Saturday, December 31, 2005

Happy New Year!

I assume you've heard of Abramoffukah. It's sort of like the Jewish Fitzmas. Looks like it might start 2006 out right. Here's hoping, and have a happy one.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

TWU "wins" Transit Strike!

After days of negative coverage, The Times tells it like it is. the TWU totally won. I'm not really about zero-sum games, but if they're gonna make it into one, then at least the right side should win.

Go Roger!

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas!

First, a correction - azulita rightly pointed out that 35% of white NYers thought the TWU was to blame, which means that 65% did not. So Whitey, I apologize. You're off notice, for now.

Second, merry christmas chanukkah kwanzaa solstice festivus and a happy new year to you all.

Friday, December 23, 2005

Day 3



It ends. Yay!
I was driven in this morning by an fancy-ass towncar, sent to my door at 7:30 this morning. Although I am a lowly temp, my boss was having an early morning meeting presenting the budget to the chair of the company (Fortune 500, baby!) and she wanted me in early just in case. So I got to see how the other half lives. The answer? Really well. The funniest part? Because you need 4 people in a car to get below 96th street, blue note and azulita bundled out of bed at 7:30 and drove the few blocks down to 95th with me, and then went back home again. Much respect to them.
I did skate home though, my moment of glory passed.
So some thoughts about this whole situation.
Needless to say, we at BBD were all for the TWU. If they sold "Team TWU" shirts at Fred Segal we would totally buy them. The MTA is a horrible, rage-inducing, corrupt agency that lies (literally!) to the public on the regular. A couple of years ago it came to light that they were keeping two sets of books so they could plead poverty and raise the fare. I fucking hate the MTA. Hate.
What I also hate is all these ignorant assholes I've been seeing on the TV saying crazy time bullshit about the strike and the workers. Look - working in the subway is a shitty job. You deserve to be paid well for it. The very idea that 45K is an outrageous amount for a transit worker to make is insane. This is New York City. It's mad expensive. 45K here is like about 25K elsewhere. Why the fuck can't they make that much? If we assign value by how important a job is, the TWU has just proved that they are vital to this city and deserve to be compensated accordingly. The job is so shitty that MTA workers die (DIE!) much earlier than the rest of the population. Which is part of why raising their retirement age is such a big deal. Most of them don't live that far past 62. How fucking crazy is that?
If I read one more 28 year old currency trader bitch about how in capitalism you don't get a good pension and the TWU should just suck it up, and he doesn't know how he'll get from downtown to midtown and his holiday shopping plans have been messed up and those transit workers are so selfish, I gonna puke. Or kill. What the hell is more selfish than people who think that their own comfort or shopping is more important than the rights of future generations of blue collar workers? Because that's what they were striking about. Not for themselves - they got more or less what they were asking for - but for the workers yet to come. They struck because they refused to screw the next generation of transit workers with a worse contract than they themselves have. Can you imagine? People putting their asses on the line for others and not only themselves?
Contrast this with the complaints that they should enter reality and see that no one gets benefits like that anymore. WTF? Why the hell should we applaud the race for the bottom? Why should all benefits be slowly stripped away, even in times of prosperity? This city is the economic engine of the richest country in the history of the world and we are honestly trying to say that people who perform vital work should not be allowed to retire with a little bit of comfort? Come the fuck on. Is Wal-mart what we want to be the model for all employment? Should we applaud a future where there is no safety net because it allows corporations to make more money? Is that what we all want for our county? No safety net but record profits for Exxon? Instead shouldn't we all try to make our benefits better? Maybe pay the bosses a little less and the workers a little more? Look - if you don't get benefits like the TWU does, don't hate on them. You have two choices: become a transit worker or ORGANIZE so maybe you can get some bennies too. But don't give me shit about how the transit workers don't deserve shit. They deserve good life by virtue of being human beings, and so do you. They don't want to settle.
There's also a major racial component. NY1 did a poll that confirmed what you always suspected: white people blame the workers and colored people blame the management. By overwhelming margins, black and latinos in NY side with the TWU, whereas white folk feel just the opposite. Note that the TWU is mostly black and latino, and the MTA management (not to mention our billionaire acting like a prick these days mayor) are of course white.
Other unions are watching this. The TWU is one of the most radical and activist unions around, and if they cave things will be dire indeed. That's why the PBA, the teachers Union, and assorted others (including my old union, DC37) supported them.
So which side are you on?

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Reasons Why Lucy Lawless Rules

1. Xena. Awesome!
2. She's going to be on the January 18 Veronica Mars
3. Her message on her fan club site

Day 2



Rollerbladed again. Blue note and I had breakfast from the bagel place first, which made it festive. Then I worked until 10:00 at night. The good news? The sent me home in a car service.
Exhausted. Still, the skating to work is not so bad.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Day 1




Today I rollerbladed. Kinda fun, actually, but could get old fast.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Ooh the Excitement!

There might be a transit strike tomorrow! For the first time since 1980!
I would have to walk to work. It seems so retro. Keep posted...

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Gay Cowboys

Oh for god's sake go see the gay cowboys already! They rule.
Also, prize to the best "Brokeback Mountain" dirty pun.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

The Rage, part MCXVIII

From that notorious lefty rag The Wall Street Journal.
It may be the latest evidence of global warming: Polar bears are drowning.
Scientists for the first time have documented multiple deaths of polar bears off Alaska, where they likely drowned after swimming long distances in the ocean amid the melting of the Arctic ice shelf. The bears spend most of their time hunting and raising their young on ice floes.

As blue note pointed out, this just makes you want to kill. Peep the full article here (it's free).

Monday, December 12, 2005

Vivak

I hear you, people. I hear your calls. "Chiniqua!" you cry out, "WTF is this whole Vivica Novak business? Why does she have the same name as the Prince of Darkness? Is it just to make us more confused? Timelines of phone calls? Robert Luskin? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON??"
I hear your cries but I cannot answer them. I have no idea. As soon as I can figure wtf, I will tell you wtf, I promise.
All that I can tell you now is that it looks like people named Novak are selfish assholes.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Fuckers

This is such fucking craven bullshit.
The first Patriot Act was dropped in the middle of the night and slammed through congress without any real debate. Now they're trying to get people in a panic again. Fuck you, Mr. President. Fuck you for implying that if your fucking useless law that allows you to completely circumvent my civil liberties lapses for 10 minutes the terrorists are gonna get me. I don't believe your bullshit.

Friday, December 09, 2005

Out of the Loop

Sorry we've been gone, folks. Busy busy busy around here.
Today I have been simmering with rage.
The fucking congress passed more fucking tax cuts.
The fucking House and Senate have made an agreement on extending the motherfucking Patriot Act.
WHAT THE FUCK? Russ Feingold has vowed to filibuster it, and if I were you I would call his office and thell them you support him. (202) 224-5323. Go, now.