Friday SUPERTRAIN Blogging

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/T4D_uBhauIE/friday-supertrain-blogging.html

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Thread For Libby

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/BVZb_N_kVI0/thread-for-libby.html

Her plaintive tweet called to me....

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YARD SALE 7/11 IN BALL SQUARE
hey everyone,

YARD SALE TOMORROW AT 94 PEARSON AVE (2 min walk from the bike path) FROM 10-3. NO EARLY BIRDS PLEASE
among the items we will have for sale are:

WOMEN'S CLOTHING (SIZE S,2,4)
WOMEN'S SHOES SIZE 7-7.5
MEN'S CLOTHING (SIZE M)
MEN'S SHOES (SIZE 9)
2 148 CM FORUM SNOWBOARDS WITH BINDINGS , BARELY USED
RECORDS, LPS, 7"S (INDIE ROCK, HARDCORE, SCREAMO)
VHS
DVDS
CDS
BOOKS (MAINLY CONTEMPORARY FICTION)
MUSICAL EQUIPMENT (PEDAL BOARD, ROLAND KC500 KEYBOARD AMP)
CANON ELPH 3 MP DIGITAL CAMERA
HTC DREAM G1 GOOGLE PHONE (WATER DAMAGED, AS IS)
PYREX
"QUIRKY" "ART"
MISC JUNK THAT MAYBE YOU WANT
WACOM 12 X 12 ARTZ II DRAWING TABLET (W/ USB ADAPTER)
TI - 83 GRAPHING CALCULATOR

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

this is right around the corner from a 7-11. stop by and then get a FREE SLURPEE

Current Mood: awake

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So I got a parking ticket about a month ago in Davis Square. I was about to pay it online, but I  see they have a $3 convenience fee (yikes!). I was going to pay by phone but the number that they give is (617) 625-1951 is out of service. Is there a number that anyone knows about that I  can call. Perusing the Somerville site hasn't been terribly productive and I'm out of state, so I can't go in person or anything.

I know it may seem like I'm being cheap, but I'm a student, unemployed, and 3 bucks for a 20 dollar ticket seems a bit...excessive. I may just suck it up and do it, but I'd rather send a check and pay about forty cents for it due to postage than to pay 3 bucks for a convenience fee (the highest I've seen out of the 3 cities I've gotten parking tickets in).

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Lunch Thread

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/M9X5MVuRKmY/lunch-thread_10.html

enjoy.

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Looking for Crash Space in Portland (plus Plunderathon)
Joel and I are going to be in Portland for Plunderathon on Saturday and will need a place to sleep (from about 1am on Sunday morning until about 8am). Any chance one of our delightful Portland friends can put us up? A place close-ish to downtown would be best, but we'll take what we can get.

So, what is Plunderathon? It is a 12 hour pub crawl that starts at the Skidmore Fountain. Apparently, a ton of people show up and it is great fun. Everyone is in garb, so dress like a pirate if you plan to attend.

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Oh Ricky

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/DzYZWD0_NDk/oh-ricky.html

I'm sure every now and then a reporter gets to craft a sentence s/he really enjoys.

Hampton initially reached out to Fox News urging them to report the affair, but Ensign admitted the affair before news outlets made it public. In an interview that aired Thursday, Hampton accused ex-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), a Fox News contributor, of leaking word of his letter to Ensign.

A phone call to Santorum's assistant at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and an e-mail to Santorum's personal account were not immediately answered Friday morning.

(emphasis mine)

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Wanker of the Day

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/4XzTxkOL-t0/wanker-of-day_10.html

Ron Wyden.

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looking for a dogsitter
Okay, it's almost August. My comprehensive exams are the 7-9, and I need to have something resembling a scope of field (his word was "sandbox") for my dissertation to my advisor by the 11th or so. Once those things are done, I get to go to FRANCE, which will be a lovely place to recover from the process of forcing my brains through a sieve.  I have places to eat, places to stay, plane tickets, passport, fun people to hang out with----but A and I are both going, which leaves both a dog and a cat without people. Okay, yes, there are people in cohousing, but it's one thing to hit my neighbors up for a day or two here or there, but something else entirely to be responsible for weeks at a time. (This isn't going to stop me from asking it if turns out to be necessary, but I'd really rather not impose on this scale if I can avoid it.)

So, in the ideal world, there is a grad student (or two, even) who wants somewhere quiet to work, and in exchange for a place to stay, the contents of the fridge, a place to do laundry, all the nature they can handle, great neighbors, and a car, would be thrilled to come hang out  with my dog and Charlie the spaz cat from Aug 20-30.

Of course, this world is not ideal, so I'll take what I can get, and be happy about it. Anyone who has got any great ideas on covering any or all of this (hey, bring the whole family, try cohousing for a week!), please let me know --I may be unresponsive on most everything else these days, but figuring out how to make sure J-dog is happy and I'm not worried about her while I'm away is really important.

[garbage can theory: what we have here is a solution in search of a problem to be the answer for!]

