The Hayseeds blog, No. 62 for the week starting May 9, 2004.
April 25, 2004
Hayseeds No. 61
May 9, 2004
Hayseeds No. 62
May 16, 2004
Hayseeds No. 62
Visit the Hayseeds Index
to see all previous entries.
Edward's reign over the second most listened to (after Rush Limbaugh) radio show is now over—he is no longer part of Morning Edition, after 25 years.
Apparently he wanted to stay, but was forced out, and is now just a news reporter. His lost is certainly a disappointment, and it will inevitably effect the ratings of this program.
Alan Chartock had this to say on his depature:
This is the guy who has been with the program since day one, almost 25 years. Beyond comforting us by his very presence and style, he has proven himself a masterful interviewer, unmatched anywhere on the radio dial. How will we survive getting out of bed without Bob? Why was this necessary? It isn't as if Edwards hasn't won almost every award in contemporary journalism. It isn't as if he plays favorites (he doesn't). It isn't as if Morning Edition hasn't grown by leaps and bounds under Edwards' leadership. It must be something else...
Think about Bob Edwards, 56 years old, being replaced because of age. What about all of us who are older than he is? What about all those who grow older every second? In fact, the president of NPR, Kevin Klose, is so old that he looks like Father Christmas. I am 62 years old and I can tell you that I am really ticked off...
It's really too bad they had to can Bob Edwards—the new temporary host they have is just terrible. I don't think the show will ever be as good. A new era is upon us.
At least, Bob Edwards will no longer have to get up at 1 AM after 25 years.
Still it won't make any difference if you abstain from giving NPR money or not:
The way it works is that WAMC pays dues to NPR and a lot of dues at that. That amount isn't going to change. They get their $600K from us no matter who gives or doesn't give to WAMC. So they are sitting pretty.
See the Kentucky Courier-Journal, Seattle Times, and Alan's Commentary.
You can now get a "NY Recycles" license plate.
I'd rather spend my money on a open space plate (if i were to spend any money on a vanity plate at any rate ;). Then again, do we need to fund the governor's EPF slush fund anymore?
See all the pretty plates NYSDMV Website...
Speaking of werid plates—I saw a regular, state generated plate the other day that said: XXX 321 or something like that—I didn't think the state was down to the XXX, and I didn't think they'd authorize such a plate.
After all, those initials seem to have a certain sexual connation, if you know what I mean...
Apparently they've gotten them for free and they don't cost anything—
These lights are solar-based street lamps, and are now part of one of the biggest installations in the nation. Greenwitch was looking for street lights to improve safety, but could not afford them, until NYSERDA stepped in, and gave them a rebate for these solar-based onces, which meant they got them basically for free.
Yet, the solar panels on top of each light are pretty ugly, and many residents complain in the daytime, that they are an eye sore and block out the light. Maybe—but isn't change good?
Take a look at the Times Union story and make up your own mind.
Yeap, it's back in the laps of the Senate, and I don't think it's going to do much this year, not unlike last year.
Of the 140 Assembly members who voted, seven voted against the bill, including local Assemblyman Daniel Hooker, R-Saugerties, whose 127th Assembly District includes parts of Greene, Columbia and Ulster counties, among others. Hooker said the decision on burn barrels should remain local.
"I just thought that the decision should be made by local officials and not at the state level," he said.
Hooker sees no problem with someone using a burn barrel to dispose of paper and other "fairly innocuous" materials. As for the more dangerous material, Hooker said there will always be people who will fail to do what is right.
"I just don't believe the state should be regulating every aspect of our lives," he said.
Actually, probably far more would have voted against it, if they were actually present—then again, this bill is dead again in the Senate like last year.
See the story in the Kingston Freeman.
Those big hardwood trees are dying out from Dutch Elm disease.
See the what one group is doing to deal with this problem...
And not only in lost Civil Liberties.
It costs the average American citizen $600 a year to run the court system, our police, and our prisons—that is a lot of money, and twice what we were paying only 20 years ago.
The sad thing is much of that money is wasted on unneccessary procecutions for crimes that don't hurt the public substanially, such as drug possession or other minor offenses.
I just really hate paying taxes, especially for services that I don't see directly impacting me—maybe I'm just an egotist though.
A case study in buildings that ignore human needs to look outside.
In the Cause of Architecture has an interesting review of this building and questions why people dislike this building so much.
A rather interesting discussion on Kuro5hin, of all places...
It's actually rather much on topic, with most aspects of chicken raising in discussion, except for a few comments on the second admendment. But at any rate, it's an interesting story of a lifestyle choice and the experience of raising chickens from start to end.
I could discuss my experiences with my parent's chickens, but I'll spare you that—I'm lazy and tired, and don't feel like typing all those words—all I say is it's cool doing stuff yourself.
A rather interesting discussion on Kuro5hin, of all places...
It's actually rather much on topic, with most aspects of chicken raising in discussion, except for a few comments on the second admendment. But at any rate, it's an interesting story of a lifestyle choice and the experience of raising chickens from start to end.
