Thursday, February 28, 2013
Percentage of its energy demand that Denmark has pledged to fulfill with renewable resources by 2050 = 100%
Percentage that Germany has pledged to fulfill using renewable resources by 2030 = 50%
Percentage that the United States has pledged to fulfill using renewables = 0%
For more information go here: Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century.
Percentage that Germany has pledged to fulfill using renewable resources by 2030 = 50%
Percentage that the United States has pledged to fulfill using renewables = 0%
For more information go here: Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century.
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From PBS Frontline web site:
There are two ways to tackle climate change: One is mitigation, [such as] policies that stop emissions, stop carbon. The other is adaptation. If you know the impacts that are coming, if there’s going to be higher sea levels, if there’s going to be increased drought, if there’s going to be stronger storms, if there’s going to be flooding, and that’s what the science tells us is coming, then there’s adaptation.
The White House has tasked all of the federal agencies with coming up with adaptation plans. In other words, how can the agriculture department come up with ways for farmers to adapt to the drought that we know is coming? How can the transportation and housing and urban development departments help cities and towns adapt to the storms that we know are coming; to build roads and bridges that we know will be safer in a world of higher sea levels; to build infrastructure that can handle more intense flooding?
Editor's note: While we have to work on mitigation, in some ways, it is too late in the sense that human induced climate change is here. It may not be possible to undo the damage we've done for centuries. In the meantime we will have to adapt. How will climate change affect Brockport? What ideas do you? The Brockporter will be reporting on these possibilities in future articles which will appear on most Thursdays. Leave your ideas about how Brockporters will adapt to climate change in the comments. If you would like to contribute an article to this feature email it to davidgmarkham@gmail.com.
The White House has tasked all of the federal agencies with coming up with adaptation plans. In other words, how can the agriculture department come up with ways for farmers to adapt to the drought that we know is coming? How can the transportation and housing and urban development departments help cities and towns adapt to the storms that we know are coming; to build roads and bridges that we know will be safer in a world of higher sea levels; to build infrastructure that can handle more intense flooding?
Editor's note: While we have to work on mitigation, in some ways, it is too late in the sense that human induced climate change is here. It may not be possible to undo the damage we've done for centuries. In the meantime we will have to adapt. How will climate change affect Brockport? What ideas do you? The Brockporter will be reporting on these possibilities in future articles which will appear on most Thursdays. Leave your ideas about how Brockporters will adapt to climate change in the comments. If you would like to contribute an article to this feature email it to davidgmarkham@gmail.com.
Sen. James Imhoff (R-OK) is noted for suggesting that climate change is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. He's also the ranking minority members on the Senate's Environment and Public Works committee.
Wonder why nothing ever gets done about climate change?
I would invite Imhoff and all his neanderthal colleagues down to Delaware, where up to 11 percent of the state could be swept away by flooding next century due to rising sea levels. It might be hard for Imhoff and his fellow deniers to convince residents who lost their home that the damage is all in their mind.
Yes, climate change is real. There is no serious scientific debate about it. None. Out of 13,950 peer-reviewed climate change articles studies between 1991 and 2012, a grand total of 23 reject global warming. That's 0.16 percent, or to say it another way, 99.84 percent of scientists agree that climate change is real.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what does that mean for Delaware? Unfortunately, due to geologic factors specific to our state, our state is literally sinking. Sea levels in Delaware are rising twice as quickly as the global average, making everyone in the state a coastal resident. I always wanted to own a beach home, but on our current trajectory, my townhouse in Bear will soon qualify.
- See more at: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/51596-climate-change-makes-every-house-in-delaware-a-beach-home-#sthash.GdDz4ZOk.dpuf
Wonder why nothing ever gets done about climate change?
I would invite Imhoff and all his neanderthal colleagues down to Delaware, where up to 11 percent of the state could be swept away by flooding next century due to rising sea levels. It might be hard for Imhoff and his fellow deniers to convince residents who lost their home that the damage is all in their mind.
