CULL THE HERD

Occupy Harvard Street As Well

2011-10-16T20:31:00.003-04:00

It's been a while

I noticed some of the complaints had to do with tuition debt, and while I completely agree with the sentiment "Give us a bailout instead of big corporations". I think the bigger problem here is that schools are charging too much. These days you can learn from 50 other sources if you so desire. If anything, the person who deserves the big bucks is the teacher who taught you how to read and write, she enabled you to open the world before you! OK, some degrees are useful, very useful and even enable you to function in the work you will be pursuing, but speaking as a graduate of arts and science I am disappointed.

If people here can organize a demonstration on a world wide basis, they can surely do the same with some kind of "opt out" year where everyone just stops going to Universities until they get their act together. These bastards have it coming.

OK, here are my thought from my trip to Zuccotti Park on Friday

Went again at lunch time, the movement is growing. More people then ever in Zuccotti Park but so is the police presence. Cops everywhere this morning but it seems the protesters won this battle as the City backed down on getting them out of there to clean up the park. Don't know what that was really about. Tensions are still high along Broadway where guys in stock exchange jackets argue with the hippies. Police stand on the ready. The more people show up at the park, the more it gets hairy. But I will say this, the majority of these people are college kids, the same ones I saw at NYU protesting this or that, they are pretty harmless, idealistic, actually good kids. But I see there some gutter punks in the mix, kids who really do live a more anarchistic existence. These guys were sitting in the middle of the park and smoking a joint. I can't even explain the utter lack of concern this displays. There are a thousand cops surrounding the park not to mention the hundred that must be in there undercover. Wow. Some interesting characters as well. Like the V inspired one I took a picture off, some libertarian minded guys supporting capitalism and one guy who stood holding up a sign with these three words: CONSIDER MAXIMUM WAGE. There are some good ideas out there, lot of half baked ones but I can't see this ending well for anyone I'm afraid. Only the cold weather can disperse the event, 'till then, shit can still go down.

excuses, excuses, excuses

2011-06-04T15:12:00.002-04:00

Sorry, haven't written anything in a while. Just ran out of inspiration I guess also the logistics of updating have become more difficult. I intend to remedy this soon and be back bitching in the next few weeks when I get some new hardware. Until then please enjoy the old posts and this picture I took of a bum sleeping on a park bench just off of Canal Street this week. He covered his face with an I LOVE NY T-Shirt, classic.

(my) Egypt Analysis

2011-02-03T21:51:00.000-05:00

This weeks Newsweek had an article on the riots occurring in Egypt and other Arab countries, they mention a population boom of young men. that's not entirely accurate. Birth rates have always been high in these countries, that's not what has changed. People are dirt poor and opportunities scarce, also, no change. The fact that dictators rule these nations is as old as society itself in Northern Africa. But there is something that has changed. 50 years ago, young Muslim men were welcome into Europe where many emigrated and found jobs. About 10 years ago those jobs began drying up. In recent years high numbers of unemployed and voiceless young men in these countries began causing problems for authorities. Many of the lax immigration laws were changed and much of Western Europe has been closed to new immigration ever since. What was once a release valve for excess populations in no more.

The groups gathering at Liberation Square in Cairo (at least what is being reported) are revolting with no particular cause other then the ouster of Mubarek. What's that going to do for them? Democracy in the hands of this mob is a bad idea for everyone and I suspect much of these troubles have been instigated by the Muslim Brotherhood and other pro-militant Islamic factions. The only thing I am sure of is that the people throwing rocks and burning cars probably never got a cent of the billion dollars the US sends Egypt's way every year.

I feel bad, the angry young men are like rebels without a cause, full of testosterone and trouble they are not what is being portrayed. These are not lovers of democracy, freedom and other such lofty ideals, well, maybe on some superficial level they are. Mostly this is a mob of people on the fringe. You are in your twenties, your job prospects are horrible and in a society where access to a wife is severely limited by your religion and income, you are frustrated. This can't end well for them. Mubarek may be every nasty thing they say but for international purposes, he is stable and does not cause trouble. Internally, I couldn't tell you but from the looks of the real life flash mob, reporters better keep filming from their hotel rooms because what is on the ground is neither uplifting nor worth the accolades.

You know what it is?

2010-11-25T12:24:00.001-05:00

Little old ladies who haven't been felt up in years seem to be the only ones benefiting from the new enhanced screening methods.Watching the TV coverage last night of the TSA protests were more revealing then the newscasters thought. Of course people did not "opt out" of one intrusive search over another, both are equally humiliating and people don't have time when travelling. What the reporters inadvertently did convey was the that fact that people just opted out of flying altogether. Yes, the airports were free and clear and running smoothly, but that's because anyone who could drive, board a bus or ride a train was doing just that, Amtrak reported having every single car available in service yesterday.

People have just had enough, the frisking was the final straw it seems. People will put up with just so much before they revolt. In the name of safety they will put up with even more, but these airport molestings are just not making people feel any safer, and as far as I know, the TSA has not stopped one single terroris tever. I'll tell you from personal experience that being treated like a criminal is not pleasant. I worked for Century 21 once, I lasted five days. My primary reason for leaving was the twice daily pat downs by store security that every employee was subjected to. How can we support the notion that every man is presumed innocent before a court of law but somehow is presumed a terrorist at an airport? Once again, the common man is afforded less rights then the common criminal.

The whole Government logic just seems a step behind the realities of the situation. A guy tries to blow up a plane with his shoes, we are all taking our shoes off. Another uses his underwear to smuggle a bomb, we are now being ogled and felt down to our skivies. I can't wait to see to reaction and the type of agents they hire after a future terrorist smuggles something in his ass! That is the next logical hiding spot, am I right?

I understand that the Government really has no great interest in sexually assaulting flying passengers on a daily basis, but this is a disaster. The airline industry cannot cope with yet another setback of this magnitude. Yes, people who have to fly will fly. You just can't get to Europe or California in a reasonable time period unless you take a plane, but I project the death of short and medium distance flights. Expect more mergers, bancrupcies, more fees and crappier service. The protesters didn't have to make a point, economics will. I will however like to congratulate the man in New York who showed up in underwear and the gal in LA who came in bikini, nothing like mockery to bring home a point.

Nations Editors Abdicate Duty To Snooki

2010-07-31T11:49:00.004-04:00

THE LEEK
(an Onion parody)
Dateline: New York

In case you were confused as to how our esteemed leader could know the names of notable cultural institutions like Jay-Z but feign ignorance when asked about Snooki on The View, we now have more insight. This weeks premiere of The Jersey Shore began with Snooki packing up for a reunion with her Guido pals in Miami, she tells the camera "I am bringing tons of bronzer with me since I am no longer going to tanning salons. I ain't going since Obama started to tax them. Of course he doesn't have to tan, just look at him".

Bravo Snookster, the only person (outside of a few well written blogs) to mention the tanning tax and its implied racist overtones. When asked for comment, editors of our countries newspapers started staring at their shoes and mumbled something before running away to hide their heads in the soil of the nearest office plant.

X-Grown Ups

2010-07-29T16:25:00.003-04:00

I saw a flyer for a water balloon fight this weekend, not for kids but for grown men and women. Whimsical, sure , but it is also a bad sign. People are just not growing up. There is even a movie out right now called Grown Ups that seems to confirm what I am saying.

Look at the X Games, I guess it's not much different from any professional sport that pays grown men to play games that are really meant for children, but there is something just so stupid looking of a 20 year old on a tiny BMX bike or a 30 something skateboarding around like he is a ten year old popping over to the local park to trade baseball cards and drink soda pop. At least to me, they look absurd, sort of like Boy Scouts who stay on long past the point where they look stupid in little brown shorts so they can make Eagle Scout. Sometimes you just have to know when to hang up childhood pastimes. Maybe that's why people have kids of their own, then they don't look ridiculous on the ball field when they are teaching their own sons and daughters how to hit a ball.

