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Saturday, August 8th, 2009
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4:32 pm - Green Calendar
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August 4: In the Netherlands, 40% of all trips are made by bicycle, and a third of the people ride their bike to work every day.
August 5: earth-friendly alternatives to disposable diapers: www.gdiapers.com
August 7: Save money and CO2 emissions by changing your car's air filter. (I need one too)
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| Monday, August 3rd, 2009
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3:52 pm
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i have such a big crush on him. He has a killer smile, blue eyes, tall, strong, a great laugh. i love when he doesn't shave. his long legs, i just want to sit on his lap. he's gorgeous and totally not into me. he is pure of heart - wants the perfect girl, doesn't drink or smoke, but acts "gangsta" i really need to get it under control. i know he would never go for me. i'm not his type. he said he likes to "experiment" with different types of girls - so I would be an experiment?
I am too old, too fat, too ugly, not fun enough, not pure enough.
i am depressed because i am not desirable.
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| Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
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8:01 pm - HIGH, DRY AFTER A 100-YEAR STORM
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http://archives.timesunion.com/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=8336837City denies 37 damage claims filed by insurance companies, homeowners JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST STAFF WRITER Section: Main, Page: A1 Date: Sunday, July 12, 2009 ALBANY -- Alyse Sherwin is the sort of young person the city is trying to attract.
Sherwin, originally from Long Island, settled into her Warren Street apartment last year in plenty of time to begin Albany Medical College. In early August, Sherwin, 22, got away to South Carolina for a break.
She was there when she got an ominous message: "I hope your apartment is OK."
It was not. Welcome to Albany.
On the afternoon of Aug. 7, Sherwin's basement apartment was swamped in three feet of water, mud "and other debris" when a summer storm flooded sections of the city to levels not seen in decades, if ever.
Even in what has already proved to be a summer cursed by almost daily cloudbursts, last August still stands as a foul high-water mark.
The storm dumped two to three inches of rain on some neighborhoods in less than an hour and caused water to rise four feet and swallow an SUV on Hackett Boulevard, launched manhole covers skyward on South Pearl Street, and sent water rank with sewage cascading into homes.
In the aftermath, 37 damage claims totaling at least $296,000 were filed against the city by homeowners and insurance companies.
Last month, all of them were denied.
Luigi Benincasa's rejection arrived from the city corporation counsel's office on June 26. Attached was a letter from an engineer working for the Albany Water Board and the city's Department of Water & Water Supply, urging the city to deny claims because the storm "exceeded all levels for which municipal storm sewers or municipal combined sewers are designed."
In other words, the city claims it is not liable for the fact that the sewer system wasn't big enough to handle the water that inundated buildings like Benincasa's newly renovated apartment building on Elberon Place.
Benincasa claimed about $81,000 worth of damage from the flood, just one of several he said he's been forced to endure since buying the building in the spring of 2008.
So much rain fell that day -- particularly in the areas bounded by Washington Avenue in the north and Normanskill Creek in the south -- that it "well exceeded" the benchmark for a 100-year storm, wrote the engineer, Daniel Hershberg.
The definition of a 100-year storm is not one likely to happen once every century, but rather one that has a one percent chance of happening in any given year, said Steve DiRienzo, a senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Albany. It's not just how much rain falls -- but how quickly.
Hershberg says he's mapped three such soakers in Albany over the last two years -- in June and July 2007 and The Big One last August.
The weather service takes rainfall measurements at Albany International Airport, which is miles away from the city, and at its headquarters off Fuller Road.
But to graph the intensity of the August storm in Albany's hardest hit neighborhoods of Whitehall Road and New Scotland Avenue, Hershberg said he was forced to rely on unofficial measurements and his knowledge of the sewer system.
"I've got a better rain gauge than anyone else can create. I've got the sewer system as a rain gauge," Hershberg said. "We had reports of street flooding that we've never had before and haven't had since."
The problem, the city concedes, is that the sewer system -- about two-thirds of which combines storm drainage and sewer water -- cannot handle all the water that runs off Albany's streets, parking lots, rooftops and other surfaces during downpours.
Parts of that system were designed between 1840 and 1860, when city fathers didn't envision widespread urban development farther west than Lark Street, Hershberg said.
As the city grew, more water began pouring into its main trunk sewer lines from various uptown branches, like a subterranean river system. The trunk lines funnel water generally east and downhill toward a county treatment plant and into the Hudson River.
The Beaver Creek trunk sewer, for example, which runs under Lincoln Park, is 14 feet by eight feet at its widest point, Hershberg said. But that's less than half the size needed to drain the 5.2-square-mile Beaver Creek drainage area.
"The law is pretty clear," said Assistant Corporation Counsel Bradford Burns, "that you can't hold a city responsible for its design choices -- especially, in this case, in the 1800s."
Because the city is self-insured up to $50,000, Albany would have had to pay the claims out of pocket.
(Burns notes that more than $70,000 of the claims came from insurance companies, which had already repaid the victims for damage to cars.)
Benincasa, who has pressed city officials to address the problem and even confronted Mayor Jerry Jennings about it at a public forum, concedes that a lot of rain fell that day. But he doesn't accept the city's explanation and refuses to believe the damage was unavoidable. He said he plans to appeal his denial in court.