Yes, climate change is real. There is no serious scientific debate about it. None. Out of 13,950 peer-reviewed climate change articles studies between 1991 and 2012, a grand total of 23 reject global warming. That's 0.16 percent, or to say it another way, 99.84 percent of scientists agree that climate change is real.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what does that mean for Delaware? Unfortunately, due to geologic factors specific to our state, our state is literally sinking. Sea levels in Delaware are rising twice as quickly as the global average, making everyone in the state a coastal resident. I always wanted to own a beach home, but on our current trajectory, my townhouse in Bear will soon qualify.
- See more at: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/51596-climate-change-makes-every-house-in-delaware-a-beach-home-#sthash.GdDz4ZOk.dpuf
Sen. James Imhoff (R-OK) is noted for suggesting that climate change is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. He's also the ranking minority members on the Senate's Environment and Public Works committee.
Wonder why nothing ever gets done about climate change?
I would invite Imhoff and all his neanderthal colleagues down to Delaware, where up to 11 percent of the state could be swept away by flooding next century due to rising sea levels. It might be hard for Imhoff and his fellow deniers to convince residents who lost their home that the damage is all in their mind.
Yes, climate change is real. There is no serious scientific debate about it. None. Out of 13,950 peer-reviewed climate change articles studies between 1991 and 2012, a grand total of 23 reject global warming. That's 0.16 percent, or to say it another way, 99.84 percent of scientists agree that climate change is real.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what does that mean for Delaware? Unfortunately, due to geologic factors specific to our state, our state is literally sinking. Sea levels in Delaware are rising twice as quickly as the global average, making everyone in the state a coastal resident. I always wanted to own a beach home, but on our current trajectory, my townhouse in Bear will soon qualify.
- See more at: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/51596-climate-change-makes-every-house-in-delaware-a-beach-home-#sthash.GdDz4ZOk.dpuf
Wonder why nothing ever gets done about climate change?
I would invite Imhoff and all his neanderthal colleagues down to Delaware, where up to 11 percent of the state could be swept away by flooding next century due to rising sea levels. It might be hard for Imhoff and his fellow deniers to convince residents who lost their home that the damage is all in their mind.
Yes, climate change is real. There is no serious scientific debate about it. None. Out of 13,950 peer-reviewed climate change articles studies between 1991 and 2012, a grand total of 23 reject global warming. That's 0.16 percent, or to say it another way, 99.84 percent of scientists agree that climate change is real.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what does that mean for Delaware? Unfortunately, due to geologic factors specific to our state, our state is literally sinking. Sea levels in Delaware are rising twice as quickly as the global average, making everyone in the state a coastal resident. I always wanted to own a beach home, but on our current trajectory, my townhouse in Bear will soon qualify.
- See more at: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/51596-climate-change-makes-every-house-in-delaware-a-beach-home-#sthash.GdDz4ZOk.dpuf
From The Week, 2/22/14:
In the national debate on gun violence, the mentally ill make for “easy scapegoats,” said Abby Rapoport. The NRA’s Wayne LaPierre has called for a national database of the mentally ill, saying it’s the best way to stop “genuine monsters” from killing. But stigmatizing those who seek treatment is likely to backfire—and make all of us less safe. Take the new law in New York that requires therapists and nurses to alert officials if they deem a patient a danger to themselves or others, so that whatever weapons they own can be confiscated. This is based on the fallacy that murderous behavior can be predicted ahead of time. It usually can’t. And will people suffering from PTSD, bipolar disorder, or other forms of mental illness be more or less likely to seek treatment, if doing so lands them on a government list and guarantees that cops will confiscate their guns? In most cases, “it’s the lack of treatment” that’s the best predictor of future violence. To make the country safer, we should make mental health treatment more accessible, rather than punish those who seek it.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Lakeside Hospital will hold a public meeting tomorrow, Thursday, 02/28/13, at 6:30 PM at the Sweden Senior Center on State Street in Brockport. The public is welcome. The original Brockporter article on this topic appeared on the Brockporter Online News Magazine on 02/23/13.
Court proceedings will continue April 19 in the ongoing criminal case against Brockport Mayor Connie Castaneda, who is accused of renting an illegal apartment in her Main Street home in 2010 and 2011.
