheaper transportation, for low interest rates, for sounder home financing, for better banking, for the regulation of security issues, for reciprocal trade among nations, for the wiping out of slums. For all these we have only just begun to fight.
Of course we will continue our efforts in behalf of the farmers of America. With their continued cooperation we will do all in our power to end the piling up of huge surpluses which spelled ruinous prices for their crops. We will persist in successful action for better land use, for reforestation, for the conservation of water all the way from its source to the sea, for drought and flood control, for better marketing facilities for farm commodities, for a definite reduction of farm tenancy, for encouragement of farmer cooperatives, for crop insurance and a stable food supply. For all these we have only just begun to fight.
Of course we will provide useful work for the needy unemployed; we prefer useful work to the pauperism of a dole.
Here and now I want to make myself clear about those who disparage their fellow citizens on the relief rolls. They say that those on relief are not merely jobless--that they are worthless. Their solution for the relief problem is to end relief--to purge the rolls by starvation. To use the language of the stock broker, our needy unemployed would be cared for when, as, and if some fairy godmother should happen on the scene.
You and I will continue to refuse to accept that estimate of our unemployed fellow Americans. Your Government is still on the same side of the street with the Good Samaritan and not with those who pass by on the other side.
Again -- what of our objectives?
Of course we will continue our efforts for young men and women so that they may obtain an education and an opportunity to put it to use. Of course we will continue our help for the crippled, for the blind, for the mothers, our insurance for the unemployed, our security for the aged. Of course we will continue to protect the consumer against unnecessary price spreads, against the costs that are added by monopoly and speculation. We will continue our successful efforts to increase his purchasing power and to keep it constant.
For these things, too, and for a multitude of others like them, we have only just begun to fight.
All this--all these objectives--spell peace at home. All our actions, all our ideals, spell also peace with other nations.
Today there is war and rumor of war. We want none of it. But while we guard our shores against threats of war, we will continue to remove the causes of unrest and antagonism at home which might make our people easier victims to those for whom foreign war is profitable. You know well that those who stand to profit by war are not on our side in this campaign.
"Peace on earth, good will toward men"--democracy must cling to that message. For it is my deep conviction that democracy cannot live without that true religion which gives a nation a sense of justice and of moral purpose. Above our political forums, above our market places stand the altars of our faith-altars on which burn the fires of devotion that maintain all that is best in us and all that is best in our Nation.
We have need of that devotion today. It is that which makes it possible for government to persuade those who are mentally prepared to fight each other to go on instead, to work for and to sacrifice for each other. That is why we need to say with the Prophet: "What doth the Lord require of thee -- but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God." That is why the recovery we seek, the recovery we are winning, is more than economic. In it are included justice and love and humility, not for ourselves as individuals alone, but for our Nation.
That is the road to peace.
just anudder bump on the End Times highway
Of course, these are probably the same dopes who said it was going to snow in Philly last Sunday night, so dere's a good chance of either nothing happening or the world coming to an end without warning... and anudder reason not to get a cell phone.
From NOAA via "GIM International" newsletter:
http://www.gim-international.com/news/id2773-NOAA_Forthcoming_Solar_Cycle_Could_Disrupt_GPS,_Communications.html
Source: NOAA Website: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA: Forthcoming Solar Cycle Could Disrupt GPS, Communications
10/01/2008
A new 11-year cycle of heightened solar activity, bringing with it increased risks for military and civilian communications, including GPS signals, showed signs it was on it its way with the appearance of the cycle's first sunspot, NOAA scientists said.
The sunspot appeared in the sun's Northern Hemisphere, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "This sunspot is like the first robin of spring," said solar physicist Douglas Biesecker of Nova's Space Weather Prediction Center. "In this case, it's an early omen of solar storms that will gradually increase over the next few years."
A sunspot is an area of highly organized magnetic activity on the surface of the sun. The new 11-year cycle, called solar cycle 24, is expected to build gradually, with the number of sunspots and solar storms reaching a maximum by 2011 or 2012, though devastating storms can occur at any time, according to NOAA.
During a solar storm, highly charged material ejected from the sun may head toward Earth, where it can bring down power grids, disrupt critical communications, and threaten astronauts with harmful radiation. Storms can also knock out commercial communications satellites and swamp GPS signals. Routine activities such as talking on a cell phone or getting money from an ATM could suddenly halt over a large part of the globe, NOAA warned.
"Our growing dependence on highly sophisticated, space-based technologies means we are far more vulnerable to space weather today than in the past," said Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "[NOAA's] space weather monitoring and forecasts are critical for the nation's ability to function smoothly during solar disturbances."
Last April, in coordination with an international panel of solar experts, NOAA issued a forecast that solar cycle 24 would start in March 2008, plus or minus six months. The panel was evenly split between those predicting a strong or weak cycle. Both camps agree that the sooner the new cycle takes over the waning previous cycle, the more likely that it will be a strong season with many sunspots and major storms, said Biesecker. Many more sunspots with solar cycle 24 traits must emerge before scientists consider the new cycle dominant, with the potential for more frequent storms, NOAA said.
The new sunspot, identified as #10,981, is the latest visible spot to appear since NOAA began numbering them on January 5, 1972. Its high-latitude location at 27 degrees North, and its negative polarity leading to the right in the Northern Hemisphere are clear-cut signs of a new solar cycle, according to NOAA experts. The first active regions and sunspots of a new solar cycle can emerge at high latitudes while those from the previous cycle continue to form closer to the equator.
From NOAA via "GIM International" newsletter:
http://www.gim-international.com/news/id2773-NOAA_Forthcoming_Solar_Cycle_Could_Disrupt_GPS,_Communications.html
Source: NOAA Website: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA: Forthcoming Solar Cycle Could Disrupt GPS, Communications
10/01/2008
A new 11-year cycle of heightened solar activity, bringing with it increased risks for military and civilian communications, including GPS signals, showed signs it was on it its way with the appearance of the cycle's first sunspot, NOAA scientists said.
The sunspot appeared in the sun's Northern Hemisphere, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). "This sunspot is like the first robin of spring," said solar physicist Douglas Biesecker of Nova's Space Weather Prediction Center. "In this case, it's an early omen of solar storms that will gradually increase over the next few years."
A sunspot is an area of highly organized magnetic activity on the surface of the sun. The new 11-year cycle, called solar cycle 24, is expected to build gradually, with the number of sunspots and solar storms reaching a maximum by 2011 or 2012, though devastating storms can occur at any time, according to NOAA.
During a solar storm, highly charged material ejected from the sun may head toward Earth, where it can bring down power grids, disrupt critical communications, and threaten astronauts with harmful radiation. Storms can also knock out commercial communications satellites and swamp GPS signals. Routine activities such as talking on a cell phone or getting money from an ATM could suddenly halt over a large part of the globe, NOAA warned.
"Our growing dependence on highly sophisticated, space-based technologies means we are far more vulnerable to space weather today than in the past," said Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "[NOAA's] space weather monitoring and forecasts are critical for the nation's ability to function smoothly during solar disturbances."
Last April, in coordination with an international panel of solar experts, NOAA issued a forecast that solar cycle 24 would start in March 2008, plus or minus six months. The panel was evenly split between those predicting a strong or weak cycle. Both camps agree that the sooner the new cycle takes over the waning previous cycle, the more likely that it will be a strong season with many sunspots and major storms, said Biesecker. Many more sunspots with solar cycle 24 traits must emerge before scientists consider the new cycle dominant, with the potential for more frequent storms, NOAA said.
The new sunspot, identified as #10,981, is the latest visible spot to appear since NOAA began numbering them on January 5, 1972. Its high-latitude location at 27 degrees North, and its negative polarity leading to the right in the Northern Hemisphere are clear-cut signs of a new solar cycle, according to NOAA experts. The first active regions and sunspots of a new solar cycle can emerge at high latitudes while those from the previous cycle continue to form closer to the equator.
Potty mouth good?
I nominate Smiff to do some "empirical testing"...
Swearing at work can 'cut stress'
Swearing at work helps employees cope with stress, academics at a Norfolk university have said.
A study by Norwich's University of East Anglia (UEA) into leadership styles found the use of "taboo language" boosted team spirit.
Professor Yehuda Baruch, professor of management, warned that attempts to prevent workers from swearing could have a negative impact.
But Professor Baruch discouraged swearing in front of customers.
'Maintaining solidarity'
He said: "In most scenarios, in particular in the presence of customers or senior staff, profanity must be seriously discouraged or banned.
"However, our study suggested that, in many cases, taboo language serves the needs of people for developing and maintaining solidarity, and as a mechanism to cope with stress. Banning it could backfire.
"Managers need to understand how their staff feel about swearing.
"The challenge is to master the art of knowing when to turn a blind eye to communication that does not meet with their own standards."
Swearing at work can 'cut stress'
Swearing at work helps employees cope with stress, academics at a Norfolk university have said.
A study by Norwich's University of East Anglia (UEA) into leadership styles found the use of "taboo language" boosted team spirit.
Professor Yehuda Baruch, professor of management, warned that attempts to prevent workers from swearing could have a negative impact.
But Professor Baruch discouraged swearing in front of customers.
'Maintaining solidarity'
He said: "In most scenarios, in particular in the presence of customers or senior staff, profanity must be seriously discouraged or banned.
"However, our study suggested that, in many cases, taboo language serves the needs of people for developing and maintaining solidarity, and as a mechanism to cope with stress. Banning it could backfire.
"Managers need to understand how their staff feel about swearing.
"The challenge is to master the art of knowing when to turn a blind eye to communication that does not meet with their own standards."