In The Field

2010-05-21T22:10:00.002-04:00

After 2 weeks of bureaucratic BS I finally got to go out and do what I am being paid for, conducting the Census. Man, I almost forgot how much I love doing this. I went around house to house ringing bells and just talking to people. I only got one family counted tonight but it was everything I remembered it to be. People are interesting and when they cooperate it's just a pleasure to do this job.

Cenus Training

2010-05-01T09:56:00.003-04:00

DAY 1
Sorry guys, have been out of range, started working the Census again. Took some time off from my Shitty job so I can do what I always loved.
Noted so far
1. Fingerprinting of everyone, mandatory
2. Sam old group of 20 somethings and bored housewives. However, in my training session there are two guys who look like bank presidents, times are tough.
3. training went from 2 days to 4. How they can spend that much time on asking one question is beyond me
"How many people live here?"
4. Two asian chicks who never ran a class in their lives are supposedly teaching us, the mothra twins just read from a phone book sized manual, one of the most boring endeavors I have ever sat through. Sad thing is, when they have a questions, the participants ask me. I am like the grizzled old veteran whose been in the enumeration trenches before.
"Baby, let me tell you about the time I had to count an entire group home for the mentally challenged persons, but first why don't you show some love..Did I mention it was the loooong form?"

Day 2
Now I am starting to get why most of these people are unemployed. Yesterday I was still clinging to notions about the economy and such. That's not he case, most of these folks are morons. From the questions the Mothra twins fielded I can see no real job would want them, I honestly don't know if McDonald would hire them. They are not retarded but the "special" program is all they would qualify for.
"Excuse me, but can we go to the bathroom when we are working"
This from a normal, healthy and sane looking woman. What kind of question is that? As the retired city worker sitting next to me commented
"Next they will ask if we should go into a burning building and who should we talk to first"?
Listen, I know the training is BS I just have to sit through this two more days and I am home free, the actual work is rather fun and pretty easy from what I recall.

Day3
Then there is the drunk who sits in front of me. Form day one she looked a little odd, she wore dark, dark sunglasses, mind you, we are in the basement of a church, it's cold and dark down here. Other then her obvious pallor (reduced amount of oxyhemoglobin in skin or mucous membrane, a pale color which can be caused by illness, emotional shock or stress, stimulant use, lack of exposure to sunlight, anemia or genetics) of a chronic drinker, she also walks around with a water bottle that she seems to think is hiding her booze. But it's wrapped in this nasty black plastic bag and from the murmurs of those around me, I don't think she is fooling even this bunch. Hey, more power to you, I wish I had the will to drink down there, it might just make the time more passable.

So today's training concluded with a mandatory EEO lesson. The usual "we don't discriminate" BS we have all heard a thousand times, you could almost feel all of the (white) people rolling their eyes. When the speaker gave out the number to a local equal opportunity office everyone began to put their stuff away, everyone but the sole two hispanic girls, they jotted the number down like they meant it, even asking for it to be repeated. The guy in the next chair and I saw that and started chuckling. I got to say the man made me laugh, just before it's time to leave he got up and announced he had "take a squirt, I better do it now, on their time" I started laughing, he added "What do you want from me, I am retired city worker"? I told him I knew exactly what he was talking about and that's why I was laughing so hard, truth be told, one of the greatest thrills I have left in life is taking a nice long crap and knowing I am on the clock.

Day 4
The joke of it all is that I have been telling you what a bunch of morons I have in my class. So today they give a "final exam" to see what we absorbed. I was cocky, I didn't try, I could barely be bothered to open my book for this open book exam. So I should not have been as surprised, I got a 69, passing was 70. Luckily the test didn't count.

At lunchtime I got to experience some more ethnic diversity, I walked down 13th Avenue Boro Park, amazing, this Jewish neighborhood still has the ethnic flavor you only see remnants of in the Lower East side. Hasids of every shape and color are walking around, talking on cell phones, pushing past you on lines or just pushing baby carriages. For dinner I went five blocks away to little Chinatown on 8th Avenue and was transported into a completely different ethnic enclave. Say what you will, New York does have an amazing variety of peoples all scurrying around trying to eke out a living.

Speaking of Hasids, I was parking at the huge retail produce market on 65 street, in front of me a Mexican guy was loading groceries for the a black hat and jacketed hasidic fellow. As he closed his min van door I could clearly see the guy giving the Mexican a tip, it was change, but all in copper. As he drove off the Mexican saw that I had seen the exchange and started laughing, I got out of my car and asked, "What? Did he give you all pennies?" The man laughed and said "Si, all pennies". Ah, you got to love New York

Conclusion
The city job I have been doing for the last two years has really made a worse person. I have become dumber as evidenced by my poor test performance, I am lazier then ever and now I seem to have adopted only the bad work related traits. For instance, in the morning I was the guy who brought in his breakfast, after, why should I eat on my time? Let the motherfuckers pay for that as well. In other words, I just have a real bad attitude now. Civil service baby!

What If The Shoe Were On The Other Foot?

2010-05-01T09:46:00.001-04:00

This Louisiana oil spill is upsetting me, aside from the damage to the wildlife, I am wondering why no one is bringing up the fact that our government opened up the rest of America's coastline to drilling only a few weeks ago. I imagine had the president been a former oil man or outspoken governor from Alaska, the connection would have been made by now?

Tax On Tanning Beds

2010-03-21T15:33:00.006-04:00

This news item caught my eye today, it's an outrage if you ask me.

But if the health-care reform package currently in Congress passes, you'll be paying a 10 percent tax at your neighborhood tanning salon.
The tax would apply to all indoor tanning services. It's designed to help pay for reforms to expand health-care coverage.
The "tanning tax" replaces a proposed 5 percent tax on cosmetic surgery procedures that had been in the bill.

RACISM!
If you tax tanning services then shouldn't you also tax du rags and malt liqour?

Gloria Steinem Where Art Thou?

2010-03-21T15:21:00.003-04:00

Where is Steinem? Where is NOW? Shouldn't the feminst movement have something to say about a potential predator who is threatnening phyisical violence towards women? After all, the text messages released this week sound like this person needs to be put on a sex registry and carefully monitored.

Tiger:Sent: 04"02 PM 08/29/2009:
I want to treat you rough. Throw you around, spank and slap you
Tiger:Sent: 04:07 PM 08/29/2009:
You are my f------ w----
Tiger:Sent: 04:08 PM 08/29/2009:
Hold you down while i choke you ...
Tiger:Sent: 04:10 PM 08/29/2009:
Then im going to tell you to shut the F--- up while i slap your face and pull your hair for making noise
Tiger:Sent: 04:21 PM 08/29/2009:
Where do you want to be bitten

Civil Service Explained

2010-02-14T18:41:00.005-05:00

The title of this entry comes from one of the crappy pamphlets you are given or directed to online when you are fingerprinted, photographed and for all intents, branded upon entry into "they system".

The city is not what I thought it was going to be. My friend told me when I started
"You know how to tie your own shoes, you should be running the place in a few months"
I of course found out the hard way its nothing like that, not only is upward mobility impossible without taking sporadically given tests or being related to people who do the hiring, but incompetence is rewarded. The management has no way of firing you so they become sadistic and petty beaurocrats who take great pleasure in annoying their underlings. It's actually quite a horrible place to be in. Its nice to know that you can't be fired, unfortunately, that's all I hope for these days. I'm like a galley slave hoping another ship rams us.

This is a great job for those who are unemployable, or don't care. It's also not bad if you have some sort of substance abuse problem as all you have to do is register and they can never fire you for being drunk and stoned. If you have no ambition in life, civil service with the Shitty Of N.Y. is for you.

I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS JOB TO ANYONE I KNOW.

