The best time was the BB site when Dal and Bogo laid waste to his site and especially the confirmed liar. That $1,000 reward went unclaimed but the “mis information” continues.
LL and his hundred or so sites.
Whenever I travel outside Massachusetts and I see Waffle Houses and AB comes to mind. He has clearly demonstrated a revolving door philosophy about casinos.
LL and his sheep costume.
The Morally righteous CFO gang hoisting a few…hence “The Grog Fathers.”
JP falling into the marshmallow trap.
My friend “Clark” from Connecticut.
Limo showing up at the State House with his banner dwarfing CFO.
Toxic and the bundle of laughs when CFO could not shut it down.
Bloggershark passing on the Wally reward.
The Raven and his race card diatribe at the Nichols School.
The Raven in his new pin stripe suit.
Trespassing looking for turkey feathers.
The TMFH and wondering where all these union guys came from?
Vegas Val driving CFO nuts. VV Project.
LL and his photo shopping CFO signs.
Just Google Clark CT. LMCAO!
“1623”
Hal and Tony finally surrendering to the fact Middleboro will not have a gin mill.
Calter stumbling before the BOS.
Gladys and her videos.
100 ESL teachers.
Clark SD
155 floor skyscrapers.
The 3 towns surrounding Foxwoods are teaching + 30 different foreign languages.
AB’s comments at the TMFH. Is he our version of Joe Biden?
Chicken mallets.
Mini Raven and his chapeau.
Litmus test for BOS is casino position.
Bickering on Beacon Hill.
Alice quoting BB as a source! LMAO!
The Deflection.
Mass Mailings
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Cali/Fireworks/BP Oil/Jury Duty/Failed Democrats
The state of California has initiated measures to prevent welfare debit cards from being used at casinos, racetracks, bingo halls and just about any other gaming venue that has ATM’s where the cards can access accounts. Reports are that tens of millions of dollars are being withdrawn by the “needy” for gaming uses rather than food, clothing and shelter. Tax dollars hard at work.
A former colleague of mine emailed me about all the fireworks in her neighborhood. She lives in R.I. And they have become less restrictive about people actually enjoying themselves. Said one neighbor spent $1,500 on fireworks. In Massachusetts the government protects us from ourselves but who protects us from the government?
We have a condo on Galveston Island that is beachfront and now a few tar balls are rolling in. The response from the Coast Guard is that these are the results of the skimmers operating on the spill but Hurricane Ike told us all something. File any paperwork ASAP. So I called up the BP hotline on this issue and explained that at this juncture I was not claiming a loss but would open a claim in case we had losses in the prime rental period of July and August. The individual I talked with was cooperative and sympathetic and give me a number to get the claim process started. I file a claim and was given a number and told an adjusted would call “In three or four days.” They called within a few hours, verified my information, made notations on this being an active claim with possible projected losses and told me what paperwork I would need. They also said to file on my claim number monthly for losses and not after the rental season. I have heard all the negative comments regarding the process but this was smooth and efficient and compared to what I went through with FEMA a shock. I’m sure there are problems but with the extent of damages I can fully understand how problems can happen. Maybe if I actually have to seek compensation I’ll hear a different tuen but for now I am pleased.
I had jury duty on Thursday and was excused from the case since it was an area I had worked in. But the process is amazing as you sit in a cloistered room and wait….and wait….and wait. Then you get to look at a video that is still on VHS. Amazing. Since I have suffered through this before I had a book but most did not have any distractions. When I was discharged I spent about ten minutes of observation in the hallways and the old Howie Carr saying comes to play - “In the halls of justice the justice is in the halls.” You can watch the exchange of various lawyers, probation folks and advocates as little clusters gather, exchange information, make deals and eventually settle a case so that when the defendant appears before the court it is a done deal.
The big debate regarding the casino or casinos is how to reward tracks without penalizing potential license bidders? Our embarrassing governor seems to lean towards the senate bill denying tracks while the clout of the house is to give a hand out to long time and suffering tracks. The bottom is you will have gaming but to what extent?
The following bit has made the rounds on Youtube and shows some of the more outrageous Democrats speaking out on the recently passed health care bill. Of special interest to me was the comments by Nancy Pelosi (D- Botox) who said just sign the bill and work on it later. This is leadership? Would any of you sign a contract without reading it with the understanding we'll work on it later? This is what liberals consider quality leadership? I have been amazed at the level of incompetence that has been exhibited by the current congress and the failed president. I am stunned that this group could actually surpass the Bush administration and the Republican control congress and do it in such a short period of time.
A former colleague of mine emailed me about all the fireworks in her neighborhood. She lives in R.I. And they have become less restrictive about people actually enjoying themselves. Said one neighbor spent $1,500 on fireworks. In Massachusetts the government protects us from ourselves but who protects us from the government?
