| News That Matters "Middle age is when you've met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else." - Ogden Nash Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us. Good Tuesday Morning, The purpose of the meeting is to hold a Public Scoping Session and to receive Public Comment on the Draft Scoping Document, which has been prepared to outline the contents of issues the developer must address in the required Draft Environmental Impact Statement.New Stormwater Guidance Documents from the Center for Watershed Protection Under grants from EPA, the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) has developed two new documents that will be of interest to stormwater managers and staff around the country. First, CWP has developed a new manual called "Municipal Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping Practices (Manual 9)." This manual presents practical, "how to" guidance for developing and implementing pollution prevention practices at municipal facilities and operations such as public works yards, parks, road maintenance and repair, and many others. Second, CWP has developed a new document called "Monitoring to Demonstrate Environmental Results: Guidance to Develop Local Stormwater Monitoring Studies Using Six Example Study Designs." This document, a joint production with the University of Alabama, presents the broad concepts and methods behind setting up special monitoring studies in support of the NPDES stormwater permitting program. The monitoring study presents a range of options for municipalities to consider depending their goals, objectives, and budgets. Both of these documents are available for free download at www.cwp.org Another NYJN pop-up ad alert: When you click over the words "community" and "environment" in this article you get a popup ad for.... ExxonMobil. And now, the News:
Putnam food pantry grows green and healthyMarcela RojasThe Journal News BREWSTER -A local food pantry has taken on the challenge to "go green" and to offer its clients more healthy food choices. Rosemarie Bahr, executive director of the Putnam Community Action Program, said their food pantry has recently started to make the transition with help from the community. It is proving to be a success, she said. "Through more outreach efforts, we're trying to help families live healthier lifestyles as well as take care of the environment," Bahr said this week. Putnam CAP recently received a donation of 500 reusable bags from Trader Joe's in Danbury, Conn. The organization was using 12,000 plastic bags a year, Bahr said. They would like to have an additional 1,500 more reusable shopping bags to serve its client base, she said. CAP's food pantry sees approximately 300 Putnam County families, or about 1,000 people, per month. Read More A Congress That Can Say "No!"posted by John Nichols on 09/29/2008 @ 7:33pmTexas Congressman Lloyd Doggett, one of the few members of the US House with a steady track record of keeping his head at chaotic moments, was not impressed by the fact that the Bush White House and Democratic and Republican congressional leaders had come together to support a $700 billion bailout plan for Wall Street's worst players. "Like the Iraq War and the Patriot Act, this bill is fueled by fear and haste," declared Doggett, a former jurist who has a habit of keeping his head when others in the House fail to do so. What was different this time was that the populist Democrat with a record of casting votes that do not come to embarrass him, was on the winning side of the House division. Unlike 2001, when the White House and congressional leaders forged a bipartisan combination to pass the Patriot Act; unlike 2002, when the powerful players in the executive and legislative branches crossed party lines to form a united front to give President Bush unprecedented war-making powers, the fight over the bailout plan that was backed by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate finished differently. In one of the last monumental votes of an era of legislative dysfunction, courage and prudence prevailed over fear and haste. The coalition that rejected the bailout bill by a 228-205 vote Monday was truly bipartisan. Read More The Catskills Gas RushBy David FranceIt was a weekend house—until I got a letter from the landman, telling me I was living on a huge, untapped source of natural gas. Riches beckoned. How much were my environmental principles really worth? I first learned of the natural-gas land rush that is gripping some of the most scenic areas of New York and Pennsylvania when a thick envelope arrived in my upstate mailbox. The letter, signed by someone named Daniel F. Glassmire VI, was written in an ostentatiously baroque language that, as even he seemed to acknowledge in a dense preamble, could be mistaken for gibberish. I didn’t understand it at all until I corrected his punctuation and read it out loud. “Hello,” it began. “My name is Danny, a young man in the way of prospecting, for about 14 months wet behind the ears but now and again really sharpening this experience of newness. Through