brillblogger

Atlantic City Christmas

2008-12-30T11:25:00.001-05:00

As a Jew, I grew up inferring the magic of Christmas morning through movies and TV, but since meeting my wife (who was raised Catholic), I’ve come to appreciate some of the rituals first-hand; waking up, wishing each other a sleepy “Merry Christmas” and lumbering out of bed to coffee, a giant breakfast and hours of presents and lounging—all in your pjs. I get what the romance is about.

This year was a bit different—we hit the buffet at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. We weren’t the only ones. The line snaked back and forth like a security checkpoint, and we waited as long—upwards of 45 minutes—to sit. The company was no different and food was fine, so I’m not really complaining. But there’s something about getting pushed out of the way by an old lady heaping a giant pyramid of mussels on her hotplate that puts a damper on things. A casino is sort of a grim place to celebrate a family holiday.

Nevertheless, on December 24th my wife and I headed out from New York to celebrate Christmas with her family. Her grandfather was born, raised and became a prominent restaurateur in Atlantic City in its more glorious heyday, when the city was filled with conventioneers, stars, mobsters (and in the summer, hordes of vacationing families). Since gambling was legalized in 1976 he noticed his patrons spending more freely, but he’s also seen enough people lose enough money that he rarely steps inside a casino.

So, our family is here. But I’m curious: who else goes to Atlantic City on Christmas? Jews, like me, of course, and other non-believers. But who else, especially in these lean economic times, when prudence might dictate hip-pocketing savings and staying out of gambling halls?

On the bus from Port Authority, I sat across the aisle from Laura Brown, an elderly African-American woman from New York. Dressed casually in a camouflage winter jacket, she said she was “over” buying presents for her extended family and since losing her son eight years ago, didn’t want to stay at home and cry. So, she, her sister and sister-in-law left for two nights at the Showboat (and two more at the Taj Mahal) for nickel and quarter slots and some relaxation. Brown spent 27 years working for the New York Department of Labor, and between her pension, Social Security, and the mass-mailed discounts sent by the Showboat, was not fazed in the least by the economic climate. She snapped in a Temptations CD as the Atlantic City skyline began to silhouette against the Jersey marsh.

If you’re spending your time gambling in Atlantic City, the Borgata is the place to be. It is the most Vegasy casino in a city that is fairly regarded as Sin City’s homely twin. Since opening in 2003, it has been A.C.’s hippest, most successful destination—and taking a walk through the Dale Chihuly-adorned lobby and elegant casino floor (and table drinks in real glasses!), you kind of forget where you are. But how is the hotel, financially ahead of the local competition in the five years since it opened, holding up against the recessionary tide?

Recent economic news has not been kind to “America’s Playground”; even the stout Borgata had to lay off 400 employees—five percent of its staff—last month. A temporary smoking-ban repeal, while adding some character back to the casinos, provided little, if any immediate stimulus.

The friendly, Italian-accented man at the front desk assured us they were almost at capacity (even though rooms cost half what they did last Christmas), but we soon heard from a cocktail waitress that it’s been “dead” the last few months. And the free Christmas party was nowhere to be seen. At 6 p.m. we found most of the tables closed (except for the poker room, which was 2/3 full) and I thought I had my answer early on.

But by the end of dinner the blackjack tables were packed, and we had to hunt for a seat. My wife, brother-in-law and I eventually slid into a $15 table beside a petite Asian woman clearly in her third trimester. Within minutes, my $100 self-allotment was gone; my nickname (The Cooler) safe, and I retreated to the background to let the table heat up.

Bruce, the man who took my seat, is a New Jersey elementary school principal, and he, my family and the pregnant lady were soon on a roll. Bruce was dressed comfortably in a grey fleece and had a large pile of green $25 chips on the table. He has been coming to Atlantic City on Christmas for 20 years. He said it used to be dead but about 5-7 years ago he saw business picking up later Christmas day, observing that people would come to spend their cash gifts. He’s noticed a drop off in business since other casinos have opened in Pennsylvania, and especially in the last six months. However the recession hasn’t kept him from the casinos—he moved his savings from a 401(k) to money market funds in time. “When everybody was making their millions, I was struggling,” he said. “Now, I’m in the best position.” The Borgata comped his room.

