Hurricane Sandy Cuts Wide Swath of Destruction



AP/ Coast Guard Photo

 

 

Hurricane Sandy has smashed several records in her furious romp from Key West to Maine,  leaving at least 18 people dead according to abc.go.com.  At least 7.4 million people across the East lost electricity, while airlines canceled more than 12,000 flights, leaving hundreds of thousands stranded.

 

Weather experts have dubbed Sandy a hurricane that doesn't follow the rules.  After pummeling the south with wind and rain, some experienced the first snow of the season as a backlash from the atmospheric changes that occurred as she traveled north.  An AP photo below, provided by Cheryl Clay via Facebook, shows snow accumulating in West Virginia, a harsh mid-fall surprise.

 

 



 

New York City experienced heavy flooding, especially in Lower Manhattan around Battery Park City, and, for the first time in 108 years, subways flooded throughout the system.  MTA Chairman Joseph J. Lhota released the following statement detailing the damage thus far. 

 

"The New York City subway system is 108 years old, but it has never faced a disaster as devastating as what we experienced last night. Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on our entire transportation system, in every borough and county of the region. It has brought down trees, ripped out power and inundated tunnels, rail yards and bus depots."

"As of last night, seven subway tunnels under the East River flooded. Metro-North Railroad lost power from 59th Street to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line and to New Haven on the New Haven Line. The Long Island Rail Road evacuated its West Side Yards and suffered flooding in one East River tunnel. The Hugh L. Carey Tunnel is flooded from end to end and the Queens Midtown Tunnel also took on water and was closed. Six bus garages were disabled by high water. We are assessing the extent of the damage and beginning the process of recovery. Our employees have shown remarkable dedication over the past few days, and I thank them on behalf of every New Yorker. In 108 years, our employees have never faced a challenge like the one that confronts us now. All of us at the MTA are committed to restoring the system as quickly as we can to help bring New York back to normal."

 

washingtonpost.com

 

 

The HMS Bounty ended its reign as a premier tall ship when it succumbed to the swirling seas Sandy conjured in her path of destruction.  The Coast Guard rescued 14 crew members in treacherous waters yesterday.  Crew person Claudene Christian could not be revived and Captain Robin Wallbridge is still missing.  The Coast Guard holds hope that he could still be found alive.

 

In the aftermath of this storm, estimates for clean-up costs range between $10 and $20 billion, but, if the lessons from Irene apply, the dollar figure will probably exceed current projections.

 



 



 

 

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Mitt Romney Lies About His Record in Massachusetts

Map of Massachusetts from State Website

Ham on Wry wearies of Mitt Romney and pledges not to write further Romney posts unless something earth-shattering occurs.  This blogger realizes that voters in Massachusetts elected him as governor, but how do they regard him now?  Massachusetts has a diverse population with more independent voters than the two major parties combined.  Readers will find the state  motto revealing,  It reads "ENSE PETIT PLACIDAM SUB LIBERTATE QUIETEM," meaning "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."  Digest that for a moment and reflect on its implications before continuing.

Against that backdrop, Ham on Wry includes the John Kerry ad below for review.  It details some of Romney's broken promises.  It's just another example of how Romney misrepresents facts in a blatant manner.  The biggest of all centers on Romney's claim that he left a budget surplus, when he actually left a huge deficit for the next governor, Deval Patrick.

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Orionid Meteor Shower, Nature's Dazzling Light Show

Tommy Eliassen, Korgfjellet, Norway

Just after midnight, when October 21st embarked on its 24-hour journey, the night sky treated stargazers to a natural light show, stunning in its beauty.

Thomas Eliassen, the photograhper who took the picture at left in Norway, wrote in an e-mail to SPACE.com, "An Orionid meteor streaking over the sky, the aurora borealis in the northern horizon and the Milky Way over my camp. A very cold but perfect night to photograph the Orionid meteor shower."

In October each year, the earth passes through Halley Comet's dust trail, allowing earth dwellers to view the meteor showers that seem to emanate from the Orion Constellations, hence the term Orionid.  Traveling at close to 150,000 mph, the set the sky afire as they hurtle through our planet's atmosphere.  This year, observers saw a more spectacular sight than usual. Venus and Jupiter moved into position with Sirius, the Dog Star, to form a bright triangle in the eastern pre-dawn sky.

