"Thank heaven we live in a classless society!"

As a Brit, I always suspected that they didn't have any class in America.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 2:53 PM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

Thats cos Mancunians are cheap-arses.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 2:39 PM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

"I don't go around worrying about how much the other guy's got. "

Thats a healthy attitude.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 1:54 PM in response to Open Thread

What happened to that Bing search engine that Microsoft paid 80 million to promote? Does anyone actaully use it?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 1:35 PM in response to Open Thread

There's a pretense in NY politics that congestion pricing disproportionatley affects the working class, when we all know how much cash you need to commute into Manhattan from Brooklyn each day and then parking in Manhattan for 10-12hrs.

The working class are the ones on the subway along with the rest of us. Wasn't it Slimey Silver who killed congestion pricing?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 1:14 PM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

maroon who?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 11:15 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

Epiphany - because 9 lanes will free up the traffic sitting waiting to get on the bridge becuase its too narrow. That currently leads to traffic sitting in jams and spewing out pollutants from the brdige all the way back down to the union exit instead of just buzzing by, which means lower pollution emissions in the area.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 11:13 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

good luck, what a beaut.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 11:05 AM in response to Welcome to The Albemarle Reno Blog

Yep, the roads in England are excellent, way ahead in quality of anything I've encountered in the US (apart from a good stretch of highway I remember in in Arizona).

The petrol costs there are huge however.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 11:01 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

Yep, the roads in England are excellent, way ahead in quality of anything I've encountered in the US (apart from a good stretch of highway I remember in in Arizona).

The petrol costs there are huge however.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 11:01 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

Epiphany, the bridge is nine lanes, not the BQE. There is no current plan to expand the BQE to nine lanes.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 10:50 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

Jakarta = world class city?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 10:28 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

Sure, its America - everyone has the right to be outraged about everything. Its in the constitution.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 10:25 AM in response to Friday Links

I see Williamsburg was Thompson and Greenpoint was Bloomers.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 10:10 AM in response to Open Thread

Stevieb - I'm sure Bill Gates and Warren Buffet would politely tell you where to go with your brilliant plan of sending Wall St overseas.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 10:06 AM in response to Friday Links

CMU - not unless the also increase the number of lanes of the BQE either side, which isn't happening.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 9:59 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

Steveib - thank you for finally enagaging us on this actual fact instead of ignoring it.

So when you talk about wall st. stealing from taxpayers your're worried about wall street stealing from the remaining in thr 5% - the entertainment types, lawyers and doctors right?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 9:57 AM in response to Friday Links

SteveieB - top 5% of income earners in the US pay 60% of federal income taxes. Fact, an IRS fact.
As opposed to waffle and bluster.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 9:49 AM in response to Friday Links

Yea StevieB great idea, and lets then lose 60% of federal income taxes. Are you running for mayor next time around?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 9:43 AM in response to Friday Links

DIBS, it wouldn't be cheaper, you'd have to bring the whole BQE down to surface level too, or the rake would be too steep.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 9:40 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

chicken - I know what you mean - its all very well calling it the World Series, but when the fans proclaim they're World Champions because they won it....

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 9:37 AM in response to Open Thread

Is that blue water I see in the Newtown Creek?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 9:22 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

They just need to glue a couple of extra lanes on the side of the present bridge. I'll do it for $200 million, savings of 80%.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 9:16 AM in response to New Kosciuszko Bridge Won't Come Cheap

">>Remember, the top 5% pay 60% of all taxes.

