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Sunday Morning: Irene Downgraded to Tropical Storm


Via TwitPic

Hurricane Irene has been downgraded to a tropical storm. It doesn't look bad in New York City, but police are still advising people to stay indoors. Flooding is still a danger.

Anderson Cooper is reporting from Battery Park. It wouldn't be a hurricane without him.

There was a segment with a group of very feisty women in a senior's home in Atlantic City saying they weren't going anywhere. Gov. Christie said they could only get 100 to leave, 500 simply refused. So far they are okay.

< Saturday Night Open Thread: New York Greets Hurricane Irene | Sunday Night TV and Open Thread >
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  • Concerning the headline (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by CoralGables on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 10:57:58 AM EST
    Jeralyn, I hope to hell it's Sunday morning and not Saturday or I'm in a heap of trouble.

    Monday ? (5.00 / 2) (#37)
    by ScottW714 on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 03:48:20 PM EST
    Got up, showered, dressed for work, and made it half way through a bowl of cereal before I realized it was Sunday.

    Awesome, finished cereal, de-dressed, and went back to bed.

    Parent

    I've done that! (none / 0) (#64)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:49:13 PM EST
    Don't you love when that happens?

    Parent
    I Was Cursing Myself in the Shower... (none / 0) (#89)
    by ScottW714 on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 10:59:17 AM EST
      ... for going out the night before.

    I am telling you, I have done it before, but never made it that far.  It was like a 3 day weekend.

    If the local news had the weekday news people on I may have gone into work.

    Parent

    I wouldn't mind another Saturday (none / 0) (#5)
    by magster on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:15:15 AM EST
    The Saturday I had yesterday was pretty nice.

    Parent
    Hell yeah... (none / 0) (#8)
    by kdog on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:34:49 AM EST
    no rush to go back to work either, its gonna be a madhouse slinging pumps and replacement water heaters with all the water damage.

    Bossman gonna be flooded with cash!

    Parent

    Thanks, just fixed (none / 0) (#17)
    by Jeralyn on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:36:27 PM EST
    I guess I was subconsciously trying to slow down the weekend.

    Parent
    I've had the news on mute for most of the day (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by andgarden on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:37:51 AM EST
    and for the past hour or so, Chris Christie has been giving another one of his talkathons.

    What scares the hell out of me is that politicians driven to do stuff like that often find further success.

    Look, he's handling it (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:13:40 PM EST
    Saw some of this too.  He was in his slicker in some sort of control center.  He's the man today, taking advantage of a crisis!  Wish my party knew how to do that.

    Parent
    I like the mayor of Newark (none / 0) (#46)
    by loveed on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:30:34 PM EST
    He delivered pizza. And remember during the big snow storm, he was shoveling snow.
     Plus he is in your party.

    Parent
    *All* the mayors and governors (none / 0) (#66)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:53:14 PM EST
    on the East Coast are out in their slickers surveying damage and giving "attaboys" to the emergency folks.  Cuomo, for instance, has been all over NY, inspecting damage, taking pix (good ones) with his cellphone, talking to local people, etc.

    So has Shumlin in VT, O'Malley in Maryland, etc.  They're just spending more time doing that than giving endless speeches to the press like Christie.


    Parent

    I did love the clip (none / 0) (#85)
    by jbindc on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 08:25:52 AM EST
    Of Christie from Friday, I guess, when he said slowly (so the dum-dums would understand).

    "Get.Off.The.Beaches.And.Go.Home."

    He also made some comment like "It's 4:30 - ya got your tan.  Go home."

    Of course, the star of the weekend was the naked guy on the Weather Channel.  Don't know which was funnier - the naked guy or the disgust in the voice of the guy doing the broadcast.

    Parent

    Well, Bloomberg and Christie are on this (5.00 / 2) (#55)
    by scribe on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 05:08:19 PM EST
    like roaches on cake, seeing as how badly they screwed up their response to the blizzard of 12/26-27 last winter.

    Bloomberg had hired as deputy mayor for emergency response and such a wingnut budget-cutter who made his bones busting unions as mayor of Indianapolis, and was out of town himself when the storm broke.  So, you got a hit piece run in the post blaming the unions for not plowing the snow (when they were not called out to plow until such time as the overtime cost could be cut).  And you got a foot of loose snow still in the middle of the intersection of 6th Avenue and 56th street as of the Friday after that Sunday-Monday storm, i.e., 4 plus days after the storm.  I know - I was working in the City then and had to wade through the mess.

    Christie, OTOH, during that blizzard was doing a beached whale imitation at Disney World and made no effort to come back to Jersey, saying he had promised his family a vacation and things would work out.  When you consider that the area around Elizabeth, NJ got 32 inches of snow in that storm and US 1-9 in that area was drifting shut all week, so much so that there were plow trucks making laps on a 10 mile stretch of that highway alone, and Jersey City got 25 inches (try moving around in that dense an urban area with that much snow), Christie's conduct was malfeasance on a gargantuan scale.

