Are there no shotguns?

After a prisoner destroys sprinkler valve and cell block, Greenwich cops look into preventing such damage in the future.

Good riddance to bad rubbish

New York’s Off Track Betting Corporation shuts down Friday, bankrupt. I dimly remember (1971) when this monstrosity began operations – it seemed like a bad idea then, and, it turns out, even a 17-year-old could know more than politicians. Of course, I wasn’t in on the take.

Uh oh

Thomas Keegan and GPD searching for beer-toting teens at Tod's Point, Greenwich Ct

I saw retired Lieutenant (I hope that’s his rank) Tommy Keegan today and he reminded me, as I well know, that it’s Keegan, not “Keagan”. Tommy’s my only friend on the force, so I want to keep that straight, and I’ve corrected my original misspelling of two days ago. Who the hell knew that the Irish could read? (Joke Tommy, joke – my great-grandfather was Irish!)

Ooh, you really don’t want to do this

Drunk hits not one, but two police cruisers at 3 in the morning in Byram. In my prime, I might have gotten him off for the first one, but two?

If true, maybe it’s time to just go home

Afghanistan president freeing top Taliban fighters in exchange for bribes. Why waste another American life? We can always nuke ’em.

It’s beginning to look a lot like “German Holiday”

These would be protected by the First Amenedment

Philadelphia orders “German Christmas Village” to remove the dreaded “Christmas” word.

Your tax dollars at work

National Gallery is exhibiting a daring display of an ant-covered Jesus, two brothers performing fellatio and all the other usual stuff. As Bill Quick points out, if they were all that daring, they’d substitute Mohammed for Jesus. Oh, they’re brave, these people, but not that brave.

“Words that must be said, is the theatre really dead?”

Railroad to nowhere

We’re talking cuts to Metro-North, while planning on spending hundreds of millions connecting New Haven to Hartford, or asshole to armpit, by rail.  Does this make sense? No.

They can vote, why can’t they ride the subway?

Don't forget to write!

Chicago: dead people getting free passes on trains.

Double dip coming in housing?

National averages mean little, but this might give you pause as a Greenwich buyer, and maybe a little incentive if you’re a seller.

New and Improved potato (e) cannon

New, improved potato cannon from Steyer Armanents

Old style

O

Who murdered Tycho Brahe?

My e-mail pal John Tierney discusses murder most foul. Fun article.

Entrapment defense? Going nowhere.

The usual suspects are squawking about the latest Muslim bomber having been entrapped, but if anything, the FBI has gotten even more sophisticated than in the 70’s, when law cases I studied upheld this sort of investigative behavior. In the present case of the mad mullah, agents warned him of the possible deaths of many children and urged him to consider prayer instead of violence. He opted instead for loading up a van with six 55-gallon drums filled with what he thought were explosives and headed off to Portland’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Fry him.

Did you notice, just BTW, that the Muslims in Portland universally refused to cooperate with the FBI when questioned about this maniac? What a group. I’m trying to be tolerant, but why are they here, and why do we let them stay?

Mr. Khan and Mr. Day said several people who worship at the mosque said that F.B.I. agents had knocked on their doors late at night on the day of Mr. Mohamud’s arrest, but that none had agreed to speak to the agents.

Did you know that this guy is still a Senator?

John Kerry calls on Israel to cede Golan Heights. Amazing. I thought he was windsurfing off Martha’s Vineyard, or something.

But if they fire just one, they’ll never fire a second

North Korea can produce two nuclear bombs a year.

No pictures until tomorrow, alas

Ferdinand Steyer, evil genius that he is, helped me assemble a basic potato cannon the other day and then put his mind to work redesigning it and delivered his creation this afternoon. My gosh! As Asher declared, “Ferdinand is a genius!” And indeed he is. I took pictures, but this idiot had his iPhone on video, and they won’t post. But believe me, the thing works like nothing else before. I’ll figure out how to get pictures up tomorrow, promise.

Search feature?

The wonderful folks at WordPress have given me instructions on how to add all sorts of neat-o – items to the blog, including restoring the search feature. I hope I’ve done that, but let me know. From the administrator’s seat, I get a different view. Between potato cannons, cats, clamming and trying to sell real estate, I’ve been neglecting the new blog template, but I’ll whip it into shape soon.

By the way, buyers are prowling around, if my own limited experience is any example. In all ranges, just so long as the price is reasonable. I wouldn’t call any of my clients a bottom feeder, just cautious. They’re making good bids and sellers are responding. If you aren’t getting offers, then I think you’re over-priced for the current market. But talk to your agent – marking to market does not necessarily mean having to take a deep bath, you just may have to lower your expectations. There’s a difference.

What I said – Ireland, default!

Save the Euro (even if that’s not really possible).

Ireland would save the world from much misery by defaulting now and driving the vampire banks into liquidation.

The alternative title for today’s entry is: Ireland, please drive a stake through the heart of the vampire banks which have the world by the throat. The entire controlled demolition of the Eurozone’s finances can be summed up in one phrase: privatize leverage and profits, socialize losses and risk.

The basic deal is this: protect the bank’s managers, shareholders and bondholders from any losses, while heaping the socialized losses and risks on the taxpayers and citizens.

While there are murmurings of “forcing bondholders to share the pain,” any future haircut will undoubtedly be just for show, while the Irish pension funds are gutted to bail out the banks.

 

This time we really, really mean it!

Global warming kooks have been warning us that if we didn’t act immediately in 2002, 2003, 2004, etc., it would be too late to save the earth. Well those deadlines have come and gone, so can’t we all just set about figuring out how to cope with a warmer climate? Nah – now they want to mandate strict rationing on the western world so that the Chinese and Indians can all buy cars. Of course this is insane, but the question is, why do nutters like these get press coverage?

I heard a scientist, a global warming believer, by the way, interviewed this morning by BBC. His basic premise: we’ve all been lied to by alternative energy advocates – there is in fact no reasonable alternative energy alternative to fossil fuels (or nukes). Wind power, solar energy, cow farts, none will provide the energy necessary to run our world. His advice was to get busy adjusting to warmer temperatures. Sounds right to me.

Cat

 

Asher with male cat - name to be decided