all that—or anything else of importance (or trivia)—I would really like you to get an involved look-see into the dimensions of this Leasing proposal … I would clearly within this matter really look forward to meeting, if it would be possible, you at your residence for as long as you like, and for remaining in communication as many times as would follow for you in the best assurances of clarity. You are the decision-maker. The only possible goal would be to keep to your decision. What I have to show you is a mere compliment to where you go in decisions, and what is said through any presentation only has influence through your clear and finalizing decisions. It should hopefully be fun enough, as it ought to remain, regardless of turnout, as the stuff of interest.” Read More Highlands Coalition Executive Director to Step DownTO: Highlands Coalition Members Visit the Highlands Coalition's Website DEC GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR ERADICATION OF INVASIVE SPECIESFor Release: IMMEDIATE Contact: Lori O’ConnellThursday, September 23, 2008 (518) 402-8000 Deadline for Applications is October 31, 2008 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced that grant applications are now being accepted for projects proposing to eradicate terrestrial invasive species. Terrestrial invasive species is defined as a plant or animal that lives or grows predominately on land. Applications will be accepted until October 31, 2008 “New York State’s natural environment is threatened by an increasing number of invasive, exotic species,” said Commissioner Grannis. “DEC recognizes the need for control and management of non-native species and is committed to helping our communities protect natural resources by funding eradication projects that control and prevent the spread of these threats.” DEC is making up to $1 million in state grants available to municipalities and not-for-profit organizations for projects to eradicate and/or permanently remove infestations of terrestrial invasive species throughout the state. The funding for these grants was secured in the 2008-09 enacted state budget, through the Environmental Protection Fund. State funds can be used to pay for up to one-half of the cost of selected projects. Individual grants for terrestrial eradication proposals will be awarded for projects that range from $2,500, up to $100,000. Invasive species are non-native species that can cause harm to the environment and may result in ecological or economic problems. Some terrestrial invasive plants, such as garlic mustard flower and Giant hogweed, were introduced in New York State by individuals who purposely brought them back from foreign habitats. Various species of terrestrial invasive insects, such as the Sirex wood wasp and the Asian Longhorn Beetle, also “hitchhiked” to New York in wooden shipping crates from foreign points of origin. One common way many of these insect pests are moved around the country - beyond their natural rate of spread based on biology and flight potential - is on firewood carried by campers, hunters and other users of state forests. People may not be aware they are moving the eggs or larvae of these pests, which may be hidden on or under the bark or buried deep within the logs. Once transported to new locations, eggs may hatch, or larvae may mature and emerge to attack host trees in and around the area. DEC advises people not to transport firewood to campgrounds or parks in an effort to limit the spread of invasive insect species and improve forest health. Control and management of invasive species are critical and challenging environmental concerns. Invasive species harm ecosystems, food supplies, landscaping, industry and infrastructure and have the potential to cause millions of dollars of damage to our public and private forests. They can rapidly and dramatically reshape the landscape of New York State while causing a threat to the state’s biodiversity. More information about how the State is addressing this problem can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/28722.html on the DEC website or by calling 1-866-640-0652 The 2008-09 enacted state budget includes $5 million in the Environmental Protection Fund to implement New York State’s Invasive Species Task Force recommendations. For more information on the task force, visit http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6989.html . Application materials for Invasive Species Eradication Grants have been mailed to municipalities throughout the state. Copies are also available on the DEC website or by calling DEC’s Division of Lands and Forests at (518) 402-9425. All project applications must be postmarked by October 31, 2008. Plans for Vertical Mall UnderwayMID-WILSHIRE DISTRICT (KABC) -- Get ready for a new Los Angeles mall that promises not to contribute to urban sprawl. Plans are going ahead for L.A.'s first "Vertical Mall." Developers hope to complete the seven-story mall on Wilshire Blvd. at Vermont Ave. by 2011. But not everyone is pleased.Never mind the traffic on the ground -- a Los Angeles