    People died as a direct result of their actions in the blizzard.  People could not be gotten to hospitals because the streets were too clogged with snow.  Bloomberg was called out as a liar on the front page of the NYDN with photographic evidence showng the falsity of his claims all streets had been plowed.  Christie, when he came to his senses and tried to get back to NJ, couldn't because all transit was shut down.

    You can be sure they were desperate for this storm to be worse so they could do all the emergency management they could to try to wash the blood off their hands.

    Parent

    Good point (none / 0) (#59)
    by andgarden on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 05:21:51 PM EST
    Report from Maryland: (5.00 / 3) (#10)
    by Anne on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:41:36 AM EST
    Power went out about 2:15 am, and with nearly 500,000 also without, could be a while before we get it back.  No trees hit the house, but lots of big branches and limbs down - some trees snapped off.  Hardly slept all night listening to the wind and wondering if trees were coming down.  No flooding where I am - not sure how the city made out. It's a symphony of chain saws, lol.  What a week...and today's my birthday; if nothing else, it's memorable!  Hope those to the north are making out okay!

    Happy Birthday, Anne (5.00 / 4) (#12)
    by MO Blue on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:01:11 PM EST
    I imagine this is one that will become one of those "Remember when occasions" that you will talk about when you are old  (not the youngster you are today).  

    Glad to know that you are alright and have had no damage to your house. Hope you get your power back soon and that you catch up on your sleep. Once again, Happy Birthday and may your future adventures be more fun and less stressful.

     

    Parent

    I want to wish you a Happy Birthday (5.00 / 3) (#13)
    by loveed on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:02:35 PM EST
    It certainly came in with a bang (LOL).

    Parent
    Happy Birthday! (5.00 / 3) (#18)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:41:17 PM EST
    I bet you'll always remember this one.

    Chain saws are at a premium after a storm like this and a family member had his stolen after Hugo in '89.

    Parent

    Happy Birthday, Anne! (5.00 / 2) (#24)
    by vml68 on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 01:35:17 PM EST
    Hope this is one to remember(in a good way!).

    Parent
    Happy Birthday, Anne. (5.00 / 2) (#26)
    by caseyOR on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 01:49:54 PM EST
    Perhaps the utility company will honor your birthday by getting your power back today. Maybe. :-)

    Parent
    Birthday Wishes to Anne, (5.00 / 2) (#28)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 02:04:05 PM EST
    Don't know how old Mary Livingstone claimed to be, but surely a little younger than Jack--so you must be the same in TL terms.

    Parent
    Happy Birthday Anne (5.00 / 2) (#33)
    by Dr Molly on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 02:39:57 PM EST
    I hope you find some time today to enjoy it!

    Here in Virginia, lots of branches down and chain saws hard at work everywhere, but grateful that I didn't lose power.

    Parent

    Happy Birthday, Anne! (5.00 / 3) (#34)
    by Robot Porter on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 02:56:33 PM EST
    Your posts are like a Birthday present for the rest of us all year long.  Full of research, insight and entertainment.

    Hope you got some equally good presents today!

    Parent

    Happy Birthday Anne ! (5.00 / 2) (#35)
    by samsguy18 on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 03:09:49 PM EST
    Happy Birthday Anne! (5.00 / 2) (#39)
    by Madeline on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:03:03 PM EST
    Eleventhed! Happy birthday! (5.00 / 2) (#41)
    by andgarden on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:07:30 PM EST
    Happy Birthday (5.00 / 4) (#45)
    by Zorba on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:25:47 PM EST
    and many more.  You're right- I don't think you'll forget this birthday!  We never lost power out here, and no trees down, just some branches here and there, but it was much less severe this far from the coast.  I'm glad you and your family are okay.  And just think of the chainsaws as particularly loud and off key renditions of "Happy Birthday to You."   ;-)    

    Parent
    Happy Birthday Anne (5.00 / 2) (#50)
    by lentinel on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:43:12 PM EST
    Happy Birthday Anne.... (5.00 / 2) (#53)
    by desertswine on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:50:18 PM EST
    and its still your birthday!

    Parent
    Not to be outdone.... (5.00 / 3) (#67)
    by ruffian on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:53:51 PM EST
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNE!

    hope it was hurricane force fun!

    Parent

    Happy Birthday (5.00 / 2) (#77)
    by sj on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:10:31 PM EST
    The city made out fine.  Heavy rain, heavy but not fierce wind.  Mt. Vernon park didn't look at all bad this morning.  

    No loss of power, and I had my candles and flashlights and frozen bottles of water and everything.  A lot of adrenaline went to waste.  Overall a good thing.