McDonald's counters...
McDonald's adds chicken to breakfast menu
Chicken for breakfast?Starting this spring at McDonald's, yes. Oak Brook-based McDonald's Corp. will offer a chicken biscuit breakfast sandwich in its nearly 14,000 U.S. stores in a few months, the company told analysts today at a Cowen & Co. conference in New York.
The new breakfast sandwich, which consists of a small fried chicken filet in a sliced biscuit, has been test marketed for over a year and is one of several new menu offerings from McDonald's. Late last year, it launched the McSkillet Burrito, its first new breakfast sandwich since the McGriddle came out in 2003. A new burger, the Angus Third Pounder, is expected to be rolled out nationwide this year. Currently, it's available in test markets, including in California and New York.
hey clowns, phokk you
Smiff headed back to Chicago?
Cubs invited C J.D. Closser, LHP Ed Campusano, LHP Geoff Jones, LHP Les Walrond, RHP Esmailin Caridad, RHP Jose Ceda, RHP Chad Fox, RHP Mike Smith, C Welington Castillo, C Josh Donaldson, C Koyie Hill, INF Andres Blanco, INF Luis Figueroa, INF Micah Hoffpauir, INF Casey McGehee, INF Bobby Scales, OF Tyler Colvin, OF Josh Kroeger and OF Andres Torres to spring training.
You know what da answer to dis is, don't you?
2007 Inflation Rate: Up 4.1%
2007 Real Wages Rate: Down 0.9%
Now, you might think: raise salaries for workers and cut them for phokking fat-cat CEOs. Hah, good one! The real answer is: cut taxes for the very weathly. That way, they might invest in new ventures and hire you for that second job you need since you lost 5% of your money last year. Or, they might buy a yacht and help out the yacht makers. And if you're thinking, why not cut taxes on workers 5%? Hah, anudder good one! Uh, where da phokk have you been since Jan. 2001? Probably working 3 jobs and not paying attention. Also, 9/11 changed everything. So, oh yeah, let me speak for Fred Thompson et al. here: go phokk yourselves.
In related news:
QT Trickle-On Economics Update:
The average CEO in this country, as of today, has been paid so far this year what the average worker earns in seven years.
2007 Real Wages Rate: Down 0.9%
Now, you might think: raise salaries for workers and cut them for phokking fat-cat CEOs. Hah, good one! The real answer is: cut taxes for the very weathly. That way, they might invest in new ventures and hire you for that second job you need since you lost 5% of your money last year. Or, they might buy a yacht and help out the yacht makers. And if you're thinking, why not cut taxes on workers 5%? Hah, anudder good one! Uh, where da phokk have you been since Jan. 2001? Probably working 3 jobs and not paying attention. Also, 9/11 changed everything. So, oh yeah, let me speak for Fred Thompson et al. here: go phokk yourselves.
In related news:
QT Trickle-On Economics Update:
The average CEO in this country, as of today, has been paid so far this year what the average worker earns in seven years.
finally, some good news
The latest salvo in the fast food coffee wars? Chicago Dunkin Donuts stores are test marketing dark roast coffee and it's free on Mondays. Hmmm. Now where have we seen that marketing strategy before? Oh, right. At McDonald's, where they've been giving away premium Joe on Mondays since they introduced the stuff.
but the important thing is, socialized medicine isn't encroaching on our God-given freedom
ER waits dangerously long in U.S.: study
One-Quarter of Heart Attack Patients Wait 50 Minutes or Longer
One-Quarter of Heart Attack Patients Wait 50 Minutes or Longer
Whitey keeping darky down (cont)
Police: College Students Lied About Attack
Roommate Hit Girl With Lacrosse Stick To Fake Assault
Investigators said that Trista Sturdivant claimed that she had been attacked by a black man who jumped out of the woods.
OK whitey, we know your lives are all stressed out now because things ain't what they used to be. You used to be able to get all the cushy jobs, now you have to compete with darky and they have "affirmative action" to help them (cheat). But please, when you do something stupid, like claim you were assaulted or kidnapped or something, don't blame us for it. It's not our fault (OK, it is, but you started it), so pick one of your own to blame. Please.
Roommate Hit Girl With Lacrosse Stick To Fake Assault
Investigators said that Trista Sturdivant claimed that she had been attacked by a black man who jumped out of the woods.
OK whitey, we know your lives are all stressed out now because things ain't what they used to be. You used to be able to get all the cushy jobs, now you have to compete with darky and they have "affirmative action" to help them (cheat). But please, when you do something stupid, like claim you were assaulted or kidnapped or something, don't blame us for it. It's not our fault (OK, it is, but you started it), so pick one of your own to blame. Please.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
here's a shocker
News item: Climatic changes appear to be destabilizing vast ice sheets of western Antarctica that had previously seemed relatively protected from global warming, researchers reported yesterday, raising the prospect of faster sea-level rise than current estimates.
the democratic process
Dear MoveOn member,
In the last year, the major TV networks asked the presidential candidates 2,679 questions. Pop quiz: How many were about global warming?
A) 514 — after all, it's one of the top issues facing the country
B) 165 — as many as were asked about illegal immigration
C) 3 — the same number asked about UFOs
In the last year, the major TV networks asked the presidential candidates 2,679 questions. Pop quiz: How many were about global warming?
A) 514 — after all, it's one of the top issues facing the country
B) 165 — as many as were asked about illegal immigration
C) 3 — the same number asked about UFOs
poll finds shocking idiocy rate of 32%
POLL: A New Low in Approval Starts Bush's Final Year
Beset by growing economic concerns on top of the long unpopular war in Iraq, President Bush starts the last year of his presidency with the worst approval rating of his career.
Just 32 percent of Americans now approve of the way Bush is handling his job, while 66 percent disapprove. Bush's work on the economy has likewise reached a new low. And he shows no gain on Iraq; despite reduced violence there, 64 percent say the war was not worth fighting, 2 points from its high.
Beset by growing economic concerns on top of the long unpopular war in Iraq, President Bush starts the last year of his presidency with the worst approval rating of his career.
Just 32 percent of Americans now approve of the way Bush is handling his job, while 66 percent disapprove. Bush's work on the economy has likewise reached a new low. And he shows no gain on Iraq; despite reduced violence there, 64 percent say the war was not worth fighting, 2 points from its high.
Misplaced Priorities (cont)
Missing dogs found safe
While untold people are suffering all over this city, state, nation, continent, hemisphere and globe (once we meet the Vulcans I'll add solar system, galaxy and universe to the list), we're concerned about whitey's pooches..
While untold people are suffering all over this city, state, nation, continent, hemisphere and globe (once we meet the Vulcans I'll add solar system, galaxy and universe to the list), we're concerned about whitey's pooches.
but he's da gubnor -- he can do whatever he wants, or, dere is yet annudder YOOOGE delay directly behind dis one
Free rides offer could delay transit funding
CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich never discussed a plan to offer free rides for senior citizens with the head of the Chicago Transit Authority before making the idea public last week, the CTA chief said Monday.
CTA President Ron Huberman said he was concerned Blagojevich's proposal could scuttle final approval of a mass-transit funding bill.
CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich never discussed a plan to offer free rides for senior citizens with the head of the Chicago Transit Authority before making the idea public last week, the CTA chief said Monday.
CTA President Ron Huberman said he was concerned Blagojevich's proposal could scuttle final approval of a mass-transit funding bill.
@SSHOLE Revisted
Dis guy changes his story with each bowel movement...
Yankees VP Hank Steinbrenner said his team was still in the hunt for Johan Santana. Steinbrenner said ESPN's report that the Yankees pulled their offer was untrue. "There wasn't an official offer anyway. You can't withdraw something that wasn't there," Steinbrenner said. "There was no official offer on the table at this time." According to Steinbrenner, there has been some dialogue between his club and the Twins. "It's still in the deciding process," he said. "We're still discussing it. There's still a little talk back and forth."
Yankees VP Hank Steinbrenner said his team was still in the hunt for Johan Santana. Steinbrenner said ESPN's report that the Yankees pulled their offer was untrue. "There wasn't an official offer anyway. You can't withdraw something that wasn't there," Steinbrenner said. "There was no official offer on the table at this time." According to Steinbrenner, there has been some dialogue between his club and the Twins. "It's still in the deciding process," he said. "We're still discussing it. There's still a little talk back and forth."
Monday, January 14, 2008
philly skilly phlubs da phorecast
Snow? No!
By Lea Sitton Stanley
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
So, where is it, that snow we steeled ourselves for?
"It didn't happen."
k-mad, reporting from da philly aeroport...
By Lea Sitton Stanley
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
So, where is it, that snow we steeled ourselves for?
"It didn't happen."
k-mad, reporting from da philly aeroport...
News Grouping
So I looked at the Trib's home page today, and I realised they grouped the stories all wrong. They use Nation, Local, Sports, Entertainment, Travel, etc. I propose a more logical, if slightly more wordy, grouping arrangement:
Why the phokk is this news?
7 people charged in weekend marijuana bust on Near South Side
No sign of Britney Spears at custody hearing
Eva Longoria gives Jessica Simpson advice
Stories you wouldn't normally care about, so we added something to the headline explain why you should care...
Dolphin dies at Brookfield Zoo
Naperville driver, 88, killed in car crash
'Pulp Fiction' screenwriter arrested
The whole story is in the headline, so keep moving...
Why the phokk is this news?
7 people charged in weekend marijuana bust on Near South Side
No sign of Britney Spears at custody hearing
Eva Longoria gives Jessica Simpson advice
Stories you wouldn't normally care about, so we added something to the headline explain why you should care...
