"Last month, prosecutors charged the archdiocese as a corporation for having ignored repeated reports of inappropriate behavior by a priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys."
Monday, June 15, 2015
Scandal
Twin Cities archbishop, deputy resign in wake of abuse cover-up allegations - TwinCities.com
"Last month, prosecutors charged the archdiocese as a corporation for having ignored repeated reports of inappropriate behavior by a priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys."
"Last month, prosecutors charged the archdiocese as a corporation for having ignored repeated reports of inappropriate behavior by a priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys."
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Ideologue?
Regional Memo: Hogan’s Purple Line choice could paint him as ideologue - The Washington Post
Then there's always the possibility that Gov. Hogan is right, even if it's for the wrong reason. Why should federal, state and local $ be spent on the Purple Line public-private partnership when the public doesn't know why the Silver Spring Transit Center public-private partnership went so poorly? We know that the SSTC is a "monumental debacle"; but, we don't know why it's such a "monumental debacle". We know that Montgomery County chose private builder Foulger Pratt, private engineer Parsons Brinckerhoff and private inspector Balter Co. non-competitively, while private companies are selected competitively for most public works projects; but, we don't know why Montgomery County selected them. Shouldn't we? After all, whether the Silver Spring Transit Center had cost $20 million (which is what the County executive told the public 20 years ago, along with it being open in 1998) or it ends up costing $200 million, wasting public funds (federal, state & local) is wasting public funds. It's the same for the Purple Line--whether it costs $2.45 billion or $1.45 billion (which would be 10 times what the "monumental debacle" SSTC has cost the public to date), wasting public funds is wasting public funds. ... Do the right thing, Gov. Hogan, even if it's for the "wrong" reason. Hold off on approving the Purple Line public-private partnership until we know why the Silver Spring Transit Center public-private partnership turned out to be such a "monumental debacle".
Then there's always the possibility that Gov. Hogan is right, even if it's for the wrong reason. Why should federal, state and local $ be spent on the Purple Line public-private partnership when the public doesn't know why the Silver Spring Transit Center public-private partnership went so poorly? We know that the SSTC is a "monumental debacle"; but, we don't know why it's such a "monumental debacle". We know that Montgomery County chose private builder Foulger Pratt, private engineer Parsons Brinckerhoff and private inspector Balter Co. non-competitively, while private companies are selected competitively for most public works projects; but, we don't know why Montgomery County selected them. Shouldn't we? After all, whether the Silver Spring Transit Center had cost $20 million (which is what the County executive told the public 20 years ago, along with it being open in 1998) or it ends up costing $200 million, wasting public funds (federal, state & local) is wasting public funds. It's the same for the Purple Line--whether it costs $2.45 billion or $1.45 billion (which would be 10 times what the "monumental debacle" SSTC has cost the public to date), wasting public funds is wasting public funds. ... Do the right thing, Gov. Hogan, even if it's for the "wrong" reason. Hold off on approving the Purple Line public-private partnership until we know why the Silver Spring Transit Center public-private partnership turned out to be such a "monumental debacle".
Will Gov. Hogan be branded an ideologue for doing the right thing (even if it's for the "wrong" reason)? Or will his legacy be that of just another politician who reneges on his campaign promises?
Time will tell.
Friday, June 12, 2015
wasting public funds
Md. transportation chief reportedly backs Purple Line if cost is lowered - The Washington Post
Regardless of how many billions of $ that the public-private partnership Purple Line costs, it shouldn't be approved until taxpayers get some answers on the "monumental debacle" Silver Spring Transit Center public-private partnership. For example, why did Montgomery County non-competitively choose private builder Foulger Pratt, private engineer Parsons Brinckerhoff and private inspector Balter Co. to provide services for the SSTC, when private companies are selected competitively for most public works projects? Wasting public funds (federal, state & local) is wasting public funds, whether it's in the tens of millions or billions.
