Charlie Knuckle was not his real name. He could have been easily traced if he had ever appeared. It was the most elaborate scheme ever perpetrated in the MLB. It made doping look like a tiny footnote. Here's how it went down. The year was 2053. The Yankees had gone through a huge crash, one of those cyclical meltdowns where aging incompetents and hapless newcomers could not go the distance. No playoffs. Disconsolate fans. In walks Charlie Knuckle. When the season ended, the very next day, the entire Yankees front office was replaced. Within a week, all the deadwood was on the way out. And the following spring, the team consisted of the most unlikely assortment of players ever assembled. Charlie Knuckle controlled it all from his Manhattan hotel apartment. The new team was made up of retired veteran gold glove winners plus three renowned, but somewhat used up, sluggers. The center of the operation was fifteen pitchers and five catchers. The pitchers were all versed in the knuckle ball. The catchers spent the winter acclimating themselves to double-sized mitts and the zen of spearing tosses that had no rhyme or reason. Tampa went wild when the Yanks arrived for spring training. The papers were filled with speculation. Charlie Knuckle kept a low profile thanks to the services of discreet doormen and elevator operators. To make a long season short, the 2054 Yankees won 100 games by the middle of August and swept the playoffs and World Series handily. What was the actual MO Charlie insisted on to bring about such a remarkable result. First, he instructed the sluggers not to go yard, but to swing gently, creating pin point bloopers that might yield up singles while causing mayhem as opposing outfielders and infielders tried to snag them. He instructed his all-knuckle-ballers to be alert to the provisions of their contracts. Pay-per-pitch. A cool $1000 for every pitch that resulted in a called strike. Three-passed-balls-you're out of the game. As many as ten pitchers might be employed in a single outing. Catchers were similarly rewarded. The result was a great show. The methodology yielded up so many substitutions that crowds went wild. Rarely would there be a meltdown. Someone of the fifteen hurlers would be on. The team era was 2.1. The sluggers managed over 100 rbis each. In the dugout, the manager and his assistants could be seen talking on a red phone. It was a direct line to Charlie Knuckle. It is said that every move that was made was suggested by this strange individual. It was surmised, accurately, that whoever was behind this had unlimited resources and a somewhat jaundiced mind.
10/12/13
Cybercommunities - Understandings
1
A cybercommunity is integral - it integrates residence,
work, service, commerce and recreation.
2.
A cybercommunity is tolerant - it is open to all who accept and
practice tolerance.
3.
A cybercommunity is democratic - its members practice
constitutional democratic governance and affirm the universal value of
democracy.
4.
A cybercommunity is helpful - it upholds the value of help
as reciprocal and encourages mutual assistance.
5.
A cybercommunity is non-idolatrous - it values scientific
method, freedom of thought and an iconoclastic but civil temperament.
6.
A cybercommunity is public. Its material structures are not
owned by occupants but by the community.
7.
Occupancy of spaces that are "private" is by
subscription. So is membership in the
community. So are many of its services and commercial ventures.
8.
Cybercommunities may be privately or publicly owned. Members
may invest in their community. Cooperative banks will function within
cybercommunities.
7.
Cybercommunites provide employment, education, and all
spaces one associates with an integrated urban existence.
8.
All but private spaces are shared, multi-purpose. Public
spaces are be created, moved and enlarged with ease. Open areas are small and
plentiful - squares, circles, small parks.
9.
A great deal of flexibility will be the hallmark of
cybercommunities. For example one would not be required to own anything that
requires individual plumbing. At the same time there would be all manner of
choice as to what sort of "private" plumbing one would desire.
Similarly food processing could be in a kitchen of one's own or in community
kitchens or eateries spread throughout the community.
10.
Cybercommunities would serve all ages and conditions. Health
care and all other services for a community of 10,000 would be available.
One day fossil fuels will run out
"One day fossil fuels will run out .... the only imponderable is, when it will happen. "http://buff.ly/1groBG8 #estoleads
"Oil, coal and gas at 2006 rates, ... will last a further 40, 200 and 70 years, respectively."http://buff.ly/1grpQoI #estoleads
Our future energy will come from sun and wind.
We face 100 years of unprecedented dislocations due to weather and the collapse of the oil economy.
As in the past, small local communities will mark the genesis of new forms of society and economy.
Cybercommunities are an effort to imagine a future that can survive the collapse of the oil economy.
Cybercommunities are car-free.
Cybecommunities have a population of up to 10,000.
Cybercommunities are no more than four levels and no more than a mile across.
Cybercommunities can evolve from present neighborhoods.
Cybercommunities can be built from scratch.
"Oil, coal and gas at 2006 rates, ... will last a further 40, 200 and 70 years, respectively."http://buff.ly/1grpQoI #estoleads
Our future energy will come from sun and wind.
We face 100 years of unprecedented dislocations due to weather and the collapse of the oil economy.
As in the past, small local communities will mark the genesis of new forms of society and economy.
Cybercommunities are an effort to imagine a future that can survive the collapse of the oil economy.
Cybercommunities are car-free.
Cybecommunities have a population of up to 10,000.
Cybercommunities are no more than four levels and no more than a mile across.
Cybercommunities can evolve from present neighborhoods.
Cybercommunities can be built from scratch.
Our Future Energy Will Alter Everything
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