Real Change and Sense

First in a Series: Coping with Unemployment

2011-09-24T00:20:00.000-04:00

(Ed. note: this is the first in a series of posts in an attempt to help others to get back into the workforce, one step at a time. It's drawn from my personal experiences, from several months back, and has a happy ending, because that's how we do it in America.) #1: Fallout. It's a great day. You've answered a few emails and calls, things are going smoothly and you know you've got a chance to

Bucket List

2011-03-31T09:18:00.000-04:00

Without comment... and no, I haven't seen the film. - Get married / have beautiful and super-smart kids.- Work at an awesome job where I do what I love.- Own a home.- Go on an extended road trip with previously mentioned wife and kids.- Get mentioned on someone else's blog.- Get mentioned on a famous blog.- Get mentioned on a family member's blog. (Finally!)- Visit a foreign country.- Visit the

How True.. And Yet They're Unaware...

2010-08-26T14:30:00.001-04:00

Secret Codes You Aren't Meant To Know (UPHaa.com) via Know Common Secret Codes To Get A Head Start On Your Epic Escape (Lifehacker.com) Scroll down for codes used by international agencies. Code Pink: - Patient is under influence of illegal substances (UK First Aid organisations) How true.

Science, Fiction, and the Catholic Church

2010-08-26T11:42:00.004-04:00

I'm a sci-fi geek. I love Star Trek, Star Wars and pretty much anything having to do with space and military ship battles. It's escapist fantasy of the highest unlikelihood, but it's interesting all the same. It also gets my mind going - what haven't they said? What is missing here? What exactly did that person mean with that off-the-cuff comment? Filling in the pieces of the puzzle is, I

Jeff Boss: Idiot

2010-03-19T15:09:00.006-04:00

If you've lived or worked in the Newark area over the past few years, you know Jeff Boss.You know him from the many wonderful postings on the underpasses of Newark roads. Here's a small reminder, to help jog your memory.Obviously I blurred out the man's license plate - I'm not telling the NSA where he lives! He's got several postings on the Jackson Street Bridge....View Larger Map and near

More Wrongheaded Idiocy

2009-06-04T08:59:00.005-04:00

I'm pretty sure it's clear I hate greenies at this point. If not, the Hunterdon County Democrat provides several pretty clear reasons. Basically, NJ Transit wants to build a bus and rail station in Clinton Township, and the mayor and town council are against it. Why? Sprawl. Environmental crap. Supposedly heavy traffic. Yeaaaaah. See, here's the breakdown. We'll start with that, as we do

I Refuse To Accept "The Way Things Are" In New Jersey

2009-04-03T08:30:00.002-04:00

I'm mad as hell. For once, Governor Corzine is actually trying to do something to really fix a significant problem in New Jersey, and the public employees union is taking him to court to prevent it from happening. Let's start with the basics, as we always do and always should.Unions in the United States at one time had a just and rightful place in the bargaining process between employers and

Transportation 2: Electric Boogaloo

2009-03-16T07:45:00.006-04:00

This image infuriates me every time I look at it. It was created using Google Earth and Windows Vista's Snipping Tool (very handy). The red line is NJ Transit's rail operations in New Jersey. To the north is the Northeast Corridor line, operating from Trenton to New York City. To the south is the Atlantic City line, operating from Philadelphia's 30th Street Station to Atlantic City. The

Transportation In New Jersey

2009-03-11T10:08:00.003-04:00

I've had it up to here with people claiming that the only thing New Jersey needs to solve ALL of its transportation problems is the ARC (Access to the Region's Core) Project. It is ONE solution amidst a growing number of major problems with transportation in NJ. Today I'm pissed off at this moron in the Asbury Park Press claiming that special HOV / single user lanes will somehow solve major

I Gave Up Facebook, Not The Internet, So Here's What I Think About Our Situation

2009-03-05T09:04:00.010-05:00

In a previous post, I discussed what I thought could be done to try and keep the budget from going too far. Among the things I pointed out at the time were the similarities between computing resources and budget resources; namely, that over time, things creep in which we don't necessarily need and which invariably bog down and grind to a halt our other resources. With computers, this results in

2008-10-02T14:53:00.001-04:00

wants you to check out Palinmania! www.palinmania.com We'll be liveblogging tonight's debate!

