Elwood, Once Deemed Ugly, Dies

    He was the World's Ugliest Dog who led a beautiful life before his passing on Thanksgiving.
    Elwood was named the ugly dog in 2007 but went on to be a symbol of acceptance in books for young children.
  

Elwood Passes at Age 8

 

     It would be hard for some to declare this dog as "adorable", but the Chinese Crested made his mark and is remembered today. 

Elwood, crowned world's ugliest dog in 2007, dies

WDT: Media Declares NNY Needs to Get Serious About Sorting

    Perry is a reasonable man with an easy to read style of writing. He doesn't have all those sharp elbows under the basket, but that doesn't mean I can't take exception with him.
    In this Op/Ed it is argued its high time for NNY to get serious about recycling. I spend a fair amount of time sorting cans and bottles under the worlds's-greatest make work project...the bigger, better NYS Bottle Bill. 
     I do it for the 3.5 cent differential so I can keep my unit costs in line. Every bit helps. I am not helping the environment by doing that. I just do it for the money as that is the game society has set up.
     I am a good sport and willing to help out. What I won't do is have a bunch of separate containers with soggy newspapers and cardboard...Nor am I interested in plastic containers blowing around or smelly former food containers piling up. There is one newspaper article so far on a proposed recycling law that probably has been read about as thoroughly as the ACA when it was passed.

     If you make it simple, I will go along....but I have enough things to worry about without more make-work or messes or more expense.
     If its really a moral and ecological imperative to force the issue, then keep it simple. .
     It might be easier to wait some of us out as the next generation will be more docile and compliant. 

Watertown Daily Times | There’s waste, and then there’s waste: recycling is calling your name

What courts in New York state collect the most fines? Hint: You've probably driven through them | syracuse.com

   Here's a tax you don't hear as much about but its a significant revenue stream to some localities, particularly those bisected by Interstate highways where ticket quotas are met and local coffers filled.
   The top three town courts for collections in Jefferson County are the Towns of Watertown, Pamelia and Orleans, all sporting stretches of I-81.

     This is a revenue stream that can be adjusted by varying the "performance objectives" of officers on the road.
      Statewide, town courts along the Thruway do well as do courts in the more tony parts of Long Island.
What courts in New York state collect the most fines? Hint: You've probably driven through them | syracuse.com

WDT: The “honor system”: enforcement of bed tax collection can be difficult

     Those spending tax money usually have more enthusiasm for collecting taxes than those having to pay them. That's especially true when you see your particular product with a hidden niche tax like the bed tax, the cable tax, the cell phone sin tax,  on and on.
      Clearly, some people don't pay bed tax...just like some don't pay sales tax and some don't pay income tax on all they make. And remember, vendors become the government's tax man in collecting something that only adds to the cost of their product. Anytime there is cash exchanged the prospect for universal collection dwindles.

 

Local Hotels Producing Record Revenues....But Some Want More

 

       In a time when the broad based taxes have continued to rise, conservative lawmakers are more concerned about more collection than they are tax relief.
      Even here in conservative, Republican Jefferson County, there is worry about the bed tax, even though the amounts collected boom.
      If there are warrants or liens against so called scofflaws, just publish their names. Shaming is always in style.
     

Watertown Daily Times | The “honor system”: enforcement of bed tax collection can be difficult

'It was a freak accident': NYPD traffic officer run over and killed by street-cleaning truck while writing parking tickets | Mail Online

   A 71 year old parking  ticket writer for the NYPD died in the line of duty this weekend when he was struck and killed by a city refuse truck. The traffic agent died in what was called a freak accident.

    That's kind of old to be out enforcing the law, but times are tough and for this man stretching his career ended in tragedy.
'It was a freak accident': NYPD traffic officer run over and killed by street-cleaning truck while writing parking tickets | Mail Online

Three males in Syracuse punch 42-year-old passerby in head on Thanksgiving, knocking him unconscious | syracuse.com

   An apparent game of knock-out in Syracuse over the holiday is a sign the media-driven attacks are evident everywhere, although surely not as widespread as some reports would indicate.
  Regardless, this is a dangerous and idiotic exercise.
Three males in Syracuse punch 42-year-old passerby in head on Thanksgiving, knocking him unconscious | syracuse.com

WDT: Hotel Survey Shows There Really Was a Canadian Invasion for Thanksgiving

       It's a phenomenon that more and more is an essential part of the local economy as the Black Friday shopping frenzy packed Watertown area hotels and malls. A friend visiting town for the holiday who stayed at the Best Western says he was amazed at the hordes of Canadian women booked at his hotel just to go shopping.

     Exchange rates and just the fun of shopping somewhere else contribute to the migration.
     We welcome our friends from the North and appreciate the opportunity the shopping provides as dollars percolate through the NNY economy.
Watertown Daily Times | Thursday doorbuster shopping drives up Canadian occupancy at Watertown hotels