Except when they steal money from the other 95%"

?? How can that be an exception Stevieb?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 6, 2009 9:15 AM in response to Friday Links

No need to spend 10K on a car. You can find a very reliable car for $3-4K. One that you won't worry about parking on the streets.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 11:45 AM in response to Subway Service on Weekends Is F@#%ed

Whats gawker?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 11:32 AM in response to Subway Service on Weekends Is F@#%ed

he won't be able to play kickball if he gets his legs chopped off

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 10:25 AM in response to Subway Service on Weekends Is F@#%ed

there was an English cook who fried up placenta with onions on TV. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall or some complicated posh-nob name.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 10:16 AM in response to Open Thread

DIBS - I hear you weren't invited to the Breeder's Cup

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 9:55 AM in response to Open Thread

tybur - there's a place downtown that gives out Park Slope brownstones as bonuses. However, you need to know the secret handshake and we can't show you here in case stevieb is watching.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 9:54 AM in response to Thursday Links

Tybur - i just went to a Spanish-English translator and put in papi - it said "papi"
masculine noun1. daddy (informal), pop (United States).

Perhaps a Spanish speaker here can explain waht it means besides "daddy".

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 9:42 AM in response to Open Thread

What about your claim stevieb - you say they're robbing taxpayers when 60% of federal income tax is paid by the top 5% of earners. Are they robbing themselves?

Can you back up your claim?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 9:35 AM in response to Thursday Links

tybur - you like it that the server calls you daddy?

What is all this weird stuff. Gives me the shivers, not the tingles. eerugh.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 9:28 AM in response to Open Thread

Thanks DH, I'd better add that to my pop-culture notebook.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 9:25 AM in response to Open Thread

whats all this "who's your daddy" stuff. It sounds a bit gay to me (homo).

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 9:19 AM in response to Open Thread

stevieb - who are the middle class?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 9:17 AM in response to Thursday Links

I couldn't watch an animal suffer. Count me in with the PETA crackpots. But once they found out I had a pet cat they'd put me on trial probably.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 5, 2009 8:54 AM in response to Thursday Links

sparafucile - you can get to every other boruggh for free from Manhattan, so why not Staten Island?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 1:45 PM in response to East River Ferry Service in Jeopardy—Again

Winelover - have you been on a JMZ as it crawls across the bridge? - its slower than walking. That alone must add 15 mins to the journey.

Greenpoint went downhill after the closed the ferry in 1932.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 1:43 PM in response to East River Ferry Service in Jeopardy—Again

"and trust the voters to have the final say"

Voters did have the final say, they voted him back in.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 11:29 AM in response to Election 2009: No Big Surprises in Brooklyn

Minard does have some interesting historical posts. I can't call him a snob though - he does his own laundry.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 11:27 AM in response to Open Thread

Do you think Bloomberg will overturn the will of the people, as shown in their voting yesterday, and refuse to be mayor?

You know what he's like.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 10:46 AM in response to Election 2009: No Big Surprises in Brooklyn

I remember the water froze in the sink of my top floor garrett in london when I was at college. The bathroom had a skylight that wouldn't shut properly. Brrrr

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 10:37 AM in response to Open Thread

"Actually, it was 49/48 for an hour. How do you explain that?"

One sandwich short of a picnic

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 10:14 AM in response to Open Thread

NJ voters get what they deserve. Its like when the Russians voted in Yeltsin.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 10:05 AM in response to Open Thread

Biff - do you get cold weather in your apt?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 9:49 AM in response to Open Thread

probably the same people who voted for mayoral term limits

Posted by: dittoburg at November 4, 2009 9:18 AM in response to Open Thread

I'm short-tempered today.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 3, 2009 4:51 PM in response to Open Thread

Expert sexpert, I agree. What is it with American's aversion to indicators. Or tunrn siganls, or flashy lights, call it what you want.

I blame it on american car manufacturers making the indicators red, like the brake lights, instead of obvious- orange, effectively dampening down any safety advantages gained from visibilty. If you can't really tell if the car is indicating left, whats the point?

And while were at it, did Bill Tompkins say he's going to ban stadium-floodlight-bright halogen headlamps for passenger cars when he's mayor? If he is, I'll change my vote.

Posted by: dittoburg at November 3, 2009 4:38 PM in response to Open Thread

DIBS - Im thinking of buying one of those very old typewriters, just to clog up my mantle. Anyone know where I can get one?

Posted by: dittoburg at November 3, 2009 1:27 PM in response to Open Thread