Word of the Day (Said in a Pittsburgh Accent) April 1

2008-04-01T10:01:00.001-04:00

Ricotta

Word of the Day (Said in a Pittsburgh Accent) March 30

2008-03-30T13:06:00.001-04:00

Sudoku

Thanks Dave!

Word of the Day (Said in a Pittsburgh Accent) March 29

2008-03-29T14:47:00.002-04:00

Cozumel

This is How You Campaign, Bitch.

2008-03-29T01:32:00.001-04:00

Karl Rove's Next Flirtation with Indictment

2008-03-29T00:01:00.004-04:00

Don Siegelman, former Alabama Governor was released from a federal prison after spending seven months on corruption charges, specifically: offending turd blossom and our illustrious president.

First, Don Siegelman, Governor of Alabama? Oy, mkay. I'll bite.

This is the guy 60 Minutes aired a story about a little while back, which was myteriously blacked out in Alabama.

Sorry boys, that dog won't hunt anymore. All you did was attract more attention. And now Karl Rove, who is suspected of orchestrating the corruption charge via his justice department Schutzstaffel, may be in some hot water himself.

Previously Submitted Great Words said in a Pittsburgh Accent

2008-03-28T14:27:00.004-04:00

Here are some past great words said in a Pittsburgh accent, culled from my unemptied yahoo mail files dating back to 2001. Wouldn't want to repeat.

Rosh Hashana
Krauser
Spadafora, Sto-Rox (my buddy J.R. is convinced that these names were invented just so they could be said in a Pittsburgh accent).
Joe Bugel
nuptials
ruminating
Gardocki
menorah
poncho
eurasianet.org
blog
Kamran
kielbasa (pronounced keel-bossy)
sauerkraut

Word of the Day (Said in a Pittsburgh Accent) March 28

2008-03-28T14:15:00.004-04:00

Not that I write enough on this blog to have any kind of claim to a regular feature but I'm doing it anyway:

Word of the day (said in a Pittsburgh accent)

The inaugural word is...

inaugural

WTGDF?

2008-03-09T22:25:00.002-04:00

What the God Damn Fuck?

Good Movie

2008-03-09T14:48:00.003-04:00

Just watched "The Apartment" for the second time last night. What a great movie. It clearly wouldn't be half as great without the performances. Lemmon and MacLaine are perfect. I also like the glimpse into the seemier side of 50s/60s corporate ladder culture--not something I've seen too much before. Apparently Fred MacMurray got so much hate mail after this movie came out that he swore he'd only take positive roles from then on. Weird.

Negotiating with Terrorists

2008-03-09T14:00:00.007-04:00

The Democratic Republic of Hamas has claimed responsibility for last week's Jerusalem seminary attack.

This is the trouble with ascribing any credibility to a terrorist organization, even if that terrorist organization is "elected". Bush haters love to taunt his naive cramming the round peg of democracy into the square hole of a theocratic, tribal, monarchical culture that is a century or two behind the West in terms of Jeffersonian ideas. All true, but where does that get anyone? Which ironically may be the terrorists' ace card.

On its face, I've always supported the not negotiating with terrorists in any way. But we're in danger of being gamed by some of the smarter terrorist organizations on this point. While it's obvious that caving in to terrorist demands as a direct result of a suicide bombing is unacceptable, I pray this latest shooting doesn't derail the nascent progress Olmert and Abbas are making.

It seems to me that breaking off all negotiations with the Palestinians as a result of every terrorist act is negotiating with terrorists. They want the process derailed. Nothing would make Hamas happier (for both idealistic and a civic power reasons) than a stoppage in any talks with Abbas. They don't want any progress towards a Palestinian state that leaves Israel in tact. The bravest denunciation of terrorism is to keep things on track towards peace. Props to Olmert, Abbas, and Washington for realizing this.

The Power of the Dark Side

2008-03-09T13:36:00.006-04:00

So Karl Rove and team are joining forces with McCain. Not that anything in a political season really surprises me these days but jeez. A hearty welcome to the same folks who derided McCain's heroic military service, who told slack-jawed good ol boys that his adopted Bangladeshi kid was an "illegitimate black child"--the reddest of inferred red meat.

