Our state legislature is about as messed up as you can get, and the City government in Syracuse can be quite dysfunctional as well. But our county government is top notch. ongov.net is in my opinion a great example of what good government should be. They've even got election law links: http://www.ongov.net/Board_of_Elections/regulations.html
If there are third-parties that you care about (Conservative Party, Working Families Party, Independence Party, etc, etc) vote on their ballot line in the Gubernatorial Election. Any party that can get 50,000 votes for Governor is automatically granted ballot access for the next four years.
I already do, for pretty much the same reason as I registered independent.. I don't want to give the big two any more reason than they've already got to feel like they're running a duopoly. If a candidate is running as a Democrat or Republican and a 3rd party, If I'm going to vote for them, it'll be on the 3rd party row.
Incidentally, are you registered in the Independence Party of New York or just a blank party enrollment? There is a difference that not everybody understands.
I'm independent("I do not wish to enroll in a party" on the registration form), not Independence. I do understand the difference (as well as the prudence in asking the question.) Basically, when I registered I did so with the feeling that I didn't want to be beholden to any group, like my vote was somehow more "mine". Of course, logically, I know what I do with my vote is my business alone regardless of party affiliation, and as I've mellowed a bit on that point as I've gotten older (just turned 31), I'll probably go ahead and enroll as a Democrat to be a more useful cog in the machine.
I've looked at my county website, apparently, Election Inspectors (in my county at least) are paid $100 for primary's and $150 for a general election. Not huge amounts of cash obviously, but enough to make taking time off work that much easier to cope with (I had always thought this was a purely volunteer job). I think I'm going to go for it.
Thanks of the information, I'm a life-long New Yorker and was actually considering volunteering (I can't imagine what's going to happen to the 80 somethings when the machines are gone) but haven't actually done the legwork of researching what's involved.
Since you've offered to answer questions, I'll offer a couple. I'm registered as an independent, I typically lean Democrat on most issues, but prefer not to "belong" to anyone's party. Would I still be useful as an independent, as most things seem to require at least one Democrat and one Republican? Do you generally work in the district where you vote, or are you specifically assigned another district, or do you just get assigned where needed? If you work in another district, do you have to vote absentee? (My understanding is that volunteers work the whole day, but let me know if I'm wrong on that account as well.)
There is no existing paper-ballot system in New York. We have for decades used mechanical lever machines. Difficult to make a mistake, and tampering would be highly physically evident. As I watched the fiasco's in Florida and Ohio, with all their uncertainty, as a New Yorker, I've never had reason to believe that my vote might not have counted.
Voting is always quick and easy, a couple of minutes in line, a minute in the booth, and I'm on my way. I usually vote between work and picking up the kids from the sitter, it's quick enough that the sitter doesn't even notice I'm a couple minutes behind. It's so painless, as a mater of fact, it can almost make you forget what an awesome processes you're taking a part in.
My guess for next year is I'll need to pack up the kids to get in line and hope the wait's not too long. But I'll have a chance to explain to them the importance of waiting in the line. Of course I'll also loose that warm fuzzy feeling of knowing for certain that my vote counted.
Simpson's wisdom:
Inspector: Apu Nahasapeemapetilan, you have disgraced the Kwik-E-Mart Corporation.
Apu: But, sir, I was only following standard procedure.
Inspector: Ah, true. But it's _also_ standard procedure to blame any problems on a scapegoat or sacrificial lamb.
Up to 5 Mbps/2 Mbps:
Residential:$49.99
Business Dynamic:$74.99/month 1 yr, $59.99/month 2 yr
Business Static:$114.99/month 1 yr, $99.99/month 2 yr
Up to 30 Mbps/5 Mbps:
Residential:$179.95
Business Dynamic:$364.99/month 1 yr, $349.99/month 2 yr
Business Static:$404.99/month 1 yr, $389.99/month 2 yr
So it can be as little as $10 for the lower speeds if you're willing to beat yourself over the head with a 2 year contract otherwise it's $25, but when you get to the higher speeds. It's minimally $170 (almost double)
These are the national prices BTW, I'm sure that there are better deals to be had in some locations
Same here, they put the fiber on the polls in my neighborhood close to a year ago, every couple of months, I check their availability site (most recently today, With all the fanfare about DSL being available, it took me a minute to find the tiny line that said still no FIOS for you). When I walk the neighborhood I look to see if anyone's connected, and there's not a one, so I'm assuming it's not a problem with the web's availability data.
