January 31, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, England -- A museum visitor tripped on his shoelace, stumbled down a stairway and fell into a display of centuries-old Chinese vases, shattering them into small pieces, officials said Monday.
The three Qing dynasty vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th Century, had been donated to the Fitzwilliam Museum in 1948 and were among its best-known artifacts. They sat on the windowsill beside the staircase for 40 years until the mishap Wednesday.
"It was a most unfortunate and regrettable accident, but we are glad that the visitor involved was able to leave the museum unharmed," museum director Duncan Robinson said.
Margaret Greeves, the assistant director, said the porcelain vases "are in very, very small pieces, but we are determined to put them back together."
By the Associated Press
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Must See TV: Bubbles and Bo
OK, the year’s second Woodbury Town Board meeting has hit the airwaves and 2006 is becoming the year of Bubbles and Bo.
Not at Town Board work sessions on Mondays, mind you. No TV coverage Mondays so why should they bother?
But on the first and third Thursday of the month, there they be.
Getting it to the people, getting it on the air and, most of all, getting it wrong.
Bo said that this is the first two party board in ten years or so.
Actually it’s 4 years.
And, he said, back then the majority (Republican) board members beat up mercilessly on the single Democratic member.
OK, that one’s wrong too. The only regular attacks on the Democrat, James Galvin, came during the public comments, from members of his own party. Some of the regular Galvin muggers were Bob Donnelly and John Burke (whatever became of those guys?)
Bo then threatened some unspecified retribution against any board member who dared be mean to Johnny Burke.
Guesses as to what Bo had in mind are welcome.
Bo ended by asking that the Town do an audit and make it available to the public “unlike the previous administration.”
Not only was an audit already done, it has been available at Town Hall for all to see for close on to a year.
BUZZZZZ! Sorry Bo, you lose, but thanks for playing and please enjoy the home version of our game.
Our next contestant is a home-wrecker – oops, sorry – home-maker, from Highland Mills, Ms Darlene Reveille.
Darlene reported that she had, in fact, FOILed the audit and that it was incomplete.
This is interesting for a few reasons.
First, the audit was only put out to the public after it was completed (in early 2005) it was never available in partial form.
But even more interesting,
this past year Darlene has repeatedly mentioned
documents that she had FOILed from the Town
–and yet –
a FOIL for a list of Darlene’s FOILs
(boy this is getting complicated)
showed that as of November 2005, Darlene hadn’t FOILed
ANYTHING! Nothing! Zip! Zilch!
Wow, there must be some perfectly rational explanation. Probably one along the lines of Darlene saying “I managed the Department of Health in Garfield, NJ” as short hand for “I somehow managed to hold onto my job at the Dept. of Health in Garfield, NJ.”
Stay tuned.
This is gonna get real old, real fast.
Not at Town Board work sessions on Mondays, mind you. No TV coverage Mondays so why should they bother?
But on the first and third Thursday of the month, there they be.
Getting it to the people, getting it on the air and, most of all, getting it wrong.
Bo said that this is the first two party board in ten years or so.
Actually it’s 4 years.
And, he said, back then the majority (Republican) board members beat up mercilessly on the single Democratic member.
OK, that one’s wrong too. The only regular attacks on the Democrat, James Galvin, came during the public comments, from members of his own party. Some of the regular Galvin muggers were Bob Donnelly and John Burke (whatever became of those guys?)
Bo then threatened some unspecified retribution against any board member who dared be mean to Johnny Burke.
Guesses as to what Bo had in mind are welcome.
Bo ended by asking that the Town do an audit and make it available to the public “unlike the previous administration.”
Not only was an audit already done, it has been available at Town Hall for all to see for close on to a year.
BUZZZZZ! Sorry Bo, you lose, but thanks for playing and please enjoy the home version of our game.
Our next contestant is a home-wrecker – oops, sorry – home-maker, from Highland Mills, Ms Darlene Reveille.
Darlene reported that she had, in fact, FOILed the audit and that it was incomplete.
This is interesting for a few reasons.
First, the audit was only put out to the public after it was completed (in early 2005) it was never available in partial form.
But even more interesting,
this past year Darlene has repeatedly mentioned
documents that she had FOILed from the Town
–and yet –
a FOIL for a list of Darlene’s FOILs
(boy this is getting complicated)
showed that as of November 2005, Darlene hadn’t FOILed
ANYTHING! Nothing! Zip! Zilch!
Wow, there must be some perfectly rational explanation. Probably one along the lines of Darlene saying “I managed the Department of Health in Garfield, NJ” as short hand for “I somehow managed to hold onto my job at the Dept. of Health in Garfield, NJ.”
Stay tuned.