I suspect that McCain seriously entertained--if privately--John Kerry's invitation to be his running mate in 2004. For one, they would have had a great shot of winning and in the process he would give a gut shot to Bush et al, whom he clearly hates personally.

Which brings us to this current development. From the Politico.com story:

"Rove explained that he and McCain 'got to know each other during the 2004 campaign.' In a separate interview, Mehlman noted that 'McCain was completely loyal to the president in 2004 and worked incredibly hard to help him get elected.'"

In '04, the GOP told McCain to support Bush, and that they would work to make him the nominee in '08. Oops. Stabbed in the back again. Bush didn't endorse his old pal until the nomination was locked up, and then it was a weenie photo op at best.

I suspect that for Rove and team this was lip service. Maybe not. Maybe he'll work for McCain in Bushie corners of the electorate. Not that McCain really wants to get too close. He has always struck me like the kind of guy who abhors the Rovian division racist scumbag playbook anyhow. It will be interesting to follow.

Turning Point in Albany?

2008-03-03T11:12:00.013-05:00

New York State Senate Leader/Legislative Godfather Joe Bruno pulls back the curtain in his New York Magazine profile. Bruno's one of three men (Bruno, Democratic Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, and Gov. Eliot Spitzer) who execute virtually all of the large-scale political and economic decisions for New York. Here's a good capsule on how this works:

Ask him about his legacy, and he’ll point to his mastery of the pork process. “Take a look around Albany. Take a look around Troy. Take a look at the airport. Do you think that airport would be there if I wasn’t the leader?” he says. “You know how the airport got there? We’re trying to close the budget and Shelly wouldn’t close. So Pataki says, ‘What’s it take to close?’ Shelly says, ‘I need a library in Brooklyn.’ ‘How much?’ Shelly says, ‘$65 million.’ Pataki says, ‘Well, that’s all right.’ It was a $100 billion budget. So I said, ‘It’s not okay with me. I don’t have a single member in Brooklyn.’ ‘So what do you need?’ ‘I need $65 million for the airport.’ Pataki says, ‘Shelly, do you care?’ ‘No, I don’t care, as long as I get my library.’ Pataki says, ‘Good. Done.’”

Nice. Best is "Take a look around Albany. Take a look around Troy." Ummm, not a great argument. Geoffrey Gray should have taken the Senator's request literally and driven 10 minutes upriver. Minus the RPI campus perched atop a hill, a random walk though Troy, NY is a great example of a modern American manufacturing ghost town--boarded up businesses, middle age men in bars at 3 pm, etc.

Anyhow, the story is essentially a kind--if disjointed and forced--tale of an era ending; profile of a powerful, colorful man dealing with losing that power. But Bruno comes dangerously close to admitting an improper and possibly illegal relationship between his capacity as a consultant with a Connecticut investment group and his gravitational pull as Albany puppet master.

And as the Times reports today, Bruno's orbit is scrambling to say Bruno's comments were out of context, label the story as a sly hit piece (it wasn't) and infer Bruno wasn't in his right mind during the interview because his wife was dying. All are viable defenses, but guys, pushing one excuse usually works better than throwing all of them out there and seeing what sticks.

Problem is, none of these work. You can't be a savvy uber-machinist pol for as long as Bruno has and simultaneously not know that everything you say is pretty much on the record no matter what in an investigative piece with a left leaning magazine.

Subway Microcosm of Society

2008-02-20T10:30:00.005-05:00

On the subway this morning a man raced down the car and pushed aside two women to sit down. Even in New York's numb transit culture, it was egregious enough that people shook their heads and forced annoyed, wry smiles. It was enough for him to notice, even with nose embedded in paper and ears attuned to iPod.

"I had my eye on this seat from across the car," he offered, as if he could sense his douchebaggery and needed to make everyone understand.

I thought that was a very odd defense of his actions, but I think it struck him as completely defensible. In his mind he wanted it more, so it was deservedly his. I really think this line of thinking is in wider evidence, in the more self-centered corners of our culture.

