Campfire in Rain - A little rain don't stop me from enjoying a campfire. 8/27.
Two Bags of Trash - How I sort and remove litter from the woods.
From April 2006.
Fodder Archives contain hundreds of writings on life and politics.
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The Photography Series explores New York with hundreds of photos.
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101 Local Activism Opportunities in your town that you can get involved in.
No Sales of Certain Yo-Yo Toys
(New York: A.472)
delivered to governor
Smart Growth for New Century Act
(New York: A.4874)
DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR
Wine Ice Cream Bill
(New York: S.7407)
DELIVERED TO GOVERNOR
Property Tax Circut Breaker
(New York: A..11838)
rules report cal.847
reported referred to rules
reported
REFERRED TO RULES
passed assembly
ordered to third reading rules cal.847
motion to amend lost
delivered to senate
Dignity for Students Act
(New York: A.3496)
vote reconsidered - restored to third reading
RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
recalled from senate
amended on third reading 3496a
Cowdung Bill Tracker tracks dozens of pieces of legislation that effect you.
The Online Office of Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand - Home
Her official house website.
WasteAge Magazine
Trade magazine for all those interested in what's new in trash and recycling.
The New York Times
Breaking News, World News & Multimedia from the nation's leading newspaper.
NYSORVA
NYSORVA is the lobbying group supporting ATVs and alike.
Cattle Today
For keeping up on what's new with those big animals that go moo.
The Guardian
Another great publication on politics and culture.
Capitol Confidential
Elizabeth Benjamin's full-time blog on the Albany.
See all of the other blogs, magazines, and sites that I like and you should read.
 | Who is Cowboy? A look at myself as an individual. |
Autonomy Pages discuss who I am as an individual.
Andy Arthur
15A Elm Avenue
Delmar, NY 12054
(518) 210-7423
andy@nycowboy.org
Food Bank Receives Grant. To help support the food bank's farm. Com'nt P'Link
Nuclear Plant Workers Evacuated. Vermont Yankee had some problems caused by human error that lead to plant workers to be evauated over fear of radio active steam.
Human error is being blamed for a radiation spike at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant that prompted the evacuation of about a dozen workers from the main reactor building for about two hours.
Plant spokesman Robert Williams says a worker did an incomplete job clearing water off of a demineralization filter during routine monthly maintenance. A short time later, control room operators spotted the doubling of radiation levels in a main steam line.
Williams says there were no radioactive releases to the environment, and that the plant’s operations and power level were not affected.
That's only a bit scary to say the least. Gotta love safe, cheap, dependable nuclear power, until it becomes very expensive, dangerous, and unreliable (which it already is). Com'nt P'Link
Commissioner to Quit PSC Before Iberdrola Vote. Public Service Commissioner Cheryl Buley is resigning before the vote for personal reasons, described as relocating out of our state in early September. Com'nt P'Link
EPA: Crossgates Macy's Lights Tossed Improperly. They got caught tossing commercial-quantities of mercury vapor lamps and florcent bulbs in contrast to federal law.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin and fluorescent light bulbs containing it must be recycled as a toxic waste under state law to prevent mercury from getting into the environment.
EPA spokesman John Senn said today that Macy's workers at Crossgates and a store in Garden City improperly threw away an undetermined number of bulbs in 2007. While the ultimate destination of the bulbs was not available, EPA was not issuing any health warnings linked to the incidents, he said.
I never liked Macy's to start out with. They are no good. Com'nt P'Link
Anarchy in Ancram? Not Quite. It's tough to govern when half of the town board resigns, and you don't have a quorum until the governor appoints replacements. Com'nt P'Link
Judge Orders Release of Secret Rosenberg Files. Good news for public openness after so many decades of secrecy.
A judge ordered the release Tuesday of key secret grand jury testimony in the atomic spy trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, citing its value to historians in the ongoing debate over national security versus freedom.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein pertained to witnesses whose sealed testimony was taken in 1950 and 1952 and who are still alive but had not consented to the release or who could not be located.
The Rosenbergs were convicted of passing nuclear weapons secrets to the Soviet Union and were executed in 1953. Since then, decoded Soviet cables have seemed to confirm that Julius Rosenberg was a spy, but doubts have remained about Ethel Rosenberg's involvement.