I have actually found myself getting stupider as time goes on! My skills are decreasing and I have only mastered repetitive tasks you can teach a chain smoking monkey to achieve.

I say this because I have no simpler way of describing it, but my friends are not retards, junkies or low-lifes. Sadly, there are plenty of good, hard working, God fearing people whose circumstances brought them to this horrible place. This is for the filthy, low down urban trash you see at the DMV or writing you parking tickets. THEY BELONG HERE. This is not a job for a sane man with even a modicum of self worth.

Non Pussy Of The Year Award

2010-02-06T11:13:00.001-05:00

Guys, I don't know if I would jump into a blood red ocean with sharks circling to rescue my own Mother so quickly. This guy did it for a complete stranger, I hereby make notice that from now on it is forbidden to ever call Lifeguard Dan Lund a pussy, even in jest this will not be tolerated and any man who does this must be beaten severely. I'm sorry, in my book this man has earned some real fucking respect. I can tell you without doubt, had I been in that lifeguard tower and heard a scream, ran over to my binoculars to see a man thrashing around several dorsal fins, my reaction would have been:
"Now that sucks, for you".

Converter

2010-01-12T07:33:00.002-05:00

I tried to watch CBS this weekend on my new converter box. Nothing doing. It is only now becoming apparent to me that the switch from analog to digital TV that was mandated by government was not only a way of controlling what we all see, you do realize that is more possible now? Alas, the real reason, or at least the driving force must have come from the cable industry. All we need do is follow the money. Who has it? Cable bills are now completely out of control. In the city, $70 gets you basic cable and 100 gets you a HBO or Showtime. These prices are ridiculous, and why? Because they have no competition. Satellite is not there yet and their service is even worse from what I have been told. Your signal goes out when it rains, you know, the times you are stuck indoors and might actually want to watch some television. No, I'm afraid the truth is just too plain not to see. These bastards managed to buy off our supposed representatives and imposed a system that basically does not work thereby making people more likely to switch to cable. What a shame, yet another example of big business using big government to affect the citizenry in a negative manner.

Revoke

2009-11-04T20:42:00.003-05:00

Say you went to Atlantic City to play a poker tournament. You walked into the room and saw that your opponents were guys employed by the casino you were playing at. Maybe even one the gentlemen was wearing a Casino jacket? You would know, quite quickly that the game was most likely rigged. Right?

So what are your options at this point?
1. You could simply walk away and not care what happens.
2. You could decide to play the game honestly and hope that your example would shame the big players into doing the right thing.
3. You could infiltrate the game play underhandedly as well.
4. You can organize a takeover of the entire casino...or die trying.
5. Or you can simply wait for the entire scheme to become so big and greedy that it implodes in on itself.

Of course none of these options seem palatable, do they? Of course not, it's not only the game that is rigged against you (the small party, the lone honest politician etc.) the entire system is geared for you to fail. Consider the game board is also slanted.

At this point I am embittered. I have now seen another year of eager, well planned out campaigns get barely a blip on the political radar because no one hears their message. You know, stubbornness and perseverance are admirable qualities, but there is also a difference between that and the guy who beats his head against a wall day after day and expects a different result.

I am not advocating giving up mind you but this cannot go on. Maybe Ron Paul was right, at the very least his message got heard? Since he has been off the scene who has even mentioned Libertarian candidates or their platforms save a few fringe publications and web sites? No one, it's not in the interest of the mainstream media to mention anything that would upset the current balance of things. So what do we do? We already have a television show and even a newspaper. At least that is something, a positive trend. The message is clear to me, those who control the media, control the reigns of power in this society. So what do we do? I propose we make our media outlets as close to the mainstream as possible. No one is reading the dailies because of their op-ed. People want some news, a little gossip and maybe the hint of some titties. Once you have their attention you can throw in slanted articles and position the stories to your own needs. Hey, Rupert Murdoch didn't invent this crap you know.

I propose an all out campaign against the stations and papers that have not reported the numbers to this election. This morning I bought the News, Post and Newsday. Not one of these papers had the totals of our candidates. It mostly read Democrat, GOP and other. Excuse me, but is it not the journalistic DUTY of these corporations to bring us the news? Do they not get special privileges on parking, press passes, special access and God only knows what else on the implicit social obligation to report that which is happening? I hereby ask that all major news organizations that did not report duly recognized vote totals be stripped of any and all perks. Please include Channel 4 and 7 to the list as they also did not bother to report the news last night. Why am I being forced to watch NY1 which isn't even a real television station to get news that should be readily available everywhere else?

Smoke On The Water

2009-10-04T23:11:00.000-04:00

Tribute

2009-09-12T08:12:00.003-04:00

You are missed buddy

Misplaced Blame

2009-08-30T10:26:00.004-04:00

The anti-Robert Moses bandwagon has been gaining steam over the last decade or so. Today he is vilified as a monster who destroyed the fabric of New York, made mega-blunders and above everything else was the boogie man incarnate because he made the overpasses at Jones Beach too small for city buses to pass under, oooo, he was racist.

Blaming Moses for all city ills is sort of akin to cursing the subway system and saying it is the worst. Both are knee-jerk reactions that fail to take into account the great things that were accomplished. The subway takes millions of people from all corners of the city to their jobs and if you even slightly remember the cars of the 70's and 80's you will realize how much better things are now. They are cleaner, they run more frequently, graffiti is gone and so are for the most part surly token dealers. Of course they could still be better. Instead of wasting time and money on a Second Avenue line so a bunch of Manhattan assholes can save 5 minute off their walks to their $7000 a month apartments, how about extending lines in the large swaths of Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Staten Island that have no train service at all?

So what did Moses do? Here are some of my recent exchanges with Moses bashers.

Moses ignored rapid transt which fell into disrepair. by the way, was just in Amsterdam and Copenhagen where they have bike lanes everywhere and it seems to work out great. you dont need to take your car everywhere in a big city, I never needed too

Nice idea in small cities and places that are not spread out, but try that in Los Angeles or Montana. Bikes are a great form of exercises and recreation but this notion that they are the savior of modern man is ludicrous.

If you are a kid, into your 30's this is all very nice but then you get old, you get fat, your knees ache and you don't want to get up in the morning and go out in the rain and have a workout before you had your morning donut. Try biking from the Rockaways and then tell me how we should live like people in Copenhagen.

you must have read the same book I did, THE LAST GOOD SEASON.

Moses was insane, he wanted to put highways through the Empire State Building and CAnal Street which would have destroyed that neighborhood

historical revisionism, today's bike assholes caliming Moses was racist, Moses was pro car, blah, blah. The only thing Moses did was take a city that was stuck in the horse and buggy era and make it a modern metropolis. You want it look at that fact with modern rose colored glasses, go ahead, in my mind the man did great things.

And so what if he put a highway through C-Anal Street? how would have made it worse then what it looks like today?

Blame

2009-08-22T12:28:00.007-04:00

Does the damage done by this man have no end? It's common knowledge that Ronald Reagan's infatuation with the Soviet Union led almost directly to what we have today in Afghanistan. Our support of the Mujaheddin was the reason the Soviets lost that war. Of course it also is the reason that country became a radical Islamic state and everything that happened because of that. Draw your own conclusions.

We can also say that our dealing arms to Saddam Hussein during his war with Iran eboldened that dictator and created problems for us years later. Let's also not forget the arms for hostages shenanigans of Oliver North in Iran.

Now I am learning about how this neo-con demigod also inadvertently spawned the greatest gang problem since prohibition. Back in the 80's Reagan's fight against communism had us supporting the far right in El Salvador's bloody civil war. As with most such conflicts people got the fuck out of Dodge. Many came to LA. It's there that the kids of these refugees became targets of attacks from Mexican gang bangers. Some forged their own gang, MS-13. Some were deported and learned new techniques of brutality back home in the killing fields. When they slipped back into the US they brought a new level of violence to the gang wars. Today most states have problem with this gang. Even on Long Island any killing that features young Hispanic men is bound to be MS-13 related.