developer is looking toward the sky with plans to build a vertical mall seven stories tall, with as many as 100 stores, rooftop restaurants and theaters. The site is near the bustling intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Vermont Ave. The Metro Red Line station is a short walk away. "We have enough stores," said passerby Judy Iott. "We have The Grove, we have downtown, Beverly Center, so I don't about the necessity of having another mall, and half the stores empty because of the economy, it's kind of foolish." Read More Solar Cell Sets World Efficiency Record At 40.8 PercentScienceDaily (Sep. 30, 2008) — Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have set a world record in solar cell efficiency with a photovoltaic device that converts 40.8 percent of the light that hits it into electricity. This is the highest confirmed efficiency of any photovoltaic device to date.The inverted metamorphic triple-junction solar cell was designed, fabricated and independently measured at NREL. The 40.8 percent efficiency was measured under concentrated light of 326 suns. One sun is about the amount of light that typically hits Earth on a sunny day. The new cell is a natural candidate for the space satellite market and for terrestrial concentrated photovoltaic arrays, which use lenses or mirrors to focus sunlight onto the solar cells. The new solar cell differs significantly from the previous record holder – also based on a NREL design. Instead of using a germanium wafer as the bottom junction of the device, the new design uses compositions of gallium indium phosphide and gallium indium arsenide to split the solar spectrum into three equal parts that are absorbed by each of the cell's three junctions for higher potential efficiencies. This is accomplished by growing the solar cell on a gallium arsenide wafer, flipping it over, then removing the wafer. The resulting device is extremely thin and light and represents a new class of solar cells with advantages in performance, design, operation and cost. Read More Alter Eco House is a Marvel of Green BuildingCalifornia's First LEED Platinum Custom HomeWhen hot green superstar Adrian Grenier created his exciting show Alter Eco with Planet Green and supermodel Angela Lindvall, he knew he wanted to set the first part of the show against a backdrop featuring his passion for green building. Grenier enlisted the help of Los Angeles-based contractor Richard Byrd of Byrd Development, who had recently plunged into the fast-paced world of sustainable design. "This was our first green project, and we knocked it out in 14 weeks to stay in line with Alter Eco's shooting schedule," Byrd told TDG via phone. "It is the first custom-built LEED-certified platinum home in California." Byrd explains that the goal for the house was a gorgeous 1920s-style Spanish manse that would blend in seamlessly with the LA aesthetic. Although the dwelling would boast many cutting-edge, deep green features, the look and feel would be contemporary, and anything but crunchy. Read More Arizona county officials may meet again; public is blocked the first timeCounty officials in Arizona may have to repeat a meeting they held last week in which several protesters and journalists were blocked from entering the room as a vote was held, according to The Associated Press.The Maricopa County Supervisors in Mesa last week voted to cancel a police contract with the nearby town of Guadalupe, drawing the scrutiny of protesters who were angered over local illegal immigration enforcement tactics. According to The AP, some protesters at the meeting spoke out of turn. One protester, Randy Parraz, was escorted out of the building by sheriff’s deputies and others in his group followed him out. Police then blocked the front and side entrances to the meeting for 90 minutes to anyone who wanted in. That's when the county supervisors took their vote. Read More Pennsylvania high court upholds absolute reporter's privilegeA reporter who used a confidential source to report about a grand jury proceeding can keep her source’s identity a secret, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday.The high court ruled that the state shield law grants an absolute privilege to journalists, and protects their source’s identities from compelled disclosure in all cases – civil, criminal and grand jury proceedings. “The Shield Law was enacted to protect the free flow of information to the news media in their role as information providers to the general public,” Chief Justice Ronald Castille wrote. The suit arose when former Scranton Times reporter Jennifer Henn wrote a handful of stories about an investigation into wrongdoing at the Lackawanna County Prison. In her reporting, Henn quoted a confidential source who described secret grand jury testimony from former county commissioners. Read More Army Alters Photographs, Issues Them To APBy Megan McGinleyThe Associated Press retracted two government-issued photographs last night after a photographer in Texas alerted the agency that the photos in question appeared to be doctored.
