INTERESTING: This call may be recorded for quality assurance

Saturday, April 24, 2010

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20100416_Bankruptcy_judge_orders_taping_documents_produced.html

Posted on Fri, Apr. 16, 2010
Bankruptcy judge orders taping documents produced
By Christopher K. Hepp Inquirer Staff Writer

*** begin quote ***

The auction is central to the company’s reorganization plan, which calls for the senior lenders, including Angelo Gordon & Co., CIT Group, and Credit Suisse, to receive the proceeds from the sale to settle about $318 million in debt. The lenders have said they intend to bid on the company.

The taping incident involves a meeting between company officials and some of its senior lenders at Philadelphia Newspapers’ Broad Street headquarters to discuss a possible negotiated settlement of the company’s debt.

Brian P. Tierney, Philadelphia Newspapers’ CEO, discovered Vincent DeVito, a representative of the CIT Group, taping the meeting. In Pennsylvania, taping a meeting without permission is a crime.

*** end quote ***

Interesting!

This has come up several times. In the context of Acorn. In the context of police actions. And, now this.

Shouldn’t it ALWAYS be legal to tape something that you are a witness to?

Putting on my Judge Judy hat, seems obvious to me.

Besides aren’t we always hearing: “This call may be recorded for quality assurance”?

I don’t get a choice. So what different.

Argh!

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INTERESTING: Temple restricts everyone’s free speech rights

Friday, April 23, 2010

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-lukianoff/temple-student-group-plac_b_537916.html

Temple Student Group Placed on Probation for Inviting Me to Speak?
Greg Lukianoff is the president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).
Posted: April 14, 2010 04:24 PM

*** begin quote ***

A Temple University student group was notified this morning that it was on probation because of me. Apparently Temple just decided I am either so dangerous or so important that I need security for a lecture on campus tonight (I promise I am neither), but since the group sponsoring me did not request security, it is on probation effective immediately.

*** end quote ***

Interesting!

What happened to “free speech”?

Temple University’s “about” page doesn’t say if it’s public or private. Regardless, it takes Federal funds so it’s a de facto Federal agent. Hence it can’t abridge free speech. So this “security fee”, and the flap over it, is chilling to the free speech rights of everyone.

Argh!

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INTERESTING: I have some anecdotal evidence that I never understood

Thursday, April 22, 2010

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/1201-glasses_help_parkinsons_patients.htm

Science Video
Glasses Help Parkinson’s Patients
Podiatrist Invents Device To Make Walking Easier For Parkinson’s Sufferers
December 1, 2007

*** begin quote ***

The augmented reality glasses simulate an effect called kinesia paradoxa: the triggering of normal walking behavior in akinetic Parkinson’s patients by the placement of physical obstacles at their feet. Sometimes such cues exist naturally, such as black and white tiles placed evenly on a floor. The black tiles appear as objects to avoid, or as guides, and trigger a reflex of landing the feet between the black spaces. Walking up regularly spaced objects like stairs triggers the same effect, and can “un-freeze” a person who otherwise has problems walking with a normal gait. Presenting virtual objects and abstract visual cues moving through the patientýs visual field at speeds that emulate normal walking can also achieve this effect.

*** end quote ***

When I read this i had a “Great Brother Jasper’s Ghost!!!” moment.

My Mom has just past. As she aged, she suffered terribly with Parkinson’s.

Growing up, she had spent a lot of money on black and white tiles through out the apartment. Maybe it was her way, even without knowing it, that she was compensating.

Wish I could tell the author. It might help him to another breakthrough.

I find this an interesting explanation.

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INTERESTING: The State is fostering worship of the Earth

Thursday, April 22, 2010

http://njtoday.net/2010/04/19/earth-day-at-the-e-a-r-t-h-center-2/

Earth Day at the E.A.R.T.H. Center
Monday, April 19, 2010

*** begin quote ***

SOUTH BRUNSWICK—Earth Day has long been a time to think globally and act locally. That’s why on Thursday April 22, Middlesex County’s office of Rutgers Cooperative Extension invites you to celebrate the 40th birthday of the modern environmental movement, with Earth Day at the EARTH Center in Davidson’s Mill Pond Park, 42 Riva Avenue, South Brunswick, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Families are encouraged to pack a picnic dinner and blanket to enjoy an evening in the park. The event is intended to familiarize residents with the EARTH Center’s theme of environmental stewardship and encourage them to take action in their own backyards.

