Changing the meaning of DWP
A story in today's L.A. Times claims that workers employed by the L.A. Department of Water and Power put in $77.3 million worth of overtime during the first six months of this year. At an annualized rate, that would translate to more than $15,000 per year, per employee in overtime. Further, DWP workers are earning more than twice the amount over and above their base pay that police and firefighters earn. Therefore I propose we change the meaning of DWP from Department of Water and Power to Damn We Pay (a lot).
Overtime cannot be avoided for certain employers. The DWP is one of those kind of employers. They serve the public and when situations arise where service has been interrupted, overtime becomes necessary.
But there are ways to minimize overtime. Nurses working for the state's Department of Corrections earn lots and lots of overtime because the DOC won't hire more of them. Without hiring more, maintaining the required numbers on-duty means spending on overtime. What is going on at the DWP is unacceptable. It requires Mayor Garcetti to do SOMETHING.
* * *
I saw a movie today, an independent film. I like going to indies. Except of course when there is hardly anyone else there. While it was a bargain matinee on a Friday, the film has received exceptional reviews and did big business last weekend on a small number of screens.
There were only four trailers shown before the movie. They were for "Don Jon", "Drinking Buddies", "Enough Said" (one of the last films starring James Gandolfini) and one I can't remember the name of at the moment.
All four looked like excellent films that I'd enjoy seeing. And I get that this is what a trailer is supposed to do. But indie films, while different than the mainstream fare I also enjoy, are of a higher quality. On a different plane of film existence. What I don't get is why they generally don't make money.
If you exclude films with budgets of $20 million or more which some people still label as "indies", there wasn't a single such film in 2012 that grossed over $50 million at the box office. "Silver Linings Playbook" did much better, but it was a break-out and they spent over $20 million on it. On the other hand, "End of Watch", a very underrated film in the minds of some, cost only $7 million to make and grossed over $40 million. I'd rather see "End of Watch" than "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Either the bulk of the movie-going audience isn't interested in better quality films, doesn't enjoy that type of film, or they just aren't marketed properly. As much as Hollywood spends to hire marketing geniuses, could that be the reason that indies don't make lots of money?
* * *
Random ponderings:
Everyone's all excited that the "truth" about Area 51 has finally been disclosed in a declassified CIA report. What people don't get is that the government still keeps some secrets secret. And those are the ones really worth knowing; the ones we mere civilians never get to hear.
The headline read "40 distressed pythons found in Canadian motel room" and I'm just wondering how they knew the snakes were distressed. Did a shrink come in and do a mental health check on the snakes?? (they were distressed because they'd been kept in plastic bins without proper care).
Ethan Hawke says his marriage to Uma Thurman didn't work out because "his frontal lobe wasn't finished". What will he say if his current marriage doesn't work out?
Forbes has put out its latest list, the top-paid DJs in the world. The guy on top earned $46 million last year.
Ivanka Trump, daughter of the toupee-wearing Donald, is pregnant with her second child. I didn't know she'd had the first one. Guess not watching the Celebrity Apprentice has paid off.
It must suck to be Charley Manuel today. He was to be honored before tonight's Dodger game against the Phillies, who is the manager for. Or was, until this morning when he was fired. How do you fire someone on the day you've chosen to honor them? Talk about dysfunctional.
Amazon doesn't just want to sell us groceries that we can order and get delivered the same day. They want to replace the entire retail industry. Scary.
I saw a tweet where a woman said that because she's female, some of her hobbies including asking questions during movies and overthinking things. I never knew those were gender-specific traits.
* * *
This Date in History:
Let me preface this by saying this particular date will always stand out in my mind. On August 16, 1977 I was just over one week into my basic military training. I returned to the dorm from eating and found a couple of the members of my unit in tears. I asked them what was wrong and one of them said something about the end of the world, and the "King" was dead. They were referring to Elvis Presley. It hit them hard. That's why I'll always remember August 16th
1 BC – Wang Mang consolidates his power and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the day prior, had no heirs.
1328 – The House of Gonzaga seizes power in the Duchy of Mantua, and will rule until 1708.
1513 – Battle of Guinegate (Battle of the Spurs) – King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French Forces who are then forced to retreat.
1777 – American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark rout British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.
1780 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden – The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.
1792 – Maximilien de Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal.
1793 – French Revolution: a levée en masse is decreed by the National Convention.
1812 – War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.
1819 – Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England.
1841 – U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.
1870 – Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
1891 – The Basilica of San Sebastian in Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.
1896 – Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.
1900 – The Battle of Elands River during the Second Boer War ends after a 13-day siege is lifted by the British. The battle had begun when a force of between 2,000 and 3,000 Boers had surrounded a force of 500 Australians, Rhodesians, Canadians and British soldiers at a supply dump at Brakfontein Drift.