We have a condo on Galveston Island that is beachfront and now a few tar balls are rolling in. The response from the Coast Guard is that these are the results of the skimmers operating on the spill but Hurricane Ike told us all something. File any paperwork ASAP. So I called up the BP hotline on this issue and explained that at this juncture I was not claiming a loss but would open a claim in case we had losses in the prime rental period of July and August. The individual I talked with was cooperative and sympathetic and give me a number to get the claim process started. I file a claim and was given a number and told an adjusted would call “In three or four days.” They called within a few hours, verified my information, made notations on this being an active claim with possible projected losses and told me what paperwork I would need. They also said to file on my claim number monthly for losses and not after the rental season. I have heard all the negative comments regarding the process but this was smooth and efficient and compared to what I went through with FEMA a shock. I’m sure there are problems but with the extent of damages I can fully understand how problems can happen. Maybe if I actually have to seek compensation I’ll hear a different tuen but for now I am pleased.
I had jury duty on Thursday and was excused from the case since it was an area I had worked in. But the process is amazing as you sit in a cloistered room and wait….and wait….and wait. Then you get to look at a video that is still on VHS. Amazing. Since I have suffered through this before I had a book but most did not have any distractions. When I was discharged I spent about ten minutes of observation in the hallways and the old Howie Carr saying comes to play - “In the halls of justice the justice is in the halls.” You can watch the exchange of various lawyers, probation folks and advocates as little clusters gather, exchange information, make deals and eventually settle a case so that when the defendant appears before the court it is a done deal.
The big debate regarding the casino or casinos is how to reward tracks without penalizing potential license bidders? Our embarrassing governor seems to lean towards the senate bill denying tracks while the clout of the house is to give a hand out to long time and suffering tracks. The bottom is you will have gaming but to what extent?
The following bit has made the rounds on Youtube and shows some of the more outrageous Democrats speaking out on the recently passed health care bill. Of special interest to me was the comments by Nancy Pelosi (D- Botox) who said just sign the bill and work on it later. This is leadership? Would any of you sign a contract without reading it with the understanding we'll work on it later? This is what liberals consider quality leadership? I have been amazed at the level of incompetence that has been exhibited by the current congress and the failed president. I am stunned that this group could actually surpass the Bush administration and the Republican control congress and do it in such a short period of time.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Fourth Of July Stuff
Senate has passed their version of the casino bill. Casinos will come. It is inevitable.
The mantra now is a “jobless recovery” that seems to be the catch phrase for defenders of the faith (WOW) within the media, administration and the every shrinking voting block. A jobless recovery? I am amazed that you can have a recovery with 10% of our fellow citizens unemployed. Notice how I said “fellow citizens” since when you add in the illegals…oops….got to be PC - undocumented workers it is even higher. That is not recovery when that many are still looking and hoping and forget about those under employed or who have given up. The latest job stimulus bill went down in flames as some Democrats woke up and realized it ain’t working.
The economics in total - meaning world wide - show little positives. In this country the weekly jobs reports are dismal and housing starts continue to sink. The economy is in molasses and government intervention polices have provided no relief and only added a debt burden that will be astronomical. Too big to fail gets the dough and too little to give a you know what about fail. I still think the best policy would have been a one year moratorium on all federal taxes. Nothing. No corporate taxes, excise, income - nothing. The ultimate stimulus. Been cheaper than what they are doing now.
One trick ponies is a term that I like to apply to those whose politics revolve around one issue and one issue only. The litmus test for any candidate is do you (fill in the blank) my pet cause. This is readily apparent with the casino issue but certainly can apply to other issues. This blinders on mentality just amazes me. Trying to convince a partisan of anything is like trying to convince the Pope there is no God.
When I travel I always look for trails to run - not that I ever will run them but simple curiosity. On a recent trip to Denver we went up Lookout Mountain that gave a great view of the city of Denver and Golden Colorado. Plenty of trails until I read the sign with the small print telling you how to handle an attack by a mountain lion or bear. Well if I ran these trails I have BB along since I can out run him and he does offer about fifty pounds more in meat on the hoof to any predator.
I also went to Garden of The Gods and again saw a wonderful trail system with many smaller trails breaking off that looked great to run until I saw the sign warning of rattlesnakes. Think I’ll stop complaining about the black flies and mosquitoes.
Coors Field in Denver and AT & T Field in San Francisco are great parks. The Coors field has a backdrop of the Rockies and in SF it is the harbor. Both parks have unobstructed views from everywhere. I had field boxes for one game in Denver and RF grandstand for two other games and the RF seats I actually considered better for about a third of the price. I’d give the edge to Coors Field since they have Dave’s Bar-B-Que that was just great. Both cities were infected with Sox fans who made up about half the attendance at both parks. The traveling circus of Sox fans is like locust hitting a wheat field. You can hear the Boston accents shouting out all the time - “Hit a homah Pedroah.” The Rockies fans gave up talking trash to the Sox fans since we have it all over them. Naturally I wore my collection of 2007 Championship shirts when we beat the Rockies 4-0 as a reminder.