More about this case of communist fear over at Wikipedia. Com'nt P'Link
Bethlehem Police Probe Report of Gunfire. In the second biggest crime since the Peter Porco (the first biggest being the harassment of peace protesters), Bethlehem police report gun shots heard in a rural section of Route 9W. There was a supposed car jacking in the area or so they claim. Com'nt P'Link
Schools Open Doors to a High-tech Future. Changing methods and technology in our public schools, hope to teach kids better for tommorow. Com'nt P'Link
State: 80% of Track Workers Cheated Out of Wages. Apparently NYRA wasn't paying workers their fair amount at the track over the past year.
The department's probe said trainers routinely cheated their hotwalkers, grooms, and watchmen out of overtime and in some cases paid them less than minimum wage.
The names of the trainers were not revealed and the state is ordering them to pay full restitution to their employees. The trainers will be identified as soon as the investigation is complete, said Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith.
The investigation unfolded during the current track season and revealed that many track workers were forced to live in filthy conditions on the back stretch. Some were denied beds and slept on concrete floors. Others slept on mattresses infested with bed bugs.
"The main concern is that people get minimum wage, overtime after 40 hours worked and the day off per week," said Jose Ramon Rivera, an employee of one of the track's trainers. He spoke on behalf of those being cheated, though he had been paid what he earned.
At least the injustice will be corrected. Com'nt P'Link
Has Biden Gone From Snarling To Darling? The story of changing perspections of Joe Biden in the media. Com'nt P'Link
State Takes a Concrete Approach to Repairing I89 Bridge. A new technique will be used on the I-89 bridge to lay down the concrete decking that will save both installation and maintance costs.
On Tuesday, construction crews poured a 10-inch slab of "high performance" concrete over a 170,000-pound web of reinforced steel on a northbound bridge on Interstate 89. Concrete decks are nothing new. But the 450-foot Montpelier span will be the first "bare deck" on a Vermont's interstate system, and state construction engineer David Hoyne says the strategy could mitigate maintenance costs over the long haul.
"The idea here is that if you can develop a concrete that holds up to Vermont's harsh conditions, then you can lower your initial costs and also the costs of longer-term maintenance," Hoyne said.
The bare-deck approach means that the Montpelier bridge won't get either a membrane or pavement sealant — two expensive components on every other bridge deck on Interstate 89.
Very cool if it works as promised. Com'nt P'Link
Troopers: Northway Crash Was Fatal. Our highways murder another person. Com'nt P'Link
Geo-Environmental Management Solutions Tries to Build Biofuels Plant in Fultonville. After being turned down in Amsterdam based on environmental concerns, they are proposing a new plant location in the old White Mop factory. Com'nt P'Link
Ethanol Could Cost Orange County More Than Gas. They are debating switching their fleet over to E85, but are concerned with added costs rather then the savings over the cheaper fuel. Com'nt P'Link
Entergy Could Pay New York $432 Million. That's the proposed revenue sharing agreement for their aging nuclear plants. Com'nt P'Link
New York PSC to Rule On Iberdrola's $4.5B Bid for Energy East. The ruling is expected shortly. Com'nt P'Link
Albany Ethanol Facility is Sold. An investment firm has purchased it thinking that there is big money to be made there. Com'nt P'Link
Next President Advised to Upgrade Climate Science Budget. There is a growing need to alert people to potential weather hazards. Com'nt P'Link
NYSDEC State Lands Interactive Mapper. Have you seen the new NYSDEC State Lands Interactive Mapper? It really is great tool to use. Com'nt P'Link
Democrats' Green Platform Plank. Now in the Democratic Platform for this year.
The plan would implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
It would ensure 10 percent of U.S. electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
It would enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies to provide a $1,000 emergency energy rebate to American families, and would help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next 10 years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future.
Great. It certainly is an good inspirational goal to be reaching for in coming years. Com'nt P'Link
Manchester Challenged to Give Up Plastic Bags. They are challenging residents to not use plastic bags. Com'nt P'Link
Agrimark in Vermont Fined for Wastewater Violations. They made several violations of Vermont's wastewater discharge permits.
Agri-Mark has agreed to pay $75,000 in penalties to settle allegations that it violated its wastewater discharge permit at the dairy cooperative's Middlebury whey plant.