Several people who filed claims cited a lack of maintenance. But Burns said he queried the Water Department in each instance, and the response was that the sewers functioned properly.
In February, the state Department of Environmental Conservation fined the Albany Water Board $2,000 for sewer backups and, among other things, ordered it to inform residents about a grant program that pays up to $1,500 for a special valve to prevent them.
The city is urging residents to apply for the grant, though in some neighborhoods such as Melrose that have been plagued by flooding for years, some have spurned the valves as a "Band-Aid."
Hershberg said the solution must be incremental because the alternative -- a new sewer system -- could cost billions.
"It's not the Big Dig all over," he said, "but it's pretty close."
Albany has applied for federal stimulus money to build upstream ponds that would keep flood waters out of the system.
Meanwhile, even if the federal funds aren't approved, the city will soon move forward on two water-retention projects, Hershberg said.
Beyond that, Albany has complied with DEC's mandates, agency spokesman Rick Georgeson said. But in the meantime, residents like Benincasa and Sherwin get stuck with the bills.
Both Warren Street and Elberon Place flooded again earlier this summer. Sherwin's apartment was safe this time, but her BMW was not. The car survived, she said, but not without costly damage.
First she had to move to the third floor, Sherwin said, "now I have to get a garage spot because I can't park on my block."
Jordan Carleo-Evangelist can be reached at 454-5445 or by e-mail at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com.
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| Thursday, June 4th, 2009
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8:21 pm - Star Ledger Memorial
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2 veterans, anglers alike, die hours apart Monday, May 25, 2009 BY ROHAN MASCARENHAS Star-Ledger Staff As he does every Memorial Day, Tom Fote thought of his heroes. But this year, those thoughts turned to sadness when he learned the two men had died just as the holiday weekend was beginning. The World War II veterans and old fishing buddies died Friday, Fote said, each of cancer after decades of friendship. Joseph Platoni of Englewood was 90, and Ray Marione of Maywood was 91. They knew each other for 30 years," Fote said of the Bergen County men. "They lived close to each other and they belonged to the same clubs. They stayed active." Both men were avid fishermen and volunteered at the Jersey Coast Anglers Association, where Fote, himself a Vietnam veteran, is a legislative chairman. Fote said the men put in "thousands of volunteer hours." Platoni headed the Salt Water Anglers of Bergen County for a time and co-founded the Montauk Surf Casters Association. Marione was similarly energetic. He helped devise a plan to improve a boat ramp below the George Washington Bridge and also spoke to the Assembly to urge passage of the Striped Bass Game Fish Bill, which became state law in 1991. Both men received the Sportsperson of the Year Award in separate years from the state anglers association, a nonprofit collection of 75 fishing clubs. George P. Howard Jr., a former director of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, often worked with the pair on legislative issues. "Some of these people as volunteers -- like Ray and Joe -- have contributed a lot to the wildlife we enjoy today," Howard said. Platoni is survived by his wife, Teresa; three children, George Platoni, Patricia Marguccio and Robert Platoni; and three grandchildren. Marione is survived by his wife, Florence ; a brother, Donald; two children, Patricia Neumann and Peter Marione; and 12 grandchildren. Rohan Mascarenhas may be reached at (973) 392-4136 or rmascarenhas@starledger.com.
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| Monday, March 30th, 2009
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2:27 pm - SEEKING ETERNAL LIFE FOR FORMER CHURCHES
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Finding new uses for closed houses of worship can be difficult in a recession Section: Business, Page: E1 Date: Sunday, March 29, 2009 People tend to get quiet in Green Island Town Court.
Maybe it's because once they pass through the metal detector, they sit in wooden pews. Maybe it's because the judge's desk and gavel occupy a raised platform where the altar used to be. Or maybe it's because of the stained glass images of Saint Mark and a lion that soar above the judge's head.
As church conversions go, the transformation of St. Mark's Episcopal Church from a house of worship to a hall of justice appears to be a success. The church-state hybrid could be a model of respectful reuse as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany prepares to close 33 worship sites.
The space is so pleasant that Town Clerk Julie Iannone offers couples coming in to get married the option of tying the knot there.
"It's a little nicer than the office," she said.
But what's the potential for reusing the 33 churches planned for closure, many of them in urban areas like Troy and Cohoes?
And how will the recession impact their redevelopment?
Noel Olsen, director of real property for the Albany Catholic Diocese, described himself as "pretty optimistic."
He pointed to the diocese's generally positive record. The majority of churches sold are reused as worship spaces by other congregations, Olsen said.
He also highlighted other creative reconfigurations: A church turned into a sound studio. A church taken over by a company that refurbishes stained glass. A church turned into a banquet hall.
Churches typically sell for between $100,000 and $300,000, Olsen said. Nonprofits, developers and churches have expressed interest in some of the diocese's 33 churches, he said, but declined to provide specifics.
With for-sale signs already appearing on churches, the sheer volume of structures potentially coming on the market is generating concern among preservationists and neighborhood leaders.
Albany-based architectural historian Ned Pratt is especially worried that many churches won't be "sympathetically reused."