I kept on calling Denver Dallas since it reminds me so much of the forsaken Texas city. Not anything to Denver as it is just a collection of skyscrapers and little else. Boston is a true world class city compared to most.
The two ballparks reaffirmed - again - just how much of a dump Fenway Park is. The ownership has invested 100+ million but it is still a lousy place to see a game unless you spend a small fortune for just the right seats.
Gay Pride Day was nationwide last Sunday and the parade of parades was held in San Francisco. On the way to the ballpark we stopped and watched for about forty-five minutes and this was certainly not the Middleboro 4th of July Parade. This was a very entertaining event in which virtually all civil, social and political organizations were represented. I love the sheriff’s prison wagon all decorated in rainbow ribbons and the Gay Pride contingents from the SF police department waving rainbow flags. This is a huge event in SF and the Giants should have started the game a few hours later to allow folks to watch and participate. We stayed in the Theater District so the parties went on well in to the night.
The mantra now is a “jobless recovery” that seems to be the catch phrase for defenders of the faith (WOW) within the media, administration and the every shrinking voting block. A jobless recovery? I am amazed that you can have a recovery with 10% of our fellow citizens unemployed. Notice how I said “fellow citizens” since when you add in the illegals…oops….got to be PC - undocumented workers it is even higher. That is not recovery when that many are still looking and hoping and forget about those under employed or who have given up. The latest job stimulus bill went down in flames as some Democrats woke up and realized it ain’t working.
The economics in total - meaning world wide - show little positives. In this country the weekly jobs reports are dismal and housing starts continue to sink. The economy is in molasses and government intervention polices have provided no relief and only added a debt burden that will be astronomical. Too big to fail gets the dough and too little to give a you know what about fail. I still think the best policy would have been a one year moratorium on all federal taxes. Nothing. No corporate taxes, excise, income - nothing. The ultimate stimulus. Been cheaper than what they are doing now.
One trick ponies is a term that I like to apply to those whose politics revolve around one issue and one issue only. The litmus test for any candidate is do you (fill in the blank) my pet cause. This is readily apparent with the casino issue but certainly can apply to other issues. This blinders on mentality just amazes me. Trying to convince a partisan of anything is like trying to convince the Pope there is no God.
When I travel I always look for trails to run - not that I ever will run them but simple curiosity. On a recent trip to Denver we went up Lookout Mountain that gave a great view of the city of Denver and Golden Colorado. Plenty of trails until I read the sign with the small print telling you how to handle an attack by a mountain lion or bear. Well if I ran these trails I have BB along since I can out run him and he does offer about fifty pounds more in meat on the hoof to any predator.
I also went to Garden of The Gods and again saw a wonderful trail system with many smaller trails breaking off that looked great to run until I saw the sign warning of rattlesnakes. Think I’ll stop complaining about the black flies and mosquitoes.
Coors Field in Denver and AT & T Field in San Francisco are great parks. The Coors field has a backdrop of the Rockies and in SF it is the harbor. Both parks have unobstructed views from everywhere. I had field boxes for one game in Denver and RF grandstand for two other games and the RF seats I actually considered better for about a third of the price. I’d give the edge to Coors Field since they have Dave’s Bar-B-Que that was just great. Both cities were infected with Sox fans who made up about half the attendance at both parks. The traveling circus of Sox fans is like locust hitting a wheat field. You can hear the Boston accents shouting out all the time - “Hit a homah Pedroah.” The Rockies fans gave up talking trash to the Sox fans since we have it all over them. Naturally I wore my collection of 2007 Championship shirts when we beat the Rockies 4-0 as a reminder.
I kept on calling Denver Dallas since it reminds me so much of the forsaken Texas city. Not anything to Denver as it is just a collection of skyscrapers and little else. Boston is a true world class city compared to most.
The two ballparks reaffirmed - again - just how much of a dump Fenway Park is. The ownership has invested 100+ million but it is still a lousy place to see a game unless you spend a small fortune for just the right seats.
Gay Pride Day was nationwide last Sunday and the parade of parades was held in San Francisco. On the way to the ballpark we stopped and watched for about forty-five minutes and this was certainly not the Middleboro 4th of July Parade. This was a very entertaining event in which virtually all civil, social and political organizations were represented. I love the sheriff’s prison wagon all decorated in rainbow ribbons and the Gay Pride contingents from the SF police department waving rainbow flags. This is a huge event in SF and the Giants should have started the game a few hours later to allow folks to watch and participate. We stayed in the Theater District so the parties went on well in to the night.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Science Fiction Writers
There several awards given to writers of science fiction(SF)with the most notable being the Nebula Award, the Hugo Award and the Campbell Award. Receiving a nomination and subsequent honor of being selected in one of the many categories can make a career much like the production of an award winning wine can make a winery famous. To a SF writer the awards represent their Oscar's, Golden Globes, Tony, Most Valuable Player and just about anything else. It gets attention and can get TV and movie deals.
