IMAGE vs SUBSTANCE

In our world today it is fashionable to spend more energy and time on creating an "IMAGE" than being concerned and concentrating on what is really important. I guess that is the legacy of "Ronnie The Rat" and his Trickle Down Theory and the current nit-wit republicans in office. By that I am saying that when the boys in the White House find it expedient for their purposes to concentrate on perception more than substance, because they have no substance, the sheep will surely follow. I am not saying that image isn't important but it is liken to respect...IT HAS TO BE EARNED! You can't just spin into existence, by changing a name...( North Adams State Normal Teachers College to MCLA) and wham!!! now you are a player in the big league. You get a reputation, and it is usually earned. In their stampede to disasociate themselves with North Adams and grab onto the brass ring of higher learning and wanting to be in the forefront of political correctness they have lost more than they have gained, but then what do they really care, after the damage has been done they just move on! And another thing.....What's wrong with being called "THE MOHAWKS"? It certainty speaks to the heritage of the area and lends itself to respecting a people by wanting to remember them. So what do you think?.....Is IMAGE more important than Substance?........ IT's YOUR DIME

"THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING"

How quickly our world spins! One minute we are a sleepy backwater old mill hick town situated in a remote, can't get there from here, region of the North East, then the next minute we are on every map in bold letters listed as a "Must Go" destination. Why?....The INTERNET and WiFi. Finely all those anti North Adams, anti technology, naysayers have been overshadowed by those with real vision. I have to laugh at how quickly the BAND WAGON fills up when the wheels start to turn. Seems all those old tired excuses against progress just seem to blow off the back of the wagon like so much loose hay. Maybe there will even be a real since of pride in our City. Maybe MCLA will even bring back their real name, "North Adams State Teachers College", instead of trying to distance themselves from the City and hide behind a phony, sounds good, name..... MCLA WHO?...............................What do you think..... IT's YOUR DIME

"AS SURE AS THERE IS A SANTA, Wifi IS COMING:

Good Morning People! Sure can get crazy at this time of year! I have been a "Shadow Person" on other blogs just listing to what others have to say. Though it is hard to keep my mouth shut :~) I did have to add my penny's worth. Anyway..........There seems to be more people than was thought that want to see technology brought to the for front here in our City. It is probably only a matter of getting the facts and cost out in the open so everyone is on the same page. "Hard tellin not knowin!" It was very refreshing to find that Dan Bosley is in favor of the technology and the benefits that can be gained for the City and MassMoCa. Playing the scare card, as our mayor likes to do, is not going to help the City grow. As sure as there is a Santa Clause, the technology will come to the City. I am of the reasoning that government is an enety of the people, not of those in control at the moment. I can't think of anything in City Hall that shouldn't be open to the preview of the public. Even the "SNOOPERS", as the mayor called them, should have access to anything in City Hall. What is there that is so secret that the public shouldn't be privy to? I say digitize the whole shabang and give assess through a webpage. Hell, that will certainly create a couple of jobs! From what I have researched, a Webpage can cost from FREE to about $30 a month. The expense you may incur is having a person maintaining the page and some of the equipment, but I'm sure their are grant monies out there to cover this. The price of technology is coming down daily so there is no excuse not to have it.
What do you think?

"I'm BACK!"

Boy, this is a hectic time of the year! By now you all have your shoppin done, I'm talkin to the ladies here, I know you gentlemen out there are just gettin your lists organized. Hell why rush it, it's only the 20th ! I know "MY" system worked really great for many years and a lot of you guys had the same system.....I use to see you. On the 24th, usually we would abandon the employer at around the dinner hour, sometimes during coffee break, about nineish or so, if the opportunity presented it's self. We would all meet at the closest tavern so we could compare our shoppin lists and partake of lots of holiday libation. Hell it is only nine in the mornin, their is still plenty of time left to shop! Then after having snacked on hop and barley sandwitches all day and a few shots of some twelve year old gentlemen, we were ready to go mallin, besides it now was around three or so in the afternoon and the crowds were all gone, perfect time to shop and besides that's when everything started to go on sale. I would have to say that it only took us gentlemen about one hour to do the same shoppin that it takes you ladies two months to do, and we got a better price! That nice piece of jewelry you wanted? Half price! ..........Merry Christmas to All and to, hic, All Good, hic, Nigzzzzzzzzzzz!

"CHRISTMAS"

Yup, it's almost here again! I know why Santa's whiskers are white!.......... He saw the bill Mrs. Clause ran up at the mall buying gifts! He,He Ho,Ho,Ho! Now when I was a youngin,...here we go again, North Adams was a whole different animal. At this time of the year the main street was packed with shoppers. Back then we actually had a main street with two sides, the Sunny Side and I guess you would have to call it the Dark side...and to be realistic it probably was because that's where Bank Street was and we all know what that was famous for! Anyway lets not get off the track here. Besides being packed with shoppers there were lots of colored lights strung over the streets and the big Christmas tree with lots of colored lights. The shops were all spiffied up with ribbons and bows, with Christmas Songs emanating from within, with their show windows chocked full of wondrous toys and gadgets. And yes, Santa himself was here to update his list personally. Oh and the aroma of freshly popped popcorn and fresh roasting peanuts wifting in the air from J.J. Newberrys, mixing with the smell of freshly baked cookies and breads and pies from the bakeries on Main Street. It truly was a Wonderland. You would actually hear people wishing each other a Merry Christmas! There wasn't much you couldn't purchase right here in town. There were clothing stores, music stores, hardware stores, sporting goods stores, specialty shops, and general merchandise stores. But alas... never to be evermore! Thanks to progress....Urban Renewal? I think we are still waiting for the renewal part! So when you are all scurrying around the mall, spending next years income, just take the time to reflect on the season and the true meaning of Christmas...and don't forget to wish each other a "Merry Christmas"

