My Favorite Singer/Songwriter Sharon Van Etten

Has a tiny desk concert up at NPR. Enjoy.

But because it is right . . .

Today Ted Sorenson died at age 82. He was best known as an advisor to President John F. Kennedy, and the speech writer who composed Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural Address.
Much of the language employed reflects the times, smack dab in the middle of the Cold War, but it also reflects a basic civility and respect for humanity that is easy to forget, and hard to practice. Thanks to Messrs. Stewart and Colbert for reminding us to practice basic civility, and thanks to Mr. Sorenson posthumously for his wonderful words so many years ago.

Now the trumpet summons us again -- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation,"² a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

Carlos and the Fam at the Christening

Carlos and the Fam at the Christening
Originally uploaded by djkntz

This day seems like it was yesterday. Carlos stopped by on the Mille for Evie's Baptism, I think he kinda freaked out the Monsignor when he arrived in leather jacket and helmet.
Today she started her first day at St. Martin of Tours school, the same church on the corner where she was baptized.
I have a little less hair and a couple more pounds, truth be told, but man do I feel older than I should.

Erik Buell Racing to release 1190RS street bike

It's been nearly a year since the fine folks at Harley-Davidson abruptly closed the doors on Buell Motorcycles, leaving nearly 200 people jobless in a tight economy, and stranding thousands of current Buell owners, myself included, with White Elephant motorcycles.

This is a video posted by Erik Buell the day of the announcement"



He looks like a beaten man, one whose lifelong dream to produce a great American Superbike, a bike he was on the cusp of producing, had ended.

That moment quickly passed, and Erik left HD, founding Erik Buell Racing to provide support for existing racers of Buell motorcycles, and campaign the already homologated 1125RR in American Superbike with a shoestring budget and a relatively unknown privateer named Geoff May, ostensibly pursuing what HD head Keith Wandell derisively referred to as "Erik's racing hobby".
If HD thought Erik Buell would go gently into retirement, they greatly underestimated him. Here's an interview with Geoff May, AMA Superbike rider for the Erik Buell Racing team discussing the current season, and more importantly next season, when the 1190 race bike, based on the 1190RS street bike, debuts. Yep - street bike. Less than a year after HD shut down his company, Erik Buell is announcing production of a street-legal motorcycle.




 No word on pricing or number of units planned, but if I were a betting man I'd predict the first number is steep due to economies of scale, and the second one minuscule, just enough to satisfy homologation requirements for AMA Superbike.
But I would also bet on this being just a baby step, walk before you run interlude between the HD owned Buell Motorcycles and the next generation of full production street bikes from Erik Buell. I don't know who is on board, although rumors swirl about BRP getting involved. I don't possess any insider knowledge, I just have a gut feeling that a guy who once died and came back after a crash isn't going to let a poor decision by HD stop him from pursuing his dream.

Bloomberg Launches Another Impassioned Defense Of Cordoba House

Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg for pointing out the obvious. We, as Americans, must lead by example, and not let fear interfere with freedom.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

New album from The National

I'm late to the party, but forgive me if I've been busy.  New album out by The National, and I caught the first single on WKDU tonight, Bloodbuzz Ohio.  Fantastic.  Stop what you're doing, watch this video, then go order the album.  Get it on vinyl.  Seriously.  Vinyl.

Ask the Economist

Ask the Economist

Another great post from one of my new favorite blogs. Gosh darn it, why can't you kids be responsible with your money?

OZZY!!!!!

Nothing says "excessive substance abuse" like Ozzy.

Latest Foxconn jumper violated his no-jump contract

Latest Foxconn jumper violated his no-jump contract

I would like to point out that I don't have a no-jump clause in my contract, but this is PA, so I'm at will anyway. My employer has asked that we all give adequate notice before jumping so folks can move their cars.

You need a telephone to get a job

You need a telephone to get a job. It seems a pretty fundamental idea these days. Heck, it's nearly mandatory you have Internet access to find a job with a large number companies as Craigslist continues to usurp the lowly newspaper classified ad and a large number of jobs are only advertised online. This is not to say you need to own a computer, but at the very least you must have access to a public terminal at a library and a free email address from Google/Yahoo/Hotmail etc.
Of course, with continued threats of closures and cutbacks at the Philadelphia Free Library and I am sure similar situations in other cities, that's not necessarily a viable option. If you already have a job, but are looking to better your situation, and the library cuts evening and weekend hours, or shutters the branch in your neighborhood, then what do you do? You can't go to the library to check for new job postings during the day, you're already at work.  Options?  Did you see the new cyber cafe over on Tioga? I didn't either.
I can understand folks getting upset when they hear about the Free Government Provided Cell Phone! and wonder why their tax dollars are going to fund a life of luxury for someone else. But that's not really the case. From Slacktivist: "You can't get a job at McDonald's without a phone number." Further, that incredible luxury of a Free Cell Phone (with a whopping 68 minutes a month!!) assumes a maximum monthly income for a single person of just over 1,200 dollars, or about 14,600 dollars a year. Have a kid or two? How about gross income of 24K? Priced rent in Philly recently? A recent survey found a family of four in the City of Brotherly Shove needs nearly 60K a year to survive without government assistance.
Sobering numbers, and an interesting touchstone. What are you closer to, 60K/year or millionaire status? I'm guessing a majority of folks I interact with on a regular basis are far closer to, or even below, that 60K mark. So in a sense, most folks I know, and myself and family, are a lot closer to being poor than rich and have a far higher probability of becoming the former than the latter.