Agri-Mark agreed to pay a $25,000 fine and another $50,000 for supplemental environmental projects, the Agency of Natural Resources said Monday.
ANR conducted a routine investigation and discovered that the plant's biological oxygen demand, or BOD, and phosphorous releases violated its wastewater discharge permit.
According to ANR, the violations occurred when the dairy cooperative increased its whey production without notifying the agency in advance.
The co-op also took in additional wastewater from another cheese plant without obtaining approval from the agency. In addition, the plant sampled phosphorous more frequently than required by the permit, but did not report all of the findings as required under its permit, ANR said in a press release.
And they didn't think they were going to get caught? Couldn't they have just done things legally and saved themselves some money. Com'nt P'Link
Talking Directly, and Kindly, to Believers in the Eco Life. A look at the Ask Umbra Column on Grist. Com'nt P'Link
Vote in Alaska Puts Question: Gold Or Fish? Voters in that state will decide on the construction of a gold and mineral mine that risks posioning the bay. Com'nt P'Link
Combined Sewage Hearings to Look at Problems. More on the CSO overflow problems as it relates to flooding in people's houses with raw sewage, but nothing much about the river. Com'nt P'Link
E.P.A. Sued by 12 States Including NY to Regulate Oil Refineries Greenhouse Gases. They are suing over concerns that the EPA is not regulating the massive greenhouse gas emission. Com'nt P'Link
Renovations Complete at Hackett Middle School. This is good news for students attending that school.
Albany County Legislator Pepper Sprayed at DNC. Things got a little nasty at the convention last night, leading Wanda Willingham to get accidentailly part of the action. Com'nt P'Link
Q Poll: McCain vs. Obama Tight In 3 Key Swing States. So it would seem as the race continues to be close. Com'nt P'Link
A Virtual Lock On Politics. Time for e-conventions? Com'nt P'Link
Democratic Convention: Clinton Nudging Supporters Toward Obama. It's not an easy task it seems for some. Com'nt P'Link
When N.Y.’s Governor Speaks, Barack Should Listen. Bill Hammond thinks Barack should pay attention to Paterson's remarks that the sky is falling. Com'nt P'Link
Official: Man Wasn't a 'Credible Threat' to Obama. Despite his plans to try to kill the presidential candidate. Com'nt P'Link
Art Without Limits. Interesting new forms of artwork. Com'nt P'Link
Gov. Ed Rendell Urges Clintonites To Move On. And support Barack Obama. Com'nt P'Link
AT&T Throws Party to Support Dems Who Voted to Grant Telecoms Immunity for Illegal Domestic Wiretapping. Ain't this just charming to know our representatives are taking bribes.
Democracy Now - Monday, August 25th Com'nt P'Link
Golisano’s Cash to Back 39 Incumbent Senators. He's spreading his money around well to both parties. Com'nt P'Link
Democrats Take Stage, and the G.O.P. Crowds On. GOP operatives are striking back against the excitement of the convention. Com'nt P'Link
Malta Ruberstamps Chip Fab Plant Proposal. It will now move forward in developing the site, regardless if AMD comes or not, providing high-speed access to the Malta Dentistry Offices in your private automobile. Com'nt P'Link
Kennedy's Speech Last Night. The Times Union has a review of that surprise speech last night as the man comes out of his sick bed with brain cancer to speak last night.
Time for a New Police Car? Burn your old one, or so it might seem as a traffic investigator's car burns up in his driveway. They claim a young adult was seen outside of the house, but let's be realistic—it's a common thing for police to destroy old cruisers when they want a new one.
This was an old Crown Victoria, and I'm sure the officer wanted a new one. He tried to put out a car fire using a broom, then called the fire department. But they are investigating the neighborhood, trying to find somebody, besides the officer who torched his own car, because as all know, cops don't purposely destroy their cars, just get a new one. Com'nt P'Link
Prolific Bicycle Thief Arrested. Be stole as many as 3,000 bicycles according to the BBC News. Com'nt P'Link
Collins, Ranzenhofer Want GPS in County Vehicles. They want to track usage, to reduce fuel costs and control pollution from city cars. Com'nt P'Link
Putnam to Begin New Phase of Bike Trailway. They are expanding their trail system. Com'nt P'Link
Moo North: Cows Sense Earth's Magnetism. Who needs a compass when you can just use a cow to find you way. Com'nt P'Link
WAMC: More Farmers Markets Take Debit Cards. This their coverage of the story.
