Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Wi Fi Population Control

BrooklynDodger was visiting Brooklyn the other day. In a Brooklyn apartment, the Dodger's computer found 6 wi-fi signals, two of which permitted free high speed internet access. The others tended to come in and out of focus on the computer, wouldn't let the Dodger in, and seemed to interfere with connection. Should the Dodger enter an urban setting, the Dodger will have to find a way to protect the home network while opening the internet to neighbors.

Then, on returning to a certain mid eastern city [the old NCAA regional name] the Dodger encountered a new wi fi at home, a wi fi which also interfered with connection. Then it stopped interfering, maybe because of mouse clicks, maybe just by chance.

By the way, who is the "scooter" signal, which appears almost everywhere?

Also by the way, the name of your computer sometimes appears on the other computers on the network in the coffee shop.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Baghdad Burning Returns

BrooklynDodger has been in places with poor connectivity, and also without good ideas. I've been checking Baghdad frequently, and was pleased to see a return to connection.

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

I'm Worried

Maybe the best blog on the net is Bahgdad Burning:

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

The author blogs about once a week. But when you read about what's going on, you can do nothing but worry. Now it's been about two weeks from a post.

BrooklynDodger hopes [the Dodger doesn't pray] that nothing bad has happened.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Even Just Threatening to Take Worker's Benefits Boosts Stock Prices

As far as executives are concerned the product of a company is the stock, not the articles or services provided. A car is a dollar's way to make another dollar. The stock market - really the financial analysts who write for the mutual, pension fund and other fund managers, and the rank and file stock sellers [brokers] - likes it when management takes stuff from workers, because in their dog eat dog view of the world, that's where money comes from.

Health care costs, labor costs in general, are a minor part of GM's competitive problem. Grabbing half a billion or so only makes the earnings look better [temporarily] which pumps the stock price a tad, permitting management to dump some options.

Frankly, mistreatment of salaried engineers and designers and others who do productive work for the company has contributed to inferior product generated at superior expense.

The AP story says local unions are willing to pucker on this issue [or say they are willing to.] For publicity, that's good. In fact, it won't be fact.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

GM Shares Climb After Health Care Meeting
Union Leaders Consider Picking Up Some Of Health Care Costs

CHICAGO -- Shares of General Motors Corp. rose Friday, following a meeting between the world's largest auto maker and United Auto Workers leaders in Detroit that indicated GM might get some wiggle room on cutting employee health-care costs.
In afternoon New York Stock Exchange trading, GM shares were at $34.37, up $2.57, or 8 percent. The shares are up substantially from decade-low of $24.67 hit in April.

Richard Shoemaker, head of the UAW delegation, repeated Thursday that the union won't reopen its contract with GM, which expires in September 2007.

But leaders of local unions from around the country said after the meeting that they would consider picking up more of the tab for their own health care to help GM cut costs. It's possible, they said, to make some changes within the current contract.

Monday, June 06, 2005

We Aim To Please

The "wind blew it?"

The Dodger remembers seeing written on a urinal, perhaps by the janitorial staff:

We aim to please
You aim too please.

Unless March is a new hurricane season, the wind ranks with the dog vomiting on OSHA records as the lamest excuse we've heard in a while.

Let the Dodger get this straight, there's nothing wrong with being arrested without charge, denied any outside contact for years, even with lawyers, locked in a concentration camp, questioned without counsel present, stressed by all kinds of conditions?

The most recent, and perhaps strangest, case of mishandling was documented on March 25, 2005, when a detainee complained to the guards that urine came through an air vent in his cell and "splashed on him and his Koran while he laid near the air vent." According to Hood's investigation, the guard who was responsible reported himself to his superiors and was reassigned to gate duty. The detainee was given a new uniform and Koran.

"The guard had left his observation area post and went outside to urinate," according to a summary of the incident. "He urinated near an air vent and the wind blew his urine through the vent into the block."


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/03/AR2005060301654.html

Pentagon Details Abuse Of Koran
Detainees' Holy Books Were Kicked, Got Wet

By Josh White and Dan EggenWashington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, June 4, 2005; Page A01

The U.S. military released new details yesterday about five confirmed cases of U.S. personnel mishandling the Koran at the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, acknowledging that soldiers and interrogators kicked the Muslim holy book, got copies wet, stood on a Koran during an interrogation and inadvertently sprayed urine on another copy.
...