I don't think that I'm going to bother looking anymore, I know just about every TOS prohibits hosting a webserver, but I didn't know that they actually blocked port 80. I have a hand me down machine in my basement (yes, it's my basement, not my Mom's) running Gallery so I don't have to send eMails with huge picture attachments. I know that there are alternatives to picture sharing now, although there weren't as many when I set the server up to begin with. I like being able to run my machine my way, and I believe my maximum concurrent users was 3, I don't see how Verizon could reasonably object. But of course they're not reasonable, they don't have to be, they're the phone company
What gun? Since he was in a public session with a former presidential candidate I'd imagine that he'd been patted down and wanded just to get in the door, so he wasn't really a threat to the public or the officers. So the gun analogy really isn't relevant.
If someone is waving a gun around, they wouldn't be fooling around with a taser they'd shoot them. Someone waving a gun around is a danger to the officers and to the public, this kid was a nuisance at best.
If someone did have a weapon the police would presumably tell said individual to drop or put down the weapon, an appropriate response would be OK, I'll put down the gun. Well, it seemed like they very much wanted the kid out of the auditorium, he indicated he was willing to leave.
It seemed to me he started with disbelief at what they were doing, it seemed silly, because the authorities initial reaction was so out of line with logic, he then moved realization that they were while irrational quite serious ("help me", "OK, I'll leave").
For all of that, I could say that I disagreed with their actions, but wouldn't call them wrong. But then... The kid was on the ground, with an officer on top of him, and 5 others surrounding him, and the only thing remotely threatening was his attempt to defend himself. The kid was on the ground, restrained not going anywhere, and indicating he was willing to leave and then he was tasered, while helpless. The tasering was clearly done as a punishment not a method of restraint.
All that being said, I believe that most cops are good, and trying to do the right things for the right reasons, in the face of overwhelming challenges. But, I also think that they should be held to a higher standard. If they screw something up at work, the consequences can be far worse than a normal person screwing something up at work, and I don't think that anyone who would use a taser in the manner shown in that video meets that higher standard.
The police seemed to intervene way too quickly, Kerry said, "It's OK, let me answer his question" there didn't seem to be much in the way of trying to politely get him to sit down or leave, it seemed to go awfully quickly to arrest. The kid shouldn't have tried running back down the aisle, but he seemed pretty freaked out over being hasted so much over what appeared to be nothing, and the police were blocking the door. They had him on the ground, he was yelling what did I do, followed by please somebody help me (a seemingly reasonable plea considering the way he was being treated). I heard him say, if you let me up I'll leave, If they had done so and he didn't leave, then I'd say using greater force would have been warranted. He was on the ground restrained by not less than 6 officers, and could clearly be heard saying please don't tase me, while being held on the ground.
He was reasonably well restrained when they tasered him, therefore is wasn't an attempt to subdue him, it was an attempt to punish him.
The police were very lucky that the guy seemed quite annoying, had they assaulted someone a bit more likable, other students might have tried to help him, which likely would have evolved into a riot, and of course the police would probably have blamed him for that too, when the trigger point was obviously them overreacting. That video was hard to watch, I couldn't imagine trying to sit there and just watch such an injustice happen. Although, obviously it's best that no-one tried to help, with all the video cameras running, there's no way the police can hide from what they've done. I'd like to think that whoever actually used the taser and whoever should have been in charge won't be cops much longer.
If someone is willing to taser someone who is being held on the ground in a room full of cameras, just imagine what they'd be capable of when they think no-one's watching.
You don't need a set top box for analog cable, it doesn't mean much any more, but most tv's made in the last couple of decades are "cable ready" meaning you can just plug the cable into the back of the tv and go, no set top box required. Of course you don't get premium channels, PPV, on demand, etc.. but in my area at least you can get a good 70 or so analog channels off the Time Warner cable, and it sounds like I've got at least 5 more years before I've got to worry.
"I can reluctantly understand having to show a permit to fish, a permit to drive and a permit to carry a weapon. Having to show a permit to exist is a scary idea which I got a strong taste of today."
