MsKreed

20 minutes ago, Chris said:

Like Clemens Parkway, Route 13 is a frickin drag strip anymore. If this happened where I think it did, then that's a common spot for people to race to get ahead of slower moving vehicles. 

Agreed.

The drag racers on Rte 13 scare me more than deer (which are always a valid concern).

And those short “slow traffic” lanes only seem to incite more lead-footed behavior. It appears from the reports that the deceased driver was correctly using that lane and she zoomed up on him trying to beat him as the lane ended.

It seemed like the DOCCS official who was recently charged with road rage was known to the other driver as agressively speeding that route on a regular basis.

Being a truck route doesn’t help either (before I-99, speeding semis on the old 2-lane Rte 15 to Mansfield were terrifying).

Since the DNC has already established that they will not hold any debates for primary candidates....this guy isn’t likely to get any more votes than Marianne Williamson. 

 I honestly think that if RFK Jr stayed in the primary, he would have gotten more votes than Dean and Marianne combined.

 Not that RFK could get enough primary votes to get close to the nomination.....just by name recognition from clueless people who knew nothing about him other than “Kennedy” and are not following any election news at all. And that name recognition is more than Phillips and Williamson have.

Quote

 

Preliminary investigation shows the Chevy was trying to merge left as the right lane was ending. Authorities say that’s when the vehicle driven by Vaness made contact with the Chevy, sending it into the opposite lane where it was struck by a Freightliner truck.

The 25-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. He has not yet been named by authorities. Vaness was transported to a trauma center and is in stable condition. The driver of the Freightliner, 33-year-old Jeremy Sobles, of Skaneateles, was not hurt.

 

Source whcuradio.com/

Route 13 is a road I try to avoid.  

There were just two others killed there just last weekend (Source elmiratelegram.com.  

What do you think makes it so dangerous and what could be done (besides avoiding it)?  

Looks like MN Congressman Dean Phillips will run against Biden in teh Dem primary. 

Quote

 

According to multiple reports, Phillips will announce his candidacy in Concord, New Hampshire, where he will file to appear on the state’s primary ballot. Friday is the filing deadline for that election. 

Phillips has yet to confirm publicly that he plans to run for president, but there have been signs leading up to the expected announcement. 

He said in August he was mulling a presidential run himself but had hoped someone who was better positioned to take on Biden would join the race. 

Last month, after no one answered his call, the Minnesota congressman told a podcast he had not ruled out the possibility of running. 

A week later, Phillips stepped down from his role in House Democratic leadership, citing his views about the 2024 presidential election. He had been the co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. 

And this week, a presidential campaign tour bus emblazoned with Phillips’ name was spotted in Ohio, possibly heading to New Hampshire. 

 

36 minutes ago, Hal said:

Does anyone else think that the state of affairs Worldly as well as here in America, are pushing some folks that were on the edge of violence over that edge ? 

Possibly, to some extent. 

But I'm more alarmed at the lack of culpability for trained mental health professionals who "evaluate" dangerous nut jobs and then declare them mentally fit to go on about their delusional lives walking amongst us with weapons.  Like the Buffalo shooter, this guy had already been identified as a threat. 

We will likely not ever know if the "professionals" simply let him go without reporting the danger -- or if they additionally prescribed him meds that exacerbated his violent thoughts. 

If untrained minimum wage bartenders can be held criminally responsible for not recognizing impairment and 'contributing' to DWI fatalities, why aren't those doctors accountable?

10 hours ago, Adam said:

"Settlers have been slowly taking smaller percentages than that for years but:

 To openly state such a goal would be almost as moronic as calling hamas "freedom fighters" wouldnt it?

I'm not familiar with what you're referencing here. Can you share it? Without it, my reply below may be completely off-point from what you're talking about. 

My peripheral understanding has been that disputes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians have been sporadic for years......but the Israel government has built walls and implemented (extremely sophisticated) security to maintain a delineated "border", particularly since the 2006 election of Hamas to govern Gaza. 

Meanwhile Hamas (the elected government that openly states it does want to conquer all Israeli held land) is the entity that's been relentlessly trying to dig under and climb over the wall into Israel.

If intrusion from settlers was the primary problem for Palestinians, then why would their government (Hamas) be doing everything possible to breach the border instead of trying to secure it to protect from settlers?