More Farmers Markets Take Debit Cards
In 2007, just 40 of New York State’s farmer’s markets accepted food stamps. Now nearly 90 welcome them and food stamp sales have increased statewide from $3,000 in 2002 to $90,000 last year. Some of that increase is attributed to the electronic debit cards that have replaced paper food stamps.
Farmer Behind 'Strolling of the Heifers' Event Dies. More on Dwight Miller. Com'nt P'Link
Some History of Pie Throwing. Something we all need to know.
Authority figures, politicians and celebrities are symbols of the ruling class and, as such, vulnerable to public protest. In 1776 local infantrymen threw eggs at anti-independence Delaware assemblyman Clarke. John Adams had to be hustled in the back door to avoid protesters armed with tomatoes in 1796. During his first inaugural, Bush's limousine was pelted with eggs and Goldwater supporters with water balloons, tomatoes and eggs during campaign parades. Visiting other countries draws fire as well… Nixon and Roslyn Carter were egged in South America. And it's not just in America: In France, presidential candidate Jen-Marie Le Pen was egged in 2002.
I know I did pretty good in a pie eating contest several years back, but throwing pies at elected leaders sounds more fun. Com'nt P'Link
Dwight Miller, Farming Legend, Dies in Accident. Only in Vermont. Com'nt P'Link
From Organic Farming to Vermont Politics, Orientation Gives New Students a Look Beyond Campus. What the super-rich enjoy who can afford to attend Middlebury college. Com'nt P'Link
We Need Guns, Not Gun Laws. From last week's Brattleboro Reformer.
In response to Jack Lilly's letter on the Second Amendment: First, If you hear shots going off in the middle of the night I hope you called the police. And second, I am sick and tired of the blanket blame being laid on every honest responsible law abiding citizen who happens to own fire arms. I am not responsible for that poor fellow who was shot on his tractor or the hunting accidents that happen or that maniac who went on a shooting rampage in Burlington.
What about all the deaths every year from medical mistakes, do you blame every person in the medical field for that? Or how about the carnage on our highways, is every driver or the car companies responsible for that? There are thousands of gun laws on the books—have they worked? It's a hill of beans quite frankly.
Those laws only affect honest people like you and myself, not the criminal element. New York City has a wicked murder rate, yet they have highly restrictive gun laws that tie the hands of innocent people denying them their constitutional right to protect themselves and their loved ones in their homes and in public from the very murderous element that the gun laws were made to stop. Boston, Chicago, Miami and yes, Washington, D.C. (called the murder capitol of our country) all have highly restrictive gun laws. Have they helped? Not one bit.
Interesting read. Com'nt P'Link
Half of All Food Produced Worldwide is Wasted. A lot of food produced in our country is wasted. I'm not surprised, as I know my compost bucket in the freezer usually is full not just with coffee grounds, but all kinds of food that's spoiled or wasted. At least the nutrients are being returned to the earth at my parent's farm. Com'nt P'Link
Merrick Talks About ATF Taking His Guns. They claim he was dealing firearms without a license when he sold several at a tag sale. Com'nt P'Link
Burning Hay Load on Semi in North Hoosick. While nobody or nothing besides the hay was damaged, a logging truck hauling hay, caught on fire when the hay came in contact with one of the smoke stacks. Com'nt P'Link
Food Detectives. A look at the FDA's long and winding route to discover salmonella source that sicked and panicked many. Com'nt P'Link
State Fair Attendance Update. It's up from last year. Com'nt P'Link
US Colleges Saying Nay to Cafeteria Trays; Some Students Hate Balancing Act. The idea is reduce the amount of increasingly expensive food that is hauled away by students, only to be either wasted or consumed in excess. Com'nt P'Link
As Food Costs Rise, So Do School Lunch Prices. Many parents of school age children, find themselves struggling to find more money to pay for lunch for their kids. More people are now eligible for reduced lunch, and at least now, they can do it using a discrete card at many school, rather then the stigma-ridden asking to get checked off the list that some of us had to use when we in High School and couldn't afford the full price of lunch. Com'nt P'Link
E-Food Stamps at More Farmers Markets. It's bringing in new sources of revenue to some farmers markets. Com'nt P'Link
Energy Stocks, Oil Drop May Be Over. That's what The New York Sun is suggesting. Com'nt P'Link
Stocks Fall As Oil Rises. Prices continue to be somewhat high and volatile scaring the stock market.