Perhaps a sight such as the one below, inspired Don McLean to write "Starry, Starry Night" in tribute to Vincent Van Gogh.  This blogger has vowed to stay up next year and experience the Orionid Meteor Show personally.

thetechherald.com

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So You Think Romney Will Deliver on his Promises

idesigntimes.com

The election draws ever nearer and Ham on Wry has received a plethora of forwarded e-mails announcing the end of America as we know it, if Obama is re-elected.  The Koch Brothers have even sent a letter to 45,000 employees promsing lay-offs if Obama wins. Charles Schwab has scared the wits out of seniors predicting they will lose their retirement savings, if Mitt Romney doesn't ride in on his white charger.




It annoys me that voters don't consider the importance of fact-finding and poring over the candidates' records when they servied in office.  In order to make the task easier for those who can't find the time to read research or check sites that check the truth of candidates' comments, I have embedded a link below written by a citizen of Massachusetts.

Some readers might wonder, "Why would I care about a long video from a state in which I don't reside?" Well, it just might make some sense to understand whether Romney delivered on his promises to the citizens of that state.  The investment of approximately 11 minutes of viewing time will provide statistics and quotes from some people who served under him during his term as governor there.

Women might find some of the information especially imporant to their lives, and, certainly, everyone can choose whether to consider the data provided in the voting booth.  I promise not to draw the conclustions for those who take the time to watch it in full.  More than enough rhetoric abounds on the political ads that scar the TV landscape, trying to convince voters to agree. 

Get a snack, click the link, and settle in.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=snBM-aQlHpk

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Presidential Candidates Spend $2 Billion on Campaigns

AFP/Getty Images/Saul Loeb

Unbelievable but true!  Two billion dollars!  That astronomical sum divides almost equally between Obama's and Romney's campaigns.  As a resident of one of the battleground states, I witness literally hundreds of ads in the span of one day, although I don't listen to any of them, because that's why the mute button exists on the remote control.  Digest that figure for a moment and reflect how that money could benefit the citizens of this country in better ways than ads that don't offer enough specifics to make informed decisions.

Collectively, I'm certain that the people of the United States could provide myriad suggestions for using that money wisely in ways that would benefit citizens in positive ways.  Of course, that would require major reforms in campaign finance, and willingness on the part of candidates for every political office to adopt fair, reasonable practices when communicating their messages.  Chances of candidates volunteering to do that are less than .spotting live dinosaurs in the back yard.  It ain't gonna happen (trust me, I know ain't is grammatically incorrect, but it cogently expresses the concept).

America has a massive deficit, and we can't afford to ignore the fact that we must take action to rectify that problem.  Sorry, Mr. Romney.  You can't cut everyone's taxes by 20% and reduce the deficit without painful cuts to crucial programs.  In an interview with a CBS reporter, you stated that it was fair that you paid 14% on earning so $20 million, while someone earning $50,000 paid a higher rate because it positively affects the economy.  Really!  Whose economy?  It's time that billionaires and multi-millionaires face the truth.  Your tax rate allows you to live lavish lifestyles, but it does little to help create large numbers of jobs.  Your selfishness is costing this country more than money.  It's shrinking the middle class and creating a sharp divide between those that have more than they can possibly use in generations to come and those that can't pay all the monthly bills.

We can do something.  We can make our voices heard.  Call and write the president, your senators and representatives.  Express your displeasure in letters to the editors of newspapers and other print media.  Join online groups and forums.   Tell them you have had enough and want to stop the insanity that exists in our political process.  Most importantly, make informed choices when you vote.  You'll feel much better for it.

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Battleground States Barraged with Political Ads

thinktownusa.ning.com

 



This blogger has suffered the torture of an endless stream of political ads that proliferate during prime time TV.  Both parties consider the yellow states on the map crucial to winning the presidential election November 6th.

While only a little over three weeks from now, that date seems agonizingly far away.  Both parties evidently think that viewers can neither hear nor see well, because the same ads run twice in the same commercial break.  Perhaps they're on to something, given the shameful lack of commitment voters show to fully informing themselves about the candidates.

I would personally like to kiss the inventor of the mute button on the remote because it has provided welcome respite from the onslaught.  Readers who share my misery will most likely celebrate the end of the campaign season and the resulting absence of political advertising that accompanies it.

If voters put enough energy forth, perhaps the Supreme Court will overturn Citizens United.  That decision turned a horrible situation into an abysmal torture.  Ham on Wry supports eliminating ads from Political Actions Committees (PACs) and any other organization.  Only ads endorsed by the candidates that come from the campaigns will be allowed in my altered universe.

