I see Joe's enthusiasm... and I'll raise. If the midday gullywashers hold off, my bet is Saratoga will BEAT last year's numbers for three reasons-
WIN- The rains were what hurt last year, not the economy. Comparing the first and second halves was night and day. Rains were savage with warnings in advance. Forecasters were plenty accurate... and plenty effective at keeping folks away. With luck, cooler temps will bless us all with drier picnics.
PLACE- The StaySpaCation thing. Neighbors love to come to Saratoga for a zillion intangibles. In these tough times, it's a no-brainer to trade Boston or Bar Harbour for Broadway. All year we've seen record numbers return to celebrate SOMEthing-- Dance Flurry, ChowderFest, ArtsFest, July 4. And more to come.
SHOW- A new kind of handicapper will appear this year, people looking for a bit of financial help from a horse. Lottery sales are soaring everywhere as people eye the Big Pay-off. While every scratch-off is an utterly blind bet, a horse race offers some degree of control... even to the folks who pick by nothing more than name.
Success will come at a price as traffic congestion redefines Crisis at a Crawl. Construction projects and hundreds of "lost" spaces will increase tensions, frustration, and confrontations. Locals will be wise to listen, learn, and find a way to build the 700-800 car parking facility.
Far too many opportunities have come and gone this year. The TRUE parking "Stakeholders" are our visitors, paying customers who deserve better. Let's not disappointment them in 2010.
Well-written and thorough...even if you were wise enough to ignore the words of this blowhard, blabbered in the Public Comment period. So I'll try again.
I am PASSIONATE about Preservation... but I won't argue my credentials here.
I am PASSIONATE about Local Government... but the City Hall transcripts speak volumes of my silly faith in Democracy.
The FACTS are disturbing-
* A PROPERTY was PURCHASED! * PROPERTY had NO protected STATUS! * New Owners began WRECKING the place! * Horrible, cruel, ill-advised...but LEGAL! * COMMUNITY OUTRAGED...Soup-to-Nuts!!!!! * POLITICIANS/PRESERVATIONISTS front-page news!!!! * HISTORIC HOME'S ADDRESS on everyone's lips! * CITY COUNCIL suddenly addresses Preservation! * CITY COUNCIL postpones LAW on PRESERVATION! * COUNCIL PASSES law...NOTHING to do with HOUSE!!!
Okay kids-- That is BAD law. That is "Ex Post Facto" law, "after the fact." That is BAD law created/focused on ONE property, never mentioned by address... but as obvious as the keystone in a Roman archway.
WE IN SARATOGA stand to lose a STUNNINGLY beautiful home, an incredibly perfect gem from the time of the Civil War. And I BEG the Owners to save it.
BUT WE IN SARATOGA stand to lose everything that this NATION is about. We do NOT change the RULES in the middle of the game.
WHO TO BLAME? Too many to list here. But NOT the OWNERS of this small insignificant piece of God's earth and Man's craftsmanship.
The Bottom Line- Bad Law will not stand. We The Taxpayers... We Will Lose.
LOVE The HOUSE all you want. Personally, I love my COUNTRY... and the protections of Democracy more.
And I HATE pouring my taxes into a privy of pitifully ill-advised litigation.
I could not attend the REGULATING BOARD meeting at INLET... but now, I am ready to chain myself 24/7 to the Goddamn Dam at Conklingville.
We who've protected the lake for generations are now in the fight of all who came before, and all who will follow.
We owe far more to our Grandchildren than to sit silently and watch this political purge, this insanely ludicrous landgrab by the DEC... a confiscation of useless land, more boulders than beach, all in the name of polluting a pristine water supply.
-Kyle York Bottomland Blessed 1856-1930 Respecting the Reservoir Forever
I'd be pleased and honored to be the first to congratulate AMD for following through on their promise to the County. Their commitment is invaluable, their financial contribution will be priceless, and I've never been more pleased to be proven more wrong in all my life.
Congratulations to AMD, GLOFO, SEDC, County Supervisors, and NYS.
...IF you start seeing reddish or pink blotches on your skin, especially those with a very fair complexion. That's a pigmentation reaction called "Chloracne." It's a reaction to any dioxin, in this case PCBs. It's a very mild and distant cousin to the blisters cause by the Chlorine gas of WW1. Like the dredging, this too shall pass. Just be aware that the reaction might appear before you get to rinse off.
Thanks for a great story about a great cause. It is encouraging to see the passionate debate and political discourse brought front-and-center by the beautiful and the historic house at 23 Greenfield Avenue. Let us have focus, fortitude, and photo ops galore!
Oh...and thank you TZ for reminding the passionate public about good ol 66 Franklin Avenue. I observe it daily from my home on the other side of our shared fence. The blue tarps of last winter are gone, the rotten interior framing is now even more exposed, and the fire hazard to 2 Franklin remains unabated.