I could discuss my experiences with my parent's chickens, but I'll spare you that—I'm lazy and tired, and don't feel like typing all those words—all I say is it's cool doing stuff yourself.
David Souter, whose most famous quote is:
"In a perfect world, I would never give another speech, address, talk, lecture or whatever as long as I live," Souter said in a 1996 letter to Justice Harry Blackmun that was in the more than 1,500 boxes of papers unsealed in March on the fifth anniversary of Blackmun's death.
So much the anti-thesis of myself—then again, he's in a rather better position then I am in right now. I like to not always be in the eye of the public, and I enjoy the level of privacy the Internet gives—but I also enjoy being a public thinker.
He's quite liberal sid[ing] repeatedly with the court's more liberal members, voting to uphold the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion and limit the use of the death penalty.
While he is so quiet, is questions during arguments and his writings, as well as personal correspondence in the Blackmun papers, show an engaged, sensitive justice.
It is not surpising to me that he is so articulate and senstive—many quiet people are that way (like myself), carefully observing and thinking about the world around them.
The CNN AllPolitics has a nice overview of him...
My dad is tilling the garden, the weather is beautiful, and I've seen countless tractors along side the roads tilling fields.
I love spring, with all it's fresh green and blue skies—evidentially we will have some rain in the upcoming days, but hopefully today will be nice for a while.
I was walking around the Empire State Plaza the other day, when I was picking up adgendas for work—it was just spectacular out.
I have registered allhewanted.org, although it appears that I accidentially made a mistake in one of the nameservers, and as such it will be a little while before it is corrected (namely 24-hours to repropagate the correction). That said, the new site really isn't ready, as I am still re-writing the biography page.
The biography page will have a nice little new theme, one I hope to make universal throughout the site: freedom and the free life.
And it's a hell of a nice truck when seen up close.
On the road, it's statue is so much like the S-10, and while I knew most of the parts where different from the S-10, I was under the impression it was nothing more then a purty'd up S-10. Closer inspection shows it's a lot nicer, and somewhat bigger then the tiny S-10.
So my mind has changed yet another time on the Colorado. A small truck is far more fun off road, then trying to drive around a bemouth like a full-size truck. Then again, maybe I'm just biased, because a drive a compact car of sorts—the infamous Sundance!
And the living death of open space in the western part of the town.
The story is all too familiar in our society:
David Knutti's 200-acre hillside farm provides a welcome respite from his office job: clean air, a magnificent view and the satisfaction of growing hay, sweet corn and squash...
It's a view that members of Knutti's family have enjoyed for 90 years, first as dairy farmers. But Knutti worries that a proposed zoning change on the western edge of town near the confluence of the state Thruway and Interstate 88 will replace the grand view with a less pleasant vista: "A big industrial park. Wal-Mart."
This part of Rotterdam will be subject to a review by the town in an effort to turn it into a hub of economic development.
To mindless, faceless town bureaucrats it's little more then "...prime developable land," he said. "You've got major roadways going north, south, east and west."
And not unlike Albany's franic development of the Pine Bush, the same rational is given of more economic development can ensure a stable tax base in the town of 28,000 residents, said Paolino, who is also the city of Schenectady's finance commissioner.
I am sure that is just what the citizens want—more empty or ugly and empty-feeling office buildings dotting the rural landscape, and driving former farmers off their land—just for some more revenue to be wasted on unneccessary services.
These stories are always such a pitty.
See the Times Union story.
See also how rising milk prices are actually helping out many cope with the threat of development.
I am all for it.
Right now it's in the public comment period (as required by SERQA), but I have my doubts it will recieve little or no criticism, simply because the boxes are only about $75 or $6 a day to rent, and only weigh 2.7 lbs.
I have had bears brush against my legs when I was at Camp Sabbist, a Boy Scout camp outside of Long Lake—a bit creepy, although I never felt particularly frigthened by them—I kept food and myself out of different paths, so things were safe.
"The mandatory use of the bear-resistant food canisters in the eastern High Peaks will help the cycle of bear habituation—being accustomed to human food sources," Wren said.
"Bears are becoming more aggressive about trying to get into lean-tos when people are there. They're associating people with packs," said Neil Woodworth, counsel to the Adirondack Mountain Club.
Black Bears are more of an annoynance then anything else, but this agressive behavior on the behalf of bears must be stemmed, before it becomes worst. We've all heard about car windows being smashed out by bears (although more grizzly bears then black bears), and we certainly do not want black bears attacking people.
Still, at the end of the day, I have a greater fear of being chased by bulls (that is the male-bovine version) then anything else, at least around here—they can run pretty fast, and bull can be very protective of their heifers.
See the Associated Press article...
And now Culture Zones?
That's the idea of several legislators in the Senate and Assembly, to "...bring artists to an area where they not only work but live, you really see a spark," said Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, Monroe County, sponsor of the bill.
It sounds like an interesting alternative to direct business development in downtowns—especially because artists tend to like to create cultural centers, and are willing to put up with the limits of city life, such as a lack of parking.
And in the end, the idea is to stimulate the whole depressed downtown economies in many upstate cities.
See the Press-Connects.
