| News That Matters - Steve Wells, Attorney, Minneapolis, MN "I was switching the camera from the long lens to the short lens, when a cop shot a projectile at me that blew the top part of my camera off and struck me in the chest..." - NY Post Reporter Jason Nicholas Good Friday Morning, Remember Raquel Welch? It's her birthday today. That curvaceous beauty is now 68. Getting geared up for the rains tomorrow afternoon and evening? The National Weather Service has placed our area under a Flood Watch due to tropical storm Hanna. They're calling for anywhere from 3" to 6" of rain falling in a few short, breezy hours on Saturday afternoon. As I mentioned yesterday, it's a good opportunity to view stormwater and stormwater related issues. While it's raining, go outside and see where the water is flowing. If it's off your property and into the street, you've got some fixin' to do. Contact your town stormwater committee for more information. Thanks to a fan I have limited access to view public access television and I've spent the past few days watching various town board meetings from across the county as well as replays of the Ball/Degnan debate at the Carmel VFW Hall. Carmel's planning board meetings are duller than watching iron rust. Kent Town Board meetings are the most informative, with information and discussion held at a much higher technical level than anyone else, but you need Vivarin to stay awake. Southeast Town Board meetings are kinda cool, with people calling each other liars, the audience groaning, and board members bickering with each other over important issues such as; Which came first, the jelly or the donut? Alaska - the Welfare State? Yes, indeedy! According to a report from the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, 1/3 of all jobs in Alaska are there are due directly or indirectly to Federal dollars. And remember, in 2007, each Alaskan taxpayer received $1,654.00 in their yearly dividend check from the State.
A TIME Magazine article on Governor Palin offers us this quote: [Former Wasilla mayor] Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. “She asked the library how she could go about banning books,” he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. “The librarian was aghast.” The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn’t be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire her for not giving “full support” to the mayor. Ms. Baker retired shortly thereafter.A Star Tribune story from this morning looks at the peripatetic Palin: SPOKANE, Wash. - Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin seems to have switched colleges at least six times in six years, including two stints at the University of Idaho before graduating from there in 1987.And, from the streets of St. Paul... While demonstrators tried to flee the area under direct police orders to do so, police hemmed them in with horses, bicycles and ATV's, firing tear gas and pepper spray into the trapped crowd. Joseph Anderson, a student leaving a nearby college said, "It's almost like they herded them like cattle, like the old cowboys used to do it. That was it for the people in the middle." Terrorism was the legal charge leveled at several of those arrested during the RNC in St, Paul. From the "We Have Too Many Lawyers Department": Aaron Schnore is suing a restaurant in NYC claiming he was injured when he was thrown off a mechanical bull. His lawsuit accuses the restaurant of negligence for "allowing and promoting an inebriated individual to use and ride the mechanical bull." Here's a list of events happening in your future:(Note! They are in no particular order.)Film Screening: "Peace One Day" Friday, September 5 at 7:30 pm at The Muddy Cup at 305 Main Street, Poughkeepsie The remarkable 5-year journey of filmmaker Jeremy Gilley as he meets heads of state, Nobel Peace laureates, media moguls, the innocent victims of war, and everyone who was anyone at the U.N. in his quest to persuade the global community to officially sanction a global cease-fire day; a day of peace worldwide. The screening will be followed by an audience discussion. This is part of the "Give Peace a Film" series sponsored by the Dutchess Peace Coalition. There is no admission charge.Ramshorn Livingston Sanctuary Canoe Paddle on Sat., Sept. 13; 12pm - 3pm. Join Audubon New York and Scenic Hudson, Inc. on a paddle by kayak or canoe through a prehistoric-looking landscape in the largest tidal swamp in the Hudson River estuary. As you float on the RamsHorn Creek, you’ll discover creatures great and small from bald eagles and great blue herons to sparrows and warblers, beaver, otter and muskrat. Contact: Anthony Coneski 845 473 4440 ex 273 www.scenichudson.org/eventsNative Plant Training Workshop October 22, 2008 from 8:30 am - 5:00pm at the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY Participants will learn techniques and methods