My presentation of photos to the City Council helped to get the promise of an inspection... and earned the anger of vigilant bloggers. The inspection hasn't happened but I believe the bloggers are happy. Anyway, I am now looking at the decaying dormers today and praying they do not burn.
Let everyone focus and RAGE and BLOG and POSTURE about... what was it? Oh yeah, 23 GREENFIELD AVENUE! Speak Passionately & ACT (SPA)!
AMEN, my friend. And thank you for the articulate and precise proof that my Article 78 proceeding is well-founded, with legal precedent, built upon credible basis in the Court of Public Opinion. If you'd care to converse... with my solemn pledge of confidentiality, even in open Court... I'd love to discuss at kyle@york44.com or 581-1819.
In the words of Edmund Burke- "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Glad we're all on the same side here! We certainly need more genuine activists like yourself.
I mis-spoke when I used the term "Public Hearing." Yes, we can all submit written material, as you note, for the "Regulatory Reform" Office in Albany. But MY focus is on the "Public Comment" period at the NEXT meeting of the Regulating Board. Their By-Laws adopted 1/14/09 are quite specific in Article 4, Section 9. Members of the public... maybe just you and I... can speak for up to five minutes.
I'm certain you'll point out that any "comment" only allows speakers to address "motions and or resolutions on the agenda for that evening." In one shape or form, even with this poor process, the subject seems likely to appear on a future agenda.
Of course as you well know, the Board LOVES to operate in "The Black." And they might keep if OFF future agendas and hoping the Governor's Office rubber stamps the DEC Dictate and they'll be done with it.
If that is their plan, it leaves a DAM big opening for an Article 78 challenge... on the grounds that the Board acted inappropriately by posting the DEC's 76-page proposal on May 7th and allowing only three working days before the putting the 76-page proposal on the agenda and up for a vote on May 12.
Yes, the By-Laws allow the addition of any item to the agenda with only 72-hours notice. But in this case, given the volume of DEC material, the impact on the public, and the renewed focus on the Sunshine Law... Judicial review of an Article 78 proceeding could reasonably determine the time frame was unreasonable. And I get my legal fees paid by the Board.
Then, the May 12 "approval" would be nullified and the Board would be Ordered to vote again. Only THIS time, the Public would be given proper Notice. And we might all then comment and be heard... with 300 seconds for each of We The People.
I respect your insider's insights when it comes to the hi-tech world of chips, motherboards, and RAM & ROM.
But your business and legal savvy are confused keystrokes directing readers to a Dead Link. All concerned bloggers would be wise to defer to the expert analysis of Siobhan Chapman, industry reporter for COMPUTERWORLD UK--
"According to Alan Davis, an expert in competition law at Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind OUT-LAW.COM., 'The fine goes to the European Commission's coffers, not to the competitors who suffered damage to their businesses because of Intel's anti-competitive practices. AMD does not receive any money from the fine, which accrues to the EU tax budget.' He added 'However, the decision paves the way for civil cases against Intel, with the main case due to go to trial in Delaware in 2010,' he added referring to a case filed by AMD against Intel back in 2005."
But of course the REAL question remains- WILL INTEL go through with their threat to end the cross-license deals?
Posted on July 21 at 11:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I see Joe's enthusiasm... and I'll raise. If the midday gullywashers hold off, my bet is Saratoga will BEAT last year's numbers for three reasons-
WIN- The rains were what hurt last year, not the economy. Comparing the first and second halves was night and day. Rains were savage with warnings in advance. Forecasters were plenty accurate... and plenty effective at keeping folks away. With luck, cooler temps will bless us all with drier picnics.
PLACE- The StaySpaCation thing. Neighbors love to come to Saratoga for a zillion intangibles. In these tough times, it's a no-brainer to trade Boston or Bar Harbour for Broadway. All year we've seen record numbers return to celebrate SOMEthing-- Dance Flurry, ChowderFest, ArtsFest, July 4. And more to come.
SHOW- A new kind of handicapper will appear this year, people looking for a bit of financial help from a horse. Lottery sales are soaring everywhere as people eye the Big Pay-off. While every scratch-off is an utterly blind bet, a horse race offers some degree of control... even to the folks who pick by nothing more than name.
Success will come at a price as traffic congestion redefines Crisis at a Crawl. Construction projects and hundreds of "lost" spaces will increase tensions, frustration, and confrontations. Locals will be wise to listen, learn, and find a way to build the 700-800 car parking facility.
Far too many opportunities have come and gone this year. The TRUE parking "Stakeholders" are our visitors, paying customers who deserve better. Let's not disappointment them in 2010.
-Kyle York
Come to Play, Pray to Park
On Downturn in Saratoga tourism foreseen