The only relief under current law entails a move to a state that apparently doesn't matter much in the 2012 election, like Wyoming.   Ah, well, too late now.  The damage has occurred.  Maybe it will change in 2016--------and maybe not.

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Protesters Condemn Shooting of Malala Yousafzai

Photo of Protesters Holding Poster of  Malala/AP

Protest groups united in condemning the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) for shooting Malala Yousafzai in the head as she  to rode home from school Tuesday.  The 14-year-old girl won acclaim for the BBC blog she had written since 11, which demanded education for all girls.  Threats have been made against her father, who owns and runs the school Malala attends, as well.

Three men have been arrested in the Swat Valley, Malala's home region, for the crime, but the mastermind remains at large.

Rather than silencing the criticism aimed at the TTP, their senseless act has rallied worldwide support, notably in evidence yesterday, October 11, the "International Day of the Girl Child" proclaimed by the UN as an annual event.

UNICEF on October 11 tweeted, "Today our thoughts are with Malala Yousafzai, the inspirational 14-year-old activist for girls' rights."



Malala's condition has improved enough to transfer her to a hospital in Rawalpindi after surgeons removed a bullet that passed through her head and lodged in her shoulder. Her condition has been upgraded from critical to satisfactory, but doctors can't predict whether she'll regain all of her abilities.

Ham on Wry applauds Malala's courage and joins with supporters everywhere hoping for her full recovery.  She serves as a reminder to us all that we must demand rights for girls and women everywhere.  We have reached a tipping point, and all of us must find a way to ensure the education of girls in every country.  They will help shape our global future and end the harsh treatment of females.

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TSA Search Humiliates Leukemia Patient

Last year, TSA searched a 95-year-old woman in a wheelchair wearing an adult diaper, which the agents confiscated, leaving her without protection for her journey to Michigan.  At least they took her to a private screening room to conduct the screening.

Not so for Michelle Dunaj, who was traveling back to Michigan after a vacation in Hawaii and a visit with friends in the Seattle area.  She is in the end stage of leukemia, so she believes this will be the last trip she'll ever take. 


TSA tainted what would otherwise been a wonderful memory by denying her request for a private screening, instead forcing her to endure a female agent making her lift her shirt after feeling tubes in her chest and abdomen.  That might have been understandable if Dunaj hadn't called the airline ahead of time and carried documentation for her feeding tubes and prescriptions for all of her medications and her five bags of saline solution.  During the full patdown in view of other passengers, another agent punctured one of the saline solution bags, rendering it unusable.

Worse yet, the TSA defends its actions.  A TSA spokeswoman said that the agency had reviewed video from the security checkpoint where Michelle Dunaj was screened for weapons and determined that the agency's  were followed.  Wake up TSA!  If your procedures allow for such rudeness to a dying person, you need to change your procuedures!  No defense for such transgression exists.  It was a shameful act of total insensitivity, and the screeners involved should be summarily dismissed.

These violations occur because leadership has not trained agenst thorougly in the handling of ill, disabled, and special needs passengers.  John Pistole, who heads TSA, has been grilled by Congress and should be removed.  He has not adequately addressed the kind of nonsense that occus in the screening process.  Screeners should be trained to focus on behavior and not expose the sick, the very young, and the infirm to publc patdowns.

Ham on Wry cringes at the thought of a person who has only a few months to live being subjected to such inhumane treatment at the hands of insensitive morons.  John Pistole should write Michelle Dunaj a personal letter of apology and give her lifetime immunity to screening, in case she has time for another trip on her bucket list.

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Jerry Sandusky Will Spend 30-60 Years in Prison

Washington Post

Judge John M. Cleland handed down a sentence that will keep Jerry Sandusky behind bars for at least 30 years and could stretch to 60 years, far past the life expectancy for a 68-year-old man.

Judge Cleland spoke to Sandusky frankly, saying, “You abused the trust of those who trusted you. The crime is not only what you did to their bodies, but your assault to their psyches and souls.”



Sandusky portrayed himself as the victim of an accuser who had launched a conspiracy claiming he sexually abused many boys.  Despite his claim, evidence presented at his trial pointed to a man who abused several victims.  Somehow, Sandusky's assertions seem hollow and pointless.  He is certainly not the victim in this case.

