Three-ring circus at maddy square

breakingnews · 08-26-2004, 12:14 PM

Nobody told me the circus was coming along with the RNC too.

It is a fucking zoo out there already - protesters are standing on top of trailers holding banners, and I spotted a bunch of naked people running through the intersection of 33rd and 8th ave (northwest corner of Madison Square Garden) when I stepped out for lunch today.

It's already miserable. And I have to walk through the restricted zone every day next week. I'll try to report what I can - maybe bring my digicam with me to get some spot photos. Especially if there are naked chicks again (though they looked pretty granola/tree-huggy).

TheSnake · 08-26-2004, 12:27 PM

That's great. I'd like to hear your updates all week. I'm sure come next Monday it will be quite ridiculous.

Troubleshooter · 08-26-2004, 12:30 PM

Do you know anyone along the route to work well enough that would let you set up a web cam temporarily?

breakingnews · 08-26-2004, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Troubleshooter

Do you know anyone along the route to work well enough that would let you set up a web cam temporarily?

I imagine there would be other web cams out there already. I don't know anyone in that vicinity though, mostly because the entire area is taken up by the post office and MSG. There is one apartment building right at that corner - I don't think I know anyone that lives there.

Maybe I'll steal photos from the AP database as they're being uploaded. That could get me fired though. Maybe I'll just keep an eye on what is being sent out on the wire, and make sure to forward them along ASAP. Photos will probably be doing daily galleries of everything, since the entire NYC photo staff will likely be covering the RNC.

wolf · 08-26-2004, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by breakingnews

Especially if there are naked chicks again (though they looked pretty granola/tree-huggy).

Maybe, but they put out ...

breakingnews · 08-26-2004, 02:08 PM

Um, some consultant just made a total ass of himself in front of about 40 of my colleagues a few minutes ago.

Apparently he's from a fire security company, and they were here today to go over evacuation instructions and such since we just moved into this building, and because the republicans are coming to town this weekend.

For starters, he tells us that we have a fire alarm here in our corner, but not to use it because the bright yellow "inoperative" tag taped over the handles means it is not functioning. Why? The upper half of our 16-story building is not connected to the fire alarm system because we are waiting on new parts <I>from Canada</I>.

How do we get out of the building? "Go directly to stairwell A or C; those are fire-tower stairwells that are rated for 4 hours of protection." "Where are those?" (He points to approximately 1 o'clock in our 100,000-square-foot office floor.)
A woman says, "I think I missed the huge glowing lettered halos over these stairwells, can you tell us exactly where they are?" (Again, he points, but this time to about 2 o'clock.)

Considering Madison Square Garden is a stone's throw from our window, what are we supposed to do if we need to evacuate? (He did draw a few giggles when he said the Republicans coming to town were enough to warrant a citywide retreat.) "Make sure you get hard facts. Don't just go on what Joe says. Call the front desk, call the fire marshal, the police department. My recommendation: Listen to 1010 WINS or 880 AM -they give you the world in 22 minutes."
A co-worker on my desk replies, "Wait, but we give them their news!"

Ridiculous. We spend somewhere in the $40 million range moving to this place and the fuckin fire alarm doesn't work.

glatt · 08-26-2004, 04:21 PM

I'm surprised the fire marshalls let you move in without a working fire alarm. They should lose their jobs.

wolf · 08-26-2004, 05:05 PM

It's New York City.

The Fire Marshall is somebody's "friend".

The Fire System Code Inspector is somebody else's "friend."

He can be your friend too for the right "incentive."

Betcha the sprinkler system doesn't work either.

BreakingNews ... consider getting a airpack and a fireblanket to stash in your desk in place of the bottle of bourbon that used to be de rigeur for journalists. Oh, and a really goddamn good high power flashlight, although that will be more for a false sense of security rather than the actual ability to see anything in the event of an actual fire or smoke event. Once the smoke gets going, no flashlight is going to be strong enough to cut it. Hope that makes you feel nice and comfy.)

* No, I am not a firefighter, but I hang out with them. I am hoping at some point to be able to go into the smokehouse in gear during a smoke rescue simulation (the idea of entering during a live fire evolution is just too scary for me), but the person that's going to get me in (so I can panic) hasn't made the arrangements yet.

Griff · 08-26-2004, 06:23 PM

I had this urge to go to NY and get caught up in the whole scene... then I realized what a scardy cat I am. Post pictures BN.