He was a passenger. He was not attempting to drive(pilot) a 1.5 ton(3,000lb+) vehicle at 68 MPH (nearly 100 ft per second).
The point is, the officer agreed that Circuit City had no right to detain him, and he wasn't about to drive off, he was going to sit in the car while his father drove off. He had done nothing wrong, and was not going to operate a motor vehicle, but was nonetheless asked to produce a license to operate a motor vehicle, as he was not going to be operating a motor vehicle, he was in essence being asked for, in his own words, "a permit to exist"
I give up my receipt at BJ's since it's part of the membership contract to do so, anywhere else I generally ignore such a request, if they have no reason to suspect I have shoplifted, they have no reason to demand my receipt. But if I was faced with faced with some asshat who was willing to run out into the parking lot and throw himself in front of my car, would I stick to my guns and call the police for their unlawful detainment, or would I say fine asshole, here's my fricking receipt, now get out of my way.
As Mr. Righi proved, even if you're in the right, getting the police involved is dicey at best. Even if they don't wrongfully arrest you like happened here, you're still making yourself an enemy of officer friendly. Your car could be spotted a week later and you'd get a ticket for going 1 mile over the speed limit. Or perhaps, he'll wander over and bust out you headlight with his billy club, and then give you a ticket for your broken headlight. (I know this one's stretching it a bit, but it's certainly not impossible.)
By sticking up for his rights, Mr. Righi helps everyone, If he gets a decent settlement from Circuit City (and I don't see any reason why he shouldn't), the knucklehead manager might think twice next time. And a small victory is gained for everyone's rights.
Making a stand like this isn't easy, and it's not something everyone is in a position to do, for every incident like this, there are probably hundreds of others where someone gives up their rights for the sake of convenience.
Innumerable people have died for our country's independence, and for the sake of freedom around the world. If you are willing to treat such freedoms as trivial, over time it belittles the efforts to earn them in the first place.
While there may have been yellow brick roads in America, Baum spent much of his childhood living along a road of "golden hewed hemlock planks" of the United States first "plank road"
http://syracusethenandnow.org/History/LFBaum/Wizar dOfSyr.htm
If so many US citizens are aware of this bullshit going on in their country, why is nothing done?
What would you have us do? Attack the museum with pitch forks and burn it down? It was created by private citizens. The down side to freedom of speeh is that alot of speech is stupid.
I'm parafrasing a quote that I can't remember the source of, but The way to combat bad ideas is not attempt to silence them but to make them irrelevant with better ideas.
Raw was on Spike for some time, or it's predecessor TNN actually, then Spike. Wrestling on the Nashville Network, that makes just as much sense (Although at that point they started calling theselves the National network.)
TNA existed well before the creation of Spike, their origional plan was to PPV only, but they have evolved into a minimal tv presence on Spike. Spike certainly didn't "create" TNA.
Not that I don't think ECW on sci-fi isn't stuipd.
I just don't understand how some people have such poor results, I have several CFL bulbs that are approaching being 20 years old. These are bulbs that are in my basement, so they're not used contantly, but there are many days where they'll go through 6 or more power on/off cycles (the parents turn the lights off training) and there also many occasions where they'll be left on for days at a time when I'm not using the basement (lakcing constant parent nagging, I have slipped a little) typically during the week, I'll notice light out of the basement window when coming home at night. 20 years even under light use is pretty impressive to me. And of the bulbs that were origionally installed I think I've replaced more because of physical damage than "burn outs".
Slashdot Mirror
http://www.ongov.net/Board_of_Elections/inspectors.html
Our state legislature is about as messed up as you can get, and the City government in Syracuse can be quite dysfunctional as well. But our county government is top notch. ongov.net is in my opinion a great example of what good government should be. They've even got election law links:
http://www.ongov.net/Board_of_Elections/regulations.html
I already do, for pretty much the same reason as I registered independent.. I don't want to give the big two any more reason than they've already got to feel like they're running a duopoly. If a candidate is running as a Democrat or Republican and a 3rd party, If I'm going to vote for them, it'll be on the 3rd party row.
I've looked at my county website, apparently, Election Inspectors (in my county at least) are paid $100 for primary's and $150 for a general election. Not huge amounts of cash obviously, but enough to make taking time off work that much easier to cope with (I had always thought this was a purely volunteer job). I think I'm going to go for it.