for reintroducing native plants to areas that have been managed for the control of invasive plants and will also learn how to preserve existing native plant habitats.Film Screening: The Ultimate Theft - Stealing Democracy on Mon., Sept. 8, 5:30 pm A free presentation at Vassar College, Villard Room, sponsored by VC American Studies Program and Re-media Election Transparency Coalition www.re-mediaetc.org with Mark Crispin Miller, professor of media studies at NYU, author of Loser Take All: Election Fraud and The Subversion of Democracy, 2000 - 2008 and Fooled Again: The Real Case for Electoral Reform.Trailside Museums and Zoo at Bear Mountain State Park, hosts its first ever "Art on the Trail" event, Saturday September 20 from 10:30am-3:30 pm. Local artists will be stationed around the zoo, creating art inspired by our animals and scenic views. Come watch the artistic process unfold, ask the artists questions, or bring your own sketchbook and get inspired! The art created during this special event will be on display through October at the Highland Falls Library. For more information, contact Trailside at (845) 786-2701 ext. 265.The Green Ride This October, cyclists from New York City and the Hudson Valley will climb onto their bikes and begin a challenging journey. Over Columbus Day Weekend, The Green Ride will take them 260 miles, from New York City to the Catskills and back, as they raise funds to address the essential challenge of our time: climate change.Clearwater Annual Gathering SUNDAY September 28th - 8:30am to 5pm at the University Settlement Campus in Beacon. Our theme this year is Green Cities and reaching out to underserved populations through urban initiatives. Call 845-454-7673 or visit http://www.clearwater.orgMinnewaska Mountain Bike Expo Saturday, September 13, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Bring your family to Minnewaska State Park Preserve for the second annual Minnewaska Mountain Bike Expo on Saturday, September 13th from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. This year's event is sponsored by local mountain bike clubs, Gunks Mountain Bike Association (GUMBA) and Fats in the Cats, whose members will lead group rides for all levels of difficulties on the Park Preserve carriageways all day long. These carriageways consist of over 30 miles of trails, offering various scenic vistas of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills.Grand Opening of the Lakeville Ironworks Trail - Sterling Forest September 10th, 2008 at 10 a.m. On September 10th at 10 AM, the Highlands Environmental Research Institute (HenRI), the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Sterling Forest State Park Preserve, and the NY State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will open the newly-finished Lakeville Ironworks Trail at Sterling Forest And now, the News. It's a little bottom-heavy on Governor Palin but then, you should know.
Undocumented immigrants subsidizing retirement of legal residents(Ed note: This is the unedited version of a letter which appeared, in shorter form, in the Danbury News-Times)People yet rant about undocumented immigrants paying no taxes and dipping into free social services. Here are the FACTS: These immigrants do not come here on a junket. They come to work and earn an honest living to support themselves and their family. And they DO pay taxes. They do this every time they purchase an item and pay assessments. And Income tax and Social Security and Medicare contributions get deducted from their pay every time they collect their pay. Yes, they do hold regular jobs, working on Social Security numbers that do not belong to them. These facts are borne out by official data from the Social Security administration. When it receives the payments from employers, it matches the Social Security number against the name of the employee. When they do not match, as when the employee has given a number that does not belong to him, the Social Security records this as a "mismatch". The amount shown is recorded under a special file known as "Earnings Suspense File." Though the amount is recorded in a separate file, the money itself is credited to and combined with the general Social Security Administration's Trust fund. In 1991 the accumulation in the Earnings Suspense file stood at $8 billion. That is billion with a b! By October 2006 it soared to $586 billion and currently surpasses $600 billion!! That is a lot of undocumented immigrants working very, very hard! What is more, Social Security Administration actuaries now calculate that the undocumented workers are currently subsidizing the retirement of legal residents at a rate of $8.9 billion per year. What is most important to note is that though you and I will collect benefits from the Social Security funds when we reach retirement age (or when we become disabled), the undocumented workers will not receive