I first became interested in SF as a youngster enjoying the movies. First was the string of poorly made Japanese films followed by all the domestic garbage of the 50s but some gems did surface. The first that comes to mind is The Day The Earth Stood Still followed by Forbidden Planet and War Of The Worlds. I actually discovered that many of the films I saw were based on books. What an awakening! That started me on Jules Verne to Heinlein to Arthur C. Clarke and why continue to name drop? Reflecting back I am amazed at how visionary some of the writers were.
One of the first books I remember reading is Earth Abides by George Stewart. This is a post apocalyptic book that presents that all popular theme in a fascinating and gripping manner so that the book has become a classic. I'd place that number one on my apocalyptic theme list. I enjoy that theme along with time travel and alternate history. Forget horror and fantasy. Elves and vampires just don't do it for me.
A popular theme is contact with aliens and Childhood's End was the first I read of this genre and was my first exposure to Arthur C. Clarke. I have since read everything Clark has written. Needless to say one of my favorite all time movies is 2001: A Space Odyssey. Of course when I got older and reread Childhood's End I realized there was a whole sub text I had missed the first time around. That was what happens when you also read Orwell.
I could go on and on about the Masters Of SF but will concentrate on who I prefer to read today.
Jack McDevitt has been around quite awhile and has some great material much of it centering around pilot Priscilla Hutchins who first appeared in Engines Of God. McDevitt creates a universe that was once alive with life but now is sparse. His novels Chindi, Odyssey, Cauldron, Omega and Deepsix are all intertwined. Excellent story teller and character development.
Stephen Baxter is like many in SF today in that he has a hard science background that he translates into his work. I just finished his Time's Tapestry series and consider it an excellent work. Baxter also co-authored the Time Odyssey series with Arthur Clarke. If you start on Baxter's work and enjoy it you will be very, very busy as he is a prolific writer.
Robert Sawyer created the The Neanderthal Parallax series but what caught my attention was his first work that I read - Calculating God. As you may imagine by that title Sawyer often explores science and religion in his work. The TV series FlashForward is based on his novel. Sawyer can make you think.
When I don't want to think I read Allan Dean Foster. Foster is an easy read and doesn't really try the mind but he has created one character I enjoy called Flinx. Foster wrote one of the funnest SF books I have ever read - Mad Amos. I'd put it right up with the work of the late Douglas Adams.
I first picked up a book by John Scalzi about a year ago and that book was Old Man's War. The universe he created in that book has been followed up by several others but his second novel after Old Man's War was Agent To The Stars. Was a complete switch from his first work and a very funny book. Scalzi is a quick and enjoyable read as his books are quite fast paced.
What would happen if a West Virginia mining community was dropped into the middle of the thirty years war? Historian/novelist Eric Flint has created a whole cottage industry out of it. If you enjoy accurate history, splendid character development and a bizarre concept this whole series is just for you.
My wife - The Lovely Cynthia - is Polish. As a joke a few years ago I got a SF work by the late Leo Frankowski that was the first book in his series Cross-Time Engineer. This is the adventure and mis-adventures of a young Polish engineer name Conrad Stargard who does a back in time to 13th century Poland. If you like blood, sex, humor, clever engineering and a bit of history this is for you. Most of his works are now after market.
Allen Steele examines colonization of space with an interesting insight in both his Coyote and Near Space series.
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is a great read that can be quite depressing but with an incredible grasp of the horrors of The Plague. Willis is a very accomplished writer but some of her works I have had to force myself to complete.
Harry Turtledove is "The Master of Alternate History" but I find that his series often can be tedious after the first few books. This has happened with his Worldwar & Colonization series that I have found to be of most interest to me. I know Civil War buffs enjoy his endless Timeline - 191 series. Not me.
Ben Bova has been churning out books for four decades and the series he created that I have enjoyed the most is Orion with a good nod to the Grand Tour series.
I'll stop here as there are many more I could and probably should cover. What I usually do is find collections of short stories and if I find a writer I am unfamiliar with and enjoy I will then look into their works with a bit more depth.
I first became interested in SF as a youngster enjoying the movies. First was the string of poorly made Japanese films followed by all the domestic garbage of the 50s but some gems did surface. The first that comes to mind is The Day The Earth Stood Still followed by Forbidden Planet and War Of The Worlds. I actually discovered that many of the films I saw were based on books. What an awakening! That started me on Jules Verne to Heinlein to Arthur C. Clarke and why continue to name drop? Reflecting back I am amazed at how visionary some of the writers were.
One of the first books I remember reading is Earth Abides by George Stewart. This is a post apocalyptic book that presents that all popular theme in a fascinating and gripping manner so that the book has become a classic. I'd place that number one on my apocalyptic theme list. I enjoy that theme along with time travel and alternate history. Forget horror and fantasy. Elves and vampires just don't do it for me.