Since you've offered to answer questions, I'll offer a couple. I'm registered as an independent, I typically lean Democrat on most issues, but prefer not to "belong" to anyone's party. Would I still be useful as an independent, as most things seem to require at least one Democrat and one Republican? Do you generally work in the district where you vote, or are you specifically assigned another district, or do you just get assigned where needed? If you work in another district, do you have to vote absentee? (My understanding is that volunteers work the whole day, but let me know if I'm wrong on that account as well.)
My sincere thanks in advance for your time.
Voting is always quick and easy, a couple of minutes in line, a minute in the booth, and I'm on my way. I usually vote between work and picking up the kids from the sitter, it's quick enough that the sitter doesn't even notice I'm a couple minutes behind. It's so painless, as a mater of fact, it can almost make you forget what an awesome processes you're taking a part in.
My guess for next year is I'll need to pack up the kids to get in line and hope the wait's not too long. But I'll have a chance to explain to them the importance of waiting in the line. Of course I'll also loose that warm fuzzy feeling of knowing for certain that my vote counted.
Simpson's wisdom:
Inspector: Apu Nahasapeemapetilan, you have disgraced the Kwik-E-Mart Corporation.
Apu: But, sir, I was only following standard procedure.
Inspector: Ah, true. But it's _also_ standard procedure to blame any problems on a scapegoat or sacrificial lamb.
From episode [1F10] Homer and Apu
I think you've made a wise decision. You obviously grossly underestimate what's involved with being a parent.
Up to 5 Mbps/2 Mbps:
Residential:$49.99
Business Dynamic:$74.99/month 1 yr, $59.99/month 2 yr
Business Static:$114.99/month 1 yr, $99.99/month 2 yr
Up to 30 Mbps/5 Mbps:
Residential:$179.95
Business Dynamic:$364.99/month 1 yr, $349.99/month 2 yr
Business Static:$404.99/month 1 yr, $389.99/month 2 yr
So it can be as little as $10 for the lower speeds if you're willing to beat yourself over the head with a 2 year contract otherwise it's $25, but when you get to the higher speeds. It's minimally $170 (almost double)
These are the national prices BTW, I'm sure that there are better deals to be had in some locations
I don't think that I'm going to bother looking anymore, I know just about every TOS prohibits hosting a webserver, but I didn't know that they actually blocked port 80. I have a hand me down machine in my basement (yes, it's my basement, not my Mom's) running Gallery so I don't have to send eMails with huge picture attachments. I know that there are alternatives to picture sharing now, although there weren't as many when I set the server up to begin with. I like being able to run my machine my way, and I believe my maximum concurrent users was 3, I don't see how Verizon could reasonably object. But of course they're not reasonable, they don't have to be, they're the phone company
If someone is waving a gun around, they wouldn't be fooling around with a taser they'd shoot them. Someone waving a gun around is a danger to the officers and to the public, this kid was a nuisance at best.
If someone did have a weapon the police would presumably tell said individual to drop or put down the weapon, an appropriate response would be OK, I'll put down the gun. Well, it seemed like they very much wanted the kid out of the auditorium, he indicated he was willing to leave.
It seemed to me he started with disbelief at what they were doing, it seemed silly, because the authorities initial reaction was so out of line with logic, he then moved realization that they were while irrational quite serious ("help me", "OK, I'll leave").
For all of that, I could say that I disagreed with their actions, but wouldn't call them wrong. But then... The kid was on the ground, with an officer on top of him, and 5 others surrounding him, and the only thing remotely threatening was his attempt to defend himself. The kid was on the ground, restrained not going anywhere, and indicating he was willing to leave and then he was tasered, while helpless. The tasering was clearly done as a punishment not a method of restraint.
All that being said, I believe that most cops are good, and trying to do the right things for the right reasons, in the face of overwhelming challenges. But, I also think that they should be held to a higher standard. If they screw something up at work, the consequences can be far worse than a normal person screwing something up at work, and I don't think that anyone who would use a taser in the manner shown in that video meets that higher standard.
He was reasonably well restrained when they tasered him, therefore is wasn't an attempt to subdue him, it was an attempt to punish him.