And conversely, if the Israeli government wanted to facilitate settlers’ expansion into Gaza, they’d not likely have been the ones obstructing any and all crossings outside the points of entry (where Palestinians were reportedly welcomed to enter for work to the tune of 20k per day, or seek refuge from brutal punishment if they’re gay).

Looks like there wasn't a third location. One mentally ill suspect still at large:

19 hours ago, Adam said:

my concern there is that israeli "settlers" have been slowly chipping away at palestinian lands and homes over the years with security/IDF turning a blind eye. flattening gaza and killing thousands of palestinians will open up quite a bit of land to re-settle

Yes, there could be some land opened up "if" the Gaza strip was completely vacated of Palestinians.

However, I don’t think that’s a likely possibility....or a goal for Israel. First, because, Gaza’s 140.9 sq mi really doesn’t represent much “real estate”. In relation to Israel’s landscape, adding less than 2% doesn’t seem like a priority at this point.

Their priority is to remove the terrorist Hamas zealots who constitute a continual threat to safety (whose Charter is built on the aspiration to remove all the Jews from “the river to the sea).  Even now, after the October 7th massacre, Israel hasn’t expressed plans to drive non-combatant Palestinians out of Gaza -- just to eliminate Hamas.

Quote

 

“I think we know two things. We can’t go back to the status quo; they can’t go back to the status quo with Hamas being in a position in terms of its governance of Gaza to repeat what it did,” Blinken said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“At the same time, what I’ve heard from the Israelis is absolutely no intent, no desire, to be running Gaza themselves.”

Source

42 minutes ago, KarenK said:

Hamas should be flattened, just like they flattened 260 innocent kids at a concert.  Unfortunately innocent Palestinians get hurt too which is why they were trying to get them out of there.  Terrorist do not just give up.  Ever.  

Agreed...It’s highly unlikely that Israel had any  plans to “flatten” Hamas (or Gaza) as of October 6th.

They had entered into the Abraham Accords with multiple Arab nations that finally agreed to recognize Israel as a sovereign nation....and were actively working with the Saudi government to achieve more normalized relations in the region (including consideration of a “two state solution”).

If you're now supporting charging the property owners to fix their own neglected property, then we agree now.  

Nice to see you come around  from your earlier nonsense:

21 hours ago, Elizabeth Whitehouse said:

The City needs to add a budget line to help homeowners keep their homes up to code - at least as far as safety is concerned. Over the past few years, I have climbed many unsafe steps and knocked on many doors that need help.

59 minutes ago, Elizabeth Whitehouse said:

If Elmira has such a law, it is keeping very quiet about it.

I did notice on his campaign site that he encourages transparency and raises concerns of “secrecy”.

When you say that “Elmira” is keeping quiet, can we surmise that your council member, the mayor, Mr. McCracken and/or the City Manager have been asked about these things directly and failed to respond? 

45 minutes ago, Elizabeth Whitehouse said:

That said, maintaining properties is not rewarding the landlord; it is enhancing the neighborhood, which is good for everyone.

We’ll have to agree to disagree on this.

If a property owner refuses to responsibly maintain their property themselves, and the result is that they get “free” services that may improve their capital value (at the expense of other taxpayers), then they are indeed being rewarded for neglecting their property.

9 minutes ago, MsKreed said:

Other municipalities have local laws/ordinances that give them the authority to have violations remediated by a designated governmental agency or a contractor and the expense charged to the violator and impose a special assessment (lien) on the property if the owner fails to pay.

Expanding on this point.....I'm curious if the City of Elmira already has some such ordinance on the books that is not being fully enforced.

I don't live or own property in the City, so haven't researched it. But I assume your candidate, as a concerned, erudite voter and taxpayer with active involvement in City governance and Council meetings must have already looked into the existing laws of the City he seeks to represent.

It doesn’t seem fair or rational to hold other taxpayers responsible for a Landlord’s offenses.

The property owner should be held responsible rather than forcing their neighbors to shoulder the costs through a “budget line” that rewards the landlord for neglecting their property.

Other municipalities have local laws/ordinances that give them the authority to have violations remediated by a designated governmental agency or a contractor and the expense charged to the violator and impose a special assessment (lien) on the property if the owner fails to pay.

On FB, I’d imagine you’re probably right about more negativity for Elmira than Corning.