Light, sweet crude rose 56 cents to $115.15 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Stocks staged a big rally Friday after crude tumbled more than $6 a barrel, its biggest percentage drop in more than four years. Investors have welcomed easing energy prices because they hope that will boost consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the American economy.
Democrats Stage First Bright Green Political Convention. A look at the green features of the convention this week. Com'nt P'Link
Greenpeace Urges Massa to Fight Global Warming. They sponsored a major protest in front of his office to encourage him to commit towards reducing greenhouse gases if he is elected to Congress. Com'nt P'Link
New Baltimore Conservancy Asks for Tough Questions on Proposed ABC Recycling Facility. They are seriously concerned about traffic impacts on the narrow roads winding through New Baltimore.
Citing the fact that the applicant, ANSWERS of Albany, “plans to operate this facility around the clock,” Louis notes that the board interprets that as “truck traffic operating on a seven days a week, 24 hours a day basis.”
Noting that the “Construction and Demolition Debris Processing Facility will be accessed from state Route 144,” Louis states, “Trucks accessing the facility from the north will travel either from Albany or Selkirk via New York State Thruway Exit 22, or may possibly use state routes 9W south and 143 east through Ravena,” citing that these routes would not involve New Baltimore.
However, he explained, “Any trucks that have a need to access the facility from the south may choose to use NYS Thruway Exit 21B and/or Route 9W and then travel north on Route 144 to the facility.”
This, he says, will take them right through the town of New Baltimore and the hamlet, including through a National Historic District.
The speed limit on this latter route has a “reduced speed limit (as low as 30 miles per hour) and includes one turn that is greater than 90 degrees at the site of the New Baltimore Reformed Church” posing substantial safety risks for other drivers and pedestrians.
This is definitely an impact worth considering. New Baltimore is a very beautiful little town, and Route 144 through there is very narrow and difficult to navigate even with a normal sized car. Nobody wants to see that town damaged by heavy truck traffic. Com'nt P'Link
DEC: Water Crisis Looms. There are a lot of old sewage treatment plants not big enough to take rainwater plus all of the other crap they take, leading to increasingly polluted waters in our state.
Saying the state is facing a looming water infrastructure crisis, Gov. David Paterson has formed a task force, called the New Clean Water Collaborative, to press the federal government for funding to make needed repairs and upgrades.
The state has no shortage of water for drinking, recreation and other uses, but that water is in danger of being contaminated because of declining wastewater infrastructure, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
According to the state, New York communities will have to spend more than $50 billion over the next 20 years to make needed repairs and upgrades, the result of a steep decline in federal aid. The DEC estimates that repairs for municipal wastewater treatment systems will cost $36.2 billion, while repairs for drinking water infrastructure could exceed $20 billion.
Federal support for water infrastructure repairs and upgrades has plunged 70 percent over the past two decades, from $2.4 billion in loans for such projects in 1987, to $687 million in loans in 2008, according to the DEC. In New York, federal assistance fell from $227 million in 1991 to $75.1 million in 2007. The DEC says these cuts have delayed needed maintenance and contributed to Clean Water Act violations; a recent U.S. Environment Protection Agency report stated that funding for the loan program is set to expire in 2011.
Let's hope they find some funds to do something about this problem. Com'nt P'Link
Albany to Discuss Pros-and-Cons of Combined Sewage Systems. They are trying to decide if there is an alternative to flooding people's basements and the Hudson River with raw sewage every time it rains a bit in Albany. They will be taking this up at the Common Council Meeting on Wednesday. Com'nt P'Link
Thomas P. DiNapoli for New York State Comptroller. Yes, he has a blog on the convention. Com'nt P'Link
Candidates Running Closest In the West. Apparently all that development has not proven good for Republicans in the mountain states.
On Thursday, Sen. Barack Obama will accept the Democratic nomination here before a crowd of around 70,000, a figure with resonance in the Mountain West: Had Sen. John F. Kerry flipped that number of votes combined in Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada in 2004, he would have been president.
