Construction and Expansion Update

"The first Stone Hearth Bakery & Deli, a new food franchise created by the SavOn chain, opened at the Canastota SavOn last week, along with an Abbott's Frozen Custard outlet. Crews have spent the last several months converting the space next to the tobacco area for the new franchise, which deatures hot panini sandwiches, fresh-baked breads, cookies, and muffins, soups, and homemade potato chips. A large stone 'fireplace' is the centerpice of the Stone Hearth, which eventually will be introduced at other SavOn locations. Last weeks cold weather didn't slow down work on the new SavOn in Verona Beach. Workers were installing siding and windows for the store, and the glass-enclosed foyer was in place by midweek. The new store will feature the Stone Hearth Bakery & Deli, with hot and cold sandwiches, soups, homemade potato chips, fresh-baked breads and Signature Salads. Outside, patrons will find 12 fueling stations, including a diesel island. The new SavOn could open as early as mid-February. The new Opals in The Garden was close to opening last week. Equipment has been installed in the back room and workers were beginning final clean-up of the area last week. The outlet will offer pre-packaged fudge, a selection of fresh pastries, and some of Opals' most popular confections, as well as Starbucks coffee. Workers were finishing the drywall in the elevator foyer adjacent to the new Opals last week. The elevators will provide private access tot he new player's lounge on the second floor, where five guest rooms of the origional hotel are being converted. The lounge will include a private balcony overlooking The Garden. Installation of new signs around the resort continued last week, with permanent signs being erected on the main boulevard for the parking garage and on Patrick Road for the Golf Dome, which is slated to open next month. In the next few weeks, the employee cafeteria will move temporarily into the old Garden Buffet, which closed when Season's Harvest opened Jan. 14. The employee cafeteria will be renovated and expanded to accomodate the resort's growing workforce. After the renovations are done, plans call for creation of six quick-serve restaurants with a variety of foods in a portion of the former Garden Buffet."

Another Star is Gone

It was reported this morning that Johnny Carson formerly of the Tonight Show, has died at the age of 79 from emphysema. An article about him is here with nothing but good things to say about him from the entertainment industry. Another one is here

Gmail

Well, I seem to have finally gotten onto the gmail account bandwagon. to tell you the truth, I love it. I would assume just because it is something new. I have been using yahoo for so long that I just wanted something new and gmail has done it. Im sure it will get old but for the time being I am loving it. I really enjoy the way they let you set up how you are going to save your messages. I still haven't used all the features and am still figuring out others and looking at all the stuff. I wont really use it all that much because I am using it for only personal email from friends and family, and I dont really get that much mail from all of them at one time. I still use my yahoo account for all that other stuff that I have signed up for in the last 8 years. Now I have only been a member for 4 days or so and I have already gotten 4 invites, so if anyone wants a gmail account just send a message to my Yahoo! account with the subject of Gmail invites and you can have one. Nothing else is new so I will talk to you all later. Joe