The impact of this president's policies is incredible. Even 20 something years later we are still cleaning up this administrations mess. Un-fucking-believable. On a minor trivia note, the devil horns gang symbol that the Salvadorans have adopted as their own is really nothing more then the hand gesture you see at all metal concerts. Originally the gang were a bunch of metal heads and stoners who hung out in LA's MacArthur Park. So I guess in that sense we can also blame Metallica and Dio for contributing to the national scourge on some level.

Hardly

2009-07-19T09:09:00.004-04:00

Wanna look like a douche? Then start wearing these market saturated designer T-shirts. They are are supposed to be a faux tattoo design, but much like the real thing you will look like you are desperately following trends and trying to look cool. Sadly, just like the real thing, you will be a tool.

Go Green

2009-05-10T08:36:00.004-04:00

More shit I tell ya'. I watched a home improvement show on TV yesterday. The announcer was pushing all of these new fangled "green" innovations. In theory all nice. That is until you realize that more energy and raw materials need to go into those solar panels and energy conserving water heaters then they will ever realize in savings. Now, I am not advocating raping mother earth and walking around with blinders on repeating the mantra "global warming is an eco terrorist plot to destabilize the nation". Yeah right. But real conservation is much simpler then all of that.

Do you want to go green? Or at least greener? Then stop consuming. Stop producing. Stop buying useless crap. The message you see on TV is buy, buy, buy. That's the American way, buy more useless crap and help the economy and in the process you can pat yourself on the back and tell people your car gets better mileage. Of course this the antithesis of real conservation. Re-use things, don't throw them away, don't consume, don't buy should be the real message. It's sort of like spending money to lose weight. To lose weight you need to spend less, not more! Spend less on food and eat less and I personally guarantee you will lose more weight then giving Jenny Craig your credit card.

Fuck am I in a foul mood. This stuff just pisses me off. Rampant consumerism is just an outrage to my senses and in a way it really breaks into the deadly sin of pride. It's gluttony on a consumer level.

(pictured above: THE SOLAR VIBE, world's only solar powered dildo)

Why Can't Ugly People Sing?

2009-04-17T20:34:00.005-04:00

The viral video of the week was this woman who performed on Britain' Got Talent show. The idea is that every one watching saw an old, ugly woman appear and started giggling, she then got up and blew every one away with an great performance. Maybe I am different then, because I don't see an ugly person and expect her to be unable to sing, dance, do calculus or whatever. I make no correlation between looks and talent. Maybe I would snicker if she was a contestant on America's Next Top Model but why on earth couldn't she sing, in fact, if anything, I make the opposite suppostition. I assume pretty people are less talented and got their based on their looks or whom they slept with!

'Nuff Said

2009-02-08T12:09:00.001-05:00

I couldn't add a single word(click on the image if it is too small)

Consider This

2008-12-30T21:37:00.004-05:00

The very first time I had ever heard the name Blagojevich was on December 8Th. On the 9th the name was already mud (and the subject of many jokes). The curious thing was that his first mention nationally was:

CHICAGO - On Monday, Gov. Rod Blagojevich showed up at Republic Windows and Doors to proclaim support for 250 workers who refused to leave the factory after the bosses shut it down.[Daily News December 9, 2008]

The very next day, THE VERY NEXT DAY he was up on charges! What made this interesting was that I had been following the auto parts strike for some time before. What made this different then every other strike in recent American history was that the workers didn't merely walk out, they TOOK THE PLANT OVER. That's unheard of on these shores. A strike is no big deal for management, in fact other then the inconvenience, it's a great way of getting rid of unionized labor and replacing them with low cost employees. Maybe even very grateful folk who will not cause too much trouble.

Taking over the plant means something. The company can not function, they cannot hire scabs. Now the police may have to be called in. When was the last time you saw armed forces clearing out red blooded Americans who just want to get paid their fair wages? This my friends is a horse of different color. Now we are talking some major damage control, both for the company and for the state. In today's economic climate, this might be considered revolutionary:

Blagojevich on Monday ordered all state agencies to stop doing business with Bank of America to pressure the bank into using federal bailout money it received to help the laid-off workers.

"We hope that this kind of leverage and pressure will encourage Bank of America to do the right thing for this business," Blagojevich said outside the plant [Yahoo News December 8, 2008]

The man was openly taking on the big auto companies and even the Bank Of America.

So maybe I am paranoid, but the timing of the Governors support of the Auto Workers seems a bit more then suspicious. In this case it didn't take the Empire long to strike back. By the way, has anyone heard these tapes we are constantly hearing about?

Apathy

2008-09-06T10:26:00.004-04:00

Bye bye Astroland, last of the Coney Island amusement parks. I imagine the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel will remain but the park with all of the cheesy rides and sideshow games is closing this weekend for good. Last night I dropped by with dozens of other city dwellers, cameras in tow, taking pictures of what in the next year or two promises to be more condos. At this point I am almost numb to seeing new building sprout out of old homes or empty lots. That's progress I imagine and I shouldn't be so resistant to change. A new house beats and old one I guess. But when you take away something that could be enjoyed by many for the use of a few, that just doesn't seem right. To me Astroland was nothing special but it belonged there and I could see the people loved it. Not your fancy shmantzy crowd, they have the Hamptons and St. Barts, but really the lowliest. The poor could go there, strollers in tow, have some cotton candy and let their children run around for a few bucks. Who benefits from a condominium? The builders, the owners, the staff and the residents. That's it. In a city that's had a population explosion in the last twelve years I fully understand the need to build more housing. However, certain things should be allowed to remain. It's not like the amusement park was a money loser. People went, but I imagine there is even more money to be made selling the land and collecting rents and taxes so the political will was not there. Man, that just sucks.

Year One

2008-07-26T12:05:00.003-04:00

Quite frankly I am surprised to still be blogging one year later. I thought I would have been bored by it by now and abandoned the project. Well here's to my stick-to-it-ness. As I cull the excessive posts from the site I am reminded off all that has happened in a year for me. When I started I was still working as a temp. Boy did that job blow. The one I have now ain't no great shakes but it still beats that. The only way to get out of working with agencies is to stop working with agencies.

A year ago no one knew that Barak's middle name was Hussein, today they do and deluded still don't care. One question, we all know what the poll numbers are for blacks, latinos, me and women in the presidential race. Has anyone asked the Muslim population whom they are voting for? Would the answer be uncomfortable? A year ago we were fighting the idea of congestion pricing. Bloomy lost that one although now out of spite he is making Broadway a two-lane street I hear just to give it to drivers. Just what we need, a promenade in the busiest part of town. It must be nice to be an out of touch billionaire. I wish I was, then again when the revolution comes........

I imagine I won't keep this post up long either. Just long enough for those that care to see what's up. Tonight I will be hosting a birthday party at Barcade. All are welcome of course. I think I will also take Monday and Tuesday off. Fuck it, it's my birthday. Maybe I will go to the circus or fishing.

Blown Out Of The Sky

2008-07-19T12:17:00.005-04:00

I wanted to talk a little about Flight 800 as it was the 12 year anniversary. But I think everyone knows by know that the story about empty fuel tanks exploding was a bunch of B.S.. Aside from the 100 or so eyewitnesses who saw the missile strike the plane an airline pilot made this quote a few years after the incident "These planes are still flying with no changes (10 years later modifications were made) if the FAA really thought there was a danger with center fuel tanks they would have ordered them be filled with concrete rather then fumes."

Personally I don't know who shot down the plane. Was it a stray missile from a nearby Navy vessel? These things do happen. Could it have been pre 9/11 terrorists? I don't know, but keeping that scenario hushed up only made 9/11 inevitable. The only thing for certain is that we have been lied to. As for the truth, take your pick.

