Krampus take the Horrid Children for the Holidays

More about this guy in a second.  Happy Yule to you!  Focus around the Midwinter Solstice has only recently fallen on the infant Messiah of the Christians.  Eons before the wriggling manger monkey cooed his way into the hearts and minds of the estimated 2.1 Billion Christians on this planet, the darkest day in the Northern Hemisphere was celebrated in many ways by many peoples.

Yule, originally giuli signified a 60-day tide beginning at the lunar midwinter of the late Scandinavian Norse and Germanic tribes.  Juletid came to refer to the midwinter celebrations.

My personal favorite tradition comes from some Early Germans (500–1000 CE)  who considered the Norse goddess, Hertha or Bertha to be the goddess of light, domesticity and the home. They baked yeast cakes shaped like shoes, which were called Hertha's slippers, and filled them with gifts. . .

"During the Winter Solstice houses were decked with fir and evergreens to welcome her coming. When the family and serfs were gathered to dine, a great altar of flat stones was erected and here a fire of fir boughs was laid. Hertha descended through the smoke, guiding those who were wise in saga lore to foretell the fortunes of those persons at the feast"

But here's the really great part. Krampus.  In these legends, before the benign cocoa and smiling coming of the happy gods, the KRAMPUS came to take the horrid children away.  You have not celebrated the holiday season if you have not gone to Salzburg during the midwinter and been subject to these creatures -- hired by the city -- who come stomping into squares, bars, restaurants, ANYWHERE public, and actually flog men, women and children with their whips.  It is terrifying and hilarious.  My friend Scott Jordan was flogged in front of me while I hid another friend Melanie under my table.  She was crying.  It was unforgettable.  He had welts on the back of his legs for a week.  Brilliant.


Oh, and they were right, he HAD been bad.


Happy Holiday!!

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Heroes of PS 8 in Brooklyn!

If these tiny humans get it, why can't all the big ones?

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Cruise Ships and a Sinking Feeling

Let's start with an image.  Ten swimming pools full of human poo. In one week, the average cruise ship, er . . makes and dumps that much poo LEGALLY as close as three nautical miles from US shore!!  

TEN SWIMMING POOLS OF POOP.  (210,000 gallons)

Add to that 40 swimming pools full of grey water (showers, sinks, laundry, kitchens, bars).  

IN ONE WEEK!! 

Detergents and all! (including perchloroethylene from drycleaning, photo-processing wastes, paint waste, solvents, print shop wastes, fluorescent light bulbs, and batteries) 

50 tons of garbage, glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium and steel cans, and plastics. -- tossed right overboard.

35,000 gallons of oil-contaminated water -- these ships take in large quantities of ballast water, which is seawater pumped into the hulls of ships to ensure stability. This water is typically taken in at one port and then discharged at the ship's destination, which can introduce invasive species and serious diseases into U.S. waters. A typical release of ballast water amounts to 1,000 metric tons. 

Between 1993 and 1998, there were 87 confirmed illegal discharges from cruise ships in state waters (81 cases involving oil; 6 involving garbage or plastic). An additional 17 “other alleged incidents” were referred to the countries where the cruise ships were registered. The industry paid more than $30 million in fines for violations and three cruise lines were placed on five-year felony probation.

• Royal Caribbean admitted (in 2001) in court that they INSTALLED pipes that bypassed the pollution control devices!!  They paid 33.5 MILLION.
• In April 2002, Carnival Corporation pleaded guilty to falsifying records to cover up pollution by six ships over several years. They were assessed an $18 million fine
  

IN ADDITION to the water pollution, cruise ships are a hazard to the air we breathe.  They emit particulates that cause health problems like athsma, as well as more heat-trapping carbon dioxide per passenger mile than aircraft.  Most cruise ships burn bunker fuel, which is 1,000 times dirtier than the fuel burned in diesel trucks. While at port, the main engines are turned off, and diesel engines are revved to sustain refrigeration, electricity, pumps . . . demanding that on-board power come from port electric could instantly make a difference.

What to do?

DON'T GO ON A CRUISE.

or

If you must imprison yourself on one of these floating fecal vessels, investigate the cruise line to be sure their ships do not have a record of pollution. If you are on a cruise ship and observe any dumping of plastic or hazardous materials to sea, you should report it to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802. 

This is what you're protecting.