Troubleshooter · 08-26-2004, 06:34 PM

If you have the money, a thermal imager will let you see through the smoke if the heat source isn't too close. We used to use them to find bodies when it was too dark to see after a fire.

08-27-2004, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Troubleshooter

If you have the money, a thermal imager will let you see through the smoke if the heat source isn't too close. We used to use them to find bodies when it was too dark to see after a fire.

Thanks for the great image TS. By the way, wouldn't EVERYTHING set off a thermal imager after a fire?

Troubleshooter · 08-27-2004, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marichiko

Thanks for the great image TS. By the way, wouldn't EVERYTHING set off a thermal imager after a fire?

Nah, not with the right settings and a little practice.

smoothmoniker · 08-28-2004, 02:18 AM

man, you guys have the best protestors! Why don't conservatives have any good protestors on our side?

Oh right. Cuz we all have jobs.

-sm

Griff · 08-28-2004, 08:34 AM

Hey! Libertarians work... some...

tw · 08-28-2004, 10:01 AM

The joke is that the RNC is not and would not be a terrorist target for obvious reasons. Review details of what serious terrorists look for. They look for fixed targets. That means something that is same, mundane, and consistent time after time. They spend months or years analyzing how best to make their attack. They look for things predictable and obvious; things so predicatable so that an attack works the first time. There can be no second attempt.

Nothing consistent or mundane in the RNC. Security changes make attack planning impossible. Adaptive or changing security means terrorists go elsewhere. Airplane flights were consistent; had no security. But it is not longer mudane - too much security with changing (hyped at every rumor) responses. Truck bombs were once obvious tools of the trade. They too are no longer treated mundane. Poison gas attack? Too complex. A tool no longer ignored by security. Terrorists are not smart people who can deal with or respond to complexity.

There will be no terrorist attack on the RNC. In fact, for all the hype and fear, there really are no longer serious terrorist groups in operation now that the president has decided to respond both to the one or two legitamite warnings and a flood of nonsensical fears. IOW this president has finally done what previous president did. But there will be plenty of protesters now put in boxes where nobody can see them.

Best thing for the RNC- just like the DNC? Ignore it. It is nothing more than hype for the political parties with 6,000 press inventing stories while hardly a news story sufficient for 10 reporters exists.

What is more likely to happen during the RNC? Expensive art or other easily disposed and expensive collectables will be stolen in NJ, CT, or Philadelphia. Why? All this hype over a non-event and all this worry about another coming terrorist attack (intended mostly to manipulate your vote) will make crime easiest elsewhere.

Ignore the RNC. Leave it to the protesters. Only massive protests would make the thing newsworthy.

08-26-2004, 12:14 PM	#1
breakingnews Q_Q Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: somewhere in between Posts: 995	Three-ring circus at maddy square Nobody told me the circus was coming along with the RNC too. It is a fucking zoo out there already - protesters are standing on top of trailers holding banners, and I spotted a bunch of naked people running through the intersection of 33rd and 8th ave (northwest corner of Madison Square Garden) when I stepped out for lunch today. It's already miserable. And I have to walk through the restricted zone every day next week. I'll try to report what I can - maybe bring my digicam with me to get some spot photos. Especially if there are naked chicks again (though they looked pretty granola/tree-huggy).

08-26-2004, 12:30 PM	#3
Troubleshooter The urban Jane Goodall Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 3,012	Do you know anyone along the route to work well enough that would let you set up a web cam temporarily? __________________ I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. - Aristotle

08-26-2004, 05:05 PM	#8
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	It's New York City. The Fire Marshall is somebody's "friend". The Fire System Code Inspector is somebody else's "friend." He can be your friend too for the right "incentive." Betcha the sprinkler system doesn't work either. BreakingNews ... consider getting a airpack and a fireblanket to stash in your desk in place of the bottle of bourbon that used to be de rigeur for journalists. Oh, and a really goddamn good high power flashlight, although that will be more for a false sense of security rather than the actual ability to see anything in the event of an actual fire or smoke event. Once the smoke gets going, no flashlight is going to be strong enough to cut it. Hope that makes you feel nice and comfy.) * No, I am not a firefighter, but I hang out with them. I am hoping at some point to be able to go into the smokehouse in gear during a smoke rescue simulation (the idea of entering during a live fire evolution is just too scary for me), but the person that's going to get me in (so I can panic) hasn't made the arrangements yet. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