1906 – An estimated 8.2 MW earthquake hits Valparaíso, Chile, killing 3,886 people.
1913 – Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tohoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students.
1913 – Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary.
1914 – World War I: Battle of Cer begins.
1920 – Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees, and dies early the next day. Chapman was the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game, the first being Doc Powers in 1909.
1920 – The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution.
1920 – Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Radzymin concludes; the Soviet Red Army is forced to turn away from Warsaw.
1927 – The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.
1929 – The 1929 Palestine riots break out in the British Mandate of Palestine between Arabs and Jews and continue until the end of the month. In total, 133 Jews and 116 Arabs are killed.
1930 – The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.
1930 – The first British Empire Games were opened in Hamilton, Ontario by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Willingdon.
1942 – World War II: The two-person crew of the U.S. naval blimp L-8 disappears without a trace on a routine anti-submarine patrol over the Pacific Ocean. The blimp drifts without her crew and crash-lands in Daly City, California.
1944 – First flight of the Junkers Ju 287.
1945 – An assassination attempt is made on Japan's prime minister, Kantarō Suzuki.
1945 – Puyi, the last Chinese emperor and ruler of Manchukuo, is captured by Soviet troops.
1946 – Mass riots in Kolkata begin, in which more than 4,000 would be killed in 72 hours.
1946 – The All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress is founded in Secunderabad.
1954 – The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.
1960 – Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
1960 – Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that held until 2012: High-altitude jump, free fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.
1962 – Eight years after the remaining French India territories were handed to India, the ratifications of the treaty are exchanged to make the transfer official.
1964 – Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Duong Van Minh with General Nguyen Khanh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.
1966 – Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.
1972 – In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
1974 – Punk Rock pioneers The Ramones play their first show in a local New York club named CBGB.
1987 – Northwest Airlines Flight 255 a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 crashes after take off in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus 2 people on the ground.
1989 – A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto's stock market.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Charles Bukowski
Fess Parker
Eydie Gorme
Robert Culp
Frank Gifford (yes, after his infidelity to Kathie Lee Gifford became public, Ellen DeGeneres did ask Kathie Lee if she would "...let me be Frank with you")
Tony Trabert
Julie Newmar (a great "Catwoman")
Bruce Beresford
Lesley Ann Warren
Dick Murdoch
Bill Spooner
Reginald VelJohnson
Kathie Lee Gifford (guess she and her ex-husband always remembered each other's birthday)
James Cameron
Laura Innes
Angela Bassett
Timothy Hutton
Steve Carrell
Rulon Gardner
George Stroumboulopoulos
Vanessa Carlton
Movie quotes today come from "Die Hard", the "breakout" movie for Reginald VelJohnson:
John McClane: You throw quite a party. I didn't realize they celebrated Christmas in Japan.
Joseph Takagi: Hey, we're flexible. Pearl Harbor didn't work out so we got you with tape decks.
#2
Joseph Takagi: You want money? What kind of terrorists are you?
Hans Gruber: Who said we were terrorists?
#3
Dwayne T. Robinson: We don't know shit, Powell. If there's hostages, how come nobody's come to us with ransom demands, huh? If there's terrorists in there, where's their list of demands? All we know is that somebody shot your car up. It's probably the same silly son of a bitch you've been talking to on that radio.
Sergeant Al Powell: Excuse me, sir! But what about the body that fell out the window?
Dwayne T. Robinson: Well, who knows? Probably some stockbroker, got depressed.
#4
Gail Wallens: Author of "Hostage Terrorist, Terrorist Hostage: A Study in Duality." Dr. Hasseldorf, what can we expect in the next few hours?
Dr. Hasseldorf: Well, Gail, by this time the hostages should be going through the early stages of the Helsinki Syndrome.
Harvey Johnson: As in Helsinki, Sweden.
Dr. Hasseldorf: Finland.
Overtime cannot be avoided for certain employers. The DWP is one of those kind of employers. They serve the public and when situations arise where service has been interrupted, overtime becomes necessary.
But there are ways to minimize overtime. Nurses working for the state's Department of Corrections earn lots and lots of overtime because the DOC won't hire more of them. Without hiring more, maintaining the required numbers on-duty means spending on overtime. What is going on at the DWP is unacceptable. It requires Mayor Garcetti to do SOMETHING.
* * *
I saw a movie today, an independent film. I like going to indies. Except of course when there is hardly anyone else there. While it was a bargain matinee on a Friday, the film has received exceptional reviews and did big business last weekend on a small number of screens.
There were only four trailers shown before the movie. They were for "Don Jon", "Drinking Buddies", "Enough Said" (one of the last films starring James Gandolfini) and one I can't remember the name of at the moment.