Regardless of how many billions of $ that the public-private partnership Purple Line costs, it shouldn't be approved until taxpayers get some answers on the "monumental debacle" Silver Spring Transit Center public-private partnership. For example, why did Montgomery County non-competitively choose private builder Foulger Pratt, private engineer Parsons Brinckerhoff and private inspector Balter Co. to provide services for the SSTC, when private companies are selected competitively for most public works projects? Wasting public funds (federal, state & local) is wasting public funds, whether it's in the tens of millions or billions.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
heard from the MD public-private partnership casino
"The last one (Silver Spring Transit Center) didn't work out so well. We lost over $100 million."
"That's OK. Let's double down, and then double down again, and put it all on the Purple Line."
Montgomery County IG presentation
"monumental debacle"
former Montgomery County councilwoman Valerie Ervin
Purple Line funny numbers
http://www.gazette.net/article/20150609/NEWS/150619850/
"An engineering report from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration forecasts that the Purple Line will see 56,100 daily riders by 2035.
Meanwhile, a travel forecast report from the Maryland Transit Administration projects Purple Line ridership at 64,550 by 2030 and 69,300 by 2040. About 5,000 more riders are added in the MTA report if University of Maryland students and special boardings are counted.
An FTA spokesman said Tuesday he was checking on a response.
An MTA official could not be reached for comment.
Robert J. Riker, a Chevy Chase resident who worked as a management engineer for 30 years with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, reviewed the reports and said he believes that even the lower figure by the FTA is significantly high."
Kudos to Kevin Shay and gazette.net for their excellent reporting.
"An engineering report from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration forecasts that the Purple Line will see 56,100 daily riders by 2035.
Meanwhile, a travel forecast report from the Maryland Transit Administration projects Purple Line ridership at 64,550 by 2030 and 69,300 by 2040. About 5,000 more riders are added in the MTA report if University of Maryland students and special boardings are counted.
An FTA spokesman said Tuesday he was checking on a response.
An MTA official could not be reached for comment.
Robert J. Riker, a Chevy Chase resident who worked as a management engineer for 30 years with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, reviewed the reports and said he believes that even the lower figure by the FTA is significantly high."
Figures lie, and liars figure.
At least there's one number that's sure to be much higher: $2.45 BILLION.
The chances that the Purple Line public-private partnership will be on or below budget are nil. Twenty years ago Montgomery County's executive said that the Silver Spring Transit Center would cost $20 million and be complete in 1998. It's 2015, the Silver Spring Transit Center still isn't finished, and its current cost is more than $140 million!
Kudos to Kevin Shay and gazette.net for their excellent reporting.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
incredibly low bar
- METRO's poor safety and service record
- TSA's security failures
- exploding airbags
- the Silver Spring Transit Center
Has the bar dropped so incredibly low that anything goes?
It appears that way.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Monday, May 25, 2015
report card
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Nat's: A+ 4-1 win over the Phillies!
METRO: F
SHAME ON YOU, METRO!
A person making minimum wage could do as good a job managing METRO as those who are being paid hundreds of thousands a year to manage it. More than $100 million in claims over the past few years! UNSATISFACTORY! UNACCEPTABLE!
Nat's: A+ 4-1 win over the Phillies!
METRO: F
- Train FULL (no seats; no standing room) WHEN IT LEFT VIENNA @ 11 AM
- Platform JAMMED at Navy Yard after the game
- Crowd pushing and shoving at the bottom of the escalator
- no place to go
- DANGEROUS!
- standing room ONLY on trains ALL THE WAY from the Navy Yard to Vienna!
SHAME ON YOU, METRO!
A person making minimum wage could do as good a job managing METRO as those who are being paid hundreds of thousands a year to manage it. More than $100 million in claims over the past few years! UNSATISFACTORY! UNACCEPTABLE!
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Saturday, May 23, 2015
death penalty
why DC should have the death penalty:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Mansion-Murder-NW-DC-Woodley-Four-Dead-Savopoulos-Housekeeper-304439421.html
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Mansion-Murder-NW-DC-Woodley-Four-Dead-Savopoulos-Housekeeper-304439421.html
Friday, May 22, 2015
Good job!