Nonsense

2008-07-08T21:58:00.004-04:00

Two news stories from Long Island today that need discussing:

1.Eight on Fire Island sickened by pot brownies

July 8, 2008
Eight people on Fire Island were transported by helicopter and boat to local hospitals, where they were treated for respiratory and gastric distress after eating brownies the victims said were laced with marijuana, Ocean Beach police said.

2. Jones Beach evacuated after fireworks wash up

NEW YORK - A popular beach on Long Island was evacuated at the height of a holiday weekend after stray, unexploded fireworks washed ashore the day after a July Fourth show, state parks officials said Saturday.
Roughly 2,000 visitors were told to leave Jones Beach immediately after the seaborne shells began turning up around midday, officials said.

I use to think that the problem in this country was we have too many lawyers. There are too many of those bloodsuckers around but they are only gonna follow the money. I then though the judges were at fault for allowing the courts to be clogged with frivolous matters. But now I am convinced it's just the overall pussification of our society. I mean really, did we really need to evacuate a bunch of pot brownie eaters by helicopter? Do we really have to close an entire beach during a heat wave because of water logged fireworks? This is just plain ridiculous.

And speaking of ridiculous, the current waterfalls art project is poorly conceived. Now I support the arts as much as anyone but who in the hell thought it would be a good idea to place a massive public arts project right off the BQE? Couldn't anyone have foreseen the traffic tie-up this would cause? For the love of God, people in these parts of the world slow down to a crawl if someone is changing a tire by the side of the road!

Poop Tomato

2008-06-14T10:08:00.003-04:00

Salmonela in the tomotoes, e-coli in the melons. America, wash your fruits and vegtables. That "pre-washed" bag of salad is not really washed, well not the way you would want it to be washed if you were looking to avoid eating shit stained iceberg. The one thing I don't hear on TV is the basic reason for this; Mexicans are shitting on the food supply. Yes, dirty Mexican farm hands are relieving themselves on your produce. That's why you must cook or clean everything you eat very well.

Before I sound too xenophobic let me defend my Mexican hombres by saying, well what the fuck do you expect? Have you seen toilets on those mega farms where you see illegal immigrant harvesters at work? That's hard fucking work, but I guess that's why they supposedly can't Americans to do this job. An American would demand a working toilet and a place to wash his hands. These cocksucker growers are really at fault here. Give the people a port-o-san every few thousand feet like they do at construction sites and you won't have massive food borne outbreaks.

On a different note, I am off to Canada on the high seas in a couple of hours and I probably won't be updating anytime soon. I imagine when I get back there will be something interesting to share from my end, till then, bon voyage.

Rocky Balboa

2008-05-04T18:11:00.002-04:00

Unless I become some kind of movie star I imagine my fate will always be tied in part to the Rocky series just from my brief 15 minutes of fame for that commercial. Last night I watched the last flick "Rocky Balboa". I was not expecting much as like all sequels it was getting progressively worse and most unwatchable. This one on the other hand had heart. Stallone went back to the roots of what made the first one so great. The old boxer is no longer a favorite and his simple life amongst the average Joe's of South Philadelphia is one of the more honest portrayals I have seen of regular folk in a while. You get a sense of the grittiness and feel for the characters and their underdog status. Rocky isn't trying to be the champ anymore but like in the original, a contender. In my opinion this movie does just that. It is a fine bookend, I would be very happy if they end it on this note.

Dear God

2008-04-23T19:55:00.002-04:00

It's getting near time to go home and I have a nasty shit brewing. I figure I can last until I get home but every once in a while I let some real nastiness fly. Luckily by now the workspace is empty. I make it to the elevator bank when I feel a particularly odoriferous one coming on. I save it and hope the elevator is clear. It opens, and it is empty. I get in and let loose. I figure when I get out in the lobby no one will notice. Then the problem, the elevator stops on the very next floor. A nicely dressed older black lady is standing outside. I am too nervous to do much but to open my arms in a grand welcoming gesture. As soon as the doors close I notice from the corner of my eye that her face is contorting in gross disfigurement. She tries to mutter under her breath but when she moans "Dear God" it is clearly audible and directed at me. All I could do from laughing was to rush out as soon as the ground floor was hit. I ran home and nearly had a convulsion on the train from laughing so hard. I mean the poor woman was praying to her deity for relief that was not to come. Oh man, I'm still chuckling.

Finally Some Outrage

2008-04-06T18:32:00.003-04:00

Can someone please explain to me why New York City must supposedly accept congestion pricing to recieve some absurd number of millions from the Federal Government? Something doesn't sound kosher, since when do the Feds stipulate that poor working shlubs must fork over $8 and $21 at a time to enter their own city?

I know some of my Manhattan readers readily aprove of this new tax on the middle class. Why not? If I chose to live in a smog filled and over crowded enviornment, I too would like the idea of less cars. But that is not the issue. Simply put, this is the City government being Manhattnocentric all over again. Same thing happens when the snow falls and its gets cleared in the city first. Same reason all roads lead to Rome. The money is being minted there and screw all of the little cogs in the wheel that make it all work. Well at least I was happy to see a few brave city council members vote against the proposal. How any single outer-botough politician voted for this is scandalous and needs to be investigated. Let's just hope someone in Albany can turn away from the bribery.

Speaking of cars, a buyer has been found for my blue car. I am torn. I really don't need two cars but this one particular vehicle has come to define me. It's old, has rust spots and belches noxious fumes but it's also tough, reliable and a thing of beauty to the right eye. I don't know, should I sell it? It might be my last chance to do so at a good price? Then again it costs virtually nothing to maintain but how long will everything keep from breaking down? And this is the year it becomes old enough to forgo emission inspections alltogether. What's your advice?

Sign Of The Times

2008-03-09T21:48:00.003-04:00

I agree with all of the sentiments I have been reading from the comments section. The shit is about to hit the fan. Coming home today from Upstate I stopped at the Ramapo rest area on the NY State Thruway. I was shocked to see who was working the counter at McDonald's. Children! No shit, not high schoolers, but junior high 12 to 14 year olds. At first I thought to myself "how old am I getting?", but then I heard the murmurs of the other people on line with me. "Are those Junior High students?" or "This country is going to shit, who the fuck let's their children go work at a McDonlads counter?" and "This is an outrage". People were fuming. The kids behind the counter didn't seem to mind the commotion but they were also woefully unprepared for the realities of life in this adult world. When one irate customer started making a fuss about some perceived slight, all the kids could do was shrug their shoulders. The whole scene looked like something out of a Dickens novel. Children who should be playing video games and skateboarding with their friends were now thrust into some kind of proto-industrial revolution nightmare like the textile mills of the 19th Century. What the fuck happened to employment laws? What is the minimum age to work amongst highway tramps, rest stop area degenerates and serial killers?

Working Poor

2008-03-03T07:05:00.002-05:00

When I worked as document reviewer/temporary attorney I was always surrounded by hip young attorney's. At one point I pulled out my cassette Walkman and my coworkers nearly fell on the floor laughing. These were guys with the latest MP3 players and Blackberries so my old Panasonic technology made me look like a club wielding caveman. Not so at the new job, with government workers being as poor as they are no one looks at me cross for having museum worthy audio equipment. I look around at the office and people have radio cassette players on their desks. Some listen to disc players with enormous headphones and the one person with an MP3 player is the head attorney and his unit is a cheap ass model made by Coby that you could probably get at a bargain bin at Target or Toys R Us. I feel right at home, no need to keep up with the Joneses. The other day I had a conversation with someone about LP's, but not because I was talking to some pretentious Williamsburg hipster, but simply because we both never had enough faith or money to make the complete format switch.