A popular theme is contact with aliens and Childhood's End was the first I read of this genre and was my first exposure to Arthur C. Clarke. I have since read everything Clark has written. Needless to say one of my favorite all time movies is 2001: A Space Odyssey. Of course when I got older and reread Childhood's End I realized there was a whole sub text I had missed the first time around. That was what happens when you also read Orwell.
I could go on and on about the Masters Of SF but will concentrate on who I prefer to read today.
Jack McDevitt has been around quite awhile and has some great material much of it centering around pilot Priscilla Hutchins who first appeared in Engines Of God. McDevitt creates a universe that was once alive with life but now is sparse. His novels Chindi, Odyssey, Cauldron, Omega and Deepsix are all intertwined. Excellent story teller and character development.
Stephen Baxter is like many in SF today in that he has a hard science background that he translates into his work. I just finished his Time's Tapestry series and consider it an excellent work. Baxter also co-authored the Time Odyssey series with Arthur Clarke. If you start on Baxter's work and enjoy it you will be very, very busy as he is a prolific writer.
Robert Sawyer created the The Neanderthal Parallax series but what caught my attention was his first work that I read - Calculating God. As you may imagine by that title Sawyer often explores science and religion in his work. The TV series FlashForward is based on his novel. Sawyer can make you think.
When I don't want to think I read Allan Dean Foster. Foster is an easy read and doesn't really try the mind but he has created one character I enjoy called Flinx. Foster wrote one of the funnest SF books I have ever read - Mad Amos. I'd put it right up with the work of the late Douglas Adams.
I first picked up a book by John Scalzi about a year ago and that book was Old Man's War. The universe he created in that book has been followed up by several others but his second novel after Old Man's War was Agent To The Stars. Was a complete switch from his first work and a very funny book. Scalzi is a quick and enjoyable read as his books are quite fast paced.
What would happen if a West Virginia mining community was dropped into the middle of the thirty years war? Historian/novelist Eric Flint has created a whole cottage industry out of it. If you enjoy accurate history, splendid character development and a bizarre concept this whole series is just for you.
My wife - The Lovely Cynthia - is Polish. As a joke a few years ago I got a SF work by the late Leo Frankowski that was the first book in his series Cross-Time Engineer. This is the adventure and mis-adventures of a young Polish engineer name Conrad Stargard who does a back in time to 13th century Poland. If you like blood, sex, humor, clever engineering and a bit of history this is for you. Most of his works are now after market.
Allen Steele examines colonization of space with an interesting insight in both his Coyote and Near Space series.
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is a great read that can be quite depressing but with an incredible grasp of the horrors of The Plague. Willis is a very accomplished writer but some of her works I have had to force myself to complete.
Harry Turtledove is "The Master of Alternate History" but I find that his series often can be tedious after the first few books. This has happened with his Worldwar & Colonization series that I have found to be of most interest to me. I know Civil War buffs enjoy his endless Timeline - 191 series. Not me.
Ben Bova has been churning out books for four decades and the series he created that I have enjoyed the most is Orion with a good nod to the Grand Tour series.
I'll stop here as there are many more I could and probably should cover. What I usually do is find collections of short stories and if I find a writer I am unfamiliar with and enjoy I will then look into their works with a bit more depth.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Obama/Celts/Middleboro IT/ CPA/Hillary/Teacher Pay
The Obama Administration has proposed another bailout - is that number 4,567? - designed to keep pubic employees employed. This is for 50 Billion and part of it will target teachers, police officers and firefighters. Almost forgot there is also another bill designed to provide an addition 23 Billion for teachers. What about the 100 Billion that was in the stimulus bill for education? In Middleboro the money was put to good use from that bill - they moved classrooms under the smokescreen of “improving MCAS scores,” What all this amounts to is a huge payback for past and future support of the most massive special interest group in the country - public employees unions.
President Obama managed to use China as a shinning example of a nation fighting pollution. Huh? That disjointed speech on the crisis in the Gulf was a thing of beauty complete with a real nice plug for cap and trade. Well…they can’t cap a well but we’ll certainly have the opportunity to “trade” Obama.
A disappointing finish for the Celtics but an enjoyable run. They certainly are having a better season than Obama. Heck…the Baltimore Orioles are having a better season than WOW.
Interesting report on the IT abilities in Middleboro. We are on the cutting edge of technology providing this was 1985. In a previous life this was actually my job! When RB was appointed to that position I remember writing several letters to the editor questioning the competency of appointing someone who apparently had such a limited technical and management background. I was far from alone. IMO being a member of the FC or BOS does not mean one is qualified nor does being a “volunteer” mean one is qualified.
After an airport run I stopped at Round Pond in Duxbury for a run. This is a beautiful nature area funded by CPA. After the run I returned to the parking lot and there was a Volvo station wagon, two BMW’s and a Pirus parked in the lot with my Chevy Monte Carlo. That describes the difference between Middleboro and Duxbury.