*** end quote ***

Isn’t this the State fostering worship of the Earth or Gaia, (the Greek goddess of the Earth), as a substitute for all those other relations.

It’s taught in school.

And, why would they do that?

To increase their power over the Sheeple, silly Citizen. The Gooferment is the King or Tyrant of old and wants no limits on their power. Certainly not by a sect that teaches “Thou shalt not kill” and “Love thy neighbor as thy self”!

Now, personally, as a little L libertarian, I don’t care what you do or do NOT believe in. You can even adore the The Flying Spaghetti Monster and practice Pastafarianism for all I care.

I DO CARE when the State sets up a State Religion and that’s what Earth Day is!

imho

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INTERESTING: Corporations shift their IT costs

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/20/smartphone-mobile-iphone-technology-cio-network-blackberry.html

JargonSpy
The End Of The BlackBerry Elite
Dan Woods, 04.20.10, 06:00 PM EDT
Companies are increasingly allowing workers to use their personal smartphones for work.

*** begin quote ***

And now that smartphones are relatively inexpensive and many workers own one, companies are encouraging employees to use their personal phones for work. One retail executive told me that most of his employees were eager to use their personal phones to stay in touch with work e-mail, and some workers could be reimbursed for their phone and texting charges.

Increasingly, companies are attempting to bring personally owned smartphones into the fold of corporate IT, which in practice usually means providing access to MS Exchange or Lotus Notes. This fits into the vision of Organic IT in which corporate IT is delivered through personal technology.

*** end quote ***

This brings up some interesting questions like ownership, liability, wage ‘n’ hour, and exhaustion. All questions that the CxOs really don’t want to recognize.

When corporate data leaks onto an employee device with the corporations blessing, who owns it? Customer lists take to a competitor by a job changing employee leaps to mind.

What are the liability issues with agreeing to this? An employees answers a email while driving and crashes defends with “the boss made me do it”.

If an employee has to support “off-hours”, what’s the wage ‘n’ hour implications?

If an employee is exhausted and burnt out, what is the costs of the mistakes and replacing them?

And I’m not even a lawyer; just a fat old white guy injineer who has had to “do” it.

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INTERESTING: Goldman sachs AKA the “New York Generals”

Sunday, April 18, 2010

http://reason.com/blog/2010/04/18/first-they-came-for-the-crimin

First They Came for the Criminal Investment Bankers…
Tim Cavanaugh | April 18, 2010

*** begin quote ***

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s civil action against Goldman Sachs is a certified crowd-pleaser, and based on two iron principles — that you never argue with the audience’s taste and that everybody who has ever worked for Goldman Sachs needs to be executed without trial — it’s probably not something we should be disputing too heavily.

*** end quote ***

Why do I feel this is kabuki?

Is Goldman Sachs now playing the role of the New York Generals? Or the Boston Shamrocks, New Jersey Reds, Baltimore Rockets, or Atlantic City Seagulls. Or any one of another patsies? Playing to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Harlem Globetrotters!

We KNOW that Goldman Sachs is wired to the administration through little tax-cheat Timmy G.

We KNOW that Goldman Sachs has been “fronting” for the FED to allow them to appear to sell Treasury securities while buying them back the next day. Thus they are monetizing the debt. This is exactly what the Chinese fear. It’s hiding inflation.

We KNOW that Goldman Sachs has been manipulating the commodities markets. Specifically, the gold and silver markets. This could only happen with the CFTC and European participation.

So now you want me to believe that the SEC is going to take Goldman Sachs to the woodshed on trading losers to others knowing that the residential market was going to fall out of bed.

Please don’t make me laff!

Argh!

Corruption abounds.

