Sunday, March 01, 2015

Collected Quotes



                Of the three possible explanations, it's usually one of the other seven.

        -- discovered by Marty McGowan while teaching at Benedictine Academy, Elizabeth, NJ from '02 - '06.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Re: Bailout-Amen

Marty,
That's why my comment was only "sort of" a defense for Dan.
Paul.
...
those things that the US was backing the AIG bailout with.

it's still only $425 / head.

and the govt had already tried one of those ( $600/head) to little effect.

+=+-- Marty.

p.s. one of the words of caution on the street (wall/main) these days is "know what it is you're buying"
(and forwarding :-)



In Dan's defense (sort of), in Britain a "billion" is a million million ;-)


From: Daniel Callahan [mailto:dancallahan@m....com]

Are you mad? Me do the math, no way, I just pass them on.

====================

paul,

i realized just having pushed "send" i should have made the words of caution pointed at dan, and not yourself.

sorry 'bout that, and i'm sure you understand the full implication of the math, probably the only one who did.

this one isn't so bad as those things going around, now that people think of fact-checking for themselves, where you see the quote:

"i checked this out on snopes",

or some other truth-on-the-net site, and some of these provide links to follow, and some even support the point being claimed. i think we are making progress on this front. it's OK to forward something completely of opinion, or clearly humor, but this one came by the other day: a list of recent presidential IQ's where bush was listed at 91 and clinton at > 135 (or such). i'm a believer that bush is working his way to the bottom of the rank of presidents (i believe in john mccain's neighborhood they're called the ``anchorman'' -- last in his class at the academy), but i'm consistenly working to keep the internet a place of "truthiness", where an objective reality is at stake. that assertion (bush iq = 91) was easily debunked. but it's crime is that, a false report allows a reader to assume the communication channel only puts out noise. not everyone gets that.

thank you for your point of information on the value of a billion! to quote that great conservative, Ev Dirksen (R, IL) from the 50s and 60s,

"A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking _real_ money"

It was true then, and sadly true today, regardless of the size of the "billiion". And we're still learning, sadly.

cc: threemartinis.blogspot.com

Sunday, June 08, 2008

The Chosen One

in the (unlikely :-) event of a republican president -- even before the mccain claim -- the woman featured in the article, pat mulroy was/is highly touted to be the likely secretary of the interior.   how do we know her?   when my younger brother sean died last year in las vegas, she hosted the post-funeral party.   i didn't meet her, other than to thank her for hosting.  i didn't know who she was at the time, but came to be aware of her importance. you can read the article.  she has lots of political "juice".   we have a family photo taken on her pool patio.:

  http://mcgowans.org/marty3/christmas07.html,  there's a bigger photo in one of the links.

brother vince, who forwards this article, has since moved to LV, to keep an eye on things there. 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vince McGowan <vince.mcgowan@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Jun 8, 2008 at 2:53 PM



Thought you might be interested in this profile of Pat Mulroy in today's Las Vegas Sun (the liberal alternative to the Review-Journal, a real conservative 'rag'):

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jun/08/chosen-one/

 

In this, the second in a 5-part series on the Southwest water woes, Mulroy is portrayed as 'Scarlett O'Hara', determined that Las Vegas would never be without water.  If there is an indictment of her tenure it might be this decision from the early 1990s:

 

"This was her "New Paradigm," and it went like this: With Mulroy at the water company and Bunker and a number of her staff on the river commission, Las Vegas would just keep building above and beyond the capacity of its river allocation.

It was a Las Vegas-sized dare. The logic: Defy the limits under Nevada's Colorado River allocation. Dare the six other states on the Colorado River, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and its overseer the Interior secretary to not give them more water."

Vince

============

cc: applemcg.threemartinis@blogger.com  or
http://threemartinis.blogspot.com/


Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Re: FW: Hey Ed

Hi Greg,

   wtfay:  where ... are you?

and Mike,

   all i (vaguely) remember, correct me if i'm wrong:  
      Pittsburgh,   Czech Republic, and Tuesdays with Big Brother?

and for all, don't know if you heard, but Al-Lu is selling off the dearly beloved WH labs, and moving the remnants into downtown MH, who's hall's, if not hallowed are hollow.    (oops, i see SK may have more info on this?!)

in the keepin' it young dept., we (wife pat and I) have (at least) two young friends, Ashok and Marina Maliakal, who hang out there (@MH), Ashok being one of those chemists who's trying to squeeze information into/outof molecules.  when last checked, Marina was working for the former Dennis Ritchie (still himself, less the Unix guru).

and FYI, i'm at Fidessa, where bloke-speak is the language, and we peddle our software to the big wall st firms, just so they can pump their orders and trades thru the pipes.   i train our developers, consultants, support staff on how our product works, my partner, Sandi, on what it does.  a good deal if ever there were one.

and, oh yes, i'm keeping Ed at bay, his thinking I care one whit about what happens to Hillary.  

and, in a sop to history, i'm re-reading Godel. Escher, Bach, with a new forward from Doug Hofstader, the author, where he confesses in  the new preface, that late in the publishing cycle, he "got the faith" re gender issues, and felt the need to press a feminine character into service. guess who?   "Ant Hilliary"   talk about a chuckle.

enuf good folks,

 +=+-- Marty McGowan

p.s. agree on widening the  circle



On Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 2:05 PM, Durant Gregory M (Gregory) <gmdurant01@lgsinnovations.com> wrote:
As per Ed's request, here you go Sanjay.

