In memory of a Golden Girl

Sophia : I can't believe it. Esther Weinstock is dead.

Dorothy : Oh I'm so sorry Ma, How'd it happen?

Sophia : [Sarcastically] She was fighting an oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico, [agitated]

Sophia : SHE WAS 88.

Rose : Well it's good that she kept fighting right up to the end.

The above exchange from an episode of Golden Girls, featured one of it's star characters, Sophia Petrillo played by Estelle Getty. Estelle has passed away today in her home in Los Angeles. She was 84.

Sophia: Rose, just remember, you're smarter than people say you are. You've got good sense, and you know what you're doing.

Rose: Oh, Sophia.

Sophia: Blanche, you're a slut.

Blanche: Oh, Sophia.

And finally,

Sophia: In Sicily, we never went to the doctor. We went to the Widow Scarpelli. Whatever you had, she had a cure for it. She was most famous for her green salve to cure earaches. One day, she gave some to Salvadore, the village idiot. He misunderstood the directions and put in on his pasta instead.

Dorothy: Well, I guess if you’re an idiot with a hearing problem, you do things like that.

Sophia: Actually, it turned out ok. The stuff tasted great, so Salvadore decided to market it. At first, things didn’t go so well. Ear Salve on Pasta wasn’t very appetizing-but once he changed the name to pesto sauce, it sold like hot cakes!

Dorothy: Ma, you’re making this up!

Sophia: So what? I’m old, I’m supposed to be colorful.

Estelle, thanks for making our world more colorful. Rest in peace.

A call for decency

"The FCC has been delinquent in its stewardship of the public airwaves," said L. Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council [PTC], whose members have flooded the FCC with indecency complaints in recent years. "This irresponsibility must stop, and with the leadership of chairman Martin, we are confident it will."

This quote from 2005, was on the eve of change at the Federal Communication Commission, that under President Bush, got a new chairman: Kevin J. Martin, one of the leaders in the crackdown on indecency. Mind you, America has long had a crusade for decency, and a number of groups such as the PTC have been keen to punish various media companies, namely Clear Channel Communications, Infinity Broadcasting and CBS among others, for incidents violating broadcasting decency standards.

What exactly makes broadcast material obscene or indecent or profane? According to FCC:

"What makes material “obscene?”
Obscene speech is not protected by the First Amendment and broadcasters are prohibited, by statute and regulation, from airing obscene programming at any time. According to the U.S. Supreme Court, to be obscene, material must meet a three-prong test:
(1) an average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest (i.e., material having a tendency to excite lustful thoughts).(2) the material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable law. (3) the material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. The Supreme Court has indicated that this test is designed to cover hard-core pornography.

What makes material “indecent?”
Indecent material contains sexual or excretory material that does not rise to the level of obscenity. For this reason, the courts have held that indecent material is protected by the First Amendment and cannot be banned entirely. It may, however, be restricted to avoid its broadcast during times of the day when there is a reasonable risk that children may be in the audience.
The FCC has determined, with the approval of the courts, that there is a reasonable risk that children will be in the audience from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., local time. Therefore, the FCC prohibits station licensees from broadcasting indecent material during that period.
Material is indecent if, in context, it depicts or describes sexual or excretory organs or activities in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium. In each case, the FCC must determine whether the material describes or depicts sexual or excretory organs or activities and, if so, whether the material is “patently offensive.”
In the FCC's assessment of whether material is “patently offensive,” context is critical. The FCC looks at three primary factors when analyzing broadcast material:
(1) whether the description or depiction is explicit or graphic(2) whether the material dwells on or repeats at length descriptions or depictions of sexual or excretory organs(3) whether the material appears to pander or is used to titillate or shock. No single factor is determinative. The FCC weighs and balances these factors because each case presents its own mix of these, and possibly other, factors.