Four years later, nowhere in the country is the race so close as in this region. Most polls show Obama and his Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, tied in Colorado and Nevada, Obama up a little in New Mexico and McCain with a small lead in Montana.
Well duh. If you bring a lot of Democrats in to an area, it kind of dilutes your voting power. We are seeing this in upstate New York, and it's not surpising to see it happen in the mountain west. If Republicans weren't so stupid, then they wouldn't be pushing the "bring the democrats in, develop the tax base mentality." Com'nt P'Link
With Biden, Will Rewards Outweigh Risks? NPR looks at the much different personality of Biden and how it will change the ticket. Com'nt P'Link
Pelosi: Democrats Must Reach The Working Class. That's what she said as the convention opens today. Com'nt P'Link
More Overdue Loans Hit Lower Hudson Valley Banks. Some local banks are on hard times but not necessarily insolvent. Com'nt P'Link
Vandals Destroy $4,000 of Art in Syracuse Park. This is disappointing. Why can't people respect anything? Com'nt P'Link
Democrats from CNY Are Ready for Unity. They look forward for November. Com'nt P'Link
Clinton Speaks On Biden Pick. She thinks he will be great. Com'nt P'Link
FBI Saw Threat of Mortgage Crisis. They where well aware of what could happen in the market, but chose not to investigate or act to prevent the worst of the fall out. Com'nt P'Link
Sex Offenders a Concern in Schenectady City Parks. There is a concern about people looking towards having relationships in city parks and other public places, where it's viewed to be inappropiate. Com'nt P'Link
Democrats Pleased With Selection of Biden. Brian Stratton and others speak highly of the man.
“I think it brings strong balance to the Democratic ticket,” said Schenectady Mayor Brian U. Stratton, who will attend the Democratic convention this week in Denver — his first time voting at a national convention.
“I think that the biggest problem [Obama] faced was people just felt that he was inexperienced being a freshman senator,” Stratton said. “You can’t say you don’t know enough about Sen. Biden.”
I agree that he will be great. Com'nt P'Link
Obama Aides Defend Bank’s Pay to Biden Son. Already we are hearing about potential scandals or conflicts of internet by the VP candidate.
During the years that Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. was helping the credit card industry win passage of a law making it harder for consumers to file for bankruptcy protection, his son had a consulting agreement that lasted five years with one of the largest companies pushing for the changes, aides to Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign acknowledged Sunday.
Mr. Biden’s son, Hunter, received consulting fees from the MBNA Corporation from 2001 to 2005 for work on online banking issues. Aides to Mr. Obama, who chose Mr. Biden as his vice-presidential running mate on Saturday, would not say how much the younger Mr. Biden, who works as both a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, had received, though a company official had once described him as having a $100,000 a year retainer. But Obama aides said he had never lobbied for MBNA and that there was nothing improper about the payments.
I'm not too surprised. I'm sure the Republicans will play this up, and it's something to consider. Yet, if Hunter is not lobbying, it's going to be difficult to prove that anything illegal actually happened. Com'nt P'Link
Gus Santos: Delegate to DNC. A nice review of what he is doing out in Denver. Com'nt P'Link
Convention Highlights. Events worth watching in the evening during the Dem Convention. Com'nt P'Link
Should the State Continue the Project to Interconnect Emergency Responders Radios? Continued technical problems and significant cost overruns are leading to some calling for a cancellation of this project. Com'nt P'Link
NY Delegates Out in Denver. And they are purty happy with the light air pressure and the fact that Democrats are going to kick ass this November. Com'nt P'Link
Final 21 Congressional District Debate. It happened yesterday, featuring issues of war and peace, and proved that on many issues the candidates where more alike then different, according to the Times Union. Com'nt P'Link
Troy vs. Schenectady in Economic Development. The Times Union compares the hands-off approach of Troy to what Schenectady has been doing to revitalize it's urban core. Com'nt P'Link
Another Work Day Recedes Into the Past. It was a nice day out there, abit a busy one. Lots of things going on, and the summer is rapidly coming to an conclusion.
This weekend I went down to the Dutchess County Fair on Saturday, and camped out at my parents house. It was a nice evening out, although the bugs where bad around dawn. I slept out under the stars after several hours of listening to podcasts. Com'nt P'Link
Highway Crashes Kill More Than 41,000 in 2007. That's still very high, but a big reduction from recent years.