ACAL Article

This was an article that was in last weeks issue of the Boonville Herald. It's an article that deals with the landfill that they are attempting to build in the nearby town of Ava. It shows some of the statements that were made in another article by OHSWA to be false or at the very least inaccurate. By Jacki Chamberlain On November 5, Susan Eilenberg, editor/publisher of the Rome Observer, wrote an editorial from a press release she had received from Adirondack Communities Advisory League (ACAL). A response to the editorial was submitted by Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority (OHSWA) chairman Lou Critelli and printed in the December 3 edition of the Rome Observer. The Following is my response to his letter (which has been edited fro space): Dear Mr. Critelli: I wish to address your unfair accusations of ACAL and the repeated misinformation presented in your letter to Ms. Eilenburg. It is important for the general public to know the facts with regard to the Ava landfill, not your personal interpretation of them. After nearly 12 years of interaction between ACAL and OHSWA, I am surprised you are not familiar with ACAL's purpose by now. The 'Adirondack Communities Advisory League (ACAL) is a nonprofit organization formed in 1993 to conserve and protect the air, water, land, and wildlife indigenous to Northern Oneida County, preserve the existing beauty of the area, as well as inform the public of its 12-year resistance to keep a landfill out of its local townships.' ACAL receives its funds from donations and local fund-raising events, such as community dinners and bake sales. In June 2004, OHSWA began construction on the landfill access road. In addition to destroying natural wetlands by creating 'man made wetlands,' your expertise as an engineer neglected to forsee the extreme weather conditions or the excessive amounts of water naturally occurring in the southwest region of the Tug Hill Plateau.. As a result, your first attempts at building the access road failed. The roadbed had to be dug up and reconstructed. In your letter to Ms. Eilenberg, you listed 11 of 'ACAL's latest claims.' 1) 'The fact they [Rodman] don't have the capacity, haven't staffed the process to permit new capacity, and have stated they don't intend to import waste.' Why does OHSWA and Senator Meier insist there is no 'Rodman alternative' when DANC expanded the Rodman facility in September 1998 to accept garbage within a 100-mile radius of their facility, including Oneida-Herkimer counties? Why has OHSWA continued to spend millions of dollars to sire the Ava landfill when the Rodman facility has been able to take their garbage for the past six years? 2) 'It would actually cost Oneida-Herkimer $4 million per year more to go to Rodman.' After public discussions, Congressmen Dave Townsend and Daryl Aubertine requested an audit of OHSWA by the New York State Comptroller's office to verify OHSWA's allegations. The audit, which began in early November, could take several months to complete. 3) 'Over 100 monitoring wells were installed and proved the sites' suitability beyond any doubt.' Does the public know that no such monitoring wells were dug in ANY of the other potential landfill sites? 4) 'Comprehensive tests were evaluated by two independent divisions of DEC and both concluded no such aquifer is present' is an incorrect statement. A confined or artesian aquifer exists on the landfill site. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 'Contaminants that reach a confined aquifer through a poorly constructed well or through natural seepage, can be extremely difficult and expensive to remove.' 5) 'Appeals to DEC and the State Freshwater Wetland Appeal Board (FWAB) have confirmed there is no basis to upgrade the wetlands.' The fact that Class II wetlands exists on the sire is plenty of reason not to build a landfill in Ava. 6) 'A state Supreme Couff [court] Decision confirmed that the park designation did not stand and the Authority had the right to move forward with development.' As an appointed authority of New York State, OHSWA has the power of eminent domain. Despite Ava'a effort to create a town park, OHSWA has taken nearly 100 acres of land from the Town of Ava and ACAL. 7) 'Studies over three consecutive years found no such species [threatened birds].' Although the upland sand piper and harrier have nest areas near the landfill site, the DEC will not protect endangered species unless they live on the site. No consideration of future air, water and land pollution, truck traffic and machinery noise were included in the DEC decisions. 8) '$100,000 of studies and field investigations identified no such graves.' Why are OHSWA paid archaeologists presently digging on the landfill sit looking for those graves you say don't exist? 9) 'A State Supreme Couff [court] Decision confirmed no such permits are required' is an incorrect statement. Oneida County Court Judge Hester has not yet made a ruling as to whether OHSWA has to comply with Town or local laws anywhere in New York State. In other words, no town could protect itself and its citizens from the power of an authority. 10) 'Investigations by the DEC, engineers and staff all found the washout was due to natural causes.' The beaver dam on the landfill site burst between the hours of 6 and 7p.m. on August 19, 2004, after construction crews left for the day and before the OHSWA paid Sheriff's patrol officer arrived. Despite evidence showing land and aerial photographs oh OHSWA construction equipment just feet from the beaver dam, dead brook trout along the banks of the Moose Creek, and a Lewis County resolution requesting an investigation of the potential contamination of the Sugar and Black Rivers, the DEC did not complete any further investigations. 11) 'The Authority enabling statute prohibits the acceptance of any waste from outside Oneida-Herkimer.' Despite your weak attempts to convince the public OHSWA will not take New York City waste, you have neglected to mention that rules, regulations and permits can be changed. One of ACAL's greatest fears is the Ava landfill will open and Oneida County, unable to afford the multi-million dollar debt created by OHSWA, will be forced to seel the landfill. Once that occurs, garbage can be imported from all over the United States and Canada. In a recent press release by New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, he issued a series of recommendations to the City's waste problem [paraphrased]: New York City should...consider purchasing access to, or the development rights of, existing landfills in Upstate New York to increase in-state disposal capacity...partner with the DEC to consider building new disposal capacity in New York State...evaluate purchasing permitted but underutilized landfills in other parts of the country near rail or water transportation to provide long-term disposal capacity for its waste. It is obvious New York City has a problem and the Ava landfill would help to eliminate it. If OHSWA doesn't have future plans of accepting 'imported waste,' then why have they acquired nearly 700 acres of land for a 150-acre landfill? There also appears to be no coincidence Senator Ray Meier has secured a $500,000 grant to improve rail system from Utica to Boonville. And what about the canal system? Will New Yorkers see garbage barges on the Hudson, Mohawk and Black rivers in the future/ It is time for all citizens to stop authorities from making decisions that once belonged to New Yorkers. Please help ACAL stop the Ava landfill in 2005. Jacki Chamberlain is the communications chairperson for ACAL. She also owns Grandpa's Desk Tutoring in Boonville and is the COOP Weather Observer for the Jackson Hill Weather Station, Boonville."

