Tonight's total lunar eclipse brought to you by Mother Nature
The eclipse was pretty well underway before I snapped any pics. The weather was crisp and clear, until the very end, when a few whispy clouds showed up. Really interesting to watch the ambient light change while the moon was in Earth's shadow.

Saw “The Matrix Revolutions” this morning. Definitely worth seeing. The entire trilogy has been one hell of a fun ride. I especially like the fact that the action in “Revolutions” takes place somewhere different from “Reloaded,” and that things aren't really tied up quite so neatly at the end.

No doubt, I'll have to own the complete set of movies. It's this generation's “Blade Runner.”

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More on the Q3 Economy Stats
If the hike is predominantly the result of the July tax cuts and a record surge in home mortgage refinancing, then it could be short-lived as “both are one time events. Maybe this strong quarter will kick in and employers will decide to begin hiring” - Lee Price, research director of the Economic Policy Institute.

We'll see.

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Mindy sent me the “Lotus Totus.” It has so much wisdom, I share it here.

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX.  Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

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DUH
Scam artists were so good, they managed to obtain the use of a State of New Jersey office building in Jersey City to conduct a “job fair,” that turned out to be nothing more than an identity theft scam. Apparently, the state didn't verify the identity of the “organization” that was allowed to use the space, so no arrests have been made. I suspect they don't really have any good leads.

It's Election Day Today.
At first blush, the “Nonpartisan Election” measure sounded like good stuff. Peeling back a layer, it doesn't look so good. I plan to vote “No.” There's some good information about what's going on at the NYPIRG site.

One big point: All of the city's leading non-partisan civic groups oppose the measure.

Thanks for the spike, Chris!
I was checking my server logs, and discovered a tremendous spike in referrals from my buddy. One visit to his blog, and it all made sense.

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So far, I've had four calls urging support for Proposal #3 - Non-Partisan City Elections:

This proposal would amend the City Charter to establish a new system of city elections for the offices of Mayor, Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough President, and Council Member. The September primary election would be open to all voters and all candidates, regardless of party membership or independent status. The top two vote getters would compete in the November general election. In both elections, candidates could indicate their party membership or independent status on the ballot. Candidates participating in the voluntary campaign finance program, which provides public campaign funding, could not accept contributions from political parties or party committees. The new system would replace the current system of political party nominations through primary elections in which only party members may vote. The changes would take effect after the 2005 Citywide election.

My friend Fran, who is very knowledgeable about the political system, is way in favor of the proposal, and has this to say:

“...Basically this initiative will help the little people in the city, the ordinary voter, and hurt the big people, i.e. the party bosses.  That's why all our elected officials are against it, but all the insurgent Democrats and the independents are for it.  AND WE HAVE A SHOT AT WINNING, but I really need your support to do it.
 
“WHAT NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS ARE:  September primary elections would be open to all voters and all candidates, regardless of party membership or independent status. The top two vote getters would then compete in the November general election.  The new system would replace the current system of holding primary elections in September in which only party members may vote.

“Passage does not mean automatically more competition in our elections - we still have lots of work to do.  BUT IT WILL ALLOW FOR IT - now it's impossible for anyone independent of the party, who hasn't kissed enough toes, to get past the party bosses.  (Bloomberg needed $79 million to get past them.)

“Nonpartisan elections in New York's city elections would:
              -- mean party bosses could not handpick our choices because all the candidates, of all parties, would be on one primary ballot.  
              --invite 3/4 of a million registered independents into the process and enable people of all political affiliations to vote in the primary election, where 95% of our city elected officials are in fact selected.
              -- make our elections more inclusive and more competitive and encourage more people to vote. (In the most recent primaries for City Council only 3.5% of all New York City voters came out to vote.)

“We all care about issues such as homelessness and the lack of health care and the quality of the environment and the asthma epidemic.  I could go on.  But we have to change the process by which our elected officials get elected, because right now, they are not accountable to us, but to their party!!!”

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Halloween in Greenwich Village

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My cell phone is crapping out. I went looking for a replacement, and I'm leaning toward a Sony Ericsson T300. I Googled a few reviews, and thought this one said a lot about popular culture:

Most people think of a cellular phone just being a communications tool. But then there are the other people, people like me... In my opinion, a cell phone is a gadget to play games, surf the internet, and show off with, as well as [place] the occasional phone call or two.

Denise thought it went a long way toward explaining the current fad in using cell phones to take pictures. One of her co-workers has a zillion pics of his kid stored on his phone – it's the new photo wallet.

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NYC Marathon 2003

Well-wishers

The good seats

The sweep just before

Go Achilles!

Elite Women

Support

The Crush

The Pain