Daytona 500

2008-02-18T20:04:00.003-05:00

When I was a kid watching stock car races all of the drivers looked like regular guys. They were paunchy, losing their hair, some older, some fat. Funny thing happened when NASCAR became big in the last 10 years. Suddenly all of the Richard Petty's and Cale Yarborough's were replaced by young drivers with matinee idol looks. The second big money comes into contact with something that is televised the look changes. Big money can't afford regular guys driving the cars, now we need Dale Jarred, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhradt Jr. to sell T-shirts, mugs and posters. Nothing new here I guess. Same thing happened to wrestling and music. Budweiser physiques of King Kong Bundy and Meatloaf gave way to pretty boy video stars and steroid abusers.

Working Poor

2008-02-02T13:09:00.000-05:00

Thing is, the file room with peoples important documents and social security numbers is open and accesible but it's the bathrooom that has a combination lock! Actually, everything is under lock and key. If I want a pencil I have to requisition it. I thought I understood, one look around me and I see why employee theft is a concern. But the other day a new realization came over me. Another department was renovating their offices in the building. The construction crews were taking out the old furniture and furnishings to the curb. Before the garbage men could haul away the old chairs, broken lamps and stained coffee tables the city employess attacked the trash like a pack of hyenas with a fresh wildebeast kill. Suddenly it became clear to me, why all of the neighboring restaraunts were cheap and crappy, why my co workers knew all the sale days at Costco, why coupons could be found on everyones desk. They are all poor. It's true, say all you want about benefits and job security, and that's all nice but these people get paid shit. What good is all of that if you have to rummage through garbage at the end of the day?

Doing Right Ain't Got No End

2008-01-26T14:38:00.000-05:00

I had this dream the other night. I was watching a pair of Bald Eagles hunting. Turns out they were hunting the red shouldered hawk I saw recently in the back yard. The hawk then landed next to me for protection and didn't go away until it was all clear. He also brushed me with his wing as if he was saying "thank you brother" for the help.

Maybe it's not the same thing but the other day I was leaving work when this scraggly looking thing came up to me and asked to buy a cigarette off of me. As I gave her the butt she took it with a shaking hand and said "Thanks a lot mister, it's the first cigarette I've had today, I just got out of jail". That seemed about right, she looked the part and my job is near the courts. I gave her the cigarette and told her "Well, in that case, then this one is one me. Enjoy".

Passings

2008-01-01T10:36:00.001-05:00

Of all the people that died in 2007 it is Richard Jewell I feel the most for. Here was a man basically killed by the government for no reason whatsoever. If you recall Richard was the security guard who saved a bunch of lives at the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing. To thank him the FBI leaked that he was a suspect. From then on the mans life was a living hell. I remember watching the national evening news when Dan Rather stated "The investigators found suspicious things in Mr. Jewell's basement like duct tape and nails". Wha? Who the fuck DOESN'T have some tape and nails in his house? I felt bad for the guy from then on. When the Feds and the papers finally cleared him years later the damage had already been done. Richard Jewell died in 2007 at the age of 44.

Who Cares?

2007-11-25T09:15:00.000-05:00

A-Rod goes to Mudhens

I think the Yankees best move during the off season was
GETTING rid of that good for nothing A-Rod. Getting him
back ensures only another "almost ran" year. For the
price of one guy who does well in meaningless games but
is a proven chocker when it counts you could have gotten
two first class pitchers or three very good ones.

What I don't understand is why don't they just sit him
down in the playoffs? He sucks, year after year he can't
hack the pressure. Everyone I say this too says "Oh you
can't do that? he's a marquis player." So? If I buy a
wrench at Home Depot and it's great for fixing things
around my house but can't help me to fix my car do I
continue using that tool on the car and risk damaging it
or do I use a better wrench when I doing that specific
task? What's the problem here, you might hurt the $350
million players feelings? It's a business folks, the
only ones stupid enough to care about outcomes are the
fans who pay for the trinkets with the Yankee logo on
them or the even more deluded fans who actually buy over
priced tickets to sit in the South Bronx and swig $8
paper cups of watered down Miller. Fuck all of that
noise, sports, all sports is a waste of time and money.

OK, now let me see who is playing football today. I hope
those loser Jets can find a new even more humiliating
way to lose. Maybe they can snatch another loss from the
jaws of victory this afternoon. Man, if there is one
thing following that team has taught me, sports is for
playing, not watching. Want to waste a couple of
meaningless hours in the comfort of your own home, maybe
with some snacks and friends? By all means do so, just
don't waste one cent or one tear or emotion for players
and teams that could care less if you live or die. As
the gangster in A Bronx Tale correctly surmised "Mickey
Mantle don't care about you". If the Yankees or Jets win
on Sunday doesn't really change the fact that you still
have to go to work on Monday. Mickey Mantle ain't
putting any food on your table. If anything, he's taking
it off!

One more thing, Guinie Joe and the Yankees obvioiusly
didn't want to be on the same team anymore. If Torre
wanted to manage, he would have taken that offer. If the
Yankees wanted him back, they would have made sure he
was happy. As is, both made a huge mistake I think. We
shall see.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

Indian Chief "Two Eagles" was asked by a white government official,
"You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars
and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the
damage he's done."

The Chief nodded in agreement.
The official continued, "Considering all these events, in your opinion,
where did the white man go wrong?"

The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then
calmly replied. "When white man find land, Indians running it,
no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water.
Women did all the work, Medicine man free. Indian man spend all day
hunting and fishing; all night having sex."

Then the chief leaned back and smiled. "Only white man dumb enough
to think he improve system like that."

Age Old Question Finally Answered

2007-11-20T19:47:00.000-05:00

Higher Prices

2007-11-18T22:52:00.000-05:00

Butthash

2007-11-06T13:39:00.000-05:00

I can't stop laughing ever since a friend clued me in on this latest drug craze. It may or may not be true but from what I know it comes from the slums of Africa and is made with human waste. I only wish I could be clever enough to make something like this up. But what I am capable of adding is song parodies based on the fad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/406067.stm

(sung to the tune of Elton John's Rocket Man)

Gonna be a long long time,
Jenkem gonna get you high tonight
because I'm a butt crack man
Butt crack man
burning out of ass at night
I'm a butt crack man

(Sung to the tune of Mr. Brownstone by GNR)

I use to do a little
but a little got more and more
So I did a little more and more got more and more

He's been dancing
with Mr. Jenkem
He's been sniffin'
at yo' back door

Hughey Lewis missed a golden opportunity, they can make
a comeback with this ode to Jenkem!

I wanna new drug
One that will make me sick
make me hallucinate
and comes from my own shit

I wanna new drug
one that makes my face turn blue
makes me freakin vommit
like I vommit when I'm with you

or Carl's parody of Michael Jackson

"We are the World,
we are brown children,
let's all get a big bag of shit,
and let's start sniffing

There's a choice were making,
we're smelling our own ass,
It's true, it makes a better day
for just me"

You Know Who You Are

2007-10-20T13:46:00.001-04:00

A Permanent Trend

2007-10-19T11:37:00.001-04:00

Maybe I'm showing my age but when I was a kid the only socially acceptable professions to have tattoos were sailors, carny workers, prisoners, motorcycle gang members and prostitutes. If you belonged to one of these groups on the margins of society, well then it was just part of the deal. It was about the time that women started getting tattos that I realized that "body art" (the term makes me snicker)had completely lost it's toughness. The old bumper sticker "Pussies get shaved, real men get tattooed" no longer held weight. Am I opposed to the body modification? No, do whatever makes you happy, but as always I reserve the right to mock your efforts. My only question is the sexual proclivity of women with these permanent baubles on their bodies. Is it, like a friends wife recently told me "girls with ass crack tattoos like to get it in the shitter"? I have no personal knowledge as a reference so please feel free to comment and let me know your experiences in the matter.

