MsKreed

Unless I missed some renaming ceremony, isn't it still The Elmira-Corning Regional Airport?

It's a little annoying that our esteemed Congressional Representative doesn't seem to know the name of the facility he's claiming to care about. 

6 hours ago, Ann said:

I can’t help but wonder what side effects from these drugs will be known in the years to come.

This ...100% !!!

These drugs were only approved for weight loss a decade ago and came into widespread use within the past few years. I know they have been around nearly 20 years.....used sparingly (after other treatments failed and “if” insurance would cover it).

That’s still not a sufficient length of time to know that a drug will be safe in the long-term with more widespread use over time.

Case in point:

1983 -  First U.S. FDA approval for Zantac (ranitidine) as a short-term treatment of a common form of ulcers. The drug was already approved in 31 different countries.

1988 - Zantac becomes the world's best selling drug and one of the first-ever drugs to top $1 billion in annual sales.

2020 – After it’s determined that ranitidine contains high levels of NDMA, which is a probable human carcinogen. Both prescription and OTC versions are taken off the market worldwide.

9 minutes ago, Twin Tiers Living said:

lost control after striking another vehicle

I'm glad to hear that the trooper was uninjured, but it's weird that there's no details about this part.

Was anyone in the other vehicle injured in the initial collision?  Who was at fault in that one?  Did Tolbert or the other driver see the trooper and inappropriately switch lanes abruptly?

On 6/9/2025 at 12:10 PM, Chris said:

That said, here's where the protesters lose me, in pictures:

47 minutes ago, Chris said:

Then I stand corrected. Honestly I still haven't paid a whole lot of attention. Even when the news has been on it's just been background noise. They could have nuked L.A. and I wouldn't know it. 

Also:

Yeah....

It's hard to have sympathy for people who violently march with the flag of the homeland they supposedly needed "asylum" from, while burning flags of the nation they want to stay in.

The fewer fires and incendiary devices being thrown since Sunday's NG deployment might suggest that his actions helped to extinguish the fires that were blazing from Friday night into Saturday. 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/immigration-authorities-clash-with-los-angeles-area-protesters

20 hours ago, Chris said:

I hadn’t heard a thing about the protests until then, which leads me to believe it was manageable at the local level up until then. 

Just because something isn't picked up by national media doesn't necessarily mean that's it's being competently managed. 

The CO walkout and disastrous NG deployment was hardly covered by news outlets outside areas with prisons.  And to the best of my knowledge, there was zero coverage outside New York State. 

5 hours ago, Ann said:

My issue with Charities and other non-profits is how much of the donation actually goes to the cause versus “administrative” costs.  

I cant argue with that concern.....but I suspect that most private charities (on average) still have a better ratio of actual charitable work to administration costs than almost any taxpayer funded programs.

For private charities, there are databases (like https://www.charitynavigator.org/) that show breakdowns of financial disclosures. 

On 5/6/2025 at 7:51 PM, Adam said:

1. depends if he/watts are on county or municipal streets, if acres in on town streets, county really doesnt have responsibility i believe, for southports ditches.

This was what I wondered.......I'd expect he's done his homework and knows whether both roads are maintained by the same (town/county) entity. 

But his post doesn't specifically address which entities he's dealt with....for the event permit or for the drainage he wants done.  I live on a County Road.  One would assume they may get guidance from Soil/Water District (who in turn gets guidance from the DEC)......but the ditching/drainage itself was done by the County Highway Department (since the ditch is in their ROW).

2 hours ago, Ann said:

A budget is simple, total income minus fixed expenses and what’s left over is discretionary spending.  These idiots in Albany appear to go straight to discretionary spending.   It is not the government’s duty to provide childcare, school lunches, pay people who meet income requirements more money for the kids they have.  

Even the so-called fixed or 'mandatory' expenses can be examined and reduced.  That's what households have to do. 

Posse comitatus refers specifically to military personnel being deployed to enforce laws domestically. 

The EO seems ambiguous. 

It seems to loosely distinguish between utilizing "military assets" and "training/personnel".

I see no issue 'if' the objective is to increase the existing practice of distributing military equipment to local jurisdictions with federal personnel providing appropriate training. 

Quote

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to better coordinate Federal support for the acquisition of certain Federal equipment by State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, I hereby order as follows:

Section 1. Policy. For decades, the Federal Government has provided equipment to State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies (LEAs) through excess equipment transfers (including GSA donations), asset forfeiture programs, and Federal grants. These programs have assisted LEAs as they carry out their critical missions to keep the American people safe. The equipment acquired by LEAs through these programs includes administrative equipment, such as office furniture and computers. But it also includes military and military-styled equipment, firearms, and tactical vehicles provided by the Federal Government, including property covered under 22 CFR Part 121 and 15 CFR Part 774 (collectively, "controlled equipment"). 