a cent of these benefits because their contributions were credited to Social Security numbers that did not belong to them! Far from being a burden to the economy, these immigrants serve a useful purpose. Not only do they pay a huge amount in taxes but they also keep the economy going every time they make any purchase, get their hair cut, have nails painted, but gas, pay rent! Something to remember when a cry for their arrest and deportation is heard. Gulamhusein A. Abba Danbury. Putting brakes on mountain bikesState rule changes put areas of Catskill Park that are designated "wilderness" off limits to ridersBy BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer First published: Friday, September 5, 2008 ALBANY -- The state is reining in mountain biking in the wildest parts of the Catskill Park, but some paths will remain under a plan approved this week by the Department of Environmental Conservation. New rules will eliminate bikes from areas classified as "wilderness," which covers about half of the 287,000-acre, state-owned forest preserve. Thirteen miles of established bike trails along four 100-foot-wide wooded corridors, primarily in Greene County, will remain. Also, existing roads in wilderness areas will be closed to motorized equipment. "There are only a few of these roads, in poor repair and poorly used," said DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren. Mountain bikes -- along with snowmobiles, other motorized vehicles and horses -- will continue to be allowed on paths and roads in about 130,000 acres of park classified as "wild forest," a designation for less environmentally sensitive areas. Wren said some paths had to close to help prevent damage in the park's highest and most remote areas. Read More Well-test law sent back by [Dutchess] executiveLegislature not sure of revoteBy Jenny Lee • Poughkeepsie Journal • September 5, 2008 The mandatory well-testing law is back in the hands of the Dutchess County Legislature. County Executive William Steinhaus vetoed the measure Thursday, the second time he has rejected such a measure. Majority Leader Sandra Goldberg, D-Wappinger, said she and other supporters have not decided if they will try to override the veto. The Legislature voted 15-10 last month to approve the law. It would need 17 votes to override the veto. The law would have required the seller of a home with a private well to test it before the closing of a sale. The test results would have been given to the seller, the buyer and the county Health Department. Read More Assessing the Value of Small Wind TurbinesBy KATE GALBRAITHSAN FRANCISCO — With the California blackouts of 2001 still a painful memory, Chris Beaudoin wants to generate some of his own electricity. He marveled the other day at how close he is to that goal, gazing at two new wind turbines atop his garage roof. They will soon be hooked to the power grid. “I don’t care about how much it costs,” said Mr. Beaudoin, a flight attendant with United Airlines. That would be $5,000 a turbine, an expense Mr. Beaudoin is unlikely to recoup in electricity savings anytime soon. No matter. After shoring up the roof and installing the two 300-pound, steel-poled turbines in January, Mr. Beaudoin found himself at the leading edge of a trend in renewable energy. Fascination with wind turbines small enough to mount on a roof is spreading from coast to coast. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York last month proposed dotting the city with them. Small turbines have already appeared at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, atop an office building at Logan International Airport in Boston, and even on a utility pole in the small New Hampshire town of Hampton. Read More E.P.A. Issues New Engine RulesBy DAVID STOUTPublished: September 4, 2008 WASHINGTON — Announcing what it called new “surf and turf” standards, the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday set stricter antipollution rules for engines that run pleasure boats, lawn mowers and weed trimmers. The agency said the rules would take effect in 2011 for lawn and garden equipment of 25 horsepower or less, and in 2010 for a wide range of inboard and outboard boat engines. Meeting the requirements will probably mean that catalytic converters, standard in modern cars, will become commonplace in lawn-equipment and boat engines. As if to head off any notion that it is just not worth the trouble to make boats, mowers and weed trimmers cleaner to run, the agency’s administrator, Stephen L. Johnson, offered some attention-getting estimates. “When fully implemented,” Mr. Johnson said, “the rule will yield annual emission reductions of 600,000 tons of hydrocarbons, 130,000 tons of nitrogen oxide, 5,500 tons of direct particulate matter and 1.5 million tons of carbon monoxide.” Furthermore, he added, Americans could save about 190 million gallons of gasoline each year. Read More Songbirds Duel With DuetsJennifer Viegas, Discovery NewsSept. 