Dolphin dies at Brookfield Zoo
Naperville driver, 88, killed in car crash
'Pulp Fiction' screenwriter arrested
The whole story is in the headline, so keep moving...
Amtrak cop loses part of thumb in door at Union Station
Chicken manure spill covers a mile of road in Iowa
We had to make the headline snappy to make you read this otherwise boring story...
Health Club: My favorite drug? Exercise
Why even bother?
Tom Skilling: Snow, frigid blast to whip Chicago area
New chief development officer named at WTTW parent
Brevity is key with voice mail
Early voting begins in Illinois
I could go on, but it makes my head hurt on this slow news day we have.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Poor Little Rich People
People I'm least concerned about:
"Violence in Kenya raises questions for those seeking safari trips"
- headline from the New York Times today.
American travelers were very concerned about the various tribal angers that seem to be boiling over as a result of a presidential election that was stolen and expressed solidarity with the oppressed of any nation at any time, as noted in the article below:
After seeing such images, Andrea Macari, a clinical psychologist from Great Neck, N.Y., rerouted her $30,000 two-week trip to Africa to avoid traveling in Kenya. Originally, Ms. Macari and her husband, Dylan Mitchell, were scheduled to use Nairobi as a jumping-off place to Rwanda for gorilla tracking before heading back to Kenya for a safari. Now the couple is bypassing Kenya completely by flying into Uganda, connecting to Rwanda and taking charter flights to get around. They have replaced their Kenyan safari with a stay at a tented camp in the Serengeti in Tanzania.
“I’m not going on a vacation to be anxious all the time for my safety,” said Ms. Macari, who departed for her trip without knowing if she would get a refund for the canceled Kenya safari.
Lisa Gramlich, a pediatric anesthesiologist from Chicago, who left for Kenya with three friends on Jan. 7, also took precautions. Two of the travelers who planned to take a public bus to Kilimanjaro will now fly there. And instead of shopping and sightseeing in Nairobi, Ms. Gramlich plans to stay on the grounds of her resort while she is in the capital. In a situation like this, she said, “the likelihood of becoming a victim of robbery or something becomes just a little more heightened.”
for the whole story go here.
"Violence in Kenya raises questions for those seeking safari trips"
- headline from the New York Times today.
American travelers were very concerned about the various tribal angers that seem to be boiling over as a result of a presidential election that was stolen and expressed solidarity with the oppressed of any nation at any time, as noted in the article below:
After seeing such images, Andrea Macari, a clinical psychologist from Great Neck, N.Y., rerouted her $30,000 two-week trip to Africa to avoid traveling in Kenya. Originally, Ms. Macari and her husband, Dylan Mitchell, were scheduled to use Nairobi as a jumping-off place to Rwanda for gorilla tracking before heading back to Kenya for a safari. Now the couple is bypassing Kenya completely by flying into Uganda, connecting to Rwanda and taking charter flights to get around. They have replaced their Kenyan safari with a stay at a tented camp in the Serengeti in Tanzania.
“I’m not going on a vacation to be anxious all the time for my safety,” said Ms. Macari, who departed for her trip without knowing if she would get a refund for the canceled Kenya safari.
Lisa Gramlich, a pediatric anesthesiologist from Chicago, who left for Kenya with three friends on Jan. 7, also took precautions. Two of the travelers who planned to take a public bus to Kilimanjaro will now fly there. And instead of shopping and sightseeing in Nairobi, Ms. Gramlich plans to stay on the grounds of her resort while she is in the capital. In a situation like this, she said, “the likelihood of becoming a victim of robbery or something becomes just a little more heightened.”
for the whole story go here.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Another Thing I Hate: The L Train
To content myself until the next time Will Carroll has a chat, I include my complaint letter to the MTA:
Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Customer (a decker) - 01/12/2008 02:45 AM
It took an hour and a half to get from First Avenue to Nassau tonight.
And this is after sitting around and having to let trains go four of five mornings this week because they were too crowded to get on. One day I had to let two trains go by before I could get on one. Which is better than one of the days last week when I had to let three go by. I leave with a forty-five minute cushion between when I should get to work and when I could logically expect to if the L train doesn't suck but isn't ideal. Twice in the last couple weeks I've walked in right at the time I was due in - that means the L train was running forty-five minutes slower than I could logically expect it to, during rush hour, in terms of actually being able to get on and get to work. One time, I have to admit, it wasn't the train's fault - I waited for a bus in Greenpoint (ha haha - I
mean I should know better to do that - faster to walk the 22 minutes pretty much everyday - but that's another matter).
I really don't think you guys know what you're doing.
Everyday it amazes me that I have no choice but to pay for service that is infuriating, uncomfortable and inconvenient. Seriously, why am I paying $76 a month for this? Why?
Why is it that if I try to travel anywhere when it's not rush hour the G train is closed, the L train is running on one track on no tracks or just kind of showing up and running in seven sections and it's all the time. The damn thing never works. And then when it does work, you run three trains one right after the other and then one doesn't run for ten minutes...and the things are so crowded - try getting on one of those trains.
The tipping point was tonight - I didn't want to complain - I know you guys have a tough job - but the inferior quality of service is to such a dismal low that it needs to be commented on. You are not doing a good job. I sometimes wonder if you are doing what you claim to do at all - that is, transport New York City with any kind of economy and skill.
I love New York, and when I move eventually, I will miss it terribly, I will content myself with the fact that I do not have to think about the L train everyday.'
Response
---------------------------------------------------------------
Dear L line customer:
As your new line general manager, you have my commitment to improve your ride with us. Your comments are important to me in reaching that goal, and I thank you for writing. Please know that I will review each e-mail personally, and contact you if I need more information. The line general manager program is a new concept, and I look forward to your support in making it a success.
Sincerely,
Greg Lombardi
Response to the Response
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Greg,
What would you like me to do to help make it a success? Would you like me to get down there and dig? At this point, I would.
One day, I will wake up, George Bush will have announced that he's voluntarily committing himself to a war crimes tribunal and the news will have an additional report that former Vice President Dick "Dick" Cheney was attacked by a mob of angry college students who covered him with fake blood and bacon grease, afterwards he will apologize for his actions and say the only way he can expiate himself is through hari kari, a foreign concept, but a just one; President Anjelica Huston will announce that the $750 billion package to reinvigorate troubled schools is appearing to have effect with the information not coming from test scores, but from where actual students attend college and graduate from college; corporations will be running scared from upstart independent competition which is not limited by a corrupt and evil tax code and the Chicago Cubs, under manager Greg Maddux and bench coach Ryne Sandberg, will be celebrating Ron Santo Day just before game seven of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (which they will win 3-1 on a two run bases clearing double in the 8th by pinch hitter Carlos Zambrano - Ron Santo, silent on the microphone will worry some viewers until some five minutes later, he says softly that this is the most beautiful moment of his life, full of exactly the meaning he thought it would be - he will thank his parents and Kenny Hubbs, he will be surrounded by his former roommate, Glenn Beckert, Randy Hundley and Billy Williams in the booth - Ernie Banks will be in the left field bleachers, not with frat boy assholes, but regular fans - since the costs of the seat will not be so much as to require a trust fund), and on that day, Greg, earlier in the morning, on my way to the airport so I can get back to Chicago in time to make the game, I will take the L Train into the city really quick so I can buy my friend Corms a few books from the Strand. The train will show up after a brisk three minute wait. It will not be crowded. The seats will be filled, but I will gladly stand and nod to the other commuters. We will all be relaxed. Instead of Digitized Person announcing that the next stop is First Avenue in this Manhattan Bound L Train, the cool tones of Willie Nelson will give me that information. I will chuckle. Last week I was told quickly and without excessive length or volume of where I was going and in what direction by the comforting and inspirational voice of Al Green. Sometimes at bars we will discuss the relief we feel now that Digitized Person has been retired.
What I found so aggravating about all this, is the part that is least likely to happen, is what happened on the L train. Which, when empty at the depot, will still smell faintly of urine.
Discussion Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------
Customer (a decker) - 01/12/2008 02:45 AM
It took an hour and a half to get from First Avenue to Nassau tonight.
And this is after sitting around and having to let trains go four of five mornings this week because they were too crowded to get on. One day I had to let two trains go by before I could get on one. Which is better than one of the days last week when I had to let three go by. I leave with a forty-five minute cushion between when I should get to work and when I could logically expect to if the L train doesn't suck but isn't ideal. Twice in the last couple weeks I've walked in right at the time I was due in - that means the L train was running forty-five minutes slower than I could logically expect it to, during rush hour, in terms of actually being able to get on and get to work. One time, I have to admit, it wasn't the train's fault - I waited for a bus in Greenpoint (ha haha - I
mean I should know better to do that - faster to walk the 22 minutes pretty much everyday - but that's another matter).
I really don't think you guys know what you're doing.
Everyday it amazes me that I have no choice but to pay for service that is infuriating, uncomfortable and inconvenient. Seriously, why am I paying $76 a month for this? Why?
Why is it that if I try to travel anywhere when it's not rush hour the G train is closed, the L train is running on one track on no tracks or just kind of showing up and running in seven sections and it's all the time. The damn thing never works. And then when it does work, you run three trains one right after the other and then one doesn't run for ten minutes...and the things are so crowded - try getting on one of those trains.
The tipping point was tonight - I didn't want to complain - I know you guys have a tough job - but the inferior quality of service is to such a dismal low that it needs to be commented on. You are not doing a good job. I sometimes wonder if you are doing what you claim to do at all - that is, transport New York City with any kind of economy and skill.