All four looked like excellent films that I'd enjoy seeing. And I get that this is what a trailer is supposed to do. But indie films, while different than the mainstream fare I also enjoy, are of a higher quality. On a different plane of film existence. What I don't get is why they generally don't make money.
If you exclude films with budgets of $20 million or more which some people still label as "indies", there wasn't a single such film in 2012 that grossed over $50 million at the box office. "Silver Linings Playbook" did much better, but it was a break-out and they spent over $20 million on it. On the other hand, "End of Watch", a very underrated film in the minds of some, cost only $7 million to make and grossed over $40 million. I'd rather see "End of Watch" than "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Either the bulk of the movie-going audience isn't interested in better quality films, doesn't enjoy that type of film, or they just aren't marketed properly. As much as Hollywood spends to hire marketing geniuses, could that be the reason that indies don't make lots of money?
* * *
Random ponderings:
Everyone's all excited that the "truth" about Area 51 has finally been disclosed in a declassified CIA report. What people don't get is that the government still keeps some secrets secret. And those are the ones really worth knowing; the ones we mere civilians never get to hear.
The headline read "40 distressed pythons found in Canadian motel room" and I'm just wondering how they knew the snakes were distressed. Did a shrink come in and do a mental health check on the snakes?? (they were distressed because they'd been kept in plastic bins without proper care).
Ethan Hawke says his marriage to Uma Thurman didn't work out because "his frontal lobe wasn't finished". What will he say if his current marriage doesn't work out?
Forbes has put out its latest list, the top-paid DJs in the world. The guy on top earned $46 million last year.
Ivanka Trump, daughter of the toupee-wearing Donald, is pregnant with her second child. I didn't know she'd had the first one. Guess not watching the Celebrity Apprentice has paid off.
It must suck to be Charley Manuel today. He was to be honored before tonight's Dodger game against the Phillies, who is the manager for. Or was, until this morning when he was fired. How do you fire someone on the day you've chosen to honor them? Talk about dysfunctional.
Amazon doesn't just want to sell us groceries that we can order and get delivered the same day. They want to replace the entire retail industry. Scary.
I saw a tweet where a woman said that because she's female, some of her hobbies including asking questions during movies and overthinking things. I never knew those were gender-specific traits.
* * *
This Date in History:
Let me preface this by saying this particular date will always stand out in my mind. On August 16, 1977 I was just over one week into my basic military training. I returned to the dorm from eating and found a couple of the members of my unit in tears. I asked them what was wrong and one of them said something about the end of the world, and the "King" was dead. They were referring to Elvis Presley. It hit them hard. That's why I'll always remember August 16th
1 BC – Wang Mang consolidates his power and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the day prior, had no heirs.
1328 – The House of Gonzaga seizes power in the Duchy of Mantua, and will rule until 1708.
1513 – Battle of Guinegate (Battle of the Spurs) – King Henry VIII of England and his Imperial allies defeat French Forces who are then forced to retreat.
1777 – American Revolutionary War: The Americans led by General John Stark rout British and Brunswick troops under Friedrich Baum at the Battle of Bennington in Walloomsac, New York.
1780 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Camden – The British defeat the Americans near Camden, South Carolina.
1792 – Maximilien de Robespierre presents the petition of the Commune of Paris to the Legislative Assembly, which demanded the formation of a revolutionary tribunal.
1793 – French Revolution: a levée en masse is decreed by the National Convention.
1812 – War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit without a fight to the British Army.
1819 – Peterloo Massacre: Seventeen people die and over 600 are injured in cavalry charges at a public meeting at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England.
1841 – U.S. President John Tyler vetoes a bill which called for the re-establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. Enraged Whig Party members riot outside the White House in the most violent demonstration on White House grounds in U.S. history.
1858 – U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new
transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of
the United Kingdom. However, a weak signal forces a shutdown of the service in
a few weeks.
1859 – The Tuscan National Assembly formally deposes the
House of Habsburg-Lorraine.
1863 – The Dominican Restoration War begins when Gregorio
Luperón raises the Dominican flag in Santo Domingo after Spain had recolonized
the country.
1869 – Battle of Acosta Ñu: A Paraguayan battalion made up
of children is massacred by the Brazilian Army during the Paraguayan War.1870 – Franco-Prussian War: The Battle of Mars-la-Tour is fought, resulting in a Prussian victory.
1891 – The Basilica of San Sebastian in Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed.
1896 – Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie discover gold in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush.
1900 – The Battle of Elands River during the Second Boer War ends after a 13-day siege is lifted by the British. The battle had begun when a force of between 2,000 and 3,000 Boers had surrounded a force of 500 Australians, Rhodesians, Canadians and British soldiers at a supply dump at Brakfontein Drift.