Source: Executive Order 13688—Federal Support for Local Law Enforcement Equipment Acquisition January 16, 2015 

23 hours ago, Twin Tiers Living said:

The federal holiday, the second Monday in October, was still known as Columbus Day during Biden’s term, but also as Indigenous Peoples Day. That’s been a longtime goal of activists who wanted to shift the focus from commemorating Columbus’ navigation to the Americas to his and his successors’ exploitation of the indigenous people he encountered there.

I'll take these activists more seriously when they start protesting the phrase 'Latin America'.

49 minutes ago, Chris said:

What resonated with me was Beck talking about the need for ritual and tradition that is greatly lacking in society. Be it the active meditation that is praying the Rosary that is sure to have a calming effect or an initiation into a fraternal organization. Once upon a time I scoffed at the latter, but now I get it. It’s a tie to the past and something bigger than the individual.

I agree.....those are important elements for general well-being.

I suspect that the trend of past few generations to instill the concepts of “individuality” and “choice” in children likely led to the decline in participation in organized religion. And when kids who weren’t “forced” to observe those rituals and traditions became parents themselves...later generations had even less understanding or familiarity with the concepts.

And vocal “religious right” evangelicals screaming fire and brimstone (Westboro?!?!) didn’t help endear modern generations to “churches” in general, or want to revive religious practice with their own kids.

By the time that cycle reached a third generation, many younger folks were left with a void.  And it’s really hard for one to recover something they never experienced themselves.....especially after the internet, smart devices and social media showed up to fill the “void” with doom scrolling.

That’s why I think approaches like the Hallow app are an effective way to leverage current technology.  It seems like a 21st Century solution that reintroduces the traditions, meditation and rituals in a format that’s relatable to younger generations.

I think there’s been an uptick in effective branding and PR of Christianity in the last few years.  I think that’s done a couple of things.

1) Appeal to younger & non-religious audiences with messages that underscore the “inclusivity” that Jesus taught.

2) Perhaps serve as a reminder of that same message for some on the “religious far right” who may have strayed away from the ‘tolerance’ on which their faith was founded.

There’s the  “He Gets Us” campaign:

• Quote

   

  • The advertisements are part of an effort to shift away from a negative public perception of Christians, and towards Jesus, says Bob Smietana, national reporter for Religion News Service, in an interview with NPR.
  • Smietana says that the campaign is attempting to appeal to groups that may have felt excluded or repelled by the church in recent years, like members of the LGBTQ community, different races and ethnicities, those who lean more liberal politically, or people who have kept up with scandals of abuse.

   

I also think formats like The 'Hallow' app are appealing to Gen Z & Millennials.

And having wide support of celebrities like Mark Wahlberg, Mario Lopez and Chris Pratt has to help move away from the notion that Christianity is only inhabited by a dowdy, uptight older generation.  

I have to share this story....

When I moved in with my first husband 35 yrs ago we each owned a basic coffee maker that was a year or two old.  We put mine away and used the one he had. When his crapped out a few months later, we pulled mine out and then it also died....so we grabbed a $10 Mr Coffee at Walmart that lasted less than a year.

Then, in a fit of frustration, he came home with an $89 Bunn. That price seems outrageous to me and I really thought he’d lost his mind.

 But it turned out he made a good decision...that Bunn lasted decades longer than our marriage.  

1 hour ago, Twin Tiers Living said:

Our bestselling model—manufactured in Asia (China and Vietnam)—sells for $129. But this year, as tariffs jumped from 25% to 170%, we wondered: Could we reshore manufacturing to the U.S. while maintaining margins to keep our lights on?

An important part to mention is that our most filter materials (KDF-55) is sourced from the US. So technically we partly source from Asia. 

We found a U.S.-based supplier. The new unit cost us nearly 3x more to produce. To maintain our margins, we’d have to sell it for $239.

The way this reads the price is/was $129 for the Asian product before tariffs jumped from 25% to 170%.

If so, the “production cost” of the Asian product is about $103 + 25% tariff, and with the increased tariffs would now price out at $278 ($103 + 170% tariff).

Consumers would absolutely choose the $239 “Made in the USA” item over the $278 one. So, it’s a completely inaccurate equation to compare their Pre-Trump Tariff “Made in Asia” price to the “Made in the USA” price.  

25 minutes ago, KarenK said:

I've paid more for quality more times than I can count:  - The nicer hotel because I know the staff and quality are much better.  Pricier restaurants because I know my food is going to be good every time and the waitstaff on top of things.

Absolutely!

And I also can't count how many times I've gone with a "cheaper" option and thoroughly regretted the choice.

It's infuriating when I've tried to "save money" with a low-quality item and then breaks down or wears out and I need to replace it and now paid more than if I'd just purchased the higher quality product in the first place. 

"[No person shall be] deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law"

The Constitution means something.

All of it.

And in the spirit of full disclosure...

I rarely bring up the fact that my own mother was an illegal alien who lived in the US for nearly 40 years before applying for Resident Alien status. 