I love New York, and when I move eventually, I will miss it terribly, I will content myself with the fact that I do not have to think about the L train everyday.'
Response
---------------------------------------------------------------
Dear L line customer:
As your new line general manager, you have my commitment to improve your ride with us. Your comments are important to me in reaching that goal, and I thank you for writing. Please know that I will review each e-mail personally, and contact you if I need more information. The line general manager program is a new concept, and I look forward to your support in making it a success.
Sincerely,
Greg Lombardi
Response to the Response
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Greg,
What would you like me to do to help make it a success? Would you like me to get down there and dig? At this point, I would.
One day, I will wake up, George Bush will have announced that he's voluntarily committing himself to a war crimes tribunal and the news will have an additional report that former Vice President Dick "Dick" Cheney was attacked by a mob of angry college students who covered him with fake blood and bacon grease, afterwards he will apologize for his actions and say the only way he can expiate himself is through hari kari, a foreign concept, but a just one; President Anjelica Huston will announce that the $750 billion package to reinvigorate troubled schools is appearing to have effect with the information not coming from test scores, but from where actual students attend college and graduate from college; corporations will be running scared from upstart independent competition which is not limited by a corrupt and evil tax code and the Chicago Cubs, under manager Greg Maddux and bench coach Ryne Sandberg, will be celebrating Ron Santo Day just before game seven of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (which they will win 3-1 on a two run bases clearing double in the 8th by pinch hitter Carlos Zambrano - Ron Santo, silent on the microphone will worry some viewers until some five minutes later, he says softly that this is the most beautiful moment of his life, full of exactly the meaning he thought it would be - he will thank his parents and Kenny Hubbs, he will be surrounded by his former roommate, Glenn Beckert, Randy Hundley and Billy Williams in the booth - Ernie Banks will be in the left field bleachers, not with frat boy assholes, but regular fans - since the costs of the seat will not be so much as to require a trust fund), and on that day, Greg, earlier in the morning, on my way to the airport so I can get back to Chicago in time to make the game, I will take the L Train into the city really quick so I can buy my friend Corms a few books from the Strand. The train will show up after a brisk three minute wait. It will not be crowded. The seats will be filled, but I will gladly stand and nod to the other commuters. We will all be relaxed. Instead of Digitized Person announcing that the next stop is First Avenue in this Manhattan Bound L Train, the cool tones of Willie Nelson will give me that information. I will chuckle. Last week I was told quickly and without excessive length or volume of where I was going and in what direction by the comforting and inspirational voice of Al Green. Sometimes at bars we will discuss the relief we feel now that Digitized Person has been retired.
What I found so aggravating about all this, is the part that is least likely to happen, is what happened on the L train. Which, when empty at the depot, will still smell faintly of urine.
Friday, January 11, 2008
the Iraqi Skilly blows forecast
First snow in memoryBaghdad residents wake up to what many have only seen in movies.
Baghdad residents wake up to what many have only seen in movies.
» No violence in the 'White Zone'
The forecast called for: 80's, sunny, s#i+ blowing up.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
An Asshole (non politics related)
While reading the Daily News over dinner tonight at the very shishi Manhattan eatery, Subway (12th and 4th for all you dying to find the latest hot spot), I came across and wanted to share this gem of assholishness from the ever-dependable Hank "Dick" Steinbrenner:
Reggie Jackson shows Yankee support for Goose Gossage
BY BILL MADDEN and PETER BOTTE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS
Thursday, January 10th 2008, 4:00 AM
Reggie Jackson happened to be in town and stopped in to offer his congratulations to old teammate Goose Gossage on Wednesday for making the Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
From the Yankees' standpoint, that was apparently the best they could do, although a team spokesman did say they are paying Gossage's expenses to the Baseball Writers Association of America dinner here on Jan.27. With one of their own being elected to the Hall and so much being made about him going in with a Yankee cap, not a single high-profile member of the Yankees organization attended the press conference, nor did any of the higher-ups from the public relations or promotions departments.
But Hank Steinbrenner made it clear Wednesday that he feels Gossage is an all-time Yankee.
"No matter what other teams he played for, Goose is a Yankee, so that's obviously the correct decision," the Yanks senior VP said yesterday via phone from Florida. "Going into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee, let's face it, is a bigger deal than going in with any other team. Just like winning a championship. I'm sure he's pleased and obviously I'm very pleased and my family's very pleased. He was an incredible pitcher and is very deserving."
Steinbrenner added that he's only "run across Goose a couple of times" through the years, but relayed a close-to-home tale involving Gossage from spring training last year.
"My son is only 11 years old, but he knows his stuff. When he was introduced to Goose last year, he just lit up. He couldn't believe he was getting his picture taken with Goose Gossage," Steinbrenner said. "He's 11. Most kids would want a picture with one of the present players, Jeter or someone. But he's seen all the 'Yankeeographies' and knows all the history. And he knew Goose.
"That's how much (Gossage) means to Yankee history and how much he means to our family."
Reggie Jackson shows Yankee support for Goose Gossage
BY BILL MADDEN and PETER BOTTE
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS
Thursday, January 10th 2008, 4:00 AM
Reggie Jackson happened to be in town and stopped in to offer his congratulations to old teammate Goose Gossage on Wednesday for making the Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
From the Yankees' standpoint, that was apparently the best they could do, although a team spokesman did say they are paying Gossage's expenses to the Baseball Writers Association of America dinner here on Jan.27. With one of their own being elected to the Hall and so much being made about him going in with a Yankee cap, not a single high-profile member of the Yankees organization attended the press conference, nor did any of the higher-ups from the public relations or promotions departments.
But Hank Steinbrenner made it clear Wednesday that he feels Gossage is an all-time Yankee.
"No matter what other teams he played for, Goose is a Yankee, so that's obviously the correct decision," the Yanks senior VP said yesterday via phone from Florida. "Going into the Hall of Fame as a Yankee, let's face it, is a bigger deal than going in with any other team. Just like winning a championship. I'm sure he's pleased and obviously I'm very pleased and my family's very pleased. He was an incredible pitcher and is very deserving."
Steinbrenner added that he's only "run across Goose a couple of times" through the years, but relayed a close-to-home tale involving Gossage from spring training last year.
"My son is only 11 years old, but he knows his stuff. When he was introduced to Goose last year, he just lit up. He couldn't believe he was getting his picture taken with Goose Gossage," Steinbrenner said. "He's 11. Most kids would want a picture with one of the present players, Jeter or someone. But he's seen all the 'Yankeeographies' and knows all the history. And he knew Goose.
"That's how much (Gossage) means to Yankee history and how much he means to our family."
Dis is gettin ridiculus
Gov. holds up transit funding
Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he wouldn't go along until lawmakers agreed with his requirement to provide free bus and train rides for the state's senior citizens.
OK, so the problem we have is that there's not enuff money. So the CTA gets more money, but then certain people get to ride for free? WTF?
Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he wouldn't go along until lawmakers agreed with his requirement to provide free bus and train rides for the state's senior citizens.
OK, so the problem we have is that there's not enuff money. So the CTA gets more money, but then certain people get to ride for free? WTF?
Who is the biggest @$$HOLE Republican running?
Smiff ranks 'em:
1) Fred Thompson - I really HATE this asshole. Every time he opens his mouth i want to pound his face into a bloody pulp.
2) 9/11 - He's got his own t-shirt.
3) Mitt Romney - Seems the most hated by the other candidates, and if the other assholes hate you most - that should tell us something. And his real first name is Willard.
4) John McCain - He's old and ornery. I can see it, "You damn kids, get off my property!"
5) Ron Paul - Appears rather non-offensive, but did anyone see the sickening racist comments in the newsletter he used to publish? Even though it was HIS newsletter, he said he didn't write that stuff. Or edit it out, apparently...
6) Mike Huckabee - Seems almost human for a Repoop.
If i included non-factors Duncan Hunter and Alan Keyes, it would be a three-way tussle for 3rd place with Mutt. Unfortunely, you don't see enough of these two clowns to truly measure how big of assholes they are.
1) Fred Thompson - I really HATE this asshole. Every time he opens his mouth i want to pound his face into a bloody pulp.
2) 9/11 - He's got his own t-shirt.
3) Mitt Romney - Seems the most hated by the other candidates, and if the other assholes hate you most - that should tell us something. And his real first name is Willard.
4) John McCain - He's old and ornery. I can see it, "You damn kids, get off my property!"
5) Ron Paul - Appears rather non-offensive, but did anyone see the sickening racist comments in the newsletter he used to publish? Even though it was HIS newsletter, he said he didn't write that stuff. Or edit it out, apparently...
6) Mike Huckabee - Seems almost human for a Repoop.
If i included non-factors Duncan Hunter and Alan Keyes, it would be a three-way tussle for 3rd place with Mutt. Unfortunely, you don't see enough of these two clowns to truly measure how big of assholes they are.
Who said it?
When asked to comment on Hillary Clinton’s show of emotion just before the NH primary:
I think everybody is their own person and they have to be their own person and this is not something that I would judge anybody on, one way or the other. And the reality is, if you’ll look at me, September 11, the funerals…the memorial services…there were times it was just impossible…not to feel…not to feel…not to feel the emotion.
1) Rudy Giuliani
2) Rudy Giuliani
3) Rudy Giuliani
4) Rudy Giuliani
5) All of the above.
I think everybody is their own person and they have to be their own person and this is not something that I would judge anybody on, one way or the other. And the reality is, if you’ll look at me, September 11, the funerals…the memorial services…there were times it was just impossible…not to feel…not to feel…not to feel the emotion.