Construction and Expansion Update

"Turning Stone guests now have more options for getting around the resort. The smal rotunda in The Garden is now open, providing access to the gaming floor and the corridor leading to the Showroom and Conference Center. The glass walls on either side of the fountain are finished, and the marble pedestal in the rotunda fountain is ready to recieve the glass sculpture. Behind the walls, work continues on the new retail shops, which will offer fine jewelry and seasonal gifts. Work also is progressing on the new Opals pastry and coffee shop at the far end of The Garden. Glass display cases have arrived, and crews are working on the back room. The shop will be modeled after a sidewalk cafe, with patio style seating around the canopied counterfront. In Season's Harvest, the expanded and upgraded buffet restaurant, crews are putting the finishing touches on the serving area. Last week, work focused on the center serving island; glass sheilds and shelves and permanent serving fixtures were being installed. The hostess station at the netrance has been topped with granite and tiles, and tables and chairs have arrived for all the various dining areas. Furniture also has arrived at the Rodizio Churrascaria, the new Brazillian steakhouse on the mezzanine level. Wood and leather bar stools and plush orange side chairs can be seen in the bar area, and chairs and some tables are in the dining areas. waiting for final placement. On Jan. 1, about 100 VIP guests were treated to samples from the Rodizio menu, ad Chef de Cuisine Ruben Lopez said the South AMerican food 'was very well recieved.' Both Rodizio and Season's HArvest are scheduled to open withing the next few weeks. The concrete perimeter for the new Golf Dome, at the corner of Snyder and Patrick Roads, is close to completion, and equipment has been brought in to level the ground inside the perimeter. The Golf Dome is the first phase of a planed indoor sports complex at Turning Stone, which also will feature a tennis dome and a small clubhouse. The Golf Dome is slated for a February opening."

Personal Update

Sorry about the lack of posting, apparently my life is going to be busy from here on out. Go figure. Well, just to bring you up to date. Katie is out of work now till after her 6 weeks is up after the baby is born. She just couldnt handle working it was making her tired and she hurt all over. The baby has grown to 6 pounds already and she is only 34 weeks into her 40 weeks. The baby now known as Shariann Marie maybe born anytime in the next month. Getting excited and worried and all the new parents things. The doctor said everything was fine with Katie and Shariann so its all good there. Katie just cant wait till she can get the bay out of her so that she can sleep a little better, as good as you can sleep with a new born. Work is going great. We are starting to make more and more breads as the new restaurants come online. You can read about that in my weekly Construction and Expansion Updates. There should be another one coming today or tomorrow, whenever I get around to typing it. We had a meeting yesterday at the casino and they are going to start doing something similar to a stock option plan. Only it cant be that because they are not publically owned and I dont see that in the future. What it means is that I can get money from the casino with what ever shares I have with the company. The employees dont have to put a penny into it, they automatically get shares every year. If the nation does good then so do we. So starting in 7 years I will get another check for what ever my shares are worth at that time. Its gonna be great I cant wait. we are supposed to recieve our first shares in the next 30 days. Can't wait for that. Nothing else is new here. If you havent noticed with the last two posts before this I was up this morning and very opinionated. Maybe there will be more of them maybe not, depends on my moods and what I find that may interest me to write about. I did a little bit of tweaking this morning too. Most of the stuff I have planned on adding but had not had the time to get around to. Most of it was just adding more links and fixing some of the things that I hadnt done right the first time. I also recently started to write a story that I started waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in high school. I don't remember where in the world the origional is right now so I just started over. I may start putting it up in a blog or something just for the fun of it. I dont really know. Probably not but we will see. If I do then I will put up a link for it and tell you about it. Talk to you later Joe FYI: A hummingbird's heart beats 1,400 times a minute.