Here, most people look at stuff in more nuanced ways.....like Karen’s point that we’re seeing more stories about violence among young women.

As for me, which school isn’t as noteworthy as the overall trend of rising youth violence and lack of civility....(humanity, respect for human life?).

And the fact that all school systems have a problem with criminal behavior that is ignored and proactively concealed from the public eye. It really shouldn’t surprise me that, as some of these students reach adulthood, we are seeing them commit crimes outside the school hallways.

Whether it’s drugs or theft, or the endless list of assaults and batteries that quietly get swept under a rug called “bullying” (that school administrators hardly acknowledge, even when they’re streamed on social media).  I can't recall hearing about any SRO in the area making an actual arrest since Jeremy Getman in 2001. 

5 hours ago, Chris said:

C'mon Karen, we have a huge humanitarian and international crisis over there in Israel. What's a 60/40 split ( favoring the place that we've already given billions to ) gonna hurt?

Not even a 60/40 split. Israel's share is only 14% of the $106.7 Billion.

HERE is the breakdown and details.

In summary:

Quote

 

$61.4 billion in aid for Ukraine

$14.3 billion in aid for Israel

$13.6 billion to address security at the US-Mexico border

$10 billion for humanitarian assistance (Ukraine, Israel, Palestinians - and immigrants crossing the US southern border)

$7.4 billion for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region

 

Congress:

3 hours ago, Chris said:

I think the guy in the Piers Morgan clip was WAY too heavy on sarcasm. While I understand the point he was trying to make, he did a poor job of it because of the sarcasm. Are you trying to make a case to me, the viewer, or are you auditioning for a new "Daily Show"?

Ben Shapiro’s friend made much more rational arguments.

Basam is off his rocker, beyond sarcasm to the POS to poke fun at the deaths on both sides. And whatever “statistics” he claims are on his chart (that we can’t see) can’t be trusted when his other numbers are wildly  – whether intentional or for dramatic effect.

Straight out of the gate, before he waved his chart around, with its alleged historical data......he (falsely) stated that 5,000 innocent Palestinians were killed in the hospital explosion (which, apparently at the time of this interview, the origin had not yet been determined and still trusted Hamas’s claim that it was IDF).

Even if it had turned out to be an IDK missile.... Hamas says 500, not 5,000, and US and other intelligence has indicated that 500 is overstated and more like 150-200 casualties.

The disparate "rankings" (published within days of one another) is pretty amazing. 

Quote

 

A North Carolina-based home improvement company recently set out to find the best, most charming small cities across the United States.

All Star Home looked at several parameters that reflect a variety of quality of life issues.

Who is No. 1? Elmira, New York.

In fact, the top four cities in All Star Home's ranking are from New York state, including Corning at No. 2, Utica in the third spot, and Binghamton in fourth place. The other New York community to make the list was Watertown at No. 10.

 

Source

12 hours ago, KarenK said:

I guess you may be right "on paper" but yet for quite a number of years now, red seems to dominate.  Maybe your folks are not coming out to vote?

This is 100% true. 

Once upon a time, Democratic candidates such as Jim Hare, John Tonello and the likes regularly won Mayoral elections. Although the County BOE website does not list results before 2013.....I know Sue Skidmore won the seat at least once (in 2011). But it appears that since her term.....the City seems to have lost confidence in Democrats. 

In 2015, the Dem/Working Party, etc candidate received 801 votes to 2880 for the Rep/Con candidate.

In 2019, the Dem/Working Party, etc candidates received 884 votes to 2257 for the Rep/Con candidate.

As I noted in the "Worst Small Cities" topic, I don't think Elmira is perfect....but I have to admit that it has seen some improvement in the time Mandell has been in office. 

Whenever I see lists and rankings like this.....I question the authors' perception and perspective on the "criteria" that they consider relevant. 

Quote

WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 45 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs to school-system quality to restaurants per capita.

While I agree with @LocalSportsGuy that Elmira is not close to perfect.....I also find it far more tolerable than Ithaca, which this "study" ranked much higher than Elmira. I can't see what they used to measure for vague categories like "Quality of Life"....and it's hard to fathom how "Affordability" somehow has an inverse relationship to "Economic Health".

Despite the US and Israeli goal to prevent a full WW3 from spreading across the region, I fear that this conflict has hardly begun.

Protests have broken out at consulates and embassies in several Arab nations, and there are now reports of US bases being targeted by armed drones in Iraq. 