Sorry, but I think this is “regulatory theater”! “Made-off” gave the SEC a black eye. And, Dodd’s “reregulation bill” is being laughed at. So some kabuki is in order to fool the Sheeple into believing in big gooferment again. So let’s trot out our captive resident Freddie Kruger and have the valiant SEC bureaucrats do battle to slay this dragon.

Goldman Sachs will probably plead out and be fined. And, the SEC will probably allow them to pay the fine with Confederate States of America Banknotes.

Argh!

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INTERESTING: Beck has Laffer and says 11% flat

Monday, April 12, 2010

Glen Beck has Laffer ont he TV show today. He says with 11% will fully fund the gooferment today at current levels. He points out that Jerry Brown want it at 13%, with the extra 2% to pay off the national debt.

Why not?

Other than taxes ARE theft! (If I’m going to be robbed, then I’m for them stealing much much less.)

Argh!

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INTERESTING: Scrabble doesn’t need new rules

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/7556429/Scrabbles-makers-to-allow-proper-nouns.html

Scrabble’s makers to allow proper nouns
By Stephen Adams
Published: 7:00AM BST 06 Apr 2010

*** begin quote ***

The games company said it would be introducing the rule change – the first in the game’s 62 year history – to “enable younger players” to get involved.

This could cause a power shift between the generations, with those possessing a keen knowledge of the top 40 singles’ chart legitimately able to cite such high-scoring examples as singers N-Dubz (17 points) and Jay-Z (23 points).

*** and ***

“There is no dictionary for proper nouns as such so provided the word played is an accepted spelling, rather than just a cheeky one made up by the player it would be acceptable,” she said.

*** end quote ***

Argh! Is this change for the sake of change.

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INTERESTING: A rigged game!

Friday, April 2, 2010

7-7-7-7 costs Pa. Lottery bigtime
By Peter Mucha Inquirer Staff Writer

*** begin quote ***

Talk about your lucky 7s.

Wednesday night, all 7s came up in Pennsylvania Lottery’s Big 4 drawing, resulting in a whopping $7.77 million payout to 3,107 winning tickets.

Even more oddly, the news comes on a day when the Super 7 jackpot is $7.3 million, and Cash 5’s top prize is $770,000.

The Big 4 payout was a staggering 1,573 percent of sales, according to lottery spokeswoman Kirstin Alvanitakis.

In other words: The lottery has to dish out about $7.2 million more than it took in for that drawing.

“We definitely lost money on the Big 4, that’s for sure,” Alvanitakis said. “But it’s great for our players. People love to play quadruple numbers.”

“It’s definitely not an April Fools joke,” she said.

*** and ***

“We operate our numbers games with the expectation that when triples or quadruples hit we will lose money,” she said. “Drawing triples and quadruples is great for the large number of our players who enjoy playing these number combinations.”

Besides, there is a safeguard. “We have a sales cutoff of $10 million for Big 4 for any number combination – including quadruples – to ensure Lottery’s liability does not exceed its ability to pay winners,” she said.

*** end quote ***

This agravates me on so many levels.

It’s the politicians “stealing” from the poor. Who plays these “games”? Poor people trying to catch a break.

And the economics are a joke. It’s a tax on stupidity. Which, thanks to the gooferment skrools, there’s a lot to go around.

Final note: Notice how they limit their losses. That’s unfair to the folks who get “locked out”.

It’s a losing proposition for EVERYONE!

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INTERESTING: Maybe the Great Apes are “smarter” than we are?

Friday, April 2, 2010

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100324094640.htm

Science News
Great Apes Know They Could Be Wrong, Research Suggests
ScienceDaily (Mar. 24, 2010)

*** begin quote ***

Dr. Call concludes: “The current results indicate that the looking response appears to be a function of at least three factors: the cost of looking inside the tube, the value of the reward and the state of the information. The combination of these three factors creates an information processing system that possesses complexity, flexibility and control, three of the features of metacognition*. These findings suggest that nonhuman animals may possess some metacognitive abilities, too.”*Metacognition: cognition about cognition, or knowing about knowing.

*** end quote ***

Sigh, I thought I was smart, but I could be wrong. Can some one explain this to me?

My tool set stopped at “thinking about thinking” with DeBono.

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