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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
News That Matters - September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
News That Matters - September 29, 2008
| News That Matters But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy..." - Sarah Palin Good Monday Morning, I have no idea what Ms. Palin is talking about and honestly, neither does she. Tonight begins Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. L'shana Tova. I'm currently battling a nasty virus on this machine so we're keeping this brief. However, Congress has agreed upon a bailout plan for Wall Street that does exactly what I said last week it would do: Keep the rich, rich and make you pay for it. They threw in just enough to make you think they care about you but they don't. The largest corporate bailout plan in history and they got it worked out in less than a week yet they can't figure out how to provide preventative health care or adequate funding for education and you think this was well thought through? Remember this: how many criminals went to jail over the savings and loan bailout? How many will go now? Write to Congress and say, NO BAILOUT for Wall Street. And now, the News:
State calls for new TZ BridgeKhurram SaeedThe Journal News TARRYTOWN - A new $16 billion bridge that would replace the rusted, crumbling and crowded Tappan Zee could be in place in 10 years, according to a plan state officials unveiled yesterday. The plan for the new structure spanning the Hudson River between Westchester and Rockland comes after years of study by transportation experts looking for the best way to move people and freight through the region. The new bridge, several hundred feet north of the current one, would include a rapid transit bus system upon completion. Some years after that, a commuter rail line providing Rockland residents a one-seat ride to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan also would be built, they said. "It is now time to move ahead and to define the future," Department of Transportation Commissioner Astrid Glynn said. Though the response among elected officials, Lower Hudson Valley residents and transportation advocates was mostly positive, many wondered who would pay for it. The project would cost $16 billion: $6.4 billion for the bridge; $2.9 billion for the Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, system along 30 miles of Interstate 287 from Suffern to Port Chester; and $6.7 billion for the east-west rail line. Read More Vetoed well testing law would have improved water safetyBy Sandy Goldberg, Bill McCabe and Marge HortonThe majority of the Dutchess County Legislature (15-10) passed a comprehensive local law on well-water testing. We would like to tell you what this law would have done, why it was important and why the county executive was shortsighted in vetoing this legislation. As the Poughkeepsie Journal editorial board has said, comprehensive well testing is a public health matter. The Board of Health supports this, and the county's director of environmental health in December 2003 wrote to the Board of Health as chairman of the Private Water Quality Technical Advisory Workgroup, recommending private wells be tested at the time of sale. If this well testing had been implemented back in 2004, today we would have extensive information on private wells in this county. Our mapping of the more than 35,000 private wells would be well on its way. Instead, we continue to see this effort delayed. The proposed and passed local law has three major components: private residents, commercial owners and landlords with private water wells. The purpose is to ensure the same water quality as provided by public water supplies. Buyers of homes have a right to know whether the water is contaminated and to work out remediation with the seller. The public doing business at commercial establishments and employees have a right to expect water meets satisfactory standards. Tenants have a right to quality water. Read More Sterling Forest State Park turns 10By Laura IncalcaterraThe Journal News • September 26, 2008 WARWICK - Just 10 years ago, the preserve that became Sterling Forest State Park was still slated for massive development. But grassroots efforts and public and private partnerships combined to protect the park, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary Sunday with a birthday party of sorts. In a statement yesterday, State Parks Commissioner Carol Ash recalled the efforts that led to the park's creation. "In thinking back to the origins of Sterling Forest, I recall the magnificent group of people, from both New York and New Jersey, who came together to make this preservation project a reality. Although our motivations were different, the goal was common," Ash stated. Jim Gell, who has served as manager of the park since its opening, said Sterling Forest was important because it protected clean drinking water, and provided recreational opportunities and habitat for flora and fauna, including endangered species. "From my perspective, it's been a great success," Gell said. Read More A Hike Among the RuinsBy DERRICK HENRYDoodletown, N.Y. IT was early in 1965 when the last remaining residents left Doodletown, an isolated hamlet situated in a valley tucked into a rugged crescent of land that curves to the southeast from Bear Mountain to the Hudson River across from Peekskill. Their departure ended an effort over decades by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission to acquire the hamlet to expand ski slopes at Bear Mountain State Park, 45 miles north of New York City. The ski slopes never made it past the planning stage. But hikers walking along the paths at Bear Mountain these days can see the elegance with which nature can cover human tracks, during a three-hour walk along the three main roads that once linked Doodletown’s 70 homes and the families who lived there. “It was a lovely place to live,” said Elizabeth Stalter, 79, the author of a book about hiking through Doodletown, where she lived from 1950 to 1959. “The only drawbacks were the rattlesnakes and copperheads.” Concrete stairs lead to where houses once stood, and stone foundations are in various stages of ruin, many pierced with maple and birch trees. Up on