Not to say that this isn't a good notion on its face. We are taught early on that working hard, being competetive and putting your goals first will eventually being good things and I agree with that. But, you know, there is a line.

Gangsta's New Paradise

2008-02-19T10:50:00.003-05:00

One of the funniest Q&A's I've ever read is Newsweek.com's recent one-on-one with Gangsta rapper turned balding chef Coolio.

Watch the video, read the interview, and as icing on the cake, read the linked recipe.

Mental Beer Shits: President's Day Edition

2008-02-18T07:51:00.010-05:00

Thanks to Ty Conklin and Evgeni "Geno" Malkin, (love how he's assigned a blue collar name) the Pens are tied for first atop the most competetive division in the NHL...and the best player in the world is practicing at full strength. This could be the year if they catch a wave.

Deeply disappointed that Dan Rooney is showing his NFL good ol' boy colors by saying he's "satisfied" with Roger Goodell's bizarre and absurd response thus far to spygate. What a crock. His team was taped in two championship playoff games and he's fine with how the league handled it? This is what infuriates me about people howling over Arlen Specter's investigation. The NFL is not going to put it's golden goose on trial. You can't let the fox investigate the henhouse. Or any other barnyard analogies that apply...

Yahoo sports blog had a good post about Spygate

Here's my comment to it:

If other teams were doing it, where's the evidence, or even an accusation? Maybe Goodell knew if he slapped the Pats with a harsher punishment, the thing would blow wide open and the league would be in turmoil. But until that story leaks out, we don't know why he destroyed the tapes. What we do know is that Goodell, for some reason, didn't feel the need to disclose his knowledge that the Pats were cheating their ENTIRE SUPER BOWL RUN until someone held his feet to the flame. There's a lot more to this story, and ESPN and others' lack of coverage is disgusting.

Hat tip to one commenter who made this classic analogy/reference to Belichick's faux prostests of ignorance on taping rules:

Boss: I'm going to get right to the point. It has come to my attention that you and the cleaning woman have engaged in sexual intercourse on the desk in your office. Is that correct?
George: Who said that?
Boss: She did.
George: Was that wrong? Should I have not done that? I tell you I gotta plead ingnorance on this thing because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing was frowned upon, you know, cause I've worked in a lot of offices and I gotta tell you people do that all the time.

All this anti-Specter vitrol that is surfacing is just depressing. It's more of the "let's attack the questioner and not focus on the cheating" bullshit that seems to have permeated our society. WONDERFUL lessons for our kids. Sure he's an Eagles fan and that's a lot of his motivation for investigating. Who cares. He has the power to do it and he's speaking for his constituency and for all sports fans who want a solid product. Now if he would start investgating roids in football too we'd be on to something.

Mainstream Media and National News Choices

2008-02-14T20:09:00.005-05:00

A gunman killed 4 people plus himself at Northern Illinois University today, three days after a similar incident at a Memphis high school, and a week after a woman killed two students at Louisiana Technical College. Yet MSNBC's 24-7 political analysis drones on. Last year, the Virginia Tech shootings blanketed the mainstream news for weeks. What changed? Does a Thurdsay between some primaries necessitate the revisiting of the same campaign questions ad nauseum? Hillary or Barack. Barack or Hillary. Yes a compelling story to be sure. But no top mention of these rash of shootings. No analysis for this pattern.

My point is that news producers have a responsibility when they set the agenda for their nightly newscasts. They have more power than they know in terms of what the country is talking about and what issues need to be addressed. I realize the Va. Tech shootings were on a much larger scale than these recent ones, and there are sexier stories out there right now (or so their ad people tell them) but the residue of gravitas the mainstream media leaves in its wake seems callous here.

Update: Clemens Hearings

2008-02-14T15:18:00.003-05:00

Ah. Okay, one 'splanation to the question I raised yesterday about why GOP Congressmen would go rougher on McNamee than on Clemens. If Emery is right about this, there is pretty much nothing left to tell our kids on the subject of justice, let alone "work hard to achieve." Just lie and cheat, to protect your name, kids, forget honor!