Editor's note: Brockport Mayor M. Connie Castaneda was arrested on March 9, 2012 for 14 counts of Official Misconduct for being in violation of Brockport's zoning codes. The case was transferred to Judge David Murante's court in the Town of Ogden when the three Brockport Justices, Depferd, Connors, and Coapman recused themselves because of conflicts of interest. The reasons why it has taken over a year to obtain closure on this case is unclear. This legal cloud has hung over Mayor Castaneda's last year of her second term as Brockport's mayor.
From The Week 02/08/13:
Barnes & Noble is retreating. The bookseller said it plans to shut down about 20 stores each year over the next decade. The company’s new store openings have slowed since 2009, thanks to a shrinking print market and competition from vendors like Amazon. Unit sales of print books dropped 9 percent last year and are off 22 percent from 2007.
The Wall Street Journal
A retreat for Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble is retreating. The bookseller said it plans to shut down about 20 stores each year over the next decade. The company’s new store openings have slowed since 2009, thanks to a shrinking print market and competition from vendors like Amazon. Unit sales of print books dropped 9 percent last year and are off 22 percent from 2007.
The Wall Street Journal
Editor's note: Could this be a good thing for independent book stores like Lift Bridge?
The Brockporter Online News Magazine will now be publishing articles about business on most Wednesdays.
PILOT - Trustee Blackman shared that the Mayor received and had Clerk Morelli forward to the Board, Attorney and Treasurer a letter from Belmont Management Co, Inc. regarding the need to negotiate an extension of the existing PILOT between the Brockport Village Limited Partnership and the Village of Brockport regarding Park Place Apartments on Park Avenue. She commended Treasurer Hendricks for so quickly putting together a spreadsheet using CPI index figures available.
The Belmont proposal is low as compared to CPI. The current 15 year agreement from 1998-2013 was $450/unit. The Belmont proposal is $550/unit for 4 years then $600/unit for 4 years then $650/unit for 4 years. She suggests $650/unit to start and not such a long contract. She looks forward to Board discussion on this at the next workshop. The hope is to achieve a PILOT agreement that is fair to all.
Editor's note: The subsidized apartment complexes on Park Avenue north of Stull's lumber yard, and on Main Street on the south side of the railroad overpass are Federally subsidized apartment buildings that pay no real estate taxes. In lieu of taxes, these entities have a PILOT (Payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with the Village of Brockport which usually last for a 15 year period. The agreement pertaining to the Park Avenue complex has been in existence since 1998 and paid $450.00 per unit per year to the Village in lieu of taxes. After 15 years this rate is too low and Trustee Blackman is suggesting that it be raised to $650.00 per unit and then tied to the CPI (Consumer Cost Index) index. There are 24 units in the Park Place complex which is managed by the Belmont Management Company. This is excellent work on the part of Trustee Blackman who has taken a leadership role in investigating PILOT agreements with other non profit entities within the Village as well. This is an example of competent and exemplary executive performance on the part of a Village trustee.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
24 Park Avenue, Brockport, New York
History researched and written by Carol L. Hannan, January 2013
© Copyright by Carol L. Hannan – January 2013. All rights reserved.
Arthur Burton “A. B.” and Wilhelmina “Minnie” Kelsoe Elwell
Owners/builders (?): between 1915/1918 to 1940+
There remain on Park Avenue, many homes built early in Brockport’s history. This house is not one of them. It was constructed not too long after the turn of the twentieth century on a lot “carved out” from the back yard of the home at the corner of Park Avenue and State Street, 57 State Street. Whether “A. B.” and his wife Minnie had the home built or whether they bought it as new construction is unknown. By 1918, they resided here with their three children, according to the local rural directory, which identified the house as number 6 Park Avenue. “Minnie” Kelso Elwell was a Hamlin, N. Y. native of German origin.
Arthur Burton Elwell was a native of Brockport, the son of George and “Georgie” Elwell, who also lived on Park Avenue. Included in the 1918 directory was the occupation of both father and son. They were commercial painters, and although A. B. made his living as a house painter his entire life, he had another abiding interest which will continue to impact Brockport forever.