This is gonna get real old, real fast.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
AND SO IT BEGINS
The first Woodbury Town Board meeting under the guidance of the honorable John Burke has come and gone.
Burke set the tone of unity by voting against Sheila for the planning board. Magnanimity in victory! What a class act!
Erroneous did the same, but for different reasons. By the way, he’s now Deputy Supervisor. Sleep easy the Town’s in good hands tonight (Cato, pack my bag!).
Sheila was found acceptable by the rest of the board.
In the "Know Your Neighbor" Department. Burke pointed out, repeatedly, that he had had discussions with Harriman Mayor Steve Wells. Close, but no cigar. His name is Welle and we’re guessing he kinda likes to have the the people who run the two Towns his village sits in know that much, at least.
The fun part of the evening, Public Comment, while brief, did not disappoint.
Fred Ungerer demonstrated the art of the partial truth, twice. He mentioned that "some individuals" were suing the town over the the Brodsky Project. He neglected to mention that his wife was one of them. He then said that , because Sheila was named in the lawsuit, it might somehow be a conflict for her to serve on the planning board. The logic in that escapes the Uncle, but if it’s in there somewhere, wouldn’t the same logic also apply to John Burke and Mike Queenan, who are both named in the lawsuit the town is facing over the Village of Woodbury petition?
Bubble Reveille got up and made her version of Bo’s old foot-holding speech. A year and a bit ago, just after he had lost to Colleen, Bo Haviland got up and announced that he would be coming to every town board meeting from then on, to "Hold your feet to the fire." He wasn’t seen again for about 8 months.
Bubbles pointed out that she had nearly won, and would have, except for the fact that she didn’t and so she will serve the town in her own special way and no one had the nerve to ask what that was. Some people present feared that it involved cats in some way.
But it was the Rump Roast herself who managed to hit the low point for the evening and then head down from there. Carol Mullooly, proving that if there is anyone dumber, trashier or more hateful in town, they are locked in a basement, announced that Sheila’s appointment to the planning board left her "frightened...frightened for the future of the town." She also seemed to suggest that since Sheila was throw out of office she out to go away.
Burke had nothing to say.
The ladies of the board were less reticent and pointed out to Carol that she was a #%*&, a $%@!# and stupid too.
Swiller, wearing a jacket and tie and looking as if he had just come from his Bar Mitzvah, was the evening’s designated adult. In calm and measured tones he explained that Sheila’s knowledge of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) was of untold value to the town and that we were lucky to have her on the planning board.
I tell you, that boy is sweet as pie.
Burke set the tone of unity by voting against Sheila for the planning board. Magnanimity in victory! What a class act!
Erroneous did the same, but for different reasons. By the way, he’s now Deputy Supervisor. Sleep easy the Town’s in good hands tonight (Cato, pack my bag!).
Sheila was found acceptable by the rest of the board.
In the "Know Your Neighbor" Department. Burke pointed out, repeatedly, that he had had discussions with Harriman Mayor Steve Wells. Close, but no cigar. His name is Welle and we’re guessing he kinda likes to have the the people who run the two Towns his village sits in know that much, at least.
The fun part of the evening, Public Comment, while brief, did not disappoint.
Fred Ungerer demonstrated the art of the partial truth, twice. He mentioned that "some individuals" were suing the town over the the Brodsky Project. He neglected to mention that his wife was one of them. He then said that , because Sheila was named in the lawsuit, it might somehow be a conflict for her to serve on the planning board. The logic in that escapes the Uncle, but if it’s in there somewhere, wouldn’t the same logic also apply to John Burke and Mike Queenan, who are both named in the lawsuit the town is facing over the Village of Woodbury petition?
Bubble Reveille got up and made her version of Bo’s old foot-holding speech. A year and a bit ago, just after he had lost to Colleen, Bo Haviland got up and announced that he would be coming to every town board meeting from then on, to "Hold your feet to the fire." He wasn’t seen again for about 8 months.
Bubbles pointed out that she had nearly won, and would have, except for the fact that she didn’t and so she will serve the town in her own special way and no one had the nerve to ask what that was. Some people present feared that it involved cats in some way.
But it was the Rump Roast herself who managed to hit the low point for the evening and then head down from there. Carol Mullooly, proving that if there is anyone dumber, trashier or more hateful in town, they are locked in a basement, announced that Sheila’s appointment to the planning board left her "frightened...frightened for the future of the town." She also seemed to suggest that since Sheila was throw out of office she out to go away.
Burke had nothing to say.
The ladies of the board were less reticent and pointed out to Carol that she was a #%*&, a $%@!# and stupid too.
Swiller, wearing a jacket and tie and looking as if he had just come from his Bar Mitzvah, was the evening’s designated adult. In calm and measured tones he explained that Sheila’s knowledge of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) was of untold value to the town and that we were lucky to have her on the planning board.