"It's so dependent on people's imagination and the economy," Pratt said. "That's the scary part right now, that it's happening at a time when even if you had a great idea, can you get anybody to lend you some money to do it?"
Anyone looking to see why Pratt is worried should visit the former Eglise St. Jean Baptiste -- or St. Jean's, as it was known in Troy.
In the sunny lingo of real estate listings, the vacant onetime Catholic church with the stepping-stone-patterned trim is touted for its "great location near historic Washington Park" with "lots of opportunity and space."
But the space you'll find inside is dark, frigid and damaged.
The Troy church was closed under a previous bishop some 35 years ago. A new owner erected a smaller church within the historic structure, presumably to reduce the cost of heating the enormous space.
More recently, a different owner bought the building with the hope of converting it into a home and "some sort of either performance space, gallery, work space," said Jim Conroy, the commercial real estate agent for the property with Prudential Blake-Atlantic Realtors.
They didn't stick with it. The building has been on the market a year or more. It's been shown a half-dozen times, mostly to artists. Now the seller is knocking $25,000 off the $150,000 list price.
"We'll entertain any reasonable offers," said Conroy, standing on a graffiti-covered board in a sanctuary stripped of almost all its pews. Then he laughed and added, "Don't even qualify it. We'll entertain any offers."
Five years ago, the former church would have been easier to sell, Conroy said. But as it sits unused, the weather continues to wear at it, freezing and thawing.
The future of Troy's Catholic churches isn't just a professional interest for Conroy. He's on the council of nearby St. Mary's Catholic Church, one of a half-dozen Collar City churches that will close under the massive downsizing the Albany diocese announced in January. Some of the closing churches, like St. Patrick's in Troy, are huge structures.
Pratt, who recently gave a lecture on Troy's threatened churches, estimated that one-third to one-half of the 33 churches being closed will find good reuses, like the former house of worship that is now Bush Memorial Auditorium at Russell Sage College.
And the rest?
Those, he said, will be "more of a problem."
Asked his opinion on the Catholic churches' prospects for reuse, Conroy looked up toward the roof at St. Jean's, where a slat of light was visible through a hole.
"It's going to be an extreme challenge," he said. "The structures themselves don't lend themselves to adaptive reuses that easily. It requires a great deal of imagination and an awful lot of money, and in some cases a public purpose."
Marc Parry is a former Times Union reporter.
BOX:
Put to reuse
The Albany Catholic Diocese says nearly all vacated church buildings have found other community uses and are no longer vacant. In Albany, for example:
St. Anthony's: church, Community Art Center; rectory, residential apartments; school, King Kids day care center; convent, Lwanga House homeless shelter
St. John the Baptist: convent and school, Equinox Teen Shelter; rectory, Project Lift for those recovering from substance abuse
Our Lady Help of Christians: school, St. Peter's Rehabilitative Services; church, Mother Teresa Gospel Mass; church hall, New Day Art Center for Children; rectory, Fr. Peter Young Transitional Housing Units.
St. Joseph's: rectory, Mercy House Shelter for homeless women; school, community recreation center; convent, Hope House Adult residential treatment facility
Our Lady of Angels: church, Blessed Hope Worship Center; rectory, Equinox; school, Sheridan Preparatory Academy; convent, group home sponsored by St. Catherine's Center for Children
St. Casimir's: church, Restoration Apostolic Truth Ministries; school, still operated by the Albany Diocese; convent, Poverello Health Clinic and the Healthy Capital District Initiative
Existing parishes with underused or closed buildings have also found alternative use for their facilities:
St. Vincent de Paul: rectory, Hope House Women's and Children's Program; high school, St. Vincent Senior Apartments and Pine Hills Recreation Center; convents, St. Catherine's Counseling Center and apartment housing units
Cathedral: school, Montessori School
Holy Family (St. Patrick's): rectory, Hospitality House drug rehabilitation center; convent, The Next Step Inc. for women recovering from substance abuse; school, St. Patrick's Home-based Child Care Partnership program, soup kitchen, food pantry, classes sponsored by BOCES
Blessed Sacrament: convent, residential facility for pregnant teens sponsored by Community Maternity Services
St. Teresa of Avila: convent, St. Catherine's Center for Children group home
St. James: school, Brighter Choice/Albany Preparatory Charter School
Sacred Heart: school, nursing home; convent, Albany Housing Coalition (VA outpatient center)
St. George's: church and rectory, Father Peter Young Transitional Housing
Source: Times Union research
TIP:
On the Web
For more about diocese closings, go to http://timesunion.com/specialreports/catholics/
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| Friday, March 13th, 2009
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9:00 pm - Everyday Egypt
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(back of a cereal box)
The pyramids and mummies are awesome, but so are the facts about everyday life in Ancient Egypt. Egyptian civilization began more than 5000 years ago and developed a fascinating way of life that lasted 3000 years.