    I was kind of worried because I had tickets to Quidam (and wow! do they have a cool website) this evening and I was afraid it was going to be hurricaned out.  But the weather was great and the show was wonderful.

    Parent

    Oh my gosh - thanks to everyone for (5.00 / 2) (#83)
    by Anne on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 07:27:44 AM EST
    your birthday wishes!  And sorry for what seemed like a hit and run - wanted to let everyone know we were okay, but thought I should save the phone's battery.

    We're still without power, which really kind of sucks; even though my older daughter doesn't live all that close, her power is back on and we may be headed over there later today for showers...for now, I'm at work.

    The good news is that it really was nice out yesterday evening - we cooked dinner on the grill and ate outside, where it was pleasant and it was still light out!  With the help of a book light, I read for a while; somehow I managed not to oversleep too badly - no alarm clock, and I didn't want to keep the phone on all night so I could use it as an alarm.

    Husband's going out later in search of ice...we need to get some stuff into coolers - or grill it.

    The problem with living in a sparsely populated area is that utility crews are concentrating their time in more densely populated areas - so we'll see how long this takes.  

    Once again - thank you all for the happy birthdays; it was one of the more memorable ones!

    Parent

    Happy belated! (5.00 / 1) (#86)
    by jbindc on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 08:26:21 AM EST
    At least it was a memorable birthday!

    Parent
    Seems like a ... (5.00 / 2) (#21)
    by Robot Porter on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:59:21 PM EST
    normal Sunday in Brooklyn.  Well, almost.  All the stores and restaurants are open.  Many happy smiling people walking around.  And that nice post storm smell fills the air.

    In fact, in some ways it is nicer, because I don't have the noisy buses going by out my window every ten minutes.

    And I do have the option of getting a little Chinese take-out tonight if I'd like.  And Brooklyn just isn't Brooklyn when that option is off the table.

    And, (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 01:10:03 PM EST
    you did get to see "Key Largo", once again.

    Parent
    Yup, and i timed it perfectly ... (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Robot Porter on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 01:28:46 PM EST
    so that Edward G. Robinson was freaking out about the hurricane just as Irene was reaching its strongest.

    Parent
    You should treasure that takeout (5.00 / 1) (#56)
    by scribe on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 05:12:43 PM EST
    Once you get outside the major urban areas, there are Chinese restaurants and they do offer takeout.  But the quality is such that the best (often only) Chinese in town would go out of business in a month in NYC because everyone would turn up their noses at it, it's so bad.

    Parent
    That's a funny comment (none / 0) (#58)
    by andgarden on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 05:20:57 PM EST
    because I have been pretty uniformly unimpressed with the quality of the Chinese food on the Upper West Side since I came here a few years ago. I usually enjoy the Americanized stuff, but here it isn't even good "Chinese" food. It just seems like warmed-over glop most of the time. I suspect that they didn't have a quality war here; they had a price war. It shows.

    It was better when I was growing up in Philadelphia.

    Parent

    Trust me (5.00 / 1) (#62)
    by scribe on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:08:36 PM EST
    It's even worse outside the big cities.

    Parent
    They have no idea (5.00 / 1) (#69)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:56:39 PM EST
    how bad it can be.

    Parent
    You have not tasted (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:55:59 PM EST
    bad Chinese food until you try it in Vermont.  Trust me.

    We eat like kings for about three months in the country with fresh food, but good ethnic food restaurants we don't got. (Can't even get a steak sub in this state!)

    Parent

    You can't get a good "steak sub" (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by andgarden on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 07:15:45 PM EST
    anywhere but in Philadelphia :-p .

    Parent
    The best subs I ever ate... (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 09:53:10 PM EST
    The shop was torched by a competitor, that's how good it was.

    Parent
    I agree (none / 0) (#61)
    by Ga6thDem on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:07:39 PM EST
    with you to a large extent. As superior as NYC food is in general, I saw nothing special about the Chinese food when I used to travel there and was also amazed at the Roy Rogers (I think that was the name) burgers. They were pink to raw in the middle back in the 80's.

    Parent
    Never go to chain ... (none / 0) (#81)
    by Robot Porter on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 12:52:22 AM EST
    fast food joints in NYC.  They're the only type of eateries in NYC that are consistently sub par.

    Parent
    Yeah (5.00 / 1) (#82)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 06:33:57 AM EST
    I learned that pretty quick and my boss told me just to go into the delis which is what I started doing.

    Parent
    Or diners! (none / 0) (#96)
    by Robot Porter on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 03:26:08 PM EST
    Where I grew up diners were places you didn't eat.  They were lands of bad chili and ptomaine.  But in NYC they're great.  Even the shady looking ones.  In fact, the shady looking ones are often the best.

    Parent
    Upper West Side isn't ... (none / 0) (#80)
    by Robot Porter on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 12:47:10 AM EST
    the best place for Chinese food.  