What makes material “profane?”
“Profane language” includes those words that are so highly offensive that their mere utterance in the context presented may, in legal terms, amount to a “nuisance.” In its Golden Globe Awards Order the FCC warned broadcasters that, depending on the context, it would consider the “F-Word” and those words (or variants thereof) that are as highly offensive as the “F-Word” to be “profane language” that cannot be broadcast between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

What is the “safe harbor”?
The “safe harbor” refers to the time period between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., local time. During this time period, a station may air indecent and/or profane material. In contrast, there is no “safe harbor” for the broadcast of obscene material. Obscene material is entitled to no First Amendment protection, and may not be broadcast at any time.
Are there certain words that are always unlawful? No. Offensive words may be profane and/or indecent depending on the context. In the Golden Globe Awards Order, the FCC stated that it would address the legality of broadcast language on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the context presented, use of the “F-Word” or other words as highly offensive as the “F-Word” may be both indecent and profane, if aired between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Do the FCC's rules apply to cable and satellite programming? In the past, the FCC has enforced the indecency and profanity prohibitions only against conventional broadcast services, not against subscription programming services such as cable and satellite. However, the prohibition against obscene programming applies to subscription programming services at all times. "

Back in 2004, Clear Channel Communications permanently removes Howard Stern from the air after the FCC fines it $495,000 for 18 violations from April 2003. That was already on top of multiple fines that Infinity broadcasting paid to FCC in years prior.

Later that year, Howard dropped a bombshell, by announcing a deal to leave terrestrial radio and join SIRIUS Satellite Radio in a mega multi-million dollar deal. Mr Stern was a clear and obvious target for the FCC who he challenged on various occasions, in interpretation of the aforementioned standards of decency and moral values. I for one at the time, applauded his decision. A technology solution actually expanded his reach over limitations of terrestrial/commercial radio, and gave him and many others an uncensored outlet.

Nov. 18, 2004: Stern appears in New York's Union Square and proclaims "the death of FM radio."

The former (CBS) was fined by the FCC for the now infamous 2004 The Jackson incident, which was described afterward as a "wardrobe malfunction," that as the LA Times states, triggered outrage among many viewers, who flooded the FCC with complaints. It led Congress to dramatically increase indecency fines, to $325,000 per station for an incident from $32,500.

Which brings us to today's headline:
Court tosses FCC 'wardrobe malfunction' fine

The story ran today in the LA Times, details the judgement against the FCC. "The ruling releases CBS from paying a $550,000 penalty levied for Janet Jackson's breast-baring incident during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. It's also a blow to the FCC's indecency policy. "

What I found particularly intriguing is that "The panel also found that CBS was not liable for the incident because Jackson and fellow performer Justin Timberlake, who pulled off part of Jackson's costume to reveal her breast at the end of their performance, were independent contractors, not network employees."

Mental note to CBS and others, never employ "provocative" employees. All those ladies trying to make it on television is stiletto heals and skin tight dresses, are fine to show off their goods for the sake of ratings, as long as they are contractors. Then who knows what kind of malfunctions would occur.

While accepting the Media Institute's Freedom of Speech Award in 2006, then Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone said:

"Give the government the tools to punish those it doesn't like or silence what it doesn't want to hear, and you undermine democracy. Give people the tools to choose what they see and hear, and you enhance democracy."

Oddly enough

As much as I love staying on top of world news, politics and business, there are some news that never seem to make to the front page. Case and point, Reuters has a section on its website called "Oddly enough" that captures all those events in the world that just struggle to get attention.

Three particular news bites caught my attention. (The links below are videos and are quite entertaining to watch.)

First, comes from my motherland: Russia

"Jul. 1 - An unusual monument to that notorious medical procedure - the enema - has been erected in a resort town in southern Russia. The one and a half metre-high sculpture to the enema is made of bronze, weighs 400 kilogrammes and cost one million roubles. While it is a procedure many people would rather not talk about, the southern Russian city of Zheleznovodsk is celebrating it. The Caucasus Mountains region is known for dozens of spas where enemas with water from mineral springs are routinely administered to treat digestive and other complaints."

http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&videoId=85640
This is indeed a fine example of putting petrodollars to work to alleviate one of Russia's most serious ills.

The second comes from the Land of the rising sun: Japan.

You'd think that Japanese, despite their love of sumo, national form of fat wrestling, would put their primate cousins to work along the national pastime lines. But no, these poor animals are subject to a diet.