By day, Egyptians told time with a shadow clock. By night, they told time with a water clock. Egyptian, rich and poor bathed twice a day. They cleaned themselves with a cream made of oil, lime and perfume. After bathing, they rubbed themselves with scented oil. For special occasions, Egyptians wore performed grease cones on their heads, which slowly melted into the hair and clothes, leaving a sweet scent. Men, women and children wore eye makeup and jewelry. Boys had shaved heads with one braided lock on the side. Most Egyptians lived in brick homes that had small windows to keep the house cool. On hot nights, families would sleep on their roofs. Almost all Egyptians lived close to the Nile River, which flooded every year from July to October, leaving behind a rich black silt to grow crops. The Nile was the most important source of entertainment. Activities included swimming, fishing, boat games and hunting hippos and crocodiles. Egyptians were superstitutious, and many wore magic charms. Children sometimes wore fish charms to guard from drowning. Sand and rocks used to grind down their flour also wore down the Fgyptians' teeth when they ate bread, causing tooth problems. There was no sugar in ancient Egypt. Figs, dates and grapes were sweet treats. On special occasions, fancy cakes were baked in the shape of animals. A cure for an upset stomach was brushed hog's tooth inside a cake. Board games were popular, with one of the favorites being Senet, similar to checkers. Egyptians trained their animals. Dogs and cats were used for hunting, and monkeys were trained to pick fruit. Egyptians were the first to use messenger pigeons. They invented the first ink, pens, books, police, lighthouses, eye makeup, hair pins, ovens, candy, ball games, rattles and zoos.
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| Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
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11:54 am - Walton mayoral race has six candidates
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http://www.thedailystar.com/local/local_story_070041557.html
By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau WALTON _ The Walton mayoral race continues to expand, with six candidates now vying for the two-year position. The only two candidates on the ballot are Raymond Baldi and Roland Beers, but four write-in candidates have produced the most highly contested race Walton has ever witnessed. The election will be held on Wednesday, March 18. When the petitions were filed, four candidates were entered, but technicalities knocked Terri Green and Ken Landry off of the official ballot, forcing them to announce write-in campaigns. In the last few days, two other candidates have announced write-in quests for the position: incumbent Mayor Ed Snow and John Phraner, owner of Northeast Fabricators. "It's just amazing," Landry said Tuesday. "The slate of candidates changes on a daily basis." Green's petition was rejected when 12 of the people who signed it were not qualified to vote. Landry was eliminated from the ballot when he missed the deadline to sign a form accepting the nomination. Baldi, who served as Walton's mayor from 1985 to 1995, said he decided to run because he didn't like what was going on in the village hall. "This is going to be a very crucial year because of the national economy," Baldi said. "But I believe there is a very bright horizon ahead." Baldi, who refused to reveal his age but said he served in World War II, said one of his goals is to help senior citizens. "I love this village," Baldi said. Beers, 69, is a former village police officer and village justice. He said he is running because he believes Walton needs change. "I want to make government run smoother and try to smooth things out," Beers said. Beers said the issues he hopes to tackle include simplifying the budget, finding federal funding to site a new police station and finding out why the village has not received the FEMA money for 2006 flood repairs. "Some of the FEMA money recently arrived, but we are still a long ways from what we have coming," Beers said. Beers said he believes the new police station could be located above the village hall, in a portion of what is now the village court. "We could put up some petitions and put in an elevator," Beers said. "The court should be handicapped-accessible anyway." Landry, 59, who is a village trustee, said finances are the most pressing issue the village faces. "We are flirting with bankruptcy," he said. "I have been listening to the voters, and I can and will get the finances under control. We have had two years of budget shortfalls and we are looking at another budget in the red." Landry said he has sent a mailing to all 1,812 registered voters in the village with his position statement and a detailed explanation of the write-in voting process. Green, 50, said, laughing, that she decided to run for mayor because she didn't think there were enough people interested in the position. Green said her goal, if elected, "will be focused primarily on saving our town and to prevent any further downfall." Green said she wants to promote tourism and local businesses, and that the village needs entertainment and recreational activities. "We need to somehow increase our revenues as a village to increase jobs for those who are out of work," Green said. "I feel we need someone from a younger generation, with new visions, ideas and plans for the future." Snow, 60, announced at a village board meeting that he would not run for another term, but said Tuesday that he changed his mind when "a lot of people came up to me and asked if I would accept the position if they wrote my name in." Snow said he believes the biggest issue is "getting our financial house back in order and then dealing with the water infrastructure, which is 100 years old." He said that before the 2006 flood, he was pursuing a $2 million grant to beautify Delaware Street by taking down the telephone poles, rebuilding the sidewalks and installing period street lights. He said he thinks the grant is still available and would like to apply for funding. "We need to continue to bring in as many new businesses as possible and make sure that drugs are kept in check," Snow said. Phraner could not be reached for comment. Messages left for him at work and at home were not returned Tuesday.
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| Monday, March 2nd, 2009
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4:38 pm - Buying a Washer and Dryer (someday) - Front loaders and better Energy, Water conservation
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I read a cool article about washers and dryers that someone had mentioned in the "Living Cheap" lj (I think...)
Every time there is a new comment, it gets forwarded to my email.
I should run through these when I finally decide to buy my own washer and dryer. I will probably wait until I have my own home before I buy a washer and dryer. (Moving would suck!) But I will hopefully have a home in the next 5 years or so.
This blurb was from the "living green" daily calendar my uncle john got me for xmas. (gee thanks!)