Current Mood: busy

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Happy Hour Thread

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/OPk5AGP8UiA/happy-hour-thread_10.html

Have fun.

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Extend And Pretend

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/83HIRxxmCzA/extend-and-pretend.html

Bankruptcy cramdown legislation was going to be the only way to have any kind of large scale and sensible mortgage modification program. The Obama administration supported it in theory, but they didn't put any effort behind supported it. And now, predictably, other mortgage modification programs aren't working.

I suppose I should have said that nobody could have predicted...

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Evolution IS a blind watchmaker (video, link via magickalpony)

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Davis Square T art tells area's story (Boston Globe)
"In April, members of the Davis Square Tiles Project began an effort to track down the children - now between 35 and 45 years old - who created the artwork at the Somerville T station. The goal was to find out how their lives have changed and how they view the changes in their old neighborhood. "


www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/10/project_chronicles_davis_square_over_30_years/



Current Mood: bouncy

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Even More Secret Programs Hidden From Congress

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/XAQ7h_nOlnI/even-more-secret-programs-hidden-from.html

What other horrors did the Bush administration inflict on us and the world?

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Irregular Webcomic! #2357

http://www.irregularwebcomic.net/2357.html

Today's theme: Space

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Nationwide Protests Met with Main Force; Regime Arrests Head of Refineries for Fear of Oil Workers

http://www.juancole.com/2009/07/nationwide-protests-met-with-main-force.html

AP reports the course of Thursday's protests in Tehran. Some 2,000 protesters initially gathered in several spots in the capital, later growing some 3,000 strong. Outside Tehran University, an approaching crowd grew 1,000 strong. Police prevented them from entering the campus, AP says, but then allowed them to gather and chant 'Death to the dictator!' In other areas of the city, the Basij paramilitary dispersed crowds them with tear gas and by firing shots in the air. On Vali Asr Street, security forces chased down demonstrators and beat them. Residents hid fleeing protesters, and auto drivers honked horns in support of them.

What AP does not say on is that numerous small demonstrations are reported to have taken place all over the country, including in the southwestern city of Shiraz and elsewhere.

Regime repression continued, with the arrest of a key member of the team around human rights activist and Nobelist Shirin Ebadi.

Human Rights Watch documents the use of beatings and other forms of coercion by the Iranian regime to extract so-called 'confessions' from those arrested by security forces, often at peaceful demonstrations.

Asef Bayat weighs in, arguing that by resorting to brute force the Iranian regime is undermining itself. Bayat is always well worth reading.

James Vega argues that Thursday's demonstrations are significant because they disrupt the regimes favored script of 'a return to normalcy.'

KXAN in Austin gives the context of today's protests as a commemoration of the regime's crushing of student rallies in 1999.



CNN provides 'amateur video' of the July 9 demonstrations:

Embedded video from CNN Video

Unverified video said to be of the July 9 demonstrations in Tehran:



This site has a whole collection of protest videos said to be from Thursday.

Aljazeera English interviews Iason Athanasiadis, a Greek-British reporter, who was held for three weeks in Tehran's Evin prison.



The USG Open Source Center translates or paraphrases some items relating to Iran's economy:

' Head of Tehran Refinery Arrested Over Fear of National Strike

-- Alef and Peiknet noted on 8 July that there is no information on the whereabouts of . . .[Shahaboddin] Metaji, head of Tehran Refinery. He was arrested several days ago and taken to an unknown location. Metaji 's colleagues, according to the report, said he was arrested because his family was chanting "Allah-O-Akbar" (God is Great) on the roof of their homes as a sign of protest to last month's presidential election results. [This chanting indicates support for opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi]. His employees reportedly said: "The officials are trying to create fear among us, but that will not help. Our chanting has not stopped and will not stop. In one of his visits, (Iranian President Mahmud) Ahmadinezhad told one of the oil officials to use big tankers instead of barrels when exporting petroleum. The employees couldn't believe how uninformed he is. The employees of the oil industry are angry because hundreds of small and big energy projects are now suspended, and now the employees are counting the seconds to exit this crisis. The structure of the oil industry is very much against Ahmadinezhad " (Internet Alef - informative-analytical website that is close to principlist economic experts. URL: http://www.alef.ir/ http://www.alef.ir ) (Internet Peiknet in Persian - an opposition website associated with Iran's Tudeh (Communist) party. URL: http://http://www.peiknet.com/ www.peiknet.com ). . .

