My condolences to our friends in the Bay Area, now that the BART workers are on strike. Sounds like a good week to take Friday off. The worst part of the strike is probably that now Sgt. Tom Haymond will have to drive to work (hope his black Jag is in OK enough shape to drive). Good luck to striking workers, but they seem to be in kind of a tough position, PR-wise. I don’t know all the details, but from what I’ve read, the union has already agreed to increase employee pension contributions from the current 0% to 4%, and have already agreed to about a 56% increase in healthcare costs (from $92 to $144 a month).
The two sides are about 4% apart in terms of pay, however, with BART offering 12% and the union asking for 15.9% (this is where the bad PR comes in, I think – hard for some schmuck who hasn’t had a raise at all in a few years or has had to take a cut to feel sympathy for somebody turning down 12%, especially when they have to walk to work or are sitting in traffic ‘cuz the trains are shut down).
BART is also refusing to allow a neutral arbitrator to rule on a package of benefits that workers currently get, but which BART wants to get rid of (call in sick, work four days and get paid overtime on the fifth day, leave projects in the middle of a job to go work on something else, get paper check stubs instead of electronic notices).
Personally, I could live without the paper “advice” I get, even though I have direct deposit (not only do they have to print the damn things, but they then actually mail them to me at home, which seems dumb), and I’m not sure about leaving one thing to go do another. Doesn’t seem like a “perk” to me – seems like responding to the most urgent needs. As for OT, although I’m not personally eligible for it, it’s always been my opinion that OT should be paid for anything over 8 hours in a day, not based on how many total hours you worked that week.
Anyhow, good luck to both the BART workers as well as the folks who have to find a way to get to work. I hope this is over sooner rather than later.
No commuting for me today, thank goodness. But I suppose I ought to get back to work.
My brother-in-law has healthcare! Finally! He’s a union carpenter but, due to the economy and a terrible accident involving his hand, has not had union work for a couple of years, thus no healthcare. He found a policy for under $200 a month and he is relieved and pleased.
Of course he is leading us down the path to dependency and socialism but he doesn’t seem to mind.
Cool! I’m fully prepared to become dependent on socialism.
Sounds like he should consider diability….
That’s great, Sue!
Thanks for the concern, pj. I had the occasion last night to attend our occasional Music Geezer Night in the East Bay because the King of the Geezdom is over from England for a few weeks. I heard about the possible strike so I drove the old Prizm to Berkeley. We ran late and I delivered another BART passenger back to the Mission at the end of the night. I was also glad that I drove because it was 24th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake and I got to drive across the recently opened new bridge still in the shadow of the old span that had a section that collapsed in 1989. It was a little spooky because the hulky old bridge is still standing there completely dark under the almost full moon.
Night before last I went to see a pair of great docs that some friends made. I met a younger guy at an after-party and some note comparing led to him revealing that he was working on a new doc of his own. He gave me his card so we could work on getting him some connections in Acadiana for some Cajun music but I lost it so I was trying to get to him via FB. Among our 9 mutual FB ‘friends’ were Break Room Live, Maron, Brendan, W. Kamau Bell, and Kent Jones.
Now I have to get back to figure out how to install Windows 8.1 on this PoS laptop I have had for two months that I am about to throw in the towel on and just buy another one. Dell has been fairly useless getting it fixed even after two trips back to the manufacturer but they encourage you to deal with them rather the vendor. Of course this particular kicking of the can down the road makes it so I cannot return the LT to the vendor and Dell will not do anything to replace it now, just long useless wastes of time with their ‘customer support’.
😡 :fu:
Vern, I know how you feel. As I type, Mike is on the phone with Verizon trying to get my new iphone activated. We did activate it but it can’t make calls and calls to it go to voice mail. So far it’s been 20 minutes and no solution.
I thought could get some help from my iPhone to yours.
First I asked Siri, “why can’t Sue make calls from her iPhone.”
She said, “I can’t find anything for ‘why can’t you make calls from her iPhone.”
I asked again, trying to enunciate more clearly.
“I can’t find anything for ‘why can’t she’ll make calls from her iPhone.'”
Tried again.
“I can’t find anything for ‘why can’t shoe make calls from her iPhone.'”
So I just tried, “I can’t make calls from my phone.”