"Top-loading washing machines use 45-50 gallons of water per load. Some high-efficiency front-loaders use only 13 gallons per load. These types are more energy efficient and use less detergent."
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| Monday, February 16th, 2009
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4:03 pm - Saw-Whet Owls
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| Friday, January 23rd, 2009
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8:43 pm - The Knight Life: Accomodating the Economic Downtown
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 http://www.knightlifecomic.com/2008/12/page/3/
hehe
1. I dont gamble, or play the lottery
2. I actually would LOVE a really cool internet texting phone, but I KNOW it would be the end of me...
3. I have to drive, would like to carpool.... with the right person... who I don't know.....
4. Haha...I could teach you how to learn a shitty salary and do practically nothing... (first part is from a "bumper sticker" on facebook)
5. I did that at SUNY! :) I probably got $5 haha...
no seriously.... how have I/you changed my/your lifestyle?
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8:29 pm - Blondie: Lottery
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4:15 pm - Shakespeare Sonnet #130
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My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun,
Coral is far more red, than her lips red,
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun:
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head:
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks,
And in some perfumes is there more delight,
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know,
That music hath a far more pleasing sound:
I grant I never saw a goddess go,
My mistress when she walks treads on the ground.
And yet by heaven I think my love as rare,
As any she belied with false compare.
"She has like, flaws!"
My So Called Life
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| Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
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11:43 am - Guantanamo trial of Canadian halted
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_guantanamo_trials
GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) – Hours after taking office, U.S. President Barack Obama ordered military prosecutors in the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals to ask for a 120-day halt in all pending cases and a judge granted the request on Wednesday in the case against a young Canadian. When defense lawyers did not oppose the move, a judge froze the proceedings against Canadian Omar Khadr, who was captured at age 15 and is accused of murdering a U.S. soldier with a grenade during a firefight in Afghanistan. Another judge was expected to rule as early as Wednesday in the death penalty case against five prisoners accused of plotting the September 11 hijacked plane attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Obama's order to the prosecutors was issued several hours after his swearing-in on Tuesday and if all the continuances are granted it would halt proceedings against 21 prisoners. Prosecutors said it was "in the interests of justice" to freeze the trials until about May 20 to give the new administration time to evaluate the cases and decide what forum best suits any future prosecution. Obama has pledged to shut down the Guantanamo prison camp that was widely seen as a stain on the United States' human rights record and a symbol of detainee abuse and detention without charge under the administration of his predecessor, George W. Bush. Human rights activists and military defense lawyers had urged him to halt the special tribunals that are formally known as military commissions and urged him to move the prosecutions into the regular U.S. courts for trial under long-established rules. "In order to permit the newly inaugurated president and his administration time to review the military commission process, generally, and the cases currently pending before the military commissions, specifically, the secretary of defense has, by order of the president directed the chief prosecutor to seek continuances of 120 days in all pending case," prosecutor Clay Trivett said in the written request to the judges. About 245 foreign captives are still held at the detention center that opened in January 2002. The Bush administration had said it planned to try 80 prisoners on war crimes charges, but only three cases have been completed. Defense lawyers expected and supported a freeze of the tribunals, which have moved in fits and spurts amid numerous legal challenges. They had complained that the tribunals allowed hearsay evidence and coerced testimony and were subject of so much political interference that fairness was impossible. (Editing by Eric Beech)
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11:40 am - White House stops pending Bush regulations for review (YAY!!)
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090121/pl_nm/us_obama_regulations
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama's new administration ordered all federal agencies and departments on Tuesday to stop any pending regulations until they can be reviewed by incoming staff, halting last-minute Bush orders in their tracks. "This afternoon, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel signed a memorandum sent to all agencies and departments to stop all pending regulations until a legal and policy review can be conducted by the Obama administration," the White House said in a statement issued just hours after Obama took office. The review is a tool commonly used by a new administration to delay so-called "midnight regulations" put in place by a former president between the election and Inauguration Day. Midnight regulations have been heavily used by recent former presidents, including the Democrat Bill Clinton, Republican George H. W. Bush, and most recently, the Republican George W. Bush. Controversial late rules by the outgoing Bush administration include allowing the carrying of concealed weapons in some national parks and prohibiting medical facilities from receiving federal money for discriminating against doctors and nurses who refuse to assist with abortions or dispense contraceptives based on religious grounds. Federal law requires a 60-day waiting period before any major regulatory changes become law, so some presidents try to publish new major regulations to ensure they go into effect before the new president's inauguration on January 20. (Reporting by Tabassum Zakaria; Editing by Patricia Zengerle)
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| Monday, January 19th, 2009
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9:29 am - The World's Tallest and Biggest
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http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-25062088
The World's Largest Man-Made Islands Perhaps no structure on this list more embodies the original impulse behind the tall building — pure human hubris — than Dubai’s Palm Islands. Composed of three separate islands, Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira, the entire construction will add nearly 330 miles of beach front to the city of Dubai. Parts of Palm Jumeirah are currently open for development, with the remaining islands to be completed in the next 10-15 years. When finished, the three islands will contain over 100 luxury hotels while Palm Deira itself will be almost as large as Paris.