Officials said they have issued more than 1,600 Korans at the facility.
...

"It's sort of amazing today that we define truth as only when the government confirms something happened," Wilner said. "I think there is no question that, especially in the early days of Guantanamo, there was a persistent pattern of physical abuse and religious discrimination, including desecration of the Koran. . . . But it hasn't been fully looked at."
...

But the investigation's results also are contrary to a recent claim by a top Pentagon spokesman that there were no credible accounts of Korans being mishandled -- though he added that officials would nevertheless conduct an investigation.

The first case, in February 2002, arose when a detainee complained that guards at Camp X-Ray kicked the Koran of a detainee in a neighboring cell. Though interrogators and guards noted the incident at the time, there was no further investigation.

In another case, in August 2003, two detainees complained to their guards that a number of Korans were wet "because the night shift guards had thrown water balloons on the block." No further details of the incident were provided, but Hood's team determined the complaints to be credible and found "no evidence that the incident, although clearly inappropriate, caused any type of disturbance on the block."

Other confirmed reports included a two-word obscenity being written in the inside cover of a Koran, though investigators were unable to determine who wrote the phrase and concluded it was possible that the complaining detainee -- who was conversant in English -- may have defaced his own book.

Another report, in July 2003, detailed an incident in which a contract interrogator stood on a detainee's Koran during an interrogation. The interrogator was fired for a "pattern of unacceptable behavior, an inability to follow direct guidance and poor leadership," according to the news release yesterday.

The most recent, and perhaps strangest, case of mishandling was documented on March 25, 2005, when a detainee complained to the guards that urine came through an air vent in his cell and "splashed on him and his Koran while he laid near the air vent." According to Hood's investigation, the guard who was responsible reported himself to his superiors and was reassigned to gate duty. The detainee was given a new uniform and Koran.

"The guard had left his observation area post and went outside to urinate," according to a summary of the incident. "He urinated near an air vent and the wind blew his urine through the vent into the block."
...

Three of the detainee cases involved spitting or throwing urine on Korans, and in one case, on Jan. 19, 2005, a detainee allegedly "tore up his Koran and tried to flush it down the toilet," according to the report. Four days later, a detainee ripped pages from the book and tried to flush them down the toilet as a protest, because he wanted to be moved to another part of the camp.

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Reporters and Pistons Still Behaving Badly

http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm4480_20050605.htm

Refocused Pistons dominate -- but can they do it again?
Sunday, June 5, 2005
By DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS SPORTS COLUMNIST
Aggressiveness has its rewards. Taking the initiative means taking outside influences out of the equation. When you're moving as quickly and crisply as the Pistons did Saturday, you don't even notice the referees.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
First, it's kind of stupid to say that Pistons didn't notice the refs when Rasheed got his customary technical [opponent starts the game 1-0], and Rip got one too. Chauncy didn't get his. It seems they would learn that all they are doing is giving up points, not influencing any future calls their way, and maybe the other way. Drew Sharp gets 2 demerits for this story.

Second, both teams shot about 40% from the field and 65% FT. Crummy. Miami put 3 sub 20 quarters on the board to lose the game.

Pistons won turnovers 19-6, offensive rebounds 14-5.

Rasheed was 3-13, Ben was 2-7, McDyess 3-10. Given Shaq being immobile and Haslem being too small, the tale of the series is lack of offensive production from Detroit front line. And, we aren't seeing Chauncy turning the corner on the pick and roll. Maybe their inability to defend Shaq is getting into the Wallace heads. Offensive rebounds might be a benefit of mobility. Ben can't finish a defended shot at the rim, Rasheed isn't getting many, and McDyess either makes the mid range or doesn't score.

Each game turns on the first quarter fouls, Shaq v. the Wallaces.

Wade will start on Monday - it's a muscle tear which won't end his career if he aggravates. BrooklynDodger thinks the result will depend on Rasheed making his shots.

Friday, June 03, 2005

Detroit Radio Ratings - Where's Progressive Talk

Arbitron posts radio ratings on the web, picked up in the regular press.

http://www.freep.com/entertainment/tvandradio/tv30e_20050530.htm

http://www.arbitron.com/home/content.stm

For those who were reading for WDTW-am, Progressive Talk 1310 am, may have to weep. WDTW-fm was there, but am was not even listed.

We can hope this is because the new format for WDTW has not been on long enough to get a rating. WDET was also invisible. If there are 25 stations, then 4% would be random