A.B. was a local historian and early amateur photographer. His articles, published as editorials between 1954 and 1956 in the Brockport-Republic, covered a variety of topics and were infused with his recollections of residents and times past. He also authored the “History of Brockport with Vicinity Happenings 1826 – 1956: Also Biographies of Prominent Men of the Past.” Thank you, A. B.
Minnie and A. B. had two daughters and a son, Merritt S. Elwell, who carried on the family tradition of interest in Brockport’s past. His collection of historic postcards was donated to the Seymour Library in Brockport and he worked at the local museum.
In 1942, Minnie died suddenly and unexpectedly of a stroke. She and A. B., who died in 1990, are buried in the Brockport Cemetery.
Epilogue 2013
This lovely old home is owned and occupied by direct relatives of the original owners. What are the odds? Now in its second century, this is literally a historic, single family home.
Editor's note: 24 Park Avenue is currently owned by Lillian Elwell, is zoned single family residential, and is assessed at $81,300. The Brockporter Historic House Of The Week is a regular feature of the Brockporter Online News Magazine which appears most Tuesdays and is made possible by the research and writing of Carol Hannan and the production assistance of Pam Ketchum. The historic houses of Brockport can also be seen at the ProBrockport web site at www.probrockport.org
History researched and written by Carol L. Hannan, January 2013
© Copyright by Carol L. Hannan – January 2013. All rights reserved.
Arthur Burton “A. B.” and Wilhelmina “Minnie” Kelsoe Elwell
Owners/builders (?): between 1915/1918 to 1940+
There remain on Park Avenue, many homes built early in Brockport’s history. This house is not one of them. It was constructed not too long after the turn of the twentieth century on a lot “carved out” from the back yard of the home at the corner of Park Avenue and State Street, 57 State Street. Whether “A. B.” and his wife Minnie had the home built or whether they bought it as new construction is unknown. By 1918, they resided here with their three children, according to the local rural directory, which identified the house as number 6 Park Avenue. “Minnie” Kelso Elwell was a Hamlin, N. Y. native of German origin.
Arthur Burton Elwell was a native of Brockport, the son of George and “Georgie” Elwell, who also lived on Park Avenue. Included in the 1918 directory was the occupation of both father and son. They were commercial painters, and although A. B. made his living as a house painter his entire life, he had another abiding interest which will continue to impact Brockport forever.
A.B. was a local historian and early amateur photographer. His articles, published as editorials between 1954 and 1956 in the Brockport-Republic, covered a variety of topics and were infused with his recollections of residents and times past. He also authored the “History of Brockport with Vicinity Happenings 1826 – 1956: Also Biographies of Prominent Men of the Past.” Thank you, A. B.
Minnie and A. B. had two daughters and a son, Merritt S. Elwell, who carried on the family tradition of interest in Brockport’s past. His collection of historic postcards was donated to the Seymour Library in Brockport and he worked at the local museum.
In 1942, Minnie died suddenly and unexpectedly of a stroke. She and A. B., who died in 1990, are buried in the Brockport Cemetery.
1902 Village Map before property was subdivided from Van Eps State Street property.
Epilogue 2013
This lovely old home is owned and occupied by direct relatives of the original owners. What are the odds? Now in its second century, this is literally a historic, single family home.
Editor's note: 24 Park Avenue is currently owned by Lillian Elwell, is zoned single family residential, and is assessed at $81,300. The Brockporter Historic House Of The Week is a regular feature of the Brockporter Online News Magazine which appears most Tuesdays and is made possible by the research and writing of Carol Hannan and the production assistance of Pam Ketchum. The historic houses of Brockport can also be seen at the ProBrockport web site at www.probrockport.org
You can do just about anything about your subscription except one thing - cancel.
They have my credit card information and were automatically billing me $18.00 every month for a Monday through Saturday subscription. On Sunday evening I studied mynewspaperservice for about 1/2 hour trying to figure out how to cancel my subscription. I no longer wanted my credit card to be billed.
I am a reasonably smart guy when it comes to computer stuff even though I am 67 and have learned this computer stuff later in my life, but yes you can teach an old dog new tricks, but the trick of canceling my D & C subscription on mynewspaperservice.com had me stumped so I called the 1-800 support number on the web site screen and on Sunday evening, unfortunately, they are closed.