An Article By Lawrence Lessig About Copyright Laws

Its a good article claiming that if the government wants to increase the copyright laws every twenty years they should at least make it so that if a copyright holder wants an extention then they have to pay a small fee to renew the copyright instead of just saying all copyrights are good another 20 years. They have done this 11 times and we can no longer, without permission republish anything from 1923 to the present. Most of the things from back then are not being used and are not viable to make money to any company or person. Another article that I read said that a University was trying to put all the old newspapers from their state online, but they can't because it would be a violation of copyright laws. Most of the papers in that state from 1923 have gone out of business and the next question they asked was: How can we find the owner of the rights if the paper is closed and no one knows who has the rights? So I guess we all have to be resigned tot he fact that these papers will forever be forgotten and all the news that was anything newsworthy from the time period of 1923 and on will be lost, because someone is too money hungry to let it go. I would like to thank the US Government again for doing what the people want and not what the industry wants. Good work to you.

The Presidential Inauguration

There was a story on Yahoo!, and many other news sites on the internet, about the Inauguration of the President and how much it would cost in just donations. That number is at $40 million. Hello, does the President really need another inaguration when he has already had one 4 years ago. Some of the things that the articles says you could buy with that money seem a lot more practical: -Two hundred armored Humvees with the best armor for troops in Iraq. -Vaccinations and preventive health care for 22 million children in regions devastated by the tsunami. -A down payment on the nation's deficit, which hit a record-breaking $412 billion last year. Don't you think these sound a lot better than just 40 million on a bunch of parties that most of the average Americans couldn't afford to go to, let alone really want to go to. I personally believe they are just a way to get a vote from the industries favorite canidates, not just the President. A total waste of donations that can be better served helping us and others around the world. I could be wrong but again this is just my opinion. Joe

Construction and Expansion Update

"Crews have been doing site work for a new purchasing warehouse on Route 31, across from the entrance to the employee parking lot. The facility will allow the Purchasing Department to make bulk purchases from vendors for both dry goods and frozen and refrigerated items, this lowering the per-unit cost. The building has a modular design so it can be expanded as needed. Crews from the Facilities, Entertainment, Telecommunications, Marketing and other departments spent last week preparing for the New Year's Eve 'Knight of Nights' celebration throughout the resort. The Event Center was converted into a jousting arena, and horses, owls, falcons, and other birds of prey moved into the Event Center last Tuesday to get acclimated to their new surroundings and rehearse for the big show. Yellow, green, prurple and maroon bunting was used to decorate the Event Center inside and out, and a cactle wall was erected in front of the Conference Center, complete with suits of armor guarding the entrances to the Onieda and Mohawk rooms. New baffles have been installed in hte wide pre-function corridor around the Event Center's main floor, and other baffles will be installed inside the facility to improve concert acoustics. The VIP boxes are about 80 percent complete now, awaing final installation of some amenities like microwave ovens and refrigerators. The last vestiges of the temporary wall seperating The Garden from the main gaming floor have been removed, and crews last week were painting the permanent walls in the corridor leaing from the gaming floor to the Showroom. In the small rotunda of The Garden, crews continue working on the new retail shops and installing floor tiles behind the glass water walls on either side of the rotunda. Workers spent much of last week setting tables and chairs on the terrace and in the dining areas of the new buffet restaurant in The Garden. Stairs from the main entrance to the dining areas have been carpeted, and artwork for the restaurant has arrived and was waiting to be hung last week. The new SavOn building at Verona Beach has been enclosed, and plastic sheeting and tar paper now protect the roof and outer walls from the elements. Gas pumps also have been installed beneath the canopies. The new store will open in the spring, offering expanded services like diesel fuel and more food options."

Cheap DSL in Germany

I reported from The Register that a German DSL provider has been able to sell its DSL for 3.99 euro's a month ($5.40 US). Now I dont understand why our DSL and Cable is still so damn high. In Korea they have cheap DSL and apparently now in Germany. There seems to be no reason other than Corporate greed to stop us from getting cheap highspeed internet. Hopefully in the next few years the prices can come down. Any thoughts? Talk to you later Joe