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DO NOT BUY IT!! I'm mad as hell.

Keith does it again. Amazing. Please watch in it's entirety and SHARE!!

"You have just agreed to purchase a product. If you do not, you will be breaking the law and subject to a fine. You have no control over how much you will pay for the product. The government will have virtually no control over how much the company will charge for the product. "

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Horrible news from the Healthcare Debate

Some horrible news for the fight for logical, moral, feasible healthcare from the Senate. WHERE IS THE PUBLIC OPTION?

"Says Dean: "No, absolutely not. You can't vote for a bill like this in good conscience. It costs too much money. It isn't health care reform. It's not even insurance reform."

"You're going to be forced to buy health insurance from a company that takes, on average, 27% of your money so they can pay CEOs $20 Million a year . . . and thee's no choice about that."

Said Dean on NPR earlier: “This is essentially the collapse of health care reform in the United States Senate. Honestly the best thing to do right now is kill the Senate bill, go back to the House, start the reconciliation process, where you only need 51 votes and it would be a much simpler bill.”"

Somebody tell Joe Leiberman to quit it. This is a disaster.

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It's time for BOROUGH QUIZ! [gong!]

Sights, Blights, and Hi-lights from NYC's fantastic five.
 
New York City has miles and miles of waterfront.  Those familiar with it won't have any trouble guessing which borough is home to this landmark protected pier.  More on it's history and future and the answer at the end of the week!

Picky your borough!

Bronx
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Queens
Staten Island

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37% and rising in Copenhagen!

Under the scrutiny of the world's greenies, Copenhagen is shining brightly as a biker's paradise.

"Tens of thousands of people from nearly every nation on earth have descended on Copenhagen this month for the UN climate summit. As the delegates try to piece together a framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, they're also absorbing lessons from one of the world's leading cities in sustainable transportation. In Copenhagen, fully 37 percent of commute trips are made by bike, and mode share among city residents alone is even higher."

Great video HERE. Shows some cool advances like bike counters, innovative lane updates, and the SUV's of Denmark (they're bikes). 

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Senator McCain thinks my job is silly and wants me fired.

Last Wednesday, Senators John McCain and Tom Coburn released a "Stimulus Checkup" report on 100 different "silly or shortsighted" projects throughout the country.  Philadelphia's acclaimed Pig Iron Theatre Company (the very company keeping me off the dole right now) found itself at number 26 in the report for stimulus funding they received through the National Endowment for the Arts that helped to retain one staff position and seven actors' salaries.

"Describing itself as a dance-clown-theatre ensemble, the Pig Iron Theatre in Philadelphia is home to a successful and growing production company that recently landed a $25,000 stimulus grant."

How horrible.  Can you imagine?  The National Endowment for the Arts giving money to a theatre company?  This is unheard of.

I read the report.

$150,000 went to develop the next "generation of football gloves", and 1.2 MILLION was given to turn a barn into the "Museum of man's relationship with the horse."

Nice.

Of course, Fox News jumped on the opportunity to fairly spit the words PIG IRON out of it's snide mouth about four times.  VIDEO HERE.

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Borough Quiz Answer! [drum roll]

IT's QUEENS!!! About a 10 minute walk from my house in Woodside.  The temple is actually in Elmhurst, I think, and I stumbled upon it walking to Target (sigh).  I saw the shining spires above a residential three-story building and re-routed to find out what the heck was sitting atop what looks like a 1940's apartment.  What I found was pretty colorful.  The votes this week were split across all three boroughs, with a tie win for Queens and the Bronx.  So I guess everybody wins.  Sorta.  Stay tuned for next week!

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MTA faces massive cuts - where's Bloomberg?

From the NY Daily news HERE, the same sweeping cuts the MTA threatened before the wimpy bailout earlier this year are back on the schedule including the elimination of the W and Z lines, and the late-night shuttering of stations in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn along the N and R lines.

" Facing a massive budget crisis, the cash-squeezed MTA is moving to implement sweeping service cuts – again – including shutting down dozens of bus routes. Two subway lines also would be wiped off the map and four stations would be shuttered overnight under the plan expected to go before a Metropolitan Transportation Authority committee on Monday. If it sounds familiar, it is. The lineup is the same roster of reductions threatened earlier this year when the MTA was lobbying for a state bailout. The cuts never happened.

