pecunium

I will be in Seattle from Friday morning 27 Jan, , until Monday morning; 30 Jan. (we leave the hotel not later than noon), to attend Conflikt; at the Holiday Inn, SeaTac.

The Con starts at 6:30 p.m., and ladymondegreen is leading a workshop 7:30. We will probably be doing some travelling about in town, Saturday evening is pretty full, which means if people aren't available early on Friday, that meeting up is probably a Sunday evening thing, with the convention ending, officially, at 5:30 p.m, with a dinner break before people return to sing until they can't stand any longer.

We will have a rental car; but if people want to meet for dinner it needs to be either Kosher, or vegetarian (sushi is doable, because she can eat raw fish).

Yesterday I got a call saying that a friend of ours had an extra ticket for "The Daily Show, with Jon Stewart", and it was mine if I was willing to brave the weather.

D'uh.

So I got dressed, hit the Path, grabbed an E Train to 50th, walked over to 11th Ave, and no one I knew was in the line. The drill for the Daily Show is, get a twitter feed saying there are spots open, be one of the people who fills out the form in time, and show up before 1430. First come, first served. If you want to have someone who isn't with you get a ticket they have to show before 1600, at which time it's open to all.

But my party found me, we got tickets, and then went to grab a bite eat. We'd been told to be back at 1645, but we (along with lots of others) misheard that as the line would start being admitted at 1645, so we were all there at about 1635... in the roughly 30F weather. They let us in early.

There is a metal detector. If you have a bag, you have to leave it (with a piece of ID). If they see you using a phone, iPad, etc., they will collect it. They are (with some justification) worried about photos/surreptitious taping. About three people had their phones collected. The wait is sort of timeless. The set is evenly lit, and nothing really changes for the hour, or so, one is sitting. It's a studio, so the space is cavernous. They play music, and people are sitting. I had a book, and passed the time reading, and chatting with my friends.

The Warm-up guy came out. I don't know if this was a tough crowd, or if the Daily Show attracts that sort of person, but it's a good thing he has a low-key Don Rickles ability, since the folks he called on weren't the most outgoing sorts. His first person was the friend who had the extra ticket... I don't recall just what he said, but it was a bit deadpan. Then he called on a kid (the minimum age is supposed to be 18, but this kid wasn't (he was with his parents, which may have made the difference. There were some other people who looked to be in the 15-16 range too). The kid balked at giving his name, that was when the Rickles-lite came out. It wasn't too bad.

Then came the guy with the accent. When the warm-up duded asked if was from England, the answer was no. When he asked where he was from the response was, "How many other countries do you know". The guy was from Australia, and not being cowed; there was a bit of back and forth and he moved on. The point was, of course, to get us loosened up. The stage is a sinkhole for sound. The chuckles you hear on the telly... deafening in the studio.

Stewart came in, did a few minutes of warm up. We'd been told he'd take questions, and that the odd non-sequitor which starts so many shows comes out of that. My friend asked him, coming from a comedy background (he's done a fair bit of improv), what was like to be speaking truth to power. Stewart took exception to this, and I know why.

As he explained he gets compared to serious news personalities (I forget if it was my friend, or Stewart who mentioned Cronkite), and he's not that. He's doing a comedy show. Yeah, they did a survey asking who people trusted more, a trio of the taking heads, or Stewart, and Stewart came out on top, but (said Stewart), a sequined dildo would have beaten them.

Which is probably not true, but I think, in the larger context, the kernel of what Stewart is really doing, and why people like his stuff is there. It's, oddly enough, in the reference to Cronkite. People trusted Cronkite. They thought he had integrity. Not that he didn't have a personal set of views, but that he didn't let them intrude into his work. That's why Nixon said, "If we've lost Cronkite, we've lost the American people."

Stewart seems to have that same sort of integrity. When he's talking about how the news is made with Wallace, or O'Reilly, one can see it. He's skewering the ways in which that sense of integrity seems to have gone by the boards. When a big deal is made of, "The War on Christmas", and that's treated as being as important as the economy being in the toilet. When the arrant obstructionism of one party, and the feckless lack of spine in the other is lost in the hoopla over, well just about any hoopla... be it the Kardashians, or Michael Jackson's doctor's trial, or that annual outrage fest over the war on Christmas (right... last night I saw commercials mentioning the need for follow on items to make those Christmas presents better.... replete with Santa Claus; but next November, as the turkey and pumpkin pie are settling in the stomach of America, Bill O'Reilly will be waving the bloody shirt of the "War on Christmas" to rally the reactionaries, and distract from real news).