One Day

2008-09-11T10:33:00.002-04:00

I woke up later than normal. It was a Tuesday morning, and I had a College English II class at 10. Bridget, however, had things to do on campus, and Danielle needed to be at her on-campus job, so unless I wanted to use the Newark Light Rail and the 31 bus to get to school, I was getting up and going with them. I got my shower, I got dressed, and hurried down the stairs and out the door to jump

Obamatons - Fun to play with!

2008-09-01T19:32:00.002-04:00

From: <> Hi JAmes,Thanks for the button [McCain/Palin button I sent out Friday on Facebook] ...nice try. One of the things I LOVE about America is that we can have different viewpoints yet still respect one another!!! I was a Hill supporter til the end. After watching O' BAma speak last night, I was convinced he was for me. Of course having Joe on the ticket really helps as he is brilliant and a

2008-07-30T00:14:00.001-04:00

says "we're HOME!!!" AT LAST!!!!!! YAAAAY!!!!

2008-07-28T18:52:00.001-04:00

says visitors are welcome because we have a private room now!!! WHEEEE HEE HEE!!!

2008-07-26T09:06:00.001-04:00

going into the delivery room with his wife within the hour. Updates to follow!

2008-07-25T15:07:00.001-04:00

wants you to know we've been pushed to tomorrow morning. Updates will follow at that time.

2008-07-25T14:12:00.001-04:00

wants you to know we've been bumped to later today due to 3 emergency C-sections. Updates to follow.

2008-07-25T10:22:00.001-04:00

and his wife are on the way to the hospital. Surgery begins around 1, and Charlie should be here between 2:30 and 3. Updates to follow!

2008-07-25T08:15:00.001-04:00

says today is the day. Going in at 11, going into surgery around 1, should be contacting everyone around 2:30 or 3.

2008-07-24T16:59:00.001-04:00

is officially out of the office until August 11!

Well that didn't take too long, did it?

2008-06-24T10:29:00.002-04:00

Now word in from FoxNews - apparently the Palestinian terrorists couldn't keep their rockets from going off... again... and we're left with the lesson again that you just can't trust these people as far as you can throw them. The next idiot to suggest peaceful overtures gets a steel baseball bat to the forehead.

Yes, Hillary Will Be Put Down At The Dem Convention After Losing

2008-05-04T09:08:00.004-04:00

FNC this morning ran a bit pointing out how The Pantsuit Mistress (HRC) had, earlier this week, compared her run for office to Eight Belles bid for the Kentucky Derby, only for everyone to see the poor horse break her ankles and be euthanized on the track after coming in second. There was also a point about how while she's tried to compare herself to Rocky Balboa, he too lost to Apollo Creed in

How Transit Needs To Work In The New York / New Jersey Area

2008-04-22T10:41:00.004-04:00

After yesterday's post, I did some reading. I like reading, especially about transportation services all across the fruited plain. My favorites, of course, are the local services in NY and NJ - PATH and NJ Transit. These services are very similar in a number of ways - both have stations in Newark and both have endpoints in New York City (NJT's is New York Penn Station, PATH is about a block

Technician's Approach To Political Issues

2008-04-09T13:52:00.004-04:00

I went to a desktop built into a stage at NBC several months ago, back when I still worked for them. A call had come in reporting that the machine was abysmally slow, and that there was a plethora of pop-up windows splashed across its screen where there ought to have been just one or two windows open. I brought my USB flash drive, full of portable applications and diagnostic tools, and plugged

Basics

2008-01-21T18:05:00.000-05:00

It starts the way it always starts. You find yourself reading story after story after story. Site after site, they've all got the news, they've all got some different turn or spin or view. The different points of view, it's what makes the internet absolutely wonderful but it also makes getting a clear idea as to what's happening and what direction things are going in, amazingly difficult.