China, Iran's Number One Asian Trade Partner - The Mehr News Agency indicated on 7 July that Sa`id Shabestari, Iran's charge d'affaires to China, said China was Iran's largest Asian trade partner in 2008. Addressing a conference in Beijing on investment opportunities for refinery projects in Iran, Shabestari said bilateral trade between Iran and China in 2008 reached $27.6 billion, showing a growth rate of 34 percent over 2007. He also said: "In 2008, Iran exported nearly $3.8 billion worth of non-oil products to China, and its imports amounted to $8 billion in the period." China and Iran enjoy an extensive economic relationship despite global economic sanctions, noted the report. Iran and China cooperate in many sectors, including energy, construction, trade, and tourism. China currently helps Iran build dams, shipyards, ports, airports, mine development, and oil and gas infrastructure. With more than 100 Chinese state companies operating in Iran, Beijing wants to increase its presence in Iranian markets, according to the Mehr report (Mehr News Agency (Internet Version-WWW) in Persian - conservative news agency sympathetic to the traditional clerics. URL: http://www.mehrnews.com/ www.mehrnews.com ).

. . . Economic Situation To Worsen as Oil Prices Decrease

-- AyandeNews noted on 7 July that it is estimated that the oil revenue for the current year is predicted to be less than last year at between $45 billion and $50 billion, which, the report said, will not meet the needs of the people and the country. For example, the report suggested, imports should be reduced by 20 percent. "On one hand, the country will face foreign currency shortage, and, on the other, the country is grappling with high inflation and unemployment and that will create a bigger crisis," the report concluded.

Tehran More Expensive Than Madrid, Frankfurt, Chicago

-- Khabar-Online reported on 8 July that, according to Mercer's 2009 Cost of Living Survey, [Tehran] is ranked 33rd among the most expensive cities in the world in which to live, knocking off Chicago, Madrid, and Frankfurt. The survey covers 143 cities across six continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment (Internet Khabar Online in Farsi - a daily online newspaper posting news, articles, and interviews supporting pro-reformers. URL:

http://www.khabaronline.ir/ http://www.khabaronline.ir/ ).'

End/ (Not Continued)

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Form

http://xkcd.com/608/

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Overnight

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/LIawp6pHD60/overnight_4341.html

Folk On.



Newish.

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Conservative Intellectuals

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/m0Peb8VQh_Y/conservative-intellectuals.html

What does that even mean anymore?

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Trapped

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/4qrJJjBrQJs/trapped.html

As Jesse notes, it's not surprising that people who take out payday loans end up doing it again and again. The business model of a predatory lender is much like a spider and its web, trapping their victims and then sucking out the lifeblood. Some states have been successful at sending these predators packing by capping the interest rates they can charge consumers. One can hope that some day we'll regulate these bloodsuckers at the federal level.

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Apartment for rent just outside Davis Square
In Medford, right off college ave and boston ave. Very close to Tufts, it's a quiet street that's not a through street, so not much car traffic. The apartment is on a corner lot and it overlooks Alumni Fields and has a nice view of Tufts.

1 Bedroom
4 rooms (+ bath)
900 square feet
1st Floor apartment
15 minute walk to Davis
2 car off-street parking
recently renovated
new energy efficient windows
recently insulated
large storage space in basement
laundry hookups in basement
FREE WIFI
1 year lease
$1100 / month

( More about apartment... )

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Reminder: fireworks tonight at Trum Field.
They start at around 9. And Broadway is closed for a while, too.

Happy belated Birthday USA! :-)

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Stimulating

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/_0E0xDbcbyI/stimulating.html

The term "green jobs" polls very well, consequently it's a bit overused and treated with some degree of skepticism. So I think it's worth highlighting the recent positive impact of stimulus funds, and the renewal of certain tax credits amended to the first bailout, on the cleantech space.

VC investment in cleantech companies was up about 50% from Q1 to Q2 this year.

One of the drivers for steady second quarter venture investment was the promise of stimulus monies offering startup investors a non-dilutive funding source. Meanwhile, early-stage and late-stage investments dominated, while mid-stage funding was harder to come by, and the average round sizes were slightly smaller.

Relatedly, the REW podcast last week featured a panel discussion with cleantech venture capitalists, and one of the points they emphasized was the importance of government support for mid-stage companies, particularly in such a capital intensive sector. Loan guarantees and the Clean Energy Development Authority, included in Waxman-Markey, are the kinds of things that carry small companies employing maybe dozens of people across this "valley of death" to the point where they will be employing thousands of people.

All this politics stuff actually impacts the real world.

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Roads To Nowhere

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/NTB7peRr9uQ/roads-to-nowhere.html

It goes without saying that the full costs of all these roads will be precisely paid for by the gas taxes incurred by people driving on them.

Two-thirds of the country lives in large metropolitan areas, home to the nation’s worst traffic jams and some of its oldest roads and bridges. But cities and their surrounding regions are getting far less than two-thirds of federal transportation stimulus money. According to an analysis by The New York Times of 5,274 transportation projects approved so far — the most complete look yet at how states plan to spend their stimulus money — the 100 largest metropolitan areas are getting less than half the money from the biggest pot of transportation stimulus money. In many cases, they have lost a tug of war with state lawmakers that urban advocates say could hurt the nation’s economic engines.

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Happy Hour Thread

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/bRuz/~3/gNcVdeTPsw0/happy-hour-thread_09.html

Enjoy.

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