Quote

 

BEIRUT (AP) — Two drones launched at a base hosting U.S. troops in western Iraq were intercepted Wednesday, a U.S. defense official said.

Hours later, an Iraqi militia announced it had launched another drone attack on a second base. No injuries were reported in either incident.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iranian-backed militias, issued a statement afterward claiming responsibility for the two attacks and saying it “heralds more operations” against the “American occupation.”

The salvos came at a time of increasing tension and fears of a broader regional conflict in the wake of the latest Hamas-Israel war.

 

Source

19 minutes ago, Elmira Telegram said:

Meanwhile, closer to home

I had a Journalism professor who used to say, "All News is Local News" emphasizing that a good reporter can always find a local connection to every national or international story. 

As an institution, Cornell is facing the same problem as many organizations.....tip-toeing around, trying to placate everyone. Having to repeatedly "clarify" and issue new statements so as not to offend anyone at all. 

Unable to decide which “victims” deserve more pandering. (Jewish students and staff? Muslims who identify as Palestinian? Or how about the Student Assembly’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee and some of the LGBTQIA+ liaisons who don’t support the the Palestinians stance that would impose the death penalty on them?).

Quote

 

“I am sickened by statements glorifying the evilness of Hamas terrorism. Any members of our community who have made such statements do not speak for Cornell; in fact, they speak in direct opposition to all we stand for at Cornell. There is no justification for or moral equivalent to these violent and abhorrent acts,” Pollack wrote in the statement. “I am outraged by them and, along with senior leadership of the Cornell Board of Trustees, I again condemn them in the strongest possible terms.”

The statement comes following a comment made by Prof. Russell Rickford, history, at an Oct. 15 rally in support of Palestine on the Ithaca Commons. Rickford spoke of feeling “exhilarated” by Hamas’s attacks.

“[The attacks were] exhilarating. [They were] energizing,” Rickford said. “And if [Gazans and Palestinians] weren’t exhilarated by this challenge to the monopoly of violence, by this shifting of the balance of power, then they would not be human. I was exhilarated.”

In Pollack’s first email statement in response to the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday, Oct. 10, Pollack described the University’s overall support for faculty, staff and students impacted by global conflicts and natural disasters. The same day, Pollack sent a follow-up email in which she apologized for not referring to Hamas’s attacks as acts of terrorism.

This third email is the first time Pollack has included the words “Palestine” and “Palestinians” in a public statement after the start of the conflict, something for which she has been criticized by students in other previous communications talking about the conflict for not talking about Palestine.

“The Cornell community on our campuses and around the world includes students, faculty, staff and alumni who are Israeli, Palestinian and others who have close ties to the region. As the fighting there continues, the pain and suffering felt by all people throughout the region is and will be completely heart-wrenching,” Pollack wrote in the statement. “I am a grandmother and I weep for the Israeli babies who were murdered or kidnapped; I weep for the Palestinian babies now in harm’s way.”

 

Source:  President Pollack Releases Third Statement on Israel-Hamas War, Condemns Cornellians’ Glorification of Hamas Attacks

Quote

 

Ismail Haniyeh, who is widely considered to be Hamas’s overall leader, says that the US is responsible for the attack on Al Ahli hospital – stressing that Washington gave Israel the “cover for its aggression”.

“The hospital massacre confirms the enemy’s brutality and the extent of his feeling of defeat,” said Haniyeh in a televised address.

He is calling on all Palestinian people “to get out and confront the occupation and the settlers” and for all Arabs, and Muslims to stage protests against Israel.

 

Source

On 10/13/2023 at 10:19 AM, Chris said:

Source

Egypt and the surrounding Arabic nations are showing their true colors by not lifting a finger to help the Palestinian people. In fact, Egypt has sent troops to reinforce the border. 

This point has been twisting my brain. 

It makes the skeptic in me wonder if their motive is to keep innocent Palestinians in Gaza for the very purpose of creating some self-fulfilling prophesy that ensures IDF’s reaction causes more civilian deaths that “prove” how evil Israel is.

9 hours ago, Elmira Telegram said:

It is not clear whether it has happened more times away from the public’s gaze.

This is what bothers me more than anything.....

For all the public incidents we have seen with all three (McConnell, Feinstein and Biden), one has to assume there are many more happening that aren't reported.