The police were very lucky that the guy seemed quite annoying, had they assaulted someone a bit more likable, other students might have tried to help him, which likely would have evolved into a riot, and of course the police would probably have blamed him for that too, when the trigger point was obviously them overreacting. That video was hard to watch, I couldn't imagine trying to sit there and just watch such an injustice happen. Although, obviously it's best that no-one tried to help, with all the video cameras running, there's no way the police can hide from what they've done. I'd like to think that whoever actually used the taser and whoever should have been in charge won't be cops much longer. If someone is willing to taser someone who is being held on the ground in a room full of cameras, just imagine what they'd be capable of when they think no-one's watching.
You don't need a set top box for analog cable, it doesn't mean much any more, but most tv's made in the last couple of decades are "cable ready" meaning you can just plug the cable into the back of the tv and go, no set top box required. Of course you don't get premium channels, PPV, on demand, etc.. but in my area at least you can get a good 70 or so analog channels off the Time Warner cable, and it sounds like I've got at least 5 more years before I've got to worry.
The point is, the officer agreed that Circuit City had no right to detain him, and he wasn't about to drive off, he was going to sit in the car while his father drove off. He had done nothing wrong, and was not going to operate a motor vehicle, but was nonetheless asked to produce a license to operate a motor vehicle, as he was not going to be operating a motor vehicle, he was in essence being asked for, in his own words, "a permit to exist"
I give up my receipt at BJ's since it's part of the membership contract to do so, anywhere else I generally ignore such a request, if they have no reason to suspect I have shoplifted, they have no reason to demand my receipt. But if I was faced with faced with some asshat who was willing to run out into the parking lot and throw himself in front of my car, would I stick to my guns and call the police for their unlawful detainment, or would I say fine asshole, here's my fricking receipt, now get out of my way.
As Mr. Righi proved, even if you're in the right, getting the police involved is dicey at best. Even if they don't wrongfully arrest you like happened here, you're still making yourself an enemy of officer friendly. Your car could be spotted a week later and you'd get a ticket for going 1 mile over the speed limit. Or perhaps, he'll wander over and bust out you headlight with his billy club, and then give you a ticket for your broken headlight. (I know this one's stretching it a bit, but it's certainly not impossible.)
By sticking up for his rights, Mr. Righi helps everyone, If he gets a decent settlement from Circuit City (and I don't see any reason why he shouldn't), the knucklehead manager might think twice next time. And a small victory is gained for everyone's rights.
Making a stand like this isn't easy, and it's not something everyone is in a position to do, for every incident like this, there are probably hundreds of others where someone gives up their rights for the sake of convenience.
Innumerable people have died for our country's independence, and for the sake of freedom around the world. If you are willing to treat such freedoms as trivial, over time it belittles the efforts to earn them in the first place.
While there may have been yellow brick roads in America, Baum spent much of his childhood living along a road of "golden hewed hemlock planks" of the United States first "plank road" http://syracusethenandnow.org/History/LFBaum/Wizar dOfSyr.htm
Your gas isn't more expensive, it's more taxed. If you strip away the taxes the price for "petrol", and "gas" are pretty close to each other.
If so many US citizens are aware of this bullshit going on in their country, why is nothing done?
What would you have us do? Attack the museum with pitch forks and burn it down? It was created by private citizens. The down side to freedom of speeh is that alot of speech is stupid.
I'm parafrasing a quote that I can't remember the source of, but The way to combat bad ideas is not attempt to silence them but to make them irrelevant with better ideas.
TNA existed well before the creation of Spike, their origional plan was to PPV only, but they have evolved into a minimal tv presence on Spike. Spike certainly didn't "create" TNA.
Not that I don't think ECW on sci-fi isn't stuipd.
I just don't understand how some people have such poor results, I have several CFL bulbs that are approaching being 20 years old. These are bulbs that are in my basement, so they're not used contantly, but there are many days where they'll go through 6 or more power on/off cycles (the parents turn the lights off training) and there also many occasions where they'll be left on for days at a time when I'm not using the basement (lakcing constant parent nagging, I have slipped a little) typically during the week, I'll notice light out of the basement window when coming home at night. 20 years even under light use is pretty impressive to me. And of the bulbs that were origionally installed I think I've replaced more because of physical damage than "burn outs".