I tell you, that boy is sweet as pie.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
While Blue
The Uncle was feeling sorry for himself when three thoughts occurred to him:
The list of what is possible is far longer than we can imagine.
Fortune changes in the blink of an eye.
Never fold when you can check.
The list of what is possible is far longer than we can imagine.
Fortune changes in the blink of an eye.
Never fold when you can check.
Monday, January 02, 2006
The Swiller Wakes
The Uncle, who is as lazy as it gets, is happy to announce that Swiller has sent us a missive to go on the mainpage. Yay, something to print here without working up a sweat.
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BLOGGER WHO CALLS HIMSELF SOCAWATCH
You trumpet yourself as some sort of community organization, with position papers and all. But, in reality, you are merely an anonymous blogger, as disengaged as Uncle Betty. At least he (or she, or, most likely, they) is/are both pretty funny and quite well informed. You are neither.
As someone who worked hard for two years, building the recognition of the name SOCA, first in the Southern Orange County Alliance, then, when that was paralyzed by my former partner, Joe Ferguson, those of us who were active in that group formed SOCA At Work. Legally, you can use any name you want. But, your use of the name SOCA is a great deal less ethical than you parade around proclaiming yourself to be. Good people worked hard to build up a name that you traduce from the shadows. That’s wrong and it is cowardly.
You repeatedly treat specific condemnations of Gedalye Szegedin as attacks on the people of KJ as a whole. There are enough of those to deal with that to invent more merely weakens your arguments and gives cover to someone who deserves exposure. Szegedin, largely through his hired flak Ari Felberman, are actively exploiting anti-Semitism for their political ends, and I believe they are, in fact, willing to fan that hatred for those ends. If so, it is one of the worst things that a Jew can do.
In the Monroe election, Felberman and others in the KJ ruling hierarchy, committed fraud in order to influence the outcome of the election. To defend them is to defend their behaviour. And "them" - according to the rules of grammar and logic - refers to the preceding identified group - "Felberman and others the KJ ruling hierarchy." I mention this because you seem to wallow in victimhood, greedily seeking new examples of bias, whether they are there or not. This is not only counterproductive it is neurotic, and, at bottom, totally sterile.
Yes, point out anti-Semitism. Loudly. But do it under your own name, openly and with the facts behind you. If, in the end, by your standards, every Christian is shown to be a bigot, you will have accomplished nothing. If, on the other hand, by using hardcore, irrefutable proof, you are able to convince non-Jews that there is a problem that must be addressed, you will have done something worthwhile. It is a lot more difficult. Perhaps it is beyond your abilities.
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BLOGGER WHO CALLS HIMSELF SOCAWATCH
You trumpet yourself as some sort of community organization, with position papers and all. But, in reality, you are merely an anonymous blogger, as disengaged as Uncle Betty. At least he (or she, or, most likely, they) is/are both pretty funny and quite well informed. You are neither.
As someone who worked hard for two years, building the recognition of the name SOCA, first in the Southern Orange County Alliance, then, when that was paralyzed by my former partner, Joe Ferguson, those of us who were active in that group formed SOCA At Work. Legally, you can use any name you want. But, your use of the name SOCA is a great deal less ethical than you parade around proclaiming yourself to be. Good people worked hard to build up a name that you traduce from the shadows. That’s wrong and it is cowardly.
You repeatedly treat specific condemnations of Gedalye Szegedin as attacks on the people of KJ as a whole. There are enough of those to deal with that to invent more merely weakens your arguments and gives cover to someone who deserves exposure. Szegedin, largely through his hired flak Ari Felberman, are actively exploiting anti-Semitism for their political ends, and I believe they are, in fact, willing to fan that hatred for those ends. If so, it is one of the worst things that a Jew can do.
In the Monroe election, Felberman and others in the KJ ruling hierarchy, committed fraud in order to influence the outcome of the election. To defend them is to defend their behaviour. And "them" - according to the rules of grammar and logic - refers to the preceding identified group - "Felberman and others the KJ ruling hierarchy." I mention this because you seem to wallow in victimhood, greedily seeking new examples of bias, whether they are there or not. This is not only counterproductive it is neurotic, and, at bottom, totally sterile.
Yes, point out anti-Semitism. Loudly. But do it under your own name, openly and with the facts behind you. If, in the end, by your standards, every Christian is shown to be a bigot, you will have accomplished nothing. If, on the other hand, by using hardcore, irrefutable proof, you are able to convince non-Jews that there is a problem that must be addressed, you will have done something worthwhile. It is a lot more difficult. Perhaps it is beyond your abilities.
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