Sterling news

OK, first off a big thank you to Jim Ryan and Cathy Macko Payne for quickly and efficiently getting me some info that I "right to know"ed.

Now to the meat of the post. Pictures of the inside of the Sterling Hotel.
First floor




The 'Marble columns' aren't real Marble. They are deteriorated steel beams with a fake Marble coating.


Second Floor


And the roof that was repaired.




The 'repairs' seem to be several dozen 4 X 4's to buttress the badly rotted roof with some tar paper and cheap rolled roofing.




And I'm told, this huge hole wasn't even touched.




Anyone notice the date on the bottom right of the pictures? That's right. A full month before the flood. And Cityvest thought we wouldn't notice?
Yeah, the 'flood' destroyed the Sterling...... More like GREED did.
What does $6 million buy you in the county?
Corruption.

I literally have HUNDREDS of pictures to go through. So more to come.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Let's see what games get played

I had a class today on the Sterling Hotel. It had a long series of photographs taken by the engineering company that did the structural analysis. Because it interested me (And I would like to be able to show the 'save the Sterling' enthusiasts the scope of what would have to be done), I put in a 'Right-to-Know' request.

Let's see how long it will take for the city to get back to me. This isn't me being snippy. I'm still waiting for Attorney Vinsko to E-mail me a copy of the city charter. He promised it to me back in August 2010. He said, "you'll have it by Monday, Tuesday at the latest." Maybe I should have made him tell me WHICH Tuesday.

Honestly, they don't have to do much. Give me written permission, and I can just copy the presentation from today. Since I was at work, I had to do it by E-mail. Wanna bet it gets 'lost'?

Dan Emplit WBFD


Add on Edit: I'm man enough to point out when I am wrong. Jim Ryan and Cathy Macko Payne got back to me (by Email) almost immediately. And the pictures were in my possession in 2 days. I was very wrong about their professionalism, and they have my apologies for it.

The Dissent Increases

I was just watching WBRE and, unlike our Federal government, actually listening to the people being interviewed.
Basically it was people opening their eyes, Our government is more than willing to give aid to Haiti, Chile, Pakistan, Lybia, Egypt, Turkey, Japan and Greece (Just 4 months ago Obama pledged $116.8 to 146 BILLION over 3 years to Greece) and $2.6 Million to Train Chinese Prostitutes to Drink Responsibly on the Job! But where is the money for Americans that need help? It is after all OUR MONEY! How about throwing half a billion into the relief efforts here? It's only American citizens that are suffering. Basically the people who elected you morons.

This should be no surprise, our retired seniors living on a 'fixed income' receive no aid nor do they get any breaks (Not even a cost of living increase) while our government pour Hundreds of Billions of dollar's to Foreign Countries! With ZERO chance of it EVER being repaid!!

After Hurricane Katrina, you would think FEMA would have been well funded, but like Cityvest it is claiming to be broke. Bet the people in charge are still getting paid. Oh, to the Obama supporters out there, What would you be saying about 'W' right now if help was this slow under his watch?


Note the condition of the countries in the background.

Imagine if our *GOVERNMENT* gave 'US' the same support they give to other countries. Or just didn't look at our taxes as something to impress other governments with.

We (Americans) can not keep going this way. We need to take care of our seniors, Stop giving money away (to countries that will not pay us back), Stop giving free benefits to NON-Americans (While denying them to tax paying Citizens), Investigate and prosecute all corruption, and STOP listening to the retards in Hollywood and academics who have never had a real job.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Mall Ninjas

I mentioned 'Mall Ninjas' the other day and the person I was talking to gave me the 'dog listening to a weird noise' look.
This post on Huey's gunsight has the best description I've ever seen, and it is put in a humorous 'Deadliest Warrior' format.
Give it a look.


Dan Emplit WBFD
USN 1986 - 1992

The Hotel Sterling

Okay, I have one important question to ask. WHO THE @#$%&^ DO THE CITYVEST ASSHATS THINK THEY ARE?

In the Times Leader article, "Battle over razing Hotel Sterling brews", They DEMAND that the city tear down the Sterling?!!!

####
“The Hotel Sterling needs to be razed and it needs to be razed immediately. Waiting thirty days for CityVest to do something which all parties know CityVest cannot do is imprudent and, quite frankly, constitutes a needless threat to public safety,”
####
Translation, We stole all we could from the $6 million LOAN, and you can kiss our asses if you think we're gonna pay to do it.

Am I wrong in thinking that Cityvest SHOULD have made the building stable before wasting our taxes on anything else?

I was at the Sterling when they condemned it way back when. Honestly, I've been VERY sceptical that it could have been saved, even without the flood.

The questions that really need to be asked are not being asked.
When are we going to get our $6 million back?
Why was the Sterling left to rot for a decade?
Why would the city be responsible for a privately owned building?

If the City has to tear it down, they should be able to put a lien on all the private holdings of the owners (or whatever the big wigs are called) of Cityvest, to recoup the loan and costs of demolition.


Dan Emplit WBFD

Obama Flake

And People make fun of Bush?!



Dan Emplit WBFD
USN 1986 - 1992

Replacing the M9

Pistols with a shot at replacing the M9

So the Army (and if they do, the other branches will probably follow) is looking into replacing the Beretta 92FS (a 9MM handgun).



The M9 replaced the venerable Colt .45 (The M1911A1) back in 1985. It is the standard pistol of the United States Navy, United States Army and the United States Air Force. The M9A1 is also seeing limited issue to the United States Marine Corps.


The Colt .45 is on the left with the M9 on the right.

The Army may be looking at a different caliber as well as a different design.
Calibers rumored to be in the running, Staying with the 9MM, going back to the.45 ACP, the .40 S&W, and the .357 Sig (NOT to revolver cartridge).
My opinion? I've never had a problem with the 9MM. If a round has the minimum (or better) amount of power, I believe shot placement is MUCH more important than caliber. And with or Armed Forces being restricted (largely) to Full Metal Jacket rounds (the alternative would be expanding rounds like Hollow Points), I don't see a point to switching calibers.

Designs rumored to be in the running:
The Smith and Wesson M&P, an excellent choice (Plus it is AMERICAN made)
The Glock, also an excellent choice but it doesn't have a manual safety or a decocking lever (I believe one or the other is a requirement)
The Sig Sauer, a third excellent choice (although I have heard some very bad things about the quality control in the last few years)
The Heckler & Koch P2000, I have zero experience with this weapon.
Both Colt and Springfield have put their hats in with unspecified designs (also AMERICAN made).


I've got to admit, I'm no fan of the M9. I think ANY number of designs would have been MUCH better and I would like to see the contract go to an American company.

Dan Emplit WBFD
USN 1986 - 1992