    The place across from me is classic Brooklyn Chinese takeout.  But of a high quality.  Spotlessly clean.  Very fresh ingredients.  And their chefs can do Hunan, Schezuan and Cantonese with about equal quality.

    But, of course, it's nothing like the best places in Chinatown.

    Parent

    Everything looking good here in my little (5.00 / 3) (#27)
    by vml68 on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 01:57:01 PM EST
    corner of Jersey City. No flooding and the power did not go out. It is still really windy but the rain stopped about an hour ago. It is just as windy now as it was when the storm hit. Took my 25lb spaniel out for a short walk and he got to experience the wonder of flying... :-)!

    We had some incredible thunder and lighning at around 11:00pm last night and for a few minutes I questioned the wisdom of not getting out of here while I had the chance. I woke up a few times last night to check on the storm and it really did not look any different than some of the rainstorms we have had in the past.
    Feeling relieved that it turned out to be a non-event for us but also a little let down.

    From what I have read so far, it seems the flooding is bad more towards the interior than along the coastline, where it was expected to get ugly.

    On a lighter note, my water-baby yellow lab has being eyeing the tub longingly ever since I filled it yesterday evening so I am letting him use it as his own little personal pool before I drain it.

    Glad to hear you are safe and sound, vml68, (5.00 / 2) (#29)
    by caseyOR on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 02:09:57 PM EST
    and that your decision to not evacuate worked out okay.

    Unlike, apparently, so many in the media, I am delighted Irene ended up being less than expected. Not completely harmless, but still, more manageable.

    Being an adherent of the hope-for-the-best-plan-for-the-worst school, I do think it was good that everyone was prepared for something worse.

    Parent

    Thanks Casey. (5.00 / 2) (#32)
    by vml68 on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 02:25:08 PM EST
    There is some grumbling about the transit shutdowns and the evacuations but if things had gotten as ugly as expected, these would probably be the same people who would be b!tching about the government not doing enough to protect them.

    Parent
    Coastal flooding (5.00 / 2) (#71)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 07:00:26 PM EST
    is short-lived, though it can be very destructive.  What we've got going on now is inland river flooding, which is much longer-lasting.  Here in VT, we haven't gotten close to the high winds they were afraid of, but the rainfall and flooding has been, if anything, even worse than they were anticipating.

    I live halfway up a ridge with no nearby rivers/streams, so no worries on getting flooded myself, but I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a while.   Half the roads in the state are either under water, washed out or blocked by downed trees.


    Parent

    glad to hear you're okay (5.00 / 2) (#88)
    by CST on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 10:51:46 AM EST
    looks like you guys got the worst of it.  The western part of MA got hit with all the flooding, out east we just had wind and tree damage, but nothing too major.

    Luckily our fam up in your neck of the woods made out okay, they still have power and the "sump pump is working fine", but as you said, still can't get anywhere.

    Parent

    I was surprised to hear about the hit (5.00 / 3) (#90)
    by Anne on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 11:46:57 AM EST
    that Vermont took - I don't even remember hearing any great concerns for Vermont in all of the lead-up.

    So glad your home/property weren't affected - we live at the top of a pretty good-sized hill, so we always joke that if we ever get flooding, it must mean the world really is ending.

    Power outages are one thing - flooding is something else altogether.  When I see the film of water up over first floors, of basements with a foot of mud in them, I just can't even imagine how people cope; it has to be just overwhelming.

    Here's hoping for a disaster-free week for everyone.

    Parent

    No national publicity (none / 0) (#92)
    by gyrfalcon on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 01:02:11 PM EST
    but we were absolutely expecting big flooding problems here ourselves.  This has exceeded expectations, though, and officials are saying it's as bad as our legendary 1927 catastrophic statewide flooding.

    I can't go more than 10 miles without running into blocked/closed roads, but in my immediate area, you wouldn't know anything had happened at all.  Power didn't even go out here.

    What causes the problems here is the hundreds and hundreds of streams and small rivers flowing through the mountains, which turn into monsters when they're overloaded.  And then all that is running off now into the bigger, lower-lying rivers, so there'll be a lot of longer-lasting river flooding in those areas in a couple of days.

    Parent

    Here's where I get to say (none / 0) (#93)
    by Zorba on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 01:07:39 PM EST
    "I bet my hill's bigger than your hill."  Sorry, couldn't resist.   ;-)

    Parent
    Just remember (5.00 / 2) (#51)
    by scribe on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:44:01 PM EST
    Jersey City and Hoboken have "unitary" sewer systems, where the storm water and raw sewage go into the same pipe on the way out of town.

    Or, as in the case of the pictures assembled on this site you get to wade in a mixture of storm water and raw sewage.  So, please consider that before letting your pooch out to walk or, worse, puddle drink.