Doodletown Road, about 50 feet of preserved stairs to what was known as the Bambino home were pressed into the spongy layers of leaves that also covered a nearby driveway. And at the site of the home once occupied by Ms. Stalter, near the end of Pleasant Valley Road, clusters of thorny Japanese barberry rolled out from the shadows, and the lush summits of Bald Mountain and West Mountain were visible from among the trees. Read More Grow More of Your Food, Make More of Your Own StuffBlog Offers Sustainability Tips100 years ago individuals and families would grow and make much of what they consumed, unconsciously living in a very sustainable manner. Growandmake.com has a blog which helps heighten consumer awareness of what can be practically grown or made at home. We create videos and write educational posts and articles for simple at home projects which can help you to garden year round, make your own clothing, or fill your pantry and freezer with locally grown foods. For many families and individuals it's impractical to devote the time and energy required to growing and making their day to day needs, so for most we encourage an occasional project or simple lifestyle change. For when you can't grow or make what you consume our editors also evaluate and review a range of products based on a 5 criteria rating system for sustainability. Since you're never sure if a manufacturer is 'green washing' their product claims, we look at the entire chain required to produce and ship the product from the manufacturer origin to your home. We first evaluate the value, to ensure that the product is not an over-priced for the return. Second, we evaluate the efficiency (only applies to products which help to lower resource consumption). Third we evaluate the Shipping and Packaging to determine if it's packaged in with recyclable or biodegradable products and shipped in minimal carbon footprint manner. Our fourth criteria is the manufacturing process and if it's sustainable, neutral or has a negative environmental outcome. The last criteria applied is, longevity, which is critical in promoting re-use and keeping landfill at a minimum. When we discover a product we really like the editor creates a video review, so that you can see it in action and hear what our editor's love about the product they've evaluated. Grow and Make editors speak with manufacturers regularly to encourage the adoption of more sustainable practices, so that they can receive our endorsement and a more positive rating and review. Read More Repower America with Green Jobs Now!September 25th, 2008 | Posted by WeCanSolveItThis Saturday, September 27th more than 600 events will take place across all 50 states in an historic National Day of Action designed to show that what’s good for the environment can help to end poverty and strengthen the economy as well. Organized by Green For All, 1 Sky and the We Campaign, the Green Jobs Now National Day of Action is targeting low-income communities and communities of color with the message that Americans from all walks of life are ready, willing, and able to build the new economy. “A lot of the language around global warming and the unfolding financial crisis can be overwhelming,” says Van Jones, Executive Director of Green For All. “We’re organizing these events to talk about the opportunity instead, to put a positive focus on the things we can do to Repower America and help people become optimistic about the future.” Read More Let's drill our way out of the problem. But can we?Noreen O'DonnellJournal News columnist "Drill, baby, drill," Republicans chanted at their convention, and the refrain was catchy. Why not drill off the Atlantic and Pacific shores? The cost of gasoline shot up this year. More oil would bring prices down, wouldn't it? Just listen to the politicians talk about rising prices at the pump. "With gasoline running at more than four bucks a gallon, many do not have the luxury of waiting on the far-off plans of futurists and politicians," Sen. John McCain said in a speech in June in Texas. "As a matter of fairness to the American people, and a matter of duty for our government, we must deal with the here and now," he said, "and assure affordable fuel for Americans by increasing domestic production." So would drilling make fuel more affordable? No, says the Department of Energy. It would not. The United States has too little oil to affect the price on the international market. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, which is part of the Department of Energy, estimates that drilling would result in 200,000 barrels a day - though no one knows for sure. Read More 15 Things You Need to Know About the Panic of 2008A crash course in why it happened, how it's strangling the nation's finances and how it might work itself out.By Fred W. Frailey, Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance September 19, 2008 1. It all began with cheap money. To prop up ailing economies early in this decade, central banks in the U.S. and Japan kept interest rates unusually low, which encouraged speculation. In the U.S., the Federal Reserve lowered the federal funds rate -- the rate that banks charge each other for overnight loans and a barometer for the cost of borrowing money on a short-term basis -- from 6.5% in 2000 to 1% by mid 2003. Cheap money quickly ignited a sharp rise in home values in virtually every corner of the country. 