1) Rudy Giuliani
2) Rudy Giuliani
3) Rudy Giuliani
4) Rudy Giuliani
5) All of the above.
still an idiot
John Zogby--K-Mad's boy--tonight on The Daily Show: "I don't know." I guess that's a slight improvement on 2004 when he picked Kerry.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Baseball writers are the most myopic group of morons to ever walk to earth.
This is a constant. It is a fact which hasn't changed over time. This week they completely ignored Tim Raines and Alan Trammell (again). Bert Blyleven is still waiting. And, of course, there is Ron Santo. We all know about that injustice.
Was is it any better 30+ years ago? It took Eddie Mathews five years to get in. When he retired he was the greatest 3rd baseman of all time, and only Schmidt and Brett have passed him since (and i'm not sure Brett was better). But that wasn't good enough for many brainless baseball writers.
How about this one: in 1956 Hank Greenberg was elected after NINE YEARS* on the ballot. When he retired only 4 hitters had a higher career OPS: Ruth, Williams, Gehrig, Foxx. Only two hitters have passed him since: Bonds and Pujols. He missed about 4 seasons because of WWII. And while he retired when he was 36, it wasn't because of ineffectiveness. He had the 9th best OPS in the NL that year. He's a slam dunk, first ballot guy and it ain't even close.
In 1937, Cy Young only got 76% of the vote. Gee, isn't there a pitching award or something named after him?
Why are baseball writers so fucking stupid? The Veterans' Committee sucks, too. And if fans had their way, Steve Garvey or Don Mattingly would get in, or some shit.
Therefore, the four of us should decide (Fung can vote for cricket). Three votes gets you in.
*So says Jayson Stark. I'm not sure he's right though. If there was a 5-year waiting period then Greenberg spent 4 years on the ballot. Has there been a 5-year waiting period since the beginning? Corms?
Was is it any better 30+ years ago? It took Eddie Mathews five years to get in. When he retired he was the greatest 3rd baseman of all time, and only Schmidt and Brett have passed him since (and i'm not sure Brett was better). But that wasn't good enough for many brainless baseball writers.
How about this one: in 1956 Hank Greenberg was elected after NINE YEARS* on the ballot. When he retired only 4 hitters had a higher career OPS: Ruth, Williams, Gehrig, Foxx. Only two hitters have passed him since: Bonds and Pujols. He missed about 4 seasons because of WWII. And while he retired when he was 36, it wasn't because of ineffectiveness. He had the 9th best OPS in the NL that year. He's a slam dunk, first ballot guy and it ain't even close.
In 1937, Cy Young only got 76% of the vote. Gee, isn't there a pitching award or something named after him?
Why are baseball writers so fucking stupid? The Veterans' Committee sucks, too. And if fans had their way, Steve Garvey or Don Mattingly would get in, or some shit.
Therefore, the four of us should decide (Fung can vote for cricket). Three votes gets you in.
*So says Jayson Stark. I'm not sure he's right though. If there was a 5-year waiting period then Greenberg spent 4 years on the ballot. Has there been a 5-year waiting period since the beginning? Corms?
If Smiff Reconsiders...
...then this would have been the perfect car for him. Except, of course, it's already been sold...
"OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."
"OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."
Oh, Whitey (cont)
Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman apologizes to Tiger Woods for 'lynch' comment
Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman has apologized after saying during Friday's telecast of the PGA Tour's opening event that today's young players should "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley."
Once again, whiteys pounce on annudder whitey and say "Look, we're not racist coz we're yelling at the racist." Which would be fine if she were a racist, and not someone who just said something dumb.
If we're all gonna get so riled up every time someone says lynch, then we should just ban the word and be done wif it.
Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman has apologized after saying during Friday's telecast of the PGA Tour's opening event that today's young players should "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley."
Once again, whiteys pounce on annudder whitey and say "Look, we're not racist coz we're yelling at the racist." Which would be fine if she were a racist, and not someone who just said something dumb.
If we're all gonna get so riled up every time someone says lynch, then we should just ban the word and be done wif it.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Clinton tears
Not to be confused with crocodile tears.
Somewhere, let the goddamn cartelists light their cigars and congratulate each other. One of them won in New Hampshire.
Put it this way, if Rupert Murdoch were to vote in the next election, he would pick Hillary over two of the top three Refucklicans running...
But goddamn, she can do exactly what the pollsters tell her...
Somewhere, let the goddamn cartelists light their cigars and congratulate each other. One of them won in New Hampshire.
Put it this way, if Rupert Murdoch were to vote in the next election, he would pick Hillary over two of the top three Refucklicans running...
But goddamn, she can do exactly what the pollsters tell her...
Things That Continue to Suck
Big 10 football. Please, no more Fuckeyes in the championship game. Let's see, they didn't play one team (before yesterday) with fewer than 4 losses. They played a bunch of cupcakes out of conference (all you need to know is two of them were MAC teams). They lost to Illinois at home. (Like Ohio State, Illinois was crushed in their bowl game.) Seeing as they were blown out last year, it's no surprise (with an even lesser quality team) they were blown out this year.
Speaking of awful... in case you missed it, a MAC team (Blowing Green) lost 63-7 in their bowl game. And they lost to TULSA! It was the largest margin of victory in bowl history, topping Alabama's 61-6 win over Syracuse in the 1953 Orange Bowl (who could forget dat one?).
And you know there are at least twice as many bowl games than there should be when the Big 10 are in eight of them and the MAC are in three of them. And they were a combined 3-8.
Speaking of awful... in case you missed it, a MAC team (Blowing Green) lost 63-7 in their bowl game. And they lost to TULSA! It was the largest margin of victory in bowl history, topping Alabama's 61-6 win over Syracuse in the 1953 Orange Bowl (who could forget dat one?).
And you know there are at least twice as many bowl games than there should be when the Big 10 are in eight of them and the MAC are in three of them. And they were a combined 3-8.
Dumbya is an @$$hole: Example #4,156
from His Days Are Numbered: George W. Bush Countdown 2008 Calendar (378 days to go!)
Shades of Disdain
At a press conference in the White House Rose Garden in June 2006, Bush took issue with the sunglasses worn by Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten. "For the viewers," the president said to the TV cameras, "there's no sun." Though apparently difficult for Bush to imagine, Wallsten--who ignored the president's comment--wasn't wearing shades to be cool; he was wearing them to protect his eyes, which suffer from a degenerative eye disease.
Shades of Disdain
At a press conference in the White House Rose Garden in June 2006, Bush took issue with the sunglasses worn by Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten. "For the viewers," the president said to the TV cameras, "there's no sun." Though apparently difficult for Bush to imagine, Wallsten--who ignored the president's comment--wasn't wearing shades to be cool; he was wearing them to protect his eyes, which suffer from a degenerative eye disease.
funny stuff...
Shawon Dunston and Todd Stottlemyre both got one vote for the HoF.
2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Voting
Rich "Goose" Gossage was elected Tuesday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The following are the results of the balloting with 406 of the 543 votes (75 percent) required for
election:
Name Ballots received Percentage
---- ---------------- ----------
Rich Gossage 466 85.8
Jim Rice 392 72.2
Andre Dawson 358 65.9
Bert Blyleven 336 61.9
Lee Smith 235 43.3
Jack Morris 233 42.9
Tommy John 158 29.1
Tim Raines 132 24.3
Mark McGwire 128 23.6
Alan Trammell 99 18.2
Dave Concepcion 88 16.2
Don Mattingly 86 15.8
Dave Parker 82 15.1
Dale Murphy 75 13.8
Harold Baines 28 5.2
Rod Beck 2 0.4
Travis Fryman 2 0.4
Robb Nen 2 0.4
Shawon Dunston 1 0.2
Chuck Finley 1 0.2
David Justice 1 0.2
Chuck Knoblauch 1 0.2
Todd Stottlemyre 1 0.2
Jose Rijo 0 0.0
Brady Anderson 0 0.0
2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Voting
Rich "Goose" Gossage was elected Tuesday to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The following are the results of the balloting with 406 of the 543 votes (75 percent) required for
election:
Name Ballots received Percentage
---- ---------------- ----------
Rich Gossage 466 85.8
Jim Rice 392 72.2
Andre Dawson 358 65.9
Bert Blyleven 336 61.9
Lee Smith 235 43.3
Jack Morris 233 42.9
Tommy John 158 29.1
Tim Raines 132 24.3
Mark McGwire 128 23.6
Alan Trammell 99 18.2
Dave Concepcion 88 16.2
Don Mattingly 86 15.8
Dave Parker 82 15.1
Dale Murphy 75 13.8
Harold Baines 28 5.2
Rod Beck 2 0.4
Travis Fryman 2 0.4
Robb Nen 2 0.4
Shawon Dunston 1 0.2
Chuck Finley 1 0.2
David Justice 1 0.2
Chuck Knoblauch 1 0.2
Todd Stottlemyre 1 0.2
Jose Rijo 0 0.0
Brady Anderson 0 0.0
maybe they'll grow gills
Feds delay decision on declaring polar bears endangered species
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Federal officials said Monday that they will need a few more weeks to decide whether polar bears need protection under the Endangered Species Act because of global warming.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Federal officials said Monday that they will need a few more weeks to decide whether polar bears need protection under the Endangered Species Act because of global warming.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Decadent Westerners (cont)
Beyond regifting, now it's ungifting
So, lemme get this straight. We had this event we called "Christmas", which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Then we added this gift giving thing, because, well, Jesus got gifts when he was born, so we should give gifts too. Which is fine I guess, nothing wrong with that really.