She arrived from Canada in 1960 and was in a common law marriage to my (US born citizen) father and mother to two US born US citizen children (including me).  She worked under a fake SS# and didn’t come forward when the “amnesty” was passed during the Reagan administration. She was a taxpayer and otherwise a productive “non-criminal” resident who was granted a green card in 1999. (OK, I know she actively volunteered on Reagan's campaign, and may have actually voted for him. So technically "if" she voted in an election, that could have been a criminal offense).

So yeah. If her status had been questioned at any point.... I hope that she’d have been entitled to due process FFS.

On 4/12/2025 at 4:51 PM, Beekeeper said:

I think it's time to try the no-buy movement.  Since I hate to shop, this will be easy for me.

I've been trying to be more aware and back into the habit of skipping unnecessary purchases.  That used to be normal behavior just a few decades ago when my kids were little. 

And while cost was sometimes a factor, it was much more a question of wasteful purchases of pointless junk that would soon be replaced or disposed of....or simply not used and taking up space. 

On 4/10/2025 at 7:52 PM, Adam said:

thing is, im not completely against applying tariffs appropriately: yes canada has high tariffs on american goods, but only AFTER certain quotas are met. before that most goods are low tariff or even duty free, its a way to help protect their domestic industries. and in cases of countries such as china, where much of their industry is subsidized, theres no way to compete; along with their penchant for sweatshop labor, almost ZERO regard for environmental damage, as well as continuous IP theft, they should be held accountable

Yeah....for years there have been numerous reasons to curb trade and decrease our dependence on Chinese consumerism and crappy products. 

Trump’s primary complaint is the trade imbalance, but for decades the leaders of the entire western world acknowledged China’s harm for world safety and security, humanitarian practices and environmental devastation. And they’ve let all that go unchecked because they realized that tackling it head-on would cause economic instability.

1 hour ago, Chris said:

I agree completely.

It’s amazing to me that we have age restrictions on things like consent, contracts, firearms, alcohol consumption, etc., often because it’s presumed the brain development hasn’t finished and they aren’t capable of making those decisions. But when it comes to gender identity, it’s full steam ahead, no questions asked. Or allowed.

Tubal ligation is illegal under age 18 in all states, and under age 21 most states. 

Hell, there are plenty of "gender normative" mothers up to age 30 who don't want more children and still face obstacles having their tubes tied because decades of accepted research that shows that, “regrets were expressed by 20.3% of women aged 30 years or younger at the time of bilateral tubal ligation and by 5.9% of women older than 30 years at time of procedure". And women with no children are often encouraged to wait until age 35 to make such a "drastic" decision. 

But sure.....if the same person thinks they want irreversible gender reassignment, then naturally they aren't ever going to feel differently. 

Two things can be true at once.

It’s possible that “data” in the past few years was skewed toward a confirmation bias that eggagerated potential risks (suicide, etc) of not indulging gender dysphoria while ignoring data that points to potential risks, which can result in “regret” of irreverible treatment.

And it’s also just as possible that the current administration’s “data” will be skewed toward confirmation bias that there is irreparable danger in rushing permanent treatment for gender dysphoria.

Given the permanency of treatment of many surgical and hormonal treatments....the prudent path is probably to lean toward “waiting” and exploring the least invasive options (particularly for minors).

25 minutes ago, Zapp Brannigan said:

However now that technically they terminated his position he could go for unemployment if he so wished

I was thinking the same thing.

Grated, there's a "waiting week" so depending on when the new job starts, it may only be a partial week of benefits. But could still be worth the satisfaction. 

11 hours ago, Twin Tiers Living said:

Six 13-gallon garbage bags will fit in the totes.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your councilmember or the Sanitation Department at 607-737-5751.

I guess my question is....could we please find some local officials who can do 6th grade math?

13 x 6 = 78 gallons

13 x 5 = 65 gallons

Quote

The program will give residents enrolled in the sanitation program a new 64-gallon bin starting on Tuesday, March 18. For now, the bin will be given to residents on the Tuesday and Friday morning pick-up schedule.

Source

When I lived in Elmira (30+ years ago) the city tax/fee included two (jumbo 35-40gal) bags per household (per week) and billed per bag if someone went over. I assume that's basically the deal now, except the bag limit is supposed to fit in the bin.  

And I saw someone say they can pay an extra $365 to have a second bin.  I don't know what the basic charge is, but $7/wk isn't an unreasonable price. I pay $6.50 to haul one 40 gallon county bag to the transfer station myself for drop-off.

I haven’t seen the new Elmira bins, but the neighbor’s Casella bins look big enough to hold two County bags (that I think are at least 35+ gallons).

I think my generic trash can 35 gallons; it fits one County bag and I can stuff three13-gallon kitchen bags into it.

1 hour ago, Beekeeper said:

Anti-vaccine community can not vaccinate THEIR children and watch them get really sick.  They have no right to be angry at the rest of us.

100%

I’m all for free choice.

But after decades of protesting that mandates infringe on their right to choose (to not be vaccinated), they need to see the irony in wanting to take away other people’s right to choose (to be vaccinated).

I wouldn't fill too close to the top. I wouldn't want to risk a heavy rain or storm flooding the bed and washing seeds or plants away before the roots are established.