2. Financial magicians made subprime loans golden. Banks and mortgage companies fed speculation in home prices by offering cheap credit to all comers, including those who would not normally qualify. What to do with these subprime loans? Package them with thousands of high-grade loans to sell to investors. To make the subprime loans attractive, underwriters bought insurance policies guaranteeing that the loans would be repaid. With insurance on the loans, credit-rating agencies stamped such paper as triple-A-rated debt. Read the other 13 Stopping a Financial Crisis, the Swedish WayBy CARTER DOUGHERTYA banking system in crisis after the collapse of a housing bubble. An economy hemorrhaging jobs. A market-oriented government struggling to stem the panic. Sound familiar? It does to Sweden. The country was so far in the hole in 1992 — after years of imprudent regulation, short-sighted economic policy and the end of its property boom — that its banking system was, for all practical purposes, insolvent. But Sweden took a different course than the one now being proposed by the United States Treasury. And Swedish officials say there are lessons from their own nightmare that Washington may be missing. Sweden did not just bail out its financial institutions by having the government take over the bad debts. It extracted pounds of flesh from bank shareholders before writing checks. Banks had to write down losses and issue warrants to the government. That strategy held banks responsible and turned the government into an owner. When distressed assets were sold, the profits flowed to taxpayers, and the government was able to recoup more money later by selling its shares in the companies as well. “If I go into a bank,” said Bo Lundgren, who was Sweden’s finance minister at the time, “I’d rather get equity so that there is some upside for the taxpayer.” Read More Poll: 60 percent of Americans oppose mandatory minimum sentencesAttitudes about one of the toughest crime measures from the 1980s may be changing.By Amanda Paulson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the September 25, 2008 edition Chicago - For two decades, politicians have worked hard to polish their tough-on-crime credentials. Now, though – at a time when concerns about crime are low, prison populations are skyrocketing, and voters are more informed about how sentencing laws play out – Americans may be starting to rethink one of the toughest crime reforms from the 1980s: mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses. In a new poll, some 60 percent of respondents opposed mandatory minimums for nonviolent crimes, including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans. Nearly 80 percent said the courts are best qualified to determine sentences for crimes, and nearly 60 percent said they'd be likely to vote for a politician who opposed mandatory minimum sentences. Read More Brooklyn Man Dies After Police Use a Taser GunBy TRYMAINE LEE and CHRISTINE HAUSERPublished: September 24, 2008 A naked and apparently emotionally disturbed man fell to his death from a building ledge in Brooklyn on Wednesday after an officer shot him with a Taser stun gun, the police said. The police and witnesses said he had been yelling at passers-by and swinging a long light bulb tube at officers before he fell. Officials said Inman Morales fell about 10 feet from atop a security gate at 489 Tompkins Avenue near McDonough Street in Brooklyn after being hit by a police Taser on Wednesday. The man, identified by the police as Inman Morales, 35, was taken to Kings County Hospital Center with serious head trauma after falling about 10 feet to the ground, witnesses said. He was later pronounced dead, officials said. Mr. Morales’s death on Wednesday afternoon was another episode in the controversial history of Taser use in the city. While Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly has looked cautiously on the use of stun gun technology by the Police Department, he recently said he was open to broadening the use of the weapons after a city-commissioned study on police shooting habits urged the department to consider using Tasers more frequently instead of deadly force when applicable. Read More |
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Friday, September 26, 2008
News That Matters - September 26, 2008 - Things to Do Edition
| News That Matters Good Friday Morning, There's a flood watch in effect for our area for the next 48 hours. Last evening at rush hour, Putnam County residents gathered on the steps of the Courthouse just under the window of Congressman John Hall's office to say No Bailout for Wall Street. For about two hours demonstrators held signs such as "Wall Street broke it; let Wall Street fix it", "Main Street, not Wall Street", and "Don't give away our kids' money to the bankers & CEOs." As cars drove by or stopped in traffic, hundreds honked their horns in support. Kudos to Putnam Valley's Judy Allen for organizing and for all those who took part. Direct Action is the Only Action. While we're on that subject, according to the latest News That Matters poll, 75% of you are against a bailout, Here's what Ralph Nader had to say about all this on Democracy Now! the other day:
It's a guarantee that Congress will do none of those things. More on Monday. I have a complete transcript of the "Debate" schedule for tonight, or not schedule for tonight depending on whom you talk to. Anyway, here it is:
It's nice to know the NYJN is reading News That Matters. Yes, they've done it again. We break a story and they run it, several days later. Sheesh. A little credit would be nice once in a while. While floods and Presidential politics and Wall Streeters baying at the taxpayer till from their yachts and country clubs goes on unabated, here's a list of events that will calm the mind and nurture your spirits. At the very least you'll be away from your TV for a few hours. Here's the weekly Things To Do Edition! Tonight: Millbrook: Discussion and book reading - "A Spring Without Bees: How Colony Collapse has Endangered our Food Supply" At: 7:00pm Free! Sponsored by: the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and Merritt Books. |
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Thursday, September 25, 2008
News That Matters - September 25, 2008
| News That Matters Good Thursday Morning, Only 11 of you voted in yesterday's poll? What's up with that? I though my readers were more involved, up-to-date and active? Vote! The Putnam Valley Business Association cordially invites the Community to its “Business Expo” today, Thursday, Sept.25th from 1-6pm at Sinapi Ceola Manor in Jefferson Valley . FREE Admission, FREE Food, Free Prizes and Giveaways! Grand Prize is a vacation in Chenay Bay, St. Croix. Free Seminars including: Learning to sell on eBay, Communication skills training, internet banking, Preventing heart disease. Register for Seminars on www.PVBA.org Support Your Colons! Though we missed it, yesterday was National Punctuation Day, a yearly celebration on September 24, to bring awareness to the proper use of punctuation marks. Based on what I read (and too often on how I write) every day should be National Punctuation Day! Learn more here.
