Statue of David – Americanized.
Statue of David - Americanized!
Michelangelo’s famous statue of David returns to Italy this week after a successful 12-week, 20-city tour of the USA ….
A Metro Idiot.
I witnessed a strange thing on the metro today.
As I was stepping off the train, I was walking to come up out of the platform and I passed this guy who got his brown paper wholefoods lunch bag caught in the closing metro doors. He was tugging at it and tugging at it, until the bag ripped to shreds spilling the contents all over inside of the train with him standing on the outside. Except for a Banana which was squeezed in half my the doors. The train started forward but then stopped and sounded all these alarms because a door wouldn’t close completely.
The guy walked off with half a ripped up bag and half and banana.
When I told Tage about this his response was “oh, poor guy”.
That’s a good reaction, my reaction was “what a stupid idiot to rush at the train doors so hurriedly as to get his bag caught. He had plenty of warning, but no, he had to rush, and now hundreds of people are going to be delayed because metro has to certify that the doors are closing correctly. What a Jerk”
Report of the Commission on Phone Usage – June
Here are the released numbers from the Commission on Phone Usage (CPU) for the month of June.
Total Minutes used, and total texts sent are both in rapid decline reflecting the trend of the US economy. Economic Cutbacks at home, and abroad, as well as lack of the important Senate work or much of any college-friend contact (apart from Tage, Colin, and Josh) are clearly reflected in the numbers. From this data it is clear that summers seem to be a time of separation, and recovery from the school year, and that not much extra-curricular college work gets done during the summer months, at least not via the cell phone.
This numbers also illustrate the growing trend in the use of other forms of communication, such as gchat, and Skype, which allows users to talk freely without the use of cellphones. While Skype hasn’t been used except for once as of the time of this report, gChat remains a vital communication method between Jason, and his friends both at home, and at work.
Total Minutes Used in June
Total Texts Sent
As far as individual users are concerned, there are dramatic and remarkable changes in the level of communication between Jason and the various college friends selected in the sample. Nick Troiano has declined dramatically, while Colin Meiselman has risen dramatically, even surpassing the minute category leader by a significant margin. The Leading causes for these two changes are 1) Troiano’s decision to transfer to Georgetown, leaving them with very little to talk about. 2) Colin becoming General Manager of ATV, and Jason becoming Programming Manager giving them lots to talk about (in addition to the usual issues of the heart which are often discussed.)
Across the board both minutes and texts have declined, particularly among particular parties. Gchat remains a primary cause. Kristin’s wedding also is a factor, as mom has instructed the Cunninghams to save minutes for wedding party use, which was generally agreed to.
Minute Use by User
Texts Sent by User
I would anticipate even greater declines for next month (July) followed by dramatic gains and shifts as the new school year begins in August and September. August has the potential to demonstrate the serious decline typical of the summer months, but similar to the March decline, it will again be influenced by the family vacation to Lake George for one week August 2nd – 9th which will put Jason out of cellphone contact with the world.
Jason Cunningham
Chairman
The Commission on Phone Usage
Royally Squeezed
I was shocked and appalled by this recent Newsweek article regarding the Queen’s Finances!
Royally Squeezed – Even the Queen’s feeling the financial pinch.
By Barbara Kantrowitz | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Newsweek – July 15, 2008
One of Five annual Royal Garden Parties
The lawn was a perfect emerald green, the roses were in lush bloom and the palace – well, it is Buckingham Palace, and as I trooped through the entrance galleries last week, it looked polished and elegant. But these are not the best of times for the Windsors: Queen Elizabeth II is reportedly short on cash to redecorate the Palace’s State Rooms, which haven’t been spruced up since the Queen took the throne in 1952. Plus, there isn’t even enough money (about $65 million) to carry out less glamorous projects, like asbestos removal, rewiring and roof repair. It seems that Her Majesty, like all the rest of us, is feeling the financial pinch–despite a net worth estimated at $650 million.
But you wouldn’t know it from the Queen’s first garden party of the summer season (three more will follow). My invitation came through a handful doled out to the Association of American Correspondents in London but most of the 8,000 attendees were loyal subjects who were clearly thrilled at the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Queen in person rather than on a stamp or a pound bill.
The doors opened more than an hour before the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, were scheduled to appear and chat with the crowd–plenty of time for the partygoers to explore gardens that are usually closed to the public. But as the time for the royal appearance drew closer, a kind of invisible magnet drew everyone to the center lawn where we obediently formed two corridors to let the royal couple chat earnestly with pre-selected guests. It looked like hard work for the 82-year-old monarch and her 87-year-old husband and it probably was – although they both have had decades of practice. At each conversation stop, the Queen appeared genuinely interested in what her guests had to say. Then, she hit the royal tea tent where instead of a quick cuppa, there were more guests to chat up.
This is just a small portion of the activity that the royal family claims cost British taxpayers about $80 million in the fiscal year that ended in March 2008 –or, as the royal bookkeepers helpfully explained on the Queen’s website, about $1.25 a person, “less than the price of two pints of milk or a download to an iPod.” (The price of an iTunes download in the United Kingdom is $1.38.) Sir Alan Reid, whose official title is Keeper of the Privy Purse, assured the public that the Queen’s financial advisers pay “continuous attention to obtaining value for money.” And he argued that trying to cut royal corners now would mean much bigger expenses in years to come if maintenance is deferred even longer.
Nonetheless, spending commoners’ cash on the royals continues to be controversial. When the most recent numbers were released late last month, an anti-monarchist group called Republic claimed that the real cost was nearly triple the official estimate. Supporters of the monarchy contend that the royals justify their tab because they bring in tourists. But Republic noted that only one royal residence, Windsor Castle, is among the United Kingdom’s top 20 tourist attractions. And it’s only 17th on the list, beaten handily by nearby Legoland (number 7).
The newest royal accounting did prove one thing: there’s no such thing as travel on the cheap in this family. When the Queen flew to the U.S. to mark the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, the cost of the chartered aircraft alone was more than $760,000, according to the palace. Taxpayers also picked up the $560,000 tab for an official two-week visit to the Caribbean by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla – including $420,000 for a 12-day yacht charter.
That may sound impossibly luxe to most of us, but the monarchy isn’t what it used to be. Even with her illustrious ancestry, the Queen’s coffers pale compared to more modern royalty, like Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling, whose net worth, according to The Sunday Times of London, is estimated at about $1.1 billion. Rowling, of course, didn’t earn that money from the tax rolls. And that’s what continues to rankle the Queen’s critics. Why should ordinary Brits, themselves struggling with rising household costs, have to foot the bill for the Queen?
In a press conference accompanying the release of the budget, Sir Alan claimed that the cost of maintaining the monarchy has not gone up as much as many other expenses. Overall, the total was 5.3 percent higher than the previous year although some expenses soared. The cost of food at Buckingham Palace, for example, was up 20 percent–to $1 million.
All of which made me feel more than a little guilty as I scarfed down the particularly delicious cucumber finger sandwiches and petit fours in the tea tent at the garden party. My mind wandered to thoughts of Nepal, where the parliament recently voted almost unanimously to get rid of its monarchy. It’s unlikely that the current British monarch will face that fate. Even many of those who want to abolish her privileged position acknowledge that she has worked hard in the job (Charles will have a tough act to follow). And here’s another tip for monarchs who want to keep their thrones: get Helen Mirren to play you in a sympathetic, Oscar-winning role. As I watched the real Queen chatting with her rapt subjects, I heard more than one partygoer comment that she seemed so much tinier than in the movie. True–but still somehow larger than life.