Then we all went bonkers and decided we should turn it into an orgy of purchasing gifts for every single person you ever knew and all the people those people know. I mean, what happened to buying a gift for everyone in your immediate family (0r maybe just for the people you'll be spending Christmas with) and everyone else gets a card (if you even do that)? How can you possibly know what 200 different people will want? That's why people get i-tunes gift certificates for people without iPods.
And, of course, instead of discussing the real problem, which is why do we get so many gifts and/or why can't we devise a way to make sure we get people what they want (gift lists anyone?) we discuss how to get rid of the crap we got that we don't like. Which we never do, so we need bigger houses and bigger cars to keep it all. Speaking of which, why would you buy a car for someone else for Christmas?
So, lemme get this straight. We had this event we called "Christmas", which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Then we added this gift giving thing, because, well, Jesus got gifts when he was born, so we should give gifts too. Which is fine I guess, nothing wrong with that really.
Then we all went bonkers and decided we should turn it into an orgy of purchasing gifts for every single person you ever knew and all the people those people know. I mean, what happened to buying a gift for everyone in your immediate family (0r maybe just for the people you'll be spending Christmas with) and everyone else gets a card (if you even do that)? How can you possibly know what 200 different people will want? That's why people get i-tunes gift certificates for people without iPods.
And, of course, instead of discussing the real problem, which is why do we get so many gifts and/or why can't we devise a way to make sure we get people what they want (gift lists anyone?) we discuss how to get rid of the crap we got that we don't like. Which we never do, so we need bigger houses and bigger cars to keep it all. Speaking of which, why would you buy a car for someone else for Christmas?
Upping the Ante
I remember the days when there was silence on the bus to work. Bliss! You could sit there and stare out the window (when they cleaned them) and just daydream on the way to work. Then they decided to put in a voice announcement system. Not a bad idea, good for those tourists so they know (approximately) where they are, and for those who can still daydream so they can be reminded to get off.
Little did we know. They then added little reminder messages to the loop. "Don't lean against the door." "Don't eat, drink or play your radio loudly." "Don't reveal your whole life story to the bus while talking on your cell phone." And so on. Then more major announcements. "We're fixing the brown line up, so expect delays." Last week, it was all about how they will have to cut back service and increase fares on January 20 if they don't get more money. Today, they upped the ante. You're just sitting there, thinking "Ach, this announcement again." And then, they slipped in, "If additional funding is not secured, this bus route will be eliminated."
The CTA have their own propaganda machine. And they're using it. To no effect. So I'm supposed to call Springfield and tell them how important mass transit is to me? Somehow my call will make them fix it? I just love how one part of goverment wants me to do their dirty work so another part of government will give them what they want. What's needed here is (gasp!) competition.
The CTA sucks because they're the only game in town and there are no threats to them. So they can squander money then ask for more. Of course, we all realised that and so we cut back deliberately on how much we gave them to force them to shape up. BUT THEY HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO SHAPE UP! So the government will keep arguing with itself, and we'll all get the shaft. So break up the monopoly! Let others compete to transport me to where I want to go! If we want the problem solved, that's what we should ask for, not for the money pit to get more money poured down it. (Briggs will be so proud...)
Oh, and to the CTA, perhaps your next message should include "If additional funding is not secured, your current bus driver will be fired."
Little did we know. They then added little reminder messages to the loop. "Don't lean against the door." "Don't eat, drink or play your radio loudly." "Don't reveal your whole life story to the bus while talking on your cell phone." And so on. Then more major announcements. "We're fixing the brown line up, so expect delays." Last week, it was all about how they will have to cut back service and increase fares on January 20 if they don't get more money. Today, they upped the ante. You're just sitting there, thinking "Ach, this announcement again." And then, they slipped in, "If additional funding is not secured, this bus route will be eliminated."
The CTA have their own propaganda machine. And they're using it. To no effect. So I'm supposed to call Springfield and tell them how important mass transit is to me? Somehow my call will make them fix it? I just love how one part of goverment wants me to do their dirty work so another part of government will give them what they want. What's needed here is (gasp!) competition.
The CTA sucks because they're the only game in town and there are no threats to them. So they can squander money then ask for more. Of course, we all realised that and so we cut back deliberately on how much we gave them to force them to shape up. BUT THEY HAVE NO INCENTIVE TO SHAPE UP! So the government will keep arguing with itself, and we'll all get the shaft. So break up the monopoly! Let others compete to transport me to where I want to go! If we want the problem solved, that's what we should ask for, not for the money pit to get more money poured down it. (Briggs will be so proud...)
Oh, and to the CTA, perhaps your next message should include "If additional funding is not secured, your current bus driver will be fired."
Sunday, January 6, 2008
And then it was weird...
because the best editorial about business, morality and government was at Baseball Prospectus written by the resident founder and depressive, Gary Huckabee. He even comes up with a little gem: "[s]elective protection of the young teaches hypocrisy."
Saturday, January 5, 2008
what the End Times will look like: a preview
Godspeed, Smiffy
"A few small mud flows and some falling rocks have been reported on backcountry roads, including state routes 79, 76 and Lake Wohlford Road," according to a survivor.
LoC: a mixed bag
The no.1 Google hit for "golf/plutocracy nexus," but only no.11 for "George W. Bush is a fucking asshole."
Friday, January 4, 2008
65% of the total vote to Dems...
Iowa Wrap Up
Total Voter Turnout (approximate)
356,000
Percentage of total vote
24.5% Obama
20.5% Edwards
19.8% Clinton
11.4% Huckabee (R)
Total Voter Turnout (approximate)
356,000
Percentage of total vote
24.5% Obama
20.5% Edwards
19.8% Clinton
11.4% Huckabee (R)
Phokked up the @$$
Well, I just wanted the first half of the picture, but there you have it. http://www.hydrogen-pro.com/ for all the details on how to stop this unfortunate affliction.
Republican civil war: the Uncle Cholly / Chuck Norris wing vs. the plutocrats
Two-Buck Huck
Class war is forbidden in the Republican playbook. But Huckabee, despite an inept last week of campaigning, has forced the Republican party to face the Wal-Mart shoppers that they have long taken advantage of. He’s here. He’s Gomer. And he’s not going away.
Huckabee revels in the class war. He’s Two-Buck Huck, and darn proud of it. He likes nothing better than playing the Hick from Hope. He and his wife lived in a trailer for a while, he points out. His son killed a dog one summer, “a mangy dog” at that, as Huckabee explained to the befuddled national press corps. He said he used to eat squirrels, cooking them up in his popcorn popper. Ewwwwhhh!
Class war is forbidden in the Republican playbook. But Huckabee, despite an inept last week of campaigning, has forced the Republican party to face the Wal-Mart shoppers that they have long taken advantage of. He’s here. He’s Gomer. And he’s not going away.
Huckabee revels in the class war. He’s Two-Buck Huck, and darn proud of it. He likes nothing better than playing the Hick from Hope. He and his wife lived in a trailer for a while, he points out. His son killed a dog one summer, “a mangy dog” at that, as Huckabee explained to the befuddled national press corps. He said he used to eat squirrels, cooking them up in his popcorn popper. Ewwwwhhh!
dis could be it for Smiff
K-Mad might have to take over the now 2nd place Zeniths...
Biblical proportions?
It's gonna be a big. The question is, will it be big down here? Whether you call it one storm or three, various places are talking about some of the biggest impacts in years...
And watch John Coleman predict the possible one day record rainfall for San Diego tomorrow. Hey, he has studied it, he knows he is correct. Also notice how completely fucking insane he is in this clip.
Biblical proportions?
It's gonna be a big. The question is, will it be big down here? Whether you call it one storm or three, various places are talking about some of the biggest impacts in years...
And watch John Coleman predict the possible one day record rainfall for San Diego tomorrow. Hey, he has studied it, he knows he is correct. Also notice how completely fucking insane he is in this clip.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
of course, one of the side-effects of steroids is lying...
In his 60 Minutes interview, Roger Clemens said former trainer Brian McNamee injected him with Lidocaine and B-12, never with steroids or human growth hormone. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that can be used by dentists and in minor surgery. It also is available as part of ointments used to treat skin inflammation. "Lidocaine and B-12. It's for my joints, and B-12 I still take today," Clemens told Mike Wallace. McNamee claimed to have injected Clemens with steroids in 1998, 2000 and 2001 and with human growth hormone in 2000.
Meanwhile, in Chicago...
Stunning 55 degrees temperature rise ahead
Tom Skilling
January 3, 2008
Early-bird risers who step into sub-zero temperatures this morning might find it hard to believe, but it's true: The city will be basking in 50 (degrees) readings (or higher) in another three days.
A major weather pattern shift begins haltingly on Friday as upper winds that have been blowing with considerable strength from the northwest gradually diminish and are replaced by southwesterlies. Southwest winds, surface and aloft, strengthen on Saturday, then persist through Monday.
Mild, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico arrives here on Saturday and, as that air spreads across our snow-covered landscape, it becomes a recipe for a heavy gray overcast, widespread fog and plenty of light rain and drizzle through the weekend. The multi-inch layer of ice and crusty snow that blankets the area today will be history by Monday.
----------
Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
So, according to dis, we could be as warm as San Diego. In January. If dat isn't global warming, I don't know what is...
Tom Skilling
January 3, 2008
Early-bird risers who step into sub-zero temperatures this morning might find it hard to believe, but it's true: The city will be basking in 50 (degrees) readings (or higher) in another three days.