So, you think you're paying the highest property taxes in the known universe? If you're listening to Paul Camarda, Bob Bondi or Greg Ball you might think you are. But the NYJN reports that Putnam falls outside the top 10 counties in property taxes with a median tax bill of $6,860. Westchesterites shell out a median $8,422 to top the nation - so now you know why they're all moving up here! Here's the Top 20 list: 1) Westchester, N.Y.: $8,422, 2) Hunterdon, N.J.: $8,224, 3) Nassau, N.Y.: $8,153
John McCain says he's suspending his campaign for President so he can grandstand from his desk in Washington, D.C. during this "historic" bailout of his friends and allies. Barack Obama, being a black man, does not have the same friends on Wall Street. He can't hardly even join their country clubs. In order to seem more Presidential McCain is also canceling the debate scheduled for tomorrow night apparently to avoid answering any economic questions. Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was in New York this week to meet her first foreign dignitaries. While she can see Russia from her house, which according to her makes her foreign policy experience essential, she has yet to actually speak to anyone from another country... unless you count the Lower 48 as another country. Many Alaskans, including the Palin family, do. Yesterday Congress passed the "Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights", the first congressional legislation that targets consumers as opposed to the credit card industry. Just a few years ago MBNA (now out of business) wrote the new bankruptcy laws and other banks and financial institutions wrote the new credit card laws, once which allow companies to pretty much charge what they want on whatever terms they desire without telling you. It's nice to be in charge! The "Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights" passed on a vote of 312-112 with one Democrat and 111 Republicans voting NO. The list of those who voted NO is here. US consumers hold nearly $1 TRILLION in credit card debt and in 2007 the industry earned $18.1 billion in profits based on fees alone. Kudos to John Hall for co-sponsoring, one of 155 to do so. The Senate, however, was out to lunch and will probably not take up their side of the bill until all their campaign donations are in and counted for this reporting period. On the other hand, Congressman Hall still refuses to cosponsor HR2060, the Internet Radio Equality Act which nullifies a ruling made by the Copyright Royalty Judges which, in effect, charges internet broadcasters the same rates as full blown commercial radio stations. The net effect has been the loss of thousands of small, independent radio stations since the summer of 2007 when the Copyright board issued the new rules. By the way, there are 150 co-sponsors of that bill so it's not like Congressman Hall would be alone. Write John Hall and tell him to co-sponsor this important legislation. According to Kieran Lalor's streetside campaign signs, his sole claim to higher office seems to be that he's an IRAQ VET. Those two words have popped up on virtually all his signs but I find it rather ironic. Here's a guy running for Congress against the one Congressman who has worked hardest to clean up the Veteran's Administration, to institute programs to assist soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan (and Pakistan and Iran...) in ways that even Sue Kelly couldn't accomplish. It's even more ironic that Congressman Hall has had to work against the President and Republicans in Congress in order to achieve these victories. In other words, Mr. Lalor's signs should read, "IRAQ VET THANKS JOHN HALL" for Mr. Lalor surely benefits from Mr. Hall's work on his behalf. Wait! It gets better. It's been a bad week for Mr. Lalor. Not only did he withdraw his "Energy Whatever" party line due to too many legal problems to count, but he's also been touting his endorsement by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The only problem is, they didn't endorse him. He did receive an endorsement from the VFW PAC which, though the name sounds similar, is an entirely different organization and legally separate and apart. Didn't we hear something similar from Greg Ball about an NRA endorsement that never was? Setting Mr. Lalor's comedy aside for just a moment, here's something that is sure to scare the bejeezus out of you:
"I know, it's tough not to feel a little shaken, unnerved, openly disgusted. A $700 billion bailout ... by an already nearly bankrupt U.S. Treasury? Two trillion for a failed war in Iraq? Ten trillion in national debt and a $480 billion budget deficit (not counting the $700B for the bailout and it could be much more) and a record trade deficit, with all those numbers nearly double (if not far more) of what they were in 2001?" - Mark Moford And now, the News:
Legislature gives raises to 6 in 2009 budget, Susan Elan |
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