CAPTURED: Quadruple murder suspect Daron Wint arrested in Northe - DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG
Nice work by law enforcement.
Nice work by law enforcement.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
setting the record straight
Pope Francis Did Not Call Abbas an ‘Angel of Peace’ | National Review Online
Thank you, National Review, for setting the record straight (unlike the BBC, NY Times, and many other media outlets).
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Saturday, May 16, 2015
nice job, FRA!
Amtrak Told to Expand Automatic Braking System Use - NYTimes.com
Possibly the best example of "closing the barn door after the horse ran away" that I've ever seen.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
physics
"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
Benjamin Franklin
There's one more--physics.
What happens when a train goes 100+ mph into a curve that is rated for 50 mph? derailment. carnage. Amtrak derailment It's physics--centripetal force.
I pray for those who died, their families and those who were injured in the Amtrak train derailment.
What happens when structures are unable to withstand forces applied to them? Failure. destruction. carnage. Watergate garage Nepal earthquake
I pray that the Silver Spring Transit Center doesn't become another example of the unrelenting, unyielding laws of physics, resulting in property damage, injury and death.
silver spring transit center
silver spring transit center
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
silent treatment
silent treatment - Google Search
The silent treatment is the punishment that offenders place on those who they offend.
The silent treatment is the punishment that offenders place on those who they offend.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
BIG government
It may take a village to raise a child; but, it doesn't take the federal government.
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have." Thomas Jefferson
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have." Thomas Jefferson
Sunday, April 26, 2015
compass
A moral compass can serve to provide us direction for our life.
When we are born we have no direction; we are incapable of setting our direction. Picture this as being in the center of a compass without an arrow.
As we grow we begin to realize gradually that we possess some level of autonomy. We cry and we get held or fed or our diapers changed.
School brings our autonomy to a new level. We can choose to learn, or not. We can respect our teachers, or not. In school and out, we can choose to be “naughty or nice”. We have an arrow on our compass to show us the direction that we are going.
By middle school many of us start thinking about the future. What will I do when school is done? Will I need college to do what I want to do? We make plans and set our direction accordingly.
If we haven’t set our direction for life in general during our school years, many of us will set it when we’re done. We fix the direction arrow on our compass.
In addition to our BIG compass (the direction that we want to go with our life in general) there are “little” compasses too—integrity, honesty, how we treat others, how we treat the gifts of our environment—air, water, etc.
During the course of our lives many of us compare where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going with the direction that we set on our compass. If we think of the person that we want to be as “due north”, then where are we? Which way have we been going? Which way are we headed now? Are we north of center? Have we been going north? Are we going north now? Or, are we south of center? Have we been going south? Are we so far south that we’ll never get where we wanted to go (north)?
A moral compass can be useful in telling us where we are, where we’ve been and where we want to go with our lives.
When we are born we have no direction; we are incapable of setting our direction. Picture this as being in the center of a compass without an arrow.
As we grow we begin to realize gradually that we possess some level of autonomy. We cry and we get held or fed or our diapers changed.
School brings our autonomy to a new level. We can choose to learn, or not. We can respect our teachers, or not. In school and out, we can choose to be “naughty or nice”. We have an arrow on our compass to show us the direction that we are going.
By middle school many of us start thinking about the future. What will I do when school is done? Will I need college to do what I want to do? We make plans and set our direction accordingly.
If we haven’t set our direction for life in general during our school years, many of us will set it when we’re done. We fix the direction arrow on our compass.
In addition to our BIG compass (the direction that we want to go with our life in general) there are “little” compasses too—integrity, honesty, how we treat others, how we treat the gifts of our environment—air, water, etc.
During the course of our lives many of us compare where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going with the direction that we set on our compass. If we think of the person that we want to be as “due north”, then where are we? Which way have we been going? Which way are we headed now? Are we north of center? Have we been going north? Are we going north now? Or, are we south of center? Have we been going south? Are we so far south that we’ll never get where we wanted to go (north)?
A moral compass can be useful in telling us where we are, where we’ve been and where we want to go with our lives.
Saturday, April 25, 2015
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