Eight victims testified against Sandusky at his trial.  Each of them said that  Sandusky won their trust as a father figure and then insinuated himself into a relationship that involved sexual abuse.  One of Sandusky's adopted sons came forward after the trial ended, claiming that Sandusky had sexually abused him as well.

Sandusky hides behind a mask of delusions and proclaims his innocence in abusing any of the witnesses, but he can only fool himself.  This case has also damaged the entire Penn State football program and caused many to question whether the university placed a higher priority on its football team than it did on dealing with Sandusky's questionable behavior in the locker room.  At the very least, the university should have launched a full-scale investigation with the help of police into the allegations.

Ham on Wry hopes that Sandusky spends his time in prison coming to terms with his heinous acts and that it will serve as retribution for those whose lives he damaged.

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Joran van der Sloot Does It Again

radaronline.com

No, Joran van der Sloot did not kill another woman, but he did impregnate one----while serving a 28-year prison term for the 2010 murder of Stephany Flores in Peru.  I guess conjugal visits in that country are unsupervised at least some of the time for this to have occurred.

One wonders what kind of woman would want an intimate relationship with a man who killed a woman in cold blood so that he could steal the money she won at a casino. 

 De Telegraaf  reported that Van der Sloot  said that his girlfriend uses the birth control pill, but had forgotten to take it when the baby was conceived.  As a Catholic, she refused to have an abortion.


The Associated Press wrote that Van der Sloot's attorney Maximo Altez identified Leidy Figueroa Uceda as a registered conjugal visitor of his client's.  Her telephone numbers are disconnected--a wise move on her part.  But what was she thinking?  Just the thought of a psychopath like van der Sloot fathering a child makes me shudder.  He's a convicted felon serving time in prison and a suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.  This woman must enjoy playing Russian Roulette.  If she has any sense, she'll forget about van der Sloot, change her name, and get as far away from him as possible before the child is born.

 

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Tigers Win 5-4 in Game 2 Against the A's

Rick Osentoski/USPresswire

Take a good look at Don Kelly in the picture to the left, because you're seeing a hero reborn.   He scored the eighth inning run that tied the game against the Oakland A's and then hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth with the bases loaded, wrapping up a win in game 2.

The strangest part of this story goes back two months when Kelly's miserable batting average of .158 pushed the Detroit Tigers to place him on assignment.  Good thing they had a change of heart and placed him on the roster, because he delivered the goods.


Those readers who regularly check Ham on Wry for new posts are probably scratching their heads at this post, wondering why the major departure from the typical material offered on this blog.  No, I'm not a huge Tigers fan, who watches every game without fail.  I am, however, a Michigander by birth and part of my soul resides in that state.  I fondly recall going to the games in the old Tiger Stadium and paying more attention to the action in the stands than what was happening on the field.  I'll never forget one occasion when I  attended a Tigers game with a few college friends, and they routed the rival team.  I was flush from excitement, and perhaps a beer or two, and, in my buoyant state, walked up to the policeman directing traffic as the crowd exited the stadium and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.  He blushed as red as the traffic light behind him and smiled broadly.  Bonhomie was alive and well on that day.

So, why did I write about the Tigers pulling it out in the 9th inning?  Because Detroit needs a boost in community spirit.  It has contributed much to this country, but the city has merely a fraction of its former glory.  It has shown progress under the current mayor, Dave Bing, a name sports fans should instantly recognize as a former player for the Detroit Pistons.  He has fought an uphill battle to improve the city after former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick brought it to ruination.  If the Tigers can win the big one, Detroit will have boasting rights.  Greater Detroit needs that boost, and that's why I chose to write this blog.  Go Tigers, or as my nephew would say, "Go Pussycats!

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Romney Promises to Cut Big Bird's Funding

Todd Pitt/USA Today

Watch out, Big Bird!  Mitt's out to get you.  During the debates October 3, Romney told moderator Jim Lehrer, “I’m sorry Jim. I’m gonna stop the subsidy to PBS. I’m gonna stop other things. I like PBS, I like Big Bird, I actually like you too.” He then made mention that he didn't want to borrow any more money from China to fund non-essential programs.  What a surprise!  This from the guy who thinks that when people expect food, health care, and housing, it identifies them as having a victim's mentality.



It seems Romney doesn't understand that an extremely small portion of Sesame Street's funding comes from the Federal Government.  Most of the budget comes from charitable donations, corporate funding and underwriting, and its licensed products.  Don't worry, folks!  We won't need that extra money from China.