In his five minutes of focus, Stewart talks about real things, and points out the Emperor, if not naked, is running around in his underwear.

The taping, was fun. We were loud. My friend and I can be heard, if you knew what to listen for, at the, "I look forward to the day I get to hear, "We are all Austrians"; because it took a minute for most people to process.

There is a non-sequitor joke at the beginning, a smile and a nod to the audience. I don't think the show (or Colbert, which I'd also like to attend) would still be going without the audience, and, for all the schedule has got to be brutal; the crew seems to be aware of it, and to appreciate it. It's worth going. If you go, be loud, it's all done in long takes. Each segment is done, front to back, in one single shot, and they are good. You may not be able to see, because of the cameras, but the graphics are on the monitors.

And there's no bleeping when someone says, "fuck".

If you want to watch the episode is starts here

I just didn't order some brewing equipment from, Learn to Brew, LLC, by way of Amazon.

It was a five gallon carboy, a bottle capper, some caps, a carboy sling, some bungs and an vapor lock. The total for the order was about 60 bucks. The shipping, standard ground, delivery date 1-3 weeks, came to more than 50 dollars.

I figured this must be because of the carboy being hard to package. Since there is a brewing supply in Queens, I figured we could go to get it. So I droped that from the order, which reduced my goods to about 30 bucks, and the shipping to 29 dollars and change.

I went to their website (which is not user friendly. The stoppers don't say what size bottle carboy they fit, and the "continue shopping" button doesn't take one back to the page one was on, but rather to the homepage). From them directly, the shipping was 7.99.

So, whatever kickback Amazon gets from them, Amazon lost.

I don't know her. I've seen things she's written, and sent a bit of clarification about how seeing an eclipse through a pin-hole isn't time lapse. And I've never had cancer. But I know about how there are "bright line" events, things one does, or suffers, which divide the world into before and after. Things which separate one from the rest of the world, just a little, by making one part of a group most people will be lucky enough to stay outside of.

Here's to hope.

The Diagnosis

Was worse than I expected.

I had to fill out the application three times.

One as an application, two as transfer.

Why? Because they did a check to see if I was possessed of a valid license, once for each endorsement, auto and motorcycle.

It's not as if they sent them in the mail to Calif. No, they did it as a system to system records check.

Total fees, for this, $51.

Gods, but it makes Calif. look sensible. A whopping $15 is all I'd have paid there.

Then again, I look at the insanely low (and odd) fee schedule for vehicles,and I begin to understand why the roads here are so bad; and (perhaps, why the parking enforcement is so aggressive.

It's harder to get a Driver's license in NJ than it is to get a passport.

Which is good, because if I didn't have a passport I couldn't get a New Jersey Driver's License.

I need to have either, a passport, my birth certificate adoption Papers, Certificate of naturilization, or a New Jeresey ID/license not older than one year past expiration.

I also need

Civil marriage, domestic partnership or civil union certificate issued by the municipality or state in which the ceremony occurred. Please note: Photo copies are not acceptable. Certificates issued by religious entities are not acceptable.

Order or decree of divorce, dissolution or termination*

Court order for a legal name change, signed by a judge or court clerk*

Current US military dependent card

US military photo retiree card

Valid NJ firearm purchaser card

Or,

US school photo ID card with transcript or school records

US college photo ID card with transcript

Valid federal, state or local government employee driver license

Valid federal, state or local government employee photo ID card

US military discharge papers (DD214)

FAA pilot license

If I don't have one of those, I need two (but cannot use more than two) of the following.

Current/expired less than one year non-digital NJ PHOTO driver license

Current PHOTO driver license from any other state or the District of Columbia

Social Security card

Bank statement or record

ATM card with preprinted name and applicant’s signature. (Please note: An ATM card and bank
statement cannot be submitted together.)

Current health insurance card, prescription card OR Employee ID card with printed pay stub

State professional license

NJ public assistance card with photo (also known as a NJ Social Services ID card)

High school diploma, GED or college diploma

Property tax statement, bill or receipt issued by a New Jersey municipality

Veterans Affairs universal access photo ID card

(I'm not sure what that last is. I might have one).

To go with that, I need proof of address. Thankfully my bank has accepted my chainge address, because it's the only acceptable proof of address I am likely have without doing some really strange hoop jumping.

If I take all of that in, and surrender my out of state license, then I can be given one from New Jersey.

When I want to renew my license, it seems I need to do the whole thing over again.

I look at that list and the thing wich strikes me is how easy a lot of them are to fake. Does the State of New Jersey check every possible diploma with the school that issued it? If I have someone's SS number, how hard; given the way these things are linked, would it be to get a transcript to go with a "diploma"?