Her reply was,
“Uh, oh, I don’t have a phone number for Asshole.”
Sorry, I guess we can’t help you.
I had to disable Siri on my P.O.S. work iPhone — she was a pain in the ass and I found myself screaming at her whenever she interrupted me when I was trying to figure shit out (I kept hitting wrong stuff — I like my personal Droid way better). I do like being able to put features on “stifle” when I can’t stand them — just takes a while how to figure out how to do it these days. 😯 😡
Sorry about your connection problems, SP. I hate all the “new phone” craziness you have to go through when you have to (or choose to) replace the old one. The learning curve/fustercluck factor is always steeper for us old folks. 🙄
Well, meeting that fellow was certainly a coinkydink!
Phones…the new iOS definitely requires a learning curve. And it’s making some sick.
Siri is unavailable half the time on my phone.
I haven’t updated to iOS 7 because I’ve heard it hurts the performance on an iPhone 4s, lots of the supposedly nifty (and apparently nauseating) “features” don’t work, and the battery life is reduced. Plus once you update, you’re not allowed to go back to the older version.
I’m content to stay with 6, at least until work gives me a droid.
Never had Siri kick in unexpectedly, though, so I don’t how that happens. She gets testy when you question the genius of Steve Jobs, though.
Having my older model iPhone hand-me-down means that I am automatically precluded from any of the ‘joys’ of new OS and apps and updates and Siri. Of course I am still stuck with ATT. I am sure that end times are in the effing and I guess I need to start paying attention to my options. My friend who used to give me his older Apple products in better times has just taken advantage of the same real estate boom/bubble in SF that is pushing me out and is in contract to sell his place. He says he will be updating his gear when all settles out so I may again be dragged back in to the core. Still there will be one big trip to the iBoneyard when I do move.
This is why I don’t play soccer.
Well, that and I’m old and fat and would have a heart attack if I tried to run 100 meters.
Oh, we all know that’s not why you don’t play soccer and never did. It’s just not real “football” to you. :slap:
I saw that story this morning and it creeped me out all day, but I see that kinda shit (and worse) at work every day, so it shouldn’t. Their parents obviously had some good insurance coverage and certainly were great about taking it all in stride. Good for them! :blues:
I played soccer in gym in high school, and quite enjoyed it, thank you very much. I didn’t play on the team because I wouldn’t have been good enough, and also I had one job or another after school as soon as I turned 16. Fun to play, but I find it kind of boring to watch – at least on the teevee.
Now, Australian Rules football – that’s real football.
You call that football/futbol? This is football! Pretty white, too! Angus!
Speaking of football…
Bum Phillips, Colorful Football Coach, Dies at 90
A Ted Cruz on Every Corner
By GAIL COLLINS
Have you noticed how many lawmakers from Texas were doing crazy things during the government shutdown debacle?
We need to discuss this as a matter of simple justice. These days, when you say “Texas†in the context of heavy-breathing Republican extremism, everybody immediately thinks of Senator Ted Cruz. Which is really unfair when there are so many other members of the state delegation trying to do their part.
I am thinking, for instance, of Representative Randy Neugebauer, who harangued an innocent park ranger about a shutdown-shuttered war memorial, insisting that the ranger and her colleagues should be “ashamed of themselves.â€
Or Representative Louie Gohmert, who created a mild diversion when he charged that John McCain, an opponent of the shutdown, “supported Al Qaeda†in Syria. (McCain said that he did not take offense because “if someone has no intelligence, I don’t view it as being a malicious statement.â€)
Or Representative Steve Stockman, who accused the president and House Democrats of “curb-stomping veterans.â€
Or Representative John Culberson, who cried “Let’s roll!†in an apparent belief that shutting down the government was equivalent to resisting 9/11 terrorists.
Or Representative Pete Sessions, who summed things up rather neatly with: “We’re not French. We don’t surrender.â€
See? Share the credit.
The nation keeps searching for signs of a resurgent political center, but there aren’t many hopeful peeps coming out of Texas. The pragmatic Texas Republican establishment is pretty much on its back, hyperventilating.
The old center-right standard-bearer, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, is desperately trying to wipe out his reputation as a mainstream politician while he runs for re-election.
“I don’t know about you, but Barack Obama ought to be impeached,†he told a Tea Party gathering recently, with more fervor for the cause than for grammatical construction.
