The Register Star featured an article today about internet service in the county, “County dials up broadband efforts: Working with local providers and developing a map of who can’t get high-speed Internet access among officials’ goals“ By Nathan Mayberg. Counting the Number without Access Is Not Enough It is good that our government officials are concerned with improving Internet access across the county. It is painfully obvious that Internet access is more important in our time than even rural electrification and telephone service was to earlier generations. Without Internet access people are increasingly cut off from an array of opportunities. They cannot participate fully in our culture and economy. I want to focus on the quality of Internet access. Even in Hudson, the most densely populated part of the county, we barely have broadband service. Mid-Hudson Cable provides download speeds that are only marginally broadband. Despite their advertising campaigns proclaiming “blazing...
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Economic Inequality – Does It Matter?
It is fairly widely known that income and wealth inequality in the US is as high or higher than at any time except perhaps the Robber Baron period at the end of the 19th century. Lots of articles and books explain how this has come about over the last 30 years. In a recent NYTimes Magazine article, “The Purpose of Spectacular Wealth, According to a Spectacularly Wealthy Guy” by Adam...
Ramp Fest Hudson NY – 05/05/2012
Karen, with friends Esther and Rose Hanig, went off to Ramp Fest Saturday. I stayed behind to mind the store. They gave the food and the ambiance rave reviews. They ate enough so I barely had to make dinner. Here are a few photos taken by Karen.
Hudson Sidewalks – more about Prospect Ave. and code enforcement
A couple of weeks ago I came on a new sidewalk on Prospect Ave. that seemed to be out of compliance with local ordinances. At the time I wrote a bit about this, “Sidewalks in Hudson – Dangerous for Lack of Code Enforcement and Common Sense“. Yesterday, my walk took me up Prospect again....
Goodbye Mid-Hudson Cable – Verizon DSL and a Surprise
We pulled the plug on Mid-Hudson Cable (MHC) for our internet service a couple of weeks ago in favor of Verizon DSL service. I have written about MHC’s terrible service and misrepresentations earlier. Most recently here. Being fortunate enough to live less than 17,000 ft1 from the Verizon office next to the Post Office,...
Big Money, Big Politics…the best government bought, not by you…..
Wonder about the Impact of the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United Decision? Government in the US, as everywhere, has always been tilted in favor of the wealthy. But, the Citizens United decision in 2010 giving corporations the right spend unlimited money has made government, really at every level, into the sole playground of the rich and...