Hillary Clinton made a statement that the Justice Department was examining the Arizona immigration law - an area that is not part of her responsibilities. I quote form a new article: It's unclear why Clinton made the comment since it's not her area. She couldn't be reached Thursday for comment. The reason she made the comment was she was in Ecuador and was playing to the Hispanic audience at home.
Foregoing a raise for a year has been a subject that many public service unions have been faced with and teachers are one. What that means is if a 3% raise was bargained it will be put on hold but from what I have been able to gather is the normal step increases will continue. Each year you teach you go to the next step or higher salary level. As your education expands with graduate degrees that also brings you to a higher level within each step. The steps in most school systems are ten to twelve years and then you reach your maximum level. When you look at the salary charts a beginning teacher with a BA will earn about half of what a teacher at top step with a BA will make. This holds true right across the board for an MA, CAGS or Doctorate. Now when you max out what do you get? Are you perpetually on hold relying on bargained raises that will pump up each step by the negotiated percentage? Nope. The key is longevity pay. Once you have been in a system for - and I will use the usual bargained years - 15 years you get longevity pay each year. It can vary but generally it is between 2-4%. Back to foregoing raises. From what I understand longevity pay and step movement have not been - in most circumstances - been placed on hold.
President Obama managed to use China as a shinning example of a nation fighting pollution. Huh? That disjointed speech on the crisis in the Gulf was a thing of beauty complete with a real nice plug for cap and trade. Well…they can’t cap a well but we’ll certainly have the opportunity to “trade” Obama.
A disappointing finish for the Celtics but an enjoyable run. They certainly are having a better season than Obama. Heck…the Baltimore Orioles are having a better season than WOW.
Interesting report on the IT abilities in Middleboro. We are on the cutting edge of technology providing this was 1985. In a previous life this was actually my job! When RB was appointed to that position I remember writing several letters to the editor questioning the competency of appointing someone who apparently had such a limited technical and management background. I was far from alone. IMO being a member of the FC or BOS does not mean one is qualified nor does being a “volunteer” mean one is qualified.
After an airport run I stopped at Round Pond in Duxbury for a run. This is a beautiful nature area funded by CPA. After the run I returned to the parking lot and there was a Volvo station wagon, two BMW’s and a Pirus parked in the lot with my Chevy Monte Carlo. That describes the difference between Middleboro and Duxbury.
Hillary Clinton made a statement that the Justice Department was examining the Arizona immigration law - an area that is not part of her responsibilities. I quote form a new article: It's unclear why Clinton made the comment since it's not her area. She couldn't be reached Thursday for comment. The reason she made the comment was she was in Ecuador and was playing to the Hispanic audience at home.
Foregoing a raise for a year has been a subject that many public service unions have been faced with and teachers are one. What that means is if a 3% raise was bargained it will be put on hold but from what I have been able to gather is the normal step increases will continue. Each year you teach you go to the next step or higher salary level. As your education expands with graduate degrees that also brings you to a higher level within each step. The steps in most school systems are ten to twelve years and then you reach your maximum level. When you look at the salary charts a beginning teacher with a BA will earn about half of what a teacher at top step with a BA will make. This holds true right across the board for an MA, CAGS or Doctorate. Now when you max out what do you get? Are you perpetually on hold relying on bargained raises that will pump up each step by the negotiated percentage? Nope. The key is longevity pay. Once you have been in a system for - and I will use the usual bargained years - 15 years you get longevity pay each year. It can vary but generally it is between 2-4%. Back to foregoing raises. From what I understand longevity pay and step movement have not been - in most circumstances - been placed on hold.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Assorted Clutter
Great photo op of President Obama touring the Gulf as he has no tie, his shirt sleeves rolled up and picking up sand with a tragic look on his face. Made me just do a Bogo back flip with the sudden rush of confidence.
President WOW (Walk On Water) distanced himself from the issue since it was a BP problem until the PR crap hit the fan along with oil seeping into wetlands and wildlife being inundated with oil. What could the government do about the first problem - the well. Nothing. What could they do about the second problem? Plenty. Are they starting to react? IMHO they are but it was quite slow on the switch. Should have been far more pro active. Should have had the same response regarding resources and response that they had towards Haiti.
Conservatives - naturally - are doing everything possible to hammer away at WOW and his foundlings over the handling of the situation. Payback for criticism of the passive reaction of the Bush (R - Texas Oil) to the Katrina mess. Somehow I just don’t buy into their sudden righteousness.
Rep. Joe Sestak was offered a nice federal appointment if he dropped out of the race against Arlen Spector (D- Screw Loose). The offer had the fingerprints of the White House all over it with even former President Bill Clinton (D - BJ) as the conduit for this offer. Naturally the WOW administration is saying they did nothing wrong. What is interesting is that some Democrats have also joined in to ask for further information since this could be a violation of the following law - 18 U.S.C. Section 201.