    And, in the words on MSNBC:  "It looks like Venice back there."  Not in a good way.

    Parent

    Really glad to hear from you vml! (5.00 / 2) (#70)
    by ruffian on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:57:44 PM EST
    I was thinking of you and yours. Glad the pup is enjoying the bathtub!

    Parent
    Irene irony-Away from the storm surge, into flood (5.00 / 3) (#38)
    by jawbone on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 03:54:53 PM EST
    Guy evacuated his family from Long Beach, Long Island (iirc), to a hotel in Green County, NY. Instead of respite, he is now trapped on the top floor of the hotel with a total of 21 other people due to flooding from the heavy rains and a breach of a nearby reservoir. They had no electricity, no radio or TV (obviously), and were calling in to a NYC TV station asking the station to contact local authorities to assist them in getting out of the hotel.

    The man had brought some food and beverages, but was alarmed that there had been no contact by local authorities. And his cell phone was losing its charge....

    The TV station called the local authorities and asked them to assist these trapped people.

    Out of the storm surge and into the inland flood. Poor guy.

    Here in northern NJ suboonia, I was beginning to replace some things on the front porch as the sun came out, let the cat outside, and figured we'd made it through OK. Then a huge gust of wind really stirred up the trees, but did not continue to blow strongly.

    I was on the street talking to a neighbor, discussing how glad we were the electricity was not affected, when we got another huge gust of wind, heard a loud cracking noise, and, before our eyes, a huge branch from a very tall, mature tree came crashing down in another neighbor's yard. It hit a garden shed, but missed the house.

    My neighbor and I looked at each other, and almost simultaneously said, "Maybe we should go back indoors...." The poor boy cat was hiding under the furniture cover I'd put over the outdoor table and chairs, but came out in a flash (he doesn't move all that fast as he's very ill, but he did this time) to get back inside.

    That was about 2PM -- and the winds haven't let up since then -- steady strong winds with big gusts. Electricity has flickered many times, but staying on.

    It's the tail end of the storm, but, dang, it is more than I'd imagined it would be. Especially as the reports were that the northern half was unusually stronger than souther half. The storm did pretty much disintegrate, but, wow it sure still has a kick.

    Maybe the earlier predictions the storm would be here until 6PM were spot on.

    Right now a woman is calling in to WNYC to say there's very little reporting about the ongoing ill effects of the storm on upstate NY. Massive flooding in the lower Hudson Valley, apparently.

    May those in the reach of this thing be safe.

    BTW, my insurance agent told me there was an extra deductible for hurricane related losses (I think it was $1000) on top of the regular deductible. I forgot to ask if that applied to tropical storm damages. This could mean some interesting discussions between insurers and the insured about just when Irene went from hurricane to tropical storm....

    Quite an August 28th! Happy B'day, Anne!!!

    Thanks, jawbone - glad you made it (5.00 / 2) (#84)
    by Anne on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 07:35:34 AM EST
    through the storm; those winds were something else.  I went to bed Saturday night and felt like a sitting duck, thinking about all the big trees around the house and imagining one falling on the house.  Went downstairs to sleep, but couldn't get comfortable, and didn't think I was any safer there.  Ended up back upstairs, and was just finally falling asleep when the power went out - and then all I could hear was wind!

    We all woke up when we heard what sounded like a tree coming down close to the house - it was actually the top third of a very tall tree, and fortunately, it missed the house.  

    Now just wondering when the power will come back...

    Parent

    When the revolution come (none / 0) (#44)
    by loveed on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:24:47 PM EST
    Who should we get rid of first (the profession)?

    My first choice is the insurance companies.
    My second choice is the media.

    Parent

    Have I ever mentioned how very much (5.00 / 2) (#42)
    by Dr Molly on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:16:38 PM EST
    I adore Patti Smith?

    The song U2 "wished they wrote"

    That is a really good song (none / 0) (#43)
    by andgarden on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:18:47 PM EST
    There's a version of her singing it herself elsewhere on Youtube.

    Parent
    Have you read "Just Kids"? (none / 0) (#47)
    by Dr Molly on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:33:04 PM EST
    ...largely about her relationship with Mapplethorpe.  Really good.

    Parent
    Just Kids... (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by desertswine on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 05:59:22 PM EST
    was one of the best books that I've read in the last few years. I was actually sorry when I was thru with it.

    Parent
    Me too. (none / 0) (#73)
    by Dr Molly on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 07:07:01 PM EST
    Just reserved it at the library (5.00 / 1) (#78)
    by sj on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:28:41 PM EST
    Thanks for the tip

    Parent
    Nope (none / 0) (#49)
    by andgarden on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:34:20 PM EST
    I'll add it to the list. . .