"About 50 Rhesus monkeys, who live in an enclosure at Ohama park in Osaka, have been steadily gaining weight for several years. Some became so fat they couldn't move around. The primates are now on a crash diet, with their calorie intake being cut nearly sixty-percent. "

http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&videoId=85627

And finally, one more from Japan

I just couldn't resist this one, being summer and all. "A premium watermelon has sold for more than 6,000 U.S. dollars at an auction in Japan. A top quality watermelon grown in Northern Japan is said to have broken the world record for the highest selling price, 6,100 U.S. dollars. "

http://www.reuters.com/resources/flash/includevideo.swf?edition=US&videoId=84213

Too cool for school?

clipped from http://www.zuriick.com/index.shtml

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Some more photos in those cool Zuriicks

zuriick

clipped from zuriick.bigcartel.com

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Converse... latest sneaker fixation

I have been looking into these Converse by John Varvatos. I just got a pair of Puma's that are similar but GOD these are so cute... I have a total shoe weakness. Have for years. There.. the world knows! Now which one to get? Hmmm....

clipped from http://www.zappos.com/n/br/b/996/Converse%C2%AE%20by%20John%20Varvatos.html

The Converse® by John Varvatos sneaker line was launched in fall of 2006. The contemporary appeal, history and brand authenticity of Converse, established in 1908, is a natural fit with the John Varvatos point of view, which focuses on the integration of old-world details and a modern sensibility. The success of the Limited Edition series has evolved into a long-term design partnership that continues to produce cool styles like the spring '05 "laceless" Chuck Taylors.

Converse® by John Varvatos offers sneakers for both men and women. John Varvatos adds modern updates to the classic Converse® silhouettes creating a look that is truly unique. Converse® by John Varvatos sneakers are available in a wide array of colors and styles to meet all of your casual wear needs.

Converse® by John Varvatos sneakers are the epitome of casual cool. This hip, contemporary line combines quality and style simultaneously in the same product, without compromise. Effortlessly stylish, Converse® by John Varvatos sneakers are simply a perfect fit.

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Changes a la Starbux

As some of you have heard, Starbucks is not doing as well these days as it used to. We're in a recession and paying a premium for an "experience" has gotten kinda old. I mean, it was cute an all when it was just one Starbucks a block or two away from home. Now they are just everywhere and the saturation game is not winning Starbucks new fans. Yesterday, the company has quietly released the full list of stores it plans to shut down as part of it's plans to close 600 stores.

Well, good. Who needs a store in some random location, where frankly patrons don't know a latte or a cappucino from a cup of Folgers even if their life depended on it. "Thems are onna those AYtalian things?...."

On a recent trip (yesterday) I convinced my local barista to make me a sample of their new Vivanno shake that the company is rolling out to expand it's non coffee line up. (Oh yeah, I am not paying for something I don't like, so I justify my demand for a sample.)

Impressions: YUMMY! I'll take a Venti please. :)

Iced espresso controversy

Today's news digest wasn't particularly thrilling until I ran into the story picked up by virtually every major news organization. The story centres on one Jeff Simmermon.

The story goes like this...

Jeff goes into Murky Coffee in Arlington, VA and orders an iced espresso. The barista behind the counter declines, citing company policy, stating (according to Jeff):

“This is our store policy, to preserve the integrity of the coffee. It’s about the quality of the drink, and diluting the espresso is really not cool with us..."

Jeff loses it at this point, demands espresso and ice and proceeds to mix it himself. Barista shudders with horror and tells Jeff that his action is just not cool. Jeff tells him to F#$% himself and barista gets a dollar tip with a note written on it that can be seen in the original blog post by Jeff. (btw, I sort of summarized here but Jeff does a much better job telling it in his own words)

Despite all the drama of Jeff, espresso over ice, Murky coffee (clearly Jeff was just in a wrong place at the wrong time) the whole thing just wont die down. Oh did I mention he is from NY? Oh yeah, for New Yorkers out there , you know consumerism at its purest. I.e. Give me what I want , how I want it, and I want it NOW! - (money handing over motion)

I admit, I am spoiled by the uber customization of Starbucks, that allows you to get coffee in an almost ridiculously unrecognizable state. Mint Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino® blended creme with Chocolate Whipped Cream anyone?