But in recent weeks the MTA has been rocked by bad news. The state – struggling with its own budget mess – slashed transit funding by $143 million. And cash from state payroll taxes is coming in about $200 million short of what the state had planned for mass transit. Even with 2010 service cuts, the MTA will have to find other ways to plug the sudden budget gap, sources said.

“We’re not going to rely on anyone else to do anything for us. We’re going to rely on ourselves,” MTA board member Mitchell Pally said."

Bloomberg, who ran on promises of salvaging and fortifying the MTA, has been silent on the topic. Hello Mike? Is this thing on?

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Rick Warren lies about his massive ties to Ugandan "Kill the Gays" laws

After spreading intolerance and ignorance all over the world, supporting prop 8 in California, and encouraging condom burning in Uganda, mega-pastor (quite mega, lately) Rick Warren has spoken out against the "kill the gays" bill in that country.  He denies connections to the super-secret fundamentalist Washington Christian coven "the Family", and generally tries to cover his ass.  Rachel Maddow isn't allowing that.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Best Green Concept Products 2009

From Treehugger, their picks for best concept gadgets this year. Some great, some not so much. 20 slides HERE.

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Update on the Bike Lane Bandits - Video!

He he he, they're so revolutionary, they have a PR department. I'm out of town for the ride on Sunday, but I wish I wasn't!!!!!!

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Kill the Gays legislation in Uganda linked to American Ex-gay freakazoid

If you're unfamiliar with the proposed legislation in Uganda that makes homosexuality a death penalty crime, or with the links its proponents have to American evangelicals like Rick Warren or Richard Cohen, Read up on it HERE from towleroad.

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Thanks Rachel for keeping this in the news.

It's time for BOROUGH QUIZ! [gong!]

Sights, Blights, and Hi-lights from NYC's fantastic five.

Every Monday (or so) I'm posting an off-the-beaten-path image of one of NYC's five fantastic boroughs and you get to guess WHICH IT IS!!

Ok, in case you missed it, last week's Quiz photo was taken in BROOKLYN. Even though the results of the poll favored Queens, that doesn't change the fact that it was BROOKLYN.  God, I love those railings.


But onward to THIS WEEK's glorious monument to the shiny diversity of New York City!  Remember to vote below!

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Picky the Borough!

Bronx
Brooklyn
Manhattan
Queens
Staten Island

Answer later in the week!

Notes on the Williamsburg bike lane scandal and ARRESTS?!

A quick update on the scandal I posted about EARLIER from gothamist:

"According to tipsters, the neighborhood's volunteer community watch group responded to reports at around 4 am that two men were using spraypaint to recreate a section of the bike lane, which the Department of Transportation controversially removed from a 14-block stretch of Bedford Avenue last week. Police arrived at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Rutledge Street and arrested two suspects, sources said. That story lines up pretty well with this posting by Twitter user WMSBG, which went online about two hours ago: "Police arrested this night two goiyem for re-painting the bike lane on Bedford ave with the help of Shomrim."

This small act by the city has sparked such a lively and occasionally informed debate about shared urban living, that you kinda can't look away.  Shomrim are the community-appointed security detail that the Hasidic community has created to patrol their neighborhood. They have a much debated efficacy and history in the area, as the long and entertaining "comments" section after the gothamist POST reveals. . . a sample of the community outrage HERE.

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If this doesn't piss you off, you're crazy (.com)

Ok, THIS HORRIFYING ARTICLE from wired.com is enough to make you want to go off the grid permanently.
The Basics:

• We trust big telecom and internet companies to provide mild levels of privacy as we throw our personal data all over the web.
  
• The government wants to know who/what/when/where we call or email each other
• The telecom and internet companies want to sell that information to them . . .so they do.
• We simply want to know how much money the companies make selling our privacy.
• They say that if they release that information . . . what they sell to the government, and for how much, it would undermine our trust in thier ability to provide privacy to their customers.

Says verizon in their response:

"Other customers, upon seeing the types of surveillance law enforcement can do, might “become unnecessarily afraid that their lines have been tapped or call Verizon to ask if their lines are tapped (a question we cannot answer)."

Says Yahoo:

"Therefore, release of Yahoo!’s information is reasonably likely to lead to impairment of its reputation for protection of user privacy and security, which is a competitive disadvantage for technology companies,"

 . . . great.  You don't want to release your price sheets because YOU THINK YOUR CUSTOMERS WOULD GO APE SHIT NINJA? 

