Thursday, July 26, 2012

7-26-12: history, dog war, night activities in new lebanon, waterfall in philmont

An article about an historic site in Columbia County.

"I’ve been passing by the highway exit for the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, outside Albany, NY, for the better part of four decades, shuffling back and forth between family in western Pennsylvania and family in Maine. I keep saying, “I’m gonna stop there someday”—and this morning, Tuesday, July 24, I decided today would be the day."

More on the same.

Dog war continues.

Taste of the Hudson Valley event. A blog entry on the same.

Nocturnal animals at the New Lebanon library.

Vandals in New Lebanon.

Taconic stage... what is this site and what is this event?

Some DWIs around the area.

Hudson school library agenda?


Thursday, July 19, 2012

want insurance? release your tax returns IN FULL. want to be president? no biggie.

Here is the audio of the phone call. This call verifies all the details: I sent in my tax return to Blue Cross so my kids could get health insurance. One page of about 30 pages did not make it into the file. I never got a warning. My kids' health insurance was dropped because one page was missing. I did not get to speak to the appeal office of Blue Cross. I lost my appeal.

Luckily, his tooth isn't too bad. Too bad I wasn't running for President. I wouldn't have had to release my tax return in the first place.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

pays as little taxes as he can?

For more on the dog v. town/county fight, click here.


At minute 2:10 and on Romney says he pays as little tax as he has too, like all good Americans. But...

...I can't play that game. If I were to be audited, I don't have lawyers and accountants and threats to bring to the table. Instead, I under report my expenses, just to be on the safe side, so that an audit would find I over paid and give them nothing to use against me. When in doubt, I don't deduct. I can't afford the risk.

I know of a pre-school that got audited. They had a donkey for the kids to play with. The IRS said they could not deduct the donkey expenses, as donkeys are not part of running a pre-school, although the animals were clearly popular with the students and the parents and served no other real purpose.

Here is another guy making much the same point here:

I worked for my dad's company in the late 80s. It was an oil-patch company in Houston that transshipped oil off of Supertankers (VLCCs & ULCCs) in the Gulf of Mexico. It was, in my opinion, a very well run company with a management team that were all owners, along with a corporate investor who funded a chunk and held some board seats. After the Valdez incident (not an accident, imo) corporate law started to place more and more legal liability on the CEO. My dad kept his position and sweated it out. They knew they had excellent training, very solid ops manuals, hired good captains and crews, etc. But you're operating two tankers parallel in the open waters with rubber hoses across them. Knowing what I do now about rogue waves, I'm damn glad they did this in the Gulf, which at least wouldn't be as likely to have them as the big bodies of water. Anyway, an accident could occur, even of natural/unpredictable causes. Or a sea captain as bad as Hazelwood could be at the wheel of the VLCC/ULCC being lightered (ie: not under the ownership or control of our company but the importer's company instead). The point is, when my dad wanted to retire, to care for my dying mother, none of the partners was willing to step up to be CEO. None of them could sweat the responsibility. Eventually one of the partners did step up and dad retired. But it took years. It makes me so insanely angry to see Romney trying to dodge his share of accountability when true job creators (at its' peak, my dad's company had 9 white collar jobs and over 70 workboat staff, all employees, plus pilots and other contractors, plus supply contracts that must have created jobs, etc) have to take considerable personal risk to run businesses. Dad could have gone to jail under Texas pollution law even if he hadn't been found the slightest bit negligent, if there had been an accident leading to a spill. Jail would have been admittedly unlikely, but it hung out there. Massive lawsuits and civil fines would of course happen, as would dragging his name through the mud. Even with the best plans, training and monitoring in place. Thankfully, the company ran successfully for many years before being sold and rolled into a larger int'l firm, free of spills. The upshot: Romney strikes me as [lacking courage] when compared to an actual entrepreneur and CEO.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

7-4-12: driving is dangerous, thieves in government

Happy July 4, America.

Baby hit by can in Hudson:
http://www.news10.com/story/18947211/authorities-baby-hurt-after-stroller-struck-by-car-in-hudson?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Official gets arrested for stealing:
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/County-billing-clerk-faces-fraud-charges-3682874.php

Motorcycle fatality:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20120702/NEWS05/120702019/Motorcycle-accident-claims-life-Dover-Plains-woman?odyssey=nav%7Chead&nclick_check=1

Dumping arrest:
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/2012/07/03/bronx-recycling-firm-fined-for-unauthorized-waste/

Drug arrest:
http://capitalregion.ynn.com/content/top_stories/589314/three-drug-arrests-in-columbia-county/

Some anonymous guy in Hudson mouthing off:
http://www.voy.com/194846/26544.html

From REFORM NY:

Ethics issues continue to swirl around Michael Grimm, Staten Island’s representative to Congress. Less than a month ago, Grimm was cited for violating House ethics rules on fundraising. Now, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office are investigating allegations that Grimm’s 2010 campaign pressured contributors to give more than the legal limit,according to a report the New York Daily News. Questions about how Grimm raised money for his first run for office arrive as he prepares to run for a second term this fall.

Tonight the Clintons sat next to our table at the Blue Plate in Chatham. Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Chelsea & Marc Mezvinsky. A full Moon.
We (Claudia & I) were eating with Cheryl Roberts candidate for New York State Assembly 107th district and her daughter Emma. We all exchanged good wishes and Hillary wished Cheryl good luck in her race for assembly.

On July 4, this is nothing to be proud of:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/03/government-sponsored-study-destroys-deas-classification-of-marijuana/

Monday, July 2, 2012

7-2-12: ghent and powerlines

Mothering Magazine question about Hawthorne Valley.

Here is the town of Ghent concerned about the new power line proposal:


At a regular meeting of the Town Board of the Town of Ghent, Columbia County, New York, duly held on the 21st day of June, 2012 at the Town Hall, Ghent, New ...

And they are all supposed to do one of these. Pensions.

Someone wrote a piece about the July 4 parade in Kinderhook

Sunday, July 1, 2012

7-1-12: public comments on electric line link

Tourism department.

High Falls Philmont photo.

Speaking of Philmont,  Philmont Community Day: "an excellent crowd of tourists and locals assembled"


Drug raid.


Car crash


7 Pillars of Wisdom

"Seven Pillars is a modern day “house of wisdom” providing an open and diverse community ways to discover wisdom through in-depth exploration of themes drawn from four main areas of concern: cosmology, revelation, mysticism and chivalry."

Speaking of New Lebanon, at the library great stuff.

Increase in spending at the community college.



Columbia County. NOTICE INVITING COMMENTS ON WAIVER MOTION. (Issued June 19, 2012). On May 25, 2012, New York State Electric & Gas Corporation ...


 CASE 12-T-0248 - Application of New York State Electric & Gas Corporation for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need for the Construction of the "Columbia County Transmission Project," Approximately 11.1 Miles of 115 Kilovolt Transmission Lines and related facilities in the Towns of Chatham, Ghent, and Stockport, in Columbia County. 
NOTICE INVITING COMMENTS ON WAIVER MOTION 
(Issued June 19, 2012)

If you have a google alert for Kinderhook, you get a lot of this stuff. This is more useful