I do LOVE espresso over ice. Simply, iced Americano, no water. I get it almost every day in the heat of summer, and then finish it on the way to work while I watch my blood pressure go up. I like mine with just the right amount of half-n-half and good number of Splenda packets.. Tastes like sugar, right? :P

For more expert opinion on the controversy, I turned to coffee geeks... Enjoy the read

Cufflinks - le collezioni

Observe: The latest additions to the collection. I thought the monkey ones were particularly a propos, n'est pas? :) I used one of the collar stays to raise them.

Purchased at Neiman Marcus. On sale of course :)
Note the back. BANANA !




















Regardez, les renards.
Look , the foxes.












I fell in love with these at the Thomas Pink Store. Aren't they the cutest? :)

Bike purchase - take 2

Left with an unpleasant aftertaste from my first mail order bike experience, I re-read all the previous research done so far on the subject of folding bikes and came across the following review.

I was smitten. How could I have missed this? Clicking through to the company site, I settled on the Donwtube FS in orange.

The bike arrived this past Monday, and unlike my previous disaster was completely assembled, although also came in a big box.

Today I finally picked it up from Revolution Bicycle who were kind enough to give it a full tune up and adjustment. I safely biked from South Station to home in under 15 minutes. Pure joy!

Let the good times roll!

Mail order bike ... or how to have a headache and live to tell about it

OK. So European adventure over (for now), I've been focusing on my other life altering decision: biking! As I was packing to go to Europe, I was browsing multiple sites to get an opinion on various types of bikes. I wanted something I would have no problems storing in my 1 bedroom unit and can still bike around town without being marginalized by the big boys on their big mountain bikes or the serious peddlers on their speed bikes. So a folding bike made sense.

I came across a great site, the Folding Cyclist that gave me the information necessary to chose a folding bike suitable for my needs and budget. It would appear that 75% of all folders out there are made by Dahon and sold in a number of stores including REI, LL Bean just to name a few. Upon further research, it would appear that not surprisingly, majority is mass produced in Asia (read China). Dahon by no means sells anything revolutionary so I didn't understand why pay extra. I noticed that there was a bike company out there making big PR, called Citizen Bike.
Citizen's claim to fame is cost. They market their top model for under $300. ($274 to be precise)
Seemed like a no-brainer. I took the bait and placed an order.

A week went by, and on a fine summer evening I came home to find a huge package waiting at my door. It was the bike. It finally arrived. Oh joy! I was beside myself in excitement. I opened that box faster than you can say "Christmas came early!" (... and I don't even celebrate Christmas, but I digress. :) Oh how quick the excitement was over when I discovered what waited for me inside the giant box. A folded over mess.

The box was clearly damaged in shipping. By the looks of it, it has been dropped several times and the Styrofoam did little to cushion the blow. The rear wheel was clearly bent. Take a deep breath, I told myself. Let's see if this can be fixed once put together. Another 45 minutes later, sweat pouring down my back, I finally managed to assemble this beast together. Unable to test it's function with flat tires, I gave up and decided to wait till the weekend to test it out.

The following weekend, anxious to finish all the errands before leaving for Hamburg the following Friday, I rushed to my local petrol station to get some air into the tires and do some tweaking with the seat and handlebar height. My god, was the seat uncomfortable... I could barely sit on it.. The whole thing felt cheap. I hate to admit it, you get what you paid for. I still managed to straighten out the wheel bend, and take the sucker for a ride along the Charles.. Let's just say my pelvis did not thank me the following morning. Decision has been made: return the beast!

After a number of calls to Citizen's 800 number, I finally managed to get a pre-paid return label and ordered a pick up from FedEx the following day. As I write this, almost 2 weeks later, I am still waiting for a refund. Verbally, Citizen confirmed receipt and is "processing" the refund.

Denmark Day trips

This past wednesday, July 9th, I set off on 1 of 2 planned day trips out of Copenhagen, to get a better flavor for my surroundings.

Destination: Helsingborg, Sweden.

Logic: Would be a nice scenic ride along the coast to a ferry that takes you across to Sweden, where I would drive south through the countryside to Malmo, just across the border from Denmark, and go across Öresund Bridge back to Copenhagen

Check out the video I found on youtube :)

and this one. Did i mention it was like $40 to cross it? And I thought i was being ripped off by MassPike... sheesh.