So I was stuck feeling a little claustrophobic and trapped. They have access to my credit card account and I can't stop them, don't know how to stop them, I have to sleep on it.
So, yesterday, Monday morning, 02/25/13, with fresh eyes and more energy I try again. I go over mynewspaperservice.com to see if there is anything I have missed. Since you can do everything else to manage your subscription on this site there must be a way to do such a fundamental and basic thing as cancel. I was damned if I could figure out how to do it, so I called the 1-800 support line again and got a recording that said something like "We are experiencing unusually high call volumes. We appreciate your patience. A representative will be with you as soon as one is available." This announcement looped continually with elevator music in the back ground.
I'm a patient guy and really wanted to stop the automatic billing of my credit card so I waited patiently for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, and then wondered with increasing panic whether I should hang up and call back later when they supposedly wouldn't be "experiencing unusually high call volumes", but I wondered if that would every be. I wondered why they were so under staffed? Having already waited 25 minutes, I wondered if there was a queue and if I hung up now, would I have to get back in line later and wait another 25 minutes?
So, I stayed on the line listening to "We are experiencing unusually high call volumes. We appreciate your patience. A representative will be with you as soon as one is available."
You might find this distasteful and if you do, I apologize in advance, but I decided to go take a dump while I was waiting. Nature called and I had to answer even though I was on the line with the Democrat & Chronicle and they weren't answering. I washed my breakfast dishes and put a load of wash in the washer and moved the clothes already in the washer into the dryer. I straightened up my office and did some other light housekeeping to the sound of "We are experiencing unusually high call volumes. We appreciate your patience. A representative will be with you as soon as one is available."
Now it has been 30 minutes and I wondered if I hung up could I call my bank and put a block on any charges from the Democrat & Chronicle? Was there any other way around this? They have my credit card information and authorization to bill it monthly and there seems to be no way to stop it.
I thought of calling the Attorney General, or sending the D & C a certified letter to cancel my subscription, or going down to the D & C offices on Exchange Street in Rochester, but I doubt they service mynewspaperservice from Rochester, it's probably in some call center some where on the planet, maybe not even in the United States.
I started to sweat and get tingly and berrated myself for ever allowing myself to get a subscription to the Democrat & Chronicle in the first place. They seemed so inviting, so welcoming, made it so easy for everything, but this simple action of canceling.
Finally at about 37 minutes of listening to "We are experiencing unusually high call volumes. We appreciate your patience. A representative will be with you as soon as one is available." a real human being answered the phone with a Southern drawl so thick I could hardly understand her. "How can I help you?" she asked, and I stayed calm. I imagined the grief she was getting and I didn't want to be one more person to unload their frustration on her which I couldn't begin to imagine if other Democrat and Chronicle customers had been going through the same thing I was going through. So I was nice. I was calm. "I would like to cancel my subscription," I said.
She asked for my name, address, the usual stuff, and then asked me to hold, and before I could respond, the phone went dead. I thought I was having a heart attack.
Then another woman with a bossy voice came on the line and asked what the problem was? I said, "Excuse me?" She said, "What is the problem with your subscription? I understand you want to cancel!"
I said, "Mame, I want to cancel because your customer service is terrible! I have been on this phone over 35 minutes trying to get someone to stop charging my credit card, an action I couldn't figure out how to perform on mynewspaperservice. com."
" You can't do that on the web site. Are there any other reasons," she asked huffy.
"Please cancel me." I said again evenly.
"All right, sir. I will cancel you as you request," she said sounding disgusted.
And the moral of the story? The Democrat and Chronicle has lousy customer service and don't ever, ever, ever give them your credit information for automatic bill pay. They will make your life hell if you ever want to cancel.
Trying to cancel my subscription to the Democat and Chronicle reminded me of going though my divorce, the difference being that I never loved the Democrat and Chronicle the way I loved my ex-wife.
From the American Psychiatric Association:
APA is responding once again to mischaracterization of people with mental illness within the context of the current debate on firearms.
