Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
finally old enough to drink
New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker was born in 1881,
making him 5 years old when our ClockTower was built.
He was our Mayor through Prohibition (1920-33), a charismatic scalawag who openly cheated on his wife with Broadway showgirls.
Walker was eventually hounded from office after taking large bribes from business seeking NYC contracts.
Nothing particularly unusual there.
He was a regular at the 21 Club, too, a speakeasy from 1929 that served liquor deep in hiding, underground.
An architect had designed “a complex system of camouflaged doors, invisible chutes, revolving bars and a secret wine cellar” to hide the evidence in a raid.
21club
The original owners also installed iron gates at the front doors for added security.
These gates became a symbol of the club and are enshrined on matchbooks that are now highly collectible, and in the NY Historical Museum.
Rumor had it Mayor Walker kept a private booth in the dining room and was once trapped, hiding in the wine cellar for hours during a raid.
21club
pinterest
21club
Walker’s long gone, but since then the 21 Club has matured into a New York City institution, always elitist but always open to the public.
21club
1968
The 33 cast iron lawn jockeys became a traditional gift from wealthy stable owners and horse racing pros who call the club their home.
21 West 52nd Street
If you go, wear a jacket and don’t wear jeans.
If you're in denim, you won’t get it.
Monday, March 24, 2014
that’s just what they’re counting on
reuters
Government and industry must rue the day they granted us a digital network.
“The people” have used it ever since to protest government and in Egypt’s case, actually bring it down.
Turkey banned TWITTER last Friday. Entirely banned it.
While the people just change their DNS service to get around it.
And industries like SONY and TIMEWarner have been screwed from the get-go.
torrentfreak
People ransack their songs and movies and make free copies without ever paying for them.
wall321.com
Enter Trans Pacific Partnership!
columban.org
It’s a secret trade agreement led by the USA and negotiated among a dozen different countries.
backchannel.com
For starters it will make your ISP liable for the bad stuff you, yourself, do on their network.
A bit like prosecuting a car manufacturer because the robbers got away using their car.
dahda.com
It also locks up intellectual property rights for 70 years beyond the death of the creator, so their heirs can make some money on the deal.
lastestimentwill.com
Sorta like a carpenter leaving the house he built to his children so they can rent it out or sell.
rentenna
For corporate owned works like Mickey Mouse, that control will be pushed out 120 years after creation.
thinkinginvain.com
Can’t have Minnie doing porn
just because her copyright ran out, can we?
nudesntunes.tumblr
YOU BET WE CAN! says the EFF,
TTP's staunchest opponent.
TTP's staunchest opponent.
The TPP would up the punishment for breaking digital “locks” on goods, too, making your mixtape a high criminal act with criminal sanctions.
crimesofisrael.com
Naturally, they have to do all this in secret.
So entertainment corporations are meeting with select legislators who are okay with new internet rules.
wiki.edu
You didn’t know all this already?
Sunday, March 23, 2014
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