    Parent
    That was interesting (5.00 / 2) (#52)
    by chrisvee on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:48:46 PM EST
    Weathered the storm in the Philly burbs. About 8 inches of rain in total, starting in late afternoon but picking up in intensity about 7-8p through the entire night into early morning.

    Vicious winds.  Lots of uprooted trees, snapped branches, twigs, leaves. Not much in the way of 'big' widespread damage but certainly don't want to minimize the damage. Flooding in many areas as many rivers (Schuylkill, Perkiomen, Brandywine, Delaware, etc.) crest well above flood stage. Many power outages. Ours was out for 12 hours from 1a until 1p this afternoon.

    Winds have caused damage and widespread power outage well into central PA to Harrisburg area.

    Scariest part was 10:00p-midnight last night as multiple tornado warnings were issued in the local area. About 10:45p, I thought one was about to arrive. We took refuge in the stairwell (no basement, lots of windows on main floors). Sky was weird color, wind was brutal, streetlights went out.

    Still rainy and gusty today. Sun finally out at 5:30p.

    Oh well. (5.00 / 0) (#54)
    by lentinel on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:55:19 PM EST
    I'm sure ol' Obama had been looking forward to his shirtsleeves appearance in NYC.
    He had Bush's megaphone refurbished and everything.
    He can still look forward to 9/11/11.  I know I am.

    Bloomie had everyone all aflutter.

    Now, everyone can thank him for shutting down the transportation system and making it impossible to get around.

    Still.

    It is not for naught.

    It was a little exercise for the politicians who like to dress up as generals. They got everyone to jump. Leave their homes. Buy bottled water. ("potable" water:))

    So now, we've had practice jumping when they say "jump".
    It's good for us.
    Let's get used to it. Election season is upon us and we need to know who's boss.

    And the media. Superb.
    Anchormen and anchorwomen standing in the rain with their slickers on, shouting in the microphones, telling us first hand that it is raining.

    And Obama was just great. Zipping back to Washington. "Cutting short his vacation", so that he could read us the weather reports.

    I have never been so proud of America.

    And now my friend, a martini.

    Who needs torture when you have.... (none / 0) (#1)
    by magster on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 10:52:55 AM EST
    One day we will realize (none / 0) (#11)
    by loveed on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:57:57 AM EST
    our justice system is out of control.
     Prosecutors who think there job is to win, not to search for the truth. Lazy police officers,whose guts tell them who is guilty.
     A media who co-sign for the police, and only listen to the prosecution side. There also lazy, and looking to make easy money.
     Where is the outrage for all the innocent people being let out of jail. After serving nearly all there lives in prison. And the wrongly executed.
     And a new trick so they do not have pay retribution. Make them plead guilty. The judge knows they did not commit the crime. Along with the police and prosecutors. They all just want to win.(Arkansa-3).
     Just like in Kasey Anthony trial. I knew an honest jury would find her innocent on all the murder charges. The jurors who have spoken out, also think it was the father. And could not believe this was all the evidence they had.
     But the judge continues to try and convict her. I thank god for this jury. Believe me judge Perry would have fried her.
      The process is broken. And were all victim.

    Parent
    In the case I linked from the Denver Post... (none / 0) (#16)
    by magster on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:18:40 PM EST
    ... it looked like the investigators got the bad guys, using a mix of good cop/bad cop to arrest 4 guys involved in a brutal murder for hire. I guess my point was plain ol' interrogation methods work just fine without needing to waterboard.

    Parent
    I understood (none / 0) (#20)
    by loveed on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:55:19 PM EST
    Where is the investigation. This playing one suspect against another, without proof leads to false confession.
     Also this is the police version. The cameras are rolling. What happens when there not.
     Law enforcement has so much science now. This is not necessary.
     They had witnesses to testify, about the bragging.Did they have an alibi? Was there dna, fingerprints. Were there any cameras in the neighborhood. GPS on there cellphones. Cellphone records ect...
     I hate this good cop/bad,interrogation. It seems like most false conviction start off this way. It goes back to "I feel in my guts there guilty". Personal who work in the justice system, seems to think were all guilty.
     I will wait for the trail to see how this turns out.

    Parent
    Is it me or do the media (none / 0) (#3)
    by loveed on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:08:53 AM EST
    seems disappointed the hurricane was not worse?

     It was more informative, reading coverage from you guys. Than watching the media.
     

    I gave up cable over a year ago, but was at ... (none / 0) (#4)
    by magster on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:12:31 AM EST
    ... my dad's watching CNN and had to turn it off after 15 minutes.  I can't believe I had cable news playing in the background while I worked back in my cable tv days. It's unbearable!

    Parent
    I'm pretty sure we caught Anderson Cooper (none / 0) (#6)
    by brodie on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:21:45 AM EST
    looking disappointed once or twice in the past few hours especially when the sun came out in Manhattan this morning.