In a recent interview on NPR’s "Weekend Edition," David Keene, president of the National Rifle Association, spoke about mental illness as it relates to crime, saying “…we destroyed our mental health care system.... There are more people in our prisons who have been diagnosed as severely mentally ill than in all the public and private mental health facilities in that state. And it's those people … who are slipping into that state that we really need to deal with.”
In a letter to Rachel Martin, host of NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday," APA President Dilip Jeste, M.D., wrote: "While it is an unfortunate truth that there is a serious need for better mental health care in America, and many with mental illness end up in prison, Mr. Keene’s insinuation that the mentally ill pose a greater risk of violence than the general population is just plain wrong. More than 90 percent of violent acts are committed by people without a mental illness, and a majority of the mentally ill people in prison are incarcerated for nonviolent crimes. Mentally ill individuals are far more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators.
In the current debate on reducing gun-related violence, one should not make people with serious mental illnesses a convenient target of attack." Jeste called on Martin to help end the stigma against people with mental illness by acknowledging his letter on the air "in order to give hope to the nearly one-fifth of your listenership who struggle every day with a mental illness."
Editor's note: As a practicing Psychiatric Social Worker for 45 years, I can attest from my professional experience as well as the research I have read that people with psychiatric illness are no more dangerous than people in the general population, maybe even less so, because they have sought out and received treatment for their illness. Further stigmatizing people with psychiatric illness does us a disservice as a nation and makes the problem worse not better if it leads to people needing help being afraid of seeking it. Unfortunately, the mental health center which I helped start in Brockport in 1980 was closed after 25 years in 2005 by Unity Health System because of a lack of funding. This has made it much more difficult for people needing and wanting help for psychiatric problems in the Brockport area to obtain it.
From the Brockport Village Board meeting minutes of 01/08/13: Mayor Castañeda shared that Clerk Morelli will be sworn in next week as 2013 President of the Monroe County Village Clerks Association. She congratulated her and hopes to be able to accept the invitation to administer the oath of office to the officers. If not, she will ask Trustee Andrews to do so in her place. Clerk Morelli said the 10 Village Clerks take turns as President just like the Mayors do for the Monroe County Association of Village Mayors.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Mayor called for a motion to approve and authorize her to sign the amended MOU( Between the village of Brockport and the Brockport fire district) as it stands.
None. (There was no second.)
→ Trustee Andrews moved, Trustee Blackman seconded that this Board does hereby authorize the Mayor to instruct the Department of Public Works to perform snow removal operations on the properties of the Brockport Fire District in the Village, as needed, in the same manner as in the past, provided that the BFD agrees to reimburse the Village for the labor and equipment costs incurred in the performance of that service, based on estimates determined in such manner as the Director of Public Works and the Fire District Commission decide, subject to confirmation by this Board.
Discussion:
Trustee Blackman said she likes the idea of treating snow plowing separately from vehicle or facility use. However, as to cost, DPW Spt. Donahue and BFD Commissioner Chair Sauberan had determined $1,000 for the season would be appropriate. Calculating labor hours, equipment hours, wear and tear on equipment, etc. is impractical. The simpler the better.
Trustee Andrews said that figure is convenient, but not really accurate as it isn’t based on true costs.
However, if the Board wishes to go with that flat amount, he has no objection.
Mayor Castañeda said the MOU was drawn up by the BFD Attorney and Village Attorney. Is that now being thrown out?
Trustee Blackman said Chief Varrenti recommended the removal of the portion of the MOU related to Police Department use of a vehicle and the facility.
Trustee Hannan said there was language in there that should be common sense and is simply
unnecessary. Chief Varrenti relayed to the Board that he does not care for the portion of the MOU
related to vehicle and facility use.
Mayor Castañeda said any concern of insurance costs have been put to rest as Village Attorney Leni
and Clerk Morelli confirmed with the Broker of Record that the Village meets the requirements. Why
would the Police Department rent a vehicle at a cost when they could borrow it from the BFD at no
cost?
Trustee Andrews said the BFD has a vehicle use policy and it can be amended If necessary. He said
the BFD is in the process of drafting a facilities use policy. The point is neither vehicle use nor facilities use belongs in an agreement regarding snow removal.
Mayor Castañeda said the BFD could adopt such policies and choose not to allow Village use.