In Pictures: World’s 20 Tallest & Biggest
The World's Tallest Dam Construction began on the Nurek Dam (984 feet) in 1961 while the central Asian nation of Tajikistan was still a republic within the Soviet Union, and was completed an efficient 19 years later. The dam provides 98 percent of Tajikistan’s electrical needs and was one of the first to be constructed with an asphalt central core of cement forming an impermeable barrier along the Vakhsh River.
The World's Tallest Hotel Not in Dubai Though eclipsed both by Dubai’s Rose Tower and Jumeirah Emirates Tower, the Baiyoke Tower II in Bangkok, Thailand, nevertheless boasts 88 floors and 673 guest rooms. The 997-foot Tower is located in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district known for its shopping and its 1.5 mile long artificial lake.
The World's Tallest Monument Commonly known as the “Gateway to the West” the St. Louis Arch, designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen, marks the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The arch is surrounded by a 91-acre national park along the Mississippi River and stands 630-feet-tall. Visitors can take a four-minute tram ride up one of the “legs” of the arch to the observation deck at its center for spectacular views of St. Louis.
The World's Tallest Hotel Never Actually Completed Destined for greatness, the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, stands at 1,083 feet, was supposed to boast 105 floors and 3.9 million-square-feet of floor space, and was meant to have seven revolving restaurants. Not surprisingly this towering pyramid’s construction was put on hold in 1992 when North Korea confronted more pressing matters. What remains is the pyramid itself, but it lacks windows and fixtures and has been deemed unsafe for human occupancy.
The World's Tallest Casino (sort of) Unsurprisingly located in Las Vegas, the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino boasts a 1,149-foot-tall observation tower and restaurant, making it the tallest free-standing tower in the United States. While you can be shot straight up 160 feet in the air, or ride a mechanical arm over the Tower’s edge, there are no actual games in the tower itself.
The World's Tallest Bar On the 87th floor of Shanghai’s Jin Mao Tower–literally “Golden Prosperity Building”–is the appropriately titled Cloud Nine. In February 2001, cocktail-sipping patrons observed Han Qizhi, a 31-year-old shoe salesman, climb the 1,214 foot tower barehanded.
The World's Largest House Indisputably, the Sultan of Brunei’s Istana Nurul Iman is the world’s largest residence. Really more of a palace, this structure boasts an impressive 2,152,782-square-feet of space, comprised of 1,788 rooms (including 257 bathrooms), and is home to the Sultan's car collection, including 165 Rolls Royces. (It easily dwarfs Buckingham Palace's 828,818 square feet). Unfortunately for non-royals, the Sultan’s palace is only open three days a year for the Islamic festival of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, marking the end of Ramadan. However, in 2009, Indian multi-billionaire Mukesh Ambani is scheduled to complete construction on the world's largest house.
The World's Largest Ancient City Built in the mid-15th century, Machu Picchu is located 7,875 feet above sea level in the Urubamba Valley in Peru. A gorgeous collection of 150 structures, including temples and residences, the city was abandoned approximately 100 years after its founding and not re-discovered until the early 1900s. Machu Picchu was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
The World's Tallest Memorial Erected in 1940 by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, the Benedictine Abbey of the Valley of the Fallen boasts the largest Memorial Cross in the world. Located 28 miles northwest of Madrid, the 492-foot structure towers above a basilica and crypt carved out of a granite ridge, and boasts spectacular views of both the surrounding valley and the outskirts of Madrid.
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| Sunday, January 18th, 2009
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8:28 pm - Inauguration? That's a lot of balloons
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Sat Jan 17, 9:18 pm ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl204
As the recession continues to wreak havoc on the U.S. economy and inauguration celebrations ramp up, a lot of people are asking: "How much will this shindig cost?" The short answer? More than $150 million — and yep, that's the most expensive ever. (By comparison, George W. Bush's 2005 inauguration cost $42.3 million. Bill Clinton managed with $33 million in 1993.) For the first time, President Bush has declared an emergency in Washington, D.C. to supplement the $15 million Congress has already allotted for security measures. It's no surprise that security costs are sky-high — Barack Obama received Secret Service protection very early in his presidential run and record crowds (likely anywhere from 1.5 to 3 million people) are expected for the record number of events. In fact, the Secret Service will be in charge of security not just for inauguration day, but for four days, starting Saturday with Obama's train ride from Philadelphia. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the AP: "It will be the most security, as far as I'm aware, that any inauguration's had." Obama's much-discussed (and very cool-looking) custom Cadillac limo certainly couldn't come cheap, though we'll never really know how much it cost. Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell said the car's exact specifications are a big secret, including the safety features and production cost. But Forbes reports it's not all flak jackets and armored cars: To manage an event of this scale, the District of Columbia will spend a mammoth $47 million. It is not enough.... Much of the $45 million will go toward creating a dynamic Inauguration experience for the everyday visitor, not just funding exclusive events. "We don't even consider these events to be extravagant," says Linda Douglas, a spokeswoman from the Presidential Inauguration Committee. "With crowds of this size, most of our attention is being devoted to opening up as many events to the public." The good news for taxpayers: Inaugural celebrations are paid for by the inaugural committee — and Obama has, once again, been a very successful fundraiser — at least $35 million by recent counts. Carole Florman, spokeswoman for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, told the New York Daily News: "We're always very budget conscious. But we're sending a message to the entire world about our peaceful transition of power, and you don't want it to look like a schlock affair. It needs to be appropriate to the magnitude of events that it is." And if you're eager to whoop it up in the same sassy fashion as our government, Washington hotels have come up with tons of ways for you to spend your money. The Washingtonian has made a list of some of the best ... and worst. "Most unusual item in a hotel package: Round-trip airfare and hotel for four in St. Petersburg, Russia, part of the Omni Shoreham’s Live Like a President package—the trip is aimed at gaining “foreign-policy experience.” The $440,000 package also includes an in-suite dinner with entertainer Mark Russell. Most controversial item: A puppy—in honor of Obama’s promise to get his daughters a dog — was originally part of the package deal at the Omni Shoreham but was dropped when the hotel caught heat from animal lovers. Instead, the hotel will make a donation to the Washington Humane Society." So don't feel bad if you're sitting on the couch watching the historic festivities from home — at least you'll be saving some pennies. |
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| Friday, January 16th, 2009
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7:37 pm - DMX Adopts Pink Prison Wardrobe
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http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/hiphopmediatraining/47509/dmx-adopts-pink-prison-wardrobe/
Posted 17 minutes ago by Billy Johnson, Jr. in Hip-Hop Media Training
Looks like Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has come up with the cure for DMX's addiction to jail. The hip-hop star and repeat offender, like all of Arpaio's other inmates in the Maricopa county jail, must wear pink t-shirts, underwear and socks. The girlie wardrobe colors caught DMX by surprise. "This is ridiculous, this is disrespectful," DMX said with a sarcastic laugh during an interview with My Fox Phoenix. "Why the pink?" Arpaio told Fox & Friends he has had the pink policy in place for 10 years with success. He said the inmates were stealing the white underwear so he dyed them pink. According to Arpaio, DMX is serving time for charges of animal cruelty, drugs and fraud. Arpaio did not express any sympathy for the hardcore rapper, adding, that jail was not supposed to be fun. DMX misses the good ole days. "This is not where I want to be man," DMX said. "It used to be, I'll go there, I'll be the life of the party, and ... it's nothing." Requiring male prisoners to wear pink undergarments is emasculating, but listening to DMX talk about going to jail as if it is a hangout spot is not fine either. Maybe Cam'ron can give X a pep talk. Cam'ron and other Harlem MCs have always been fine with the springtime pastel color.
I LOVE THE PINK!!!! I HATE DMX'S NOSTALGIA FOR A TIME WHEN PRISONS MADE YOU A MAN... that 's pretty fucked up. |
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| Thursday, January 15th, 2009
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6:56 pm - How Birds Can Down a Jet Airplane
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Early reports suggest that a bird strike caused a jet plane to crash in the Hudson River near Manhattan today, leaving questions about how a little flying animal could down a big airliner. More than 200 people have been killed worldwide as a result of wildlife strikes with aircraft since 1988, according to Bird Strike Committee USA, and more than 5,000 bird strikes were reported by the U.S. Air Force in 2007. Bird strikes, or the collision of an aircraft with an airborne bird, tend to happen when aircraft are close to the ground, which means just before landing or after take-off, when jet engines are turning at top speeds. The incidents are serious particularly when the birds, usually gulls, raptors and geese, are sucked into a jet engine and strike an engine fan blade. That impact displaces the blade such that it strikes another blade and a cascade can occur, resulting in engine failure. A 12-pound Canada goose striking an aircraft going 150 mph at lift-off generates the force of a 1,000-pound weight dropped from a height of 10 feet, according to Bird Strike Committee USA. Today's incident, which occurred just after US Airways flight 1549 (an Airbus 320) had taken off with more than 150 passengers and crew members from LaGuardia Airport in New York, en route to Charlotte, N.C., involved a flock of geese, according to CBS News. Reports indicate no deaths or serious injuries as of this writing. Large aircraft are certified to be able to keep flying after impacting a 4-pound bird, however 36 species of birds in North America weigh more than this, according to the committee. Even smaller birds, such as starlings, can cause engine failure. The greater the difference in the speed of the plane and the bird, the greater the force of the impact on the aircraft. The weight of the bird is also a factor, but the speed difference is a much bigger factor. Flocks of birds are even more dangerous as they can result in multiple strikes. Delicate birds, delicate aircraft Dale Oderman, associate professor of aviation technology at Purdue University in Indiana says birds can be very dangerous to aircraft, particularly in the first several thousand feet after take-off, where the birds are flying. "Obviously, geese or another large bird would be much more hazardous than a little black bird," Oderman said. "The speed at which the two are moving causes the bird to get ingested into the engine. And the engine is very delicate to withstanding a major impact." He added: "It just shuts the engine down." Basically, if the birds get too close to the engine's intake, it's like a vacuum - the birds just get sucked in. "The initial stages of a jet engine are made up of a lot of compressor blades. Those aren't very big and they can be very easily damaged," Oderman told LiveScience. "Even if one of those things breaks off, then the one blade will go through the rest of