    Parent
    The other thought I have is considering (none / 0) (#7)
    by brodie on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 11:33:13 AM EST
    the fair amount of disruption and damage just from a tropical storm, imagine what we'd be seeing had this been an actual serious hurricane like the one the networks originally advertised.

    It should be a wakeup call as to how vulnerable our infrastructure is and how we unthinkingly go about overbuilding in some of our major cities while failing to provide enough green spaces for the rain to be safely absorbed.  Underground power lines in low flood prone areas like NYC also seems stupid unless they are made fully protected from water, which doesnt seem to be the case.

    Underground power lines work ... (5.00 / 1) (#57)
    by Robot Porter on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 05:19:41 PM EST
    the areas that lose power are always those parts of Queens that have overhead power lines.

    Parent
    That's in a wind and/or snow storm (none / 0) (#65)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:50:16 PM EST
    Flooding is a whole different deal.

    Parent
    Above ground power lines in NYC are (none / 0) (#36)
    by tigercourse on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 03:26:27 PM EST
    impossible though.

    And NYC is one of the primary large cities in moving toward a greener existence. It's one of the top priorities Bloomberg seems to have (next to knocking the cigarettes right out of people's mouths). There's been a big push in recent years toward planting trees (1 million) and creating water permeable surfaces. I'd guess only Chicago and maybe Seattle or Portland are anywhere near as proactive as NYC.

    Personally, I think a system for recycling some of the rainwater that lands on roofs (much like the rain barrels you can find in suburban/rural areas) would be a good step. Though I don't know the cost/logistic issues involved.

    Parent

    From Atrios (none / 0) (#14)
    by MO Blue on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:04:46 PM EST
    Years Later

    Pampered over-privileged scribe finally discovers that it's kinda bad when people don't have any jobs or money. Better late then never I guess.

    Subtitle of op-ed:

    Upon leaving my bubble, I discovered that I and the rest of the media are idiots.

    Yes, and Kristof (none / 0) (#19)
    by KeysDan on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 12:49:18 PM EST
    still does not seem to get it.  " We could extend the payroll tax cut, which expires at the end of December.  Astonishingly, Republicans in Congress seem to be lined up instinctively against this basic economic stimulus."   No, Republicans will be happy to take this tax cut--after they "negotiate" more tax cuts for the rich in turn for the Obama offer of tax cuts for the working class.  And, "Mr. Obama, with 25 million Americans hurting, will you fight--really fight!--to put jobs at the top of the national agenda?".   What does that mean, jobs at the top of the national agenda?   A good word-smithed document?  Action?  A payroll tax cut may be helpful, but it does require one to be on a payroll.   As for "really fight", well that would be nice.

    Parent
    Nick Kristof needs to get home to Oregon (5.00 / 3) (#31)
    by caseyOR on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 02:20:43 PM EST
    more often. This state is in serious trouble. The lowball unemployment number is a bit over 9%. The real number is closer to 18%. And when you get outside of the few urban areas of the state, well, unemployment is hitting 25% in some counties.

    We have a long history in this state of what used to be called hunger and is now labelled the more palatable "food insecurity." The Oregon Food Bank is providing food to an exploding number of people. They can't really keep up with the need.

    What is happening here in Kristof's home state is not all that different from what is happening all over the nation. It would not be all that hard for the media to find out what people think is important in the jobs vs. deficit battle. They could just drive maybe three counties out in any direction out of D.C. and NYC.

    Of course that might challenge them to think outside their very comfortable comfort zone. So, not holding my breath.

    Parent

    The only Times columnist (none / 0) (#75)
    by Mr Natural on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 09:40:39 PM EST
    who's more clueless is Tom "flat world" Friedman, whose optics have been permanently deformed by his marriage into a billionaire's family.

    Parent
    va survived quite nicely, thank you. (none / 0) (#25)
    by cpinva on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 01:38:19 PM EST
    as hurricanes go, this was pretty mild for va. tropical storm level winds, a fair amount of rain, some nominal flooding (just to keep us on our toes) and, well, that was about it. oh, a few downed trees and some power lines (this is why almost all new lines are buried underground), but mostly just annoying.

    my nyc relatives will survive as they always do. it would take a nuke to get them worked up, and i'm not even convinced of that. good thing the USSR never tried to invade nyc, they'd have been bludgeoned to death, without a second thought.

    Yes, I talked to my daughter, (none / 0) (#48)
    by Zorba on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:34:00 PM EST
    who lives in Manhattan, and she was pretty blasé about the whole thing, as were her friends and co-workers.  They were mostly annoyed that the transit system wasn't running yet.  (And I pity Bloomberg if it isn't running by very early Monday morning- he will be facing the wrath of millions of New Yorkers.)