The nutrition police have targeted Ronald McDonald as the poster child for the fast food industry attempts to make us all porkers with a variety of diseases that can be traced to out consumption of their products. I was at McDonald’s the other day getting my usual unsweetened ice tea and did notice that they have alternative choices on their menu. Customers don’t want it. Stay in line for five minutes like I did and I didn’t see any salads being purchased. I also saw one of the nutrition police on TV and she looked like it was time to practice what she was preaching.
$10,625,053,544,309.79 was the national debt when Obama was coroneted . Today it is 13 Trillion. Debt is rising at about twice the rate as during the Bush years.
BB is parading around in his spiffy Calter shirt. Times like this make me elated that I vote in precinct two.
The “Religion of Peace” executed a seven year old boy in Afghanistan suspected of spying for NATO on the Taliban.
The message now quietly being circulated is a double-dip recession that some economist - usually with a Obama bumper sticker on their Volvo - are downplaying. Well just gander at the continuing fluctuation of economic data and our economy is economic molasses at this point. The “job creation” bills have simply failed. Unemployment hovers around 10% - Say, WOW, how did that 8% cap work out?. This administration has managed to turn out legislation that has between 1,000 and 2,000 pages each to cover cap and trade, health care and financial reform.
The World Cup is with us again and I am proud that America has continued to reject this silly sport. Soccer is great for young kids until they get old enough to choose a real sport.
In 1996 seven year old Jessica Dubroff was killed along with her father and flight instructor as she was in the second leg of an attempt to be the youngest to make a cross country flight. Yes….send a 16 year old girl on a solo round the world sail.
President WOW (Walk On Water) distanced himself from the issue since it was a BP problem until the PR crap hit the fan along with oil seeping into wetlands and wildlife being inundated with oil. What could the government do about the first problem - the well. Nothing. What could they do about the second problem? Plenty. Are they starting to react? IMHO they are but it was quite slow on the switch. Should have been far more pro active. Should have had the same response regarding resources and response that they had towards Haiti.
Conservatives - naturally - are doing everything possible to hammer away at WOW and his foundlings over the handling of the situation. Payback for criticism of the passive reaction of the Bush (R - Texas Oil) to the Katrina mess. Somehow I just don’t buy into their sudden righteousness.
Rep. Joe Sestak was offered a nice federal appointment if he dropped out of the race against Arlen Spector (D- Screw Loose). The offer had the fingerprints of the White House all over it with even former President Bill Clinton (D - BJ) as the conduit for this offer. Naturally the WOW administration is saying they did nothing wrong. What is interesting is that some Democrats have also joined in to ask for further information since this could be a violation of the following law - 18 U.S.C. Section 201.
The nutrition police have targeted Ronald McDonald as the poster child for the fast food industry attempts to make us all porkers with a variety of diseases that can be traced to out consumption of their products. I was at McDonald’s the other day getting my usual unsweetened ice tea and did notice that they have alternative choices on their menu. Customers don’t want it. Stay in line for five minutes like I did and I didn’t see any salads being purchased. I also saw one of the nutrition police on TV and she looked like it was time to practice what she was preaching.
$10,625,053,544,309.79 was the national debt when Obama was coroneted . Today it is 13 Trillion. Debt is rising at about twice the rate as during the Bush years.
BB is parading around in his spiffy Calter shirt. Times like this make me elated that I vote in precinct two.
The “Religion of Peace” executed a seven year old boy in Afghanistan suspected of spying for NATO on the Taliban.
The message now quietly being circulated is a double-dip recession that some economist - usually with a Obama bumper sticker on their Volvo - are downplaying. Well just gander at the continuing fluctuation of economic data and our economy is economic molasses at this point. The “job creation” bills have simply failed. Unemployment hovers around 10% - Say, WOW, how did that 8% cap work out?. This administration has managed to turn out legislation that has between 1,000 and 2,000 pages each to cover cap and trade, health care and financial reform.
The World Cup is with us again and I am proud that America has continued to reject this silly sport. Soccer is great for young kids until they get old enough to choose a real sport.
In 1996 seven year old Jessica Dubroff was killed along with her father and flight instructor as she was in the second leg of an attempt to be the youngest to make a cross country flight. Yes….send a 16 year old girl on a solo round the world sail.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Casinos
They’ll be here - those pesky casinos will arrive and by here I do not mean our isolated little community of Middleboro. As a NIMBY I applaud the grassroots efforts to slam the door shut on this beleaguered community getting the former billion dollar destination casino-resort - NEVER resort-casino - to be elsewhere along with all the pluses and minuses.
Now the other part of the picture is that casinos will be somewhere in the state and so - maybe - will slots. Once the infighting between House and Senate is resolved the fast track to gaming will be a fairly smooth ride since voters want it, legislators want it and, of course, unions want it. This is where various anti organizations have totally and utterly failed. A classic example of trying to legislate moral behavior to those who reject it. Gaming is a full blown state sanctioned operation and casino/slots are just another step forward - or backward - to get what the masses want. I can eventually see frustrated Carry Nation types wandering past security to take their axes to a roulette or craps table. Beware of the indignation of the self-righteous.