Texas Democrats, who haven’t won a statewide race in a generation, spent the last decade whimpering and waiting around for all the Hispanic children to grow up and start voting. However, this year, they have an exciting candidate for governor: Wendy Davis, the state senator who starred in that famous 11-hour filibuster against anti-abortion legislation this past summer.
Some people think Davis, who is canny, energetic and attractive, might actually have a chance to win. But anybody who could just raise money and get 45 percent of the vote would be the party’s biggest star since Ann Richards.
Davis’s opponent will probably be the state’s attorney general, Greg Abbott, who has already amassed enough cash to buy Nebraska. Abbott once provided supporters with his vision of the attorney general’s duties: “I go into the office, I sue the federal government, and then I go home.â€
So there’s that.
Even the bottom of the ticket is going to have little sparks of strange. Next year, the race for Texas land commissioner will feature a new-generation Bush, Jeb’s son George P. The singer Kinky Friedman says he’s running for the Democratic nomination for agriculture commissioner on a legalize-marijuana platform. The rest of us will just sit here and mull the fact that Texans feel the need to make these jobs elective.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Gov. Rick Perry appears to be planning to run for president again. And since Ted Cruz is pretty clearly planning a run, too, there could be two Texans in the Republican primary debates. Maybe an all-Texas ticket!
While Cruz has been trying to win the hearts of American voters by spreading fear, terror and economic chaos, Perry has been wandering around the country, criticizing other states for their high taxes and bragging about job growth in Texas.
Economic development has, indeed, been impressive, thanks mainly to the state’s plentiful land and cheap housing. On the downside, a large part of Texas seems to be running out of water. Once the presidential debates kick off, perhaps Perry’s opponents could lift their water glasses and make sloshing sounds every time he talks about growth. Ross Ramsey, a columnist for The Texas Tribune, suggested the governor’s critics might carry bags of gravel to remind the world that Texas’ undermaintained roads have deteriorated to such an extent that the highway department has let some of them revert from pavement to pebbles.
This week, Perry’s in Israel, burnishing his foreign affairs credentials and promoting the Texas economy. Do not expect a critique of the Israeli tax code.
In Texas, there’s so much craziness, it’s hard for a normal crazy to get attention. Imagine an election year with both Perry and Cruz on television every night. To get any airtime, the Texas guys in the House of Representatives would have to call for impeachment while bungee jumping. While waving “Secede!†signs. While carrying unconcealed weapons.
Remember the Alamo.
Well, I just got the call and my new hand-me-down iPhone is coming sooner than later. I wonder if I can just change out the SIM card without changing anything else? Last time it wasn’t that easy when they figured out I had a different phone that they wanted to subject it to newer (and more expensive) plans.
I am hoping Geno & the Jets might just work.
Well they pulled one out of their asses today, that’s for sure.
Pats fans are a little pissed, kind of like Saints fans were last week. If you put yourself in that tight of a position, you are asking for trouble.
Tough shit for them.
I have a similar feeling for the Red Sox fans. I think that chances are Boston wins the Serie. The only reason I barely favor the Cards is because they are the NL entry. I wish Detroit had prevailed in the AL. Then Fux would have :crap: over the ‘ratings’. The good thing about not caring that much is I can miss the hideous Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the booth. It can only be worse because Tim is apparently retiring. I wish he could take Joe with him. Of course, neither was trained at SU.
Speaking of Siri. I don’t think she will be in my ‘new’ iPhone. I am hoping I can still run iOS 6 with it.
I don’t really pay much attention to baseball, but I don’t like the Red Sox. I’ll go with the Cardinals, just because they’re in St. Louis and not Phoenix.
Before I begin to transfer iPhones, I can already see that most likely resistance is futile.
Marie Bartaromo (sp?) yesterday declared that 60% 0f young folks were either out of school out of work or both. I have no idea what the other 40% are doing. I believe those who are neither working nor going to school are indeed a concern. But, those who are working but not going to school or going to school but not working seem OK to me. I had no idea it was a good thing to be both going to school and working.
I had a good time in college. But working and going to school made take twice as long for me to finish school. It was a relief to only have to work. Perhaps I should have aspired to that other 40%. Maybe they are unpaid interns.