4, 2008 -- Harmonious bird songs may sound pleasant to people, but a new study has found that at least some birds fight by singing, using melodic tweets to defend their relationships and territories. The study, published in the latest issue of Current Biology, was made possible by eight microphones positioned strategically throughout the dense tropical forests of Costa Rica. The microphones fed the song duets of rufous-and-white wrens into a single laptop computer, enabling researchers to pinpoint the exact positions of the colorful songbirds. "The first time I heard a rufous-and-white wren song, I was completely captivated by its voice," lead author Daniel Mennill told Discovery News. "They have low-pitched, flute-like sounds that are really quite beautiful." Mennill, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Windsor, and colleague Sandra Vehrencamp conducted two experiments on breeding pairs of the birds, which can sing such closely matched duets that human listeners think they're hearing a solo performance. Read More Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer In an address last June, the Republican vice presidential candidate also urged ministry students to pray for a plan to build a $30 billion natural gas pipeline in the state, calling it "God's will." Palin asked the students to pray for the troops in Iraq, and noted that her eldest son, Track, was expected to be deployed there. "Our national leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God," she said. "That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that plan is God's plan." Environmentalists can't corral PalinBy DINA CAPPIELLO, Associated Press Writer Dina Cappiello, Associated Press WriterThu Sep 4, 12:42 pm ET WASHINGTON – At the National Governors Association conference where she first met John McCain, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had other business: making her case to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne against classifying the polar bear as a threatened species. Months later she sued Kempthorne, arguing that the Bush administration didn't use the best science in concluding that without further protection, the polar bear faces eventual extinction because of disappearing sea ice as the result of global warming. Palin, McCain's vice presidential running mate, has had frequent run-ins with environmentalists. In her 20 months as governor, Palin has questioned the conclusions of federal marine scientists who say the Cook Inlet beluga whale needs protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. She has defended Alaska's right to shoot down wolves from the air to boost caribou and moose herds for hunters, and — contrary to a view held by McCain — is not convinced that global warming is the result of human activity. Environmentalists have nicknamed Palin the "killa from Wasilla," a reference to the small town where she formerly was mayor. Read More ‘Troopergate’: E-mails Emerge, Palin Slow-Rolls Investigationby Eric Umansky - September 4, 2008 11:36 am EDTAll eyes were focused last night on Gov. Sarah Palin's speech at the convention. But in the background -- page A27 to be exact -- details have continued to drip out about so-called Troopergate. Palin, of course, has been accused of firing Alaska's top cop for refusing to do the governor's personal bidding and fire a trooper who was involved in a nasty divorce with Palin's sister. (For those looking to catch up, here's a backgrounder we've done.) The governor has always denied that she pressured anybody or knew that anybody on her staff did. Today's Washington Post (on page A27) has some e-mails from Palin that complicate the governor's story. Read More Arrested at RNC, jailed for two days, photojournalist gives his accountA New York Post freelance photographer was released from jail in St. Paul on Wednesday, two days after he was arrested covering the protests at the Republican National Convention.Jason Nicholas, a credentialed photographer who freelances for the international photo agency Atlas Press and the Post, was arrested in St. Paul on Monday afternoon with several other photographers and journalists, including Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman, Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke and journalism students Ed Matthews and Britney McIntosh. Nicholas was held at a Ramsey County jail from Monday afternoon until 7 p.m. Wednesday, when he posted $300 bail. He faces charges of unlawful assembly and obstructing the legal process. As of Thursday, Nicholas had finally gotten back the camera and equipment police took when he was detained. He described his arrest in a phone interview from St. Paul: Read More |
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Friday, September 5, 2008
News That Matters - September 5, 2008
