Sunday "News on the Run" and Other Stuff

Was briefly outside enjoying a very spring like day here in downtown Mountaindale as we experience the ongoing non-winter winter.  I mean seriously, this has to be one of the warmer winters on record, and the extended weather forecast for the rest of the month shows ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. The up and down and all around weird weather we are experiencing sees me nursing yet another winter cold.  I don't mind snow and frigid temperatures, just wish it would get cold and stay there for awhile so that we can all acclimate.

In news of a BIG NATURE for us here in our small hamlet...we finally have an ATM machine in town.  You can access it any time that Uccelli Restaurant is open.  Do wish there was a way it could be outside where we could access it 24/7, but it is nice to be able to go get a little cash for things like our laundromat without having to drive over to Woodridge or Rockhill.

Two other notes about Uccelli Restaurant:

1.  There is now live music every Friday night.

2.  Every Saturday evening stop by Robert's Prime Rib special...it's TASTY.

Sunday "News on the Run"

Whitney Houston has been buried, so hopefully my dearly loved news channels can get back to some normal programming.  Am I the only one that thought the coverage WAS WAY OVER THE TOP for a washed up, career over singer with a drug and alcohol abuse problem? Meanwhile, tonight on Piers Morgan, there is yet another special hour of Whitney Houston coverage.

Fracking is still a BIG TOPIC, and look for another major article on this important issue on this blog in the next day or two.

Like the spoiled school yard bully who got caught and finds himself in timeout, Iran is throwing a temper tantrum, cutting off its own nose to spite its face as they stop selling crude to France and Britain.  Guessing those sanctions are having more of an effect than they are letting on.

States pass TOUGH Immigration laws, and ILLEGAL ALIENS leave.  Courts wrongfully step in and gut those laws, and ILLEGAL ALIENS RETURN.  Just goes to show you, enforcement would actually work if the federal government and courts left it up to the states to enforce the federal laws that our federal government does not enforce.  So much for us being a nation of laws.

Saturday Musings, and "News on the Run"

One of Our Local Residents

Up early here, the deep freeze we are in seeing me rise early to make a cup of coffee, and kick up the heat to knock the chill off of my apartment.  Slight flurries of snow are dancing about just outside my window, frost creeping up the pains of glass.  Went outside to look at my electric meter, frowned as I watched the little wheel whirling about, dollars ringing up for the utility company as I attempt to chase away the cold...this weather is truly a budget buster for those on a limited income.  The good news in all this is that any real chance of snow has been pushed off till Tuesday...so, today might be a good day to run out and do a bit of grocery shopping before we find ourselves shut in.

In local news, the "Rails to Trails" committee is hoping for some good news this coming week from the "Parks and Trails New York" folks...they have applied for a $3,000 grant.  The decision is slated to be made, and recipients notified this coming Tuesday, January 16, 2012.  The "Capacity Building" grant would be used for such things as a new membership brochure, and a full blown web presence for the trail.  This grant would dovetail nicely with Mountaindale's own plans for new banners, flower boxes and other improvements made possible through the $7,000 grant the community won in last year's Sullivan Renaissance program.  These types of grant funds from outside sources, administered properly bode well for our small hamlet.

Saturday "News on the Run"

Lifestyles of the Rich and Political...take a look at some of the homes Republican Politicians are living in, including one of Mitt Romney's worth almost TEN MILLION DOLLARS (he has several).  He and some of the others living high on the proverbial hog want us to believe they are men of the people.

Cruise ship capsizes after hitting a sandbar...at least three dead, though over 50 others are still missing, so look for the death toll from this tragic accident to rise.  129 Americans were on board when the ship ran aground. 

In more FRACKING NEWS, seems that Lisa Jackson is content to drag the US EPA's feet, content to duck the issues as the citizens of Dimock, PA continue to drink POISON WATER.    One has to wonder which New York communities will be forced to follow in Dimock's footsteps, our children's health being threatened as they have no choice but to drink water CONTAMINATED by the Natural Gas industry's unsafe Hydraulic Fracturing of our pristine lands.

Brilliant homeless teenager and her family now have a home, and they get their dog back in the bargain...this is a feel good story.

Hope you have enjoyed today's "News on the Run"...time to go out and brave the cold as I get my car started, and parked back out on Main Street here in downtown Mountaindale.