Probably we would.  WE PAY TO BE SPIED ON BY OUR GOVERNMENT.  WE PAY.  Through taxes, and fees from the companies themselves as they collect the data.  And no one is saying how much.

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From the I Told You So Department

A little looking down the nose thanks to the NYC Dept. of Health.

"Humans have been finely tuned over eons of evolution to move our limbs a lot to get around (as opposed to driving) and exercise in general has documented psychological benefits so it's shouldn't be surprising that walking and biking are good for your mind.

But this is a 40 percent increase in mental distress for people who don't walk or bike. These mental benefits are significant, and they're often overlooked in our discussions about transportation."

I have also long thought that the rush of adrenaline and feeling of competitive fun that biking, in particular, provides must serve to fill some primal need for former hunters. Similar to the need met by video games, but WAY better.

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Borough Quiz Answer! [drum roll]

IT's BROOKLYN!!! Williamsburg, to be exact. That's probably why it looks so Queensy and why Queens was the number one answer with 37% of the vote. No one was fooled that anything this . . .um . . . artistic and, specific? could have occurred in Manhattan.  So I guess you're all pretty savvy.   However, as a group you failed. So sad.  Better luck next week. 

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Druid makes more sense than Ivy Leaguers

A pretty insightful article from Energy Bulletin about what might be a much more effective and logical way to measure productivity.

"Consider the fuss made in economic circles about productivity. When productivity goes up, politicians and executives preen themselves; when it goes down, or even when it doesn't increase as fast as current theory says it ought, the cry goes up for more government largesse to get it rising again. Everyone wants the economy to be more productive, right? The devil, though, has his usual residence among the details, because the statistic used to measure productivity doesn't actually measure how productive the economy is."

"As important as the misinformation generated by such arbitrary statistical constructs is the void that results because other, arguably more important figures are not being collected at all. In an age that will increasingly be constrained by energy limits, for example, a more useful measure of productivity might be energy productivity – that is, output per barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) of energy consumed. An economy that produces more value with less energy input is arguably an economy better suited to the downslope of Hubbert's peak, and the relative position of different nations, to say nothing of the trendline of their energy productivity over time, would provide useful information to governments, investors, and the general public alike."

The full article is a little denser than most of the stuff I'm posting, but the basic idea is solid and points to yet another instance of "that's how we've always done it" blindness. Oh yeah, and he really is a Druid. See?

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Beauty as yet unspoiled -- 100 images from Glacier Natl. Park, Montana

The vast majority of these are breathtaking. GALLERY

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Karma karma karma karma

How cool is this? Chameleon/Artist's Gallery from Hi-fructose HERE.

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COP15 begins next week! Here's hoping the results are spectatular.

Quick explanation of the conference HERE

"The earth’s temperature has risen by 0.74 degrees Celsius in the last 100 years.

An increase of increase of just 2 degrees Celsius more will lead to massive loss of species, 100 million climate refugees, and other major stresses.

We need to set strict emissions restrictions by 2012 in order to avert a worldwide climate catastrophe"

Sign the HOPENHAGEN petition, and tell the world what gives you hope. (Kind of corny, but cool map tech)

and this:

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NYS Senators Ruth Hassell-Thompson and Diane Savino speak on marriage equality

Really start listening at 3:13, she lays the issue out so clearly.

"We in government do not determine the quality or validity of peoples relationships -- if we did we would not issue three quarters of the marriage licenses we do"

"we're giving away husbands on network TV"

"or . . . the littlest groom, where thirty desperate women competed to marry a dwarf."

"they stand up there before god and man, even in Senator Diaz's church, and swear to love honor and obey, and they don't mean a word of it."

She really hits the nail on the head. Please forward this to anyone and everyone, and let the argument speak for itself. And let the hysteria abate.

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Cate Blanchett lends her voice to billions of others for Mother Earth

... and nine rings were given to the race of men, who above all else desire power.

Liars!

UPDATE!!



I checked out the protest in Times Square . . . not bad for a last-minute rainy afternoon/evening . . . several hundred turned out to chant for NY1 and boo the Dems who voted against rights despite the unflagging financial and vocal support of many many gays. From towleroad:

Here are the eight "no" votes from Democrats on marriage equality in New York state today, along with their email addresses if you'd care to speak your mind. The percentage before their names (thanks to Towleroad commenter Tanner) represents — FYI — their 2008 general election percentages.

