Occupy Wall Street -- just venting

[PamNY]

Bike parking is at a premium in the neighborhood around Zuccotti Park. Here's one way to solve the problem!

[VeloVT]

Bike parking is at a premium in the neighborhood around Zuccotti Park. Here's one way to solve the problem!

That seems pretty risky.

OWS has occupied our city park here in Burlington VT, and marches down the pedestrian shopping arcade at noon every Sunday. There have actually been quite a lot of people participating. While I'm quite sympathetic to the problematic lack of regulation in the financial sector in the past 20 years, the protest (here at least) feels a lot like your garden variety WTO protest -- some people who want to save sea turtles, some people with "no blood for oil" signs, a whole lot of people chanting "you got bailed out, we got sold out" (who seemingly don't understand what would have happened otherwise)...

Anyway, someone just shot himself in the park, and it's going to turn very ugly shortly. The right blaming it on the city administration not taking a stronger stance on the "park occupation", the left arguing (rightly, in my view) that this incident could have easily happened in any of the cities with active "occupations" and the real issue is gun control/the fact that concealed weapons are legal here. In any case, it was a suicide by someone who was, from preliminary news stories, homeless, troubled, and without adequate support, and regardless of the "side" you support, it is a sad incident and unfortunate that it will certainly be highly politicized here.

The news tonight was this, the Paterno scandal, the Dover scandal - pretty depressing all around.

[KnottedYet]

"If Americans want to live the American Dream, they should go to Denmark." - Richard Wilkinson

I dare you all to learn.

I dare you to click this link: http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html

I dare you to stare United Nations data in the face unflinchingly.

I dare you to recognize what is happening in the United States and (to a lesser extent) the United Kingdom.

Two dying empires, in the same boat.

Ignorance is not bliss.

[VeloVT]

That seems pretty risky.


The news tonight was this, the Paterno scandal, the Dover scandal - pretty depressing all around.

Oh, I forgot, and the fact the Rick Perry forgot the third federal agency he wanted to axe was somehow a larger news story than the fact that he proposes getting rid of the Department of Education. I apologize if this post is overly political, but have we gone to sleep at the wheel?

[zoom-zoom]

Oh, I forgot, and the fact the Rick Perry forgot the third federal agency he wanted to axe was somehow a larger news story than the fact that he proposes getting rid of the Department of Education. I apologize if this post is overly political, but have we gone to sleep at the wheel?

Many have...the rest of us are frustrated as hell as at how so many are being misled and lacking critical thinking skills. We're all going to pay (except for those at the top, who are laughing all the way to the bank).

[azfiddle]

In Tucson, the Occupy encampment was at a downtown park that is set to be the start/finish of El Tour de Tucson on Nov 19, which typically involves about 9000 cyclists plus all the friends, families, and vendors, all arranged well in advance with permits etc.

The negotiations went on for some time, but the Occupy group finally agreed to move their encampment to another park, at least for now.

l guess conflict between the occupiers and community groups and businesses that are not the object of the protest is pretty much inevitable, but in this case, I'm happy that the groups were able to come to agreement. There are a lot of community causes supported by El Tour, as well as a the benefit to many local businesses, including hotels, restaurants, bike shops etc.