Congestion Pricing Redux

2007-10-08T09:55:00.000-04:00

I didn't understand the mayors motivation concerning his congestion pricing plan until I stood on the corner of 55th and 3rd Avenue in Midtown at lunchtime and saw the mass of traffic slowly crawling towards the bridge. A good businessman looks at bad situation and thinks about how he can make it work in his favor. So instead of seeing an endless line of cars and polution, Bloomberg saw the potential for filling the cities coffers. He didn't get to becoming a billionaire without having a killer instinct for genereating revenue where it didn't exist before.

Here however is the rub, a city is NOT a business. People are not widgets in some economic model meant to be exploited by the administration. Citizens are not supposed to be looked at as cash cows, well not by the fuckers they elected. Eh, who am I kidding? He bought the election. In the end I think the calculations were something like $100 per vote. I never forgave the citizens of New York for being so stupid and corruptable. I couldn't vote for someone like that on principle alone. Someone once said that people deserve the government they get. Well, New York you voted for him twice now.

Remember These

2007-10-02T14:13:00.001-04:00

Does anyone remember this TV show? It had a terrible name since it had nothing to do with the movies. Rather it was about this haunted antique store and the new owners who had to go and retrieve every item ever sold there because the items would wreck havoc over anyone who possesed them. I hear they are replaying it now on cable networks with the Chiller channel.

This movie was so underground it made it big on buzz alone. It was more gore then horror and it was disgusting but the most dissapointing thing was find out in subsequent years that some of the grusome killings were fake.

This movie had it all. Evil space goo, Leslie Nielsen as a scumbag and that story about the mysterious wooden crate under the stairs.

What a geat show this was. I'd stay up late into the night watching this show in my room and creeping myself out. Even the theme music still still gives me chills.

Oktoberfest

2007-09-23T10:42:00.000-04:00

This is the image we all have of Oktoberfest in Munich. I'm fraid the the reality is more like this. I don't know about you, but I live in a big city, the last thing I want to deal with when enjoying myself is big crowds and long lines. F that!

Regis & Kelly

2007-09-14T10:35:00.000-04:00

I'm watching the 25th anniversary show with Regis and Kelly today (don't ask why) when they bring out the old one, Kathy Lee Gifford. She looks like a plastic surgery disaster but that's not the issue. What amazes me about this program is that the house wives who watch this show accepted that Kathy Lee was replaced by a younger, firmer version of herself in Kelly Ripa. Isn't that what all house-fraus dread the most? Their husbands leaving them for a younger woman? Isn't that exactly what happened here? They didn't replace that old hack Regis with some young buck. Doesn't anyone see the irony here?

Ominous

2007-09-13T10:08:00.000-04:00

Is it me or do these public service ads look like something you would seeing in Nazi Germany around 1938 or Stalinist Russia? Yes, we have reasons to be afraid, no one more then the people of New York. But are campaigns to turn in ones neighbors really what we need? A city of stoolies?

Only In New York

2007-09-07T11:15:00.000-04:00

Staten Island ninja thief flees after homeowner stabs him

Phil Chiolo shows bruise he got from man dressed as ninja who broke into his Staten Island home.
A ninja-clad burglar was sent scurrying from a Staten Island kitchen early yesterday when the homeowner stabbed the samurai sneak in the shoulder.
Phil Chiolo said he had just gone to bed when he heard what sounded like a pan hit the kitchen floor about 1 a.m. in his Jefferson Ave. home in Dongan Hills.
"When I got into the kitchen, the door was jimmied open," Chiolo said. "To my surprise, there was a man standing there dressed in a ninja costume, with nun-chucks and everything. All I saw was his eyes."
The thief immediately struck Chiolo across his collarbone with the nun-chucks, he said.
The professional disk jockey tried to run.
"As I turn around, he hit me again in the back of the head," Chiolo continued.
Chiolo clutched the kitchen counter, spotted a knife block on the top and grabbed a 4-inch blade.
"My intention was not to stab him," he said. "I wanted to scare him, but he tripped over a kitchen chair and fell on his a--."
Still swinging the nun-chucks, the ninja struck Chiolo on the leg. That's when Chiolo plunged the knife deep into the burglar's shoulder.
"He showed absolutely no sign of pain," said Chiolo, who lives with his brother, Richard. "He was either high on something or completely numb. He got up with the knife still in him and ran out the kitchen door."
Chiolo called the cops, but the burglar, believed to be responsible for 13 other heists in the area, was still on the loose last night.

I am still chuckling, a freaking ninja. Of course he vanished into the night with a steaknife in his chest, he's a ninja!

http://gothamist.com/2007/09/07/staten_island_n.php

Sometimes It's What Is Not Said

2007-09-01T11:02:00.000-04:00

Ehh, no one is listening to me and my ramblings anyway. I just feel very strongly when I see our rights slowly being eroded at every turn. The other day my kooky ex-neighbor was yelling at someone as he often does. A store owner came out and told him to be quiet, my friend responded with "It's a free country". I was floored, I haven't heard ANYONE say that in years. When I was a kid, you used that phrase all the time. It was an excuse to get away with saying what you wanted, going where you wanted and pretty much doing what you wanted. But that was all before Giuliani, 9/11, Imus and everything else. Now you have to be careful what you say, especially online or on the phone. And God forbid it's not PC or Sharptons goons will destroy you. You can't go where you want. Your name might be on some secret no fly list. Whole areas of the globe are totally off limits now because of our meddling foreign policy. In New York City you no longer can dance in a club not zoned for it or smoke in a bar, in certain city parks you can't even fly a freaking kite. Yeah, I'm afraid the term "It's a free country" is about as relevant today as saying "When's the next pony express rider coming by"?

Hypocrisy Of The Right vs. The Arrogance Of The Left

2007-08-20T14:52:00.000-04:00

NEWS:

Nugent has reportedly confessed to fathering a child out of wedlock with a Dover, New Hampshire, woman who is suing the '70s rocker for child support and custody. According to the local Foster's Daily Democrat newspaper, the plaintiff, 43-year-old Karen Gutowski, filed suit against the 55-year-old Nugent last August, claiming he has provided little in the way of financial aid for their unidentified eight-year-old child despite making millions from album sales, touring and other revenue streams. Gutowski's attorney, Jeffrey Runge, told the newspaper that the musician, radio and TV host and noted outdoor enthusiast has acknowledged paternity of the young boy, but has never met the tyke and refused to provide proper financial support. "Given the fact he's worth millions and millions of dollars, he's paying the amount someone making about $20,000 per year would pay," Runge told the Daily Democrat in September.

Man, I wish I was a multi-millionaire rock star who has fathered children all over the world. how cool is that, well cool if you can support them.

But the real question here is honor, like my thesis about being that what you hate, look at Mr. Nugent. Laughing at unwed mothers and fathers who skip out on their children while himself being a stinking hypocrite.

This is a common theme. It has been my observation the ones who preach the loudest about conservative moral values are the ones who have the least honor, respect and actual morality. It's like they are so vocal about it not because they are trying to convince others, but rather themselves.

Same goes for the liberals who make big noise about minority rights. In truth, their greatest crime is on some level feeling superior to the people they are protecting. Like a momma bear shielding its dumb young from the big bad world, these people are actually talking down to minorities and telling them they are too weak and stupid to fend for themselves.

My new theorem therefore is a corollary to the old one,
You advertise that which you are not.

You can see this with the most boisterous. The guy thumping his chest and procaliming his greatness is actually the biggest loser of the group. I see it every day in modern advertising. Insurance companies telling you how great they are while news reports after every disaster tell a different story. Let me tell you, the one thing Coca Cola is not, it's not "it". The list goes on and on. I guess that's why you advertise in the first place. Convince people the opposite of what they already think of you or your product.