This article is really amazing. It offers an insight into why Clemens would go full bore at Congress and try his luck lying under oath.

"When all this happened, the former president of the United States found me in a deer blind in south Texas and expressed his concerns that this was unbelievable, and stay strong and hold your head up high," Clemens testified.

Unreal. Just unreal.

Everything I need to know I learned in Tecmo-garten

2008-02-14T11:29:00.005-05:00

Roger Goodell claims that he knew all along that Belichick was taping defensive signals since 2000, but Billy Boy's explanation was that he thought it was within the rules to steal defensive signals by taping other teams' closed practices and then using that knowledge during games by calling offensive plays which would work against foreseen defenses.

When I was in college, I played a lot of Tecmo Bowl. If you looked your opponent's controller while he called a play, that was pretty cheesy. Know why? Cause if you did it all the time, it made the game no fun. The defense would swarm the offense before it had a chance to breathe and the offense could advance at will on the other side of the snap if it knew a run or pass play would be called.

It's not that much different to my mind in the real world, and at the pro level.

Mr. Clemens goes to Washington. And Heaven.

2008-02-13T21:16:00.012-05:00

Roger Clemens appeared before congress today and basically 1) told the truth about never taking steroids or 2) has ordered work to begin on his bust for the Imbecile Hall of Fame beside George W. Bush, Gallagher and Jeff Gilooly.

This, from the transcript is just bizarre:
Update 12:53 p.m. - The committee has taken a break. Clemens was questioned by Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., about why he continued to employ McNamee after incidents of mistrust. She concluded by telling Clemens she was sure he was "going to heaven."

One thing I found interesting after reading the ap report on the hearings is this passage:
Eventually, the committee split largely along party lines, with the Democrats reserving their most pointed queries for Clemens, and the Republicans giving McNamee a rougher time.

Other than the odd notion that this didn't surprise me, why would this be? Is it coincidence? Are Democrats intrinsically more apt to believe the whistleblower/minion and grill the bully? Are Rebublicans intrinsically more apt to hero worship to a seemingly absurd point and stomp on the meek dissmbling trainer, the enabler, the bad kid from the broken home down the street who got Roger mixed up with drugs and it's our job to get him back on the straight and narrow?

One thing is for sure, Roger Clemens took steroids. He did it before baseball had a test for it. He did it to morph from Hall of Famer to Legend. And he did it when a whole lot of other, younger people were passing it around the back corners of locker rooms like joints or lines at a party--only the edgy kids were doing it, but everybody knew it was going on and that was cool.

That doesn't condone it. There were plenty of good players not doing it. I'm getting tired of hearing analysts say they're over steroids or doesn't congress have better things to do. Baseball, internally, has nothing to lose by doing, and denying knowledge of, steroids, in every facet of its makeup. I get the inkling the John Rocker is telling the truth when he claims Bud Selig and the front office looked the other way. Why wouldn't they. Baseball was getting its sea legs again after the strike season, and in 1998 fans,owners and players cheered the long ball and looked the other way (sportwriters literally looked the other way to the point that McGwire kept a bottle of andro in plain sight in his locker and not many murmured when he said it was on the up-and-up). They may have wanted to put that together with his middle age acne problem, but why rehash that.

Wat ap

2007-03-29T13:29:00.000-04:00

It' s been a while (5 months goes so fast) since a post but here I am again. I don't suppose anyone missed their brillblogger, tho. Anyhow, what's news, Iran starting wars and we're not prepared..."cutting and running" seems the best option in Iraq...sad but true...read the most recent Newsweek for an arresting presentation of dead soldiers' letters. Very moving...

Penguins are staying put in Pittsburgh and made the playoffs for the first time in 6 years. That was the year we made it to the conference final by beating Buffalo on Kasparaitis' fluky OT goal. Wow...that was 6 years ago???

Greatest Rock n Roll Moment Ever

2006-11-02T00:39:00.000-05:00

http://www.rockument.com/Dylan1.html

Violent Influences On Society

2006-11-01T12:29:00.000-05:00

Saw III was number one at the box office and will be again this week (Borat probably doesn't have a chance at only 700 screens). I haven't seen any of the Saw films so I won't comment directly on their influence, but their popularity gives me the perfect launching point for a commentary on violence and sex in popular culture...