"DEMOCRACY AT WORK"

Are we keeping warm this cold morning?..... Good!..... Did you happen to watch the City Council Meeting last evening? Of course you did. It was the event of the month. The mayor vs Mr. Deep! I have to say that I was very impressed with every member of that council last night. They conducted themselves like professional representatives of the citizens of this city. They should be proud this morning of their work last night. It was real "DEMOCRACY AT WORK" I believe the days of the "bobbleheads" are gone forever. I would like to talk about two things this morning, so you can take your pick. The first and most important is the sewer line issue. Their seems to be a lot more here than just trying to "Help the people" as the mayor stated. The second is the issue of access to city hall.....(the web page) Not to drag this out but I, as well as many others, feel that it is very important, although the mayor seems to think otherwise. He seems to believe that the citizens should not have access to their city hall and the different departments, through the net. He talked about E-Mail as some sort of monster to be avoided at all cost. Hell, In today's world your E-Mail address is about the same as your telephone number. Not a boogie man. Eighter he is real ignorant of the computer technology or he fears it for some reason. OK.....those are the questions for this morning. Go for it... It's YOUR DIME!

"THE CITY HOME PAGE"

And a frosty Good Mornin to all. Just since we are on the subject of this computer net thing, does anyone know the why and where for we don't have a home page anymore? I am curious as to the particulars. I don't remember it being discussed at a council meeting, though I may have missed it. It seems to me a presents on the NET is a sound investment for any municipality in today's world. Lets talk about it.....IT's YOUR DIME

"TO CONTINUE INTO THE 21st CENTURY"

Technology - A wonder to behold! The availability of knowledge by all finally drags some kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Their are those that would rather we were still living in the dark ages of three channels on our TV's. Lets expand further on into the future. Wifi in the City (town) Hall,... in the Schools,...in local business,...and yes even in your home! Now in this future world laptops now are the size of a paperback book, can be carried in the back pocket or your purse. Need to look up something in the Town records, no problem, just park in the parking lot and access. No need to walk in the rain or the snow...need a form of some sort? Again no problem just access and download. Need to look up a bylaw?... you got it ...no problem...Oh that would make City (town) hall sooooo user friendly! How about our future students...Oh such a great tool to teaching., The students can study to pass the State Mandated Tests without ever having to attend a formal class. Could graduate in just a couple of months. Think of the savings to the school budget! After all it doesn't seem to matter how much knowledge a student has acquired, but how good they are at passing The State Smart Tests! And we would not need those pesky teachers, that the State has certified but seems to think that they aren't qualified to teach, ( I have problems with that logic? ) Seems it is all their fault that our students are so stupid! Hmmmm.... Maybe less administration and more Education would help?....Nah...I forgot our State Certified Teachers aren't smart enough to do it on their own, they need administering, that's where all the smarts are! Business could take advantage of this too. They wouldn't have all those people sliding in and out of their store all day, never know what they may have swiped? Sit on a BENCH outside their establishment and look and see if they have the item you are looking for. Were talking accessibility here folks. Or you could just access the Chamber of Republicans and they could tell you where you could find the item you are looking for is, that is if the business pays their dues to the Chamber, otherwise good luck! See.... I told you you would like living in the 21st century! What do you think? IT's YOUR DIME!

"ADELPHIA NO SPEED INTERNET"

A frosty "Good Morning" to you all! Well I guess Old Man Winter is here to stay for another season! Isn't that just wonderful?.......... This morning I want to discuss one of my favorite subjects, as of late, Adelphia No Speed internet. What you say? Let me explain why I call them that. In the beginning he created the intranet, and behold he found it good so he created 28K dialup, this was good so he continued until behold he created high speed cable, and it was good. That was in the beginning!... Now we are in the modern ages, into book two, if you like! Those of the corporate cloth are still preaching the same old sermon......DOWNLOAD SPEED! Well let me open your eyes, let the blind see!.....it isn't about download speed any more it is also about UPLOAD SPEED. An item that they don't want to talk about. With Christmas almost here a lot of you will be out there buying your youngins that new computer game that is all the rage. The one they must have! Well a word to the wise...be in for a surprise! The new and expanding technology in computer gaming today depends heavily on two way communication.....DOWNLOAD SPEED as well as UPLOAD SPEED! But unfortunately Adelphia no speed internet doesn't seem to think UPLOAD SPEED is important enough to invest monies into, to keep up with the times. Well at least here in backwater U.S.A. When I talked to one of their reps he basically told me to sit on a rusty nail and rotate, they had no intention of taking any money away from their CEO to invest in infrastructure. Where does our $59 go to? Back to speeds...On my computer the best I can get for UPLOAD SPEED is only 13 % of the DOWNLOAD SPEED, which makes for real shitty gaming. That is the max that Adelphia No Speed allows, or is capable of. I suggest that the next time they come before the people of North Adams looking to renew their license that the Mayor does what he does best...Demand they upgrade their upload server to modern standards or go away. We are not a golden cow just here for the milking! What do you think........It's YOUR DIME!

COMING TOMORROW - ADELPHIA NO SPEED INTERNET"

I have been wrangling with Adelphia No Net for a month now. Tomorrow we will expose their true colors!.......... stay tuned!