A major weather pattern shift begins haltingly on Friday as upper winds that have been blowing with considerable strength from the northwest gradually diminish and are replaced by southwesterlies. Southwest winds, surface and aloft, strengthen on Saturday, then persist through Monday.
Mild, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico arrives here on Saturday and, as that air spreads across our snow-covered landscape, it becomes a recipe for a heavy gray overcast, widespread fog and plenty of light rain and drizzle through the weekend. The multi-inch layer of ice and crusty snow that blankets the area today will be history by Monday.
----------
Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
So, according to dis, we could be as warm as San Diego. In January. If dat isn't global warming, I don't know what is...
speaking of disasters
5-day totallyphokkedcast
| Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Mon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | |  |  |
| Partly Cloudy | Rain | Rain | Chance of Rain | Chance of T-storms/End-times |
| 65° | 49° | 63° | 50° | 62° | 52° | 58° | 47° | 57° | 43° |
dere is annudder doomsday directly behind dis one
Daley won't use Skyway money for CTA
(AP) — Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says he won't use the $1.8 billion windfall he generated by privatizing the Chicago Skyway to give a boost to Chicago Transit Authority funding.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has suggested the idea of raiding Skyway funds for the CTA after twice coming up with short-term state funding fixes.
But Daley says it wouldn't be prudent for a city to sell assets to use them for its budget. Daley adds that if the governor wants to generate dollars for state infrastructure projects, he could follow the city's lead and lease the Illinois Tollway to a private contractor.
The problem of transit money has been on the legislative agenda for months. Transit officials say that without additional state aid, they'll be forced to make deep layoffs, service cuts and fare increases on Jan. 20.
(AP) — Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says he won't use the $1.8 billion windfall he generated by privatizing the Chicago Skyway to give a boost to Chicago Transit Authority funding.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has suggested the idea of raiding Skyway funds for the CTA after twice coming up with short-term state funding fixes.
But Daley says it wouldn't be prudent for a city to sell assets to use them for its budget. Daley adds that if the governor wants to generate dollars for state infrastructure projects, he could follow the city's lead and lease the Illinois Tollway to a private contractor.
The problem of transit money has been on the legislative agenda for months. Transit officials say that without additional state aid, they'll be forced to make deep layoffs, service cuts and fare increases on Jan. 20.
News Headline: "Nine out of 10 New Year's resolutions will fail, according to study."
Ok, dis is how i'm going to approach dis:
1) Drink more.
2) Gain more weight.
3) Spend more money.
4) Not see the Phillies in the World Series.
5) Not see Barack Obama as the next President.
6) Not hope and pray for Dick Cheney's heart to explode.
7) Not win Wellness Center again (yeah, right).
8) Not finish ahead of the losers here in Parcers.
9) Waste more time on da internets.
10) Continue not to get laid.
1) Drink more.
2) Gain more weight.
3) Spend more money.
4) Not see the Phillies in the World Series.
5) Not see Barack Obama as the next President.
6) Not hope and pray for Dick Cheney's heart to explode.
7) Not win Wellness Center again (yeah, right).
8) Not finish ahead of the losers here in Parcers.
9) Waste more time on da internets.
10) Continue not to get laid.
Kill Kenny empties minor league system...
Maybe he should have done this last year instead of signing Darin Erstad (and did you see dat Dead Weight in Houston signed him?). And it looks like Billy Beane is shooting for 110 losses this year...
White Sox acquired outfielder Nick Swisher from the Athletics for LHP Gio Gonzalez, outfielder Ryan Sweeney and RHP Fautino De Los Santos. It's going to be interesting to see how the White Sox try to fit these pieces together. If they're willing to use Swisher in center field, they're improving their lineup immensely with the deal, though it's at a steep cost in the team's top two pitching prospects and the still promising Sweeney. If they're doing it with the idea of using Swisher in left field, leaving no room for Carlos Quentin, then the deal could prove to be a major bust. We're guessing they'll pencil him into center for now but continue to look for alternatives. Either way, Swisher gets a nice upgrade in fantasy value with the switch to the AL's best home run park. He'll be a threat to hit 35-40, especially if the White Sox are smart enough to hit him second.
White Sox acquired outfielder Nick Swisher from the Athletics for LHP Gio Gonzalez, outfielder Ryan Sweeney and RHP Fautino De Los Santos. It's going to be interesting to see how the White Sox try to fit these pieces together. If they're willing to use Swisher in center field, they're improving their lineup immensely with the deal, though it's at a steep cost in the team's top two pitching prospects and the still promising Sweeney. If they're doing it with the idea of using Swisher in left field, leaving no room for Carlos Quentin, then the deal could prove to be a major bust. We're guessing they'll pencil him into center for now but continue to look for alternatives. Either way, Swisher gets a nice upgrade in fantasy value with the switch to the AL's best home run park. He'll be a threat to hit 35-40, especially if the White Sox are smart enough to hit him second.
Life imitates The Simpsons (cont'd)
Men claim all-you-can-eat buffet banned them for eating all they could eat
Meanwhile, Homer watches an advertisement on television about "The Frying Dutchman," an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant run by Captain Horatio McCallister and wants to go... Homer goes to the restaurant with Marge, but Marge is allergic to fish. Homer orders the all-you-can-eat and eats everything. Captain McCallister kicks him out after midnight. He goes to trial with his lawyer, Lionel Hutz, claiming false advertising. Homer and the captain make an agreement: Homer is put on display as "Bottomless Pete; a remorseless eating machine", or "nature's cruelest mistake".
Lionel Hutz: Now, Mrs. Simpson, tell the court in your own words what happened after you and your husband were ejected out of the restaurant.
Marge: Well, we pretty much went straight home.
Lionel Hutz: Mrs. Simpson, remember that you are under oath.
Marge: We drove around until three in the morning looking for another open all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant.
Lionel Hutz: And when you couldn't find one?
Marge: [crying] We... went... fishing.
Lionel Hutz: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, do these sound like the actions of a man who's had ALL he could eat?
Meanwhile, Homer watches an advertisement on television about "The Frying Dutchman," an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant run by Captain Horatio McCallister and wants to go... Homer goes to the restaurant with Marge, but Marge is allergic to fish. Homer orders the all-you-can-eat and eats everything. Captain McCallister kicks him out after midnight. He goes to trial with his lawyer, Lionel Hutz, claiming false advertising. Homer and the captain make an agreement: Homer is put on display as "Bottomless Pete; a remorseless eating machine", or "nature's cruelest mistake".
Lionel Hutz: Now, Mrs. Simpson, tell the court in your own words what happened after you and your husband were ejected out of the restaurant.
Marge: Well, we pretty much went straight home.
Lionel Hutz: Mrs. Simpson, remember that you are under oath.
Marge: We drove around until three in the morning looking for another open all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant.
Lionel Hutz: And when you couldn't find one?
Marge: [crying] We... went... fishing.
Lionel Hutz: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, do these sound like the actions of a man who's had ALL he could eat?
speaking of totally sucking
Of the children that die under age of five:
In Kenya 35% die of aids
In Namibia 48% die of aids
In South Africa 50% die of aids
In Zimbabwe 50% die of aids
In Botswana 64% die of aids
For the rest there is starvation, malaria, and fun stuff like genocide. Oh yeah, and shit blowing up after rigged elections. What a hoot.
Just spitballin', but a self-proclaimed born-again Christian and God-fearing man might want to spend money on these problems instead of blowing shit up in the Iraqi desert. Too bad we've got dat phokking @$$hole in charge instead.
In Kenya 35% die of aids
In Namibia 48% die of aids
In South Africa 50% die of aids
In Zimbabwe 50% die of aids
In Botswana 64% die of aids
For the rest there is starvation, malaria, and fun stuff like genocide. Oh yeah, and shit blowing up after rigged elections. What a hoot.
Just spitballin', but a self-proclaimed born-again Christian and God-fearing man might want to spend money on these problems instead of blowing shit up in the Iraqi desert. Too bad we've got dat phokking @$$hole in charge instead.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
More 2008 Suckage
Though this is old suckage recycled and renewed...
Now RIAA says copying your own CDs is illegal
Infringes even if only for personal use
I now understand Sarge and his pining for the end of Fight Club...
Now RIAA says copying your own CDs is illegal
Infringes even if only for personal use
I now understand Sarge and his pining for the end of Fight Club...
something totally shocking (cont'd)
2008 already SUCKS
How much more will you pay for craft beer? "My suspicion is a buck a six-pack," says Hugh Sisson, president of Clipper City Brewing Co. in Baltimore...
Very hoppy beers might increase even more or just disappear from the market as the supply of prized aroma hops dries up.
Oh yeah, and the Cats are getting spanked. By Penn State.
How much more will you pay for craft beer? "My suspicion is a buck a six-pack," says Hugh Sisson, president of Clipper City Brewing Co. in Baltimore...
Very hoppy beers might increase even more or just disappear from the market as the supply of prized aroma hops dries up.
