Governor Cuomo said it best in a story I read this morning: “We’ve had two, one hundred year storms in two years.” Our local area dodged a huge bullet when the storm took a left and spared — especially the counties that suffered through Irene — our area of any major influence of Sandy. That can’t be said, however, of our downstate residents, and our neighbors to the south in New Jersey. With all the storm media coverage, the effect of Sandy really sunk in for me when on the bottom of the TV screen was the name of a Jersey shore town that was home to me for a few summers when I was in my late teens. My best friends mom had a place on the beach which she rented out each year, and didn’t care who stopped by to crash. We spent the days on the beach, and the nights in the Osprey Hotel drinking $1 Bud’s. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Manasquan, NJ, but my friend’s sister still lives there in a house down the street, not far from the place where we spent our summer’s. I called my friend after the storm hit to see if she was OK; she had to evacuate, and knew that her house was still standing, but it would be a few more days before they could get anywhere near it. He sent me some pictures of the street where she lives that was covered by sand two feet deep. My thoughts and prayers go out to her, and all the storm ravaged citizens of Sandy.……….If you plan on watching any television tonight or tomorrow night, be prepared for the onslaught, barrage, bombardment, say what you wish, of campaign ad’s perpetuating the airwaves. Even the local’s are emptying their campaign war chests in a final attempt to gain the public’s vote. But rest easy oh Citizen’s of America; once that the election is over, we get to watch nonstop ad’s for the upcoming Christmas season. It used to be that once we passed the Thanksgiving holiday, the buying season began. Now, at 12:01 am, the night of Halloween, the Target, JC Penney’s, Macy’s, et al, ad’s hit the airwaves. Now, I must admit that I’m not a big fan of Christmas, but that is pushing it a little. What’s next; buying season begins after Labor Day?……….It’s very disappointing that our local newspaperopoly, the Times Union, didn’t lambast the city of Albany for that mess that they almost got themselves into over the hiring of proposed IT czar George Ellis. If not for a story in The Washington Post, we would have this bozo sitting in his $115,000 a year office in City Hall. According to the story in the TU, the city was “caught short by the news and angry.” Well, what the hell. Who was responsible for vetting this guy. Supposedly they — that would be Kathy Sheehan, the Deputy Mayor, and the Budget Director — had some 50 applicants for the job, and this guy’s name floats to the top? Nice job. Just think; It could have gone like this: “Oh, Mr. Ellis, you have Mr. Smith from Hewlett Packard on the phone.” “Tell him unless he’s got tickets and first class plane reservations to the Final Four, I’m going with Dell.” My God in heaven. Who is running this city. Now what. There are still 49 applicants for the job. I don’t think that you can rely on a phone call to an applicants former employer who would reply, “he doesn’t work here anymore.” No disrespect, but you aren’t hiring a line cook here. Never in my life have I seen a better job of sweeping a story, a major story concerning the structuring of City Hall, swept under the rug. Nice job TU.
And that is “The Daily Take”