Heck, they might even cut into some of Wal-Mart’s business—though you won’t catch me crying for the Walton billionnaires...
Spotted at Swallow coffeehouse in the 400 block of Warren Street, Hudson (NY).
What will Steve Jobs name the endlessly-anticipated product which Apple will launch tomorrow (January 27th)? Based on the design of the invitation, iSplat is my contribution to the guessing game. More serious contenders are iPad, iSlate, iTab(let), iPal(ette), iCan(vas), &c.
Why is it that so-called “Law and Order” Republicans often have such trouble grasping the structure of authority as it has been long-established in our country? In other words, why do authoritarians have so much trouble with authority?
For example:
The answer seems pretty clear: Namely, that such attitudes are driven less by their private fantasies of Law or Order, and more by a need to get their own way now without having to deal with any pesky obstacles. It often seems their actions are driven more by a childish need for instant gratification than by any Rule of Law, or by the Lakoffian yearning to be led by strict father figures.
Even that dubious latter impulse is secondary to their impatient demands: “I want my racetrack/election victory/gun permit/census-taker tarred-and-feathered noowwwwww!” Obeying authority—the church, law enforcement, judges, politicians, and other paternal figures—is important to them, and acquiescence is demanded ofthe rest of society. But people and interests that hold power are selectively exempted from those same rules.
Word salad photo illustration via Wickenden (CC license)
Spotting the typographical errors which riddle the pages of our local media is a favorite pastime of area newspaper readers. While everyone makes typing mistakes (including the author of this blog), the Johnson-owned Hudson Valley Newspapers chain is arguably the richest regional source of such blunders... One often gets the sense that their spellcheck software has its own unique sense of humor.
Here are some of the very best typos spotted locally in recent years:
If you have some old favorite typos—or spot a new example of word salad in the area press—email your nominations by clicking here. And thanks to all who helped assemble this list; you know who you are...
* NOTE: Register reporter Andrew Amelinckx graciously submitted this item, but noted that while his byline was on the original story, he did not write or copyedit its headline. (Sure hope I typed “Amelinckx” correctly.)
Over at Carole Osterink’s new blog, The Gossips of Rivertown,* there are several posts addressing Hudson’s draft Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan now under consideration by the Common Council and New York Department of State.
A little-known fact about the Waterfront is that the southernmost piece along the River was owned by the City until the early 1990s. In an amazingly short-sighted move, Hudson sold this prime real estate for a rock-bottom price to Independent Cement, later renamed St. Lawrence Cement, now known as Holcim.
And to add insult to injury: Several years ago while a member of the board of Clearwater, I was talking with a boat-builder in Saugerties who was repairing the organization’s Sloop. When I mentioned that I lived (at the time) in Hudson, a look of chagrin passed over his face.
“Hudson?" he said. “Do you know that I wanted to move this business to Hudson? I tried to buy that piece of land they had on the river, but they gave me a huge runaround. Then I found out they sold it to the cement company.” (He said the City attorney at the time who headed up the negotiations was Giff Whitbeck, of Rapport Meyers Whitbeck Shaw & Rodenhausen; this would have been during either the last Yusko or first Scalera term.)
So try to imagine what the LWRP would look like today if Hudson had an active-but-low-impact boat-building and repair business on the Waterfront... Imagine how much less “pull” Holcim would have had in its negotiations. And imagine how the presence of such a sustainable business—one which could train local workers in a highly-skilled trade—would add to proposals such as permanently docking the Halfmoon in Hudson.
ANOTHER HISTORICAL ANECDOTE: Years ago I was told by a prominent member of the Columbia County Sportsmen's Association that at the time the City obtained HUD funding to build what became the hulking L&B factory, the Sportsmen were very concerned about the fate of South Bay. In spite of its degraded state, the Bay attracted (and today still plays host to) a remarkable diversity wildlife, and many sportsmen had worked the area during the nearly two decades that ICC was ignoring it.
This sportsman told me that their organization had negotiated an assurance from the City as part of the L&B deal that nothing would be developed south of a certain point, and that markers were placed in the Bay to identify that line. However, once the cement controversy revved up, this source clammed up, as if he'd been told not to talk to any plant opponents.
Anyone with knowledge of whether or where such markers were place (or at least what back issues of local publications might be researched to find out more on the topic) can contact me via email by clicking here. The identify of the source of any such tips received will be kept strictly anonymous.
* The name derives from a 19th Century book of sketches by Alice Neal (not any relation to the 20th Century painter of the same name, to my knowledge). The full text of Neal's book can be read for free online.
Writing about Dutchess County town budgets, The Poughkeepsie Journal notes that
“Some cities, towns and villages may have to cut spending or spend rainy-day funds if state lawmakers approve Gov. David Paterson's plan to reduce municipal aid this year by 5 percent.
“On the other hand, some local municipalities were conservative in drafting their budgets in November and anticipated cuts in state aid.”
I’d like to know more about these budget-cutting towns—because here in Columbia County it’s hard to find a municipality that has had the foresight to tighten its belt to anticipate these likely cuts in State aid.
A far more likely scenario in many Hudson Valley towns is that budgets will not be curbed enough to reflect the shortfall. Instead, the deficit will be passed on to local property tax payers, who will see their share of their Town budget jump by several percentage points. This will further encourage the more unscrupulous assessors out there to hike the assessments of political enemies and “outsiders” so as lessen the flack they get for the raise from their buddies.
Two likely spins that one can anticipate from town leaders to deflect budget criticism are:
Both measures sound responsible at first blush. But these political spins can only pass muster if there is widespread economic illiteracy among the public... For in both scenarios, the actual tax bills of local property taxpayers still go up. In order to keep real-world taxes paid stable, towns need to reduce their total budget by the same amount as the State aid cuts.