Oh yeah, and the Cats are getting spanked. By Penn State.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
a few new year's wishes
1. the death of the plutocracy and the cartels who love it
2. Paul Giamatti getting some good roles again - no more of this M. Night CRAP!
3. sorting out all the dvd/digital television crap so we can watch our FOX news in peace
4. the awakening of the American public spirit so that we don't put up with FOX and the assorted death of democracy that accompanies it
5. Meaningful and well-played Cubs baseball
6. Meaningful and well-planned strategies against the spread of any kind of extremist thought that carries the contagion of terrorism
7. real progress in the rights of workers
8. a growing realization that the value of the earth is more than an abstract
9. Morrissey's continued happiness and graceful aging
10. The Coen Brothers continuing not to make movies like Intolerable Cruelty and that horrible thing with Tom Hanks
2. Paul Giamatti getting some good roles again - no more of this M. Night CRAP!
3. sorting out all the dvd/digital television crap so we can watch our FOX news in peace
4. the awakening of the American public spirit so that we don't put up with FOX and the assorted death of democracy that accompanies it
5. Meaningful and well-played Cubs baseball
6. Meaningful and well-planned strategies against the spread of any kind of extremist thought that carries the contagion of terrorism
7. real progress in the rights of workers
8. a growing realization that the value of the earth is more than an abstract
9. Morrissey's continued happiness and graceful aging
10. The Coen Brothers continuing not to make movies like Intolerable Cruelty and that horrible thing with Tom Hanks
Sunday, December 30, 2007
more on rewarding incompetence
Hmmm, maybe the New York Fucking Times will give Dumbya his own column, too...
Bill Kristol is rewarded for being “wrong” on everything: NY Times gig is a comin’
This is really sick - especially when you consider it is happening at a time when the country is clearly moving more progressive, and there are so many good progressive columnists who have guest columned for the Times before (Ehrenreich, Katha Pollit, Tom Frank, etc.).
Either way - it is an absolute abomination from the standpoint of basic accountability. A pundit being factually wrong on almost everything he hung his hat on is rewarded by the largest newspaper in the world for his track record. If ever there was an example of the world of journalism literally thumbing its nose at basic accountability, this example of Bill Kristol falling up is it.
Bill Kristol is rewarded for being “wrong” on everything: NY Times gig is a comin’
This is really sick - especially when you consider it is happening at a time when the country is clearly moving more progressive, and there are so many good progressive columnists who have guest columned for the Times before (Ehrenreich, Katha Pollit, Tom Frank, etc.).
Either way - it is an absolute abomination from the standpoint of basic accountability. A pundit being factually wrong on almost everything he hung his hat on is rewarded by the largest newspaper in the world for his track record. If ever there was an example of the world of journalism literally thumbing its nose at basic accountability, this example of Bill Kristol falling up is it.
The New York Times Crawls Into the Gutter Agtain...
on hiring William Kristol:
To Whom It May Concern,
It is not so much my vehement disagreement with the beliefs of William Kristol that compels me to write against his hiring, it is his intellectual laziness and obvious and unquestioning partisanship, better suited for formats that seek profit through shrill pronouncements and simplifications rather than clarity and understanding through reporting. Perhaps this is the direction of your newspaper, it is not a direction I am comfortable with, nor one that does justice to conservative political beliefs. He lacks intellectual stamina and often fails to parse arguments with any kind of sophistication.
For instance, in his article "The 2008 Formula," a dismal piece that appeared in Time Magazine (for which he was paid to write an article that said exactly nothing) he argued that this was a "war election" and that war elections typically engendered results favoring hawkish candidates. Fair enough. What his argument ignored was how central the idea of winning the war was to Americans during these elections, in which, whether it was defeating fascists or communists (for naively, we thought communism was what we were fighting in Viet Nam and Korea and not anti-imperialist nationalism with totalitarian overtones, less communist than we could believe), we felt the future survival of America was at stake. Kristol has failed here and elsewhere to understand that Iraq is not central to Americans' idea of winning against terrorism. Winning Pakistan is more central, winning Saudi Arabia and Iran are more central, and to a lesser extent, winning states unstable and easily belligerent like North Korea. Americans understand these will be the future battlegrounds where terrorism will either flourish or dissapate, and the battles to contain terrorism will be fought not so much with weapons and attempts to force others to bend to our ways, but through deal-making, diplomacy and hard bargains on both sides. Sacrifices will have to be made, and for sure, the might of the United States must back up its desire to create stability and destroy havens of terrorism, but the policies Kristol has supported with weak argument and false evidences have completely failed. Kristol's columns, here particularly, relied on a basic fallacy common in arguments that use history: the fallacy of historical analogy.
Comparing one thing to another in a straightforward statement that takes into account none of the external factors in the case of either thing is a common mistake often leading to a misunderstanding both of history and of the current object of study (like Iraq). Americans understand this and they understand that the paranoias of 1952 and 1968 led only to more heartache and often, half-baked and self-destructive policies (vietnamization, Abu Ghraib, HUAC and other needless and painful reminders that democratic principles remain things to be aspired to rather than bedrocks of our country), and I believe that most Americans don't see the future of Iraq leading to a victorious conclusion in the war on terror - they see it for what it most probably is: a disastrous detour that stole much needed resources from the war on terror as well as the struggle to create an America that can keep up with the rapidly progressing Europe and Asia. The "war on terror" remains most what it should not be: a long wet kiss to the various cartels that control so much of America today.
The idea that a New York Times columnist would be so lazy as to make the kind of sophistry evident in the above cited article, in which history is so sloppily compared and contrasted, and in which a conclusion is so cavalierly arrived at, is depressing. Can anybody write for the New York Times? Who's next? Bill O'Reilly?
I understand that the New York Times is committed to the illusion of a neutral point of view in its reporting, and to the idea of offering room on its pages to "both sides of an argument." This would work if you hired people who were not partisan, but genuinely philosophical, married to ideas rather than interest groups and parties. People who were not afraid of complexities and who could think with any kind of empathy. You are offering the reputation of your paper to a writer who deserves neither that aura of respectability nor the space on your pages that could be offered to any number of more well qualified persons.
The decision to hire William Kristol represents another low point in this first decade of the 21st century of your paper's history. Not a decade that will make the future editors of the New York Times proud of the legacy they carry. Perhaps, we can hope though, they will be inspired to commit to a more rigorous examination of the news than this generation's editors. I pray that the New York Times will, at some point, take its responsibilities to report the news that is rather than the news certain policy groups and political parties wish it to be, more seriously.
best wishes,
Sarge
Brooklyn, NY
To Whom It May Concern,
It is not so much my vehement disagreement with the beliefs of William Kristol that compels me to write against his hiring, it is his intellectual laziness and obvious and unquestioning partisanship, better suited for formats that seek profit through shrill pronouncements and simplifications rather than clarity and understanding through reporting. Perhaps this is the direction of your newspaper, it is not a direction I am comfortable with, nor one that does justice to conservative political beliefs. He lacks intellectual stamina and often fails to parse arguments with any kind of sophistication.
For instance, in his article "The 2008 Formula," a dismal piece that appeared in Time Magazine (for which he was paid to write an article that said exactly nothing) he argued that this was a "war election" and that war elections typically engendered results favoring hawkish candidates. Fair enough. What his argument ignored was how central the idea of winning the war was to Americans during these elections, in which, whether it was defeating fascists or communists (for naively, we thought communism was what we were fighting in Viet Nam and Korea and not anti-imperialist nationalism with totalitarian overtones, less communist than we could believe), we felt the future survival of America was at stake. Kristol has failed here and elsewhere to understand that Iraq is not central to Americans' idea of winning against terrorism. Winning Pakistan is more central, winning Saudi Arabia and Iran are more central, and to a lesser extent, winning states unstable and easily belligerent like North Korea. Americans understand these will be the future battlegrounds where terrorism will either flourish or dissapate, and the battles to contain terrorism will be fought not so much with weapons and attempts to force others to bend to our ways, but through deal-making, diplomacy and hard bargains on both sides. Sacrifices will have to be made, and for sure, the might of the United States must back up its desire to create stability and destroy havens of terrorism, but the policies Kristol has supported with weak argument and false evidences have completely failed. Kristol's columns, here particularly, relied on a basic fallacy common in arguments that use history: the fallacy of historical analogy.
Comparing one thing to another in a straightforward statement that takes into account none of the external factors in the case of either thing is a common mistake often leading to a misunderstanding both of history and of the current object of study (like Iraq). Americans understand this and they understand that the paranoias of 1952 and 1968 led only to more heartache and often, half-baked and self-destructive policies (vietnamization, Abu Ghraib, HUAC and other needless and painful reminders that democratic principles remain things to be aspired to rather than bedrocks of our country), and I believe that most Americans don't see the future of Iraq leading to a victorious conclusion in the war on terror - they see it for what it most probably is: a disastrous detour that stole much needed resources from the war on terror as well as the struggle to create an America that can keep up with the rapidly progressing Europe and Asia. The "war on terror" remains most what it should not be: a long wet kiss to the various cartels that control so much of America today.
The idea that a New York Times columnist would be so lazy as to make the kind of sophistry evident in the above cited article, in which history is so sloppily compared and contrasted, and in which a conclusion is so cavalierly arrived at, is depressing. Can anybody write for the New York Times? Who's next? Bill O'Reilly?
I understand that the New York Times is committed to the illusion of a neutral point of view in its reporting, and to the idea of offering room on its pages to "both sides of an argument." This would work if you hired people who were not partisan, but genuinely philosophical, married to ideas rather than interest groups and parties. People who were not afraid of complexities and who could think with any kind of empathy. You are offering the reputation of your paper to a writer who deserves neither that aura of respectability nor the space on your pages that could be offered to any number of more well qualified persons.
The decision to hire William Kristol represents another low point in this first decade of the 21st century of your paper's history. Not a decade that will make the future editors of the New York Times proud of the legacy they carry. Perhaps, we can hope though, they will be inspired to commit to a more rigorous examination of the news than this generation's editors. I pray that the New York Times will, at some point, take its responsibilities to report the news that is rather than the news certain policy groups and political parties wish it to be, more seriously.
best wishes,
Sarge
Brooklyn, NY
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