The saddest part about Romney's comment is his ignorance of the impact it has on early learning and preparing children for school.  We need more non-essential expenditures like Sesame Street because our nation's test results do not measure up in global results.  In fact, some third wold nations score higher in math and science than American students.  The tax cuts that Romney touts as the answer to our nation's woes will only cause education to suffer more than it already does.  If this nation wastes the potential of students who live in poverty, it causes great harm to building an essential well-educated work force for the future.

Romney's privileged life has blinded him to the plight of a large percentage of people who are unemployed or underemployed and can't make ends meet.  Stop picking on Big Bird, Mr. Romney!  Spend a few nights on the streets of big cities if you want to face the reality of people who are losing hope.  For that matter, spend a few nights in many of our nation's small towns, and you'll experience hardship and decay second-hand.

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Romney Meant What He Said

rollingstone.com

Ham on Wry chose this picture of Mitt Romney in his plain folks shirt to illustrate the sharp contrast between the image and the man.  He is definitely not a man of the people, by the people, and for the people and has clearly defined where his loyalties lie in his now famous or infamous, as one's point of view dictates, comments about the 47% of Americans who will vote for Obama.  As a reminder, the quote appears in the next paragraph.



  "There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it -- that that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. ... These are people who pay no income tax. ... [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

For those that have heard the audio of his comments, no doubt can exist that he meant exactly what he said.  He believes that 47% of Americans don't take personal responsibility for their lives and consider health care, food and housing entitlements.  Silly me.  I consider them basic necessities of life rather than entitlements.  I guess he would like to see 47% of us sick, starving to death, and living on the streets, if one takes him at his word.  I don't care how he tries to spin it, he can't explain away his total disregard for those he lumps into the 47%.

This blogger has an advanced degree, held three jobs when she graduated with her bachelor's degree so that she could continue her education, and has paid social security, federal taxes, state taxes, Medicare taxes, sales taxes, etc. since she was 18 (Medicare taxes came later).  Most middle class people can cite similar stories, and most have hit bumps in the road along the way.  Sunday's Tampa Bay Times had an article written by a woman who used food stamps when she was a single mom attending college.  Romney would label her a "victim."

For those of you in the middle class who choose to vote for Romney, do so at your own peril.  He's not an evil man, but he is out-of-tune with contemporary society and does not represent the interests of the common man.  To say that 47% of American citizens are dependent on government is actually an understatement because all citzens get some help from the government in forms of services.  Don't let his plain folks shirt and jeans fool you.  That doesn't reflect the way he usually dresses.  Remember the "mom jeans" he wore at the beginning of his campaig.  That shows how out-of-touch he is with mainstream America.  Remember all of this when voting.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger Tells All on 60 Minutes

 

topnews.in

Arnold Schwarzenegger has accomplished something that I could never have expected. He lowered my already low opinion of him during his 60 Minutes interview Sunday.  Scum bag and bottom feeder come to mind, as I recall his smug attitude and appalling lack of remorse for having a love child with the housekeeper, as he answered questions posed by Lesley Stahl during the segment intended to raise interest in his memoir Total Recall.  Let me add sleaze ball to the list of slurs that I hurl at a man who lacks the moral fiber to deal with his character flaws honestly.

"Ahnald" grew up in a household with an overly stern, sometimes violent father and vowed to go to America and gain fame as a body builder.  He did that.  He also made several movies where his hulking body fit the part well.  He was even elected as governor of California.  Whoopee!


When Stahl asked him about an alleged affair with Brigitte Nielsen, he admitted that he did, and he also proclaimed he had other affairs during his marriage to Maria Shriver.  What a winner!  He captures the prize for all-time worst husband of 2012.

Forgive my skepticism, but I suspect that Scharzenegger's newly-found "honesty" might have something to do with the release of his memoir.  I know!  I know!  Shame on me for thinking such a thing, but the look on his face throughout the interview bordered on smug with an occasional smirk thrown in.  What if the reading public shuns his memoir in favor of Chelsea Handler's new book?  It will probably be more entertaining.

tvguide.com

Secrets and Lies would be a more accurate title for his book.  You really blew it, Arnold.  You have embarrassed yourself beyond measure and caused your family untold pain.  May you someday regret your transgressions.  Your family has changed forever because you think with your lower brain.

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