I'm in the middle on the question of how much it influences our youth, but I tend to lean towards the "more than we dare to admit" camp. When you have 8-year-olds blasting their way out of a convenience store as a way to get points on "Grand Theft Auto" it's kind of hard to imagine that doesn't associate a positive with killing and stealing at the onset of the formative years.

Fast forward 7 years and the same kid at the God-awful mid teens age where your self esteem is at its shakiest and outside influences, impulses and desires are at their greatest. So he comes home after his girlfiend dumps him, bullies beat him up, and takes it out on the Playstation. Is that healthy as an outlet (at least he's not taking it out in real life, and he's smart enough to know the difference) or is it fetishism and fantasy, and maybe he caps off his weekend by going to see Saw with his friends. The well adjusted kid, no worries. The messed up kid with lousy or no parental guidance, well, it seems to me that it's hard to have a positive influence on how to deal with crises with so many instant influences out there.

Update: Merriman drops appeal...surreal world kept at bay another day

2006-11-01T12:24:00.000-05:00

On the subject, Selena Roberts has an interesting take on the "no guilt" culture of the NFL in today's New York Times (pay)

Cheating and Lying post 1 or Shawne Merriman, three sacks, no balls (thanks Jeff)

2006-10-30T22:48:00.000-05:00

It's common knowledge that everything about Barry Bonds is artificial from his home run total to his bulging head vein to his charity work with needy kids addicted to anabolic steroids in utero. Baseball's ostensibly looking into it (they aren't) and will look the other way when he breaks Hank Aaron's home run record. Or maybe he'll be gently pressured to quit beforehand . Don't bet on it.

Steroids are rampant in football too. Just look at Todd Sauerbrun, the Broncos punter released earlier this month for testing positive. So what is the brass trying to tell us? That a 34 year old punter is the only guy on the juice in the entire league? Nice work, NFL ;) LOL, ROTFL, dudes.

Oh yeah, Shawne Merriman tested positive too. Oops. At least he's "something" according to Marty Schottenheimer. So while appealing his 4 game slap on the (bigger than my thigh) wrist (what's his grounds for appeal? Oh yeah, your honor, I didn't know that it was my ass I was injecting into, I thought it was our punter's) he had three sacks sunday and showed up the Rams with an imbecilic sack dance. Dude, you're lucky you're playing, don't push it. Score one for the cheaters.

Trans fats debate

2006-10-30T20:54:00.000-05:00

New York City is debating the decision to force restaurants to ban trans fats. Partially hydrogenated (make up your mind, oils) vegetable shortening is not any cheaper than similar fats that don't clog your arteries like a yeti shave over a victorian bath drain. I wonder if they taste any different. Wendy's switched a few years ago and I haven't heard of anyone complaining about their non index finger value meals.

Interestingly, Denmark banned trans fats in 2003, I believe, and that country's doctors have already claimed a noticeable drop in arteriosclerosis.

Cowher's Carolina Dreaming

2006-10-30T16:44:00.001-05:00

First let me comment on the pathetic Pittsburgh Steelers. As an expatriated Pittsburgher, (as most of that city's 70s and 80s born are) I can only rely on sense memory to try and feel what the people are feeling. I can't imagine another city with the same level of rise/fall emotion tied to it. Others may disagree, and probably with good point. And yes, we just won the super bowl last year. And yes, we have five championships. But if you've been to the top it hurts to fall that far.

You don't start a concussed QB against one of the worst teams in the league. Roethlisberger's had two now in the span of six months. And he's 24. Let him sit a few games, Batch is a more than reliable backup, and see if the season can't be salvaged. If it isn't, you haven't taken years off the back end of a promising career. If it is, you cross that quarterback controversy bridge when you come to it.

Welcome to brillblogger

2006-10-30T16:34:00.000-05:00

Brillblogger's maiden blog!!!!!

This shall be a f'ar voyage into all topics: politics, sports, culture, whatever shivers our timbers.

Welcome. Yar.