53% Aubertine (Upstate) - aubertin@senate.state.ny.us
53% Stachowski (Upstate) - stachows@senate.state.ny.us
58% Addabbo (Queens) - addabbo@senate.state.ny.us
81% Onorato (Queens) - onorato@senate.state.ny.us
93% Diaz (Bronx) - diaz@senate.state.ny.us
93% Kruger (Kings) - kruger@senate.state.ny.us
100% Huntley (Queens) - shuntley@senate.state.ny.us
100% Monserrate (Queens) - monserra@senate.state.ny.us

Looks like efforts need to focus on Queens, where four of the eight senators reside.

phone numbers for NYC Democrats who voted NO on Marriage Equality:

Joseph Addabbo (D) (518) 455-2322;
Darrel Aubertine (D) (518) 455-2761;
Ruben Diaz (D) (518) 455-2511;
Shirley Huntley (D) (518) 455-3531;
Carl Kruger (D) (518) 455-2460;
Hiram Monserrate (D) (518) 455-2529;
George Onorato (D) (518) 455-3486;
William Stachowski (D) (518)-455-2426.

Call em up if you need to vent . . . and see you at the rally tonight 6pm Times Square.

Fire at will

Normally I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to fireplaces, but this is kinda cool, no? It swivels.

Obama, the Super-project Void, and Me

See that iconic bridge there? It wasn't always there. It seems like it was, but in fact it was one of our great nation's greatest public projects -- one of many Super-projects the likes of which we rarely see now. It was not built by WalMart or Microsoft (although private investors historically chipped in). Along with umpteen railroads, canals, roads, parks and monuments, the Golden Gate Bridge was an undertaking so grand we could only realize it as a nation. A step forward of such massive length, that the states had to snap together like Voltron to take it.

Actually, the US Post Office I'm seeing out the window in front of me (the historic James Farley Building) is the product of just such government bravery. Here's a pic I just took:

Cool, right? It boasts the longest giant order Corinthian colonnade in the WORLD. Of course it now faces the craptastic Madison Square Garden (great job aces), but nevertheless, the Post Office stands as an anchor in a struggling neighborhood.

Ok, back to the Super-project Void. Louis Uchitelle writes in this ARTICLE in the NY Times,

"So what are we missing, exactly? Huge public works — or more precisely, their historic absence — didn’t cause the recession any more than their renewal would quickly draw the country out of it. But their effect on the economy is almost always noticeable if not easily measured. Some economists argue that the continual construction of new megaprojects adds a quarter of a percentage point or more, on average, to the gross domestic product over the long term. Again, cause and effect aren’t clear, but the strongest periods of economic growth in America have generally coincided with big outlays for new public works and the transformations they bring once completed.

If their absence creates a void, particularly in a recession, what can fill it? "

The article is a quick read, and it again opens debate about Obama's commitment to lifting us out of this recession with down-payments (and jobs) on similar projects. Here's

MY GREAT IDEA:

• High-speed rail lines link Detroit with Pittsburgh, Philly, and Chicago.
  
  
• The Detroit auto industry is encouraged (read: forced) to transform itself into the national center of manufacturing and R&D for wind turbine technology and photo-voltaic innovation.
  
  
• Automobile production in Detroit ceases.
  
  
• China, India, Canada, Mexico and Russia begin ordering our super-fantastic green energy products like mad.
  
  
• The idea of the Super-project is re-imagined as Detroit becomes the first Super-Urban-Project, and Obama leads us merrily into the 21st Century with Detroit the shining green flourishing city.

You listening, Mr. O?

14 blocks of biking fall under pressure from a few.

UPDATE!! IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING

Bad news HERE. 14 blocks of bike lanes DESTROYED in Williamsburg. Some neighborhoods just can't take the horror of cyclists. Outrageous. This FIGHT has been going on too long.

"The Department of Transportation's decision to eliminate a section of bike lane from the borough's longest street is a surprising move, considering the agency's recent efforts to bolster the city's cycling network under the leadership of bike-loving Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan."

Recognizing the city as a whole, diverse, interconnected entity is important, and communities who wish to wall themselves off should purchase and gate communities away from terrible threats like green transit and progress. If you ask me.