It's even easier to fake a DD-214. The clerks aren't going to know what is slightly screwed up if someone takes a look at this site it links to an online registry of DD-214s, just in case you wanted to get one which you could use to build a good fake: heck, here's one just asking to be grabbed. A little work to find the form online, and away you go). I have two DD-214s, and somewhere I am supposed to have an NGB-22, which is the equivalent form from my release from the National Guard. That's in addition to the Honorable Discharge I don't have a copy of of.

What, I wonder, is the difference between a non-digital PHOTO driver license and a digital one, and why can I use one of each? (at 1 point, and four points, respectively)?

What it does do is make it a lot more expensive (and hassle) to get an ID.


** IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
If your current legal name is different from the name on your civil birth certificate (e.g., your maiden name), then you must show legal proof of the name change. Legal proof = Certified marriage or civil union certificate, divorce decree or court order linking the new name with a previous name.

Note: A divorce decree may be used as authority to resume using a previous name only if it contains the new name and the previous name and permits a return to use of the previous name.

Food. I've been cooking again. I have three people to cook for, and the present situation afford me the time I need to adapt to the new conditions.

First, I have someone who keeps kosher, and I have someone who is lactose intolerant. That means some of my default behaviors have to change. I can't do cream sauces. My usual tricks of using butter to brown, flavor and finish dishes, are out.

I also have no nightshade in the repertoire, because Merav is allergic. No potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, or chiles.

Weds was impromptu. Merav took a fall on Tues. to the visit we had planned became company coming in.

I dashed to the store (the first time I've been on the motorcycle since a couple of days before I moved, call it a month), and got some chicken quarters, a couple of leeks and some cremini, and pine nuts.

Took a couple of onions, and one leek set them to caramelise. Browned the chicken. Put the oinons on the bottom of a deep cast iron pot, onto that I put parsnips and carrots, and then four of the thigh/drumstick quarters. Tossed in some fennel seed and some celery seed; let it simmer for about an hour. Then I chopped about 1 1/2 cups of mushrooms and let it finish.

Made a pot of rice.

The leeks and onions were a little more brown than I would have like (I think I need to get some heat diffusers without the central hole mine have), but they weren't more than a bit scorched. The pot liquor was all the sauce one needed.

Thus. I took the other two quarters, stood them on top of the tops of two leeks, and put some water under them so they could poach/steam.

Set that on the back burner; in a visionware pan, so I could see the progress.

I took some schmaltz from the browning for the previous nights fricasee, and put a couple of onions into it to sweat.

Took the various leftover "meat" rice from the fridge.chopped some more mushrooms, and carrots and parsnips. Put the mushrooms into the onions and cooked them into a sort of "duxelles crudo", in that I didn't mince them small, and didn't let them fall apart.

When the chicken was done, I took it out, shredded the meat off the bones, fished the leeks out of the pot and put the skin and bones back in, with the tops of the neeps and carrots, as well as the uncooked root end of the previous nights leeks, added water just to cover and set it to simmer.

Mixed the meat into the rice, and put it into a 175 oven for about 45 minutes.

Last night was more labor intensive. I'd roasted a kampucha, and a butternut, squash the say before. I pulled the meat from the shells, grated some ginger into it* , and mixed in not enough pine nuts. Be liberal with them.

I also made up some duxelles, mushroom heavy, and onion light.

Then I rolled out the pasta and made ravioli with the squash, and half-moons with the duxelles. All they needed was a bit of pepper, but brown butter would not have been amiss.

*be careful, the ginger is very faint to the nose, and shows up against the squash, taste the mix, or aim for less than you think you need. About 1" of fresh ginger, minced is probably not too much; I used a little too much, it wasn't unpleasant, but the flavor was more ginger forward than I'd have liked.

Malawi and Argentina have both told the international banking community to pound sand. Both of them survived.

This is Argentina's story


In May 2001, 11.6% of the population was living in extreme poverty and 35.9% were under the poverty line. Ten years later, the figure for extreme poverty is at 4.4% of the population and those under the poverty line at 15.3%. Argentina renegotiated its debt and balanced their international trade. The country abandoned its dependency on financial institutions and global capital. A stream of left leaning (considered populist by some) governments followed, giving preponderance to internal development and investment schemes. International media still portrays Argentina as an unreliable country (“not serious” according to a fairly recent article at The New York Times). However, the country has avoided further liberalization of its markets and impositions from the IMF, which always come with demands of budget cuts from public services and social programs. Every IMF loan includes a set of mandatory “recommendations” that deplete benefits and welfare schemes for the working class and poor and demands of compliance with Free Trade principles that hurt local economies.