1906 – An estimated 8.2 MW earthquake hits Valparaíso, Chile, killing 3,886 people.
1913 – Tōhoku Imperial University of Japan (modern day Tohoku University) becomes the first university in Japan to admit female students.
1913 – Completion of the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary.
1914 – World War I: Battle of Cer begins.
1920 – Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees, and dies early the next day. Chapman was the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game, the first being Doc Powers in 1909.
1920 – The congress of the Communist Party of Bukhara opens. The congress would call for armed revolution.
1920 – Polish–Soviet War: The Battle of Radzymin concludes; the Soviet Red Army is forced to turn away from Warsaw.
1927 – The Dole Air Race begins from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, during which six out of the eight participating planes crash or disappear.
1929 – The 1929 Palestine riots break out in the British Mandate of Palestine between Arabs and Jews and continue until the end of the month. In total, 133 Jews and 116 Arabs are killed.
1930 – The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.
1930 – The first British Empire Games were opened in Hamilton, Ontario by the Governor General of Canada, the Viscount Willingdon.
1942 – World War II: The two-person crew of the U.S. naval blimp L-8 disappears without a trace on a routine anti-submarine patrol over the Pacific Ocean. The blimp drifts without her crew and crash-lands in Daly City, California.
1944 – First flight of the Junkers Ju 287.
1945 – An assassination attempt is made on Japan's prime minister, Kantarō Suzuki.
1945 – Puyi, the last Chinese emperor and ruler of Manchukuo, is captured by Soviet troops.
1946 – Mass riots in Kolkata begin, in which more than 4,000 would be killed in 72 hours.
1946 – The All Hyderabad Trade Union Congress is founded in Secunderabad.
1954 – The first issue of Sports Illustrated is published.
1960 – Cyprus gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
1960 – Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that held until 2012: High-altitude jump, free fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.
1962 – Eight years after the remaining French India territories were handed to India, the ratifications of the treaty are exchanged to make the transfer official.
1964 – Vietnam War: A coup d'état replaces Duong Van Minh with General Nguyen Khanh as President of South Vietnam. A new constitution is established with aid from the U.S. Embassy.
1966 – Vietnam War: The House Un-American Activities Committee begins investigations of Americans who have aided the Viet Cong. The committee intends to introduce legislation making these activities illegal. Anti-war demonstrators disrupt the meeting and 50 people are arrested.
1972 – In an unsuccessful coup d'état attempt, the Royal Moroccan Air Force fires upon Hassan II of Morocco's plane while he is traveling back to Rabat.
1974 – Punk Rock pioneers The Ramones play their first show in a local New York club named CBGB.
1987 – Northwest Airlines Flight 255 a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 crashes after take off in Detroit, Michigan, killing 154 of the 155 on board, plus 2 people on the ground.
1989 – A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto's stock market.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Charles Bukowski
Fess Parker
Eydie Gorme
Robert Culp
Frank Gifford (yes, after his infidelity to Kathie Lee Gifford became public, Ellen DeGeneres did ask Kathie Lee if she would "...let me be Frank with you")
Tony Trabert
Julie Newmar (a great "Catwoman")
Bruce Beresford
Lesley Ann Warren
Dick Murdoch
Bill Spooner
Reginald VelJohnson
Kathie Lee Gifford (guess she and her ex-husband always remembered each other's birthday)
James Cameron
Laura Innes
Angela Bassett
Timothy Hutton
Steve Carrell
Rulon Gardner
George Stroumboulopoulos
Vanessa Carlton
Movie quotes today come from "Die Hard", the "breakout" movie for Reginald VelJohnson:
John McClane: You throw quite a party. I didn't realize they celebrated Christmas in Japan.
Joseph Takagi: Hey, we're flexible. Pearl Harbor didn't work out so we got you with tape decks.
#2
Joseph Takagi: You want money? What kind of terrorists are you?
Hans Gruber: Who said we were terrorists?
#3
Dwayne T. Robinson: We don't know shit, Powell. If there's hostages, how come nobody's come to us with ransom demands, huh? If there's terrorists in there, where's their list of demands? All we know is that somebody shot your car up. It's probably the same silly son of a bitch you've been talking to on that radio.
Sergeant Al Powell: Excuse me, sir! But what about the body that fell out the window?
Dwayne T. Robinson: Well, who knows? Probably some stockbroker, got depressed.
#4
Gail Wallens: Author of "Hostage Terrorist, Terrorist Hostage: A Study in Duality." Dr. Hasseldorf, what can we expect in the next few hours?
Dr. Hasseldorf: Well, Gail, by this time the hostages should be going through the early stages of the Helsinki Syndrome.
Harvey Johnson: As in Helsinki, Sweden.
Dr. Hasseldorf: Finland.
posted by me at 10:44 PM
<< Home