Trustee Andrews said that is their prerogative.
Mayor Castañeda said the proposed MOU was for the Village and the BFD to benefit from each other. What if the PD needed to borrow the BFD van?
Trustee Andrews said 33 stipulations in a legal document are unnecessary and ridiculous.
Trustee Hannan cited examples in the proposed MOU about the PD not being permitted to operate a
BFD vehicle while under the influence or alcohol or drugs or to use the premises for illegal or unlawful purposes. That is insulting to even suggest.
Trustee Blackman said when documents are drawn up in legal form they have to cover all the bases.
She cited an example in the proposed MOU that spells out responsibility if pavement is torn up from
snow plowing. Trustee Blackman said a 9 page document might seem silly, but everyone needs to keep in mind that we are now dealing with 2 different government entities, each with an attorney, that have to put some things in legalese and be sure the entities are covered. She said Village Attorney Leni could speak to this at the next meeting. Trustee Blackman mentioned that DPW will need to know if they or the Treasurer would be responsible for billing BFD for snowplowing.
Mayor Casta̱eda said she believes DPW should do so Рone bill for the season. Mayor Casta̱eda reminded that Trustee Blair had shared that the Police Explorers do use 38 Market Street for training and shared events with Fire Explorers.
Call to Question:
Trustee Andrews voted yes
Trustee Blackman voted no
Trustee Hannan voted no
Mayor Castañeda voted no
Motion fails 3 to 1.
Mayor Castañeda asked Clerk Morelli to advise Village Attorney Leni that the Board did not approve the revised MOU. That they want anything related to vehicle or facility use removed – just snow plowing for the 1/22 meeting. Vehicle or facility use, if determined necessary, should be addressed either in a separate document or fall under the policies for such that BFD has/is working on. That there is resistance from some as to some of the language in the document (if it’s overkill, etc.). That it was suggested that he share at the 1/22 meeting why such is necessary. (that we’re now dealing with 2 separate government entities and both have to cover their bases, etc.)
From The Week, 02/15/13:
Domestic cats are far deadlier than anyone imagined. A new study estimates that felines massacre 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion mammals every year in the U.S.—two to four times the number scientists expected. “We were absolutely stunned by the results,” study author Peter Marra of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute tells The New York Times. The study makes cats out to be a greater threat to wildlife than any other human-linked source, including pesticides and collisions with cars, windows, and windmills. The domestic cat is a non-native species, and it preys not just on vermin like rats, but also on native shrews, squirrels, chipmunks, and voles.
Saturday, 02/23/13, I went to Geva to see The Book Club Play. It was delightful. It is playing at Geva until March 17, 2013.
From the GEVA web site:
A comedy about books and the people who love them. When the members of a devoted book club become the subjects of a documentary filmmaker, their intimate discussions of life and literature take on new meaning with the camera rolling. Add in the unexpected arrival of a provocative new member and the sudden inclusion of some questionable titles, and long-standing group dynamics take a hilarious turn. This engaging play is sprinkled with wit, joy and novels galore. “A delightful, fresh comedy.”
From the GEVA web site:
A comedy about books and the people who love them. When the members of a devoted book club become the subjects of a documentary filmmaker, their intimate discussions of life and literature take on new meaning with the camera rolling. Add in the unexpected arrival of a provocative new member and the sudden inclusion of some questionable titles, and long-standing group dynamics take a hilarious turn. This engaging play is sprinkled with wit, joy and novels galore. “A delightful, fresh comedy.”
Sunday, February 24, 2013
People can be idiots and make your blood boil. You either want to attack them in some way or give up and walk away.
The Brockporter Online News Magazine has been in existence since June of 2010. It was started to provide a source of accurate information about things that affect the people of Brockport at the time of the campaign to dissolve the Brockport Village government.
There is no consistent, accurate place to get information about the governance of Brockport and there was no attempt to help people connect the dots and make sense out of what was happening to them, their families, and their community. In this vacuum, The Brockporter was born.
While it is a secular project, it is a spiritual ministry of sorts with its purpose to help people become their better selves and to create, working with each other, a Beloved Community. In small ways it has seen its successes, and in many ways it has also failed.