    Parent
    Why wait a month? (none / 0) (#30)
    by loveed on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 02:16:43 PM EST
    Bad judgement. If you had it ,put it out there.
     I think it was Andy Card, that said"never roll out a big policy change in August".
     So the poor and unemployed will eat cake, until after labor day.
     Then as usual the repub. will attack it. Obama will waffle. It will be time for Thanksgiving & Christmas break. And nothing will get done.
     Obama is the president of USA. Usually the most powerful person in the world. Why can't he get anything done?
     The repub. are always in charge. Whether they have the presidency or not. They don't need a majority  in congress, to run everything.
     The democratic party had a veto proof majority. They squander it.
     The dems. wasted and election at the worst time in history. Everyone knew  the  economy was in serious trouble, with 2 wars going on. They rigged the primaries for an inexperience nobody. For what? To make history? They would have made history no matter who was elected.
     And the worst thing is they probably destroyed the party. There no one else but Obama. Name 3 upcoming dems. for 2016?
     I can name you 3 repub. Hayley,Rubio,Cantor,Ryan,Christi,.I know that's more than 3, just trying to make a point.
     

    The President just spoke (none / 0) (#40)
    by andgarden on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 04:05:39 PM EST
    I think I heard him imply a pivot from natural disaster recovery to economic disaster recovery.

    That's smart; I hope he can pull it off.

    Nobody's paying the slightest attention (5.00 / 2) (#72)
    by gyrfalcon on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 07:02:43 PM EST
    to him right now.  He might as well be spitting into the wind.

    Parent
    Obama pivoting to jobs (none / 0) (#79)
    by MO Blue on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 12:01:44 AM EST
    Obama's Pivot to Jobs Deja Vu Video at C&L

    I'm sure Obama is completely dizzy by now with all that pivoting.

    Parent

    A changing of the old guards (none / 0) (#63)
    by loveed on Sun Aug 28, 2011 at 06:18:39 PM EST
     I thought this was a interesting article. I have often said, that the old repubs. are on there way out.
     They are against Huntsman, because they will lose there power. He's not a flame thrower.He has talents, no other repub.candidate has.
     But no appearance on fox sunday with Chris Wallace.
     Whats up with that?

     http://www.iowastatedaily.com/opinion/article_fb9c0328-cdeb-11e0-a8ca-001cc4c03286.html

    Bias can go two ways (none / 0) (#87)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 08:42:02 AM EST
    Option 1: "... former Utah governor and President Obama's Ambassador to China"
    Option 2: "... former Utah governor and Ambassador to China"
    If the person has a negative view of President Obama (which, as we are assuming they are Republican, is a safe bet), they may read the first option (the one that was published) and react negatively that he has any sort of association with, or was appointed by, Obama. By doing this, they have turned what should be a major strength (experience with America's primary emerging rival, China, something that no other candidate has), into a glaring flaw.

    While the writer may see Option 1 biased against Huntsman, the comment is factually correct.

    Option 2 leaves out a fact so it becomes biased for Huntsman.

    I find it amusing that the writer, a PolySci senior,violates his own premise.

    Parent

    Your bias (none / 0) (#91)
    by CoralGables on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 12:17:04 PM EST
    is showing.

    Parent
    I admit to being biased against (none / 0) (#94)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 01:37:51 PM EST
    false claims.

    Parent
    Funny thing about bias (none / 0) (#95)
    by CoralGables on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 02:15:46 PM EST
    it's usually viewed as truth through one's own eyes.

    You probably should have suggested option #3.

    ...former United States Ambassador to China (2009-2011), Utah Governor (2005-2009), and United States Ambassador to Singapore (1992-1993).

    Parent

    There was no Option 3 (none / 0) (#97)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 05:14:58 PM EST
    and my comment pointed out that one man's option is another's poison.

    So I don't know what you are trying to do unless it is to claim I dislike Huntsman.

    Which I do, but his being Obama's waterboy in China has nothing to do with it,l

    Parent

    more to the point (5.00 / 1) (#98)
    by jondee on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 05:26:55 PM EST
    is that Huntsman isn't the sort of Repub who fires up Tea Party carnival pinheads by conflating a moderate Democrat president with Hitler and Stalin.

    Parent
    No, it's the fact that he, ... (none / 0) (#99)
    by Yman on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 05:50:12 PM EST
    So I don't know what you are trying to do unless it is to claim I dislike Huntsman.

    Which I do, but his being Obama's waterboy in China has nothing to do with it.

    ... unlike the TP Repubs, believes in teaching evolution in Science class and acknowledges the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change.

    What a radical.

    Parent

    Huntsman obviously (none / 0) (#100)
    by jondee on Mon Aug 29, 2011 at 06:13:33 PM EST
    hasn't heard yet about how the man-made greenhouse gas hoax was hatched by the tenured radicals who've taken over the science departments in our seats of higher learning -- in order to weaken America and gradually undermine the purity of our precious bodily fluids.

    Parent