Western economies currently battling the effects of a long term recession and pressures from the International Financial industry might benefit from adopting a few of the measures that Argentina put in place in the aftermath of the 2001 crisis. The US currently struggles with high long-term unemployment and a USD 400bn trade deficit. If the government implemented a strong program of workers run cooperatives that gave prevalence to training opportunities, full ownership of tools and facilities and fomented local manufacturing, the long term effects would most likely be unprecedented. Self-sustaining communities would shift to a model of “Buy Local”, not only for regionally produced food but also for consumer goods and services, with a focus on development and individual participation.

For most federal jobs working for 20 years gets one a pension. For some (elected office, presidential appointments), one day is all it takes.

If you have held more than one federal job you can collect multiple pensions (GHWb is getting one for his time as VP, one for his time as Pres. McCain gets one for his time in the House, and his time in the Senate, Hilary Clinton will get one for the Senate, and one for Secratary of State).


There is an exception. Anyone who has a military pension is denied, "concurrent receipt". Soldiers/Seamen/Airmen/Marines who earn a pension are not allowed to collect it, if they are collecting any other federal benefit. If I were to get elected to Congress, and appointed Secretary of State I would, in effect lose my pension. Every Dollar I'd be entitled to as a vet would be deducted from my pension as SecState (it's a little more complicated, because I have "compensation", which is non-taxable, so I'd see some advantage, but the average retired servicemember isn't in that boat).

Now they are looking to make that even less fair.

The plan is to make it so that veterans 1: have a 401K,and 2: can't collect until they hit, "traditional retirement age"

I see a lot of people complaining about the fact of military pensions kicking in at retirement... as early as 38. It looks like a really generous package. Lets say an E6 retires tomorrow. That's about 24,000 a year, plus medical (though it isn't automatically free, it's be means tested).

Odds are that person has less than well respected job skills, and isn't seen as being up to date in the field, even if it something which translates to the civilian side of the house (there isn't, for example, a huge applicabilty to interrogation in most companies). The management skills that being an E6 requires... might as well be time in the Chess Club in High School for all any employer I've interviewed with see it.

It's a bit easier for an officer; they are seen as being a cut above the common herd (which is not something proven by experience, but there are some very obvious holdovers from older ideas of class). They also have much higher pensions.

So someone who has, because they chose to serve a full career, somewhat less, apparent, utility, and a harder time getting employment, is going to face the added indignity of not getting the same sort of pension most other federal employees gets. Never mind the hardships they are underpaid for while they are in. Never mind the difficulties of being on active duty. Never mind that.

Nope, balancing the budget on their backs, while making it easier for Merrill Lynch to make a buck is the way to go.


Petition to Pannetta against the idea of making veterans' pensions a 401K

Yesterday I took a walk. Went out and got some brekkie, tried to see if living here felt any different than visiting (the answer is not, yet, not really; but that's a different topic, and really complex. Short answer... I live here, and I've moved/travelled so much that one place is much like another in some ways, and nothing like any other in other ways).

I rambled home. I figured I'd stroll past the local liquor store (we only moved a block and a half from where we were; the walk to the PATH is about the same, even if the entrance isn't; which is why it's about the same).

On my way I was crossing the street (and there is a one of those cultural differences, people cross when/how they like. Oddly my knowing the rules for jaywalking in Calif. helps me here... I just don't have to worry about the lights on the far corners, but I digress), and noticed a pigeon acting oddly as I got to the far sidewalk.

It seemed to be dragging a plastic bag. I moved to get a better look, which is when I saw two other people stalking the bird. It had managed to get it's head into the straps of the plastic shopping bag, and it was twisted. The two birds it was with flew off, but this one just walked a bit more.

I didn't really think about what I was doing, I just adopted the habits of stalking chickens and started to triangulate the line of probably escape as the other two people shifted. I was on the street side and they were corralling it toward a stoop.

As they got closer to me it decided to fly away and a snagged it.

That's when experience with chickens paid off. I snaked my right hand between its wings, flipped it over, got a better grip on the legs/belly and had a (mostly) quiescent bird in my hands. One of the guys started to try to unwind the bag and I told him to stop, and showed him where I wanted him to hold it. Then I pulled my knife out, and cut the bag off. He unwound what was left (though at that point it wast really necessary). I turned the bird up, and tossed it into the air, whence it flew away.

Then I actually took a look at the other people. Two men, mid-thirties, huge grins on all our faces as we said, thanks, each to the other and went our varied ways.