Archives › 2008 › January

Vallone, NYPD propose repeal of Enlightenment, modern science

In a proposal that we first thought had been written by The Onion, City Council member Peter F. Vallone, Jr., at the behest of the New York City Police Department, has proposed  legislation which, t use the description of Ellie Engler, of the United Federation of Teachers, would be the equivalent of “universally requiring permits [...]

Cryptome/Eyeball Series on Buckeye pipelines

[Originally posted at  Popular Logistics] Anyone interested in the issues discussed at  is likely to find Cryptome.org an – and its affiliated sites – invaluable resources. One of – The Eyeball Series – treats “Eyeball” as a verb rather than as a noun – and provides visual information – some declassified, some acquired as open-sour [...]

Here’s the Rub

By Todd Colby, poet, “Here’s The Rub:” Here’s the Rub Trees don’t look heavy but they are heavy and here’s the rub: you have to cut them down in order to weigh them I envision you interpreting this as a call to arms the axe is ready it is very shiny and there is special [...]

City Skip: lovely subway photographs

This was on the City Skip Blog: City Skip is the name of a blog – and while it seems to be the nom de plume of one person, it’s also the name of a group of some sort. The sort of conspiracy in which people get to attached to old things just because they’re [...]

At funeral, Mayor Giuliani calls cop a “hero;” in court proceedings, city claims officer caused his own death

We hold police officers to high standards of conduct – not least being truthful about bad outcomes that arise from their work. Part of the bargain ought to be that, in return, the government be equally frank towards police officers – and a high level of care in training and equipping them. As a citizen, [...]

Solar Boats – up to 60 passengers and 11 knots in Europe; NYC ferry service suspended

The Swiss Firm MW Line makes solar boats that are ferrying people around lakes and rivers in Switzerland, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The only backup power, apparently, is on-shore charging from the grid. They’re also the shipbuilder for the PlanetSolar project which plans to have a solar-only craft in the water ready for [...]

FDNY: Rope device saves firefighters life — amNY.com

Good news from one of our local fire companies, Ladder 102: From A.M N.Y./Newsday: Nearly three years after two New York City firefighters jumped from a burning building and plunged to their deaths, a 24-year FDNY veteran Monday became the first to use a widely hailed safety device to escape from a Brooklyn house fire [...]

“On It!”: Con Ed’s year – what’s Con Ed on?

Please note that this post omits any discussion of power outages. July 18th: Steam pipe explosion kills one near Grand Central Terminal; in the first four months of 2007, Con Ed found stray voltage at 1,500 sites October 8th: gas leak causes explosion in Harlem; December: Con Ed subcontractor is accused of stealing from customers’ [...]

United Nations headquarters complied with New York fire code – during Eisenhower Administration

But not since the Eisenhower Administration. Now, 55 years later, Marjorie Bloomberg Tiven – the mayor’s sister and the city’s chief of diplomatic protocol, has persuaded the United Nations to do the right thing: In January, the city’s Fire Department found 866 violations of the fire code. By October, less than 20 percent of the [...]


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