-----Original Message-----
From: ewronka@rochester.rr.com [mailto:ewronka@rochester.rr.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 1:16 PM
To: Durant Gregory M (Gregory)
Cc: mike.benson@netronomesystems.com; Durant Gregory M (Gregory);
mcgowan@alum.mit.edu
Subject: RE: Hey Ed

Lest I be accused of participating in a Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, let
me add Marty McGowan to this email thread!


I've been exchanging emails on and off with Marty for oh these so many
years I almost lost track of where I originally got to know him
from----those golden years over at the Country Club (i.e. Bell Labs).


Now all we need is Jeff Martin & Tom Oplinger, and we can begin a
session of forward looking research.....
 ...
                                              24 Herning Ave
908 230-3739, YIM: applemcg Cranford NJ 07016

Friday, December 28, 2007

Yes Virginia, there really is a Kevin Sac(k)!

States’ Widening of Health Care Hits Roadblocks

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/us/25health.html?th&emc=th
Article Tools Sponsored By
Published: December 25, 2007

SACRAMENTO — A year that began with great ambition for major expansions of health insurance here and in other state capitals is ending with considerable uncertainty, as a second wave of change runs headlong into a darkening economy and political divisions over how to apportion the cost.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Re: Reflections on New Jersey's abolition campaign

celeste,

   thank you for what you have done here.   

   i, too, am at last proud to be from New Jersey at this time.

   many years ago, while in colorado, my apocryphal story was that a car from New Jersey would meet a car from Texas on "Gold Camp Road", which on the back of Pike's Peak, was in crucial places only one lane wide.  my then-disdain for NJ and TX was based on more than a few encounters in my formative years: college, time with military as a DOD civilian, and early travels east, where, I must say, it was citizens of NJ and TX who distinguished themselves in boorishness.   Gold Camp Road is sufficiently narrow that one of the two drivers would have to give way.  my model was that either would rather take the 1000' plunge than give in.    I was heard to say (or pray), "God, please never send me to New Jersey or Texas".    after seven years of this prayer, i heard God speak "Son, here's a deal:   you get to choose!"   Well,  _at_long_last_   (> 25 years), the choice is confirmed.

   having been here for these last years, and considering the modest support i was able to give our effort, i am indeed proud to be a New Jersey citizen.

Thank you,

 -=-.. Marty McGowan


On Dec 19, 2007 6:31 PM, <PaxCF...> wrote:
Dear Friends,
 
On Monday, December 17, 2007, Governor Jon Corzine signed the historic New Jersey death penalty abolition bill.  It was a good day.  I have some reflections on the campaign that led to this wonderful moment but first, a little "housekeeping."



Monday, October 29, 2007

AHS62 -- seventh edition

this time apologies are in order.

lots has been happening (lots of feedback), some of which
you've seen. 

the good news is -- guess what -- Judy had sent the
spreadsheet way back when - early Oct, and it wound up
in my "save until you _have_ to pay it pile" -- which got
worked this weekend.   i'll turn that into a google spreadsheet,
which those of you, so inclined, may look up, and those
in need, i'll mail.  this will all take a few weeks, however.

also, have a few new addresses, but not yet on the list
or database.   next time, he says.  

my excuse, such as they are, is my wife, Pat,'s trip to
Lk Tahoe, with a small but close portion of St Mary's class
of '64, as they turned 65.    this was our deal:  she can
go with "the girls" if i go to AHS 62's  45th.  it's debatable
as to who made the deal.  you get the idea.   i did point out
that if '64 turned 65, then '62 had just turned 63!   you'd
think a mathematician would have figured that out.  well,
the excuse was that Patty got back last night, lately
reserved for writing you, so i'm a day late. 

another fun thing was taking patty's godson, John Hollier,
(pronounced Oh-Yeah -- they're Cajun), to the NY Rangers
game on Sat nite, all my other dates: Patty, Chip, Kate,
being out of town -- Chip celebrating pregnant wife Laurie's
b-day yesterday.

SEND those PIX, Folks.   They couldn't have been THAT
embarrassing!

b.t.w.  from now on i'll post these letters on my weblog:

   http://threemartinis.blogspot.com

for posterity, posterior, ... whatever.

-=-.. Marty M