Poor Nuge, he actually does have many valid points to share and his music ain't bad. But like a deer that stands too long in one place the man just makes himself an easy target.

Congestion Pricing

2007-08-14T10:34:00.000-04:00

Actually, if you live in Manhattan the idea of congestion pricing is nice. Chances are, you are well off and don't really care the few extra dollars your groceries and services will cost. You don't own a car anyway, but if you do, you can probably afford parking lots that charge a working mans rent in the outer Boroughs. So why not? Cleaner air, less noise, safer streets to cross all seem like admirable goals. Not bad.....if you have blinders on. Of course what the mayor fails to recognize is the adverse impact this plan will have on the rest of the city. Living in a Manhattnocentric universe one becomes oblivious to the plight of the common people. People in the Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx need their cars. They don't need yet another unfair tax on the middle class. Public transportation is not a convenient alternative to everyone. Speaking as a man who takes the BQE almost every day I don't want to imagine what that will look like if even more traffic is forced there. It's already a nightmare during the day.

My friend in London told me about how the same plan works there. It's great for the downtown residents but everyone living just outside the exclusion zone is miserable. The haves and the have nots all over again. I'll tell you, if the city really wants to implement this plan what are they offering in return to the people? How about some huge parking garages in places near transportation hubs? That would only make sense. You want to increase mass transit, and that is an overall worthy goal but you must help the process along. The function of the government is to help it's citizenry, not make life harder as city officials seem to continually do.

Tornado Pictures

2007-08-10T00:49:00.000-04:00

Joe Walsh

2007-08-07T12:57:00.000-04:00

You can see twenty shows or you can see one in a year. If that single concert happens to be at the right time, with the right crowd and the right music, it will the show you remember for ever. I have pretty much seen all the bands I have ever wanted. Still, every so often one performer that rarely plays live comes around and I have to see him. Joe Walsh, the one cool guy in the Eagles has had some great songs on his own. I still get goose bumps when I hear Life Of Illusion. What a great time Sal and I had last night seeing this legend at the Beacon. More then just a great performance, the night was a sum of it's parts. From getting a perfect parking spot, to getting tanked before the show at a bar on Amsterdam Avenue. Don't get me wrong, Joe was on the money, playing every note perfectly but what's more fun then sneaking cigarettes in the men's room or getting caught in the front row and sent back to our seats as the band kicks into Life's Been Good To Me? Somewhere along the BQE above the Gowanas canal as I sat in the passenger side of my buddies Jeep trying to light a cigarette and the stray ashes blew back at me from the open window I smugly realized that yes, life can be good sometimes.

Last night was exactly what I needed. That day my temp agency pulled the rug from under me yet again. Dangling a job for next week only to yank it away at the last moment. They just suck, but Sal put things in perspective for me when he said "Why are you so mad, you didn't like that job anyway"? True. Still, who likes getting screwed with? Unfortunately, I have now less time to devote to my online activities. My mailbox is full and I don't have a job where I get paid to look at it. Henceforth I have to take the stance that I will get to it when I get to it. I just have too many other things to take care of right now. At least I will try to keep this journal going. Writing this stuff down has a soothing affect on me.

Last Day At Work

2007-08-03T16:55:00.000-04:00

Jobs, where are they? For years now I have been contending that most of the good jobs you see posted online and in newspapers are bogus. Why you ask would a company or governmental agency go through the trouble of posting a job it has no intention of giving you? I'll tell you, these jobs are usually spoken for. Most of the time the job has already been promised to someone. A cousin, Bob from accounting, the next door neighbors son from back in the old country. Whatever, it doesn't matter. You are only looking at the posting because some law or internal corporate doctrine demands new positions be publicized.

So how do I know this? From years of being the schmuck you responds to these ghost jobs. I have also talked to people who worked in companies who confirmed this scam. Now for the first time ever you can see proof. My buddy Aaron who worked at an immigration firm showed me this. The video is a conference of lawyers in the business, hear them describe how to legally place job ads in papers they have no intention whatsoever of filling. The jobs have already been given to foreign workers. This is how they skirt visa laws that require jobs to have been offered locally first.

Beware as you might fly off the handle after watching this like I did.

Zoltar

2007-08-02T14:54:00.000-04:00

What's this image have to do with today's posting? Well, nothing, which is pretty much what I have to say today, nothing. We were discussing out favorite childhood cartoons at work this morning and being the oldest the room I stumped everyone with my G-Force reference. Turns out the show was called Battle Of The Planets, this guy was the Darth Vader like character.

Oh, I remember what I wanted to talk about. The sheer number of people in this city. I happened to take the train 1/2 hour later then usual this morning and was floored by the mass of humanity in the subway. At one point I was trying to get around a herd huddled at an escalator and was forced to tip-toe at the edge of the platform to get to the other half of the station. This really freaked me out as the side I was on had the trains coming from behind. One slip at the wrong moment and someone is going to die. I don't understand how this does not happen several times a day? Now I took this same train at the same time and on the same station last year and I can't recall this tidal wave of humanity. This city is having a population explosion that no one seems to be acknowledging. I see it in the construction of condos everywhere. I see it in the lack of parking. The highways are impassable. It's just a mess. You want to talk about overpopulation? In New York city, we are living it.

Night Fishing

2007-07-21T10:07:00.000-04:00

Went to Ft. Tilden last night for a little surf fishing. had two types of bait. The squid was useless but the bunker chunks produced some hits after dark, halfway up the incoming tide. My buddy and I both caught a sand shark each.

On the way home we were rerouted around the local bookstore. The street had been closed off. Police barricades, giant inflatable play areas and a line around the block. All at midnight, Harry Potter mania had hit the neighborhood. My hat goes off to the marketing department of that publisher. J. K. Rowling has got a mob scene half way around the world. Man, I can't get three friends to come to a gig even when it's around the corner. I should hire her ad agency, clearly they know what they are doing.

Libertarians: Right 75% Of The Time

2007-07-20T10:57:00.000-04:00

After much political soul searching I have come to the conclusion that the Libertarians are the only party that has most things right. 75 percent may not sound like much but when you consider the Democrats and Republicans are at best, right about 25% of the time, the choice is clear.

If we look at social and financial issues each being 50% of the equation it becomes easier to analyze the theory. Let's look at the Democrats. Right off the bat we can say they are wrong on business. Governmental interference helps nobody. At least their brand of nit picking and taxation. On social issues they are a little better. Standing up for individual rights on most occasions unless that right happens to conflict with other ideas. Actively promoting racism disguised as Affirmative Action however makes them lose most of their moral credibility.

The Republicans fare better in the business realm, at least in theory they profess to be "hands off" even though they are not. On social issues they are nothing if not tragic. So while they believe in the first few Amendments to the Bill Of Rights they seem to completely get lost when religion gets in the way. Suddenly they find it acceptable to tell people how to live and what to do. Wrong.

So why are Libertarians at 75% then? On social issues they are completely correct. The basis of their thinking basically is "do what you want as long as you do not harm others." Seems like a sensible philosophy and unlike the major parties they do not make exceptions when it comes to religion, personal morality or cultural differences. Principle only.
In business is where they start to lose me. Sure they are right when it comes to small business. Governmental interference can only harm these enterprises. Big business is another story. Here, the iron hand of a larger entity (such a transparent governmental entity) can actually help. Left to their own devices big business sees nothing but the bottom line. Pollution, safety and the greater good are all small considerations when it comes to profit.

A Libertarian once explained that the market will correct all that is wrong. So that if consumers demand more economic and environmentally friendly cars let's say, the market will adjust itself. Not so, without someone looking out for the nations best interests, big business will rape the environment, enslave the workers and corrupt the soul. Why not, they have done so before. Wouldn't children still be working in coal mines and wouldn't substandard food products be on the shelves if big government hadn't stepped in? Now the real problem then becomes what is government and who controls it?