IMO the Middleboro collapse of our billion dollar “destination casino-resort” failed for some rather obvious and simple reasons. Start with the “It’s the economy, stupid!” Bad time to invest when discretionary spending is being contained. The second is “The Raven.” Need I say more. “The Raven” has made the Tribe look like a Central American Banana Republic. The third is the state itself. The actions of the Tribe via recognition forced the hand of the state into moving forward on this issue since money was being siphoned away to other states. Keep the suckers home! Keep the Tribe locked down.
I love the fact that some rather misleading stats were employed by - again, IMO, by the anti’s to discredit gaming. This very blog focused on some of the more outrageous ones but that reaction is expected and all it does is show the inability to formulate a constructive argument based on pertinent facts and not self created fiction. That those very “facts” were allowed to percolate certainly says all one needs to know about the anti movement. Most don’t mind a local crusade to keep our community as pristine as possible but care not to be involved in an operation that actually counteracts the fact that many actually support gaming - NIMBY’s to the core.
I have blogged here and elsewhere on my visits to casinos across the country and they are not exactly evil incarnate. Most run a solid operation with decent pay and contribute to the communities they are in. It is neither the end of the world scenario painted by the anti’s or the golden goose one painted by the pro’s. Most of the ones I paid a visit to are Native American operations that were mid sized or smaller when compared to the proposed operation in Middleboro or the mega casino-resorts sprouting up world wide. I guess size does matter.
I really never have seen any drug dealers or prostitutes roaming the parking lots. I saw no swan dives off the 8th floor over gambling losses. I’m sure these issues do exist and will exist in any place when large sums of money are being exchanged and people are “enjoying” themselves. I see some rather exotic behaviors at Fenway around the 7th or 8th inning. I don’t dismiss the impact of gaming but I am not willing to accepts cherry picked “woe is me” stories designed to place everyone who walks through the faux golden doors as entering into a bed of moral depravity and fiscal doom. Somehow a good potion of the customers seem to be doing what they wish to do and I for one really can choose to participate or not. So can they.
Now the other part of the picture is that casinos will be somewhere in the state and so - maybe - will slots. Once the infighting between House and Senate is resolved the fast track to gaming will be a fairly smooth ride since voters want it, legislators want it and, of course, unions want it. This is where various anti organizations have totally and utterly failed. A classic example of trying to legislate moral behavior to those who reject it. Gaming is a full blown state sanctioned operation and casino/slots are just another step forward - or backward - to get what the masses want. I can eventually see frustrated Carry Nation types wandering past security to take their axes to a roulette or craps table. Beware of the indignation of the self-righteous.
IMO the Middleboro collapse of our billion dollar “destination casino-resort” failed for some rather obvious and simple reasons. Start with the “It’s the economy, stupid!” Bad time to invest when discretionary spending is being contained. The second is “The Raven.” Need I say more. “The Raven” has made the Tribe look like a Central American Banana Republic. The third is the state itself. The actions of the Tribe via recognition forced the hand of the state into moving forward on this issue since money was being siphoned away to other states. Keep the suckers home! Keep the Tribe locked down.
I love the fact that some rather misleading stats were employed by - again, IMO, by the anti’s to discredit gaming. This very blog focused on some of the more outrageous ones but that reaction is expected and all it does is show the inability to formulate a constructive argument based on pertinent facts and not self created fiction. That those very “facts” were allowed to percolate certainly says all one needs to know about the anti movement. Most don’t mind a local crusade to keep our community as pristine as possible but care not to be involved in an operation that actually counteracts the fact that many actually support gaming - NIMBY’s to the core.
I have blogged here and elsewhere on my visits to casinos across the country and they are not exactly evil incarnate. Most run a solid operation with decent pay and contribute to the communities they are in. It is neither the end of the world scenario painted by the anti’s or the golden goose one painted by the pro’s. Most of the ones I paid a visit to are Native American operations that were mid sized or smaller when compared to the proposed operation in Middleboro or the mega casino-resorts sprouting up world wide. I guess size does matter.
I really never have seen any drug dealers or prostitutes roaming the parking lots. I saw no swan dives off the 8th floor over gambling losses. I’m sure these issues do exist and will exist in any place when large sums of money are being exchanged and people are “enjoying” themselves. I see some rather exotic behaviors at Fenway around the 7th or 8th inning. I don’t dismiss the impact of gaming but I am not willing to accepts cherry picked “woe is me” stories designed to place everyone who walks through the faux golden doors as entering into a bed of moral depravity and fiscal doom. Somehow a good potion of the customers seem to be doing what they wish to do and I for one really can choose to participate or not. So can they.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