the engine and it's like shrapnel to the engine." And in the case of the Hudson River crash, the birds apparently took out both engines. "Apparently in this particular case it seems both engines were hit. If it was a flock of birds they flew thought it wouldn't be a surprise to me," Oderman said. Airports, Oderman said, take several precautions to keep planes safe from birds. For instance, they often don't plant many trees nearby, as these are nesting areas for birds. Since La Guardia is right on the water, he noted, there are a lot of water birds around. Bird strike remains Bird strikes are on the rise, according to the committee. After a bird strike in the United States, the remains, called snarge, are sent to the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Identification Laboratory to identify the species, according to WikiPedia. Bird and other wildlife strikes to aircraft result in more than $600 million in damage a year, according to Bird Strike Committee USA. Five jet airliners have had major accidents involving bird strikes since 1975, the committee says. In one case, about three dozen people died. NASA worries about bird strikes, too. During the July 2005 launch of Discovery on mission STS-114, a vulture soaring around the launch pad impacted the shuttle's external tank just after liftoff. With a vulture's average weight ranging from 3 to 5 pounds, a strike at a critical point on the shuttle - like the nose or wing leading thermal protection panels - could cause catastrophic damage to the vehicle. NASA put safety measures into place in 2005 to reduce the odds of bird strikes with the shuttle. The agency particularly wants to avoid bird strikes to the shuttle's fuel tank that could damage the heat shield during launch and landing. For instance, NASA has a special during launch countdown where they can stop to wait for birds to pass. And during landing, NASA has a sound cannon that they fire to make sure the runway is clear from birds to make sure shuttle isn't damaged during landing. Senior Writer Jeanna Bryner contributed to this story. |
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| Tuesday, January 13th, 2009
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6:29 pm - Borders, Raymour and Flanigan, NY Blood Center, and Marlboro Wish Me a Happy Birthday
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Birthday Greetings.
Emails: I got a 25% coupon email from Borders (might use), and an email asking me to give blood (I want to!)
Snail Mail: 10% coupon at Raymour and Flanigan (will never use) and Marlboro sent me some snazy dice!
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| Monday, January 12th, 2009
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7:41 pm - State Police release more details on I-90 shootout AND DETAILS
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http://capitalnews9.com/content/top_stories/131500/state-police-release-more-details-on-i-90-shootout/Default.aspx
Monday, January 12, 2009
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. -- "This incident quickly went from a routine traffic stop in to a police officer's nightmare."
State Police released more details Monday about the shootout on I-90 in Rensselaer County over the weekend. They held a news conference from Troop G headquarters to give details about the incident, answer questions from the media, and play a portion of a video taken from the trooper's car during the ordeal.
State Police said Darrel Brown, 22, of Hartford, Connecticut was the passenger in the taxicab who opened fire at troopers and other officers on Saturday.
State Police release more details on I-90 shootout Watch the State Police news conference from Troop G headquarters in Loudonville.  | <input ... > |
As the trooper was interviewing Brown and the driver, police said Brown pulled out an assault rifle from his bag. The trooper and the driver retreated, and Brown began firing the weapon. More police arrived, and after a shootout with police, Brown was subsequently shot and taken into custody. Police said Brown fired nearly 30 rounds.
Major William Sprague said, "We know he shot out the back window of the taxicab as you saw in this video and begin firing at the troop car. You can see the spider webs from the bullets hitting the windshield of the troop car appear in the glass in the image captured on the on board camera."
Brown is currently on life support at Albany Medical Center and is not expected to recover. No one else was injured.
The incident lasted for almost an hour. There is no word yet on why Brown opened fire.
AND MY DETAILS:
I just watched the police press conference video.
It occured 1 mile west of Exit 10.
Mr. Darrel Brown shot 28 shots. They found 28 rounds. There was a clip for 30 with 15 left, so there could be 14 rounds missing??
He fumbled with the gun lock for "3 or 4" minutes. And instead of shooting after the cabbie and trooper who were running to safety, he turned around and shot out the back window.
There were six police officers who shot at Mr. Brown. They fired off 33 shots. 12 from 12 gauge shot guns, 21 from pistols and 1 from a sniper rifle. Mr. Brown suffered extensive injuries. (I added the word extensive). ;) 33 shots??? geez! They traffic was stopped for 51 minutes but the closing lasted until 8pm because a snow storm was coming and they would lose the evidence. They also had drivers to talk to and set up interviews.
There is no indication the cab driver was speeding on purpose.
Mr. Brown told the cabbie to take him to upstate ny and then later specified albany area.
Mr. Brown was shot several times - not just the sniper shot to the head. "extent of his injuries" geez.
It was hard to hear the reporter's questions. The speaker should have repeated the questions.
They are saying it turned into a "suicide." He shot so many times, but from the video it seems like he was just shooting to shoot - like he wasn't even aiming. And no one else was hurt. He fumbled with the gun lock for "three or four minutes." Like he wasn't used to it. He shot four shots or so just at the troop car's windshield. He shot at two passenger cars. It was just like Grant Theft Auto for him. Then he started getting shot at for REAL. he was fucked.
poor guy. what happened in his life that was so bad?
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