08-26-2004, 06:23 PM	#9
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	I had this urge to go to NY and get caught up in the whole scene... then I realized what a scardy cat I am. Post pictures BN. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-26-2004, 06:34 PM	#10
Troubleshooter The urban Jane Goodall Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 3,012	If you have the money, a thermal imager will let you see through the smoke if the heat source isn't too close. We used to use them to find bodies when it was too dark to see after a fire. __________________ I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. - Aristotle

08-26-2004, 12:27 PM	#2
TheSnake Resident President Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 83	That's great. I'd like to hear your updates all week. I'm sure come next Monday it will be quite ridiculous.

08-26-2004, 02:08 PM	#6
breakingnews Q_Q Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: somewhere in between Posts: 995	Um, some consultant just made a total ass of himself in front of about 40 of my colleagues a few minutes ago. Apparently he's from a fire security company, and they were here today to go over evacuation instructions and such since we just moved into this building, and because the republicans are coming to town this weekend. For starters, he tells us that we have a fire alarm here in our corner, but not to use it because the bright yellow "inoperative" tag taped over the handles means it is not functioning. Why? The upper half of our 16-story building is not connected to the fire alarm system because we are waiting on new parts <I>from Canada</I>. How do we get out of the building? "Go directly to stairwell A or C; those are fire-tower stairwells that are rated for 4 hours of protection." "Where are those?" (He points to approximately 1 o'clock in our 100,000-square-foot office floor.) A woman says, "I think I missed the huge glowing lettered halos over these stairwells, can you tell us exactly where they are?" (Again, he points, but this time to about 2 o'clock.) Considering Madison Square Garden is a stone's throw from our window, what are we supposed to do if we need to evacuate? (He did draw a few giggles when he said the Republicans coming to town were enough to warrant a citywide retreat.) "Make sure you get hard facts. Don't just go on what Joe says. Call the front desk, call the fire marshal, the police department. My recommendation: Listen to 1010 WINS or 880 AM -they give you the world in 22 minutes." A co-worker on my desk replies, "Wait, but we give them their news!" Ridiculous. We spend somewhere in the $40 million range moving to this place and the fuckin fire alarm doesn't work.

08-26-2004, 04:21 PM	#7
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I'm surprised the fire marshalls let you move in without a working fire alarm. They should lose their jobs.

08-28-2004, 02:18 AM	#13
smoothmoniker to live and die in LA Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,090	man, you guys have the best protestors! Why don't conservatives have any good protestors on our side? Oh right. Cuz we all have jobs. -sm __________________ to live and die in LA

08-28-2004, 08:34 AM	#14
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	Hey! Libertarians work... some... __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

08-28-2004, 10:01 AM	#15
tw Read? I only know how to write. Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 11,933	The joke is that the RNC is not and would not be a terrorist target for obvious reasons. Review details of what serious terrorists look for. They look for fixed targets. That means something that is same, mundane, and consistent time after time. They spend months or years analyzing how best to make their attack. They look for things predictable and obvious; things so predicatable so that an attack works the first time. There can be no second attempt. Nothing consistent or mundane in the RNC. Security changes make attack planning impossible. Adaptive or changing security means terrorists go elsewhere. Airplane flights were consistent; had no security. But it is not longer mudane - too much security with changing (hyped at every rumor) responses. Truck bombs were once obvious tools of the trade. They too are no longer treated mundane. Poison gas attack? Too complex. A tool no longer ignored by security. Terrorists are not smart people who can deal with or respond to complexity. There will be no terrorist attack on the RNC. In fact, for all the hype and fear, there really are no longer serious terrorist groups in operation now that the president has decided to respond both to the one or two legitamite warnings and a flood of nonsensical fears. IOW this president has finally done what previous president did. But there will be plenty of protesters now put in boxes where nobody can see them. Best thing for the RNC- just like the DNC? Ignore it. It is nothing more than hype for the political parties with 6,000 press inventing stories while hardly a news story sufficient for 10 reporters exists. What is more likely to happen during the RNC? Expensive art or other easily disposed and expensive collectables will be stolen in NJ, CT, or Philadelphia. Why? All this hype over a non-event and all this worry about another coming terrorist attack (intended mostly to manipulate your vote) will make crime easiest elsewhere. Ignore the RNC. Leave it to the protesters. Only massive protests would make the thing newsworthy.

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