Clarence Clemons

WFUV is running a tribute to saxophonist Clarence Clemons tonight, a week after the great E Street Band member’s death. I can’t say for sure, because he was always bringing great musicians into Trinity Church, but I’m fairly sure that Rob Mathes brought Clemons to our congregation on a Sunday a few years ago. For certain it was a guy who was just heck on a saxophone. Either way, I’ll miss Clarence Clemons.

All hat, no cattle, is my guess

Connecticut Demmerkrats “furious” over unions’ rejection of Malloy package. Anything’s possible, but I’d watch for a new tax on Fairfield County and unions to return to repose on their fat asses. But then, I’m a cynic.

Moving back to Third World standards

Abandoning an electrical standard, we’re going to an erratic, undependable power supply. Your clock, coffee maker, computer and factory machines are going to be off twenty minutes, up or down. Waiting for coffee or awakening late isn’t going to ruin your life but factory shut-downs just might. Obama promised in 2008 to shut down power plants and he’s doing it, but he’s obviously determined to do more than just that. I keep saying it, at the risk of sounding like a paranoid idiot: the man and his people are on a mission to destroy the United States.

UPDATE: A reader says I’m totally off base with this and since I know nothing about electricity and the reader seems to, I will acknowledge being corrected. I’d pull the post but that would be cowardly, no?

UPDATE II: well now a number of readers who also know something about electricity have written in to confirm my basic hunch, which is that electrical motors need a non-varying source of power. I (try to) run on logic, even when I lack specific knowledge and that leads me into trouble, often, but maybe not in this case.

Not saying that they shouldn’t, but this doesn’t help

WSJ: Tighter mortgage standards squeezing home buyers. Laid off two years ago? Forget it. The high rollers who take out a million-dollar tax mortgage won’t care, but I have a lot of buyers who actually can’t afford to buy a house for cash.

Oh my god, now I have this Cohens woman after me

She’s already emailing me (posting here, actually) repeatedly, as she did our late lamented BOE chief, threatening law suits and the like. She claims she didn’t report the sorry conditions of our schools to the WSJ and I suppose she didn’t, but it wasn’t the WSJ that sent me a copy of her comments.

Again – there’s nothing wrong about screaming about our lousy skools – I just don’t think this woman should be on our BOE.

UPDATE: at that Newport conference yesterday my fellow panelist Richard Vetstein, a (real) lawyer, cautioned against stirring up trouble. I grabbed the mike and confessed that, on the contrary, there was nothing more fun than stirring up controversy and if blogging weren’t fun, why bother?  The difference probably explains why he’s such a success.

Ginger ale

These all sound delicious, albeit expensive, via the Wall Street Journal. I have also discovered Honest Tea, sold at Stop and Shop for a buck a bottle. Two teaspoons of sugar and that’s it – not sweet, not bitter and to my palate, just right.

This is not good for Greenwich real estate values

It seems that School Board member Mairianne Coen (sp), whose own kids attend private school, has persuaded the WSJ to report on the distress in our public  schools. I’m not suggesting that problems with our schools be buried – I report on them regularly – but for a school board member to be actively seeking out the Wall Street Journal to generate stories on the subject when so much of our real estate market depends on the Wall Street market well, I think the woman is unhinged and on a mission. My choice? Vote her the hell off the School Board and let her go off on her own sniper mission. Don’t give her a pseudo air of authority.