Was a great trip. Check out the photos of Malmo:
















On the ferry to Helsingborg.

København

København or Copenhaven is the capital of the Danish Kingdom. Being the largest city in Scandinavia - Copenhagen is considered as a centre of culture and arts with plenty of sightseeing and entertainment activities to offer visitors, together with multitude of shopping facilities and the longest pedestrian street system in the world.

And let's not forget: "2008 – Copenhagen no. 1 in the world. Copenhagen is ranked as the best city in the world that offers its residents – THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF LIFE – by the British Magazine Monocle and furthermore the Monocle announces that Copenhagen is also the BEST DESIGN CITY in the world amongst the world’s top 25 cities for quality life.











The editor of Copenhagen-Portal assures that every Copenhagener is surprisingly proud of the title and status their city has obtained by a prominent overseas Magazine." quote courtesy of Copenhagen portal.

Biking: Denmark and Copenhagen especially, has a HUGE biking culture. Everyone is on one. Danish cycling tradition contributes to the nation's happiness. Cycling is a good way to slow down from the stress of daily life. It's environmentally friendly, social and a bike won't kill you if it hits you. Quite some young people in Copenhagen do not even care about obtaining a driver's license. Beside all the psychological advantages, cycling is simply the quickest way to get across the city.

Here is an amusing photo archive of cycle culture in Copenhagen.

OK, down to the logistics. I did all the hotel and like planning back in the States.

Flights: Vayama.com (see link in my links list). Cimber Air (SAS/Lufthansa codeshare) flies CRJs aka regional jets between Hamburg and Copenhagen as well as Stockholm. To my surprise, on a small jet you will find no less that 3 (!) classes of service: Business, Economy Plus and Economy. Across all three, the only difference is free or paid food and beverage service that's not complimentary to Economy only. I was "upgraded" to economy plus and to my surprise for a 40 min flight was offered a meal and choice of beverages. To even greater surprise, the food was better than Lufhansa business class. Gotta love Scandinavian Airlines

Hotels: I've stayed at 2 properties.
First, Bertrams Hotel Guldsmeden was where I spent my first 2 nights in the city. According to Frommer's "This is the newer and more elegant twin of the also-recommended Carlton Hotel Guldsmeden." I would describe the place more of an inn as opposed to a hotel. The rooms have a clear Bali/Asian influence, and that's made clear from the owner's own falling in love with Bali and building a property out there. That is not to say that they forget their Danish roots. The standard room was adequate, but by no means spacious. The queen size bed was quite comfortable and the down duvet was more than amply warm, especially for the Scandinavian summer, where you never know if you are getting sun or rain. I thought the room was a bit stuffy even when left open to air. A note to all American readers, there is no air conditioning, unless you stay at a lux property (think chains Marriott, Radisson, etc) .

Breakfast was not included in my almost US200 per night rate. Not to go on a rant, but I dread the fall of the dollar. Everything from water to hotels is expensive. Almost everywhere you look, the country is comfortable with paying high taxes for the benefit of greater good. Another words, if you want free medical care and cradle to grave support, be prepared to pay US10 for a club sandwich because 25% of that is tax.

Copenhagen is thankfully an easy walking/biking city and heavily encourages everyone to do so. If you do choose to drive, prepare to pay heavily for the priveledge. That's everything from petrol to parking fees, which can easily range from US40+ for an overnight spot. I made my best to pound the pavement, and relied on my car rental from Avis for day trips. Note: as most guides advise, make your booking from the States. Local car rental agencies, including american subsidiaries do not have access to the same rates and you can avoid the dreaded taxes by prepaying for your rental.

In hind sight, I wish I avoided the rental and just did organized tours through rail and bus. As much fun as a car is, navigating in a foreign city with all it's quirks is no fun. And the cost of gas and parking hassles are just too much.

The second property where I spent an additional 2 nights, was a Scandic Webers. This property is not recommended. The sister Scandic tower competes with Radisson SAS down the street. I got a pretty decent rate though of DKK695 inclusive of taxes and breakfast. That's pretty cheap for Copenhagen. Cheap for a 4 star property, which after my stay I can confidently say that it's not.