Traffic deaths in the United States declined last year, reaching the lowest level in more than a decade, the government reported Thursday.
Some 41,059 people were killed in highway crashes, down by more than 1,600 from 2006. It was the fewest number of highway deaths in a year since 1994, when 40,716 people were killed.
The fatality rate of 1.37 deaths for every 100 million miles traveled in 2007 was the lowest on record, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in its report.
With high gas prices, it's estimated that the number will be lower this year. Com'nt P'Link
Fuel-efficient Tires Gaining Traction. The fight is ongoing over whether or not tires should be labeled for rolling resistance and fuel efficiency. I don't see what a little more information would hurt, as long as it's combined with information on the lifespan of tires and their traction in mud, snow, and whatever else people need. Com'nt P'Link
PickupTrucks.com: First Drive: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. What's new on this new model year pickup, besides styling similar to the Toyota Tundra. Com'nt P'Link
Cornell Plans Car That Gets 100 Miles Per Gallon. It's being shown at the state fair. Com'nt P'Link
Mahindra Pickup Launch Delayed Until Late 2009. The new foreign truck hasn't gotten enough testing to be put out on the market. Com'nt P'Link
Residents Return Caboose to Former Glory. An old caboose owned by the Town of Greenfield won't be scrapped, after volunteers promised to fix it up for all to enjoy. Com'nt P'Link
A Motorist Asks: What Use is a Warning That Can't Be Heard? Limitations on low-power AM stations often make traffic advisory difficult to hear says the NYS DOT. Com'nt P'Link
Railex Invests $800G in New Track at Rotterdam Facility. It will bring in produce from California in the off-season. Com'nt P'Link
Paterson: GOP Scuttled Tax Capl. The governor wanted a three-way agreement which he did not get before passing the tax cap in one house bills. Com'nt P'Link
Steck Calls for More Urban Funding. That is if we get out of Iraq.
Steck, an Albany County legislator who represents Colonie and part of Watervliet, said he wants to restore funding to the federal Community Development Block Grant program, money that benefits low- to moderate-income residents in municipalities.
He said if the military pulls out of Iraq and tax cuts are eliminated for the wealthy, there will be enough money to put back into the CDBG program.
"The cost of sprawl, the high cost of living and the high cost of petroleum make it a great opportunity for redevelopment in urban areas," Steck said.
He's made this argument before. Nothing against him, but I don't see why we should wait until the war is over in Iraq before funding our priorites back home. The peace dividend never seems as great as it would appear, and I doubt if we simply wait until more money appears, none of these things will ever happen. Com'nt P'Link
Facebook | Joe Biden. In case you want to join his group. Com'nt P'Link
Troy City Hall to Be Demolished. They will be destroying more of historic downtown Troy in the name of urban revitilization, much like did in the late 1970s, leading to the city's bankruptcy and uglification.
City Hall will be emptied of its workers and attention will be turned to transforming Riverfront Park to make it more of an attraction to inspire further development downtown.
Mayor Harry Tutunjian succeeded Wednesday in winning the votes of four Democratic City Council members to forge a 7-2 vote to approve striking a deal with Judge Development Corp. to relocate city government operations to the former Verizon building at 1776 Sixth Ave.
Now, his administration will work with the state Department of State to develop requests for proposals and qualifications to seek out consultants to develop plans for rejuvenating Riverfront Park.
Barack Obama Chooses Sen. Joseph Biden For VP. NPR takes a look at the runningmate for the presumative Democratic candidate. Com'nt P'Link
Transcript: Obama On Biden As His VP Choice. You can now read the transcript of today's speech. Com'nt P'Link
1968 Chicago Riot Left Mark On Political Protests. Remembering some of the protests of the 1968 Democratic Convention and how it's changed political events since then. Com'nt P'Link
Delaware: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. A little bit about the state that Joe Biden has represented for all of these years. A highly urban state, it also has some major agricultural regions and lots of seafront. It's a tiny state though, only slightly larger then Rhode Island.
Joe Biden: Democratic Vice President Choice. He of course is the choice of Barack Obama, so now is a time to learn a bit about him by reading Joe Biden: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Com'nt P'Link
Copyright ©1999-2008 Andy Arthur.
All mistakes are intentional or otherwise.
Mind where you step in a cow pasture or legal mindfield.