Like any good thing in life there are elements of evil which would destroy and sabotage whatever good has been done especially if that good interferes with their plans which usually are more self serving and not in the interests of the greater community.
Since the time of Nixon and Reagan we have lived in a society in the United States which has become more individualistic and we have seen income and wealth inequality become greater than at any other time in human history destroying the fabric and infrastructure of our great nation. We have seen corporate interests supported and promulgated which is leading to the destruction of our environment, and our society. The interdependent web of existence is eschewed in favor of personal and corporate gain. Money has become the new bottom line and corporate profit is valued above all other things. In contemporary America we worship the Golden Calf and push God aside.
In Brockport we have seen the exploitation of our building stock described as "investment" and the extraction of profit from our neighborhoods as a legitimate business. The quality of life in these neighborhoods has significantly suffered requiring more resources to maintain public order which the "business owners" of these rental profits want to eliminate to further enhance their profit. The quality of life in these neighborhoods due to low community attachment, and drunken and disorderly behavior, has significantly decreased leading to a lowering of property values which makes the properties only desirable for more rentals and the downward spiral continues.
When the dots get connected and people with a stake in their community become aware of the destructive impact of increasing rentals in formerly family friendly neighborhoods, the slum lords get nasty and attack the messengers of the truth because they feel their economic security is being threatened.
As Kent Keith has pointed out, in spite of these attacks, in spite of the dirty tricks, we must continue on trying to do good anyway. In the last week, the Brockporter has been threatened with the F.B.I., local police investigations, and recently cyber bullying with someone or a group of people cutting and pasting spam into the comment sections of the various articles. This tactic seems familiar and is similar to the other tactics of the dissolutionist, pro-slumlord faction in the Village.
Keith writes:
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
There are those who would build Brockport up, lift her up to the world, and those who would exploit her for their personal profit and in the process tear her down, bring her to her knees, and kill her off completely through dissolution to enhance their personal profit.
It is the belief and hope of the good people of Brockport that the truth, and good will triumph and the avarice, dirty tricks, and exploitation will fail.
Jesus said that the way to the Kingdom is to love as I have loved. The Brockporter loves Brockport and wants what is best for her. True love requires honesty, discipline, and commitment. In spite of the attacks, dirty tricks, and sabotage, The Brockporter will carry on, anyway and invites your support.
From The Week, 02/15/13:
Everyone knows smoking can shorten your life—but a new study spells it out in years. Lifelong smokers die an average of 10 years younger than nonsmokers do, say researchers who analyzed data on 220,000 American men and women over decades. But the study found good news, too: Smokers who manage to quit by age 35 can add that decade back onto their life expectancy. Even kicking the habit before age 60 is good for as many as six more years of life.
From The Psychiatric News: 02/14/13
Most Gun Deaths Are Suicides
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A report in the New York Times today, drawing on statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, notes that nearly 20,000 of the 30,000 deaths from guns in the United States in 2010 were suicides.
Experts quoted by the Times emphasize that guns are particularly lethal. And it cites statistics from the Harvard Injury Control Research Center showing that suicidal acts with guns are fatal in 85 percent of cases, while those with pills are fatal in just 2 percent of cases.
“Suicidal acts are often prompted by a temporary surge of rage or despair, and most people who attempt them do not die,” according to the report. “In a 2001 study of 13- to 34-year-olds in Houston who had attempted suicide but were saved by medical intervention, researchers from the CDC found that, for more than two-thirds of them, the time that elapsed between deciding to act and taking action was an hour or less. The key to reducing fatalities, experts say, is to block access to lethal means when the suicidal feeling spikes.”
The Times article is here. For more on the subject of suicide see Psychiatric News here.
Editor's note: In my career of 45 years as a Psychiatric Social Worker I have performed over 15,000 suicide evaluations. By far the most common and lethal form of suicide attempt is with a gun. Keeping guns in one's home is a needless risk that far outweighs the benefit of protection from an intruder. Gun advocates appeal to their audience based on emotion and rarely do they argue from the public health data which clearly leads to the conclusion that the risks of gun ownership clearly outweigh any benefit. Suicide by gun happens in the Brockport area. I know of several.
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